A hopelessly hopeless situation.
Still, racking my brain to see if there might be a breakthrough, I quickly fumbled in the pocket of my shirt.
To check if the two bottles of rescue medicine I brought were still there.
'I do have one Kali, though...'
I probably needed more. I took out one of the two bottles and carefully stuffed it into Kali's pants pocket.
And whispered.
"Watch out, Kali. Uh... he was your arch-rival before the regression."
Julien was silently observing Kali, me, and Christa, as if trying to figure out the situation.
'Ha. But he came damn fast.'
He probably came out of the 8th-floor conference room directly through this east exit.
Even if entry is impossible for security reasons, getting in doesn't matter.
"Please come here, young lady."
Julien, sensing the situation, stood blocking our escape route—that is, the stairs leading downstairs—and reached out his hand toward Christa.
"His Excellency has ordered that the Young Lady be brought here. It is an emergency, and you must deploy Form 0 immediately."
“What, what?”
Christa was surprised by his words.
I was shocked too, as I was listening.
The mention of 'large formations' referred to the battle line deployed when facing opponents with similar supernatural abilities.
Even before the regression, my father was a man who had painstakingly devised every single combat strategy against supernatural beings.
And... what is 'Number 0'?
The Special Class ability found on the very first page of the ability manual. Refers to <instant death>.
Therefore.
The order to deploy formation 0 means to execute a battle to eliminate the <Instant Death> holder.
'This was a formation capable of a large-scale attack?!'
I thought that to eliminate the <Instant Death> holder, I had no choice but to activate disabling and use physical force...
'Ha. But with Christa, maybe there's a 1% chance?'
This was because <True Storm> was a supernatural ability that was at least comparable to <Instant Death> in terms of speed and destructive power.
'Besides, if Christa gets the first line of sight, it's enough...'
Father must have considered various moves during the battle like this and devised the best strategy to capture the instant-kill ability user.
'Ah. Father, Father...'
Honestly, he is a crazy person.
As a compliment.
The fact that he had started suspecting Ryan a while ago, and perhaps that is why he had trained Christa on how to deal with <instant death> and prepared for it.
Even the disabling that was activated absurdly quickly in terms of timing—presumably activated nimbly the moment he ran into Ryan, and even the choice to immediately summon Christa...
That's ridiculous.
It is a level of judgment on a completely different level from mine, who is just a bumbling fool.
But what is one thing he regretted?
The fact that he couldn't win Christa's heart!
He went so far as to lock her up out of fear she would cause a scene in the meeting room, yet he really thought his daughter would obediently follow his orders? What a fool.
Well, since Christa was probably the only option that came to mind, it couldn't have been a choice for my father.
David, who becomes helpless, and Elliott, who has a delay in starting fires.
No matter how strong the two are, they are like a candle in the wind in front of Ryan.
Turning off the disabling is practically the same as committing suicide, so he probably wants to call Christa or try doing something.
"Miss, if you do not step forward, everyone will die. Please think of your brothers."
Julien said.
It seemed he was trying to appeal to the tender heart of his bodyguard, Christa, who was just like her father.
"What do you mean by 'large scale' this time? Is there an instant-kill ability user?"
Christa was extremely surprised because nothing had been explained yet. Her eyes were wide open as if they were about to pop out.
"Yes. I expect so. Please, miss. There is no time."
"That makes no sense..."
Christa covered her mouth with a trembling hand.
"Then, everyone. Everyone dies, right...?"
I flinched. Judging by Christa's reaction, it seemed she had a family member weighing on her mind.
Father must have been aiming for even this.
Richard, right?
"It's okay, Brother Richard isn't here!"
I whispered into her ear like a chatterbox.
"..."
However, for some reason, Christa's eyes kept darting around.
What?
Is there anyone else you are worried about besides Richard?
Who?
If I had to guess, it would be Elliott.
I know very well how much that kid cares for his brothers.
I'm in big trouble.
Elliott is the number one most handsome guy who can't even be saved.
"That's it. If everyone dies, uh..."
"Yes, if the intruder possesses an instant kill ability, we will all die. However, if you step forward, young lady, there is at least a chance of survival. Please do not turn your backs on your brothers because of a brief rift. Please."
Julien kept trying to seduce the soft-hearted Christa.
“Christa!”
In the end, the moment I called Christa with a sense of foreboding.
"Ugh, uh-huh, uh-hahahaha!!!"
Surprised.
She suddenly burst into a maniacal laugh.
"Oh my god, I knew this day would come! Aaaah! There really is a God!"
And stomping her feet excitedly, she shouted at Julien.
"Wow! You came to trample bugs like us! Hahahaha! Argh! Serves you right! I'm so glad! Argh!"
Oh my god...
"They all deserve to die! Why would they try to live! This is perfect. It’s absolutely perfect! We have to exterminate these pests!"
I stared blankly at Christa, who was shouting in ecstasy like a madman.
I realized it too late.
It wasn't normal.
Even my soft-hearted sister had long since developed a mental illness in this household.
"You came to get me? Fine, let's go! Hahahaha! My beloved father, I can make your death even more painful!"
“Christa!”
I hurriedly calmed her down. I, myself, who had gone half-crazed the moment I realized Ryan's true identity...
Christa has probably been struggling to hold on here, waiting every moment for someone like Ryan to appear.
Even while escaping, holding my hand, they didn't give me any other explanation...
Perhaps, she was worried that she would be captured by those with supernatural abilities again at any time.
"Ahahahaha!!!"
"C-Crista! Calm down!"
It was fortunate that my sister was able to coldly abandon her family.
However, the moment Christa revealed her madness, I saw Julien's eyes turn cold.
He is a knight who is not afraid to lay down his life for my father.
Because he spent his entire life by my father's side like a handyman, he has a level of loyalty far superior to that of the private commander who peed his pants and cleared the way for Ryan.
The reason I realized my mistake the first time I saw Julien's face was that I knew very well that I could never persuade him with words.
Furthermore...
A skilled player capable of going one-on-one with Kali.
Julien must have made his judgment based on Christa's reaction.
That even the one remaining possibility has vanished.
There is not the slightest room for persuasion; on the contrary, even if allowed into the meeting room, Christa is my father's 'enemy' who will only run wild alongside Ryan.
"Yes, then please die."
As expected, the judgment was as anticipated.
As I watched Julien draw his sword and approach, I thought.
'Ah. I'm really screwed.'
If I run away, I will be discovered by the guards upstairs. However, if I stay by Kali's side, I become a burden.
Our soldiers have probably already entered, but...
I wish reinforcements would arrive by now, but this is the 8th floor.
It was not a time when they would arrive, as they had planned to advance while clearing the area step by step starting from the first floor.
Because Kali helped Christa escape so quickly with her insane skills, virtually no time had passed since the infiltration.
Furthermore.
"Your Highness! You must stick to the plan. If you come looking for me first without commanding the soldiers just because you're worried about me, I'll be angry. You know that, right?"
"Right, you just asked the same thing twenty-five times. I got it."
"Make sure! Promise! Absolutely!"
"Don't worry. I will never have to go save you."
I had earnestly warned my man, the only hope I could pin on in this situation, never to come looking for me first.
'Ha'
It was such a painful mistake.
Having Ryan send Julien here, and cutting off the possibility of quick reinforcements.
It is all my fault.
But I am not a god; how could I have known things would get this twisted?
I should have naturally prepared various ways to rescue Christa, and I should have warned Nike not to mess things up because of me.
This is why regression is necessary.
Because there are so many variables.
"Miss, do not move; please stay behind me."
Kali drew her sword, leaving Christa and me behind.
An incredibly disadvantageous battle.
In terms of skill, it was Kali vs. Kali, yet one side was in a situation where she had to protect two useless people.
'If something happens to Kali...'
Even if I succeed, it is meaningless.
I guess I'll have to try a second time.
"Bang!"
'Uh?'
But then.
As Julien strode closer, a silver wire wrapped around his neck with a whoosh.
In an instant, red blood formed along the wire, and soon his body was turned around.
'What?'
A surprise raid that no one expected.
Julien, who turned his back on us after being captured by someone.
Julien, who died instantly with a terrible scraping sound, slumped to his knees and collapsed.
'Oh, my god.'
The one who appeared as his body collapsed.
"..."
...It was Nike.
"I will absolutely never go to rescue anyone else."
My man, who never changed his expression and lied.
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