"Denji…"
Renji called her name softly, crouching down to gently stroke Denji's head.
"I've run out of patience trying to persuade you, Renji. It's gone on too long. If you really don't plan to come with me, I'll have to use my full strength. It will hurt—and I want you to understand that."
Reze's voice came from a distance, cold and flat. Renji stood up.
"There's no way I'm just going with you. Actually, Reze… why don't you stay? For me. You can give me the happiness I want, and of course, I can give it back. I'll find a way to make things like they were—no one disturbing us. You work at the café, and I come see you every day."
Reze's head dipped slightly. She remained silent.
No system prompts regarding Reze's emotions appeared in Renji's mind. He couldn't tell what she was thinking.
He picked Denji up and turned toward the derelict office building.
"Are you going to play hide-and-seek with me in there, Renji? I thought you were afraid of the dark."
Reze's voice echoed behind him.
"I don't have much choice. You're really strong. Besides… can you give me two minutes? I'll put Denji somewhere safe. She has nothing to do with us, right? Please."
He walked into the building, about to vanish into the darkness, when he paused and looked back.
"Oh, by the way. I've never really liked coffee shops. Compared to coffee and desserts, I prefer cola and snacks. Hah."
...
The upper floors were empty—nothing but white load-bearing pillars. Renji ran at full speed, grimly watching the figure outside the window.
Reze floated in mid-air, illuminated by firelight. Sparks from her feet propelled her as she glided, staring fixedly at Renji through the glass. She was slightly faster than him.
With continuous explosive bursts from her feet, she carved a dazzling arc through the air. She shot past him, then smashed through a large pane of glass—shards flying—and entered the building.
She hovered, blocking his path. Both hands extended toward him, fingers spread wide and glowing crimson. The heat was so intense that visible heatwaves rippled in the air.
From a distance, the middle floor of the office building suddenly blazed with dazzling white light, followed by a cataclysmic explosion. Air currents raged like a hurricane, shattering windows one after another.
The flames—like an enraged fire dragon—erupted outward, spanning over twenty meters. The entire floor shook violently, then collapsed with a thunderous crash.
In the chaos, Renji was hurled into the air by the immense force, slammed into the ceiling, then crashed heavily through to the floor below. He rolled, trying to dissipate the impact.
Eyes closed, he took deep breaths, channeling all his magic into the Clothesline Pole in his hand. As he steadied himself, golden magic surged out like a tide, gathering along the blade.
He swung. Countless crescent-shaped arcs of golden magic streaked toward Reze as she descended from above. They carved brilliant trajectories through the air. Reze couldn't dodge in time—the crescents struck her again and again.
A deep gash opened across her chest. Her left arm and right leg were severed. Blood gushed like a fountain.
But Reze was a Weapon Human. Her body possessed astonishing regenerative abilities. As long as she had blood, she was immortal.
In an instant, her wounds healed. Fiery lines re-formed her left arm; her right leg regrew. Her clothes, however, did not.
A pale, bare foot stomped hard onto Renji's face. Her strength was immense. She drove him downward, and they plunged through floor after floor like a meteor, finally crashing into the ground-floor lobby and carving out a crater.
The impact shook the entire lobby. Rubble scattered everywhere. Dust burst through the main doors, surging onto the street outside before finally settling.
On her bomb-like head, her massive teeth parted slightly. Black smoke curled from her mouth, sparking tiny flames in the air.
Reze shifted her bare foot—off Renji's face, onto the armor of his chest—to avoid skin contact for more than three seconds.
"I told you it would hurt, didn't I?"
Renji's eyes moved, looking up at her.
"It really does hurt… cough cough… You know, Reze, at first I thought I'd made a bad purchase. It was too expensive—if I bought it, all the points I'd painstakingly saved would be gone."
"But after taking your attacks head-on, I'm actually grateful I did. Lucky I bought it in advance—otherwise, a direct hit like that would've blown me to bits. I'm not like you; I'm flesh and blood, not an immortal Weapon Human. If I die, I'm really dead."
The system panel showed Renji's remaining points: 134.
Ideal Utopia, Avalon—Artoria Pendragon's bounded-field Noble Phantasm. A conceptual armament. Price: 25,000 points.
An EX-rank bounded field. Defends a single target.
Its ability: instantly heal the bearer's wounds and halt aging. When its true name is invoked, it shatters into hundreds of fragments, shielding the bearer from all interference.
A Noble Phantasm that has reached the level of true magic. It severs all physical interference, parallel-world interference, and multidimensional communication (up to six dimensions). In the Fate universe, even the Second and Fifth Magics would have no effect.
The duration of its protection is tied to Renji's total magical energy.
In simple terms: as long as he has magic, he becomes very hard. Truly, very hard. Extremely difficult to damage. And if damaged, he self-heals.
Offense—Excalibur—to blast Reze. Or defense—the absolute sanctuary of Avalon. Renji had been weighing the choice all along.
But in the emergency of Reze's attack, he had chosen Avalon.
"I don't understand what you're saying, Renji. But it doesn't matter. Even if you die, I'll find a way to turn you into a Weapon Human like me, and then I'll bring you back."
"Enough… Don't say any more. I give up… Take me away."
Renji spoke, and Reze froze.
"Really?"
"Yes… really. I suddenly feel tired… Sigh…"
The Clothesline Pole dematerialized and vanished. Renji's face was pale; he raised his hands, signaling total surrender.
Reze's mouth opened, but for a moment, no words came. Then the system prompts sounded in Renji's mind.
[Ding~ Detected Reze's happy emotional state. System rewards 10 points.]
[Ding~ Detected Reze's excited emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
[Ding~ Detected Reze's suspicious emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
After a long pause, Reze spoke again.
"Are you really… planning to come with me?"
"Yes…"
Reze remained still, looking down at him.
"What's wrong? Changed your mind? Didn't you say you'd give me happiness?"
"You're not lying to me, are you?"
Renji shook his head. Finally, Reze moved. She lifted him onto her back and strode quickly toward the exit, her pace quickening.
"Renji, we still have time to escape. I'll give you happiness, I swear, I…"
But she had taken only two steps when Hayakawa Aki—who had been hiding beneath the rubble ahead—rose up and, in a single swift slash, severed Reze's legs.
Patreon Rene_chan