Chapter 354: Necessary sacrifice

Amanda arrived at Kyle’s old apartment with a broad smile on her face, and the first thing she said was, "I missed this place."

She immediately went over and wrapped her arms around Kyle, hugging him tightly. Swaying slightly in his arms, she added, "We spent so many days here. So many memories were made in this place."

Kyle hummed. "Yes. I was just telling Veronica about it, about how you used to sneak out of your house to come here, and how convenient it was that this place was actually quite far from yours but still close to the uni."

Amanda chuckled. "Those days... when the biggest problem in our lives was getting caught somewhere." It felt as though an eternity had passed since then, yet it had only been six months since Kyle had moved out of this apartment, all because of a certain red-haired bitch bitch.

Amanda clicked her tongue at the memory of Ava. "I wish I could have killed her myself."

Veronica growled, "I had a few grudges against her too. I heard she came looking for trouble with you and your sister?"

Amanda nodded. "Apparently, she tried convincing us that Melissa was in danger and that people were searching for her, which was actually true back then. But honestly, I would have trusted a ghoul before trusting that bitch."

Kyle exhaled a quiet sigh. "Don’t worry. She’s gone now. You won’t have to see her again."

Amanda’s smile widened from ear to ear. "Yep~ Can’t exactly be happy about someone’s death anymore." She planted a sweet kiss on his cheek as a reward before making her way farther into the apartment, her gaze wandering over everything around her as she took in the familiar surroundings.

"Woah... you arranged everything exactly as I said. I never knew my descriptive prowess was this powerful."

Veronica rolled her eyes. Of course, it was all thanks to Amanda’s wisdom that she had managed to recreate the place so perfectly.

Kyle suddenly glanced at the silver-haired girl and offered her a gentle smile. "You worked hard for me. Thank you, Veronica. It really means a lot to me."

Veronica returned a faint smile, already forgetting the slight irritation Amanda’s words had stirred in her.

Amanda groaned and clung to his arm. "I helped too, you know."

Kyle nodded. "Yes, yes. Who else could possibly remember where I used to keep my shaving kit and gaming gear so perfectly, other than you?"

Amanda immediately puffed out her chest with pride. Of course it had to be her. Who else could possibly know the place as well as she did?

Veronica then spoke hesitantly, clearly reluctant to dampen the pleasant mood. "Kyle...although it’s fine for now, I would prefer that you don’t stay here all the time. The security in this neighbourhood isn’t exactly the best. And once you step back into the hunting world, you’ll be surrounded by people who either want to curry favour with you or would gladly harm you."

Amanda clicked her tongue. "You didn’t have to bring that up right now, Commander."

Kyle gently rested a hand on her head before telling Amanda, "She’s right. While this place could work as an occasional destination when we want to meet and spend some casual time together, I can’t stay here forever."

Kyle knew that his presence would inevitably attract attention, no matter how much he wanted to remain hidden and away from the limelight. And when that happened, he would rather not have anyone else caught up in the trouble that followed.

"A more secure house, like the previous one, would be better," he added. "But for now, let’s not talk about it."

Amanda hummed in assent before pulling him toward the bed. The two of them sat down across from Veronica, settling into the familiar space as the conversation shifted.

Veronica changed the subject. "I heard about the battle. You did well."

Amanda’s brows rose. "Just that? I defeated a ghoul despite being a second-grade... Come on, praise me more, Commander."

Veronica gave her a wry smile. "I’ve been training with you for some time now, so I know the reason behind your growth. Did you really expect me to be stunned and overjoyed just because I heard the reports?"

Amanda pouted at that. "Training and fighting in a real battle are two completely different things, you know?"

Kyle hummed in assent. "True, and that’s why I feel you did better than I expected."

Amanda’s expression immediately brightened. She turned toward Veronica, her eyes practically shouting, Heard that?

Veronica merely shook her head. "Don’t let it get to your head. It was only one ghoul, and it had already been injured before you went up against it. You still need to keep improving if you want to handle a first-grade rift on your own anytime soon."

Amanda nodded earnestly. "I know. And this was only the beginning." She raised her hand and stared at it for a moment before murmuring, "Today, I realized just how afraid I’ve been of my own powers. I never really tried using them freely. I mean, I haven’t grown much magically in the past two weeks, yet I was able to use my spells far better and more smoothly than ever before."

Kyle nodded. "You just needed a little push to realize that you could grow further, and you got it. Just don’t become reckless and put yourself in a situation where giving everything you have becomes your only option."

His firm warning was met with a sweet smile.

"I promise. No going overboard."

Veronica nodded. "I’ll make sure of that." Her eyes then shifted toward Kyle as she continued, "Speaking of that, the headquarters has established a new batch of veteran awakeneds who are training the newly awakened so they can be fast-tracked onto the battlefield as soon as possible."

Kyle tilted his head. "That sounds reassuring."

"It does?" Veronica’s brows rose. "I mean, given the growing danger, it’s important that the new warriors don’t waste time before getting down to business. But you can’t expect a normal gym instructor to face the horrors we’ve been taught and warned about all our lives."

Amanda agreed. "Even if they’re grown adults, the ugliness of the Aether world takes time and patience to get used to. And it takes even longer to understand the extent of one’s powers well enough to survive in this world."

Power was a single factor that could make anyone, regardless of age, blind and foolish. Someone could acquire special-grade stats and march onto the battlefield alone, only to find themselves utterly overwhelmed by Majins.

On the other hand, those who couldn’t stomach the grotesque creatures or the inevitable sense of loss that came with this world might freeze when confronted with it. They could watch their comrades die before their eyes and do nothing, paralyzed by fear rather than finding the strength to fight back.

So yes, "This is hasty, and I feel the results would be disastrous."

Kyle slowly rose from the bed and turned away from the two women. With his back facing them, he stared ahead for a moment before muttering, "This might sound ugly coming from me... but it would still benefit humanity."

Amanda and Veronica exchanged a glance at the sudden shift in his tone. His words were startling enough, but there was something in the cold certainty behind them that unsettled them even more.

Kyle continued, "The Genesis they are processing and will eventually release, whether through their battles or upon their deaths, will strengthen the Veil further. And that is precisely what I want."

Veronica and Amanda fell silent.

They finally understood why Kyle was willing to let people become easy targets for the other side. He was looking at the larger picture, at something far beyond the immediate consequences of these decisions, a perspective that perhaps no one else could possess.

And yet, in doing so, he sounded indifferent to one very fundamental factor.

Life.

Heavy silence descended upon the room after that, only for Kyle to break it as he said. "Well, let’s not talk about it anymore."

Amanda climbed out of her daze soon and said. "Right. Let’s do something fun today. Of course, only if the Commander could stay."

Veronica snickered. "I already have my schedule for the day. So unless an emergency situation comes up, I can stay a little longer."

Kyle suggested. "Great then. Let’s watch a movie together then. It’s been a while since I watched a good one."

Amanda took the role. "I will set up the screen and the projector." She has already spotted them when she was looking around the room.

Kyle turned to Veronica, "Shall we prepare the snacks?"

The silver head instantly nodded and all three of them began preparing for a fun evening.

°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far please leave a comment or review to motivate me and also help the future readers.