"By becoming the person he wanted?"
Her expression faltered, confusion flashing into her eyes, followed by shock, as if he'd hit her without even lifting a hand.
"You envied the woman he loved so much that you copied everything about her," he said matter-of-factly.
Her jaw tightened. "How did you—how…"
She was at a loss for words, anger quickly overtaking disbelief.
"You don't know anything!"
"Don't I?" Levi mused, mimicking the mocking tone she'd used earlier.
"When I strangled him, a necklace fell from his neck. The locket broke open, and I saw what was inside." His eyes narrowed faintly. "Guess what? It was a picture of a woman with same hair, same clothes, same style as yours… but a different face. That was the woman he truly loved, not you."
He smirked faintly. "She was beautiful, I admit. Incomparable. You're definitely not a match for her."
"You crazy bastard!" she screamed.
She slammed him against the wall with enough force to make the concrete crack.
The sound of breaking bone echoed faintly, but Levi didn't cry out. When her grip loosened for a brief second, he moved.
"I'm more beautiful than her!" she shouted, but Levi had already slipped from her reach, dodging between the writhing serpent-like strands of her hair.
He landed a few meters away, catching one of the massive strands mid-strike and yanking it with both hands. The tendril shuddered under the force, surprising her.
Levi smirked. "Your hair isn't even close to hers, even with the dye."
The woman hissed and sent more tendrils flying toward him, the blades at their tips whistling through the air.
Levi kept dodging, using his agility to stay alive. If he could get close enough to rip out her heart, it would give him enough time to cut off her head. But every time he tried to close the distance, the tendrils intercepted him.
He ducked into the ruins of a shattered hardware store, grabbing an iron rod from the debris. It wasn't ideal, but at least he had something.
He swung it against the approaching tendrils, deflecting a few strikes, though the force still pushed him back. Sparks flew each time the metal clashed with the blades.
It wasn't enough.
Even with an active core gate, he still had no Sin Art, no weapon of his own. The advantage was hers.
But Levi wasn't planning to die here.
He gritted his teeth as another strike caught his shoulder, tearing through his hoodie.
"This is tough," he muttered.
He moved suddenly, fast, unpredictable, retreating north. His body blurred between shadows, leaping across rooftops faster than a human eye could follow.
The woman growled, her hair flaring behind her like a storm.
"You dare run from me? YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!"
She chased him, leaping from roof to roof, the sound of her blades slicing the wind.
Levi led her through the rooftops, and then he stopped, standing atop a tall, half-collapsed building. The night wind pulled at his hair as he waited, eyes locked on the approaching figure.
The woman landed on the rooftop with a snarl. "This ends now!"
But Levi didn't move.
He turned away, then stepped backward, and fell.
"Coward!" she hissed, leaping after him.
As she descended, her eyes widened. Below them was a ruined construction site, a graveyard of twisted iron and sharp rebar pointing skyward.
She tried to pull herself back, to grab onto something, anything, but it was too late.
Her body crashed into the wreckage, several iron rods piercing through her chest and limbs.
One drove straight through her heart. The sound was sickening.
She gasped, body trembling, pinned in place like a doll. Blood spread beneath her. Her hair tendrils fell limp.
Levi stood high above her, at the edge of the rooftop, holding the same iron rod he'd used earlier.
"I'll throw this through your neck to cut off your head," he said evenly, voice echoing in the night. "That way, you'll die quickly and won't have to suffer from the pain of knowing you were never loved."
Her eyes widened in horror and confusion. "How… you were supposed to-"
"I was supposed to focus on your necklace?" Levi finished for her. "You're a fool to think I'd fall for your Sin Art. Those blades on your hair, once they draw blood, they compel your target to covet that ruby necklace, right? To distract them mid-fight?"
He clicked his tongue. "I admit I was almost tricked. But it wasn't long before I realized something was off. I've never had the desire to want something owned by someone so pathetic, especially jewelry. I was never fond of it."
Her mouth trembled, but she couldn't speak.
Levi's grip tightened on the iron rod.
"I hope you find happiness in hell."
He threw it without hesitation.
The rod flew straight and true, piercing through her neck and severing her head clean from her shoulders.
The body fell still.
[Gate of Pride welcomes you with a gift.]
[You are granted Sin Art: Hybris's Blade of Chaos.]