Kairo's entrance had left everyone with mouths agape. When the ice shards began receding, his wounded figure came into view, showing all the struggle he had been through before.
"Kairo," Nyx called out in surprise, the delight on her face was evident, her eyes had regained some color again. Rushing to his level, she asked, "You're wounded—what happened to you?"
Kairo let out a sigh of relief; he had arrived just in time. On his way here, he didn't encounter much resistance from Rellion and his people. They were probably still looking for him—or their target.
"Nothing big. I got in a fight with Corry. You, on your part, you look terrible," Kairo said. From her wounds, he could only guess how hard it had been for her. His muscles tensed, a wave of anger and frustration rising in his heart.
"Well, it's all your fault after all. I kept my promise," Nyx said with a smile. She appeared so proud of herself, it radiated from her body. For her, it was more than winning against Harid. It was proof she could take care of herself and not be a burden to Kairo.
Kairo flashed an embarrassed smile—she was so cute, he could hardly take his eyes away from her. Still, Kairo resisted the urge to take her in his arms with so many people here. "So sorry to have put you under such stress."
"We'll talk about it later. Kairo, Camilla and the others can repair the damaged Curiace. But for that, we need to get them out of this place," Nyx said, her focus held on the matter at hand. For her, the pain was secondary.
She has an incredibly strong will. No wonder she could defeat Harid, Kairo thought. He never doubted her abilities, but Kairo had never seen the full extent of them. Thus, he had been really worried she would not be able to hold Harid's fury.
"Officer Kairo, you're finally here!" The engineers showed their delight once more. Unlike earlier, they didn't hold back before rushing to Kairo's side. After what they saw with Wind Slayer, they felt at ease staying around him.
"I'm happy to see you in one piece, Kairo. No wonder Magnus and Mirelle are so proud of you. They created an incredible person," Camilla said with a smile, oblivious to the words she said.
Kairo and Nyx, on their part, exchanged glances as if they could read each other's minds.
"What do you mean they would be both proud of me? Is there something I need to know about my father and Mirelle?" Kairo asked, surprised.
Camilla's expression shifted slightly. Feigning confusion, she took a look at her tablet.
"Kairo, the damage level has risen to 36%. We are running out of time. Harid needs me and the engineers to open the cell. Without our imprints, the cell will never open. If we leave now, they wouldn't be able to do anything—and if they tried to destroy the system, it would just activate the emergency safety locks," Camilla said with a serious expression.
She is hiding something important, Kairo thought. Maybe he was trying to analyze a little too much, but he was certain he didn't hear wrong. It wasn't a secret—his father didn't really like Mirelle. Kairo had seen it at the briefing ceremony.
But what was the relationship between them?
Although Kairo had a rising doubt in his heart, he could not dwell on it. The submarine was sinking, and Rellion and the underground card masters were roaming free in here. They had more important matters at hand.
"Finally, the prince saving the princess. Do you want a clap for that?" Harid asked with an annoyed expression. The way Kairo and Nyx looked at each other made him mad.
"Harid, long time," Kairo said. The ice tomb was still active, and the knights were gathering back into an army. Yet Harid was not attacking anymore, as if waiting for something.
Kairo knew how dangerous he could be and had always been on his guard.
"This submarine will sink, and you will all die. We can always resend our consciousness back to our original bodies, but you all? I don't know. I am giving you one last chance. Open the cells and I will let you leave. Is chivalry dead or something? Act like men and step out of that girl's shadow," Harid said, the frustration evident in his voice.
The engineers all retreated slightly. The eyes of the frozen knights had locked into their position, as if they were marking their next prey. Kairo and Nyx shielded the group in response.
Kairo was well aware Harid was now trying to frighten the engineers into acting to save their lives. He couldn't break Nyx now that Kairo was here, thus he was trying his luck with the engineers. They weren't fighters, and Kairo was certain they would break if bent too hard.
"Don't listen to him. He is cruel and sadistic. He wouldn't give you any way out," Kairo said. In his mind, he already had a plan to get out of this impasse.
For now, fighting Harid was not a sound option. Both he and Nyx were wounded and exhausted, whereas the other party seemed to be leaking with energy.
"Nyx, use the pocket hourglass to escort everyone out of this place. I will stall for time and join Danzan and the others to stop Rellion and his card masters," Kairo said. Leaving now after just regrouping wasn't easy, but Kairo had no choice.
"No, I'm not leaving you. If we act together, we can win and still have time to repair the submarine," Nyx shook her head. From her voice, Kairo could feel a strong determination—never was she leaving him again.
"Oh, how cute? Now you will open those damn cells whether you like it or not," Harid cursed. Flipping another card in his hand, he called out, "obey." The circuitry of the void was given new life, flickering like waves outward in the area.
From above the frozen ground, a miasma of dark energy began gathering in the air. He is trying to force us into another conditioned deal, Kairo's face darkened.
The last time Harid used this card, Kairo almost ended up on the surgeon's table—and willingly at that. Obey forced the two parties into a deal, then erased their minds to ensure both parties respected it.
"He is trying to get the engineers instead," Nyx said.
He must have awakened a single card, Kairo remarked, because the moment Obey appeared, the ice tomb had vanished. He couldn't use more than one card at a time. This was probably the reason he waited until now to use it. This was his last gamble.
The dark miasma tails were incredibly swift, like undulating snakes. They sneaked their way through the chaos, rushing toward the engineers with unmatched precision. One after another, they were lifted into the sky, all screaming in fear.
Kairo and Nyx both evaded to the side, rushing in opposite directions to prevent the dark tails from touching them.
"Be careful not to be touched by this," Kairo warned.
"Camilla and the others—what should we do, Kairo?" Nyx asked.
"I'm thinking of a solution," Kairo kept evading the tails, sliding down under another one that swooped above his head. They weren't particularly dangerous, but if touched, Kairo would be forced into Obey's magic. And it would be over for them. Thus, he had no choice but to let the engineers get captured to buy some time.
The good news was Harid was now defenseless without his frozen knights. And Obey was not a counter card. Thus Harid had no way out of this if Kairo and Nyx attacked.
"We still have a chance to win," Kairo declared.
"Keep running like the rabbit you are, Kairo. When Obey lands on both of you, I will order you to execute each other. I will see which of the two will kill the other first. Might be you, Kairo, or might be her. Who knows? And I can only imagine the news headline: The son of the great Magnus executing his girlfriend with no pity… hahah!" Harid spoke with confidence. For him, the game had been set. The space was so tight that no matter how fast the duo were, they could not evade Obey forever.
Kairo and Nyx managed to stay out of Obey's reach. But the engineers were different. Like puppets without strings, they all began moving towards the control panel.
"Stop them, Kairo, stop them now! If they place their imprint at the same time, it will bypass the captain-only credential and unlock the cell!" Camilla cried out.
Still stuck in Obey's grasp, despite it tightening around her body, she wasn't losing her mind like the others. She held a card in between her fingers, and this one had created a sort of bubble around her, preventing Obey from taking full control.
"The wife of a captain, as expected." Kairo wasn't surprised. This was David Ortega's wife. She definitely had some means of taking care of herself.
Although Camilla was still in danger, she was right—Kairo needed to stop the zombie-like moving engineers before they touched the control panels.
The submarine had been built in such a way that only the captains could unlock the cell. This was to ensure they would have no problem during the transfer of prisoners once they reached their destination. But the engineers too could open the cell on board—but only if all of them used their imprint at the same time.
"Nyx, I will need your help on this… Nyx—" Kairo's face took a drastic turn. In a moment of inattention, Nyx had been caught by Obey. The tentacle had been moving behind Kairo's dead angle. If she had not stepped in the way, it would have been him.
Nyx was now moving towards him, Sifa in her hands. She appeared to have lost her mind and was seeing in Kairo nothing more than an enemy to take down.
Under Harid's control, Nyx had taken down the pocket hourglass—its golden halo nowhere to be seen anymore.
"It's over for you, Kairo. I win." Harid mocked in satisfaction.