Epiphany Of The Weak 39 Subjects Of Loyalty

My focus strained to Agatha, who was grimacing over the gash on her face.

"You can't revert back your eyes to normal?" asked Agatha.

A short breath warmed my cold hands and I nodded.

"How about the people around you? Aren't--"

"No. I don't mind what they think of me," I said sharply.

A grievous hand mentally wrenched my chest over Agatha's questions.

'Don't you understand me?' I thought. Soothing hatred filled the void inside.

"Bart and the other Aegis Users. You know all of them, right?" I asked Agatha.

"Yes, but there should be more of them."

"More?" I said.

"Those four Users are not the only members in that Aegis squad. That's why it was weird for them to attack this palace with so few of them. An invasion of Neo Africa would require the entire squad, given how powerful Gheel Folami is," said Agatha.

I understood what she meant. The man in the golden coat would be a fearsome foe to be dealt with. He could just manifest his crystals anyhow, anywhere he desired.

A question lingered in my mind. "How many are there?"

Agatha darted her eyes away before answering. "About three excluding Hughes... But that's when I left the HQ about two and a half years ago with Caesar. Perhaps they've added another one or two." Agatha narrowed her eyes at me. "If the attack on Mansel Island didn't happen, I'm certain you'll be joining them, Ava."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Alicia and Bart are famous for recruiting new members of Aegis Users. They disappeared five years ago and now you see that they have returned. You were one of them before, isn't? But they discarded you away."

I grabbed her neck when she said those despicable words. "Do NOT a.s.sociate those people with me. They used me for their own benefits. Whether they threw me away or not, I'm sure I'll get back at them someday. Those creatures..."

Agatha yanked my hand forcefully and coughed.

"I'm no longer a normal person. You should know that better since you were once helping the Great Corporate United," I scoffed.

Agatha's eyes glinted, as she backed away from me. Like she never knew the girl in front of her.

I relished that new emotion on her face.

'What's happening to me?' A silent thought pa.s.sed over my mind. I was changing bit by bit as I go through all of that has happened, though I did not hate the change. In fact, I welcomed it. Becoming more focused on what my end goal literally brought about those changes.

And I needed them. The changes drove me further, filling me with what little hope I had.

I looked around the hallway, taking in the sight of the entrapped servants and a few who were dead. Anuman's body took my attention. I only knew him not too long after I came to Neo Africa. Though, for some reason, I did not feel anything. He died, yes, but not the least it bothered me. At that point, seeing dead bodies were nothing but a common scenery engraved in my brain.

My ears heard something and I observed where it came from.

There were footsteps. 'Is it the servants?' I thought. There were no other servants so far roaming around or anything.

It must be the enemy.

"Aegis..."

A screeching sound shot through my brain. "You can't, Ava."

"It's for my safety."

"I'll activate it again when the enemy comes. Your body is failing each time you overused your Aegis. I'm afraid if you continue like this, a time will arrive where there's an injury that even your regeneration cannot heal. I suggest you run."

"Leaving Agatha?" I whispered.

"If you must," replied Aegis.

Leaving her was definitely an option if an enemy appeared. I could not bring her with me. But she could run too.

"Can you run, Agatha?"

She snapped back from her thinking and looked at me. "Yes, of course. Why you ask?"

"There's an enemy around here. It's just my intuition."

"I see..." She stood up. "Perhaps it's better if we move somewhere else."

Seeing her averting her eyes every time she looked at me was strange. Then again, I did choke her.

The footsteps got louder.

The enemy was just around the corner.

"Aegis, can you maintain a short blade from my arm?"

"I could... Are you planning to face them? It won't last long, but producing only a short blade does not strain you," said Aegis in my head.

Crimson crystals pierced my skin and formed a blade.

Agatha frowned.

"Just in case," I said under my breath.

A woman's voice pulled me into focus. "IS SHE THE ONE?"

I turned my head and the wall behind us exploded. Chunks of it slammed at my body as dust filled my vision.

"I think so. Look at her eyes," another voice said.

My short blade blindly poked around me in search of the enemy. The dust was slowly dissipating and I got a good look at who I was facing.

There were three women in black combat suits. Two golden stripes ran down from the shoulders until their feet.

What surprised me was how they look.

They had the same face, hair color, hairstyle, and even their voices. Their skin was the color of pale ivory, with blond hair tied into short ponytails, and blue eyes.

"The other girl?" said the one in the middle.

"Just kill her. She's pointing a gun at us, Bee," said the one on the left.

Agatha pulled the trigger and the trio moved out of the way swiftly. The woman in the middle, Bee, kicked the gun out of Agatha's hands and followed her attack with another kick to the stomach. Blood spurted from her mouth. Another one of them spotted an opening, kicked Agatha's head from the side.

She stumbled hard onto the floor.

The third woman was just on top of her and raised her foot.

"You!' She backed off when I swung my short blade at her. Standing in front of Agatha, my crimson blade subtly reflecting light at my enemies.

"Arc, Bee, increase your suit's output," said the third woman.

"You as well, Kat," replied both Arc and Bee.

The trio's suits pulsed with a blue light for a moment and golden veins s.h.i.+mmered along their arms and legs.

Agatha brushed her hand over the spluttering blood from her mouth. "Ava... They're the Vlasta's Maidens. Their suits allow them to increase their physical abilities." Agatha breathed shakily while being wary of the foes in front.

I took in the information she laid thoroughly. My only weapon was a short blade from my arm. Other than that, I was pretty much powerless in terms of strength and flexibility. My only option would be to buy some time.

"Do we need to take her now, though?" asked Kat to the other two.

"We just moved on our own. But capturing her now will definitely get us handsome rewards," replied Arc.

"Indeed. I need to buy some new clothes. Oh! I need a new mascara," said Bee.

My blade slashed through Bee's arm and she yelped. I did not cut deep enough. The other two responded immediately by kicking me in the face, making me drop to my knees.

"How dare you! My skin..." Bee observed the cut and growled.

"Why are you worried about your skin? You're a soldier. That kind of thing is not important," I said mockingly, undeterred my the blood trailing along my nose.

"Not important?! Kat, Arc."

Both of them sneaked up behind me before I could realize and pinned me on the floor.

It surprised me how fast they could be just from using those specific suits. My eyes caught Bee dropping her knee onto my head, crus.h.i.+ng it using the suit's capability.

"Did it not hurt?" said Kat as she looked at Bee.

She snorted. "She's just playing tough. Girls, get ready to carry her."

I struggled to move but every part of my body was locked. The pressure of their bodies on me, their technique in preventing my movement were hard to overcome.

"I'll get her. Let's go." Arc expertly heaved me up in a second and struck the back of my neck.

"What..."

My vision cluttered with dark spots as I succ.u.mbed to a deep sleep.