In the Zephyra Empire, near the streets of the academy,
“Thank you,” Aria muttered softly, her voice barely audible as she looked at Helena, who had just finished healing her wounds.
Helena gave a small nod, her lips curving into a gentle smile before she turned her attention back to the massive barrier that stood tall, holding back the ferocious monsters that clawed and thrashed, desperate to break free.
“You will be fine, right?” Finnian asked, his brows furrowing with concern as he watched her.
Helena turned to face him and gave a reassuring nod. “I’m fine,” she replied, her tone calm yet firm. Her gaze then shifted toward the others.
After a brief moment of thought, she finally spoke again. “So… what should we do now?”
Her barrier encased the rectangular building within its translucent walls sealing every monster inside the barrier.
Aqualina and the others inhaled deeply, their minds racing.
The uncertainty gnawed at them—were the professors and children inside the academy still alive?
Or had they already fallen victim to the monsters?
And if they were still breathing, was this the right decision?
Trapping the monsters along with them could just as easily spell disaster, leading to more casualties than they could afford.
Aqualina finally voiced her thoughts,
“Why don’t you let them out one by one?” she suggested, her tone laced with both determination and caution. Her twin swords gleamed as she summoned them, their sharp edges reflecting the eerie glow of the barrier. She took a battle-ready stance, prepared for the fight ahead. However—
“Wait!” Thalia suddenly cut in.
Her sharp gaze locked onto the massive hooded figure moving erratically in the distance.
One was still on a rampage, stumbling blindly yet smashing through anything in its path like an unstoppable force of destruction. A slow grin stretched across Thalia’s face, her excitement barely contained. “I have an idea!” she declared, her eyes glinting with mischief.
Meanwhile, in the Void Empire,
Master stood unmoving, his gaze locked onto the figure before him.
The unexpected visitor—the Archpriestess—who had appeared out of nowhere.
“Hmm…” The Archpriestess tilted her head slightly, studying him with an unreadable expression. “It really is you, isn’t it?” she murmured, amusement flickering in her tone, though a hint of disbelief lingered beneath it.
Seeing him again after all this time, the man who had died without a trace so long ago, was almost surreal.
Master met her gaze, unblinking, his voice cold and sharp as a blade, “I really hate you.”
The Archpriestess blinked once before offering a small nod as if she had expected those very words. She glanced at Aether and Dora, who were standing nearby, their wounds now completely healed.
Dora couldn’t hide her surprise upon seeing the Archpriestess. She turned slightly, her eyes darting toward Aether, who, in return, gave her a small, knowing wink. Leaning in closer, she whispered against his ear, her breath warm, “Just how many plans do you have?” She wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or unnerved—Aether seemed to be handling the chaos far too well.
Even when everything had spiralled out of control, he still had a plan tucked away, ready to unfold.
Aether merely grinned, his lips curving into a smug smile, but he said nothing in response.
Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to rely on just one plan.
In fact, he had far more than just a few. He had anticipated that Master was like him—ruthless, unpredictable, and willing to do anything to claim victory.
That was precisely why Aether had prepared multiple layers of strategies. If this plan failed, he would call Selene, Delphine, and Snowflake.
If that, too, failed, he had another option—his ultimate card—the Drakhairs.
And even if they were not enough, he still had one last trump card….
And
If the situation reached its worst, he would summon the full might of his Dragon Empire. And even if that failed…
‘Well, let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that,’ Aether thought to himself, pushing away any negative thoughts.
Still, he had more cards to play than anyone could even begin to guess.
Master’s grip tightened around his sword, his knuckles turning white. His voice was laced with venom as he spat out, “You have no right to sit on the throne that was supposed to be hers!” His anger burned hot, his body trembling with barely contained rage.
The Archpriestess gave a lazy shrug, her expression unfazed. “It’s not like I asked for it… Mother chose—”
“NO!!” Master roared, cutting her off, “You were not chosen! You only got that Archpriestess title because she died! Otherwise…” His teeth clenched, his entire body shaking with resentment.
Her place, her position, was never meant to be hers. It belonged to someone else—someone he cherished, someone who should have been standing there instead of this woman who had stolen everything.
Then, without warning, his lips curled into a sinister grin. “Honestly, you were always my next target, but who would have thought that all of you would come here… just to die by my hands?” he mused, his voice dripping with amusement.
First Dora, then Sandra, and now her…
“Fate is so fucked up,” he muttered under his breath.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand. In an instant, holy flames erupted, their blinding radiance consuming the air as they shot directly toward the Archpriestess with overwhelming force.
But she did not flinch. Instead, she calmly lifted her own hand, summoning flames of her own. They crackled in her palm before she launched them forward, clashing against his attack.
BOOOMMM!!!
Sssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh
The fire roared as the two forces battled fiercely, each refusing to yield.
The flames burned brighter and hotter, pushing and pressing against each other in an unrelenting struggle of dominance. It was as if they sought to judge which of them held the superior strength.
Yet, as the moments passed, it became clear—Master’s power had grown. His flames surged, slowly consuming the Archpriestess’s fire, devouring it piece by piece.
The Archpriestess arched a brow, a flicker of mild surprise crossing her face. “I didn’t expect him to be this strong,” she muttered, sweat beginning to bead on her forehead. Her muscles tensed as she pushed back harder, refusing to let him overwhelm her so easily.
Aether, watching from the sidelines, let out a small, awkward chuckle before stepping into the fray. With a healer on their side, injuries were the least of their worries. Their only focus now was on one thing—bringing him down.
A short distance away, the battle raged on, relentless and unforgiving.
Mary and Sandra’s bodies were marred with deep cuts and several sword wounds—not severe enough to be fatal, but painful nonetheless.
Yet, despite their wounds, they had yet to capture the culprit who was toying with them, slipping through their attacks like a phantom.
“Argh! I hate this fucking little shit!” Mary growled in frustration, her sharp eyes darting in every direction, trying to catch a glimpse of the tiny hooded figure that flickered in and out of sight.
It was as if it had no solid form, phasing in and vanishing before either of them could so much as graze it.
“I have an idea,” Sandra suddenly spoke, her back pressed against Mary’s as she remained alert, her gaze scanning their surroundings with a calculating glint. “But for this to work, I need you to use blood… Can you manage it?” Her voice was calm yet firm, filled with an unshakable confidence.
Mary let out an exasperated groan, dodging another near-fatal slash as she clenched her fists. “Of course not! I’ve already used too much damn blood! If anything, I need yours!” she snapped, her voice carrying the edge of irritation and exhaustion.
“Then take it,” Sandra said without hesitation, her voice steady and resolute. Mary faltered for a split second, momentarily surprised by her willingness.
“But only a small amount,” Sandra added with a smirk, her tone carrying a mix of amusement and seriousness. Without waiting for a response, she raised her hand, and the air around them suddenly shifted. A strange pressure settled in the atmosphere, and within moments, the sky above darkened as storm clouds rapidly gathered, swirling with ominous intensity.
SssshhhhhHHHhhh!!
A roaring storm erupted around them, rising like a fierce and unbreakable barrier. Winds howled through the battlefield, carrying with them the sharp scent of moisture as the vortex twisted and churned.
The tiny hooded figure came to an abrupt stop at the edge of the storm, its movements hesitating for the first time.
It lifted its head slightly as if assessing the situation with careful precision. When it attempted to step forward, its foot barely brushed the storm’s edge before it instinctively recoiled.
Within the raging winds, it finally saw the truth.
This wasn’t just an ordinary storm. Hidden within the raging cyclone were countless water knives, each one as sharp as a blade, spinning wildly at a speed that made them nearly invisible. A single misstep would result in a painful death, turning the victim into frozen shards of flesh and bone.
The figure immediately stepped back, unwilling to test its luck against something so dangerous.
It let out a quiet sigh, tilting its head as it analyzed the battlefield. Its gaze flickered upward, tracing the swirling patterns of the storm. The storm was dense, violent, and lethal—but at the very top, there was an opening. A narrow gap where the winds did not reach, where the eye of the storm lay undisturbed.
That was the way in.
Without hesitation, the figure jumped. It vanished from sight, reappearing at the peak of the storm, hovering above the unsuspecting duo. Below, Sandra and Mary were still scanning the battlefield, searching for its presence as if unaware of its new position.
Though Sandra was slightly wounded by her own weapon as the blood splattered on the storm.
A grin slowly spread beneath the figure’s hood.
‘Idiots. They never even thought to look up,’ it mused.
Moving with calculated speed, it descended toward them, its sword raised and ready to strike. Just before landing, its body shimmered and disappeared, turning completely invisible. It aimed directly at Mary, intending to end her before she even had the chance to react.
But just as the strike was about to connect—
“It fell for it,” Mary muttered, a wicked grin curling her lips, her eyes gleaming with victory.
With a sharp snap of her fingers, the blood-coated knives hidden within the storm suddenly shifted. In the blink of an eye, they moved, converging at unimaginable speed, forming an inescapable cage around the hooded figure before it could even think of escaping.
The hooded figure stuck inside and just about to push to escape when—
Thuckk!
Thuckk!
Dozens of water knives plunged into its body from every direction, piercing through its flesh with merciless precision. Ice quickly spread from the wounds, creeping over its limbs, and locking its movements in place. It barely had a moment to process what had happened before its entire form became encased in solid ice.
Sandra smirked as she stepped forward, inspecting their captured prey with satisfaction. “There we go,” she muttered under her breath, gripping the frozen figure with ease. Without hesitation, she lifted it above her head, gathering momentum before launching it high into the air.
Mary’s eyes gleamed as she positioned herself beneath it, muscles coiling like a spring, ready to strike with all her strength.
Then—
BOOOOMMM!!
With devastating force, she kicked the frozen enemy mid-air, sending it soaring across the battlefield like a broken doll. The impact cracked the air, shaking the ground as the ice-coated figure was launched far, far out of sight.
This time, there was no coming back!
______
[Author’s Note: I’m truly sorry, guys. 😞 I know it might sound like I’m making excuses, but… I’ll be honest—releasing three chapters a day is really taking a toll on my body.
Today, I haven’t been able to update more than one, and I sincerely apologize for that. 🙏
Also, I’d love to hear your honest thoughts—has the quality of the recent chapters dropped? Because, to be honest, I’ve been feeling a little unsatisfied with them. Please let me know your honest feedback. I truly appreciate it! 💖]