Roxane shook Nero's body desperately.
He groaned faintly as his eyes slowly opened.
Did she say… my baby?
He noticed the blood staining her lower body.
Not much—but enough to be worrying.
Roxane writhed and cried.
"Na-Nameless…" Her voice was low, saturated with hatred.
She gasped, clutching her belly tightly, then retched from desperation.
"Will my baby be okay?" she asked, looking at him with tearful eyes.
Silence fell—heavy and raw.
Her face twisted with frustration, helplessness, and fear.
"No… no. This can't be happening," she murmured through sobs.
Footsteps echoed nearby.
Nero forced himself to stand.
"Hide here," he said. "I'll be back in a moment."
Roxane grabbed his leg.
Her face flushed red as her fists clenched, knuckles turning white.
"Nameless…" she began, doubt cracking her voice.
Then, in a tone of supplication twisted with hatred, she whispered:
"Kill them… Kill them all."
...
Bang!
Nero had barely stepped outside when he saw a gunshot fired in his direction.
The shot grazed Nero's head.
Nero saw two men in brown rags, cowboy hats, and pistols in hand.
Bounty hunters?
Without giving it another thought, he drew his revolver and created a card.
He dodged two more bullets using a double jump and managed to climb onto the overturned carriage.
He was still just a rank 11; he wasn't bulletproof and could still be hurt.
"I'm not immortal..." Nero thought, drawing his revolver and creating another card.
"Two lives depend on me..."
His aura was already half depleted; the Zero Stage was draining a lot of it.
He jumped to the ground and slid across it, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.
He could hear more gunshots approaching.
He threw himself to the ground, dodging one of those bullets.
He rolled and managed to aim at one of the bounty hunters.
Bang!
His shot hit its target, striking him in the chest, though that bastard managed to shoot Nero.
Nero's arm bled, but the pain fueled his rage.
The bounty hunter's body fell to the ground.
He hadn't realized the other one was already behind him.
The cold edge of the metal pierced Nero's back.
A sharp pain resonated throughout his body.
He pulled his obsidian knife from his shirt and
stabbed the man behind him in the shoulder.
The two drew their knives and stepped back a little.
With all of this, Nero realized that these guys weren't Sinners... they hadn't used a single ability.
He writhed and clutched his shoulder.
He could already feel his aura fading; he had to end the fight as quickly as possible.
The bounty hunter kicked the ground, leaving a barrier of dust that obscured Nero's vision.
Even with the barrier, Nero could see where he was going to move.
He blocked a stab, feeling his strength draining away.
It only took a split second, a moment when he wasn't applying pressure to the knife handle, for the man to kick him in the stomach, sending him flying.
In a swift movement, he closed the distance and pointed the knife at Nero's neck.
He began to laugh maniacally. "Well, well. You think you're tough, kid?"
His tone was mocking, the kind Nero hated most.
While he laughed and made threats, Nero took the opportunity to infuse his card with aura.
He threw it at the man's face, like a kamikaze grenade.
The impact shattered his head and injured Nero.
His vision blurred, and with no strength left to fight, Nero collapsed into darkness.
...
Nero opened his eyes with a start.
He was on a stretcher in a white room, like a hospital.
The smell was similar to lavender.
He glanced to one side and saw Lux, Kōri, and Rose looking worried.
On the other side, Sunday was praying in a low voice.
"He's awake!"
Kōri's voice echoed through the room, and all eyes turned to Nero.
Rose threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"Hey, hey. My wounds still hurt."
Rose pulled away from him, a little embarrassed.
He noticed that Rose was wearing a school uniform.
Lux smirked and said sarcastically,
"So you finally woke up... you attract bullets."
"Die." Nero tried to stretch, but a sharp pain shot through his body.
"Don't move so much," Sunday said, stopping his prayer. "The doctors barely managed to remove that bullet and cover the stab wound."
Nero noticed he wasn't wearing a hospital gown.
"Who put these clothes on me?"
Kōri smiled for the first time. "A nurse."
Nero blushed, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"The doctor said your recovery will be quick; the knife and the bullet didn't go that deep.
Sunday glanced toward the door.
"Your 'friend' is in the room next door." "It seems she lost her baby."
Damn...
"They were found by the Fillius Dei in time, but the doctors couldn't do anything for her child," Sunday said, sounding sad.
Nero stood up, his bare feet touching the floor.
"Stay here," he said, walking toward the door.
He opened it and left the room.
Sunday looked at Lux and shrugged.
The hallway was the same repulsive white, with a few white crosses on the floor.
Nero's room was 215, the last room.
Nero approached the door of room 214 and knocked twice weakly.
The door opened a few seconds later. A tall man with red eyes and tears on his face looked at Nero.
"Can I come in?"
The man opened the door completely, letting Nero in.
Inside, Roxane was on a gurney. hugging her legs.
From where Nero stood, he could see her crying... but it wasn't a normal cry.
It was one of those silent, painful cries that stay with you...
Nero approached Roxane with trembling steps.
He sat on the cot and could only look at Roxane.
"I'm sorry, I should have protected you..."
Roxane didn't look at Nero; her eyes were fixed on the ceiling.
"It's not your fault, you did what you could." Her eyes lowered and rested on Nero's wounds. "I'm the one who should apologize, Nameless."
Her hands trembled as she touched her stomach...
"We spent about... three years trying." Her voice broke.
Nero looked like he was going to vomit. He left the room and ran to the bathroom.
He vomited in the toilet, clutching his head.
His mind filled with thoughts of hate...
In the darkness, his eyes glowed with an intense, almost maddening red.
He bit his lower lip until it bled, drank the blood, and his eyes glowed even brighter.
"Th-Those... bastards."