NOVEL WEB Chapter 79
79. ‘I Can See You’
We arrived at the fountain park in the south of town.
It was the place that the fortune teller Electra had told us about two days ago.
In the center was a large stone fountain tower, and surrounding it was a forest — a typical park.
“They said Luca and Sarome would be here, but…”
I looked around.
The dimly lit park, bathed in moonlight, was completely empty.
Are they really here somewhere?
Hoping against hope, I continued to search the area.
“That fortune teller seems to have quite a reputation. I hope she’s right.”
Alice looked around the park, turning her head.
“I’m worried about Sarome and Luca too…”
Come to think of it, Alice is close to Luca.
“Don’t worry, sister. Knowing those two, they’ll be fine.”
Despite her words, Lilith also looked worried.
Of course, I was anxious too.
I know they’re capable, but there’s always a chance something could go wrong.
Please, let them be safe.
About ten minutes after walking through the park, as if our prayers had been answered,
“Ahaha, sorry for making you worry.”
A girl in a revealing dancer’s outfit appeared from the thicket.
It was Sarome.
“We were caught off guard.”
Luca appeared right after.
“Both of you—”
Thank goodness, they seemed unharmed.
I sighed in relief.
“I thought you’d gotten caught up in some incident.”
“Geez, you had us worried!”
Lilith’s expression was a mix of anger and relief.
“—No, that’s not right.”
It was Alice who murmured softly.
“Not right? What do you mean?”
I said, staring at Luca and Sarome again.
I felt a strange sense of unease.
Something was off.
“…They’re fakes.”
Alice pointed at their feet.
It was hard to see in the dim light, but something was missing that should have been there.
Their shadows.
An ominous feeling crept over me.
Sensing danger, I made a certain preparation.
“Well, you’re surprisingly calm. I didn’t think you’d have the composure to observe so carefully amidst the joy of reuniting with your friends.”
Another figure emerged from behind Luca and Sarome.
“You… the fortune teller—”
It was Electra.
Today, she wore a shrine maiden outfit with a white haori and red hakama, giving an Eastern vibe.
“But, I’ve achieved my original goal. By using them as bait, I lured you here.”
Saying that, Electra snapped her fingers.
“This is checkmate, Hart Leaver.”
At that moment, I instinctively turned around.
It wasn’t rational.
It was pure instinct.
I realized something was there—
“!? …!”
What I saw when I turned was an abnormal monster.
A spirit—a fantastical being closely related to gods and demons.
It was the first time I had seen one in person.
The spirit before me resembled a tiger with wings.
“I know—no, ‘I can see’ you.”
Electra had a triumphant smile.
“Your skill activation requires a moment of mental focus. But my spirit can attack you faster than that moment. You can’t defend against it.”
She was right.
I couldn’t activate my defense skill without any delay.
Because to use a skill, I had to decide to do so consciously.
Before I could even think ‘defend,’ the spirit’s claws were upon me.
If I didn’t use my skill, it would be a fatal blow—
Clang!
With a metallic sound, it was deflected in front of me.
“What…!?”
“That’s why I had already activated my skill.”
I told her, my body cloaked in a rainbow glow.
When I felt something was off seeing the two of them earlier, I had activated [Armor Phase] just in case.
Since the rainbow light from skill activation is noticeable, I reverted to invisible mode.
I had recently trained to master this mode.
If I constantly emitted a rainbow glow, it would be obvious when I was using my skill, and the timing of the light disappearing would reveal the duration of the skill’s effect.
So I have been training for this.
“You’re that fortune teller from before—”
“Why are you attacking us…!?”
Lilith and Alice cried out in shock.
Electra ignored them, looking at me with a snort.
“I see. The future I saw was only up to the point where you were attacked by the spirit. I didn’t see the outcome—but you defended well.”
“You saw… the future?”
I had a feeling from her previous words.
As if she knew I had a skill.
As I thought—
To confirm my suspicion, a faint light appeared on Electra’s chest.
She slowly opened the front of her shrine maiden outfit.
There was no time to admire the enchanting allure that didn’t match her innocent appearance.
Between her heaving breasts was a glowing emblem.
“You too…?”
Like Gregorio, who had the ‘killing’ skill, and Jack, who had the ‘enhancement’ skill.
Electra also had a divine skill.
“Next time, I won’t miss. I will accurately foresee the future and launch an unavoidable attack.”
She closed her outfit and stared at me.
“[Maneuver: Fortune Bell]”
Her voice echoed quietly.
Her eyes seemed to look at me, but they weren’t.
Probably—she was seeing a future scene.
A skill to [see the future], huh?
But since she didn’t notice I had already activated [Armor Phase], there must be limits to the future she could see.
For example, maybe she couldn’t see past a certain point in time.
If that’s the case, then there’s a way to defeat her—
At that moment, an emblem floating before me began to flicker.
“What…!?”
No, it wasn’t just me.
The light overflowing from Electra’s chest was also flickering.
“This is—”
Our surprised voices overlapped.
Our skills were resonating—!?