"Neid, you... what have you done!?"
"This is incredible! The power to rule others through Demonic Swords, and the power to crush anyone I hate! With these two combined, I can achieve any ambition! I have evolved into the Ultimate Being! Ghyahahahahaha!!"
Even as he transformed into a Magic Armor Beast, Neid laughed with glee. His heart had already become as monstrous as his form.
Intoxicated by a power even more hideous and terrifying than that of the people consumed by his swords, he grabbed Anhel by the throat with his left hand and gave her a twisted, smirking grin.
"Anhel! Thanks to that bastard Isaac’s failure, I can’t stay in this city anymore. But I have a supporter who’s arranging my escape. Someone is meeting me north of the city. Why don’t you come with me?"
"What are you... talking about!?"
"You know it too, don’t you? The Magic Knights, and those academy brats who want to be them—they’re all scum. Isaac stole the Demonic Swords the Security Force recovered just because he wanted more power, and then he begged me to replicate them. And it’s not just him. Everyone else is busy dragging each other down just to get ahead. Some of them even have Duels over women. Are you going to keep making Magic Items for trash like that? Doesn't it kill you to be ordered around by people like them!?"
Having said his piece, Neid released Anhel’s neck and reached out his hand toward her.
Come with me... His words and posture signaled his intent. He was offering Anhel one final chance to join him.
"Come with me, Anhel. Your skills are useful. If you don't want to die here, you're coming with me."
His presence was suffocating. A cold, cruel intent radiated from him, making it clear that refusal meant death.
Anhel—unarmed and unable to move—took his words head-on. She looked down for a moment, silent. Then, her shoulders began to tremble, and she started to laugh.
"Heh... hehehe...! Ahahahaha!"
"...What’s so funny?"
"Oh, nothing... I just realized you’re a much more delicate man than I thought. Whining like a baby just because a friend betrayed you... it’s actually pretty hilarious."
"What did you say...!?"
Neid let out a low groan, his face twisting as if he had just swallowed a bitter pill, stunned that she would laugh off his threat in a situation like this.
Anhel met his gaze with a provocative look, showing no hint of fear.
"Neid, there are two things I want to say to you. First... stop acting like a victim, you contradictory, self-indulgent narcissist!"
"Wha—!?"
"You say everyone else is scum? Then why did you trust a guy like that!? If you’ve always hated the relationship between Magic Knights and engineers, and you thought everyone in the General Department was trash, then why did you trust Isaac!?"
Neid gasped as Anhel tore through the contradictions in his logic.
Before he could find a way to talk back, she pressed on.
"Neid, you never actually trusted Isaac. He was just convenient for you—someone who followed your orders and brought you materials. That’s all it was. You call Isaac scum, but you’re exactly like him! It was a fragile relationship built on profit and calculation. That’s why it was so easy to break!"
"Shut up! I—I—!!"
"Neid, how much did you even talk to Isaac outside the Workshop? How much did you really know about him? Did you ever once actually try to be his friend? ...No, you didn't. That’s the answer. You and Isaac weren’t friends. It was a shallow relationship that fell apart the moment it was tested. You must have known that all along!"
Isaac betrayed me, so I became a monster... Anhel cut down Neid’s narrative with a single, sharp stroke.
It might have been true that Neid was betrayed, but there had never been a bond of trust between them to begin with. He was merely hiding behind the label of "victim" to justify his own choices.
If Neid had met a student who gave him more materials and listened to him better than Isaac, he would have been the one doing the betraying.
Neid’s rage boiled over at Anhel’s words, which called him out for making a scene only when he was the one being discarded. But Anhel didn't flinch. She glared back and threw her second point in his face.
"And another thing... scum aren't the only ones at this academy. At least, the softy by my side has nothing to do with people like that."
"You mean Hugo? Ha! Don't make me laugh! He’s the scum of all scum! Have you already forgotten everything he's done!?"
"Maybe Hugo did things in the past that deserved that name. But, Neid... how much do you know about the him of today? Do you know that he tried to become friends with a Monster by understanding its heart? Do you know that he’s the kind of person who would sacrifice himself for the very people who abandoned him? Do you know that he fights knowing the risks just to save someone? And do you have any idea how much he trusts me? If you don't know that, then don't you ever call him scum again!!"
"......!?"
Pushed back by the sheer intensity Anhel exuded, Neid faltered. He was bewildered by the fact that he was being intimidated by a girl who was unarmed, restrained, and supposed to be overwhelmingly weaker than him. Anhel continued to pour her soul into her words.
"The Hugo of today is honest and straightforward. He fights to protect people. I want to make a man like that into the best Magic Knight possible. I want to help him become a Hero who can defeat any enemy and protect the world. We’re both still green, I know that. But I would rather die right here a thousand times over than betray that softy—the man who trusts me with his life—just to become your puppet!"
"...I see. Then I’ll give you exactly what you want. To be honest, I only wanted to see you beg for your life; I was going to kill you no matter what you said! Ghyahahahahaha!!"
Neid shouted with a crazed laugh, trying to mask his own rattled nerves and reassert his dominance. He pulled out a completed Demonic Sword and brandished it before her eyes, his voice dripping with malice.
"Fine then! I’m going to drain every drop of your Life Force with this sword. I can't wait to see what kind of blade is born from your life! Gyahahaha!"
"..."
Neid brought the unfinished Demonic Sword closer to Anhel, his threats intended to break her spirit. Just as the tip was about to pierce her chest, Anhel spoke.
"...Wait. I just remembered one last thing I wanted to tell you."
"Huh? What now? Your final plea for mercy?"
Neid sneered but paused to listen. Anhel took a slow, deep breath, and then spoke with a casual, confident tone.
"A Hero... always rushes in when a comrade is in a pinch."
"What? What the hell are you talk—!?"
Neid never got to finish his sentence.
As he was speaking, the wall right beside him exploded with a deafening roar. Sunlight flooded into the dim room, and a streak of pitch-black armor came hurtling through the dust.
Startled by the impact, Neid turned just in time to see the dark figure and hear a thunderous shout.
"BLASTAAAAA KIIIIIIIICK!!"
"Guwaaaaaah!?"
The sheer force of the impact sent Neid flying. He was slammed into the opposite wall with enough violence to shatter his transformation. As he looked up, coughing and gasping, he saw the hated figure in black armor standing there.
"Sorry, Ann. I'm a little late."
"Seriously. Thanks to you, I had to deal with a lot of boring chatter."
The man exchanged light banter with Anhel as she freed herself from her restraints, then slowly turned toward Neid. Neid stumbled to his feet, glaring with pure hatred, and screamed the name of the man who had just deactivated his armor.
"Hugo Clay...! How dare you... interfere with me!!"