As expected, both Aberrations spoke the same language as the girl Nova had encountered days earlier. However, unlike that girl's soft yet sharp tone, the red-skinned woman's voice was far more aggressive, as if she were on the verge of screaming at the crustacean. The fact that she was pointing a gun at him made it even more obvious.
'So they really are criminals…'
He frowned. He couldn't accurately judge the distance separating him from the Aberrations—it was harder with only one eye.
The red-skinned woman kept talking, growing increasingly furious. Her messy hair, partially covering her eyes, moved like an unruly fringe. Her small horns gleamed under the neon lights, and after waving the weapon in front of the crustacean, her hood slipped back, fully revealing her face.
There was a strange beauty about her. Her skin, red as blood, bore pinkish scars near her collarbone, and her cleavage was covered by a tight black garment that protected the upper part of her torso while leaving her abdomen exposed. Her chest shifted with every movement beneath the cloak, and her legs were cybernetic prosthetics that mimicked humanoid limbs she might have once had.
Each step rang like metal striking the ground. Her teeth, sharp like a saw, gleamed white as she spoke.
The crustacean crawled backward, dragging itself and whining, foam spilling from its mandibles. Its glossy blue chitin was dented across its massive head, as if it had been struck multiple times—its bulging eyes blinked and retreated into their sockets.
It resembled a chitinous crab covered in small spikes more than any other crustacean—yet its anatomy was bizarre. Its right arm ended in a massive claw, while the left terminated in a four-fingered hand made of articulated chitin. It also had two legs with double joints and blade-like ends that tore into the ground with a harsh screech.
In short, the crustacean was just as grotesque as many other Aberrations.
Nova felt no compassion. Somehow, that specimen reminded him of the bad memories associated with the Sand Octopus.
'A very aggressive criminal, huh… Better get out of here before I become her target.'
Moving silently, Nova slid across the ground and stood up, ready to leave.
Bang!
As he took his first step, the shot rang out—a shell casing hit the floor. The crustacean's shrieks ceased, and a deathly silence flooded the alley.
He froze for a moment, shaken by the brutality of what had happened, but he reminded himself that those creatures were the enemy and kept going. Just as he was about to exit, his eye lit up orange—his Spectrum of Anticipation ability, Danger Omen, had activated.
In his vision, he saw himself moving forward in hiding and stepping outside—his foot touched the sidewalk, a gunshot echoed, and in the next instant, a bullet pierced his head—he collapsed, dead.
He blinked as reality returned.
A chill ran down his spine. His primal survival instinct throbbed in his chest, and a tear of blood slid down his face from the sharp pain inflicted by his Spectrum.
'If I go out there, I'll die.'
There was no time to think. Even though he couldn't see her, his premonition told him that somehow, she could see him.
He lifted his gaze, frowning. 'The walls…,' he thought.
The alley walls—tall, damp, and packed with pipes—could be used to climb up to the rooftops—but he had to be fast. Luckily, Nova already knew what to do.
Hearing metallic footsteps drawing closer, he leaped with all his strength toward the side wall.
The red-skinned woman saw him emerge from the shadows of the trash containers, and when she saw him jumping between the walls with tremendous agility, she aimed her weapon and began firing.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Nova zigzagged between the two walls as the bullets grazed his heels. He was like a white shadow, darting from side to side with speed. And speed was essential—if he lost momentum while climbing, the result would be a straight fall to his death.
The red-skinned woman clicked her tongue in frustration. For an instant, a red glow flashed beneath her bangs. She holstered the weapon and jumped toward the wall, mimicking Nova's movements.
He glanced downward upon hearing the impacts of her feet against the walls.
'She's following me!'
Desperation drove him faster, and he shot upward like a torrent. Soon, he reached the rooftop of the building in a single leap. He landed with his boots scraping against the surface, his eye reflecting the neon lights of the city as they gradually blurred into the crimson glow of dawn. The rays brushed the ledges, painting the landscape in shades of yellow and red.
He ran into that light as the yellow sun began to peek over the horizon. He leapt across rooftops while two more gunshots echoed behind him.
He wasn't hit, and his Spectrum of Anticipation didn't activate again.
'Damn it!'
He knew that if he looked back, he would somehow die—he could still hear the red-skinned woman's heavy footsteps striking the ground with her cybernetic legs. And that was terrifying. But he had no choice except to keep running and jumping.
Near a large antenna, Nova leapt to pass between beams connected in diamond-shaped patterns. He grabbed onto one of the beams to climb slightly into the structure, then sprang out to reach the next rooftop.
His cloak billowed in rhythm with the chase, and bullets grazed his body with murderous intent, leaving behind the echo of detonations and soft smoke that faded into the cold air.
'My Spectrum isn't activating. That means I'm not in danger—for now.'
But the red-skinned woman was still right behind him! Nova didn't know how fast she truly was, but just hearing her heavy footsteps sent chills racing down his spine. He clenched his teeth, imagining her using those cybernetic legs to run even faster and catch up to him.
Damn that thought! Just before leaping to the next rooftop, he felt something grab his shoulder with tremendous force. His body jerked to an abrupt halt, knocking his hood loose. In the next instant, the force made him look back as he swung toward the void.