Chapter 745: Lovers Or Enemies?

"K-Karlia...?"

"L-Lewis...?"

As my voice overlapped with Karlia's, I could feel a lot of emotions rush into me. They were overwhelming—too overwhelming.

However, despite the myriad of thoughts that flowed into my mind, one of them popped out even more.

"H-how did you... know it was me?"

She looked just as surprised as me, so that meant this came as a shock to the both of us.

The reason I knew it was Karlia was because she hadn't changed a single bit since we last saw each other. Well, she was using glasses now—and was that a labcoat I saw on her?—but she still had pretty much the same look.

There was no way I wouldn't recognize the only demoness I ever loved.

'But what about her? How did she—?!'

"Lewis... how is this... possible? You're Jared Leonard? What is this? Soul possession? Body augmentation? No... this can't be... Reincarnation?"

All it took were a few seconds, and she unraveled the mystery surrounding my return.

"K-Karlia, what are you doing here? You... you can't actually be the Succubus in the Nether Cult, right?"

Logic told me to look at the facts around me, but I couldn't believe that someone as kind and as non-violent as Karlia would hold such a high position in the very organization that sought to destroy me.

"What do you think, Jared? She's the Second Seat." Serah moved closer to me, speaking words I didn't want to hear.

I was still stunned to the point of disbelief to find Karlia here. I suspected she was alive somewhere, somehow, but I didn't want to interrupt her new life.

'I thought she'd take my advice and live happily. If she did that, then wouldn't I have forced her to make a choice between me and her new life—just as I was forced to do back then?'

I stayed away for her own good.

Who would have thought we would meet like this... and in such a way?

'Shit! Now isn't the time to think like this. I have to leave here with Serah before—'

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<

Like a meteor falling from the sky, a being suddenly landed a short distance from where I, Karlia, and Serah stood.

It was just as I feared. He was...

"We meet again, Jared Leonard. Did you think you could escape me so easily?"

... The Martial Blade God!

'He's tracked me down so quickly! Damnit!'

The plan was to cause a stir here, while grabbing Serah and making a break for it.

With the perfected form of [Unknowbale], I could choose to reveal myself or stay hidden. My intention was to temporarily reveal myself here, causing the attention of the Martial Blade God to divert to this point, while I used the chance to look for the others alongside Serah.

Unfortunately, I faltered at the most decisive point thanks to seeing the most unexpected person. As a result, the timing, and everything else, was ruined.

'Shit!'

I swiftly clutched Serah and decided to instantly replace our bodies with automatons. However, just as I suspected....

"That trick won't work on me again."

... The Spell didn't activate!

I could think of many reasons why this could happen. One would be that the Martial Blade God could already see our destination, thus eliminating the automatons before we had a chance to swap positions.

There were a few other explanations, but the most straightforward approach, and the one I suspected most, was that he was simply hijacking my Spell with his dominating pressure.

'You can use [Interference] to disrupt Spells. He could be resorting to that. No... he has to!'

"I appreciate you keeping them here awhile, Karlia. I will be taking over things from here." The Martial Blade God took a step forward, slowly unsheathing his blade.

I was frightened out of my mind, at this point.

There was no way to beat this monster!

'If he's interrupting my Magic, and his motive is to execute me, then... I'm screwed!'

The worst part, however, was that my only backup—Serah—looked completely worn out. I could tell that she went all out, and she was completely tired.

'Spellcraft would have been preferable, but it's useless because of all the Nether around.'

I was out of options, and my partner was a mess.

'Who's to say he can't simply interfere with all my Spells and kill me as fast as possible? Damnit! Do I have to pull out my trump card now? But... if I do, then the plan is—'

"Do not fret, Jared. I will make it quick." The Martial Blade God raised his blade right in front of me, ready to swing it and rid me of my breath.

For a moment, I actually saw my life flash before my eyes—and I felt like it would be over before I even realized it.

However, just as he was about to strike... the Martial Blade God suddenly halted.

'H-huh?!'

His arm was still raised, but he didn't move it any longer. Instead, he slowly looked behind him and gazed upon the colleague behind him.

"What are you doing, Karlia? Your bloodlust... I can feel its intensity." He spoke, narrowing his gaze at her.

'W-wha—? Karlia...?' My gaze also went in her direction.

She was transfixed in a single location, but I could tell see what the Martial Blade was referring to. Even though her bloodlust wasn't being directed at me, I felt myself shiver just by looking at her.

"Get away from him." Karlia's voice sounded deep and imposing.

Her fists were clenched, and her face resembled that of a ferocious predator. The bloodlust kept rising to an unprecedented degree, and it seemed her face kept morphing into a more dangerous scowl.

"Why should I do that?" The Martial Blade God's voice was the only thing calm about the current situation.

"He's mine."

"I saw him first."

"No, I did."

"Ah... yeah... that's true. Unfortunately—"

"I said... stay away from him." Karlia began taking steps forward—each move made me shiver down to my bones.

Never before had I seen her like this—not even against the Demon Lords in the past. It made me wonder just how much she had changed... how I probably didn't know her anymore.

'NO! What am I even thinking?! I told her before I died... that I wouldn't dictate how she would live. I'm not about to judge her for her actions now!'

I had also done terrible things in the past, and even I had to give Karlia the benefit of the doubt—even if she was a Nether Cult executive.

'I won't make the mistake I made in the past!' This time, I blamed myself.

I simply assumed Karlia would be living a happy life without me—never once considering the opposite. It gave me the perfect excuse to live my own life without worrying about her.

'Forgive me, Karlia... I failed you.'

However, if I was sure about one thing, it was that she couldn't have changed. She was still the same Karlia I knew. Just by looking into her eyes when we met, I could see the same woman I fell for all those years ago.

'Even now, she's protecting me from her own group.' There was no doubt about it, and I would be a fool to think there was.

"Hey, Martial Blade God..." I tightly clenched my fist as I spoke.

What kind of man would I be if I let her stand up for me without also standing up for her? With this resolve quelling the questions in my heart, I glared at the Martial Blade God.

"Don't look at Karlia that way!"

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[A/N]

Now things are getting interesting. Hehehe

Also...

You can purchase the privilege chapters if you can. They've been made more affordable, so you can check out what happens 50 chapters ahead.

Things are reaching the climax.

Also, doing so supports me as the Author, and it also improves the publicity of this book.

Thank you all for reading this far. I appreciate the support.