The Royal Guards: Marina's Growth (3/3)

Marina POV:

I watched him rub his slightly bruised cheek while the corners of his mouth rose. He licked his lips as his eyes sparkled with affection.

"You're crazy sexy."

His gaze swept over my body, saliva dripping down the sides of his mouth. I placed my hand on my hip, disgusted by the vulgar look on his face.

"Hmph, I know."

He grinned at my response; his eyes fixated on my large breasts. It was annoying. If it was Lyon, I wouldn't mind, but anyone else doing it felt beyond unpleasant.

"You know, I'm pretty strong. Don't you think we're a good match?"

"What?"

I narrowed my eyes in abhorrence at his words. I had been mostly playing the role of support simply due to my ability not being the best for large-scale combat, but fighting one on one was a completely different story.

"Hey. I'm saying, be my woman."

I stared at him blankly while he looked at me with serious eyes. He stretched out his hand as a shade of red rippled across the bridge of his nose. The confidence in his smile was honestly...

Revoltingly hilarious.

"Pfftt!!"

I held my stomach as I laughed out loud. Be his woman? Had he gone mad?

"!"

Sweat dripped down his neck as my laughter vanished into thin air. My eyebrows furrowed, and flames erupted explosively around me.

"If you ever say something like that again, I will rip your tongue out."

I flickered in front of him, my hand covering his vision before he could react. My fingers gripped his head tightly while my soft lips parted.

"Split: Shatter."

The light in his eyes vanished as he dropped to his knees. I had shattered his mind into several pieces, mentally breaking him down to the little insect that he was. He didn't know what it was like to be afraid and alone—to be lost inside one's self. But for the rest of today, he would experience it. He would experience a fraction of my pain.

Ego.

He was strong, but what was the point of being strong when you overlooked those beneath you? The only thing waiting for you would be defeat.

I turned around when I felt his fingers grip my ankle tightly. I glanced back at him, blood gushing out of his nose as he moved on instinct alone.

"Don't. You. Ever. Touch. Me. Again."

I grabbed his hair and smashed his head into the ground repeatedly as her memories of past experiences flowed into me. My hand blurred; blood splashed everywhere while tears streamed down my face.

'Tch... It's fine, so just calm down. We're okay.'

I let go of his disfigured face and calmed my beating heart. She still wasn't used to fighting despite all the training we had done. That was another reason why I took on the support role earlier. I wiped my eyes now that we had stabilized.

"Lyon..."

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks while I sprinted across the rooftops. I had kicked him a lot further than I had meant to, so it would take some time to reach the dome again.

"!"

My gaze shifted to my sister standing next to Jasmine. They had finished fighting already? Or had my fight just started later than expected?

I clicked my tongue as I dropped down on the rooftop. It was only when I got closer that I realized they both didn't look good. Jasmine's muscles seemed to be having spasms all over her body, while my sister was bloodied and severely bruised all over.

"Sis..."

I clenched my fists tightly as my Ki erupted around me. My arms shook violently while I scanned the surrounding area to see if I could find her opponent nearby. I was going to kill him.

"Stay calm, Marina. I'm fine."

'Tch.'

I bit my quivering lip and regained my composure. Compared to Len, Jasmine was in a significantly better condition, so I wasn't too concerned about her.

"Quit worrying so much. We were both more concerned about you~"

Jasmine smirked while she glanced at me. I rolled my eyes and placed my hand on my hip. I couldn't rebuttal her words since I knew it was true.

We stood there silently when I noticed the battle going on inside the dome. Pillars of fire descended down from the sky as a large burst of Ki rippled out, reaching all the way here.

'That was Lyon...'

"Heh~"

Jasmine smirked as she manipulated the air around us, blocking the vicious gusts of winds heading in our direction. We all instinctively knew that the dome wouldn't be able to contain him for much longer.

***

Mr Cruiser POV:

"What... Have you done?"

I watched the explosions ripple across the entirety of District 4 while Margaret panted on her knees. She had used up most of her Ki to explode all the bombs at once and was now completely defenceless.

'?'

I narrowed my eyes and examined the explosions. I could sense that everyone was still alive as thick wisps of green laced the violent detonations all around us. No, they weren't just alive. Some of them seemed to be in better health than before.

"...Bomb of Life... Can either kill a target... or heal them..."

Margaret slumped her back against the wall.

"...Why?"

I turned around to face her as I questioned her choice. I knew Margaret well, so I also understood that she was more than capable of blowing everyone up for the sake of what she thought was right.

She pulled her knees into her chest while staring at the ground. Her unfocused eyes were devoid of any strength as she was on the cusp of passing out.

"...You all will realize it soon even if I don't do it... Death will come to District 4, and we will be set free..."

'This child...'

I stepped forward, standing in front of her. Margaret raised her head as her lips spread into a thin smile while sweat poured down her face.

"What if you're wrong? What if this change is permanent?"

Her eyes widened, and her pupils dilated to the limit. Margaret gripped her head with both hands, shaking it violently. She denied my words, mumbling inaudibly to herself as she struggled to accept the possibility I had proposed.

My eyebrows quivered while I watched her descend into a darker place.

"...It's impossible. My parents died. People die...This world isn't a gift; it's a parasite. It... it... it's not worth struggling in this place..."

I crouched down as her breakdown continued.

"...The patients I treat all cling so desperately to this plane of existence, for what? It's so... So pointless! If they give in, they'd never suffer again... They would experience true rest! True happiness!"

I placed my hand on her shoulder gently. Once again, it was my fault that she had to suffer like this. I failed so many times in my life; that I began to distance myself from others. I convinced myself as long as I didn't get involved anymore directly, as long as I stopped being selfish, the bloodshed here would decrease.

They had entrusted me with their only daughter, and I still failed to do that right, too. I didn't chase after Margaret, nor did I try to find her. The District was safe... and I had protected more lives at the expense of another.

"Margaret... It's okay. Take your time and see how the future unfolds. You're just like your father and mother; you care for life so much that it eats away at you."

She looked up at me slowly while tears bubbled at the corners of her eyes. She had been hurting for a long time, and I turned a blind eye to it, content with just being a guardian in name, but that wasn't enough anymore.

"I'm sorry for neglecting you."

I pulled her into a hug as her sobs turned into loud wails. She gripped my back tightly, making my vision blur.

We embraced for a long time, and it reminded me of when she was a little girl. She always had a bright smile on her face and never failed to give everyone a hug whenever she came over.

'...Please don't lose, kid.'

Margaret buried her head into my shoulder when I saw a hooded figure in the distance. We locked eyes briefly before she disappeared with a smirk on her face.

'...'

I shifted my gaze to the sky when large, blue floating windows appeared across District 4. I gently placed Margaret down and immediately moved to the ledge of the rooftop.

"It's the Ruler..."

"Hmm."

I stared at the empty window when I noticed a picture gradually come into view. It was blurry at first, but it became clearer over time. The corners of my mouth rose while I watched the moving images on the screen.

"...Margaret, watch closely. History is about to change permanently."

***

Isabelle POV:

Over 10 minutes had passed, so I decided to finally make a move. I had been on standby near the boundary to District 2 with a few other Watchers and Vices, but something troubled my heart.

'...This uncomfortable feeling.'

It was a feeling I remember clearly because it was the exact feeling I had before Esmeralda betrayed me. She came to visit me late at night to discuss future plans for District 3. The next thing I knew; I was bound to a chair and treated like a guinea pig for an unfathomable amount of time.

I clenched my teeth tightly whenever I recalled that night, but now wasn't the time to get swept up in those emotions. I needed to find the source of this uneasiness.

I darted across the rooftops before dropping down onto an empty street. The Resistance had caught wind of the battle, and as Skorr expected, they stayed out of sight and evacuated the civilians to safer locations.

'Hm.'

I scanned the surrounding area carefully, expanding my senses to the limit, but there was nothing amiss here.

"!"

My eyebrows gradually sunk deeper as the veins bulged on the side of my forehead. My hands balled into tight fists that shook with rage while I slowly walked forward.

"Esmeralda...!"

I glared at her as she stood frozen in place. She looked around nervously while biting her lip. Her skin was sickly pale, and she gripped her arm tightly, avoiding any eye contact with me.

My anger slightly diminished as I examined the state of her condition, but at the end of the day, she discarded District 3 to join hands with that tyrant. She was just as guilty as the rest of them.

"You..."

My words trailed off. I watched her drop to her knees in front of me, throwing away her pride and placing her forehead against the pavement.

"I am sorry, Isabelle."

"..."

It was true that you reap what you sow, and this scene was proof of that. After all those years, look at where her decision had brought her; right back to the beginning, right back to what she should have done in the first place: be honest.

"Get up."

Her body flinched, but she pressed her head deeper into the ground.

"I am truly sorry. I was scared of what else they would do to me. I didn't want to suffer anymore, so I used you all as scapegoats. I am a disgusting human being, and I know I deserve to die, but please... If you want to kill me, do it after you save Miles..."

My heart thumped.

"What... did you just say? Miles... What happened to Miles?"

She slowly raised her head as I put aside the revolt I felt by just looking at her face. I closed the gap between us and saw the tears rolling down her cheeks.

'...Miles did ask me about her, which meant they had met at one point rather recently...'

Esmeralda probably wasn't lying, and judging by that uncomfortable feeling in my chest growing; this was most likely the cause.

"...He... Tried to protect me... And... I... I... Stabbed him... Right through... His... Stomach..."

My fist shot forward like a bullet, stopping centimetres away from her face as I barely managed to contain my boiling rage. Esmeralda bit her lip, not moving an inch from her position, which would have led to my fist fragmenting her jaw into tiny pieces.

If I hadn't noticed that she had completely dispelled her Ki, removing her Ki Armour in the process, I would have followed through with that punch.

"...Where is he?"

".The Pit..."

I kicked off the ground and bolted through the streets. I jumped up, grabbing the wind around me to push my acceleration to a higher level. It didn't take long before I reached the real battlefield.

There was destruction everywhere. Buildings had been torn, blasted and shattered apart. Debris and rubble piled up in several places, with small fires still quietly burning. Amongst the sea of ruin, I saw Jess crying over a motionless body.

'No...'

A sharp pain tore through my chest. I dashed forward, reaching them quickly as I watched Jess lightly stroke his face.

"I-Isabelle...?"

"...Yeah, it's me."

Her eyes never left Miles, and my heart ached at seeing him like this, but I knew what he would want me to do. I took a deep breath and parted my lips.

"Jess, you need to go and assist the Range. I'll take care of Miles."

Her body trembled as she held him closer to her chest. She held him like a child who didn't want to let go of her favourite toy, as if their separation would cause her world to end.

"...No. I won't leave him..."

"Jess... we need to win this war. Your power is an asset needed on the battlefield... Leave Miles to me. You know I won't let anything happen to him."

She bit her quivering lip while I tried to persuade her. It took a few minutes, but eventually, she caved in. I watched her kiss his cheek softly before looking at me with sad eyes.

"Please..."

If it was anyone else, I doubt she would have left his side.

"I know, Jess. I know."

She got to her feet, and her eyebrows curved inwards. Jess physically resisted the urge to look back at Miles as she turned around. She kicked off the ground and disappeared into the distance.

'20 more seconds. Just to be safe.'

I made sure the coast was clear; only then did I crouch down beside Miles. I stroked his cheek gently before smacking his shoulder.

"Hey, how could you do that to her? You blockhead!"

His eyes flickered open weakly as he gave me a wry smile.

"Izzy, you're late. Oh, you look pretty good from this angle~"

I grabbed his cheek and squeezed it as he winced in pain.

"Ow! Ow! Okay, okay. It's my bad, but you know my situation."

I let out a small sigh while checking his vitals. The only reason I didn't tell the Leader about Miles's situation was because I understood his intention. It might be strange to hear, but sometimes having a wildcard that nobody knew about could be the difference between victory or defeat.

"Hurry up and heal yourself. The coast is clear, but you really had me worried..."

"Oh? Is this blossoming lo—"

I squeezed his cheek again as my lips curved upwards. If he could joke around like this, then it meant that he was somewhat okay despite the awful state he was in.

'Still... He must have been in a lot of pain to endure this for so long...'

He fanned out his fingers, creating a small water cat that meowed cutely. It sat on his chest, and a bright light illuminated around him, gradually healing his wounds.

My eyebrows furrowed as I noticed the effect of his healing was almost nonexistent. Beads of sweat poured down his face while the pain in his eyes made my heart ache.

I loved watching Miles use his Elemental Ki; his attention to detail was mind-blowing. It was through him that I found out about the unique traits of Ki Natures. For example, those who could use Water had the ability to innately heal themselves using it. The degree of healing depends on the practitioner, so most could only use it superficially, but Miles wasn't 'most.'

"...Why did you save Esmeralda?"

He glanced up at me before staring at the sky.

"A facade. From the moment I first saw her, I could tell that she was afraid. It was never about being strong; she was just scared, and when you're that scared, you do anything to protect yourself..."

I stared at him silently. Even if that were the case, that didn't pardon her for what she had done.

"Wait, wasn't she the one who did this to you?"

His lips formed his signature cute smile while he poked my cheek weakly.

"That's what she told you, right? The truth is I fought against the former Rank 4 Royal Guard, and she used a technique to mind control Esmeralda to stab me."

Esmeralda... took all the blame for the outcome even though it wasn't really her fault. She had apologized genuinely, and even if she didn't, I couldn't let the past keep affecting me negatively. I turned my attention back to Miles and squeezed his cheek again.

"How could you lose against the former Rank 4?"

"Ow! Honestly... I won without using my ability~"

I let out a helpless sigh. It would be too hard to ignore if Miles truly went all out, so he placed all kinds of limitations on himself.

We also held similar ideologies to what really needed to change here. What the South needed wasn't any new Ruler, but one who understood that the Districts needed healing and there was no better candidate for that role than our District Leader.

I gazed at him panting as I bent down and caressed his cheeks. He smiled weakly as I rested his head on my lap. It always felt good when it was just the two of us.

"!"

Light blue floating windows appeared around us. I observed them as an image gradually came into focus. A smile instantly spread across my face while I glanced at Miles, who was half asleep.

"Wake up, Miles! You've got to see this!"