Honkai Impact 3rd - The Interference

Chapter 75 - Enough.

"Clista..."

Hoshino Wan whispered, disbelief etched into every syllable as he clutched his throbbing neck, struggling to contain the pain. Before him stood Clista, someone he once held dear, now the source of his very agony.

"Why?" Wan managed to rasp out the question, his voice barely audible, his throat raw from her actions.

Clista remained silent, her expression inscrutable as she gazed down at him.

'Why? What went wrong?'

'Why did she stab me?'

"I warned you, Wan. You're naive," Noah's voice sliced through the air from behind him. Wan turned to see the figure in the crow mask slowly approaching, his words laden with accusation. His kick sent the boy crashing to the ground, gasping for air.

"Ngh..." Wan struggled to breathe, his eyes darting to Noah as he drew near Clista, his arm encircling her shoulders. "C-Clista..."

"You barely know her, Wan. Trusting so easily... it's reckless," Noah's tone was calm, almost clinical, as Clista remained silent, her gaze fixed on me with that vacant stare.

Wan refused to accept Noah's words, his gaze locked on Clista, pleading for an explanation. "Clista, why?" he choked out, his voice betraying a mix of hurt and confusion. "I thought...we.."

Clista remained unmoved, her silence adding to Wan's anguish. He reached out, his hand trembling as it hovered in the air between them. "Please, tell me there's a reason. Tell me I didn't misjudge you."

But still, Clista said nothing, her blank stare piercing through him like a knife. It was a rejection more painful than any physical wound, leaving Wan adrift in a sea of doubt and betrayal.

As Wan grappled with the devastating silence from Clista, the words of Kanae echoed in his mind like an ominous warning. 'There is a traitor among us.' Suddenly, it all seemed to click into place – the betrayal, the deceit. Wan's heart sank as the pieces of the puzzle fell into alignment, painting a picture of deception he had been blind to see.

With a heavy heart and a mind swirling with disbelief, Wan realized that Kanae's words had been a premonition he had chosen to ignore. The trust he had placed so easily had been misplaced, and the consequences were now painfully clear. Amidst the chaos of his thoughts, one thing remained certain – he had to confront the truth, no matter how bitter it may be.

Wan's voice quivered as he finally spoke up, his words laced with desperation. "Clista, please... say something. Anything. Help me understand." His plea hung in the air, a desperate attempt to grasp onto any shred of truth or justification.

Before Clista could respond, Noah closed in once more, his presence like a looming shadow over Wan's already shattered world. Without warning, another kick landed on Wan's face, the force sending him reeling backwards. Pain exploded behind his eyes as he crashed to the ground once more, his vision swimming with stars.

Gasping for breath, Wan struggled to rise, defiance flickering in his eyes despite the agony pulsing through his battered body. "Stop... Noah," he managed to choke out, his voice barely above a whisper. But his words fell on deaf ears as Noah towered over him, a silent enforcer of the betrayal that had torn Wan's world apart.

With a cruel smirk, Noah knelt down and seized Wan by his hair, yanking his head back with a vicious tug. "This is what you deserve, Wan," Noah spat, his voice dripping with venomous satisfaction. Each blow rained down upon Wan's face, the pain blurring into a haze of agony and betrayal.

Wan's cries echoed in the empty space, drowned out by the sound of Noah's relentless assault. Blood trickled down his battered face, mingling with the dirt beneath him as he lay defenseless against the onslaught.