Lin never imagined that Yama would go as far as separating a Herrscher entity from herself just to evict him. Had he become that loathsome to her?
...No, logically, since the wish had already been granted, Yama shouldn't be able to create another Herrscher, no matter how much she disliked him. But this state of creating something out of nothing... only the Monkey's Paw should be capable of that.
Wait...
Lin felt this situation was slightly familiar, as if he had encountered it somewhere before. But it was only a "feeling"; he had zero actual memory of it.
All thought ceased in the face of a searing light beam. Lin passed between two beams by a hair's breadth. Due to the nature of these beams passing through matter, he couldn't find cover; he could only flee and dodge blindly. He had no armaments on him. His most lethal weapon was a cotton swab he bought this morning to clean his ears. He didn't know if a Herrscher's skull could be pierced by a cotton swab, but he knew that a single oversight would result in him being torn to shreds.
Boom!
A fierce wind brushed over his head. Lin looked up and saw the Herrscher who looked exactly like Yama had already reached the air above him. She spread her five fingers, and six cannons manifested behind her. At such close range, with fire covering the ground, Lin had nowhere to hide!
His eyes met the Herrscher's—that familiar, inhuman gaze was etched into his vision!
Flash!
A particle beam, bright enough to blind, engulfed Lin figure.
The expressionless, exquisite face remained in the shadows against the sun. She looked at the empty ground, and her light-filled eyes instantly snapped to the side. At the same time, accompanied by the sound of whistling wind, a fist arrived at her face.
Thwack!
Lin, with half his shoulder scorched, punched the Herrscher's cheek. When the tactile feedback reached him, he realized this Herrscher hadn't even constructed a Houkai energy shield.
However, the next moment, he was repelled by an invisible field. He flew backward as if hit head-on by a truck. He had exhausted every bit of strength to dodge the beam and kick off the wall to land that one punch, but the difference between that punch and a tickle to the Herrscher was that he was "tickling" her with all his might.
Before he could land, a powerful pressure descended upon him out of thin air. He fell from the heights toward the ground at a terrifying speed.
Is this... gravity control?
Lin saw a black orb that swallowed light appear in the Herrscher's raised hand. He was being crushed down by some unknown force. If he hit the ground like this, he would surely be flattened into a meat paste!
Lin decisively tore off his shirt and threw it toward a railing whistling past him, but how could fragile fabric hold his entire weight? Especially now, with terrifying gravity applied to him, the shirt was torn with a "rrip" the moment it tied around the railing. However, this slowed his momentum slightly and brought him closer to the adjacent building.
This allowed him to grab a railing on the next floor with one hand. But just as he tried to apply force, a crisp snap rang out—his arm and the railing deformed together.
Damn it...
Yama had said that they were only consciousnesses in this bubble world, but if the consciousness died, the original body would become an empty shell, no different from death. Just as Lin was about to hit the ground, the intense pressure suddenly vanished. He slammed heavily into the pavement, the back of his throat turning sweet as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Fortunately, he wasn't crushed directly into pulp by gravity.
"Cough, cough..." Lin felt as if his internal organs had been shifted by the fall. Fortunately, his constitution was excellent; a fall from this height wouldn't critically injure him. The urgent priority was to be careful of that Herrscher...
Lin pushed against his knees to stand up. Adjusting his breathing, he looked toward—
The... Herrscher?
The sky was empty, as if nothing had ever been there. Lin scanned the surroundings quickly but found no trace of her. She had disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared. Melted away like spring snow.
...
"..."
"What's wrong, Lin?"
Kevin saw Yama walking silently along the sunset-drenched street, her head down in a somber mood, and asked out of curiosity. At this time, Dystopia and Kosma, who were from the same school, were walking together and approached them upon seeing them.
"That guy... he has zero professional ethics as a teacher. He just goes to class to read novels. Today he even ran off halfway through." Yama sounded very displeased, and everyone knew exactly who she was talking about.
Only Kevin said cluelessly, "Isn't that great?"
"...Kevin, if Mei breaks up with you in the future, don't wonder why." Dystopia shook her head and sighed at Kevin.
"But Mei said it was great too."
"That's just Mei humoring you." Yama tossed her silver-white hair hard, gritting her teeth. "I'm definitely not letting him in the door today."
"Wait, Lin, what are you saying?" Kosma looked at Yama with a bewildered face. "You're living together?"
Yama glanced at him expressionlessly.
"Do you think rape is consensual?"
"Uh..."
Actually, Yama felt a bit uneasy. She had noticed earlier that Lin expression wasn't right—he lacked that usual nonsensical, unhinged vibe. Later, he didn't even take his novel or textbook, which gave her an indescribable feeling.
...It wasn't that she was worried about him; she was just curious where the guy went. It would be best if he died!
...
Yama put her hand on the doorknob, but before she used her key, her meticulous observation noticed anomalies around her house. The grass had been stepped on, the doorknob wasn't at the specific angle she left it at, and...
Yama nose crinkled. She smelled fresh blood. It wasn't strong, but it was wafting from her house. She didn't open the door directly. Instead, she circled to the back of the house, nimbly climbed onto the roof, and walked above the bedroom. She pressed a hidden button and lifted a section of the roof.
Peering inside, she saw the lights on in the living room. After entering, she closed the roof and crept toward the door.
Sizz—
A strange sound made her brow furrow. She quietly peeked her head out...
Sizz.
Lin was lying lazily on a beanbag chair. One arm was simply treated and hung in front of his chest with a bandage and a steel splint. He was idly flipping through channels with the remote, specifically watching boring celebrity gossip. Beneath his feet were a pile of tissues used to wipe blood and apply alcohol—that was the source of the smell.
Yama sharp eyes saw that Lin wasn't just slumped on the sofa; he had also reached under the coffee table and taken out her treasured strawberry milk, finishing it in two gulps. Next to the pile of tissues sat several empty milk cartons.
Her expression stiffened, and fury simmered in her eyes. That was strawberry milk she hardly let herself drink. Two nights ago, she had only restrained herself because she was afraid this guy would steal a drink. In the end, he noticed her subtle movements and drank it all without hesitation.
"Hm? You're back?" Lin seemed to notice Yama gaze. After all, a murderous stare is hard to hide. He calmly put down the milk. "Sorry, I'm injured. Please do the cooking."
"..."
"Arm... injured... please... DO THE COOKING?!"
After speaking, Lin turned his head back and continued watching the boring news about who cheated on whom.