She didn't know what took him so long, she didn't know when he arrived nor how could he find her dagger lying somewhere on the ground.
But she didn't care. All Ladybug knew that she had never been as grateful for him as in that crucial moment.
At least, that was what she believed for a fleeting moment. A second later, their previous encounter, like lightning in a silent, peaceful night, flashed back in her mind.
She immediately shook off that momentary shock his arrival caused. Noticing the villain being taken aback by his failed shot and the black cat's abrupt appearance, Ladybug took advantage of the sudden turn of events. She leaned down for her dagger - placing it back into her scabbard -, and with a well-aimed kick, she shoved his compass as well as his crossbow out of his hand far away - making him stagger backward.
However, just when she reached for her yo-yo and was about to throw it toward the assassin, all of a sudden she found herself in Chat Noir's arms who instantly extended themselves with his baton and jumped into a nearby alley - away from the villain's sight.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" She quickly escaped from his embrace and pushed him away a bit.
"What?!" Chat Noir frowned, - clearly anticipating a different kind of welcome from her -, and stated with feigned indignation, "This is a clawful way to express your gratitude toward your savior, Little Spot!"
"I would be nicer, if you came sooner, alley-cat!" she retorted grouchily.
"Hey, easy there!" Chat lifted his hands - gesturing for her to calm down. "You should have known by now that we, cats, are free spirits! We like to show up whenever we're feline to do that!" he winked - evidently waiting for the impact his puns always had on her to lighten the mood.
Which didn't happen this time.
Instead, Ladybug favored him with a scolding look.
"Just cut it, Chat Noir! I'm not in the mood to endure you tonight!" she snapped - disregarding his fallen countenance upon calling him by his full name.
"What do you mean by .."enduring" me?" he asked, bewildered by her behavior. "Spot, did I ...did I do something? I thought everything got cleared between us the last time, yet you seem...you seem to be mad at me."
"Chat just...just concentrate on defeating this guy!" Ladybug clenched her teeth - astonishing even herself by how harsh she was with him tonight. "Look, I don't know how many times we have left before the villain finds us here so would you let me just..."
"No!!...Not until you tell me what's wrong!"
"There's nothi.....!" Ladybug wanted to yell at him but trailed off and took a deep breath instead. "It doesn't matter now. A new kind of enemy is currently threatening the Parisians! Their safety should be our priority right now! This villain....He's stronger than I first anticipated, for if we want to defeat him, we ought to strive to focus on nothing but him, Chat Noir!"
She called him Chat Noir for the second time on that night. She never did before, not even when she was angry with him. Ladybug knew she was hurting him by calling him this way, yet, she didn't care about it at that moment.
She already had gone through so many things on that night, that she wasn't capable of dealing with his or even with her feelings to begin with. She just wanted to hear his confirmation by saying he was ready to face this assassin.
Letting out a groan - visibly expressing that he was indeed hurt by her words just as the heroine foreboded -, he gave in, "Okay, fine, ..if you say so. "pointing with his head toward the main street, he asked, "So, what do we know about this archer guy?"
"Not much, unfortunately. "Ladybug sighed and peered out of the alley - making sure the villain wasn't coming in their way yet. "I do know that the thing he craves for is not our miraculous but the ancient cod....err.. I mean, for a codex. I have no clue what that book is about nor why he desires it so much in the first place but..." she halted, glancing at the black cat meaningfully - knowing exactly well that it was in his possession -, "..but for an unknown reason he's certain it's here with us."
"Umm...." she could hear a loud gulp coming from his direction, making her wonder what kind of crap he was about to come up with to his defense.
Would he tell her how he got a hold of the book? Would he admit to her that it was from the Princess? - not guessing she was Ladybug all along?
She didn't understand why but she wanted to know. She needed to know how would the black cat explain himself to her after what he had done on the balcony.
"So ..umm.. Now that you mention this, Little Spot, .."
Little Spot.
Ladybug pressed her lips together upon hearing these words again. This nickname for the first time in years, infuriated her. It got under her skin to a level her whole body was radiated by irritation.
How dare he call her Little Spot after wanting to kiss someone else?
He had no right to use this nickname if he had feelings for someone else!
A frustrated sigh escaped her, making Chat Noir halt in his place.
He looked at her, scratching the back of his neck in discomfort as he admitted, "...as a matter of fact, I do have a codex that I planned to show you on tonight's patrol."
"Oh, really?" Ladybug tried to sound as clueless as she just could master. "And ..where did you get this book exactly?"
Bewilderment spreaded across Chat Noir's face for a second, furrowing his brows at her, "Um..I know it's quite pun-usal of me to say this, but I don't think this is the purrfect moment to enlighten you about it, M'lady!"
He strolled to the heroine, who had been standing by the end of the alley. He was about to step out to the main street, but to his astonishment, Ladybug impeded him from doing so by extending her arms in front of him.
"I think it otherwise. I'd like to know more about this book before we are to go after the villain." she insisted in a cold tone, making the cat withdraw.
"For our mission's sake, obviously," she added, maintaining a calm expression on her face as she waited eagerly for his explication.
"In..in that case, " Chat took some steps backward - Ladybug could tell by his puzzlement that he couldn't put anywhere her sudden interrogating behavior -, and pulled out the codex from his coat.
Clearing his throat, he started, "Okay, so I recently got a hold of this ancient codex that y....that a friend of mine found and gave to me, saying that its content might aid us on the infection's regard."
"A friend of yours? May I ask, who? I assume it's not your master, otherwise, you wouldn't refer to him as a friend, right?" Ladybug raised one of her eyebrows curiously, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Yes, you are right, but..." Chat coughed, a drop of sweat appearing on his temple. "..but you have told me yourself several times that we shall not give out any information to each other about our personal life on behalf of our identity so.."
"Indeed, you're right. I'm sorry." the heroine turned her gaze away from him rapidly as she nibbled on her lip.
"Alright, so as I was saying this codex conta..."
"But if your friend found something useful for us, then I believe I should know about them, too," she interjected - inwardly screaming at herself Stop! but she was no longer in the right state of mind. "At least tell me who he is or where did he find this codex!"
A mixture of surprise and perplexity sprang into Chat Noir's eyes as he looked at her. Then, as if he remembered something, an "Oh!" left his lips.
"Well...my friend lives in the..in the Palace. She found the book in a hidden room of the library wit...."
"Ah, so your friend is a girl! What a delightful news!" Ladybug emphasized the word delightful in a melodious tone as she took some steps toward him - her fingers curling into fists in the meantime. "And who is she in the Palace then? A maid? A lady-in-waiting? Or maybe someone with a higher rank?..." her voice trembled by frustration - making it obvious that she was upset -, "...perhaps even she is, may I hazard a guess, the princess herself?! Someone who is married?!"
She had leaned threateningly close to the black cat, making him feel the urge to retreat until he reached the wall with his back.
"Mi...milady, don't you think...you're being a bit too specific with your guess?
"I don't think so!" her eyes staring into his with a raw warning. "Or am I being mistaken, Chat Noir?!"
"Umm..why...why are you acting so weird, Little Spot?"
"I'm acting absolutely fine! And don't Little Spot me if you aren't willing to answer!" she was almost yelling, her whole body vibrating with anger and disdain.
"I don't think you're okay. You have never called me Chat Noir before! Why..why do you want to know so much about that friend of mine in the first place? What has it got to do with the codex?" he shook his head in a clear display of puzzlement. "You're being unreasonable! We should already be out there fighting with that guy, yet you....!"
"Me?! Unreasonable?! Why in the world would it be weird of me to ask about that friend of yours?! "her arms extended sideways as she was gesturing feverishly, "I just have to know who is she and why is she so important to you?! So stop beating around the bush and just tell me!"
"Why..why would you, of all people, ask about my relationship with her?!" Chat Noir retorted, his figure shaking by the impotence and exasperation. Then suddenly, his cat eyes popped wide open in recognition. "Unless..." he half-heartedly stepped in front of her, and softly grabbed her shoulders - forcing her to stop her tantrum for a second and look into his eyes, "Unless ..."
"Unless what?!" she gritted. "Unless you stop bei....!"
"Unless you are being jealous."
What?
What did he say...?
Ladybug glared at him, snorting in disbelief, "You can't be serious! Why in the....what for would I be jealous?!"
"You tell me." Chat attempted but eventually failed to suppress a contented grin from curling on his lips. "Why are you jealous, milady?" He reached for her clenched fists and pulled her hands to his mouth - leaving a small kiss on her gloved knuckles...
..to Ladybug's biggest indignation.
Her icy-blues flickered frenetically between his entrancing eyes and their entwined hands, causing a sudden wave of anger boiling in her stomach - making her push her hand out of his grip promptly.
"How dare he! How dare he act like nothing happened?! How dare he have the audacity to flirt with me and call me on these nicknames as if he wasn't hitting on the Princess some hours ago?! Has he no shame in continuing his flirting with me while he likes someone else.....?!"
Wait...
Her brain froze for a second - putting a stop to her train of thoughts and inner outburst - as the realization slowly hit her.
Could the black cat be right?
Was she really....jealous?
Was this the reason that that uncanny irking feeling toward the hero possessed her mind and heart ever since he appeared in front of her?
Her bluebell eyes widened - shooting a furtive glance at the still-grinning cat -, as she took some steps backward.
Was this really jealousy?
After that quite obnoxious interaction between Marinette and Chat Noir, Ladybug was certain that when she was to meet the black cat at the patrol, she would feel utterly uncomfortable around him - grieving over the shattered friendship of the hero and the princess.
But instead of the anticipated awkwardness, she was furious and piqued by his nonchalance. He acted the same, flirtious way with the heroine - making her feel like she was his whole world -, as he had always used to before their breakup happened. Which should have made her feel relieved - considering it as a sign of them being back on their old terms she long yearned for - had it not been the fact he tried to kiss Marinette in the meantime.
She had never expected Chat to be that kind of guy who would make a move on someone else's wife, not to mention shamelessly flirt after that with the woman he used to claim to love.
Now, in that regard, it was evident - even expected - of her to resent him on the Princess' behalf.
Yes, she understood the reason behind her petulance and disdain toward Chat Noir.
But why the jealousy?
Why - or better yet -, how could she be jealous by knowing he had feelings for someone else?
It just didn't make any sense to her!
After all, Ladybug was aware of her feelings toward the black cat being long gone - not even a whiff of devotion was lingering in her heart for him anymore. The one she loved wholeheartedly was Félix and no one else.
But then how could it be possible for her to be jealous by knowing Chat Noir's heart wasn't hers anymore?
It felt as if ...as if there was an inexplicable force, something beyond one control or even awareness, - making her nothing but an idle spectator of her faith -, that prevented her soul from letting go of the hero thoroughly despite her being fully devoted to the Prince. As if they were connected by a magical cord, - a string one shall never be able to break.
Was it thanks to the ladybug and the black cat miraculous - the ones whose wielders were bound to stick together -, she couldn't tell nor she wanted to know.
She was afraid of the answer.
Just as she were to let herself fall into a spiral of ultimate despair and self-loathing, a glowing pair of dark green irises brought her back. They were prying into hers, waiting patiently for her to consider his bold suggestion.
"I...I..I'm not jealous! I can't be." Ladybug mumbled, desperately avoiding eye contact with Chat. "We are not together anymore. So there's no point in me being jealous, right?" she laughed hysterically, lifting her arms in question.
"I don't know, Spot but you seem kinda jealous to me." Chat Noir shot her a wink he knew drove her insane - but right now it just enhanced her inner freak-out.
"But I shouldn't be! I have no right to be when I'm in lo..." Ladybug trailed off, clenching her teeth. "I'm so awful, Kitty! I.. I want you to let go of me and to be with someone who deserves you, who can make you happy! I truly do!" she turned away from him as tears started gathering in the brim of her eyes. "But then...why is it that I feel this way?" she asked, rather from herself in a scolding tone.
Ladybug hated this.
She hated how she was completely unable to control her emotions despite the will she felt to do so with every fiber of her being. She was glad her feelings weren't the ones she had to fight against on the battlefield because she was uncertain regarding the identity of the winner.
"Hey, Little Spot, it's okay. I'm not mad at all." Chat Noir took some steps toward her, waiting for her eyes to return to his. "On the contrary, actually I found this very appealing. You look super pawdorable while being jealous." he grinned cheekily.
"No, stop this, Chat! Just.. stop flirting with me!" Ladybug looked at him earnestly. "We can't continue the way we used to! We reunited as partners but nothing more. We can't be anything more. So just please, let me go and be with ..with whoever your heart desires."
She forced a smile on her face, before recognation spreaded across her face, making her panic internally, "Wait, did I just encourage him to be with my civilian self?!"
"No feelings, just partners. I get it, milady." Chat Noir's voice nudged her away from her disturbing thoughts, his sincere smile immediately putting her at ease.
But before she was to let out a breath, she wasn't aware she was holding up until that point, the hero stepped next to her and left a soft peck on her temple while whispering, "You're always gonna be my number one though."
Frozen for a second - his words echoing in every corner of her mind trying to figure out what they truly meant for her -, she tried to regain some semblance of composure. She rushed to the end of the alley and subtly shook her head - forcing her mind to switch into her "battle mode".
Peeking out to the main street - still no sign of the villain -, she nodded in acknowledgment and signaled for the black cat.
"Let's go, Chat!"
~~~
The heroes promptly made their way toward the street where they'd last seen the assassin.
It didn't take them much time to find him heading straight in their direction as well. His crossbow was in his right hand - a new arrow already loaded, trigger pulled ready to use -, his other hand holding the compass.
Noticing the small item in his hand, Ladybug noted to herself, "So I assumed right. His compass is the one showing him the location of the codex."
As if the villain could read her mind, he - unintentionally though- fortified her assumption by stopping in the middle of the street after spotting them, and glaring at the needle in his compass.
"So the runaway heroes decided to come back nonetheless?" the assassin - who as they found out later, called himself Crimson Menace - leered at them, his devilishly red eyes darting between his compass and the black cat before catching Ladybug's gaze. "I see you gave the codex to your pet! Very well, then he's gonna be the one facing the wrath of my arrows!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Chat Noir scoffed, regarding Crimson Menace with a famous smirk of his. Without waiting any further, he grabbed and pulled up his staff.
Ladybug's eyes widened and instantly extended her hand - trying to reach out to the cat to no avail as he had already started running toward the villain.
"Chat Noir, wait! We don't even kn...!"
The black cat - not even hearing her words - lift his stick to the top of his left shoulder while running - ready to use. However, the moment he was to strike, Crimson Menace grinned behind his mask and with a snap of his fingers, evaporated into thin air.
"What the..!" Chat Noir almost lost his balance when he swung his staff with enhanced strength into vacuity. He turned back to Ladybug instantly, his eyes filled with genuine puzzlement. "Did he just..?"
He couldn't even finish his sentence when Crimson Menace reappeared behind Chat - almost in the same place he vanished a moment ago and was about to shoot with his weapon.
Not allowing herself to be startled even for a split second, Ladybug threw her yo-yo straight to the villain's face with all her strength - making him fail his shot and became invisible again.
"Dammit! This is gonna be way harder than I thought!" she left a mental note to herself and rushed close to the black cat, her heart still beating into her ears due to the fright of Chat Noir getting injured.
The heroes promptly regained their fighting stance, standing back to back to each other, as they both started spinning their weapons fervently in front of themselves. Utilizing the protection given by their improvised shields, their eyes roamed everywhere around them - searching for any signs of the assassin.
"Okay, purrhaps I underestimated the situation a little bit." Chat Noir admitted. "But you could have warned me that he can become invisible!"
"Seriously, Chat?!" Ladybug shot a glare at him - her yo-yo circling constantly before her. "If you could just be imprudent for a second, I could have told you to be careful!" scolding him under her breath, she added reluctantly, "I didn't know about this ability of his either, by the way."
"Great. Then how are we supposed to defeat him?" Chat asked rhetorically, cursing his night vision for not giving him the capability to see invisible threats.
It was hard to admit to herself, but Ladybug was as clueless as the black cat. They had never faced an invisible enemy before, not to mention someone whose shots' direction one could not predict let alone fight against it.
As if Crimson Menace could sense the current state of utmost powerlessness they were in, he suddenly spoke up - without turning visible to the heroes.
"Let me save you from the trouble and hand the codex over to me!" his raspy voice surrounded them - preventing them from locating his exact position.
"Dreaming is allowed!" Chat grinned toward the direction he assumed the villain could be.
"Very well.. we can do it in two ways." Crimson Menace's voice echoed around them - attempting to make his generous offer alluring enough for the couple to at least consider it. "You either give the codex to me right now and I might spare your little worthless life or..."
"or...we can go on with this cat-mouse game endlessly. Unlike you two, I've got aaaaall the time " he cooed, "I bet you wouldn't want to do this futile resistance all night, besides....My lord desires this codex pretty much...so I might as well decide to pay a visit to the common folks if you aren't willing to cooperate."
Searching for the heroine's gaze to connect with his, Chat Noir whispered with an uncanny seriousness in his tone Ladybug had heard quite rarely before. "We can't give it to him!"
"And we won't!" Ladybug beckoned in reassurance, her grip tightening around her yo-yo strings.
Her icy-blues flickered wildly to the pavements to the road up to the rooftops - eager to spot any signs that could give the location of the assassin out to her -, while her mind clamored by the countless thoughts of how to defeat him.
The task was clear: they had to catch a villain who happened to possess an exceedingly obnoxious ability - forcing the heroes to use all their vitalities to protect themselves relentlessly.
In terms of self-defense, they didn't have it easy either. Although their suits made them invulnerable and could protect them from most kinds of weapons, there were some exceptions. And, to their unluck, a crossbow with its range and penetrating power belonged to that category.
"It's obvious that we can't engage in a hand-to-hand fight with him." Ladybug declared - loud enough for only Chat Noir to hear. "Thanks to his crossbow, we can hardly approach him without the risk of getting shot by one of his arrows."
"So we need a weapon that was made to be used from a certain distance," Chat added, looking at Ladybug in a meaningful way.
The heroine immediately knew what the black cat was referring to: her secret weapon - her lucky charm - that she only used for emergencies.
Indeed, Chat Noir was right.
The only way they could possibly defeat Crimson Menace was if she used her bow while Chat could aid her as a shield with his staff or maybe as a distraction until she was to strike the villain down.
"You're right, it can work with my weapon." she glanced at the cat, "But there is still a quite challenging circumstance we ought to figure out how to eliminate: he is invisible. So how am I supposed to..." she lowered her voice and leaned backward to the hero, before continuing, "...aim and shoot at him with my bow that way?"
A momentary silence fell upon the two, both of their minds working on a solution in an unlikely fast way. The years of akuma attacks and training had made both of them able to fight with any kind of villains, with any kind of abilities they wielded. And there was not a single occasion when they couldn't come up with the right method to conquer them.
"Something else is there with this villain," Ladybug concluded, recalling every tiny detail she had discovered about him. "I have a strong feeling that he's not just an ordinary akuma, Chat. Unlike the previous akumatized victims, he owns...two powers. His crossbow alongside his compass that can detect the codex's location and.."
"...and his ability of invisibility." Chat continued quietly, a frown ceasing his face as he was thinking. "So what you're implying for is that he's not only possessed by one miraculous, the butterfly but ....the peacock as well?"
The red-dressed heroine nodded firmly, her eyes lingering on the black cat for a second. "At least, according to my opinion. This means that we have to find not only the akumatized item but the peacock's feather as well. But, for the time being, we have to find a way to reach for him to stay visible ..though I don't know how.."
"Wait a meowment!" Chat beckoned her to lean closer to his face to not be heard by the villain. "It's just a very uncertain assumption of mine but...but I did notice that before he snaps his fingers to disappear, he completely covers himself with his cloak."
"So you think this is why he can become invisible? He needs his cloak for that?" Ladybug's eyes shot up, a tiny hint of hope lingering in her voice.
"Purrcisely! And if my theory is right then we have to get rid of his cloak first." Chat replied flatly - his gaze instantly shifting left when all of a sudden Crimson Menace emerged from thin air and shot at the hero. Thanks to his superhero - or cat - senses, Chat Noir managed to ward his strike off with his baton just in time. However, by the time he regained his fighting stance, the assassin was nowhere to be found.
"Damn, he's too fast! The moment he shot with his weapon, he disappeared instantly." letting out a frustrated sigh, he concluded, "So we have to take his cloak off while he uses his crossbow."
Ladybug nibbled on her lips as she listened to the cat. Her yo-yo swang in a circle amain - its whirring sound muting the noise of her troubled mind.
Deliberating their possibilities along with the information they had gathered while fighting with Crimson Menace, Ladybug pondered.
Chat Noir was right, the villain was incredibly fast - limiting their options -, and on top of that, they couldn't even approach him because of his weapon. They both ought to be in a state of total awareness - not knowing which one of them was to be the next target of the assassin.
"Not so great chances," Ladybug stated inwardly.
No matter how many possible scenarios and ideas popped into her mind, there was only one, one that she knew - or rather just hoped - to work.
After deflecting another strong attack by Crimson Menace, the heroine subtly bumped her elbow into the black cat's torso - forcing him to focus on her.
Lowering her voice as much as she just could, she spoke up, "I might have an idea, Chat. But...it's a bit tricky. So I need you to trust me on this."
"Always, Little Spot!" Chat Noir replied without hesitation, not even suspecting what she was about to tell him.
"Alright, so in order to be able to strike, one of us ought to stop focusing on defense. Therefore, we need to be somewhere that is less exposed." looking across the street - gesturing for him to see it himself, she continued, "We have to find a place where he can't attack us from every angle. A place where we can predict the destination of his next shot with better chances. A place, where I can summon my bow while you will protect me..."
"Wait, wait, hold on!" Chat Noir frowned, halting for a moment. "You want me to do... WHAT?!"
"I need my bow to shoot down his cloak, Chat. But I can't use my yo-yo with the bow in my hands. Hence, I want you to cover me until I..."
"No. I'm not agreeing to this!" Chat interjected flatly, his staff-holding hand trembling in exasperation. "You can't possibly expect me to let you be unprotected, Ma... Milady!"
"But I won't be! You can easily block his arrows, Chaton!"
"No, it's too risky!" Chat Noir contradicted, shaking his head rapidly in disclination. "Better do it the other way around, okay? I'll attack him with my sword and you'll be the one to cover," he suggested - his voice lacing with desperation.
"No, Kitty. We only have a chance with my bow! Your sword must be used only in hand-to-hand fight. Since he won't intend to increase the proximity between us, you'd only be able to throw your sword at him once. Me, on the other hand, can shoot with my weapon repeatedly."
Spotting the uncertainty and concern in his glowing eyes, Ladybug reached for his free hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I trust you, Chaton. I know you can protect me."
By the looks of it, her last words finally could reach their purpose in the black cat, as he turned his face to lock his eyes with hers and nodded with a subtle smile.
"Alright, let's do this!"
~~~
Ladybug's plan seemed to work efficiently and effectively. Just as she proposed, they slowly withdrew before a brick wall - without raising the slightest suspicion in the villain regarding their plan.
Given that now a wall was protecting them from behind, the only sides Crimson Menace could attack them were right, left, and in front - making Chat Noir's chance to deflect all the upcoming strikes more possible.
Following the heroine's plan, Chat leaped forward, spinning his staff continuously to create a shield - his greenish eyes scanning everything before them in search of the villain.
Not hesitating much, Ladybug grabbed her yo-yo and extended it to the air as she called her for miraculous. The moment she cried the two magic words out, a red and black-colored bow appeared from thin air and fell right into her hand - summoned alongside a quiver filled with arrows that weighed down on her back.
Feeling a sudden wave of energy and power running through her veins, she closed her eyes for a fraction of a second and took a deep breath. It was not so often when the opportunity to use her lucky charm was given to her, so she savored those moments deep into her heart as the newly given strength and energy was beyond an amazing feeling.
Opening her blue-bell eyes, she pulled an arrow out from her quiver and attached it to the string - ready to aim toward her target.
Seemed like Crimson Menace unintentionally but worked in their favor, as a second later he reappeared from their left. Without thinking, he shot with his crossbow. The arrow's target was Ladybug this time and flew at an incredible speed - accompanied by a whistling sound.
Chat Noir, however, was completely alert and instantly threw his staff in the direction of the arrow, while in the meantime, Ladybug drew her string as far back as she just could, aimed at her target, and released her arrow.
A sharp clanking disturbed the silent night in the city of lights, when Chat Noir's staff successfully blocked the crossbow's arrow - resulting in Crimson Menace's frustrated groan that was soon followed by a dreadful screech when he noticed Ladybug's arrow coming his way.
To his luck, he managed to dodge her shot just before it was to reach him and so he vanished immediately.
"Dang, he really is fast!" Ladybug let out an exasperated whine as she attached another arrow to her bow while Chat Noir summoned back his baton into his paw.
"It's okay, Spot, don't give up! I'm certain your plan will work out eventually!" he shot her an encouraging smile - one that could always soothe her mind and one she once felt for deeply.
And turned out that the black cat was right.
Had it been for him being overly confident or arrogant enough to not see through their plan, they didn't know, but after their third try Ladybug's arrow stuck in Crimson Menace's cloak and tore half of it down.
The look that spreaded across his face within a split second was more than enough to confirm their theory behind the cloak's purpose.
Infuriated, he completely tore it off of him - revealing his long white hair that was put into a ponytail. "Great job, but don't think for even for a minute that this would increase your non-existent chances!" he snarled lunatically but the shard of dread in his vivid red eyes said it otherwise.
He was panicking.
And the heroes noticed that very well.
Glancing at each other, they did a quick "pound it" accompanied by a mouthed let's go.
~~~
The rest of the battle went surprisingly smoothly.
Given that Crimson Menace wasn't invisible anymore, he couldn't rely on the element of surprise. He couldn't stay hidden during the time he was to reload his crossbow, thus he couldn't shoot with it frequently.
Ladybug and Chat Noir utilized this circumstance pretty well. They attacked him from different angles and worked efficiently together without the need to discuss it in advance. While one of them was using their weapon to serve as a shield to block the villain's shot, the other struck him down - inevitably making him concentrate only on self-defense.
Their encounter lasted for almost an hour nonetheless, due to Chrimson Menace being agile enough to dodge most of their attacks effortlessly.
However, in the end, the heroes came out as the winners.
When Crimson Menace was occupied with diverting one of Ladybug's arrows, he didn't notice Chat Noir approaching him from behind. Taking advantage of this circumstance, the black cat lunged forward and swished his sword - shoving the crossbow out of the villain's grip.
The sudden commotion made the assassin lose his balance and crumble to the ground.
"Are you giving up now?" Chat Noir grinned, - his glowing greens searching for Ladybug who immediately jumped next to him and looked at the villain whose neck was pointed by Chat's sword.
Not waiting any further, she leaned down and tore the compass from his leather belt - breaking it into millions of pieces.
The moment the compass shattered, a dark butterfly emerged from it and should have left the scene in haste, had it not been for Ladybug who instantly caught it with her yo-yo and purified the dark creature.
"Never! I will never give up!" Crimson Menace stated exasperatedly, his eyes glaring at the point the akuma was flying a second ago, before turning back to the two. "Don't you understand?! I have to bring the codex to my lord! He needs it! He desperately craves for it!"
To Ladybug and Chat Noir's utmost dismay, the assassin leaned away from the sword and started crawling toward the black cat - not caring the slightest about being unarmed.
Chat Noir frowned, bewilderment written all over his face. He quickly pulled out his staff and stopped the villain from crawling further - placing his sword back into his scabbard as hurting a defeated person wasn't his intention.
"What can be the item possessed by the peacock?" he turned to Ladybug.
The heroine just shook her head - indicating that she had no idea either. Her first guess would have been the crossbow but it vanished the moment she purified the akuma.
She had absolutely no clue. Ladybug just stood next to Chat Noir, watching the assassin frightened. She had seen defeated villains several times by now, but none of them acted this way before. Instead of cursing the heroes or resisting with the last fragment of their power to get their miraculous, he was rather just ...begging. Begging desperately as if ...as if his whole existence depended on him getting the codex for his master.
Bending down, Ladybug grabbed his quiver and trampled upon it with her boots. However, not a single feather ascended out of the case.
"Hahaha!" Crimson Menace laughed hysterically, his eyes darting to the heroine. "You are searching for it to no avail, insect! The item that contains the feather is with my lord!" extending his grey-skinned fingers toward the black cat, he claimed sharply, "It's better for everyone if you just hand that damn codex over to me right now! "
"I'm afraid we cannot do that." Ladybug declared with more empathy etching her voice than she had intended.
Noticing the seriousness in her eyes, Crimson Menace gripped his hair and started shaking his head frantically. "I...I can't return to him without that book! My life....my life is meaningless...my life is over if I don't....!" he trailed off and looked up at the heroes with a painful grimace plastered across his face. His eyes fell onto Chat Noir's sword, his hands signaling him to use it as he begged, "Then end me!"
"What?! No!" Chat Noir flinched, taking a step backward from him.
"Do it! If I can't have the codex then...Kill me!" Crimson Menace cried, his lips stretching into a mad smile.
The sudden change of his character - considering their fighting just some minutes ago - startled the heroes thoroughly.
Ladybug herself didn't understand how was this possible but somehow she could feel his emotions, and feel how he was squirming in the valley of ultimate despair.
Yet, she didn't fully comprehend why she did the next thing.
Leaning closer to Chat Noir - who was still staring at the defeated villain in shock -, she gently put her hands upon his forearm and squeezed it as she spoke softly, "Chat, do it. You are the only one who can end his suffering."
The hero immediately peered into her icy-blues, wondering if she really meant that and if she really knew what she was just implying for a second ago.
"Kill me! Please, end my life now! Please... Please...or...do you want me to search for the commoners!?" the assassin was kneeling on the cool ground, his bare fingers scratching the hard surface - inflicting dark red fluid streaming through his fingers.
The black cat took another look at Ladybug before stepping forward. He towered over him, a heavy sigh escaping his body. Clenching his fist, he silently called for his cataclysm.
The moment he said the word out loud, black liquid emitted from his hand with a bubbling sound. He squatted down in front of the villain who was staring at him with a cold hope rising in his eyes.
"Please," he begged once more, not hiding his tears anymore from them.
"Maybe ..maybe this way it won't be painful." Chat Noir stated coldly - the tone of his voice betraying him though.
Spotting the hesitation in the hero's movement, Crimson Menace rapidly grabbed his cataclysm-summoned hand and placed it roughly upon his chest.
A weak thank you was all they heard before he got released from existence and became one with the dust in the air.
It all happened in the blink of an eye, yet the heroes got stuck into that suffocating moment - like a caged animal deprived of even the hope of freedom -, as they tried to comprehend what happened.
"Just as I guessed, he wasn't a human being." Ladybug sighed after some minutes of silence that fell upon them.
"But he felt. He was a living creature." Chat Noir replied, his hand shaking beside him, his eyes fixated on the ground. Then, he didn't bear it anymore and collapsed onto his knees in the middle of the street as he declared, ".. and I killed him."
Ladybug's eyes widened, a sudden wave of guilt rising in her heart as she realized what she had asked from Chat Noir without considering the possible impact it could have on him.
She quickly sat down beside him, caressing his back as she sighed, "I ...I know it's hard, Chaton, but.... It was his wish. You could see the torment he was going through in his eyes. If he were to go back to his master without the book, he not only wouldn't have spared his life but even would have made his death incredibly painful."
She couldn't be sure if Chat believed her or not, but eventually, she managed to make him follow her to their place, to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and sat down by the edge of the monumental building.
Ladybug had seen countless times by now how strong and tough Chat Noir tended to show himself to be, but she knew that under the surface he was very vulnerable and was afraid of harming others with his power.
Truth be told, Crimson Menace was a villain who threatened their life, as well as the life of the Parisians, but deep down he was just another victim of Shadow King, created for evil purposes. Frankly, she didn't know much about the peacock miraculous and how it worked, yet somehow she knew that Crimson Menace wasn't human but a magical being created for only one purpose, and if that purpose weren't to been fulfilled, it would have been more torturing for him than death itself.
Regardless, the fact that Chat Noir indeed ended someone's life, truly broke him, Ladybug could see it clearly in his eyes...those mesmerizing, glowing greenish eyes that never looked as remorseful as now.
The heroine couldn't help but blame herself for this. Even though she still harbored some resentment toward the cat, it was soon replaced by the admission of guilt and the need to see her favorite cat happy and cheerful again.
"I'll be alright, don't worry about me, Little Spot," he said after some time, forcing a smile on his face as he looked at her.
"Are you sure, Chaton?" Ladybug tilted her head, concern written all over her features. "You can call it a night. I can do the patrolling on my own. But .." she halted and placed her hand over his. "If you don't want to be alone or need to talk about it, I'm here for you, I hope you know that."
"I know that." Chat leaned forward and planted a peck on her forehead before scrambling to his feet. "But before leaving, I'd like to take you somewhere."
"Somewhere?" Ladybug asked confused, her bluebell eyes staring into his.
Chat Noir's lips slightly curled as he stretched his hand, offering her his help to stand up before he replied, -
"To my master."