CHAPTER 263: THAT MAKES TWO OF US

The single most troublesome issue the Sorcerers faced during the raid was the white light that disabled their sorcery. And it wasn’t just one or two types. They worked on both the Shirogane and Romano schools of sorcery, which meant it likely works on everything else, too.

Such a power was a bane to sorcerers, who were already in decline. For the time being, it didn’t appear to have fallen into Eidolon’s hands, seeing as its owner fought and even killed one of the Genomes. But for how long would that last?

Be it Victor, Mr. Pike, or Rose, they all understood why the blue demon came to them with that question fist instead of asking about his son and nephew. As a Sorcerer, he would never be at ease knowing someone who could render him powerless was out there, and even if he wanted revenge, he would have to find a way around it.

After a long silence, Mr. Pike answered, the words leaving his mouth like air knocked out of his lungs.

"I don’t know."

No sooner had he said the words than the pressure tormenting him was relieved, leaving him panting for air. The answer he provided was the truth. Not a half truth, and not an evasive answer. He truly does not know, and since he spoke the truth, the sorcery that attacks lies could no longer harm him, at least until the next question is asked.

[You don’t know who they are.] Ushida remained calm, even if his voice gained a bit of weight. As he spoke, he shifted his gaze to the fixer. [What about you, Mr. Sokolov? Surely a known fixer and info broker like yourself would know who the people you hire are.]

When pressure fell on Viktor, the impact brought him back to a very bad time. In just a few seconds, he looked like someone who woke up with a very bad hangover, but even in that state, he still smiled at the blue demon.

"I’m gonna be honest with you, buddy. I have no idea who you are talking about." He shook his head. "And believe me, even if I had someone like that on call, there is no way in hell he’s taking this job. The pay is way too small for someone who could deal with your kind."

The pressure faded halfway through, relieving Viktor as he spoke in such a relaxed tone that it felt as if he didn’t have a blade pressed to his neck. The blue demon listened in silence and said nothing afterward.

The red glow in the helmet’s eye sockets seemed to grow brighter as he suddenly moved, approaching the fixer before kneeling in front of him. Once they were on the same eye level, he held his gaze for a while, then spoke in an even tone.

[You just lied to me.]

Although the words were directed at him, Victor was the only one who didn’t react. The heist crew was confused, but it was the Sorcerers restraining them that seemed rather shocked. Their leader was one of the strongest Sorcerers from the Shirogane clan, and his Tongue of Truth A was impossible to defend against, let alone withstand. Answering a question he asked with a lie could easily lead to irreversible brain damage, yet the fixer was completely fine as if he had answered with the truth.

[Interesting,] Ushida said. [To think I would come across someone who can negate my arts twice in a single night. It doesn’t seem like you use the same powers, however...]

"Did you consider that your work might not work on everyone?"

[A valid argument, but you don’t strike me as someone without a brain.]

The blue demon pushed himself up, glanced at the fixer, then turned around.

[Don’t worry, I have... other ways to make people talk. We are-]

"Yeah, yeah, I get it already." All eyes turned to Viktor once more, shocked by the nonchalant way he interrupted the blue demon. "You know, all this mess wouldn’t exist if you had just given up on your master’s earlier. Even though you planned to stab him in the back at some point, you just kept on delaying it, and here you are."

A clang echoed in the dark warehouse as the blue demon turned around once more.

"C’mon now, don’t tell me you expected anyone to be fooled by your act." A mocking grin slowly spread on Viktor’s face. "You are from one of them Sorcerer families. Letting mundane humans use your Sorcery? You would rather go extinct." He chuckled a little, then broke into a coughing fit. "Let me... Let me guess... You were the one who leaked info about the new weapon, weren’t you?"

[What are you-]

"Actually, that would be me."

The blue demon was interrupted once more, but unlike when the fixer did it, the air around him suddenly changed. One moment, he was there, and in the next, he was gone. The metal sheets covering the floor had begun to squirm at the same time, and the next instant, something suddenly erupted.

Needles, hundreds of thousands of them. They appeared everywhere, like sharp blades of grass as tall as an adult male. They came from the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. In less than a second, the entire warehouse was filled, with the only exception being a small circle around the kneeling Viktor, Rose, and Mr. Pike.

It was as if they were at the center of a massive death trap. The thin, sharp needles were close enough to poke their eyes, forcing them to remain perfectly still. As he stared at a sharp tip only millimeters away from his left eye, Viktor noticed that it was made out of silver, and that caused the corners of his mouth to rise.

A few seconds later, the needles all retracted back to the floor and walls, leaving the warehouse in an entirely different condition from before. The number of people inside was much greater now, with most of the new faces wearing black suits, while a few others had the same blue demon helmet as Ushida. They were standing in the areas that had been covered by the long needles seconds ago, and though they appeared fine at first, the way they remained unmoving was quite unsettling.

The first one fell after a few seconds, and another one followed right after. Soon enough, they dropped to the floor, painting it red with their blood.

Among them, only one figure hadn’t collapsed entirely, stubbornly remaining on his knees. Shirogane Ushida was able to save himself at the very last second, but some of the needles still pierced his body. His helmet snapped open, giving him a taste of the dusty air as he panted, red trails lining the corners of his mouth.

As a crimson puddle slowly formed under his feet, the Sorcerer slowly raised his head, the grimace on his face showing that the action itself was a struggle. In his blurry vision, he saw a young woman dressed in white.

Bianca Romano.

Only a couple of feet separated them, showing how close yet far he was. If only he had been a little bit faster, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.

As he struggled to draw in his last breath, someone approached him from the side. Another young woman, one with dark hair and dressed in a maid’s outfit. She bent down and picked up a small bag that had fallen at his feet without him noticing. Its color was once violet, but after bathing in the Sorcerer’s blood, it had turned entirely crimson.

The maid stood up and gazed down at him, her eyes chillingly cold. After watching him suffer for a good second, she turned around and handed the bag to her master before walking back and standing behind her.

"... I see..." Reaching into the bag, the lady in white took out the jade scythe. Its blade was covered in red as well, but it seemed to slip off its surface without leaving a trace. Looking down at the dying Ushida, she let a smile play on her lips and spoke, her tone calm yet mocking. "In the end, you were still a failure."

The words stabbed harder than any of the needles, and the pain showed on the Sorcerer’s face. Spewing blood as he coughed, Ushida gritted his teeth and pierced Bianca with a glare. His body trembled with rage, but the damage dealt to it was far too great, leaving him incapable of moving no matter how he tried.

"Curse... you..." He hissed between his blood-stained teeth. "Traitorous... wench..."

The smile disappeared from Bianca’s face, her expression darkening.

"That makes two of us." As she spoke, a stream of silver slowly rose, leaking from the gaps between the metal sheets. "Don’t worry, though. I will make sure to finish what you started."

The silver stream flashed, reflecting the faint glow seeping through the windows. The next instant, another part of the floor was painted crimson, and a headless corpse fell to its side.