Chapter 41: What Remains After Victory
The body of Mayu Zero lay on the ground, motionless.
The laboratory was in ruins.
The smell of burnt metal and dust lingered in the air.
Mayu stood, breathless, her gaze fixed on her defeated double.
Her fists were clenched.
Her muscles still trembled from the effort.
She should have felt satisfaction.
But she didn't.
Her opponent…
No.
She.
Mayu Zero was a copy, a perfected program, a being created to surpass her.
And yet…
In the end, she had weakened.
Not because of a technical error.
Not due to a lack of power.
But because she had felt something.
Mayu swallowed hard.
She crouched slowly and placed her hand on her double's shoulder.
The body was cold.
But…
She was still alive.
A faint breath escaped from her lips.
Her eyelids fluttered slightly.
Mayu gritted her teeth.
She could have finished her off.
She should have finished her off.
But something held her back.
Why?
Why did she feel that pang in her chest?
— Tch…
She averted her gaze and stood up.
The security alarms echoed in the distance.
The walls trembled under the weight of secondary explosions.
She had no more time.
She had to leave.
Mayu turned one last time to Mayu Zero.
Her unfinished double.
Her imperfect reflection.
She took a deep breath.
Then she turned away and vanished into the darkness of the corridor.
Not a word.
Not a glance back.