To Kill or Not to Kill?

Unlike Gu Chu's explosive excitement, Bianka remained frozen in place. She had received more than just her lost memories; in fact, she had already been aware of them, so their return had little effect on her.

What truly stunned her was a different set of memories—everything she had done after losing control of her body.

Chaos, bloodlust... Bianka couldn't believe that was her.

Her now-clear eyes trembled as she looked at Himeko, who was scrambling to her feet.

Himeko also noticed that something was wrong with Bianka. Her head was still spinning from the flood of memories, and between them stood the clenched-fisted, seemingly deranged Gu Chu.

But she still reached a hand out to Bianka.

Bianka took a step back. She raised a hand, wanting to shield her face.

But what met her eyes was a monstrous claw. Startled by her own hand, she violently tried to shake off the thing that had suddenly appeared before her.

It wouldn't come off... It was a part of her body.

Her face etched with terror, she stumbled back several steps. She didn't know what she was trying to get away from. She was terrified, her thoughts a chaotic mess, her breathing as ragged as if she had just finished a great battle.

"Captain Himeko!" The people Himeko had called for finally arrived at the edge of the battlefield. Both Himeko and Bianka looked up abruptly at the newcomers.

None of them were in good shape. Although they had two Titan mechs for support, in front of Gu Chu, the mechs were probably no better than paper.

A bloodthirsty impulse surged through Bianka's mind the moment she saw so many people, but though the urge was strong, it remained buried deep inside, not daring to surface.

Bianka's vision swam for a moment. She retreated a great distance before collapsing to her knees, clutching her chest.

Why... why do I have the urge to attack?

What am I trying to do? Bianka questioned her own body.

To... kill Himeko and the others?!

The image of her crazed self trying to attack Himeko flashed in her mind. A wave of intense dizziness washed over her. Bianka clapped a hand over her mouth, but she couldn't stop herself from dry heaving.

This isn't me... This isn't what I want to do!!

I came here to help everyone! I came here to save Rita!

"Take Fu Hua and go!" Himeko waved frantically at the arriving group. The situation was completely out of control. Not only was Bianka's state unstable, but Gu Chu was acting erratically as well!

Bianka was no longer his target. It was obvious he had now set his sights on Gu Chu.

A sword scar shot out from Gu Chu's feet, crossing the distance between them in an instant. It flew over their heads, snipping off a few stray strands of hair. The two Titan mechs were sliced in half at the waist, crashing heavily to the ground.

No one could react to the whirlwind of dust. When they came to their senses, they saw the top halves of the Titans hitting the ground.

Gu Chu was laughing, a crazed, chilling laugh. His eyes gleamed as he looked at the approaching group.

"The cockpit isn't there, huh..." he murmured, staring at the two pilots scrambling from the wreckage. His aura and killing intent were completely unconcealed.

"It doesn't matter..." He retracted the hand that was about to attack, clutching his face as if drunk, trying to calm himself.

But not only were his limbs disobeying him, his speech was becoming incoherent.

He was truly excited, so excited he was bordering on insanity.

"He's not here... He's not here..." Gu Chu muttered to himself. "I have to find a way to catch up to him... No, he'll run, he's on a train..."

"Hatred... Yes, hatred!" He looked at Himeko and the others, a thick killing intent pouring from him. "I need to burden him with hatred! That way he'll fight me with everything he's got! That way it'll be a fight to the death!"

He abruptly raised his hand, swinging a sword strike without a hint of hesitation. But at the last second, he seemed to think of something. His expression changed drastically, and he deflected the already-launched attack to the side.

BOOM—!

A series of tearing sounds erupted from the mountainside of Jieyang Mountain. The entire peak was sheared off by the deflected strike.

"No... no, no, no, no..." he muttered, frantically clawing at his hair with such force that the strands stood on end.

"If they're all dead, what if he runs away? It's one thing to fight a prepared battle, at worst I'll get killed... but what if he hides from me for the rest of his life? What if he gets desperate and just..."

"No... unacceptable... I won't allow it!!"

When he looked up again, his eyes were bloodshot. "Then I'll kill half, and leave half... I can't kill everyone important to him... I have to leave two for him to come and save..."

He seemed delighted by his own decision. "Yes! Can't kill them all. Kill everyone else, leave the people most important to him... the most important..."

He snapped his head around, looking at Himeko and the others. "The most important people are..."

He didn't know... but that was fine... he could just kill them one by one, couldn't he?

Right, there were also a lot of people in ARC City... there should be records there, right? Maybe he could find that guy's old files?

Gu Chu's muttering wasn't quiet enough to escape Himeko and her group. His hesitation and conflict were clearly audible to them.

Himeko's fists were clenched tightly. She watched Gu Chu's gaze sweep over them, like a shopper appraising goods in a store.

["Let me speak with him."] A voice suddenly came through Himeko's earpiece. Himeko froze for a second, then felt a sense of calm settle over her.

It was Otto's voice.

Himeko didn't hesitate. It wasn't as if she had anything left to hesitate with. She took off her communicator and switched the earpiece to external broadcast mode.

"Hello, Herrscher. Or should I say, Mr. Gu Chu," Otto's voice announced. Gu Chu's gaze instantly locked onto Himeko.

An overwhelming aura of sharp-edged power rushed toward her. In that instant, the feeling of being sliced by a thousand cuts almost made Himeko collapse.

The people beside Himeko were caught in the aftershock of this [Aura], their legs giving out as they fell to their knees.

Gu Chu's gaze shifted downward, landing on the earpiece in Himeko's hand.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice low as he suppressed his excitement and agitation.

"I am merely a nameless nobody, an opportunist who has gained a sliver of insignificant authority by basking in the light of Captain Shu," Otto's voice replied casually. Gu Chu's face darkened.

He was precisely the type of person he detested most.