episode_0178

Crackle…!

The broken bones were re-aligned, and the ruptured organs returned to their original positions.

The swelling in the swollen face subsided, and the broken teeth returned as if nothing had happened.

However, strangely enough, unlike the ‘revivals’ up to now, the speed was clearly slower.

When he died for the first time, he was resurrected in the blink of an eye.

When he died for the second time, there was a slight delay compared to the first time.

And in this third resurrection, the speed clearly slowed down to the point where the restoration process could be seen with the naked eye.

And when No. 13’s body was about half restored, even that restoration stopped.

He barely managed to pull out the bullet that had been lodged in his body, and some of the broken bones were fixed.

However, the bruises etched here and there still remained.

The double nosebleed and the face that seemed to be struggling with the pain of the flesh remained the same.

‘Magic depletion.’

A special power that makes an Awakened one not an ordinary person, but some kind of superhuman.

It was different from anything that mankind had ever dealt with, and above all, it was a special energy that could not be obtained unless it was bestowed by the constellations.

That energy was completely exhausted with repeated resurrections.

No. 13, who had become like this, was no different from an ordinary human.

In addition, he was in a half-dead state, barely clinging to life.

In this state, No. 13 could no longer resist, no matter what he did.

Confirming that he was completely incapacitated and no longer a threat, Spade turned his gaze to Apple as if he had finished his work.

“Is it… done?”

Only after seeing Spade nodding did Apple finally relax and lower his gun.

Completely incapacitated, No. 13 was dangling in the air, his collar grabbed by Spade’s two hands.

It seemed that he had lost consciousness, probably because the resurrection was delayed.

At one point, it seemed like something might happen, but fortunately, everything seemed to have gone well.

All that remained was to leave him as he was, or to drag him away and hypnotize him again.

“I told you, it would have been better if you had listened to me before you got hurt.”

A desperate struggle in which hands were sweating.

Perhaps it was because the tense battle, the outcome of which seemed unpredictable, had ended before his eyes.

Apple muttered in a slightly relieved voice.

And in that moment, a gap was created.

No. 13, who seemed to have no strength left to resist, suddenly raised his arm quickly as if bouncing back.

“?!”

“……!”

Both Apple and Spade were startled and stiffened for a moment.

The hand, raised quickly as if to catch them off guard, flew as if aiming precisely for Spade’s face.

Spade, who had judged that he would no longer resist, had not anticipated the attack, and as a result, his reaction was delayed by a beat.

However, his blow, with his magic completely depleted, was still not a threat. Thinking that, Spade did not bother to avoid it and took the hand to his face.

He could take one hit——or so he thought.

Whoosh

“……?”

Instead of hitting Spade’s face, No. 13’s hands gently touched his cheeks, as if to caress them.

With Spade grabbing his collar, he forced Spade to raise his head.

Apple sensed some danger for a moment, unsure what that meant or what his intention was.

“Cough, cough… Spad, e…!”

“Spade! Hurry and get that man──”

Apple shouted, but No. 13 was one step faster.

“『Close Spade’s back door. I release you!!』”

* * *

Aria’s precognition and prophetic abilities are very convenient and amazing.

The location of the 『Lesserat』 base, Apple’s plan, and which building Apple was in and which street she should go to to arrive in the shortest amount of time were all known thanks to Aria’s precognitive abilities.

But even that precognition is not omnipotent.

I don’t want to talk about some kind of paradox, like how the future changed because I knew about it in advance.

Or the parallel world theory, or anything like that.

It’s simply that you can’t see all futures.

Seeing the future is a big burden, and it seems to be too much for even a strong Awakened one.

Aria had foreseen most of the information needed for this operation, but there were still holes that she had not yet discovered.

For example, how powerful Delta is.

How long it would take for Rahel and Delta to fight.

The same goes for the Apple capture operation.

As Aria foresaw, if they all ambushed Apple together according to the usual plan, she would either be missed or someone would be injured to the point of death.

It’s hard to know how that happens.

They say that attacking in large numbers stimulates Spade, or that she becomes even stronger in a corner and becomes unstoppable, but you can’t know unless you’ve seen it for yourself.

So, they changed the plan and devised a way to capture Apple, but most of the methods inevitably involved someone’s sacrifice or Apple being missed, so they had no choice but to give up.

And after precognizing the future based on a dozen or so other means, Aria collapsed.

As mentioned, the power of precognition must have been too much of a burden.

No. 13 didn’t even intend to push Aria that far. It’s just that Aria didn’t say anything.

No. 13 may be a villain, but he’s not a villain, he’s just human garbage if he overworks a woman who wants to help him to that point.

So, there was only one thing.

Among the means Aria had foreseen, there was only one method in which no one was sacrificed.

He wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do, but since she said it was the only means available, he had no other choice.

Perhaps there was a smarter and better way, but he couldn’t ask Aria to foresee any more than that.

* * *

Wham.

No. 13’s body fell to the floor as if it had been thrown.

Spade was still standing in front of No. 13.

For some reason, she had her eyes wide open and was blankly looking down at No. 13, her hand, which had been grabbing No. 13’s collar until just now, open.

“……Wh, at…?”

It was Apple who asked the question, approaching the two.

Apple did not know what the words No. 13 had shouted a moment ago meant.

“Spad, e…?”

Apple called Spade’s name. But there was no reply as expected.

“Spade… Teacher-nim…?”

She called again. This time, there was a reaction.

Shoulders twitched, and Spade’s neck turned awkwardly like a broken doll, facing Apple.

“…………………………….”

Apple flinched and took a step back at the look in her eyes.

The eerie eyes, as if they would suck her in, gave her an ominous feeling, like a bomb with a fuse lit.

Spade, with a blank, strange atmosphere, opened and closed her mouth several times, as if trying to say something, then repeatedly closed her mouth again.

And after a while.

She frowned and pursed her lips tightly, then turned back to No. 13.

“…You…you bastard…!!”

The air vibrated.

The magic emanating from Spade made the air slowly vibrate and tremble.

Apple could feel the wind slowly gathering and swirling in the hallway, where not a single window was open.

Red magic that could be seen with the naked eye began to engulf Spade’s body and burn.

“Spade…Spade-ssi! Spade-ssi?!”

Spade only glanced at Apple’s desperate cries, but there was no further reaction.

And Spade, emitting magic with anger, only looked down at No. 13, her red eyes shining menacingly with magic.

No. 13, sitting on the floor, responded to that gaze with a stiff smile.

“Ha, haha… Spade, how much do you remember?”

“Everything.”

“……That’s a big problem.”

Spade kicked the chin of No. 13, who spoke nonchalantly, without mercy.

With a loud thud! No. 13 fell backwards as his neck twisted strangely.

Spade’s gaze, having dealt with No. 13, now turned to Apple next to her.

Her eyes were burning with anger.

‘…Big, problem….’

‘Big problem, big problem, big problem, big problem, big problem, big problem!!’

No. 13’s last resort, prepared for self-destruction.

With Spade, who was not only freed from No. 13’s control but also completely free from Apple’s hypnosis, in front of her, Apple hardened her expression and stepped back.

A gun without bullets is meaningless.

Apple barely regained her composure and realized that fact, and threw the gun on the floor.

And instead, as if to replace it, she took out the last weapon hidden in her bosom, a jackknife, and pointed the blade at Spade.

“Th, that’s enough! Wait a minute, wait, Spade-ssi! Just a minute! Please hear me out!”

“…….”

“Stop…I said stop there!!”

Although it’s just a small knife in her hand, it’s still a sharp blade with sufficient killing power.

Apple urgently shouted, brandishing the weapon that would have stopped an ordinary person, even for a moment, with a flinch.

Just a moment.

Just stop her for a moment.

If she had just a little bit of time, Apple might be able to hypnotize the other person enough before they noticed.

So just a moment.

Just a moment, if there’s time…!

“Apple.”

“Spade-ssi, I, just a minute…!”

“If you don’t want it to hurt, relax.”

Wham!!

“……Cough…?”

But unfortunately.

This level of weapon wasn’t enough to stop Spade, even for a moment.

Apple’s body bent into a ‘L’ shape as she vomited gastric juices at Spade’s fist, which came closer without hesitation and slammed into her solar plexus, and she collapsed to the floor with a thud.

“Ah……….”

Apple’s eyes rolled as she fell to the floor.

Apple’s vision and consciousness were instantly dyed black….