Chapter 321: The Push (02)
After I left the North Dragon’s back, Mia jumped behind me.
Her eyes were bloodshot. Without a shadow of a doubt, had I not calmed her down, she would’ve jumped Erik.
Though honestly, I was also struggling to hold back.
Miwen: "Wake up, Liz. I might need your help."
I patted the Demon Queen asleep on my shoulder.
At the same time, I shook the old man awake in my hand.
Liz: "Your Majesty...? I apologize. It seems I’ve-"
As her eyes opened, she came across the same nightmarish scene I had seen when I arrived.
I knew Elizabeth well enough to understand that she’d have conflicted feelings about how ungracefully I was carrying her.
However, she remained silent, showing me she was solely focused on the girls.
Thanks to her, I could focus on Erik.
Erik: "...Adriarch, what are you doing?"
Still holding Claire by the neck, his gaze shifted from me to the Colonel.
Adriarch: "Hahah! Sorry, kid. The young lady and I got a little ahead of ourselves..."
Handcuffed, the Colonel was no threat
During the brief exchange between Erik and Adriarch, I glanced at Piper and Maya.
Neither of them should be here, yet they were nonetheless.
The spaceship we destroyed had to be Piper’s. Given the magical girl wand in her hand, I had to imagine she was ready to fight Erik.
Considering her power, it shouldn’t have been long since she arrived.
As for Maya...
She was a wildcard. I still didn’t know her endgame, the Aegis Division’s position, or its objectives, but...
I knew my sister. Enemies or not, she would do everything in her power to help others.
There was no way she’d be unscathed while the girls were this hurt, so like Piper, she had to have arrived after the fact.
Erik: "You seem fine to me."
He adjusted his glasses, his lenses reflecting the Colonel and me.
Adriarch: "Not at all! There’s this sharp pain in my back that-"
Erik: "That’s always been there."
Even while entertaining Adriarch’s casual chatter, Erik barely moved.
The arm holding Claire remained tense, while his free hand rested calmly at his side.
Adriarch: "Oho! So you were listening, eh!?"
Erik: "Unwillingly, yes."
He lowered Claire, dragging her by the neck the same way I had done to Adriarch.
Hearing her cough, I instinctively tightened my grip on both Adriarch’s neck and Elizabeth’s back.
Just like Claire before him, Adriarch gasped.
Elizabeth, however, had complete control over even her reflexes.
Erik: "Coming here was a mistake on your part. Your presence changes nothing."
Standing before me, he gazed into the depths of my eyes.
There was no discontent in his voice when addressing me.
He read me with a completely neutral expression.
Miwen: "...I’m not sure about that."
I used [Hollow Destiny] to deactivate his Gift, hoping that, like last time, it would break his contracts.
Even though he had Claire in his hand, I trusted Liz to stop him before he could hurt her.
Unfortunately, even though his stats decreased, they were nowhere near what someone of his level should have.
Erik: "You thought I wouldn’t prepare for that?"
Miwen: "...How?"
Even though contracts worked like curses, unlike the Toymaker’s, Erik’s contracts would break when his Gift was deactivated.
I had already seen it happen once.
Maya: "...Is it Mom’s Gift?"
Hearing her words, Erik’s lips curled into a small, slight smile that lasted for less than a second.
Erik: "What makes you think that?"
His eyes were fixed on Maya.
As were mine.
Piper and I watched the two closely, not missing a single movement Erik made towards her.
Maya: "It’s the only noticeable resource you’ve got since last time, and your Gifts are very compatible. You could easily maintain some of your contracts using rules and punishments from her Gift. But linking your Gifts like this... That’s a dangerous game."
It was hard to decipher what Mom was doing, but...
As expected, she wasn’t idle either.
Erik: "I’ve taken enough measures to ensure it won’t get out of control."
After having her warning dismissed, Maya shrugged.
She briefly looked at Piper with a small "I told you" smile, causing the Witch of Narrations to hide a chuckle behind her hand.
Maya: "Still... What are you gonna do now, Erik? You stand even less of a chance."
Even though [Hollow Destiny] didn’t take away all of his stats, they were considerably reduced.
With Piper around, he stood basically no chance.
Though his stats were still a little too high for my liking.
Even Elizabeth’s barriers might not be enough to protect the girls in case of a fight.
Erik: "While I have no reason to stay, it doesn’t feel right to leave empty-handed."
As expected, he read the deadlock well.
Even though we held the advantage, we weren’t willing to make the sacrifice necessary to win here.
Maya was right.
I was too human.
Miwen: "I’ll hand the old man back to you. In exchange... We’ll all return safely."
Erik: "One hostage for... Ten? That’s quite optimistic. Should I make it fairer?"
He walked towards Ellie, stepping on her body.
Mia gave me a light tap with a fingertip, triggering her Gift.
I could feel her breath getting rougher behind me.
Piper also seemed close to snapping, despite Maya holding her back.
Still, I couldn’t accept anything less than the girls’ safety.
All of them.
Miwen: "Let’s not pretend one person is all he’s worth. If word gets out that the Colonel was captured or killed, your little movement will lose a lot of support. If time is the fuel you’re burning, support is the engine you’re running on. You won’t last long enough to win without him."
I released my grip on Adriarch, binding his feet to the ground with [Earth Magic].
Slowly, I began forming a collar of sand needles around his neck.
Like a ticking clock, once the collar was full, it’d be his end.
Or at least, I was counting on such a threat to pressure him.
Truth be told, killing Adriarch would result in my defeat.
Erik: "...It’s still short of her, but I suppose it is valid."
Ellie was half-buried by Mikaela, Bea, and Anna, and yet, he threw Claire onto the pile as well.
Staring into my eyes, he slowly approached Adriarch, grabbing him without breaking the handcuffs.
Adriarch: "I’m looking forward to the next time, Lassie! There’s still a lot for us to talk about!"
Seemingly annoyed, Elizabeth remained quiet.
Erik: "Though, before I go..."
He turned his attention towards Maya again.
However, as he inched closer, his eyes drifted to Piper instead.
Erik: "The Witch of Narrations would benefit the most from a Gift-oriented society. If you joined me, the entire world might-"
Pip casually threw her magic wand on his face.
It made a squishy noise before falling flat on the ground, vanishing from sight.
Piper: "That sounds hellish."
Her voice did a perfect job conveying the absolute boredom she felt.
As if the very proposal was an insult.
Erik: "Even though you’d benefit the most... I see. The offer will remain on the table. You’d be wise to take it sooner rather than later."
He walked past Pip and Maya, entering the building behind us.
Erik: "Enjoy your victory while it lasts."
He turned his attention towards me one last time.
Miwen: "..."
There were many threats I could make.
In my heart, I had decided that even the most miserable man in existence wouldn’t wish to be in his shoes once I was finished with him.
However...
Miwen: "Sure, I will. After all, I’m not the one running for time."
With that, he disappeared into the shadows, closing the door on his way.
As Maya exhaled a faint sigh, Pip landed a hand on her head, gently rubbing it.
Slowly, Pip’s playful hands grew forceful as Maya struggled to stop her.
Piper: "Your brother is one thing, but what do you think you’re doing? Eh?"
Her voice was stern, her eyes burning with not-so-quiet fury.
Maya: "E-Eh? I told you I needed to-"
Piper: "I’m not talking about today. I’m talking about everything. You owe us an explanation. You’re coming with us, brat."
Pip caught Maya’s arm, but as she dragged her forward, horizontal lines of solid, colorful light took her place.
A second later, Maya’s figure had vanished, only for her to appear a few meters beside Pip.
Maya: "Sorry, Pip. But I can’t let that happen, either."
Piper: "You..."
Despite putting up a tough front to face Piper, she would occasionally glance my way, begging for help.
However, I knew those eyes.
Whenever Maya was this stubborn, there was no use trying to convince her.
Whatever she had decided on, she’d see it done.
Miwen: "Let her go, Pip. I need you to bring the girls home asap."
Piper: "Seriously? She’s right here!?"
Sure, it would be nice to take Maya with us, but...
Miwen: "The girls can’t hide on the North Dragon in this state, Pip."
Since I couldn’t take them inside the Kingdom either, Piper was the only one who could quickly take them to a safe place.
It wasn’t like I was playing favorites with Maya. It’s just that this time, much like with Erik, I couldn’t afford to chase after her.
Maya: "Thanks, Miwen..."
It was a slight, serene smile.
But it radiated with her warmth, and under these conditions, that was the only thing that brought me peace.
Miwen: "See you around, Maya."
Maya: "Hm... hopefully..."
She jumped towards the rooftop of Ceres’ building, joining a few other figures before they all disappeared together.
Meanwhile, Pip helped me place the girls in one of her spacecrafts, and we headed back to Alpha Team’s base.
There was a small commotion in front of the building, as glass shards were scattered on the ground.
Once we were inside, I discovered one of our windows completely destroyed, alongside a small portion of the living room.
Still, I paid it no mind, and as soon as I could, I brought the Kingdom’s medical team to Earth, so that they could help the girls.
After first aid was done and the debuffs wore off, I worked with the North Dragon to bring the girls back inside the Kingdom.
Not a single one of them woke up that day.
