Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 10 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 1===

BOOM!!

An explosion was heard in the underground passage, shaking the entire space.

"Generate squall."

Ariella Lu created air by transmuting dark matter from her gauntlet of a fictional armament, blowing away all the dark smoke around her.

When the view turned clear, what appeared before her eyes was a partition with a large hole in it. How many partitions had she destroyed already? Since she had not bothered to take note, trying to count by memory now would be a pain.

She passed through the remains of the partition with seven young soldiers following her silently. There was no need to give them orders. They—the special forces team Sleipnir—were equivalent to Ariella's limbs.

While Ariella looked at these expressionless followers, a man's voice suddenly spoke through the communicator on her ear.

'—Ah, looks like things are going smoothly.'

"Who are you?"

Ariella asked while continuing to advance. Mild laughter was heard from the other side.

'Didn't you hear from Captain Shelley? I am the commander of the unit you have now joined.'

Hearing the name of someone who was a leader in her former organization, Ariella sighed.

"I see—So you're that Major Loki Jotunheim?"

'Indeed. At the same time, I am also responsible for supervising the deal you made with her. Even if she betrays the promise, I won't allow it to happen. Everything you do must be rewarded.'

"...Why thank you very much."

After Ariella responded to this speech of feigned sincerity, Loki said wryly:

"Looks like I'm distrusted."

"That's besides the point—;I simply don't care about that kind of stuff at all. Of course, I hope your side will hold up your end of the bargain, but... I too have reasons for why I must kill the principal."

'Now that's what I call reliable. Since you have chosen to oppose "Gray" on your own accord, we are comrades in a sense. Although you distrust me, I still wish you victory sincerely from the bottom of my heart.'

The voice changed subtly. He was was speaking in a sincere tone.

However, Ariella frowned with displeasure.

"So is this how you curried Mononobe-kun's favor?"

'...Curried favor? I don't think I understand you.'

"Really? Did I say anything wrong? Isn't it currying favor when a weakling tries to exploit the strong by resorting to desperate little tricks?"

'Hmph...'

Loki chuckled in response to Ariella's overt disdain.

"You're probably very good at making other people act according to your wishes. However, I can tell. I can tell just from your voice—You are very weak."

'I am very weak—Am I? Really...? So that's what you think.'

Loki spoke in delight. Whether this was feigned casualness or sarcasm against a wrong observaton—Ariella did not know.

But from Ariella's perspective, this sort of thing did not matter either. What she wanted to say was one thing only.

"You're definitely someone ''extremely powerless''. Wanting to be my ally when you're clearly unable to do anything? Know some shame. That's why—Shut up when I'm fighting."

Declaring that to Loki unilaterally, Ariella tossed the communicator away without listening to his reply.

She had put it on tentatively in the beginning because the communicator had been passed to her, but Ariella felt thoroughly disgusted the instant it occurred to her that she was currently linked to that man through airwaves.

—Still, am I acting too immature here?

Since the other side had guaranteed the completion of the transaction, she ought to exploit him fully while concealing her true thoughts.

Why didn't I do that? Ariella immediately found the reason as soon as she gave it some thought.

—That man had exploited Mononobe-kun. As soon as it crossed her mind, she found it unbearable.

Perhaps this sort of emotion was quite similar to jealousy in a certain sense. Ariella began to smile wryly.

In her current state, there was no way she could fight when facing him.

Although she had asked him not to chase after her, she was certain he would not give up. Using the power of Hraesvelgr, the dragon she loathed to the extreme, he had conveyed his thoughts to her.

Hence, he was surely waiting ahead of her.

Ariella stopped and extended her hand behind her. Next, a member of Sleipnir approached Ariella silently and handed a red capsule to her.

Inside the capsule was blood. She had checked in the beginning by biting it open with her teeth before swallowing it.

Ariella did not know whose blood it was.

However, her mind had become shrouded in white mist after she swallowed the capsule. She could sense her thoughts turning sluggish. And possibly because of that, her senses gained unprecedented clarity. Unarticulated murderous intent stirred her from within.

A "certain something" lurking deep in the abyss of her consciousness, which she had suppressed by shaping her fictional armament into defensive gear and refusing to hold a weapon, was writhing restlessly.

Swallowing another capsule would probably stop her completely from thinking unnecessary things.

With that, she would become the same as those young soldiers, silently following her, whose nature had been transformed into a system for combat—No, for murder.

Although it was a bit unscrupulous to rely on this kind of thing, she decided it was something essential to stop her current self from halting in her steps.

By this point, she must not stop. Unless she did everything within her power... It would be unacceptable. Hence—

Ariella placed the capsule in her mouth and swallowed. In that instant, Ren's face flashed across her mind.

If Ren was waiting ahead, Ariella might harm her after losing her sense of self. Ariella was very afraid of this. More afraid of this than anything.

—However, Mononobe-kun would protect Ren properly.

Embracing a wish contrary to her own objective—Ariella surrendered herself to the surging murderous intent.