No one could answer that question for her, not even Ren himself.
Was it because Kiana had backstabbed him? But she didn't even know that Kalpas was Ren, and helping her friend was what she was supposed to do.
Was it because he failed to seize the Humanoid Machine? But Ren knew very well that that was completely unimportant.
Perhaps it was just a self-indulgent fellow who had gotten too into character, developed genuine feelings, and became embarrassed and angry.
He was angry at his own whimsical thoughts, angry at his own self-righteousness.
"How foolish. A spider hiding in the corner dares to covet the sun."
Clearing his mind, abandoning his thoughts, the Dominance Theater couldn't accommodate feelings. Only the sound of puppets swaying and colliding was eternal.
After a brief respite, the two closed in again, and this time, there was no retreat. Every move and stance was directed at taking the other's life.
After fighting with all his might, Ren finally realized that a warrior of pure strength and a Herrscher with authority were completely different.
Even without having yet mastered the Herrscher of the Void's powers, Kiana, as she wielded the Void Lance like a sword, would generate interference in space with each attack. These spatial fluctuations weren't very strong, but for Ren, who relied on brute force in battle, that subtle effect was enough to turn the tide of the battle.
Bang—
The already battered buildings around them collapsed once again. With a loud crash, this time it was Ren who was sent flying. The continuous spatial fluctuations almost distorted the light. After dozens of exchanges, he finally made a mistake. The Void Lance interfered with his punching angle. And, with the exposed opening, Kiana landed a heavy kick on him.
"It's over." The Void Lance pointed directly at Ren. As spatial cracks appeared, several lances simultaneously pinned Ren to the wall. His shoulders and thighs were almost completely pierced. Any movement would surely cause grievous injuries.
"But you still held back." Ren laughed coldly, pulling his body out of the impaled lances little by little. In an instant, blood splattered. The torn wounds looked ghastly and horrifying.
"Are you crazy? You'll die from blood loss without me even lifting a finger." Ren's madness exceeded Kiana's expectations. In many places, the bone was even visible. But he seemed to be oblivious, and didn't back down despite being covered in wounds.
But now, Ren, who was covered in blood, didn't want to say anything more. He simply got up, raised his fist, and let it fall with overwhelming force.
But as Ren threw his punch, Kiana saw through the black mask, and saw Ren's eyes clearly. They were a familiar pair of grey eyes. That moment of distraction made her unable to dodge Ren's attack. Her right eye flashed with golden light, and a new Void Lance shot out.
However, the expected pain did not arrive. The fist stopped just in front of her.
And, the created Void Lance pierced the enemy's heart, and spraying blood covered her entire body.
"What a shame," blood flowed from the corner of Ren's mouth. He looked down at the chain-guns that had pierced his body, and the spear through his heart. With some self-mockery, he thought, So, I still crashed and burned after all.
"Kiana, are you okay?" After tending to Bronya and Mei's injuries, Theresa finally found an opportunity to join the fight. This immediately broke the balance, and the defenseless Ren was directly killed by Judah.
Her tight nerves finally relaxing, Kiana breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the enemy who was fixed in place by several chain-guns, she subconsciously took a step back.
"I'm okay…"
Click.
The sound of something falling onto the ground. Kiana looked down and only saw a star-shaped hair clip, now completely broken by her own Void Lance attack, lying in the pool of blood.
So familiar.
Kiana's movements froze.
"Hehe, how can it be." With a stiff, dry laugh, Kiana felt her mind go blank. "There's no way he could be here, no way he could be here, it's impossible."
"Kiana, what's wrong?" Seeing that Kiana's expression was off, Fu Hua and Theresa quickly asked.
But at this moment, Kiana couldn't hear anything. Her hands were trembling as she reached for the black mask.
She was afraid. Afraid that behind the mask was the boy she had in her memories.
Just as Kiana grabbed the mask and was about to take it off, a ball of intense flames fell from the sky, forcing everyone to retreat. When they looked back, the pierced corpse was already enveloped by the burning flames.
"That's not fire. That's a person." Fu Hua, who was skilled at using fire, was the first to react. Although the flames looked fierce, their temperature wasn't very high. Instead of attacking, it was more like a smokescreen.
Alerted, Theresa immediately launched an attack, but they were all dodged by the person controlling the flames.
"Farewell, everyone. My colleague and I should leave together." A mature woman's voice came from the flames. Although Kiana hadn't heard this voice before, she found it strangely familiar.
"Teacher Himeko!" She subconsciously called out. But the woman didn't hesitate. The low-temperature flames instantly spread, turning the area into a sea of fire.
In the glow of the burning flames, Kiana could only see a strand of red hair fluttering in the wind. And the grey-haired man who should have been dead opened his eyes. His grey eyes met hers and then closed again.
Boom!
Another burst of flames concealed everything. When the fire gradually weakened, the area was completely empty.
…
"Kiana, let's go back together." On the streets of ARC City, it was now midnight, and there were very few pedestrians. Looking at the somewhat distraught Kiana, Theresa kept trying to persuade her.
"What Headmistress said is right. It's too dangerous for you to stay in ARC City alone." Bronya, who was hugging her broken Project Bunny, also tried to persuade her.
On the other hand, Mei, who was supposed to be closest to Kiana, seemed to be in a daze, but upon hearing the other two's words, she also wanted Kiana to leave with them.
Looking at the worried faces of her companions, Kiana smiled. "It's okay. I've discovered some important things here that I need to investigate. And, you've also seen that my control over the Herrscher of the Void's power is slowly increasing. When I have fully mastered it, I will return."
No one noticed that in her hand, she was tightly clutching the star-shaped hairpin stained with blood.
After failing to persuade her, the others could only give up. But now they had confirmed Kiana's safety, they were also relieved. Now that Rita was nowhere to be seen, they were too big of a target. If they attracted a Schicksal search, it would only put Kiana in danger. They could only make an agreement to meet again after they had finished dealing with their own matters.
"When I come next time, I will have the power to protect you." Before they separated, Mei grabbed Kiana's hand with a serious expression. Her face no longer held the resentful reluctance of the past, but a more determined look.
"Yeah, I believe you, Mei."
…
"Do you want to go find that person?" After the members of the Hyperion left, Fu Hua asked softly.
"Yeah, regardless of whether it was him or not, I have to ask for clarification."
Walking alone on the empty street, Kiana took a long breath. Even though it was only one night, it felt like she had gone through so much.
She looked up and saw the alleyway.
Scattered all over the ground were art supplies.