Escape (6)

"... How dare they....!"

Her eyes glaring in hatred behind her rabbit mask.

With the push of her own ability which is lightning, she rises from her fall.

She didn't care if losing her own balance was the only choice.

The gesture she makes when she catches herself was like even the air has pledged their loyalty to support her.

Her expression is full of detestation, especially because of the utter defeat from mere sinners.

She was indeed out of control and wasn't in her sane mental state as her emotions started bursting out from their core.

"... I'm going to kill them..."

She muttered in a threatening tone with her hand tighten her grasp on her sword.

In a split of seconds, she immediately vanishes from thin air in the field.

There could only be seen her blue electrics that left there with it sparking up towards the user's disappearance.

Althea used her speed to the fullest potential to catch Azrael and Dorothy, who were on their way to the seventh floor.

Azrael is currently on the fifth floor.

He widened his eyes and he immediately noticed Althea's overwhelming presence coming towards them.

'... This energy...!'

While carrying Dorothy, he felt a sudden presence aiming towards him.

He quickly turned his head in which it was greeted by Althea, who suddenly appeared behind him on the fifth floor using her lightning ability.

"Die!"

As if she had lost her sanity, she shouted angrily with her hand lifting upwards as she truly tried to kill them with one strike.

But before Althea could even strike them with her lightning in which she forms on her hands, Azrael stopped her by using his own demon ability.

With his ability now activated, Azrael's nails began to grow longer and sharper.

His pupil turned black with a red sclera.

With his ability, he purposely put Dorothy on the floor and then charged at Althea without wasting any more time.

"You demon! Come on, fight me like you used to! You used to be a heartless bastard who never cared for others!"

Althea strikes her lightning power straight to the ground.

The electricity lightning spread fast throughout the floor towards Azrael's direction.

But luckily, Azrael managed to kick her in the waist, which in result caused Althea to lose her balance while sending her to the ground in a fast motion.

The act he pulls off has made him take advantage of winning the fight.

However, the lightning shook the walls beside them.

When Azrael looked back at Althea with a glare, he noticed that Althea was not in her stable condition.

He looked around and later used the wall as his support and immediately jumped off from there so he could go to Dorothy in which her position is a bit far from his current place.

"... Althea, I don't have time for this. If you want to die, then come at me."

Althea, who is still on the ground, feels no need to stop.

She grits her teeth angrily once more as she was not satisfied with the quick defeat she just received.

"Neither you nor her, all of you are always causing me trouble! What are you going to do after this!? Is it even worth the choice for you to sacrifice many citizens for your needs?! Huh?!"

Azrael narrowed his eyes towards Althea, who is still ranting crazily.

He sighed deeply.

"We're going to the outside world."

Althea's mouth was closed and her eyes went wide when she heard the absurd statement.

Especially if that statement comes from Azrael's mouth.

It was too hilarious to the point she let out a satisfying laugh.

It was as if Azrael just told her the most hilarious joke he ever muttered.

"... Outside? Ha... The outside world you say!? Hahahahaha! Don't joke with me, Azrael!"

Althea slowly rose and stared down coldly at Azrael, who was looking at her.

The tense atmosphere immediately grows between them.

"There is no such thing as the outside world! We are born in this kingdom and we'll die inside this place as well--"

She immediately stopped her conversation when her gaze was locked into her wrist as she realized something absurd about herself.

She could only smile at the sight.

"... It seems that I'm going to die soon."

Althea raised her hand and showed him her wrist that had the sign of '6'

"... Six?"

Althea smiled at Azrael, who was looking at her with parted lips.

"Haha... I'm so jealous of you, Azrael. Look at your wrist, it still has a sign of zero."

Azrael stayed silent while he was still watching Althea going further and further from her usual self.

"... Out of us five, you're the only demon. Therefore, your sign will not change no matter how many times you have committed sins, am I right?"

Althea smiled as the lightning surrounding her grew more furiously and uncontrolled even though there was calmness inside her tone.

She was like she had already fallen into madness.

Azrael still looked at her with narrowed eyes as he tried his best to not be fazed by her power.

"Does it have any benefit for you to know that my sign on the wrist will not change?"

"... No."

Althea exclaimed while she looked at her wrist with the look of already giving up all of her hope.

"... I'm going to end this and everything. Even if I die, I won't let a sinner like both of you run freely in this kingdom!"

With her final exclamation, She immediately charged towards both of them.

While trying to strike, she releases her blade from its sheath while sending her blue lightning in her sword in which in exchange giving it her all with the intention to kill the enemies.

But because of Azrael's nature, he dodges by jumping to the side quite flawlessly in which he was trying to stay away from Althea.

Althea smiled widely when she looks at Azrael and immediately gazed at Dorothy in hatred in who was still lying down helplessly,

"I'M GOING TO KILL BOTH OF YOU!"

-

[1 January 654/Backstory]

"... A knight?"

Althea asked with wide eyes in amusement.

She was looking at Edward who was standing in front of her cell with a cold look gazing towards her.

Althea felt the urge to laugh because of the sudden offer that comes from Edward himself.

The offer was absolutely ironic when considering that Althea is a prisoner in which her mana also cannot be blocked.

She was one of the 'special' cases after all that needs their ability for the orders need.

However, the offer still hasn't fazed her as she doesn't need any title or job.

She rises from the cold, hard ground with a boring look and looks at Edward face to face with the cell that stood between them.

"That so-called Directive Order took away my family and everything I had! Why are you asking me to be a knight for the law now!?"

Althea never understood Edward's intention and in exchange Edward would never try to understand Althea's feelings either.

"... This special case does not only happened to you, Lady Althea. There are many citizens in counting who are special enough to the point we couldn't block their mana. No matter what they have against the orders, we will make them a Directive Special Knight."

Althea could only look at him then chuckled pity at the statement.

"Like those robots that killed thousands of people? What was the name again? Directive Knights? What makes it different from being a special knight?"

Edward immediately answered with,

"Directive Special Knight is considered 'Special' because of their mana that cannot be blocked by anything. Lady Althea, you are one of the special individuals."

When she heard the statement, she only forms a small, tired smile as she averts her gaze from Edward.

"How many are these... 'Special Individuals'?"

"... From the whole Kingdom of Lucretia, we managed to gather 100 people."

"Only 100 in this spacious kingdom?"

Althea raised her brow in which she continues.

"That's a rare number for this big kingdom."

Edward nodded at her response.

".... Sir, what's your name?"

"My name is Edward Agersia."

Althea's eyes widened then she looked at the knight again after Edward mention his last name.

She was looking at him with a confusing and wary expression.

"Oh? From the Agersia clan? I heard that Agersia Clan already extinct."

Edward only nodded in which he explained further about the clan.

"Yes, it is. There are only 2 people left from Clan Agersia."

"Hmm? Who's the other one?"

Edward was silent for a moment when Althea mentioned the number of survivors that the clan had.

But, he later opened his mouth and exclaimed that person's name.

"... Margaret Agersia."

"Where is she?"

Althea's curiosity did not fade as she continues to ask more questions about the clan.

"She disappeared not too long ago before the Directive Order appeared."

Edward answers them nonchalantly.

"... Is that so?"

"Yes."

After the short answer, there was silence between them once more.

Because of the silence, Althea's gaze quickly averts from the cell around him to the eyes.

Her eyes caught interest as she was curious about them.

"So, Sir Agersia, why are you wearing a bandage to cover your eyes?"

Althea asked in which was responded with a cold answer.

"And why should I tell you the reason?"

"I don't know, maybe you might tell me."

Althea smiled at him playfully since she didn't have anything else to do but to talk with him at the moment.

"... Under the law of the Directive Orders, you shall be a Directive Special Knight."

After hearing that statement when Edward ignores her previous statement, she can only laugh.

"... I don't trust that law. It's hilarious!"

Edward narrowed his eyes in which Althea response with her gaze becoming colder and hatred grew towards him.

"Because of that law, my family had to die in the hands of Directive Order. And you want me to be a Directive whatsoever knight?"

"Yes."

Althea's glare at him become heavier in which she inquire him.

"What if I don't want to?"

"I never asked for your opinion."

Althea looked at the knight in front of him as she forms a sheepish smile towards him.

"... Hah... bastard."

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