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Esprit slowly opened her eyes, vision blurred, body trembling from the damage carved into her very soul. The moment her gaze sharpened, she froze.
Standing above her was Carrera, arms crossed, expression unimpressed.
Esprit's breath caught.
"Juaneā¦?" she whispered in shock.
Carrera clicked her tongue. "You are in terrible condition. My goodness, this is embarrassing."
Esprit forced herself upright, wobbling but trying to maintain dignity.
"I had this, Juane. You didn't need to intervene."
Carrera didn't even look impressed.
"Don't kid yourself. If I didn't intervene, you would have died."
She tilted her head, examining Esprit like a broken toy.
"To a Greater Demon, no less. How embarrassing."
Esprit opened her mouth to defend herself, but Carrera cut her off with a dismissive hand and turned toward Haru.
Her sharp eyes scanned him.
"You are the demon who came here with Noir to fight my swordsman subordinate three years ago, am I correct?"
Haru scratched the back of his head, giving a sheepish smile.
"Yes, that's me alright."
But internally his thoughts shifted, tight and uneasy:
I can't beat her. I can't beat Carrera. I need to evolve. I need to reach the pinnacle of the Underworldā¦ or I'll forever be prey to the Primordials.
Carrera stepped closer, looking at him with genuine curiosity.
"How did you get this strong in just three years? Under no circumstances should you be bullying my best friend like this. This has piqued my interest."
Haru raised his hands slightly in defense.
"I don't think I'm that strong, you know. The demon just underestimated me, that's all."
Carrera scoffed.
"Don't play the humble card with me. You and I both know the result of this battle would have been the same even if she had prepared everything beforehand."
Esprit whipped around, offended.
"Juane, are you trying to say I'm that much weaker than this Greater Demon? Am I being underestimated?"
Carrera looked at her for a long second before casually turning back to Haru, ignoring the outburst.
"So, what happened to you?"
Haru shrugged lightly.
"Well, I did get trained by Noir."
Carrera froze.
"ā¦You got trained by Noir?"
Her eyes widened as she stepped closer.
"How did that even come about?"
Behind her, Esprit let out an exasperated sigh.
"Juaneā¦ don't tell me you forgot."
Carrera turned, narrowing her eyes.
"Forgot what?"
Esprit threw her hands up.
"Violet came here three years ago to gloat about her new husband and how he was being trained by Noir."
Carrera blinked, then her expression shifted as understanding struck.
"Oh. Well, I never bother to remember anything Violet says since it's irrelevant."
She nodded to herself.
"But now I remember."
Then her gaze snapped to Haru again.
"You are Violet's husband?"
Haru's eye twitched.
"I had forgotten about thatā¦ So that happened, didn't it? This is a problem."
Carrera tilted her head, genuinely curious.
"So, is it true or not?"
Haru sighed deeply, already exhausted by the topic.
"To be fair, I never agreed to anything. She forced herself on me."
Carrera burst into laughter, loud and unrestrained.
"You have such an interesting life."
She smirked.
"I see now why Noir took an interest in you."
Haru let out an awkward laugh.
"I guess you're right."
Carrera glanced around the battlefield, scanning the area with a casual sweep of her eyes.
"By the wayā¦ where is Noir?"
Haru shook his head.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him in six months."
Carrera hummed thoughtfully.
"I see. And what exactly is your reason for coming to my Domain?"
Haru answered honestly.
"I came here to see the Demon Swordsman I fought three years ago."
Carrera smirked.
"Oh? Are you here to fight him again? I mean don't you think you've become a bit too strong for him?"
Haru waved his hands quickly.
"Oh no, I'm not here to fight him. I just came here to tell him something."
Carrera nodded slowly, thinking it over.
"I see."
Haru exhaled, relieved the conversation wasn't escalating.
"Well, it's been good meeting you, soā¦ can I go now?"
Carrera shrugged.
"Sure, why not."
Haru smiled in relief.
"Thank you."
Internally, he felt a weight lift. Hehā¦ I thought she'd want to avenge Esprit. But looks like she's not that short-sighted after all.
He turned to leave but then Carrera's voice rang.
"You can leave," Carrera said.
Haru took one more step forward.
"But that's only after I avenge my best friend."
Haru froze mid-step.
Whyā¦ why did I have to jinx myself? he cursed internally.
He slowly turned back toward her.
"What do you mean?"
Carrera gave him a bright, almost cheerful smile.
"Well, you did have a bit of fun tormenting my best friend. Did you really think you could just leave after doing all that?"
Haru threw up his arms.
"Come on, Juane. I didn't even antagonize anyone here. All I wanted was to meet the Demon Swordsman and leave, but your kin kept trying to kill me. If anything, I am the victim here."
Carrera didn't flinch.
"I do not care about all of that. Besidesā¦"
Her eyes narrowed with interest.
"I want to see exactly what Diablo taught you for two and a half years."
Haru blinked.
"Juane, weren't you the one who wanted to stop me from fighting the Demon Swordsman because I was stronger than him? Are you not doing exactly what you were trying to stop me from doing?"
Carrera shrugged.
"I never planned on stopping you. In fact, I don't even care if you two fight."
Haru groaned.
"Why are the Yellow Lineage demons so unreasonableā¦?"
Internally his thoughts raced.
Now how am I going to get out of this? Should I just run?
But just as the idea formed, a dome of shimmering force materialized around them, Carrera's barrier snapping shut like the world itself had been sealed.
Haru's stomach dropped.
Over the past three years, training under Diablo, he had never once managed to dispel his barriers.
And Carrera, being a Primordial just like Diablo, undoubtedly possessed equal mastery.
Effectivelyā¦ I'm stuck here.
Haru forced a smile.
"A barrier? Do you think I'll run away or something?"
Carrera returned his smile with a playful tilt of her head.
"Why would you think thatā¦ unless you were planning to?"
Haru chuckled stiffly.
"Of course not."