"Shut up and don't move."
After placing Layla on his shoulders, Edward glanced around the room. "Bring us back."
Silence greeted his request, leaving Layla confused about whom Edward was addressing. However, it didn't take long for her to realize.
"Hey, Nihil!" Edward called out.
To Layla's astonishnt, it was indeed Nihil, and Edward seed familiar with him, evident from the casual tone in his voice.
"What do you an, 'No'?" Edward's voice now carried a hint of anger as he stared into the void, the only exit seemingly blocked.
Growing frustrated with the lack of help from Nihil, Edward clenched the handle of Trinity Nihil with his free right hand and took a deep breath. "Useless system," he muttered before kicking the door open.
As they stepped outside, rcenaries appeared, brandishing their weapons at the sight of Edward carrying Layla.
"He has the chick with him!"
"Damn it! Kill him!"
"I should have had my way with her!"
"What do you want?"
"You want a turn with her?"
"How about we share her-"
"Like hell!" Edward kicked one man and knocked him out before swinging his sword, breaking another's weapon and causing a deep wound on his chest.
Ignoring the chaos around her, Layla's gaze fixated on Edward's face. For the first ti, she observed him up close and realized he was undeniably handso. His ssy grey hair, wild appearance, and unique charm captivated her. His beautiful amber eyes and foreign features also gave him a unique charm.
"Attack him!"
"He wants her all to himself! Selfish-"
Annoyed by the absurd accusations, Edward's forehead veins bulged in frustration. "Shut the hell up! I'm just taking her to safety-"
"Nobody believes you!"
"Prove it if you're a man-ARGH!"
Amidst the commotion, Layla couldn't help but burst out laughing as she saw Edward fighting off the rcenaries, unsure if he was trying to escape or simply beating them up.
"Are they really Ante-Eden? They're weak as hell. Is this so prank from you, Nihil?!"
"Who's weak as hell? You bastard-UGH!"
"How am I supposed to get out of here?" Edward's voice filled with confusion as he struggled to navigate the peculiar building.
"It hurts my ears, Edward," Layla complained.
"What?" Edward glanced at her hanging upside down on his chest. "You want a coffee too, Princess?"
"..." Layla fell silent.
The way Edward called her 'Princess' echoed exactly like the recordings she had seen and the mories she cherished. These three months held precious monts for her, and hearing him say it again while being so close made her unusually flustered.
Then, Nyrel's mories flooded her mind. Layla realized that despite the suffering she had endured, Edward/Nyrel had faced even greater hardships. He lost his entire family on Earth at a young age and tragically lost his girlfriend. His second self experienced the heartache of losing his mother and Mary, soone close to him. The Enigma Dungeon had been a place of imnse suffering for him, and Layla felt guilty for her involvent in that.
The image of Edward's bitter face after he had slapped her and walked away remained etched in her mind. He also witnessed Louisa's death right before his eyes, and on the highest floor, he faced betrayal from a friend and suffered a severe beating.
Layla couldn't fathom how Edward managed to remain sane after enduring all of that.
But what stunned her the most was the realization that Edward had feelings for her before. She hadn't noticed them at the ti, probably because she was too fixated on Alfred.
All the mories of her ti being sick and spending ti with Edward started to rge, giving her a new perspective on him.
"Edward, put down," Layla finally said.
"No. You'll just run away or get yourself killed," Edward retorted.
She sulked at his response. "I promise I won't."
Edward raised an eyebrow at Layla's way of speaking, but he reluctantly nodded and set her down.
Layla patted her clothes and ticulously fixed her hair. "Do I look okay?" she asked, even amidst the chaos of battle.
"This isn't the mont, Layla!" Edward replied, baffled by her focus on appearance in the midst of a dangerous situation. He was used to such behavior from Layla, but right now, he needed a break from it.
Unbeknownst to Edward, Layla genuinely sought his opinion.
Sulking again, she extended her hand. Though the Anti-Mana bracelets prevented her from channeling internal mana, Layla had been taught by her mother how to draw and control mana from the surroundings.
With a reddish light, a beautiful dark red circle materialized in front of Layla. "Curse of the Burning Snakes."
Several dozen burning dark red snakes shot out from the circle at trendous speed, attacking the enemies with a hissing sound. Upon contact, each snake erupted into a fiery explosion, causing the corridor to shake as it was incinerated.
With a snap of her fingers, Layla extinguished the fire, leaving the groaning enemies lying on the ground, burned but alive. "I'm not a sadist, see?" She said, giving a side glance at Edward.
"Yeah?" Edward replied, confused by Layla's sudden shift in behavior.
[]
Edward turned his gaze ahead and saw a hooded figure standing there, their eyes locked on him.
His eyes widened, feeling an eerie sensation. There was no doubt; he was facing soone extrely powerful.
"Layla, step back," Edward urged.
"No."
"He is several Ascensions higher than us. I can only face him with Trinity Nihil," Edward explained before taking a step forward, gripping the handle of his white sword firmly.
The figure, previously motionless, unsheathed a sword—no, it was a dark blue rapier.
Edward felt chills run down his spine upon seeing the blue rapier.
[]
What?!
He tightened his grip on the handle, preparing himself for a battle.
-Whoosh!
In an instant, the figure disappeared, and Edward instinctively swung his sword.
-Clang!
-BOOM!
The resulting shockwave sent him hurtling backward, but the hooded figure pursued, thrusting the rapier.
Edward deflected the attack with Trinity Nihil's blade, and whitish-dark blue sparks crackled upon contact.
Seizing the mont when the hooded figure seed montarily frozen, Edward aid a swing at their head, but the figure swiftly dodged, and in doing so, the hood was sliced, revealing the person underneath.
"..." Edward's eyes widened at the sight of the figure's true face.
It was a breathtaking girl with dark blue hair and red eyes, possessing a beauty that transcended humanity, much like Sethya Arvatra. The girl appeared to be about three years older than Edward, yet he felt an uncanny sense of déjà vu. Her left eye was missing, replaced by a haunting darkness, adorned with peculiarly beautiful markings.
"H-Have we t before?" Edward blurted out, taken aback.
"..." The girl, previously impassive, suddenly flinched, and tears stread down her cheeks.
"You're crying?" Edward was bewildered.
Even more surprising was the pain he felt seeing her tears.
'Why do I feel this way? I've never seen her before.'
"This is unexpected."
"Edward!"
-Spurt!
Layla's life hung in the balance as her fragile form slumped into Edward's arms, a ghastly sword piercing her stomach. Shock and horror washed over him as he looked down at his blood-soaked hand, trembling with fear and desperation. The air was thick with tension as he tried to shake Layla awake, but her body grew colder with every passing mont.
"How did you manage to co here?" Conrad asked, perplexed.
"Layla!" Edward brushed off Conrad's question and focused on Layla, her body gradually losing warmth in his arms.
"I didn't plan to kill you, but she interfered, Edward. She has a weaker constitution than you, so she might not survive it," Conrad explained nonchalantly.
"Y-You were going to take him away to brainwash him, right?" Layla's voice trembled as she coughed up blood.
Conrad narrowed his eyes at Layla's words.
She seed to be speaking with a sense of clarity beyond the physical world, and unknowingly hit the mark. He had indeed intended to take Edward away and forcibly alter his beliefs, making him contract with an Evil God.
Even Edward was puzzled by Layla's sudden insight. Unbeknownst to both n, she had witnessed Edward's entire journey.
"Wh-What?!" Conrad suddenly jumped away in utter fear.
Amidst their confusion, a golden sphere materialized before them, emanating an aura of unknown power. In an instant, Edward and Layla's bodies began to radiate with a golden glow, and before anyone could react, they vanished, leaving behind an empty room.
Conrad, still bewildered, shifted his gaze to the blue-haired woman standing nearby. Her presence was imposing, and her single red eye bore into him, freezing him in place.
"Lady Lisandra. You could have killed-" Conrad began, trying to explain his actions.
"Conrad," Lisandra's voice cut through the air like ice, silencing him instantly. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he knelt before her, displaying deference and fear.
"Lady Lisandra." Conrad's words quivered with respect.
Lisandra's red eye fixed upon him sternly. "Call Brandon. Henceforth, I will give the instructions, and Brandon Delavoic will execute them."
As Conrad acknowledged her command, he dared to question her decision. "Lady Lisandra, if I may ask, Lord Leon should have been the one—"
"Leon Grimlock isn't apt and is in no condition to do anything," Lisandra interrupted coldly. "He shouldn't have faced the Goddess of Fate in his state and alone."
"As you wish, My Lady. Then concerning Kleah Teraquin—"
"Kleah Teraquin will soon recover her mories, and Leon will regain his paramour from the other world, as promised," Lisandra declared, her gaze drifting to where Edward once stood.
As Conrad vanished, leaving Lisandra alone, her expression contorted with bitterness as she touched her left void eye. "Please... please, Amael. Leave this world... before it's too late."
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