Chapter 74: The Coliseum’s Gate

Curiosity was in the woman’s eyes instead of fear, prompting Rachel to hold her hands behind her back and begin circling the table. Relica moved the opposite way, the anticipation and razor’s edge of combat caressing Rachel’s lips, yet she knew that was just what her opponent wanted.

"Brave... Insane?" Rachel mocked, casually picking up the radio with one hand to hold the antenna against her chin. "Haha! How pretentious and pathetic. I actually expected a lot more from such a big-name terrorist."

"Well, that’s rather rude. I’m being nice!" Relica huffed, a pout coming on as her arms crossed exaggeratedly. "I thought I could be a bitch, but what’s with that smirk? Do you think you’ve figured me out after only two short exchanges?"

Striking at the woman’s pride was meaningless since she didn’t have any. Rachel had met all sorts of people on the street, in school, and in the ring when it came to fighting.

Her heart thumped with anticipation, hearing Selvaria exit the waters behind the hotel. Adrenaline made her tail stiffen, and her ears twitch; her bestial senses were on high alert, telling her everything she needed to know.

Rachel gave her an incredulous stare. "Heh. What do you mean? You thought you were something special? You’re not that deep, babe. You’re the one that wanted to get in the cage with me, but you really didn’t want that. Isn’t that why you’re waiting for your knight to come save you?"

Relica clutched her stomach, her figure shaking with laughter. "You think I’m scared of you? Try me. I’m right here!" she huffed, stopping to shove the table out of the way and shatter the china across the road. "I’m wanted across the globe."

"And you’re afraid of little old me? I’d be flattered if that actually meant anything," Rachel dryly returned. "Are you trying to impress me? It’s sad."

"Eh-heh... Sad—me?" Relica’s mouth drew in, eyes practically daggers attempting to dig into her throat. "Do you have any idea the resources entire countries have put into seeking me out—for my talents or to see me dead? A single day in my five decades of accomplishments is worth more than your entire life!"

Rachel walked around the table, ignoring the cackling woman, and bent down to pick up a piece of the broken porcelain pot. "You’re real scary, huh?"

Slowly rising to her feet, Rachel twisted the sharp weapon around her fingers. Relica’s smug face returned, opening her arms to invite her to strike. Yet, Rachel only moved to circle the woman, porcelain in her left hand and radio in her right.

"You don’t care about any of the lives here. No one matters but what your obsessive, overdressed ass wants. And you wanted me. But not like this. You want to be in control."

"Haha. I am in control, sweetie," Relica chuckled, crossing her arms and taking a casual posture as the lunar-charged shark circled her. "I wanted to see what Adele saw in you, but I am the one disappointed. I thought we could become friends."

"Pfft!" Rachel leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Your friendship is as worthless as your false bravado."

Stepping away to glare at her, Relica hissed. "False bravado?! Who do you think you are? Some college hare kid that got lucky?"

"Am I lucky, or are you just unlucky to have met me?" Rachel teased, holding the sharp shard against her neck; each pulse of Relica’s pumping vein increased Rachel’s heartbeat. "Hah! But...you aren’t afraid of this..."

Rachel dropped the fragment to shatter at her feet, their twisted dance linking dozens of thoughts in her accelerated mind. Every twitch the woman made, the inflections in her voice, the emphasis on specific words, and the chemicals her body released painted a dazzling picture in her focused mind.

All of it was only the beginning of her craftwork, a hunger for more pushing Rachel forward as if locked in a sway of fate and destiny at play. The anticipation beating within her core unveiled more and more blood-quickening stimulation with every action.

Relica snorted. "You don’t have the balls!"

A sly tilt came to Rachel’s lips as her fingers deliberately, slowly, reached for the woman’s throat. Relica swallowed reflexively with her hand comfortably held against her windpipe. She wasn’t even sure what she was saying now; all she knew was the intoxicating hunger for equilibrium with the rush flooding through her breast.

[Level Up - Level 7]

[1 Stat Point Added; 1 Available]

[1 Equipable Feat Choice Added; 1 Available]

[Bringer of Misfortune - Advanced to C-tier]

[Strategic Mind - Advanced to S-tier]

[Mental Acceleration - Advanced to S-tier]

"Please, underestimate me," Rachel whispered, keeping the woman’s illuminated purple eyes fixated on hers. "Test your fate against mine and see the altar of misfortune. You think you’re merciless? You’re pathetic. Always hiding behind the lives of others. Weak. Did you think I wouldn’t know why you would meet me like this after all the hints?"

Fingernails carefully sliding down her skin, the spell broke, and Rachel shoved her back, causing the woman to trip and fall to her butt. "I’m not in the business of killing the innocent."

Bringing the radio to her mouth, Rachel leered down at the choking woman. Relica’s lungs were affected instead of her soul-linked victims since Rachel didn’t choke her; all it had taken was her fingers around the terrified woman’s throat to bypass the bond and bring back some intense, traumatic memory to do the work for her.

"Snipers, stand down. She’s tied her life to the hostages, possibly the children, and she’s too much of a coward not to have them on remote detonation if she’s captured."

Rachel’s ears and gaze shifted to the front entrance of the club as it opened, revealing a tall, muscular, grinning man, almost completely naked except for the tight short shorts he wore.

Relica forced a laugh, blinking her eyes and forcing herself up to try and regain some form of her shattered control. "Whatever...that was... Did you know what you were doing, I wonder? Are you a slave to misfortune, or its master? Fascinating."

Rachel couldn’t help but laugh when the woman took a step back as her wide eyes met hers. "You think you’ve won by buying time? I told you, please, underestimate me. Make no mistake, Relica, the ’fake’ are the first to perish at the stake. Despite all those lives guarding you... I can hear the fear in your voice and trembling muscles."

"I’m really not afraid, but, heh, whatever you say, dear," Relica giggled, the undertone giving her away as Rachel walked toward the man. "W-Where are you going?!"

Rachel’s grin gleamed in the street light. "There’s no other way. Victory always calls for sacrifice and blood. Something you know nothing of."

Relica doubled over with cackling laughter before her confidence was back in place. "You want to test fate? Very well! I can’t believe you’d just walk right into it. Test Conner, the blessed immortal in a true stadium worthy of your terror, then! How unlucky are you?"

Conner came to a stop a few meters away, wearing a perfect smile that reflected his Adonis-like figure; power emanated from his body as he gave her a courteous bow.

"Rachel, was it?" She held her head high and returned his grin as he went on. "Might I offer this cordial invite to fight and perish at the hand of a god?"

"Hehe. The way I see it, this is just as good a way as any to end your life," she laughed as he smashed the back of his fist against space, cracking it to show a portal to an opulent, massive, open coliseum.

"Shall we?"

"If you believe I bring misfortune, I’ll show you what it really means to summon apocalyptic scenarios. You’re already under my heel."

She looked to her right as an explosion of sound came from the back of a bank further up the road; Astra had guided Selvaria to her target. All that was left was for Scarlet to finish her mission.

Chaos erupted from Astra’s feed as Daran and some bomber ability user were spotted near the hospital. She wasn’t worried, though; victory was practically sealed in her heart.

Laughing, Rachel felt something feral rise up within her, similar to when she’d bathed in the light of the Azure Moon. And one devilish thought connected to Rachel’s mind as she turned her smirk to the unnerved terrorist.

"Wouldn’t it be a shame if your life-linking magic was purified? You should run."

She stepped through the gateway.