MAEVE POV

The stupid hussy jumped over to my side of the rooftop building, clapping her hands while smiling brightly at me. To her, everything is merely entertainment, isn’t it?

“Five moves, damn. Consider me impressed. Not even these pups managed to last a single one when I go this hard. Am I right boys?”

“…..”

“Tch….”

“Mountain gorilla…..”

“Is she dead?”

As I directed my intent at her, I could tell that she wasn’t making fun of me. She was genuinely impressed by my capabilities to keep up, no matter how small they were during those five bouts of exchange. However, I couldn’t care less about what came out of her mouth. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and intended to grasp it.

I dragged my battered body towards a nearby fence, using it as a crutch as I slowly crawled back up. My leg refused to respond to my commands, and my entire lower body felt numb from the pain. But it mattered not; I just needed a moment to collect myself. Then, I would reach it this time—the enlightenment I had desperately sought ever since that day.

“Haah…. My bad Kitty. You are just too much fun to tease, and you are strong too. So, when I see how you managed to keep up with me, I just had to check you out, ya know.”

“Fun to tease she says.”

“No wonder she never had a boyfriend.”

“Mountain gorilla…..”

“Shouldn’t we call the hospital?”

“Oy peanut gallery, shut your yap before I go there and tease you to death myself. Cough, anyway I got carried away a tiny bit. I’m very very sorry. So, what say we start from scratch? Ion Tinker here, a self-independent tuner at your service.”

The blood on her neck…..

She extended a hand to help me up, but by the time she stepped onto the rooftop, I had already tuned everything out. My mind fixated on the tiny bit of blood on her neck that I had managed to cause with my claw.

During my chain punch, I managed to get in a hand spear that she deftly dodged with her spinning backhand moves. It didn’t connect fully, but I grazed her with it.

She overpowered me by a long mile in every physical aspect except agility and yet for all that strength, she bleeds. Funny isn’t it? She is not a mountain or a giant tank. She is just a mortal who had trained and honed her body for much longer than me.

I know a being that would never bleed like that.

Dagan.

I had encountered it, survived it, and continued living knowing that one day I would have to face it again with Qinn.

I still remember how powerless I felt, kneeling there, watching as it darkened its intent toward Qinn. Despite invoking THORN, my body refused to move. I simply didn’t know what I had to do to reach that thing.

The ability to defend myself and boost my physical recovery is useless if I can’t use them to affect my opponent in the slightest. In other words, I need something that can bridge that gap and inflict harm on them without the need to come in direct contact with them.

So thank you, Ion Tinker.

Thank you for opening my eyes.

Thanks to you, I know what I’m missing.

A claw, nay, a FANG that can reach them. One that is so silent and quick that it would have sliced them to bits before they even knew what was going on. I may not have the physical aspect of this oversized Amazonian hussy, but I have my own way of fighting. Why does it matter if her agility is even better than mine? All I have to do is just win.

Don’t worry Qinn, this time I will save you.

Ion noticed something amiss as I let my beaten-up body fall into a state of relaxation. It was easy to simply let go when exhaustion weighed so heavily. Then, at the peak of emptiness, I allowed myself to fall forward.

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Ion retreated and readied her stance instead of catching me, but it was too late. In the very next second, I ground my SpeedGear to maximum and displaced the air in front of me with a kick. I executed an uppercut kick so swiftly that it shot off a vacuum blade in the form of a FANG.

For the first time, Ion’s carefree smile turned serious as she tightened her muscles and prepared to receive my FANG.

CRASH!

As the roof hut behind her collapsed, she remained standing, with a shallow cut to her upper body once the dust settled.

“A FANG…… Qinn is right. I take it all back. You do not disappoint. I wanted to call it here but your eyes tell me a different story.”

That kick took my all, but if she is still standing, then why not muster another one, am I right? After all, as much as I’m grateful for the eye-opener, I still need to rip her tits off.

Despite the numbness in my leg, I readied it for another strike. I must have pushed myself too hard, especially with executing a FANG. Now I understand why Qinn called it a double-edged sword.

“Well, round 3, Kitty. Let’s dance!”

As she propelled herself forward with her SpeedGear, a full-on straight punch came at me, adding acceleration and speed to the force. Despite the attack’s speed, I didn’t panic like last time. This time, I felt at peace because my kick was even faster!

SMASH-BANG!

Both Ion and I widened our eyes in shock as our attacks stopped dead in their tracks before they could even connect.

Qinn abruptly appeared between us, catching our strikes with his bare hands. I hurriedly retracted my leg, only to stumble back and lose my footing due to exhaustion.

He caught my hand and pulled me back into his arms as I leaned into him for support. My Qinn was here, and I couldn’t help but blush... until his next sentence poured cold water over my head.

“What happened here?”

Qinn is angry. Like super angry. I dared not to look up his masked face. The chill in his tone is making me shiver a little.

“N-nothing boss! It’s just us playing around. Y-yep, it’s a sparring session!” She tried to downplay it, but I won’t have it.

“Liar! You kicked me to death because you wanted to sleep with him, you big-breasted hussy!”

“Oh? I seemed to recall you blushed hard when I said that you can watch.”

“You! I HATE YOU! QINN, LETS DEFEAT HER AND RIP HER TITS OFF!”

Qinn let out a deep long breath, as I readied myself another FANG. She is going down today no matter what. Those evil things need to be vanquished for good!

“Maeve, go downstairs and wait for me a bit. I need to talk to her.”

“B-but, she-”

“Maeve.”

I straightened up. It’s an order. Qinn seldom takes such actions with me, but when he does, it brooks no arguments. It made me happy that he acted as though he were my master, but at times like this, I wished his command had come three seconds later after I’d had the chance to slash those things to bits.

“This is not over, you hear me!”

I went down the stairs as the monster tits waved goodbye at me. Tch! Don’t think I didn’t know how you smelled like a bitch in heat the moment Qinn stopped your punch.

If she dares to lay a hand on Qinn……

I need to begin practicing my FANG.

But most importantly, I need to finish practicing all those poses ASAP.

----

QINN POV

“So tell me again from start to finish.” I started.

“I was trying to start up a conversation with her, but she ignored me the whole time. This was the first time we’d met, and she seemed to dislike me the moment she laid eyes on my breasts. wahaha!”

“Ok……continue.”

“She seemed to be preoccupied with something and the moment I poked her around, she grew silent. I thought she was bubbling up underneath when I teased her a wee bit too much.

Then the window up above crashed and she took it as a signal to attack me. That was the first time I saw a kick go off that fast! You should have seen the look on her face though. It’s like she was screaming bloody murder!”

“……”

“And then we traded punches, or kicks, on the rooftop like one of those action dramas and sweat it all out like a good rival into the sunset. Man, that was fun. Her bloodlust was something else. It’s like if I looked away for a moment she would claw my eyeballs out or something.”

“………”

“Oh, and she got a FANG, so that’s swell. That’s it I guess.”

“You……I put you guys together to get accustomed to one another. I thought I told her to make good with you. She may be awkward, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a brain-dead idiot!”

“Ok, ok! I’m sorry if I pushed her a bit too far. I was just curious you know.”

“Sigh, just try to make up with her the next time we meet.”

“Curious at how far you guys had done it.”

She cut me off with a stupid question. Nothing has gone right today and now I have to deal with this colossal idiot. “It’s none of your business.”

“But it is my business if we are to work together.”

“How does that even make sense?”

“Qinn. You are a smart man so be real with me. Have you noticed it?”

I stayed still for a moment and contemplated it for a while. Yes, I had noticed it long ago, from the moment I held her in my arms when she first cried herself to sleep. I had always convinced myself that she would find her own path, away from this side of the conflict.

However, the moment I snapped that collar onto Maeve, her true feelings were put on blast and I couldn’t turn a blind eye to it anymore. There was no mind or soul manipulation because I never desired them in the first place. It’s just pure and unbridled love, albeit in a slightly different form.

That love is pointed towards me.

So, I should embrace it, right? Yet here I am still hesitating.

“I’m being stupid aren’t I?”

“Yes. Yes, you are. You half-assed jerk.”

I promised her that I would protect her, didn’t I? Doesn’t that include her heart too? So, all this time I have been a half-assed jerk, huh? Well, that’s good to know.

“Ion, I-”

“Yeah, yeah just go home and embrace her already. And fuck her brains out while you are at it.”

“Thanks.”

“You owe me one.”

With that, I went and picked up Maeve before heading back home together.

I suppose a long talk is long overdue.

I just hope the rest of the day goes better.