Free Web Novel"I was just out shopping."
Pavela said as she slowly walked forward.
"The weather was lovely today, the sun was warm, and the candy was sweet. My friends were discussing dresses and hairbands. For the first time, I felt that—perhaps a peaceful life isn't so bad."
Her footsteps were light, making almost no sound.
But every step felt as if she were treading on Gerz's heart.
"And then—"
She stopped and tilted her head.
Those scarlet eyes stared straight at Marian.
"Boom."
She uttered the onomatopoeia in an almost cheerful tone.
"The glass of the candy shop shattered. People were screaming. People were bleeding. My friends' faces turned pale with fright."
She took another step forward.
"So, I am very angry now."
Her voice was still soft and gentle when she spoke the word 'angry'.
But Gerz felt it.
It wasn't anger.
It was—
The abyss.
...
--【Warning】--
--【main personality stability continues to drop: 64%... 62%...】--
--【Abnormal emotional fluctuations detected】--
--【Path of the Tower erosion intensifying】--
--【Recommendation: Immediately disengage from the combat environment】--
Pavela heard the cold voice in her mind.
But she chose to ignore it.
Because at this moment, her attention was entirely focused on the five people before her.
Five targets.
Her brain was automatically performing an analysis—as natural as breathing, as if she were born to do it.
The leading woman. In her thirties, well-proportioned build, stable stance, center of gravity leaning slightly forward.
Her right hand was reaching for her waist—there should be a weapon there.
Her eyes were calm, without panic.
An experienced one.
The bearded giant.
Burly, muscular, but his movements were somewhat stiff.
His right hand already gripped the pistol's handle, but his index finger had not yet reached the trigger.
Former military, but retired for some time. Medium reaction speed.
The young man.
Early twenties, tall and thin, still fiddling with a metal box in his hands—it should be some kind of detonator.
Neurotic, fingers trembling slightly. The weakest one.
And one more—
Pavela's gaze swept across the room.
In the corner, a petite woman was crouching behind a pile of equipment.
She held a revolver, the muzzle pointed directly at Pavela.
She thought she was well-hidden.
But Pavela had noticed her the moment she entered—the angle of the shadow in that spot was wrong.
Five targets.
Four of them possessed combat capabilities.
Three of them were preparing to strike.
The corners of Pavela's mouth curled up slightly.
This feeling—
It was very familiar.
Like being back on the battlefield.
No.
Simpler than a battlefield.
Because these people—
Were too weak.
...
"Fire!"
Marian screamed and drew her pistol.
Her movements were fast—the marksmanship training she once received at the Ordnance Department made her draw speed far exceed that of an ordinary person.
From drawing to aiming, it took less than a second.
This speed was enough to seize the initiative in any street conflict.
But—
The spot her muzzle was aimed at was already empty.
"Wha—"
Before she could finish, a silver afterimage flashed past the edge of her vision.
Then came a surge of sharp pain.
Her pistol went flying—along with half of her sleeve and a wound deep enough to see the bone.
"Ah—!"
Marian screamed and staggered back, crashing into the wall behind her.
At the same time, Gerz moved.
He was the most battle-hardened of the group—having served in the Imperial Army for twelve years, participated in three border conflicts, and killed more people than most soldiers see in a lifetime.
His reaction speed was fast.
Just as Marian fired, he had already raised his own pistol and pulled the trigger at the silver afterimage.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three bullets.
Point-blank range.
Fan-shaped coverage.
This was a tactic he had used countless times on the battlefield—not seeking precision, but coverage. At this range, no one could evade the crossfire of three bullets.
But—
All his bullets hit the wall.
That girl.
That seemingly frail noble miss.
She wove through the bullets in a way that completely defied physics.
Not evading.
Weaving through.
As if she could foresee the trajectory of every single bullet.
"Impossible—"
Gerz's eyes widened.
Then he saw those eyes.
Scarlet eyes.
Right in front of him.
Mere inches away.
"Your marksmanship is good,"
the girl whispered, her tone like she was praising a student.
"A pity—"
A cold gleam flashed.
Gerz looked down and saw a deep wound on his right wrist.
The tendon had been severed.
His fingers loosened involuntarily, and the pistol fell to the floor.
"—too slow."
The girl's voice continued.
But her figure was no longer in its original position.
...
Pavela's consciousness was split in two at this moment.
One half was fighting.
Calm, efficient, and precise.
Analyzing the enemies' movements, predicting their attack trajectories, seeking the shortest path, minimal exertion, and the cleanest resolution.
The other half—
Was battling that surge of rage.
It was a boiling emotion rising from the depths of her heart, nearly consuming her.
It was clamoring.
It was roaring.
It wanted her to tear these people to shreds.
Not to knock them down.
Not to subdue them.
To tear them apart.
To destroy them.
To thoroughly and completely erase them from this world.
—Kill them.
That voice echoed in her mind.
It wasn't °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the system's voice.
It was her own voice.
Or rather, the voice of some'self' she didn't recognize.
—They ruined everything.
—They don't deserve to live.
—Kill them.
Pavela gritted her teeth.
No.
That's not right.
A severely wounded person affects the enemy more than a dead one.
Keeping them alive for now is the correct choice.
At least get the information out of them first.
—Kill them immediately!!
That voice grew even louder.
Pavela felt her consciousness trembling.
That rage was like a caged beast, frantically battering against its bars.
--【Warning】--
--【main personality stability: 59%】--
In the corner, the petite woman finally fired.
She had been waiting for an opportunity.
Waiting for the moment the girl revealed a weakness.
She was the best shot of the group—a former Imperial Sniper with seventeen confirmed kills on the battlefield.
Her timing was excellent.
The girl had just dealt with Gerz, her body at the end of a movement, her momentum making it impossible to change direction immediately.
It was the only chance.
"Bang!"
One shot.
A direct hit—
No.
It wasn't.
Her bullet struck only the afterimage of a skirt's hem.
"Wha—"
Before she could finish, a sharp pain shot from her wrist.
She looked down—
Her pistol was gone.
Her right hand was gone too.
No.
It wasn't gone.
It just—couldn't move.
The girl had appeared before her at some unknown moment, a foot stomping on her wrist with enough force to make the bones creak.
"You were well-hidden,"
the girl looked down at her, her voice still very gentle.
"But that spot where you hid—the shadow's angle was wrong. I saw you the moment I walked in."
The petite woman opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But in the next second—
*Crack.*
A crisp sound of bone fracturing.
Her consciousness plunged into darkness.
...
The entire battle lasted less than ten seconds.
Pavela stood in the center of the basement, surrounded by four people who had lost the ability to fight.
The giant Gerz clutched his broken wrist, curled up in the corner, his face deathly pale.
The leading woman, Marian, leaned against the wall, the wound on her right arm still seeping blood.
The petite woman in the corner was unresponsive, her fate unknown. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
The gatekeeper called "Jorgen" still lay where he fell, his groans growing weaker.
Only—
Only two people were missing.
Pavela frowned.
The young man.
And—
Who else was there?
She thought back.
While she was dealing with Gerz, the young man had fled through the back door clutching the metal box.
And while she was dealing with the petite woman, someone else—someone she hadn't noticed before—had also fled.
Two people.
Toward the back door.
Pavela looked down at the four people lying on the floor.
They were no longer a threat.
They would pose no further danger.
They could be left for the Gendarmerie to handle.
But those two—
That young man clutching the metal box—
It was a detonator.
If he got away—
—Chase them.
That voice rang in her mind once more.
—Kill them.
—Don't let any prey escape.
—Chase them.
—Chase them.
—Chase them.
This time, Pavela did not argue.
Because this time, she found she had no reason to.
The young man had a detonator.
If he escaped, he might detonate other bombs.
More people would die.
More...
No.
That wasn't it.
She knew that wasn't the real reason.
The real reason was—
She wanted to chase them.
She wanted to catch them.
She wanted—
...
Pavela's steps had already crossed the back door.
In the back alley, two figures were fleeing in panic, running frantically.
Pavela watched their retreating backs.
The corners of her mouth slowly, slowly curled upward.
And then—
She gave chase.
...
--【Warning】--
--【main personality stability dropping sharply: 55%... 52%... 48%...】--
--【Path of the Tower erosion has entered the danger threshold】--
--【Current Sequence: V】--
--【host behavior pattern deviating from normal parameters】--
--【Recommendation: Forcefully activate Sedation Protocol】--
--【Sedation Protocol rejected by the host's will】--
--【...】--
