Chapter 10 — The One Behind the Curtain

The sharp sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the auditorium.

CRASH!

Before anyone could react—

A silver-haired figure descended from above.

The soldiers immediately turned their guns toward the intruder.

Erika, sitting behind a row of terrified students, widened her eyes in shock as she stared at the girl standing calmly before everyone.

Silver hair mixed with soft pink strands swayed gently through the air.

A black coat fluttered behind her while cold blue eyes scanned the entire room in a single glance.The atmosphere froze.

“…Who is that?” someone whispered fearfully.

The soldiers didn’t hesitate.

“FIRE!”

Gunshots exploded throughout the auditorium.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Students screamed.

Teachers ducked down in terror.

But the girl moved before the bullets could even reach her.

Her eyes rapidly calculated trajectories and angles with machine-like precision.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Using her blade, she deflected every incoming bullet with unbelievable accuracy.

Sparks burst across the dark auditorium with every impact.

Erika stared in disbelief.

“She’s… deflecting bullets?”

One of the soldiers quickly adjusted his aim and fired again.

BANG!

The bullet missed completely.

At that exact moment—

Yuka’s body twitched slightly.

A brief electric short-circuit flashed beneath his skin.

Tiny sparks crackled around his arm for only a split second.

Without anyone noticing—

Yuka quietly stood up and slipped out of the auditorium.

Meanwhile, the soldiers continued firing desperately at the silver-haired girl.

But eventually—

Click.

Click.

Their magazines emptied.

The moment they began reloading—

The girl vanished.

“Wha—?!”

In a flash, she appeared directly in front of them.

Her blade moved like silver lightning.

SLASH!

Their weapons were sliced apart instantly.

Before they could react further—

She struck the backs of their necks with terrifying precision.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The soldiers collapsed unconscious onto the floor.

Only one remained.

Panicking, he grabbed a nearby student by the neck and held a knife against him.

“DON’T MOVE!” he shouted desperately.

“If you want this kid alive, let me go!”

The hostage trembled violently.

The entire auditorium fell silent.

The silver-haired girl quietly stared at him for several seconds.

Then—

BANG!

Before the man could even blink, a bullet pierced directly through his forehead.

The hostage fell forward in shock as the soldier’s body collapsed behind him.

Blood slowly spread across the tiles.

The girl calmly walked toward the terrified student and kneeled beside him.

“Don’t worry,” she said gently.

“Everything is fine now.”

The student’s face instantly turned red.

For a brief moment—

He completely forgot about the fear surrounding him.

The girl slowly stood up and turned toward Erika.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Erika blinked in confusion.

“N-No… I’m fine…”

After hesitating briefly, she finally asked:

“Who are you?”

The girl smiled softly.

“My name is Lily. Nice to meet you.”

Teachers and students exchanged confused looks.

None of them understood what was happening anymore.

Lily quickly scanned the surroundings.

“We need to leave this school immediately,” she said calmly.

“They still have this place surrounded.”

One of the teachers nervously stepped forward.

“But how are we supposed to get out? They could be anywhere!”

Lily’s expression remained calm.

“Please stay quiet and follow me.”

“And do not scream.”

She slowly opened the auditorium doors and checked the hallway outside.

The corridor lights flickered faintly.

Smoke drifted through the air from damaged wiring deeper within the building.

After confirming the path was safe, Lily began moving forward.

The students and teachers quickly followed behind her.

Meanwhile—

Far away from Earth…

On a dark abandoned planet covered in glowing blue crystals, Yuka quietly examined a strange 

black ore embedded deep within a cliff wall.

Cold wind swept across the empty landscape.The ore emitted an unsettling aura.

Ancient symbols faintly glowed beneath its surface.

Yuka narrowed his eyes slightly.

“…Forbidden knowledge.”

At that moment, Lily’s voice echoed inside his mind through telepathy.

“Mission status remains stable.”

Yuka continued examining the ore.

“Is the clone functioning properly?”

“There was a minor issue after taking bullet damage,” Lily replied casually.

“But the clone escaped before anyone noticed.”

“Understood.”

Yuka gently brushed dust away from the glowing ore.

“Complete the mission and return safely.”

A brief silence followed.

Then Lily spoke teasingly:

“Aww… are you worried about me?”

Yuka remained silent.

The only response she received was the faint sound of metal tools striking the ore.

Back at the school—

Lily suddenly stopped walking.

Two armed soldiers stood at the far end of the hallway guarding the exit.

The students immediately panicked.

But Lily calmly raised her handgun.

Instead of aiming directly at them—

She aimed toward the edge of a nearby fire alarm system.

BANG!

The bullet ricocheted perfectly.

One soldier collapsed instantly before he even realized what happened.

The second soldier turned around in shock—

BANG!

Another precise shot.

Both bodies collapsed onto the floor.

The students behind her stared in disbelief.

“…Who is she…?” someone whispered quietly.

After carefully guiding everyone through the building, Lily finally led the students and teachers 

outside the school.

The military forces surrounding the area froze in shock.

Even the senior officer couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

A single girl had rescued everyone alone.

He quickly approached Lily.

“Who exactly are you?!” he demanded.

“How did you manage to—”

Suddenly—

Lily’s eyes shifted upward.

Someone was aiming at her.

Standing atop a nearby building was the leader of the hostage group.

He fired multiple shots toward her.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Lily effortlessly dodged every bullet with inhuman reaction speed.

Then—

She immediately returned fire.

BANG!

The leader collapsed from the rooftop instantly.

Silence fell across the entire area.

Before anyone could stop her, Lily sprinted forward, leapt across nearby buildings, and opened a glowing portal in midair.

The crowd stared in complete shock as she disappeared into it.

Leaving behind nothing but confusion.

Moments later—

The portal reopened inside Yuka’s massive spaceship.

Yumi and Eve peacefully sat together drinking tea.

The moment Lily stepped out of the portal—

PFFT!

Both instantly spit out their tea in shock.

They stared toward the silver-haired girl standing before them.

“…Who are you?” they asked simultaneously.