"It's over."
Aurelia's voice carried the weight of divine judgment.
Her golden eyes were as calm and stoic as usual.
"..."
She raised her sword for the final strike.
But just as she's about to deliver the finishing blow...
"W-WAIT! Vincent... he's been planning this for weeks!"
Rebecca's words exploded out in a panicked rush, her face pale as hell from staring down Aurelia's divine blade.
"He knows about your bond with Nero! He wants to separate you two and capture you!"
Aurelia's golden eyes narrowed into slits sharp enough to cut glass.
Yeah, that detail felt a hell of a lot more important than Rebecca probably realized.
"Continue."
One word, but it landed like a nuke. The kind of command that makes the smart ones instantly shut up and comply, while the dumb ones… Well, they usually end up dead.
"The maze was just the beginning! There are others positioned around the camp right now!"
Rebecca was shaking like a leaf, but she kept talking like her life depended on it.
Which, to be fair, it absolutely did.
"If Marcus fails to kill Nero and I fail to capture you, Vincent still has his backup plans!"
"Explain."
Aurelia's voice wasn't loud. But it carried that terrifying calm…like the mountains would pack up and move aside just to get out of her way.
"I... I don't know all of them! Vincent only told us what we needed to know!"
Rebecca's voice sounded with desperation.
"... But I know he's been recruiting people with unique abilities! People like me who could create advantages in specific situations!"
… Something was off about this whole confession.
Aurelia's golden eyes studied Rebecca with growing suspicion.
"H-He's planning to make you his 8th bride! I'll become your older sister! Y-You wouldn't want to kill your future sister, right?"
Now THAT sounded like premium bullshit.
Rebecca continued her pleas while reaching out toward Aurelia with trembling hands as if asking for pity.
"I-If you want I can help you stop him! I know the other abilities of my other sisters! I know Vincent's weaknesses! Please!"
The tears were flowing freely now.
But as Rebecca's hand got closer...
"!!!"
Aurelia's divine instincts started screaming warnings.
It's Rebecca's eyes.
They weren't filled with the terror you'd expect from someone about to die.
Instead, there were tiny heart-shaped pupils glowing faintly pink in the depths of her irises.
"Vincent's real plan is to eliminate all threats to his perfect world! Starting with–"
*Slice!*
Without hesitation, Aurelia's blade moved faster than thought itself.
Rebecca's hand went flying like it had just been evicted from her body.
With a "plop!" sound, the severed hand landed about a meter away.
And there… what seems to be a poisoned needle clattered harmlessly to the ground.
Some sneaky contraption strapped to her wrist that's supposed to shoot out stealthily towards a target…
It doesn't take a genius to know what the girl was planning to do.
Unfortunately, not today though.
"AAAHHH! MY FUCKING HAND!"
Rebecca's scream echoed through the stone maze.
Blood gushed from her stump like a broken faucet, painting the floor red.
"YOU FUCKING BITCH! HOW DID YOU–"
*Slice!*
The second strike cut her off mid-curse.
Permanently.
And just like that, Rebecca's head was separated from her shoulders, taking her fake confession and assassination attempt to the grave.
*Thud.*
The head hit the ground, those heart-shaped pupils still glowing for a few seconds before fading to normal brown eyes.
"..."
Aurelia silently flicked the blood off her sword with a sharp swing.
The whole surrender routine was definitely convincing, you gotta give that.
But those pink heart-shaped pupils were definitely connected to some mind-control bullshit.
Most people facing death would be genuinely terrified.
But Rebecca's performance was a bit… too convenient and desperate.
Trusting her instincts was the right call, and definitely inspecting for something odd was helpful too.
And then, Aurelia felt it.
"!!!"
A strange sensation exploded in her chest that she couldn't quite identify.
No, it's not satisfaction from eliminating a threat.
Nor was it a regret about taking a life.
This was something completely different.
Something that felt like... fear mixed with panic?
*Throb!*
A pulse echoed through her heart.
Not physical pain, but an emotional resonance coming from somewhere else entirely.
No. This sensation wasn't about Lord Nero at all.
It's more of an echo of someone else's terror.
… Someone small and frightened.
"Lisa..."
The realization hit Aurelia hard.
It was coming from the Camp.
From that brave little girl who accepted one of her feathers as the emergency communication device devised by her Lord Nero.
And the feeling of dread was getting stronger.
Something was very wrong back at camp, and Lisa was trying to send an SOS through her unique ability to communicate telepathically.
Aurelia turned away from Rebecca's corpse and quickly returned towards Jin's location.
She found the injured woman exactly where she'd collapsed, still breathing but barely conscious.
"Jin."
Aurelia knelt beside her, checking the severity of her wounds.
Broken ribs, impaled limbs, and some internal bleeding.
She needed medical attention immediately.
"A... Aurelia?"
Jin's voice was weak and slurred.
"Is it... is it over?"
"Rebecca's dead."
Aurelia's response was matter-of-fact, but her attention was divided.
That emotional tugging was getting stronger, like someone was pulling on her heartstrings.
"Thank... thank god."
Jin tried to sit up but immediately winced in pain.
"Laura... is Laura...?"
"... I'm sorry."
Aurelia's voice carried genuine regret as she glanced at Laura's motionless form.
"She didn't make it."
Tears started streaming down Jin's face, mixing with the blood from her head wound.
Laura had been her friend.
She's a part of her team.
Someone she'd trusted to watch her back.
"This is... this is all my fault."
Jin's voice broke completely.
"I should have seen through Rebecca's act sooner. I should have protected Laura better. I–"
"Jin."
Aurelia's firm voice cut through the spiral of self-blame.
"You survived. That's what matters right now."
But even while offering comfort, Aurelia's divine senses were screaming warnings.
The resonance in her chest was becoming overwhelming.
Like someone was broadcasting pure terror directly into her soul.
Suddenly,
*Step... Step... Step...*
Footsteps echoed through the stone corridors.
Aurelia immediately tensed, her hand moving to her sword hilt.
But then a familiar voice called out.
"Angel waifu? You in here somewhere?"
"Lord Nero…"
Relief flooded through Aurelia's body as Nero appeared around the corner.
He looked like he went through hell.
His clothes were torn and bloody.
There were fresh cuts on his face and arms.
But he was alive and walking under his own power.
"Holy shit, why is Jin here? And why is Laura…"
Nero's eyes immediately went to Jin's injuries, then to Laura's still form.
His expression darkened.
"It's Rebecca… But I already eliminated the enemy."
Aurelia's simple response told him everything he needed to know.
"Good."
Nero moved to Jin's side and started examining her wounds with surprising gentleness.
"Hey there, leader… You look like you got hit by a train."
"Nero..."
Jin tried to smile despite her pain.
"Marcus?"
"Also dead. Very dead. Like, embarrassingly dead."
Nero's casual tone didn't match the seriousness of what he was saying.
"Turns out his transformation ability was pretty effective for giving him an impromptu eye surgery."
Jin stared at him with wide eyes.
"You... You killed Marcus? But he was level 21! He's the strongest when it comes to raw power!"
"Yeah, well, turns out being a complete psychopath doesn't make you invincible against someone who fights dirty."
Nero shrugged like he'd just won a card game instead of a death battle.
"... Besides, I had the best teacher in the post-apocalyptic world."
He glanced at Aurelia with that same laid-back grin that never failed to make her divine heart skip beats.
"Speaking of which, angel waifu, we've got problems… You probably felt it by now right?"
"Yes."
Aurelia's voice carried that strange resonance she's been feeling.
"Something's wrong at the camp."
She pressed her hand against her chest where the emotional tugging was strongest.
"Lisa's using her unique ability as our emergency communication…"
"That manipulative bastard made his move."
Nero's expression immediately became serious at Aurelia's words.
"The feather protocol was supposed to be our last resort."
Aurelia's voice carried a hint of worry.
"If Lisa is using it, the situation at camp must be critical."
"...W-What do you mean? What's Lisa's ability?"
Jin asked weakly, trying to follow their conversation despite her injuries.
"Thought communication through personal objects."
Nero explained while helping Jin sit up more comfortably.
"If she's holding something that belongs to someone, she can send her thoughts and feelings to them. It's more effective with body parts, good thing angel feathers work the best in this case."
"That's... that's incredibly useful for reconnaissance."
"Yeah, which is why the girl kept it secret and only told us and her father."
Nero's voice continued,
"I asked Aurelia for one of her feathers to give to Lisa, knowing her ability could establish a connection. It was supposed to be our fail-safe communication if everything went to hell or if something happened at the Camp."
"The connection works perfectly because the feather is genuinely part of me."
Aurelia explained, her hand still pressed against her chest where Lisa's terror was echoing.
"My feather carries my divine essence, so the link is strong enough to clearly project her feelings."
"The little girl is incredibly smart on when to use it."
Nero added with genuine admiration.
"Lisa knows the difference between regular problems and genuine emergencies. If she's activating the feather protocol now like what you said, then..."
Jin's voice trailed off as her face got paler at the realization.
"Yeah, things must be really bad at the Camp."
Nero, who's watching Jin's expression with a hidden studying look nodded his head.
I mean, who knows if this girl is also one of the lackeys under that manipulative bastard?
"We need to get back there immediately."
Aurelia stood, her divine aura beginning to manifest around her.
"But first..."
She looked down at Laura's body with something that might have been sadness.
"We can't leave her here."
"I'll carry her."
Nero moved toward Laura's corpse without hesitation.
"She deserves better than being left in this stone maze."
Jin started crying again as Nero carefully lifted Laura's body.
She lost one of her only friends.
Her responsibility.
… And now she is gone because of Vincent's manipulative schemes.
The outright betrayal and shock made Jin grit her teeth,
"We'll make him pay for this."
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried the kind of cold determination that comes from watching friends die.
"Count on it."
Nero's response was equally quiet but there's an assurance that guarantees those words.
"Vincent Cross just moved from 'asshole to deal with later' to 'priority target for immediate elimination.'"
They moved through the maze quickly but carefully.
Jin leaning on Aurelia for support.
Nero is carrying Laura's body with respectful silence.
And all three of them knew that whatever was waiting for them at camp was going to be a nightmare.
As the three strode forward, they discussed all the things that they found out.
And that especially so for Aurelia with the way she noticed those weird heart-shaped pink eyes from Rebecca.
As for Nero who heard the details, he immediately thought,
'That's your classic hypnosis, alright.'
It was a spot-on guess with his vast knowledge of the cliché otaku culture.
Heart-shaped eyes? And extremely devoted to the point of discarding their lives to a business man with a double fake smile?
Yeah, that checkouts hypnosis, alright.
It screams that cliché hentai plot ability or something similar.
And with that thought in mind, the three exchanged information as Jin who heard the news and the speculations about Vincent got her expression frostier and frostier by the second.
Nero was sure that Jin was silently seething with rage towards Vincent.
"... I didn't know that bastard was so rotten to the core."
Her teeth almost cracked from the force of her jaws, as she thought of the man she once thought was quite decent.
"No shit. That guy looks like a business man who would immediately ditch their partners in the middle of an important business."
By the end of their walk, they finally retraced the exit under the guise of Aurelia who memorized it.
And just as they were about to walk out of the maze...
*ROAAARRRR!!!*
A sound erupted across the landscape that could only be described as pure prehistoric rage.
It was deep enough to rattle their bones.
Loud enough to shake the ground beneath their feet.
And familiar enough to make all three of them freeze in terror.
"... No fucking way."
Nero's voice was barely audible above the lingering echoes.
"That's... that's the Verdant Tyrant."
It's the monster that was supposed to be safely contained in its territory miles away from camp…
*ROAAARRRR!!!*
Another roar, closer this time.
Close enough that they could hear trees snapping and the ground trembling from massive footsteps.
It seems Vincent hadn't just made his move against the people in camp.
"We need to hurry!"
Jin's voice carried the kind of despair that comes from watching your worst fears come true.
"That plant monster is going to destroy everything."
*ROAAARRRR!!!*
The third roar was so close that birds exploded from nearby trees and terrified every kind of creature near it.
Whatever Vincent's backup plan was, it involved turning their greatest enemy into his personal weapon of mass destruction.
What seems to be a battle that should've happened tomorrow was instantly cut short.
It's a race against time.
***
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