"Ooh, feisty, are we? I really like that, boy," the woman with vibrant green hair purred, meeting Eliot's furious eyes. "That's right... He said something about our plan not working, didn't he?" She frowned slightly, turning to the black-haired man.

"Ignore him," the black-haired man said nonchalantly, adjusting the ropes on the newly captured prisoners. "If this sacrifice fails, we'll simply find another way."

"No, that's not it," the green-haired woman insisted. "How did they know about the sacrifice in the first place?"

"...It doesn't matter," the man dismissed her.

Suddenly, the girl facing Eliot—the one wearing the mask—moved with lethal speed. She drew a bow from her back, a quiver already slung behind her, knocked an arrow, and aimed it straight at Eliot's face.

"What are you? Talk," she commanded, her voice muffled but hard.

"Let it go, Bianca. Unless you want to join Darius, we don't have time," the green-haired woman advised.

"I don't mind finding a replacement," Bianca replied, her voice dangerously flat.

"Really? Well, that's... unusual. You rarely react to anything," the woman noted, turning to the bald lady, who gave an interested nod.

"I don't know," Bianca said, pulling the string taut until the arrow tip barely wobbled. "Something about him just infuriates me."

[According to the analysis, the seal works by reversing your body's flow of mana, which causes an immediate halt. Reversing mana flow is not a voluntary action for a normal person. As long as you remain within this sealed circle, the effect will hold.]

'Good. That means I can use reverse mana flow, right?' Eliot asked Nedia internally.

[Technically, yes. But... using mana by reversing the flow is actively killing you. You are aware of that, aren't you?]

'I know. But I'm going to kill her first.'

[That is an excessively aggressive response. Why this sudden, intense anger?]

"Why wouldn't I be angry?! Why is—Wait." Eliot blinked. The intense, burning hatred that had been clouding his vision instantly vanished, leaving only a clinical sense of violation. 'You're right. Why was I so angry?'

[...That's strange.]

'What happened?'

[I'm afraid I don't know. There's a high probability the system is keeping me in the dark about this, perhaps because it doesn't want you to know.]

Nedia suggested this, but Eliot already had a suspicion about the cause: the Merge.

"Don't shoot him, Bianca. We have no time left to waste," the black-haired young man said, finally finished tying up the new victims.

"Sighs, Can't I just keep him?" the green-haired woman asked.

"Haven't you had enough fun with him already?" the bald woman countered, arms folded, then turned to Bianca. "Let's go. Those... things will be here soon."

Bianca finally exhaled, letting her hand drop slightly, but she continued staring at Eliot.

'What did she mean, "had fun with me"?'

[She... well, I don't think you want to hear this.]

'Tell me.'

[Okay. The thing is, while you were unconscious, the lady with the green hair might have attempted sexual assault.]

'attempted?'

[Yes. Her blonde companion intervened and stopped her.]

'And if he hadn't? You would have just watched?'

[It was not a lethal threat. My parameters prohibited intervention. Besides, I calculated no permanent harm would be done even if she did so.]

'I AM NOT A PAWN, NEDIA. I WILL NOT BE USED BY ANYONE.'

[....,]

Eliot's eyes briefly shifted to the woman, who gave him a sultry smile and a small wave. He closed his eyes, a deadly calmness setting in.

'She will pay for that. They will all pay,' he resolved.

Just as Bianca began to turn away, Eliot spoke, his voice clear. "What happened to your face? Too ashamed to show it?"

[What are you doing? She could genuinely kill you now.]

'She won't. I've figured out a way to escape... and kill them all in the process.'

[What way?]

'Just watch.'

"What did you say?" Bianca spun back, her body language turning menacing.

'For curiosity's sake, why are my words affecting her so much when she seems emotionally detached?'

[It's a passive benefit of your bloodline. You'll find out about it soon enough.]

Eliot smiled mockingly. "I said... you remind me of someone who wears a mask to conceal an unsightly appearance. Just wondering if you share the same problem." He gave her a condescending stare, hoping to push her over the edge. 'Come on, take the bait.'

"How... DARE YOU?!" She pulled the bowstring back, completely taut.

"BIANCA, WAIT!" the black-haired man yelled.

She didn't hesitate.

THWACK!

The arrow shot through his abdomen. In the next instant, Eliot forcefully channeled a surge of mana through his body. The seal immediately reversed the flow, forcing a brutal reaction.

One moment, he was tied up; the next, he wasn't. He materialized instantly behind Bianca, gripping her by the throat. The same arrow she had fired was now pressed against her neck, its point poised and already drawing a thin line of crimson.

"W-what was that?" The three captors appeared completely shocked by the sudden development, especially the green-haired woman, who knew this escape shouldn't be possible.

"Don't move, or she dies," Eliot said calmly, utterly ignoring the blood loss from the hole in his stomach.

[You have barely two minutes before your body completely breaks down from the reversed mana flow. Make it quick.]

Acknowledging Nedia's warning, he instantly linked his mana with Annabelle and summoned two colossal fireballs, each five times the size of his head.

"WAIT, NO!" Realizing the immediate danger, the captors lunged, trying to stop him, but it was too late.

KABOOM!

With controlled detonation, the force of the blast and the subsequent torrent of fire erupted directly toward the group. The sheer force of the explosion pushed Eliot back a few steps.

"I don't need two minutes. One's enough," he stated, then ruthlessly stabbed the arrow through Bianca's neck, kicking her body away.

He then made a run for it.

[Where to now?]

"The Main World."

[You know where that is?]

"No. I have a theory." He stopped after running a short distance, holding another arrow he had snatched from Bianca's quiver before he kicked her aside.

[What are you going to do with that?]

"Kill myself," he said.

[What?!]

"Don't worry. It has to work."

[If it doesn't—]

He fell silent for a beat, then finally spoke, his eyes hard with conviction.

"It will." With that, he plunged the arrow straight into his throat.

[ELIOT!]

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