Chapter 163: Chapter 26 - King's Game, Part 2 (2)

Shredica's POV

It was odd... I felt like I was drifting somehow. What was this... feeling?

As I opened my eyes, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar setting. It seemed familiar, yet everything about it was different. Where was I? Glancing around, I realized I was in a classroom, and the seat next to me sat empty.

Initially, I thought perhaps it was the academy classroom, but it wasn't. Everyone here had black hair and black eyes. Well, there were a few blondes, but it was obvious their hair was dyed.

While I surveyed the room, I caught the gaze of one of the dyed blondes. No, she wasn't looking at me, but at the empty seat beside me. There was a hint of sadness in her expression...

For some strange reason, I felt like I knew that woman... even though that was impossible. It was my first time seeing her. Who was she?

While pondering this, her gaze shifted to me. It was different from when she was staring at the empty seat beside me. Now, her gaze was accusatory. Angry. So angry I could practically feel it.

Just then, the bell rang. I swiftly got up from my seat, slinging my bag over my shoulder. I moved so quickly that I'd be the first one out of the room. But before I could reach the door, someone grabbed my arm.

"...What?"

My mouth moved without my control, words spilling out on their own. The woman who had glared at me earlier was the one gripping my arm now.

"How dare you show your face at school after what you've done? Don't you feel any guilt? Shame? You're the reason he's dead!"

I shrugged her off.

"I don't want to talk to you," I muttered.

"You're truly shameless..."

For some reason, an overwhelming irritation surged within me. My body turned to face her.

"Shameless, huh? Who's really the shameless one here?" I retorted. "Who's truly responsible for your childhood friend's death?"

"What do you mean? You're the reason he died!"

"Oh, is that so?" I scoffed, my gaze flickering momentarily to the young man attempting to placate her before locking onto her once more. "Well, if you insist on placing the blame solely on me, then so be it. But do not forget, you too carry a burden of guilt in this matter."

After my retort, I exited the classroom without sparing a glance for those who continued to berate me. Their shouts fell on deaf ears as I pressed forward.

"I'm not going to tell you that, Mr. Leon," she replied with a smirk. "I mean, why bother copying this woman's appearance if I'm just going to spill my name to you? Besides, I'm impressed you caught on so quickly that I'm not who I appear to be. According to her memories, it doesn't seem like she's particularly close to you. Or so it seems...

Hmm... Interesting. It appears she may not have shown it outwardly, but deep down, she wants to trust you. Your relationship might be more complex than you think..."

What was that? Shredica wanting to put her trust in me? That was unexpected...

"However, even though I'd love to see where your relationship with her leads, you're going to have to die. Such a shame," she declared, revealing her blade and licking its edge with a sinister grin.

This situation was getting dangerously out of hand. Why did I have to deal with two troublesome women so early in the morning? I braced myself, channeling mana into my arm and shaping it until it formed a sword-like construct.

The woman who resembled Shredica looked at me in surprise.

"Wow, your mana control is impressive," she remarked. "But unfortunately for you, it's not going to save you in the end."

With that, our battle commenced. She charged toward me, a menacing grin adorning her face as she swung her blade within striking distance. I managed to block her initial attack with my mana, but her follow-up strike came at me with such speed that I could barely react. Yet, I somehow managed to defend myself once again.

"Hmm, you're quite impressive," she remarked, retracting her blade in preparation for her next move. "Looks like it'll be a challenge to take you down."

Taking a step back, I braced myself. But before I could fully regroup, she lunged forward, leaving a trail of dust in her wake as she closed the distance between us. With the fluidity of a coiled spring, she thrust her blade toward me, utilizing the momentum from her initial charge.

I twisted my head to dodge the stab, narrowly avoiding getting skewered, though a few strands of my hair were sliced off in the process.

"Phew. That was a close one," I muttered under my breath. Losing some hair wasn't ideal, but I could always regrow it with my Hair Growing skill.

She wasted no time in launching another attack, recovering from her previous momentum almost instantly. With a swift follow-up, she lunged at me from an angle, forcing me to raise my mana blade in defense. The clash resonated sharply, and I found myself momentarily off-balance. She had put all her strength into that strike.

I recovered from the setback by pivoting, harnessing the momentum of her attack to whirl my body and deliver a powerful swing. The woman leaned back just moments before my mana sword could connect with her head, but a thin line appeared across the tip of her nose.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure. In retaliation, she swung her blade at me, the sharp edge nearly grazing my neck. I managed to dodge just in time, then took a step back to create some distance between us.

As I looked at her, I noticed her grin had vanished from her face.

"What are you?!" she demanded, her voice laced with hysteria. "There's no way someone as skillless as you could dodge my attacks, let alone block them when I put all my strength into them. So why are you still alive?!"

She was seething with anger.

"You're not normal. No, that skillless woman wasn't normal either. Just who the heck are you?! Why haven't you been killed?!" she demanded.

I remained silent, seeing no point in responding to her questions. It was better to keep my mouth shut. While I would have enjoyed asserting dominance over her, considering her shapeshifting abilities, something about her set off alarm bells. It seemed like the best course of action was to eliminate her.