Friend Or Foe: Copycat's Goal and Lissandra's Reveal (2/3)

Lyon POV:

I jolted awake, unaware of what had happened. My vision was blurry as I tried to recall the moments before my eyes closed. I remembered walking down the steps in the room and then... darkness.

"Ugh..."

A pained moan left my mouth, followed by burning sensations in several places all over my body. I was sore all over, and the stabbing pain on the left side of my shattered ribs was a reminder of how intense yesterday's battle was. From the moment I had arrived back in District 4, I didn't have a chance to rest properly.

"Take it easy. You really overworked yourself."

I was puzzled by the soft, alluring voice that drifted into my ears, but soon my vision cleared, and I saw a purple bang hanging down over my cheek. Two beautiful dark grey eyes gazed at me with concern.

"Lissandra...!"

I tried to get up quickly, but she placed her hand on my chest, pushing me back down.

"Hey, if you get up that quick, we'll end up kissing."

I felt my face flush instantly as I quickly looked away. Her thighs were soft and comfortable. However, I knew I should probably create some distance between us.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding~"

Lissandra chuckled to herself while she moved her face back, allowing me to get up from the lap pillow she had given me. I hobbled to the side slowly, sitting around a meter or two away from her and let out a sigh.

We stayed silent for awhile. I didn't know if she had wanted to talk to me about something before, but it felt nice to just relax like this.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to District 3? You're the Leader here—you can't be so rash."

She leaned forward and pressed her hand against her cheek.

"Honestly, I didn't expect things to turn out that way. It was Copycat who sent me a note about giving me a gift in District 3."

There was no harm in telling Lissandra everything. If it wasn't for that note, I wouldn't have any reason to go to District 3 yet. It was worrying because my original plan was to go after District 3 once I had acquired District 2, but if things played out that way, how bad would the situation have become?

"Copycat? Hmm..."

She stared off into space, and I suddenly recalled what Brunaulf said before. He mentioned that Copycat didn't mess with Lissandra, and I was curious to know why.

"Why did Copycat leave you alone?"

"Because of our goals. I guess from his perspective getting on my bad side wouldn't exactly end well, right?~"

She grinned as she turned her head to face me. Lissandra had a point. The last thing Copycat wanted was internal conflict since his whole agenda seemed to be geared around finding someone suitable to take over the district.

"Then what about Solina? What's the issue between you two?"

Lissandra looked ahead again, and a small sigh escaped her mouth.

"I originally lived in District 1."

'!'

District 1? That meant she lived in the same district as the Ruler of the South. What would have caused her to move all the way to District 4?

"The area I lived in was called 'The Pit.' The District Leader would personally gather everyone to fight weekly. She tracked our progress and eventually those with the highest scores, after a month, were sent to the outskirts of the inner part of District 1: 'The Range.' That was where I met Solina."

I didn't know what to say, so I just listened carefully while making mental notes of key information. District 1 specializing in combat made sense. After all, that's where the Ruler resided.

"From there, you're assigned a sparring partner. The aim is to gather enough points to reach the next stage by completing various difficult tasks. Once you rank high enough, you'll get a chance to join the Organization."

'All of that just to join the Organization?'

The Ruler only wanted the best of the best to be directly under him. He had set up the district in such a way that it seemed like he was trying to raise an elite army.

"I stayed there for 2 years and Solina never beat me once. Hmm, I guess you could say she's a sore loser~"

Lissandra smiled while she looked ahead aimlessly. Solina had ended up advancing further than her in terms of their Ki Stage, but that was only one aspect of a person's combat ability.

"I escaped before they tried to draft me into the Organization, and I've lived in District 4 for the past year and a half."

A solemn look appeared on her face, and I wondered why she was even in Outer Astril in the first place. I decided not to ask; she'd tell me whenever she was ready to.

"Leader, you can't lose anymore. All it takes is one loss, and the momentum can shift more drastically than you think."

"Is District 1 that strong?"

She didn't reply straight away. Instead, she answered my question with one of her own.

"Do you know why the Ruler of the South goes by two names?"

"I'm not sure."

I had thought about it a couple of times, but it wasn't uncommon for a King to have different titles.

"One reason is because the new generation of Heavenly Kings can't compare to the old generation in any way. We call them Rulers because they don't deserve the title of a King."

Interesting. That meant the majority of the public didn't accept the Ruler of the South, not just because of his lack of strength, but because of how he treats his people. As a result, public opinion would favour me more easily after taking over—it was a huge benefit.

"Solina is a part of the Royal Guards; direct subordinates of the Southern Ruler, and District 1 has 30 Royal Guards minimum."

"!"

That's ridiculous. 30 Royal Guards minimum? It was obvious that Solina wasn't the strongest among them, but she was still a tough opponent nonetheless. If I had to deal with 30 of them...

'Wait...'

If the Ruler has that much military power, then his plan was obvious. My lips slowly parted as I opened my mouth.

"He's trying to become a true King, isn't he?"

"...It seems like it."

The worst-case scenario just happened. I placed my hand on my forehead as tens of questions instantly flew through my mind.

I had just stolen the Amplifier away from him, wouldn't he be gearing up to head to District 4 right now? Or maybe not? My identity wasn't revealed, but he could just summon the current District Leaders...

"Leader, there are more powers at play here. What do you think would happen if he displayed such a large military force?"

"...You're right. Inner Astril would immediately move in. The last thing they want is a coup or a civil war."

"Exactly. Plus, the Ruler has gotten involved with Enigma too. We took out a bunch of their experiments and escaped with Isabelle, the Amplifier, so Enigma won't be happy at all once they hear about it."

'I see. So it wasn't just the Ruler who had plans for Isabelle. Enigma probably wanted her to continue enhancinng the effect of the KEDs.'

"You're right. We still have some time."

I let out a sigh and observed Lissandra's lips, that took on the shape of a Cupid's bow, curve into a cute smile. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear while I examined her rose-beige skin tone, and her small nose that highlighted her alluring eyes.

I watched her long eyelashes flutter as she turned her head to face me; her short smile widening ever so slightly. Her slender fingers rested on her cheek as our eyes met.

My heart thumped, and my lips parted.

"You're..."

My words trailed off, and I peeled my eyes away from her. I calmed my racing heartbeat down and tried to think of something, anything to take my mind off of her.

"You can look at me more if you want. I won't go anywhere~"

She grinned as I finally calmed down.

'!'

I heard the doors open and close, quickly followed by Brunaulf's quiet footsteps. He reached the entrance and opened his mouth, only for his gaze to alternate between Lissandra and me.

His eyes curved upwards into half-crescent moons while he gave me the thumbs up as he backed away slowly.

"Brunaulf, this is—"

"Leader, it's only natural. You don't need to explain, kehehe."

"..."

I heard him cackling to himself as he turned around.

'I suppose that's how his laughing fits happen now.'

I rolled my eyes and slowly got to my feet. If Brunaulf came here, it meant that there was something he wanted to report.

"Brunaulf."

His feet came to a halt, and the corners of his mouth abruptly fell back down. He spun around and dipped his head briefly before adjusting the glasses on his nose. Lissandra chuckled as she watched me from the side.

"Leader, how do you plan on handling District 3?"

"...What do you have in mind?"

I didn't plan on getting involved with District 3 any further. The situation was delicate, thus I wanted to see how it'd play out.

"I recommend sending a couple of Vices to keep an eye on how the situation develops. Word will soon spread of what you did, and I believe the residents of District 3 will turn to you for hope."

"Slow it down. The Leader needs District 2 first."

Lissandra flipped her leg over the other and rested her hands on her knees, clearly displaying her authority.

"We can try, but it'll be difficult. I imagine it won't take long for them to start gathering at our border. I also confirmed with Gia that District 3's Leader has been dead for months."

"!"

Then it was Solina who had been overseeing the district? In that case, it'd be wise to keep a closer eye on the situation.

"Alright then. Send a few Vices and tell them to retreat immediately if they encounter any danger."

"Yes, Leader."

I placed my foot down on the step below when the world around me suddenly spun. My breath escaped my lungs, leaving my equilibrium in disarray. A searing pain emanating from my shattered ribs exploded forth as I fell forward helplessly.

I heard Brunaulf calling out my name and briefly saw Lissandra flicker by my side, catching me in the same motion. I activated the Mark of a Pantheon and sunk into the darkness once more.