“What, surprised to see me?”
Upon hearing Maka’s words, Hu Yao’er, who had appeared right in front of him, said with a smile.
Hearing this, after a brief moment of surprise, Maka suddenly remembered that Hu Yao’er wasn’t actually much stronger than he was. Plus, with Hua Yiya still by his side, he quickly calmed down. He shot Hua Yiya a look, then turned his gaze back to Hu Yao’er and said.
“I’m not surprised to see you.”
“Then what was that look on your face just now?”
Hu Yao’er asked in a teasing tone.
“That was because I was already prepared to deal with you. Now, attack!”
He didn’t let Hu Yao’er’s teasing get under his skin. After receiving feedback from Hua Yiya, Maka launched an attack against Hu Yao’er together with her.
Seeing the two of them coming at her, Hu Yao’er showed no intention of dodging. That was because the doppelganger that had come here wasn’t the only one she had.
Just as Maka and Hua Yiya were about to land their blows on Hu Yao’er and seemed to have the upper hand—
A massive water dragon suddenly crashed down from the sky. Realizing the enormous threat it posed, Maka and Hua Yiya both chose to retreat without hesitation, abandoning their attack on Hu Yao’er.
“Surrender peacefully, criminals. The law of this nation will give you a fair trial.”
Riding a surging wave of water instead of walking on land, An Xiaoyu had rushed over from not too far away. She stepped in front of Hu Yao’er and addressed Maka and Hua Yiya, who were standing at a distance.
The moment An Xiaoyu appeared before them, both Maka and Hua Yiya felt a sinking feeling in their stomachs at the same time.
But before they could even make the decision in their hearts to abandon each other and flee on their own—
The paper doppelganger that had been chasing them earlier, using Hu Yao’er’s vision to confirm she’d been tricked, Zhao Meier had already circled back and cut off their last escape route.
“Don’t even think about getting out of here.”
Brandishing the spear in her hand, dressed in light and cool attire, Zhao Meier said to them in a firm tone.
Seeing Zhao Meier appear behind him and Hua Yiya, Maka couldn’t help but show a look of surprise on his face. After all, he knew very well that the supernatural mark he had placed on the paper doppelganger would last for a good while. Before that effect wore off, Zhao Meier shouldn’t have been able to come back this quickly.
“How did you get back so fast?”
“Why should I answer that question? Just surrender already. There’s no point in wasting our time and energy here.”
Not intending to answer Maka’s question, Zhao Meier—who only wanted him and his accomplice to give up quickly—said this to him, while simultaneously channeling supernatural power within her body, ready to take them down by force if needed.
“Maka, it looks like there’s no way we’re getting out of here today.”
Looking at Zhao Meier, Hu Yao’er, and An Xiaoyu surrounding them with practically no gaps left, Hua Yiya—knowing they had no escape—said to Maka, her tone clearly hinting at her desire to surrender to them.
“You’re thinking of giving up?”
Catching the meaning behind Hua Yiya’s words, Maka said to her with a tone of indignation.
“In this situation, Maka, do you really think we have any choice other than surrender?”
Hua Yiya shot back at him.
Hearing this, Maka suddenly remembered Old Mrs. Victor, who was still covering their retreat, and quickly responded.
“Of course we have other options! As long as Mrs. Victor catches up to us, we can definitely make it out of here!”
“If Mrs. Victor could catch up, then why are we still surrounded by so many members of the Free Life Association right now?”
Upon hearing Maka’s words, Hua Yiya glanced at the Free Life Association members before her, let out a sigh, and then asked him this question.
Once again faced with Hua Yiya’s retort, Maka—who had still believed that holding their ground would somehow work out—was instantly struck silent.
It was simply because what Hua Yiya said made perfect sense. If Old Mrs. Victor could have caught up and linked up with them smoothly, then neither the people from the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs nor the Free Life Association members would have been able to catch up to them at this moment.
There was only one reason why this situation had occurred—Old Mrs. Victor, who had stayed behind to cover them, had already been defeated by the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs and the Free Life Association.
“Finally facing reality, so you’ve got nothing to say now?”
Noticing that Maka hadn’t responded to her question for quite a while, Hua Yiya guessed that he had probably come to terms with the facts in his mind. She muttered this to herself, then continued persuading him.
“Alright, Maka. Stop resisting and surrender with me. There’s no need to suffer unnecessary pain.”
“Hua Yiya, you’re a member of our Necromancer Association too. Don’t you have any backbone at all?”
“I’d love to have backbone, but is this really the time for that? Besides—don’t you want to see your sister again?”
Hearing Hua Yiya’s words, Maka fell silent for a moment, then said.
“But if we surrender, the President won’t help us bring back the loved ones we’ve lost anymore.”
“But we have to stay alive to have any hope of seeing our departed family again.”
“But aside from our Necromancer Association’s President, is there anyone else in this world who possesses supernatural power that can revive the dead?”
Hearing Maka’s question, Hua Yiya—who had been leading the conversation all along—hesitated for the first time. After a pause of five or six seconds, she finally responded, though her voice lacked confidence.
“Maka, the President’s supernatural power might not be the only one of its kind in this world. There’s no need to be so stubborn about it. I believe we’ll have our chance someday.”
Hearing Hua Yiya’s words, Maka shook his head firmly and replied.
“I don’t believe anyone else in this world has the same supernatural power as the President. After all, that power was taken from ‘Death’ itself. So I’m sorry, Hua Yiya—no matter what, I cannot surrender to the enemy here today.”
