The girl covered her forehead where she had just been flicked, staring blankly into Reid's deep crimson eyes at close range. There was no blame in them, no impatience, only a firm, unwavering expectation she could not understand.
She parted her lips, trying to imitate the unfamiliar sentence, her voice filled with hesitation and awkwardness:
"…This… this is my…?"
She failed.
"Good," Reid said lightly, without pressing her further. "From today on, say it once every day until you actually understand it."
At that moment, someone in the panicked crowd below seemed to realize something shocking and pointed at Reid on the throne.
"I… I know! Pirates! They're pirates! Just like that one before!"
Another person immediately echoed in fear, "That's right! Joy Boy! The pirates are chasing Joy Boy! That must be it! They're all monsters!"
Reid paused slightly as he was about to continue his "lesson."
Joy Boy?
He already set sail? That fast?
Reid glanced down at the still-dazed little girl in his arms, suddenly at a loss for words.
Future me… what era did you send me to? Has Joy Boy just started making a name for himself?
Reid made a decision instantly.
Time to run.
Reid, Reid, why are you running?
Because there's someone I can't beat. Quiet, stay low, stop talking.
The massacre below was nearly over. The blood mist army had almost wiped out all resisting enforcers. But at that moment, the mist surrounding Reid paused slightly.
From deep within the city, a faint yet overwhelmingly powerful pressure began to spread. It was subtle, but the danger within it was enough to make even Reid feel a trace of fear.
"Tch. Just as expected. There's still someone I can't handle," he muttered inwardly.
"Boring. The killing's basically done anyway."
He pouted, as if he had not just unleashed a storm of slaughter. The blood mist throne instantly dissipated, and he landed lightly back on the ground with the girl in his arms.
"Let's go," he said to her casually. "Ran into someone I can't beat. Time to get out of here."
The girl looked up at him blankly. The man who had just acted like a god of slaughter, commanding an army with a flick of his hand and treating lives like nothing, was now shamelessly saying he was going to run.
The sheer contrast struck her mind like lightning. For the first time, something clear surfaced in her numb eyes: confusion.
Reid did not give her time to process. He grabbed her hand and rushed toward the port at astonishing speed.
"Hey, hey, don't space out," he said with a grin, flashing white teeth as he ran. "Remember this. If you can beat them, kill them."
"If you can't beat them, run. Nothing shameful about that. The one who survives till the end is the winner. Got it?"
The blood mist lingered behind them, temporarily blocking the pursuers' vision. As he spoke, his gaze had already locked onto the fastest and most eye-catching small spacecraft nearby.
"Let's go, let's go! I'll take you for a ride!"
His eyes swept the area before settling on a sleek, brand-new high-speed ship not far away. He strode toward it with the girl, completely unchallenged as the few remaining survivors scattered in terror.
Once aboard, Reid pushed the girl into the co-pilot seat and plopped himself down in front of the main control panel. He raised an eyebrow at the dense array of glowing controls and holographic displays.
"Tch… this feels like playing a game…"
He pressed a few buttons at random. The ship suddenly shook, emitting an unstable hum as it wobbled upward, barely heading toward the port.
"Okay, it flies."
"Got it."
"Need some practice."
"Alright, understood."
"I'm basically a world champion now!!!"
Almost the next second, they blasted through the port barrier.
Several terrifying beams of light slammed down onto the street they had just left like falling meteors.
As the light faded, several figures appeared, clad in armor that fused ancient and modern designs. Their expressions were grim as their sharp eyes swept over the destruction and lingering traces of blood mist.
"Damn it! We're too late!" the leader roared.
But just as they were about to lock onto the target and give chase, something changed.
In the direction Reid had escaped, above a residential district of Piruka, the dissipating blood mist suddenly received one final command. It violently contracted inward and then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A deafening explosion tore through the sky. Dense crimson energy erupted above the district.
The shockwave flipped nearby aircraft, defensive barriers flickered wildly, and terrified screams once again filled the streets.
"Not good!"
The newly arrived warriors' expressions changed drastically. They had no choice but to stop pursuing and move to contain the explosion and protect civilians.
All they could do was watch helplessly as the crooked little ship, taking advantage of the chaos, accelerated again and disappeared beyond the horizon.
"Damn it… who was that?!"
The enemy was not only powerful, but ruthless, cunning, unpredictable, and shameless.
Reid had been suppressing his presence the entire time, keeping it at a level the patrol units could barely handle. That was why they had not taken him seriously at first. By the time they realized something was wrong, he was already gone.
What made it worse was that he had used this method to delay them.
Inside the stolen ship, Reid sensed the towering explosion behind him through the blood mist. Imagining the chaos and frustration of those powerful figures, a satisfied smile curved on his lips.
"Bye-bye."
He whistled, adjusted the ship's direction slightly, and steered toward the vast blue ocean ahead.
"Ace captain here. Oh~ are you ready, my first mate?"
The girl: silence.
"Say it. Oh~~~"
The girl: "…Oh~~~"
"Good! Hahahaha, let's go!"
This world was different from the future. It was no longer isolated islands, but a vast ocean where landmasses were still connected. Had everything sunk beneath the sea in the future?
The girl stared out the window at a world she had never seen before, then turned to look at the man beside her who hummed off-key. Her confusion only deepened.
From the moment her so-called "cursed power" was discovered, her life had been defined.
Atonement was her only purpose. Prayer was her daily routine. Sacrificing herself for Piruka was her destined end. She had been taught to accept it willingly.
She had never thought of resisting. To resist would be an even greater sin.
But today…
This man appeared.