We Will Come Back

"You are dressed as if you are going to a party, Lex."

"Its not like you had any armor or practical clothing that would offer some defense. Might as well dress in style."

Currently, Lex and Rio stood at the doors of the mansion. The former wore well-fitted black jeans along with a black shirt.

Lex folded the sleeves of the shirt to up to his elbow, showcasing his forearms. Due to the yin and yang method, Lex's muscle growth increased a lot more than what he expected.

Veins bulged out on his forearms and one could tell that he worked out or went to the gym.

"You are talking as though you are dressed plainly." Lex pointed out.

"I think I am dressed plainly." Rio tilted her head.

Contrary to her statement, she definitely shone brightly. She matched Lex's aesthetic and was dressed in a black skirt, black fitted top, and stockings.

Rio pulled out a rubberband from her inner pockets and put it between her lips. She then began to tie her hair back into a ponytail to allow her to move more freely. Her silver hair shone and stood out in the dark night sky.

"You look like a hot assassin ready to massacre people." Lex complimented.

"Well, you can say that is true. Many people will die tonight. Will you be able to kill them?" Rio asked sincerely.

Till now, Lex hadn't killed a single person with his own hands. He had seen numerous deaths but none of them were caused by his own hands.

"It will depend on who I am about to kill," Lex replied honestly. "If the said person is a scumbag, I should be able to kill them."

"Well, I want you to leave the majority of the killing to me. Since we are going to attack at an unexpected time, we should be able to deal with them easily. However, there is a chance that Allen manages to outsmart us." Rio's eyes turned grim.

Lex and Rio had been keeping an eye on their surroundings for the past few days. They caught many people who were trying to spy on them.

Rio dealt with them easily and fortunately, none of them were able to transfer any information. 

Lex felt slightly wary because he didn't sense any person around the mansion. Rio didn't sense any presence as well which worried her.

"Don't worry, I will keep four of my eyes open instead of two eyes," Lex winked.

He was telling the truth up to some extent. After all, Elfie was going to be highly alert once they set out.

"Just stay safe. I would prefer if you stayed here but there is no knowing what will happen when I am gone. Stick close to me, okay?" Rio asked worriedly.

They had finally reached the deadline given by Allen. The next day was the final day Rio had for accepting Allen's conditions.

She chose the night before the last day to attack Allen. It was better to launch a surprise attack than wait for the enemy to infiltrate her house.

"Yes, I will stick with you." Lex nodded affirmatively.

"You know the plan, right?"

"We go to the hideout, you wipe out the small fries and then we battle the main forces which will include Mahiru, Para, Dox, and another guy we have no information on." Lex sighed. "I am reciting this for like the tenth time."

"You can never be overly prepared."

"Yeah, yeah. Are you ready to leave now?"

"I am…"

Rio turned around and took one last glance at the mansion. This was the place where she lost everything and also gained everything she currently held dear.

"Don't you dare think of something sad." Lex interrupted and dashed forward.

Putting one hand on her cheek, he drew Rio in for a deep kiss. His kiss made her sad thoughts disappear and reminded her of the happiness in her life.

'I hope you can obtain your revenge today, Rio. I will support you in it while trying to achieve my own goal.'

For the past few weeks, Lex had been trying to remember the Styx Contract his father made with Mahiru in the past. No matter how much pressure he put on his memories, he couldn't remember his words.

[ The more you try to remember it, the harder it will be for you to remember it. When the time comes, I am sure that your memories will return. ] 

Those were the words Elfie told him to stop him from overthinking. Lex wasn't too sure about it but he trusted Elfie's words.

After kissing Rio for a solid two minutes, Lex stepped back and brushed a few strands of her hair off her face. 

"Nothing is going to happen to me or this place. We will come back after dealing with Allen once and for all." Lex declared.

Rio stared into his eyes, seeing his high confidence. In the end, a smile appeared on her face.

"You are right. I am worried but I have faith in the training I gave you."

"That means you don't have any faith in me?"

"Nope, I don't." Rio grinned. "I have faith in your ability and your stupidness to help a random woman deal with her trauma."

"You are not a random woman. You are the first woman I fell for and if I can help you deal with the stuff that hurt you, there is nothing else I would prefer."

"Ahh…" Rio got tongue-tied after hearing his words. "You manage to say the strangest things and then I can't come up with a reply."

"That is a special ability I have."

Lex knew that deep inside, Rio felt bad for dragging him into her affairs. Lex wasn't bothered by it since he needed to talk to Mahiru anyways.

There was also a chance that he would be able to receive some information on his father. Lex had a feeling that his father left him for a different reason than the one he gave him.

"Lex, you are an idiot, however…" Rio paused as her cheeks turned slightly red. "I love you."

This was the first time in her life that Rio had spoken these words aloud to any person except her brother, Victor.

She had been hesitating to use them with Lex because a small part of her still felt that Lex might betray her. 

Lex had also noticed this and knew that it took Rio a lot of trust and faith to say those words.

"I love you, Rio." Lex smiled.

"You are supposed to say too."

"I don't want to sound as though I am saying it out of obligation."

"Ahh, whatever. Let's just go."

With those final words, Rio suddenly carried Lex in her arms and took off. As they progressed through the sky, Elfie's voice rang inside Lex's mind.

[ You have a new system quest. ]