Keres stopped in his tracks. If only he could reach his sword.
He knew it wouldn't change much. But having a weapon would at least give him more confidence.
"Won't change a thing, you know." Crescencia said, as if she had seen right through him.
She nudged the blade with her boot and sent it skidding across the snow toward him.
"…" Keres stared at it where it landed.
As much as it pained him, she was right.
But when he thought about it, it was strange that she hadn't attacked him yet.
"… are you the one they call 'the Apostle of Indigo?'" He asked in a cautious tone.
"Hmm?" Crescencia tilted her head, showing a faint smile. "What if I am?"
"I see," He shifted his foot and his sword flipped into the air. "Then you're going to tell me where Lizzie and the others are."
He took a step forward, his sword pointed low to his rear left and his right hand placed calmly by his side.
"Pfft." Crescencia chuckled, concealing the rest of her laughter with one hand. "Sorry, I wanted to play along. But you got so serious. Almost had me scared for a sec."
And following a short silence Keres asked, confused. "So you don't know about Lizzie then?"
"Never heard of em." She shrugged with one shoulder. "Look, I'm not one of the *Seven Stars* as you think. I'm just someone sent here to bring you back to the Incessium."
"Then that means… you're not here to kill me?"
"Kill you? Naah, that's the executioner's job," she waved him off casually. "But make no mistake, you're carrying around a pretty rotten smell, so if I consider you threatening to my life at any point, I'm gonna cut you down."
Keres released a soft breath, a gust of white swirling in the air. There was no use resisting.
If only he could contact Milan to—
*Wait.*
Maybe… just maybe that push wasn't out of malice. Maybe Milan was trying to keep him away from this woman.
If that were the case, had something happened to her?
"Fine," He sighed. "I'll go with you."
"Really? That easily?" Crescencia blinked, brow furrowed.
Keres shrugged.
"Do you even know what the Incessium is? You're going to get—"
"Killed?" Keres cut in. "It's either I die now or I die later. And I'm choosing later. That's all there is to it."
Crescencia pouted. "That's so boring…"
Silence followed. Until a sudden spark lit up her face.
"Ah! How about we play a game instead?"
"A game?" Keres asked, puzzled.
"Uh-huh. If you win I'm gonna grant you one request. Anything you ask."
"Anything?" His brows rose and Crescencia gave an enthusiastic nod.
"And what if I lose?"
"Hmmm, then I'm gonna take you in… I guess," Crescencia stroked her chin. "Oh, and you have to tell me where I can find Miss Clone." She added.
Keres had no idea what she was really after. But if she kept her word, maybe he could ask for his freedom… or for her help finding Lizzie.
"So what are the conditions of this game?"
"Pretty simple. I'm gonna let you hit me once," she raised one finger. "And if you manage to hurt me, even a little bit, then you win."
Keres narrowed his eyes. It only made sense for her to propose something this reckless if she wanted something from him and was entirely confident she'd win.
But the whereabouts of whoever she was looking for felt like an afterthought. Also, with how powerful she seemed, there were dozens of easier ways she could force the answers from him. None of it added up.
"So, you in?" She asked. And Keres immediately released his sword.
"I don't know what your true aim is. But all I have to do is hurt you in one attempt, right?" Keres asked and Crescencia nodded with a grin. "Just don't go back on your word later." The teenager said, lunging sideways into a stretch.
He began walking towards her.
Crescencia tilted her head.
"You're not going to use your sword?"
"There'd be no one left to grant my request if you were to die from my attack."
A puzzled look creased her face. But before she could process and respond to what he'd said, Keres had pushed off the ground.
A sudden crackle resounded as he spun mid air like a breathing windmill. And then—
WHAM—!
The brutal impact echoed, scattering tiny metallic sparks from the contact point—the right side of Crescencia's temple.
Something cracked, ringing out like a concrete wall struck by a bullet.
Yet what followed wasn't the silver slayer's collapse, but a thunderous yell as Keres crashed into the rough earth.
"—gghh!!" He clutched his foot, rolling across the snow. "Fuck!—it hurts!" He skidded to a stop on his back, his face twisted in pain.
Crescencia was unscathed.
She gazed down at his broken foot, her face unreadable. His ankle was twisted grotesquely, toes facing an angle they weren't supposed to. A beyond disturbing sight to any pair of eyes that saw it. Just not Crescencia's.
Her eyes turned starry.
"You… how did you do that?" She asked.
However Keres didn't respond.
The pain was too much. He hadn't heard a word she said.
"That was so cool!" Crescencia chirped, pacing in a circle with one hand stroking her chin. "Wonder if I can do it too?"
Suddenly, she jumped off her feet, attempting to twist mid air—to imitate Keres' movements but she failed, crashing hard into the ground, shoulder-first.
"No! That's not it." She rose to her feet and dusted her clothes before trying again.
Her second attempt was even worse than the first. She barely got off the ground. No height, no spin, just an awkward flail before she toppled back down.
"Damn it!" She groaned.
It wasn't until after another crash in her third attempt that she realized she couldn't pull it off.
"Ughh, damn it!" She slammed her fist against her thigh, her knees sinking deep into the snow. "How do you even move like that?" Her voice cracked with frustration.
Meanwhile Keres' agony remained. He tried to stand but collapsed again. His foot couldn't hold. And another surge of pain exploded through, forcing him to draw every breath through clenched teeth.
Crescencia sighed. "What were you thinking, rushing into an attack like that?"
"I was gonna tell you about my Phantom Skin. But now you've gone and blown away your only chance to get away." She added, shaking her head sideways.
The way she spoke, it was almost as if she wanted him to escape. However, Keres had bigger problems than figuring out what her motives were.
"Fine, okay?" He snapped. "You win. Is that what you want—argggh fuck!—"
He squeezed his eyes shut, his breath coming out in ragged bursts as he tried to hold in the pain.
"It wouldn't kill you to help me out here, you know?"
"Me?" Crescencia blinked. "What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know! Maybe use some chakra magic trick or something." Keres retorted. "You'd have to carry me all the way back to the capital if we don't fix this."
Crescencia pouted her lips, mumbling. "We? I'm not even at fault for this."
She stepped towards Keres and said. "Fine, let me see."
Keres extended his leg. He had forced his boot off, revealing skin glistening red like it had just come out of boiling water, his bare bone nearly punching through.
He grimaced as Crescencia suddenly put her hands around his ankle. "Wh-what are you—"
—*CRACK!*
Keres let out a scream so loud, it tore through the skies, shattering the glass walls of heaven.
"All done." Crescencia said, casually dusting her hands. "Can you get up?"
Keres didn't answer. He writhed, groaning in pain. As if every nerve in his body had been set ablaze. And somewhere in that suffering, it finally sank in.
This woman was a complete nutcase.
Crescencia offered him a hand. He didn't take it.
Instead, as if he had reached a newfound enlightment, he began crawling away, dragging himself across the dirt.
"Huh? What are you doing?" Crescencia asked, confused. "You're going to make it—" And then her words died in her throat.
Something was off. An unnatural shift cut through the air.
The cool breeze vanished, replaced by an oppressive chillness crawling up her spine.
She glanced at Keres but he was no threat. Not in this state.
But her instincts kicked in, prompting her to turn to her right.
There was something there. Past a line of cliffs—jagged like the broken teeth of a wounded beast.
A jade flicker, streaking through the sky like a falling star.
But it was no star. It emitted free chakra, a living person.
She squinted to get a clearer view. And then she spotted him—an archer descending with terrifying grace.
His bow was drawn, his arrowhead shimmering with a frightening jade, ready for blood.
Weird.
He was far away. Yet, something gnawed at her consciousness. Almost as if the fashioned arrow had already pierced through…
My chest? Her breath hitched.
And then, Keres' voice suddenly rang out.
"You made the wrong turn, idiot."
She snapped her attention to him, but it was already too late.
A devastating wave of heat blasted her back with merciless force.
There was no noise—no scream. Just the sharp scent of the raging, but precise flame that tore through the air, peeling her feet off the ground.
And then a mild explosion of smoke and dust by the ridge where her remains had possibly landed.