Those Who Live Without the Law

Chapter 225

Great Decisive Battle (4)Dana Watson had claimed victory against the black storm cloud. The storm cloud, split in half, failed to touch Dana Watson’s body and instead swept past both sides of her.

“Monster bitch.”

It was not something achievable with a human sword. She had swung her blade toward the torrential black cloud rushing at her, forcing it apart so it could never reach her.

“…”

Dana Watson faintly breathed while planting her greatsword into the ground. After landing, Kairus staggered toward her.

Angelene’s Answer could no longer produce output. The same was true for Veil of Plumed Mist. After helping Kairus land moments ago, its power had been completely exhausted and it could no longer release the sound of its turbines.

“Can you still lift your sword?”

At Kairus’s question, Dana Watson let out a faint laugh before spitting out several teeth.

“It’s your victory.”

Dana Watson could no longer raise her sword. Kairus could still move his.

Only once, perhaps, and it would amount to nothing more than a crude thrust where he threw his body on top of his opponent’s.

Even so, Kairus Featherwing would still move his sword, but Dana Watson no longer had enough strength left to attempt even such a pathetic dog-like struggle.

A thrust attempted by throwing one’s entire body forward as if collapsing onto the opponent. Kairus quietly looked at Dana Watson before speaking.

“If it hadn’t been a greatsword, you might have had a chance too.”

Angelene’s Answer was heavy because it was a greatsword, while Veil of Plumed Mist was relatively light. The gap between the two was so negligible that such a ridiculous factor was enough to decide life and death.

“Don’t… talk shit. Th-this greatsword… brought me… so much… glory.”

Dana Watson had no intention of blaming her weapon.

“Captain of the Scarlet Leaf Order Dana Watson. Discharged.”

Dana Watson blankly stared at Kairus, then noticed the setting sun and laughed while squeezing the air out of her lungs.

“Ah, right. It’s evening.”

Kairus approached until he stood right before her and leaned his body toward hers. Slowly, the tip of his blade pierced Dana’s heart.

“For the Empire. I pray for your failure.”

At Dana Watson’s final words as she closed her eyes, Kairus grinned before losing consciousness.

“Fuck off.”

The fact that Dana Watson failed to stop Kairus meant there was now no one left in the Empire capable of stopping him.

Her breathing had stopped, so Dana Watson could not answer Kairus’s words. Even if, by some chance, she could have answered, it would not have mattered.

Because Kairus had collapsed unconscious as well, unable to return any reply.

“Is it… over?”

Then several people entered the basin where only the unconscious Kairus and Irena, along with the dead Dana Watson, remained.

“Remember this. Confirming who’s alive comes first.”

They were people sent by the Rose Garden. The orders Cecilia had given them were simple.

[Confirm who won this battle.]

[If Kairus and Irena won, administer emergency treatment to both immediately.]

[Afterward, transport them to a hospital and make sure they survive no matter what.]

While the people who arrived at the basin faithfully carried out those orders, one of the Rose Garden executives spoke to Cecilia.

“I don’t understand. Once the battle’s over, they’ll obviously be incapacitated anyway…”

Simply finishing off Kairus and Irena and taking their battle gear would already bring enormous profit.

Cecilia let out a quiet sigh.

“Really? Then who do you think should possess Veil of Plumed Mist and Angelene’s Answer?”

The executive could not answer that. Cecilia already possessed an excellent battle gear called Night Thorn.

Since Cecilia was the representative of the Rose Garden, it would be absurd for one of her subordinates to possess a battle gear on the same level as hers.

“Kairus is already an Operations Committee member of this city. He’s secured a position for himself.”

Though it was a strange position akin to a walking lottery ticket, he was still contributing to the city’s stability.

“Among the factors that make up the authority of a position, there’s also the quality of being difficult to replace.”

If someone could be swapped out as easily as changing car parts, then that position would never become something others aspired toward. Just think about why puppet CEOs were never truly respected.

“Kairus has to remain an Operations Committee member.”

“And the Rose Garden has maintained friendly relations with him. I understand.”

From Cecilia’s perspective, there was no reason to destroy a carefully built relationship just to obtain Veil of Plumed Mist, which she could not even use herself.

“And Angelene’s Answer…?”

“Well, Kairus will probably dispose of that himself.”

After speaking, Cecilia looked at the executive with a pitying expression.

“The value of an object isn’t fixed. It’s decided by people.”

From the Rose Garden’s current standpoint, Veil of Plumed Mist and Angelene’s Answer were nothing more than rocks with no particular value. Even if they obtained them, it would only stir internal conflict within the organization.

“Give up on both of them. Right now, Kairus’s goodwill is far more valuable to us.”

Considering the way he conducted himself, he was not the type to repay kindness with hostility.

“If we treat the two unconscious people and save them…”

They could move beyond the current ambiguous relationship and establish a proper alliance. And in business, finding the right allies was just as important as identifying the right enemies.

Besides. There remained a problem far more important than the affairs within this city.

“What do you think is going to happen to the Empire now?”

Dana Watson was dead. And Kairus intended to kill even the Emperor. What would happen to the Empire afterward was painfully obvious.

“From that point on, it goes beyond what Bennett can handle.”

There were limits to balancing the scales of power by manipulating the Aylan Republic. Bennett no longer had any means of maintaining the balance of power between the Republic and the Empire.

“Then…”

“That’s exactly why this city needs Kairus.”

One of Bennett City’s Operations Committee members was a powerhouse who had eliminated Dana Watson. That fact alone would force the Aylan Republic to think very carefully before attempting to occupy Bennett.

“Everyone saw it from afar, didn’t they? What Kairus did.”

“…The people who reached the basin sent word. They said a mountain turned into a basin.”

And the underground water that burst forth during the battle became a river flowing along the two paths carved out by the final clash between Kairus and Dana.

“If Kairus remains in this city, the Aylan Republic will find it difficult both to attack the Empire and to swallow Bennett City.”

The Operations Committee members of Bennett City could no longer wreak havoc inside the Aylan Republic themselves. However, they could easily side with the Empire while the Empire and Republic fought.

If enough time passed like that, the Empire would recover once more.

“We’ll restore the balance again. Things will continue just as they are now.”

As long as she remained alive, ensuring the city endured was the most important thing to Cecilia now.

“So make absolutely sure Kairus Featherwing and Irena Kellogg survive. We need to make them owe us properly this time.”

“Understood, Representative.”

Cecilia hummed to herself as she opened the window to ventilate the room.

Kairus regained consciousness about a week later. The moment he woke up, one of the Rose Garden executives visited him and explained how he ended up hospitalized. As a bonus, he also heard that Irena had safely survived and was currently receiving treatment.

Not long afterward, Kairus received a visit from Cecilia.

“Well now, to think Representative Cecilia herself would come visit a patient.”

“It’s a gift.”

After placing down a fruit basket, Cecilia pulled out an apple and began peeling it with a fruit knife.

Watching that sight, Kairus tilted his head.

“Why are you killing the apple?”

“I’m peeling it.”

Though it was a strange position akin to a walking lottery ticket, he was still contributing to the city’s stability.

“Among the factors that make up the authority of a position, there’s also the quality of being difficult to replace.”

If someone could be swapped out as easily as changing car parts, then that position would never become something others aspired toward. Just think about why puppet CEOs were never truly respected.

“Kairus has to remain an Operations Committee member.”

“And the Rose Garden has maintained friendly relations with him. I understand.”

From Cecilia’s perspective, there was no reason to destroy a carefully built relationship just to obtain Veil of Plumed Mist, which she could not even use herself.

“And Angelene’s Answer…?”

“Well, Kairus will probably dispose of that himself.”

After speaking, Cecilia looked at the executive with a pitying expression.

“The value of an object isn’t fixed. It’s decided by people.”

From the Rose Garden’s current standpoint, Veil of Plumed Mist and Angelene’s Answer were nothing more than rocks with no particular value. Even if they obtained them, it would only stir internal conflict within the organization.

“Give up on both of them. Right now, Kairus’s goodwill is far more valuable to us.”

Considering the way he conducted himself, he was not the type to repay kindness with hostility.

“If we treat the two unconscious people and save them…”

They could move beyond the current ambiguous relationship and establish a proper alliance. And in business, finding the right allies was just as important as identifying the right enemies.

Besides. There remained a problem far more important than the affairs within this city.

“What do you think is going to happen to the Empire now?”

Dana Watson was dead. And Kairus intended to kill even the Emperor. What would happen to the Empire afterward was painfully obvious.

“From that point on, it goes beyond what Bennett can handle.”

There were limits to balancing the scales of power by manipulating the Aylan Republic. Bennett no longer had any means of maintaining the balance of power between the Republic and the Empire.

“Then…”

“That’s exactly why this city needs Kairus.”

One of Bennett City’s Operations Committee members was a powerhouse who had eliminated Dana Watson. That fact alone would force the Aylan Republic to think very carefully before attempting to occupy Bennett.

“Everyone saw it from afar, didn’t they? What Kairus did.”

“…The people who reached the basin sent word. They said a mountain turned into a basin.”

And the underground water that burst forth during the battle became a river flowing along the two paths carved out by the final clash between Kairus and Dana.

“If Kairus remains in this city, the Aylan Republic will find it difficult both to attack the Empire and to swallow Bennett City.”

The Operations Committee members of Bennett City could no longer wreak havoc inside the Aylan Republic themselves. However, they could easily side with the Empire while the Empire and Republic fought.

If enough time passed like that, the Empire would recover once more.

“We’ll restore the balance again. Things will continue just as they are now.”

As long as she remained alive, ensuring the city endured was the most important thing to Cecilia now.

“So make absolutely sure Kairus Featherwing and Irena Kellogg survive. We need to make them owe us properly this time.”

“Understood, Representative.”

Cecilia hummed to herself as she opened the window to ventilate the room.

Kairus regained consciousness about a week later. The moment he woke up, one of the Rose Garden executives visited him and explained how he ended up hospitalized. As a bonus, he also heard that Irena had safely survived and was currently receiving treatment.

Not long afterward, Kairus received a visit from Cecilia.

“Well now, to think Representative Cecilia herself would come visit a patient.”

“It’s a gift.”

After placing down a fruit basket, Cecilia pulled out an apple and began peeling it with a fruit knife.

Watching that sight, Kairus tilted his head.

“Why are you killing the apple?”

“I’m peeling it.”

Doesn’t look like it. She seemed to want to peel the apple, but the amount of flesh still clinging to the peel was alarming.

Kairus offered a silent prayer for the apple that had been reduced to bare bones before looking toward Cecilia. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t use a blade, so why did she turn apples into such tragic sights?

“First of all, thank you. I owe you—”

“Not yet.”

Cecilia lightly raised her index finger to stop Kairus before clapping once. Two of her subordinates entered carrying two large cases.

“The smaller one contains Veil of Plumed Mist, and the larger one contains Angelene’s Answer.”

After speaking, Cecilia frowned briefly while staring at the skeletal remains of the apple before continuing.

“Now you may finish thanking me.”

“I’m indebted to you.”

He truly was grateful. If the Rose Garden had not handled things so quickly, the unconscious Kairus and Irena would have died on the spot, and someone else would have taken Veil of Plumed Mist and Angelene’s Answer after killing them.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Do you perhaps have a favor to ask of me?”

At Kairus’s question, Cecilia answered.

“Do you want to kill the Emperor, or do you want to destroy the Empire?”

“I want to kill the Emperor.”

After hearing his answer, Cecilia let out a small sigh of relief. Among the many possibilities she had considered, the best one had happened.

“Even after you finish what you need to do, I’d like you to remain an Operations Committee member.”

“That’s all? It feels like I still wouldn’t have repaid my debt.”

Kairus had no intention of leaving this city after everything was over anyway. Doing something he had already planned to do was not repaying a debt.

“And I’d also like us to become a little closer with the Rose Garden.”

“You may look forward to a positive relationship from here on.”

It was a satisfying outcome for both sides.

No matter what, Kairus had managed to survive the crisis thanks to Cecilia’s protection, and Cecilia had likewise achieved her objective.

“Then please recover well.”

After saying goodbye, Cecilia rose from her seat. Kairus stared at the skeletal apple on the plate before scratching his head.

“Angelene’s Answer, huh.”

Its output was supreme. It was a weapon with overwhelming power that could not even be compared to Veil of Plumed Mist. However, Kairus already had Veil of Plumed Mist.

And Angelene’s Answer needed to end up in the hands of someone trustworthy.

After briefly checking the condition of his body, Kairus slowly rose from his seat.

“How’s your body feeling?”

Kairus himself was far from being in good condition, but Irena was no better. She had tried to hold back an opponent far more skilled than herself while using a battle gear with inferior output, so this result was only natural.

“…Was I really any help?”

Irena’s expression as she looked out the window was not very bright. She seemed somewhat dispirited.

“If you hadn’t been there, I would’ve died.”

That much he could say with certainty. Ever since Dana Watson’s sudden ambush at the beginning, Kairus had been dragged along by Dana Watson’s pace the entire fight.

If Irena had failed to hold her back, Kairus would have died there. Even afterward, the battle dragging on until the very end was largely thanks to her efforts.

“You didn’t forget, did you? It took time for the underground water to burst through, and your role was to buy me that time.”

To shatter the bedrock sealing the underground water, Kairus and Dana had needed to fight for long enough.

Without Irena, Kairus would have died before the underground water erupted…

And the tense battle that followed after the underground water burst forth would have been impossible from the start.

“That does make me feel a little better.”

Irena’s expression relaxed slightly after hearing his answer. Now it was time for Kairus to reveal why he had come here.

“Angelene’s Answer. Can you use it?”

At those words, Irena stared blankly at Kairus.