Chapter 58 - A sadistic part...

Alita's expression paled. Would her sister agree? She… wasn't sure. Nova had always been fiercely independent, but… at almost any point of the day, her thoughts were primarily driven by two objectives: revenge and keeping her little sister safe, both of which were becoming harder by the day. 

The Expanse only became more dangerous as time passed, not less, and Battle Surge, despite maintaining its independence so far, was on the lower end of the power scale compared to other gangs. 

Pressure was building as the powers within the Expanse all wanted Battle Surge to swear allegiance to them. The only reason they hadn't been forcefully incorporated yet was Nova's ability to play them against each other. 

But such tactics would never last forever… If Nova was presented with an option where Alita would remain safe, they would get their revenge, and Battle Surge itself would become a dominant gang within the Expanse, rather than being absorbed into another, then… Alita gulped when she imagined what that might mean for Nova's resolve to remain personally independent. 

Damian could see the doubt seeping into Alita's eyes, causing him to smirk. "There's one more thing you shouldn't forget, Alita… If you renege on our original deal, then I also won't help you grow stronger anymore." 

Suddenly, he pulled out his catalyst to access its storage before presenting Alita with a pair of long, perfectly balanced and symmetrical knives. There was no mistaking their status as a paired catalyst. 

"You see," Damian continued, grinning and pleased to notice Alita focused a greedy gaze on these knives. "As my servant, I wouldn't only teach you about your new form, but I would provide you with the means to channel myst and teach you every technique I know." 

After giving Alita a glimpse of what she could have, he instantly stored the knives again, but left his own catalyst out in the open for now, twirling it around in his hand. Alita couldn't stop disappointment from seeping into her gaze. 

Seeing it was time to deliver the final punch, Damian grasped his sword and resolutely brought it behind his back, before taking another step closer to Alita and using his other hand to grasp her chin. 

"Think about it, Alita," he muttered alluringly as he looked deep into her wavering, light blue eyes. "Instead of always being the one that needs protection from your sister, you could become the protector. Lift some burden from her shoulders… deliver the vengeance she's been craving even more than you have." 

He bent a little closer and whispered softly in her ear. "All for the low, low price of servitude to a single, worthy man…" 

Alita gulped again. Truly, this man was extremely dangerous, and clearly a devil. "S— Seriously…" she muttered absentmindedly. "How the hell do you know so much about me…?" 

Chuckling, Damian released her chin and took a step back again. Casually putting one hand in his pocket, the other remaining behind his back with Nox Aeternum, he shrugged. "We haven't really talked about it yet, but you aren't human anymore, Alita." 

He tilted his head a little as pride oozed from his being. "You've become something far superior to a mere human, and with your new identity come a number of interesting abilities. One of them is how I learned about your true feelings…" 

Alita's eyes widened as excitement suddenly started driving away her other emotions. "You mean… I can do that, too?!" 

"Haha, oh my," Damian grinned. "Suddenly, you seem far more excited about what I've done to you, huh…?" 

Alita immediately looked uncomfortable, but Damian continued. "Unfortunately," he shrugged dramatically and sighed. "I obviously can't teach you about those abilities if you decline my kind offer. You'll have to discover them for yourself." 

With that, Damian had said all he believed he needed to. Smiling confidently, he planted Nox Aeternum on the floor and leaned against it casually, waiting for Alita to respond. 

But that would likely take a moment. Alita's mind was stuck in a whirlwind of emotions and desires, all of which bashed against her pride. How badly did she want all that he offered? Could she really debase herself through servitude to get all that she desired? 

But then, before she could make up her mind, they were interrupted by loud voices drifting in from the outside. They were muffled through distance, and the lack of an open window, but Damian had a hunch. Raising an eyebrow, he stalked over to the window and opened it. 

"Look! There they are!" one voice exclaimed, now coming through much clearer. "Damn… they're really dead, huh…?" 

"No shit, glitch-brain," a rougher voice growled in an irritated tone. "And that bitch Alita is nowhere to be found! Don't tell me we did all that work for nothing?!" 

"Ya think she killed 'em…?" a third responded with a hint of scepticism. 

But the second immediately denied that claim with a snort. "Of course not! These kills were far too clean and done with something sharp. Fuck, their heads are lying over there! How's Alita going to do that with a sabotaged gun, huh?!" 

"Hey, who's this guy, though…?" the first suddenly interrupted, likely having discovered the corpse Damian had tossed out the window earlier. 

At that point, their conversation continued, but Alita had already heard enough. "Those Rustborn fuckers!" she cursed while grabbing her gun. "Come along or not, but I'm going out there!" she growled at Damian. 

Unfortunately for her, he had other plans. Moving faster than she could react, he suddenly appeared to block her way with an infuriating grin. "Now, now, Alita. I believe we have an opportunity here." 

Alita's expression worsened, but before she could respond, Damian unsheathed his catalyst and handed it to her, hilt first. "Go have another taste of the power I could grant you… Take my catalyst, and kill them all." 

Alita's breath hitched in her throat. For a moment, silence fell as her thoughts raced. She remembered the surge of power from before… and wanted to feel it again. She wanted to unleash that power on the people who ambushed her… Who made her sister's life so damn difficult… 

Truthfully, there was a part of her that she'd always kept hidden, even from her sister. A part that desired the power to step on others and grind them into dust. A part that enjoyed toying with others. A sadistic part. A part that Damian's bloodsense had already told him was there… 

It was this part that now took the fore. "R— Really…?" she muttered, slowly extending a trembling hand towards the sword. 

Seeing the look in her eyes, Damian chuckled. "Absolutely…" he assured her, quickly taking Alita's gun away from her and then exchanging it for the sword. After doing so, he continued holding Alita's hands, not allowing her to pull away as he looked into her eyes mischievously. 

"But… when you're done, you'll have a decision to make," he told her with a twinkling, confident gaze. "I'll recall my sword, but remain up here. If you want to leave, I won't stop you, and I'll simply move on to the next target." 

Using his grip on her hands, he pulled her closer to whisper in her ear again. "But… if you decide to come back upstairs, there will be no more objections from you. You'll give yourself to me, body and soul, just like we agreed, and you'll reap all the rewards that come with that decision, as well as the consequences…"