Illimitable Until Death

“Whoosh—!”

Amidst the sharp sound of the wind slicing through the air, two sharp blades cleaved through the dazzling flash, descending heavily.

However, the expected sensation of a successful strike didn’t transmit to Riko’s nerves, causing her eyes to tremble involuntarily.

“Bang—!”

In that fleeting moment, the sound of a gunshot reached Riko’s ears.

“Pa—!”

Another sound followed, as if a whip struck the body with force, spreading intense pain across Riko’s side.

“Wuah…!”

This time, Riko couldn’t hold back any longer. Her body was pushed back by the impact of the bullet, it was as if an invisible force had ruthlessly kicked her. Her steps faltered, and she ultimately knelt on the ground.

On the deck, the blinding flash gradually dimmed.

Feeling the light subsiding, Aria slowly opened her eyes.

The scene that met her gaze confirmed the outcome— the standoff between the two combatants was evident.

Fang Li remained unscathed, standing in place, his all-black tailcoat devoid of any wrinkles or marks, as if he hadn’t engaged in any action.

Riko, on the other hand, knelt on the ground, sweat coating her charming face. Her breathing was somewhat labored, and although she didn’t seem to have suffered any prominent injuries, she couldn’t even stand.

The scene before them spoke volumes.

However, when Aria saw Riko, with her hair seemingly emitting a crimson glow and sharp blades woven into her hair on both sides, resembling extra hands, she couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.

“Superpower?!”

Indeed.

This inexplicable phenomenon could only be described as a Superpower.

In other words, Riko wasn’t an ordinary Butei; she was a Choutei.

“Since when can the Lupin family use Superpowers?” Aria was truly taken aback.

As a descendant of Holmes, Aria had never heard that the Lupin family, who had a kind of ancestral feud with her own family, possessed Superpowers.

Not even Fang Li knew.

“A Superpower?” Fang Li looked at Riko, who was kneeling and catching her breath, and said in a low voice, “You’ve hidden this quite well.”

“…This is the trump card Riko kept hidden to defeat Li Li,” Riko managed a somewhat strained smile while catching her breath and wiping away sweat. “Because Riko knows Li Li best. Riko knows how strong you are better than anyone.”

“If that’s the case, why did you try to match me with Aria?” Fang Li stared at Riko and said, “Pairing me with Aria would only increase your chances of failure, wouldn’t it?”

“I want to defeat Olmes with my all,” Gritting her teeth, Riko struggled to stand up despite the pain. Her gaze remained fixed on Fang Li’s body as she continued, “Because you’re so strong, intentionally disrupting your partnership with Aria is like admitting that Riko can’t defeat Olmes head-on, so I have to resort to little tricks behind the scenes.”

“I don’t need such little tricks!” Despite struggling and sweating profusely, as if completely obsessed, Riko raised her two Walter handguns with difficulty, aiming them at Fang Li.

“I must defeat Olmes!”

“Only then can I prove that I’ve surpassed my great-grandfather!”

“I have to surpass my great-grandfather!”

“I must!”

Each word was filled with obsession, echoing across the entire deck and lending a sense of melancholy to the sound of the waves.

“Riko, you…” Aria was completely awestruck by Riko’s obsession, not knowing what to say for a while.

Conversely, Fang Li’s brows furrowed deeply as he posed a crucial question.

“Why are you so fixated on proving that you’ve surpassed your great-grandfather?”

Hearing this, Riko smiled.

That smile contained both sadness and pain.

Then, Riko slowly said one line.

“For freedom.”

Her words dropped, and Riko tensed her body, preparing to rush toward Fang Li.

However, at that very moment, a cold, mocking laugh resounded, reaching the ears of everyone present, including Riko.

“What a shame, Fourth-generation Lupin. You won’t attain freedom.”

As this sentence spread across the deck, surprise erupted.

“Pa—!”

The sound of a bullet striking a bulletproof vest resonated once again.

“Ah…!” Riko let out a mournful cry, unable to bear the pain any longer, and knelt again.

Evidently, the one hit by the bullet that struck the vest was none other than Riko.

“—!”

Aria was taken aback and reflexively raised her Colt, aiming it at Riko’s back.

Fang Li’s gaze also sharpened as he raised his eyes and looked ahead.

In this situation, a figure gradually emerged from the door leading to the cabin, coming into view before Fang Li’s entire group.

Seeing this person, it wasn’t just Aria who was astonished; even Fang Li couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Sayonaki-sensei?” Aria was utterly stunned.

The newcomer was indeed Sayonaki.

“Good evening, everyone,” Sayonaki wore the same perfect smile as always as he spoke.

However, in the hands of this person with the perfect smile, there was a gun— a gun equipped with a silencer.

Hence, none of them had realized a gunshot had been fired, resulting in a bullet directly hitting Riko’s back.

Moreover, the atmosphere around Sayonaki had completely changed.

If the previous Sayonaki was reminiscent of a warm aristocratic young master, the current Sayonaki felt more like a ferocious beast, exuding a certain aura of oppression.

Of course, if it were only that, Sayonaki’s position might not be definitively classified as an enemy.

After all, this time, Riko was the enemy, and Sayonaki shooting at her could easily be explained as an attempt to apprehend the Butei Assassin.

However, the next moment, a series of ferocious beasts appeared around Sayonaki, confirming their stance as enemies.

These were wolves with silver-white fur.

“Caucasian Silver Wolves!” Aria exclaimed in surprise.

As for Fang Li, his gaze toward Sayonaki had turned completely cold.

“So that’s how it is.” Fang Li murmured as if speaking to himself.

Sayonaki was the one who had sent the wolf pack to attack Fang Li on his way home not long ago.

This man had long had his sights set on Fang Li.

……