“I love you…”
“Urk!”
The man’s words almost caused the lieutenant to trip on her way out of the office, forcing her to slam one hand on the door in order to prevent her fall. A frustrated frown quickly formed in her expression as she groaned softly, proceeding to push herself away from the exit before dusting off her black uniform. Claire pressed her lips together and turned quickly to face the young owner of the company, lowering her brows at the sight of the silver-haired man.
He smiled casually at the other end of the room, both hands concealed inside the pockets of his pants—as he wore his usual black suit and red shirt. Behind him was the flowing crimson fog of the Deadlands, which could be seen clearly through the pane of the office’s large window—taking almost the entire wall.
“Don’t mess with me…” the lieutenant growled with a shaking fist.
“What makes you think I am?” he replied casually.
Claire glared into the man’s crimson eye with no hint of humor, and though she had every intention of shutting the subject down immediately, her curiosity eventually won over her mind. She let out an exasperated sigh while dropping her head, relaxing her shoulders before meeting the young CEO’s gaze once again.
“How many women have you said this to?” she asked calmly.
“Three.”
Honest to the very end, Sovereign did not wait a single second to answer the lieutenant’s question. His fast and casual response ignited a violent flame within Claire however, like a spreading wild fire that began with a tiny spark. A vein in her forehead suddenly popped out as one of her brows twitched with anger, her teeth bared like growling lion trying to intimidate its pray.
“Then how about you go tell me again,” she crossed her arms with a raised eyebrow. “I’m too busy to be dealing with you right now.”
“Of course… I just wanted to let you know.” Sovereign replied, his smile never fading despite the clear disappointment behind the lieutenant’s expression. “You know how I am, one of the people I’ve said this to is Ki-joon, so I don’t need to say it again… at least for now.”
“Guess not, then what about Eutychia?” the lieutenant suggested. “You can go bother her instead.”
“Eutychia?”
“Isn’t she the other one?”
“…” a quick paused follow, and Sovereign’s eyebrows raised at Claire’s assumptions, bursting into laugher at her suggestion to the lieutenant’s bewilderment.
“Don’t make me shoot you…” she threatened through gritted teeth, ready to call her gear at any moment.
“Wait! No, it’s not Eutychia.” Clarified Sovereign. “It’s my mom…”
“Ah…” Claire flinched slightly, as all the anger that had brewed within her simply evaporated in a flash. Her lips dropped and her brows furrowed, remembering the time they both visited her mother’s grave in Heildin. “Right… you told me about her before.”
“The third one is you, of course.” Sovereign continued, just as chirpy as usual. “I don’t say this to just anyone, you know?”
“Right…” now more relaxed and composed, the lieutenant exhaled all the air out of her lungs through her nostrils like snorting bull—a single question lingering deep in her mind. “What did you expect me to say?”
“That’s what I want to find out,” the man replied. “Lionheart… I do love you.” He confessed calmly, maintaining a composed and even tone. “Games or not, this is just how I feel about you. I won’t lie and tell you it’s always been like this, but now I’m more than confident about how I feel.”
“Really?” Claire placed one fist on her hips, asking with a tone that indicated doubt in the man’s words.
“I know… I may not come across as the most honest, but my confession comes from the heart, Lionheart. However rotten it may be… this tiny portion of it that I reserved only for you… is the purest side a specter like me has ever known. Lionheart… I have feelings for you. Will you accept them?”
“No,” Claire coldly replied in an instant, closing her eyes with an expression that revealed no emotions behind it.
The office filled with silence for nearly half a minute, and though her rejection was swift and cutthroat, the man’s expression never changed. He met the stoic ambers of Claire with his usual overconfident smirk, and they both stared into each other’s eyes for the second half of the long-lasting minute.
“You have nothing to say?” the lieutenant asked, somewhat surprised at Sovereign’s silence. “It’s not like you to stay quiet and not push any further.”
“Would you have changed your answer if I had?”
“No.”
“Then I got what I wanted,” he told her. “See… I didn’t expect you to say yes, or even entertain the thought of considering accepting my feelings. You told me that, remember? That you will find no peace until every single specter is dealt with. Something like this must be nothing but a waste of time to you, and I’m aware of that.”
“Then why say anything, you moron!” Claire screamed internally, her eyebrow twitching as she forced herself to retain a neutral expression. “Then why even say anything?” she calmly asked instead.
“Because…” Sovereign rested his chin in one fist looked back at the ceiling. “Because I wanted to,” he lowered his gaze to look back at the lieutenant. “You see, I’ve been feeling a little… confident, lately. Not just mentally, but physically as well. Maybe enough to beat your training regimen. From last time.”
Claire took a step forward at the news, surprised at the claims of the young CEO. “Isn’t that a good thing?” she claimed, aware of his declining health.
“Not for me… my body is human, Lionheart. Think of it as a balloon that you fill with air, go too far beyond its recommended capacity… and that balloon will eventually burst.” Explained Sovereign. “I’ve been having this issue lately, and can be too dangerous if ignored. Being killed normally solves the pr—"
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Killed!” Claire interrupted him with a strong reaction. “Sorry… what do you mean by that?”
“It means I’ve been dying often lately, more than usual in fact.”
“Explain…” growled the lieutenant.
“You should already know what I’m talking about,” Sovereign told her with a smile. “Ninigi told you how a specter is never truly death, didn’t he? A demon may be destroyed, only to be resurrected in the Deadlands after some time.”
“Right…”
“I am no different in that regard, however, this method has been proven a little… inefficient as of late. My health is in constant decline, but that is how it’s supposed to be… I’m not meant to be getting stronger, that’s why we sent you to take down Euthemia’s operations in Pelkesk.”
An operation that ended in mostly failure, as Bloodhound and lady Eutychia failed to retrieve any samples from the burning facility—yet their main goal of denying King and Paradise from their supply of humans was a total success. The memory of almost losing her life that day flashed through Claire’s mind, and she gently placed one hand in the arm that the giant knight had dislocated by pure reflex.
“You mean… if I succeeded in retrieving a sample of her serum…”
“We are not really sure,” Sovereign interrupted in an attempt to quell the lieutenant’s worries. “We had detective Tormod investigate it for us. Jacob thought he could do something for me with the information we received… it was all speculation, of course.”
“…”
A chuckle escaped the young man, overjoyed by the deep concern behind Claire’s eyes. “Dismissed.”
“Wh… sir…” Claire saluted, turning towards the exit to make her leave. Her hand gently twisted the bronze doorknob of the wooden door, and slowly pushed it open to reveal the desolated hallway outside. “When all of this is over…” she said while taking her first step into the hall. “I wouldn’t mind hearing from you…”
“Let me guess, it would make Lucy sad not to see me again?” Sovereign replied in a joking manner.
“No, because I’d like to hear from you again.” The lieutenant looked at him with a smile from over shoulder. “Not every girl gets to have her own specter, you know?”
“But don’t say like I’m just a pet.”
“Remember our training this weekend.”
With a second step into the hallway, Claire took her leave by closing the door behind her, leaving the young CEO to loiter in the office by himself. He moved back towards his sit, though the sight of the Deadlands outside called his name, making him move closer to the window. The day was clear, and the vast field of white flowers expanded far in the distance, carrying a calm and soothing wind.
“First my gear…” Sovereign whispered to himself. “… and now my heart too, what a year this has been. I only hope it will be enough… this will make her a target for sure, but if she can hide it well, then I’ll have nothing to worry about.” His eye narrowed, emitting a faint glow of crimson as he looked deeper into the Deadlands. “Specter… how should I deal with you…”
Center of the Deadlands, Ruined Castle: 936, December 31st, Monday, 4:30 AM.
One of the castle’s spectral walls erupted into piles of black rubble, caused by the impact with Sovereign’s back as he was flung into it by his opponent’s attack. A cloud of dust formed around the demon as the wall crumbled on top of him, leaving the silhouette of his body tattooed on its structure.
“Is that all you got!” taunted the gladean knight with a smirk, jumping at Specter with a powerful punch.
“Ngh…”
Tearing his body off the wall just in time, Sovereign managed to barely crouch under Loki’s fist and roll away to safety—feeling the ground shake as the champion’s fist crashed with the castle’s already broken structure. Now with the back of his foe towards him, it didn’t take long for Specter to take advantage of the wide-open knight. He quickly lunged himself against his opponent, and smacked his face against the wall with a powerful push of his palm.
“Grr…”
“Arrogant fool!” growled Sovereign.
Having the knight trapped in his clutches, the god tightened the grip on Loki’s head before breaking into a full sprint alongside the wall—ripping through it by utilizing the face of the gladean knight. The champion’s painful screams mixed with the rumbling of the castle breaking apart, its sounds echoing all over the black throne room.
No other choice but to break free, Loki ignited his pathway with a flowing stream of azure energy that ran through every artery in his body—bringing out just enough strength to match that of his adversary. Through gritted teeth and one closed eye as his face teared through the wall, the knight launched a thrusting elbow against the face of the god in an attempt to break free, fueled with the invigorating power of his artery network.
“Argh!” Sovereign’s head was flung backwards as Loki’s strike connected successfully with his jaw, blurring his vision with an electrifying wave that forced him to release the knight from
Having broken free, Loki’s body was carried by the inertia of the demon’s speed, responding with a violent punch that sunk his fist inside the spectral wall—putting an abrupt end to his drift.
“You’ll pay for that,” threatened the champion, his angry expression showered in a mask of his own blood.
Neither combatant had any intention of submitting to their opponent as the intensity of their battle continued to grow, shaking the ground and breaking the battlefield with every strike. The scales tipped from one side to the other repeatedly, as both fighters refused to slow down in their assault—broken bones or otherwise.
Taking advantage to his side of the field, the gladean knight launched his foot upwards with a bunny hop to perform a powerful frontal kick, smacking Sovereign’s chin with the bridge of his foot. The brutal impact behind his attack caused its victim to grit his teeth as he was thrown into the air, leaving him open for Loki to proceed with his assault.
“You won’t…” whispered the champion as he bent his keens before jumping above his foe, pressing his fingers into a ball to form a shaking fist. “Beat me!”
He roared, aggressively throwing his punch downwards against the god’s abdomen—forcing a painful scream from his lips. The strength of his fist colliding with the stomach of his opponent caused the air around them to burst like a bomb made from oxygen, propelling Specter’s body back into the spectral floor.
“Agh!” his back ricochet off the ground, forcing him back into the air.
Not done with his assault just yet, the knight positioned himself like an arrow looking downwards, both feet pressed together while aiming at the demon that had just hit the floor. He curled his knees and pressed them close to his chest, proceeding to kick down against his staggered foe to release an absurd amount of energy. The force created by his motion propelled Loki down like a falling meteor, allowing him to plant the sole of his feet on Sovereign’s chest, and stomp the god back into the floor.
“Ough!” his back crashed against the ground one more time, tearing a small crater open on collision.
“Die, you bastard!” Loki roared while lifting one foot, bringing it back down against the face of his foe with tremendous speed and power.
However, what met the champion’s attack instead was Specter’s palm as he successfully blocked the attack—catching Loki’s foot with the strength of his spectral left hand. The sheer pressure behind it forced a painful cry from the knight’s lips, softening his guard just enough for the god to move into the offensive.
Sovereign pulled himself back on his feet while keeping a tight grip of Loki’s foot, pulling him up into the air with a violent swing of his arm. The infuriated demon tightened his grip even further, and smashed the face of his opponent against the ground with a brutal slam, utilizing the champion’s body like a hammer as he repeatedly bashed the floor.
“Ha!” Specter flung Loki by the foot once his arm grew tired of pummeling the knight, resting both hands on his knees with panting breaths. “What is… happening to me…” he muttered.
Lifting himself up from the floor with trembling legs, the order’s champion stretched his back with a painful groan before whipping the blood from his face. “Hah…” he chuckled, ripping the torn azure tunic from his torso with his fingers, and tossing aside to reveal his injured body. “Let’s put an end to this already, Specter…” the grin in his face widened. “Let me show how much stronger than you I’ve become…”
END OF CHAPTER