"Sword Lord? What's wrong?"

Limon did not answer him. He merely gazed at the back of the blonde woman in a bearskin who was fighting Lee Cheon-gi.

Mistaking a look-alike for someone you know was common enough. But Limon was an exception. He was a Sword Master. With senses beyond human limits, he could distinguish people by the very structure of their bones and muscles. Mistaking someone he knew was impossible for him.

That was why Limon stepped forward without thinking.

His movement came to an abrupt halt.

"Tch."

Just as 『Bipedal Walking Prohibited』 stopped him before he could complete a single step, Limon gave his sword a light swing. To all appearances, it was a meaningless stroke through empty air. Those watching him in puzzlement widened their eyes at what happened next.

STEP, STEP.

"...!"

Left foot forward, then right. Slowly, he repeated the motion. He was simply walking. Outside, no one would have given it a second glance. But here inside Leviathan Hotel, it was something no one else could even imitate—a sight that left them stunned.

"Impossible! My 『Rule of Law』 is still active. How can you...?!"

Bellows was the most astonished of all. The skill had the drawback of binding even its user, but that made its effects all the more absolute. Yet Limon was moving in defiance of a restriction that bound even the Infinite Monarch. Bellows could hardly believe his eyes.

Ignoring every questioning and astonished stare, Limon approached Lee Cheon-gi and Eugene, who were still locked in combat.

"Hold it. Stop."

Lee Cheon-gi faltered at the sound of his voice, but only for a moment. Eugene naturally ignored the unfamiliar voice, and Lee had no choice but to move again to block her swinging hammer.

"I said stop, you two."

"...!"

"...!"

This time, both Lee Cheon-gi and Eugene flinched and backed away. Unlike before, something in Limon's voice sent a chill down Eugene's spine the instant she heard it, setting off every alarm her instincts possessed.

"This is so absurd I don't even want to ask... but there might be some misunderstanding, so I will."

Having stopped their fight with nothing but a trace of killing intent, Limon slowly turned toward Eugene. She watched him with a mixture of wariness, curiosity, and interest as he asked quietly, "What are you doing here?"

"Me? Fighting."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

She tilted her head as though she had no idea what he was asking. Limon frowned.

"You don't know who I am?"

"Who are you?"

"... Right. You must not recognize me like this."

Eugene looked bewildered. Should he be relieved or dismayed? Unable to decide, Limon pushed both possibilities out of his mind. Unless Eugene was a genius actor who could debut in Hollywood tomorrow, it seemed clear she genuinely did not know who he was.

Rather than press her further, Limon raised a hand and swept back his hair.

"How about now? Recognize me?"

"Huh?"

She looked puzzled by the strange question, but only for a moment. Her eyes went wide. As Limon swept back his hair, its original snow-white color began turning jet-black, as though soaked in ink.

The changes did not end there. The sharpness of his eyes softened. His cold face took on a haughty elegance. The vaguely indifferent, otherworldly air about him became arrogant and cynical.

When the transformation was complete, the white-haired swordsman who had seemed ready to cut someone down was gone. In his place stood a black-haired young nobleman, insolent yet refined. At the sight of that unmistakably familiar face, Eugene opened her mouth in a daze.

"... Partner? What are you doing here?"

"I asked you first."

"I'm here for work."

"Work."

As if the answer were too absurd to take in, Limon turned his head. He surveyed the lobby, so badly wrecked it was a wonder it still stood, and the injured people, Yo U-in among them.

"You mean rampaging around and killing people?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. That's my mission this time."

"And your last mission was killing people at Black Dragon Construction?"

"How did you know?"

Eugene's eyes widened. She showed only mild surprise and curiosity, as though a friend had discovered her secret part-time job. There was no sign she found the truth disturbing, or even awkward. Limon studied her for a moment, then let out a short sigh.

"... My life's worth less than some mutt lying around the house. The moment I let my guard down, this happens."

"Partner, what's wrong? Are you sick?"

"I'm fine physically. It's the headache you've given me."

"A headache? Why?"

His muttered lament must have sounded strange to Eugene. She asked with genuine concern, leaving Yo U-in and the other members of the Ink Dragon Unit momentarily stunned. Just moments ago, this same maniac had been rampaging with wild eyes. Seeing her act so friendly toward someone was almost too much to comprehend.

'That shameless...!'

'What nerve she has!'

'Don't let her fool you, Sword Lord!'

The Ink Dragon Unit seethed so fiercely that they did not even stop to wonder why Eugene and Limon seemed close. Fortunately, Limon brushed off her concern in a cold voice.

"Some crazy bitch barged into my in-laws' place and started tearing it up, trying to kill everyone."

"Crazy! What crazy bitch did that? Tell me who it was. I'll teach her a lesson for you!"

Eugene was indignant, as though someone had broken into her own home. Limon replied quietly, "You."

"Yeah, I'll teach her a lesson!"

"No. You're the crazy bitch."

"... WHAT?"

The answer was so unexpected that Eugene blinked blankly. Wearing a bearskin apparently wasn't enough; she looked as bewildered as an actual bear.

"Remember when I told you about my fiancée?"

"The rich one?"

"Yes. She's the Black Dragon Princess of the Seven Dragons Society. The Black Dragon Clan is my family by marriage, and its subsidiaries are part of my in-laws' business."

"... Huh?"

"In short, you screwed me over. Badly."

Eugene's eyes darted about as the situation finally seemed to sink in. At last, she scratched her head and apologized.

"Um. Sorry? I didn't mean to."

At those words, the Ink Dragon Unit bristled with killing intent. If Yo U-in had not raised a hand to restrain them, they would have done more than glare. But even that halfhearted apology did not anger Limon. As though he had expected it, he said evenly, "Save the apology if you don't mean it."

"I really am sorry I hurt you, partner."

"But you still have no intention of stopping or surrendering."

"Yeah. I can't. This is my mission."

No matter what Limon's relationship with the Black Dragon Clan was, she could not stop when the order had come from "above." Limon narrowed his eyes at the matter-of-fact way she said it.

"Why?"

"Huh? Why what?"

"Why are you following orders from scum like the Liberation Brigade?"

Limon had known from the start that Eugene was a fairly high-level player. The heavy guitar an ordinary person would struggle to lift and her seemingly endless stamina had made that clear. But he had never once thought she might be a criminal, much less one of the Liberation Brigade's ghosts. It was not because he believed she was kind. It was because he knew what she was like.

"I thought you didn't care about anything but singing."

Her brain was wired for music; she had staked her whole life on it. She would starve before selling a song for money, yet happily take a café job if it appealed to her. You could call her passionate. More bluntly, she was a nutcase who did not give a damn about anything unrelated to music.

That was Eugene. So why had she become one of the Liberation Brigade's ghosts? Limon looked at her less as though he were asking a question than as though he were staring at a puzzle put together all wrong. Eugene smiled.

"Yeah, but this does matter to me."

"How?"

"Can't tell you. It's personal."

"... I see."

Limon nodded. He still had no idea how Eugene had become involved with the Liberation Brigade. But as her friend, he knew one thing: nothing he said would stop her. She would carry out this mission even if it cost her life.

So Limon gave up on talking. Instead, he gave his sword a small flick.

"Then come at me."

"Come at you? Me, fight my partner? Why?"

"Because if you're going to complete your mission, you'll have to fight me to the death."

Eugene stared at him, wide-eyed, as though the thought had never occurred to her.

"Huh? Is that how it is?"

"Yes."

"But that's a problem. If I kill you, we can't perform together anymore."

"And you won't abandon your mission. I'm not letting you run wild any longer, either. One of us has to die here."

"Hmmmmm."

Limon spoke calmly, as though there were no other choice. Eugene clutched her head and groaned for a while, then suddenly looked up.

"Oh! Then how about this?"

She smiled brightly, as she always did, delighted with her idea.

"Partner, I'll just take out your legs."

After all, he only needed his hands, arms, and head intact to perform. Surely losing his legs would be fine? Eugene said it with utter confidence and gave him a playful wink.

"That way you don't die, and I still finish my mission. WIN-WIN, right?"

There was no pretense, no lie, no act. Eugene was offering what she saw as a kindness to her friend and partner. Limon did not flinch. He had always known something inside her was broken. He had simply let it pass because they were friends and partners, and because he had thought music was the only thing she was crazy about.

Now, though, Eugene was his enemy before she was his friend. She was a killer obsessed not only with music, but with blood and slaughter.

"Try it, if you can."

Knowing that, Limon's course was clear.

"Provided my sword doesn't kill you first."

For centuries, he had cut down his enemies without hesitation, whether they were friends or disciples. That was why, of the thirteen Sword Masters, he had survived when the other twelve had died—the last Sword Master of humanity.

And so Limon Aspelder pointed his sword at his friend, ready to begin a merciless fight that would not end until one of them was dead.