Chapter 39: Turning Point
"I am the Primordial Red, Apollon Rouge."
"...An S-class!"
Only monsters with overwhelming suppressive power were granted such titles. By identifying herself, Rouge had made it clear—whether she intended to or not—that she was a terrifyingly powerful foe.
Her ability was evident just from the fact that she had jammed HQ’s signal; it was essentially equivalent to trespassing into Lady Alter’s personal sanctuary. Did she possess enough power to disregard the deterrent that usually kept S-classes from attacking Paradise...?
"What do you want?"
"Hey, now, don't be so cold. I thought I'd drop by and introduce myself to our new sister."
"I'm afraid she isn't in right now."
"I know. My Violet caused quite a bit of trouble for her, didn’t she?"
So it really was an S-class that had pushed Asuna to the brink...!
"I'm not exactly great at playing mind games. So, I'll be blunt—I want to take custody of White Chrono."
"I refuse."
"You're not in a position to refuse. If she stays there, she's just going to be scrapped and picked apart anyway, right? We'll take care of her."
"She’s currently submerged... her consciousness has receded and another persona has taken over. You won't gain anything by taking her."
"What if I told you I know how to bring her back?"
"..."
"See? You don't really have a choice, do you? If you don't like it, come and negotiate with me face-to-face. At the Slayer Meeting."
"The Slayers have their own gathering? How does your community even work?"
"I can't tell you that until we're a bit more... intimate. When the time comes, I'll let you choose between that answer and the key to my room."
Easy to enter, terrifying to leave. But even knowing it’s a trap, there are paths you must walk if you want to move forward.
"What are your conditions?"
"I appreciate how quick you are on the uptake. First, bring White Chrono. Second, don't tell a soul. I'm always watching you, Kazuto Amane."
The line went dead.
"Commander..."
The girls stared at me, their eyes filled with unease.
"I'm sorry for making that decision on my own. But I have to save Asuna."
"We understand. But please, don't try to carry everything on your own shoulders,"
Scarlet said, her hand gently overlapping mine.
"Thank you."
"Indeed! That settles it!" King declared. "Which means there is one more person we must see!!"
"Right. Our other main attacker, and the final member of our squad."
"Wait a second," Yellow interrupted. "We're in the final stages of our adjustments. Adding another attacker now will only throw us out of sync. Bringing in someone who hasn't participated in training until now is just going to be a liability."
King told Yellow not to worry.
"It's not that she will adjust to us. We will be fighting alongside her!"
"What?"
"To be honest, the girl is a genius. I’m not even sure if you and I combined could force our way past her."
"The person currently standing closest to the power of Alter... the Demonic Knight, Lancelot!"
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