Free Web NovelPavela looked at the woman in front of her and frowned.
Her dagger had been deflected.
This made her very unhappy. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
It should have been a one-hit kill.
The trajectory was precise, the force appropriate, aimed straight for the target's heart—if it hit, that person would lose consciousness within a second and die within three. Clean, efficient, leaving no trace.
But this woman just had to interfere.
Pavela's gaze fell on the other's epaulettes.
Golden decorations, complex patterns, with a hexagram in the center.
Major General.
Three ranks higher than Eleanor.
Pavela's frown deepened.
—Stop.
The voice of reason echoed in her mind.
—The opponent is not an enemy.
—The target you were hunting has already lost the ability to resist.
—There is no need to continue.
—Stop.
Yes.
She should stop.
The man clutching the metal box had already collapsed on the police station steps, pinned down firmly by several officers. The other person was also kneeling on the ground, trembling all over, without even the strength left to run away.
The goal had been achieved.
There was no reason to keep fighting.
Pavela took a deep breath.
Fine.
Calm down.
Turn around and leave.
Go back and find Eleanor.
Let her take me home.
Take a bath.
Get some sleep.
Tomorrow is a new day.
Her feet stepped back slightly, preparing to turn—
"Little girl."
The Officer Woman spoke.
Her voice carried a hint of playfulness.
"Your eyes are very interesting."
Pavela did not respond.
She just looked at the other woman, waiting for her to continue.
"However—"
Before the woman's words could land, her figure had already moved.
Fast.
Extremely fast.
Fast as a bolt of lightning.
Pavela's pupils suddenly constricted.
The opponent's combat knife was already in front of her—the blade slashed horizontally, targeting her right shoulder. It wasn't a vital spot; she wanted to subdue her.
Pavela's body reacted instinctively, leaning backward; the combat knife grazed her shoulder, cutting a shallow wound.
Blood seeped out.
Pain arrived.
And then—
In Pavela's brain, a certain string snapped.
...
--【Warning】--
--【Intense emotional fluctuations detected】--
--main personality stability dropping sharply: 41%...35%...28%...】--
--【Warning: Rationality suppression mechanism is collapsing】--
--Path of the Tower erosion breaking through critical threshold】--
--【Warning—】--
...
She is attacking me.
This thought was like a spark falling ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) into a field of dry grass.
She is attacking me.
I clearly intended to stop. freēwebnovel.com
I clearly intended to leave.
I clearly already—
—What right does she have?!
Flames surged.
The rational voice in Pavela's mind was drowned out.
Those thoughts about 'calm', 'restraint', and 'no necessity' were burned to ashes in an instant.
Replacing them was a scalding, boiling anger that nearly tore her chest apart.
—What right does she have to attack me?
—What right does she have to look at me with that condescending gaze?
—What right does she have to think she can'subdue' me?
—What does she take me for?
—An object she can manipulate at will?
—What right does she have?!
In Pavela's eyes, that hint of light grayish-blue that had just partially recovered was being swallowed by crimson.
It wasn't a gradient.
It was an overlay.
It was an erosion.
It was a complete, total, unreserved—
Occupation.
The little bit of rationality, the little bit of control she had just struggled to reclaim, collapsed completely at this moment.
Like a dam being breached by a flood.
Like an iron gate being smashed open by a beast.
The beast imprisoned within her body—
Finally broke free from its chains.
...
—!
The Officer Woman's expression changed slightly.
Because she saw Pavela's eyes.
A second ago, they were eyes filled with anger but still retaining rationality.
Now—
They were pure crimson eyes burning with the desire for destruction.
There was no rationality in them.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Only—
Killing intent.
Pure, undisguised, overwhelming killing intent.
"That's more like it."
The Officer Woman whispered, tightening her grip on her combat knife.
"Let it all out—"
She hadn't finished speaking.
Pavela had already moved.
Her movements now were completely different from before.
Before, she was like a cheetah—elegant, swift, lethal.
Now—
She was like a wolf.
A hungry, crazed wolf that did not fear death.
She didn't try to dodge the combat knife.
She charged straight ahead.
The Officer Woman slashed her knife toward Pavela's lower leg—she wanted to disable the girl's mobility.
But Pavela's response was completely beyond her expectations.
Pavela jumped.
Not backward.
Forward.
Her entire body slammed into the Officer Woman like a cannonball, completely ignoring the knife that could have severed her legs.
...!
The Officer Woman was forced to abort her attack and sidestep.
But Pavela's left hand had already grabbed her collar.
The next second—
Thud!
Pavela's forehead slammed violently into the bridge of her nose.
A headbutt.
One of the most savage, crude, and effective moves in a street fight.
The Officer Woman's body jerked back, nosebleed splattering.
But her reactions were lightning fast—her combat knife slashed upward with a backhand, aiming straight for Pavela's abdomen.
If this strike hit, Pavela's intestines would be spilled out.
Pavela didn't dodge.
She used her left arm to block the blade by force.
The blade cut into the flesh, severed muscle fibers, and nearly reached the bone.
Yet it was forcibly stopped.
Blood gushed out.
But Pavela's right fist had already smashed toward the Officer Woman's temple.
The Officer Woman had to let go of her knife to parry the punch.
Bang!
The fist collided with her forearm, the force so great that the Officer Woman's body slid back half a step.
The two finally separated.
Pavela's left arm was dripping blood, the wound deep enough to see the bone.
The Officer Woman's nose was still bleeding, and her arms were slightly numb.
She looked at the blood-covered girl in front of her, her gaze finally becoming serious.
She whispered.
"Your fighting style... is not at all what an Imperial Noble should be learning."
Pavela did not respond.
She pulled out the combat knife from her left arm.
Then, she charged forward once again.
