I let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing the back of my neck as I stared at the imposing gates ahead.
"How the hell am I supposed to get in?" I muttered under my breath, my mind racing with ideas that all led to dead ends.
So far, nothing had worked.
Damn it.
This was going nowhere.
"Should I kill them?" a voice chimed in beside me, casual as if discussing the weather.
Startled, I turned my head to see her, Liliana, standing there with an unnervingly calm expression. My bewildered gaze met hers, and for a moment, I almost thought she was serious.
If she'd undergone her second awakening, sure, that might've been possible. But she hadn't.
"You can't. Those guards are at least Genesis Level 8," I said firmly, trying to reason with her. And just like that, I found myself patting her head.
What the hell is happening to me?!
[It's your perverted nature. It's getting out of hand,] a snide voice echoed in my mind.
'Oh, shut up.'
She grabbed my hand mid-pat, fixing me with an intense and unnerving gaze.
"I told you… I'm stronger than you think," she said softly, her eyes locked onto mine.
I tried to pull my hand away, but her grip was ironclad, keeping my palm firmly atop her head.
"I know you're strong," I said, "but you're not that strong. Believe me, those guards are on a completely different level."
My attempt at reasoning only seemed to annoy her. Her pout deepened, and somehow, it was... adorable. Stop being so damn cute while talking about murder!
"I. Can. Kill. Them," she emphasized, stepping closer with each word.
At this point, I found myself unconsciously leaning back. This girl was dangerously unpredictable.
"Stop arguing," I said firmly, "You can't defeat them. That's final. Just let me think of another way to get us inside."
She exhaled sharply, her hand drifting to the simple, unassuming sword strapped at her waist.
"Fine, then," she muttered, and before I could stop her, she started walking off.
"Hey! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING? COME BACK!" I yelled, but she didn't even glance back.
Oh no.
My heart sank as I saw her unsheathing her sword while breaking into a sprint.
"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath, realizing her intentions.
She was heading straight for the guards.
She's going to get herself killed!
I bolted after her, shouting, "Liliana, stop! You're going to get us both killed!"
But she was too fast.
The guards had already sensed her overwhelming mana and drawn their weapons, ready for a fight.
"Whoosh!"
The sound made me freeze for a split second. One of the guards, a mage, had raised his hand. Flames swirled and coalesced at his palm, forming a massive fireball.
"Damn it, a mage," I muttered as realization hit me.
The fireball shot toward us with terrifying speed.
And then, as if it were nothing, Liliana swung her sword in a horizontal arc, slicing the fireball cleanly in half.
What… the… hell?
I stared, dumbfounded. Was she supposed to be this strong already?
Before I could process what I'd just seen, the second guard, wielding a blade, shouted something to the mage and charged at her, his sword glinting in the sunlight.
Crap!
We didn't have time for this. They'd probably already called for reinforcements. Every second wasted here was putting us at a bigger disadvantage.
"What do I do?!" I panicked, my feet rooted to the ground as Liliana and the swordsman clashed. Their blades collided with a sharp metallic clang.
Despite being shorter and seemingly less experienced, Liliana used her smaller frame to her advantage.
And then, to my utter shock...
Splatter!
The guard's head separated cleanly from his body, a gruesome sight that left me frozen in place.
"No… way," I whispered, my mind struggling to process what I had just witnessed.
The mage's eyes widened in horror. He thrust his hands forward again, conjuring another massive fireball that erupted toward her with explosive force.
But she didn't move. She didn't do anything to stop it.
"Liliana!" I screamed, but before I could react—
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the area, dust and debris clouding my vision.
When the smoke cleared, I stood there, speechless.
The mage was ablaze, his body collapsing in a heap of fire and ash.
And there she was, standing amidst the destruction, her sword in hand and that same infuriating smirk from last night plastered across her face.
"I told you… I'm stronger than you think," she said, her tone almost mocking.
I could only gape at her in disbelief.
'System, tell me the truth... What in the actual fuck is going on? How is she this strong already?!'