Chapter 83
Efnir thrust her spear down, pinning the chains to the ground. Silver light flashed beneath her feet as she charged towards the direction from which the chains had been thrown.
Uzuki Saori's figure appeared in her field of vision. At the same time, the chains on the ground turned into silver light and disappeared, then reappeared in Saori's hand, and she swung them horizontally towards Efnir.
A spear appeared in Efnir's hand. She slid forward to the side and simultaneously flipped back to lift the chain. The spear tip swept across like a hurricane, then slammed down with force, breaking the chain's attack. At this moment, Uzuki Saori was only seven steps away from Efnir.
At this distance, Uzuki Saori's attacks became increasingly weak against Efnir.
The chain lashed out like a whip, this time being caught in Efnir's grasp. Just as Uzuki Saori was about to deactivate the weapon and recall it, the silver spear tip pierced the air and was already pressed against her neck.
"Saori, that's enough!"
The sharp blade gleamed with a cold light, and the chains were taut.
Uzuki Saori breathed softly, her gaze moving upwards along the spear until she met Efnir's crimson eyes.
There was a brief silence between the two as the gun tip was removed from their necks.
Saori quietly looked at Efnir.
"Senior, you didn't need to hold back..."
"Stop being so willful, Saori!"
Efnir yanked the chains away, the crisp sound echoing through the air. She shouted, "Do you know how many people will die if the Boundary Stele is destroyed? Countless people in this city are still struggling to live, clinging to the hope of survival. They haven't done anything wrong. Are you going to just watch them die?"
After a pause, Efnir lowered her voice.
"Or do you hate me?"
Saori remained silent as the darkness between them spread. After a while, she slowly spoke.
"It has nothing to do with anyone else, and I don't hate my senior... This is just my own business..."
"Then stop doing it! Come back here!"
Uzuki Saori's voice was soft as she gazed at Efnir.
"Senior... I'm not like you... A happy family, close friends, and the strength to protect those I love... I have none of these. All I have is this love that I can neither move forward nor retreat from."
Saori's tone became inconsistent.
"But even someone like me couldn't protect the person I cherish most. I became her agent, training diligently every day, striving for her every moment, but she still got injured and almost died."
"You mean... Rin...?"
"Um..."
Uzuki Saori did not deny it.
"I like her, the kind of liking that comes from a romantic relationship... I know, senior, we're the same kind of people, so you must understand how I feel, right?"
Efnir's eyes flickered slightly.
"Rin wouldn't want to see you like this."
"I know..."
Uzuki Saori lowered her eyelashes. "But if she dies, then everything will be meaningless. If that's the case, what does it matter if I'm treated coldly?"
It felt strangely familiar; Efnir had heard similar words from Yukina. Saori's feelings for Rin were no different from her own feelings for Yukina, except that this was a point that needed no explanation to be conveyed.
Efnir gripped the spear tightly in her hand.
"Saori, I have one last question for you... Did you make Yukina the agent?"
"Yes."
"If you don't do it, will someone else?"
"Meeting."
"I see..."
Uzuki Saori took a step back, the silver light around her faded, and she severed the Synchronization, simply raising her hand lightly.
A silver ring glittered on her finger.
In an instant, the wind pressure suddenly increased, Saori's entire body was covered with a layer of dazzling light. Countless tiny lights gradually rose and swirled around Saori's side.
Efnir narrowed her eyes slightly. The scene before her was very familiar to Efnir; it was exactly the same feeling she had when she fought the Apostle a few days ago.
"This is... the power of the 'Apostle'?"
The power of the Apostle filled Uzuki Saori's entire body, and she floated up, her toes barely touching the ground.
Efnir squinted, and the sound in her earpiece became intermittent at that moment.
The signal was interfered with.
Without a doubt, the girl before them had somehow acquired the power of Apostle. The ring on Saori's finger was exactly the same as the ring that Sakurai Sachi had seen in Efnir.
Moreover, Efnir would never mistake this power, which seemed to be the Order Force yet was completely different.
"Senior, I want to apologize to you."
At that moment, Uzuki Saori floated up quietly and spoke softly.
"I'm so jealous of you, Rin. She admires you, and no matter how I try to persuade her, she doesn't want to give up her life as an agent... I thought she would have agreed if it were you. I'm sorry for putting you in this difficult position..."
A surge of light Saori Efnir's gaze; only a soft, murmuring voice could be heard.
"She's even more stubborn than I imagined... She usually has no opinions of her own, always asking me what to eat and where to go... Maybe, in fact, you understand Rin better than I do."
Uzuki Saori's tone was somewhat melancholic.
Efnir pursed her lips.
"Rin values you the most, Saori. In that case, have you ever thought about why she is unwilling to live without her agent?"
Saori fell silent, her lips pressed tightly together, then she smiled softly.
"Then we absolutely cannot let her continue like this."
Light flowed through Uzuki Saori's palm, and a ball of light slowly condensed.
"Well... whatever happens, it doesn't matter... anyway, after today, Rin will never remember me again and will leave me, but as long as she can live happily, my goal will be achieved."
Efnir gazed silently at the girl before her, her eyes reflecting a golden light.
"Saori ... I don't know what the Apostle told you, but the Rin I know absolutely cannot find happiness and joy without you by her side..."
"This is not something for you, senior, to say!"
With a flick of her wrist, Uzuki Saori a ball of light to explode between the two of them.
A blinding light swept across the entire floor, and headsets and communication devices simultaneously lost signal.
From behind the smoke and dust, Efnir's figure gradually emerged. She gripped her spear tightly, holding it horizontally in front of her, without a single wound on her body.
"I already said that during training, once you've seen a move, it won't work again."
Uzuki Saori paused slightly, her brows furrowing even deeper.
This... blocked it? No injury?
She knew that the Apostle Sakurai Sachi defeated by Efnir, but she could truly feel the power within her. She had initially thought that Sakurai Sachi had lost because she didn't understand Efnir.
But looking at it from another angle, how much did she really know about Efnir's full strength?
"Saori, everything you've done is pointless except for self-pity; it will only deprive Rin of what she cherishes most."
115. Prevent
Efnir gazed at Uzuki Saori and spoke softly.
"What makes you... to think that..." Saori swung her hand, and a ball of light shot out. She shouted, "Even I, with the determination to..."
"Because I've been through it! This is the most important lesson my sister taught me!"
With a flick of her wrist, Efnir dodged the attack of the light ball to the astonishment of Uzuki Saori, and slammed the spear down onto the ground.
The ground exploded and collapsed, instantly obscuring the two figures with dust.
"!?"
If she hadn't become Apostle and gained the ability to levitate, Uzuki Saori would have been instantly put on the defensive because she lost her footing.
But now, her vision is obscured by thick dust, and she can't see anything clearly.
She knew that Efnir had begun to fight back.
Without hesitation, Saori pushed the orbs of light to both sides of her body with one hand and stepped back.
Efnir's destruction of the terrain and creation of blind spots were undoubtedly intended to weaken Uzuki Saori's advantage as Apostle. Saori knew that if she wanted to win, she couldn't afford to be on the defensive here; otherwise, given Efnir's strength, she would only remain passive in the ensuing battle until she suffered a crushing defeat.
But in the next instant, a chilling coldness surged from her feet. Although it was only a small spot, she could definitely see the sharp blade of the gun above her.
Saori quickly raised her hand, her four fingers slightly bent.
As if drawn by countless threads, the white light gathered and condensed in front of the girl, rising up and solidifying into a golden steel wall, flying towards the spear shooting from above.
The ability to manipulate energy with a magical, almost supernatural power is the most powerful "weapon" of Apostle.
But the next second, Uzuki Saori's heart sank.
Immediately afterwards, a piercing tremor, like a resounding bell, exploded in her ears. The silver spear tip pierced through the wall, Fracture spreading inch by inch across the golden surface. A tangible shockwave swept and churned, and even through the wall, the violent impact pushed Saori back several meters, smashing her through the already shattered ground and sending her crashing to the next floor.
She propped herself up and looked up. The spear was wedged into the wall so close to her, its gleaming tip making her heart pound.
In the brief exchange just now, an entire floor of this sturdy commercial building had already been breached; if the fighting continued, it might even collapse completely.
Saori suddenly remembered the command that Efnir had loudly given over the communicator when she entered the building.
Maintain distance?
Did Efnir have planned this all along?
But now is not the time to think about these things. The golden ball of light was pushed out of her hand, Saori quickly passed through the dust that was raised, hiding behind the supporting pillar and taking out a syringe from her bosom.
This was the injection the man gave to Saori before he left. Just by looking at the man's mocking expression, Saori knew it wasn't anything good, but since it was something meant for a mission, its effectiveness must be decent.
Saori slightly raised her chin and forcefully plunged the needle in, but in that instant, the spear pierced the air and precisely knocked the needle out of Saori's hand.
A tender young figure appeared before my eyes.
It was Efnir.
"What's this?"
Under Uzuki Saori's tense gaze, Efnir raised the syringe in her hand to her eyes.
Saori narrowed her eyes slightly and swiftly threw a punch forward, accompanied by a blinding ball of light.
Efnir held the syringe in one hand and swung the spear horizontally with the butt of her hand, but Saori blocked it forcefully.
Even Efnir's power is limited when she doesn't use her charged-up techniques, and this power difference becomes Efnir's "weakness" in the face of Saori in her "Apostle Form" form.
Saori slightly bent her elbow, her figure moving beyond the spear's attack range, and thrust her fist straight at Efnir's armpit.
To her surprise, Efnir neither retreated nor dodged; instead, she released her spear.
Meeting the eerie red light deep within Efnir's eyes, Saori's heart skipped a beat. The next second, Efnir moved even faster than Saori, splitting her legs into a split and kicking away Saori's attacking fist. At the same time, a flash of silver light appeared, and a spear appeared in Efnir's hand. She sheathed it at her waist and thrust it towards Saori like an arrow.
Saori only had time to raise her hand to defend, but in that instant, Efnir changed her move. Her skirt billowed as she turned, and the spear at her waist also turned 180 degrees, swinging horizontally with the butt of the spear, hitting Saori's side. Saori groaned and flew horizontally like a sandbag, crashing through the wall.
"Cough cough..."
Uzuki Saori coughed uncontrollably, feeling a tearing pain in her side.
From where she fell, one could see the darkness outside the building, with the searchlight of a helicopter flashing by in the distance.
A cool evening breeze brought a touch of moisture, and soft footsteps approached. Efnir's figure reappeared in her sight.
"I want to apologize to you, Saori. It was my dereliction of duty as your senior not to understand your pain. I'm sorry, but now all I can do is stop you."