Mr Cruiser POV:

A puff of smoke left the pipe and circled around the ceiling before gradually fading. I peeked outside the blinds as a sigh escaped my lips.

‘From a naive boy, to a fledging leader, to a potential king.’

He had grown in more ways than I could imagine. I slipped the pipe into my pocket and took my feet off the desk.

“The boy has done well. Now it’s time for me to do my part.”

The corners of my mouth rose while I exited the room. It had been many years since I last stretched my muscles, so this was also a good chance for me to shake off some rust.

“Ness, I’m going out.”

“...Take care, Uncle.”

She bowed her head, and I noticed the slight quivering of her eyebrows. I clicked my tongue at the fact that the boy had stolen the hearts of not one, but both of my nieces.

The door closed behind me while a neon green hue illuminated parts of my clothes. The morning air was surprisingly fresh, and the sky: devoid of the clouds that once reflected the state of this place.

“Change, hm...”

I kicked off the ground, landing nimbly on the rooftop. Orange and red hues blended together as a wave of blue forced its way in. It pushed back, spreading its wings across the cloudless sky and reaching far beyond the eye could see.

I put my hands in the pockets of my long brown trench coat. My gaze shifted in the direction of the main Organization base, and I quietly dashed across the rooftops.

The streets and alleyways were mostly empty; it was the effect of war. War times led to changes in a community’s behaviour. The outside world suddenly becomes scarier, something one should be cautious of, while they mistakenly believe that the four walls they call home would keep them safe.

They weren’t to be blamed. A home was supposed to be a place of safety, rest and love. The memories that people build up transcend the physical properties of the building itself: that was the true anchor of a home.

I reached the roof of the main base and saw a woman with light blond curly hair watching the sunrise. She had a beautiful figure that the dress she was wearing struggled to hide.

“Long time no see, Margaret.”

She glanced back at me while licking her lips. Her Ki erupted, painting the blue sky a dark shade of black as she faced me.

“Now this is annoying. This is the second time someone’s gotten in the way of my plan.”

I folded my arms and recalled what he had told me before setting off to war.

***

“And what would that be?”

He looked me directly in the eyes as his lips parted.

“There’s a woman named Margaret who is the head doctor of the Organization. However, I’m sure you didn’t know that.”

My eyes widened while I pondered over whether it was the same Margaret I once knew. How had she slipped back into District 4 without me noticing? Furthermore, how long had she been here?

“She’ll reveal her true intentions once I’m gone. You won’t move for the South, but you’ll move for District 4. Handle her for me.”

His ocean blue eyes seemed to look right through me, grasping every detail and recalling every word I had ever spoken to him. My lips gradually spread into a smile and then a wide grin.

‘This boy... He’s becoming more like you, Zane.’

I got to my feet and took a long puff on my pipe before placing it back down on the table.

“Interesting. Very interesting.”

He left me alone in the room while I rubbed my closed eyelids. I had no choice but to move this time.

***

“Don't get in my way this time, Sebastian.”

I let out a sigh as my Ki exploded. It ripped apart the black sky, revealing the bright shade of blue beneath it.

“Stop. This is your first and last warning.”

She ran her hand through her short, curly hair while clenching her teeth tightly.

“...It doesn’t matter. You can’t stop me anyway. I’ve been here for such a long time that nearly everyone in this District has been treated by me!”

She stretched out her hands as she cackled. My eyebrows furrowed at the seriousness of this situation. I had no interest in the other Districts, yet I let something like this happen under my nose.

‘How did Copycat not notice her? It can’t be... Did Copycat leave her alone on purpose? But why? Was it the Ruler who dispatched her here so he couldn’t make a direct move?’

The more I pondered over the situation, the more the veins on my forehead bulged.

“Death’s Love!!”

Margaret raised her hand into the sky as her Ki took on a dark pinkish colour.

‘!’

It was the worse possible outcome. I could sense her Ki everywhere within my range, and that meant Margaret had access to an enormous amount of power. Death's Love was an ability that allowed Margaret to temporarily store a portion of a patient’s Ki each time she nursed them back to health. However, that was only the beginning of the true nature of her ability.

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“I can finally witness it. The dream I had been chasing after for so long...”

She cast her gaze down to the ground while a shade of red flushed across her cheeks.

“A doctor is supposed to save lives, Margaret. Stop this madness.”

Her eyebrows crumpled together as her face contorted with disgust.

“You never understood me, Sebastian. Saving them here is only prolonging their suffering. The only way to save them is through death itself—that is the ultimate form of love! True life only exists after death, why can’t you understand such a simple truth?”

I slipped my hand into my pocket, pulling out my favourite pipe.

“Who made you judge? Who made you executioner? As usual, you’re still the same. Let go of the past Margaret, your parents... They're gone.”

Her eyebrows twitched, and her glare intensified.

“This has nothing to do with them. Don’t push your misconceptions onto me. I made myself judge because I had the power to do so. I made myself executioner because no one here can stop me.

I will spread true love to this world and free you all from the shackles that bind you here. The despair, the agony, the depression, the pain... I’ll end it all for you!”

The corners of her mouth rose as she fanned her fingers towards me.

“Love’s Time!”

I lit the pipe and took a puff while watching a pink pole erect itself from the ground. It rose high above the rooftop, attaching itself to a large clock face that had two bat ears on either side.

“Margaret, now that you’ve thrown your little tantrum. Get rid of this thing.”

I glanced at the giant clock hand that rested in a neutral 12 O'clock position. My gaze shifted back to Margaret, whose face was flushed with joy.

“I refuse.”

She splayed her hand, and the clock hand moved. Margaret regained her composure as she adjusted her clothes.

“Sebastian, I will see this through to the end.”

“Then you leave me no choice.”

Love's Time allowed Margaret to gain access to all the Ki she had accumulated through the use of Death's Love as the timer decreased. Once the timer was complete, she would be able to activate ‘Bomb of Life': a technique that allows her to kill every target she has healed by blowing them up from the inside.

“Red Mist: Dissolution.”

I sucked in the fumes directly, letting out a puff of smoke that took on a reddish tint. It covered the entire rooftop while Margaret stayed perfectly still, with her arms folded.

I observed her glance at the pole attached to the clock face that had begun to slowly disintegrate. Time passed by, but Margaret didn’t move an inch. She just gazed at the pole becoming thinner and thinner.

‘...She’s not one to give up so easily. Hmm.’

I narrowed my eyes when I noticed Margaret tapping her arm. She did it rhythmically, as if she was counting something. The clock face began to shake; the pole unable to hold its weight for much longer when Margaret's lips spread into a thin smile.

“Death’s Love: Chains of Life.”

Black chains shot out of the ground and wrapped around the pole, stabilizing it as the countdown continued.

‘Hmm... So she got a little better?’

I examined the chains that were unaffected by Dissolution. They appeared to be in a ‘dead state.’ Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that Margaret’s new technique created chains that were constantly in a state of disintegration and renewal. This made Dissolution assume the target was already terminated; however, Margaret would also constantly need to supply those chains with an adequate amount of Ki.

The rhythmic tapping of her arm, and her locked gaze onto the target, were both linked to the activation of her ability. I surmised that Chains of Life regarded the tapping as a heartbeat: a sign of life and that what she was looking at, the decaying state of her technique, was a sign of death. In other words, she had created this technique to specifically counter mine.

“You’ve grown, Margaret.”

Her eyebrows twitched at my compliment as she finally took a step forward.

“...You've already figured it out, but so what? Your ability has been sealed, you can’t stop me anymore.”

I glanced at the clock hand that had reached the 3 O’clock position. Margaret’s Ki increased explosively in response.

“Hmm. Shall we continue to play chess?”

I inhaled the fumes once more and slowly let out the red-tinted smoke as Margaret charged toward me.

“Red Mist: Annulment.”

I sidestepped her punch while tapping her shoulder with the tinted smoke lightly. Margaret wasn’t a close-range fighter, yet she had charged in so confidently due to countering one of my techniques.

“!”

Her eyes swivelled down to her hands as the Ki she had just gained from Love's Time vanished.

“I thought I taught you better than that. You always had that habit of getting ahead of yourself whenever you thought you had the upper hand.”

She stomped her high heel into the ground while dashing in. I let out a sigh and weaved through her strikes before lightly kicking her foot.

Margaret buckled and fell to the ground. I saw her younger self overlap with her for a split second while my eyebrows furrowed.

“...Fine. I'll fight you the way you want me to then.”

She kicked off the ground and leapt over the ledge of the rooftop. I watched her manipulate the air as she bolted into the distance.

“Children are such hard work.”

I glanced at the timer that reached 6 o’clock before gazing down at my hand.

“Red Mist: Agreement.”

I stretched my hand forward, fanning my fingers widely as Margaret flew through the sky like a missile right back into my open hand. I locked my fingers around her arm while she looked up at me with fear-stricken eyes.

“Death’s Love: Deception.”

I watched her body phase out of existence like an illusion as I shifted my gaze towards the real direction she was currently fleeing in.

‘Hmm. So she didn’t charge in recklessly after all.’

“Red Mist: Retraction.”

I yawned while my hand grabbed hold of her arm again. Her body had forcefully retraced its steps, sending her right back to me.

From the moment the red-tinted smoke had covered the building, Margaret had already been marked several times. She knew that herself, so her only aim was to waste time.

I looked at her body phase out of existence as her location appeared elsewhere. Deception only worked if Margaret was ‘caught’ by something or someone. Only then would Margaret be allowed to move to a previous position she had been in within a certain radius.

She could only use Deception 4 times at most, and each time required her to use the Ki she had gained from Death’s Love. She had ascertained that this was the best course of action since Annulment forcefully cancelled her connection to Love's Time.

I stood over the ledge, slowly puffing away as Margret dropped to the floor covered in sweat. That was the 4th and final use of Deception.

I glanced at the timer and saw the hand reach the 11 O’clock mark.

“Margaret, do you really want to kill everyone here?”

“...Call it what you will, but I’m saving them. You can’t convince me otherwise. Moving from place to place only to be caught up in the same despair and agony—this isn’t life; it’s suffering.”

I blew a cloud of smoke into the air as I slipped my hand into my pocket.

“Alright then. Do it if you must.”

She looked at me in shock before her lips spread into a wide smile.

“Ha...hahaha! You finally understand, don’t you?! I’m not a murderer but a saviour!!”

I ignored her and pulled out a letter with a small pink bow attached to it. The rays of light shone on it as Margaret's laughter evaporated.

“...Why... do you have that?...”

“Cancel Love's Time and I’ll explain.”

Her face contorted in disgust at my blackmail. Her veins bulged while she grinded her teeth with rage.

“!”

She abruptly regained her composure, her face returning to normal as she folded her arms.

“...Fine. Do what you want with it. Everyone here will die anyway, and their blood will be on your hands again.”

My lips curved upwards at her response because I saw her finger trembling ever so slightly against her arm.

“Don't you want to read the words your parents left behind for you?”

Sweat formed on her brow as she bit down on her lip. Her pupils dilated while she stretched out her hand towards the letter.

“Cancel your ability now.”

I tapped her hand away as her eyes shook. She shifted her gaze between the timer that had almost finished and the letter that contained the last words of her late parents. She bit down on her nails while her body shivered intensely.

Margaret had to make a choice.

***

??? POV:

I put my hands in my hooded cloak as I observed Mr Cruiser talking with Margaret. It seemed like I had made it just in time.

I ran my hand through my short, curly hair and expanded the range of my senses to cover all of District 4. A festival of pinkish lights appeared everywhere, representing all of the targets that had Bombs of Life wrapped around their hearts. Once Mr Cruiser fails, everyone here will die.

“You’ve become capable in many areas, but you still lack foresight.”

My lips spread into a satisfied smile at the turn of events. Perhaps he needed to experience true loss once more in order to grow further.

“A painful challenge awaits you this time, newcomer.”

I took a seat on the ledge and folded my arms beneath my breasts. All that was left to do was wait for Margaret to set those bombs off.