At the same time, as the threads controlling himself were severed, Faceless quickly reacted and immediately fled into the distance without hesitation.
"Do you really think you can escape from me?"
Roy's figure blurred as stellar energy erupted beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Faceless, delivering a sweeping slash that bisected him at the waist once more.
Faceless couldn't be said to have no close-combat skills, but against Roy, it might as well have been nonexistent.
"Thank you."
Sylvia clasped her hands behind her back and lightly skipped over to Roy's side, a faint smile spreading across her face.
"For saving you? Don't mention it. I did that because I wanted to."
As he spoke, Roy glanced down and frowned upon seeing Faceless's severed lower half beginning to regenerate. He kicked the lower torso away with a swift motion.
Faceless glared at him with visible resentment.
"Even so, I still want to thank you."
Sylvia's lips twitched slightly at the sight of him violently kicking away Faceless's lower body.
"And... back then, you didn't have to provoke Akatsuki, did you? You might end up on his radar now."
"I did it because I felt like it."
"Is that so..."
Sylvia nodded, but a soft chuckle escaped her lips.
"Maybe it's just my imagination, but I thought you were trying to stand up for me just now!"
A warm smile blossomed on her face.
It was a particularly special smile, filled with such gentle curves that even meeting her gaze felt like soaking in a hot spring, as if warmth spread through one's entire body.
Her eyes softened further—though they'd always been gentle, now they seemed to radiate an even deeper tenderness, as if they could drip with liquid warmth.
"..."
Roy remained silent.
He didn't deny it.
Fine, he admitted it.
He couldn't care less about what Akatsuki was up to or how many people died because of it. But seeing Sylvia nearly lose her composure had irked him deeply, which was why he'd cursed Akatsuki from afar.
After all, Sylvia had taken great care of "her," believing in and supporting "her" without reservation. Roy genuinely cherished her as someone important to him.
Noticing his silence, Sylvia covered her mouth, muffling her laughter.
So it was true!
Roy sighed softly before crouching down and placing a hand on Faceless's body. Channeling magic into him, he began examining his physical structure.
"By the way, do you have any connection with Okita?"
Having laughed her fill, Sylvia leaned in closer, her brighter-than-usual eyes fixed on Roy, shimmering with faint anticipation.
Roy's hand jerked, nearly burning out the magical circuits in shock.
"What connection could there be?"
He maintained a neutral expression while subtly observing Sylvia's reaction.
"I'm the one asking here."
She didn't seem angry or accusatory.
So she probably hadn't discovered that Okita was his familiar—she was just casually asking.
"...We might share the same swordsmanship style?"
After some thought, Roy offered a carefully measured answer.
His duel with Okita Souji in the Festa finals—anyone with even modest swordsmanship skills could tell they were using techniques from the same school.
After the match, Kirin had sought him out specifically. She found Roy and Okita's swordsmanship strikingly similar, down to the subtlest reactions, and was deeply puzzled. When she questioned him, Roy simply explained they came from the same school. Though Kirin felt something was off, she trusted Roy enough to accept the answer without pressing further, eventually putting the matter out of her mind.
"Just that?"
Sylvia tilted her head thoughtfully, leaning closer to Roy as if probing for more.
"Nothing else between you two?"
Roy hesitated, unsure of her intentions, responding cautiously.
And this distance… wasn't it a bit too close? Did the idol have no reservations?
"I see…"
Sylvia's expression brightened, as though a weight had lifted from her shoulders, her smile suddenly radiant.
Wait, what exactly are you getting at?
Roy couldn't figure her out.
But since she didn't seem confrontational, he let it slide. As long as his cover wasn't blown, he didn't mind.
"Hm?"
At one point, Roy's brow twitched.
"What's wrong?"
Sylvia turned her gaze toward him.
Her eyes held less distance now, replaced by a warmth that hadn't been there before.
"I was examining his body. I wanted to understand how he could wield so many Orga Luxes simultaneously."
"Did you find the answer just now? Is his body special?"
"No, his body isn't unusual. But there's something peculiar near his heart."
As he explained, Roy moved his hand to Faceless's chest.
"Wait! Friend, let's talk this out!"
Only now did Faceless panic.
He scrambled backward, trying to flee, but Roy pinned him down effortlessly.
Then, with his other hand, Roy drove a blade into his heart, extracting a palm-sized, disk-like object with a soft texture—its core unmistakably a mana crystal.
"W-wait! Give it back… please, give it back…"
Seeing Roy remove the Orga Lux from his heart, Faceless's face twisted in terror. He flailed weakly, trying to reclaim it, but with his heart pierced, his strength drained rapidly, his consciousness fading.
"Give… it back… I can't… live without… it…"
His voice dwindled, his gaze unfocused, until silence claimed him in despair.
"He's really dead this time?"
"Seems so."
Roy studied Faceless for a long moment, watching as blood pooled around him with no signs of recovery. Only then did he shift his attention to the Orga Lux in his hand.
"What's this one called?"
Roy, who knew little about most Orga Luxes, turned to Sylvia. Earlier, she had been able to identify every Orga Lux that Faceless had produced—surely she would recognize this one too.
But Sylvia frowned for a long time, her expression remaining puzzled.
"...I can't tell. I don't recall any Orga Lux like this."
"This Orga Lux has no name."
At that moment, a voice both childish yet strangely mature abruptly spoke up behind them.
"Xinglou? Why are you here?"
Sylvia turned to see a young girl with her black hair tied into butterfly-wing-like twin buns standing there, waving a fan with effortless grace.
Roy gave Sylvia a strange look. 'You call her Xinglou? First-name basis, and even a nickname?'
"Do you know the origin of this Orga Lux?"
Roy also turned to Fan Xinglou and asked.
"I've heard a little about it."
Fan Xinglou's gaze shifted to the soft-textured disc in Roy's hand, her eyes revealing a hint of nostalgia.
"That was over a hundred years ago. Back then, the highest-ranking executives of the conglomerate weren't subjected to mental adjustments like they are now. They were a group of people driven by intense selfish desires, controlling the world. After satisfying their greed for money, power, and other personal ambitions, what do you think they would have wanted next?"
Roy fell into thought.
Remembering how Faceless had continuously revived earlier, a sudden realization struck him.
"Immortality!"
Sylvia's eyes widened in understanding.
"Exactly—immortality!"
Fan Xinglou nodded, confirming Roy's guess.
"This Orga Lux was created by the conglomerate's highest executives to achieve immortality. It never had a name, so its codename is 'Nameless'!"