Rose with pointy spikes
This one’s finished, while the other one only needs the crystal. I’m so close to finishing, so I must hurry and find myself another crystal.
The weapons were yet to be completed since the gloves were a pair. One was controlling miasma, while the other controlled mana. The stronger the crystal, the greater the controlled amount as well.
Although the crystals were made of mana, Darius was able to corrupt the mana crystal using the dark spirits’ hearts and turn it into a miasma crystal.
Another secret Aura told the heroes was about the similarities between miasma and mana. They both are fundamentally energy. The only difference is their vibration. Vibration meant energy, but energy also had its own level of resonance. The problem is that miasma has a level of resonance that’s out of this world and simply aimed for destruction, while mana is focused on natural laws and life. They both have polar opposite vibrations, so they should null each other. But at the same time, if you knew how to use them, you could simply change the vibration of one or the other with the help of its opposite. That’s why even the purest of hearts can turn into devils, and even the most tyrannical soul can become a saint.
The reason he needed to control miasma was because that’s exactly what was the main source of power inside the danger zone. The deeper one adventured inside, the stronger the miasma and weaker the mana. That’s exactly why most superhumans would end up weakened in places where miasma was stronger and strengthened where the miasma level was lower. So if he could create a tool that could control the main energy inside the infested continent, then that would be his greatest advantage against any type of enemy. This is also the reason why he won most of his battles against humans. Because he only had to summon large quantities of miasma in the cities and weaken everyone there, strengthening his monsters instead.
Darius smiled satisfied with his creation, then quickly turned it off.
Because he was yet to create its counterpart, there was a danger of having the miasma infect his mind and corrupt him slowly from inside. That’s why he needed the mana glove, so he could create a protective barrier around his body.
Later that same day, when the sun was about to set, Darius came out of his laboratory completely equipped, with the sniper, his bag filled with explosives and ammo on his back, and his trusty plasma knife at his belt.
He went inside the knight and drove towards the city’s western gate to enter the dangerous parts of the city.
However, on his way there, he was surprised to see Lily on her way home. To go through Western City, you have to pass by the SAA building as well. And since the clock was a bit past 6 p.m., it meant that Lily must’ve finished work and closed for the day, making Darius sigh.
I should have looked at the clock before leaving…
And since his car was The Knight, a very eye-catching car, about everyone saw him rolling down the streets towards the west, Lily being no exception.
Seeing the familiar car, she waved with a beautiful smile while her red eyes were shining unintentionally provocatively. This showed that she must’ve used her ability not long ago, or she just activated it after seeing Darius.
Now I can’t just ignore her and say I didn’t see her…
She was as eye-catching as his car, or even more. He stopped by the road, and the door from the right opened upwards like a Lamborghini’s. This show attracted even more attention, which annoyed Darius even more. He took the car because it had great firepower and a quick and strong engine, not for its pretentious aspect.
I swear I’ll go to a painter and turn it black sooner or later.
While cursing in his mind, Lily approached the car and slightly bent to the side to make eye contact with Darius, her usual smile visible on her face.
"What a surprising visit! May I know where to at this late hour all armored up like that?"
"… Just here to say hi."
"You know I can tell when I’m lied to, yes? Especially so obviously. You were thinking of adventuring outside the borders, right?"
"………"
"What’s even worse is that you seem to have been sleepless for days now. Look at your eyes; they’re already bloodshot."
Am I getting scolded here? What the heck?
The conversation's turn perplexed Darius. She wasn’t wrong in any of her words till now, and this made him feel as if put in his place for some reason.
Thinking to just end it here, he simply sighed and wanted to close the door.
"Well, I just wanted to say hi since ignoring you would’ve worsened our partnership. Now that’s done, please excuse me-"
"Not so fast. Where do you think you’re running?"
Before the door could close, Lily went inside the car, right beside Darius. Because there was Darius’ backpack on the car’s right seat, Lily just went and sat on Darius’ lap, the door closing the next second since he had already pressed the button to close the door.
"… What are you doing?"
"You placed that bag there, so I had no other place to sit. And it looks heavy, so I didn’t wish to move it."
You’re physically stronger than even myself, and you call that heavy…?
Putting aside the ridiculous remark she made, he asked again, slightly annoyed,
"What I’m asking is, why did you get on? I don’t remember inviting you in."
"Since you’re here, why not bring me home? It’s not that far away anyway."
"This little…"
His eyebrow started twitching while trying to remain calm, and a vein was now popping on his forehead. He grabbed his backpack and placed it behind the seats where he had his other weapons, then lifted Lily gently and placed her on the seat beside him.
"I need to drive, so don’t sit on my lap just like that."
"Oh~? So you will bring me home? How nice of you~."
Do I have a choice?
With Lily’s character, he knew better than anyone to just butt heads with her once she set her mind to something. And he was greatly afraid that she planned to stop him from going into the borders, his gut telling him so.
"Lola accepted your request to not upload your data into the camera Rec. App. But she will need to have you fight different forms of enemies as payback."
"It’s like she did me a service when I’m the one helping her from the very beginning."
"Think of it as you paying back the codes you borrowed from her project."
At this point, Darius wasn’t surprised that Lola found out about the codes he stole, but even so, he continued with a callous expression on his face.
"Well, I was already helping her gather the data from the monsters, so that’s still not justified."
"You’re already getting paid considerable amounts for the data, so that’s not an excuse."
"…. Maybe I can change the requirements and-"
"Too late. We already signed the contract."
"Fucking Hell…"
"You really don’t give up, do you."
He cursed while Lily laughed amused by Darius’ stubbornness in trying to come up with the upper hand. He sighed ttired,and just accepted her proposal while Lily ssmiled,satisfied.
A bit later, they arrived at her place, inside the most expensive residency in Western City. More exactly, in the very center and where the buildings were the most fortified. The craziest part was that her home was actually a villa with a large courtyard, which baffled Darius.
"Are you trying to scream at everyone around that you’re royalty or something? What’s with this mansion?"
"M-my father told me to live here while I work in the Western City… Believe me, I don’t like it either."
She sighed troubled, and this was the first time Darius saw her like this.
It wasn’t like the house was ugly. On the very contrary, it was the most beautiful place of anything else around this residential area. But the fact that it was this extravagant was what made Lily troubled. She had the same feeling Darius had while driving his car, or even worse than that, so in a way, he was able to relate to it.
"Well, I’ve done my part."
This was an indirect way of saying, Now that we’re here, get off. But with a long gaze at him, she immediately asked what Darius wanted to evade the most.
"While at it, why not come and stay here for the night? Looking at you, I feel like you’d crash the moment you’ll see the bed."
"…………"
At this point, he wasn’t sure how to refuse her. If he was in a roundabout way, she would play the fool and drag him inside. If he was direct, he would risk offending her as a woman and sour their relationship. That meant he couldn’t just say he’ll sleep at his place now being offered such an option either.
And if I tell her that I only want for us to keep a strictly business-related partnership, she would say something along the lines of, "If you die out there because of tiredness, then I won’t have a partner to make business with in the first place."
In the end, his only option was to do as she said and literally collapse on a separate bed without doing anything.
"So~? Will you come in?"
"...."
That might prove to be harder than I first imagined…
Seeing her beautiful appearance with her red lips arched in a smile while her bright red, dangerous, and sensual eyes staring at him intently, his confidence in holding back was just dropping lower and lower, his tiredness not helping him in the slightest.
Massaging his hurting eyes, he sighed a bit, exasperated, and answered while shaking his head.
"In that case, just show me a bed… I’ll crash there and get back to work tomorrow morning."
"Suit yourself."
She shrugged her shoulders, then pressed a button she had at her key-ring, the gates for the mansion-like villa opening, and showed Darius the perfect parking lot.
"…"
At this point, he wasn’t even surprised that she actually had her own personal parking spot when she had no car.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
After driving in, the gate closed on its own, and Lily got out of the car, walking towards the front door of the house.
"Lights open."
Entering the house, she immediately called out a command, and the lights turned on.
Ah, great… An automated house.
For a semi-minimalist like Darius, such an extravagant house was more of a pain than an excitement. And after seeing his face, Lily understood immediately what he was thinking as smiled somewhat apologetically.
"I see you don’t like my place."
"It’s very beautiful."
"But overly pompous?"
"Just not my thing. You don't need to mind me."
He went in and then looked around, feeling rather out of place while in full combat gear inside such a clean and tidy place. Lily walked him to the nearest room and told Darius that he could unequip his costume there. Happily for him, the costume needed to be worn while wearing clothes underneath. After taking off his armor, he still remained with his military pants and a black shirt with long sleeves. While arranging the clothes on his body, a light knock resounded at the door, and Lily entered right after with two cups of warm tea. Her whole body was covered by a bathrobe as she entered the room, passing one cup of tea to Darius while looking at the combat suit on the chair.
"Hello~, did you finish changing?"
"I only had to take off the armor. Because of the rough material inside, you’re required to wear clothes underneath the combat suit so your skin won’t irritate."
"Oh my, this really is rough, isn’t it? Aren’t you hot in this?"
"No… The miasma's cold, so you’d rather be well dressed in such dark places."
She checked the armor Darius placed on a chair and then turned to him, who was gently mixing the tea, not necessarily to accentuate the aroma but simply out of habit, his mind deep in thoughts. Looking through him with her eyes, she was only able to tell that he was extremely tired, making her shake her head a bit confused.
"I don’t get you. For what reason were you thinking of adventuring inside the borders when you’re dead tired? I can tell you just wish to lay down right at this moment and sleep."
"I just wanted to finish a project. I needed only one more material to complete my prototype."
"Project? What were you creating?"
"I’ll tell you more when it’s finished."
He placed the tea to the side and sat on the bed, massaging his sleepy eyes and laying down right after.
"I’m sorry, but I’m really tired at the moment…"
"Alright, I wish you happy dreams."
His sight blurry, he laid down on the bed, and the moment he felt the softness of the pillow underneath his head, his heavy eyes closed shut and his consciousness faded all together, falling asleep completely. After staying awake for almost 5 days, it was a wonder how he was still able to drive, let alone fight and finish his project.
.
What a headstrong man you are… I’ll be sure to make you mine sooner or later…
Light chuckles resounded while red and dangerous eyes flashed through together with a smile made of two red and sensual lips, coming closer and closer until they lightly touched the forehead of the sleeping Darius.
"You… what do you think you’re doing?"
Darius woke up and grabbed her by the wrist, just as she wanted to retreat.
He wanted to focus his gaze on her, but his tired eyes were simply unable to work properly, barely able to even distinguish her face. Even so, he was still able to see her devilish smile and hear her chuckle, which sounded almost ethereal.
"You want me, don’t you? Otherwise, why would you suddenly grab my hand rather than continue sleeping?"
"What are you saying, woman? I’m just confused by your actions-"
He wanted to continue, but then she sealed his lips with hers while pressing him down. His body didn’t want to listen as she pinned him down with ease, holding both his hands and kissing him deeply.
"Why won’t you be more sincere with yourself, Darius? What are you afraid of?"
She whispered in his ear as she bit on it. At this point, something snapped inside Darius, and strength recovered in his whole body.
Still dizzy and unable to see or hear right, he was able to reverse their roles and pin Lily down, gnashing his teeth at her like a beast to his prey.
"For how long are you going to be like this, Lily? My patience runs thin."
With a wide smile and enchanting gaze, she simply chuckled, not opposing Darius as he ripped her bathrobe off her body.
"You…."
Underneath the bathrobe, she was wearing a transparent black nightgown, through which he was able to clearly see her beautiful chest and sexy black underwear.
It was more than obvious that she came prepared, making for the last string of reasons to snap and have Darius do as he pleased.
"You asked for this."
"Yes. I asked for it. No need to hold back."
.
"……"
The next day in the morning, Darius woke up from his bed in the same position as when he collapsed last night, looking around as if nothing was different from before.
A wet dream….? Am I 16 all over again? What the fuck was that?
Holding his head rather embarrassedly, he even verified if it was really wet or not. Happily for him, he wasn’t the type to come too quickly, his numbness holding him back from feeling too much pleasure.
At least that’s how it was before… Now I’m afraid if I had woken up a few minutes later, things would’ve been different…
Sighing tired, he opened the door, wishing to go and wash his face, passing by the kitchen.
"Hm?"
Seeing her there, he stopped for a moment and observed her cooking something for breakfast while wearing the same bathrobe as last night. By the looks of it, she used it to cover her body whenever she was home while wearing either pajamas or light clothes.
"Oh? Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
She smiled beautifully, and Darius recalled his dream, staring intently at her bathrobe.
"Morning… Yesterday night… Did I say anything weird in my dream?"
He asked unsure and Lily tilted her head confused while staring at him. Her eyes then twitched for a moment, and she lowered the fire while coming closer to him.
"Why do you ask that? Did you have a sweet dream last night?"
She reached out and lightly swiped his forehead in a playful manner, her red eyes gazing at him dearly.
He couldn't help feeling conflicted; he massaged his forehead, then just went to the bathroom, sighing, still tired.
"Never mind… I’ll go wash my face and then go out. I already feel like I overstayed."
"I wouldn’t mind if you moved here for good~."
"Stop fooling around, please…"
Seeing him leave, she chuckled on her own while looking at the finger she used to wipe Darius’ forehead. A light shade of red was visible after she quickly got rid of the kiss mark on his forehead.
By his reaction, I guess he simply thought he was dreaming… Sigh~ what was in my mind, kissing a sleeping man on his forehead like that…!
She looked downward bashful after remembering how she sneaked beside him after he fell asleep and tried to kiss him. Feeling a bit bashful, she refrained from kissing his lips and just settled for his forehead, whispering in the end how she’ll try to make him hers.
It’s been a while since I’ve met a decent man, let alone been in a relationship. But it seems I forgot how to behave around them. I act more impulsively than I thought I would…
When it came to relationships, Lily was no beginner. She knew very well how to please a man and how to make them do as she wanted without using her body. Her charm and sex appeal were enough to bend any man without even having to sleep with them.
Once she would become interested in someone, she would easily find out most of the details about the said person and give herself an idea of what that man was like, most of the time losing interest right after reading them like open books.
And this time was no different since she was able to read Darius just like any other and understand that, no matter how tough and mysterious he might be, he’s still a man and nevertheless a human like any other. He also snaps, he also has weak points, and he also gets tired and vulnerable. Even more, he's a human with even weaker physical abilities than herself. But for some reason she couldn’t help remembering his broad and burnt back when he walked straight into a room filled with death and monsters, in his hands having only a broken knife and a broken bar, injured all over. His gaze was sharp and cold, as if calculating his chances for every move. His legs were tense, ready to dash at any given moment, while his fists clenched tightly onto his only weapons. It was a perilous moment where the stench of blood and dust filled the air, but where panic and chaos completely overwhelmed everyone else, there was not a single thought of retreating visible in his heart. His only thought was the best way to save as many as possible.
Really… Just what is pushing this man so much…?
At this point it wasn’t just a desire, but an obsession. She was afraid that Darius was obsessed with whatever he wanted to do, and unknowingly to her, she ended up caring for him more and more while she became more and more curious about him.
"I’m done here. Thank you for hosting me for the night."
Fully armored and ready to go, Darius opened the door to the kitchen and waved once.
"… Are you not going to eat before leaving?"
"…."
In a soft and rather pitiful voice, Lily asked him while leaning on the table, where two plates were already prepared with an omelet and a bowl of salad.
Seeing how the breakfast was already prepared, even Darius wasn’t as rude as to refuse an already-prepared breakfast when he wasn’t even in such a hurry.
"In that case, I will bother you for breakfast... Pardon me for eating while armored."
.
After finishing eating and waiting for Lily to prepare herself, they both went to his car to drop her off at the SAA office for work.
"Shall I expect more gifts from you after coming back from your expedition?"
"Not really. This time, my goal isn’t money but a material that’s rare even in the black market. I already searched for it everywhere, but nobody has it. I guess I must go find one for myself."
"Hm? And what is that material?"
She turned to him curiously, and as he glanced once at her, he took a bit to answer before asking his own question as well.
"You will see when the time comes. I don’t need to brag about it when I don’t even know if I’ll be able to acquire it. But scratch that. What about you? Are there some special customers coming in today?"
"Other than you? Who else it’s more special?"
"Stop joking like that… I’m asking because you’re dressed differently from usual."
With his eyes constantly moving from the road to her then back, Darius asked while pointing at Lily’s one-piece dress with a rather exposed chest.
Normally, Lily would dress elegantly, giving off a feminine and charming feeling, while at the same time keeping it modest, as she normally has her chest and tights covered. However, this time they were both exposed, making Lily especially seductive today.
With a naughty smirk, she chuckled while covering her mouth and asked playfully,
"Why~? You don’t want others to see me like this? It’s true, I normally don’t dress like this. I guess it’s because I woke up having dinner with a special someone."
"Yes, of course you did…"
I don’t remember in the game’s story or in my past life her being such a teasing character. Although feminine and extremely charming as now, she was direct, with a professional business-smile on at all times, while keeping it modest when it came to clothes. Barely anyone would be able to see all these many faces of hers. Just what is she thinking?
After they arrived, silence permeated the air. Since the car was an armored one designated for battle in an infested area like the Danger Zone, the doors were tightly shut, and the only way to open them was either by the driver or by using the emergency measures of pulling a trap that released the doors and completely separated them from the car.
And at this moment, seeing that he wouldn’t open the door, Lily glanced at Darius, somewhat confused.
"Darius? Is there something wrong?"
"… Lily."
Suddenly, having her name called made Lily twitch for a moment, trying to understand what he was thinking. After using her spirit eyes, she was able to see that inside of him, conflicted feelings were swirling inside, the predominant colors being pink and blue. That meant he was trying to fight his feelings of desire for someone with his feelings of duty and reason.
"Pfft."
She chuckled at seeing him like this, then leaned in closer to him while surprising him for a moment, turning his face to her.
"Hey, Darius…"
She got closer and closer to him while he stood still, unsure what to do or say, until-
-CLICK-
While their faces were dangerously close, Lily reached out and pressed the button to open her door, a smile appearing on her face.
"I’ll get late to work. So please open the door."
He remained stunned for a moment and simply sighed while feeling ridiculous about himself. But just as the doors opened and she prepared to exit, he saw more people, especially men, stare amazed at Lily, who was preparing to exit.
"Lily."
This time he firmly called out to her, and right after she turned, she remained surprised to see his firm gaze.
"It might be cold today, so please cover yourself up. I know a mage won’t get a cold, but there’s no need to trouble yourself so much for whoever might visit the office."
"… Hm~ I understand."
"Well then…"
After seeing her meaningful smile, Darius understood he most probably said something unnecessary and just closed the door, driving away and towards the danger zone.
So even someone like him has some desires left in him. How cute~.
She gently touched her lower lip with her finger, and while feeling in an especially good mood, she walked confidently inside the building while taking out a black robe she had already prepared to cover herself. Of course she wouldn’t walk around like that outside, but she did so only to see if Darius would see it. In shorter terms, she wanted to tease the one she was interested in, not to gain any validation from other men on the streets.