The sound of Solvane's body hitting the marble echoed through the restaurant like a thunderclap. Then, silence. A heavy, sticky silence, broken only by the muffled moans of the woman with the fork.
Kaen didn't move. He simply stared at his motionless sister. At that moment, the air around him seemed to freeze. It was no longer anger; it was something much colder. Much emptier.
'Poison, but then why am I unharmed?'
══════ [INFORMATIONS] ══════
Well done, you have discovered one of the effects of your nothingness trait.
[Immunity to poisons]: You are the heir to the void before you poison is nothing
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
'I see'
The room quickly filled with an immense desire to kill—it was Kaen's.
During his training, even though he wasn't aware of it, Elizabeth had increased the killing intent weighing on him every day. On the first day, it was nothing, but as the hours passed, the pressure increased, and the only way to reduce this burden was to respond with equal pressure.
Elizabeth had noticed his genius, and she was right. Normally, one is supposed to do this consciously, but he had once again broken all the established rules by responding in kind, unconsciously. And now, angry, he released all the pressure in the room.
Kaen recalled what Elisabeth had said: "For now, no affinity space and no Nameless Sword. Is that clear?"
Kaen replied, "Do I need a weapon to slaughter cattle?"
He pulled out the fork that was still stuck in the woman's hand.
She screamed in pain and backed away. Kaen didn't even glance at her.
"A fork and a knife are more than enough to beat you," he declared.
Anyone else would have thought he was bragging, but the way he said it gave the impression that he was stating an inescapable fact.
Albert took out a spear and also made his intention to kill clear to the whole room.
They faced each other without either of them taking the initiative to gain the upper hand.
Albert sensed that something was wrong with this boy, starting with his intention to kill, which already rivaled that of the awakened of higher ranks. His instinct told him not to play with him and to finish it quickly.
He charged with his spear and split the air with his immense strength, pointing his spear at Kaen.
Kaen, who was used to calculating Elisabeth's movements in order to strike her, had improved his decision-making skills to a level that was practically impossible for her. She barely avoided him, even though she was able to see the movement; she was still unable to react perfectly in time.
Unable to dodge it completely in time, the blade of the spear tore through her clothes and her abdomen.
Kaen stepped back, breathless.
Albert, regaining confidence, laughed and remarked, "You saw the blow coming, didn't you, but you couldn't react in time. Your senses are those of a monster, but your body is too fragile and slow."
Albert gave him no respite and continued his thrusts. Kaen parried them with his knife, but each impact shook his bones and made him retreat again and again.
Then Kaen lost his balance for a second.
The old man smiled cruelly.
"It's over."
The tip of the spear went straight into his heart.
Death was approaching.
"No... I won't die here. I have revenge to seek and a sister to protect. Death can go to hell."
In an unshakeable desire to cling to life, his instincts kicked in and took control of his body.
His body was filled with mana and had an affinity for lightning, yet he hadn't used it once during the fight.
How does the human body work? It's electrical signals sent from the brain to the muscles.
If his body was too weak, then he just had to overcharge it.
He drew on his mana and, rather than expelling it outward, he made it explode inside him. He flooded his nervous system with electricity, forcing his synapses to process information faster.
A sharp pain shot through him as if he were being burned from the inside, and lightning began to shoot out of him like armor.
══════ [SYSTEM] ══════
[Created Skill]: Neural Overload (Incomplete)
[Effect]: Accelerates nerve transmission and muscle reaction by 300%.
[Cost]: Continuous physical damage.
════════════════════
The world around him seemed to slow down.
He clenched his fist and said to himself,
"At this rate, my body won't last long. I have to finish quickly."
Albert's spear, which had seemed to move faster than lightning, now seemed slower and easier to dodge.
Albert saw his spear piercing through him when he saw an afterimage, bright flashes, then nothing. He had suddenly disappeared.
"What happened? He was just there," he said, horrified.
A voice rang in his ear, "You're looking for me?" Albert took a step back and looked to see who it was. It was Kaen, his shirt completely torn and blood flowing from the wound.
"What, you were looking for me, weren't you?" he said, pointing the knife wrapped in a red aura in his direction.
Then Kaen struck him in exactly the same places as before, tearing his clothes and leaving a bloody wound on his abdomen.
"Why do I feel like those protagonists who get a power-up just before they die? Disgusting!"
"It's time to end this," Kaen said emotionlessly.
In a desperate attempt, Albert charged at Kaen with all his might.
Kaen held his fork, filled with a red aura, at the tip of the spear, planted it in the ground, and stepped on it to make sure he couldn't pull it out.
"It's over," Kaen said to Albert and continued, "You can come out, elder sister, I know you're there."
Albert heard his older sister come out of Kaen's mouth. He could only call one person by that name:
'Elisabeth von Celestain, the witch of destruction.'
He fainted right after having that thought.
Through a spatial breach, a woman with long black hair, ruby eyes, and an ethereal aura appeared.
Knights emerged with her.
Elisabeth ordered, "Stop them all."
She stopped and picked up Solvane's sleeping body and left the place with Kaen, who began to follow her. The two walked with dignity and a certain arrogance.
through the streets of the city.
"When did you realize I was there?" Elisabeth began to speak, asking Elisabeth with Solvane, who was sleeping like a baby in Elisabeth's arms, detoxifying from the poison.
"When I created this lightning-based technique, I was able to think more calmly, and I realized that this could all be a test on your part, since you arranged this meeting and didn't even show up, or maybe you just knew what was going on but let it happen to test us."
She glanced at her brother, looking him straight in the eye, then looked up at the sky. "Maybe, maybe."
"Then why didn't you do anything when Solvane and I were in danger?" replied Kaen, clenching his fists.
"One day, maybe I won't be there to protect you."
She looked up at the sky as if she were alone in the world.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not going to disappear like that," she said wearily.
"How can such a strong woman be worried about something?"
Kaen's hands shrank so much that his nails dug into his skin.
Elisabeth approached a wooden bench near the streetlight and sat down slowly, exercising extreme caution. "Sit down, Kaen. You know, when I was younger, I also wondered what the meaning of life was, so I asked lots of people from different backgrounds:
A nobleman replied, "I live out of duty."
A criminal replied, "I live for myself. Why should I care about others?"
A couple answered simultaneously, "Love is stronger than anything."
A child answered, "I live to make my family happy."
An old man answered, "I live to keep a promise."
These answers may have been true for them, but they were not true for me.
Then I found the answer: life is simply life. Why give it meaning? We are born of our parents, who themselves were born of their parents, and so on. Perhaps some parents do not love their children, but they are still born to them.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Kaen asked uncertainly.
"Do you think I didn't see it in your eyes when you woke up? You hadn't just changed, you had given up on life itself, and yet, paradoxically, you clung to it more than anything else. It was very disconcerting. I don't know what happened to make you like that. At first, I thought it was better that way, but when I saw you fighting, the way you fought seemed so uninterested, and yet you were angry. If you continue like this, you will lose yourself."
"I can also see in your eyes that you still refuse to trust Solvane and me, and that is your right. I will not judge you."
...
"So whatever happens, never lose sight of your path or your goal."
To lighten the heavy atmosphere, Elizabeth tried something. You know, when I was searching for the meaning of life, I asked an arrogant old man, "What is life?" Do you know what he replied?
He told me life has no meaning. The only thing I know about life is that when life wants to fuck you, don't dare moan, or it will only go harder.
"Who was that old man?" Kaen asked curiously.
"The demon king," Elisabeth replied with a smile.