Chapter 218
The voice echoed as all of the onlookers were stunned, seeing a figure floating in the sky above the stadium. The person was an old woman dressed in pristine white clothes.
The air seemed to crackle with authority, as if her mere arrival had shifted the balance of power in the stadium.
“Elder Payne!”
A series of exclamations followed as the people below recognized the old woman.
Everyone knew her as one of the branch elders of the clan. She had great prestige, and her strength was profound.
She was not someone who appeared without reason, and for her to be here now meant something serious was about to happen.
For her to appear at this moment could only mean one thing…
She was here to save the other heirs from being killed!
The uncles and aunts in the audience chamber saw this and felt relieved. Now that the elder had interfered, they believed they would not have to suffer much longer.
Relief washed over them like a tidal wave. Finally, their children would be spared from Evelyn’s wrath.
Evelyn glanced up at the sky and met the elder’s gaze.
“What do you mean by that, Elder?” she calmly asked. “The duel was just and fair and took place under the proper witnesses. According to the rules, I am allowed to claim their lives.”
Her words were cold, even though she spoke calmly.
There was no malice in her tone, just a chilling truth that left no room for sentiment.
Elder Payne was unfazed by her cold words. She simply said, “Let this matter go. You’ve already made them miserable.”
“Why should I spare them when they tried to take my life? I don’t think they would have spared me if I were in their position right now.” Evelyn’s eyes flickered as her emotions threatened to spill out.
Her heart pounded in her chest, a storm of anger and frustration raging beneath her calm exterior.
She controlled the tears that were ready to burst at any moment, putting on a brave front as she calmly asked the elder in front of her.
She felt frustrated and angry. Why was the elder interfering now? Why hadn’t she interfered earlier when they were all ganging up against her?
Where was this interference when she had been fighting alone against their cruelty?
A tight knot formed in her heart, and her throat felt heavy.
The elder, unmoved, said, “You all represent the future of the clan and are cherished talents. It does not make sense for them to die here.”
The words stung, each one feeling like a dismissal of her own worth. “Them.” Not “you all.”
Evelyn smiled bitterly. Even now, the elder said “them” and not “you all,” which meant she didn’t consider Evelyn’s opinion at all.
“Would you have interfered if I were in their shoes?” she asked, controlling her trembling voice.
Despite being just a kid, she was controlling herself better than anyone right now. She refused to shed tears, knowing they would mock her later if she broke down.
She wasn’t going to let them see her weakness—not now. Not ever.
The elder was silent for a moment before replying.
“Of course. I would have saved you too.”
Lies.
The elder was lying with such a straight face that Evelyn felt even more bitter. Such a fake display of affection repulsed her.
How many more lies would she have to swallow before they stopped treating her like a fool?
Was being kind equivalent to being taken as a fool?
She took a deep breath and placed her hand on her chest. Her heartbeat was racing; she needed to calm down and not let the elder’s powerful aura suppress her.
She coldly looked at the floating elder and then turned her gaze back to her kneeling siblings. Some of them wore mocking expressions, feeling as if they were already saved and laughing at her inability in their hearts.
“I refuse,” Evelyn boldly said as she resumed the hand seal she had formed earlier.
Her voice rang out like a final judgment, sharp and cutting through the air.
The siblings who had been snickering now looked at her in terror.
“EVELYN!” The elder’s aura flared up, clearly agitated. “Give me face for now and let them go.”
She used her prestige and name. This statement of “giving her face” indirectly meant that the elder would later owe her a favor, and that Evelyn should not push further. If she did anything now, it would be akin to disrespecting the elder’s authority and reputation.
It wasn’t just a request—it was a demand, cloaked in tradition and authority.
It basically meant, “Do me a favor by maintaining my dignity or reputation in this moment.” The implication was that the elder expected her to hold back, and in return, she might address the issue later or show appreciation.
“Face?” Evelyn’s voice, laced with sarcasm, sounded in the silent stadium.
She almost laughed at the absurdity of it. She wanted her to show leniency?
If that’s what she wanted, then…
“Sure. I’ll give you some face.”
With that, she swiped her hand down, and five beams of white light shot out from her, directly entering the bodies of her five siblings.
“AARGH!”
“It hurts…!”
“Help me!”
The elder’s expression changed as she saw what the girl had done, yet she couldn’t stop her. The duel ground was under the surveillance of the main elders, and she dared not overstep her bounds.
Her hands were tied by the very laws she sought to uphold.
All she could do was persuade Evelyn from the outside. She hadn’t expected the little girl to be so vicious and clever.
She hadn’t killed them, as the elder had asked, but instead, she had directly crippled the five of them with her espera.
What’s more, she had used a special technique while doing so, one exclusive to the clan. This technique was an extension of sealing exorcism.
A technique that was only made to be used on vicious demons.
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