The Art of Delay

Before the ruined building, two figures stood facing each other from a distance. One appeared utterly at ease. The other was exceptionally wary.

The girl’s initiative in speaking surprised Titan. He had assumed their animosity was absolute, expecting an immediate plunge into combat upon meeting. However, since his objective was merely to buy time, he saw no harm in extending their conversation.

“Times have changed,” Titan replied.

“I see. Is it because I’m too powerful? So powerful that you’ve been forced to huddle together for warmth?”

Liu Yu voiced her interpretation, her cool expression masking an inner thrill. Unlike in the past, when her thoughts and emotions would readily betray themselves, she now maintained a stable, unreadable expression—a monumental leap in self-control, in a sense. ‘This is all thanks to the Bloodkin’s influence, isn’t it… Damn it, I haven’t even had a single bite of those little snacks who ran to the front lines!’

‘—There’s always something off about the way this person speaks… It’s like a childish brat trying too hard to act mature… Strange, truly strange… And yet, under this pressure, I can’t even point it out.’

Titan’s face, hidden within his armor, twitched subtly; he barely restrained himself from attacking. Yet, to prolong the delay, he maintained an impassive expression and assented.

“Indeed, your power far surpasses our wildest imagination. After all, in the face of an insurmountable catastrophe, lone individuals often meet untimely ends, while weaker beings who assist each other often manage to endure.”

If this ‘Vanguard’ was indeed the same girl who had been teleported to the Dimensional Prison, then the faction she once claimed to represent was…

Titan then probed, “The Supervisory Bureau sent you here to… kill us, correct?”

“Of course.”

Liu Yu nodded.

“We have already witnessed your strength,” Titan continued. “To continue fighting would only lead to our demise. What if I said… we choose to surrender now? Would you accept?”

“…I can. As long as you hand over The Gem, I can fully represent The Supervisory Bureau in accepting your surrender.”

This was, of course, a lie; Liu Yu could not represent The Supervisory Bureau, and her words naturally held no authority. But if she could eliminate the most troublesome adversary with mere words, she saw no reason not to seize The Gem and then deal with Titan.

‘It is The Supervisory Bureau after all… If she were truly a hero of The Association, she wouldn’t need to hide her intentions behind The Supervisory Bureau’s name.’

Titan felt a slight easing of his mind. Having been traumatized by the Black-blooded, facing a ‘hero’ from The Association would have caused his morale to plummet. While this girl was formidable, she couldn’t compare to the Black-blooded he had encountered. That overwhelming, terrifying power still made him tremble to this day.

After reviewing the information in his mind, Titan continued to stall.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Miss. However, The Supervisory Bureau’s stance on anomalies tainted by Black Blood has always been one of complete eradication, leaving no survivors.”

“How can you assure us that after we hand over The Gem, we will remain unharmed and not be discarded once our usefulness is exhausted?”

Liu Yu declared with righteous conviction, “Rest assured, your kin and subordinates are currently held safely within The Supervisory Bureau, unharmed. Furthermore, you may not know this, but within The Supervisory Bureau, I am a highly respected and influential super-expert. My word carries immense weight. As long as you hand over The Gem now, my standing is more than sufficient to guarantee your safety.”

‘As for how I’ll guarantee it? Well, it’ll be safest inside my stomach, of course.’

‘…Kid, do you even know how to use idioms? ‘Highly respected and prestigious’ is supposed to be used here?’

As an ‘outsider,’ Titan barely managed to suppress a laugh. But the thought of this girl’s unpredictable and petty nature—should she realize he was mocking her illiteracy, he’d surely meet a gruesome end—made Titan quickly order his armor to inject a sedative. Only then did his turbulent emotions calm, allowing him to ponder the girl’s words.

‘That The Doctor was still alive came as no surprise. The value a figure of his caliber could generate while living far surpassed that of a mere corpse. However, the fact that the ‘humans’ who had joined the Bloodkin for various reasons were also unharmed left him somewhat astonished and suspicious.’

The Bloodkin’s members hailed from all corners of society, joining for a myriad of reasons. There were desperate Bloodthirsters, researchers who deliberately entered the fray, martial artists simply seeking strength, and a small, undeniable faction of lunatics.

Criminals, vagrants, sociopaths… they were ruthless thugs from society’s underbelly. They were also The Doctor’s initial ‘test subjects.’ Now, they were an unwieldy burden.

If The Supervisory Bureau could even let these individuals go, then they truly were invincible. After all, there were some among them whom Titan himself had almost been tempted to eliminate just to calm his nerves. Of course, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that the girl was lying.

“Hmm… hmm…”

Titan stroked his chin, adopting a contemplative pose, occasionally interjecting with tricky questions to buy more time. As if truly believing his fabricated claims, Liu Yu patiently answered each of his queries, her innocent demeanor even stirring a flicker of guilt within Titan. But then he reconsidered, realizing he was being played; this little girl, outwardly pure, was utterly black-hearted, incapable of uttering a single truth. In her descriptions, The Supervisory Bureau’s prison sounded like a veritable paradise, promising VIP treatment immediately upon surrender. Insane. Even a fool wouldn’t fall for such a transparent lie.

“…While I’m tempted to agree, this matter concerns my very life. Might I trouble you, Miss, to show me recent photos of The Doctor, Irina, or other Bloodkin members? It would greatly bolster my confidence.”

“That’s not allowed!”

The girl crossed her arms, forming an ‘X’ with her hands, and unequivocally refused. “I am a person of principle! Divulging internal information is absolutely out of the question!”

‘Would anyone actually believe such an obvious lie?’

Titan rolled his eyes, quickly finding another topic to continue his conversation with Liu Yu. As their back-and-forth continued, the girl’s tone grew increasingly impatient. Seeing that he was running out of time, Titan hastily dropped a bombshell question.

“Actually, I’ve always been a loyal fan of Miss Vanguard. If it’s not too much trouble… could you answer one question for me?”

“What is your relationship with that ‘hero’…?”

The first half was a lie, but the latter was the unvarnished truth. He was genuinely curious about the relationship between these two girls who looked so strikingly similar they could be passed off as different characters to entice more purchases—a mere palette swap, one might say. Sisters? Mother and daughter? Surely they weren’t just strangers who coincidentally looked identical?

His answer came not in words, but in the girl’s left eye—a pure, inhuman black, devoid of any white.

“What…” His vision began to spin, his thoughts growing muddled. All he heard was a derisive scoff in his ear: “Idiot, you talk too much!”