“Gak…!”
This can’t be happening. Livio, caught by Iberis, gasped as if struggling to breathe. Feeling the crisis, he thrashed like an animal with its neck in a predator’s jaws. The more he struggled, the tighter the grip on his neck became.
“Where do you think you’re running?”
Iberis’s eyes gleamed, as if determined never to let go. As he released his mana, Livio’s mouth gaped open, crushed by the enormous pressure. Soon, both figures fell like meteors.
Whoosh, boom!
A sharp sound of air splitting was followed by the ground shaking as if in an earthquake. Then a cloud of dust rose.
“Major!”
Lucas, putting down the sniper rifle, called out to Iberis as he ran. What greeted him through the obstructing dust was Iberis, pinning Livio down with his foot.
“Urk, huff.”
Livio, with one arm awkwardly bent from the impact of the fall, gasped for breath with a contorted face. Dark red blood spurted from his lips, his gas mask knocked off. Thick blood also flowed from his shot calf. Though an S-class esper tougher than most, he was clearly severely injured, if not fatally.
Should I kill him?
Iberis contemplated, looking down indifferently at the suffering Livio. He felt simultaneous joy at finally seeing the end of a long battle and the urge to tear his enemy to shreds.
Perhaps thinking he wanted to erase him from this world, Iberis applied more pressure to the foot crushing Livio’s chest. His silver-gray eyes filled with intense killing intent. Initially intending only to subdue him, fighting Livio had caused his suppressed murderous intent to well up.
“Uurgh…!”
Livio twisted his waist as the cold pierced his skin like sharp daggers. He shuddered at the sensation of his bones and muscles slowly freezing. His teeth chattered and body trembled from the unbearable cold.
I’m going to die.
As the icy energy crept towards his heart like crawling insects, his chest tightened and an indescribable fear overwhelmed him. Though he had prepared for death, when the moment actually came, his instinct screamed for survival. Livio desperately drew up mana to push back the cold invading his body.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
As Livio struggled to break free, Iberis bound his limbs with ice chains. He then pressed his foot hard against Livio’s solar plexus.
“Stop, urk, gak.”
Livio unwittingly pleaded as the cold and pain intensified. More painful than the physical agony was the fact that he had been utterly defeated by Iberis. Overcome with deep humiliation, his body trembled.
“Don’t show weakness. We’re far from done.”
Iberis crushed Livio’s chest as if to shatter it. His body screamed at its limit, but it didn’t matter. Considering the time Iberis had spent in guilt and sorrow, Livio deserved to fall into even greater despair.
“You need to experience it too… the helplessness of being unable to do anything, the horror of losing everything precious.”
“Aaagh!”
Forcibly gathering his rampaging internal mana, Iberis slowly began to freeze Livio. Ending his life quickly would only give him swift peace. So he had no intention of killing him easily.
His mind, consumed by long-held vengeance, could no longer think rationally. Iberis tortured Livio as if to vent years of pent-up resentment right there. Then, a warm hand gently gripped his shoulder.
“That’s enough, Major.”
“…Luke?”
Iberis blinked in confusion as Lucas restrained him. Then he tilted his head as if unable to understand.
“…Why?”
“If you torment him any further when he’s incapacitated, it’ll be called excessive force.”
Lucas glanced at Livio sprawled on the ground. His face covered in blue veins from the enhancer’s side effects, skin with red spots as if frostbitten, body bloodied and half-covered in ice… His condition was visibly poor.
“So?”
“Pardon?”
“Do we really need to keep this trash alive? Couldn’t we just say he was killed unavoidably due to the intense combat?”
Iberis spoke in a cold voice. His dulled silver-gray eyes gleamed strangely. Originally planning to arrest Livio for trial, now that he had subdued him, Iberis questioned whether that was necessary.
“Wouldn’t you prefer that too?”
“Major…”
Lucas’s eyes hardened at Iberis’s unusual attitude. Emotions often run high during combat, but something was off. His mana movement was also precarious, as if about to explode at any moment.
“Are you alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your internal mana flow is extremely unstable. We need to do guiding quickly…”
“Ah, it’s because of this guy. He used some strange drug on me earlier.”
“A drug? What kind?”
“What was it… Ugh, never mind that. Don’t change the subject. Answer my question. Should I kill him? Or do you want to handle it yourself?”
Iberis grimaced as if having a headache, stumbled slightly, and lifted his foot from Livio. He could let Lucas finish the job if he wanted. After all, Lucas must want to eliminate Livio as much as he did.
“No.”
“Huh?”
Iberis’s eyes widened, seemingly not expecting Lucas to refuse.
“Why not?”
“Now is not the time.”
Lucas took off his coat and draped it over Iberis’s shoulders, then gently cupped his ice-cold face with both hands. He lowered his head, pressing his forehead against Iberis’s.
“Livio Logan needs to properly pay for his crimes. All his sins must be exposed, and he should be scorned by people. Losing everything he’s achieved, branded as the world’s worst scum, and rotting in prison for life would be a greater punishment than death. So we can’t kill him here.”
Lucas soothed Iberis in a calm voice. At the same time, he caressed Iberis’s cold cheeks and massaged his stiff neck as if trying to thaw his frozen body.
“Our goal is to punish him through legal means, isn’t it?”
“…Right.”
Iberis muttered with a dazed expression as reason finally returned to him. Lucas was right. Considering the frustration his fallen team members must have felt and the despair Lucas’s parents experienced, unable to rest in peace due to their young children, even death was too good for Livio.
With this realization, his foggy mind cleared. The focus returned to his hazy eyes. Seeing this, Lucas pulled Iberis into his arms and gently rubbed his back.
“So calm down now. Don’t let anger consume you.”
“Haaah…”
Iberis took a deep breath and exhaled, following Lucas’s guidance. Gradually, his seething rage towards Livio subsided.
“Just a moment.”
As Iberis seemed to have calmed down somewhat, Lucas approached Livio. He took out the mana restraints doubling as handcuffs from his waist and cuffed Livio’s wrists.
“Livio Logan, you’ve been classified as a villain for not only refusing to comply with the warrant but also committing terrorism and fleeing. Therefore, I’m placing you under emergency arrest according to the Villain Act.”
“Luke… Illum…”
Livio weakly looked up at Lucas reciting his Miranda rights and moved his lips. While it was understandable for Iberis to harbor hostility towards him, he had always wondered why Lucas held such resentment.
“Why do you, cough, why are you…”
Because I’m his lover’s enemy? Influenced by his guardian, Winfried? Unable to voice the questions rising in his throat, Livio frowned in confusion.
“You still don’t know?”
“What?”
Lucas sneered at Livio, who looked at him with an expression of not understanding the reason.
“Honestly, I’m a bit surprised. I didn’t think you’d fail to recognize me just because my name changed and my hair color is different. Well, I was careful in many ways not to reveal my identity to you.”
“What are you…”
“My hatred for you isn’t because of the Major or the Lieutenant General. It’s a personal grudge.”
“Grudge?”
“Yes. Look closely at my face and try to remember. You might recall who I am.”
Lucas grabbed Livio’s collar and yanked him closer.
“Ugh!”
His battered body screamed at the rough action. A groan escaped through his teeth, and his jaw trembled from the pain that felt like his entire body was being torn apart.
“Grrr…”
Driven by an inexplicable stubbornness, Livio forced himself to raise his head. He met golden eyes burning fiercely with long-held anger. At that moment, a realization struck him, making his hair stand on end.
It can’t be…
Livio’s body stiffened as a certain ‘name’ suddenly flashed through his mind. His eyes filled with shock as he recognized the source of the strange sense of déjà vu he had felt every time he encountered Lucas. Hoping his guess was wrong, he opened his mouth.
“Lu-Lucas… Lowell Blake?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
