"...I've been expecting you," he whispered hoarsely.
A woman was standing there. The crimson color of her hair had changed to a magical purple. The official costume was no longer there. She was completely naked. There were small abrasions on her body, blood trickling here and there... But she was almost completely unharmed.
A huge mass of dark purple energy flowed around her body, reminiscent of those seconds during the peak of a grenade explosion. It was supernatural.
"The explosion didn't affect you..." he said, looking at the woman piercingly. "I should have guessed that when you controlled the fire in my throat. It didn't affect you because you can control the energy of the explosion... Who are you?"
"First Step of Havoc — The Thing. My name is Salvadora," the woman replied through clenched teeth.
She clenched her fists, causing the surrounding energy to surge even more intensely. She resembled a bomb ready to explode at any moment.
"You couldn't take control of your own mind… Dum did everything right, and with your level, it was impossible. You can't have a will to live. Or the will to resist… No, even more than that. You don't want to live. You want to kill yourself."
"Well... I guess you're not far from the truth."
"What the hell are you...?!"
That question made him think. To be honest, he didn't know the answer... More precisely, he didn't know if it was correct. But he had one.
However, he didn't really want to say it out loud.
The woman, shrouded in frightening energy, and the man at the cliff with two bullets in his revolver and a broken blade, stood facing each other.
At any moment, the atmosphere promised to explode. And then he finally answered... in his own style.
"Nobody... You may know me as Mr. Nobody."
"...?! Do you think this is amusing?! Answer me, you scum!"
To be honest, he had anticipated such a reaction.
"Haah..." He sighed heavily and glanced at the sunny sky.
This place was strange. Even at this time of day, you could see the glimmer of starlight... And, to be honest, he liked it.
"Apparently, I am the one you see before you..." He looked back at her. "Champion of the Peak of Dream... And the Zero Step of Dream, I suppose."
"...Idiot."
She didn't seem to believe him. However, that didn't seem particularly important.
She was preparing to attack.
"It doesn't matter. You will burn for what you have done." The woman named Salvadora stretched her arms forward and began to bring her palms together.
Dark purple energy flowed around her hands, gathering sparkling purple energy at the tips.
*Click* He simply cocked the revolver and aimed it at her head.
It was reckless. If she could control the explosion of a grenade, it was logical to assume that she could handle the energy of the shot.
However, that was his plan. He was going to shoot and, while she was dealing with the bullet, attack her with his blade. It wasn't very clever, but there was no better plan, nor any opportunity to execute it.
Anyway, it had already started.
*Bang!* Before the woman could attack, the revolver fired.
He felt the recoil almost crack his bones, but there was no time to worry about that.
Despite the result of the shot, he rushed forward with his blade raised...
*Thud...* But stopped almost at the first step.
Something horribly familiar had happened.
The ground began to shake from something powerful coming from the forest.
"..."
He couldn't believe it, so he just stared silently.
The woman almost playfully dealt with his shot and added another mass to the streams surrounding her. However, the power she had gathered and the hatred clouding her eyes played a cruel joke on her.
She did not notice what was approaching behind her.
"RRRRAAAGH!!!" A monstrous scream that made his soul tremble, and then...
A mechanical jaw sank into the woman.
For the first time, he witnessed the action that had frightened him so much.
The insides of the jaws resembled the contours of that very meat grinder, but were a smaller version of it.
Three circular saws began to tear apart the naked body, showering the ground with a bloody rain.
Such was the arrival of his worst, but as yet unfulfilled, nightmare.
True vengeance.
True predator.
The Red Lamb Ryskar had gone through hell and returned for his prey.