Chapter 106.1
Grimacing at the blistering heat on his skin, Garfiel violently kicked at the fallen leaves around him .
[Garfiel: Th’guy’s got guts, I’ll give’m that]
It was a growl of irritation, but also of honest praise .
“Your half-assed attitude is why you’re going to lose” ――that was what Otto told him . And he was absolutely right .
Thinking that Otto had no combat capabilities, Garfiel had completely underestimated him .
[Garfiel: Fire stones…… the hell’s he tryin’ t’do’ with somethin’ as biteless as that?]
A momentary, vision-obscuring screen of flames .
With his annoyance still fresh on his mind, Garfiel thought back on that flash of searing heat .
All smoke and mirrors, it stung, but its damage was no more than that of a sunburn .
Yet, one thing was certain:
[Garfiel: If he’d used somethin’ more deadly I wouldn’t ‘ve gotten off this easy……]
In that fatal moment, his opponent made an unexpected choice .
What else to call it if not an act of mercy? The opponent he’d held back on and failed to knock unconscious turned around and taught him a lesson instead .
That was just way too wretched and stupid .
[Garfiel: Gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me……!]
What was even more infuriating was how his opponent completely ignored him while he was blinded by the flames and just straight-up ran away . By the time Garfiel thought to chase him, Otto was already nowhere to be found .
Just soft soil and fallen leaves . He certainly managed a skillful escape on what should’ve been unfamiliar terrain . Otto wasn’t lying about scouting around the forest at night .
Nevertheless, if this turned into a genuine chase scene, there’d be no way he could escape from Garfiel . Every ten steps that Otto ran, Garfiel would be able to close in two . Such was the enormity of the physical difference between their bloodlines .
But Otto had this covered as well .
[Garfiel: ――Gh! Th’hell!? This…… aghh! Fuck, my nose ain’t workin’!]
The moment Garfiel tried to sniff for Otto’s scent, an intense, painful stench pierced his nostrils . Recoiling from the stench, Garfiel shook his head as his vision strobed from the penetrating pain .
And that was when he saw a clear glass bottle lying on the spot where Otto had been standing . He could immediately tell that the colorless liquid flowing from the uncapped bottle was the source of that pungent scent . But that was all his nose could tell him .
[Garfiel: Son of’a bitch……! Does’he think he can beat me just by cloggin’ my nose?]
Baring his fangs, Garfiel flushed with rage at his dwindling options .
Just how many traps had Otto set against him? Every step of the way, these tricks had perfectly held him in check .
[Garfiel: ――――]
Touching the scar on his forehead, panting, Garfiel repeated his ritual to calm himself .
He drew in a deep breath to settle his heart and lungs and wrestled back his senses from being consumed by rage . Thinking about it now, there is no way Otto could keep him subdued indefinitely .
So why would Otto risk himself in such a reckless battle?
Besides, the fact that Otto would challenge Garfiel in the first place was strange .
He said his goal was to buy time―― to draw Garfiel’s attention while the refugees escaped the Sanctuary via other routes .
If what he said was true, then it’d be impossible for Garfiel to stop all the carriages now .
The thought of sending the Lewes clones to chase them had briefly crossed Garfiel’s mind, but since he doesn’t know any of the carriages’ current locations, it’d only be a futile effort .
The replicants lack knowledge and experience, and could only carry out very crude commands .
Garfiel was too sick and tired of having to run around looking for them when that happens .
[Garfiel: And in th’end, th’only one I can rely on ‘s myself . Hah! Same as it’s always been]
He was out of options, and his nose was disabled .
But Garfiel wasn’t pessimistic . He still had his powerful body . And it still had more than enough strength left to carry him through the forest and achieve his goal .
No matter what Otto’s objectives may have been, he dared to stand against Garfiel . Surely, when he decided to oppose him, he must’ve been prepared to taste Garfiel’s claws and fangs .
As far as Garfiel was concerned, Otto was no longer a simple prey .
This was now a hunt that would require all of his efforts, and he would not stop until he had Otto completely at his mercy .
――By the time Garfiel thought this, he had already all but forgotten his original intent and didn’t even realize that he was falling right into Otto’s plans .
[Garfiel: Where’d y’get th’fuckin’ gall . That bastard left y’instructions, didn’t he…… th’hell did he say?]
Just before setting out into the forest in pursuit of Otto, Garfiel turned his head, looking to the carriages Otto left behind .
The carriages were decoys pretending to be carrying fleeing refugees . Yet the two ground dragons drawing them were real, and all through Otto and Garfiel’s standoff, they had been quietly sitting there like it was none of their business .
[Garfiel: Y’think if y’just sit there I won’t hurt ya? Cheeky bastards . Yer lucky I don’t like t’kill unless I need to]
Shaking his head, Garfiel passed by the dragons and reached for the passenger car once more .
Countless items of clothing had been heaped inside the car to mimic the scent of fleeing villagers . Last time, Garfiel left it as soon as he confirmed this, but there might’ve been something else he’d missed .
Pushing apart the piles of clothes with his feet, Garfiel scanned his eyes over the seats and walls . Nothing stood out, and, after searching a little more, he was about to descend the carriage when,
[Garfiel: ――Huh?]
He saw something sticking to the back of the carriage door as he turned .
A white piece of paper fluttering in the wind, as if placed there specifically to be visible from the inside .
――Feeling a sense of foreboding, Garfiel walked up to the fluttering note, tore it off, and opened it in his hands .
And,
{――If you’re really this gullible, then it was totally worth the trouble}
Reading the message, Garfiel’s vision flashed furious red .
The next instant―― the seats of the carriage shot up as the black lumps underneath exploded in the narrow space, expelling a violent gale like a storm of insects, drowning Garfiel’s roars to nothing .