1192. This City Isn’t Big Enough For the Two of Us
Grace, the Capital of the Larin Empire, was a red-tinted mausoleum of breathtaking proportions. Districts were blended into immense, overlapping complexes of open bridges, pillars, and stacked floors that resembled layered landmasses.
A maze, a coliseum – what wasn’t the Capital of the Larin Empire? It sprawled over multiple kilometers, and she could only imagine how much deeper it went underground.
From what she understood, the Larin Empire was built upon the foundations of past generations. The current section, which was above ground, was the portion created by the current generation of rulership.
If Red didn’t know any better, she would have believed that a mountain was used to carve out the stone complex. But it was not merely stone. Embedded like a lattice used to reinforce concrete were blood and bones.
This was only true for few of the buildings, which were likely recently made.
It was impossible to tell where the palace was because of the way it was constructed. Everywhere she looked was the same. One area led to a vast garden.
Another a highway where rivers of blood flowed, delivering endless rations to those downstream, and one area being what appeared to be a library of some kind.
In the areas that were open – they were larger than fields, sporting stone-paved walkways made of gold and red-tinted bricks. The area alone could house thousands, yet it served as nothing more than a place for people to commute, and where statues of prominent historical figures were constructed.
Red fought off the urge to shoot the statues.
So far, she had not yet encountered a Clot, nor an Impuritas.
Which was strange. The Capital was by far the most densely populated area in the Larin Empire. Or at least, any Capital was supposed to be a hot zone for any population. Pair that with the Crimson Hunger infestation, and it was virtually impossible to miss them.
Yet, it was quiet. Far too quiet for the Capital, when villages with a population of only fifty were overrun by hundreds of monsters.
Red was correct to suspect that something was awry.
She climbed the side of a building that lacked walls, and with floors that spanned hundreds of meters. How the building managed to retain its structural integrity was a mystery for another day.
Once at the summit, she took out a pair of makeshift binoculars and scanned the Capital.
“Despicable. What parasite possessed them to create their Capital in the image of a square spider’s nest?”
Because of the Capital was designed, it was a nightmare getting any clear line of sight without it being obstructed by a stray pillar, bridge, staircase that may or may not lead to another floor.
To make matters worse, there were no signs, and the Farsight Dowser had run out of charge.
“Bwa?”
Three Paw tilted its head adorably as it entered Red’s binoculars, magnifying its face.
“It’s somewhere in this city. Three Paw. Check above ground. I’ll head underground and see if I can pick up Snow’s scent.”
“Bwa!”
Three Paw disappeared by her command. Now that she was alone, Red could explore the silent city at her own pace. With her speed, it should not take more than a day at most to locate Snow – so she hoped.
Otherwise, she would have to result to demolishing the Capital. Red was not known for her patience, after all. If anything, her impatience heavily characterized her, alongside her thrill for combat.
“Rockie should be arriving soon to assist.” She murmured, and just as she was about to put the binoculars away, she did a double take at a strange glint in the distance.
What was that?
Immediately, she observed where she last saw the glint through her binoculars. It came from the middle of an open highway where tiny fountains of blood littered the area. At first glance she thought it must have come from the light bouncing of the water.
But then, as she swept her binoculars across the highway, she spotted a pair of wolf ears.
“A wolf… Here?”
However, this was no ordinary wolf. Attached to those ears was a human head.
And on that head was a face resembling her own. Red was no stranger to fighting entities that mirrored her appearance. She had even been allied with such entities before.
The only ones that wore those ears came from an Impuirtas Group called the Authors of Existentia. Long ago, members of the Authors of Existentia such as the Grim Sisters deployed similar creatures to eliminate her.
Unfortunately for them, they were not well versed in shootouts.
In a way, Red had hoped that they were at least half as competent as she was. After all, Red – no matter the foe – adored a good fight.
“The audacity! The Authors of Existentia have a hand in this plot too? Snow, just what do they want from you?”
Snow kept her eyes trained on the figure as she swapped the binoculars with a bolt action sniper rifle. It wasn’t nearly as large nor as powerful as another rifle she had in her possession. Regardless, this would eliminate that golden-eyed, wolf-eared bitch with a headshot.
She measured the distance and then crossed her knee over her leg to use it as a bipod. The distance was over eight kilometers. Even if the shot was made using an exceptionally powerful rifle, it would not hit its mark because there were several factors to consider, such as wind speed, air density, friction, etcetera.
However, Vengeful Red had never missed her first shot.
One could scour the entirety of Elysia, and they would not find a better sharpshooter than her.
She took aim, held her breath, and then – bared her fangs as her eyes widened with hatred.
“Die you imitating bitch!”
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
The bullet undoubtedly hit its mark. A large crater formed where she pointed the gun. With a wicked grin, she hoisted the rifle over her shoulder as she celebrated the kill.
“One bitch down. Wonder how many of you fucks are out there~”
“BWA!”
“What do you want, mutt?”
Three Paw emerged from her shadow barking madly. Its ears were flattened, and it began pointing its nose away from the ledge in desperation.
“BWAAA!”
“I did see that. Her apparel was unique, wasn’t it? Military-esque, with a regal aspect. Why does it bother you so much?”
Red didn’t seem to understand the severity of the situation.
Let alone who or what she had shot.
“BWAAA!”
“You received a what?”
“BWA! BWA! BWA!”
A dangerous chill ran through her veins. Her instincts never lied. But it was rare for her to experience such a sensation in this form, since there was only so much that could put up a decent fight against her.
“A warning?”
“BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
Her pupils contracted into tiny dots.
“Paradise… what?”
Red glanced in the direction she had fired at, and this time, she saw the glint again.
That glint, as she came to realize, was a sniper glint.
She had been spotted first.
“GET INTO MY SHADOW–!”
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
Whatever that figure had fired, if it even was a bullet, caused the building to collapse into itself. Red hopped from debris to debris as she fell, shooting floors along the way to create new stepping stools.
Once at the bottom, and whilst surrounded by sifting rubble, Red cycled the next bullet with hatred.
“Amazing. That bitch…”
With a heavy stomp, she ejected a bullet that was lodged into a piece of cement beneath her. She caught it as it passed her face, and she inspected the red bullet.
She could only sigh.
The bullet was no larger than her finger.
“She used this and it took out a building? Agate. Status. I had a clear look at her. What’s her stats like? The Authors must have managed to write something interesting since the last time we crossed them.”
//////// < EXTREME WARNING > ////////
< STATS UNAVAILABLE >
Despite this, Red’s expression remained stoic.
However, there was a tinge of excitement in the way her eyes lit up.
“Just our luck. I’m sorry Snow. Something interesting came up. Tch. This city isn’t big enough for the two of us.”