The cold chains. The endless interrogations. The humiliation. Those mories were burned into her soul.
Without hesitation, Ivy raised her hand slightly and motioned toward Martha.
Martha frowned at first. She didn’t imdiately understand what Ivy wanted.
But after working with Ivy for so long, she had learned one thing.
Ivy never acted without a reason.
So without questioning it further... Martha suddenly clapped her hands once. Then she let out a sharp whistle.
The piercing sound echoed through the corridor outside.
The next mont... The office doors burst open. Ard soldiers rushed in.
Ian’s eyes darkened instantly.
’This is bad.’
He understood imdiately.
The situation had completely turned against him.
And judging from Ivy’s hostile expression...
Negotiations were already on the verge of collapsing.
Still... He wasn’t soone who gave up easily.
Taking a slow breath, Ian looked directly at Ivy.
"I truly don’t understand why you hate so much."
His tone was calm but firm.
"But if you treat visiting businessn like this..."
"You should think about the reputation you are creating."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"After all, if you attack a potential partner..."
"Are you not afraid that other base leaders will refuse to trade with you in the future?"
A quiet chuckle escaped Ivy’s lips.
It was soft. But cold. Finally, she looked straight at him.
Instead of answering his accusation, she asked a question.
"If I were soone with no background ... If I had no protector..."
Her voice grew colder.
"Would you still treat this nicely?"
Ian opened his mouth to answer.
"Of course..."
But Ivy’s next sentence froze him completely. "No."
Her voice was like a blade of ice. "You wouldn’t."
She stared at him as if she could see through his soul. "You would have imprisoned ."
Her words were sharp. rciless.
"Because of so fabricated misunderstanding."
"And then..."
Her eyes turned darker.
"And if you realize that I possess a special protective ability... you would torture until I used it for you."
Silence fell in the room.
Ian’s gaze slowly hardened as he looked at her.
Now... He finally understood.
’So that’s it.’
This hatred... It didn’t co from the present.
It ca from the future.
’She must have seen sothing.’
Maybe Ivy had seen a fragnt of the future.
Maybe in that future, he had captured her after she lost her power.
And knowing himself... That scenario was actually very believable.
Ian had always been ruthless.
If an opportunity appeared before him, he would absolutely use it.
He had never believed that using soone as a pawn was wrong.
So yes. It was possible.
’Interesting...’
’So she fears a future that hasn’t even happened yet.’
But before he could think further...
The soldiers suddenly moved.
They launched forward and began attacking Ian’s subordinates.
The room erupted into chaos.
The guards who had been protecting Ian quickly ford a defensive sphere around him, blocking every incoming strike.
Ian snapped back to his senses imdiately.
His sharp gaze locked onto Ivy.
"You made a mistake."
His voice was low and cold.
"Confronting directly like this..."
His subordinates tightened their formation around him as energy fluctuations began forming around them.
They were preparing sothing. A teleportation escape.
anwhile, Ivy’s heart sank.
’No... I can’t let him escape.’
If Ian left today...
Capturing him again would beco nearly impossible.
Without hesitation, Ivy activated her authority over the base.
Her power spread outward instantly.
She attempted to suppress the teleportation process.
However... It wasn’t that simple.
She could forcefully eject anyone from the base if she wished.
But forcing soone to stay against their will?
That was different. It violated the Kindness Rule.
Ivy’s teeth clenched.
’Damn it!’
Her frustration exploded.
Left with no other option, she silently begged the Temporal Storage within the base.
’Do sothing. Please... don’t let him escape.’
But the calm voice of the Temporal Storage responded coldly.
[My functions are limited to actions related to kindness. The rules of this base were established to protect kindness. What you are attempting now... is the opposite of kindness.]
There was a brief pause.
[It is already a rcy that I have not issued a punishnt for your current intent. You should not request my assistance for such actions.]
Ivy’s chest tightened. But she refused to give up.
"This man ruined my life! He tortured ! He almost killed in my previous life!"
Her voice trembled with suppressed rage.
"So why can’t I stop him now?"
"If I capture him... I will save countless lives in the future!"
The Temporal Storage remained silent for a long mont.
Then it finally spoke again.
[Humans often justify their actions in the na of kindness. But in reality... It is nothing more than an attempt to justify themselves.]
After that... It fell completely silent.
Ivy clenched her fists.
There was no ti to argue anymore. Her eyes snapped back toward Ian Morris.
’Think... There must be a way.’
Then suddenly...
An idea appeared in her mind.
’Yes... that’s it.’
If she couldn’t stop them from leaving...
Then she would store them.
All of them. Inside the Temporal Storage.
Without hesitation, Ivy raised her hand and waved it toward them.
But the next second...
Her eyes widened in shock.
Because both Ian and his subordinates hadn’t vanished.
At that mont, the calm voice of the Temporal Storage echoed once again inside Ivy’s mind.
[All individuals stored within the space without a karmic link cannot be hard.]
The voice was steady, chanical, and emotionless.
[If your intent to harm them is detected, the individuals will be automatically removed from the storage.]
Ivy’s jaw tightened.
Her teeth ground together as frustration surged through her chest.
"What about karmic links from a previous life?" she demanded in her mind.
Her voice carried a sharp edge of desperation.
The Temporal Storage remained silent for a brief mont before replying.
[For that functionality... an upgrade is required.]
That simple answer only made Ivy feel even more irritated.
’Upgrade... of course.’
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