Ferna regarded Ouyang Ge with a perfunctory, utterly emotionless smile.

This eerie girl wore an incongruous maid uniform yet possessed terrifying combat prowess. Even more unsettling—no trace of magic lingered around her.

Which meant—she relied purely on physical ability to see bullets mid-flight and react in time.

"Who exactly are you...? Why are you here...?"

In the last life’s version of this event, this maid had never appeared before Ouyang Ge. Yet now she stood here, radiating palpable killing intent.

"Who I am hardly matters, does it?"

Ferna offered this reply instead of answering his question.

"It matters. This is Ouyang Clan territory. You weren’t invited to today’s incident. Isn’t this trespassing?"

*Pfft!*

Ferna couldn’t suppress a laugh.

"What nonsense. Your family’s already dead. Only you and that ice-blue-haired girl remain. Ah—I did eliminate a mad girl along the way too..."

"What’s your goal? Are you with those assassins?"

"Hmm~ You’re not wrong. I’m part of the intruders... yet not one of them."

"........"

Her words were utterly contradictory. Ouyang Ge couldn’t grasp her meaning—but one thing was clear: she was an enemy!

Raising his dagger, he shifted into a defensive stance.

"Aah, I wanted to chat longer. So impatient?"

Her right hand gripped the great sword’s hilt at her left waist. Slowly, she drew the blade—cold steel glinting under the light...

"So... you’re my enemy. Is that correct?"

"Mm! Think what you like. I’m certainly not your ally!"

Ferna’s eyes narrowed as she stepped forward!

*Rat-tat-tat!*

Bullets fired in a triangular formation suddenly streaked toward her!

"*Tch!*"

Her smile vanished. Her right arm slashed upward—

—Three bullets split cleanly in half!

"*Hmph.*"

Ouyang Ge discarded his empty pistol and lunged sideways, closing the distance.

"Excellent marksmanship. Worthy of praise. But!"

Ferna’s face—twisted with madness—loomed before him!

"*What?!*"

He raised his dagger to block her horizontal slash—

"Too slow! Too slow!"

*Clang!*

The dagger’s hardened metal blade shattered effortlessly. Ouyang Ge was disarmed!

But weapons were the least of his worries now. After the slash, Ferna thrust the tip forward—straight at his heart!

His body barely reacted in time, twisting aside. The blade carved a deep gash across his left arm.

"Oh? Dodging that... No wonder the Young Mistress holds you in such high regard."

Ferna let him retreat before straightening up, her arm slowly retracting.

"........"

That instant of combat flooded Ouyang Ge’s mind with memories. A future comrade’s fighting style mirrored this maid’s—unreasonable speed and strength, an unnatural body wielding such power without magic.

"You’re... an Artificial Human."

"......"

Silence gripped Ferna. His words had struck deep.

"Are you truly just a sheltered young master with no outside contact?"

Her voice turned icy. The ever-present smile had vanished completely.

"Guess."

"Heh. Though the Young Mistress forbade harming you... my secret can’t be leaked. Since you know..."

*It’s coming!*

The killing intent around Ferna thickened to suffocating levels. Ouyang Ge braced for a lethal strike.

*Weapons...*

Despair clawed at him—he was unarmed. Punching her? Unthinkable. An Artificial Human’s fist hit like a freight train. Human flesh against that was suicide.

"Then you must die!"

As the last syllable reached his ears, the cold gleam of steel filled his vision!

Ouyang Ge dropped into a backbend maneuver, barely evading the slash—the wind of the blade stinging his face.

"Tch. This isn’t fun at all."

Ferna halted after one strike, frowning as if pondering.

"Here. To make it interesting—I’ll let you fight armed."

She sheathed her great sword, then tossed him a dagger from her back.

"......."

Ouyang Ge caught it smoothly, stunned.

The hilt felt hauntingly familiar. Nearly identical to his specialized dagger from his past life—complete with a metal knuckle guard. Perfect for slashing, punching, or thrusting.

"Now you’ll fight seriously, right? You weren’t even trying against that Martial Monk earlier."

"You saw that?"

"Of course. You knew his ability from the start, didn’t you? No one else would’ve thought of using magnets. That filthy monk’s magic manipulates metal—powder just makes shaping easier."

"So what?"

Ouyang Ge’s eyes narrowed. She’d watched everything unseen—a terrifying skill...

"Exactly. You held back. Your child’s frame hides an adult’s physique. Full power? That monk would’ve fallen to one kick and a few shots. Why the theatrics?"

Her guess struck true. Against the Martial Monk, he’d conserved strength—partly for contingencies, partly to hide his abilities from Zokilia.

Yes. In the banquet hall, he’d sensed Zokilia watching. The mismatched gazes had given it away.

".........."

Silent, Ouyang Ge shifted stance again.

"Speechless? But this ‘fight first, talk later’ attitude—I like it!"

Ferna drew her blade and advanced, step by deliberate step.

Ouyang Ge’s response was simple: *Run!*

He bolted sideways toward the Ouyang estate’s perimeter wall. Close-quarters alleyways offered better odds than this open ground.

"Told you—you can’t escape~~"

A blow slammed into his right cheek. His body flew left, tumbling roughly across the dirt.

"Same as before... This scene feels all too familiar..."

He scrambled up, spitting blood. This humiliation echoed his past life’s script—only the tormentor had changed.

"You can’t run. Just let me chop you into mincemeat?"

Ferna tilted her head, her smile now a mask of pure terror—she had no intention of letting him live.

Gripping the dagger, Ouyang Ge struggled to speak, his swollen cheek throbbing.

*Options? None.* Ferna’s physical prowess was inhuman. Victory was impossible like this.

—Unless a miracle happened......