POV: Arthur Kojiro
As the wind broke the silence, I turned around to find Envy, but I was taken aback by a sense of consternation as Envy wasn't anywhere near her previous location, urging me to survey the area in search for her as I felt a droplet of cold sweat trickle down the side of my face.
Where in the world did she go-
As my eyes fell upon her, apprehension grasped my heart as I noticed Envy rushing towards Everett, who mustered every ounce of courage within his vessel to stand firm and protect Aria, who was focused on saving Sarah's life as he trembled in fear from Envy closing in on him fast with Gluttony's dagger held tightly in her grasp.
Shit, I wasn't paying attention!
She concealed her Aspectual Force so I wouldn't be able to sense it, but despite that…
If Everett engages in combat against Envy, his death is certain!
Planting my back foot deep into the earth below, I intended on propelling myself towards Envy, but amidst my takeoff, my body was suddenly restricted by a tremendous force of energy as I struggled to even move a muscle within the mysterious invisible grasp that confined me.
What?!
Confounded, I forcibly turned my head to find none other than Lust, who was bathing in her own blood with a sadistic, yet satisfied grin as she used her remaining life force to stay conscious.
Am I seeing this right?
You're telling me she's killing herself just to restrict my movement?!
"If I can't take you with me, then I'll just take somebody else!" Lust exclaimed with a coarse laugh before coughing up blood as I struggled persistently to free myself from her invisible grasp.
I may not be at full strength, but I should be able to break free from this without any effort!
Move Arthur…
You expect yourself to become the strongest and yet, you're allowing a mere pebble to stand in your way as an obstacle?
Unacceptable.
MOVE DAMMIT!
With a roar of determination, I released all of the power I could exert from my body as I slowly began to break free, overwhelming her telekinesis with my sheer power, but despite my persistence, I felt myself lose strength at the devastating realization of me being unable to make it in time as I clenched my jaw in frustration at my own incompetence.
No…
I won't make it in time.
She's going to kill Everett!
POV: Envy
Thank you Lust, for sacrificing your life to give me this opportunity.
The Hero Association may capture us today, but I won't let your death be in vain because I'm going to kill that boy at any cost!
Sprinting towards the frightened boy, the golden aura surrounding the girl behind him left me unsettled, urging me to observe her face as the closer I approached them, I was able to figure out her identity as I felt my composure tremble.
Is that who I think it is?!
No, it has to be as she possesses Light Manipulation, a Divine Elemental Aspect that is only possessed by two Aspectors on this entire continent, which are Joseph Akari and his granddaughter…
Aria Akari, The Child Of Light.
I don't know why she's here, but despite her possessing a Divine Elemental Aspect, she hasn't gained enough insight into her own Aspect in order to utilize it properly as if she did, that girl who she's trying to save would have instantly recovered, therefore…
If she wants to save that girl's life…
She can't protect the boy!
As I was no further than a meter away, Aria glanced at me nervously as I approached the boy, who was unable to even stand straight as he loosely raised his guard out of desperation.
This is it!
"You're dead!" I exclaimed with a tone of delight as I lunged towards the boy and tried to slit his throat, but unfortunately, the boy protected his life by using his own forearm as a shield, wincing in pain as his perseverance left me disgusted.
I don't understand.
You're weak.
So pitifully weak that if I were in your shoes, I would have killed myself.
You're barely stronger than a normal human and yet, you dare cling onto life as if you have a purpose to fulfill?
As the boy struggled to tolerate the pain of my knife tearing through his flesh, I tried to rip out my knife from within his forearm, but the boy refused to let me do as I pleased as he clenched my wrist tightly, preventing me from removing my knife as I noticed a light growing within his eyes.
That damned light.
Even in the face of death, you heroes refuse to give up.
I don't understand it.
How can anyone willingly sacrifice their life for another?
Once you die, that's it.
There's no god in this evil world that we live in as if there was, then what happened to my family wouldn't have been possible had there been an existence of a god.
I had cursed myself for so long as if only I was stronger, maybe then I could have saved everyone, but the cruel reality is that I'm nothing more than a coward who ran away and allowed everyone I loved to be killed as I was too weak to change anything.
I know better than anyone that the weak should do anything they can in order to survive as unlike the strong, we can't protect ourselves, which is why I rely on weapons and avoid close-combat at all cost as death means the end for somebody as weak as myself, so how is it…
How is it that somebody who is far weaker than myself has the courage to do what I couldn't do so many years ago?!
I hate it.
I hate it, I hate it, I hate it…
I HATE IT!
"I HATE YOU DAMN HEROES!" I screamed, enraged as I tried to rip out my knife by yanking my arm backwards with force, but despite my efforts, the boy's perseverance was victorious as he used every fiber of his being to prevent me from removing my knife, tightening his grasp on my wrist as his tenacious spirit left me uncomfortable.
If I had the courage of this boy standing before me…
"DIE ALREADY! JUST DIE!" I demanded with a piercing cry of desperation as I made a hand gesture of a finger gun with my off-hand and aimed it towards the boy's forehead, causing cold sweat to erupt across his skin as his determination was immediately replaced with fear while I channeled my aura into the tips of my fingers.
Could I have saved them?
"EVERETT!" Aria cried out anxiously as I prepared myself to kill the boy by firing a piercing shot of energy through his head, but before I could kill him, I felt a sudden wave of bloodlust directed towards me as my focus was disrupting for a mere second while my body tensed with fear and in that moment, I felt two slashes of wind tear into the back of my torso as my breath was stripped away from me, forcing me to stagger forward before collapsing onto my knees with tears welling within my eyes as my breathing soon became shallow from the insufferable pain coursing through my back.
Damn it all.
"I… will never understand you heroes." I muttered coarsely as my consciousness faded away into the everlasting void of darkness.