Chapter 33

    The power outage seemed resolved in no time.

    The emergency power system kicked in swiftly, prepared for just such a failure.

    But when even the emergency system failed, plunging the building into darkness a second time, the atmosphere quickly became chaotic.

    “What’s going on?!”

    “Hurry up... restore the power...!”

    Faint voices echoed from the hallway beyond the door.

    It seemed they had finally realized this wasn’t an accident but a deliberate act.

    With so many VIPs present, a situation like this was bound to feel like a knife at their throats.

    Of course, once they discovered that the blackout was just the beginning, they’d probably want to pass out entirely.

    ‘By the way, this fox mask Greg gave me is amazing. Even in sudden darkness like this, I can see perfectly. Artifacts really are something else.’

    I marveled silently at the mask’s ability to let me see clearly in the dark, glancing at Sabrina, who was scanning her surroundings like she had already adjusted to the lack of light.

    As expected from a nocturnal bear Beastfolk.

    She didn’t seem to need much time to adapt to the darkness. Her faintly glowing eyes reflected her growing unease as she leaned in to whisper to me.

    “Fox, what now? My idiot brother has started moving. Do you have a plan?”

    “....”

    Plan? Of course, I still have one.

    With Nemesis’ difficult battle robot squad neutralized, the next step was simple: keep Lexi from confronting David. Once that was done, game over.

    How? Easy enough. Since I roughly knew where Lexi was, all I had to do was draw her away briefly at the right moment as David passed through.

    No need to fight her. Lexi was obsessed with Raven, after all. A simple distraction using that obsession would suffice.

    ‘Alright, let’s head over there.’

    I silently replaced the ceiling panel I had opened and gestured to Sabrina, signaling her to follow me.

    Having watched me disable the robots earlier, she nodded without hesitation and followed quietly.

    ‘With such a massive blackout, the sleeping gas should start spreading soon. Luckily, the gas is heavier than air, so it won’t reach us up here in the ceiling. But just in case...’

    I glanced back at Sabrina’s outfit—a simple hoodie and shorts, thrown on hastily. Likely just underwear beneath.

    I took off my jacket and vest, handing the lighter vest to her. It was a clear sign to use it to cover her nose and mouth in case the gas reached her.

    “This? Why are you... Wait, what?! Are you telling me to put my face in something you’ve been wearing?!”

    “...?”

    “Ugh, fine! I don’t have a choice, do I?”

    Deal with it.

    When I bowed my head slightly, silently apologizing, Sabrina blushed but begrudgingly snatched the vest from me.

    ‘Alright, no chance of her passing out from the gas now. Time to deal with Lexi.’

    I removed my bothersome tie and stuffed it into my pocket. Crawling through the ceiling space with Sabrina close behind, we moved slowly to avoid making noise and missing any sounds below.

    The cramped, dark space stretched on as we crawled. Before long, I felt we had reached the area where Lexi might be.

    Suddenly, a loud, startling noise pierced the quiet.

    Whoosh—CRACK!

    ‘Wait a second... That’s a whip!’

    The unmistakable sharp sound of a whip, accompanied by a faint sonic boom from its speed, reverberated through the air.

    And there was only one person in this building who would be using a whip as a weapon.

    Panicked, I opened a ceiling panel and peeked through to see what was happening below.

    ‘...Why?!’

    My mind blanked with shock.

    There, in the dimly flickering light of the returning power, stood David and Lexi, facing off in a tense standoff.

    David, you’re not supposed to be here right now!

    As the lights flickered erratically, gradually stabilizing, I wracked my brain for answers, trying to piece together what had gone wrong.

    ‘Could it be because Raven isn’t here to handle things?’

    David’s inexperience quickly became apparent. As if proving her point, Lexi gracefully evaded his shockwave by sliding across the floor, lashing her whip with calculated precision.

    Two strikes. Then three. Then four.

    Even with the monstrous durability inherent to bear Beastfolk, David began to reach his limit under Lexi’s relentless assault.

    “Kuh... My leg...!”

    His clothes were tattered, blood dripping steadily through the shredded fabric.

    Finally, his strength gave out, and he collapsed onto one knee.

    To Lexi, David was now nothing more than a defenseless prey. She snapped her wrist, sending her whip coiling around his arms, legs, and neck in an unbreakable grip.

    “Kuhhh!”

    “Caught you! Now then... let’s hear how a bear Beastfolk screams, shall we?”

    Despite his incredible resilience, David was powerless against Lexi’s overwhelming strength. She yanked the whip tight and dashed forward to deliver the finishing blow.

    At this rate, David was doomed.

    I was preparing myself to intervene with telekinesis when suddenly, Sabrina—who had been fidgeting with nervous energy like an impatient cat—leapt out of the ceiling, unable to hold back any longer.

    “Don’t hurt my brother!”

    “...Huh?”

    “What the...?”

    A faint green light began to radiate from Sabrina’s tightly clenched fist, her latent magic flaring.

    Then, her petite hand struck the floor with all her might.

    BOOM!

    Her all-out punch created a small crater in the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

    Though it was just a momentary distraction, it forced Lexi to pause and retreat slightly, her face twisting into a wary scowl.

    Thus unfolded the touching reunion of a beleaguered brother and his determined little sister.

    Panting heavily, Sabrina glared at David with tearful eyes and exclaimed, “You’re doing something reckless again, so I came to save you!”

    “Sabrina... I told you to go back home. This place is far too dangerous for you. You could die!”

    David’s reaction was one of pure frustration. For someone so protective of his younger sister, the idea of her getting involved in such a perilous mission was unbearable.

    But Sabrina simply forced a smile, her trembling lips curving upwards as she replied:

    “Stupid brother. You’re not doing this because you can—you’re doing this because you have to, right? Reine is precious to me, but so are you, David!”

    Feelings are like flames.

    The fiery resolve David had inherited from Reine had now passed to his once-fragile sister, Sabrina.

    If there was something that absolutely had to be done, she had decided to move forward without compromise, determined to protect what was important to her.

    “Hah, what is this, some grade-school play? So, she’s your sister? Fine then. Let’s see how you like it if I torment her—maybe you’ll surrender to me, hmm?”

    “...Kuh.”

    Reality, however, was far colder than ideals.

    Sabrina’s intervention, while brave, changed nothing.

    She had spent every ounce of mana in that single punch. She couldn’t fight anymore.

    Her sudden appearance had bought only a few seconds at most—time that might have been meaningless.

    But those precious seconds were enough to alter David’s fate.

    Good job, Sabrina.

    Thinking so, I calmed the tension in my chest and leapt down from the ceiling.

    “Oh? Aren’t you... that brat who knows Jin?”

    “....”

    Dressed in just a shirt and dress pants, with my fox mask still on and my white hair tied back, Lexi recognized me immediately. Her sharp eyes bore into me, her voice dripping with curiosity.

    Now came the critical moment.

    It was time for the gamble I had prepared while watching this unfold.

    Time to execute the one and only strategy that could lead David to a happy ending.

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