"Ashton, Ashton, Ashton…"
Hilda frantically kept on calling her beau in the hopes that he would respond. But her arrows had finally sealed the deal for him. The spearman was dead even before his body hit the ground.
'This is my chance.'
The butcher narrowed his eyes at Hilda, who was emotionally unstable. This was a huge opportunity for him to take her out while she had been immersed in her grief.
The butcher was about to run in Hilda's direction but soon felt something ominous wash over his body. It was the mana sense of the Adept ranker that was used as a deterrent.
Gerish also eyed the butcher and released his mana sense while he retrieved his flail from his storage. The message was clear– stay where the fuck you are.
Jerry didn't show any emotions. But the old man seemed furious.
It never occurred to him that one of his subordinates would die on a mission where the risk was minimal. Plus, the guy had died such a pathetic death– set up to be killed by friendly fire.
Gerish was angry. Not because he felt hurt by one of his subordinates' death. But because his death would reflect poorly on him as their leader.
He was already facing a crunch in terms of money and resources because he was trying everything to break into the next rank. This incident would be used as an excuse by the higher-ups in the Illuminati to pay him less than what he was promised.
And all of this would be because the butcher had to fight his inevitable conclusion. Gerish was about to enter the battle after Ashton was killed. In the moment after Ashton's death, the rankers' code of conduct was also on his side. But he was interrupted by Hilda who seemed to have been sober up by now:
"Master Gerish, please wait. Let me finish what Ashton and I started. Please let me take this man's life as a tribute to his journey beyond. I hope you understand the reason behind my selfish request."
Hilda said and bowed to the old man who looked to be pondering over something. Then he looked at Jerry who nodded at him.
Gerish sighed after he looked at Hilda. Then he gazed at Ashton's body that was behind her. He put his weapon back and replied in a patient and slightly caring voice:
"Hilda, I have taught you that one should always fight with a clear head if they value their life. You should also be aware that your request just now breaches that unwritten rule."
Hilda thought that Gerish was about to deny her request. Her restless mind wanted her to plead some more. But the old man raised his hands and told her to hold on.
"Let me finish, Hilda. I've handled my share of grief in life and understand where you come from. So I won't stop you from seeking your vengeance.
Just know that your deathmatch with this punk is currently not in your favour. As long as you understand that and take some precautions, you might be able to critically injure him.
You can also use this moment to grieve over Ash's death and retire from battle. Let this old man handle the rest. But who am I kidding? *sigh. I know you don't want to back out now. So go ahead. Do whatever you want.
And Jer, it's all your fault you know. We should have handled this punk and his buddies from the beginning. Look what a mess this has spiralled into."
Gerish finished and walked back to his previous position. Jerry didn't reply to the old man's provocation. Because he knew there was some truth in his statements. But he was an Adept. The death of an Ace member didn't matter much to him anyway.
Hilda didn't blame Jerry or Gerish. It was her and Ashton's responsibility to fight the Ace rank opponent. Plus, they had already deterred the butcher from attacking her when she was in a vulnerable position. She couldn't ask for more at this point.
"You killed…"
The butcher didn't want to talk. However, he was unable to remain silent after hearing the ranger's accusation:
"Stop being hypocritical. It was you guys that had attacked me first. You guys couldn't keep your advantage when fighting against just one person.
And technically it was you who killed him. Not me."
The butcher expected a violent reaction from Hilda after his mental jab. He wanted Hilda to get riled up over his provocative statements so that she could slip up and make mistakes– enabling him to finish her off quickly. But apparently, he had underestimated the ranger.
Hilda had a melancholic smile on her face. She kept her cool and replied to the butcher's statements without shaking this time:
"My name is Hilda. Can I know your name?"
The ranger asked the butcher with newfound calmness in her eyes. Ashton's death had changed something within her. The grief was so intense that instead of being cleared out of her system through tears, it had seeped into her bones and psyche. That had allowed her to shift gears in the way she behaved instantly.
The butcher had to answer when he realized Jerry and Gerish both were watching him with keen interest. He also replied with a blank look on his face:
"You can call me Ronny."
Hilda nodded her head at the butcher's response before saying:
"Ronny, I know I'm being hypocritical by blaming you for Ashton's death when it was us who had attacked you first. I'm sure you entered Purgatory after considering the risks involved. We all did."
Hilda confessed and wiped the tears running down her cheeks. She clenched her fist while staring at her opponent before verbally marching on further:
"And yet I can't help but see you as the reason behind Ashton's death. That's because it's comforting for me that way. It's only human to seek logic in hypocrisies when it suits us, right?"
The butcher understood that the question was rhetoric. But he could also get the ranger's point of view. So he couldn't help nodding at her.
Hilda saw that the butcher agreed with her sentiments and smiled mirthlessly. She looked at him with keen interest one more time– as if to register the guy's image in her head for before continuing further:
"I understand you a bit after fighting with you and seeing your reactions just now, Ronny.
The way you fought, the way you looked at Ashton's body when it was falling, and the way you tried to rile me up just after his death. Even your deadpan reactions as I'm talking with you speak a lot about you as a person."
The butcher didn't understand what the ranger was getting at. He applauded her for keeping such close track of him during the peak of their battle.
He was running out of patience. He would have preferred the battle continued because behind him the novice rankers were battling with everything they had. He needed to sync with them to make his escape plan come to fruition.
Under the shadow of an Adept ranker, he also had no choice but to listen to Hilda's interventions. So he didn't speak or nod this time and let her finish whatever she was getting at:
"You are one of those rare, generation-defining geniuses, Ronny. And you would have probably climbed the ranks at an incredible rate if we hadn't met.
I confess that you are a magnificent fighter and ranker. I say that without any doubt in my head or using any shred of sarcasm.
And even with all your achievements and potential, I can't help but take pity on you and those who see you as someone significant in their life."
The butcher raised his eyebrows after he heard Hilda embark on a different tangent.
"Why is that?"
As he checked on his teammates, the butcher asked Hilda.
"That's because you are a man devoid of most human feelings, aren't you? Something within you has died. I don't know what that is, but it has made you less human and more of an animated doll.
Heck, I'm a cultist myself. So I've interacted with a lot of dreadful men and atrocious women. But they all still carried some shred of humanity within them– their version of it at least. The negative aspects of human nature are also what makes them human, you know.
But you... you are stepping beyond the goodness and evil of human nature. You don't have an anchor in your life that can help you stay who you are."
'I don't have an anchor that can help me stay who I am? What does that mean?'
The butcher repeated Hilda's statements over and over in his head. Some part of him understood what she was trying to say and some emotions within him were stirred up. But he didn't let that hamper his vigilance during the battle.
Hilda retrieved her crossbow and closed her eyes for a while. She continued after some time:
"The calluses on your heart and mind are so obvious to me even when I have been with you for such a short time. Imagine how those who call you their friend would feel everyday as they try to be with you. Their emotional investment in you is bound to be met with a loss.
Therefore, I am also sorry for them.
Let's end this charade, Ronny. Hehe! Let's die together.
I'll die as a broken-hearted woman who couldn't find the love she desired in her life. And you– as an abomination that you are."
Hilda opened her eyes and smiled wickedly after saying that. An unusual mana pulse was felt in the surrounding environment shortly afterwards.
As the butcher felt the mana pulse, his expression changed.
'Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck!
This is bad. A forbidden spell. This woman is on a suicide mission.
Reen… change of plans.'
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AN: Two more chapters will get released in a few hours.
Thanks to PureMichigan and Waakaranai for sending gifts.. Also, thanks to Thomas_Jay_Martin for gifting VEH with a Dragon.