Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint
chapter-265

Historia and Zigrund threw punches at each other.

A misdirected punch hit the control panel, making it fly up.

A chair kicked by Zigrund spun toward Historia's head.

She intercepted it with her Qi-infused forehead then hid her fist under the chair's shadow and struck.

Zigrund twisted her limbs oddly, smoothly catching Historia’s arm, but the cold muzzle of a revolver was aimed at her.

She realized too late that what Historia was hiding wasn't her fist, but the gun.

The Qi was about to explode and vibrate violently.

Bang.

With a roar, a bluish Qi burst from the muzzle.

Almost simultaneously, Zigrund bent backward trying to dodge the shot.

By a hair's breadth, the Qi-charged bullet grazed her, leaving a splatter of blood in its path.

The ricocheted bullet smashed into the wall, and a thin cut appeared on Zigrund's skin.

However, the wound healed instantly.

Historia hesitated.

"Regeneration…?"

It might look like regeneration, but it was different from the regenerative abilities of the Undying or Vampires.

Zigrund used her mastery over Gam Qi Art to hold her blood and forcefully stitch her skin back together, forming a new face.

It was still shocking, though.

It meant she could forcibly stitch her body together and continue fighting.

"That's quite an impressive ability."

Wow.

The Six Star Generals are something else.

I might have been able to buy some time against a regular general but against one of the Six Star Generals?

It would be impossible for me to do anything against them.

If it wasn’t for Historia, I'd have been killed in a single breath.

Acknowledging her strength, I calmly admired her power.

"For a fake life, you sure are quite remarkable!"

"Huey! Shut up!"

Historia screamed amidst the intensifying attacks, but there was something satisfying about teasing someone who exploded at a slight provocation.

And right now, my words were more effective than her attacks.

Zigrund passed Historia and tried to aim for me again.

In a one-on-one fight, this position change was meaningless.

But with me behind her, Historia had to block her advance no matter what.

Luckily, this time she had the means to do so.

A concentrated burst of Qi exploded.

The gunshot tore through the air, but Zigrund anticipated it and dodged just in time.

The shot missed, but it gave Historia the chance to catch up to her again.

｢She's trying to make me waste bullets. I already used two shots. Only one left... If only I had one more...!｣

Though furious and targeting me, her mind remained calm.

That was the Camarilla, Zigrund, one of the Six Star Generals of the Military State.

Even with her ego threatened, she remained composed.

All the Six Star Generals were like that, but they were still terrifyingly dangerous and powerful.

If Historia had targeted me... I'd have been dead from the gunshot.

It was fortunate she was on my side.

But that was not enough.

Even though Historia was protecting me, I had to fight to survive.

This wasn’t a place where someone weak and ordinary like me could just survive by piggybacking on a stronger person.

All I could do was psychological attacks.

"Is Zigrund's life so attractive to you? Is it worth risking your life to protect that ego? I don't think so. Zigrund's life is just an extension of what you've been doing. Stealing others' faces, hiding in their lives, exposing and punishing their faults. A life predicated on being someone else?"

With each word I spoke, Zigrund's attacks grew fiercer.

Historia, struggling to fend her off, likely cursed me inwardly.

Now, every punch they threw echoed like cannon blasts.

It seemed true that intervening makes the anger worse.

Unable to vent her fury on me directly, it just built up.

"Come on, Zigrund! I can read your desires. In fact, I'm the only one who can grant your desire! Because only that desire defines you as you!"

"SHUT UPPPPPP!"

Zigrund struck Historia hard and simultaneously threw a sharp object at me.

She had reshaped a piece of clothing packet into a sharp dagger.

Made from cloth weaved with alchemic thread, the compressed material with imbued Qi had formidable momentum.

Hmph, but as a mind reader, I can see its trajectory...

Oh, wait. It's a bit too fast to dodge.

Bang.

At the critical moment, Historia shot down the clothing packet.

Even without Zero In, her accuracy was astounding.

With that kind of skill, do you really need that Zero In technique?

Just hitting the mark should suffice without needing the Zero In to guarantee a hit.

｢That was the last bullet...! What to do. There's no more...!｣

Oh, right. According to the Regressor's thoughts, Historia awakens another ability in the future.

A different ability from Zero In—something called Consensus of Gun and Sword.

It sounds incredibly powerful; why not awaken it now?

I'm in danger here.

Awaken it to overcome my crisis and let me piggyback through this comfortably.

Now, Historia was out of bullets.

Improvising with combat alchemy… wouldn’t work against such a strong opponent and there was no time.

Clearly, we were in a dire situation.

But Zigrund, despite being highly advantageous, adopted a defensive stance.

Historia quickly understood why.

｢He knows my ability. Zero In, promising a perfect hit after three shots. He doesn't know I only had three bullets, so to him, this is the fourth shot. He believes I have the bullet that guarantees a hit...!｣

Deciding quickly, Historia spun the chamber.

Though she knew it was empty, she acted as if she had a loaded bullet.

Sensing an advantage, she became more aggressive, aiming the gun at her but not firing.

With her Qi charged, she engaged in hand-to-hand combat, keeping Zigrund within shooting range.

Alright. This is my chance.

I'll support Historia by pretending she still has bullets.

"Ria! He can't dodge your next bullet. So aim for the safest shot! Even if his limbs regenerate quickly, target a vital spot to end it in one shot!"

"I'm already aiming for that!"

｢Though I can't actually shoot.｣

We were perfectly in sync.

As expected.

Those who have been deceived know best how to deceive others.

When the muzzle aimed at her head, Zigrund moved closer and faster, trying to force a close-quarters fight to disarm Historia... but that attempt was futile.

To disarm a revolver tightly gripped with Qi, she needed to use much more Qi than the gripping force.

Instead of wasting effort, she deflected her arms and elbows, avoiding the direct line of fire.

And Historia kept pretending to aim and shoot while fighting her despite not having any bullets.

Zigrund was essentially fighting an imaginary bullet.

"The scariest bullet is the one that hasn't been fired yet. Because you never know when and how it'll be fired."

If she distanced herself to attack me, she'd expose her entire body to the firing line.

Because of the non-existent bullet, Zigrund was now entangled with Historia.

Whew.

It was a good decision to only give her three bullets.

Thank goodness the revolver can hold six rounds.

The fight between them went on for quite a while.

Zigrund had a slight edge in close-quarter combat, but Historia, using the gun as a weapon, held her ground, if not having the upper hand.

A stalemate?

Time to continue with the plan.

"The bullet named Zigrund is the same. You've already been spent. Now that it's known you use transformation art, once revealed, it's no longer effective. Your utility ends here! You can't remain as Zigrund anymore!"

"If only you were gone...!"

"Haha. I have no intention of disappearing! So, this is an opportunity. I'll decide your next life for you. A name, face, and identity that make you truly yourself! How about it? Tempting, right?"

"I don't need that! I can decide for myself!"

"Give it a try! I'll be the judge!"

Even while fighting Historia, Zigrund's face changed wildly.

Her blank slate of a face continuously morphed.

Smirking, I watched over Historia's shoulder.

"That's Tyr's face, isn't it? I understand that she's a good model, but can you handle it? That's sacrilege to both the vampires and the Sanctum."

As soon as I finished speaking, her face changed again.

Even in this situation, her ears were open. I continued my cold assessment.

"Shiati? She does look so much better with a functional right arm. But please, leave my friend's face out of this. It messes up our relationships."

Next was the Princess's face.

Seeing the innocent-faced princess in a hand-to-hand fight with Historia made me chuckle.

"If she were the real Princess, Historia wouldn't even be able to attack her."

Then came a rugged version of the Regressor.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha. That's too masculine. Sorry, but Mr. Shei isn't that manly. He’s the most feminine person in his actions!"

Only women could crossdress as men.

Perhaps, considering a non-existent person, it might be pretty good?

Next was... me.

Taken aback, Historia hesitated briefly, allowing two hits to land on her.

However, she quickly regained her stance.

"A version of me pushing Ria into a corner feels oddly satisfying. Is this vicarious satisfaction?"

Suddenly, Historia slapped the cheek of the person with my face.

Startled by the fierce hit, I rubbed my own cheek.

Whew, my heart.

I thought I got hit.

And then the next face... pale, gloomy, with a foolishly open mouth of a woman.

Aha. It was you.

Found you.

The one who created the Military State.

Alright. Got it.

"That's not bad, but I'd recommend a different direction."

As a young child, she was born to a courtesan.

A child of a courtesan, with no specific father, would also grow up to be a courtesan, receiving higher treatment the more skills they had.

Driven by her mother's insistence, she learned all sorts of skills.

The brothel was full of skilled individuals, and she absorbed all sorts of tricks.

As she began to stand out, a theater troupe visiting at the time wanted to take her away.

No brothel would sell a talented individual responsible for their future earnings, but at that time, theater was popular in the Empire.

The status of a vassal state depended on the quality of its theater, so naturally, theater troupes held great influence.

A brothel, operating under the Empire's approval, had no means to resist.

The only obstacle was her will.

Her attachment to the brothel where she grew up.

But one remark from a theater troupe changed her.

Here, you can only become a courtesan, but on a stage, you can become anyone.

At that moment, she abandoned her original status and became an actor.

With a new name as her stage name, she began her second life.

At that time, she must have been filled with a fresh sense of hope.

But the result was not good.

"Alright. Change as I tell you. It's better for you to let me decide since you can't choose from having too many options."