"I do know... him personally~"
"Personally, you say?"
The dark tallic figure responded.
"But you haven’t ntioned it in our previous deal."
The blurry figure, Mary tilted her head slightly, almost playfully. The blur around her face flickered faintly, as if amused.
"I didn’t ntion it? Haha... I did ntion it. If you didn’t notice, that’s hardly my concern. And if you doubt , think carefully... I would have suffered backlash if I lied to you, right?"
"That’s why we take an oath, isn’t it?"
"..."
The tallic figure stilled.
"If that’s the case," it said at last, "then tell about him now... and explain why he possessed such power inside the barrier. Shouldn’t those within it be weakened... like normal people?"
Mary gave a small shrug, "I don’t know. He simply appeared... and used powers I couldn’t even comprehend."
Her gaze lingered sowhere distant for a brief mont, then returned,
"Even I didn’t think such power existed until now~"
Her tone carried a lightness and amusent... the tallic figure unable to determine whether she spoke truth or toyed with it.
Still, just like she ntioned... ’Oath’.
She couldn’t lie to it.
’Did we miss sothing crucial?’
The thought lingered within the tallic figure as it straightened slightly.
"What is his na?" it asked.
She shrugged again, her expression unreadable beneath the blur.
"I don’t know."
"..."
The tallic figure remained motionless for a mont before speaking again,
"But you said you knew him... personally."
Mary blinked once, then let out a soft, lilting laugh,
"Oh? I did... Fu~Fu~ Maybe I did... maybe I didn’t~"
"Empress Mary—"
"That’s fucking Bloody Mary for you!"
The outburst cracked through the chamber as her fist slamd into the table with violent force.
At once, the two towering skeletal constructs behind her surged to life. Their hollow fras shuddered as energy flared within, empty eye sockets igniting with a dangerous violet glow.
Mary did not even glance at them. Her eyes remained locked forward with fury,
"You’ve got so nerve," she said, her voice dropping into sothing far more dangerous, "You attack my Empire... and then walk in here expecting cooperation?"
Her lips curled slowly, "Bitch... who do you think you are?... Go fuck yourself."
The tallic figure did not react imdiately. It studied her instead. Then, slowly, it raised a hand.
The skeletal robots froze mid-motion. Their glowing eyes flickered, dimd, and finally faded into darkness as they returned to stillness, lifeless once more.
The figure lowered its hand with quiet control and spoke, "So... this is about your Empire."
"I see."
It shifted slightly, the faint sound of tal brushing against itself echoing softly.
"But didn’t I make it clear... when it cos to war, everyone stands equal?
When exactly did you expect to show restraint?"
"At the end of the day, this is war, Bloody Mary. We were partners in business... nothing more."
"We increased each other’s value. That was the agreent sealed by the oath. Nothing beyond that."
A faint pause.
"And if you choose to hold a grudge... then so be it. I can always form partnerships with another Empire."
Mary did not respond imdiately.
She simply stared at it, almost empty at first glance.
A quiet sound escaped her lips.
"Heh..."
Then it grew.
"HEHEHEH~"
The laughter curled outward, low and sharp, carrying a dangerous delight that did not belong in any sane mind.
She leaned forward slowly, closing the distance between them, "Oh my... how fascinating," she murmured.
"This is the third ti... after that bastard of mine... that soone has dared to threaten ."
Her smirk deepened, no longer playful, but predatory.
"Brat... Just because that thin piece of garbage is protecting you..."
Her gaze sharpened, piercing through the tallic exterior as if she could see the pulse beneath.
"...doesn’t an you’re safe."
She tilted her head slightly, her smile widening with eerie satisfaction.
"And you know what’s amusing? Hehe...I can hear it."
"The way your heart is beating... faster... louder..."
Her grin stretched.
"...desperate."
"Hahah~"
As she stared at the tallic figure’s chest, her crimson gaze did not simply rest upon the surface.
It burrowed, sank, and slipped through the cold alloy. Beneath that hardened shell, she saw it clearly, a lattice of thin red lines forming the fragile shape of a heart, pulsing with frantic urgency.
Each beat ca faster than the last, trembling... alive with fear.
It flinched.
"You should understand sothing," she said, "the only reason I am even speaking to creatures who dared to lay hands on my daughter... who nearly dragged her away for their little experint..."
"...is because I need to carve out a better future for her."
"..."
Her gaze dimd for a fraction of a second, then flared once more, deeper, darker, as if sothing ancient stirred beneath her skin.
"If not for that..."
Her left hand rose into the air and yanked almost elegantly.
Snnpp~
Five streaks of crimson light tore through the cavern in an instant.
Thud
The massive skeletal robots collapsed before the sound fully settled.
Their towering fras separated mid-motion, carved apart into five perfect sections.
There were no fractures or even imperfections.
Each cut glead faintly.
A flawless execution.
A beautiful cut~
The tallic figure’s gaze lowered, drawn toward the remains.
It did not move otherwise, but beneath that stillness, Mary saw it again.
That pulse.
Faster now. Louder... Struggling.
"Partner with other Empires?" she murmured, her voice almost amused, "Go on... I dare you."
"Walk that path... and let’s see what awaits you."
A low chuckle slipped free.
"He tried so hard to bury it... that hatred."
Her eyes glead, reflecting sothing violent and knowing.
"But I felt it. That killing intent... it bled through him. It trembled under his skin, clawing to break free."
Her voice softened, almost intimate.
"He was already standing at the edge... ready to tear everything apart."
Her grin widened, touched with sothing unhinged, delighted by the thought alone.
"And if you walk straight to him... and gently place your head upon his plate..."
Her tongue traced her lips slowly, savouring the image as though it were already real.
"Hehehe... Hahahaha... I would love to watch that unfold."
The tallic figure remained still, then it spoke, quieter now, cautious.
"Are you referring to this individual... the one wielding the spear?"
Mary blinked once, as if sothing had slipped unintentionally.
"Oops~"
"Anyway..." she continued, her tone shifting once more into composed authority, "since you’ve declared this a war... then don’t expect reason from ."
"The value of our trade increases tenfold from this mont onward."
"W-What?" The tallic figure’s voice cracked slightly, "That’s impossible. We are already offering sufficient points—"
Mary cut through it without pause, "Do it... or take your toys and leave my land."
She stepped back, already withdrawing her interest.
"We have already risen beyond the reach of others. And even if you sohow manage to secure a deal with him..."
Her lips curved again, slow and deliberate.
"I will deal with it~"
A pause, then,
"After all... this is war."
"Right~"
She turned to leave.
"W-Wait!"
The tallic figure’s voice broke through,
"Tenfold is too much... H-How about five?"
Mary stopped mid-step.
Slowly, she turned her head, her expression shifting into one of mild confusion, as though she could not comprehend what she had just heard.
"Five?" she repeated, "What are you even saying?"
"You slaughtered my people... do you understand the weight of that loss?"
Her voice trembled, just slightly.
"M-My people..."
She inhaled sharply, her shoulders dipping, "I lost them... sniff... sniff... how could you do that to them?"
The tallic figure stiffened, ’This woman... she’s unstable.’
It could not read her... that’s what made her easy to approach and yet dangerous to have her near.
Its hand clenched tighter.
"H-How about seven?" it forced out, "That is the maximum I can offer—"
"Deal~"
The answer ca instantly.
The tallic figure froze completely.
Its gaze lifted slowly toward her as she raised her hand, satisfaction clear even through the blur that masked her features.
A slow exhale escaped the tallic figure, "...Fine."
It raised its own hand to et hers, the space between their palms trembling faintly, as though sothing ancient had already begun to stir.
"El Kova’reth."
Spark.
A golden flash ignited between their hands. The air thickened instantly, vibrating with a low hum that seed to echo from beneath reality itself.
Lines began to carve themselves into existence, not drawn, but etched by unseen forces. Symbols twisted and intertwined, ancient script forming a vast, intricate circle suspended in the air between them.
Each marking pulsed faintly, as if alive... as if aware!
Mary watched it unfold with a faint, knowing smirk, her crimson eyes reflecting the golden script as though she had seen such rituals countless tis before.
"I accept."
The mont the words left her lips, the circle reacted.
Clang.
A chain of radiant gold erupted into existence, engraved with symbols that glowed faintly with ancient authority.
It coiled around the magic circle in a tightening spiral, each rotation accompanied by a deep, resounding tallic echo that shook the cavern walls.
Then it constricted.
The circle shattered inward, collapsing into condensed, blazing energy.
For a heartbeat, everything went silent.
Then the energy split.
Two streams of golden light surged outward. One wrapped itself around Mary’s arm, sinking into her skin like molten threads. The other coiled tightly around the tallic figure, binding itself with absolute precision.
The tallic figure gritted its teeth, a faint grinding sound echoing from within its fra, "With this... everything is settled, correct?"
Mary did not answer imdiately.
She nodded once... then again... and again, almost excessively, as though savouring the mont rather than confirming it.
"Of course," she said, her voice light, almost cheerful, "I am very happy~"
She stepped closer without hesitation and placed her hand upon the tallic figure’s shoulder.
"You are truly... wise, Arcane King,"
She continued, her tone laced with teasing approval.
"Unlike certain idiots here who don’t even know how to hold their little pee~pee~ Hehe~"
The tallic figure let out a low groan, chanical and strained, as if resisting the urge to respond.
It turned away instead and began walking toward the massive golden vortex.
Just before stepping through, the tallic figure paused.
It glanced back.
Mary stood where it had left her, waving her hand with exaggerated warmth, as though sending off a beloved child marching toward war.
"Co back with exceptional gifts~"
"That little cara you gave ... It’s not nearly enough. I want... 20K clarity images of my children."
"..."
The tallic figure’s body twitched subtly.
Then it stepped forward.
The golden vortex swallowed it whole.
For a mont, there was nothing but endless white, stretching in all directions.
And then...
’Wait... children?’
The thought surfaced abruptly within its mind.
’Didn’t she say she had only one daughter—’
The white began to recede before the thought could finish forming.
The light dimd, peeling away in slow layers, revealing shapes, shadows, and finally, reality.
A group of figures stood before it.
All dressed in black suits, their postures rigid, their expressions tight, controlled, yet undeniably tense.
At their centre stood another tallic figure.
Similar in structure... yet distinctly different.
From its back extended a long, segnted tallic tail, swaying slightly. In one hand, it held a damaged quadcopter, one rotor completely broken.
The tailed figure stepped forward,
"Initiate the next attack. President...."
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