"Neraxis...?" Elara muttered, puzzled. "After running away like that, I thought you weren't going to show yourself again. Color me surprised, I guess."
"Maybe he missed us?" Aurelia commented. "Wouldn't be the first time he did something we didn't understand, right?"
The alternate Neraxis's brows furrowed as he approached and pulled out a scythe, menacingly holding it in front of him.
"While I don't understand what you're talking about, I've come here for a certain mission. Are you going to try to stop me again?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "As for you, Aurelia, I don't understand why you've come back. I thought I specifically told you to never show your face to me again."
His tone carried a certain coldness that caused a shiver to run down Aurelia's spine.
"What's that for?" Aurelia asked, tilting her head. "One day you're playing the hero, and now you're threatening us? Seriously?"
"Again..." Neraxis grabbed his forehead, clutching it almost as though he were in pain. "You know better than anyone why I spared you. Someone with your talents doesn't deserve to die a dog's death. Or so I was told."
"Enough!" Elara yelled, a hint of anger forming on her face. "She told me everything! Why you killed our parents. Why you spared her. Everything. So no point trying to intimidate either of us now!"
A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Oh yeah? Did she also tell you how I'm responsible for the deaths of millions? Or maybe... did she tell you how you're mere livestock? I bet that was a pleasant conversation, wasn't it?"
There was a hint of sadism in his tone, and it was clear he had gone through a lot. But in the end, his actions wouldn't be excused.
After all, once everything was said and done, the Eternal Sin would revive and kill them all regardless.
"Neraxis," Aurelia muttered. "We will be heading out to hunt in this world. Do you want to join us?"
"I told you I have something to do, didn't you hear?" he replied with a scoff. "I mean, how could you hear? You've always been —"
His words were cut off when, all of a sudden, Celina dashed out from the opposite alleyway, hitting him square in the chest with her knee.
The impact seemed pretty severe, as he was bashed into the nearby wall, caving it in an instant. Even so, he seemed unfazed despite the damage he took.
Neraxis slowly pushed himself off the wall, glaring at Celina. Yet his gaze traveled down to her abdomen in particular, showing a surprised expression.
"You got rid of that monstrous modification? Props to you. I never liked it," Neraxis remarked with a chuckle. "So where's the geek?"
"In your ass," Celina said with a scoff. "Just wait until she gets here. She made a very interesting contraption."
"You're not planning to kill him, are you?" Aurelia asked in a low voice.
"Of course we are," Celina affirmed. "After hearing your story, we decided it was best to just get rid of him. You might have some feelings for him, but I don't. I really don't."
It almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself, and it definitely didn't go unnoticed by Elara, who stepped up and in between Neraxis and Celina.
"Let's wait a bit," Elara said. "Let's kill him after we get out of the tower first, okay? There's a lot we need to do before then, like finding the obelisk and escaping. The more people we have helping us accomplish that, the better."
"You're being naive as always," Celina remarked. "You know, we would've been able to kill him many years ago had you not butted in. Do you regret your choice now? Probably not, right?"
"Stop it..." Aurelia muttered. "Let's not fight... not now, please?"
"Yeah. Listen to the crybaby," Neraxis said with a chuckle. "She has a point, you know? If you don't kill me now, then you can gamble whether or not you can kill me after we're out. Spoiler alert, you can't."
As the last of his words fell, Aella finally emerged, walking down the street with rhythmic steps, holding a syringe in between her fingertips.
It had a red liquid inside it, and despite its rather safe-looking appearance, everyone knew that the contents inside would be deadly.
After all, this was none other than Aella who made the solution. She wasn't an alchemist, and she was definitely not someone who'd make a delicious smoothie for the man she hated.
Everyone watched as she arrived and emotionlessly walked up to Neraxis, then stopped just in front of him.
She held up the needle with one hand and extended her other hand, as if asking for him to comply.
"So you want me to just lie down and let you kill me then?" Neraxis asked in disbelief as he swatted her arm away. "I don't think so."
"It's not meant to kill you, dear Neraxis," Aella replied. "It's only meant to mess with your brain a little. Give us the answers we seek, you understand?"
"So you want to brainwash me now, wow. Really innovative..." he shrugged it off, and just as he lowered his body, preparing to dash away, Celina appeared, pinning him down with surprising strength.
"Yeah. Not the same world, Neraxis," Celina said with a cheeky grin. "I'm stronger here. Much, much stronger. So if you—"
All of a sudden, he rotated his scythe, attempting to cleave her in half. However, before his scythe could even reach the base of her neck, three guards appeared, stopping the scythe with their fingertips.
They stared down at Neraxis, who flinched upon making contact.
The guards intimidated him, and in the meantime, Aella leaned down, pricking him with the needle and sending the entire injection into his bloodstream.
Immediately, his eyes widened as he tried his best to escape the guards and Aella.
And of course, it didn't work out. His legs became weak as he fell to the ground, not able to control his limbs.
"I-I... I thought you weren't going to—"
"I lied," Aella said.
She stood up and dusted herself off before approaching him, who was lying on the ground.
"You've lied to us so many times I lost count. So, I wonder... how does it feel when someone does it to you?"