Ren was staring at her form—but in the blink of an eye, it disappeared from his sight, startling the young man.
Suddenly, from the corner of Ren's eye, he spotted a silver sword lunging toward his neck.
He instinctively raised his spear to defend, only to see the blade halt just inches from him. A silver-haired woman soared over his head and struck downward.
Though Ren desperately wanted to dodge, he couldn't. Thankfully, his shield was still intact.
Clang! Lappland's silver sword clashed against Ren's brown shield, bouncing off. She landed with a light flip, her eyes flashing with momentary surprise before she quickly leapt backward, dodging stone pillars erupting from the ground.
"Is that the same defensive spell I saw this morning? I don't really understand how it works, but... that doesn't matter."
"As long as it's Originium Arts, I can break it." Lappland smiled.
Ren listened but didn't drop his guard. He turned his attention to the two wolf beasts now charging toward him, following her attack.
He tried summoning stone pillars to eliminate them, but the wolves were too fast. He barely managed to take one down, while the last one slipped through. As it drew close, it leapt with blinding speed.
Thud! The wolf shattered upon impact with Ren's magical shield—but so did the shield, crumbling into pieces. Ren was stunned.
But it wasn't over yet. The woman, waiting for this moment, spoke up.
"It's over." Somehow, Lappland had gotten behind him, and without hesitation, she swung her sword.
Ren hastily summoned a stone pillar—not to strike her, but to defend himself from behind. However, something unexpected happened: her blade sliced through the stone as if it were butter. The blade glowed with a silver aura, just like the wolf from earlier, and it struck his back.
It felt like ice scraping across his skin. The sensation was oddly familiar to Ren—but never pleasant.
Even so, everything had gone according to plan...
More stone pillars erupted suddenly, slamming into Lappland and sending her flying several meters away. She stabbed her sword into the ground to slow her momentum, then stood, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth nonchalantly.
"Not bad... Compared to that guy's laser, I'd say you're about the same level. With a bit of experience, you might become a worthy fang and claw." Lappland smiled as she casually approached him like a predator closing in on prey already dead.
"..." Ren said nothing. He sensed something interfering with his powers—and the source of it was the wound she had deliberately made shallow enough not to kill him.
He didn't know what it was, but he could guess it was her doing.
"Your magic made it so I can't use my power?" Ren asked warily.
Lappland just twirled her sword and smiled. Seeing she wouldn't answer and continued approaching, Ren made one last effort to thrust his spear—but her foot pinned it down with ease. In an instant, her blade was at his throat.
The fight was over. The gap in their skill was clear. Ren knew it too.
"It's actually because of my sword... Amazing, isn't it? A weapon that makes mages panic the moment they touch it. I love seeing their faces twist in fear when they realize they can't use their powers."
"And you... aren't going to make that face?" Lappland asked, madness in her eyes, dragging her blade across his neck, drawing a thin stream of blood.
Ren didn't respond. He wasn't scared. He didn't even look pained. After all, this was the second time he'd stared death in the face—and physical pain no longer fazed him.
The first time, he'd been terrified. But this time? It was different. He only felt frustrated—frustrated that he'd been defeated so quickly.
It showed him just how weak he still was...
"What's wrong? So scared you can't speak?" she asked again.
Ren, now annoyed, answered bluntly.
"Has anyone ever told you... you talk too much?"
As if unable to see fear in his eyes, Lappland blinked in confusion—then burst out laughing.
"Haha! Interesting! You're really not afraid, are you?" She pulled her sword away from his neck and stepped back.
Ren held his neck, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
Lappland replied with a smile.
"Of course... because you're Texas's friend."
Ren looked even more confused.
"...I don't get it. Didn't you want to hurt Texas?"
"Hurt her? No, no—just the opposite... I want to help her!"
"I want Texas to go back to who she used to be—the person I once knew," she said with a gentle smile.
"The person she used to be?" Ren didn't understand. Suddenly, the woman began acting strange again. Her polite smile twisted into something distorted, almost deranged.
"Yes... the Texas who burned with rebellion. A true Siracusa. Ahh, yes! That's the Texas I want back!!"
She grabbed her face and began mumbling as if in a psychotic trance.
"Not the weak Texas now—the one who runs errands in this little city... That's not her."
"I want the real Texas! The one I knew!"
"Yes... if I can bring her back, then—then we'll dance again! We'll fight to the last drop of blood! And in the end, only one of us will remain standing!!"
"..."
She's truly insane, Ren thought, sighing as he looked at her completely unhinged face. She slowly pointed at him.
"And you... will help me. In exchange for your life."
"Help me bring Texas back... and when it's all over, I'll let you go."
Without hesitation, Ren replied:
"I refuse."
Lappland wasn't surprised. Her twisted grin curled further.
"You think you have a choice now? Or that I wouldn't dare kill you, just because you're Texas's friend?"
Her silver blade returned to his throat. Her eyes pierced into his, showing she wouldn't hesitate at all.
"I will kill you if you refuse again. Because I want to see her reaction when she finds your body here... knowing it was me."
Ren gave a reluctant smile.
"Then I guess I'll help you..."
Lappland smirked triumphantly—until his expression changed.
"If... you can kill me."
Ren let go of his spear and suddenly grabbed the blade at his throat with both hands. Lappland's eyes widened—but before she could kick him away, Ren headbutted her hard.
The blow caught her off guard. Even someone as experienced as Lappland hadn't expected that. Though it caused little damage, it dazed her for a moment.
Ren seized that moment. He reached out, bloodied hand pressing against the black stone shard embedded in her leg—he knew he couldn't use his own power, but that didn't mean he couldn't borrow someone else's.
And it was right in front of him: a fragment infused with elemental energy.
[Spirit of Stone – Initiating Fusion]
What?! Ren was stunned as the system interface appeared before him. His bloodied hand made contact with the fragment—and something was pulled toward him.
Suddenly, memories—Lappland's past—flooded into his mind. It was overwhelming, almost maddening.
Still, he managed to use the power—just enough to summon a stone pillar to strike her before losing control of his body.
Boom!
"Argh!" Lappland was slammed sideways by the sudden pillar. She coughed up blood and felt her ribs crack, but still managed to stand. She looked at Ren in confusion—he could still use Arts?
Her confusion turned to shock as she saw what came next.
Ren—the scrawny, harmless boy—stood up slowly. His posture, his aura... everything had changed.
His eyes gleamed with a familiar silver. From his head and back emerged the ears and tail of a lupine being—just like hers.
And then, he smiled confidently.
"Care for another dance, milady?"
At that moment, Lappland saw her own shadow reflected in him.
Her twisted grin vanished.
"...What are you?"
"My code name is Zhongli."
"For you, that's all you need to know."