Extra's Descent

The moment they suddenly disappeared out of her peripheral vision, Illya knew something was up.

The mana that lingered in the air never escaped her line of perception.

'A [Zone.]'

A [Zone] had been activated.

Immediately, Illya sent a message to Brandon, her employer.

[Something happened. They disappeared all of sudden. I'll get to the bottom of this.]

Illya walked ahead thereafter, umbrella in hand.

Indeed, there was something wrong.

The moment she traversed the road, she felt like she phased through a thick amount of mana.

Looking around, civilians seemed oblivious. After all, not everyone could perceive mana as well as her.

For that, they needed to cross the threshold of a tier five mana core. But there were exceptions of individuals who were born with hypersensitivity to mana.

Just like Belle.

Illya got work, her eyes lit up a clear—blue color.

Her eyes scanned the area, tracing the faint ripples of mana that pulsed invisibly in the air. She could feel the edges of the [Zone].

All zones worked the same.

They were designed to keep ordinary eyes blind and prevent interference. But Illya had dealt with enough of these to know how they worked.

"Hoo…."

Taking a deep breath, she twirled her umbrella once, the motion sending a faint shimmer of mana into the air around her.

The ripples responded, warping slightly at her touch.

'An entry point…. it has to have one.'

She moved cautiously, feeling for any weak spots in the zone's structure.

Zones, after all, were like any mana related skill—powerful but not perfect.

They required an anchor point, a small fracture in the mana where it was the thinnest.

There.

Illya's eyes narrowed as she found it—a small flicker near the edge of a lamppost, almost imperceptible.

Without hesitation, she focused her own mana, directing it into a needle-thin thread that slipped into the weak point.

The air shimmered, and for a moment, everything blurred.

Swoosh~

And along with it, Illya's figure phased like water.

No, she was turning into water itself, her body propelling along with the droplets.

She saw them, facing off against a boy.

Their attention suddenly turned towards the sudden downpour that came along with her, and Illya crashed down along with the water.

Boom—!

The ground quaked beneath them as rain hammered down.

The rain seemed to part for her, bending to her will.

Illya walked forward, heels clicking.

Her presence was calm and composed, as if the rain obeyed her command. Water twisted and coiled around her.

The boy's eyes narrowed, irritation flashing across his face.

"Another one?"

Illya didn't answer. Instead, she raised her hand, and with a subtle motion, the rain intensified. The droplets hammered down harder, striking the boy with relentless force.

He flinched, but his smile returned quickly, almost mocking.

"What is it you hope to accomplish? Do you think Greed can be drowned, overwhelmed by something as transient—"

"Enough yapping."

"Huh—"

Illya, like a blur, blended with the rain, reappearing right before the boy.

Without missing a beat, she thrust her hand forward, sending a torrent of water directly at the boy.

It crashed into him like a tidal wave, forcing him to stumble back.

The boy merely tilted his head, raising his hand.

Water began to form in his palm, but before he could launch it, Illya was already moving again.

With a swift motion, she flicked her wrist, and the rain around her solidified into sharp spears.

They launched toward the boy in rapid succession, cutting through the air.

The boy barely had time to react, his hands moving to replicate the same water spears, evident by the droplets that formed around him

'No wonder they had a hard time.'

But as he did, Illya unleashed another attack—a massive whirlpool forming beneath him, dragging his feet down with immense force.

He gritted his teeth, struggling to keep his balance as he mirrored her moves.

A whirlpool of his own began to form, but Illya didn't give him a moment's reprieve.

"Go ahead, try."

Illya indifferently spoke, her tone monotonous.

She raised both arms, and the rain responded, forming a dense, impenetrable wall of water that surged forward.

Crash—!

It slammed into the boy, knocking him off his feet. He crashed to the ground, coughing, his own water attacks dissipating in the process.

"Greed never stops, you know," he said, gasping for air. "It's always hungry."

He lifted his hand, forming a crude version of Illya's water spear.

It shot toward her, but Illya merely flicked her wrist. The spear passed through her as she dissolved into water, reforming a few feet away, unscathed.

"You're wasting your breath."

She muttered.

The boy's eyes glinted with amusement despite his pain.

"Greed doesn't care. It keeps taking, even when you think you've won. It will find a way."

He hurled another attack, this time a massive wave, clearly copying her earlier technique.

It crashed down toward her, but Illya raised her hand, splitting the wave in half before it could touch her.

"Yap."

She retaliated, a whirlpool of water spinning around her, slashing toward the boy.

He copied the move, but his whirlpool faltered, unable to match Illya's relentless barrage of attacks.

Illya's attack struck him, sending him crashing once more.

"Greed is in you too," the boy gasped, forcing himself to stand. "It's in everyone. You may control water, but you can't control your desire. It'll consume you—like it does everyone."

Illya didn't respond, her expression cold as she shot another wave of sharp water blades toward him.

The boy tried to summon a defense.

But Illya was faster. The blades cut through his mana, slicing across his arm.

He grunted in pain, blood seeping from the wound.

"Do you feel it?" he asked, a strained laugh escaping his lips. "That pull? The hunger for more? That's greed."

Illya phased through another one of his desperate attacks, reappearing in front of him.

"Yap, yap, yap."

She mocked, her voice ice-cold.

She raised her hand, summoning a massive wall of water. It crashed down on the boy, pinning him to the ground.

He gasped, struggling beneath the weight of her attack.

"Greed…. always wins."

Illya stepped forward, water swirling around her.

"Where do you even get these dialogues?"

She clenched her fist, and the water around the boy solidified, locking him in place.

In one swift motion, she released a torrent of water that engulfed him, the force of the attack cut through his body like paper.

Crack—!

The air suddenly cracked and shattered, and a sudden downpour drenched everyone.

Illya stepped forward, water still swirling around her as the boy lay motionless, his body seemingly cut apart by the force of her final attack.

Amelia, panting heavily, pushed herself up from the ground, eyes wide as she stared at Illya in disbelief.

The others lay scattered. Their bodies battered, blood trickling down their forms, all of them silent as they processed what had just happened.

"Damn…."

Reinhard commented, helping himself up.

Amelia winced as her hand pressed to her side, glancing up at Illya.

"How did you get here?"

Illya simply shrugged her shoulders, maintaining a flawless calm demeanor.

"Coincidence."

Helping Amelia up, all of a sudden, before anyone could react, a low voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Greed never dies. It only waits."

Their heads snapped toward the source of the voice.

The boy stood not far away, his figure barely visible through the curtain of rain.

They glanced to the side where his body once lay. But it was nowhere to be seen.

"You think you've won? But Greed… Greed is eternal."

He gave them one last eerie smile, his form flickering, before disappearing into thin air.

"...."