Contract Marriage with My Secret Partner in Crime-Chapter 19: The Erasers

The room at the top floor of the building was bathed in an eerie, artificial glow. The walls were lined with screens, each displaying different sections of the ongoing battles below.

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The centerpiece of the room was a massive circular table, dark and polished, reflecting the dim light like a void. Five figures sat around it, all clad in identical dark robes and masks that obscured their faces. Their presence exuded authority, but among them, one stood out—the figure seated at the head of the table.

His mask was the same as The Watcher from the dream maze that Eclipse and Obscura had encountered earlier. But instead of piercing, unnatural silver eyes, his were blue. He sat with a relaxed posture, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of his chair.

Though his expression was hidden behind the mask, the subtle tilt of his head and the amused chuckle that escaped him made it clear—he was enjoying the spectacle below.

"Aren't they impressive?" he mused, his voice smooth but laced with a cold edge.

The other four so-called Erasers turned to one another, their gazes shifting in silent conversation. None of them wanted to be the first to speak. The Watcher may have been chuckling, but his presence alone was suffocating. Finally, one of them cleared their throat and spoke.

"Their abilities far surpass the normal human level," he admitted carefully.

The Watcher smirked. "Keep an eye on them."

As he leaned back into his chair, the other Erasers subtly straightened their postures, understanding the weight of those words. Below them, on the fourth floor of the building, the fight had reached a new level of intensity.

---

The moment Eclipse and Obscura set foot on the fourth floor, the atmosphere shifted. The Runners here were different. Gone were the mindless foot soldiers they had easily plowed through on the third floor. These opponents moved with precision, their stances calculated—martial artists.

Eclipse's eyes gleamed with excitement as she cracked her knuckles. "Finally, it's a real fight. Those warm-ups were boring for me now," she declared, practically bouncing on her feet.

Obscura stood beside her, expression unreadable as always. He let out a quiet sigh, subtly adjusting his stance.

The moment the martial artists attacked, it was clear they were on a different level. They moved with calculated precision, striking at weak points with rapid efficiency.

Eclipse barely dodged a lightning-fast strike aimed at her ribs. "Whoa, okay! No more casual mode!" She twisted mid-air, grabbing the attacker's wrist and yanking him forward before delivering a knee to his gut. As he staggered back, another opponent lunged at her from behind.

She ducked just in time, rolling to the side and grinning. "Man, you guys actually know what you're doing. Finally, some proper choreography!"

Obscura, meanwhile, moved with his usual silent efficiency. A fighter tried to strike him, but he sidestepped effortlessly, delivering a precise chop to the back of the man's neck. Another came at him, aiming a powerful kick, but Obscura caught his ankle mid-air and used the momentum to spin him into the floor.

Eclipse, mid-fight, shot him a look. "Hey! At least pretend to struggle a little! You're making me look bad here."

Obscura didn't reply. He simply grabbed another attacker's wrist, twisted it, and flipped them over with minimal effort.

Eclipse huffed. "Show-off."

The martial artists were no ordinary opponents, though. They quickly adapted, working in perfect sync. Two of them rushed Eclipse at once, forcing her to weave between their strikes. She barely dodged one, only to be met with a kick aimed at her side.

She twisted just in time, grinning. "Oh, now this is fun."

Obscura, as usual, remained quiet, but his movements shifted slightly—he was subtly adjusting to Eclipse's unpredictable fighting style. Without speaking, they fell into a rhythm. Whenever Eclipse went on the offensive, Obscura covered the openings she left behind. When he made a swift counter, she followed up without hesitation.

It was seamless.

And yet, Eclipse still found time to tease him. "See? We make a good team. Maybe if you actually talked more, we could be unstoppable."

Obscura ignored her, landing a precise elbow strike on an opponent's temple.

The fight stretched on, but eventually, only two martial artists remained standing.

Obscura exhaled, adjusting his gloves. "I'll handle the hacking. You take care of them."

Eclipse rolled her shoulders. "Finally, you're leaving me with the fun part."

As Obscura turned and made his way toward the elevator, Eclipse faced the last two opponents with renewed enthusiasm.

---

This time, exhaustion finally started to creep in. Eclipse felt it in the slight heaviness of her limbs, the faint burn in her muscles from the continuous battles since earlier. But she wasn't about to let it stop her now.

The first of the two fighters lunged at her, aiming for a precise strike to her pressure points. Eclipse barely dodged in time, twisting her body to avoid the attack before retaliating with a rapid flurry of punches. Her opponent managed to block some, but one landed cleanly against his jaw, sending him stumbling back.

The second fighter took advantage of the moment, sweeping toward her with a spinning kick. Eclipse countered by grabbing his ankle mid-air and using the momentum to slam him against the floor. He groaned in pain but still tried to push himself up.

Eclipse wasn't having it. She jumped, spinning mid-air, and brought her boot down onto his chest with a final crushing blow. He didn't get up after that.

Breathing heavily, she turned to the last opponent, who was still reeling from her earlier punch. With one final burst of energy, Eclipse launched herself forward, delivering a powerful strike that sent him crashing into the floor.

She grinned, triumphant. "And that's how it's—"

A sharp, excruciating pain tore through her body.

Eclipse barely had time to react before a searing agony spread from her core, as if something inside her was violently unraveling. Her vision blurred, and her knees buckled.

"Wh—what..." The words barely formed before her throat closed up, trapping the scream inside. A silent gasp left her lips as agony tore through her body, her organs feeling like they were being crushed and twisted into something unnatural. Her limbs trembled, her breaths coming in ragged, uneven bursts as the pain intensified.

Her fingers clawed at the floor, but even that felt distant—everything was slipping away.

And then—darkness.

Unbeknownst to her, at that very same moment, Obscura—who had just finished bypassing the last layer of security—suddenly stiffened. A sharp, piercing sensation shot through his chest, spreading like wildfire throughout his body.

His hands trembled over the screen as his vision swam.

Just as he was about to turn and call out to Eclipse, his legs gave out.

The last thing he saw was the elevator doors opening in front of him, their metallic surface reflecting his rapidly fading form.

Then, just like Eclipse—he collapsed.