Part 2 Chapter 88
A hopeless situation with no answers in sight.
Still, trying to think of some breakthrough, I quickly fumbled in the pocket of my shirt.
I wanted to check if the two healing potions I had brought were still there.
‘Kali has one too, but…’
It would probably still be necessary. I carefully pulled one out and shoved it into Kali’s pants pocket.
Then I whispered.
“Be careful, Kali. That… He was your rival before the regression.”
Julian seemed to be silently assessing the situation, looking at Kali, me, and Krista without speaking.
‘Ha, but he came here way too quickly.’
He must have left the meeting room on the 8th floor and came straight out this side exit.
Although entry is prohibited, leaving is not restricted.
“Please, come this way, young lady.”
Julian, sensing the situation, blocked our escape route, the stairs leading downstairs, and reached his hand out toward Krista.
“My lord asked me to bring you. This is an emergency, and we need to deploy Formation 0 immediately.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Krista was startled at his words.
I was equally horrified.
The formation numbers he was referring to were used when facing other ability users in battle.
Even before the regression, my father had meticulously devised various combat strategies to face opponents with special powers.
And… ‘Formation 0?’
That refers to the supreme ability on the first page of the combat manual: [Instant Death].
In other words,
Issuing a command to deploy Formation 0 meant executing a battle to eliminate an [Instant Death] user.
‘They were already capable of deploying Formation 0?!’
I thought that to eliminate an [Instant Death] user, one would have to turn off the power-blocking and use physical strength…
‘But, then again, Krista might have a 1% chance?’
[Storm’s Truth] is an ability that could at least match [Instant Death] in terms of speed and destructive power.
‘And if Krista gains control over the line of sight, it’s possible…’
Father must have devised the best strategy to deal with an [Instant Death] user, considering all possible scenarios during a fight.
‘Ah, Father, Father…’
Honestly, he’s a madman.
I mean that as a compliment.
The fact that I began suspecting Ryan early on, and that Father had already trained Krista on how to deal with an [Instant Death] user…
Even the incredibly quick activation of the power-blocking. He must have activated it the moment he saw Ryan and immediately called Krista.
‘Unbelievable.’
I, the helpless fool, am completely on a different level of judgment.
But there’s one thing I regret.
Not gaining Krista’s trust!
He kept her locked up, fearing she might cause a ruckus in the meeting room, yet he expected her to follow his orders? How foolish.
Well, it’s not like my father had any other choice.
In the room, there were people like David, who became powerless, and Elliot, whose fire ability has a delay in activation.
Even though they’re strong, in front of Ryan, they’re like candles in the wind.
If the power-blocking were turned off, they would practically commit suicide, so of course, he had to call Krista and hope for some kind of outcome.
“Young lady, if you don’t step in, we all die. Please, think of your brothers.”
Julian said.
He was truly his father’s son, trying to appeal to Krista’s soft heart.
“What does Formation 0 mean? Is there really an [Instant Death] user?”
Krista was startled, not having received any explanation until then. Her eyes widened in shock.
“Yes, I believe so. Young lady, please. We don’t have much time.”
“This is nonsense…”
Krista covered her mouth with trembling hands.
“Then… then everyone will die…?”
I flinched. Krista’s reaction made it clear that she was worried about someone in her family.
It must be Richard, right?
“It’s fine, Richard isn’t here!”
I whispered quickly into her ear.
“….”
But for some reason, Krista’s eyes kept shaking.
What is it?
Is there someone other than Richard she’s worried about?
Who?
…Let’s think. It must be Elliot.
I know well how much he cares for his siblings.
‘This is bad.’
Elliot is on the top of the death list.
“If… if everyone dies, then…”
“Yes, if the intruder is an [Instant Death] user, everyone dies. But if you step in, there’s a small chance of survival. Please, don’t turn your back on your brothers over a small dispute. Please.”
Julian kept trying to sway Krista’s soft heart.
“Krista!”
At that moment, feeling a sense of unease, I called her.
“Ugh, ugh, hahahahaha!!!”
Suddenly, she burst into a mad laugh.
“My God, I knew this day would come! Ahhhh! There really is a God!”
She stomped her feet joyfully and shouted at Julian.
“Wow! You came to stomp on bugs like us! Hahaha! Aaaaah! Serves you right! I’m so happy! Aaaaah!”
What the…
“Everyone should die! Why bother trying to save them! It’s good! Very good! The pests must be eradicated!”
I stared in shock at Krista, who was shouting with madness, then I realized,
She’s not normal anymore.
My once tender-hearted sister had long ago caught the madness from this house.
“You came to get me? Fine, let’s go! Hahahaha! My dear father, I can make your death even more painful!”
“Krista!”
I hurriedly tried to calm her down. The moment I realized Ryan’s identity, my sister was half-crazed.
Krista had probably been enduring here, waiting for someone like Ryan to show up.
While holding my hand and trying to escape, I didn’t explain everything…
Maybe she had been worried all this time that she might be caught by an ability user again.
“AHAHAHAHA!!!”
“Kr… Krista! Calm down!”
It was fortunate that my sister could coldly abandon her family.
But, when Krista revealed her madness, I noticed Julian’s eyes had gone cold.
He was a knight who would not hesitate to give his life for my father.
Having spent his life as a loyal servant to my father, his loyalty was on an entirely different level than the soldier who had wet himself and cleared the path for Ryan.
I knew from the moment I first saw Julian’s face that I couldn’t persuade him with words.
And furthermore…
‘A skilled fighter who can go 1v1 with Kali.’
Now, seeing Krista’s reaction, Julian must have judged that any remaining chance was gone.
There was no room for persuasion. In fact, even if he entered the meeting room, he would only cause chaos with Ryan, my father’s ‘enemy’.
“Yes. In that case, die.”
As expected, Julian’s judgment was as I had anticipated.
Drawing his sword, he stepped forward. I thought,
‘Ah, we’re really doomed.’
If we retreat, the guards on the upper floor will spot us. If we stay near Kali, we’ll be a burden.
‘Our soldiers must have already entered, but…’
They wouldn’t arrive in time.
Kali had managed to get Krista out so quickly with her insane skills, but in reality, we hadn’t been in this situation long.
Moreover…
“Prince! You have to stick to the plan. If you come looking for me first, I’ll be mad, you know that, right?”
“Yeah. You’ve asked me that twenty-five times already. I got it.”
“Promise! Absolutely!”
“Don’t worry. I’m never coming to find you.”
I had made my final plea to my man, hoping he wouldn’t come for me.
‘Ha.’
What a painful mistake.
Ryan sending Julian here, cutting off any chances of fast support…
It was all my fault.
But how could I have known things would turn out this way, especially when I’m not even a god?
I should have prepared several plans to rescue Krista, and I should have warned Nike not to mess things up because of me.
This is why regression is necessary.
So many variables.
“Young lady, please stay behind me and don’t move.”
Kali drew her sword, positioning herself between me and Krista.
A highly unfavorable battle.
It was like Kali facing off against herself, but she had to protect two useless burdens.
‘If something happens to Kali…’
Even if we succeed, it won’t matter.
We’ll have to try again.
“Cough!”
‘Huh?’
At that moment.
A silver wire suddenly wrapped around Julian’s neck.
In an instant, red blood appeared along the wire, and his body was violently spun around.
‘What the…’
An unexpected ambush.
Someone had captured Julian and exposed his back to us.
With a horrible screech, Julian collapsed to his knees and died.
‘Oh my God.’
As his body fell, the one who appeared was…
“…”
It was Nike.
“You said you would never come for me.”
The man who had lied without changing his expression.
