'Well timed.'
That was Zarek's first thought. It would take quite a bit of coordination to pull this sort of thing off.
'No.'
Zarek picked up on something else, did some quick mental calculations, and realized the truth.
'Interesting.'
The timing was good, yes. But it was too good.
This wasn't a movie. There was no way that Zarek would be caught off guard by this sort of thing under normal circumstances.
Well, technically speaking, he wasn't caught off guard because he was ready and waiting. But that was more so out of an abundance of caution than the assumption that something would happen.
Seems they have someone quite good in their corner.
Zarek smiled, his hands reaching back as he dropped the rifle onto the top of the truck. He unsheathed two machetes in one swift motion and popped up, rushing ahead.
"What's happening!" Mitch's voice came from the driver's seat.
"Lots of bullshit. Form a barrier the way we spoke about."
"Got it!"
The trucks swerved, drifting through the streets.
Zarek pressed a foot against the edge of its roof, leaping off. The instant he hit the pavement, he was already rushing forward.
The high-rise is still a half-kilometer from here. The odds they know what our aim is are minimal. The odds that they could get to the Fallen Steel and take it are even slimmer than that, even if they did know.
The Pensare Corporation's methods were clever, and the card was still on Zarek's person. Without a piece of Fallen Steel perfectly fitted to the gap, they would never be able to get into the vault. There was no one with the raw strength to do such a thing just yet.
It was more likely that their stance was just to stop whatever GFI wanted to do, or at least make it more difficult. And that much was clever enough…
Especially if their method didn't require much effort on their part. They weren't risking any of their own right now.
If Zarek was correct, they were just using a lure of some kind.
Turned Lures weren't exactly rare treasures. Knowing how to use them and how much to use required experience, though. Experience that Crux and Belladoll would certainly have if they had their memories.
It wouldn't matter much with Zarek here, though. He had grown far more powerful than they were currently prepared for.
But maybe that was exactly the point. Now, they would have a stronger understanding of his baseline of power.
Zarek's gaze flashed, a smile spreading across his face.
…
"Fuck that guy." Crux lay on his back on the building, not daring to tilt his head back up in case Zarek was still aiming for him.
"He's not there anymore. He's gone off to battle."
"You would say that, wouldn't you?"
Belladoll shrugged. She stood near the doors to the staircase, twirling her pink umbrella in her hands. Clearly, Crux didn't trust her. But he was right—that was something she would do.
"You stay there, then. I'll be leaving before he decides it's time to check if we're still here."
After saying this, Belladoll went down the stairs and began to leisurely walk away.
"Are we going to target Priya yet? She's growing fast. It'll only be more annoying the longer we take."
"This was already factored in. If anything, she's growing too slowly," Belladoll replied.
"You know what that means, no?"
"It means that he hasn't let her touch the Time Fractal. It seems that the great Zarek Ashborn is scared of some things." Belladoll giggled. "I wonder, should I send him my panties in the mail? How do you think she would react?"
Belladoll's voice got further and further away.
Finally, Crux hopped to his feet—or, rather, to his feet and palms—rushing to the door in a crawl.
"You're such a proud slut. Don't you have any shame?"
"I hear jealousy in your voice again. You're never getting in my pants, Crux."
"I'm not a fan of crabs or fish. I think I'll survive."
"What a surprise. I'm not a fan of worms or little hooks."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Since you like to pretend you're so smart, you figure it out."
Belladoll looked back, sneered, and held up her little pinky finger.
Crux's face turned to disgust, the two mirroring one another's expressions, but it didn't slow their pace as they rushed down the building. They both knew that getting out of this region was for the best.
It wasn't yet time for them to fight it out with Zarek… not yet.
"We do need to be ready for it when he does. Because it will happen inevitably."
"With what Angel prepared," Belladoll shook her head, "there's only one way that will end."
"Yeah? And then we'll have a demon hunting us down with nothing to lose."
"If he's not too busy chasing after her instead."
"You know he won't. He'll give her space like he always does. And then he'll need someone to vent on. The world always suffers when that happens."
"You think he'll choose me to vent on?" Belladoll blinked innocently.
Crux's face turned to one of disgust again.
Inwardly, they both knew that it wasn't time to let Priya know about that yet. The best sort of trauma came in a single punch. If they allowed Priya to adapt to bad news too slowly, the end result wouldn't be as impactful as they wanted.
Plus… relationship drama could only get you so far. If their plan was just to make Priya cry, then it wouldn't be much of a plan, now would it?
From the start, everyone knew that Zarek's one soft spot was Priya. But it was the same for Priya. It would take quite a bit to make them separate, and a past lover from a life where one of them was already dead definitely wasn't enough. At most, Priya might give him the silent treatment for a few weeks.
But it was a good thing that Jiade was so prepared.
Soon, Zarek would have a choice to make, and his hand would be forced.
Would he be able to risk Priya's life and allow her to continue growing so slowly? Or would he allow her to recover memories from three lifetimes and swiftly bridge the gap?
If he made the latter choice, the trap would close.