The Eminence in Shadow: The Dark Swordsman

Chapter 56: Olivier's Bullets And Shadow's Blade

The rain poured heavily, drumming against the rooftops like a relentless rhythm of tension. Alpha and Beatrix stood on opposing roofs, their figures silhouetted against the flashes of lightning. Each maintained a combat stance, eyes locked in an unyielding stare, their resolve as unshakable as the storm raging around them.

Beatrix's hand hovered near the hilt of her blade, her sharp gaze daring Alpha to make the first move. Alpha, soaked to the bone, stood unflinching, her stance relaxed yet brimming with quiet power.

The wind howled between them, and then Alpha's voice cut through the storm, calm yet edged with steel.

"Do you realize," she said, her tone serious, "that our confrontation is worthless?"

Beatrix's fingers twitched slightly, but she said nothing, her expression unreadable. Alpha straightened, though her eyes remained locked on hers, unwavering.

"I have nothing to do with you," she continued, the rain cascading down her face. "So... open my way."

Beatrix's grip on her blade tightened, her voice cutting through the storm like a blade through air. "Let me be clear," she said, her eyes narrowing as she took a slow step forward. "I don't want any of this to happen as much as you do."

Then, her gaze hardened, and her tone shifted, colder, more decisive. "But you should know that what you're trying to do... is wrong."

Alpha tilted her head slightly, her soaked bangs clinging to her face as she scrutinized Beatrix.

"So," Alpha began, her voice quieter but tinged with an edge of curiosity, "even you're on her side?" She stepped forward, her movements slow and deliberate, as if testing the weight of Beatrix's words. "Do you even realize who Yukime is?"

Beatrix didn't flinch."Of course I do." She took another step closer, her heels splashing through the pooling rain on the rooftop. Her sharp gaze softened for a fleeting second, her words laced with conviction. "She's someone who has treated me with no ill intentions from the very first moment we met. Someone who asked for nothing in return."

Alpha narrowed her eyes, studying Beatrix carefully, her expression unreadable.

"And," Beatrix continued, her tone rising above the storm, resolute and fierce, "I know how the world perceives her. I know the stories, the accusations, and the judgments." Her hand finally rested fully on her blade's hilt, but she made no move to draw it. "But let me tell you this." She leaned forward slightly, her voice quieter but no less intense. "You guys don't have a clue what Yukime is truly doing."

Alpha's eyes narrowed sharply, her voice suddenly rising with an almost feral intensity, cutting through the storm like thunder. "Then tell me!" she demanded, her fists clenching at her sides. "Tell me what Yukime's true plans are! Give me one noble reason-just one-for me to let it slide that she killed two of our members!"

Her words echoed across the rooftops, each syllable laced with fury and pain, the storm seeming to swell in response to her rage.

Beatrix faltered, her eyes shifting downward as she broke the unyielding stare. Her lips pressed into a thin line, her shoulders rigid against the onslaught of wind and rain. "I'm afraid..." she began, her voice low and hesitant, "I'm in no position right now to reveal the truth behind everything to you."

Alpha's expression hardened further, her fury twisting into something colder, more resolute. Without hesitation, she dropped into an attacking stance, her movements fluid and deadly. Her soaked figure radiated a fierce energy, and her voice dropped to a dangerous growl.

"Then I'll seek those answers by my own means," Alpha declared, her tone final, as the storm surged around them, mirroring the tempest within.

Alpha lunged forward with a sudden burst of speed, her blade flashing in the storm's light. The sound of steel rang out as Beatrix's blade met Alpha's strike in a shower of sparks.