Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Suara tembakan senapan terus menggema di sepanjang arena.
Gareth takhenti menekan picu senapan AK-47 setelah setiap jeda singkat, jari tangannya kembali ke picu begitu senapan siap menembak lagi. Mouth flash berulang kali, mengirimkan serangkaian peluru ke arah Vera sebelum Vera sempat berusaha untuk menghalanginya.
Recoil menekan lengan tangannya dengan setiap tembakan, namun Gareth tetap menstabilkan senapannya, matanya mengikuti jalur peluru yang menyeberlahi arena itu.
Namun begitu peluru itu mencapai Vera...
Tokinyya memudar.
Peluru, yang bergerak dengan cukup cepat hingga tampak hampir seperti langkah cahaya, melintasi tubuhnya begitu saja.
Mata Gareth semakin mengecil.
Tokinyya muncul sedikit di depan tempat dia sebelumnya berdiri, tubuhnya seolah tak tersentuh sama sekali oleh hujan peluru. Gareth segera menggeser sasaran senapannya ke arah posisi baru Vera.
Bang!
Lagi-lagi, tokinya memudar.
Kali ini, Vera muncul di samping.
Gareth menyesuaikan aim hampir sesaat setelahnya, mengarahkan AK-47 ke posisi baru. Matanya mengikuti perubahan posisinya yang samar-samar, dan tangannya merespons hampir secepat pikirnya.
Bang!
Satu tembakan lagi.
Tokinyya lenyap lagi.
Kembali dan kembali, Gareth menggeser senapannya ke arah setiap Vera yang bisa dia lihat.
Namun setiap kali...
Hanya sekedar afterimage.
Ekspresi Gareth akhirnya berubah.
Bagaimana caranya bergerak begitu cepat?
Matanya terus menyusuri panggung, mencoba menemukan Vera asli di tengah sekian banyak tokian yang muncul dan menghilang di sekelilingnya.
Meskipun...
Dia sudah tahu jawabannya.
"Dia menggunakan Cognis untuk meningkatkan kecepatannya..."
Sebelum Gareth bisa menyelesaikan pemikirannya, Vera melengkapkannya.
"...Bagaimana dia berhasil melampaui ketelitian Cognis-ku?"
Suaranya datang dengan santai.
Tidak keras.
Tidak buru-buru.
Seolah-olah dia baru saja menjawab pertanyaan yang Gareth ajukan lantang.
Pupil Gareth sempit.
Tubuhnya bereaksi sebelum dia benar-benar memahami apa yang terjadi.
Dia ingin menoleh ke belakang.
Tus!
Jarum panjang dan tipis menembus sisi lehernya.
Tubuh Gareth langsung membengkokkan diri ke bawah. AK-47-nya terlepas dari tangannya dan jatuh dengan suara logam yang keras. Ia memeluk tangan ke tanah dengan kedua tangannya, mencegah tubuhnya runtuh sepenuhnya.
Jari-jarinya menekan mat di atas panggung.
Pernapasannya terhenti sejenak.
Kemudian ia merasakan sesuatu yang menekall di punggungnya.
Vera.
Dudanya dengan tenang di punggung Gareth.
Sebenarnya, dia sudah berada di sana pada saat yang tepat ketika Vera menyelesaikan pemikiran Gareth.
Mata Gareth melebar.
Ia tidak pernah memperhatikan pendekatannya.
Ia bahkan tidak merasakan gerakannya.
Ia baru menyadarinya setelah jarum sudah masuk ke lehernya.
Jarum panjang dan tipis itu tetap ditekan ke lehernya.
Vera memegangnya dengan satu tangan, posturnya santai sementa ia duduk di punggungnya tanpa menunjukkan tanda-tanda apapun.
Lalu ia mendorong jarum itu sedikit lebih dalam.
Seutas benang darah langsung mulai mengalir dari luka.
Tangan Gareth bergetar.
Matanya makin melebar saat kenyutan akhirnya menyentuh pikirannya.
"Semuanya... Membunuh itu ilegal."
Vera berbincang dengan santai, mengucapkan persis kata-kata yang Gareth baru saja pikirkan.
Ia mendekatkan diri ke wajahnya, membawa dirinya cukup dekat sehingga suaranya bisa terdengar jelas di telinganya.
Mata hitamnya tetap tumpol.
"Jangan khawatir, big boy... Aku memastikan menghindari tempat vital di leher kamu. Kamu tidak akan mati."
Suaranya tetap dingin dan santai, seolah-olah memiliki jarum tertanam di lehernya bukan sesuatu yang perlu ditegak-tegaskan.
Dan itu justru membuat situasi terasa lebih serius.
Gareth bisa merasakan napasnya dekat telinganya sementara ia terus berkata, dengan jarum yang kukuh di lehernya.
Tubuhnya enggan bergerak dengan benar. Ia tidak bisa berbicara. Ia tidak bisa mengumpulkan cukup kekuatan untuk mendorong Vera dari punggungnya.
Tangan tangannya tetap menekan mat di tanah, sedikit keluliakan di bawahnya, sementara hatinya terus berdebar kencang di dalam dada.
Meskipun demikian, Gareth menggoda dirinya untuk tetap menjaga ekspresi tenang.
Dia tidak ingin menunjukkan betapa keadaan mendadak ini mengguncangnya.
Vera menyadarinya.
"Ini adalah hukumannya, Gareth Ashenlocke."
Suaranya santai dan dingin.
"Aku bisa dengan mudah membuatmu lumpuh, mematikanmu, atau menghukummu kapanpun kubutuhkan."
Dia mengatakannya tanpa mengangkat suara, tetap dengan nada santai yang sama yang selalu digunakan, seolah-olah hanya menyatakan sesuatu yang sudah jelas.
Tidak perlu untuk mengangkat suara.
Jarum yang menekan di lehernya sudah cukup jelas menyampaikan maksudnya.
"Jangan biarkan tindakan terhadap Dancer-ku terjadi lagi... Kamu tahu, kamu hanyalah penonton. Jadi, jadilah dirimu sendiri, Gareth Ashenlocke."
Setelah selesai berkata, Vera mendorong jarum itu sedikit lebih dalam ke lehernya.
Tubuh Gareth mengeras.
Ia bisa merasakan ujung tajam jarum menekan di bagian dalam lehernya, cukup dekat untuk memahami betapa berbahayarnya situasi ini jika Vera memilih untuk tidak menahan diri.
Jari kelingkainya berhasil mengetuk mat di tanah sekali.
Vera menyadarinya.
Ia mengerti sebagai jawabannya.
Ekspresinya tidak berubah.
Dia hanya dengan lembut mencabut jarum dari lehernya, hati-hati agar tidak menyebabkan kerusakan lebih lanjut, dan mencapket tangan lainnya ke dalam Space Bag-nya.
Sejenak kemudian, ia mengeluarkan lintasan yang sudah kering.
Vera letakkan dengan ringan di atas luka kecil yang ditinggalkan oleh jarum.
Lintasan itu langsung terbakar.
Sejumlah kehangatan lembut menyebar ke area luka saat efek penyembuhan bekerja pada darah yang mulai mengalir dari luka.
Pendarahan berhenti.
Vera lalu berdiri dari punggung Gareth dalam gerakan yang sama halusnya. Tekanan itu menghilang dari dirinya.
Gareth akhirnya bisa bernapas dengan benar lagi.
Ia bisa memindahkan lengan-lilannya. Ia bisa mengumpulkan kekuatannya.
Namun meskipun demikian, ia tetap membengkokkan diri dengan kedua tangannya menekan mat, sesak-sesak.
Arena itu hanya tersentuh sejenak.
Kemudian...
"WOAAAAAHHH!"
Penonton menjadi umpar semangat.
Suara itu bergema di sepanjang arena saat ratusan ribu orang bereaksi atas aksi Vera.
"Lady Vera Ashenlocke!"
"Seperti yang diharapkan dari Permata Ash!"
"Itu dia, Lady Vera Ashenlocke!"
"Kamu pasti akan memenangkan Festival Combat ini!"
Vera hanya mengangkat satu tangan dan melambat ke arah penonton.
Ia tidak terlihat begitu bersemangat dengan reaksi mereka.
"Pemenang!"
Suara Patrick terdengar di seluruh arena setelah ia menilai situasinya.
Gareth tidak sedang berusaha untuk menyerang Vera lagi.
Yang lebih penting, ia tiba-tiba duduk di punggung Gareth selama beberapa waktu, yang jelas menunjukkan bahwa sesuatu yang membuatnya berada dalam keadaan seperti itu.
Jadi...
"Lady Vera Ashenlocke!"
Patrick mengumbar di lagi, tampak senang dengan hasilnya.
Liliana melihat ke arah Vera dengan ekspresi terkesan.
Kemampuan bertarungnya selalu menunjukkan mengapa orang menaruh perhatian padanya, bukan hanya karena ia adalah bunga indah Britannia.
Persis seperti Maxwell, Ravenor, Diane, dan beberapa orang pertama yang lain, Liliana memahami bahwa Vera Ashenlocke tidak pernah bisa dianggap sebagai peserta biasa.
Vera bahkan belum pernah benar-benar menunjukkan seluruh kemampuan Alkeminya.
Ia bahkan tidak menggunakan senjata apapun, apalagi Gun Alchemy.
Inilah hal yang membuat kehadirannya layak untuk diwaspadai.
Siapa punya tahu betapa banyak yang masih disimpan olehnya.
Vera, namun, seolah telah bosan dengan seluruh pertarungan itu.
Ia berjalan pergi dari panggung dengan ekspresi yang tidak tertarik, langkahnya tenang dan tidak tergesa-gesa.
Tapi ketika ia teringat bahwa pertandingan berikutnya adalah milik Ezra, senyum sekilas terbawa terlihat di wajahnya.
Setelah pertarungan berakhir, tim medis dengan cepat turun ke panggung.
Mereka mulai merawat Gareth sebelum akhirnya mengantarkannya pergi dari arena.
Kemudian staf Akademi Berbasis Kerajinan masuk ke panggung dan mulai memperbaiki kerusakan yang ditimbulkan selama pertempuran.
Bagian-bagian platform yang retak diperbaiki, batu-batu yang tersebar dibersihkan, dan arena disiapkan untuk pertarungan berikutnya.
Beberapa menit kemudian, panggung sudah siap kembali.
Pada saat itu, bagian yang dilambat dari pertarungan Vera melawan Gareth diputar kembali untuk penonton, memungkinkan orang untuk melihat gerakan-gerakannya yang tidak bisa mereka ikuti dengan mata telentang.
Layar menampilkan Gareth menembak AK-47.
Ia menampilkan tokenya Vera yang memudar dari peluru.
Ia menampilkan afterimage yang muncul di sepanjang panggung.
Lalu ia menampilkan momen ketika Gareth menyadari apa yang sedang terjadi.
Replay terus berlanjut hingga Vera muncul di belakangnya dan menusuk jarum ke lehernya.
Orang-orang di tengah ratusan ribu yang berkumpul di dalam arena segera mulai mendiskusikan kecepatan luar biasanya Vera.
Siapa pun tahu betapa cepatnya ia bergerak.
"Mari kita sambut lawan berikutnya!"
Patrick West berseru dengan penuh semangat.
Sudah hampir sore, namun Patrick tetap memproyeksikan suaranya di seluruh arena dengan energi yang sama
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The sound of gunfire continued to echo across the arena.
Gareth kept pulling the trigger of the AK-47 after each brief pause, his finger returning to the trigger the moment the weapon was ready to fire again. The muzzle flashed repeatedly, sending another series of bullets toward Vera’s position before she could make any attempt to counter.
The recoil pushed against his arms with every shot, but Gareth kept the rifle steady, his eyes following the path of the bullets as they crossed the arena.
Yet the moment the bullets reached Vera...
Her figure faded.
The bullets, moving with enough speed to appear almost like streaks of light, passed directly through her body.
Gareth’s eyes narrowed.
Vera’s figure appeared a little in front of where she had been standing before, her body seemingly untouched by the barrage. Gareth immediately shifted his aim toward the position where she now stood.
Bang!
Again, her figure faded.
This time, Vera appeared to the side.
Gareth adjusted his aim almost at once, moving the AK-47 toward the new position. His eyes followed the faint changes in her position, and his hands responded almost as quickly as his thoughts.
Bang!
Another shot.
Another fading figure.
Again and again, Gareth moved his aim toward every Vera he could see.
Yet, each time...
It was just an afterimage.
Gareth’s expression finally changed.
How is she moving this fast?
His eyes continued to search across the stage, trying to find the real Vera among the figures that appeared and disappeared around him.
Even though...
He already knew the answer.
"She’s using Cognis to increase her speed..."
Before Gareth could finish the thought in his mind, Vera completed it for him.
"...How did she manage to move beyond my Cognis precision?"
Her voice came casually.
Not loud.
Not hurried.
It was almost as if she had simply answered a question Gareth had asked aloud.
Gareth’s pupils tightened.
His body reacted before he could fully understand what had happened.
He wanted to look behind himself.
Stab!
A thin long needle pierced the side of his neck.
Gareth’s body immediately bent downward.
The AK-47 slipped from his hand and struck the floor with a hard metallic sound. He caught himself with both hands against the ground, stopping his body from collapsing completely.
His fingers pressed against the stage.
His breathing stopped for a moment.
Then he felt something settle onto his back.
Vera.
She was sitting calmly on Gareth’s back.
In fact, she had already been there at the exact moment she completed his thoughts.
Gareth’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t noticed her approach.
He hadn’t even felt her movement.
He had only realized where she was after the needle had already entered his neck.
The thin, long needle remained pressed against his throat.
Vera held it with one hand, her posture relaxed as she sat on his back without showing any sign of strain.
Then she pushed the needle a little deeper.
A small thread of blood immediately began to flow from the wound.
Gareth’s hands trembled.
His eyes widened further as the shock finally reached his mind.
"Is she crazy... Killing is illegal."
Vera casually spoke the exact words Gareth had just thought again.
She leaned closer to his face, bringing herself near enough that her voice would reach his ear clearly.
Her black eyes remained dull.
"Don’t worry, big boy... I made sure to avoid your vital spots on your neck. You won’t die."
Her voice remained cold and casual, as though having a needle buried in Gareth’s neck was nothing worth getting excited about
And that made the situation feel even more serious.
Gareth could feel her breath near his ear as she continued speaking, while the needle remained firmly against his neck.
His body refused to move properly.
He couldn’t speak.
He couldn’t gather enough strength to push Vera away from his back.
His hands remained against the ground, trembling slightly beneath him, while his heart continued beating hard inside his chest.
Even then, Gareth forced himself to maintain a calm expression.
He didn’t want to show how much the sudden situation had shaken him.
Vera noticed.
"This is your punishment, Gareth Ashenlocke."
Her voice remained casual and cold.
"I can easily cripple you, or kill you, or beat you any time I want."
She said it without raising her voice, keeping the same calm and casual tone she always used, as though she were simply stating something obvious.
There was no need for her to raise her voice.
The needle pressed against his neck had already made her meaning clear.
"Don’t let your actions toward my Dancer become a repeated action... You know you’re just a bystander. So, stay true to yourself, Gareth Ashenlocke."
As she finished speaking, Vera pressed the needle a little deeper into his neck.
Gareth’s body stiffened.
He could feel the pointed end of the needle pressing against the inside of his front neck, close enough for him to understand exactly how dangerous the situation could become if Vera chose not to hold back.
His finger managed to tap against the ground once.
Vera noticed it.
She understood it as his answer.
Her expression didn’t change.
She just gently pulled the needle from his neck, careful not to cause any further damage, and reached her other hand into her Space Bag.
A moment later, she pulled out a healing bandage tape.
Vera lightly placed it over the small hole left by the needle.
The bandage immediately ignited.
A faint warmth spread across the wounded area as the healing effect worked on the blood that had begun flowing from the wound.
The bleeding stopped.
Vera then stood up from Gareth’s back in the same smooth movement.
The pressure disappeared from him.
Gareth could finally breathe properly again.
He could move his arms.
He could gather his strength.
But even then, he remained bent over with both hands against the ground, breathing heavily.
The arena remained silent for only a brief moment.
Then...
"WOOOOOOAHHHH!"
The crowd went absolutely wild.
The sound rolled across the arena as hundreds of thousands of people reacted to Vera’s display of strength.
"Lady Vera Ashenlocke!"
"As expected of the Jewel of Ash!"
"That’s the way, Lady Vera Ashenlocke!"
"You are winning this Combat Festival!"
Vera simply raised one hand and waved lazily toward the crowd.
She didn’t appear particularly excited by their reaction.
"Winner!"
Patrick’s voice echoed across the arena after he reviewed the situation.
Gareth wasn’t making any effort to attack Vera again.
More importantly, Vera had remained sitting on his back for a while, which made it clear that something had happened to leave him in that state.
So...
"Lady Vera Ashenlocke!"
Patrick shouted again, clearly pleased with the result.
Liliana looked toward Vera with an impressed expression.
Her combat skills had once again shown why people were paying attention to her not just because she’s a beautiful flower of Britannia.
Just like Maxwell, Ravenor, Diane, and a few other first-years, Liliana understood that Vera Ashenlocke was never someone who could be treated like an ordinary participant.
Vera had never even truly shown her full Alchemy skills.
She hadn’t even used any Guns, talkless of Gun Alchemy.
That was what made her presence something worth keeping tabs on.
No one knew exactly how much she was still hiding.
Vera, however, seemed to have already grown bored with the entire fight.
She walked away from the stage platform with an uninterested expression, her steps calm and unhurried.
But when she remembered that the next match would be Ezra’s match, a faint, amused smile appeared on her face.
After the match ended, the medic team quickly moved onto the stage.
They began taking care of Gareth before eventually carrying him away from the arena.
Then the Craft-Based Academy staff entered the stage and began repairing the damage caused during the battle.
The cracked sections of the platform were fixed, the scattered stones were cleared away, and the arena was prepared for the next match.
After a few minutes, the stage was ready again.
During that time, the slowed portion of Vera’s fight against Gareth was replayed for the audience, allowing people to see the movements they had been unable to follow with their own eyes.
The screen showed Gareth firing the AK-47.
It showed Vera’s figure fading away from the bullets.
It showed the afterimages appearing across the stage.
Then it showed the moment Gareth realized what was happening.
The replay continued until Vera appeared behind him and stabbed the needle into his neck.
People among the hundreds of thousands gathered inside the arena immediately began discussing her incredible speed.
No one knew exactly how she had moved that quickly.
"Welcoming the next fighters!"
Patrick West shouted excitedly.
It was already getting late in the afternoon, yet Patrick continued to project his voice across the arena with the same energy he had shown throughout the festival.
His professionalism remained clear despite the long hours.
Even though he was only the second-best newscaster and host in the BNC Broadcasting Group, he still showed a level of hosting ability that wasn’t far from Lara’s professionalism.
"Nate Ashenlocke!"
Patrick West shouted brightly.
The crowd cheered as Nate walked into the arena with a calm smile.
He raised one hand and waved toward the crowd as he continued toward the stage.
Although he was an Ashenlocke whose background remained unclear to the outside people of Britannia, Nate had already been revealed to the kingdom during the unveiling party of the Ashenlocke family.
He had been introduced as the fourth strongest among the children of Ash who had passed the Trial of Steel.
And now, during the beginning of the Combat Festival, Nate had already shown the calm and precise combat skills expected of a Gun Alchemist of the Ashenlocke House.
He had won his matches almost effortlessly.
Because of that, his name had already become one of the rising young stars of Britannia.
"Vs. Ezra Ashenlocke!"
Patrick’s voice echoed throughout the entire arena.
The atmosphere changed almost immediately.
Ezra walked out from the left arena entrance.
The moment the crowd recognized him, the cheers became much louder.
"Ezra Ashenlocke!"
"Kayyyyy! Sir Ezra Ashenlocke!"
"Ezra Ashenlocke!"
"He looks so cool!"
The crowd erupted into loud cheers, far louder than the response Nate had received.
Ezra calmly walked onto the stage.
His plain black eyes landed on Nate.
Across from him, Nate wore a faint, pleased smile.
Finally...
He had gotten his opportunity to face Ezra Ashenlocke.
Someone whom he viewed as no different from himself.
Another mysterious fellow.
And now, the two of them stood on opposite sides of the stage.
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