章 35: Chapter 34

Sanemi's jaw tightened as Harley's identity was revealed, her reputation preceding her like a shadow cast by the setting sun. He swallowed hard, steeling himself for the encounter ahead.

"Harley Keith? The Unique Core user of the Core Counsel. Who is known for her famous alias, Ryuusei no Kaze," Sanemi's voice rang out, his words measured and deliberate, betraying none of the trepidation that churned within him.

Harley regarded him with a cool detachment, her expression unreadable as she listened to his words. Finally, she let out a resigned sigh, her patience wearing thin.

"You talk too much, and you remind me of that damn Edward," she retorted, her tone laced with irritation. She fell silent for a few moments, her gaze sweeping over Sanemi with a mixture of disdain and frustration. "I don't like you, blondy."

Sanemi's brows furrowed in confusion, a mixture of bewilderment and indignation flickering across his features. Beside him, Haruko fought back a smirk, his amusement tempered by the gravity of their predicament.

Inwardly, Haruko seethed with frustration, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He hated feeling powerless, trapped in a situation where he could do nothing but stand by and watch. Yet, he knew better than to provoke Harley further, recognizing the futility of challenging someone as formidable as her.

"Anyways... all of you need to come with me," Harley announced, her tone brooking no argument as she assessed the situation before them. "I'm sensing 2 more people on the Eastern side. And one more? But-" Her words trailed off as her gaze fell upon Haruko and Sanemi, a flicker of suspicion dancing in her eyes.

"Did you kill someone?" she inquired, her voice cutting through the silence like a knife. Haruko fought back the urge to retort, his jaw clenching with restraint as Sanemi calmly replied, his tone tinged with defiance.

"It was a fight. What'd you expect? Flowers?" Sanemi's words only served to further irritate Harley, her annoyance palpable as she ignored his sarcasm and moved to restrain them both with a flick of her palm.

A shimmering light enveloped Haruko and Sanemi, binding them in place and leaving them helpless to resist. As Harley turned to deal with the others, Sanemi's gaze followed her departing figure, a sense of frustration simmering beneath his stoic exterior.

"I can't even move a muscle," he muttered, his voice tinged with resignation as he grappled with the realization of their powerlessness.

Beside him, Haruko chuckled softly, though the sound held little mirth. "This energy is familiar, but I forgot where I felt it before," he mused.

With a heavy sigh, he turned to Sanemi, his expression grave. "She's stronger than you at your full power," he admitted.

When Harley returned, her presence was accompanied by four bodies floating eerily behind her, a grim testament to the power she wielded.

"And... that's all of you," Harley announced, her voice tinged with a sense of finality as she surveyed her captives with a cool detachment. Her gaze lingered on Haruko, a flicker of curiosity dancing in her eyes.

"You've been quiet, are you planning to escape?" she inquired, her tone betraying a hint of amusement. Haruko's lips twitched with a small grin, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of defiance and resignation.

"How can I escape? Would you let me?" he countered, his voice laced with sarcasm as he met Harley's gaze head-on. For a moment, Harley's expression softened, her gaze drifting upwards as if considering his question.

But when her eyes returned to meet his, a full-blown smirk adorned her features, sending a shiver down Haruko's spine. "Goodness no. How can I let wild creatures like you roam this world?" she retorted, her voice dripping with mock sincerity.

With a graceful motion, Harley began to rise into the air, her form suspended several meters above the ground as she turned to address her captives below. "You'll have to forgive me," she began, her tone almost apologetic. "I've never been one to control my speed, so... all you need to know is that you won't die."

Sanemi's expression shifted from apprehension to outright panic as he realized the implications of Harley's words. "Are you crazy?!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with desperation. "The atmospheric pressure will crush us to paste if you fly faster than this."

But Harley paid his protests no mind, her smirk widening into a grin as she soared ever higher into the sky.

"You bitc-" Sanemi's words were cut off as the rush of air forced its way into his lungs, leaving him gasping for breath. Harley glanced back, a chuckle escaping her lips before her expression shifted, the humor vanishing like smoke in the wind.

'That energy, it can't be coming from them. They are so... weak?' Harley's thoughts raced as she pondered the source of the unexpected power surge. With a shake of her head, she dismissed the notion, her focus returning to the task at hand.

Turning her attention to the other bodies that trailed behind her like ragdolls, Harley's brow furrowed in concentration. 'Is it them?' she wondered, a sense of unease gnawing at the edges of her consciousness. But before she could dwell on it any longer, she tensed her body, steeling herself for what was to come.

With a sudden burst of speed, Harley shot forward like a falling star, leaving behind a trail of shimmering light as she hurtled through the atmosphere with unparalleled precision and grace.

Meanwhile, on the edge of the Stellar Continent, deep underground, a massive facility loomed in the shadows, its imposing presence a testament to the secrets it held within its walls. Inside, a black-haired man strode purposefully through the corridors, his steps echoing in the empty halls.

As he reached the third floor, the door flung open with a resounding crash, revealing the figure of Edward, the Prince of the Cosmic Empire. A nervous scientist trailed behind him, his gaze darting anxiously from side to side as he spoke.

"Uh, b-boss. The project has been halted by the higher ups," the scientist stammered, his voice trembling with fear. Edward turned to face him, his expression icy and unforgiving.

"Marco. Who am I?" Edward's voice was cold and commanding, his gaze piercing as he fixed the scientist with a steely stare.

The scientist, now identified as Marco, swallowed hard, his fear palpable as he stuttered out his response. "You are Edward, sir. The Prince of the Cosmic Empire."

Edward turned away from Marco, his features set in a mask of cold indifference. "And who is higher than me?" he demanded, his voice devoid of emotion.

Marco's response came quick and trembling. "His Majesty the King and Queen," he replied, his words barely a whisper in the echoing silence of the facility.

"Are they the ones who stopped the project?" Edward's voice, calm and cold, cut through the tense atmosphere like a knife. Marco shifted uneasily, his eyes darting to the ground before he mustered the courage to respond.

"No, sir," Marco replied, his voice barely above a whisper. But even as he spoke, a sharp noise pierced his ears, causing him to flinch involuntarily. Edward's Core Ability was at work, manipulating the very fabric of Marco's perception.

"Why, then, are you halting the project?" Edward's words reverberated in Marco's mind, echoing and repeating with relentless intensity. Marco felt a surge of panic rising within him, his heart pounding in his chest as he struggled to maintain his composure.

Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, Marco gave a small bow to Edward before hastily retreating from the room, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the empty corridors. He made sure to close the door behind him slowly and with respect, knowing that any sign of disrespect could cost him his job.

Alone in the silence of the room, Edward sat behind his desk, his expression blank and inscrutable. With practiced ease, he reached into a drawer and retrieved a small portrait, his fingers tracing the edges with a mixture of reverence and longing.

Edward reclined in his chair, his gaze fixed upon the image before him, a bittersweet smile playing at the corners of his lips. The portrait depicted a young man and woman, their faces alight with joy and affection. "Harley..." Edward murmured, his voice barely above a whisper as he traced the contours of their faces with his fingertips.

He found himself lingering on the image longer than he intended, unable to tear his eyes away from the memories it held. His heart ached with longing and regret, questions swirling in his mind like a tempest raging within.

"Why?" Edward's voice was soft, filled with an unspoken sorrow as he wrestled with the emotions that threatened to consume him.

The ringing of a bell shattered the fragile tranquility of the moment, pulling Edward back to the present with a jolt. With a sigh, he reluctantly replaced the portrait in the drawer, his fingers lingering for a moment on the smooth surface before he closed it with a sense of finality.

Opening another compartment of the desk, Edward retrieved a small device resembling a cellphone, but far more advanced in its capabilities. It was a Cell Core, a tool that connected him to the vast network of communication that spanned the planet.

"Yes?" Edward answered the Cell Core, his voice steady and composed despite the turmoil brewing within him.

Meanwhile, high above the ocean that separated the Sin Continent from the Stellar Continent, a figure streaked through the sky with lightning speed, trailed by seven others who flew uncontrollably in her wake. Among them was Sanemi, his body rendered speechless by the relentless velocity of their flight.

Though his lips remained sealed, his mind raced with a torrent of curses directed at Harley, whose actions had thrust them into this perilous situation.