"That was very mean..." A voice echoed through the haze, the man standing several meters away from the smoking crater where a building had stood moments before. "It was one thousand years old, you know? Respect mankind's heritage."
Elle rolled her eyes. That nonchalance was infuriating. This was the tenth time she had encountered this man.
"Ha! They should have surrendered to my father before I was sent here," she retorted, her voice dripping with disdain. Her minions, Model X-IV6 combat robots, surrounded the man immediately, and their weapons spat fire and energy without asking questions. He was going to die.
Her attention shifted to the man suspended in the air behind her, the prime minister of the Spanish Empire. Alonso de Luque. The man who had provoked her anger.
"You truly tried to kiss my foot!" She snarled, her anger palpable. The man's confused expression only fueled her rage.
"You asked me to do it, princess! I-I don't want to die! Please!" he pleaded, his voice trembling. Seeing the extent of her power, he would have groveled before her.
"Obscene bastard!" she spat, her voice laced with venom. The man's limbs were wrenched in different directions, his body contorting in agony.
"N-no! Oorghh..." He groaned as his arms and legs were torn from his torso, blood spraying across the ruined landscape. With a flick of her wrist, she flung the dismembered remains away, opening a portal and stepping through it before the stench of death could reach her.
"This is what you get for your obscenity!" She yelled at the place where the prime minister's remains were left. "As for you… Your constant failures saving these royal people scream of incompetence," she added, crossing her pale long legs, sitting on the edge of a five stories tall building, scanning the battlefield, he was nowhere to be seen.
A robot spasmed, sparks coming out of it, and then exploded. Elle smirked in annoyance as he appeared next to another of her minions which had the same fate.
"You're chasing me!" Her beautiful blue eyes showed pride and disdain towards him. "Obscene bastard!"
He chuckled. "You are mine." He declared. "Beyond obscenity."
"Insolent," her smile showed a bit of anger. She was the daughter of lord Arthur Devereux, the most feared Quantum User in the dark society of the underworld, and her power was enough to do whatever she wanted in the world.
How could this insolent lesser man dare to call her his? She belonged to no one!
"Kill him!" She spat. Her minions tried, but he just wouldn't die, and after killing another pair would declare that same statement. It was really infuriating. She was getting really mad at him, and at her minions for not being able to kill him.
"You should try me yourself," he taunted her.
"You are a lesser man," she said. "Speaking to me is your biggest achievement in life. You won't get anything else."
"Here we go again..." He let out, adopting a combat stance, the purple aura of the Quantum Energy surrounding his body, enhancing it, making him an annoying headache. "Enjoy the show... Elle of mine."
"Shut up! Kill him, you idiots!" She yelled. "What are you waiting for?"
The remaining robots moved, their red sensor that worked as eyes and ears glowing with a menacing light as they targeted him.
The first robot lunged forward with a metallic arm, aiming to crush him. He swiftly sidestepped, fluid as water, and with a flick of his wrist, his knife was right between the joint of the arm and the mechanic body, then the energy held in the knife got released. The robot convulsed, sparks of blue electricity flying everywhere, before it exploded into a shower of metal shards.
He showed her a smirk.
Elle's cheeks grew red with rage. She didn't know he could do that. Has he grown stronger? No, his Quantum Energy level remained the same, weak and low. She could feel it clearly, and she could tell he wasn't even a level two key user.
"Don't go one at a time!" She yelled at them. "Coordinate your attacks!"
"You are wife material, Elle," he declared, loudly in an insinuating tone.
The remaining robots took her advice and rushed towards him simultaneously, shooting at him until their magazines were empty and then they tried to use their superior physical abilities, but he spun around, breaking their formation, plucking a knife on their bodies every time he made contact with them, it was clear he knew the robot models well. The robots fell at the same time, struck by his electric attacks. All their circuits were fried despite being designed not to.
"Shall we dance?" He taunted, his smirk growing wider, despite having spent half of his Quantum Energy in that fight.
Elle's eyes narrowed. He was baiting her, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of a predictable reaction. She raised her hand, a sphere of concentrated quantum energy coalescing in her palm, the air shimmering with heat. He wants me to use it. He wants to prove he can withstand my power. She hesitated.
He initiated a Quantum Shift, a ripple distorting the air where he had stood, and reappeared behind her. Annoying ability. She thought. She dissipated the energy sphere. He looked victorious, arrogant and proud, as if he had already claimed her.
"You are becoming immensely annoying," she said, her voice cold, and stood up to face him.
He stepped closer, his eyes went to her feet, and she regretted wearing her see-through high heel sandals; his gaze went up to her legs, her thighs, her waist and she regretted more and more having dressed in mini skirt, and she almost loses it when he stopped at her breasts under her tiny tight top, but she would never show embarrassment at his lustful gaze devouring her. That too would be his victory. He raised his hand, reaching out to touch her. He dares. She smiled, allowing it, knowing her Quantum Shield would disintegrate his hand.
His fingers brushed her cheek, tenderly, a trail of warmth that sent a shiver down her spine. He touched me.
"You animal!" she screamed. "I am going to tear you apart alive!"
Her rage grew becoming an inferno. He moved, faster than he should have. She opened a portal, and with a surge of telekinetic force, drew seven blades from their stands on the other side, beautifully crafted pieces of art made specifically for her. The blades pierced his body, one after the other, protruding from his back, slick with his blood. Elle smiled. She had finally made him pay, even though she had to get her hands dirty. "You were a bit strong. I'll give you that." She said, cold, again with disdain.
The portal remained open, a shimmering tear in reality.
His hands, both of them, grabbed her cheeks, his eyes fixed on hers. It all seemed to slow down, more blades pierced him, a futile attempt to stop him. His lips brushed hers. Tender. Gentle. Warm. Lustful. The shocked Elle bit him, tasting his blood, and screamed, releasing a pulse of raw Quantum Energy that sent him flying through the air, crashing against the pavement five stories below. "Lesser man! How could you?!"
In the middle of the street, with his body a mess of metal and blood, a smug smirk on his face, and his energy reserves diminished to a quarter of their total capacity. "I got a kiss today..." he answered. "I tasted you, and you tasted me..."
"Ha! But you're going to die because of it! Look at yourself! All that for a kiss?!" She was hysterical, the fact that he was going to die was the only thing preventing her from going crazy. Then he said the words she never expected.
"The best things cost one's life. A kiss of you for mine is worth it." He said.
Her rage reached uncontrollable levels. She levitated herself over the edge of the building, floating down to where he lay, her eyes never leaving his, her hands raised, a sphere of pure destructive Quantum Energy forming between them. "Goodbye, lesser man," she whispered, as sharp as his knives, and released hell upon him.
The explosion was deafening, the ground shook, and when the dust cleared, there was nothing left of the area around him, and neither of him.
"Fucking bastard! Fucking animal!" She screamed, hysterical. He had stolen her first kiss. He violated her lips. It was a shock, an intrusion she couldn't comprehend. She had used her power on him, a final, devastating act of annihilation. There was no greater humiliation.
She raised a hand to her mouth, her fingers tracing the outline of her lips. The taste of his blood, was faint but undeniable. She spat, trying to purge the unwelcome sensation. "Disgusting," she muttered, her voice trembling with a mixture of rage and revulsion.
She opened another portal, this one leading to her personal chambers. She stepped through, the shimmering portal closing behind her. She moved to a nearby vanity, her reflection staring back at her. Her lips, slightly redder, spoke of the unwanted contact. She grabbed a silk cloth and scrubbed at her mouth, her movements becoming increasingly frantic.
The taste of his blood, the phantom warmth of his lips, refused to dissipate. It lingered, a constant, irritating reminder of his audacity. She threw the cloth down in frustration, her blue eyes flashing with fury. She threw away all her cosmetics and jewelry, and tears escaped her eyes. He had dared to touch her, to kiss her, to leave his mark. There was nothing more humiliating! Her power condensed around her body in a potent gleaming aura, answering her feelings. "I should have killed him slowly! Fucking bastard!"
"Daughter," a voice resonated in her mind. "Is it done?"
It was Arthur.
Elle's rage didn't abate, but she felt the weight of her father's questioning in her mind. She composed herself. "I've handled it, Father. The Quantum users of the court are all dead," she said.
"Good," he said. "Daughter?"
"Yes, Father?" She said, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. She had killed so many people today, and yet she felt no satisfaction.
"Lord Alexander has requested your hand after defeating the high knight Gilbert."
"He defeated Gilbert?" She couldn't believe it.
"I am also surprised," he said. "You will be his fiancee, a fitting reward."
Elle's stomach turned. "But Father, I don't want to marry him," she protested.
"Elle," his voice took a stern tone. "This is politics. We need to show our strength, we need to take over the council."
"But he's not a good Quantum User, Father," she argued. "He can't offer us anything. We should take over the council by force."
Lord Devereux's sigh echoed in her mind. "We have discussed this. Power is not just in the Quantum powers we wield, but in the alliances we forge. Besides, your power combined with his resources will make us unstoppable."
"He is a lascivious man who revels in violating young women, father," Elle replied.
"Do not question me, daughter," his voice grew cold. "Your duty to the family comes first. The wedding will take place in three days. Prepare yourself."
"I will kill him, father," she said. "I've killed for less. I won't accept him unless he's proven he truly killed the high knight."
Her father's response was swift. "You will do as you're told, Elle. If you want to keep your position, you will marry him, and you will do so willingly." The threat was clear, and she felt the coldness of his power coil around her, squeezing like a vice.
Elle took a deep breath, her chest heaving with anger. "Very well, Father," she said through gritted teeth. "But I will not be his toy. If he so much as lays a finger on me..."
"You will be, and you will do as he wishes," he replied. "That will be your sacrifice for our empire, as your mother sacrificed herself before you. This is my will."
Elle's eyes burned with rage, but she knew better than to defy her father outright. Instead, she nodded stiffly, her jaw clenched so tightly she could feel her teeth grinding together. "As you wish, Father," she said, her voice a mere whisper, the metallic taste in her mouth, this time was her own blood. The communication ended, she saw her reflection in the mirror, tears rolling in her eyes as she started to collect all the things she had thrown with her bare manicured hands.