Chapter 212: Deadline Approaches

Point-of-View: Persia Gerit 

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It was currently the 11th of November, it had been over two months since Mika died. And since then, there had been no sign of that Kuro. According to Shiro, he'd been keeping his distance, he was all the way in Platinberg. And as the days went by, Shiro started to get increasingly frustrated and irritable, a sense of growing impatience about him. 

And...I couldn't help having some doubts. Fuo's words were stuck in my head...logically, it didn't make any sense that all of our memories were altered, but...a few things didn't add up. Kuro could have easily taken one of us hostage while in Vampire God Mode...since he killed Mika, that would be a no-brainer. 

But he only restrained us. And when we fought him outside, he really didn't try to fight back against us, despite how merciless he'd been against Shiro. In fact, when we showed up, it was like all the intensity in him just faded. And another thing, he'd dropped his blades, which I'd picked up and brought back with me, and I noticed that they were made of the same material as the metal claws that I used to use. 

And then there was the break up...it still doesn't make sense to me. In my head, it felt like I should be sad and shocked, but my body didn't react at all, my heart stayed calm. And when I slashed Kuro's throat, my heart started to pound and my body was trembling, but that didn't match my state of mind...it was a confusing and unsettling feeling. 

Mika's death was the one factor that was in Shiro's favor, it seemed to prove that Kuro is the imposter, but even there, a few things didn't quite add up...when Shiro's clone found me and the others, he told us that Kuro had taken Mika hostage and that Shiro had gone after them...but how exactly was she taken hostage to begin with? 

The existence of Kuro, the imposter, had been informed to the guards and Adventurers, so it's unlikely that anyone let him in, and it's impossible to sneak into the Rustlands unnoticed, given the protective barriers surrounding it. We saw Mika pierced through with Kuro's blade, but...it's not impossible that he was framed. If Shiro was the imposter, he could have used Repulsion to shoot her forward and onto the blade, or more likely, Teleport. 

But even taking all of that into account, it was hard to accept Fuo's words and that notion...the thought that my memories, along with everyone else's, were altered without any of us ever suspecting a thing was honestly...terrifying. And it's not like I could just confront Shiro about it...if Fuo was wrong, then he'd be hurt by the fact that I was doubting him, and if she was right...then I'd be in danger. 

I hadn't even spoken to any of the others about this, but it was possible that they were harboring some doubts too...we were all silent when we headed back to the Rustlands after that last fight. And ever since then, Shiro had become more and more on edge than ever before, I barely saw him even once a week these days. 

I don't know what to think anymore...what's really going on here? Whatever was happening, I didn't like it, doubting my own memories, doubting the person I care about the most...it wasn't a pleasant situation to be in. How do I find out what the truth is...?

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Point-of-View: Shiro Blanc

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Huh? What just happened? Kuro just...disappeared. I can't sense him anymore...is he dead? No, that can't be, my soul doesn't feel any different, if he died then my existence would be solidified. What the hell is going on here...he's been keeping his distance for the past two months or so, and chasing him seemed pointless since he was teleporting all over the place.

For the past few days, he'd been at Platinberg, and sometime yesterday, he'd started moving north from Platinberg...and just now, his presence vanished. Damn it, there's barely more than a month left before the deadline...if he's figured out a way to prevent me from sensing him and decides to go into hiding, we'll both die...tch, maybe killing that brat was a mistake, it might have broken his spirit more than I'd planned to. 

What's worse, that bitch Fuo...she definitely sowed some seeds of doubt in the minds of the others, I could see hints of suspicion in their eyes ever since then. For now, I'd say that they're still on my side, but if anything else happens to feed those doubts any further, they might turn on me. 

Admittedly, I haven't been especially putting in any effort in to clear those doubts, Kuro keeping his distance for so long has made me increasingly impatient and frustrated...time was running out for me fast. Maybe I should have pursued him more relentlessly...no, given the circumstances at the time, I think I made the right decisions...he just turned out to be a lot stronger than I anticipated. 

And now that I suddenly couldn't sense where he was anymore, I'd lost one of my biggest advantages...even if I wanted to be proactive and hunt him down, I had no way of finding him. He can summon monsters that should be hundreds of miles away, effectively teleporting them, and he can even teleport with them...in other words, if he really wanted to avoid fighting me, I had absolutely no chance of finding him. 

I let out a frustrated growl as I repeatedly tapped my foot on the ground. Where is he!? Damn it, I won't let him take me down with him, if he's really given up, then he should just kill himself, I don't want to die with him! Why has this been so fucking hard, anyway!? We were supposed to be equally powerful, and with his friends on my side, I was supposed to have the advantage. 

And yet, every time we've fought so far, he's had the better of me...in a one on one battle, I'd have lost every single time. Just what it is it that makes him so much stronger!? Even before he got all those new abilities, the first time we fought, I would probably have lost if the others hadn't been there...I had to face the fact that his unwillingness to harm them was the only reason why he hadn't won this battle much earlier. 

What a fool, he has the ability to heal fatal injuries, but he hesitates to even hit them, at most he teleports them away using monsters or restrains them with that spiderweb attack. That foolish hesitation nearly got him killed, if not for Fuo...just a few more seconds and he'd have been killed by his own friends, that would have been quite entertaining to watch, her intervention was the only thing that prevented that from happening. 

Is he really planning on staying hidden and letting the deadline pass? Am I really going to die, helpless to stop it? These particular worries would be allievated in about three weeks from now, when I'd suddenly sense him again...but I had no idea what I was truly in for when that happens... 

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Point-of-View: Kuro Black

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"You're finally back...that is you, isn't it, Kuro?" Asked Fuo, as she scanned me up and down. 

"Hm? Who else would I be?" I responded blankly, before inquiring, "More importantly...what's the date today?" 

"Oh, it's the 2nd of December, I think."

Hm, that's... 

"I see...let's go, it's time to end this."

"So, then...I take it that means it worked?" She asked with a gulp. 

"That's right. You coming?" I 

"Well, I've stuck with you this far...might as well see it through, right?" She replied with a shrug and smile. 

"It's upto you. It's not going to be the same as last time...I won't let anyone get in my way this time...I've had enough...I'm done losing."

Shiro had been right about me...I'd become soft, too soft for my own good. And as a result, I almost died at the hands of those who were the most precious to me. If I keep letting my emotions drive my decisions, then I'll never win this...I need to be more objective and logical...and that's exactly what I'll be. 

"Like I said, I'm coming with you. Somehow, as you are right now, I don't think it's a good idea to let you do this alone," She remarked warily. 

"Do as you please. Well, then, let's go, shall we? Our destination is...the Rustlands."

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