Hesta's muscles tensed all over again. Whenever she encountered an opponent whose strength so vastly outmatched hers, her body would stiffen beyond her control—on the monastery's final night, she had watched helplessly as a Chelated Being severed Sister Gurdin's right hand; when she first encountered the Grangua brothers, Calvin's oppressive presence had likewise left her unable to move.
Hesta suddenly clenched her teeth, and fury at her own helplessness flared up in an instant.
Why...
Why couldn't she move?
Under the dark red lights, the Chelated Being across from her showed neither joy nor excitement. It looked like an extremely thin adult man, with a world-weary, listless gaze.
The moment its eyes met Hesta's, the Chelated Being let out a puzzled hum.
It closed its eyes and carefully sniffed the air in the corridor, then scratched its head a few times in confusion.
"...You smell different from her. Why?"
The Chelated Being's voice was emotionless, even sounding rather weak, but Hesta clearly sensed an unprecedented threat from it.
"Oh, I know," the Chelated Being said, clacking its two pincers together. "You haven't undergone Secondary Awakening, have you?"
All color had drained from the girl's face. "What... did you do?"
The Chelated Being gave a soft giggle, one that even seemed somewhat shy.
"What could I do to Quicksilver Needles..." The Chelated Being glanced toward the Safe Room. From where it stood, it could still see Tulan lying on her back. The girl lay motionless in a pool of blood.
The Chelated Being withdrew its gaze, its expression briefly turning distant, as if it had fallen into memory.
"She came to me herself and asked me to improve her Bullet Time. I thought it might be interesting, so I worked with her for a while... but I got bored of it