Will you promise me?

(Author: Sorry for the delay, but I am very busy with exam preparation, if I have to be honest, I am not even sure about the grammar of this chapter, so let me know.

Happy reading).

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Inside the base of the Loki Familia, Finn watched the rain fall gently while he was overthinking. They had spent the day before searching through the ruins of the red light district without getting anything, and because of the weather conditions, they had started their search later than usual, but it seemed they would not have much time to search for the key.

'BAAM!

"C-Captain it's terrible, i-in the city chaos is happening!" -Shouted Raul agitatedly as he hurriedly entered the room.

"Raul, try to calm down and explain exactly what is happening in the city." -Said Finn with a serious air seeing his agitated state.

"Amazons are being attacked in various parts of the city! A-At the moment, there are many corpses around as well. Right now, we have found that the amazons are from various Familia, but all of them have in common that they are former members of the Ishtar Familia." -Raul quickly explained.

"Since they didn't know where to find the key they started this crazy plan and the only one crazy enough to do something like this, is none other than Valletta. Start warning those who are still in the base." -Said Finn acidly.

As he prepared the next plan of action, various clashes were beginning in the city, and the body count of the amazons was only increasing as there were not enough members of the Loki Familia to protect all of them.

(Riveria Perspective)

Inside the shop of the Dian Cecht Familia, Riveria was chatting with Airmid, the best healer in Orario.

The two had met often those last days. With Airmid's healing skills, Riveria hoped that she would be able to find a means of breaking the curses on the Evilus' weapons without the need of her magic. However, their conversation was interrupted by the sudden entrance of members of the Loki Familia carrying several wounded amazons.

Riveria, Airmid, and members of the Checht Familia immediately began treatment, but the wounds refused to heal even with the use of potions and magic.

"This-"

"They were attacked by assassins who possessed cursed weapons, and

they are not the only victims." -Aiz said, leaning an amazon on the ground.

"They have finally moved." -Said Riveria seriously.

(Bete Perspective)

"Go and die!"

With a vicious kick, Bete snapped an assassin's neck, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Lena being attacked from several sides at once, and although she was defending herself well, she was beginning to lose ground.

'Shit!

Leaping close to her, he placed his hands on the ground and spun quickly like a tornado, flinging away all the nearby assassins.

"Don't let them hurt you, their weapons are most likely cursed!"

"All right!" -Lena said agitatedly, putting herself on guard.

Meanwhile, Bete checked the various assassins surrounding them. They were different from ordinary Evilus members; the ones he was facing were not so different from cold weapons.

'I had heard of several Familia present on the continent willing to do any dirty work as long as they got paid, but these psychopaths-!'

Interrupting him from his thoughts, one of the assassins charged him with his sword, but he easily deflected it and counter-attacked with an elbow under the chin, which bent the man's neck in an inhuman direction, but afterward, Bete had to duck quickly when a sword penetrated the assassin's body, heading for his head.

He managed to dodge, but other swords penetrated the assassin's body, which was still in front of him blocking his view, trying to hit him from various directions, and forcing him to retreat momentarily toward Lena.

"Waltz of blood."

"Move!"

Pushing Lena away, he ensured that she was not affected by the magic he immediately recognized as anti-status magic.

'Curses and anti-status spells, these guys are getting annoying.' -Bete thought coldly as he threw himself into the midst of the group of killers to decimate them.

"GHA!"

"!"

Hearing Lena's cry, he turned quickly only to see her again surrounded by several assassins who had begun to cause her damage, and when he tried to approach, he was blocked by others.

'What the heck is going on?! I should be their target, so why are they focusing their attacks on her?! -He thought agitatedly, as he killed more assassins.

Bete wanted to shift the focus to him so that Lena could find an escape route, and he was sure to do so since he believed they were trying to block him from getting to the key.

'If I wasn't their target, then who--wait, you can't be serious!'

Throwing off another assassin, he saw how their assault wasn't focused on him but on Lena.

"FUCK!" -Bete's face distorted in anger.

Meanwhile, Valletta, who was watching from above a building, hummed happily, but a small smile formed on her lips at the change in Bete's expression.

"He seems to have understood." -Valletta said, admiring the show.

Her plan was simple, but in the eyes of others, it was nothing more than something abominable. Rather than needlessly wasting time looking for the key that the stupid goddess had dropped who knows where, wasn't it better to eliminate the source that could provide information about the key's location?

While Valetta enjoyed the show, Bete kept punching and kicking anyone who came too close, but even so, it was difficult for him to defend Lena when he was up against so many opponents who had no problem sacrificing their lives.

'Heavy breathing.'

"I seem to be their target." -Lena said wearily, as she continued to keep a tight grip on her weapon.

"It took you long to figure it out blockhead, did they have to cut off your arm before you could figure it out?" -Bete said wryly, as he hurled more killers away.

"So... So it's my fault that you ended up in this situation?" -Lena said with traces of remorse.

"Don't let that crazy fantasy of yours travel, these are my enemies, so stop having that stupid expression!"

Getting into position, Bete seemed to teleport in front of an assassin, hitting him with a knee to the face, killing him on the spot, and began to deal with those around him.

Bete was strong and there was no way to deny it. His battle instincts and combat method were among the best, and the only reason he was having difficulty handling these assassins was that he was not using his specialty. Bete's fighting method was based on fast and evasive movements, which were perfect in solo combat, but in that situation where he had to protect Lena, he was at a distinct disadvantage.

"Waltz of blood!"

One of the assassins threw magic at him, but instead of dodging it, he raised his leg, and the magic that was about to hit him, was absorbed by the jewel embedded in his mithril boots, which began to glow.

"Get lost!"

Lifting his leg back, Bete kicked the air releasing the absorbed magic as a strong wave of energy, which swept away everything in front of him.

"Run!"

"O-OK!"

Pulling her arm he tried to move away now that he had created a path, but he seemed to have forgotten that there was a much more problematic figure among the assassins.

"?!"

Hearing the sound of the wind being quickly cut, he positioned himself in front of Lena while parrying with his forearm, covered by his armor, the eerie-looking broadsword that was about to split Lena in two.

"Come on wolf boy, you didn't think I was going to let you get away happily, did you?" -Valletta said, mocking him.

"I KILL YOU!" -Shouted Bete full of rage.

"HAHAHA! I don't think so." -Valletta said, laughing with delight.

"Waltz of blood."

"!"

One of the assassins who was lying on the ground suddenly grabbed Bete's ankle and immediately cast a magic, catching him by surprise.

As soon as he was hit by the magic, he felt part of his strength leave him, and it seemed that Valletta wanted to make sure that Bete was at his weakest state.

"You know Vanargand, you are such a monster, do you have any idea how many of my men you have killed? Initially, I thought I would only kill that little amazon, but seeing how you are defending her, I don't think it will be hard to have your head as a bonus. Come on guys, fire your anti-status spells toward that amazon!" -Ordered Valletta.

The various assassins, who were around, began to cast their spells, and although Bete managed to dodge some of them along with Lena, many affected him by weakening him more and more.

One of the assassins wanted to take advantage of the opportunity now that Bete was weakened and tried to attack him from behind, only to end up with his neck grabbed by the werewolf, who broke it with the movement of his hand.

"Do you think that's enough to stop me!" -He shouted at the top of his voice full of pride, but even so, he was beginning to have various difficulties in the situation he was in.

Even with his weakened state, he still managed to fight with several assassins, but as time went on he became slower and slower and his breathing became heavier.

The raindrops continued to fall relentlessly on the ground, and Bete's body was now soaked from the combination of water and sweat. But even so, he always remained alert about his surroundings, especially toward Valletta, who was in the rear watching the fighting with intrigue, waiting for the right moment to sneak in an attack.

"I'm sorry Bete... if it weren't for me and my weakness you wouldn't be in this state, would you?"

Lena who stood behind him said with a sad smile. Her state was also pitiful, she had not fought as much as Bete, but because of the number of assassins, she was forced to defend herself by sustaining several wounds.

Bete began to have a bad feeling hearing her speak, and it seemed that his senses were right.

"I don't want to be a burden to the person I love; so win for me too and don't die, promise?"

Bete momentarily turned his head toward her, and although there were several tears, she was smiling kindly.

'Wait, don't do anything stupid.'

Unfortunately for Bete, his hopes were dashed when Lena turned and began to run toward one of the streets, starting to get away from him, who was continuously blocked by the assassins, now that he was in a weakened state.

'You're just a weakling, so stay here stupid brat.'

Bete continued to fight off the various assassins that presented themselves in front of him as he watched Lena move farther and farther away, with several assassins at her heels reducing the weight on him, but not for that he felt the least bit better.

Bete had not even noticed his actions inconsistent with his thought process. He, who despised the weak and always said they should disappear, kept watching that little figure move further and further away, with the sole goal of not being a burden to him.

"LENA!"

Ironically that was the first time he called her by her name.

"Gotcha!"

"GHA!"

Because of the moment of distraction, Valletta managed to wound him.

"You look pretty desperate Vanargand, don't tell me she was your little whore?" -Valletta ridiculed him, beginning to exchange several blows with him.

"Shut up!"

"But leaving her aside, did you find my little present in the labyrinth? You have no idea how much I enjoyed cutting off the limbs of your comrades as they tried to help each other, unfortunately, I had to make quick work since I didn't have much time."

The two continued to exchange blows as Valletta continued to instigate him, infuriating him more and more, so much so that one could hear the sound of his teeth chattering from how much he was clenching them.

"I hope you understand me though. I lost an eye that day, so I had to let off some steam, and hearing their cries of pain, was music to my ears. Tell me though, how did Finn take it? I bet he must have looked as pathetic as you do now, didn't he?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"!"

Bete momentarily disappeared from Valletta's view, hitting her from the side where she was missing an eye, taking her by surprise since she was still not used to fighting without an eye.

Bete's kick connected on her hip, sending her back a long way, and although the two had a one-level difference, with the fact that Bete's strength had been diminished, Valletta did not suffer heavy damage.

"I have to report."

Before Valletta prepared to counterattack, one of the assassins approached her and whispered something to her, and soon after, her sullen face turned into one full of cheerful excitement.

"I can finally hunt my favorite prey, today will be the perfect day for the saying an eye for an eye! You are free to visit your little friend, Vanargand, but I doubt she is still alive HAHAHA!" -She said with a sadistic laugh as she stroked her bandaged eye and after that, she walked away.

Bete watched her go with bloodshot eyes, but he had something more important to do. Getting rid of the last remaining assassins, he began to follow Lena's scent, which although it had been partly washed away by the rain, still lingered in the air.

He ran as fast as he could as if the energy he previously thought he did not have suddenly appeared. As he ran, he found several dead assassins killed by Lena, and when he began to have some expectations, fate seemed to laugh at him.

His steps slowed as he found Lena's broken sword on the ground. He looked around and in a small square surrounded by rubble, there was a figure lying on the ground while being soaked by rain.

Bete's eyes narrowed, especially when he saw a dagger sticking in her chest. He began to take one step at a time toward her, and each step became heavier and heavier.

"Hey... HEY... HEY!"

"Bete...is that you? I-I can't see well."

Hearing someone calling her name, Lena opened her eyes, but she could no longer focus on what she was seeing.

"I'm sorry... I really wanted to keep my promise... to be together... with you."

Some tears came out of her eyes joining the rain, but even so, she continued to smile. Using what little strength she had, she tried to bring her hand toward Bete's face as if to caress him, but her arm fell to the ground helplessly without even touching him, and her eyes closed permanently.

Bete stood there frozen like a statue as if he no longer knew what to do. All he could do was keep looking at the girl lying in front of him.

"Lena!"

Three people arrived at the scene: Riveria, Aiz, and Aisha.

Riveria quickly removed the dagger from her and tried to heal her with her magic, but the wound would not close.

"As I expected, it's a curse."

"Are you kidding me Vanargand?! What did I tell you I would do to you if anything happened to her!" -Aisha shouted angrily.

"...Heh, do you think I give a damn? That little girl left on her own after all the trouble she caused me." -Bete said disdainfully.

"Bete..." -Riveria scolded him wearily as she continued to heal Lena.

"As I always say, in the end, the weak are nothing but cannon fodder who end up dying miserably. I had warned them so many times, I have warned them many times, but they always end up in that state, truly ironic."

"Bastard!"

Blinded by anger, Aisha grabbed Bete's collar and prepared to hit him in the face, but just before she hit him, she looked at his face she lost all the will to punch him.

"You..." -There were traces of sadness in Aisha's eyes as she looked at him.

"What? Don't you want to hit me? Can't you see that I'm laughing at her death!" -Bete provoked her.

Contrary to his expectations, however, Aisha turned toward Lena, and when he turned toward Riveria and Aiz, he could see that they were looking at him in the same way as the amazon, making him increasingly agitated.

Although he was smiling as if he didn't care, in the eyes of others it was not enough to hide how hurt he was, not when he was making that expression.

The others began to leave carrying Lena, while Bete continued to look at the cloudy sky when he saw a familiar electric flash illuminate the sky.

'That magic...'

"That lightning bolt...wasn't that Mark's magic?" -Aiz asked confused, as she found it strange that Mark was in such an interned area.

Riveria was also confused. Since no one had seen Mark that morning, she believed he would take another day off, but since he was already there, she had to change her mind, causing her to have a troubling doubt.

"Bete, with your strength, you should not have had too much difficulty while fighting, who did you meet?" -Riveria asked quickly.

"Valletta, that bitch." -Bete said, gritting his teeth full of murderous intent.

"Then why did she let you off the hook even with your weakened state?"

"She said something about revenge and her eye being hurt, probably referring to Finn." -Bete said annoyed.

Everything that had happened that day was only weighing down his mind. What he wanted at that moment was a moment of peace to settle his thoughts, but Riveria's constant questions prevented that. He just wanted to leave, but Aiz's next words stopped him.

"Bete, it was Mark who injured Valletta."

"Damn it Bete, everyone knew, how could you not know! Aiz, go to him now!" -Hastily ordered Riveria to Aiz, who nodded.

Bete also prepared to go but was stopped by her.

"Where do you think you're going?" -She said sternly.

"To kill that psychopath." -Bete said coldly.

"With your body covered with cursed wounds and your mental state put even worse, forget it."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND; THAT BITCH-!"

"Bete this is an order, go back and get treatment from Airmid. You are in no state to fight."

Watching Riveria's sternness, Bete was forced to swallow his burning rage, but that didn't mean that the fire inside him had gone out. The beast within him was about to awaken and its fangs would devour everything in its path.