บท 169: Battle of inheritors
With his right gun, Aleksei shot a bullet at Alina.
"I can see the trajectory," Alina mumbled as she deftly twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the bullet. Then, she summoned petals and turned invisible.
"I am ready for this," *BRRRRR!* Aleksei lifted his left gun, shooting a barrage of a hundred bullets. Unlike the first one, they were weaker, rebounding off walls and creating a chaotic rain of bullets that seemed navigate around Aleksei and Allen, avoiding them.
"Hg!" Alina's invisibility was disrupted by the bullets' impacts, revealing her location.
"There you are." *Bang!* With his right gun, a powerful bullet was sent across the bullet rain, aimed directly at Alina's head.
*Clank.* In the nick of time, Alina managed to block the shot with the handle of her spear, but the force pushed her back a meter. With her left arm injured, it was difficult to wield her weapon effectively.
"You have prepared a way to fight against me," Alina said, her eyes fixed on Aleksei.
"Of course. Whether ally or enemy, circumstances change. It's best to be prepared to defend oneself against those close to you," Aleksei explained. "You were at the top of my list, considering I had suspected this attack. In an indoor space and in a direct confrontation, you are at a disadvantage."
Alina's gaze shifted to the window.
*Pa.* Aleksei snapped his fingers, and walls of earth emerged from outside, forming a protective dome around the building, encaging them. "Don't try to escape outside. As I said, I'm prepared for you."
*Brrrrr!* Aleksei resumed his barrage, the impossible rain breaking Alina's posture and leaving her open for a strong shot. *Bang.*
Sensing the bullet coming, roses bloomed around Alina, transforming her into a tall man with caramel skin and green eyes.
*Fush!* A strong wind enveloped Alina, deflecting the weaker bullets and giving her room to dodge the stronger shot.
"You possess a unique power, Alina," Aleksei nodded. "Yet, you've never fully harnessed it. Your focus on quick assassinations has hindered your combat abilities, making it unable for battles."
"Copying Kevin, a supporter, shows your limitations," Aleksei added. "You will never be able to kill me using them."
"Yes, Kevin's abilities revolve around mobility and sound transmission. Though not inherently strong, with the right preparation, they can be quite effective," Alina's Anemo Vision gleamed, and 10 green lights materialized around the room. "Bu!"
*BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!* A thunderous explosion erupted from the green lights, converging on Aleksei and shattering his eardrums.
Blood oozed from Aleksei's ears, and his eyes glazed over from the shock, causing him to slump to his knees.
"This is my place, and I've made arrangements for a possible attack," Alina returned to her original form after a veil of roses. Approaching Aleksei, she raised her spear menacingly. "If I excel at assassination, I only need to force the battle into one."
"Goodbye." Alina thrust her spear toward his heart. However, just as the spear was about to strike, a renewed focus returned to Aleksei's eyes. He shifted his body slightly to the right.
*Spash!* Blood sprayed as the spear punctured his chest, narrowly avoiding his heart. Despite this, he couldn't avoid a grievous wound.
"Bitch!" Aleksei growled, his right arm lifting. *Bang!*
Alina quickly retreated, creating space between them as she discarded her spear "How did you recover so fast?!"
"You almost had me there," Aleksei spat as he released his gun. "Your mistake was using Kevin's power to set the trap. Have I not tell you? Always be prepared to eliminate those close to you." Aleksei removed a broken earplug from his right ear and tucked it into a pouch at his hip. "I know what he's capable of, so I've always been prepared for a possible attack from him. If you want to succeed, you must Distrust everyone."
"Even Kevin, who harbors no ambitions? You're a psycho," Alina retorted, her gaze fierce. "But that doesn't change a thing. You avoid an instant death but is still fatal, your death is inevitable."
"Is it?" Aleksei's grin returned as gloves materialized over his hands.
"Pant-!" Alina attempted to react, summoning vines to immobilize Aleksei. However, Aleksei ignored them, putting his right hand over his pouch.
"Useless," Aleksei's right hand in the pouch glowed brilliantly. His chest wound began sealing rapidly, even pushing the spear out of his body.
"You cost me one hundred million Mora," Aleksei rose to his feet, fully healed, shattering the vines around him as if they were made of glass.
"You'll pay..." Aleksei launched himself forward with a swift kick, appearing before Alina in an instant. "...with your life!" He drew back his right arm, preparing for a devastating punch. But just as he was about to strike, a blade made of water flew between them, piercing the wall.
"Weren't you supposed to abstain from our battle, Allen?" Aleksei turned his attention to Allen, who had intervened.
"I agreed to a fair fight for the inheritance. But this is no longer that, is it, Aleksei?" Allen glared at his gloves, especially over the brown jewel with a symbol of a hand with a whirl that seemed to resonate with the one over her bow "Or should I call you Pantalone? As it seems that there's no need for any inheritance as the new one has already been chosen."
"Yes, it's as you thought. The previous one's life has ended and I've become the new Pantalone. As I always said, I was the only option" Aleksei said with a smile.
"So you were simply playing around with Alina?"
"Rather than playing it was more about a test" Allen's gaze became cold at the test word "I needed to test her loyalty and see if she would try to attack me at any opportunity. As you might be aware, she had completely failed, so it's time to punish her."
"And if I am against?" Allen lifted her sword.
"Harbingers are forbidden to fight each other unless the Tsaritsa permits it, Allen." Aleksei explained "Moreover, the punishment of a subordinate is the responsibility of her boss and as the next Pantalone, I've inherited her. So is my right to decide her punishment, meaning Alina's life is mine!"
"Is it?" Allen smiled charmingly as she took a paper from her clothes, throwing them at Aleksei.
"That?!" Aleksei opened his eyes wide as he realized what it was. The papers were about a transfer order for Alina, concretely, she now working under Columbina.
"You said it before, the punishment of a subordinate is the responsibility of her boss." Allen grinned "I'll take care of her. You can rest assured that I will punish her "accordingly"."
"You already knew that I was Pantalone, no? Allen?" Aleksei glared at her.
"Of course" Allen nodded "I saw Pantalone's state when I took Ellen away from Snezhnaya. He was about to die. Also, I've learned about you, you had something different this time around and while I was supposed to be a higher ranking, you continuously tried an attack on my part as if it did not worry you. I might be wrong but there was a high probability of you already having inherited Pantalone."
"That's why I prepared for the possibility, requesting through Sandrome's Katherine the transfer of Alina under my care" Allen explained "The reason? I need her help at Inazuma to obtain the Gnosis. And you know? I'm quite good at creating excuses."
"When I told Alina that I chased her for curiosity, it wasn't curiosity for her, but for you, Aleksei. I truly wanted to see how far you reached in your play and how would you react."
"If only had you not used your Delusion, you could have kept your lie and kept me away from interfering" Allen stated "Aleksei, this battle, you lost it."
Aleksei clenched his hands with strength while grinning his teeth, seeming to be about to explode in anger.
"Hahahahaha!" However, he exploded in laughs "You've got me, Allen. But!" Aleksei grinned "You've got something wrong." Aleksei turned towards the shocked Alina "Even if she is not under me now, I can still punish her!" Aleksei lifted his right arm.
"Aleksei!" Allen charged forward, trying to stop him, however, it was too late.
"Do not worry, I'll pay you for her. I can take this loss." Aleksei punched forward. Alina was unable to move, completely scared, as immense pressure approached her a mountain pressing on her.
Alina expected the huge impact, but suddenly the pressure disappeared with Aleksei's punch stopping just an inch from her face "But I'll let it go for this time" Aleksei smiled and turned around, distancing from Alina and going towards the exit.
"Why have you stopped, Aleksei?" Allen asked in wonder.
"You have shown immense growth Allen" Aleksei smiled brightly "Paying such growth and intelligence with punishment is no good. This is my gift to you." Aleksei laughed "Let's consider it as a draw."
Aleksei left through the door but before leaving, he turned one last time to Alina "You owe me a hundred million Mora for this, Alina. Pay it to me the earliest or I will have a new excuse to kill you."
"CR!" Aleksei left the place and with his leave, the dome around the building broke down.
"Fuck!" Finding themselves alone, Alina punched the wall with fury before falling to her knees and started crying "Shit..."
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