(EP-341.2) Of Hearts #10
341 – Queen of Hearts #10
With one single leap, Elga put a great distance between herself and Aira. Striking nothing but air, Aira looked at her.
"You got lucky, Elga."
"Do you really think so?"
"Empty bravado won't work on me. You've lost your weapon."
It was true that Elga's halberd—Crusher was still stuck in the air around Aira. In her urgency, Elga had abandoned her weapon to escape.
Now empty-handed, Elga turned to me.
"Hey, Theo. Got any good ideas?"
"I'm thinking. Individually, we might be slightly weaker, but there are three of us. We need to take advantage of that."
Elga wiped the sweat from her chin with the back of her hand.
"Three? The girl beside you has been out of it since earlier. I don't know what's going on, but tell her to snap out of it!"
Since we faced Queen Aira, Mirna hadn't been her usual self. It was as if she were shrinking in on herself, and was overwhelmed.
I had noticed this, but with everything going on, there just wasn't time or focus to address it. Right now, however, we needed Mirna's strength.
"Lady Mirna, are you alright?"
"No, I'm not. This place makes me sick. The queen… she's covered in countless horrible menaces…"
"She's practically possessed. The vengeful spirits of those she's slain… the stray souls they've attracted… It's like a massive graveyard. Both the queen and this palace."
To be honest, I didn't know much about spiritual matters. But judging from Mirna's reaction, Aira was anything but normal.
"She's barely human at this point. It's a miracle she's still sane. Even if this is just a reconstruction of the mind…"
"In any case, Mirna-nim, do you think you can join us?"
At my question, Mirna slapped her cheek.
Her condition had improved.
Just then, a loud yawn echoed through the air.
"Are you done talking now? I don't really care—just make this a little more entertaining for me. At least be better than the assassins who came last time."
Aira looked at us like she was utterly bored.
She didn't even bother getting up from her throne, and simply looked down on us with an air of absolute supremacy.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but…
It felt like Aira Von Tarantera's existence was just those eyes.
"If you can make me stand up from this throne, I'll grant you a clean execution. No torture."
At those chilling words, Elga clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"She's underestimating us."
Mirna, unfolding a fan, also steadied her stance.
"Arrogance is the harbinger of downfall. If the queen underestimates us, then our chances of victory are at their highest. We should take advantage of it!"
She was right. Aira saw us as nothing more than insignificant.
And why wouldn't she?
At eighteen, Aira had never once known defeat. She had lived her entire life at the pinnacle—she was the sky.
The very thought of her own defeat likely didn't exist in her mind.
That was why now was the perfect moment to strike. I wanted to see the look on her face when it was stained with the shame of defeat.
Beside me, Elga tied her flowing golden hair into a tight knot then stretched her wrists and ankles.
She then stripped off her bracelets, necklaces, and other accessories, dropping them to the floor. They seemed weighted as they thudded dully.
"I'm going all out now. Try to keep up."
She was quite confident.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, Elga lowered her stance—like a sprinter preparing to dash at full speed.
No, even lower than that.
She pressed herself against the ground, coiled like a predator hidden in the brush.
For a moment, I was overwhelmed by her tension.
A faint breeze drifted through the indoor space as Elga's figure flickered.
I was only able to track her movements because 《Farsight》 granted me superhuman vision.
In an instant, Elga launched herself at Aira, her right hand raised high before crashing down like a bolt of lightning. At that moment, something amazing happened.
Aira got up from the throne and rolled to the side to avoid it. Thanks to this, Elga's hand smashed the empty throne.
Five deep gashes were torn into the throne like the claws of a giant monster. It was more powerful than I thought.
Elga cracked her knuckles, smirking.
"The Queen is rolling on the floor so disgracefully. Getting you off that chair is easy. Right now, I'm the older one. Not that you'd know what I mean."
Aira glared at the broken throne and Elga. Her face twisted in fury like some vengeful specter.
"You… dared destroy my throne…?"
In contrast, Elga was relaxed. Picking up her fallen axe, she bared her fangs in a grin.
"Unlike you, I wasn't just playing around in Ark. I'm stronger than you right now."