"Hahahaha." Reever's laughter echoed through the cavern as soon as he realized what was happening, the amusement in his voice belying the tension of the moment. His eyes sparkled with a strange mix of glee and calculation, as if he had been expecting this turn of events all along.
"Why are you laughing? You should be cursing me for betraying you. But I can't let you win this match. The final kill will be mine, and I will get the greatest loot and the best rewards," Conner said, irritation and disbelief twisting his voice as he advanced, the glint of his twin blades catching the dim light of the fractured cave.
With a controlled shake of his body, Reever freed himself from the remaining webbings. There was a grace in his movements that belied the danger he posed, a confidence born from years of observation and survival. "I expected your betrayal, Conner. I knew this moment would come, so I am not afraid of anything," he said calmly, stepping fully into the open.
Conner unleashed his assault, a storm of silver and steel, but Reever intercepted each strike with effortless precision. One carefully aimed bullet struck the attack midair, shattering the momentum and forcing Conner to regroup. Undeterred, he unleashed his skill again, but every strike that usually hit without fail seemed to falter, missing Reever entirely. It was a frustrating impossibility.
"You can't defeat me, Conner," Reever said, his voice a mixture of amusement and measured warning. "Let me tell you something I've learned over five hundred years of existence. When you live that long, you begin to understand the human heart. The moment you chose to team up with me, I knew it was never a free choice. You would have to pay for it eventually."
He advanced, closing the distance with calculated steps, while Conner continued to strike, each swing and thrust failing to land a definitive blow. "What have you done to me? Why can't I hit you? Release me!" Conner roared, frustration twisting his features, the silver aura around him flaring as he tried again and again, only to see his attacks pass harmlessly through Reever's defenses.
"I made a deal with the queen," Reever explained, firing another shot. But this time, it wasn't a normal bullet; it was a web bullet, a silent stalker that disappeared and then appeared directly on Conner's chest, striking true with pinpoint precision. "After her transformation, she chose to team up with me. I do not know why or how, but she discerned the true nature of people and shared what she saw with me. You call yourself a mythical ranked descendant, but is that really the truth, Conner? I asked myself that question many times before finally finding an answer."
Conner's eyes widened as the webbing spread across his chest, thick and unyielding, binding his armor and flesh together. He struggled to rip it free, only to realize it was impossible. "F**k you, 067," he cursed, his eyes manifesting swords that shot forward, slicing through the air, only to phase through Reever as if he were not even there.
In a fluid motion, six mirages of Reever appeared around him, all identical, all moving with deadly coordination. "My mirage skill still does the trick," Reever thought inwardly, analyzing Conner's attacks while keeping his focus on the queen, who remained alive but battered from their previous clash.
"Release the illusion," Conner commanded, his voice carrying authority, forcing the queen to reveal the truth of the battlefield. Reality snapped back into place, but it was already too late for him. His body found itself cocooned once again, bound tightly in the inescapable strands.
"Impossible! I am immune to illusions!" Conner roared, struggling against the bindings that held him, the strain evident even through the silver energy that continued to burn across his form.
"Yes, you were immune to illusions," Reever said, his voice calm and unhurried, "but not now. Your device was destroyed during the last attack from the queen with her scythe." He stood his ground, summoning his trident with a subtle gesture, the weapon materializing in a swirl of silver and black energy. He knew Conner could still counterattack, that his strength and skill were formidable, but the momentum had shifted irrevocably.
"Camouflage," Reever whispered as he turned invisible, moving like a shadow across the battlefield. Another web bullet shot forward from his unseen form, striking Conner squarely in the chest once again. This time, the bullet didn't aim to kill, it was designed to trap, to slow him, and to assert Reever's control over the fight.
The origin of the bullets was simple. The queen, after her transformation, had gained a level of sentience that went beyond instinct or strategy. When she cast a disdainful glance at Reever, she communicated telepathically, reaching into his mind with an offer that startled even him.
"Human,or I do not know what to call you, I am here to team up with you so that we can defeat this man," her voice resonated inside him, a mixture of command and plea.
"Why should I do that?" Reever responded mentally, his voice steady, but the thought of the queen's suggestion sent a ripple of curiosity and caution through him. Silence followed, stretching just long enough to heighten the tension.
Finally, the queen's answer came, simple yet shattering in its clarity. "Because you are just like us. Trapped in something you can't control."