Seele would never fear me like this, let alone resist me. And she would certainly never actively try to make excuses for Sin.
Cocolia's usually stern and unsmiling expression instantly turned sharp. "You're not Seele. Who are you?"
The closer you are to someone, the easier it is to notice the little inconsistencies, the things that just don't feel right, which in turn breed suspicion—Her voice sounds a little deeper today than it did yesterday. Is she getting sick?
She seems so listless today. Did something happen?
...For an ordinary family, these are just trivial concerns, expressions of care. But for people of a certain status, they raise a different kind of doubt.
"Seele would never leave her room and clothes in such a state. She wouldn't have the courage to touch a stranger's door, nor would she show such a guilty, fearful look in her eyes at the mention of Bronya," Cocolia said with a cold smile, listing the abnormalities she had observed.
"To take Seele away without a trace and then appear before me in her form so easily—heh, I don't care what your objective is for using such a crude trick. Right now, I only want to know one thing..."
Cocolia pulled a handgun from the holster at the small of her back. With a Click-clack!, she chambered a round and pressed the loaded barrel directly against Seele's forehead, her voice devoid of any warmth.
"Who are you? And where is the real Seele?"
The moment the gun was aimed at her, Seele trembled violently, squeezing her eyes shut with a terrified cry.
"No, wait, don't!"
"Heh..." Cocolia sneered, assuming it was just an act now that her cover was blown.
But before she could press her interrogation, the frail girl who had been shaking uncontrollably a second ago suddenly went still. Her tightly shut eyes snapped open, revealing a gaze that was both unfamiliar and dangerous.
"Back off!"
Seele's voice was a furious snarl, sounding more like it came from between gritted teeth than from her own mouth. In a flash, one hand shot out and seized the gun, yanking it hard, while the other clawed at Cocolia's throat.
"Hmph."
Cocolia was not the least bit surprised by the sudden attack. She released the gun and took half a step back, dodging the blow by a hair's breadth. At the same time, she drove her knee hard into Seele's abdomen, sneering, "Is that all you've got?"
The attack was too telegraphed. Faced with Cocolia's swift and vicious counter, there was no time to dodge. Seele could only release the gun and block with her hands. The impact of knee against palm sent her stumbling back.
"Is that so? Unlike Seele, I've hated you, you self-righteous woman, for a long time. If it weren't for you, and that girl Sin, Seele would never have... Ugh..."
The one controlling the body was, of course, Veliona. Having her violent opening move so easily countered, both verbally and physically, left a sour taste in her mouth.
She was extremely displeased.
She toyed with her prize, then aimed the gun at the blonde woman before her. Just as she was about to spit out a few more taunts, her expression shifted. With a reluctant "Tch," she angled the barrel slightly away. Her tone was a mixture of dissatisfaction and resignation.
"Unfortunately, Seele doesn't want me to hurt you. So here's a word of advice: you'd better do as I say before my patience runs out."
Compared to Seele's indecisiveness, she preferred a more direct, brutish approach. Since Cocolia was right here, and since Cocolia had made the first move, why be polite?
Just take her down, use her identity, and leverage her network in this world to find that person. And...
She had been in a foul mood this whole time. Cocolia's final move was the spark that lit the powder keg.
Daring to point a gun at Seele? You must have a death wish! Veliona thought venomously.
Faced with such a fierce threat, Cocolia's expression remained unchanged. She wasn't provoked in the slightest, her gaze a mixture of mockery and scrutiny.
"Hmm?"
Something felt wrong. Veliona's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively wanted to toss away the handgun she had so easily snatched, but it was too late.
Without warning, the chamber of the exquisitely crafted pistol exploded, transforming into a massive net that enveloped the unprepared Veliona.
The handle of the gun began to glow brightly, and a ferocious electric current surged through the entire net with an audible Zzzt!
"Gah...!"
Caught completely off guard, Veliona was wracked with excruciating pain as the current coursed through her body. Only then did she realize it wasn't a gun at all, but an insidious trap.
"Hmph, you fool," Cocolia sneered. "With the Sovereign away, I'm responsible for almost all of Anti-Entropy's affairs, big and small. If I couldn't even handle a nobody like you, what right would I have to be in my current position?"
With that, she didn't approach Seele. Instead, she backed away and tapped a seemingly random sequence on her metal desk. The entire room lit up.
The wooden walls and floor took on a metallic sheen as fine filaments extended from the grain, instantly forming a much stronger cage that trapped Seele within.
"Now, it's my turn to ask the questions, nameless assassin," Cocolia said unhurriedly after finishing her work. "You'd best tell me your secrets before my patience runs out. What is your relationship with Seele?"
The moment this girl had attacked, Cocolia had assumed she was someone from Schicksal in disguise, perhaps even a shapeshifter. After all, her strike had been merciless, the enmity in her eyes undisguised.
But then she had reluctantly moved the gun away, casting a huge question mark over her initial theory. Such a contradictory performance... who was she?
An absurd thought even crossed Cocolia's mind—could she actually be Seele?
"Ugh... Hehehe, very good..."
To have fallen for such a trick was a huge blunder. Veliona was now thoroughly enraged. Her face, previously twisted in pain, suddenly contorted into a cruel smile. Enduring the agony, she forced out the words, "You want to know my relationship with Seele? Fine, I'll tell you!"
When she opened her eyes again, the sea-blue irises, once tinged with a dark red, had now turned completely blood-scarlet.
A menacing, pitch-black scythe materialized in her bound hands. With a Sssshhhk!, she effortlessly sliced through the net restraining her.
WARNING! WARNING! HIGH ENERGY ALERT!
The instant Seele's eyes opened again, dangerous red lights flashed throughout the spacious room. This new development sent a chill down Cocolia's spine.
BANG!
Sin, who had just crept up to the door to eavesdrop, heard the loud noise from within. Unsure what was happening, she couldn't stop herself from barging in.
"Who told you to come in? Get out!" Cocolia noticed the commotion at the door. She moved to block Sin's view of Seele and commanded coldly, "Evacuate everyone else to a safe location. Don't come back until you hear my order!"
"Hehehe, no need to go to all that trouble," Sin, still confused, suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice, Seele's voice, chuckling. "It's a shame. As much as I'd love to wreak havoc here, Seele doesn't want her home to be damaged."
Peering over Cocolia's shoulder, Sin saw that the Seele she knew had been replaced by a stranger. The familiar weakness and timidity were gone, replaced by a brutal and dangerous aura.
Having broken free, Veliona swung her giant scythe. With a resounding CLANG!, she easily tore a gap in the crisscrossing iron cage and strode out, head held high, a defiant smile still playing on her lips.
"What's wrong, my dear Mother Cocolia? Why such a serious expression? Isn't this exactly what you hoped for?"
Cocolia's brow furrowed. Before she could think, Veliona continued, her voice laced with a resentment that had been suppressed for who knows how long.
"The X-10 experiment... what a grand plan! Hehehe, if it weren't for that, if it weren't for you, if it weren't for that Bronya... how would Seele and I have ended up in this situation?"
The thought of this paradoxical world bubble, of the endless darkness that she once thought would be her eternal prison, of the baffling voice that had given her such a baffling mission—it all made Veliona's blood boil.
Then she thought of the familiar yet strange person before her. She had the same face, the same identity, the same experiences, yet she wasn't the one responsible for her and Seele's suffering. The powerless, frustrating feeling of punching cotton only fueled her rage.
Why? Why do I have to go through all this crap?!
"You and Seele?" Cocolia, naturally, had no idea what she was thinking. Her brows just furrowed deeper as she mulled over the meaning of those words.
"Yes, me and Seele..." Veliona was still giggling, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Honored Mother, if you can help me find that person, I promise I will return your Seele to you, whole and untouched!"
Her mind was set on taking down the woman before her—partly for personal revenge, and partly to use her power to complete her mission.
As for the consequences, or whether it would negatively affect this world bubble's Seele? Ha, she couldn't care less!
"Oh, is that so? I think I understand what's going on now." A look of realization dawned on Cocolia's face. Unfazed by the threat, she retorted with a cold laugh, "Once I've taken you down, I have my own ways of bringing the real Seele back." As for who this "Lin Wei" was, she would find out after she had subdued this impostor.
"Is that so? Then... I take it negotiations have broken down?" Though she had no idea what kind of negotiation this was supposed to be, Veliona cackled and swung her scythe at Cocolia. "Right back at you. Once I've taken you down, I have my ways of making you do as I say!"
"Sin, get back!" Cocolia kicked Sin out the door and turned, leaving her back completely exposed to the scythe's sharp beak. It was a fatal move.
Things were going so smoothly that even Veliona was caught off guard. She hadn't expected to kill her so easily. She had assumed Cocolia would dodge, and had only intended to force her into a corner. She hadn't thought Cocolia would waste time getting rid of that other girl.
She dares to look down on me?
Annihilation flared in Seele's eyes. It was too late to change course. She could only watch as the sharp tip of the scythe pierced the woman's heart.
Swish!
The scythe cut through the air, hitting nothing.
"What?"
Veliona was stunned. She had seen it clearly. The instant the blow was about to land, Cocolia had vanished into thin air.
"Hmph, surprised?" The next moment, a cold gun barrel was pressed against the back of her head, and Cocolia's proud voice sounded from behind her. "Have you forgotten how Bronya fell into my hands in the first place?"
"...Teleportation? Now that's a surprise!" Velionasaid in a strange tone. The next second, her entire body collapsed into a tiny black hole and vanished.
"Hmm?"
Now it was Cocolia's turn to be surprised. Before she could process it, her battlefield-honed instincts kicked in. She dropped the gun and drew a sharp dagger from her other hip, slashing at the empty space to her left.
CLANG!
The instant the dagger slashed out, it collided with a scythe that appeared out of nowhere. A flower of dark red seemed to bloom in the air as the scarlet-eyed Seele flew out like a butterfly, delivering the unexpected strike.
"I can do that too!"
It wasn't true teleportation, but her quantum properties allowed her to achieve a similar effect with ease.
Undeterred by the failed attack, she flashed a provocative smile and vanished again like a butterfly. The next moment, she was high above Cocolia's head, the sharp edge of her scythe glinting coldly.
Then, to Cocolia's left, her right, in front, and behind, a Seele appeared simultaneously. In perfect unison, they brought their weapons down in a world-shattering strike, their voices speaking as one.
"Can you block this one?"
"What?"
The simultaneous appearance of multiple Seeles stunned Cocolia. She had never seen such a bizarre sight. With no time to think, she ducked and teleported a short distance away.
She saw the five Seeles' attacks land where she had just been, then collapse into a single Seele who stood there, blade in hand, watching her with a half-smile before collapsing and vanishing once more.
"My dear Mother, you can't escape!" Veliona's seductive voice whispered in Cocolia's ear as she materialized at her side again.
What was more terrifying was that no matter where she teleported, a Seele would follow her like a shadow, casting a defiant gaze and launching a dangerous attack.
Cocolia calmly looked around. Each time she teleported, a Seele was left behind, slowly eating away at her room to maneuver. In a matter of seconds, every corner of the spacious office was occupied by a Seele in a different pose.
Each one had the same face, the same clothes. Every one of them was real, and every one of them was fake. They were like a flutter of butterflies—magnificent, yet eerie.
The next instant, Cocolia appeared on her desk. At almost the same time, the air beside her collapsed, and another "Seele" was added to the room. She cackled like a demon from the abyss.
"I told you, you can't escape!"
"Heh, is that so?" Cocolia was panting by now, but her presence hadn't diminished in the slightest. She deftly blocked Veliona's attack with her small dagger and shot back, her voice betraying no panic, "This ability to create phantom clones is indeed impressive. But to squander your power so recklessly... it's laughable."
"What?" Veliona couldn't believe she was still being insulted at a time like this.
The next second, the incessant alarms fell silent. The flashing red warning lights on the walls suddenly turned a bright blue, linking together to form an invisible barrier that sealed the entire room into a closed cage.
Then, from an unknown source, a powerful electromagnetic wave was unleashed, trapped within the room by the barrier. With nowhere to go, it instantly filled every inch of space.
"Ugh..."
The dozens, even hundreds, of Seeles were all hit by the electric current at once. They let out a collective, pained murmur that sounded like a bizarre symphony, but it only lasted for a moment.
The next instant, the countless Seeles scattered throughout the room collapsed and vanished, leaving only a single Seele slumped beneath the desk, her body paralyzed by the electric shock. She couldn't believe she had fallen into a trap yet again.
Cocolia still stood on the desk, protected by a brilliant, glowing barrier that had risen from her feet, shielding her from the terrifying current that could have felled an elephant.
"As an Executive of Anti-Entropy, the place where I stand can become a trap at any moment. Didn't you even know that?" Cocolia said with a cold smile, as if she were scolding an ignorant child.