《Infinity: Rising of the Soul Weavers》 Chapter 1 - Prologue (1) When It All Went Down Smoke and debris spread all around, blood covering what''s left of the streets, and lots of dead bodies were thrown into the mix. it''s only been 3 minutes since the invaders arrived. There was only 5 of them, yet they''ve destroy almost an entire city, almost all of Torinto is in ruins. And why am I calling them invaders? Because they freaking descended from the skies! "Draven, stop! You know you can''t do that!" shouts Rachel while her violet eyes are starting to get a hint of silver in them from the tears. "I know,'''' I say quietly while I feel my eyes tearing up as well "but I have to¡­ I''m sorry¡­", it''s all my fault anyway... I take ast look at the bloodied Rachel, feeling the knot in my stomach tightens at the sight. She''s fend them off so far but that''s just not enough. My mother is already dead, along with most of the citizens. I''ve already lost so much, I can''t even imagine what I''d do if they hurt Rachel more than that. I have to step in and use my real power if I want to make a difference, I doubt the city can look worse anyway. I stand up, wipe the blood off of my face and turn to look the invaders in the eyes. Five weird dressed figures, yet human looking, and with much more power, stared at me back. The obvious difference though is their colour; their skin is dark, and I mean the type of darkness that sucks light right in, as if it''s a ck hole. Also, the armour they''re wearing makes it so hard to believe they can move so fast. When I look at their disgusting faces with such smug smiles on them, all I can think of is why haven''t I destroyed them already. Speaking of their disgusting faces, they''re all pointed towards me now that I''m the only human standing. I close my eyes right away, letting the power within take control. *** Suddenly dark mes spread across the shadow of the blue haired boy, his pale blue eyes usually shining the brightest azur turning dark purple, and his hair taking the colour of crimson pink. His shadow, as if a monster devouring its prey, swallowed him in a second, ans before the other had passed, it turned into a dark battle armour. His face adopted a serious look that could melt stars. And just like that, the shadow warrior was born. The shadow warrior nced at the scene spreading in front of him, out of the city debri and pools of bodies covered in blood, all his eyes could focus on were the five humanoid creatures in front of him. He knew even though they looked the part, none were really human. In his vision, he could see energy points and tracks in their bodies. Everything was colourless in his 360 degrees field of vision except these blue spots on the now red glowing creatures. "Oh I see, the prince has finally gotten seriou-", and before creature NO. one could finish his sentence it was sent flying backwards by the force of a punch to the guts. NO. two was about tond a powerful sword blow on the shadow warrior''s neck but as if quicker than light itself, with a flex from his right hand the shadow warrior twisted thin air into a greatsword that glowed with dark mes. He intercepted the blow which caused NO. two''s sword to bounce as if hitting a diamond hard wall. A quick swing from his dark glowing sword was meant to cut NO. two in half, but NO. three has already stepped in with its staff casting a defensive array allowing NO. two to evade. Although NO. two did indeed escape death , the shield was no match for the greatsword''s force which left NO. three wide open. The shadow punched through NO. three''s face as his blood sprayed the ck armour, only to evaporate with a hiss. NO. three fell lifeless. The Shadow looked at his feet, with a finishing blow he made sure nothing''s left from NO. three. NO. one and two are too injured to continue the fight which prompted NO. four and five to join the fight instead of trashing the dead soldiers'' bodies around. ---------------------------- END OF THIS CHAPTER --------------------------- Chapter 2 - Prologue (2) Why We Invade *Invader NO. 5 point of view (POV)* On Erembourc, where we originallye from, the army forces were always divided into special groups topensate for ourck of numbers; Team: 5 individuals Squadron: 3 Teams Company: 4 Squadrons Division: 8+ Companies And each group has an assigned rank that''s based on the overall ranks of it''s individuals. Our ranking system starts with 1 (normal Erembourcian soldier) and goes up to 10 (the most powerful of us) and beyond that are individuals we don''t darepare ourselves to. Even among the same ranks, there''s a vast difference in power. Meaning for a team to be level 8, it might be enough if one level 9 is present. And some level 9 individuals are strong enough to damage the structure of a. In normal circumstances, a team isposed of: 1 Commander 1 Debuty Commander 1 Support individual (usually a magician) 2 Frontline individual (usually 2 warriors) Our team was never the best, no not even close to the top, I made sure of it! Never have I beenmited so hard to a mission to give the impression that we''re capable of anything much! Our team ranking was never high because I''ve always instructed to be preserved and never show our true potential, that''s a one way ticket to freaking death missions! Our current rank is 4 which is pretty decent for strong teams yet not too powerful. So there was no way we''d be assigned to a mission that''s hard to get one of us injured, LET ALONE DIE! How in the world did ite down to this? We were toying with everyone around here just a moment ago! we''ve made our research about stupid Earth, some individuals have the power to stop us but they''re mostly EDA members and there''s almost no chance of meeting them if we finish our mission within a 10 minute limit. The mission was simple: "Erembourcian presence detected on Earth. determine threat level. Extract or eliminate individual(s) as needed". This is not our first time! Erembourc was destroyed in the Red Dawn War 13 years ago. Erembourcians were always one of the strongest races, if not the strongest. Our life style reflected that of a warrior''s, we always fight and conquer others to replenish our food sources, supplies, and most importantly, soul energy. As soul energy can only be obtained by devouring another person''s soul. We extract the soul and weave it into the prey''s shadow, after that, it''s only a matter of absorbing it. Apparently, the Supreme FREAKING Gctic Shit decided we were a threat andbined forces with other major factions across the gxy and worked up a n to eliminate us. And that actually worked out well in their favour in the Red Dawn War. Erembourc was destroyed and turned back into ashes! However, we were always prepared as a force, for that situation, that''s why we had the youngsters escape through space capsules. The capsules were designed tond on a with an environment that can ensure the survival of Erembourcians. Since then, the survivors of the Red Dawn War including 9 of the 13 Great Sages have been looking for the youngsters. Three of Great Sages, and the King, have been missing ever since the war has ended. There are many theories of what actually happened then and whether or not we''ve been betrayed by our own. Most Erembourcians believe that the wasn''t destroyed by those Gctic ba*tards, but actually, an Erembourcian traitor have absorbed the soul of the itself which caused it to copse. And everyone started thinking that, by the process of elimination, the king must the only individual that''s crazy and crazy strong to do something like that. Going missing got most people scratching their heads though since with that power, one could easily rule or destroy whatever they''d like. Anyway, since then, the general rule was to capture anyone of the royal family, dead or alive. So, the search for the kids was also a cover-up to find the prince and his mother, the queen, that were told to have used a capsule during the war. That being said, young Erembourcians usually won''t survive for 13 years without any soul absorption, heck even the adults would die long before that. However throughout our search, we realized that some kids have had the ability to use powers to weave and absorb souls from living creatures. That, or they''ve had some help. In most cases, the missions would be us going in, baiting the young soul weavers toe with so many soulsying around for the take. And then determine if they''re a threat or not, and whether to take them in or eliminate them. Simple, right? Well apparently f*cking not! In any other scenario, finding the prince would earn you the top reward avable! But who in the world thought that a child would be able to take down my 2 fronliners and supporter in merely 30 seconds? The bastard had the same azure eyes and blue hair as the queen, plus that snow paleplexion. At first I thought he''s inherited his mother''s powers, that would''ve been instant death for my team. Although, after the first couple of blows were exchanged we realized that living away from Erembourcian guidance has made him so weak, so I let the team, minus me and my deputymander take care of him while we took out the useless human soldiers that came to intercept us. All good and well you say? Hell No! After a freaking minute of turning my eyes off of them, the kid turns into shadow form, and that''s not all, HE NOW LOOKS LIKE HIS FATHER?? He didn''t inherit the queen''s, but the king''s powers? Talk about the shittest luck in the history of shitty luck! "Deputymander, report!" I yell, but wait why am I not getting a reply? I look around to see DC engaging with a human dressed in an EDA suit. "*Huff* *Huff* sorrymander, this human is quite strong I don''t think I can hold on for much longer *Huff*". F*CKING SWEET! Alright, I guess it''s time to get serious. My team''s level is 4, however, it''s our overall level. The 2 Fronliners and 1 supporter are all level 1. My DC is level 2. Myself however, I''m a level 5! I''ve avoided showing off my talents so we don''t have to face a situation like this, but since it''se down to this, it''s time to show my true colours! -------------------- *Draven''s POV* It''s so dark. I feel like I''m drowning, but I know I''m not. I hate this feeling. I can''t move! I used to be able to use this power so freely, what has changed now? I''m a cold blooded killer, since when can''t a killer kill? Ah, it all started when Rachel showed up... Why was I so weak in front of her? No, since when was I so weak? My body is moving on its own, fueled by hunger. It''s been a while since I''ve absorbed any souls. Damn, I miss my part time job. Is the fight not over yet, I''m pretty sure I''ve absorbed at least one soul already! I might be able to get a glimpse of what''s happening if I focus enough, but with the amount of power I have left, I can''t spare any, if I wanted to try and take my body back once this is over that is. ----------------- *Back to themander''s POV* *Huff* *Huff* *Huff* This is way worst that I''ve imagined. A child who can withstand my attacks and even fight me back? Me, a level 5? Prince or not, that kid is way too big of a threat to be left alive! At first I thought our supporter was merely unconscious, but when I got close enough I realized she has a hole for a face! HOLY F*CK! And the other 3 are all either busy fighting for their lives or can''t move at all because of their injuries! *Huff* *Huff* I''ll have to retreat and report to Headquarters (HQ)! I must escape this death trap! ------------------- The Shadow warrior stares at one of the red glowing creatures, NO. 5, this one has been slowing him down. He''s been trying to conserve his energy to fight the weak inhabitant of his body and try to take over, but maybe now isn''t the time. NO. 5 has been trying to cast a spell this whole time. While Shadow was willing to see what kind of trick he''d have up his sleeve, it just gets boring so quickly. The Shadow Warrior, with a disinterested nk look on his face, holds his greatsword with his left hand in a reverse grip position while stretching his right hand forward. With a loud crackle sound, dark lightning springs forward. NO. 5 tries to evade but he''s just slower than the speed of light, nothing he could do about that... CRAAACKKBOOOMM!! NO. 5 is now basically a red V shaped glow stick (2 attached legs). At the same moment that happens however, a presence disappears from the battlefield! With a quick scan it bes clear that NO. 5 wasn''t nning an attack all long, but means of escape, for one creature that is; NO. 4 that was busy fighting a human is nowhere to be seen now, or felt for that matter. With a bored sigh, the Shadow Warrior lets go of the body and goes back to his slumber. --------------------------- END OF CHAPTER --------------------------- Chapter 3 - Everyone Wants A Snack * yed "NEFFEX - Grateful" and "NEFFEX - Careless" in a loop while writing this * *** *Rachel''s POV* I''m so excited for today! We''ve finally settled down yesterday in Torinto city. It''s been a habit of my dad to move us around every year or two ever since I was a kid, not because he likes to (he ims) but because he has to manage ourpany''s business in each branch, personally. And having about 30 branches in the country doesn''t make it exactly easy, you know. "Love you honey! Be careful and have fun at school", says dad while he bear hugs me. "Ahh dad I can''t breathe.. but thank you, I love you too! And I will!". My father has always been so kind to me, never once did he yell at me or had me do something against my will. Although, I think he''s been even nicer since my mom''s death. He''s been doing both the father and mother parts. It must''ve been really hard on him. I really love my dad! "love you dad!", I shout while I''m closing the door behind me. My mom''s death didn''te as a surprise, since her heart disease was known to have killed so many before. But everytime I remember that she''s no longer with us... it just takes a lot toprehend that fact. It''s always sad, I really miss her a lot. Still though, I always act like everything is fine in front of my dad, just because I don''t want him to suffer any more. ''Rest In Peace mom...'' I push all the sadness away trying to regain my calm, happy self again, and head to the garage. "''ight, ''ight, how''s my lil baby doing? I hope the movingpany went easy on you", I say patting for the seat of my yellow and ck YZF-R6 sport bike. It''s really convenient when your dad owns the biggest motorcyclepany in the country lol. I put my matching helmet on, special boots, knee pads, and head off. Ok, LaSalle highschool, you better brace yourself ''cause here Ie! -------------------------- "Good morning everyone! we have a new transfer student here today, please make her feel weed! Would you please introduce yourself to your ssmates?", says the teacher, Mr. Smith, while he''s turning to face me. "Certainly!", I say enthusiastically, "My name is Rachel Drakon. I''ve transferred here from Ottara city because of dad''s business. I hope we be friends, everyone, hehe!", I smile widely at that. Damn, I hope I didn''t look like a creep. "Alright, Rachel you can have that seat near the window, in front of Draven there". "Thank you, teach!", I say while looking for that Draven dude AND HOLY FU-shhhh, calm down, calm down... HE''S A FREAKING ANGEL!! WHAT''S HE DOING ON EARTH?? Azure eyes, unnaturally fair blue hair, and a baby-like pale skin... So bright! Even for me. So damn adorable! I''d eat him up in one bite, if I weren''t so afraid he''d be no more. I seriously hope my face isn''t as warm as it feels. I''m so sorry dad I bet you thought you raised me better than that, you always warned me about beautiful faces and how they can break you, they''re almost all wolves in sheep''s clothing. BUT DAD, THIS IS NO WOLF, THIS IS AN ANG-, "Ms. Drakon, would you prefer a different seat? or is there another issue? You haven''t moved an inch since-", Mr. Smith interrupts my thoughts. "No, not at all, hehe", I chime back in, "sorry I was just captivated by the view". It take me a second to realize what I just said, and the whispers I start to hear from my ssmates forces the blood up my face, it feels like it''s gonna start pouring out from my nose (damn those TV shows weren''t exaggerating). "I mean the outside view, the sun is so bright and the sky is so clear, we don''t get that much in Ottara", I borate trying to mask my sudden lightheadedness, as I start walking towards my seat. And here my dad told me to be careful. Well, forgive me daddy for I have been a bad girl. Or was it forgive me father for I have sinned? As I''m about to take a seat. Angel boy raises his head to acknowledge me with a nod. It strikes me that he wasn''t even looking at me this whole time. Did he even hear my name? But to be honest, who cares? He''s just so cute! Ok, ok calm down, he''s probably got a girlfriend, 3 lovers, and a secret wife with 9 kids. Let''s just forget about him for a second, please, my inner self, calm the f*ck down... --------------------------- *Jake''s POV* OMG one moment I was so stressed thinking about the biology exam next week, and the other I''m drooling over this angel in front of me. Apparently, she''s a new transfer student, from Ottara, and hold up! She''s the daughter of the one and only Caleb Drakon, Rachel Drakon? The man that owns the biggest motorcyclepany with 34 branches all around the country? Man she''s so lucky, she''s got both looks and money! I just hope she''s not smart enough to realize what she has, cause that''d mean no one has anything else to offer to her! I try to focus back on her adorable little introduction, "-ity because of dad''s business. I hope we be friends, everyone, hehe!", OMG I think I''m gonna faint. That toothy half-smile halfugh was sooo freaking cute! I really, really, hope she''s ok with birds with broken wings because I think I just broke mine falling for her. Ohsshhiitt! She''ll be sitting in front of Mr. I''m every girl''s dream. She seriously have no clue what type of dude he is. Please, please Ms. Angel, don''t be deceived! He lives his life to tempt all and every girl he sees, yet he never returns anyone''s love! Wait, am Ite? she''s already looking at him, is she blushing? No, THANK GOD SHE''S JUST TAKING HER SEAT! Suck on that, Mr. I''m every girl''s dream.. haha, suckerrrr! Now, all I have to do is wait and introduce myself after the ss is over! Go me! ---------------------------- *Remi''s POV* I never imagined Ottara was a paradise! Why would they have angelsying around in there? Rachel Drakon, what a beautiful name! Oh, I''m kinda surprised she didn''t trip or something while looking at Draven. I guess angels are immune to eachother. I''m kinda curious though, what kind of kids would they have if they got married? Would the pure genes give their children wings? That''d be so cool! In all honesty though, I really wish Draven would say hi or something, she''s so beautiful, like the kind that actually fits him! Poor Draven, who would''ve believed that Junior high Draven, the brightest angel with the most heart warming smile to ever exist, would disappear? It''s all because of that incident... Rachel, you might be the key here, please, get us back our angel! You can do it, I believe in you! ------------------------- *Jake''s POV* *Riiiiinnggggg* "Hello there Ms. Drakon! My name is Jake Kellen, I''m the ss rep! Nice to meet you!", I say trying to conceal my panting. Note to self: walk to the beautiful girl with dignity rather than running through the ss and look like an idiot. "Hello there, Jake. I like your name", replies my angel, my guardian, my soulmate, with a smile that could melt the sun! "Just wanted to let you know that we''re all ssmates here, let me know whenever you need any help. I''ll be happy to-" "Yea, yea, we get that Jake!", interrupts me Mike. "Hey-", I try to get my turn back but get bombarded with res from the others. Damn, I guess everyone wants to be blessed with that smile. Till next time, my angel, till next time! ------------------------------ END OF CHAPTER ------------------------------ Chapter 4 - Rumors * yed "Kygo, Imagine Dragons - Born To Be Yours" and "Martin Garrix feat. Bonn - High On Life" in a loop while writing this * *** *Rachel''s POV* It''s been a couple of days since I''ve transferred to my new school, and considering this short period of time, I think I''ve heard more gossip than I''ve done my entire life. Damn, kids do love to talk! Most of what I hear are baseless rumours about people going missing in the city and red shes lightning the city every now and then, usually followed by explosive sounds and a wave of violent breeze. Might be some ghost on drugs ying drums, for God''s sake leave it alone! I''ve even found a note engraved on my desk in my math ss that says: "Be careful of the red sh! If it sees you.. you''ll Rest In PIECES forever!". Well, if that''s true then, welp, we''re screwed.. What was interesting to hear though, was news about angel boy! Apparently, he hasn''t been always so quiet, let alone so gloomy looking. No one''s exining why though. What cause him to change? Tell me, goddamn it! It has nothing to do with the fact that I''m trying to look disinterested in him, not at all, but I haven''t realized until recently myself that he never talks to anyone. Even though many students approach him, mostly girls with love letters, which he always lets down before hearing a word. Not so kind angel boy, not so kind. He also, disappears right after school. Some say he''s got a part time job, others im he''s got a secret lover, and maybe she''s sick, and that''s why he''s so out of it all the time? It''s scary because it actually makes sense. Hopefully not though. And no, not because I''m interested in him. As a matter of fact, I only think he''s handsome and cute, but he''s not boyfriend material! A girl needs attention, and angel boy isn''t showing that he can provide it! Yea, I don''t really think u like him. This school is pretty weird. I found a school club, the other day, called "We praise thee angel". Only special members are allowed to be invited, and you can''t ask to be involved unless you''re chosen. I got a letter from them two days ago mentioning something about me being in danger since the evil forces could mistake me for their angel''s wife and might attack me. What did I get myself into? This isn''t the drama section! I''ve also made some friends: Jake, the ss rep. Mike, the captain of the ser team. And, Remi... just Remi, apparently she''s the ss'' genius though. "Yo! Earth to rich girl, do y-oh co-pie?", teases me Mike. Ah that''s right, we were having lunch together behind the school yard to avoid other students, they seem to have some allergic reaction to me sitting alone in peace. "Hey! I''m always listening!", although, I''m really not, "what is it though, just repeat it for the audience, hehe", I say while trying my best charming smile on. "Oi! Stop giving me those teeth, I would''ve thought about it if you were a boy", says Mike, trying to stop blushing. Well, note to self: Mike has an anti-charm spell. I bet a punch to the guts would do the job though. "Stop that! You''re both like little children OMG!", whispers Remi loudly. While Jake hasn''t stopped drooling since I smiled at Mike, kind of d he shows some appreciation for my art of charming. "All that Mike was trying to say while you were spacing out, is that Draven is going to be participating in tonight''s ser match", continues Remi. HOLD UP! I''ve heard that he used to y some sports when he was all happy and warm, back in middle school, but "Angel boy is actually going back to ser again?", I shout, identally, whoops. "AHAHAHA angel boy?! Should''ve known even Ms. Perfect fell victim to our Dreamer",ughs Mike hysterically. Jake looks somewhat sad. Poor guy, probably sad because no one''s giving him a turn to speak. "I guess it came as a surprise, since you''ve never really seen him y. But he was the best yer, not only in our school, but in the whole provincial ser league", Remi says, "in fact, this idiot, Mike, is the captain now ''cause Draven isn''t ying anymore. Plus, he''s sexy as hell in the ser team uniform! Especially when he gets in the mood, all sweaty and dripping.." "''ightdies and gentlemen, we''ve got a ser game to attend!", I say, then remember, "ah when is it, by the way?" "Tonight, at 4:00PM, but don''t sweat yourself, I heard it might be hisst game. He''s only ying ''cause coach told his mom he''s wasting his talent and stuff, so he might not be happy about that. I hope he doesn''t quit for good though, he''s too good!", this might be the most helpful Mike''s remarks have ever been, but really sad, I don''t want him to quit! "Do I take it that we''re finishing school early today? With all the audience and the warm up stuff starting way earlier?" I ask. "Yup, we''re finishing up at 12:00PM so we give the yers and organizers some time to prepare. I heard it''s gonna be big!", I think this was the only sentence Jake has said all lunch. "Well, duh! it''s no surprise, considering it''s the first game if the finals. Plus, Draven is ying, he''s attracted so much attentionst year and many were disappointed he didn''t join this season, but now that he''s back, everyone is so excited", says Mike. "Do you think he''ll be happy, ying his favourite sport again, with his old team?", I whisper underneath my breath. Which prompts Mike to frown and say "I hope.. no, we all hope", for the first time, he looks genuinely concerned. One can''t help but have fun while practicing sports, right? So, he might identallyugh? I wish, I hope... I really wanna see you smile, angel boy! ------------------------------ * yed "Imagine Dragons - Demons" for this part * *** A few minutes after noon. Somewhere, deep in the dark side of the city, inside an isted warehouse, near Torinto''s main port, muffled feminine screams can be heard. "Shut up already!", yells a man in a ck suit. Not just any man, but the boss of one of the biggest gangs in Torinto, the Gold Tigers! "The boss said quiet down, you little b*tch!", shouts another, punching the stomach of the handcuffed youngdy again, causing her to puke blood on the ck thick cloth that''s been stuffed into her mouth. He only avoided the face because he didn''t want to remove the blindfold identally, the boss would not be happy about that. Her olive skin smeared with blood, giving her a shade of dark. Her nose and cheeks were too swollen making her a tomato that had gone bad. "Have those bastards cancelled the deal? Boss, it''s too risky I suggest-", starts the man to exim, only to get interrupted by the boss " SHUT UP YOU F*GGOT!", yells the boss. "Do you hear anything?", whispers the boss to hisckeys. "No, boss", they whisper back. ''What the actual f*ck, I''m pretty sure I heard something a second ago, only if those f*ckers shut their mouths I might be able to hear sh*t!'' Thinks the boss to himself, then asks out in a hushed voice, "What''s the status of the guards?" "All reported as usual just a minute ago, sir", answers a man holding his walkie-talkie, seemingly shaking out of fear of his boss'' short temper. His only task was checking with the five guards they assigned to keep surveince outside and inform them if any changes. No way in hell he''s missing that up! Last time someone did, they ended up in a ck garbage bag down the Saint Louis River. "Ask them to report again, now!" whispers the boss back with a re, to which the poor guy does without any hesitation. '' Could it that they''ve betrayed us? Maybe..'' the boss'' mind starts to wander about. '' No, no way, we have the daughter of the man that rules the underground himself, Red Joe. Now that we have a powerful leverage in him, the rest would be a piece of cake, '' There''s no way the Russians would run away now, let alone rat us out, considering the fact that they''ve suffered even more than we did, because of his actions'', tries the boss to think logically about this. '' unless, there was a spy..'' he thinks as a shiver makes its way through his spine. "What the f*ck is the dy for?" yells the boss again, this time rage and paranomia consuming him, "what''s the guards'' status?". The man with the walkie-talkie looks at his boss in pure fear, as if he''s about to eat chew on alive, "s-sir.." he starts to stutter but gets interrupted, but a chilly voice. "No matter how many times you try, they won''t answer", says a dark hooded figure, while learning his back against the warehouse''s wall, one foot touching the ground while the other is up against the wall, "nor would the other group of thugs you were waiting for". The voice is that is a young man it appears, yet his tone is so carefree, almost as if he''s bored. "WHO THE F*CK ARE YOU?", yells the boss, panicked voices rise behind him as well. "NO, HOW IN FREAKING HELL DID YOU GET HERE?". Theckeys, seemingly as dumbfounded as their boss, forget to raise their weapons towards the threat in the room. The boss tries to recover and regain hisposure, but his mind is about to explode, ''there''s no way that man just sneaked into one of the safest safehouses of the Gold Tigers''. The hooded figure, seemingly tired of the poor excuse of a mob in front of him, starts walking forward, which reminds the gang to raise their weapons and "SHOOT THE GODDAMN BA*TARD!", yells the boss on the top of his lungs Bullets rain towards the figure in hails, yet all of them pass right through him as if he wasn''t there. "A F*CKING HOLOGRAM?", exhales the boss in momentarily relief, only to get his hopes crushed in an instant. Or was it the sound of actual bones getting smashed? The boss looks around to find that one of hisckeys was trying to shoot the hostage, only to get his skull smashed by an unseen force. Blood, flesh, and brain matter spill out of the bloody excuse for a living creature, in a crunchy sound, only to evaporate after that into thick dark mist that disappeared afterwards, leaving his clothes only. No blood, no mess. "Enough of a proof I''m the real deal?", says the cold voice sounding even a little frustrated this time. The boss'' saggy legs fail him and he falls to his knees, "Wraith"... One word. All it takes for hell to brake loose is one word. Rumours were heard about an unstoppable assassin killing anything and anyone standing in his way. They say not even blood stays after he''s done, only clothes. No one really believed that. No mess is not so umon, but no blood stains? No fighting or bullet marks? People just go missing, who in their sane mind would believe this? Well, apparently, those weren''t just rumours, everyone inside the warehouse has witnessed it. They used to joke about it. A sh followed by a bang were observed and seen around pools of clothes, in random ces in the city. What a joke, they thought. Only to realize that fate has made a joke out of them. They called it the ghost assassin, Wraith. When hees for you, you''re gone, nothing of you is left, quite literally. And so, hell broke loose, everyone panicked, dropped their guns, and ran for the exit. Once the gate leading outside the warehouse was open, everyone stopped in their tracks. A dark red barrier was surrounding the area. Visible through it though, they could see white suits spread across the ground, near the ck cars that''s the Russian''s signature. "Are you kidding me?". "He took them all down, without making a sound?". Those were the mostmon remarks. A moment of silence followed after that, only to be interrupted by the constant sobbing of the youngdy. After a few men tried to pass the barrier, only ending up adding to the pile of clothes on the floor. The figure removed the hood, to show his young features. He couldn''t be older than 17. Dark purple irises and crimson pink hair made him look like a demon, missing only the horns and wings. Donned in a light ck armour, his pale white skin seemed to be glowing white silver. The room suddenly felt so chilly, everyone shivered inside. All but one. Oneckey decided to y smart and was about to threaten the life of the youngdy with a knife. "A YOUNG BOY?", yelled the man, " I''ve never heard of anyone saying that the assassin was a child! You little ba*tard ying tricks on us!". "Ah, as a matter of fact, no one has seen my face in this armour and lived to tell the story" replies his grim reaper coldly. And before he couldprehend what he''s just been told, a sh of red light blinded him before a sharp gratesword was shoved up his skull, through his neck. Poor soul, didn''t even get to hear the bang before he turned ck dust. "Ah it makes sense now.. your movements are beyond the speed of sound, so that bang is you breaking the sound barrier... haha", whispered the boss, more to himself than anyone else. No one would''ve heard anything to begin with, with the loud bursts of explosion like sounds and the panicked cries. It allsted mere seconds, though, before the room was full of cut clothes. Only the hostage and the boss were left in the wide warehouse with the Wraith. "I almost forgot, Joe says he''s warned you", said the chilly young voice. "Wait, wait, please", begs the boss trying to get the cold Wraith to pity him, "why are you doing this? what is it that you need? money, fame, fun? I can provide all of that, please", He takes a quick breath before ncing at the handcuffed youngdy, "Or is it because of us taking a hostage? Do you even know what her dad does on daily bases? the families he breaks, the children he kidnaps, please...", the boss is desperately crying by now, "WHY?". "You know, for a dead man, you sure talk a lot", the cold voice is thest thing he hears before he''s just another addition to the pile of clothes on the ground. Chapter 5 - Nightmares Of A Lone Kid Part 1 * yed "Sub Urban, Dua Lipa - Freak (MashArt Remix)" while writing this * AN: the following content might (probably will) be sensitive to most readers. Don''t read unless 18+ of age, and with a strong heart. You''ve been warned! ------------------------------- "I''m grateful for your efforts, believe me when I say I can''t thank you enough-" pleads Red Joe on his knees, hugging his sobbing daughter, while they both shake uncontrobly from the chilly atmosphere in the warehouse. The hooded figure raises his right hand as a signal for Red Joe to shut up, unintentionally dropping the temperature a few more degrees. "I''m not doing this for free, I''ll make sure you pay your debt in full", said while his Ice cold crimson eyes are looking down on the kneeling Joe and his daughter. "Did you bring them, as I requested?" "Yes, mighty Wraith. Lady Luck and her guardian, ck Silver will be here soon." "How much do they know?" "I''ve only told them I''ll offer them a deal they can''t refuse." "Good. Now, scram." Joe didn''t need another hint to take his daughter and run at top speed out of the warehouse. ''Damn Wraith b*stard! Even after hacking into the warehouse security system hoping to see who he really is, I couldn''t see sh*t! Is he an actual ghost? WHY DOESN''T HE APPEAR ON CAMERA? Ghosts don''t exist damn it!'' Joe was inwardly panicking, cursing his own luck and ignorance. After trying so hard to protect his daughter, not only he''d failed, but he had to hire the one and only Wraith. He was a known assassin of unknown origins that appeared around a year ago. No one knew anything about him except for rumors, and worst part was that all of them were almost like they were made to scare little children. Yet, he was real. A fearless assassin that never fails. Almost too good and too scary to be true. Yet, there he is. ''RIP, Lady Luck and ck Silver. I don''t know what you did to anger such a fellow, but you''re about to hit deep hell in a matter of seconds" shuddered Joe at that thought of being on Wraith''s cklist. ------------------------------------- * 3 years ago - Draven''s POV* Today is the best day of my life! First, we won the middle school ser tournament, then we celebrated at the best pizza ce in Torinto city, coach''s treat, and now myself and dad are going for a walk! Hehe, he might say it''s just a walk around the city but I think he might buy me a new pair of ser shoes, or better, a surprise victory gift. My mom didn''te because she''s busy with her mayoral duties. And even though she''s already shared a cake with me and dad, she''s promisee a special gift tonight, hehe. " Hey dad, aren''t we getting a bit far from the main streets?" I wonder why we''re getting this far, I mean my mom always says these are called ck alleys and they''re the worst part of the city. " Yeah, bear with me son we''re almost there" he says while constraining a fake smile. " Please stop, is something wrong?" I stop in my tracks and ask, my dad''s been acting weirdlytely, could it be that someone is bothering him at work and he wants to vent off? " There you are! My favourite corrupted citizen! Hahaha" the crazyugh of the youngdy in pink stops us in our tracks. DANGER! My instincts shout with might. My heartbeats drum faster, my breath bes shallower, all in a matter of parts of a second. Maybe thedy was just a friend of dad''s. Maybe she was a random person. Maybe she mistook us for someone else. Yet, my instincts didn''t stop screaming at me to run. My dad whispers something under his breath before but It''s really hard hearing anything at the moment. I can barely hear the loud ringing in my ears over my violent pulsing heartbeats. Since a good ser yer never leaves the house without a ser ball, I throw mine and kick it midair with all the strength I could nuster, aiming for that hysteric smile on her face " Sorrydy, there was a bug on your face!" I say while running towards dad, not even wasting time to watch my own hard work hit her in the face. I get a hold of dad''s wrest and start running, or I was trying to run. " Dad this isn''t the time to be shocked!" I scream at my still standing dad, trying to move him. Yet, that only prompts him to hold me by the shoulders and restrain me on the spot. No, something isn''t right, what is he doing? Maybe he''s trying to talk his way out? Maybe he thinks thatdy is powered, for all we know, she might be? " Hahahahahaha"ughs that crazydy in voice that reminded me of the sound monkeys make during their mating rituals, "little bastard, dare hit my beautiful face?" she says while blood trickles down her nose. "Now you understand why I need to get rid of him?" Was that my dad''s voice, no, no way he''d say something as cruel as that. "Dad-", thedy darts towards me as fast as a bullet and pins me to the ground, dislocating my shoulder in the process. Yup, definitely a powered b*tch. "Ehhiuegh!" Not my voice. "What''s this? This is no kid, he''s-", stutters thedy still holding me down. "You said he''s different than others... but this... THIS...", she helps me up, or rather, pulls me towards her and hugs me really tight, that my ribcage is squeezing my heart and my life in the process. "ANGEL!" Crazydy starts silently crying, that, or someone up there is spitting on my neck. "What a monster! Throwing an angel like this is even beyond monsters!", yells crazydy on top of her lungs, throwing me back down, as she charges on my dad with full force, knocking him down, smacking the back of his head against the corner of metal dumpster. No, no , no! I try to scream for help and get up. Yet, nothing happens. My attempt to scream only made my lungs burn faster prompting me to cough blood, and my muscles won''t move an inch, no matter how hard I try. This can''t be happening! Why, why today? This was supposed to be a happy day... Please, dad, don''t go away! s, he can''t hear my thoughts. Or maybe he''s just busy making the trick of turning his eyes upside down... Maybe this is all a prank... Two wet stream run down my eyes, blurring my vision. It''s all so helpless... I''m so hopeless... My dad is bleeding to death in front of me, yet there''s nothing I can do. ------------------------------- Crazydy takes ast look at the disgusting man in front of her, making sure he''s dead, and moves to the adorable boy on the ground. Suddenly, her bleeding nose isn''t this painful any more. The contrast of the kid''s pale skin against the dirty background makes the sight almost too funny, while it reflects whatever little rays the sun sends down the dark alley, making him look like broken gem in a scrap yard. "Oh My God I can''t believe I hurt an angel!", feeling the weight of her actions now, she starts crying loudly while kneeling in front of the boy. Her gaze suddenly turns dark and sharp as a predator that''s ready to start her lunch as she looks down the dead man''s body. "YOU WANTED YO GET RID OF HIM!", she screams again as she moves to kick the dead body again and again. This all happened in less than a minute, so there was no one around yet. Thedy tears down a piece of her own blouse to bandage the injuries the boy is suffering from. "This should be enough, for the moment, forgive me my angel." Crazydy tries to calm down as she extracts a previously hidden phone from behind the dumpster. ------------------------------- Many miles away, in one of the country''s most popr secret brothels, a phone rings. "Now, now, if this isn''t the one and only Harley, scout girl!", giggles the voice at her own joke for a second only to turn dead serious in the other, "you know I''m busy, make it short!" "Lady Luck please-" "I told you countless times, call me "boss" over the phone!", hisses Lady Luck like a cobra ready to devour a whole kangaroo. "Yes, sorry, yes, Lady- boss", Harley''s stuttering now isn''t making the boss happy and she''s aware of it, "I have a new boy, but he''s not-" "Good! I don''t care about the rest, bring him here! Our clients have been asking for one for a while now, they pay handsomely too, let''s say more than you could afford in a lifetime!", giggles Lady Luck again, enjoying herself, "bring him here and I''ll make sure that''s not the case anymore, and don''t try to hide it, I know you need the money" "No! Lady- boss, please wait-" "Shut up! Meet me in my office in an hour. Case closed!", says the boss a second before she hangs up. ''Harley''s been screwing up a lot of missionstely, d she''s finally doing something useful, for thest time in her life!'' giggles the boss at her own thoughts while patting a crying 9 years old, almost nude girl. ''I was going to kill her anyway, bringing a boy ything is just a bonus '', the boss'' unusual rxed attitude for the past two minutes have been like a psychological weapon against the poor little girl. The thought of having a new boy around made the girl feel a heavy knot in her guts, both because the idea of having a "boy" around made her uneasy, and because the poor soul is going to be introduced to this nightmare of a ce. But low-key, she was happy that soon, someone else will be there for her, rather than her alone. Out of thest three children that were there in the past two weeks, a girl was sold to a filthy rich businessman, one boy was killed by a powered lowlife after she''s bought him from Lady Luck because he wasn''t enough to "Satisfy" her, and the other onemitted suicide with a metal fork after his friend had been killed. With the psychological damage new children suffer, it''s a miracle they made it that far. The little girl, Maya, shuddered at her thoughts. ------------------------------- *Harley''s POV" No, no, no, no, you damn hypocrite! You''d only sell him to someone or kill him, you b*stard! Harley was furious at the idea of losing the adorable pet she had found for herself, yet she needed the money, and badly at that. I can''t let this happen! Yet, if I don''t, my debt will be long overdue, which is a death sentence for me! DAMN LUCK AND ITS LADY! ------------------------------- As soon as Harley got into the office, a small poisoned dagger dove into her throat, before settling in the door behind her. She died without making a sound, let alone a faint hiss sound. Lady Luck didn''t see the boy''s features until he had hit the floor, head first. His small delicate features made her mouth watery, his silver pale skin made her eyes shine as if she''s just obtained a gold mine, and the fresh blood from hitting the ground that was trickling down his closed eyes gave her an overall funny tingly feeling that traveled throughout her whole body. Whereas Harley had almost built a temple to worship this angel pet, Lady Luck had such a hungry wolfish grin that would make an actual wolf piss itself. "Bring the healer, fast!", yelled the boss at her personal assistant, the one that threw the knife, ck Silver. ck Silver hurriedly left the room without looking back. This isn''t the first time hisdy''s attitude reminded him of those crazy asylum horrors he''d watch on TV. "This isn''t a human", said Lady Luck, greed oozing from every move and gesture she performed, "this is a diamond pot!" Chapter 6 - Nightmares Of A Lone Kid Part 2 * yed "Topic - Breaking Me ft. A7S" while writing this * AN: the following content might (probably will) be sensitive to most readers. Don''t read unless 18+ of age, and with a strong heart. You''ve been warned! ------------------------------- *Draven''s POV* Pain hasn''t stopped spreading through my veins and bones since I''ve woken up. I think I''ve been a wake for three minutes now, yet, it feels like hours. Some kind of sticky liquid is covering my face to the point that my eyes would burn out if I open them. Over my loud racing heartbeat and heavy shallow breaths, I can hear two feminine voices arguing about something, their voices sound distant and unclear. With every passing second, I feel my consciousness fading away, slowly, but surely. The only silver lining is that the more time passes the less pain I''m feeling, the quieter everything sounds, and the more bearable the cold seems. ------------------------------- This isn''t the first time that Maya has seen Lady Luck''s monstrous behaviour. No, sometimes she even questions her own sanity, mixing a human woman with a rampaging animal isn''t quite reassuring. Yet, this time, Maya was sure her eyes weren''t deceiving her, as much as she was that Lady Luck has lost every bit of sanity, if she''s ever had something in that department before to start with. After sending ck Silver out, she got closer to the boy on the floor, checking his injuries. Or that was what Maya had thought. But all of a sudden, like an animal that wasn''t able to sustain its hunger anymore, Lady Luck swooped down on the poor boy''s immobile body. It wasn''t the first time that the 9 year old had seen the naked body of her mistress, nor the first time she had seen her having s*x. No, most of the time, if Maya isn''t the one being r*ped, she''d be forced to watch someone else getting treated. Yet, that was the first time she''s witnessed her mistress r*ping anyone unconscious, and that someone being a bleeding young boy, maybe the same age as her, made it all may worse. She didn''t remember when, but at some point she''s puked out everything she''s eaten that morning, and that was so little. While Maya was on the verge of breaking down, she could hear her mistress'' happy moans. After what seemed like a long while, the boy tried to open his eyes, but all his attempts has been a failure due to blood covering his eyes. He didn''t make a sound, nor did he try to move anything aside from his eyes. Maya doubted he even could, with all these injuries covering his body, and that maniac animal bouncing on top of him. After merely two minutes of real-life time, eternity for Maya and two second for the animal, the office door burst open, revealing ck Silver and the healer''s disgusted and worried expressions. They were shouting. Maya just couldn''t hear, nor did she care. The healer, Rena, was Lady Luck''s sister, and the only person under hermand that has the guts to stand against her or argue with her, and that exactly what was happening. The animal didn''t care about her sister, assistant, or the fact that the door was still open for other people to watch. No, all she could feel was ultimate pleasure, and almost as if she was getting younger and more powerful with each passing second. Rena wasn''t a normal healer, she was a person with a unique ability. The ability to see and enhance the energy of one''s soul, or what other people prefer to call Life Force. She could see that the boy was in a critical condition even without using her ability, a blind would''ve. Rena tried to reason with her sister, but she failed. She tried to punch her even, yet her sister took it like a boulder, even hurting Rena''s fist. After she failed the 5th attempt, she gave up. "The only thing I could do at this point is damage control", Rena thought out loud cursing her own weakness, and her sister''s blind madness. After some time of unspeakable hell for some and unimaginable paradise for others, Lady Luck fell off of the boy like a sunken ship, moaning with pleasure. Two hours after the incident, Maya was tasked with taking care of the boy, after Rena has done everything she could to make sure he was in a better condition. Lady Luck was still sleeping like a baby, as if nothing has happened. It might''ve been Rana''s Imagination, or just the light ying tricks, but her sister was looking years younger than her actual age. ------------------------------- *Draven''s POV* My head hurts so bad, Damn it. I can feel my body against the most ufortable bed I''ve ever been on. And I don''t know if it''s the pain that''s affecting me but I can''t help but feel a weird wet surface on my face. I try to open my eyes slowly, and funnily enough, I find no resistance this time. I want to believe that what I''ve been through was just a bad dream, yet I know it''s true, I can feel it in my essence. The first thing I see once I open my eyes is a small little girl, about eight, maybe seven years old? And she''s actually holding a wet piece of cloth on top of my forehead. Her small frame is shaking uncontrobly, whether from the cold, or something else. Her pearl like hazel eyes are shining with bright liquid that extends down her honey bronze face. Her long unkempt light brown hair seems like it''d be otherwise silky smooth if taken care of. Well, unless that crazydy was some sort of an orphanage worker, this isn''t the first thing I''d expect to see after being kidnapped. I try to move my body only to realize that both my hands are cuffed to the bed. "Euigh" the girl yelps in surprise. Well, this is awkward. "Sorry, I didn''t mean to scare you", I try to smile at that, only to release an uncontrolled pained moan. Damn it, this isn''t a joke my whole body freaking hurts. "Don''t move please, you''re still not fully healed yet" she says, with such a fragile voice that I think I''d break it with the faintest move of my body, so I try to stay still. Healed? Well, I guess they need me in a good condition at best, dead hostages can''t be traded for ransoms. "Truth be told, I didn''t expect my captor to have such a cute kid helping her. I mean I understand crazydy must be panicking after killing one of the hostages, but involving a kid is more than stupid, even beyond crazy", only after saying it out loud do I realize that my dad is actually gone. No wonder my brain feels so weak, almost hollow. The girl looks like she''s at a loss for words, as it''s apparent by her gapped mouth. I raise my eyebrows in question, only to feel the headache eating me alive. I give a pained sigh, trying to calm down. "I''m sorry, I think you got the wrong idea" says the little girl in a voice akin to an older sister worrying about her baby brother. Her sad eyes only enforce that perspective. "I didn''t kidnap you", she manages to sound almost offended, yet I can still feel the worry in her voice, "neither are they going to ask for a ransom". At my confused expression she continues "This ce is run by Lady Luck, and it''s a ce where..", she seems at a loss for words again, but she continues nheless, "It''s a special brothel where.. uhm.. they do you-know-what to children". At those words, my world turns upside down. No, no, damn it no! There''s no way this is happening, not now , not today, please... "I''m sorry, but no one does that right? You mean child prostitution? That''s just a myth!" My sudden burst, although like a cold whisper, still manages to scare the girl. "Wait, if this is true, then the reason you''re wearing that... and the reason I''m here..." "Yes", she nods while her hazel eyes are now pumping tears at full speed down her cheeks, "I''m so sorry". Chapter 7 - Nightmares Of A Lone Kid Part 3 * yed "NEFFEX - Cold" while writing this * AN: the following content might (probably will) be sensitive to most readers. Don''t read unless 18+ of age, and with a strong heart. You''ve been warned! ------------------------------- *Draven''s POV* Even though the little girl, Maya, has exined everything that''s happened while I was unconscious, I still feel as ignorant as when I first woke up. "So what now, I''m a s*x ve?", only after I''ve said that out loud did I realize that I''m not being so fair to poor Maya. Her worried expression, coupled with what she''s just shared with me, makes me feel like the biggest jerk to ever live. "I''m sorry, you must''ve been through hell and back so many times. I have no rightining about anything", I say trying to suppress a desperate chuckle, only to have my headache pounding on my consciousness with all sorts of pain. She just nods her little frame like a broken rocking chair. "Hey, how old are you by the way?" I ask the best avable option, rather than asking how much time has she spent here. "I''m nine", she says a bit too fast, "but don''t worry I''ll take care of you, I may not be old enough but being older than you with more experience on how to survive here, I''ll make sure to keep you safe", every word that came out of her little mouth was spoken with so much uncertainty that I couldn''t determine if she was trying to reassure me or lie to herself. I give a soft chuckle, "I know I have a small frame too, but you thinking I''m nine years old hurts my pride, or what''s left of it", at that she turns beet red. "Don''t worry about it though, I''m actually 12, almost 13. But to be honest I can''t guarantee I can do anything to help us out of this situation, let alone survive this. My mind has already shattered when my dad''s died in front of me", I say giving a warm smile that makes Maya turn sickly pale. No, as a matter of fact, I doubt I''ll survive the psychological damage and trauma of this situation, sorry young girl, I can''t be of any help. ------------------------------- *Maya''s POV* I try to think of a way to say anything to soothe his feelings, maybe try to give him some hope in this hell, if I''ve survived for 3 years, he could too, and someday we''ll be able to leave this prison. Yet, nothinges out. I know it''s a lie. Just thinking of spending an extra second in this ce drives me insane. "Listen, we''ll work it-", before I could finish my sentence, Lady Luck storms the ce like a mad tornado, followed by Rena. "Get out, now!" Before Lady Luck finishes the sentence, I find myself shaking in fear outside the room. I force myself back in and for the first time in two years, I shout "Please stop! He''s still in a bad condition, you can''t do that-." Lady Luck doesn''t say anything. Her figure turns into a blur, and I find myself outside the room again. Blood dripping from my the back of my head. I barely hear her hissing something at me before I lose consciousness. ------------------------------- For a stranger, Lady Luck would look like a princess. With her light autumn skin, reddish brown hair and green eyes, she would easily win a beauty contest. Yet, her personality was that of a beast, that''s why she was known as the Queen Beast. "WHAT THE F*CK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" shouts Rena at her sister. Lady Luck''s madness has reached new limits, and Rena wasn''t going to let it slide this time. "Don''t you have Maya? Since when do you like boys? And he''s not even ready yet! Also, why the actual f*ck are you giving me more work to do!" yells Rena again, while healing the unconscious little girl. Lady Luck doesn''t even give the slightest sign of hearing her sister, no, she''s more focused on the young boy in front of her. "What are you?" the question took the boy by surprise that his dead-fish eyes managed too look shocked at the question, yet he didn''t answer. ''If I''m nothing but a ything for them, then I''ll make sure I don''t act like a living thing'' he thought, the headache almost forcing him back to hisma. To Rena''s surprise, her sister didn''t hit the boy for what he did. "So you''re acting like the object you are, good. For that, and the fact that you ignored me, I''ll make sure every client you get treats you like a tool, and nothing more", although she was chuckling, her voice was dead cold and serious. With a snap of her fingers, ady in her 30s got inside the room. She was sickly pale, with ck hair that barely covered her scalp. One look at her new temporary pet and her blue eyes went sparkling, her mouth almost foaming. "This "beautiful"dy will keep youpany for tonight. As for tomorrow, you''ll have a special surprise", Lady Luck''s voice was calm but threatening. To her dismay, the boy didn''t even move a muscle. His eyes were as soulless as the moment the moment she''s hit the little girl. She wasn''t surprised she didn''t find rage in them, but she was astonished she saw no fear either. As a matter of fact, with his uncaring expression and behaviour she would''ve already murdered him. But she had quite the ns for him. If she was right, not only will this kid bring her fortune and gold, she''d be the new ruler of the underground, if not more. Chapter 8 - Nightmares Of A Lone Kid Part 4 * yed "Hypnotic - Evan Hood (Ze Day Cover)" while writing this * AN: the following content might (probably will) be sensitive to most readers. Don''t read unless 18+ of age, and with a strong heart. You''ve been warned! ----------------------------- Maria Bawlden was one of the most known and respected doctors in Torinto city, as well as one of the most feared criminal masterminds in the underworld, under the name ck Wing. Her name came as a tribute to her ck mask that''s taken the shape of an angel''s left wing covering only the upper part of her face, leaving her shining sapphire blue eyes as thest memory of her victims. She didn''t have any weird abilities or anything that made her special, except for that mind of hers. She''s always been a master of maniption and trickery to the point where ying people seemed easier than ying a stupid game of cards. Yet, all of her connections and knowledge could do nothing to help her when she was suddenly struck by a strange disease, that even she as the "genius doctor" was left both hopeless and helpless against. What she''s built over the past fifteen years was all about toe crashing down on her now burying her, head first, in deep regrets. After searching for all of the different possible solutions was proven pointless, she''s almost given up. She started taking drugs that could do her no good, just to subdue the pain for a couple of minutes. Or even paying a huge sum of money for any dumb excuse of a research, forcing different institutions of taking her blood samples and conducting whatever experiments they can to find a small tweak in the disease''s DNA, in the hopes of finding something that can extend her lifespan, even if just by a little. Yet, all was waste. Her health went downhill. And so did her hair. Pain was like her old friend that''s always been there for her, no amount of drugs can keep them separated for more than mere moments. Naturally, when someone gets sick, especially if that someone is a genius well known doctor, people start to talk. And with that illness being so severe to be called a terminal illness, almost everyone has already heard the news. As ck Wing however, only a handful of close connections knew about her condition. ck Wing couldn''t let anyone find the connection between her disease and that of Maria Bawlden, yet she had to ask for help. Abiding caution in order to protect her future life and career ns would be pointless if she had none ahead of her. Both Maria and ck Wing were technically counting theirst days. That was, until one of her criminal connections had given her a call. ck Wing has never been a fan of Lady Luck, but she''s proven countless times that she''s one of the few people she can count on when ites to backing her up. Nheless, she''s never liked her ways of doing things. Even for a criminal like her, child r*ping was a big fat No-No. Or so she thought. Knowing that your death is just around the corner would always open a few extra options for you, after all. Just like having a premium life n! She was so desperate that when Lady Luck had told her she''s found her a cure from her disease, she hadn''t questioned her motives or the price. Nor when she''s told her that her cure has taken the form of a twelve-year-old boy. No, she was at that point that even if someone stabbed her she''d be thankful to have been given salvation of that horrible illness. That''s why Maria would''ve preferred to die. But little did she know, ck Wing had other ns. ----------------------------- Waking up near the almost naked young boy besides her, with herself being fully naked too, was so much of a shock that Maria couldn''t help but p herself a couple of times to make sure she wasn''t dreaming. However, remembering yesterday''s details wasn''t so much of a shock when she''s realized that her old friend had left her alone for the first time in months. "Pain! No pain! I can''t feel the pain!" she eximed out loud without even noticing, her hands trying to cover her mouth and loud voice. Her surprise hadn''t stopped there, not at all. As soon as she tried to use the bathroom in their room and wash up, she noticed her hair. The fully silky hair she''s forgotten she''s ever had. "OMG this is unreal!" she couldn''t help but look at her now adorable, and some might say cute, face. "No way!" Her previously sickly paleplexion had been reced with her previous healthy rosey tone. Her jet ck hair now adored her back, and reached her waistline. Unlike before, it was now fully clinging to her head as if a little baby girl afraid of letting go of her mother''s warm embrace. The sharp sapphires in their sockets now had a tinge of kindness to them, that even she was surprised to see. "No f*cking way!" Now, for the first time ever she''s be the ck Wing, she felt the kind of guilty joy that she''s almost forgotten. Yet, the joy overcame the guilt by a wild margin. "R*ping a young boy is surely a terrible feat, but if I think about it in a different way, I''m saving a doctor (myself) in order to heal others, and this adorable child just helped me achieve that!" ----------------------------- Lady Luck had made it a habit to always wake up early, but her new experiment had yed its part in that too. As she was about to have her morning coffee, ck Wing, her underground patron, came crashing through the doors of her private kitchen. The fact that she''s bypassed her security measures, including her two bodyguards had her experience mixed feelings. She was enraged that her security is socking, disgusted at ck Wing''s behaviour, but most of all, satisfied to see her patron was worth her reputation. "What in the name of all that''s dear is-?" ck Wing didn''t have her mask on, nor did she care. "Beats me" said Lady Luck, shrugging off the question, along with her anxiety about the subject. Yet, she couldn''t help but smile to herself like a mad woman, "so, a sess it is..." she thought to herself, happy with the results of her experiment. She''s realized it too when she''s had her fun with the youngd, but she wasn''t sure of how deep was the effect, or how long it wouldst. But now seeing the difference between yesterday''s ck Wing and today''s made her ept that as her name suggests, she''s the mistress of good luck. Lady Luck could already imagine herself taking a swim in her money filled bathtub, ''I''ve never seen anyone with such incredible abilities, let alone the rejuvenation effect, this is going to put me on top of the food chain!'' she thought, very amused with herself. "Listen", says ck Wing, trying not to pry too much into ck Lady''s mad life, " I''m really thankful for what you did, I owe you my life, if not more, but What''s your n? Do you even know what type of danger is going to be kicking your front door if anyone finds out about him?" That shut down Lady Luck''s amused face, but she had seen thating. ''A kid with a potential healing ability can be considered rare, but the type he''s disyed is way beyond anyone''s wildest Imagination'' she thought to herself. "Don''t worry about that, ck Wing. No one''s more experienced in my field of work than me. I''ll do my job, you do yours." "My job?" ck Wing said, cracking her head to the side. "Your payment, you said you owe me your life! Ugh sometimes I wonder if I''m too smart or everyone around me is just so stupid!" Chapter 9 - Nightmares Of A Lone Kid Part 5 * yed "Powfu - Death Bed ft. don''t stay awake for too long" while writing this * AN: the following content might (probably will) be sensitive to most readers. Don''t read unless 18+ of age, and with a strong heart. You''ve been warned! -------------------------- "Hey I''m the genius doctor here!" retorts ck Wing, "and about the owing you my life part, it''s just figure of speech! But I do owe you, and I shall pay my debt", at that she sighs in disappointment. "Good girl!" smiles Lady Luck and pats ck Wing''s head as if she was her three months old puppy. -------------------------- *Some dayster* ording to what Maya''s mentioned, Draven''s bodycount went up by one the moment he set foot, or head, in this cursed ce. Even though he has no memory of it. Also, at that same night, a sick old hag was his second. Not even Maya knew her true identity as the doctor or ck Wing. On the second day, two other rich lookingdies with weird outfits spent more time with him than he would''ve preferred, to make things worse, they didn''t have any concept of taking turns... Like two rats sharing the same rotten piece of bread. On the third day, a bunch of young and olddies joined the fray. After that point, he''d already lost count. Along with all of the mixed feelings he''s been having and with his mind on the virge of being lost for good, he''s started to realize some new things. ''Always, after each time my body count goes up, the other person falls unconscious making some weird noises, and I feel like I''m about to disappear off of this world, being so tired that I actually feel like I''m going to die'', his reasoning went on. ''Also, every time the same persones back for more, I see a huge difference between their the old and new self.'' ''It''s almost like I''m making them young again.'' As funny as it sounds, he wasn''t far off the mark, not at all. ''Which leads me to a crazy theory'', his thoughts kept spinning like a broken washing machine, ''maybe I have some weird ability that transfers my life force into other people.'' ''ignoring the discussion about why or how this stupid ability works, if I''m right, it means that if I keep doing this, I''d die soon!'' His conclusion was almost wless. Someone might hear of the joke about people dying while "having so much fun", but in Draven''s case, it wasn''t much of a joke, except of that what he''s experiencing couldn''t be described as "having fun", not in themon sense at least. A fact that''s worth mentioning is that ever since it''s all started, Draven''s started hearing voices. If there was a border between sanity and insanity, Draven was sure he''s been ying bnce on a thin line on it for quite a while now. And it''s bound to break soon. Fun fact, the voice in his head actually replies to his thoughts sometimes, which doesn''t help his case. Although, between being treated like an object, or rather a scum rag without an "s", and being sucked dry both physically and mentally, the only silver lining was that there were no men in the mix. It could''ve been thanks to the fact that Lady Luck hates males for some reason, or that she realizes that would be thest straw that would break the poord''s mind with it. Not that he''d live long if this keeps up anyway. Although, with Lady Luck having a male assistant, rolling out option number one should have been a priority, as not to give false hopes. And her being the person she is, obviously contradicts with option number two. "Here, here, my little useless tool! I''ve got a surprise for you!" her maniacughter fills the room and creeps even the little moth racing between the two lightbulb in the room, "All for the sake of science!" At that, a mix of young and old men enter the room. ''Oh no.. you must be sh*tting me!'' Draven cursed his naive thinking. It wasn''t clear whether Lady Luck had just read his mind or bodynguage, but she did at least one of the above because she bursts into a hystericughter after taking a quick look at him. ''What am I supposed to do at this point? What did I do wrong? Is this what I''m destined to do till I die?'' he thought, his nerves on the virge of shattering to a hundred pieces. ''Please, stop this, I don''t have any more tears to shed!'' ''Damn, is this what Maya deals with on daily basis? Poor soul...'' Only after his session of self pity did he realize the amount of stress and torture she''s had to endure so far. ''I wish I had the power to change this- scratch that, who am I kidding? I''m just as useless as Lady F*ck makes it sound.'' Before closing his eyes and giving up on his fate, he''d wished whoever is doing this to him, to have mercy on little Maya. -------------------------- *Moments earlier* When Draven''s first came to the brothel, Maya didn''t think much of it. She thought he''s going to either kill himself or someone else will do that for him. Even after witnessing the horrors she''s witnessed, Maya was still fragile, that''s why she''s tried so hard to avoid Draven. Yet, since she was tasked with taking care of him, her hand was forced. Since the second day, when his cuffed hands were free again, she had thought he''d try something funny with her, yet he didn''t. Rather than being upset or sad, like most kids were, in his eyes she only saw disappointment. She''s never seen him cry, but there was always tear marks down his cheeks. And, she''s never seen himughing, yet he''d always smile at her. What she''s found really absurd was that he didn''t talk much, yet, whenever he did, he would try to soothe her, trying to make her feel better. Where she was supposed to be the one making sure his mind doesn''t break down, he was the one always making her feel at ease when she''s in his room. Maya started developing some strange feelings for him. Her body would always feel warm at his presence, her mind at ease, and her anxiety in check. Every now and then, she''d get the funny feeling, as if there are butterflies in her stomach. Maya was ignorant to what love was, being born in an orphanage and kidnapped soon after she ran away, trying to y a prank to get some attention. Yet, she realised that those fuzzy feelings meant trouble. Sooner orter, for better or worse, one of them would leave. "Hey, you little b*tch! Come here at once!" ck Silver''s voice yanked Maya out of her short lived trance. Soon after, Maya was dragged by ck Silver down the basement where Draven''s room was. ''Oh, no, he''s fine, right? He''s all right! Please God!'' Maya started to panick at the thought of something bad happening to Draven. She''s never been summoned to that room so abruptly before, after that incident, when Raj was found bleeding to death after stabbing his own wrist and neck with a metal fork, multiple times. Maya shudders at the idea causing her to stop in her tracks, pushing ck Silver''s hand down. With her hands on her small mouth, she starts puking her hazel eyes out, or she tries, yet nothinges out. Too bad she hadn''t had breakfast, not even dinnerst night. Even before finishing her phase, Maya was thrown in the room, head first. Through her blurry vision, she could see Draven with his hands and feet cuffed to the bed, still wearing the same disappointed expression she''s known for a while now. The only difference today was that there was no warm weing smile, no, quite the opposite. When he saw her, his expression changed to that of worry. She could even swear she saw a tinge of rage in his azure eyes. A second look around the room she realised what was happening. Even with Maya''s limited knowledge, she''s seen old peopleing in to Draven''s room, only to get out young and healthy again as if they''ve been given a cup of the elixir of life. That, or they being reced with a perfect clone of themselves. She suspected Lady Luck is trying to check if the effects works on both genders. "Now, now, since we have all the yers here at the ready", Lady Luck''s voice echoed through the room. " the three of you gentlemen will take on this youngd", she said looking at three random men, one by one, then pointing at Draven. Then she pointed at the rest of the men, " and you three will take the youngdy over there", she said pointing at Maya. At that, both Draven and Maya felt a deep hard knot settling in their stomachs, each for their own reasons "However, the girl''s team will start first, we can''t have the boy distracted while his little lover is enjoying herself now, can we?" Lady Luck''s voice was beaming with joy. Apparently, Maya''s change of attitude and her warm smile gave Lady Luck the wrong idea. Maya felt dizzy and turned beet red. She was used to this, but having Draven watching the process wasn''t part of her ns. Draven on the other hand, wanted to yell at Lady F*ck to stop her madness, but he knew it''d only prove her point in her eyes, and make Maya''s days more miserable. Heck, even denying it would still give her joy. Being stuck between a rock and hard ce, he kept quiet. Lady Luck turned red with rage for a second, before smiling and continuing her orders, " the team that shows the most... cooperation and team spirit will be the winner, and will be awarded as such. Myself and ck Silver here will be the judges", she finished with a mad smile. Draven''s brain was spinning on top gear, trying to find something to fix the situation. ''I can''t allow this to happen, there''s not way I''d ept something like that!'' he thought, feeling his body getting warm and weird. ''What are you going to do about it?'' a deep cold voice resouded in his head. ''I''m going to break them all, those b*stards!'' Draven felt his rage seething through his eyes. ''Says the guy bound to his bed, while watching a little girl about to get r*ped, only to follow her lead himself... Pathetic'' The voice wasn''t amused. ''Shut the F*CK up! I said I''ll-" ''Ah look at that, her blouse is already being shredded to pieces'', the voice cut him off. ''No! Please, stop that! Let them stop!'' seeing Maya''s small hands covering her tiny chest, especially with that pity expression she gave, didn''t help one bit. ''Are you going to cry, or do something about it?'' ''What can I do? I''m pathetic like you said! I can''t even help myself. My only power is to give my life to those who f*ck me!'' ''You''re pathetic indeed, but that can change, I''ll provide the power you need, you only have to let go of my shackles!" ''How?'' ''WILL IT'', the voice was getting impatient by the second. And so were the men huddling around Maya. "SAVE HER! I HEREBY RELEASE YOU OF YOUR SHACKLES!" His sudden burst startled everyone in the room, but not as much as what followed. Chapter 10 - Nightmares Of A Last Kid Part 6 * yed "Naughty Boy, Sam Smith - La" while writing this * AN: the following content might (probably will) be sensitive to most readers. Don''t read unless 18+ of age, and with a strong heart. You''ve been warned! -------------------------- Hank Moore and Callum Whisker were two of the most famous faces in Torinto city. Even a blind person could identify the names of two of the richest well known political leaders in the city. With both working under Karen O''Bannon, the mayor of the city and Draven''s mother, they were ought to have some hostile feelings towards her. Yet, nothing would exin why they were both staring at her almost naked son with lustful eyes. They both knew of the severity of their situation, but with Lady Luck showing them the results of her experiments, they couldn''t care less. The two huge problems rich people suffer from are theirck of time, and their aging symptoms. And there, Lady Luck was promising to get rid of one of these issues. Since both parties had something to gain; the political dogs their youth back, and Lady Luck her political backing, it was a win-win situation. Well, for everyone but the two youngsters in the room. Maya was being undressed in speed that left even Lady Luck, with her years of experience, speechless. She was rooting for team girl already. Team boy however was looking at the other team, with a mix of envy and disgust. "Hey, I didn''te here to y games! We had a deal!" Hank barked like the dog he is, seeing that his rival, Callum, is going to get ahead start on his team, reminded him of their political debates and how he''d always been one step ahead of him. "Shut up, dog! My house, my rules! I''ve already had my part of the deal, why do you think I have cameras in here?" Lady Luck wasughing her a*s off, pointing to one of the small green dots on the wall. The surprise was so severe, that all six men had turned their heads together towards her voice, with speed that would''ve almost broke a normal person''s neck. "SAVE HER! I HEREBY RELEASE YOU OF YOUR SHACKLES!" Even with being held by two adults, Maya''s little frame managed to shake like a crazy ball, due to the cold and sudden nervousness that hit her. Even though Draven''s killing intent wasn''t aimed at her. This wasn''t ck Silver''s first day in kindergarten, so, he naturally took a hold of his boss'' shoulder and disappeared in an instant, traveling a hundred miles within the same part of the second. The others weren''t so lucky. Two out of the six were shaking on the ground foaming like they''ve just swallowed a soap bar, one dropped dead in an instant, and thest three let go of their dders. None could believe their eyes, not even Maya. She''s learnt that even her own eyes can y tricks on her. But even after blinking for the seventh time within a second, she couldn''t stop the scene in front of her from ying out. Yet, it all happened in an instant that she could''ve been daydreaming all along. The static ck of Draven''s shadow was suddenly staring at the three men left standing, and it was static no more. As if a hungry predator devouring its pray, it covered Draven in an instant, covering him in a shadow dark light armour, from down his toes and up, only stopping at the midline of his neck. What now seemed like a shadow suit burst into ck mes first, only to turn red raging mes after, turning the light armour into a heavy crimson one. By now, the bed that was holding Draven in ce has been turned to ashes, and the boy himself was reced with what looked like a dragon-like figure, or so Maya thought. After a second look, she could see the lower part of her beloved Draven''s face, wearing the same disappointed expression she''s learnt to find warmth in. On the upper part of his face, there was a red ming helmet that looked like it was the embodiment of an upper part of a dragon''s skull, with fangs and horns still attached. Two ruby red dots rested where the dragon''s eyes were supposed to be, glowing with the zing fierce red blizzard inside. The figure stood there, unfazed with how the room''s temperature was severely low. What made things worse was that, at his back, there was a huge broad sword that looked like it was made out of livingva, as it''s apparent by theva droplets trickling down its de and resting on the ground, creating a hole with every hiss sound it makes. The sword was floating a few millimetres away from Draven''s back diagonally, as if it was out in an invisible sheath. It was covered in a set of dark red chains that were glowing with power that seemed to be able to seal a massive nuclear explosion. The contrast between Draven''s now sad expression, apparent only by his mouth, and the rage glowing inside the red sockets would''ve made the scene look funny, if not for the killing intent that''s threatening to take down the whole building. With a wave of his hand, the rest of the men cowered and crashed against the floor, as if the building''s whole weight has just rested on their shoulders. The smell of blood and gore spread like wildfire in the room, adding to the stench they had caused earlier. The dragon''s eyes shed with a blinding red light. Almost as if on cue, a huge explosion shook the ground, apanied by a deafening rumble that assaulted Maya''s ears. Maya couldn''t avert her eyes off of Draven. She was scared, not of losing her life, but of losing him. She couldn''t feel joy at the scene in front of her, even though it ment freedom. No, it all reeked of death. Death that would rest on Draven''s shoulders forever. Death that would take away the Draven she knew, and rece him with the figure in front of her. She didn''t realize when, but at some point she was up, with her clothes back on, hugging his dragonoid figure. "Please, that''s enough! I don''t want you to leave me!" Maya plead, her tears blurring her hazel eyes, all the way down to her honey bronze chin. "I have nothing and I know I can''t hope for anything, but please, not you! I don''t want to lose you..." Much to her surprise, Draven hugged her back, his embrace warm and reassuring, "Don''t worry, little one, I''ll always be by your side, I promise". She couldn''t believe her ears, but she believed her feelings. Her face turned bright red as a toothy smile spread across her face. And in a matter of seconds, she''s already fallen asleep, the incident had taken a toll on her, maybe even more than she''s realized. ''Thank you'', Draven mentally thanked the voice in his head. ''Don''t be, this wasn''t quite what I had in mind'' the voice sounded disappointed, ''in any case, we''re not done here, two targets had already left'', the voice managed sounding angry. ''Good news though, is that another ising closer''. The voice''s n was taking over the host''s body, yet it didn''t work out. Either the host is too strong, or being sealed for so long has had a bad effect, more than one could''ve Imagined. The second best option it was left with, was having some fun killing some insects. With being in deep slumber for so long, even that was appealing. -------------------------- ck Wing couldn''t believe her eyes. She was supposed to meet Lady Luck 30 minutes ago, yet, she was so thankful for her rm breaking down this morning. What she saw in front of her, rather, what everyone in the city had either seen or heard, or both, was akin to a nuclear bombing aftermath. The police force, army, and even the EDA, along with various citizens were present at a safe distance, trying to understand what had happened over night. About three blocks of Torinto city were no more. The ground was blown off along with Lady Luck''s ce, safe basement and all, except one little room. About a hundred-kilometer diameter huge crater was engraved with alien looking runes, at its centre was what she instantly recognized as the boy''s room. ''I told her not to mess with such power'', ck Wing was terrified at the thought of whatever did that being after her life too, being Lady Luck''spliance. The thought alone sent a cold shiver down her spine. ''It''s either someone that wants that power to themselves, or someone that''s trying to get rid of it. But since the room is still standing, my money is on the first option.'' She shrugged of the idea and ran back to the alleyway she came from, ''I better leave this city at once if I want to save what''s left of my-'' Her thoughts reached a dead end, and so did she, the moment she felt a strange sudden chill eating her life away. Chapter 11 - Nightmares Of A Lone Kid Part 7 * yed "Nothing in the Story - My first Story" while writing this * AN: Yes, no warnings here! Enjoy! ------------------------------------ What ck Wing saw in front of her left her breathless; a figure in a dark crimson armour sitting on the ground, with his back against the wall, embracing the small frame of Lady Luck''s pet girl, Maya. After a second nce, she realized that the armoured figure is actually the boy with the weird powers, Draven. Yet, she only allowed herself to breath again once she was sure the kid was asleep. Connecting the dots came so easy for the genius doctor that her conclusion made her yelp out loud. Yet, that wasn''t actually why she was frozen in ce. It was the glowing creepy eyes on his helmet! They were looking her up and down, as if evaluating her, which made her tense even more. After what felt like hours, the eyes shed bright red, blinding her for a second before disappearing. ck Wing was left dizzy and confused that it took her a minute to realize that the scary armour had disappeared along with the creepy eyes. Sighing with relief, she wanted to finish off both kids to be done with this madness. But unfortunately for her, fate had other ns for them... ------------------------------------ The moment Maya opened her eyes, memories of the past events flooded her mind, leaving her more tired than ever. "Huh? Where am I?" realising she was in a room she''s never seen before, she started to panick. It took her a second to realize it looked like a hospital. "A hospital? Lady Luck would never bring me to one of these " , she thought out loud. "Yea, she would never. Heck even I wouldn''t dare, this is just my own personal emergency department ", ck Wing, with her mask off, strode past the curtains. "You know, the underground isn''t an easy ce to fair in. A woman need to take care of herself ", she emphasized. With what''s happened so far, Maya was in no mood for any tricks or low blows, "WHAT THE F*CK ARE YOU DOING HERE? AND WHERE IS DRAVEN, YOU DIRTY A*SHOLE?!" Her sudden burst startled Maria out of her shoes, she''d never expected her little mouth to be so loud, let alone say such things, "hey hey I''m sorry for earlier! I was desperate ok? I was dying ", she said, hands raised about her head in surrender. "As for your questions, again, this is my ce, I saw you sleeping in a dark alley like some stray cats and assumed you needed help and so I offered it out of the kindness of my heart!" she lied through her teeth. "And your boyfriend is over there", she said pointing at one of the close curtains. Maya didn''t bother correcting her, she just rushed past her to see Draven. "Thank God you''re alright!" she sighed at the unconscious boy. His face was flushed red with fever, but otherwise, he was unscathed. The moment Maria got near Draven to check on him again, Maya pushed her away with such force no one would expect from her tiny frame. "STAY AWAY FROM HIM YOU B*TCH!" "Hey, I''m trying to see how he''s doing, I told you I saved you!" "SAVED MY A*S! THE ONLY REASON WE''RE STILL ALIVE IS THAT YOU STILL NEED YOUR YOUTH BACK, YOU OLD HAG!" "Oh wow, wish your parents heard you insulting the same person that spent thest three hours secretly transporting you here. My own neck is on the line here, you know!" To her credit, Maya didn''t even flinch at the mention of her parents. "Let me exin, ok? Pretty please..." Maya was nervous and skeptical, but she nodded. Her voice cords were one shout away from snapping forever. Maria got a hold of the scalpel on the nearby desk, and raised it towards Draven, before Maya could even react. The moment she thought about how she''d like to cut him like a p of meat, a splitting headache assaulted her leaving her gasping for air on the ground. Maya was left speechless. She hadn''t missed how there was a weird eye tattoo on the back of her hand, glowing red. It reminded her of the dragon''s eyes she''s seen on Draven''s helmet. The memory alone was enough to send a shiver down her spine. The moment Maria dropped the scalpel, the tattoo faded away. "As you can see, your friend here has cursed me", she said between heavy breaths, answering Maya''s unasked question, and promoting others. ------------------------------------ Almost a day after the incident, Draven has awakened. "You''re telling me you''ll let us stay here? Why would you?" skeptical wasn''t enough to describe how he felt about that. He was still on his bed, Maya besides him, hugging his arm. "Oh how many times do I have to repeat that? You, mister scary armour, have ced a curse on me. I don''t know how, but I know for a fact, as if written in my brain, I can''t hurt you. And if you die, I die with you" , with every word she spoke, Maria was pitying herself even more. "What about Maya?" "No, only you" "Howe you haven''t hurt her yet?" "Why would I? I told you I have nothing against you two", she''d rather lie than say she was afraid of his wrath. She couldn''t hurt him, yet the same couldn''t be said about him. And, whatever had happened back the brothel, she knew by heart that the creepy eyes were behind it. She didn''t want a bullseye on her back. To her surprise, Draven was actually considering her offer. "Maya", he said turning to Maya who was caressing his arm subconsciously. "Would you be okay with staying here with-" "No", she didn''t yell, yet her voice was firm and clear as daylight. "Please listen to me first", since he''d woken up , he''d discovered that Maya''s small mouth was more than capable of making an adult woman cry. As evident by Maria Bawlden''s still watery eyes. Yet, he hadn''t criticized her one bit. After what she''s been through, he was just happy she was coping well enough. "I have my mom, the mayor, and as much as I hate it, I''ll have to go back to her" "You have mommy issues?" both girls spoke at the same time. Draven was taken aback, he had yed the events of the first day of this mess countless times. His dad clearly wanted to get rid of him. As much as it has hurt him, he had to live with it. But the catch was that he doesn''t know for sure if his mom was in on it, or if his dad was going solo. "Yes ", he simply said. None questioned further, but Maya tightened her arm around his back, in a gesture of affection that Draven appreciated, and Maria envied. "Also, I still have school. You too must go to school, I bet you never learned how to read" "Hey I can read!" Maya was offended. "My point still stands" he wasn''t backing down. He then turned back to Maria, "Maria, here''s my offer". Draven listed his offer and conditions; first, Maya would live at her home, and she''d get her own room. Second, she''d have the best homeschooling Maria can afford, with herself being present at all times to make sure she''s faring well. Third, anytime she wants to visit Draven, she has toply. Lastly, she has to take care of her as her daughter, even adopting and protect her with her life. "YOU WANT ME TO STAY HOME FOR A YEAR AT LEAST? WHAT ABOUT MY WORK, MY REPUTATION? ARE YOU FU-" "How else would you exin your sudden youthful and healthy appearance? weren''t you supposed to be already dead if it wasn''t for me?" That shut her down. "And how about the protect with my life part? what''s my catch?" retorted Maria. "Your catch? You''ll live, in and simple. Any questions?" Many, she wanted to scream. Yet nothing came out. What could she possibly do? With the curse binding her every action, she can''t do anything but nod like a puppy. After some convincing, Maya had epted. Mostly because Draven didn''t allow for negotiations. "You have to promise to visit me at least twice a day!" she whispered loudly with a broken tone. At that, Draven hugged Maya tight, giving her back all of the missing affection she''s never received. "I''ve already promised that, little one, haven''t I?" Chapter 12 - Nightmares Of A Lone Kid Part 8 * yed "Nothing in the Story - My first Story" while writing this * AN: Yes, same song asst time. And yes, still no warnings here! Enjoy! ------------------------------------ *six months after the escape* Lady Luck still remembers that incident like it''s happened yesterday. The change of scenery back then when ck Silver''s ability activated had brought Lady Luck out of her sudden trance. They''ve both had experienced powered fights, and neither one of them was ignorant to the concept of killing intent. A powered person would release their energy to the outside word sometimes, in a hostile manner to mark themselves as predators rather than preys. Just like a beast with a loud roar is considered more threatening. Yet, the moment she''d felt the killing intent that came out of that boy''s body, she''d already given up. To this day, she''s still surprised she had survived that. Albeit, thanks to ck Silver''s quick thinking. He had transported them to their safe haven, that no one, other than them two, knows about. And until this day, she''d been in hiding. Facing that person, whatever he actually is, again was akin to suicide, and she hadn''t given up on her life yet. ------------------------------------ Draven and Maya had be best friends, there weren''t many people who had shared what they had between them. So, it came rather naturally. Even Maria seemed to ept her new role as their guardian. At their escape, newspapers didn''t seem to care about the kidnapped kids, or even how the mayor''s husband has been killed during daytime. They had much more pressing news to worry about. Officially, the mayor''s husband seemed to have have been killed either randomly, by a street gangster, or by someone who has a grudge on the mayor. Her son''s kidnapping seemed to prove thetter. Maria Bawlden was named hero after finding the two kids and taking them in, although she hadn''t been to the party made in her honour since she was supposed to be sick. ording to her story, she was talking one of her usual walks, to relieve the stress of her disease, when she had found the abandoned kids. The mayor and police chief refused to question them about what had actually happened and how they''ve managed to escape, to avoid a serious trauma to their already exhausted minds. Although, on paper Draven was the mayor''s son, he only stayed at her house very rarely, since he couldn''t bring himself to trust her in any way. He''d even eat the lunch Maria makes for him, rather than whatever his mom prepares. He could trust her blindly since he had developed a feeling for the curse he''d inflicted on her. She can''t think of anything bad about him without knowing that something''s not right. Maya was so happy with the growth she''s achieved so far. Although she was now ten years old, three years younger than Draven, meaning she''d only be in fourth grade, her level was way beyond her peers. Maria had taught her so much that she was so surprised with her development. It almost creeped her out. ''No kid is supposed to be this smart!'' Even though school wise she was happy, Maya didn''t know what to do about Draven. Now that they both had their own thing to do, they''ve been getting further apart by the day. A development she wasn''t going to keep unchecked. Not her schooling nor her work with Maria shall prevent her from having Draven by her side. Unlike the mixed feelings she''s had for Draven in the past, now it was clear, like the sun on a sunny summer day, that he values her like a little sister. He treats her like a princess, buying her everything she''d ever hoped for, providingpassion and guidance as needed, and whenever needed. Her life was so perfect, to the point where sometimes she would be expecting herself to wake up any moment, to find herself back at Lady Luck''s ce. But her uneasiness and anxiety would all disappear with an embrace from her beloved new older brother. After seeing their rtionship and living with them for months, Maria regretted not having children. But at the same time she was so happy she always found Draven by her side, supporting her whenever she was struck by nightmarish memories of her illness or even bad mood. Her surprise about how forgiving he was, had never left her. Yet, she doesn''t question it. She''s finally found the ce where she belongs, and the people she could trust with her life. She left her underground identity. ck Wing was no more. But she didn''t miss a chance to teach Maya whatever tricks she could use to torture her enemies, or the secrets she''s gathered throughout her career, along with some martial arts to defend herself. The girls were so happy with every passing day, both loved Draven and eachother like family. Although the start wasn''t the best one out there, they didn''tin, since in the end they still have eachother and that''s all that matters. Draven on the other hand, wasn''t fairing so good. After his parents'' betrayal, he had a hard time cing his trust in a stranger''s care, so he simply didn''t. The only two people he trusted were the two girls, Maya and Maria. Outside, he''d already ditched his old friends. He''d lived with his father for almost all he could remember, yet he hadn''t been able to tell the difference between his acting and his real face. What prevents him from misjudging others actions too? As a result, he has be cold and distant from other people. Almost treating everyone as his enemy. Yet, the moment he would meet Maya or Maria, his behaviour would take a 180, bing the most loving and caring brother one could ever ask for. Some of his neighbours had already given up on trying to understand his sudden change. Most people despised his way of looking at them, as if they were lower than trash. But others admired him even more, after surviving what he''d been through. Others justbeled him as an overprotective older brother. ------------------------------------ Although it''s been months after the incident had happened in Torinto city, not a single house has been fixed yet. The pressure emitted by the runes prevented most people, even powered soldiers, from setting a foot near the ce. The Earth Defensive Alliance, or EDA, experts were left bbergasted at the strange design and effect of the runes. The search teams couldn''t find anything of special importance there, except for the runes themselves. They were filled with energy that was seeping out of them like a river finding its way back to the ocean through a cracked dam. There were some rumours about it being a sign from aliens'' invasion that''llmence soon. Others believed it''s the creation of a beast that lives in that small room at the eye of the crater. Still, they were mostly contained rumours within the EDA. Since only rank A and higher EDA agents could have ess to the area, everyone else started their own rumours about a weird kind of government experiment gone wild. *In the newly build EDA branch in Torinto city* "What do you think of this, Yaski?" asked a young man, his silvery eyes shining with bright brilliance. "I don''t have any reasonable exnation, if that''s what you''re asking, Will ", replied Yaski, the annoyance in her voice was enough to make her brown eyes spark under themp''s bright light. "No, I''m asking about your personal opinion of the runes, not whatever the officials feed you", Will was unfazed. "If you insist, they look great..." "Yaski..." "Ugh fine, what I''ve gathered so far is that whoever or whatever has done that is still on this, since no one with considerable power has left Earth ever since. Mind you it''s just my educated guess." "Did you consider the possibility of it being an artifact?" "No way", Yaski shook her head, "with such destructive power, it would''ve needed months to charge and be ready for use. Here, look at this", she pointed at the monitor in front of them, projecting an image from an "Energy Detecting Satellite". Will took a look at it, yet he didn''t understand. All he saw was a map of the affected area, but before the incident had happened. Blue dots scattered across the map indicating slightly powerful energy flows that powered people usually emit. "I can''t see anything special-" "Exactly", chimed in Yaski. "Now look at this." Now, Will was staring at their location inside the EDA building, through the monitor he could see some blue dots scattered across the map, and a big one at their ce. "Ah I see your point. So the more powerful the energy signature, or the more small dots (powered people) are gathered around, the small dots appear as a big one instead. Which means you''re implying that before the incident, there wasn''t anything weird in the ce, charging an artifact this big would''ve meant energy flow would be massive in that area." Yaski kept nodding, happy that someone has understood her without her needing to repeat herself seven times at least. "Don''t you spot the w in your exnation though?" Will raised his brows and asked. "Huh?" "Even if not an artifact, the culprit would need to either gather or have a huge amount of energy, considering the amount of damage. Yet, the image only shows the energy popping like popcorn" Yaski hadn''t thought of that, ''Damn it, he''s right'', she kept staring at the picture trying to make heads of tails. After a while her brown eyes were beaming with joy, "It had just awakened!" "What?" Will was already tired of ying riddles. "Whoever''s done that, just got awakened at that time! Don''t you see it? It''s exactly like you said, they popped like popcorn!" "Are you saying that someone was that strong upon awakening?" The alone thought sent a shiver down his spine. Awakening powers wasn''t such a big deal in his eyes, being born with it himself and all. But what gave him goosebumps was that usually the awakening state would be the weakest state of a powered person, since they still can''t control their powers properly. Yaski noticed his nervousness, "Yes" she said with an audible gulp. Only now did she realise the graveness of their situation. "But look at the bright side", she continued, "whoever was that, they''ve probably died because of the explosion, since their energy had dissipated after the explosion ", she said pointing at the image in front of her. Although the runes were pulsing with energy, it was clear they weren''t alive, or so she hoped. "Or they used the runes to cover their escape? Maybe they''re an S ranker? You know S rankers can control their energy flow, otherwise, they wouldn''t be able to walk in the streets like normal people." The idea of having an S ranker as an enemy made them both shiver with cold sweat. "Or he just died..." Yaski didn''t want to deal with an S ranker. She''d rather have children and die of old age, duty and loyalty weren''t her dreams, nor strongest suit. The only incident with a rough S ranker the EDA had to deal with was more than ten years ago, when powered people were still studied like some form of harmful bacteria. A rough S ranker had lost his daughter to the cruel experiments the army and experts were conducting. He went on rampage, destroying over twenty skyscrapers, killing over thousands of people. At the end of the massacre, he was put down by his fellow S rankers. But it''s left a deep scar on everyone, especially S rankers. That very incident was the reason powered people are treated with respect nowadays. And why the EDA is doing its best to avoid causing conflicts between powered individuals. But even after all of that, S rankers were viewed differently than others. Some worships them to avoid troubles, others out of respect and love. Some despises them deeply, spitting on every mention of them. Yaski was still doing the math in her head, reviewing news about that old incident and the one at hand. "Will", she swallowed loudly, "ording to the EDA''s files, the death count of this rune incident is almost the same if not higher than the rough S ranker case. The affected area wasn''t a residential one, but rather a shopping district." "Almost as if nned...." Will could already feel the knot forming in his stomach, aching like a wild mole. Chapter 13 - Payback Part 1 * Unknown Brain & Rival - Control (ft. Jex) * *** *Present* *Draven''s POV* ''I shake my head, releasing the memories of the cold past. ''Ever since it all started back then and till now, I haven''t had a good night''s sleep. ''Nightmares ravaging my mind at every opportunity they get, heck, even during daylight. ''In any case, killing these b*stards should help me sleep soundly tonight, at least. Or so I hope. ''Both Lady Luck and ck Silver had iting. ''But... ''Why I''m so nervous... why are theyte? ''To anyone aside from those who actually know me, mainly Maya and Maria, I bet I''d look like a fearless assassin. ''Yet, the truth is anything but. ''I''m not just nervous, but terrified to my very core. ''As someone who had experienced a severe psychological trauma, I''m actually quite nervous of meeting my old captors again. ''All of the bad memories kept flooding me nonstop since I set foot here. ''Worse part is that I''mpletely alone. ''Even that mysterious voice in my head had disappeared. ''It''s quite concerning, considering it could''ve been the trauma ying tricks on me... ''In any case, I shouldn''t be so tense since I''ve been preparing for this for a while now. ''After the incident, I''ve started training my powers, trying to understand the basics of my ability. ''What I''ve found out was that it works both ways, meaning not only can I give my own life force, healing and rejuvenating others, but I can also steal it from others, shortening orpletely demolishing their lives. ''And contrary to my previous experience, I don''t need to have a... let''s say "specific prolonged contact" with my victims for the ability to work. ''A simple touch is enough to apply either effect. I''ve started calling it "Ruler''s Touch" since the effect is solely based on my will. ''And, although stealing others'' life force makes me feel unnaturally strong and healthy, it''s still slow and not very practical in fights. ''I''ve also realized that I can naturally feel the energy currents around me, whether it''s my own, someone else''s, or that of the world''s. And even visually see it, if I focus hard enough. ''Not only that. Although still rough around the edges, but I can control these energy currents as if they were extentions of my own limbs, enabling me to utilize them as means of attack, defence, or just to enhance my senses and body. ''I could even infuse some of my energy with my body to increase my speed and overall strength, or/ and with my shadow to animate it or turn it into the light dark armour I always wear. ''I''ve decided to call those abilities "Energy Perception" and "Energy Control". ''Three years of practice had built me anew, yup I''mpletely ready for this! ''What''s sad though, is that I''ve never been able to replicate the dark crimson armour I had used to escape that hellhole. ''I have a hunch it''s rted to that voice somehow.'' Before I could sigh in annoyance, footsteps'' sounds knock me out of own thoughts and back to reality. ------------------------------------ *Five minutes earlier* Lady luck had received a meeting request from Red Joe, the top criminal mastermind of Torinto city. She was both nervous and excited at the same time, meeting the big leagues was always fun for her. ''He hadn''t exined much. ''He only mentioned he''s got "an offer that I can''t refuse". ''I seriously hope he isn''t ratting me out, or something worse.'' Even with that thought on mind, she couldn''t help but let her excitement reach its peak. ''What if I''m going to be given some special privileges? Maybe he wants to add me to his team!'' ck Silver on the other hand was wary, he always is. It was a new unknown environment, for all he knew, this could be a trap. His mistress is known in the underground, and she had many enemies. ''Damn it, I must keep focus. Mydy here is having the excitement of her life'' he couldn''t help but sigh at her childish behaviour. He was happy to see her oveing her trauma from that unspeakable incident. With normal food in her mouth again, her figure was started to look like own self once again. Each cut their thoughts short once they saw the warehouse in sight. "That''s out meeting point?" "Yes, mydy." "Hmm, weird, I was expecting it to be something fancy, yet I find rather too deserted for myfort" "Lady Luck, if every mastermind discussed their ns in a fancy restaurant, I''m afraid, people would start calling us stupid criminals instead of dangerous underground organisations." "Umm... Point taken." The warehouse was about a hundred metres away from theke, so Draven had no problem discarding all of the cars and clothes in it. The warehouse was as clean as when it was first purchased by Red Joe. EEEEEKK! The sound the warehouse''s gate made the hair on Lady Luck''s neck stand to an end. Or was it a familiar sensation she had tried to get rid off for so long? She shrugged it off and walk straight in, with ck Silver one step behind her. ------------------------------------ Lady Luck had barely closed in to the lone chair in the warehouse, when a red barrier enveloped the warehouse, trapping everything and everyone inside. ck Silver was already by hisdy''s side the moment they saw something jumping down off of the second floor railings. A figure d in ck armournded elegantly and with such grace, it almost seemed like he''d float down rather than jumped down. Lady Luck and her assistant were both tense and wary, since even though his face was obstructed due to the dim lighting and the shade his hair threw over his features, they both knew the person in front of them. "You must be Wraith! I wouldn''t expect less from Red Joe!" Lady Luck was buying time, for her assistant to transport them out. The moment she saw his ck armour, she realised Red Joe wanted her dead! The rumours around high rankers in the underground stated that Wraith always had a hood on, covering his features, yet what almost everyone confirmed was his jet ck armour. ''DAMN IT! DAMN IT! RED JOE, WHEN I SURVIVE THIS, I''LL HUNT YOU DOWN LIKE THE PIG YOU ARE!'' She though, rage seeping through her veins. Yet, she was in for more surprises. "I wouldn''t have expected this from him either, Red Joe is an ipetent b*stard. But surprisingly, he gets the job done", Wraith spoke with such a familiar voice, it made her flinch. The moment Wraith stepped into a random spotlight, she immediately recognised, or rather remembered, his voice and face. Although he''s grown quite a bit, and even with his dark purple eyes and crimson pink hair, there was no mistaking it. She''s seen him countless times after all. And now, she saw him again; the very same young boy that had destroyed her years of hard work. Along with that memory, fear and anxiety that she had managed to keep hidden so far, creeped out of her own mind, crippling her every thought. A sudden killing intent hit her deep down her core that even her breaths became fast paced and shallow. Her knees became weak. THUMP!! She hit the floor with a thud, eyes wide, lungs gasping for air. "You..." is all she managed to say with her cracking voice. She didn''t even bother learn his name back then. ck Silver was trying so hard to focus on transporting them out, yet the barrier was preventing any form of long range transportation abilities. He cursed his luck and hisdy for being so weak, but he didn''t despair. They''ve yed this scenario a hundred times. Lady Luck knew that, one day, she''ll face this overwhelming aura again and so she''s practiced. Taking a second to analyse the situation ck Silver realised something important. "My Lady!" he shouted while blocking Wraith''s path, protecting his Lady, "he''s doesn''t have the same aura! I''m pretty sure he''s weakened somehow!" PEEP! The device he brought in his hand made a faint sound, prompting him to smile like a devil. He tossed the device to hisdy. Trying to calm herself, she looked at the small screen and saw something that made her confidence skyrocket. ''He''s only rank D!'' she thought as she regained herposure. They both had such dangerous expressions that would make a normal person cower in fear. s, Draven wasn''t impressed.... Chapter 14 - Payback Part 2 * Grandson - Blood // Water * *** "Whahaha!", Her voice echoed in the almost empty warehouse, "I can''t believe the fearless Wraith is only a D ranker! But, it all makes sense now, you probably only kill normal powerless people! This is the perfect opportunity. Since the incident, myself and ck Silver practiced every day to prepare for this moment, and we''ve already climbed up the ranks and reached rank C. Even though we''re still at the very low side of the scale, two C rankers against a D ranker is like two elephant crushing a single bug!" Lady Luck was ecstatic! She could finally ovee her fears and take revenge. ythings have no ce among the apex predators, after all. "It''s payback time!" she shouted as a maniacal smile curved her lips up, uncovering her now extended fangs. With ck Silver''s overconfidence, he threw four small poisoned daggers from each hand towards Wraith. ''Even if he manages to block some of the daggers by a miracle, he can''t stop all of them. And with the deadly poison coating them, he''s as good as dead!" Brimming with joy, ck Silver didn''t even bother with checking the results of his work, he only turned to walk towards his Lady. ''Any moment now! no, now! Huh? why can''t I hear his screams? Have I gone deaf? I should at least hear the sound if the daggers hitting something!'' He turned around in an instant and stared at his daggers that were now floating midair. ''Huh? What the f*ck? Did I identally stop time?'' Quickly, he realised that his daggers were the only thing that has stopped. Lady Luck was still charging towards Wraith at full speed, beast form already activated. His own powers were to perform long distance teleportation, which enables him to move instantaneously, from one marked point in space to the other. Lady Luck on the other hand, wasn''t called the Beast Queen for nothing. She could transform herself into any beast of her choice, as long as she has the energy to support her transformation. At the moment, she was a creature that resembled a hawk woman. With a razor sharp beak and shining talons, she was practically flying towards her pray preparing to tear him apart, along with his armour. "Tch", Draven, seeing that, only clicked his tongue in annoyance, and raised his open palm in front of him to intercept the crazy charging bullet that''s heading his way. ''He thinks his armour is strong enough to stop me? A C ranker? Hahahaha'', Lady Luckughed her a*s off the moment she saw his move. She was brimming with confidence like she''s never been. CRACK! KUFF!! The moment of the impactsted hours in Lady Luck''s vision as she was able to see everything in slow motion, from the shock. Her knife like talons hit Wraith''s extended hand, but it didn''t cut through. His hand smashed hers, as if a rocketship crashing against the moon. Her talons being the rocketship. In a span of a moment, she watched with awe and fear as her hand was turned into a bloody mess. Not only that, but her arm turned in an natural angle producing the most disgusting crack sound that she''s ever heard. Her shoulder was dislocated, and since she couldn''t stop her momentum, she did a 360, about seven times in a raw, midair and on the floor, spraying blood all over the ce, until friction had stopped her body from scraping the concrete floor. Pain and shock could be heard from her incoherent screams. "Che, idiot", Draven wasn''t happy about what she did to herself, he didn''t want her dead, not just yet anyway. Letting the floating daggers rest on the floor, he went to Lady Luck and applied a healing Ruler''s Touch. ck Silver having waking up from his shocked state, rushed forward to hisdy, "filthy hands off of her you b*stard!" Being in a bad mood already, Draven wasn''t happy for the idiot trying to interfere in his attempt to save Lady Luck''s life. Without stopping the healing process, he nced at the charging ck Silver and applied his full killing intent, "Die!" he said in a calm yet earth shaking voice. Upon his gaze, ck Silver felt like thousands of razor sharp ss shards have stopped time to prat his very own soul. His knees buckled under his own weight. His brain couldn''t bear the pain of being squashed under the pressure of that voice. His lungs stoped taking in air, giving up on the pointless attempt to fuel oxygen to a dead body. His heart had already stopped beating the moment he hit the floor and kept crashing towards the wall. "Uhm", nodding, Draven was happy about the results. "Now stay down", he whispered to the dead body and went back to healing Lady Luck. --------------------------- Their device wasn''t broken, nor mistaken. Draven''s energy was the same as that of a low D ranker. A C ranker would usually wipe the floor with a D ranker, even if they were at the top of D rank. Yet, what ck Silver and Lady Luck didn''t know was that, unlike other D rankers, Draven could control the energy inside of his body, and around him. Concentrating his body energy at one point is pretty risky since a hit to the wrong spot could be fatal. But since they both were underestimating his powers, and him practicing almost everyday, has made him confident enough to use that trick. Infusing almost all of his energy to his hand had made it harder than steel. Especially, since he''d also infused some energy with his feet to brace for the impact. UHAGH *cough* *cough* Of course he wasn''t dumb to heal Lady Luck fully. Coughing blood and looking around her, hoping she was dreaming, she identally made eye contact with Wraith who shattered every piece of false hope she had. "Had a good nap?" Draven said with a sarcastic tone, yet, his eyes were anything but. "NOOO, PLEASE DON''T KILL ME, I-" ring some of his red threating aura, he cut her short while watching her like a fly stuck in an insect trap. His aura invaded her very soul, almost crushing it. She started to sob like a small girl, even giving in on her dder. "Quiet!", again, his voice wasn''t loud, but rather calm. All of a sudden, the pressure against her body stopped. Looking up, she saw Wraith with a dumb look on his face, scraching the back of his head. "Whoops! Hehe, seems like I lost myself in the moment". His innocent face, along with his warm childish voice and figure almost made her think she was still dreaming. Almost. "Eh?" "Don''t worry I''m not mad at you!" he said trying to calm her down after seeing her frightened expression. "You know, after everything you did to me, I should be mad or at least upset, yet I can''t be", he said shaking his head. "After all, it''s only because of you that I''ve met Maya and Maria. They''re the best people ever!" His blushing kind face took Lady Luck by surprise, she started to even feel warm and kind of fuzzy. "You''re not?" she asked, unsure of what had just happened, "why did you attack us then?" "Well, you charged at me, talons first" his figure gave off the feeling of a silly kid that''s broken his mom''s rare vase. "You were just trying to defend yourself?" her voice was cracking at that moment. Cursing herself for attacking him first, not hearing what he wanted to say. That is, until she realised that he''d activated his killing intent first, the moment they saw him. "But you-" she tried to question him about why he''d done that, but he cut her off. "I''m not mad about whatever you''ve done to me", he repeated with his friendly voice, "but I can never forgive you for what you''ve done to Maya". She thought that the second sentence had been spoken by someone else, that cold voice that would give the grim reaper a shiver down his spine. Yet, his deadly gaze only confirmed that it''s only him talking. "Shall we have some fun?" his sadistic smile made her almost faint. At that moment, she was sure that she''s forsaken her life the moment she''d epted, or rather, taken the unconscious boy from the dead body of Harley the scout, three years ago. Chapter 15 - Soccer Match Part 1 * Richello - All We Are * *** "Oi, captain!" Rachel calls out to Mike, who''s now wearing his ser uniforms. ck shorts, white and gold T-Shirt, with kneehigh ck socks, special ser turf shoes, and of course, the ck wristband that marks him as the captain. With his blonde hair along with his uniform, he looked like the human version of a bumblebee. Funnily enough, they weren''t called the bumblebees, but rather, the ck Knights, as it was the team''s mascot. Having finished with the basic warm up, the game still had about ten minutes till it starts. "Didn''t you say angel boy ising?" Rachel asked Mike once he was within earshot. "Uhm" he nodded, "or that was the n", he said tiredly while looking down. The coaches, yers, talent seekers and even other yers on a professional level were all bombarding Mike with questions about Draven, since he was the closest thing to a friend in the ser team he''d ever had. Many wanted to recruit Draven to their teams or at least make him famous so they can get some money, after all, the kid has his special way if ying and he''d proven that he''s the best in the province, countless times in the past. The news about him quitting this year was a hope breaker, but when they heard he''sing back, they couldn''t keep their grin in check. Recruiting a good yer brings many benefits to the team''s after all, especially a young talented one like Draven. Yet, Mike knew no more than they did. "LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE F*CK! HAVE I NOT TOLD YOU TO F*CK OFF ALREADY? TOUCH ME A SECOND TIME AND I''LL SEND THE F*CKING SKY CRASHING UP YOUR DONUT SIZED A*SHOLE! F*CKING C*NT!" "What in the..." was all that Rachel could mutter before looking at the source of the young, yet thundering voice. Almost instantly, the people near the source quieted down, and then the people near then, and so a quick domino effect took ce revealing the source. A little girl that can''t possibly be older than ten was scolding, or rather, humiliating and threatening a 14 year old year old boy. Her honey bronze skin shone under the warm sun, reflecting the golden rays into the atmosphere. Light brown hair covered her small back, while her hazel eyes threatened to pierce the boy in front of her. The boy looked almost as if he''s about to faint, colour already drained from his face. "OI, DIDN''T YOU LITTLE SH*T HEAR ME ALREADY? F*CK OFF!" It''s not that the boy didn''t want to run for his life, but he was frozen in fear. Asking this little girl out was the worst idea to ever cross his mind. She was the most beautiful and adorable girl he''d ever seen in his life, it made him almost unaware of how young she was. Although in his defence, Maya was actually 13, only a year younger than himself. He''d heard from his friends with shy girls that say no the first time, he''s got to be more forceful. He only tried to hold her hand, against her will. And it had backfired, to say the least. Yet, he didn''t know where it went wrong, since he''s only done what his friends had told him to. "OMG! DID YOUR BRAIN F*CKING SHORT-CIRCUIT OR DID YUGHU-" A hand covered her mouth to prevent whatever bombs she was still trying to throw at the poord from breaching out. "Maya! Goddamn it! The whole stadium is starting at you!" she whispered loudly in Maya''s ear. "LIKE I GIVE A SHIHGHH" Covering her mouth again, Maria was quite embarrassed with her daughter. No one could have imagined that such a small frame would host such deadly sonic bombs! "Hey! What would Draven think if he sees you like that?!" That made her quiet down almost instantly, and stop resisting Maria''s hand. Sighing, Maria removed her hands back to her side. She knew that Maya was exceptionally stressed out because Draven hasn''te yet, and even more, since they know that he had a small mission to take care of. He couldn''t hide that he''s an assassin from his family, but he still didn''t tell them that it wasn''t just a random mission, but one where he''d take revenge for his little sister and all the pains she''s felt during her early childhood. "But he''s not here yet..." Maya''s bodynguage did a quick 180, she sat back in her seat, head down and eyes tearing up. The audience along with the yers, even the announcer, were all left speechless at the spectacle in front of them. That girl would easily get an Emmy Award. The quick switch from a walking Nuke to just an innocent sad little girl made many flinch. "Hey, don''t worry about it", Maria said as she hugged Maya''s frame "He''ll be here soon, he promised us after all, didn''t he?" she said while wiping the silent tears away with the back of her index, off of Maya''s cheeks and eyes. "Uhm" Maya nodded, " He did." "What in the world-" muttered Rachel at the scene. Along with her, Mike, Remi, and Jake didn''t know what to say or do, so they just sat down quietly, waiting for the game to start. -------------------------- Looking at the ''thing'' in front of him, Draven couldn''t help but try his hardest not to puke. Although he''s an assassin, he''d never killed out of joy and personal feelings. He''d never killed innocents, only b*stards that have already killed or tortured too many lives. This was the first time he''d taken his time to make sure his victim suffered the most pain possible. What was once Lady Luck, now resembled a bloody ''thing'' that was chained to the wall of the warehouse, 2 feet over the ground. If someone focused beyond the blood, they''d realize that there was no more skin covering most of the muscles, bones, and organs. Cuts could be seen all over the motionless ''thing''. Constant application of his Ruler''s Touch made sure that his victim never dies before he allows it. And only after he was satisfied that Lady Luck had felt more pain that she''d inflected to any of her victimsbined, had he healed her again. The process kept going till he was feeling dizzy. Although a killer, he''d never smelled so much blood, nor seen such a mess, thanks to his sword that would make it evaporate, along with every fiber of his victim''s being. Even though he had nned on keeping Lady Luck alive to torture her some more over the days, he''s given up. He wasn''t cut for this. With a small flex of his hand, thin air condensed and materialised as an ominous looking crimson sword, covered in his own red aura. In a sh, he cut through the thing''s neck, separating the head from the shoulders, only to turn it into red bloody dust and evaporate after a split second. Having cleaned up his mess, and with being so tired, he retracted his energy that was forming the red chains, as he dropped his armour, prompting his shadow to go back where it belongs, he dropped on the floor. "For five minutes... I need to rest for five minutes...." he muttered before passing out in the cold warehouse. Chapter 16 - Soccer Match Part 2 * TheFatRat & Laura Brehm - We''ll Meet Again * *** Waking up from his short power up nap, Draven found himself on the dirty cold floor of the warehouse. Sitting up and trying to determine whether the previous events were just a dream, or reality, he instinctively looks at his phone. All of a sudden, memories of the ser game shes in his mind. ''F*ck f*ck f*ck f****ckkk!!'' Cursing Lady Luck, ck Silver, Red Joe and every other criminal he knew, he stood up and rushed through the exit with a sh. He was supposed to be in the ser game. The same one that had started about 35 minutes ago. --------------------- "Sam! Over here!", the captain of the Vikings, Joey, pointed out that he was free from the defenders already. The moment Sam heard his captain and friend''s voice, he passed him the ball so quick that no one could intercept it. Joey didn''t wait for the ball to reach him. He jumped midair and kicked it with his right foot, scoring a perfect 90. (AN: means hit the corner of the goal, or the 90 degree angle of the rectangr goal. Just a casual ser term.) Wiping the sweat off if his face with his shirt, Joey smashed a quick high five with his close teammates, raised a thumbs up for the goalie, and then threw a casual wink over to the audience. Momentarily afterwards, a collection of gasps could be heard. He''d acquired quite a few fans since he''s set foot in the field, mostly girls. With his bright rosey skin, light golden slick hair and chestnut brown eyes, many eyes were set in him. Plus, he''s really good at the game! Talent seekers who were disappointed with Draven''s absence had to be satisfied with Joey since he''s shown he can a promising yer in the future. Looking at little girl among the audience, the one that had caused a ruckus before the match had started, Joey couldn''t help but admire how even though she''s so young, her bodynguage and gaze were so mature. When she''s not yelling for you to ''F*CK off'', of course. He could feel her observing him from the stadium, almost like a researcher examining a speciment. ''Not quite the look I would''ve liked to get...'' he thought to himself. Although he could only see her upper half since she was sitting, he could tell that unlike her small body, her figure was that of a grown woman, from her ample bust *cough* *cough* Joey turned beat red and scolded himself for his perverted thoughts, she was a true beauty, but he wasn''t into children. ''But she''s probably not! Judging by- *cough*'' he shook his head at the thought. (AN: lol sorry to break it for ya dear Joey, she''s 13!) *sigh* '' so that''s a real-life loli, huh?'' He couldn''t help but smile at the thought. Running back to his position, he passed by the ck Knights'' captain. "Hi Capt., Mike was it? Your ystyle is awesome, you''re fast and a quick shooter. But you gotta remember you have teammates. We''re ying one team against the other, not a team against some lone yers", he said with a wave, as he continued running back to his position in the middle of the field. "Ah... thanks, I guess...?" Mike wasn''t sure if the guy was making fun of them, or genuinely giving advice. Looking back, Joey only winked as he stood in his spot and waited for the referee''s whistle. ''I wish it was that easy...'' Mike looked down with a hard expression. The ck Knights was a team centered around one yer, their y style reflects how a group of knights would protect the king, but without Draven, they were missing their king. ''Or a beehive without their queen, haha'' Mikeughed at the thought and ran back to his respective position. That''s why Mike was trying super hard to fill his spot. ''Damn it though, he''s right. We can''t keep this up. Where''s that idiot!?'' Just as he finished that thought, he heard loud collective cheers and gasps all over the stadium, from audience and yers as well. Running towards them was young boy in his gold and ck uniform, with the number 11 printed on its back, in white font, strode down towards the ck Knights'' side of the field. Wind ying with his blue hair, as the sun made his pale skin look silvery, he smiled and waved at his team, azure ireses surveying the other team carefully. ''Herees the queen'', Mike couldn''t control his grin, ''all hail number 11''. "Time off!" the coach prevented the game from starting while gesturing for the referee to give them a break. While the coach was boiling with rage, he was really happy the kid haven''t abandoned them. The score was a whopping 9 - 2, and they were one the losing side. But looking at him he couldn''t help but wonder "First, youe inte. And now, you look like you''ve been in a funeral? What the actual f*c-?" "Oi Mr. Vicks, no swearing!" Draven said while trying to recover his breath, he wasn''t tired, but rather stressed because he''s almost broken the promise he made with Maya, "As for your question, I''ve overslept, hehe" he smiled apologetically while scraching the back of his head. "Overslept?" the coach wasn''t loud this time, but veins could be seen twitching and almost popping like popcorn through his forehead. At the back of his mind though, he noted that the kid wasn''t looking all gloomy as sad like thest time he''d seen him, ''something must''ve happened that made him feel better...'' Draven didn''t mind the angry gaze, nor did he care much, Mr. Vicks was always mad at something. Looking at the crowded stadium, he squinted his eyes. ''There!'' he thought he saw a familiar face. ''Oh well sh*t, that the mayor'' he thought looking at his mother in the crowd with some of her assistants and secretaries, he didn''t think of her as his mom anymore. ''She probably thinks of it as mayoral reputation thingy, never here for me'' Ignoring his teammates and the cheering crowds, he focused more on the seats all around, only to be greeted by the two people he''s looking for. Pointing at them, he smiled, and the crowd did as well, following his finger. He then pointed at the bench near the field, where his team members sat. The two girls gave a nod and headed down the stairs, and towards their brother. Looking at Maya and Maria, the crowd was stunned. They knew his mother, the mayor, was present at the stadium. They could see her in the VIP section. But VIP or not, sitting near the yers is always what everyone wished for. Yet, Draven didn''t invite his mom, but the two girls that were causing amotion before the start of the game. They could all see the shock in the mayor''s face, as her son didn''t even bother wave at her. Looking at the two girls with eyes filled with envy and lust, the people didn''t know what happened, but a sudden chill down their spine caused them to shiver for a second before it subdued the moment the girls set foot near number 11. Those gazes weren''t new to Draven, he knew his sisters were top beauties, and so he didn''t usually mind the stares, as long as they weren''t that of lust or hatred, that is. Surprising nearly everyone, once she was close enough, Maya ran at full speed towards Draven, who was expecting a hug. But Maya had other ns. Being trained in martial arts by an expert who had no special powers, agility was one of her strongest suits. She ran at full speed, till she was a meter away from Draven. She then jumped up once, using the ground for support, then a second time, using Draven''s knee. He was shocked but decided not to react all of a sudden as not to throw her off bnce. Now being midair, and at face level with Draven, Maya trapped his face inside her open palms, and went in for the big prize. Realising her goal, Draven held her waist gently and stopped her midair. "Oi, a French kiss?" He whispered so only Maya could hear, while releasing her as soon as her foot hit the ground. The crowd was left speechless, more surprised at what the little girl was trying to do, rather than her agility that gave her the ability to do it. But Maya wasn''t impressed, "YOU PROMISED!" the look on her face made Draven flinch. She currently has a look of shock and betrayal, that would make the pained face of an injured soldier look like a happy puppy, inparison. ''Promised?'' Draven thought, as a memory shed before his eyes. *** It was when he''d gotten home early from school, while he was getting ready to leave for his ''mission''. "Hey, the game''s today by the way, you wanted me to y so you better be there!" he said to both girls. It was them who''d insisted he joins the game so he could ''relieve some stress in a friendly manner, rather than killing some poor people''. Although he''d mentioned a hundred times that no one he killed was innocent, they never listened. Looking at him, both girls noded, "We''ll be there, promise!" He nodded too, satisfied. But Maya wasn''t done. "is it not better to prepare for the game? You literally have about 3 hours till the game starts" she questioned him with her puppy eyes. His heart melted, and he knew something was off instantly, but he shrugged it off as his Imagination. "Nah it''s alright, I''ll be there before the game starts, promise" "Promise?" Maya questioned. "Yup, that''s what I said..." "What if you''rete?" "I won''t, I-" "Yea yea, but what if, like hypothetically...?" "Umm, I guess I''d make it up for you..?" "Uhm" she nodded, happy that they''re finally on the same page, "I was thinking of something along the lines of... let''s say a kiss..?" *puppy eyes intensify* "Ahh.. sure..?" Draven was taken a back by her disy of ''friendly gaze'' which be was sure would down a few boys in an instant. Also, he was in a hurry, the gang was already at the warehouse, ording to Red Joe. A cheek kiss isn''t something he takes away from the girls anyway. "Sure, if that''s all you want" he said and smiled warmly at his sister. Maria couldn''t believe her ears, but she knew Draven wasn''t aware of the lurking dangers of that promise, ''she omitted the part which exins what type of kiss it is!'' she thought, but couldn''t help butpliment her sister''s power of maniption. Maya, hearing that, could no longer contain her wide grin, she even stood in a ''be proud you get to see me'' pose while covering her mouth with the back of her palm, "in case you haven''t noticed, you''ve fallen right into my trap, houhouho~" Draven didn''t understand what she meant by that so he shrugged it off and started walking outside the door, "It''s a promise!" he winked. "Now, of you''ll excuse me, I got a bunch of idiots waiting for me! Will see you at the game!" he said and headed out. All the while, Maya''s pose didn''t waiver, nor did her evilugh. *** Remembering the previous events, Draven knew he missed up pretty bad, ''well, rip my dear soul'', he thought. But a quick look at Maya''s sad expression made him feel like the biggest jerk alive. "Alright" he sighed, " a promise is a promise, after all" "Eh? What d-" Maya couldn''t finish her sentence before being cut off by Draven who was now kneeling down slightly to be face to face with her. Raising her chin up with his right hand, he then put his left behind her head before proceeding to kiss her. Maya was shocked, to say the least. Of course, she wasn''t happy he hadn''t ept at first, but that was expected. ''Yet, now he''s actually kissing me?'' She didn''t know how to react or what to do, this boy, Draven, her saviour, had given her everything she needed in life. She''d previously thought about countless ways to end her life, while in Lady Luck''s ce. Yet, she couldn''t thank herself more for not going along with it. ''I don''t deserve such a good soul next to mine'', she thought while opening her eyes to look at Draven. She saw warmth, calmness, and love. She knew he thought of her as a sister, not as a lover, and although she thought she''s given up, she realised that she still hasn''t. Time and time again, she''s proven herself wrong. ''I love you, Draven O''Bannon. I''ll never stop loving you, not till I die. But if I can''t get your love, I''ll make sure only a girl who''s better than myself and better suited to you, and who actually deserves you, gets it. For all I care, I don''t deserve such love...'' She didn''t know when, but she''s already closed her eyes again, opening them back up, she couldn''t prevent her tears from rushing down her cheeks this time. Feeling her tears on his face, Draven activated his Ruler''s Touch and tried to give her the warmth and happiness he thought she deserves. ''Sorry lil Maya, I can''t have you falling for me, since I''d never know whether they''re your true feelings, or those generated by the feeling of dependency on myself as your protector. ''After this, you''ll be my little sister, and only that...'' Feeling the warmth and calmness wash over her, she couldn''t help but try hopelessly to stop her tears from pouring out, she knew he was giving her some of his life force. She couldn''t let such a precious gesture go to waste. After a few seconds, she felt her stress fade away, her muscles rx under his touch, and her mind at ease. The release from his embrace was so sudden for little Maya that she flinched, but she recovered soon after. ''Damn it, akin to a dagger to the heart. First it''s inserted quietly, then removed harshly to let it bleed...'' she couldn''t help but muse about that. Draven saw her expression, and without even waiting for her to say a single word, he wiped her lingering tears with the back of his index, "hey now, don''t cry, you''ll make me regret my decision..." he said with a forced smile. Judging by his expression, she knew it wasn''t easy for him either. "Oh hou~ look at you going all sensitive, lil Maya" Hearing that and remembering where she was and what she was doing, Maya jumped back in an instant. Gently, but fast enough, she assumed a yful pose and pulled her lower eyelid down a little bit. Sticking her tongue out, she said: "Haha! I knew you''d bete! I won, like always!" Almost too fast, she said what she had to, then left back to the bench. Draven couldn''t help but let a sad smile climb his face. He knew this was just an act. ''Was I wrong to go through with it..?'' he couldn''t help but wonder. Draven wasn''t alone feeling the tension, so Maria tried to ease what''s left of it in the air. "Makes me feel envious... She gets a public kiss while I''m left all alone to watch from afar", she assumed a fake sad expression and out her hand over where her heart would be. Yet, Draven couldn''t help but feel bad, even if it was just an act. He walked over to her, which surprised her. With Maria being almost as tall as him, standing about 167cm or 5.6" high, he didn''t need to kneel, so he just pulled her chin down a bit, and kissed her forehead. "Che. Of course you''d do that!" Maria clicked her tongue, then followed that by a shrug, "but I guess it''s better than nothing. Now, treat us with a big win," She waved with a wink before following Maya. With both girls calmer, Draven could finally sigh in relief, ''I hope I didn''t mess up...'' The stadium was so quiet that you''d hear a pin drop before it reaches the ground. The coach was left shocked, just like everyone else. He didn''t even question Draven''s manners for not asking permission before inviting people to the sidelines. No, his mind was a bit overloaded with what he''d just saw. ''Isn''t she still underage?'' he thought, and so did many. Yet, most of the thoughts were leaning towards how the monster of a girl was tamed and reduced to a quiet refined maiden, with but a single kiss from that boy. "Ummm..? Shall we start the second half? Er, or continue what little is left of the first." Draven''s words were like a spell that made time flow again. --------------------------------- Seeing the scene in front of him, Joey was awe struck. Not because of what the blue haired boy has done, but for what and who he is. He''s seen those features before, there was no way he''d forget someone so memorable. "Blue hair.. Azure eyes.. Angel pale skin..." Preventing his knees from doing what they''re so used to doing, and kneeling on the grassy ground, had proven rather difficult, yet he endured. "We finally meet... your majesty..." Only a handful could see the captain of the Vikings bow slightly at the ck Knights'' number 11. Chapter 17 - Soccer Match Part 3 * BLACKPINK - DDU-DU DDU-DU * *** *Remi''s POV* OMG! The f*ck just happened? Did he just kiss a minor, in front of a full stadium...? Holy sh*t there''s around 3 thousands people here... Well, at least my dad will be able to live through that "IT''S THE FBI! OPEN UP!" meme, he''s been aching for some funtely. Might stopining about paper work for a bit, till he deals with our friend here, that is. But seriously, is that dude even Draven? I''ve never seen him this happy since... hell, too long ago, middle school, was it? But more importantly, when did he fall so low? To think that he''s actually a- "A lolicon..." Rachel muttered as she mmed a fist into her open palm. Ah, f*ck..? "Rachel.. Are you alr-" "Yes, perfectly fine!" "Don''t give that crap! I can see your smile twitching" "Nah, don''t be silly!" she said with a wave, disregarding myment, "It''s just that it all makes sense now. I mean the fact that he refused girls his age and stuff..." "Oi don''t start jumping into conclusions, yo-" "Don''t give that crap, we all saw what happened" Rachel retorted. Well, f*ck she''s right and I know it. Jake, some f*cking help buddy? "But what if she''s just his friend, huh? Maybe it''s a game they do, she''s probably olde-" I try to calm the situation. "Please stop!" "Rache-" "I never actually ''liked'' the dude to start with, so don''t make me pity myself. It''s just that I admired his looks and-" Rachel stops abruptly mid sentence as if she''s just seen a UFO. "Hey, Rachel don''t mind him, I''m always-" "Shhh shut up Jake!" I snap at him, idiot only makes matter worse, why did I want your help, can''t he see that "It''s happening..." my words trail off as I stare at Rachel. After spending some time with her, we''ve discovered that she has a specific... issue, whenever she gets stressed, be it loss of sleep or mental stress, she kinda- "Huh?" Looking around, Rachel''s eyes widened, "Where am I? What am I doing here?" -yea well, f*ck, this happens. She kinda loses her memory for a short period... It''s a condition called Transient Global Amnesia. Thank God she usually takes care of herself, otherwise, one episode while riding that beast of hers would be herst. Wait, riding a beast- Damn me and my perverted mind! I mean her motorcycle! It''s fast and loud like a beast! "Oi Rachel!" I say cing my hands over the now frightened Rachel''s shoulders, "We, Are, At, The, Stadium... We, Are, Safe! Don''t, Panick, ok?" Rxing her muscles, she looks at me for a second before her eyes widen in realisation, "Ah sh*t, did I just have an episode?" ""Pretty much"" both me and Jake say at the same time. "No way, it''s been weeks since Ist had it... I thought I''ve rec-" "Sorry, but no you it''s still there, albeit faint, you only cked out for like... IDK five minutes?" I say while throwing a ''meaningful'' look at Jake. "Huh? Om- ouch, I mean yea totally, barely 2 seconds" he snapped out of his trance. The hell, dods actually have a thing for helpless maidens? "Ah well, so that kiss thingy... angel boy... all true?" Rachel asks, disregarding our small ''issue''. ""Pretty much"" "F*CK" --------------------------- Several simr conversations were brewing amongst the crowd. A couple of cops even made some calls to arrange for an "after game desert". Some might call it a ''date'' with their chief, she has a thing for ''lolicons''... Thest they caught still has trouble looking any girl in the eye, especially younger girls. ''Stupid, right? Why would someone be afraid of a little, harmless, kid?'' the cops thought collectively. Unbeknownst to anyone, a specific S ranker was watching the whole thing. Not as a ranker, but as a talent seeker for a magazine, although they were a secret agent of the EDA, they liked their current side job. "Well, that was interesting..." they muttered in a hushed voice, after giving a light chuckle. --------------------------- "So what happened?" Mike asked, while in the process of throwing his wristband over to Draven. "Don''t", Draven said, "you''re the captain, not me." "Uh not so sure, but alright. Back to the matter at hand, the f*ck happened to you? You were always gloomy and stuff, what changed you, that girl?" "Nope" Mike cringed at his friend''s attempt at avoiding the matter. "Care to borate, oh mighty que- *cough* king, I mean king?" Looking at Mike''s raised eyebrow, Draven couldn''t help but chuckle. "Let''s just say I figured out my problem, and the solution was not trusting anyone until I''m sure I know all of their hidden faces" "Um, not that I understand, but so I''m assuming you trust me and the team now?" Mike said with a hopeful look. "Nope, not the unconditional trust I used to give, no offense" Mike was hurt by that, and he couldn''t deny it, especially that they''ve been friends for so long before his friend abruptly changed. He knew it was that incident, where his dad was killed and he himself was kidnapped. He never med him for the change, but still, couldn''t help but feel the deep scar inside twitch, "well, kinda hard not to feel offended, I''ve been-" "I don''t care", Draven''s aura turned chilly for a second before returning to it''s normal self again. "Listen" Draven said, "I trust you as a yer, and your decisions in the game, but that''s it. If it feels any better, only two beings have my unconditional trust, and they''re both girls", he gestured towards Maya and Maria who were smiling at him from the sidelines. Maria saw him ncing towards her, and blew him a kiss, followed by a seductive grin. Maya didn''t sit idle but elbowed her "mom''s" ribs. "Ouch! it hurts, you know, and I''m only joking!" "Doesn''t matter, humph!" Maya scoffed and avoided Maria''s gaze. Seeing that, Mike''s facial expressions shifted between that of confused and utterly lost. "Alright, anyway, who the hell are they?" Mike didn''t mean to be loud, but the wound was still stinging. "sisters" "Mom and sister" "Huh?" Mike was confused. First, Draven had said they''re his sisters, yet he knew he had no sisters, the mayor had an only son and that was the kid in from of him. Then, the older looking girl said they''re his mom and sister, pointing at herself then the little girl besides her. Looking at his ''mom'', he couldn''t help but think if that girl was old enough to have a daughter like the one sitting next to her, let alone Draven. ''Is she even over 20 years old?'' Mike started to question everything- ''Also, what? The mayor is what exactly in that rtionship-'' he still couldn''t think clearly. After thinking about it for a second, he remembered the main topic- It was what took him byplete surprise, "DID YOU KISS YOUR SISTER?" Mike technically shouted thatst question, and many eyes widened to the point where it wouldn''t have been a surprise if the janitors found some eyeballsying around after the game. "I broke a promise, or lost a bet. Choose whichever makes more sense" Draven replied nonchntly, with a shrug. There was no reason to lie, he did indeed kiss her because he felt bad for breaking his promise. He had no real sisters so he never understood what Mike was so mad about. ''But none makes sense!'' Mike wanted to yell back since both choices didn''t exin sh*t- WHISTLE~ The referee whistled once, cutting the conversations around, in order to announce that the yers are to be ready for the second half of the game. "Alright" Mike nodded at Dravena and then his teammates, cleared his mind and went into full captain role "ck Knights, our king is back, let''s show those Vikings what we''re made of!" Mike knew it wasn''t the time for the chitchat now, they had a game to win. Although, even with a goal in mind, his heart was aching for Draven words had hurt him more than one could tell by looking at him. Let alone that he was still so confused with his friend''s answer. Putting the wristband back on, he bbed his cheeks twice before running to the center of the field. Chapter 18 - Soccer Match Part 4 * The Wanted - I''m d you came * *** Looking around, Draven couldn''t but smile slightly at this nostalgic feeling. ''Getting rid of the trigger is always a good way of stopping a vtile reaction, *sigh* I''m d I''ve gotten rid of Lady Luck. Even though I''ve done for Maya, I feel at ease now, to some degree...'' Thousands of eyes were set on him, watching his every move. Yet, he only cared for two pairs of eyes. The wind was brewing a good cool breeze that made his royal blue hair flutterzily under the golden rays of the sun. Looking at Mike with the ball at his feet, he nodded that he''s ready to kick a*s. Seeing that, Sam and Dan, two of the Vikings, chuckled while looking at eachother. They both had the same thought, '' they''re already 7 points behind us, to think they''re so arrogant... hahaha this should be fun''. Both were unaware of the fact that their captain has been acting weirdly the moment number 11 showed up. Only the goalkeeper noticed that since he''s got to keep a watchful eye over the yers, because he''s mostly resting at the back of the field. Also, the goalie wasn''t the only one who''s anxious about the second half, the crowd was quiet, as if they''re expecting a storm break the moment they breath loudly. The talent seekers especially, were so focused on the game that it seemed they were trying to take pictures with their widened pupils. Whistle~ The referee announced the start of the second half. Since the Vikings had scoredst, it was natural that the ball would start with the ck Knights. Instantly after the whistle was heard, Mike passed the ball to Draven who ran through the first line of defence almost instantly, followed by two of his team forwards behind him and Mike to his left. Seeing that number 11 had passed the first two offence yers almost instantly, the Vikings started to feel anxious. But they were ready. A defender was already waiting for Draven, blocking his path with his huge body, while two others were scattered around to prevent any tricky ys. Seeing how they were too focused on him, Draven couldn''t help but chuckle, ''you forget that the king is just a shield to protect his subjects''. He didn''t even stop to observe where his teammates were. No, he''s already memorised their positions, plus he knew the way most of them yed. Going for a feint, he swiftly kicked the bottom of the ball, so that it rests on the top of his right foot. Doing a quick backflip, the ball wasunched backwards where one of the two ''knights'' was waiting. The ball was passed from the first knight to the other, almost instantly, confusing the crowd and the Vikings. ''How? They were so bad just a second ago!'' they all thought. Unbeknownst to them, they weren''t bad at the game, they were just put in positions that they''re bad at. Among all of the Knights, only Mike and Draven were the shooters, that''s why the rest had missed too many shots. Also, the fact that they were ying shooters with Mike rather than midline supporters was bad in its own. But with their king back, they can exert a hundred percent of their potential. In a matter of seconds, the ball reached Mike who had already sneaked near the opponent''s central defensive line. But with the goalie and close yers so focused on him, he knew better than shoot the ball. Passing it back to Draven who had already passed the three yers that were blocking his way and was now closer to the Vikings'' captain, yer number 10, Joey. With Joey being so overwhelmed by the fact that he''s at the presence of the ''prince'', his moves were a bit sluggish. Draven was an expert in evading and passing yers, so Joey was just too slow for him. "Focus, damn it!" shouted the goalie to the yers who were too bbergasted at how their captain could do nothing to stop number 11. Reaching the defensive line, Draven pondered for a moment whether he wanted to shoot it himself or let others do it, ''Both would raise morale so...'' Seeing that Mike was now near him, he passed him the ball while running through the two defendersing his way. Trying to avoid two yers at the same time was hard for Mike, ''damn you make it look easy!'' he thought while observing Draven. But he was confident in his abilities, or rather, Draven''s judgment. Since he''d passed him the ball, it means he was expecting him to be able to handle them. Almost a second before passing it back to Draven, he hesitated because he saw one of the Knights close by, to his left. ''Well f*ck, change in ns, please don''t mess up!'' he thought to himself as he kicked the ball at thest moment. Seeing the knight receive the ball made him rx for a second before realising he still had to support their king. The knight, Mark, number 7, didn''t wait for the ball to get near, but ran towards it and kicked it midair towards another knight, Loki, number 8, who tried to buy a few seconds while toying with the defender in front of him. They only reason Mark didn''t pass it to Draven was to give time for Mike to get closer to him. The moment Mike was in ce, Draven patted his head using two fingers. It was a mark for Loki who shot the ball towards him. Throwing a meaningful look at Mike, who nodded, Draven ran towards the ball and gave it a strong headbutt, sending to Mike. Joey who was ready to intercept the ball didn''t think they''d headbutt the ball and was thrown off guard, giving just enough time for Mike to headbutt it himself and score a 90. ''Well, f*ck me sideways!'' the goalie cursed the situation he was thrown in. ''To my right there was number 6, and to my left was number 11. The f*ck was I supposed to do?'' he thought while gritting his teeth. Whistle~ WOOHOOOO!!! Cheers erupted almost before the ball hit the, making Mike flinch a little bit, only to give a toothy grin shortly after. Looking up at the scoreboard, he saw the new score: 9 - 3. "LET''S GO BLACK KNIGHTS!" he couldn''t help but jump and exim. "LET''S GOOO!!" the rest of the team chanted happily. The crowd, yers and coaches where astonished by what happened. ''Merely a few seconds into the game and their team scores, huh? So it wasn''t just all talk, he''s got talents'' the S ranker and many other talent seekers thought. The Vikings'' coach was about to call for a time off, but realising it''s been less that a minute since they resumed the game, he decided to observe for now. ''The second half should start soon enough, till then, I''ll think of a n to have the advantage'' he thought, with his chin resting on his right hand. Yet, he still had to yell at someone... (RIP backup yers) Smiling at the nostalgia of the situation, Draven headed back to the center of the field. While of course returning the high-fives he received. Before reaching his position, he noticed the captain of the Vikings ncing towards him, so he waved, "Yo, smile a little bit. It won''t kill you", he said with a wink, and almost everyone who knew him had the same thought; '' f*ck off, you of all people can''t say that!'' "I''m expecting a good game from your team that''s scored a 9 on mine" he smiled and headed back. Hearing that from the ''prince'', Joey realised that he has to put up a good fight to prove himself. "We gave you a free goal as a small wee gift, don''t get used to it!" he smiled and said Draven, "now, it''s about time we opened the big gifts, and let me tell you, none of them is yours" Hearing that, the yers on either side were ring with apetitive aura, frowns were turned upside down, and anxiety faded away bringing up excitement instead. Feeling the change, the crowd cheered even louder. ''With less than four minutes for the second half, it was bound to get sweaty!'' they thought with excitement. Whistle~ This time, the ball started with the Vikings, as the ck Knights scoredst. Sam passed the ball to Joey who, in turn, passed it to Dan. Seeing their y, Draven cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to his teammates, "they want you to think they''re stalling for time. But keep your guard up, they''ll wait for the right moment to strike!" ''That''s what I''d do,'' he thought. The ck Knights nodded. "Don''t worry, king, we''ve got this!" added the goalie, Henry, number 1. Joey couldn''t help but chuckle after hearing Draven, ''wouldn''t expect less from you, your majesty''. However, what happened next shock everyone. Seeing that his opponent was off guard, Draven ran faster than anyone could''ve imagined. Passing through Joey''s guard and stealing the ball took but a moment. ''Hehe, call me dirty...'' if his opponent was smart, all he had to do was outsmart them. He ran, passing by the Vikings, one by one, never two at a time, as not to take unnecessary risks He managed to get past their defensive line before the two huge defenders tried to block him. But he wasn''t fazed, ''well I guess I''ll take this risk''. Kicking the bottom of the ball with his right foot, he did a backflip, "It''s the same trick he used earlier, it''s a pass to one of the yers behind him!" Sam shouted. As soon as the defenders were about to lock on any supporter who was supposed to get the ball, they realised it''s a feint. They saw Draven with the ball on his knee. As they were caught off guard again, it was easy to bypass them. Kneeing the ball, Draven allowed to roll for a second before blocking its path with his right heel, kicking it towards the bottom of his left foot that was facing the sky, only to kick it up above the huge off bnced defenders. "Hehe, always follow the ball!" Draven grinned as he passed through their defence. As soon as he had a clear shot, he kicked the ball slightly up with his right foot, then mmed it down to let it bounce even higher. The moment his right hit the ground, he applied all of his weight, as he did a spiral kick around his body to increase the momentum of his left foot. And BOOM! The sound was loud enough that some spectators flinched, mostly because they weren''t expecting it. Whistle~ It was a score! Yet, no one cheered, everyone was still trying to recover from the shock, except for two specific girls who already knew their brother was not to be underestimated. ""Go Draven!!"" they cheered happily, they couldn''t care less about how others were looking at them. Feeling quite embarrassed yet happy, Draven just wave his hand and smiled at them. The moment he looked around, he noticed that almost every set of eyes was staring at the scoreboard. More precisely, underneath the score itself, where the "Ability Detector" screen was located. Since humans had started developing powers, there were obviously doubts about people using powers in sports, contests, and the likes. This specific detector worked as a connector between the four energy detecting poles around the big ser field, one at each corner, and the scoreboard. If it happens and someone uses an ability on the field, they were bound to be found out. Yet, the detector was still disying the peaceful green light it had been projecting since the beginning of the game. "You''re telling me that was natural?!" a random talent seeker eximed, while the crowd nodded in unison. "Hehe..." Draven couldn''t help but chuckle and scratch the back of his head. It was indeed natural, he didn''t use any type of power. His self training as an assassin has improved his body quite a bit, making him stronger and way faster than the average person. Although, he''s got a small framepared to others, he was muscr. Not the huge type of muscle, but rather the dense type, so it wasn''t as clearpared to others. Still though, it didn''t change the fact that no powers were involved. WHOOHOOOO~ "LET''S GOOO BLACK KNIGHTS!!" "Dude, Mike sure is the enthusiastic type..." Draven could feel his smile twitching. WHOOHOOOO~ Soon after, the whole stadium was cheering. -------------------------- *25 minutes before the end of the second half* *Maria''s POV* WOOHOO LET''S GOOOOOO And another one! "Ohou~ seems like one yer can actually make a difference" I say to little Maya that''s sitting besides me. "Uhm" she nods, "but not just any yer, only big bro..." she smiled softly while looking at the scoreboard. ''Whoua, they''ve almost caught up, the score now is 9 - 8 with the Vikings on top. But I think Draven is just trying to let his teammates score, rather than showing off, what a gent'' "Oi Maya!" "Yea?" "You didn''t tell me... how was it?" I say while inching closer to her face, with a smug smile covering my entire face. "Wh- What do you mean?!" Maya stuttered, turning beet red. "Oi, look at you, your practically a red Christmas tree. Wanna tell me you didn''t understand my question..." "Oh- Umm- It was alright-" she said looking away. "Hou~ is that so? Maybe I should try-" "No!" "Whoops sorry lil Lady, but you don''t get to tell me what to do, hehe. You might be his sister but I''m his mother!" "Can you hear yourself? That''s just so wrong!" "Ah~ and you''re saying that to me..? hahaha!" "It''s different! I-" "Shhh" I cut her off while cing my index on her small red lips, "well, to be frank, we''re not blood rted, so why not?" "You can''t though", she kept nagging. "Why though? You know I''ve already-" "YES! I know!" I get close to her face and whisper, "Ah then maybe the three of us can-" "But he think of us as-" Before she could finish her sentence, a weird deep shadow covered us, no, not just us, but the whole field. "What the...", it was sunny just a second ago, I''m pretty sure it''s not raining today. HEEEIHHKK!! Suddenly, screams can be heard... "Huh? What the f*ck is that?!" Maya yelled while pointing up. As I look up, I''m greeted with a ck sky, '' the f*ck, it''s not night-time yet! Hold up though, how is the sky ck while we can still see just fine without any lights, damn it''s getting chilly too'' After close inspection, I realize what we''re seeing isn''t the sky, " It''s a huge magic circle!" A huge magical circle is now covering almost the entirety of the block, ser field and therge buildings near it. "It''s a portal!" Someone else shouts, as others start pointing at weird figures emerging from the portal. The figures are like something that''s taken from a horror movie, with their dark skin, unrecognisable faces, and long sickles for arms. Their body is lean and slim, yet power radiates from their every fiber. "Big sis, stay close, I''ll protect you!" Maya''s little frame jumped in front of me while holding up the ck dagger and silver revolver I gave her a while ago. "Aw! lil Maya''s so adorable, can mama here pinch your cheeks-" Before I could even hear Maya''s embarrassed voice, one of these dark figuresnded a few meters away from us. ''Did it just crash down..?'' Looking at it, both me and Maya turn serious, as I stand besides her. "Yo, I don''t know who the f*ck gave you a pan for a face, but I''ll make sure nothing''s left once I''m done. Call me a benefactor!" Maya''s usually warm and ''fluffy'' face was now cold and menacing. "Ah, say lil sis, I was thinking we might y some cosmetic surgery games with it. Its hands are too long for example..." I feel a sadistic grin forming over my face, while I unsheath the sword I retrieved from my ''Dimensional ring''. "Sounds fun, I''m in!" smiles Maya ''warmly''. Then she raises an eyebrow and looks at me, "By the way, we need to discuss you calling yourself my ''mama'', then proceeding to call me ''lil sis''... We have to have some consistency!" "Well, I''m kinda both, ain''t I?" I say with a shrug. "Sur-" GGRRRAAAAHHHH Growls the weird thing in front of us cutting us off. "Oi we were having a convo over here!" Maya''s irritated voice could be heard, yet she was already shooting her revolver at the mess of a life. GGRAAUAAAAUHH It growls again, but this time it charges towards us, well it doesn''t sound happy about us making fun of it... ''Maybe the bullets were too ''sharp'' for it? Want some lemon with it, buddy?'' Well, one thing is for sure, poor b*stard runs fast! ""F*CK, RUN!!"" Chapter 19 - Is That A Rift In The Sky? Part 1 * Stephen - y Me Like A Violin * *** "- Yes! I f*cking repeat, this is Special Agent Cami Rogers! Identification rank S!" the youngdy yells at her phone. Her fair pale skin reflecting the scenes if horror all around her. Yet, her long jet ck hair makes it look like an illustration or a just a nightmare. While only her deep blue eyes and loud cold voice is what reflects the seriousness of the situation. "Yesss!!" she yells, unable to control her anger anymore. A destructive red aura could be seen forming around her figure, consuming air itself. She''s been asking for back up the moment that rift in the sky had opened, or whatever it actually is. She was here observing the yers, looking for a fresh promising talent that can be further nurtured in a goodpetitive environment. Yet, she was dragged again by her title as a special agent in the EDA. Although she''s an S ranker, she couldn''t do much in the situation at hand, since her specialty was mass destruction. She''s obtained the title of a Battle Mage even before being an agent, it was just what she''s good at. After entering the EDA however, she was treated as a secret weapon against alien intruders, or any invasion attempts, as one of her attacks was enough to wipe a whole city off of a''s surface. Meaning, it''s usually enough to let small space pirates that Earth is off limits. Yet, as her spells were quite strong, she needed to fuel them with so much energy, and that takes so much time and effort. As such, when the rift had opened, all she could do was throw a couple of her not-fully-charged spells towards it in order to block whatever ising to this side. But as the creatures reached the city ground, she was rendered ineffective, as her spells would kill more people in a moment, than these creatures in hours. That being said, she was still an S ranker, so even her raw power was the strongest of those present, ording to her estimates that is. Before calling for back up, she had thought she could fight these things on her own. But after sometime had passed, she realised that those creatures weren''t an easy pray. Their slim yet mascr body made them faster and stronger than what one would think. Plus, their limps were so long. The average creature would have a height of three meters, increasing their speed and most importantly, their reach! With their long sickle like arms, their reach was extra wide. So she estimated that the average B ranker would have trouble dealing with one of these, since they would be cut in half before even being able to get closer to its body. Considering that, she had ordered a team of A rankers, coupled with some S rankers. "YESSS!!! GODDAMN IT! I''m telling you a huge f*cking rift opened in the sky and hundreds of monsters are pouring out! And no, B rankers would just be extra dead weight!" ''OMG! F*cking clerks! The most battle experience they have is fighting with a hard sh*t, and they''re trying to f*cking educate me about ranks! Me! A f*king S ranker!'' Cami thought, her rare seeping out, and so is her destructive aura. Shutting the phone off, she looked at the mess around her. Three red orbs were floating next to her, destroying every creature in sight. But since she had to tone her power down a few notches, as not to kill civilians, her orbs needed about three hits to kill a single creature, and not that the fire rate was lightning fast. That''s why she had to punch them to death, asionally. ''Evading the sickle is pure disgusting!'' sheined to herself, annoyed. All of a sudden, she saw a red sh then- BOooOM! ''What the...'' She was taken aback by the sonic explosion. And once she was back to her senses, she started looking around. What she saw was one of the yers, namely number 11, the same kid that was in the top of her list as a promising talent, kneeing one of the creatures, evaporating their upper torso in a second. ''No way! He''s a B or even an A ranker?!!'' she would have never expected someone so small and young to be this powerful. ''Life is indeed unfair, one good ability and you''re on the top of the food chain...'' again sheined to herself. She thought that the only reasonable exnation as to how that kid is able to handle the creature was because of his innate ability. ------------------------- * 5 minutes earlier* Looking around, Draven couldn''t believe he''d dazed of for a second at what he saw. A huge portal covered the sky and released countless creatures that swarmed the ser field and areas around it, wreaking havoc. Many were killed in an instant. The metallic scent of blood filled the air to the point where it was dense enough to get a tinge of red. Various screams could be heard, whether it wasing from children or adults, it was that of horror. The peaceful ser field was turned into a massacre of sorts, where debris reced any signs of what the ce once was. But what he didn''t understand, was why almost more than half of those creatures targeted him! Thinking fast, he just tried to get far enough as not to harm anyone with him. "Tch, many are dead already, why do I even bother?" he question himself, but still proceeded with the n. Running away from creatures was an easy walk in the park for an assassin like him, especially that he can move faster than sound itself if he wants to, yet there was no need for unnecessary attention. Doing that here might arise some suspicions, especially if someone was smart enough to connect the dots. ''People finding out that a D ranker like myself can do what I can would be the least of my problems if they realise I''m the reason for the red light show in the city,'' he thought to himself. Making sure he''d collected enough idiots around him, he stood still for a second, before jumping up, vanishing from their sights. Looking around, confused, one of the creatures located himing down on them like a ming meteor. Injecting some energy into his shadow, Draven created a jet ck pair of gloves. Those gloves were the same he''d have on his light armour, so if anyone looked carefully, they''d realize that his shadow was now missing its fists. Rushing down the creatures with his ck fist extended, he created a crater that made them loose their bnce, before bouncing off. Those closer to the point of impact were thrown away. And the moment they were still stunned, Joey, the captain of the Vikings, attacked. "Light sh!" he yelled as he shed with his sword, which made Draven wonder if the kid is good in the head. ''why yell the attack? Is the element of surprise a joke to you?'' he couldn''t help but think to himself. The attack worked nheless. The moment the sword shed thin air, a white light outlined the ce where it cut. And as if the light had caught on fire, it exploded and went shing through rows of flesh and sickles. Although the attack was strong, well timed, and perfectly executed, it only pierced through ten creatures before fading away. "Eh? Ehhhh?" Joey was surprised his attack didn''t do much. "What-" "DUCK!" Draven cut him off. "What duck?" Joey asked looking around. But the moment he did, Draven was already there, crashing into his shoulder and throwing him away. BOOOMM! "Holy F*CK! what was that?" Chapter 20 - Is That A Rift In The Sky? Part 2 * Stephen - Crossfire (KC Audio Remix) * *** "Holy f*CK! what was that?" Joey hadn''t realised there was something, or rather someone, targeting him. If not for Draven, he''d be dead meat now. Draven only pointed at the sky. Looking up, Joey couldn''t help but open his mouth in surprise. What they were looking at was something simr to the creatures they were dealing with, but rather than sickles, it had long bony fingers. Looking closely, he realised that the creature was clenching one of its fists, holding a small purple crystal, while the other was opened and pointing at them. Joey could feel a shiver down his spine from that glowing purple crystal. "That thing first negated your attack, then threw some kind of energy orb at you" Draven said, grabbing Joey''s shoulder and startling him in the process. "How strong is your sword, by the way? And where the hell did you get it from? Don''t tell me you always have a sword up your... pants," Draven raised an eyebrow, as his grip around Joey''s shoulder tightened while they both dodged several other deadly energy orbs. Dimensional items weren''t a secret, they''re basically items that were made by some people''s abilities, or technology, so that they can contain more space that their actual body does. But he couldn''t identity such items on Joey. "Ah, hahaha, the sword isn''t that strong, but I am, I''m a B ranker" he said, scratching the bridge of his nose proudly. "As for where it came from, that would be my ability actually. Your- *cough*" he regained hisposure and avoided addressing him as the prince, since he had be sure he''s the right person. "You have a dimensional based ability?" "No... it''s a rather weird one," he said as he dodged another orb, "we can discuss that once we''re safe". "Ah sure, our friends here are multiplying like frogs anyway, we have to start cutting their numbers down" Draven said while pointing up again. The previously lone creature was joined by others of the same kind. "No wonder the orbs increased in numbers and strength, damn it" "Uhm" Draven nodded, "If I had to guess, I''d say those things on the ground are the scouts. Up there are the mages, and that new swarm is a knights squad", he said looking at the newly emerging unit, with swords and armours. "Well, sh*t just got real!" Joey said while shing at some scouts. Hearing a girl''s scream near them, Draven flinched before dashing forward and striking the scout multiple times with his gloved fist. ''Damn it, I thought that was one of the girls. I hope they''re alright, with more than half of the creatures targeting me, and with their enchanted weapons, they should be fine'' The dead scout sshed blood and brain matter all over the ground. "Oi, you good?" he asked while helping the young girl up to her feet. "Um, thanks to you" she nodded as she turned beet red and clung onto him his arm. Draven was surprised the girl didn''t just run away, so surprised that he didn''t know what to say. Looking at the girl he realised that she was wearing his school uniform. With her pale olive skin tone, light brown hair and matching eyes, many would consider her stunning. The girl herself was hugging his arm while looking up at his face, unaware of the danger around her and seemly just captivated by his eyes. "SOME HELP PLEASE!?" Joey yelled for help as his force field was about to crack from the pressure the explosive orbs exerted. ''How many skills does he have?'' Draven thought as he grabbed onto Joey''s shoulder and started running. ''Ah not this again'' Joey thought as Draven''s grabs weren''t the most gentle, since he didn''t want him to slip by ident. With both the girl and Joey''s weights he wasn''t as fast, but it still was enough to run away from the angry mob. "Hey Joey boy, I don''t know what your n is but I doubt we can fend all of them off, one of these is at least a B rank, and if it wasn''t for my speed, we''d already be dead", Draven wasn''t joking around, if it wasn''t for his energy control, he wouldn''t have been able to get this fast or strong. ''If I haven''t infused my body with energy, I wouldn''t havested a minute here since I have no actual weapon. Plus, as a I''m just D ranker, I''m almost out of juice'' he thought to himself. ''Damm I wish I could use my swords!'' But he knew better, if anyone saw a sword that would just obliterate a monster in one strike, leaving literally nothing behind, not even blood.. well, questions were bound to be asked, and he had no intentions of answering any. "My n? I was just following you around, so anything goes for me" Joey shrugged. Draven couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow at his response, "Wait! So we''re just fighting those super beasts for fun?" He said as he dropped both dead weights on the ground and mmed the iing scout a few times. Joey only shrugged since he didn''t know what to say. After his team had evacuated with the others, he saw the ''prince'' fighting and so he didn''t thinking for a second to leave him alone. Although he felt bad that he was useless here, if it wasn''t for Draven, he''d already be dead many times over. Draven face-palmed as he couldn''t imagine how dumb his ''friend'' here was, yet he smiled at his sincerity, "Well, I''d say we better bail off for now" Looking at the girl getting up and dusting herself, he couldn''t help but feel bad, ''well it was either I drop her and deal with that sickle psycho, or she saying goodbye to her a*s'' he sighed tiredly. ''I should meet up with the girls!'' he couldn''t help but feel restless, ''they might have firepower, but if they get swarmed it would get messy. Heck, I''m even having trouble here!'' Seeing that they were mostly clear at their spot, since not monsters were left around, he looked back at the ser field. "Is someone else fighting the monsters?" "Yea, I saw a youngdy, probably a mage, with some orbs behind her shooting them down like flies. She must be a high ranker since she made it look too easy" Joey shrugged his shoulders. "Y- yes, I saw her too..." followed the girl hesitantly while looking up at both boys. "Uhm," Draven nodded, "Well, of that''s the case, let''s he-!!!!!!!!" A sudden terrifying feeling struck Draven''s heart like a cursed spear piercing his very soul. His sudden chilly and terrifyingly tense aura red with a red glow, shaking the very earth he was standing on, and hispanions. Even though the killing intent wasn''t directed at them, the girl still fainted, and Joey kneeled heavily, feeling his body weighing a ton. A red sh was all he could observe before realising Draven had vanished. Then- BOOooOOMMM!! The big bang that followed spread wide cracks in the ground, almost as if scarring it. ''Hooooolllyyyy F**ckkk-'' Joey could do nothing to stop the point nk sonic explosion from invading his brain, or lungs. He grit his teeth at the horrible headache he got, as blood rushed down his ears. ----------------------- ''NOOOOOO!!!!!! ''It''s all me, it''s my f*cking fault!! ''DON''T YOU DARE DIE ON ME!! MARIAAA!! MAYAAA!!! ''I shouldn''t have left them alone! F*CK me, f*ck my life, f*CK those b*stards! I''ll destroy everyst one of you!'' It took him a moment to realize that the horrible feeling that has invaded his senses was generated by the curse, or rather the bond, between him and Maria. If anything was ever to happen to her, he was bound to know. And right now, he knew the situation was dire. Chapter 21 - First Exposure Part 1 * Longing Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale (by Yuna) * *** Draven passed the countless monsters and the S ranker without paying attention to any. His fiery eyes were focusing elsewhere. The moment he got closer to where he ''knew'', or rather felt, Maria was, he could already see how bad the situation was. Although the girls have attempted to kill many monsters in order to rescue as much bystanders, as evident by the monster bodies lying around and the group of dead people behind them, it still was too much for them. After killing so many of these creatures, they''ve apparently attracted the attention of the strongest amongst them. Standing 4 meters tall, one of the skinny creatures, d in grey armour, was toying with Maya. Literally, cutting the back of her blouse little by little. Blood trickled down her body and pain radiated through her veins, yet she didn''t stop hugging the falling Maria. On the floor, Maria wasid on her back, blood covering her face and bare chest. A deep cut could be seen, extending from her abdomen and all the way far up through her shoulder. Covered by her still body, there was a small bleeding body. It was a toddler! The scene was shockingly terrifying for Draven, the assassin that used to kill many without feeling a gust of pity. But seeing his own family like this, made him lose his mind. Unbeknownst to him, his azure ireses were long reced by ring dark purple ones, while his pupils had escaped from their socket and extended over to the sclera, turning its white colour into void ck. His sad desperate expression onlysted a second, before being reced by that of a cold killing machine. 1. Remove immediate threats 2. Stabilize the targets'' conditions 3. Exterminate all danger 4. Fully heal the targets Those were the four objectives the cold machine had to achieve. Failure wasn''t an option. All of this analysis was done in a mere moment. But the time the next moment hade, he was already kneeing the huge sickle monster in the shoulder. The first contact caused an initial shockwave that extended through its body and out to the air. As the hitnded, its humerus, scap, and vicle were turned into dust, one after the other. The force of the push was enough to push it a couple of meters away from its victims. Because of the actual hit, a second shockwave was about to shatter the top part of the spinal cord killing in it instantly. But Draven''s now w like gauntlet was already halfway through separating the head from the body, which when apanied by the iing shockwave, caused the spinal dust to stter in the air. From Cami, the S ranker''s point of view, it looked like someone was so high that they were throwing cocaine in the air for a party sniff. "First objectivepleted" muttered the kid in a monotonous voice. "Proceeding onto the second objective." With that, another bang was heard and he was already crouching near the two girls, with his glowing hand extended over Maya''s fragile body. "First target unconscious. "Vitals in severe condition. "Mana nodes closed "Soul condition... Normal "No immediate emergency detected "Full healing possibility: 87%" Before he''d even finished thest sentence, the white blue glow of his open palm was now radiating with an enormous amount of energy that created two stacks of magic circles. Each stack contained three magic circles that surrounded Maya. Collecting the surrounding energy made them radiate with a white light before it was all sent through Maya''s head and through her body. "Conducting stabilization attempts. "Stabilization attempt number 1... sess. "Target is being stabilized." Moving his hand over to Maria''s body, he started muttering again. "Second target unconscious "Vitals.... nonexistent "Mana nodes... shattered "Soul condition..." At those words, his palm glowed red. "... critically weakened "As soul is present, resurrection procedures are halted", at that the glow turned back to it''s white blue hue. "Full healing possibility: 19% "Emergency protocolunched." As thest word was said, two small magic circles appeared. One below and the other above Maria''s bloody body. What followed that was a series of small to big magic circle, thest and biggest being asrge as half of the ser field, covering the sky just underneath the big dark rift. The magic circles started glowing with radiant white hue that gave the illusion of a small sun. "Conducting stabilization attempts. "Stabilization attempt number 1... Failed. "Stabilization attempt number 2 ... Failed "Stabilization- Although the kid was still attempting to save Maria''s life, he wasn''t defenceless. Many monsters were drawn to the radiant light of the magical circles. Those that were flying, mostly mages, trying to damage the magical circles, were dumbfounded by the results. Where they were expecting to break or at least crack the magic circle, they saw tendrils of light absorbing their attacks, only to be fired at them again with twice the force and speed. And those who were trying to nk the kid, were shocked to realize that all of a sudden they couldn''t move their bodies. The moment they crossed a specific array on the ground, they''d feel their own shadows strangling them to death, or just smashing their extended void ws into their chests, reaping their hearts out. For those who even were outside the array, they were attacked by their deadpanions'' shadows. As the shadow won''t die with its owner. ---------------- (Note: the word "energy" and "mana" describe the same thing. Such terms will be used interchangeably.) Cami Rogers, the S ranker who was watching the events unfold in front of her couldn''t help but open her mouth in shock. ''What rank is that kid at...?'' What she was seeing was by no means normal. As an S ranker, she understood the basics of some of what he was doing, but not how he was achieving it. ''Those magic circles are sucking in the world energy! HOW?'' a tinge of envy and fear could be seen in her pale face. ''It''s supposed to be unstable! How''s he doing it! And even if he used the magic circles to collect it, how does he transfer them into a different body? There''s no scientific or magical way that proves it possible!'' Watching for a while, she noticed how almost every monster was attracted to the light show now, ''Well, f*ck! He leaves his back open and now expects me to swoop in and help?'' However, as she had that thought, she realised what was happening. "Their shadows... H- Their orbs! No W-...." Seeing and believing are different things. And at that moment, Cami''s brain didn''t agree, nor believe, in what her own eyes were watching. ---------------------- "Stabilization attempt number 21 ... Failed. "Stabilization attempt number 22 ... Failed. "Stabilization attempt number 23 ... Error... Soul cracked... Emergency resurrection procedure prearranged." at those words, the circles turned blood red. "Soul shattering possiblity: 89% "Due to high soul shattering possiblity, emergency resurrection estimated sess possiblity is less than 5% "Due to low sess possiblity, resurrection procedure put on hold. "Searching for possible solutions "Choosing the solution with the highest chance of sess "Running multiple simtions... "Solution: Transformation into a Soul Weaver "Conducting transformation procedure" After what seemed like eternity, but was actually 12 seconds, the magic circles turned deep purple, and instead of sucking in the world energy, the kid injected his own mana into it. "Fueling magic circles "Injecting mana surgically into the target''s nodes... fixing nodes "Mana nodes condition: forcibly open and fragile as a result of previous shattering ident "Partialy purifying mana of own signature... Highlighting general soul weaver mana signature... Injecting into nodes "Nodes condition: stable, ready to ept mana transfer "Injecting mana into cracked soul... sealing... patching..." After about 6 minutes, which hadsted since Draven''s arrival and till now, countless monsters had died already. The remaining lot were left scared sh*tless, at least those who were smart enough toprehend the situation. After another two minutes the kid spoke again. "Soul Weaver transformation procedurepleted "Target still unconscious. "Vitals in critical condition. "Mana nodes weak "Soul condition... Normal "No immediate emergency detected "Full healing possibility: 78%" As the light turned bright white again, the normal healing process was conducted. "Conducting stabilization attempts. "Stabilization attempt number 24... sess. "Target is being stabilized." "Second objectivepleted," muttering thest word, the expressionless kid stood up and started looking up the sky where the huge rift had by now covered almost the entire city, even extended down to cover thend. It almost looked like a cell battle, where the white blood cell would attack and devour the virus. And Earth was the virus in this case. "Starting the third objective.... Chapter 22 - First Exposure Part 2 * Longing Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale (by Yuna) * AN: Correct! Same song again! lol I kinda like it, and it''s perfect for the current theme! -------------------- "Third objective: exterminate all danger. In progress..." muttered the kid with the same cold monotonous voice, before he started gazing around. "Immediate danger detected. Forced dungeon transfer. "Analysing current dungeon corruption." At that, an azure ring like structure appeared around his ireses. The tiny ring resembled a perfect circle with countless tiny sword like beams along it''s perimeter, pointing towards its center. The beams themselves didn''t touch at any point. The azure ring around the dark purple ireses gave Cami the feeling of being dissected, the moment the kid''s eyesnded on her. But it onlysted a second, as he wasn''t interested in her, but scanning the whole area. "Dungeon corruption reached 89% "Rate proceeding at 2% per minute "Estimated time to cancel corruption of dungeon: 7 minutes. "Possibility of sessfully cancelling corruption: 0% "Searching for other solutions "Running simtion number 1 "... "As time is tightly limited, no possible solutions found... "Rmended course of action: prepare for dungeon spacial transfer. "Starting preparations..." Cami couldn''t help but widen her eyes in shock at the spectacle. Even though he was talking to himself like a robot, the healing magic circles remained functional, almost as if they have an automated system to control them. Same for the array that was turning shadows against their owners. No monster could harm the boy, nor the fallen girls. "I don''t think even I can do that myself..." she muttered to herself. "F*ck it, I might as well go ask him what the hell is going on. I doubt reinforcements areing any time soon anyway." She sighs tiredly, "I''ve never seen such a portal, and I can''t understand what''s happening. Why is it still expanding? Heck, if I didn''t know better I''d say it''s an alien monster that''ll swallow us alive!" Unfortunately for her and everyone in that area, she wasn''t half wrong. At this point, the rift, or dungeon, is almost ready to transfer whoever is inside into a specific predesignated area. Even if they try to run away, they''ll find a strong barrier blocking their way, that''s why also reinforcements are hopeless. "Hey, kid! Do you know what''s going on? she yelled from outside the array. Even though she''s an S ranker, she wasn''t going to risk her life and go into that deadly array. The kid looked at her, but didn''t answer. "Tch," she clicked her tongue, "he probably doesn''t trust me". she thought as her orbs went into a shooting frenzy, killing monsters up and down. "Preparations for dungeon spacial transfer standing at 78% "Anchor point needed for an origin mark. "Spacial transfer devices needed for anchor connection and spacial travel. Three targets. One possible ally." He muttered thest word and nced at Cami "Uhm, there you go." She nodded. "I''m not a ''possible'' ally though, I. Am. Your. Ally!" The kid just ignored her and kept muttering to himself. "Three transfer devices needed. Three spare transfer devices needed. One locked transfer device needed. One spare locked transfer device needed- Suddenly his eyes turned red for a moment as he said, "Warning. Energy reserves as low as 11% "Searching for possible energy sources... "External energy low. Invalid "World energy... thin. Invalid "Searching... "Internal artifact Avaia''s Extreme Disguise Runestone detected "Estimated energy reserves depleted by artifact: 23% "Extracting Avaia''s Extreme Disguise Runestone..." At that Cami opened her mouth in shock as a sudden sh of light red, forming a huge blinding orb that forced her to shield her eyes. The radiant beacon disappeared after a few seconds revealing that the figure of the boy was reced with that of a girl. ''I can''t keep up anymore!!'' shouting Cami in her mind as she stared at the girl in front of her. She had the same features as the boy, but while Cami had estimated he was close to 170 cm before, now the girl was standing at about 140 cm. Although her body was still ''underdeveloped'', she had twice the allure of the from before. Recing his blue hair, hers was silky long shades of crimson-purple. While the eyes stays the same. However, the major simrly between the two was the cold expressionless gaze they each gave, and the dangerous vibe the emitted. "Extractionpleted" said the little girl while looking at the tiny glowing crimson runestone in her open palm. Pushing the runestone slightly up from her palm caused it to stay afloat like a trained honeybee. Cami had enough for one day, but she couldn''t help but stay focused on the little girl. With her rather unique look and now oversized ser uniform, one would think she was kidnapped and thrown where she doesn''t belong. And the scene around her would only highlight that assumption. "Energy recovered: 23% "Total avable energy: 34% "Proceeding to create spacial transfer bracelets... And at that, she waved her hands in from of her, as if pressing random keys on an invisible keyboard. After a few moments, a ck and silver future-looking bracelet in front of her could be seen forming out of an unknown gooey substance of the same colour. "Nanotech Spacial transmission bracelet - 01pleted" she muttered in a hushed voice after the first bracelet waspleted. "Adding energy signature. Maria Bawlden." while the bracelet was good and all, it''s no good if someone else can steal and use it before you do. Repeating the process 8 timessted about 2 minutes, which left her with less than 4 more minutes to spare before the forced dungeon transfer urs. ''Damn it my mouth hurts but I can''t even close it!''. "How the f*CK can you create sh*t from scratch?!" Cami yelled as the girl ignored her But she wasn''t done yet. Extending her open palm upwards, she starting mending together her own mana that contained her special energy nanobots, forming a small ck and silver gem. As she ced theplete gem on the ground, two tentacles prated its surface and dived into the ground. Another two started growing like a sampling. ''The f*ck? A robotic nt? I''d be really consider killing myself since I''ve already seen everything, but f*ck if that''s right. I bet she''ll pull something else from up her a*s'' Cami thought. "Permanent spacial anchorplete." muttering thest word, she approached the girls and crouched by their side. Seeing how their skin was healthy looking again, Cami... ced one hand above her head, another down her jaw, and proceeded to close her open mouth. With a snap of the little girl''s tiny fingers, all of the magic circles disappeared. cing both hands on the forehead of each girl, she stared at them for a few seconds before starting to mutter again, "Healing fullyplete. "Proceeding with final preparations." At that, she ced a bracelet on each of their hands, hers included. Turning her attention to Cami she stared for a second before throwing her a bracelet. Needless to say, she didn''t wait for permission to out that bracelet on. Waving her hand, the little girl erased part of her array and gestured for Cami to step in. Sealing the array once again, she created a white barrier around them and the unconscious girls. "Estimated time for forced spacial transfer. 16 seconds. . . . "6. 5. 4. 3.. 2. Star- Chapter 23 - Different World * Longing Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale (by Yuna) * AN: ...Noment... :) --------------------- Opening her eyes, Cami realized she was watching the night sky, whileying on her back. ''Oh hello there Ms. Tree, you''re so tall you know that? ''Oh hehe why that was kind of you to say Mr. full blue moon. ''Oh you too think so Mr. red crescent? Hihi thank- "HOLD THE F*CK UP!" She yelled sitting up on her butt. She didn''t know how much time has passed since their spacial transfer, but she knew she was toote. All around them were waves upon waves of monsters, surrounding them. If it wasn''t for the barrier the little girl had created, they would''ve been already dead. Thousands of attacks were directed at the barrier, whether they''re short or long ranged, they all hit their stationary target She turned around towards the faint familiar monotonic mumble. "-battle preparations." At that, the little girl''s tiny pale hands glowed ck and silver before the familiar gooey substance surged forward. Seeing the little girl in action brought her confidence back up. A few seconds had passed and the barrier was still being bombarded by all sorts of attacks. Outside, she estimated there were about a thousand monsters, if not more. But only one monster stood out, with a cruel sadistic smile on its ugly distorted face. It was about 3 meters tall, with threatening fangsing out of its mouth, but had ws instead of sickles. A pair of membranous wings prated its back. The overall structure was rather creepy to the eye. Although it mostly had the same build as the other monsters, its eyes shone with intellect. On its head, there was what resembled a triangle, or one head of a star, like a crown that''s pointing towards the ck sky. With a wave of his hand, the other monsters quieted down. Cami wasn''t strange to the concept of smart aliens so she wasn''t so shocked. The monster king then started to make weird sounds while staring at the girls. Cami frowned and looked at the small girl besides her. Noticing her stare, the girl said with a clear voice, "Analysingnguage. "Language verified: Mian. Tranting. "-You''ll live." And that was thest thing the smart monster said, it only smiled after that. "WHAT??!! He could''ve said we mean no harm, leave and you''ll live. Or, whatever you do, there''s no way you''ll live! The f*CK am I supposed to know what it meant?!" Cami yelled at the little girl. Then she started at the monster, "CAN YOU REPEAT WHAT YOU B*STARD SAID?" she said as she gritted her teeth. She felt so helpless even though she was an S ranker. Her orbs wouldn''t do much damage to this monster, and her big spells would be suicidal, plus, she would need so much time to prepare an urate attack that''s not going to kill them. To make matters worse, the little kid besides her was supposedly a D ranker, yet she exceeded her in every aspect. "Hey lil girl, what''s the p-" Before she could finish her sentence, the gooey substance in front of the girl had already formed the desired product. "Azar043 heavy energyhandgun of the Wingman series. Completed. "Startingbat prep-" Cami had already given up on her ck jaw, and on the muttering machine besides her. What she saw was a heavy futuristic revolver. But instead of bullets, she could see glowing blue energy brewing a storm inside the cylinder magazine. ''RIP poor monsters'' she thought as she wiped the imaginary tear off of her eye, even though she was still enraged and wary of that intelligent monster. ''And the countless other monsters, of course,'' she thought, giving them a sad nce. The girl took advantage of the close proximity between her barrier and the hordes of monsters, she retracted her barrier for a quick second before expanding it tenfold, releasing energy spikes that evaporated about one-third of the monsters in an instant. Retracting the barrier again so that it only covered the three other girls, she jumped out with her gun zing... Each shot would need a quick charge up that would send blue energy crackling in the air, before exploding from the muzzle like a deadly shooting star. After the gun had fully charged its energy bullet, the ground cracked under the girl''s foot as she leaped out if the barrier. Not a second after, the little girl''s face was facing that of the monster king. But instead of surprise or shock, the monster had a ruthless smile that would sink anyone''s heart into a deep pit of despair. But, the girl wasn''t anyone. Holding her gun with both hands, she pressed the trigger. BOooOM!!! ''Holy f*CK it''s like Vegeta creating a handgun that can use his own Galic Gun!'' The monster''s arm was quick to guard his face, yet that didn''t prevent the crazy energy charge from almost cutting it off, and continuing past his prated face, leaving behind a bloody mess. The impact of the recoil had sent the girl flying, only tond at her feet soon after. Sliding a couple of feet, the girl stopped to analyse the situation. The monster was still standing. And although, half of its face was missing, the disgusting smile didn''t waiver. A mystic light surged out of its face as it started mending itself together. ''No way...'' Cami hated herself for the thought, but she was still thankful it wasn''t her against that monster. Staring at the girl, noise erupted from the monsters mouth before it disappeared from sight. The girl instantly raised her guard up since she understood its words. "It tickles, but don''t try it again. Anyhow, it''s my turn now." Reappearing in front of the girl before her guard was fully up, the monster punched her with all its might. Only one arm received the strike as the other was still on the way. The impact smashed through her guard and hit her adorable tiny forehead. Shocked to her core, Cami drew a sharp breath as she watched the little girl fly by, crashing into multiple trees before hitting a huge tree bark. At the moment of the impact, she could see the girls dark purple ireses turn gold before recovering back to their normal colour. Blood was practically spraying from the girl''s... everywhere. Cami was about toe running for her before she barely raised her hand, as it was hard for her to move, and mumbled "Negative" in a cracking weak voice. The girl would have shook her head of she could''ve. Cami gritted her teeth, almost cracking them, as she looked at the broken angel in front of her. ''She probably wants me to leave with the girls, but how can I leave with so many monsters surrounding us?'' The monster crouched down, a few meters away from the girl. With a hand supporting the chin and its never ceasing smile, it made some weird noises that the girl interpreted as "Laying on the floor already? We haven''t gotten started yet..." The girl struggled to get up, yet she still did. Cami didn''t know how to feel about her ever emotionless expression. But she was happy she could still stand up. "*Huff* *Huff* Energy reserves nearing critical point." Even though her face was emotionless, her body was still ''human'' and she could still feel the pain. "Are you alright?!" Cami yelled, only to be ignored by everyone. She just couldn''t help it as she was shocked and almost terrified at the sound of the little girl''s heavy breathing. She had expected her to be a robot that doesn''t get tired and never need any sleep, just like the Impression she gives. "Rmended Cou- Negative. Disregard. "Collecting world energy... Negative. Disregard. Body can''t withstand rmended action." All the while, the monster was still staring at her with the same pose. "Initializing code red.. Activating title skill: Lord Machina Ex Daemon. Chapter 24 - Fighting The Monster King * Echos - Saints * *** "Initializing code red. Activating title skill: Lord Machina Ex Daemon mode. "Stage one. Start-" At that, a dark purple mist engulfed the whole area. The monster''s instincts urged it to run as far as possible, yet its pride was strong. It jumped backwards a couple of meters only. But that didn''t prevent the chilly killing intent from reaching its core. The little girl''s familiar figure appeared as the mist dissipated. The only different thing about her was the presence of a hair decorative piece that was now hanging from the right side of her head. It looked like a bright purple small gemstone connected to a small de of a kunai knife. Cami had to confess that if one would disregard the blood and scratches all over her face, she''d be quite tempting to pinch. ''Heck, I''d eat her whole and still ask for more,'' she thought. Opening the palm of her hand, a small ck and silver kunai was formed instantly. The monster took guard. But the attack didn''te. "Eigh!!" Cami was startled by the kunai that she was struck by. The kunai didn''t hurt, nor it cut her, it just disappeared inside her forehead, where it had been thrown at. Not a second after, her eyes lit with a purple circuit glow. Blinking twice, her face assumed a dangerous expression before she started mumbling some arcane words. The surprise on the monster''s face didn''tst long as the little girl had appeared in front of its face, even though it could still see her old self still standing near the bloody tree bark. Even though the monster was fast to evade the back of her glowing handgun, the girl was faster tond a second punch, that sent it flying a few meters backwards, breaking its jaw in the process. No a split second after, the handgun had fired at its eye on point nk range. Deep blue blood sprayed everywhere, for a short period before the cursed mystic glow returned. Retreating had proved hard for the monster as the continuous lightning fast attacks kepting. What made it worse is that the pattern was always different, making it hard to predict. As the attack continued for a while, some monsters seemed afraid and ran away. Others were cheering for their king with their strange cries. A third part of them was making sounds as their whole body shook, almost as ifughing, making fun of their king. During that time, Cami had been chanting nonstop, with power sparkling around her hands. PUUUCKKK!! Three punches out of fournded at the same time, cracking its skull and forcing it to pick up flight in order to avoid more. When thest attack was done by TWO girls, and even though it had evaded one, THREE STILL HIT! It only made it more confused as it meant that both were real. sh! BOOOMMMM!!! The moment the monster was far enough from the girls, a huge ck orb hit him from above. "SCORE!" Cami posed and shouted as her smile had already filled her face. -------------- When the kunai had hit her, her mind was filled with a strange feeling, and then all of a sudden she could hear the girl''s monotonic voice in her head: "Lord Machina Ex Daemon is reaching critical energy levels. "Possible ally is not to engage target directly as help can''t be provided. "Possible ally is required to prepare a strong attack. "Monster target estimated rank: A "Monster target will present itself for a clear shot in 5 minutes time." ''Finally!'' Cami had thought, ''It''s my time to shine!'' -------------------- Seeing the magnitude of the explosion, the monsters ran for their life. Except these that were loyal, they went to check up on their king. "Hah! Take that you f*cking p*ssy!" Cami was still in her victory pose when the little girl appeared next to her, with her glowing bright purple hairpin-like thing. She didn''t mutter a single word which made Cami worry something bad might''ve happened. ''Well, duh! Her bleeding hasn''t even stopped yet!'' She thought as she bit her lower lip in concern. The girl only put the gun at Cami''s feet before approaching the unconscious girls. Without much of a reaction, she held each in one bloody hand. Turning her gaze towards Cami that was holding the gun now, she nodded as she started walking. Following tightly, Cami felt the heavy tension and kept silent. After a while of walking, they reached what looked like a hybrid between a hole in the ground and a cave. As they entered, Cami summoned her orbs to light the ce. After what seemed like a minute or two, the reassuring voice if the little girl could be heard again, "Possible ally promoted to ally. "Ally is to watch over friendly targets." She said after gently lowering the girls to the cold floor. "Uhm" nodded Cami, happy, warm, and reassured with what the girl had just said, and the fact that she''s said anything at all. The little girl extended her open palms forward as her eyes and hairpin lit up with bright purple hue. Surging forward from her palms, was the same ck and silver goo she''s so familiar with. Cami didn''t even seem surprised this time, even when she saw the the gooey substance reshape itself forming a new identical little girl. The new girl rushed forward as her figure blurred, disappearing into the deep darkness of the cave. Creeeeeeckk!! CRAAAAWWWWWKK!! Not too long after, an unnatural cry of pain could be heard. Momentarily after, about four other cries could be heard. "Was there something inside?" Cami asked with a gulp as she imagined whatever horrors were inside to give them a visit when they''re asleep. After about a minute or two of screams, the cave was deadly silent. As the purple glow disappeared from the girl, she nodded. Cami understanding that the danger had passed, or rather, was taken care of, hugged the girls bloody body. "Now please tell me! How can I help you? Are you alright?" she asked, unintentionally shaking the girls small frame. "Negative. "Ally is to refrain from violent actions as it may result in-" "Oh sorry sorry! Hands for myself! I deeply apologize, I didn''t mean to shake you like that" Cami cut her off as she hugged herself to emphasize her point. At that, the little girl ignored her and approached the unconscious girls. Sitting besides them, she looked at her shaking hands, as if afraid they might run away. Yet her gaze remained cold. Moving her hands in a spiral motion, the familiar substance came rushing. After some hand movements and hushed muttering sounds here and there that Cami couldn''t hear, two small robotic orbs were created. "Alg06 of the Guardian Drone series. Als04 of the Scout Drone series.pleted." At that, the two orbs released two sets of insect like wings. One of them, namely Als04 left the group and went exploring. While, Alg06 started rotating around the group. *Sigh* Only after waiting for a few quiet minutes, has the little girl sighed tiredly. A gesture that made Cami''s jaw almost hit the ground, as it was the first human thing the girl has done. She could see her body shaking, but she''s never expected her to actually sigh, or even feel tired for that matter. "Current external situation: clear. "Current internal situation: Critical. "Friendly targets'' status: Healthy. "Energy reserves: 0.3% "Setting automated reset in 30 seconds. Start." After that she looked at Cami, and her ck jaw. "Unit Ka is to shut down soon. "Auto healing is in order. "Ally is to take care of friendly targets. "Spacial transfer not ready at the moment. "Consult Als04 drone as-" Before she could even finish her sentence, her eyes glitched before assuming a bright golden hue. Her sclera went back to white before she close her eyespletely. "She''s knocked out cold." muttered Cami after catching her midair, preventing her body from hitting the floor. "She looks... peaceful..." She added before resting her cold body on the matching floor. Applying some first aid to her wounded body, she couldn''t help but tear up a little. "Eh? A tear??" She was surprised she''s had any tears left. After all, she''d thought she''s emptied her reserves in that fateful day... After doing some maintenance, like covering Maria''s bare chest with her own jacket, sheyed down on the floor of the foreign cave, and closed her eyes. Chapter 25 - Raven * Vicetone - Nevada (ft. Cozi Zuehlsdorff) * *** "Agh..." moaned Cami as she woke up, "Eh? What''s goi-" "Morning, Princess!" chimed in Maria with bloodshot eyes, and a sadistic smile on her face. "Eh? What are-" "Shush there prin-" "Hey! Don''t shush me! I''ve-" PUCHI! The Wingman in Maria''s hand ''gently'' made contact with Cami''s forehead. "Now, would you please tell us who the f*ck are you and where''s Draven?" Maria hissed at her. "Eh? Wait! You don''t-" "No! I do!" she insisted, pressing the gun harder onto the forehead of the panicking Cami. "Yo, also, who''s this little girl? As much as I know, Draven has no sisters. But why does she look exactly like him?" Maya said as she stood up from her spot next to the unconscious and injured poor girl. Her expression quickly took a dark turn. "AND WHY IN THE F*CKING WORLD WOULD YOU LET HER GET HURT?" Maya was gritting her teeth pointing at the kid''s messed up state. Pieces of cloth had been used as bandages to prevent the girl from bleeding out, yet to no avail. Many bandages were full of blood, her face and what Maya could see from her sickly pale body was full of scratches and wounds. Her forehead was practically steaming hot because of the fever she has. Hurting girls, and younger ones at that was as awful as it reminded her of her past. She knew thedy in front of her had tried to fix the kid''s poor state, but she couldn''t forgive her. What formed a ck point on Cami''s files was that she had absolutely no injuries herself, so Maya could only think that she had used the little kid as a bait to fend off whatever had attacked them. Meanwhile, Cami was considering fighting her oppressors since she knew they won''t believe her no matter what she says. Heck she''d have a hard time believing it herself, and she''d been there watching the whole thing. ''Aya, a little 7 year old looking kid saved our a*ses and fought against hordes of monsters! Oh by the way, she told me to save my powers so I can carry you idiots, but she then did it herself!'' Yea like hell anyone would believe that. Cami cursed her weakness. Even as an S ranker she was absolutely useless to the little girl. What prevented her from jumping off a cliff right now, aside from the gun on her head of course, was the fact that she had sted that b*stard of a monster, which obviously helped the little girl. "B*TCH, YOU HEARD MY QUESTION, NO?" Yelled little Maya. Doubting that even her loud voice was enough to wake up the little kid as she was deep in her feverish slumber, made her a little uncaring. Cami started to panick for real since she was sure she was doomed. Although she was weak in close quarters, she was still an S ranker. She could easily take the two girl''s down. ''But that robo girl would destroy everyst trace if my existence! F*CK my life...'' "Please, listen to what I have to stay! And hey don''t point that at me! It''s like a sma gun, goddamn it!" She spoke fast so that the two girls don''t interrupt her. ""We''re listening!"" Both Maya and Maria said in unison. "Alright, so what happened is..." As she went through who she is and what had happened after they''ve lost consciousness, she could see mixed feelings and gestures here and there. The most dominant was Maya''s double middle finger, as she crossed her small arms in a plus sign, and extended both her middle fingers. Paired with her enraged expression, little Maya was terrifying. "YOU WANT US TO BELIEVE THAT DRAVEN IS A ROBOTGIRL? A MACHINE? AND YOU''RE SAYING YOU''RE A F*CKING S RANKER? F*CK ME TILL SUNRISE IF-UGHEGH" Blocking Maya''s mouth with one hand, as the other still pointed the Wingman at Cami, she urged Maya to quiet down as the little kid started mumbling something. Shutting up quickly, Maya crouched down to hear what the injured girl was saying. "Euoyha" Hearing the little kid''s pained moan made Maya flinch. She could see her little frame shaking like an rm clock which made her expression soften quite a bit. Taking off her white hoodie, she covered the shaking frame with it. Noticing something that was so obvious, made Maya feel so bad and so dumb at the same time. "Maria, stop pointing that at her, please. She wasn''t lying..." her voice turned sincere and sad. She instantly hugged little Draven. "Wha-" "Her clothes" Maya cut Maria off. "Her clothes? They''re dirty, bloody, too tattered and too baggy t- Wait! Is that the ser unifo-?" Maria stopped mid sentence, seeing number 11 that was barely visible on the bloody shorts that now reached almost three quarters of the way to Draven''s little foot,pared to above the knee, previously. Retracting her gun made Cami sigh in relief. "It must''ve been really bad..." Muttered Maya. She knew Draven can be cold, but to act like a robot, he would''ve been in such a pinch that he had to only speak keywords. ''Even if the uniform was a trick, why does she look like Draven? But that doesn''t make any sense! How''s Draven a girl?'' Maya''s mind kept bouncing from one thought to the other. All of a sudden a small wing pping sound could be heard. Looking at the way to the entrance of the cave, the group could see a small drone floating closer and closer to them. Maria quickly pointed the Wingman and started charging it up with blue energy. "STOP!" Yelled Cami. "The girl made it!" Maria hesitated for a second before lowering the gun. "Oh for God''s sake, stop treating the gun as a flower basket!" Followed up Cami. The drone couldn''t speak so it used a hologram to write to the group. - Hello, ally and friendly targets. This is Als04 of the Scout Drone series. Created by unit: Ka, known across the gctic alliance as Lord Machina Ex Daemon - Those words made absolutely no sense to anyone in the room, even though Cami knew the girl had made the drone, she didn''t know her identity. - As per instructions, Als04 is to show friendly targets and ally the previous events - Waiting a moment for everyone to finish reading, the drone kept hovering in the air with it''s insect like wings. Not too long after, where words used to be, a video started to y. Maya, still hugging the girl andying down besides her, pivoted herself so she can see everything clearly. ----------------- "..." "..." "..." Whereas the two girls were surprised and shocked seeing the battle and all that''s happened, Cami was surprised the girl''s eyes were filming everything. ''Is "privacy" a joke around these parts?'' she thought as she shook her head in disappointment. As the video was literally what Draven, or unit Ka at that time, was viewing, they couldn''t see anything at the moment of his transformation into a girl. All they could observe was that a blinding light had enveloped everything. And shortly after, the owner of the ''camera'' had dropped a few inches lower. They believed that Draven''s body had shrank down to the point where it resembled that of the injured girl. After sometime, they could even see her tiny hands as she was touching their faces as she treated their injuries, and at that point they couldn''t help but nce between the video and the little girl. Maya our her hand over her left cheek, where Draven had touched her, almost as if indirectly feeling his warm touch. Maya started sobbing after realising what Draven had done and what he''d sacrificed in order to make sure that they were safe. Maria was more shocked by the fact the she almost died, and that if it wasn''t for Draven, she would''ve been a lost cause. ''Heck, even the best doctor would''ve given up on me, an any same healing mage would have focused on healing Maya fully instead of wasting their time on me!'' she thought sadly, yet with so much appreciation for Draven. That was the second time he''d saved her life. As the drone had no sound, they couldn''t hear any voices or sounds, yet everyone could hear the bone cracking sounds in their head when the monster king had punched Draven''s little face. Maya''s aura red for a brief second after which it had disappearedpletely, like a glitch that wasn''t supposed to happen. Almost everyone at that moment, had forgotten that Maya was never able to control or show her aura. But she couldn''t care about anything in the world. Someone had hurt her Draven. And even if they''re dead, many of their kind are still alive. Maya had made it her goal to exterminate everyst one of them. "Eeoihhya..." Another pained moan from little Draven knocked Maya out of her thoughts. She unconsciously kissed her burning forehead before starting to undress. "Hey what ar-" "Doing the best I can, to make sure her brain doesn''t get fried from the fever" Maya cut Cami off. "What are you looking at?" At that, Cami turned beet red and looked the other way. "You too, Al-whatever, drone!" The drone hovered to the other side. Taking off every piece of clothes she had on, except for her underwear of course, Maya started to do the same for the feverish Draven. "Mar- Mom... Please, help me." Not too long after, Maya''s almost naked body was tightly hugging that of Draven. Covering their tiny bodies was a big pile of clothes. "Isn''t body-to-body rewarming used for hypothermia?" Asked Cami while trying to avoid eye contact. "Normally, but in nature, temperature moves from high to low. Since Draven''s body is way warmer than Maya''s, the temperature would transfer from his to hers" Maria exined. "Hers," corrected Maya. "Huh?" "Hers! Draven is a ''she'' now!" Maya turned beet red and avoided any eye contact, she even buried her face deeper into Draven''s body. "Oho~, I can see that Body-to-body rewarming works wonders, huh?" teased Cami with a chuckle, " I can see your blush even if you hide your face, you know." "I''m not blushing! It''s the warm temperature!" "Aya~, sure sure." "What should we call her then? I bet Draven isn''t a girl''s name," said Maria trying to change the subject. "Umm, good question-" pondered Cami. ''What makes you think you have a say in this?'' is what Maya had wanted to say, but way too many emotions were swirling inside of her head at the moment. "Raven." was what she actually said. "Where?" "Not an actual raven. She means let''s name her Raven." Maria corrected the misconception. "Isn''t that justzy writing? You basically removed the first letter... Wait! You removed the only- "Shhhhhhh!" interrupted Maria. "It''s not time for stupid puns!". "sorry" "You better be!" After a while, Maya had already closed her eyes and lost herself in her dream world. Maria and Cami stayed awake. It was some time after noon, so they weren''t really tired or sleepy in particr. "Say..." Maria broke the silence, "What Dra- I mean Raven did back then, to me I mean, is it true?" Maria meant about Raven transforming her into something other than human... a Soul Weaver. Cami didn''t actually reply, but she only made the "hell-if-I-know" gesture, while shrugging her shoulders. "Have you been feeling weird?" Said Cami, realising the opportunity to get back on Maria because of little "gun-kiss-forhead" incident. She followed with what she thought was a good joke at the time, "you feeling weird and fuzzy in some ces?" She said as she chuckled. "Yes" "Eh?" Cami had the dumbest expression on her face. "I feel... hungry...." Chapter 26 - Give Me Some Food Please * Omer Adam - Haverot Shh (Your friends) * AN: Aye that''s not English, it''s actually Hebrew. And yes I do speak that :P -------------------- *Draven''s POV* "Urgh..." a quiet moan escapes Draven''s mouth as he starts to open his eyes. *Sigh* His eyes scan the area quickly before he sighs tiredly. "Now, now, why am I sleeping on the floor of some alien forest?" ''Hmm, two red blood moons and crimson sky, filled with huge stars. Oh look at that, two stars are ''touching''... did they just explode?'' he thought, looking at the small white glow in the distance. ''Ah, anyway, we''ve also got crystal like trees... Yea pretty sure it''s an alien forest.'' "..." ''Argh, do I have to get up now? ''Really? ''Ok, why am I feeling so sluggish?'' *Sigh* "Welp, might as well face whatever bullsh*t awaits for me here." He says as he stands up and gives his body a rather lengthy stretch. ''Kinda d I''m still in one piece,st time I got unconscious I was kidnapped and... bad stuff happened,'' he shrugged at the thought of Lady luck. Now that she''s gone, old memories didn''t faze him as much as they used to. Looking around, he approaches the purple crystalline trees, "Is that crystal splendor plums?" he asks no one in particr as he examines the glowing crystal fruits. ''Well, I''m pretty sure I''m not supposed to eat alien fruits, or crystals for that matter. But dude it looks so good, and I''m starving!'' The fruit pulses with its natural colour as he grabs it. *crunch* "Holy hell this is good-" All of a sudden, the world glitches white as time slows down to reveal scorching cotton-white mes burning in fury, evaporating everything and turning even air into dust. ---------------------- *Back to the cave. The girls'' point of view* "Eh?" Cami mumbled as she jumped away from Maria. "I can understand you being hungry and all, we haven''t eaten since we came here and-" "Yes!" Maria''s enthusiastic voice made Cami back away a few more feet. "What''s with that look?" Cami asked pointing at Maria''s widened eyes and drooling mouth. "I don''t taste good I swear!" "Ah I can fix that though" Maria said as she licked her lips. A hungry smile appeared on her face. "Eh...? I''m sorry are you hungry for real or..?" Cami stopped mid sentence, she knew Maria didn''t have it for girls, what she saw in her eyes was what she thought a vampire''s would shine with. ''Is it because of the transformation? But the little girl never looked at me in hunger'' her mind started spinning at top gear. Maria kept getting closer each second. ''Well, here goes nothing'' Cami thought as she drew a deep breath, "MARIA! I''M NOT FOOD!" she yelled. Blinking twice, Maria looked like she''s just awakened from a good dream. Wiping the drool off of her face and pping herself twice, she looked at Cami and scratched her cheek apologetically, "Hehe, sorry". "SORRY MY A*S! You almost gave me a heart attack!" "Eh? Aren''t you an S ranker? I''m just a nobody D ranker. And please refrain from yelling again, you don''t wanna wake up the kid, do you?" "Well duh! Of course not!" Cami straightened her posture. "And no, I''m not afraid of you, I''m afraid of that!" she said, pointing at the sleeping girl near Maya. "One wrong move and I''m a shish kebab!" "Hmm, Dra- Raven can be a bit cold and harsh," she shrugged, "but he''s also a D rank only." "You-" Cami gritted her teeth to avoid waking up the sleeping girls with her curses. "How can you still believe that? That seemly poor little girl handled an A++ monster king, and it''s f*cking horde!" "True, but still-" "No buts!" "Eh-" "Shhhh" "..." "What?!" "I didn''t say anything" Maria raised her hands in surrender. It''s true that for others, Raven would seem to be all powerful, but she new her soft side that made her and Maya love her so much. What others knew as a cold person who looks down on everyone, was just a bird hurt in the wings. Maria has seen and heard her cry way too many times to think of her is anything other than a child who needs help. She needed trust, and so Maya and Maria provided. Raven obviously turned trust in such. If she''s told them she''s a rank D, then she''s a rank D. "You didn''t say it, you thought about it!" Cami retorted. "..." "..." "Umm-" "Now what!?" "Can we go hunting? I wasn''t joking when I said I''m hungry" "Aa-" She was about to yell again when she remembered Maria''s hungry eyes that made her feel like a dead chicken in the grill. "Sure, here." Cami said as she summoned some food from her dimensional ring. "Please tell me you didn''t have that all the time and just made us starve for nothing. Heck, poor Maya slept without eating, and let''s not talk about Raven!" Maria said as she pointed at the sleeping girls. "Hey, you had a damn sma shotgun kissing my head the moment I opened my eyes, and after that we were watching the recording!" "Hmm, a little bit after you opened your eyes." That made Cami grit her teeth in sarcastic frustration. "But still I can''t forgive you!" Maria continued. "I didn''t ask for forg-" "I don''t care, anyway, thanks for the food!" She said as she stored two portions for Raven and Maya, and started digging in her own portion. *Sigh* Cami couldn''t help but sigh and shake her head. "How much food do you still have? And howe you have that in a ring, does it not go bad?" Asked Maria while munching on a piece of fried chicken. "Well, not enough for a second serving. And, you''re eating it... is it bad?" Maria shook her head. "Also, I always store food in my ring since I tend to go to space quiet often, for practice purposes or random EDA meetings. Let me tell you though, their food sucks!" She said as she stared stuffing her food with some fries. "Uhm, B-" *gulp* *Cough* *Cough* Maria choked on her food as she tried to speak with a full mouth. "Didn''t take you for the gluttonous type. But it''s alright honey, take your time, we''re not running away." she said with a chuckle. "Uhm" Maria nodded as she chugged down about half a bottle of water. "I was gonna ask, why do you have so much fries on you, like almost everything is fastfood." "Because I like it." "Well, rather simple but ok!" "What did you expect? A full sad anecdote where my family suffers and I end up working in a fastfood restaurant etc.?" "Fair enough, well it''s alright, I think the kids will like it.." She said and nodded her head towards them again. Chapter 27 - End Of All Hope Part 1 * Nightwish - End Of All Hope * *** "You know," Cami said between munches, "with the way we''re talking right now, and the two kids sleeping over there, I wouldn''t be so surprised if someone thought we were a married couple with two kids." "Uhm," Maria nodded, "I don''t know how to feel about that to be honest, being married to someone I''ve never met before isn''t kinda my thing, and let''s not forget that you''re not my type". "Oho~ Not your type? You do realise that almost everyone that sees me falls for me?" Cami replied as she swayed her hair left and right as if to prove her point, "also, I''ve practically known you for a day, since we''ve met yesterday." "Meh. I''m not into girls. Plus, I lived with Raven as a boy. And not almost, but every girl did fall for him. Funnily enough, I''ve seen some guys even check him out every now and then" She said with a shrug. "And, I was unconscious so it doesn''t count". At that, Cami looked down in disappointment. ''It''s a matter of fact that the kid is extraordinary beautiful, even as a boy, he was so adorable, maybe a little bit too much...?'' She thought to herself. ''Maybe it''s because she''s not human? If I had to guess, I''d say she''s a kid that''s been experimented on. Well, that or that she''s a hybrid between a robot and a soul weaver, whatever that actually is, since she''s transformed Maria into one. And if this is anything like vampirism, then she''d have to be one to be able to turn others". "Heye on now, don''t feel down about that, I''ll get her to crack her charm a notch or two down." "Hey I''m not! And what do you mean, can she do that?" "Nah" "PFFTT then why even- *Sigh" Cami sighed in surrender as she squeezed the bridge of her nose, "Listen, I was thinking about something-" "Aha, go on" "Would you please let me finish my sentence first?" "Sure" "What do you know about Soul Weavers?" "Um... nothing, why?" "Well, the girl did turn you into one, you should at least be curious, you know." "A soul weaver huh?" Maria said with her hand on her chin, "Nah, I''m pretty sure she''ll let me know everything I need to, the moment she wakes up anyway" "Girl, you be trusting her blindly huh?!" Cami said in a weird ent. "Of course I do!" she replied instantly. "..." Cami just stared at her, "Ok let me exin-" Maria raised her hand, as if to signal for her to shut up. "Eighyea?" Maya woke up and threw a questioning sleepy mumble before looking back at the shaking girl in her embrace. Raven''s body was shaking like crazy. Her high fever has gotten way worse before anyone had a chance to realize it. At this point, even Maya''s body was covered in sweat, and not only because she was hugging Raven, but because of the heat she emitted. "Help please!" She said weakly, prompting Maria and Cami to jump closer to them. Putting a hand over the shaking Raven''s forehead, Maria was surprised by how hot it was. "It''s at least 43 degrees Celsius, a normal person would be dead at 45, if kept for an extended period of time" ""What do we do?"" both Maya and Cami said at once, almost panicking. "I''m a doctor, don''t worry," she said, trying to calm the girls down, it was always the first step in any medical procedure. "Cami, give me whatever water you have on you, and then take one of the drones outside and look for some more, bring me as much as you can!" "Roger!" She said as she started to run for the exit of the cave. "Maya, please keep doing what you''re doing. I''ll remove the clothes covering you, alright?" "Uhm," she nodded as she embraced Raven even harder. ''The rate at which her temperature is going up is way worse than expected, how did I miss checking up on her?'' Maria scolded herself as she uncovered both girls. There''s no way she''d forgive herself if anything happens to Raven. But although she was quite concerned, she kept her personal emotions in check. She''s learnt during her medical carrier that mixing feelings with professionalism can be disastrous, especially when someone''s life is on the line. Taking a piece of dry cloth, she started drying up the sweat on both of their small bodies. ''If kept, sweat will release the heat from their bodies which is good, but at this point, it would do more damage to her organs'' Maria analysed in her mind. ''a sudden decrease in temperature can prevent certain enzymes from functioning properly as they loose their optimal environment, just as much as a sudden increase would do''. *Huff* *Huff* Now that the cave was quiet, they could hear the shallow breathing of the little girl. Maya felt her heart sink down deeper and deeper with every passing second. ''Please, please stay well! Raven! Don''t leave me!'' She was so scared of the thought of losing Raven. She''s done way too many good things for her that Maya despised herself for being fine and well while she was suffering. She felt as if she''s betraying her. ------------------ *Draven''s POV* Opening his eyes and looking up the now familiar crimson sky, Draven took a deep breath as he jumped up and started to run. Reaching the edge of the crystal garden that he''d previously thought it to be a forest, he saw a huge gate leading towards the huge dark castle in front of him. Although the gate was about four meters high, filled with gems and weird runes, it was apparent that it''s seen better days as multiple cracks appeared on its surface, distorting the runes and decreasing their effectiveness. On the ground, five human looking soldiers wereying in a puddle of their own blood. Two had their heads cut clean. One was missing his bottom half, and his entrails wereying t on the once green grass. Thest two had their bodies turned into rotten flesh that almost resembled an eaten apple, it was as if their souls had been sucked dry. Guarding the gate and standing on top of the bodies, were two dark scaly figures in some heavy armour. One had a long spear that could almost cut air itself, while the other had a scary lookingpound bow. Draven guessed they both were of the same race, considering their simr features. As he appeared from behind one of the trees, the guards were rmed of his arrival, and quickly aimed their weapons at him, while mumbling some weird sounding noise. Summoning his dark armour along with two great swords, Draven let his destructive aura re violently. The guards stiffened from the dense killing intent assaulting their souls. His jet ck armour was now covered with crimson runes that inspired fear into the guardians'' hearts, as they could swear they were peering into their deepest nightmares. The swords, on the other hand, were pulsing with ominous red as if reacting to their master''s killing intent. Along with how some darker shades of red liquid could be seen swirling inside of them, the swords gave off the feeling of being hungry, almost starving, for souls and blood. They almost looked alive. BOOOMM!! shing right between the two, he cut them in an instant, making even their armours and weapons turn into dust while they just vanished into the two great swords. Rather than running, Draven jumped really fast, almost as if doing super long jumps, and traveled with speed akin to that of sound. BOOOOM!! BOOOOM!! BOOOM!! With every jump, the ground would let go of its structure, leaving small fissures behind. Moving through the castle hallways he saw multiple scaly figures, some had the same armour and others wore something different. Needless to say, he evaporated all of them. But even then, the swords kept pulsing stronger every time, seemingly wanting more blood, more souls. Reaching what looked like the main hall of the castle, he could see about a thousand warriors, not ounting for the dead. Along with the draconic like race, he could see some shadow like ghosts floating around, and many other different figures. The only thing they had inmon other than being nonhuman, and the green crest they had embedded into different parts of their armour or clothes, was the fact that they all attacked the human soldiers in dark armours. While the soldiers were quite strong, the numbers just didn''t add up. Each human was fighting about two scaly monsters with another ghost bombarding their defence from up top. Seeing the humans in a pinch made his heart falter, he knew he didn''t have the luxury of time, yet he couldn''t stand the massacre happening right under his nose. Focusing really hard, he spread his aura all over the huge room, while trying to avoid those who he deemed as allies, mostly the human soldiers. The sudden chill in the air alerted everyone to his presence. A thousand pair of eyes or glowing gems stared at him. Most watched him with what looked like pure hatred and contempt, while the humans'' faces brightened instantly when they saw him. Their faces were filled with hopes for life and salvation. ""YOUNG PRINCE!!"" They called out at once. Chapter 28 - End Of All Hope Part 2 * Nightwish - End Of All Hope * *** ""YOUNG PRINCE!!"" As if replying to there call of hope, Draven raised one of his great swords up high above his head. The ominous red of the swords and the crimson runes on the armour resonated with his dense killing intent, pulsing ever so strong. With each pulse, those that were trapped in his aura, got weaker and weaker. The draconic race along with others that had physical bodies, started to shrink and get thinner in a speed visible to the naked eye, as they started to get older and older. The ghosts on the other hand, or other races without a physical body, would just get peeled off,yer byyer, till their very core is exposed and sucked in to the swords. After a couple of seconds and some deadly pulses, the enemies were either resembling an empty juice box as their bodies were sucked dry of their vitality, or nothing at all as they''ve ceased to exist. Draven didn''t wait to receive the thanks of the grateful soldiers, nor their cheers, but rather resumed his race against time once again. Exiting the castle, he nced at what once resembled a wide futuristic city. Now however, it was covered in its own ruins and filled with dead bodies and different colours of puddles of blood. The two blood moons were like the watchful eyes of someone who was either enraged watching the events unfold, or one that''s already given up and pierced their own eyes to prevent the view of spilled blood from corrupting their soul. Nheless, Draven felt even stronger under their bloody glow, especially with the sky reflecting their colour. What he''d previously thought to be stars, were in fact spaceships fighting high up in the atmosphere. Not stopping for a second, he kept running while ignoring the death all around him. If anything, this city should be called death city, or the grim reaper''s paradise. Killing whatever nonhuman creatures stood in his way, he climbed up, or rather ran up, whatever was left of the few skyscrapers that were still standing. Looking down upon the rivers of blood, he blinked twice as he allowed an azure ring to materials around his dark purple ireses. (AN: see chapter 22 for details about the ring.) In contrast to the ring he''d formed previously, now the ring was shining brighter, giving his eyes an overall icy glow. Using his newly acquired power, he could see almost everything around him, not just that, but also memorize it. In his now 360 field of vision, mana appeared in azure colours, as he took note of the different mana flows in the city. ''There!'' he thought before rushing to the ce with the strongest mana flow. Reaching the ce not too long after, he saw the human dark armoured soldiers fighting off against the invaders. Although most of the humans had swords, spears, shields, and the likes. Many also had energy guns. ''Maybe the answer is helping them here? But, I''m looking for something akin to a nuclear explosion! Where would I find that?'' his brain was spinning on top speed, and so did his eyes as they kept scanning and taking note of everything around him. All of a sudden, the crimson skies lost their colour as they filled the in pure darkness. Looking above, Draven as well as everyone else who was still alive, saw what resembled the upper half of a humanoid dragon. Covering its huge muscles were a set of white sturdy scales that looked like pearls rather than scales. Two pairs of white wings suprred out of its back, obstructing any sort of light from touching the cursed city. Even though the monster glowed silvery white, it didn''t illuminate the cked out city. For the onlookers, it seemed as if the dragon was missing its lower body, but with Draven''s enhanced sight, he could see that it had a shadowy jinn''s tail of some sort, and that it was connected down to a ce thay he''d deemed unworthy of checking. "Well, at least I know where I''m heading next," he whispered to no one in particr. The dragon''s massive jaw opened revealing a white fire ball, that akin to a small sun. The heat it emitted was enough to cause cracks in the atmosphere. Although the monster was quiet, Draven saw its clinched fists and the despair in its eyes. It was quite scary for everyone else, but for him... he felt a wave of familiarity hit him when he looked at it. Closing his eyes and bracing himself for the impact, Draven felt enraged, he didn''t know how it happened or why, but he was ring with rage. All of a sudden, a familiar glitch made the world lose its colours as nothing remained but it''s cotton-white scorching fury. It was as if a white star had hit the. Draven didn''t even hear the sound of the resulting explosion or even feel its heat, rather, everything around him just ceased to exist as he was struck with a white dazzling void before opening his eyes again to find himself in the familiar purple crystalline garden. "Ah..." he was tired of doing this over and over again, but he knew he had to keep going. Something was calling out for him to keep moving forward. "Well sh*t, here we go again." However, even though he thought about starting his race again, he didn''t actually do it. "If I can''t die here, I might as well figure out the f*ck is going on *sigh*" "Ok so to recap, first I wake up in this alien. Humans call me ''Young Prince'' for some reason. Ummm, I do have powers that aren''t mine, I even have the knowledge about how to use them..." *sigh* Looking at the two blood moons, he sighed again. "What am I missing?" "What happened before I woke up here? "Last clear memory I have takes ce after the ser game where Maya and Maria were unconscious in a puddle of their own blood. "But I''m pretty sure I''ve saved them somehow, I can feel it. "After that, all that''s in my mind is just some broken pieces of a big puzzle. "I remember fighting a strong monster with some weird powers that I now possess. But at the same time it wasn''t me actually doing the fighting. It''s almost as if I was watching my body move on its own. Have I been controlled by someone? "If anything, it felt like back when I escaped from Lady Luck." he mused as his eyes darted towards the crystal trees. "Yes!! I remember now!" he said enthusiastically as he lightly smashed his fist into his open palm. "It''s so simr to the feeling I got when I had that weird voice in my head, when I produced that heavy crimson armour! "Hm, It all makes sense now! I don''t know what my powers are, but what I do know is that whenever that... ''phase'' happens, I use powers that aren''t mine, but then after it passes, I regain the toned down version of it. "That''s why I can now make the ck shadow armour, but not the draconic crimson one. Also, as of when I woke up, I found myself able to produce this gooey substance." He said as he extended his right hand. Unlike before, the colour of the gooey substance that surged from his hand was silver only, with a hint of prismatic grey, rather than the ck and silver. "As a matter of fact, I almost know for sure that this metallic goo is basically a bunch of nanobots, as in millions and millions of them. "I also have the basic understanding of how I can build almost anything that I can imagine, as long as I know how the parts go together and its function, etc." He said as he built a simple ck dagger. "Although I doubt I can use them in a fight at the moment as I have no experience. Even building a simple gun would be an exhausting task that would require so much energy. The nanobots are so vtile and require a lot of energy and focus to make sure they''re stable, let alone control them. "Hmm, that at least does answer some questions, although it opens the doors to many others. But it''s not the time to dwell over that. "If I consider this to be a trial of sorts, or even another one if these phases, does that mean I''ll have to finish this to be able to get the enhancement for my armour and swords? "And that weird azure vision thingy that I developed, it enables me to detect, memorise, and almost visually dissect anything that''s made of energy, in my field of vision, which is now anywhere around me when activated. "If not made of energy, I can project my own into it, and the effect would be even better. "Also, I can see through walls! Kinda d I can''t see the actual flesh though, that would distract me quite a bit in school, especially when the girls are getting ready for PT..." *SLAP!!* "What am I thinking? Back to the task at hand... *sigh* "What''s the objective in here? What am I supposed to do? Fighting that half dragon is a big no-no. "It''s way too damn OP, one attack is all it takes to destroy a! Like who the f*ck made this trial so hard? How am I supposed to-" Noticing the white glitch distorting his vision again, just a second before everything went ck, Draven realised he''s out of time. "Well, RI-" Chapter 29 - End Of All Hope Part 3 * Linkin Park - In The End (Mellen Gi & Tommee Profitt Remix) * *** Running through the bushy foreign forest, Cami''s eyes were scanning for any source of water, but to no avail. ''Damn it, this isn''t good! I''ve been away for a while and I can''t seem to find anyke or river. How does anything live here?'' she thought to herself. "Yo drone, do your thing and find me some water! Your master is in danger, damn it!" she yelled at the drone. At that, the drone soared up the sky and started scanning the surrounding area for a minute or so, beforeing down. - Closest body of water is estimated to be 120 kilometres north of the current location.- the drone projected the words into the air for Cami to read. - Estimated time of arrival, including the trip both ways: 5 hours. - By then, based in the current situation of master''s health, estimated survival chance would be less than 28% - The drone had no emotions, nor did it particrly care for its master. It wasn''t programmed that way. However, the same couldn''t be said for Cami. Even though it hadn''t been much since they''ve met, she saw the kid as her equal, if not more. ''Heck, she''s already saved my a*s one too many times! I''m not one to hold a debt I can repay!'' she thought as her eyes shone with anger. Not only did she care for the little girl, but she''s started to take a liking into both Maria and Maya. Maya was like a Barbie doll that was stuffed with explosives enough to turn a city into burning ruins. Her childish voice can be quite... hurtful, to say the least. Yet she liked her. From what she could tell so far by the little time they spent together, she wasn''t one to sugar coat anything, especially her feelings, she''s as open and easy to read as a transparent window could be. As for Maria, she was mature and smart, plus she had the good looks and friendly aura around her that would make people fall in love instantly. "There''s no way I''d give up on the kid and risk losing all of that!" she said as her aura red red. Although she still doesn''t know them much, she knows they won''t betray her. They''re just a simple loving family, and she''s seen how much trust they have in eachother. ''The way Maria trusts Raven is just heart warming, I don''t want them to lose it, as much as I don''t want to lose the warmth I feel when I''m with them.'' Unlike most of her friends, they didn''t treat her well because she was strong, nor because she was beautiful. Not even because of the money she has, heck they didn''t even know about it. ''If anything, they trust me because the little girl put her trust in me.'' she thought to herself. A single tear appeared in her right eye as her vision blurred for a second, before she wiped it away. ''A second tear that I thought I''d never shed, huh?'' she thought as a sad smile crept into her face. BOOMM!! Grabbing the drone under her right arm, she jumped up high and kept leaping from one tree to the other. "Let me show you how fast can an S ranker be! You useless piece of metal, just let me know when we get there!" She yelled at the drone in her grasp. ------------------- In the cave, Maria was already out of dry cloth. The best she could do was squeeze the sweat out of the wet clothes, and try to get some of the water Cami had left between Raven''s dry lips. Usually she''d use the water to wet Raven''s face and allow it to absorb heat, the problem was that they don''t have a stove, or any other way, to warm up the water a little bit. Using cold water would be as bad as the sweat she''s trying so hard to remove. ''Please, please, don''t give up on me! I can''t lose you now!'' Maria was about a hair away from panicking. Dizziness is a side effect of extreme exhaustion, so Maria didn''t think much when her vision started to blur, and her mind to loose focus. But what she didn''t realize is that the dragon''s eye tattoo on the back of her hand was now glowing dark red. "Mom, your hand!" Maya pointed out. Seeing that Maria didn''t cooperate made Maya even more worried. "MOM!" she yelled in worry. Looking at Maya with bloodshot eyes, Maria shook her head left and right to prevent herself from falling asleep. Noticing what Maya was pointing at she understood why she was feeling so tired. ''If she dies, I die... Huh, I forgot about that. But at least I''d never feel the pain of losing her.'' She thought as her mind started to drift away. "MOM! Focus... please." ''Ah, poor Maya, loosing the only two people I care about would personally kill me, I really hope you''re stronger than me.'' *Huff* *Huff* Watching her mom''s exhausted face and connecting the dots, Maya realized what was happening. She stood up quickly and kissed her mom''s forehead. Feeling the familiar heat she emitted, Maya started to panick. Not having many options at her disposal, she started taking her mom''s clothes off. "Maya, wha-" "Shh, please... I promise, I''d die before I let any of you go." Maya said as two hot streams ran down her small face. Leaving her mom in her underwear only, sheyed her down on top of the pile of clothes, near Raven. Although most were wet, it would still absorb the sweat better than the cold floor. ''I need to figure out something! Mom couldn''t use the water we have since we can''t heat it, but if we can, then it might help a little bit,'' Maya''s brain was spinning at top speed, ''I have two sources of heat now, Raven and mom. Yet, warming the water using their own heat is out of question since it defeats the whole purpose. What can I do?'' Although Maya didn''t have fever herself, she was drenched in sweat. Her light brown hair was sticking to her shoulders as a second skin, her hazel eyes had a tinge of silver as they were filled with tears. ''How? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE OF ANY HELP? I''M USELESS! I''M JUST A USELESS WH*RE!'' she screamed in her mind. She unconsciously started to imagine a future where both Raven and Maria die. In that future, she''d just kill herself before the pain of loss hits her, or so she thought. But the pain in her heart was already unbearable. Raven has always sacrificed a lot for her sake, and now, she has nothing to offer back. Her feelings couldn''t be put to words. But if anything, it wasn''t something a 13 year old should experience. Her life, ever since she was born, was hell on Earth. Only after meeting Raven had she considered herself to be living a human life. And now, she was about to lose everything. Feeling helpless was a huge understatement. Whatever she did to the girls in front of her, their temperature would only keep going up. After some time, Maya was so exhausted that she had toy down on her back so she doesn''t fall over. "Please..." she whispered into the cold floor of the cave. TUCK! TUCK! TUCK! Hearing footsteps near the entrance of the cave, she instinctively threw thest piece of clothing she had, which was Maria''s jacket, on top of the two unconscious girls. Having nothing left to cover herself, she just hugged herself to cover her chest area, as she still had her underwear on. "CAMILLA!" Maya knew that the guardian drone would prevent any strangers from getting in to the cave. But that didn''t exin why she could hear three separate footstep sounds. "COMING!" Cami yelled back, she almost sounded happy. "I brought help!" The usual Maya would be shouting at her to stop and exin the situation, but the current Maya was so desperate that she''d trust the devil. Not a moment after, Cami appeared with two other people; a boy and a girl. Maya recognised the boy as Joey, the captain of the Vikings, the team that yed against Draven''s ck Knights. The girl, on the other hand, was a stranger to her. With her pale olive skin, light brown hair and matching eyes, Maya was sure she''d remember her if they''ve ever met before. "Hi Maria, I brought you lots of-" looking at the unconscious feverish Maria, Cami stopped mid sentence. "What happened?" her voiceposed, but her mind wasn''t. "If Raven dies, mom dies too," Maya said as she bit her lower lip. Even though she knew of the fact, just saying it out loud made the knot in her stomach ache even more. "Please tell me they can help." Maya was looking at the new duo, almost pleading at this point. "Yes we can!" said the girl hurriedly as she took control of the situation, "I''m a C ranked healer." Crouching down besides the girls, she put her hand on top of Maria and Raven''s foreheads. Realising the seriousness of the situation, she bit her lower lip. "Joey! Warm whatever water we have for me please, but make sure to leave some bottles for drinking. Cami, I want you to create a small crater in the stone floor so we can use it as a bathtub, I want it to fit both girls if possible." "Roger!" Cami said with determination. She wasn''t about toin that a mere C ranker, and a healer at that, is giving her orders. As long as it was for the sake of saving those who she cared about, that is. "On it!" replied Joey too. For his credit, seeing the almost naked beauties helplesslyying on the floor in front of him, he only turned red for the first minute before a serious expression took hold of his face. With a simr expression, the girl approached Raven first as Maya had pointed out that she''s the key to heal both. After muttering some words in a hushed voice, a couple of magic circles started to form around her. Chapter 30 - Back In The Human World * WILLY WILLIAM - Ego * AN: French, for those who are wondering. ------------------ "What''s that thing?" panicked voices called out as the whole area of the ser field was surrounded in a huge ck sphere. "Aliens are attacking!" yelled another. "Is this area 51? F*CK this I''m going home, sh*t is too intense." said a young man to his friends as they all started to run away. "Idiots!" a homeless person shouted at them, "it''s another failed experiment that the government is trying to cover up! me aliens? They don''t exist! But governments sure do!" ------------------- "My son! I can''t find my son! Please hel-". "Please be patient, ma''am, our rankers are working hard to maintain the situation." A panicked woman was asking for help to search for her missing son, but an EDA member, a high ranking executive to be exact, cut her off as all EDA rankers were quite busy fighting off what remains of the sickle monsters and had no time to look for missing people. It was the best way to ensure the least amount of casualties. As of now, there has been reports of more than two thousand people going missing in the past couple of minutes, 17 minutes to be exact, while about a hundred were reported dead. ''The missing people are most likely dead, especially that they''re stuck in that deadly sphere.'' thought the EDA executive. In his ck suit and ck sunsses, he looked more like a security guard or a businessman, rather than a high ranker. ''such a waste, I heard we''re missing the S ranked battle mage, Cami Rogers, she was our best bet to just nuke this ce and erase its sorry existence. *sigh*'' he thought. "Oh boy, if this isn''t the one and only Mr. Bell!" said a masculine voice behind the EDA executive''s left ear. If it wasn''t for the sunsses he had on, the executive''s void ck eyes would''ve been glowing red in anger. "That''s Mr. Hond for you." the executive, Mr. Hond replied coldly, "You''rete, Mr. Oliver." "Oho~ feel free to call me Jamie, Mr. executive, as I''m not as picky as you. Or of course, you can call me Mr. me Master, haha!" Jamie Oliver had a smug grin on his face. Jamie Oliver was given the title of me Master Mage by the EDA, as he''s proves to be the best known me controller on the. Maybe not as much of a surprise, he was an S ranker, much like Cami Rogers. "Mr. Oliver, it''s no time for jokes, your help is needed on the eastern side of the sphere." "Roger, Mr. executive." He replied seriously, "Although before I go, I''d like to confirm... is it true that the S ranker, Cami Rogers, had went missing inside that thing?" he continued in a hushed whisper. EDA members go missing all the time. But for an S ranker to be missing, means that the mission has just gotten on par with a national catastrophe. Especially that they were talking about the one and only Cami Rogers, the S ranker Battle Mage. "Correct" the executive nodded sadly. "As of now, no one has ess to that sphere, and so we can''t confirm whatever is happening inside. For all we know, there might as well be a nuclear bomb waiting for the right moment to explode and evaporate the whole city. Heck, with that size, it might take down the whole province." "I see," replied Jamie. His sincerity almost surprised Mr. Hond. Almost. But her knew that his sarcastic personality would do a 180 whenever the situation was sever. Which is certainly the case at this time. "How about the other locations?" Jamie asked in a whisper. "No full reports yet." Mr. Hond said, "But what we do know so far is that we''re not the only ones suffering. Another simr sphere was spotted in sta, even the local S rankers are helpless against the sphere. No one can get in or out." "Maybe it''s for the best? These monsters could easily overwhelm a B ranker, after all. If a whole horde gets out, we might as well abandon the city." "But think about it. If anything, this sphere looks like a cocon, and whatever is gonnae out of it won''t be as good looking as a butterfly, I can be so sure of that." "Good point." Jaime bit his lower lip, "How about the other ces, you said sta had another sphere, what about the others?" "Simr spheres appeared in Calgury, New York, and other major cities. However, the difference was that the spheres were rather small inparison, and it didn''t have a barrier to prevent rankers from going in. And at the same time, monsters didn''te out of it. The only downside was that we''ve lost contact with whoever went in there, even if they were S rankers." "*sigh* I''m not even surprised at this point. If Cami has went missing, then anyone else might as well be." he smiled sadly, "anyway, I better get going, see ya around Mr. Bell." With a weak wave, Jamie was gone. *Sigh* "So the rumours are true, he does indeed has a soft spot for Ms. Rogers, huh?" The executive raised an eyebrow. -------------------- *Rachel''s POV* "Say, Remi." I say to Remi, "didn''t everyone evacuate to this area?" At that Remi seems to be preparing a lie as her eyes widen and look up the sky. That''s what she always does when she''s scheming something. "Please don''t lie," I say weakly. *sigh* she sighs tiredly, with her eyes showing a hint of despair. "I don''t know..." "Howe? Didn''t you-" "No. I mean I don''t know where he is. I''m sorry..." "Don''t be." I say as I sit down on the ground. Currently, we''re waiting for the bus, a safe distance from the huge ominous sphere. "Hey, are you two ok?" Jake awkwardly asks as he fiddles with his fingers nervously. "No dude, they''re obviously not. *sigh*" replies Mike with a sigh. "I- I''m sorry." ""Don''t be"" we all reply to Jake''s nervous apology. "You know, Jake, for a socially awkward person, you''re kinda cute." I say with a quick chuckle. "Ah-" Jake tunes beet red, "Thank you!" he replies enthusiastically, almost as if we''re suntanning on a sandy beach in an isted ind. "You know Rachel," Remi says, "You''re the one who ruined poor Jake." she chuckles as Jake turnes dangerously red. "It''s true," Mike replies, "he used to be the most confident person I knew, after Draven... of course-" Remembering Draven, we all stay silent for a while. "Say, the two girls that were with him are missing too, no?" I ask. ""Uhm,"" they all nod. "I''ve heard that even Joey, the captain of the Vikings has gone missing too..." Mike says. "I really hope they''re fine in there," I say as I sit down on the dirty floor and hug my own knees, "or better yet, maybe they just went home or got lost in the crowd." The others follow suit, in sitting down. "I- I think I saw him fighting, before we left." Jake says, trying tofort someone beyondfort. "He was strong en-" "Jake! You''re not helping!" Remi almost yells, but shecks the energy required for that. "It''s alright, I get his point," I say with a weak smile. I really appreciate how kind he is trying to be. "By the way, since when did he have any powers? I thought he didn''t have any abilities," I ask. "Well, it was the first time for me, seeing him fight like that I mean," replies Remi. ""Same,"" replied Mike and Jake at the same time. "..." "Umm, I have a question though," Jake said " what do you think is the reason for that actually is?" he said as he pointed at the huge ck sphere. ""..."" everyone just looked at each other, obviously having no clue. "Well," I say, "It''s probably some alien race just missing with us. Or worse, testing us for something big..." "Aliens?" asked Jake ufortably. "What do you think it is then? Have any better ideas?" I shrugzily, "Monsters are popping out of nowhere. If you ask me, and you certainly did, it''s not something humans have the technology to do, not as far as I know at least." "It might not be technology though," said Mike, "Someone''s ability might be the cause." "How about other ces? Is someone replicating the abilities?" Remi asked. "Well, you heard the news no? They''re not a hundred percent simr, so it might actually be that it''s still in the experimental phase..." "Well f*ck, humanity is just so screwed if that''s the case. Nice to meet youds and Remi." I say with a sad smile. RIIIIINNGGGGG Before anyone could give a remark, a familiar piano tone cuts in. "Is that Dr. Dre still D.R.E ringtone?" "Ahh... yea," I reply as I take my phone out of my back pocket, "sorry I gotta take that. Be back in a sec." "Aye no probs." says Mike. "I''ve been searching for that ringtone for so long!" Remi says. "Hey make sure to share it with me when youe back!" "Me too please," Jake adds. "Shhhh guys give her some privacy!" Mike butts in. Waving back as I walk a little farther from the group, I answer the phone. "Hello-, dad. "No I''m perfectly fine... physically at least. "Sure, I really appreciate it dad, I''ll let you know everything when Ie back. "Uhm. yes. True but- fair enough. *sigh* "I promise, if I see a single monster, I''ll take a cap back home. "Nah it''s alright, don''t worry about it. "Yea no need to send anyone to pick me up. "Thank you. You too, see ya soon." *sigh* ''he''s always so worried... but I guess I can''t me him for being worried this time, huh?'' As I start walking back to my friends, I notice the clouds in the sky getting darker by the second. ''This surely can''t be a good omen, can it?'' ''Draven, please, be safe. People are waiting for you on this side....'' At that thought, a lonely tear takes refugee in my left eye, before I wipe it away with the back of my index. Chapter 31 - The Anger Of The Crimson Eyes * Fe WAHDATI SONG IZZ ft. Hind * AN: Arabic. Pretty awesome if you ask me. --------------------- Draven stands on top of a broken skyscraper, watching over where the half dragon had appeared before. Yet, nothing out of the ordinary had appeared. However, the ordinary in that case was a bunch of alien creatures bullying a small group of dark armoured human knights. In the middle of the human group a little girl, or rather a child, was being shielded. The dark knights were doing all they could in order to protect her from the cruel creatures. The little girl''s paleplexion was filled with exhaustion, but not an ounce of fear or despair could be detected, even though they were obviously losing the battle. Her silky long hair formed many shiny shades of crimson-purple as it hanged just a little bit under her knees. Even though her hair was a hybrid colour, bright crimson dominated the few locks that covered the left side of her face in style. Her radiant golden eyes were like two ancient twin stars that were shining ever so brightly. Even though she was so small, looking barely three years of old, she didn''t openly cry at her situation, almost as if concerned about what effect that might have on the morale of the apanying knights. On top of her dominating air, she wore a determined expression, along with clothes that made her look like an esteemed princess. She was covered in ck stockings and a ck blouse that ended in a high thick cor around her neck. On top of that, she wore a dark silver armour that formed a miniskirt on her front, and extended to cover just a little bit above her knees on the back side. Thest touch included kneehigh ck armoured boots. Seeing the little girl, Draven couldn''t help but feel a familiar warm sensation radiating through his body. He couldn''t quite ce it, but it''s almost as if he knew who the little princess was. Almost. A loud explosion sound knocked Draven out of his little trance as he realised that the kid was down on one knee, panting hard, yet her hands were now extended in front of her as a crimson energy dome like barrier covered the knights to protect them from the continuous assault. Draven gritted his teeth in anger as his crimson eyes glowed in deep anger. He knew that the creatures had attacked this, possibly another Earth, for some reason. And although he didn''t know what the objective of this trial was, he knew he wanted to protect that girl. Everything about her kept screaming "Maya!" as the little girl was tanking the assault without much of aint. Even though apparently the knights were supposed to be the ones protecting the little child, they couldn''t do much to withstand the attack without her. Just like Maya, she was being oppressed by these creatures, and those who were supposed to protect her, weren''t of any help. He remembered how he and Maria were the only family, and only protectors Maya has ever had. And so Draven jumped down, ck armour covering him and great swords in hand. Landing on what he''d judged to be the strongest enemy, he cut it without much resistance. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! One sonic explosion after the other and the creatures'' numbers decreased drastically. With the help of the knights and the little princess, he exterminated thest of them in less than five minutes. Walking towards the little princess, Draven could see how exhausted she looked. Her pale skin was almost drained out of blood as she looked ready to faint any second now. "Young prince!" the knights greeted with a bow as they made room for him to pass through to the young girl. "Thank you, big brother," she said with such a weak smile that Draven was sure she''s a second away from passing out. Yet the smile was as heartwarming as herment was surprising. ''So she''s my sister here?'' he thought to himself, refraining from showing any hint surprise. cing his hand over her silky crimson-purple hair, he patted her head as he pulsed his mana through to her in order to replenish her reserves. Of course, he''d made sure to cleanse the mana from his own signature as not to rm her body and make it ept the surging energy. "You did well, little princess." he said with a dazzling smile that it was even possible the girl to blush in such a state she was in. "Thank you." she replied while looking down in embarrassment as her colour returned to normal. Maybe just a little bit too red for normal. "Knights, setrip!" Dravenmanded. But before anyone could say a single words, a huge shadow covered the group as a huge monstrous cry almost damaged their eardrums. Looking behind him at the sky, Draven could see a huge monster looking down on them. However, to his surprise, it wasn''t the white dragon, but a ck furred giant. Draven guessed that the creature would be the result of mixing a bat and a bull in some huge fusion machine, if something like that even existed. The giant had a bull''s head that almost touched the outeryers of the atmosphere. On it''s huge forehead, Draven could faintly see the glow of a five-pointed star that was trapped in two separate circles. Two pairs of bat wings of matching size covered its back, as the bottom half was also missing like that of the half dragon, or rather converted into a jinn''s tail. ''After a second thought, that thing looks like a devil,'' Draven thought as he readied his weapons. ''His upside down horns sure support that guess.'' He wasn''t sure what he was supposed to do as this trial have been proving to be more impossible the more time he spends in it. Seeing what he was trying to do, the small princess grabbed his right hand and lowered it down gently, shaking her head she said "Normal methods will have no effect against it," she gestured towards the creature with a sad smile. Looking up and closing her eyes, she released her brothe''s hand while her mana red violent blinding white as she was about to do something Draven had no way of expecting. The same couldn''t be said for the dark knights though. "Young princess, please stop! We both know that the moment you release it, your soul will be forfeited forever!" "I''m sorry Darius, but it''s my destiny, after all." she said with a sad smile, to the man who seemed to be the captain of the knights. The captain seemed to quiet down at that, he''s always been told that one way or another, the princess was destined to die at the hand of that monster that''s trapped in her. It was her role that she''s made peace with, and he had no ce in arguing against her. This time however it was Draven''s turn to stop her. He patted her head as he started to think of a n to solve the ''huge dilemma'' in front of him, or rather kill it. The little girl was surprised, but she didn''t say anything, nor did she remove her brothers hand, as she found itforting. "Say, little princess," Draven said as he stared at the monster that was now charging up a small ck orb that resembled an expanding ck hole. "You were trying to summon that white half dragon, no?" Seeing the surprise in her eyes was enough for him to take it as a yes. "Right then," he sad to the little girl, "do you think you''ll be able to channel that white energy through me?" The little princess was so confused that her brother knew of the silver dragon that was sealed in her body, it was supposed to be something only her mom and dad, the king and queen, and very few other officials such as the knight''s captain knew of. But she dismissed it as another one of her brother''s little stunts. "It''s too dangerous." she shook her head. Everyone knew the young prince was especially powerful and cunning, but what he said now was just pure nonsense to her. "If you don''t, we''ll all die anyway. Not that I don''t believe in destiny, but I believe it''s not something that can control your actions. What you called your destiny before would just destroy everything and everyone here. And I''d rather have a chance at saving the young princess and everyone else, rather than throw it all under the bus and call it fate" The girl was so shocked at what her brother just said, that she forgot all of her etiquette sses as her mouth hanged open. Not that she didn''t like her brother, it''s just that normally he wouldn''t ever agree with her, let alone even treating her nicely. He was older than her and his words were an order. The only reason she thought of disapproving this time was because she liked him. Even though he used to always ignore her existence, and if anything, treat her like a servant rather than a sister, she couldn''t live a life where he doesn''t exist. But the young man in front of her was so different that it was hard to believe they both were the same person. He was so different... so loving. "But big brother I can''t let you face that thing alone." she understood that her brother wanted tobine forces with her to attack that giant, yet she could only see his n failing. The only two possible oues were him destroying the demon monster which then leaves her silver dragon to take control of her brother''s soul, killing him instantly and possibly destroying everything. Or, him just failing from the start, not being able to control the dragon which would lead to a horrible defeate against the demon monster. The monster then would destroy the. Both options would end up in his death and the''s annihtion. "My soul is mine and mine alone, the dragon can''t take a hold of it, and even if it does, I can still just kill both of us. That was always the n." she smiled sadly as the ck hole kept expanding with its pull energy increasing multiple times in a row. "Just have faith in your big bro, lil sis," Draven said with a charming smile, as he kneeled besides her and patted her head gently. The little princess was taken aback, it was the first time her brother had called her ''lil sis'' with such sincerity, and she liked the sound of it. It was the most heart warming thing she''s ever heard anyone say, in a long while, and she was only a three year old. "Uhm," she nodded as she embraced her brother warmly, "promise... promise you''ll be back the moment you deal with it. Never leave me alone, please." she said as warm tears filled her golden eyes, making them shine with more vigor. "Ah" he nodded, "that''s a promise big bro will never break." Draven said as he stood up, looking the giant creature in the eyes. It didn''tst a few seconds for the little girl to get a hold of herself. She did as Draven had suggested. The ground shook and fissures broke as 8 huge magic circles materialised above the party, they were so blinding that the party had to close their eyes. And the air became so dense from the umted energy that it was hard to breath. Not a moment after their appearance, Draven could see them rotate in what looked like a passwordbination. One by one, the massive white magic circles He was surprised, almost shocked by the amount of energy the tiny body of the girl besides him possessed. Also, he''d noticed a second presence in his body that was getting stronger with each passing second. White aura red and fought her way out of Draven''s natural red aura. ''To think that the soul weavers have gone mad as to entrust my powers onto such a fragile soul,'' a deep voice rang in Draven''s head, he knew this was the dragon''s voice. However it only made Draven smile sadistically, ''we meet again you b*stard, I came to repay you for the past 17 times you killed me and destroyed this, b*tch.'' he said with a cruel chuckle. Jumping away from the knights and his little sister, after patting her head onest time of course, he let his red aura re the moment he was sure they''d be safe. His crimson eyes shown with such rage, that made the dragon gasp for air, even though a soul doesn''t need to breath. It wasn''t the ming rage that would burn everything to ashes, but rather the calm rage, like the deep ocean that would swallow anything and everything thates in its path. ''I don''t know why... but you, I remember your white a*s... we''ve met before, in real life..'' Draven''s red aura swallowed that of the white dragon as it formed a second huge monster that stood on par with the demon monster. Chapter 32 - Rising Up Against All Odds * ONLAP - The Awakening * *** ''Hm, I guess I did underestimate you, young soul weaver.'' the dragon''s deep voice rang in Draven''s mind as he was surprised, almost shocked, that the young soul weaver''s soul was so strong for evn him to manipte. But he didn''t mind him. He was more concerned about the huge ck holeing his way. ''Sh*t,'' he thought as he raised his brows, ''dude ain''t messing around at all. Is it just the nature of this nt to be destroyed by a giant monster, or something?'' Above Draven, a huge knight d in red armour stood with his matching broad sword and a silver white shield that looked as if it was made out of pearls. Just like the other massive monsters Draven had seen, the knight had a tail that protruded out of his own shadow instead of two legs. Both sword and shield had the same crest engraved into them. A bleeding rose. The knight''s face was covered in a dark red full face helmet. The helmet made his covered face look more like that of a robot assassin than a proud knight. Inside the darkened eye pieces, two red rubies could be seen, resembling the knight''s eyes. Draven guessed that the white shield was a side effect of having the white dragon dwelling in his body, or rather his soul to be more urate. However, he didn''tin, the thing was so hot that it was boiling the air itself while some random white mes would generate in its vicinity and then disappear, with every passing second. The ck attack of the massive demonic monster was as silent as it was deadly. A trail of ck purple glow could be seen behind it as it soared towards Draven and consumed everything in its path including air, pavement, and people. Literally everything in its way. But, Draven had no ns of losing. The fight hadn''t even started yet, after all. Abiding by its master''s will, the red knight raised his shield as blinding white light erupted out of it, making the world glitch in white as it tanked the ck hole. The ck mass of energy was so powerful that it threatened consuming the shield whole, but on the other hand, the shield was as strong as it was hot. It could even melt energy, and use it fuel itself, adding to its ferocity. And that was exactly what had happened. ''Tch, that''s no real ck hole,'' Draven thought to himself as he saw the demon''s attack being consumed by the still starving fire, rather than the other way around. ''The real thing would leave no trail of light behind it as even light is usually consumed. That attack was just massive amounts of energy concentrated in one point that it almost replicated gravity, as it pulled everything towards its center, trying topensate for theck of matter.'' The demonic giant was so surprised by the prowess of the red knight that it forgot to followup with another attack. ''Well, that makes it my turn,'' Draven said as a sadistic smile crept its way up to his face, ''although I don''t quite understand the principles behind the demon''s attack, I should be able to replicate it to some extent.'' "Here goes nothing!" he said as two massive auras red around him, shaking the ground as fissures cracked their way through the whole city. ''I hope you don''t mind me borrowing your energy, you dragon b*tch.'' he said the white dragon in his mind, ''not that I give a f*ck.'' The dragon in his mind didn''t reply as he was so shocked by how easily the kid had stolen his own energy. Usually, even sharing the energy with consent would be so difficult that most would just force a contract or a seal that would basically give the dragon the choice of either helping out or dying, much like the seal the little girl had. In that case, he couldn''t do anything to the little princess as her soul was strong enough on its own, but with the contract, he couldn''t even try to consume it as her death is his. Yet, the kid had just STOLEN the energy without breaking a sweat. ''Seems like I haven''t seen everything in this life yet,'' the dragon amused himself with the thought. The knight''s sword and shield both resonated with auras that matched Draven''s. Also, both crests glowed ominous red and radiant white, respectively. Radiant light formed a huge orb that resembled a small sun in front of the shield. Inside of it, one could see white mes swaying calmly, waiting for their chance to ''shine''. Its heat was so great that the ground in its vicinity started to melt and evaporate, rather than formingva. If it wasn''t for the energy barrier Draven had covered the dark knights and the little princess with, they would''ve been cooked alive. Of course, the barrier couldn''t hide their shocked expressions. But Draven was so busy to notice anyway. A simr orb that was dyed ominous red was generated on the tip of the broad sword as it pulsed with energy that sent vibrations shing in the atmosphere. Inside of it, multiple sonic storms could be seen brewing violently. Two orbs floated in the air; one that was a calm cmity, and a second that was a fierce storm. Obeying their master''s wishes, the two started to get and closer to eachother. Furrowing his brows, Draven concentrated and willed the two tobine. It wasn''t something that would form a true ck hole, but the patience of the radiant mes and the violence of the sonic storm was bound to be a sight to behold. Draven wasn''t just throwing his chance blindly though, since he knew that fire would usually depend on oxygen to fuel itself, and as a matter of fact, specific sound wavelengths were like a catalyst that would concentrate oxygen through air vibrations. Thebination of both was bound to strengthen the fire. (AN: true story, some wavelengths do indeed strengthen or extinguish fire as it can concentrate or spread the oxygen in the air.) Yet, what he hadn''t took into ount was that the white me, unlike natural fire that needed oxygen, only depended on energy for its fuel. At the same time, the red sonic storm, unlike natural sound wavelengths, its vibrations could manipte energy and it can even go as far and strengthen it a few times over, as the source of its vigor was red mystic energy after all. Seeing that luck had favoured him this time, a determined smile filled Draven''s face. As the two orbsbined, the heat rose up so much that the space barrier itself had cracked, making the world look like a cracked TV screen. The resulting orb wasn''t of ck nor pink, but rather the two ubined colours that swirled around in thebined orb, as if it was some type of mystic liquid. Sending the powerful mystic orb towards the demonic monster who wasn''t static either, as it had already recovered from its shock and formed a couple of dark energy barriers. s, it wasn''t enough. The charging orb exploded in a wave of mystic fire that consumed all, literally. Draven was scared sh*tless that his attack would backfire and destroy the whole, much like what had happened before where the dragon had killed him and destroyed the. ''There is no way I''m dying 18 times!" he yelled in his mind as countless energy barriers formed around him and the group of knights. Many others popped around the panicked demonic beast in a way that whatever power the attack would generate, it would stay contained and directed at it. BOOO-SSSSSSSS!!!!! The party couldn''t see, only imagine, the sight of the attack as everything looked white to them. Even sound couldn''t reach their ears as it was way above what their sensory system is able of perceiving. All they could hear was the deafening tinnitus in their ears. Behind the barriers and the blinding light where no one could see and only Draven could sense as his own energy was drenching the ce, the attack had destroyed the along with the demon as the barriers around it couldn''t contain the explosion nor the heat. Only the barriers around the group hadsted enough for them to survive as they were so dense and constantly fueled with Draven''s mystic energy. ''Well, f*ck! That wasn''t part of the n.'' he thought to himself. ''But we survived?'' But just as he had finished the thought, time stopped as Draven felt two soft arms wrap around him in a warm embrace, as a feminine body touched his armoured back. Time had stopped, not only in his mind, but the knights and little princess were frozen in their previous states. Draven didn''t know why, but he instantly removed his dark armour, which left him with his causal shorts and hoodie that he didn''t know how he had on. Resting her chin over his shoulder, the young woman''s long shiny blue hair caressed his cheeks as she smiled warmly. He couldn''t see her azure eyes, but he could sense them. Draven was so shocked by the sensation that he didn''t utter a word or move a muscle, not even his diaphragm. "You still destroyed the anyway, huh?" The woman spoke sarcastically with such familiar voice that Draven''s brain seemed to fire every neural signal at once. He was surprised he didn''t convulse under her touch. Noticing his tense muscles, the woman spoke again. "Miss me this much, dear? hehehe" she sincerely chuckled with such grace that he could uncontrobly feel his mouth move on its own. "Mom...." Chapter 33 - An Unexpected Encounter * Rival x Cadmium - Willow Tree (feat. Rosendale) * "Mom..." Draven muttered quietly, almost as if he''s afraid the word would be out of the cage in his heart and nevere back again. At the same time, what came out of his own mouth surprised him so much as he was sure he''s never seen that woman before. A wave of mixed feelings that weren''t even his own hit him so hard that he felt his soul choke on tears. However, it onlysted a few seconds before his face turned emotionless. It wasn''t the emotionless face of a cold robot, but rather the expression of an infant that knew nothing of the world around him. In his mind however, a vision that wasn''t his own shed before his eyes. In that vision, he could see a red ball being torn to shreds by and between his hands. But rather than a small air explosion, the ball released weird molten rocks and a disgusting metallic smell, simr to that of blood and burnt flesh. Not that he cared at that time, his senses were filled with blinding rage that wasn''t his own. A rage that threatened to consume the universe whole. The moment the woman felt that, she tightened her hug around him for a second as a few tears left her azure eyes warm, and her vision blurry. After that, she let go. ''Seems that the trauma is still there, huh?'' she thought in a mix of sadness and disappointment. ''I was really wishing this could be the time where we talk to our hearts'' content, but apparently not. *sigh* ''I''m so sorry I made you relive this. The only purpose of the concealment stone was your protection only.'' she whispered in her mind, afraid that her words would make the kid flinch. The woman was feeling down as she understood what her daughter had been through the moment she touched her. Also, the fact that her body here was still that of a boy meant that she doesn''t believe she''s got that of a girl yet, or simply doesn''t know. Even the ''trial stage'' that her daughter went through wasn''t supposed to be a thing. It was merely a protected reflection of her memories as it was trying to dy and protect the soul from the real suffering the moment both girls met. "I guess it''s not the right time for our meeting, little Amy..." the woman said in a cracked voice as she erased every piece of evidence about her existence within the kid''s mind. With a kiss to the cheek, a blinding white enveloped Draven''s senses as he was transformed somewhere else. -------------- "Ugh..." a sudden rush of pain shed through Draven''s every fiber as he woke up. Opening his eyes to find himselfying down, again, but this time it wasn''t the ground hugging him, but rather the tender arms of two girls he cares about dearly. His head resting on one of their chests, as the other rested on top of him lightly, on an angle as not to make it hard to breath. And instead of the crimson sky and red blood moons there was the dark ceiling of a foreign structure blocking his view. Of course, it was the cave. Looking at the people around him and feeling the rhythmic touch of his pillows left him with a rather red face, to add to his feverish features. He didn''t realize the girls had sandwiched him in order to relieve him of the fever he had, but he knew there must be a reason as to why they did it. "Err... wh-" before he could say anything, the two girls'' arms tightened around him as they almost choked him. What had caught him by surprise the most was the voice he/she heard when she spoke. But the girls weren''t giving her time to react or do anything as they just burst out crying, almost as if they were trying to hold it in for so long. Little did she know, it was actually the case. Even though her mind was a confused mess, Raven''sst memory was her defeating that giant demon in her trial. ''Before that I must''ve injured myself when fighting with that monster in the forest,'' she thought to herself as she surrendered herself to the girls embrace. Only after some time had passed and the girls were moreposed did she dare look them in the eyes. Maya''s eyes were as red as the two blood moons in the sky of that trial she''d just finished, from theck of sleep and exhaustion. Maria''s were just a little bit better. "I''m sorry, I-" she was shocked again at the voice she produced that she stopped mid sentence. Widening her eyes in surprise, she felt a shiver running down her spine as she took her right hand that was stuck between the girls'' warm bodies. Trying to ignore that the girls were almost naked while hugging her, she looked at the small, even tiny, hand and couldn''t tell if someone was pranking her or she was just on the verge of losing the veryst bit of sanity she thought she had. ''I think I''m already past that stage, at this point.'' she thought to herself. The girls looked at her but didn''t know what to say or where to start exining from. ''If it''s a f*cking prank then damn they''re good!'' she thought, ''but if I''m insane... then I guess that''s fine ''cause I''m insane, I wouldn''t care, no? Seriously though, the f*ck is happening here?'' Looking at her rather... ''unique'' expression, (AN: imagine a child giving you a ''what the f*ck expression''), the girls couldn''t help but chuckle slightly as they felt their worry slip away. To them, Draven or Raven were still the same person, having them back was akin to having the sun shine again, after an eclipse that hassted more than a few dark years. "Raven." Maya said in a low warm voice thatnded on the others'' ears like a hot summer day''s breeze. Looking at how the girl''s expression just went from ''what the f*ck'' to ''who the f*ck'', the girls straight up startedughing loudly. "Your new name, we''ve anonymously voted that Raven is your new name," Maria said in a motherly tone. ''Like f*ck it was anonymous, Maya would''ve happily murdered anyone who''d oppose.'' Cami thought with a mind snarl. Of course, little did they know, or rather little did they care, Raven''s expression had gotten from bad to worse. Only afterughing had made their throats hurt, did they start to exin to poor Raven what had happened. Not that it made her feel better I''m any way. "I''M A WHAT??!!!!!" even though she yelled as hard as she could, her voice came out as a cute melody that made the othersugh even harder. Raven would''ve ran through her full dictionary of awesome R18 insults if it wasn''t for Maya and Maria''s presence. Up until this moment, she''s never sworn in front of them, not even once. All of a sudden, Maya wrapped her arms around her for a second embrace. That left Raven rather bbergasted. "I''m sorry... I just really missed you..." she said with tears in her hazel eyes. Although she wasughing earlier, the feeling of helplessness she''s felt had made her doubt her very existence. ''Why am I even alive?'' was a thought that kept assaulting her soul multiple times every second Raven and Maria had spent unconscious. Luckily though, Maria''s condition got better soon after she''s lost consciousness, whereas Raven was still deep in her slumber. That had given them hope, indicating that Raven''s life wasn''t in any danger. ''The glowing of that eye tattoo though still needs a little bit of an exnation, but thank God Rain was here to treat her. Exhaustion could kill people after all,'' Maya thought. Recovering from her surprise, Raven hugged Maya back. "I''m sorry, I''ve probably missed up big time, to end up like this and make you worry for nothing." ""Don''t say that!!"" everyone including Cami and Rain said. Joey, of course, was kicked out of the cave the moment he finished warming up the water as Rain had asked him to guard the entrance. Raven was surprised since she didn''t even see Cami and Rain when she woke up as they were sitting besides, almost behind, Maya and Maria, with their backs to the wall. Trying to sit up, Raven almost fell as she was so dizzy. "Shh, please don''t move, we''ve only managed to lower your temperature by a few degrees. It''s only enough for you to be out of the danger zone but not even close to being healthy again," Rain said, almost scolding poor Raven. After making sure Raven understood her, she smiled warmly as she put a hand on her forehead to check the temperature, "I don''t know how much you remember from the previous events, but you saved my life back at the ser field, now it''s my turn." she said with a slight bow of gratitude. "Uhm," Raven nodded slightly as even that hurt. To say that she was feeling lost and confused would be an understatement. But she indeed remembers saving the girl with Joey. ording to what the girls had exined and based on the records left by her robot self in the scout drone, she was indeed a girl to start with, but she had a disguise runestone working on her that had changed her BIOLOGICAL body into that of a boy. That''s why she''s lived her life thinking she''s a boy. ording to Cami who introduced herself as an S ranker, much to Raven''s surprise, the runestone would be a legendary tier item as the possibilities it opened were rather abundant. Not only has she never heard of such a potent disguising item, but if it could also change the features themselves, not just biological gender, then it''s just absolutely a hack item. Assassins would kill to get such an item. (AN: pun intended) On top of that, the runestone wasn''t a one time use item, rather even after its extraction, Cami was sure she saw the girl store it in her bracelet as it appeared to be a dimensional item. However, Raven couldn''t care less about such details. All she cared about is that she''s lived her life as a boy and wasn''t going to abandon that anytime soon. "That''s just so missed up!" she eximed in frustration. "I know... I''m sorry," Cami truly felt bad for the girl. "Hey.. it''s alright, your actual body is that of a girl, why would you want to live as a boy?" said Maria. "Because I''ve done that for the past 16 years and up till now?" "..." "..." "Err, I see your point, but still-" "NO!" Raven cut her off, "can you Imagine how it feels for me right now?" Thinking about it for a second and taking a few nces at Raven''s rosy cheeks, she realised it must be hard, having... ''everything'' taken away from you. But at the same time, it would be like living a fake life. Almost as if all of a sudden, some scientists discovered that humans of the current age are just smart parasites that evolved by taking over the body of brainless ''real'' humans. Not only that, but also that the human bodies will soon die out for some weird reason, like a disease, leaving the parasite with the only option of living in their native body. It would definitely be a horrible experience that would make living the fake human life a paradise inparison. ''Well, sh*t just got real deep,'' Maria thought as she pondered about which is better, a good fake life, or a bad real life. "Isn''t this just like a video game?" asked Maya as everyone looked at her quietly. "Jeez don''t stare like that," she said as she covered her chest with a soft chuckle. Raven''s face could be described as a red glowing firetruck''s siren at the moment. "What I mean though," Maya continued, "is that I''ve watched a movie once about a virtual reality game where everyone is so focused on the game and they forget they have real lives outside of the game. Your situation isn''t much different." "True," said Cami nodding her head, "it''s just a question of whether you want the real or fake life." "FAKE! PLEASE GIVE ME MY FAKE LIFE BACK!" Raven yelled, before anyone else couldment again. Chapter 34 - The Ex System * Julius Dreisig & Zeus X Crona - Invisible * *** "FAKE! PLEASE GIVE ME MY FAKE LIFE BACK!" Raven yelled, before anyone else couldment again. "..." "Err... you could reuse the runestone?" questioned Cami before a long pause. "Eh? I can?" "Pretty sure I said it wasn''t a one time use thingy, no?" "Uh... maybe?" "By the way, what happened to your robotic voice and cold personality?" she said as her smile twitched. What she remembered of the girl that saved her life was shattered into pieces long ago by the girl''s current attitude. ''Not that I like to be treated roughly...'' she thought to herself as blood rushed to her cheeks. "Robotic... what?" Raven asked making sure she heard the question right. After all, she was by no means a robot, nor did she even remember interacting with this S ranker before. ''Howe an S ranker is treating me, a D ranker, and the others so kindly?'' she thought to herself. Telling the rest of the group what she remembers of the past events, they all frowned. Each for their own reasons of course. "Wait, you don''t remember Cami at all?" Maria frowned as Raven shook her head. Noticing the res on her, she raised her hands in surrender with a surprises look on her face. "I f*cking swear I''m not a monster, neither am I trying to harm you in any way! Heck, ask the damn drone!" "... for all we know, you could be the one that brought the drones. And who knows, maybe you''re after Raven''s runestone? You did say it''s indeed a legendary tier item." "Maria..." to say that Cami was offended, would be a statement. She felt worse than being betrayed. Noticing that, Raven stood up while raising a hand to prevent Maya from stopping her. Looking at the clothes on the ground, she chose Maria''s jacket as it was enough to cover her upper body and down just a little bit under her thighs. Unfortunately, her ser uniform was too big for her now, even though she as Draven didn''t have a big build. Although she was moving slowly, it still hurt as the others could tell by her pained groan. "Ouch.. ouch.. ouchouchouch DAMN IT OUCH!" Even though she screamed thest part,ing out for her tiny body and with that melodic voice of hers, it made the others chuckle, helping in breaking the tension in the air. "Oh d you''re having the fun of your lives!" she said as they continued to chuckle. Even though they felt bad for it, none stopped. Putting a hand over her jacket to make it a tighter fit, and another above Maria''s head, she patted her weakly as her face twitched in pain. "Maria, I''m the cold sadistic assassin, please don''t let my bad habits rub off onto you." she said with a smile. "..." ""HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"" everyone burst outughing hard. *sigh* Joey, who was sitting by the entrance of the cave, could hear theirughs and only sigh in disappointment as he was thrown outside to be a guard dog. "..." Raven didn''t understand why theyughed as she was serious. She was going to let the others that it couldn''t have been Cami who made the drones as Raven could ''feel'' that they were an extension of her body, in a way. Looking down over her tiny body and her small hand that extended over the huge Maria, inparison to her, she understood what was happening. ''The scene must be really funny, from their perspective that is. I''m really starting to feel bad for myself here.'' she thought as she shrugged away theirughter. Waiting for them to stopughing and wipe the tears out of their eyes, she spoke again. "Ok, so-" ""HAHAHAHA!!"" "..." *sigh* Raven sighed as she tried to ignore them for now and try to check the changes in her body. ''No, not those changes!'' she thought as her face turned beet red. To say she wasn''t curious about her ''new'' added parts was a big fat lie, as she was a boy before, but that only made matters way worse. ''Not now at least, damn it hormones please f*ck off!'' she thought feeling dizzy from the blood rushing to her brain. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes as she sat down on the cold floor. Of course, she made sure that the jacket covered Draven''s boxers as they were rather embarrassing all of a sudden. Slowly breathing in and out to calm herself a little bit, she realised that now her Energy Perception and Energy Control are slightly better than before. However, the change in her energy colour surprised her for a second, before remembering that she''s basically transformed into a different body. Unlike before, her aura was now majestic gold, rather than dark red. Smiling to herself, she opened her eyes and wished for the azure ring to appear. Seeing that the girl''s golden ireses were surrounded by glowing azure rings made the girl''s choke on theirughter as they stopped to inspect what she''s doing. Raven on the other hand, had the veins around her eyes pop from the tension of the mana gathered in there, as she wasn''t nearly as strong as she was in the trial. As a result, she could only sustain the Azure rings for a few seconds. ''Well, that''s a f*cking ripoff!'' she screamed in her mind. ''test number one... half a*sed sess I guess.'' ''ok, on to number two,'' she thought as she opened her palms. The familiar metallic silver goo surged out. Forming an almost liquid ball of nanobots, she realised that it''s not as demanding as the azure ring. ''but then again I haven''t built anything with it yet so I can''t be so sure...'' ''Alright let''s try a dagger first,'' and with that she imagined the formation of the same dagger she built in her trial. Power of will wasn''t enough as she had to fuel it with her own energy, and to be fair, the nanobots were greedy. She formed the dagger after a minute nheless. After a quick inspection, she retracted her energy and the nanobots crumbled back to it''s semi liquid form. ''Hm, so I have to keep fueling them nonstop? Useless...'' she thought to herself, even though the girls'' expression was that of surprise as they didn''t image someone to be able to build anything, let alone a weapon, purely out of their own energy. Cami wasn''t impressed though, she''s seen the girl do many ''wonders'' after all, and this wasn''t that special. "Yo, can I check the gun for a sec, please?" Raven asked. "Ah sure, here." said Maria as she passed the gun to her. Looking at the gun in her hands she couldn''t help but widen her eyes in surprise. ''Heck, I made this while I was unconscious? Wait a second, the f*cking drones! How did I make them?'' Cami noticed Raven''s gaze at the gun, then at the drone, and realised what she was thinking. "The bracelets too," she said to Raven who immediately looked at her wrist. ''Well, I should probably get some sleep, I might wake up and find out that I''ve built a freaking spaceship...'' she thought to herself as she inspected the bracelet. All of a sudden, her expression got serious as she thought about how to proceed from there. Pulsing energy through her eyes and activating her azure rings, she could instantly see every small detail of the bracelet. "Oh..." was all she muttered as a toothy grin crept up her face. The girls couldn''t help but tilt their heads and wonder what made little kid in front of them that happy. However, before she could try to imitate what she saw, she had a rather strange feeling. ''Why do I feel like the nanobots are alive and... trying to talk to me?'' Activating her azure rings and pulsing and concentrating her majestic golden energy into them, she could already feel the tension as her veins popped even harder, making the others twitch at the sight. Her bad state didn''t make things easier either since she was basically borrowing what she could from the world energy, with hers being almost depleted. Soon, her body would reach its limits. Maya wanted to interfere and stop her but Maria''s extended hand stopped her as she shook her head. ''I can only do this for a little less than 10 seconds, I think...'' Raven though to herself. Producing a single silver nanobot that wasn''t by any means visible to anyone or anything but her glowing eyes, she opened her mouth in surprise before quickly closing it. What she saw wasn''t what she expected. The nanobots didn''t have the normal appearance of a spider, like they should usually have. But rather, they had a body simr to hers, from what she could tell anyway since even her rings weren''t microscopes. ''The reason I thought they were alive is because they kept nagging on me to feed them my energy, that''s why I thought they were greedy. But... what if I feed this one only?'' thinking that, she let her energy surge through her nanoRaven, literally. All of a sudden, the nanoRaven could be seen trying to get bigger... that is until it disappeared in a golden nano explosion. ''Huh? Where did I go wrong?'' Even though that was a failure, the feeling she had before was growing by the second. ''They want to interact with me!'' she thought in surprise. All the while, the girls were staring at her like she''s gone mad. Yet, none interrupted. Experimenting some more, and some on top of that even, had proven useless. ''I can''t do sh*t like this...'' she thought to herself while massaging her eyes as they felt like they were on fire. Constant activating and deactivation of the azure rings, especially in her condition, had proven rather challenging. As she was about to give up, one nanoRaven disconnected from her bracelet and jumped up midair. Staring at her nano figure, Raven could see that unlike the others, this had void ck glowing eyes, much like what she''d imagine a demon to have, yet she sensed a bit of familiarity. Trying to pulse a small amount of mana through her, she saw her turn all ck before disappearing. ''Well, f*ck!'' she thought. ''I guess I''ll have to try this some other time as I seriously need a f*cking nap! Maybe even take a sho-'' Cutting her train of thought, a robotic voice beamed in her head, [Gathering mana...] "Eh..?" Muttered Raven with a confused expression over her face. [Activation of the Ex System: in progress.] Chapter 35 - Eh, Say What? * TheFatRat - Rise Up * AN: Thought of Solo Leveling? Yea me too! *** [Gathering mana...] "Eh..?" Muttered Raven with a confused expression over her face. [Activation of the Ex System: in progress.] ''Excuse me, the f*ck?'' she refrained from yelling out loud because she didn''t want to swear near the girls. ''Although Maya does swear more often than she drinks water...'' [Ex Systemunched] At that, Raven''s vision blurred for a second before she saw her nano self getting slightly bigger, in her mind. [Synchronizing with Main Body...] mini Raven said in a robotic tone, yet the voice was hers. [Gathering information... [Tracking left memory records of unit Ka. [essing Main Body''s memories.] ''Hey, don''t you f*cking dare spy on me!'' [Main body refuses current course of action...?] Although the voice was rather emotionless, Raven knew mini-her meant it to be a question, and with it being asked by her own childish voice and appearance, it made her feel uneasy. Especially that she was taken aback by how mini-her is now asking for permission. ''Err, never mind, I ept. Proceed with whatever you were doing.'' she said to the little girl in her mind. [Main Body granted permission. [Proceeding with building status page:] At that, a screen like thing shed in Raven''s mind as she could see, or rather picture-memorise every word. [Race: Soul Weaver. [Protection - Blessing: Infinity''s Will. [Titles: Soul Weaver Princess. [Rank: C- [Magic Skills: Mana Maniption. [Inherent Skills: Contingency Call. Quick Study. [Special Skills: Ruler''s Touch. Shadow Maniption. Scanner Rings. Deadly Vision. Contractor. [Ultimate Skills: [Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation (Spacial Transfer Bracelet series, Wingman series guns, Guardian Drone series, Scout Drone series.)] ''Say, say,'' Raven was as clueless as she looked, ''nani the f*ck...?'' Noticing her weird series of expressions, the girls got slightly worried. "Hey, are you all good over there?" Maya asked the confused tiny girl in concern. ncing at her worried expression, Raven had no idea what to say, so she just nodded, "uhm." [Failed to identify request] ''Ah, umm, huh?'' [Failed to identify request] The mini Raven was still expressionless and her robotic tone hadn''t changed one bit. *sigh* ''please tell me what''s going on? Am I in a video game now, or a movie where the characters get a system to help them?'' [Negative] Looking at the static mini her, she was sure she''s done talking. *facepalm* ''Care to borate? F*cking please and thank you.'' [Status page was integrated based on the data collected from both Main Body and unit Ka''s memories. [Main Body is in no video game.] ''Eh? So what are you?'' [The Ex System. [As per unit Ka''s will, an integration of unit Ka''s Lord Machina Ex Daemon was created in order to ensure survival of Main Body. Ex System ranks up with Main Body.] ''I''m assuming unit Ka is the robo-girl Cami was talking about? She was the one who actually controlled my body when I cked out, and created the nano stuff?'' [Affirmative] ''Hm,'' Raven started thinking to herself, ''If my hunch is right here, then it''s exactly like years ago when me and Maya escaped Lady Luck''s ce. But back then I didn''t ck out... Was it because I saw the girls in a bad condition that I couldn''t bear staying awake?'' she thought, picturing how Maria was almost dead when she found herying of the floor with Maya in a pool of their own blood, after the sickle monsters had appeared in the ser field. A sudden, yet barely noticeable, killing intent red around her for a second before dying off. ''Or maybe because this unit Ka girl is stronger than the previous voice?'' she thought trying to distract herself from the anger boiling inside of her. While Raven was holding her chin in her right hand, drown in her own thoughts, the girls were as confused as worried. ''I wonder what these skills do though, I can guess that this system thingy based it off of my memories and that of unit Ka to make me more familiar with the disy, but still why do I have some that I''ve never known existed?'' [Does Main Body require skill run through?] ''HOLY F-'' Raven was startled as she didn''t think the system could read her mind without her allowing it. Seeing her widened eyes, Maya had enough of the mute clown act and tapped Raven on the shoulder. "Wah!" Even though Maya had no intentions of startling Raven, the poor little girl flinched like a broken engine. Between the system peeking at her own thoughts and her surprise by everything that''s been happening, her mind was so fragile. "I''m so sorry, are you okay?" Maya apologized as she had no idea Raven was so lost in thought. "Oh My God no!", Raven yelled before covering her mouth instantly, "I''m so sorry I didn''t mean to yell! I swear!" "It''s alright," Maya said while shaking her head, "but please tell me what''s happening, why do you look so lost?" *sigh* Raven had no idea what was going on and she needed time to collect her self together. "Don''t worry about it," she said trying tofort Maya. "I''m just trying to think about everything that''s happened so far, nothing too serious." "Promise?" asked Maya with a raised brow. She knew Raven wasn''t alright but she didn''t want to push it more than that. ''She''s just awoken from a deepma after all, heck, her fever isn''t fully heed yet.'' "Promise!" replied Raven with a smile that made Maya''s heart melt. ''Yes, please give me a run through of the skills listed above. But before that, do you have a name or do I just call you Ka? Because I''m not calling you the Ex System, or robo-girl, and especially not mini me!'' she said to the child looking exactly like her, in her mind. [Affirmative. The name ''Ex System'' has been reced to ''Ka''.] ''Dam it, I should be careful with what I say since she''s readily doing anything without question...'' Raven thought, ''Yo Ka, please give me a run through of everything, not just skills. Let''s start with the race, why does it say soul weaver, and the f*ck is it? since I know I''m human!'' [Negative. Main Body is of the soul weaver race, not human.] ''Please call me Raven, for now, and Draven when I get back my original body, because I definitely will.'' she told Ka as she pondered about her words. '' I didn''t expect to have a voice in my mind, again, but what came as a surprise is how useless she is... is she broken?'' ''Anyway, Ka, go on.'' [Raven is protected by Infinity''s Will.] ''What? Who? Why?'' [Error. Invalid question.] ''useless! Anyway, go on and continue please.'' Taking the insult head on, Ka''s expression remained the same. [Raven has been given the title of Soul Weaver Princess.] ''not gonna even ask... skip rank and jump into skills already.'' [Magic Skills: a category of skills that involve-] ''Skip!, useless!'' Looking at the mini Raven, or rather Ka, in her mind, she got angry that her face was used on something so useless. [Raven wishes for Ka to change avatar?] Biting the corner of her lower lip, Raven felt slightly bad for the robo-girl. ''Not now, sorry, please continue...'' ''Why does it matter if she has my face? Only I can see her anyway, plus she might prove to be useful in the future as I rank up. Last I remember I was a D ranker, I''m assuming the trial and the nano thingy made me a C ranker, even if I''m still on the low side of the scale. And it was all a gift of the real Ka, I shouldn''t be harsh on her avatar, I guess...'' ''Ka,'' Raven said in her mind, ''please, read my memories and work as efficiently as you can.'' [... Scanning... [Using data collected from Raven to minimise and cut down lengthy exnations... [Inherent Skills, Contingency Call, Quick Study... unable to ess.] At that, Ravens face twitched in a second of instant rage, before returning back to normal. [Special Skills: a type of skill that is special to Raven. ''OMG...'' [Ruler''s Touch: give or take life force by Raven''s will. Direct contact is required for the special skill to function. ''Okay... it could be worse...'' [Shadow Maniption: animate own or others'' shadows as means of defence or offence. Range limited by amount of mana used. ''What? I can animate others'' shadows too. Hm, doesn''t feel that great though, it probably has lots of limitations... I''ll experimentter...'' [Scanner Rings: azure rings surround ireses and enable long range or close 360 degrees mana scan and picture-memorise objects, events, or scenes.] ''Ah also, puts so much tension on the poor eyes!'' [Deadly Vision: ireses turn dark purple as vision turns ck and white. Enemies highlighted in red as weak points are highlighted for death blows.] ''oh, the assassin eyes? I almost never use these since they require so much energy, plus, it''s not that I can fully control them yet...'' [Contractor: the ability to form different contracts, such as a master-servant or a soul contract, with different beings.] ''Hm... so mostly stuff that I already know, except the Contractor... I''m assuming it''s the weak version of what I''ve done with Maria when we first met. Maybe I can terminate the contract if she doesn''t want it?'' *sigh* ''Skip the rest please! I think I know what I need to, thanks.'' Looking back at the girls, Raven smiles awkwardly and scratches her cheek in embarrassment. "Hi there..." she says to the staring girls. "Hi!" "Yo!" "Sup!" "How u doin''?" Cami, Maria, Maya, and Rain all say at the same time, each with their own unique expression. *sigh* "Do you honestly have nothing better to do that watch a half naked-... " At that Raven looks down to check herself. "Here!" says Rain as she tosses her a small pocket mirror. Taking a look in the mirror, what Raven sees makes her open her mouth in surprise. Staring back at her was a childish girl face that highly resembled her previous features. Although she had the same white skin, now it was far softer and more charming. Her hair was long enough that she had to keep in mind not to set on it next time. The silky locks looked like they were painted, or rather highlighted, with shades of crimson-purple as they shone with grace. Her bright golden ireses, unlike her childish face, looked mature and serious. "I have the body of that princess...?" she said in a whisper as her eyes widened in surprise. She was referring to the young princess in the trial. The others didn''t hear exactly what she said, and Cami thought she heard her say "I''m a princess?" "Ohou~ must be really tough for you to be stuck in that body since you were a boy, huh?" Cami said with a smug expression on her face that would''ve made Raven wanna break it, if not for the fact that she''s an S ranker. Rain didn''t think of it badly as she thought Cami was feeling bad for the little girl, or rather the boy stuck in that body. "Agreed, must be really tough being alone surrounded by 4 maidens in a cave, hahaha" She said, in an innocent expression. To make matters worse, she was actually genuine about it. "Very true! Must be quite hard to resist..." Cami said enthusiastically, "especially that most of us, *cough* aren''t exactly so discreet with what to show..." Of course, she meant the two girls who turned bright red. Maya and Maria started covering their bodies with their hands, then clothes after realising hands won''t cover anything. Meanwhile, Raven''s blood pressure was an all time high, ''they''re my family! What am I, no, what is she thinking?'' ''Cami... I''ll show you why you''re not supposed to mess with me, pretty soon...'' she thought as her eyes bore into those of Cami. Thetter felt a faint cold shiver run down her spine. Chapter 36 - Tension * Sickick - Infected (Barren Gates Remix) * *** ''I really hope you girls can be trusted, I wouldn''t have risked it if I didn''t need to practice this. I have a strong hunch that I''ll need everything I have to have an edge over the monsters, if I wanted to leave this ce with Maria and Maya that is.'' Raven thought to herself. ''Heck, we''ve been here for a day or two I think and no monsters appeared, that''s notforting at all. Are they preparing a strong surprise attack or what''s the y here?'' she''s already heard of the intelligent monster, or alien, and that didn''t help calm her nerves one bit. *sigh* she didn''t want to show off this specific skill of hers but then again, these girls have saved her life. A small secret shouldn''t be such a huge issue, right? Standing up, with her hand covering what needs to be covered while holding the oversized jacket a little closer to her tiny body, she sent a pulse of energy into her shadow. She was about to summon her armour, when she realised that now, that it felt different than before. She could feel the shadow''s every twist and turn before it covered her body to form her ck armour. The shadow wrapped itself around her body making sure the armour fit her perfectly. Looking at herself, Raven was now covered in ck stockings and a ck tight fit top that ended in a high thick cor around her neck. On top of that, she wore a dark silver armour top that extended to form a miniskirt on her front, and stretched down more to cover just a little bit above her knees on the back side. Thest touch included kneehigh ck armoured boots. ''Am I wearing the same armour the princess, or rather my little sister in the trial, was wearing?'' Raven was quite confused by what was happening, so far, since the moment she''s woken up, everything would be better described as a dream. ''But then again, I seem to have taken her form for some reason...'' Looking at the girl in front of them, the others gasped at her majestic aura and the dominating air around her. Along with her now missing shadow of course. But still, nonemented. ''ok... from what I could tell, the cause of this design is the trial, maybe Ka made it easier?'' [Negative. Ka provided no help whatsoever. The current design is the default one. It can be changed manually by Raven''s will.] ''Pft of course! you''re USELESS why would you h- *cough* I mean useless in being useless... You''re the best AI voice in the head I could ever ask for, thanks for the exnation.'' The girl in her mind kept her emotionless face as she wasn''t affected by whatever Raven said. ''Err, ok let''s try to remove the gloves slowly and see my current control.'' Thinking about it prompted the shadows around the gloves to disappear slightly as her shadow fists took their old ce on the floor next to her. Of course, the others didn''t miss that fact. Along with the other evidence Cami had seen, she would''ve been able to identify her as the assassin, only if she knew of the assassin''s existence. After all as an S ranker, she was concerned about global issues rather than some part time assassin cleaning up the city. Unfortunately, the same couldn''t be said for Rain. "WRAITH! YOU''RE THE WRAITH!" she yelled as her expression was that of amazement rather than fear, which surprised Raven. Everyone, including Joey who rushed to the cave the moment he heard the scream, were rather taken aback by her enthusiasm. "Err, yea, that''s me..." Raven said with a forced smile. "Why are you so happy though? I would''ve expected more... fear, I guess?" "Hello I''m here and I don''t understand sh*t." Cami raised her right hand and spoke rather bluntly. "You don''t know Wraith??!" Rain was amazed and her voice loud. ''Holy sh*t though, she''s the same girl I saved before? The change from super shy to over enthusiastic is kinda... creepy, for theck of a better term.'' Raven thought in surprise. "Wraith, *cough* I mean Raven here, is a well known assassin in the city and the surrounding areas. She''s killed more than a few thousands!" she said happily. *facepalm* ''Rio poor Raven'' thought Maya. *facepalm* ''Oh My! She messed it up didn''t she...'' though Maria. *facepalm* ''Oh, um... f*ck...'' thought Raven to herself. Joey was still confused as he didn''t quite understand what was going on. Cami wasn''t in a better condition. "Ah..." Cami muttered looking at Raven, then back to Rain. "And you''re happy because...?" She wasn''t as surprised that the girl was an assassin since she''s got skills that were way above her rank. She knew something was off the moment they met. Joey however, had the same look but for different reasons. Although whatever the case may be, he wasn''t going to raise his weapon against the prince-ss. "Oh..." Rain''s enthusiastic voice quieted down all of a sudden, "So, umm, let me exin..." "To put it simply, she''s like the extreme version of Spiderman in our city. My dad is a cop and he always tells me stories about Wraith. A rough assassin that''s killing dangerous criminals left and right. After ''his'' appearance about 2 years ago, crime rates went down drastically. But still, most idealistic cops lovew and stuff so they want criminals to be judged by the court, rather than by a roughw enforcers like her." She said thest part and pointed at Raven. ''Uhm,'' Cami looked back at Raven and nodded, she was d her saviour wasn''t a weird criminal mastermind. ''Sure she takes lives which is considered... ''bad'' and would guarantee you a life sentence in prison if not worse, but I personally am ok with killing criminals. She must have a reason for that though, and I''d like to know it.'' "Hey Raven," said Cami to Raven who looked calm to everyone, yet was stressed inside. "Aha?" she replied in a neutral voice, as she was about to either have a loyal S ranker friend, or a strong enemy that she might as well lose her life fighting. "Why do kill?" Cami asked, her smug aura reced by a serious one, the same she used to intimidate possible alien threats. "Personal gain or personal reasons? Or something entirely different?" she continued as she let loose of a small amount of her killing intent. Feeling a small part of an S ranker''s killing intent was enough for Ka to consider the situation an emergency. [Hostile killing intent detected.] [Would Raven like to activate the bracelet''s hidden safety measures?] While Ka asked in a robotic tone, a small stream of knowledge about the bracelet in Cami''s hand was suddenly clear. The real Ka had made sure not to trust strangers too much and that''s exactly why she made sure that Cami''s bracelet had a ''n B'' in case she turned her fangs towards her, or her allies. ''Put it on stand by, Ka,'' Raven replied to her system in a serious thought. Each one of the bracelets was made with an energy signature, preventing others from using it if their energy signature didn''t match. And Raven had ess to all of them as their creator, meaning she could turn off the bracelet''s effect if she wanted to. Cami''s, however was special for two reasons. One is that it was locked, meaning it requires Raven''s permission to activate. Second, it had a hidden function to absorb the energy around it like a starving beast. ''I won''t count on the amount of energy the bracelet devours, but rather the surprise of it happening, a split second should be enough to blow her face up with one punch.'' A portion of Raven''s killing intent red as she thought about that, surprising everyone but Cami. She wasn''t trying to show off by one hit KO an S ranker, but rather because one good hit was all she could afford in her current condition. ''However, I should be wary of Joey and Rain as they''re still uncertainties... I can''t risk anything happening to Maya and Maria.'' thinking about that, her eyes werepletely cold and void of emotions, just like when she used to murder whole gangs without batting an eye, even though she knew most had friends, parents, brothers, sisters, and loved ones. The group shut down for a second as some were curious, while others afraid of the answer. Cami was of the ones that were afraid, as during their time together, she''d fallen in love with the group and didn''t want a small matter to ruin everything. ''However, I can''t deal with a psycho and pretend everything is ok...'' she thought to herself. Before Raven could answer her initial question though, Joey stepped in between the two girls, surprising everyone. "Prince-ss, please take the girls and run away, I''ll cover for you," he said as he readied his sword that came out of nowhere. "you can trust Rain, she''s a good girl," he said with a smile. He then looked at Cami and red his own killing intent as his white aura covered his body and sword. "Oi, Cami, was it? Feeling almighty harassing an injured girl who just woke up from ama? Or it something S rankers like to do often so they feel better about themselves?" he asked with a smile, even though he was almost shaking in his shoes. Raven didn''t know why he did what he did, yet she found it to be worrying, since the boy had absolutely nothing to gain from protecting her. ''why did he call me princess though? Wait, could it be...'' Biting her lower lip, she put a hand over Joey''s and shook her head. Cami who was at a huge disadvantage at the moment wasn''t phased. Taking on a bunch of A rankers would be a piece of cake for an S ranker, and the kids in front of her were way less than that. "I don''t kill because I like the feeling, if that''s your question." Raven said, finally answering Cami''s question. "No, the question I asked was why, please answer it fully." she said as her aura''s strength went up a couple of notches, making others to have cold sweat running through their spines. Raven increased her own only as much as needed to cancel her effect on herself, Maya, and Maria. "Personal reasons," Raven answered with glowing golden eyes that matched her majestic aura. "Anything more is off limits for you." Maya and Maria knew why Raven did what she did, so they respected her choice and kept silent. All they could do was back away so that they''re not in her way, obstructing her. "Tch," Cami clicked her tongue. "At least tell me this, do you take money for your jobs?" "Absolutely not." Raven shook her head. *sigh* " It''s alright then, I can work with that." she said as she retracted her killing intent, but that only made Raven more nervous inside, she wasn''t going to turn her back at an uncertainty and wish for the best, no matter who she was up against. ''Ka, can we activate a forced contract with the skill Contractor?'' [Affirmative, however-] ''Make it work!'' she cut her system off. ''Activate the bracelet, now!'' She activated Scanner Rings to watch her enemy''s aura flow, and prepare for any surprises. Cami had already let her guard down since she wasn''t expecting the kid in front of her to contest it, so the sudden decrease in her mana by the bracelet almost shocked her. Almost. She raised her guard up as a small barrier started form in front of her like a shield. However, Raven''s already predicted as much, especially with her azure scanning rings at work. BOOM!! BOOOM! That''s why she''s already sonic jumped behind her target and concentrated all of what she could afford of her killing intent to freeze Cami for a split second, and Mana Maniption to condense her energy in her right palm. Using Shadow Maniption, ck shadowy chains erupted out of Cami''s shadow and held her in ce, surprising everyone in the cave. ''Now!'' she screamed in her mind to Ka. Getting Raven''s signal, she activated the skill Contractor. A crimson red dragon eye appeared on the back of Raven''s armoured glove as she palm struck Cami''s back, sending her crashing against her own barrier and wiping the cave floor with her face. Chapter 37 - Enough Is Enough * Lana Del Rey vs Cedric Gervais ''Summertime Sadness'' Remix * *** ''Now!'' she screamed in her mind to Ka. Getting Raven''s signal, she activated the skill Contractor. A crimson red dragon eye appeared on the back of Raven''s armoured glove as she palm struck Cami''s back, sending her crashing against her own barrier and wiping the cave floor with her face. Or that what would''ve happened if Cami''s training hadn''t kicked in. Even though she''s taken a direct hit, she didn''t let it faze her much as she''s already known the girl was special. ''Maybe a little too special, goddamn it!'' she thought as she converted her shield into a cushion like field to break her fall. To Raven''s surprise, not only her physical strength had went down quite a bit now that she was a little kid, but also the crimson red dragon eye glitched at the impact and disappeared without having much of an effect on Cami. ''Well, of course it''s not gonna f*cking work! Why did I think this is gonna be easy?!'' Raven thought to herself as Ka''s robotic voice rang in her mind. [Insufficient mana to empower an enforced contract.] [Target''s resistance higher than skill threshold.] [Special Skills Contractor failed.] ''Yea no f*ucking sh*t, Sherlock!'' "Maya, Maria behind me!" she signaled to the girls to stand behind her as she mentally summoned the drones to protect them and pointed her energy gun, the Wingman, at Cami. Joey realised that Raven doesn''t trust him yet and decided to shield Rain for now as she has nobat prowess. Cami stood up with an unhappy expression on her face,pletely fine and well, as the attack didn''t do any damage to her. "HOLD YOUR F*CKING HORSES!" She yelled as she raised her hand up above her head in a gesture of surrender. After all, she''s seen what one hit with that gun can do. Back when they fought the monster king, the only thing that prevented the first shot from being thest was the healing skill he used. Cami had no such skills. "I said I can work with that no? The f*ck did you need to attack me for?" "..." Raven didn''t reply. "... we''re not going to y stare now are we?" "..." "Holy sh*t, chill okay? I swear I don''t have any ns of hurting any of you!" Cami was trying so hard here, she didn''t want to be viewed as an enemy to the group. Especially that Maria was looking at her with that hostile gaze again. And obviously she didn''t want to go against a girl who can almost revive the dead, create various bullsh*t that she didn''t even know were possible to make, andstly, be as cunning and as strong as an S ranker even though she''s still a D ranker. (AN: she doesn''t know she''s a low C ranker yet.) ''She was either holding back to show me that she could''ve killed me but chose not to. Or because she''s still so weak from her previous mana abuse. Either way, I don''t wanna make an enemy out of her since the first case means I''m as good as dead, and the second means she f*cking took me by surprise andnded a hit that sent me flying in the air, WITH LESS THAN HALF OF HER REAL POWER!'' Little did Cami know, that was way less than half of her powers, and it wasn''t even meant to be a killing blow but rather an attempt to use the skill Contractor. Even though Raven was struggling to find a way out of the sh*thole she was stuck in, her expression was as cold as a brick of ice, and as emotionless as a robot without a face. Her golden eyes were ring with the same intensity of two twin stars. Their glow matched that of her aura. [Warning: Energy reserves ru-] ''I know,'' Raven cut Ka''s obvious remark short. She had her shot and she missed it. The next best option would be negotiations, something she wasn''t a fan of. "How can I trust you? You''re the one who threatened me first." Raven said to Cami in a calm tone. "What? No! I didn''t mean to! I just wanted to make sure you weren''t lying! I can''t stay with you if you''re a psycho who kills for fun or money." Cami eximed honestly. "How can I turn my back on someone who would stab me in my sleep for some money?" Raven knew she had a point, but that means nothing if she''s to endanger Maya or Maria. "No one told you to turn your back to me. You can always just leave." She said in what appeared to be a poisonous tone to Cami''s ears, even though it was as emotionless as it''s ever been, "We''ve never forced you to stay with us, and I believe as an S ranker you can very well take care of yourself." Cami felt a dagger pierce through her heart, three stabs for each word that came out of the little girl''s tiny mouth. She knew Raven was right, they''ve never forced her to stay, but she''s never considered leaving. Those words almost made her cry as she lowered we gaze to the ground and bit her tongue. She thought physical pain would make the pain in her heart stop, yet it didn''t. ''How can I exin that I felt... at peace, when I was with them? I really liked the little time we spent together. I guess it was nothing special to them as I''m a stranger here after all, let alone what I''ve just tried to do...'' "Uhm," she nodded in calm yet weak voice, "I''m sorry I caused you trouble, I''ll take my leave then." At that she started heading towards the entrance of the cave as she stopped for a second before looking back at the 3 girls in particr, "what you have is quite special, don''t waste it..." She was happy she lowered her gaze in time to avoid anyone noticing her eyes tear up. "Here!" she said as she threw the bracelet back to Raven without looking her in the face. With ast weak goodbye wave, Cami left the cave. *sigh* Making sure Cami was at least 100 meters away, Raven sighed as she retracted her aura slightly. She was more rxed, but didn''t let her guard down as their were still two uncertainties in the cave, Rain and Joey. *gulp* Noticing Raven''s gaze, they both swallowed loud enough to be heard. "Joey-" "Yes!" he said in a nervous voice. "Why did you try to stop her before? And why do you call me princess?" Thinking about it for a moment, he knew there was no point in denying it any longer. "I''m a soul weaver, and there''s no way I wouldn''t recognize my prince-ss." Up till that moment, he was still confused as to whether call Draven a prince or Raven a princess. That was because what he was familiar with the prince, and there was never a princess. Raven raised her brows slightly as she wasn''t sure how to react to that, ''well, not that I didn''t see thating. To be fair, I thought it was either that he had a huge crush on me and kept viewing me as a princess, or that he knew about the trial.'' she thought to herself. [Does Raven wish to view targets stats?] ''Pft,'' Raven was surprised to say the least, ''You can show me Joey''s stats?'' [Affirmative] ''Be my f*cking guest.'' [Appraisalunched... Loading... [Race: Soul Weaver. [Blessing: 6th Lord''s Compassion. [Rank: B] ''that''s it? [Unable to ess more information as no connection has been-] ''pfft ok ok too much info, just say yes and go on with your life... or wait, before you do that, can you exin his blessing?'' [Negative, as there was no-] ''remember when I said be efficient?'' [Affirmative] ''sweet, then please f*ck off and review everything you learnt so far. I don''t want a freaking newspaper everytime I ask a simple question.'' Ka stayed quite. ''Anyway, so that proves he is a soul weaver too, what are they though, or rather, what are WE...?'' "Nheless," Raven said to Joey, "I still don''t know you, why should I trust you? For all I know, you could be nning an assassination or something." "Princess..." what Joey hasn''t told her yet was that they knew eachother. Joey and the ''prince'' used to y together in the castle''s massive garden, back in Erembourc, also known as the Soul Weavers''. Unlike humans, soul weavers mature after one year of their birth, on average. So even though their body would be that of a one year old baby, they''d be smart enough to have conversation with a ten year old human. But seeing how she didn''t remember him, he knew it was something rted to "that night". "Princess, I''m ready for any test you might think of, to prove my loyalty. However... if you wish for it, I''ll leave too..." to say he was hurt would be an understatement. Raven felt the sincerity of his words, yet she didn''t wanna take any chances. "Yes please-" ""No he doesn''t!!"" both Maria and Maya cut her off, before looking at eachother is surprise as they''ve said the same exact thing. "The only reason I didn''t say anything about Cami''s leave was because she started it, and she was obviously ready to harm you the moment you provided a different answer to what she''s expected. Even if not directly, her aura was quite dangerous." "Same here," said Maya, "Those two however spent literally every second in the cave trying to save your sorry tiny a*s when you were unconscious. And unlike Cami, Joey there was ready to die for you!" she said thest part with a bit of envy, as she could literally do nothing but feel sorry for her own weakness. "Uhm," Maria nodded as she saw Raven bite her lower lip in embarrassment, "I definitely agree, if it wasn''t because of Rain''s healing too, we wouldn''t even be having this conversation as you''d be still unconscious. You should at least thank them." Being scolded by both girls made Raven''s mood go from bad to worse. Her face was bright red from both embarrassment and anger. ''What if they were just acting? Didn''t they say Cami brought both of them here in the first ce? Maybe they wanted us alive to help them escape this ce first!'' Even though countless thoughts and scenarios yed in her head, she said nothing, but just stared at the floor of the cave. Chapter 38 - Reflecting * Illenium - Leaving * AN: awesome song by the way. *** "Don''t sweat it," Rain said as she scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "I only repaid the debt I guess, she saved me back in the ser field and now we''re even." She knew the situation was getting awkward by the moment and didn''t want to push Raven more than that. She''s still sick after all, me she was her nurse. "Raven," she continued, "How about this? I''ll make sure you''re perfectly fine and well, then I''ll leave with Joey. I really like yourpany, and I''m pretty sure we''ll meet again anyway, so by then you''d probably have a better mindset, and understanding of me and Joey." "Didn''t you hear me, kid?" Maria said in an annoyed tone, "you''re not leaving and Raven can do nothing about it." she was ying the harsh mother now, she needed to be strict or her child will be spoilt. "To be fair, I even think what she did to Cami was an overkill, she didn''t have to be that harsh. Heck, the girl was fighting back tears, and she''s not only a grown up, but also a freaking S ranker!" Raven''s lips were red and hurting from the constant biting. She knew Maria wanted what''s best for her and Maya, she''d never do something if she believed it to be harmless or even worthless to them. ''Am I really the bad person here?'' she thought as she took a seat on the cold floor away from the group, and rested her back against the cave wall. Her face was a mix of anger and sadness, both were directed at herself. ''I''m just really worried about someone harming the people I care for...'' Raven wasn''t surprised when Ka remained silent since she wasn''t best described as emotional, nor did she want emotional support from a robo-girl, or rather a voice in her head. ''To be fair, I think I''m harshest on you, huh? Sorry... Ka,'' remembering how harsh she treated Ka, she felt bad for her. ''Even though she''s a voice in my head, she might have feelings of her own...'' *sigh* ''Yo Ka,'' she called out for the girl in her head, even though she could read her mind. ''I''m sorry if I''ve- no for I''ve been so harsh on you, ok?'' Ka didn''t say anything as it wasn''t something she could help with. ''Say, now that I think about it, are you barely a day old? Or were you helping err, unit Ka before?'' [Affirmative. Ka is less than a day old.] Realising that Ka finished there and didn''t borate any farther, she understood that it was basically because of her constant mental scolding as she was trying to be as ''efficient'' as possible. ''How deep did I drop? Now I''m yelling at infants?'' she said with a pained expression. ''Ka, please don''t mind me, whenever I ask for something, answer with what you believe is a good answer. I can''t treat you as trash and then expect you to be a perfect piece of art... I''m so sorry.'' Although Ka remained quite this time too, Raven could swear she detected a faint a nod in the tiny figure in her mind. Smiling at the gesture, she felt a little better. ''Alright, with the drones keeping an eye inside and outside the cave, wanna get back to business, lil buddy?'' she said as her face took a hint of red. [Affirmative.] She wasn''t expecting an answer, but the good surprise only made her smile softly. ''Sweet, let''s explore the most important thing now.'' she said as her face turned serious. She remembered how Cami said that the Runestone wasn''t a one time use item, so she could apply the effect and get her old body back. At the thought, she considered if she''s been too harsh with Cami, but quickly dismissed it. ''Directing her killing intent towards the girls is a big no-no...'' she thought with a somewhat cold expression. ''Anyway, umm where''s the Runestone? I remember Cami saying it was in the bracelet? But I can''t feel it...'' At the thought, a tiny glowing crimson runestone materialized in front of her and fell into her open palm. ''It has its own invisibility skill? or was it hidden in a different dimension?'' [Artifact detected: Avaia''s Extreme Disguise Runestone.] Although that practically wasn''t so useful for Raven since she knew what it is, she wasn''t going to think deeply about it as she has decided to ept Ka with all of her ws. ''Thanks a lot!'' was all she said in her mind. ''So this is the thing that made me a boy?'' she slightly blushed at the thought. Blinking twice, she started thinking about whether to try ro input her energy into it or ask Ka for help first. ''Uh, what do you think the best course of action is, Ka?'' [Raven can choose between two options: [One: Pulse own mana into the artifact and allow it to merge with Mana Core. [Oue: Regaining previous body. [Mana cost: 23% of own total mana at all times. Resetting final usable capacity to 77% [Two: attempt to absorb and integrate artifact into own Mana Core by the effect of the system. [Oue: Gaining runestone disguise effect that will be treated at a skill. The skill''s efficiency will evolve together with the system and Raven. If procedure seeds. [Mana cost: A one time 50% charge to get the skill, with extra charges proportional to the effect desired when using it. Note that only 5% must be of own energy as to introduce own mana signature, while 45% can be taken from an external mana source.] ''Hm, that''s interesting...'' Raven started to ponder on the two options. '' the first option carries the most certain sess rate, I''m assuming. Whereas the second option is kinda tricky since I don''t know how efficient the skill may be when I get it now. ''But also, there''s no way I can force my body to absorb 23% of the world energy, so the first option would have to wait if I decide to go with it. But the second option is doable at the moment as I can sacrifice 5% of my own energy and then keep fueling it using the world energy, 5% or so at a time.'' ''Ka, what do you rmend?'' Ka took a second before answering. [Rmended course of action: Option two.] ''Hm, why''s that?'' [Raven''s original body is that of a girl. Usually, disguising the true nature of a person would hinder their long term potential, especially that only 77% of totally mana could be used in the future because of the constant high mana cost. Also, the longer the identity concealment is activated for, the more Raven''s psychological resistance will suffer. [The second option implies that Raven would gain a disguise skill that would be helpful in the future, and at the same time, there''s a chance that previous body might be obtainable.] ''What are the chances of having my body back by the end of today?'' [Option one: 0% [Option two: <5%] ''How about by the end of tomorrow?'' [Option one: 69% [Option two: <8%] ''Uh, so for the long term benefit it''s obviously the second option, whereas the first would ensure that I''d be back to normal by the day after tomorrow.'' ''Well, screw it, I''m not gonna wait for two more days, plus, I''ll call it an investment. The girls are also right, I''d better live a real life and make it work, rather than a fabricated life. Ka is there anything else I should know before jumping into the second option?'' [Since Raven is a low ranker with no pain resistance, the process will be highly painful. Also, there''s no guarantee of sess.] ''What do I need to have a decent chance of sess?'' Raven was like a customer that''s waiting for the car dealer to make a small mistake so she can dip without buying an expensive car. [Raven is to focus on the collection of the mana required for the procedure, and Ka will do the rest. In case Raven falls unconscious as a result of extreme pain, permission is required for Ka to take over.] *sigh* ''at this point I don''t even know why I''m doing this, but sure you have my permission, Ka let''s start.'' -------------------- *Cami''s POV* Dragging her feet through the dark woods, under the two moons in the bright green sky, Cami had a sad look filled with regret. ''Why did I do that?'' was a thought she kept repeating to herself from the moment she stepped out of the cave. ''Why did I have to be Ms. righteous? I''ve killed so many lives that I''ve lost count, why did I decide to care about some criminals? ''Not only that, but I had to f*cking release my aura! Am I brilliant or what?'' She was fighting to keep her tears from blurring her vision. Noticing a wide tree bark near her, she decided to take a quick rest there. Her n as of the moment, other than grieving losing the only true friends she''s ever had of course, was to find the monsters and basically vent off her rage. She was so angry with herself that she wouldn''t even consider that n suicidal. ''Will I ever find someone as kind as Maria? ''Someone as trustworthy as Raven? ... ''I really envy the bond they have...'' Cami had no living parents, no loved ones, and no good friends. Everything in her life was rted to being an S ranker and the EDA. This might''ve been the only time where she could sit down and rx while watching others do their job properly. ''That tiny girl has a bright future ahead of her, I really wish her all the best.'' ~ Cami was about to take a quick nap when she heard some distinct footsteps sounds. They weren''t loud as they were clicking against soft grass, not a stony floor. However, she was sure three of them at least were the noise a hoofed mount would make. Standing up gracefully, Cami started dusting herself quietly as she watched some enemies surround her from opposite sides. Chapter 39 - An Azure Chance? * Lost Sky - Fearless pt.II (feat. Chris Linton) * *** Standing up gracefully, Cami started dusting herself quietly as she watched some enemies surround her from opposite directions. Walking slowly in a threatening manner was what looked like the grim reaper without his garb. A night ck skeleton creature, standing at about two meters high, with two massive feathery wingsing out of its upper back. It''s legs were covered in tight leather pants of matching colours. Its waist was covered with a shallow ghostly dark waist-scarf. What stood out in the creature was its ck spinal column as it was so thick that it almost looked just like a slim mascr body frame, while its back side was covered in sharp looking bones that almost resembled ws prating its invisible back. Apanied by its ribcage that covered the chest area like a sturdy armour, its appearance would give a lot of people a heart attack. What made it scarier was the huge scythe that was flowing with a crazy red aura, almost as if haunted, matching the ominous light that''sing out of its eye sockets. Cami didn''t miss the presence of two triangles on the top of its head, almost like a cat ears. ''Don''t they resemble a part of a pointed star?'' she thought, making the connection between this monster king and the 1st one they fought before. ''so it''s not just one king, is it? This gonna be annoying.'' Looking at the other monster behind her she wasn''t too surprised to see a huge skeletal steed with four upside down ibex hornsing out of its head. Mounting the huge ghostly beast, there was a white skeletal monster that looked more majestic than threatening. Even though it was simr to the ck ''2nd king'', it had three triangles on top of its head, the third was resting on top of the other two. Its wings were bigger and more menacing, almost as if they were meant to instill fear into its enemies rather than serve as means of flight. Also, covering part of its leg there was half a white garb that looked more for show than anything else as it didn''t hide its skeletal white legs. White shadows around its head almost formed a hoodie covering its face, but failing to hide the glowing red light emitted by its eye sockets. Both the 3rd king and its mount seemed to have a blinding sun for a heart, as white lights kept shining out of their bones. Next to them, almost as if forming an escort, two other smaller beasts walked slowly. Instead of four, they only had two horns each, but their jaw wasrger, and so was their back, making them look like a hybrid between a bull and a hyiena. All of a sudden, the 2nd king let its scythe rather slowly to the ground and looked at the 3rd king who started muttering some weird noises. Cami wasn''t dumb and realized that was thenguage they spoke as it was simr to the noise Raven had tranted for her before, when they were attacked by the 1st king. "Well, too bad I don''t understand, nor do I care... I''m angry and would dly vent it all off on you guys." Cami said with a twisted smile and menacing look. -------------------------- "SSSSSS..." Raven was holding herself quite well. Even though her pain filled the cave with noise and the others with worry, everything was going as nned. ''It hurts- It. Really. HURTS...'' sheined to herself as she continued to funnel the world energy into her Mana Core so that Ka could integrate the runestone''s mana into it. Raven was in a lot of pain that she feared she''ll faint any moment, or worse, give up. Yet she held on. After what felt like a century, her body couldn''t feel anything but pain. No lighting in, just pain. No noise, not even her own screams, but only pain. Her body felt on fire, her brain was boiling, her heart shrinking. She couldn''t breathe, she couldn''t focus, and she stopped thinking. The only reason she continued the procedure was that Ka clinged to her will toplete the procedure. The process wasn''t dangerous, only painful. Or so Ka thought. However at the half way point, the energy requirement spiked through the roof as more was needed for stabilizing the vtile runestone''s energy. Otherwise Ka may risk cracking Raven''s Core. Raven stopped screaming as she fell unconscious leaving Ka alone working her robotic a*s off. Since she had Raven''s permission to continue the process, she kept it going, while at the same time making sure Raven''s life force was stable. Stopping in at that point would''ve be more dangerous than continuing since the Mana Core was already exposed to the strange mana. And the only way to ease the poisoning was to use the world''s energy to dilute it. Everything went on rather slowly and painfully, until the runestone expanded all of a sudden emitting a blinding azure light that made everyone''s eyes hurt. [Energy requirement: ERROR. [Vitals: in severe condition. [Mana Core: Invalid reading. [Runestone condition: ERROR. [...] While Ka kept muttering to the unconscious girl in her robotic voice, Raven was blinded by an azure sun that was so close to her, she could almost touch it. ''Where am I? Don''t tell me I''m unconscious... again! KAYLA!'' when no one answered, she knew she was right. She tried to open her eyes again, but what she saw surprised her, almost shocked her. The storm of azure that was supposed to be emitted by a star, was actually generated by a rather familiar feminine figure. The surrounding white lights of the weird space around both girls looked dimpared to the new azure light. Raven didn''t know how, but she knew this wasn''t their first meeting. Quite the opposite. Squinting her eyes to look at the woman closely, she noticed that she was surprised, evident by her widened azure eyes. Her long shiny blue hair looked so soft that Raven unintentionally reached out to touch it. Smiling slightly, the woman had a tear run down her bright pale face. The appearance of the little girl brought so many memories, joyful and sorrowful. Yet, her smile didn''t waiver. "I didn''t expect you to be the one calling for me this time..." Raven flinched at the woman''s soft voice. Yet, she felt at ease, rxed and... true. "I''m so sorry," Raven said and she meant it, "I know I''m supposed to know you, but I just... can''t." Every fiber of her existence was urging her to take the opportunity and hug the woman in front of her. She wasn''t blind, and she knew that this woman was possibly her rtive as she had her same features when she was a boy. Coincidence? Not possible. Throughout her life, absolutely no one shared her azure eyes and blue hair. "Uhm..." nodded the woman in disappointment as she kept looking down. She was the one who erases her memories of the previous encounter. And after hearing what the girl just said, she was sure her memories were still missing. She recovered a second after and shook her head, "it''s all good, and by the way, you don''t have to feel bad about it. I''m not the person you used know anyway." "I used to know you? Err, or the other person?" Raven asked. "Yea-" the soft melodic voice of the woman was cut short by a flicker in the surroundings. "Seems like your friend is worried about you, she''s working quite hard to get you out, you know." She said as another one of her smile reached Raven''s heart. "How do-" "Not enough time," the woman cut her with a sad smile. Raven felt a sting in her heart. "I''m going to touch you, is that okay?" The woman asked. Raven wasn''tfortable with being ''touched'', but she knew the woman had no bad intentions. "Uhm," she nodded as she closed her eyes in anticipation. Suddenly, Raven felt two soft arms wrap around in her in a gentle hug. Her embrace was so warm and affectionate that it made Raven''s heart flutter. "It''s such a regret that we don''t have enough time for our little talk after all. But I''m pretty sure you''ll meet a ''piece'' of me again, haha" the woman giggled in a soft sad voice. "I''m so sorry for leaving you... again..." At that, azure light swallowed Raven who was still trying to figure out the meaning of the woman''s words. Opening her eyes again to find herself back at the cave, she realised that her vision was rather blurry. ''Eh, tears?'' she was surprised that she was apparently crying, and more so when she felt deep sadness in her heart that she didn''t know the reason for. Not only that, but she detected a hint of longing in her heart. ''Was it the hug, the woman, or the feeling?'' she thought to herself. Her pain hadn''tpletely disappeared yet, but it wasn''t as bad. She could move without screaming now. "Hey," she said to Ka, the Maria who was sitting next to her, and Maya who was... ''Why am I sitting on Maya''sp?'' Raven could feel her face warm up as it took a hint of red. ''She''s my sister damn it! Is it me bing more of a pervert or the new body with its hormones?'' Rain and Joey were outside, supposedly, since she couldn''t see them around her. "Yo!" replied Maria, while Maya just hugged her tight. "Maya-," She was surprised to see tears in Maya''s eyes. "What''s wrong?" "Hey, is everything-" being hugged again by Maya forces her breath to go back to her lungs. "My. Lungs." she said with much effort, as the pain was still there. ''Hello, Ka...?'' Ka still hadn''t replied to her initial greeting, which made her worry that something must''ve happened to her while she was performing both her and Raven''s job during the little stunt they pulled up. Or tried, as she had no idea what had actually happened. "I''m so sorry!" Maya blurted out, as if she''s just awoken from a bad dream. Her feelings of being useless were at their strongest. She had done absolutely nothing to Raven so far, but being a burden. She couldn''t do anything in order to help her. Maya was powerless against the feeling of helplessness that struck her very core with everything it got. "Hey don''t be," Raven said as she patted her head. "It''s been a rough couple of days, I''d expect anyone else of your age to be way worse. Don''t feel bad about it, ok?" "But I-" "Ey listen to your big sis!" Raven "Uhm," seeing the worry in Raven''s eyes, Maya could only nod with a forced smile. [Integration aplished. Evolution requirements met. Commencing evolution.] Suddenly, Ka''s robotic voice rang in Raven''s mind. Chapter 40 - Evolution * Elektronomia - Sky High [NCS Release] * AN: song is so very highly rmend for studying. It''s what kept me going through uni. I might add some other simr ones in the future. *** [Integration aplished. Evolution requirements met. Commencing evolution.] Suddenly, Ka''s robotic voice rang in Raven''s mind as her vision blurred. [One of Seven Heavenly Stones has been obtained: Concealment (Stealth) Stone. [Title obtained: Heavenly Collector. [One of Seven Heavenly Stones: ''Concealment (Stealth) Stone'' has been absorbed and integrated. [Individual Raven, identified as master, gains new acquired/ integrated skills. [Acquired Special Skill: Soul Illusion. [Acquired Special Skill: Stealth. [Acquired Special Skill: Soul weaving. [Affection received from Stone''s Will. [Blessing obtained: Avavia''s Affection. [As per Stone''s Will,mencing body modifications.] At that, Raven''s body started to float slowly and quietly as radiant light covered her entirely, like a cocoon. In her mind, Raven could still hear Ka''s voice while a strange feeling washed over her mind. Energy surged in her body developing her core and changing her physical body. [System upgraded. [Individual Raven, identified as master, gains new system skills. [System Unique Skill created: Absorption. [System Unique Skill created: Integration. [System Unique Skill created: Appraisal. [System Unique Skill created: Thought eleration. [System Unique Skill created: Parallel Processing. [Updating Status Page... Finalizing evolution.] As Ka kept muttering, Raven finally felt the energy inside of her getting calmer and more stable. Not too long after, she sighed in relief as the blinding light faded away, reverting the cave to its normal state. Before she even took a look at her body, Raven knew something in her body had changed. ''It feels... heavier. Did I get my old body back?'' Raven was so excited at the idea. Gasps all around her made her rather curious and so she looked down, or she tried. But something was obstructing her view. "Eh...? EHHH???" Raven''s shocked face turned beet red as she understood that her underdeveloped body was now rather... mature. The girls giggled, some in embarrassment while others happily. Joey had a simr expression to hers. "Oh look at you! Finally a grown up, I still remember when you were a kid, almost as if it was yesterday." Maria said as she wiped an Imaginary tear off of her right eye. "Children sure grow quite fa-" "Maria! My body was that of a kid just a second ago!" Raven pouted in embarrassment. "it''s not even that much of a difference!" she yelled as she covered her chest. "Ohe on! No mommy or big sis Mary this time? You know it''s too cute when it''sing out of your mouth." "I''ve never called you big sis Mary!" Raven retorted as Mariaughed her a*s off at her expense. "Oh, you look so cute though! Right, Joey?" Rain asked cheerfully as she looked at Joey. Seeing that he was a deep shade of red, Raven''s embarrassment shot up a little bit higher. Ignoring them and looking at Maya, she was as happy as she was embarrassed to see herughing with them. ''She had had it quite hardtely. I''m so d she''s at least happy for now.'' Raven smiled slightly at the thought. "Ok real talk," Maria said, "What in the world happened?" Looking down at her ''new'' body, Raven only muttered two words. "No clue..." Only then did she saw that Maria''s jacket, the one that she was wearing before the evolution process was on the ground besides her, did she realise that she was in her jet ck armour. ''Ka, was that your doing?'' [Affirmative.] ''Oh my God I''m so thankful!'' thinking back to how she used the jacket before, she was sure it wasn''t enough to cover her... assets. Especially with her not wearing any proper underwear. "Can I have a mirror please?" "Here," Rain said as she passed her her pocket mirror. Looking at her face, Raven saw that now her childish features were a little bit more mature, and so was her body. Instead of seven, she''d say her body''s age was about eleven. Her previously cherry sized breasts grew up to be orange sized. Although they still don''tpare to Maya''s melons, they had a good ratio, considering her body size. She was still short whenpared to her peers, standing at 147 cm. A whole 4 cm taller than before! Along with some other strong feminine aspects, it made her blood pressure rise up high. The fact that her overall appearance, especially with her shadowy armour on, made her quite alluring didn''t fair well with her at all. "Weren''t you supposed to gain back your old body?" Rain asked curiously. "Yes and no," Raven admitted. "Rather than regaining my old body, I took a little risk that would enable me to turn it on and off, if that makes sense. I basically converted the runestone into a skill." "A skill?" Joey asked surprised. "You have those?" "Err, yea..." Raven said hesitantly, "How do you know about them?" Only then did Joey realise what he''d just said. Thinking for a second, he tried to be honest with the girls, he trusted all of them after all, especially Raven. "Do you remember when you asked about my power?" "Yea, if I''m not mistaken you said it was...plicated?" "Yes," Joey admitted. " The reason being that I have an ability called ''The Warrior System''. It lets me upgrade and use various skills. In my case, most of them are meant for warriors." "The sword you saw me use," he continued as the light sword materialised in his right hand. "Is a weapon that I bought from the system using points. I have a shop, and an inventory. as the name suggests, the inventory lets me store various items and I can ess them with a thought." "Huh?" "Whaaat?" Maria was confused, while Rain had a hard time believing it. "You have the rarest ability? The System?" Rain was shocked. She''s heard of that ability, as it was ranked as a legendary ability with so much potential. One can have so many skills that they''d stand on par with an S ranker easily. "But I''ve never heard that it has a shop or an inventory, it''s like you''re ying a video game..." Rain, with a hand over her chin and focused eyes, started to think out loud. "Raven, you do have it too, right?" Joey was more interested in Raven''s ability. Biting her lip and epting that the duo is part of their group now, she started exining her abilities. ... "Hold up!" Joey said with a raised hand, "Your system talk to you?" "Err, yea...? And her name is Ka by the way" "Why are you so surprised? You have two other abilities that I''ve never heard of and you''re jealous of Raven over here?" Rain said with a forced smile. "No, you don''t get it," Joey said as he face-palmed. "Let me exin this from the beginning." "My name is Joey Banck, and I''m not a human... but rather a Soul Weaver. Much like Raven and Maria here." Ignoring the only shocked expression of Rain, he continued. "My father''s name is Darius, or Lord 6th. We used to live on a called Erembourc, the where Soul Weavers live. "My n, the 6th n. And the reason I was surprised was because The System is the ability our n was unique for. Each one of the 13 ns have a unique ability that makes them special. "Yours, my princess," Joey said as he bowed slightly making the others raise their eyebrows in surprise, "is something rather special, I don''t know what for sure but most rumours had it that it was something simr Mana Control." Raven had so much to digest so she kept quiet. Noticing that, Joey continued. "Anyhow, I know that my original system does not talk to its host. It only acts in an expected mechanical way that''s better described as giving tips. The skills it provides is what makes it special. That''s why I was surprised..." Everyone was quiet, trying to understand what Joey has just said. Noticing Maya and Maria''s gazes, Raven confirmed that everything he said is true, with a simple nod. "It''s Mana Maniption." Raven said in an expressionless face, not because she wasn''t thinking, but quite the opposite, "have you met them?" "Pardon?" Joey was confused by her question. "Have you met my parents? I''m not dumb, judging from your little talk now, and that you''ve called me princess quite a few times now, I''d say you knew the young me. The question is, have you met my real parents?" Everything adds up, the mayor was by no means the woman she''d expect to call her mom. Although she treated her nicely, previously, she''s never felt like a mother to her. ''Maybe that''s why even her deceased husband, what I once called dad, did what he did.'' she thought to herself, referring to the mayor''s husband trying to sell her to ve trader or whatever thatdy was. However the n, even though seeded, ended up in his death. What made the story more believable was that she could confirm that they both were Soul Weavers, or Erembourcians... "Yes." Joey''s reply was short but but on point. "They were-" before he could start describing them, Raven stopped his mouth from moving using her index and thumb to pinch his lips. "Not now, please." she said as silent tears filled her eyes. She had countless questions. Why did they leave her? Why did they send her to Earth? Where are they now? Did they abandon her? Did they love her...? Many, almost too many, question swirled inside her head as she started to feel dizzy. She had to sit down in order to avoid falling and hitting her head in the stone floor. Of course, the girls didn''t allow her to be alone. She was like a child who''s just been told she''s adopted. But the worst part was that her real parents had left her all alone for the past 13 years. ''I sure hop to God those b*stards are dead, or else I''ll torture them to death for abandoning my poor Raven,'' Maria thought to herself as she sat down to Raven''s right and hugged her shoulder. Maya did the same to her left, but her deadly gaze confirmed that her ideas of handling Raven''s real parents were quite different, one might even say... innovative. ""We''re here for you!"" Both said with voices full of warmth and kindness. "I know." Raven replied with a soft pained smile, her eyes shut, as she hugged the girls with one hand each. Their warmth made her cling to them as she tried to think of something else to distract herself with, other than her parents and the feeling of being lost. ''Ka, you there?'' Raven called out in her mind. [Affirmative.] Smiling softly, Raven thought of two words to Ka. ''Status Page.'' Chapter 41 - New Stats * Faine - Wildfire (feat. Nevve) * AN: Wonderful and calm... *** ''Ka, you there?'' Raven called out in her mind. [Affirmative.] Smiling softly, Raven thought of two words to Ka. ''Status Page.'' [Loading Status Page...] Not a second after, a picture shed inside Raven''s mind. [Race: Soul Weaver. [ss: Royal [Blessings: Infinity''s Will. Avavia''s Affection. [Titles: Soul Weaver Princess. Heavenly Collector. [Rank: C [Magic Skills: Mana Maniption - Level 1 [Inherent Skills: Contingency Call - Level ??? Quick Study - Level ??? [Special Skills: Ruler''s Touch - Level 1 Shadow Maniption - Level 2 Scanner Rings - Level 1 Deadly Vision - Level 1 Contractor - Level 1 Soul Illusion - Level 1 Stealth (Passive+) - Level 2 Soul Weaving - Level 1 [System Unique Skills: Absorption - Level 1 Integration - Level 1 Appraisal (Passive) - Level 1 Thought eleration (Passive) - Level 1 Parallel Processing (Passive) - Level 1 [Ultimate Skills: Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation (Spacial Transfer Bracelet series, Wingman series guns, Guardian Drone series, Scout Drone series.)] ''Err, I gained quite a few skills from the stone, eh? Even Ka got an upgrade. And it even granted me a title and a blessing, that''s cool.'' Raven thought, scanning the status page, ''so, was that woman called Avavia?'' ''Ka, exin the new skills for me, please.'' [At once] Ka replied as Raven furrowed her eyebrows in surprise. At that, Ka started projecting other images in her mind. [Soul Illusion - Level 1: Cast illusion that disguises or alters the physical body. As skill evolves, temporary soul alteration can be essible. Effectiveness of skill depends on both the mana consumed and the resistance of the targets. [Stealth (Passive+) - Level 2: Always able to walk quietly without making a sound or leaving a trace (passive). You can spend Mana activate a second effect: Blend in with the surroundings making it harder to be seen. Effectiveness of skill depends on both the mana consumed and the detection abilities of the targets. [Soul Weaving - Level 1: Able to feel, extract, weave, and absorb the soul of a target. This is a means of feeding and surviving in the world of Soul Weavers, it enables them to grow and get more powerful. Effectiveness of skill depends on both the mana consumed and the resistance of the targets. [Integration - Level 1: Able to integrate or separate various skills. The effect works on internal skills, as well as other skills that are stored inside items. Effectiveness of skill depends on both the mana consumed rtive to the levels of affected skills. Skill is governed by the system. [Absorption - Level 1: Able to absorb external mana, such as the world energy, and skills that have been integrated and matched with your mana signature. Effectiveness of skill depends on both the mana consumed rtive to the levels of affected skills. Skill is governed by the system. [Appraisal (Passive) - Level 1: Able to evaluate items or creatures in sight. Effectiveness of skill depends on the difference in rank and total prowess between you and the affected party. Skill is governed by the system. [Thought eleration (Passive) - Level 1: Thoughts, reactions, and conversations with the system are elerated. Able to see and observe events in slow motion. Current ratio is 1 second of thoughts: 10 seconds of real time. Skill is governed by the system. [Parallel Processing (Passive) - Level 1: Able to have two different thoughts going on at once, in addition to the independentputations of the system. Skill is governed by the system. [Is there anything else I can help you with, Master?] ''Eh?'' Raven was bbergasted. ''Ka, why are you acting more... human? Is it the upgrade?'' [Affirmative, Ka has received and upgrade to hernguage overall system.] ''That''s cool! And please, we talked about this, you can call me Raven, right?'' Raven thought in excitement. [Yes, Raven.] Ka replied, her voice still had a hint of inhuman coldness in it but way better than before. ''Hmm, so skills are looking good. I didn''t expect to get so many. Shadow Maniption and Stealth are level 2 because I''ve killed many as an assassin using my shadow armour and swords, I''m assuming? And I''ve always been quiet and stealthy about it.'' Raven thought as she saw that the two skills were the only skills higher than level 1, ''well, except for the two inherent skills: Contingency Call, and Quick Study.'' ''What''s level??? Like are they too strong or just have none? Maybe it''s that you don''t know Ka?'' [Affirmative, the system has no way of figuring out the skills'' levels or anything rted to them.] ''Uhm,'' she noddes in her mind, ''from the name alone I''d say the first is like an emergency skill that should help me survive extreme cases... maybe? Also, the other one is a skill that makes me... smarter? Pfft I don''t know *sigh*'' ''Yo Ka, why are they inherent skills whereas my soul weaving skill was acquired? Let alone acquired sote that even if I needed it to survive I''d be dead by now.'' [Ka has no ess to information that would be considered an answer. Apologies.] ''Hahaha'' sheughed in her mind and smirk formed on her face, making the girls happy to see her better than just a moment ago. ''I like you, Ka, you''re so cute! But hey don''t worry about it, no one has the answer for everything!'' [True. Much appreciated.] ''Hm anyway, so let me go over everything once again. ''I didn''t expect to have a ss now, but that only makes it more diverse I guess. I''m assuming it''s royal because I''m the princess? *sigh*'' she sighed remembering that she still has to have ''the talk'' with Joey. ''Titles are useless... wait, Ka are they actually?'' [At the moment, titles give no special effects.] ''I see, moving on. I see I ranked up, from C- to C, not half bad I guess. I''m climbing up the ranks quite fast, if I do say so myself. ''Hm... one of the new skills I gained has the disguise effect, Soul Illusion huh? Ka can I get my body back now? And what are me energy levels at?'' [Not at the moment as skill is still in its early stages, and mana quantity isn''t enough for such a process. Energy reserves resting at 47% since the runestone had released, unexpectedly, a lot of energy that was redirected into your core.] ''Uhm,'' she nodded remembering that strange, yet familiar woman in the stone. ''Her name was Avavia, I think. She''s so pretty...'' she blushed at the thought. ''Ahem, on to the next skill. I''ll try Stealth when I get up I guess.'' she was quitefy between the two girls, as they hugged eachother warmly. ''Soul Weaving... Hm, I thought something felt off now, when I focus on some I can feel a faint glow at their center. Is that their soul?'' Raven wondered to herself as she observed the ming blue orb visible through Rains chest. "Um, is there something on my chest?" Rain asked as she turned bright red. She covered her chest in embarrassment. "Eh? no, no I''m sorry I was just deep in thoughts, hehe..." Raven took the same hue as well as sheughed lightly in embarrassment. "Uhm," Rain nodded, "don''t worry about it." *sigh* ''I''ll test thatter I guess. Ok, so next we have Integration and Absorption, we''ve already tried that with the stone I''m guessing, Ka?'' [Yes, the skills were performed then learnt as a result.] ''Hou~ I can do that?'' [Depending on the skill type and your level, yes.] ''Sweet!'' she was overjoyed as that would open the doors to countless possible skills. ''Let''s try-'' she wanted to say let''s try appraisal now but something suddenly made her feel a knot forming in her stomach. ''Ka, analysis please! This feeling... it''s like the feeling you''d get when you''re happily shopping at the mall, but then all of a sudden you realise that your parents are no where to be seen...'' [No abnormalities detected.] ''Impossible! I know for a fact something isn''t right!'' Looking around she remembered Cami. ''Cami isn''t here, could it be...'' She widened her eyes in surprise as a sudden surge of mana in the air. The others noticed it as well as they looked towards the cave exit at the same time, with worried, yet serious gazes. "It''s far to the north," Joey said to the group, "whatever it is it''s dangerous." Raven didn''t need another word to jump up from the ground gently, as she didn''t want it hurt the girls hugging her. "I''ll be back in a sec-" "We''reing with-" "No!" Raven cut Maya off with a dead serious stare, and eyes filled with worry. Realising that she''s just yelled at poor Maya she instantly hugged her, "I''m so sorry, I can''t bear the thought of dragging you into a dangerous fight, I''m used to it since I''m an-" "I''m sorry but we''re already deep into this sh*t!" Maya retorted. "Do you know what I''ve been feeling since you fell unconscious the first time? How f*cking useless I am! There''s no way I''m leaving you alone again!" As if to prove her point, Maya clung into Raven tightly. "She''s right you know," Maria said to her. Chapter 42 - Regret Part 1 * William ck - Wasted On You (feat. Sara Skinner) * *** "She''s right you know," Maria said to Raven. "We''ve done absolutely nothing but drag you down. And since you haven''t noticed yet, the safest ce in this sh*thole is by your side." she said with a smile as she gave Raven a light pat on the head. "I''d like to join you too, your highness." Joey asked with a light bow. "Same!" said Rain enthusiastically, "I can heal anyone in need! You need me." she said with a smug grin on her face. *sigh* "Alright alright I get it!" Raven replied to them in surrender. "But here''s the n, I''ll go first since I''m faster than y''all. Joey protect them with your life." she said that part while releasing an unintentional surge of killing intent. Joey gave a deep bow, almost kneeled, as a shiver ran down his spine. He started sweating without even realising. "Maya, you take the gun and stay close to Maria," at that Maya nodded as she received the Wingman. "Maria, your being a Soul Weaver now means you have some hidden talents, investigate them, from a safe distance of course. You two will give me ranged support if possible. "Rain, Joey will bring any injured personal your way, you just do your thing and make miracles." "Ma''am, yes ma''am!" she said with a grin. "Alright, see you in a bit then! Drones, keep watch on them!" The drones were an extension of herself, meaning she could receive signals and even pictures if she focuses hard enough. Witht that, she could keep tabs on the group, making sure everything is going as nned. She ran to the cave exist, which happened to be the entrance as well, before jumping out at full speed. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Sonic bursts could be heard, even indirectly seen as dust would scatter away in a spiral, making way for the armoured princess. ------------------ "TAKE THIS YOU F*CKING P*SSY!" Yelled Cami at the top of her lungs as she released one of the destructive spell in her arsenal. Usually most of her spells would take from five minutes to hours to cast, but even the five-minute spell was a force to be reckoned with. She''s had trouble so far with the two monster kings. From their fight so far, she could tell that the 3nd king, or the white grim reaper, would be the most hectic of the two. And the hardest to fight, especially considering her skill set and the nature of her magic. The white skeletal creature was a summoner that would keep summoning zombie beasts nonstop. That was especially a pain since she couldn''t cast her spells properly. She had to be prepared at all times as the b*stards would appear from literally anywhere. Adding the 2nd king to the mix, the ck grim reaper, was "just wonderful" as Cami kept repeating in her mind. Not only was the 2nd kind fast and able to avoid her orbs, but also preferred close rangebat. The field that Cami absolutely sucks at. However, she wasn''t a newbie nor an idiot, but a veteran S ranker. She knew her long casting time will be used against her, that''s where a special set of spells came in. Instead of just casting none stop, that type focused on setting up the magical formations slowly, one step at a time. Almost as if she was setting up traps in the wild. It required patience and uracy. "And now it''s time for you set of bones to feel my wrath!" she yelled in excitement as a wide grin covered her face. BOOOOOOMMM!!!! She''s been preparing the spell since the beginning of the fight and now that she''s unleashed it, she was quite happy or rather satisfied with herself. Jumping in the air, using her floating orbs as tforms to soar high in the sky, she could take a better look at the scene unfolding. The woods underneath her feet was now a huge crater that spread out for more than two hundred meters in diameter. She''s made sure that she''s far enough from the cave so the group would still be safe. Plus, she''s already checked her surroundings using some arrays, everything was clear for her to shoot her shot. Also, she''s made sure that she didn''t use the tform trick before as to avoid the possibility of some aerial zombie beasts support. "Now that would''ve been annoying..." she thought out loud. She wanted to make sure she had the element of surprise, and she seeded. Looking down the deep crater she was happy to see that nothing was left alive. "Heh! three kings are already out of picture, I wonder how many are still left." she said as a wide grin formed over her face. She was so proud that she''s killed two of the monster kings alone, since she''s previously needed Raven''s help. It was a way to prove to herself that she''s still useful, and good at what she does! Descending down to the crater''s edge, she didn''t want to make a newbie mistake and dismiss the orbs too quickly. However, that didn''t prevent her from identally lowering her guard. Out of the surrounding trees, the 2nd king, the ck grim reaper, appeared with the deep red gems glowing brightly in its eye sockets. Leaving behind two trails of red, the dark grim reaper moved so fast that it was hard to see. It swung its scythe with all of the might it could muster and shed through Cami''s back, almost cutting through the front her ribcage as well. Unfortunately for the grim reaper, even though she took a direct hit, she had her orbs cover her heart and main arteries the moment she felt danger. But unfortunately for Cami, the scythe had a strong poison on its de. The poison was so strong yet so slow. It wasn''t meant for killing, as much as it was meant for torturing. ''ARRREUEHHEHHHGHHH.!!!'' Cami screamed in her mind as excruciating pain sent countless neural signals crashing in her brain and overstimting her pain receptors. The human brain would usually shut down the pain receptors to avoid feeling the extreme pain at the moment of the impact or moments of danger. It''s a way for the body to protect itself and enable a quick escape and ensure survival. However in her case, that pathway has been overridden. Even though she wanted to scream in pain, she couldn''t as her lungs were mostly filled with blood as the scythe had shed through them. She coughed a mouthful of blood as she fell down face first. Blood spilled everywhere. Even if she didn''t drown in the blood in her lungs, the puddle on the ground was enough to get the job done. If she didn''t bleed out first, that is. Or even if the dark grim reaper decided to end her misery. The 2nd king stood, hulking down on the falling Cami as it watched her blood spill out. It had barely survived the attack she unleashed by sheer luck. Its speed was key, but it usually wouldn''t be enough to survive that. What had happened was that the 3rd king had wanted the 2nd to ask for reinforcements, so it was already a good distance away from the center of the thunderous explosion when it hit. But the 3rd king was dead. And that didn''t set quite well with the 2nd. Raising its scythe high in the air, the silent anger in its eyes burned deep as its scythe red with mana. Before Cami could take another bloodied breath, the scythe went crashing down on her body. Just a split second before the de could prate Cami''s nape, a fierce killing intent assaulted the area almost reaping out the grim reaper''s soul in the process, as a small armoured hand stopped the scythe in its tracks. BOOOMM!! Only a split second after, did the 2nd king hear the sonic explosion that made it realise that a small girl was holding the handle of the scythe, preventing it from moving a millimetre. Raven''s intense golden aura didn''t falter for a second as she focused what little mana she had left into empowering Ruler''s Touch. Even though she only has so much mana left, as she had to focus almost most of it into her arm and legs to be able to prevent the skeletal''s sh, more kepting. Her Mana Maniption and Absorption allowed her to fuel herself with the world''s energy. It was also her Mana Maniption,bined with both of the effects Ruler''s Touch had, and Absorption that allowed her to steal the grim reaper''s life force way faster than usual and transfer it to the fallen Cami. [Mana Maniption Leveled Up +1 [Ruler''s Touch Leveled Up +1 [Integration of Mana Maniption and Absorption is essible. [Special Skill created: Invigoration. [Integration of Mana Maniption, Ruler''s Touch, and Absorption is essible. [Special Skill created: Holy Touch. [Special Skill created: Vampiric Touch. [Ruler''s Touch Leveled Up +1 [Skill has reached Max Level. [Mana Maniption Leveled Up +1 [Skill has reached Max Level.] Many system notifications shed quickly through Raven''s mind, yet she paid none of them an ounce of her focus. The only thought that kept haunting her soul was ''it''s all my fault....'' Chapter 43 - Regret Part 2 * Warriyo - Mortals (feat. Laura Brehm) (ELPORT remix) * AN: Epic remix and wonderful song, legit. *** Many system notifications shed quickly through Raven''s mind, yet she paid none of them an ounce of her focus. The only thought that kept haunting her soul was ''it''s all my fault...'' Activating five skills at once was no easy feat, especially in her current state and with so little mana to start with. She wasn''t in her prime condition when she exited the cave, nor had she taken any good rests to relieve the stress on her body. However, she was the one who kicked Cami out... She was the one who endangered her... She was the one who put her in harm''s way... She was the one the one who almost killed her... She was the one who allowed that scythe to hit her once... And there was no way in the seven hells she''d allow it to touch her again. She didn''t know since when did she start having these feelings towards Cami. When did she start thinking of her as family? Was it because she''s helped them before? But she was a stranger that allowed herself to unleash her killing intent towards the girls she cared about. Or was it because of what Maria had said? Or maybe because Raven was basically the reason why she ended up in this situation? Was she regretting shutting her down, and kicking her out? ... She didn''t know. The only thing she was sure of, was that she had to protect her. Just the sight of her bloodied body reminded Raven of the state the girls had been in before. There was absolutely no one alive that would be allowed to repeat the events that took ce in that ser field. "ABSOLUTELY NO ONE!" Raven yelled loudly as she let loose of her majestic golden aura. Unlike any incident before where she''s been either cold or sadistic, this time she was enraged, furious, and burning in wrath! Sensing that, Cami smiled weakly as she started to feel herself regaining consciousness slowly, but surely. ''I think it''s the first time I saw her this mad, and for her to be mad for my sake... Aww that''s so cute, she''s the most adorable girl I''ve ever met...'' she thought while fighting a head splitting dizziness. Raven''s killing intent struck the grim reaper so hard that it was hard for it to breath in an ounce of the world''s energy, making it almost suffocate in ce. The moment the 2nd king felt the danger, and realising that the scythe is gone for good since it''s unmovable in the little girl''s grasp, it tried to make a run for dear life, even though deep down it could tell that the girl was way weaker than itself. Its senses didn''t match with the reality in front of it. However all of a sudden, it felt a shockwave run through its body, spreading through the air and forming a cyclone of dust and blood behind it without realising how, why, or what that the reason for that was. Followed by the initial shockwave, a hole formed in its abdomen area. Through it, one could see the woods behind it. And in front of it, the girl''s little armoured fist could be seen. Not a split second after, a secondary shockwave sent the dark skeletal creature flying a couple of hundreds of meters, as the little girl dropped down to her knees breathing heavily. *Huff* *Huff* *Huff* *Huff* [Ruler''s Touch Leveled Up +1 [Skill has already reached Max Level,mencing evolution... [Ruler''s Touch has evolved into Ruler''s Domain (tier 2 skill). [Mana Maniption Leveled Up +1 [Skill has already reached Max Level,mencing evolution... [Mana Maniption has evolved into Advanced Mana Maniption (tier 2 skill).] She could barely stay conscious, let alone breath normally. As such, she couldn''t care less about whatever Ka was muttering in the background. Ka had informed her that the monster she has just sent flying was a rank A+. Meaning it''s two ranks above hers. And to make matters worse, even the difference in power between any division in the ranks, say A and A+, was usually quite high. It wasn''t as though the grim reaper was weakpared to its rank, but rather that Raven was exerting way more output that a normal C ranker would. In addition, thanks to Cami''s previous efforts, it was weakened. Plus, unlike other people, Raven focuses on one hit kills, or basically causing as much damage as possible at the beginning of the fight. That way she would instill fear into the enemies'' hearts and if she''s lucky, they''ll either die or run away. That was her main fighting n when standing against a higher ranker. Seemingly tired from fighting fatigue, Raven almost hit the floor with a thud, but a rather soft arm held her before that happened. Looking at Cami who barely held her in her bloodied arm, she muttered the first thing that came into her mind. "I''m so sorry, I didn''t-" "Shhh, please- *cough* I''d use my index to hush you but I don''t want you to taste my blood, now would I?" she said with such a sweet and gentle smile that Raven''s wound inside hurt even more. Although partially healed, Cami was still in a critical condition and even talking hurt like a b*tch, so she decided to give a soft smile to the little girl before sitting her up gently besides her. Shifting her body closer to the girl slowly, she did a small mana check to make sure she''s alright. Although Raven was exhausted, she wasn''t in any danger simr to thest time she pulled such a stunt. Patting her head gently, Cami stood up without making much of a pained expression, as not to rm Raven. Now it was her turn to pay back that monster for being a persistent f*cker, and the little girl for having such cute pinchable cheeks. ''Especially when she''s worried about me...'' Cami thought to herself as she stood up, feeling a warm sensation spread throughout her body, other than blood. ''Oh damn I almost forgot,'' Cami thought to herself as she extracted four small vials out of her dimensional ring. Two vials were of blue liquid, while the other two was red in colour. "Here take this, it''s mana and health potion. Think of them as crazy expensive and effective energy drinks," she said extending her arm to the girl and offering her the two small potions. Raven epted the vials as she nodded silently, which made Cami quite happy as she knew that the kid only epted it because she trusts her to some extent now. Smiling to herself, she drank the two potions after watching Raven gulping two down herself. Feeling the instant effect of the potions, Raven stood up refreshed, somewhat. "Alright, let me show y-" "No." "..." Cami was about to show off her skills to the little girl when she was stopped by a t, yet very authoritive "no". [Activating Invigoration] Ka whispered in the background as she activated the newly acquired skill to boost Raven''s mana. "GOD YOU''RE A HYPOCRITE!" Cami shouted out loud. ''Maybe I shouldn''t have given her the potion...'' she thought to herself in regret. Looking at the frenzied grown woman pout like a baby made Raven rather confused, but she exined her thought process nheless. "Your powers are basically unleashing Nuke grade attacks, no?" "Aha..?" "The group will be here shortly, I don''t want them to end being coteral damage in a showoff attempt. Also, you might scare the monster and push it to their side, they''re not as resilient as the two of us." "Huh! You mean as resilient as me! You almost suffocated because of a little punch!" Even though Camiined, she was quite surprised by the girl''s way of thinking, she hadn''t even realised the punch she threw at the 2nd king had sent it flying to the opposite side of the cave. Meaning the group is now behind them, if she identally missed her chance, the monster might dash through them as means of running away. Since it knows I can''t use my powers in close quarters. "AND IT''S MEANT TO BE A ONE SHOT ANNIHILATION!" Cami continued with her uselessint. "First of all, I didn''t die from first contact..." Raven said with a shrug, as Cami turned a shade of red in embarrassment, the girl had inflected a deep wound into her pride. "Second, I''m not doubting your strength or uracy," Raven said making Cami raise her eyebrows in surprise. She''s expected the girl to think she''s ipetent, with her needing a low ranker''s help and all. But no, Raven''s expression was sincere and her eyes serious. "I doubt we''ll be alone for long, all of thismotion was ought to rm other monsters, smart or not, it''ll be our disadvantage. That''s why I need you to prepare your best spells. Not strongest, but the ones you have more control over, that way we''ll be ready for a surprise counter attack." ''Note to self, never doubt the little girl- Holy- Damn she''s smart, I gotta learn some of that...'' Cami looked deep in thoughts. "You good? The monster is trying to run away," Raven said to the woman in trance. "Err, yea don''t worry, and ok I got it. I''ll have my best attacks at the ready, buy me some time. Also, are you nning to let that pile of bones run away?" "Absolutely not," Raven said with a grin. The potions, together with her new skill Invigoration had made it easier for her to regain about 70% of her overall energy. And she wanted to try Soul Weaving quite badly.... Chapter 44 - A Second Stand Part 1 * Warriyo - Mortals (feat. Laura Brehm) (ELPORT remix) * AN: yep... *** "Also, are you nning to let that pile of bones run away?" asked Cami curiously. "Absolutely not," Raven said with a grin. The potions, together with her new skill Invigoration had made it easier for her to regain about 70% of her overall energy. And she wanted to try Soul Weaving quite badly... Blinking twice, Cami was trying to make sure the sadistic expression the girl was making was of her own imagination. ''Oh my, the young missy is sure quite... moody.'' she thought to herself as she started muttering her arcane words. Her aura started to condense and glow stronger with each chant. Looking at her in action, Raven was rather impressed. ''Alright, let''s not fall behind, Ka. Start with appraising the scythe here.'' she told Ka in her mind. She had the wonderful idea of slicing the grim reaper with its own weapon. [Appraising weapon... [ss: Scythe [Rank: A+ [System can''t read past the weapon''s disguise, however Ka can tell that the weapon was especially made for the Dark Grim Reaper as their mana signatures are quite simr, making it possible for them to amplify each others'' strength. [The scythe had been used to reap out souls for centuries, as the number of souls trapped inside is above what the System can distinguish. [The souls inside look to be in torment as they''re always trying to escape but to no avail. The scythe is siphoning more life force, the more they struggle, the more it gains.] What that seemed to Raven''s ears was that the weapon traps the tormented souls inside and uses them as means of feeding, or acquiring life force to support its existence. ''Hm, as much as I don''t want to do that, I''m assuming that if I use my skill, Soul Weaving, I might be able to consume the souls and gain their life force? Possibly freeing them from their misery. ''Hm, it sounds dangerous though.... whatever I''ll just do it.'' For some reason she remembered an advertisement that she''s always seen on TV. Picking up the scythe, Raven was rather assaulted by enraged souls inside. They all tried to consume her soul instead. Noticing that, Raven instantly activated her massive killing intent and condensed it, using her new skill Advanced Mana Maniption, on the scythe. [Emergency! [Raven''s soul is in danger. [Blessing: Infinity''s Will has been externally activated.] Majestic golden light, with faint shades of ck, blinded the area as a serious expression appeared on her face. "Trying to consume my soul...?" she smirked sadistically at the scythe as she saturated it with her killing intent. That feat would''ve been absolutely impossible for someone else of her rank, especially against an A+ weapon. Killing intent was an extension of the bloodthirst of a person''s soul. The more a person kills, the more bloodthirsty they be, the more joy and extacy they''d have when the kill again. And the more bloodthirsty a person is, the more violent and dense their killing intent is. Even though the killing intent wasn''t actually in the air, one could still feel it. Like how a person could smell the food inside a restaurant, without being inside. Cami had to interrupt her chanting and focus on breathing as not to faint from theck of oxygen in the air. It seemed that time had stopped, almost got drowned in a metallic viscous liquid that freezed anything it touched, air included. She opened her eyes wide enough for her deep blue eyebs to fall off out of their sockets. ''How many people has she killed?'' she thought in terror. She knew the principles of killing intent, and the feeling she got from the little girl made her spine shiver in cold sweat. The dark grim reaper wasn''t in a better condition. It had spent the few seconds it had in calling for reinforcements and recovering, as it was nning to ambush the girls. It was sure that something went wrong in their fight, maybe a spell from the S ranker that would instill fear in the soul. But what it felt that moment made its skeletal body shiver, almost vibrate, in fear. It instinctively kneeled down. "HAHAHAHA!" Ravenughed maniacally as she held the scythe in one hand, and used the other to cover her mouth with its back. Cracks appeared on the scythe as a radiant gold could be seen leaking out. "To think that dead souls would have so much courage. HAHAHA!" Her sadisticughter filled the air and minds of those who bore ill will towards her. "Now," she spoke to the scythe as a serious expression reced her earlierughing face, "You shall be my food!" EEEEEAUAAHHAAAAA!!!! At that, countless screams of agony could be heard. Golden light that was being corrupted by faint streaks of ck could be seen all over the vast forest. Troops of monsters that have been marching towards their king to battle the invaders, stopped, fell to their knees, and had blood rushing down their ears. Some weak skeletal monsters had their bones shattered and fell to the ground for thest time. Cami and the group could hear the screams too. However, it only made them ufortable as they had nothing but good feelings towards Raven. The screams disappeared as fast as they''ve appeared before. The golden light with ck shades had disappeared a second after, leaving Raven standing alone where she was before. The scythe has long turned into dust and dispersed into thin air. [Blessing: Infinity''s Will has returned back to its dormant state. [Special Skill: Soul Weaving Leveled Up +1 [Special Skill: Soul Weaving Leveled Up +1 [Special Skill: Soul Weaving has reached Max Level. [Special Skill: Soul Weaving Leveled Up +1 [Skill has already reached Max Level,mencing evolution... [Soul Weaving has evolved into Soul Devouring (tier 2 skill). [Special Skill: Soul Devouring Leveled Up +1 [Special Skill: Soul Devouring Leveled Up +1 [Special Skill: Soul Devouring Leveled Up +1 [Special Skill: Soul Devouring has reached Max Level. [Special Skill: Soul Devouring Leveled Up +1 [Skill has already reached Max Level,mencing evolution... [Soul Devouring has evolved into Soul Predation (tier 3 skill). [You destroyed 10,000+ souls. [Title obtained: Exorcist. [You have consumed 10,000+ souls. [Rank promoted to C+ [You have gained a new Special Skill: Knowledge of the Ancients. [As a result of previous activation of the blessing: Infinity''s Will, stats have all been boosted. [All Special Skills Leveled Up +1 [Special Skill: Stealth has reached Max Level. [Special Skill: Shadow Maniption has reached Max Level. [Maximum Energy Capacity increased. [Rank promoted to C++ [Bacsh of Blessing: Infinity''s Will received. [You will suffer from slight Soul corruption.] All of the mental notifications shed at once in Raven''s mind as she seemed rather confused and very different than how she looked just a moment ago. ''Ah sh*t, it was a bad idea...'' she said before fainting on falling into Cami''s open arms. "Wow, two times in less than a minute..." Cami said as she shook her head in fake disappointment, and real worry. "Thisss... she must like ying the helpless maiden." *sigh* "Raven!" Maya suddenly yelled as she approached Cami and the unconscious Raven. "What did she do this time?" Maya asked, her eyes filled with worry. "Why I''m good thank you! d you''re all doing g-" "Shut it!" Maya replied with venom in her voice, and cold rage in her eyes. "What did you do to her?!" Cami bit the inside of her lower lip, she was yet treated as a traitor. She had actually thought they''ve all forgiven her and that''s why Raven came to help her. ''guess I was wrong...'' she thought as she was genuinely hurt by Maya''s burst. "Maya, that''s rude!" Maria scolded the girl as she saw how deep Cami was wounded inside. "Rain, take care of the two of them please." With Raven unconscious, she was the best next leader as everyone would listen to her. "Yes ma''am!" "Joey, stand guard and watch for iing monsters." "On it!" Also, aside from Raven wanting to help her, she knew Cami wasn''t the one responsible for hurting Raven as she saw a huge amount of blood on the ground, human blood. Noticing that Cami was the only one with the wound while Raven was just unconscious, she guessed that Raven had tried to use her ability to heal her to stop the bleeding and fainted from the stress. Of course, Maria told all of that to Maya who was still unhappy with how Raven always risks her life for others. Ignoring her, Maria apologized on her behalf to Cami, and asked for a quick setrip as she was being treated by Rain. Realising what had actually happen, the group was hit with a wave of uncertainty and worry. "You''re saying there are more monster kings? How many else do we have left, and if what you call a 2nd king hasn''t died yet, where is it?" Maria questioned. "I think I can answer that," Joey yelled to the group as he readied his light sword. "Monsters attacking from the north!" Chapter 45 - A Second Stand Part 2 * Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine - You * *** "You''re saying that there are more monster kings? How many else do we have left, and if what you call the 2nd king hasn''t died yet, where is it?" Maria questioned. "I think I can answer that," Joey yelled to the group as he readied his light sword. "Monsters attacking from the north!" Looking at the horde of monsters charging at them, with the dark grim reaper at their front, Cami and Maria gasped at the same time. "Rain, what''s the situation over there?" Maria asked Rain as she was the one healing Raven. "Ugh" almost as if answering the call, Raven woke up and groaned in pain. Looking around, she instantly realized what was happening. "You''re awake!" Maya hugged her tightly. "We have to run!" "So I couldn''t even kill that idiot huh?" she said in disappointment as she stood up with Maya''s help as she felt a familiar pain in her head. "Cami, how ready are you?" "Got two small spells at the ready." "Small as in they can take care of that crowd of monsters?" "Yes, but possibly not the 2nd king." she said as she looked down and smiled in embarrassment. "Copy," Raven said with a hand over her head as the headache wasn''t nning on letting go that easily. "Joey," she called out and looked at the boy with the long light sword. "You''re a B ranker, are you ready to go up against an A+ ranker?" "Err, no?" Joey said bluntly. "But I''ll do my best, your highness." "Pfft, don''t be a party pooper, and stop with that title, it''s just embarrassing!" she said with a chuckle, somehow making the whole ordeal seem a little bit... casual, rather than a life or death situation. "We''ll provide you with some cover fire and support whenever you need it, don''t worry about it." she continued. "Maria, get a feeling for the battlefield and tell me what you think, or if you get any strange sensations indicating the type of your powers. But staying safe is your priority. "Rain stand behind me and Maya, we''ll keep you safe. "Maya, use your gun for cover fire whenever needed, but be aware, it''ll suck some energy out of you." Even though the Wingman mostly used the world''s energy, it did require some energy signature to assume friendly. "Uhm!" Maya replied, rather excited to protect Raven for once, and be of help. "Drones!" she calledstly for the drones that were following the group. "Scout, keep an eye for any stealthy enemies. Guardian, activate your force shield whenever needed." ""Uhm!"" Everyone nodded as they assumed their respective roles. ''Ka, what''s our mana condition?'' Raven asked in her mind. [Mana resting at 100%] ''What?! why am I feeling so weak and disoriented?'' [Your soul has been exposed to slight corruption, Ka has currently little to no information about the issue.] ''Damn it, I shouldn''t have tried to y hero and save the stupid souls!'' [But saving them was only a byproduct of your actual n. You wanted to-] ''Oi, oi I get your point alright! No need to stab at my good self-image'' Raven replied slightly red in embarrassment. ''what are my stats now by the way?'' [Loading Status Page... [Race: Soul Weaver. [ss: Royal [Blessings: Infinity''s Will. Avavia''s Affection. [Titles: Soul Weaver Princess. Heavenly Collector. Exorcist. [Rank: C++ [Energy Capacity: 320,000 EP [Magic Skills: Advanced Mana Maniption (tier 2) - Level 2 [Inherent Skills: Contingency Call (tier ???) - Level ??? Quick Study (tier ???) - Level ??? [Special Skills: Ruler''s Domain (tier 2) - Level 2 Invigoration - Level 2 Holy Touch - Level 2 Vampiric Touch - Level 2 Shadow Maniption - Level 3 (Max) Scanner Rings - Level 2 Deadly Vision - Level 2 Contractor - Level 2 Soul Illusion - Level 2 Stealth (Passive+) - Level 3 (Max) Soul Predation (tier 3) - Level 2 Knowledge of the Ancients (Passive) - Level 2 [System Unique Skills: Absorption - Level 2 Integration - Level 2 Appraisal (Passive) - Level 2 Thought eleration (Passive) - Level 2 Parallel Processing (Passive) - Level 2 [Ultimate Skills: Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation (Spacial Transfer Bracelet series, Wingman series guns, Guardian Drone series, Scout Drone series.)] ''Hm, I see some new skills, you''ll have to exin them after we''re done here.'' Raven thought to Ka. ''I am kinda curious about the skill Knowledge of the Ancients though, it''s a passive skill...'' Just as she thought about the skill, foreign information shed through her mind. All of a sudden, knowledge about runes and enchantments became familiar to her. Smirking slightly, she pondered if that was because of what she''s witnessed in the trial where she used these runes. Now that she can create them, things were going to get a little bit more... fun. Seeing the cunning smile on her face, Cami couldn''t help but ask, "Have a new ''creative'' way of dealing with the dark reaper?" "Maybe," was all that Raven said. Cami shrugged and got back to her spells. It would never hurt to have more at the ready, just in case some unpleasant surprises arise. "Fuuu~" breathing out slowly and closing her eyes, Raven activated her Shadow Maniption skill, summoning her dark armour. Her shadow disappeared from its ce on the ground, or rather crawled up Raven''s body and covered her like a second skin, forming the familiar jet ck armour. Since her skill: Knowledge of the Ancients wasn''t an active skill she didn''t need to spend mana in order to keep the knowledge of how to make the runes and add them to her armour. The runes, at her level, worked as connectors and amplifiers. They basically were a way for her to channel amplified mana into her armour directly increasing its power, defence, and durability. Although she could do that with her Mana Maniption, she couldn''t amplify it, nor could she keep it going for long. The runes were more efficient. Different runes would have different structures, and each structure is responsible for different functions. Just like a cell in the body, the function determines the structure. "Fuuu~" breathing in and out slowly, she followed the steps in her mind in order to form the runes. ''Condense your mana into small orbs,'' she thought to herself as a small orb of golden light appeared floating up above her open palm. ''Add more and more energy until you''ve formed a solid core. ''Imprint the function onto the core.'' this would usually be the hardest step, but she had the necessary knowledge to make it work. ''Visualise the appearance of the rune in your mind as you match its structure to its intended function. ''Pulse a small amount of energy into it to lock the rune in its current shape. ''Onest pulse in order to imprint it into the armour.'' "Fuuu~" the process was rather quick in real life as she had Advanced Mana Maniption and Thought eleration to help her out. Plus, with Parallel Processing, she''s never had to lose track of the monstersing her way. The final product was one small rune that was engraved into her chest te, almost like a metallic tattoo. Instead of the ominous red she saw in the trial, it was pulsing with her own majestic gold, making her armour even more magnificent. "You''re not gonna be doing any fighting, are you?" Maya said with one raised eyebrow. "Err, my mana is full, I can''t see why not..." "Because you make fainting look like a hobby to you!" "Haha don''t worry," Raven said as she scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "I''ll be more careful, I promise!" "We''ll see *sigh*" Maya was done with her careless attitude, but now wasn''t the time to argue. ''Alright, time for swords to show up now.'' she thought as she condensed massive amounts of mana forming two incredibly bright golden wisps of light. After some quick molding and reforming, two golden great swords appeared in her hands. Repeating the same process she''s done for the armour, a set of twin runes appeared on both swords. Glowing with a deeper shade of majestic gold. [Please note that your Mana reserves have dropped to about 65%] ''Eh that''s it? That''s awesome! The little rank up I got must''ve added a lot to my overall stats.'' usually her armour set and two swords would take up more than 50% of her overall mana. But now, even though she''s used some other skills to create the runes, it wasn''t even close to the old amounts. [Do you wish to activate invigoration to restore some of the lost energy?] ''Err, you haven''t exined that skill yet. Would you please be so kind and do that for me?'' [Affirmative. [nvigoration - Level 2: For a set number of charges per day, you''re able to breath in the world energy and convert it to mana of your own signature, restoring a portion of your mana reserves. Charges per day: 4. Current percentage of mana that will be restored: 15% [Remaining charges: 2] ''Hmm, that looks good, but I''ll refrain from using it now.'' Raven said to Ka as she looked at the horde of monsters now so close to their location. The dark grim reaper was eyeing her in.... suspicion? ''Does it think I''m still hiding something?'' Raven thought to herself. Chapter 46 - Keep Your Bones For Yourself! * Dennis Lloyd - Alien Topic Remix * *** The dark grim reaper was eyeing her in... suspicion? ''Does it think I''m still hiding something?'' Raven thought to herself. Not that she wasn''t. But truth be told, she wasn''t so eager to attack it again. Most of the injuries on its body were no more. Even her previous punch were she had put almost all of what she''s gotten at the time into Advanced Mana Maniption, in order to push her mana inside of its core and cause mana poisoning, has been aplete failure. The grim reaper''s core was so strong that Raven couldn''t even reach it, even though it was weakened. ''Maybe because the mana core is like its soul, I should''ve added some means of reaching the soul and not just a random mana attack? But mana should reach the mana core... Ka! help please.'' [When you input your mana into a foreign body, what would usually happen is one of two cases. [ Your mana causing mana poisoning. [The body being able to withstand or ovee the mana poisoning. [Think of it as blood poisoning in humans. There are four types of blood: A, B, AB, O. Whereas AB can take on or ept any other blood type, A and B would get blood poisoning if they don''t receive blood of the same type. [The only exception to that rule is blood type O that can give every other type, and can''t ept anything but itself. [If you ignore the exceptions for now, mana poisoning and blood poisoning are quite simr.] ''Ah... makes sense, thanks for the bio lesson! Kinda excited to have you in ss when we leave this sh*thole. I like your almost human tone by the way. Is it because of the souls? Did you get another upgrade?'' [Thank you, let me know if you require further help. And not necessarily the souls, but your rank up. I haven''t received an upgrade, rather new... knowledge became avable.] ''I see I see. Ok then let''s thinking of a safe way to deal with that pile of bones.'' She wanted to try her skill Soul Predation and see if that can help ess its directly soul. But if it was as strong as its scythe then it''s a lost cause. She didn''t want any more soul corruption. Plus, with Ka''s exnation, it didn''t seem like it mattered much. ''Except maybe if that skill could add ''poison to the mana''? Like mixing to types of blood and injecting them into a body that can''t ept them.'' Raven mused. ''And I''m assuming the more mana I could get in, the more the effect of the poisoning would be... but that''s a dilemma for another day.'' Her best next option was simply stall for time and distract the dark grim reaper enough for Cami to hit it with one of her spells. Seeing how she was gazing at it, the grim reaper''s red gems in its eye sockets pulsed with hatred. ''Oi, dude be hatin'' me, huh.'' Raven thought warily as an unintentional smile crept into her face. If the grim reaper had veins, at least two would have popped spraying blood everywhere. "Joey, I''ll being with you. n is to create an opening for Cami to strike." "Wait you said-" "Sorry Maya," Raven cut theining Maya off, as she kissed her forehead quickly, "If I don''t fight we could have casualties, and I''d like to avoid that." "But-" "No buts, here theye!" she yelled as the reaper appeared in front of her face shing at her with its dagger-like-fingers. BOOOOM!! Raven had but a split second to react, but with her supersonic movements, it wasn''t an issue. Or so she thought. Even though she''s blocked the strike with the golden great sword in her right, the strength of the dark grim reaper was so overwhelming that she was sent flying a couple of meters in the air. BOOOM!! However, just to be safe from a follow up sh, she''s struck at the crazes pile of bones with her left sword as she soared up high. ''Damn why is he stronger now? I get that he''s probably recovered, but heck I''ve ranked up!'' Ravenined in her mind, yet she was so thankful the idiot didn''t mind her group and only attacked her. ''Ka, feel free to step in, honey!'' Raven was grasping at straws since she was clearly going to loose a fair fight between herself and her opponent. [Your best course of action would be to use Ruler''s Domain. [Ruler''s Domain (Tier 2) - Level 2: Spend mana to construct a domain around yourself. Inside your domain, your enemies lose focus and be sluggish while at the same time they be more vulnerable to any of your skills. You on the other hand, gain heightened senses and be able to read and expect your enemies'' movements. Effectiveness of skill depends on both the mana consumed and the resistance of the targets, as we s their strength and numbers.] Raven widened her eyes in realization. ''Thanks Ka, you''re awesome! If I pair Ruler''s Domain with my two other skills: Vampiric Touch and Holy Touch... I''d be OP! ''Ruler''s Domain restricts the target''s movements as well as gives me the chance to predict their next, while Vampiric and Holy Touch would steal its vitality and add it into mine. I might have to use Advanced Mana Maniption likest time to ''touch'' it with mana, rather than an actual touch. ''Hm, that''s gonna be challenging, am I to to the challenge though?'' she allowed a sadistic grin to escape her mouth. [A friendly reminder that your task is to create an opening for Cami only, also, you''ve asked Joey to join you-] "Err, true... JOEY!" she called out to Joey as she evaded another midair sh from her rather persistent peruer. "Keep the others safe! I''ll take care of this idiot!" she yelled to Joey and the rest to hear. Joey hesitated for a second before nodding to himself. If he''s determined on following the princess, and for that he needs her trust. What other way is there than protect her beloved ones? "Fuu~" calming herself down with a deep breath, Raven activated her desired skills. Ruler''s Domain was a skill that required building or assigning a domain. For that domain to be constantly moving would mean much more mana cost. Unfortunately for Raven, that was her only option. Staying static in a fight against a higher rank was a death wish. Activating and maintaining four skills, with two if them being tier 2 skills, was not at all easy. But she managed to pull it off. Noticing how her enemy''s movements seemed rather slow and predictable, she knew she''s seeded. With every ounce of mana the dark grim reaper attained inside her domain, Raven would take a toll. Making it more furious. The reaper had left centuries, and it''s been its first time being toyed with by a lower ranker. However, that couldn''t be farther away from the truth. Raven was struggling to keep up with it, even though she could in theory predict its movements and take a small portion of its mana, she was still too weak inparison. One wrong move and she''d be dead. One wrong counter or block and a dagger like bone would prate too deep into her flesh, forfeiting her life. *HUFF* *HUFF* She breathed loudly as she started to get tired. Cami even though was still busy with the monster horde, had kept an eye on their flight. But even then, she''s found absolutely no weak points to exploit. ''Damn it I can''t keep this up!'' Raven thought to herself as she was already too deep into the fight to back down. And even if she did, the dark reaper would just chase after her group. "Alright, n B it is!" she said with a small smile on her face. Chapter 47 - Princess Vs Grim Reaper * Dead Eyes - Hallucinating * *** ''Damn it I can''t keep this up!'' Raven thought to herself as she was already too deep into the fight to back down. And even if she did, the dark grim reaper would just chase after her group. "Alright, n B it is!" she said with a small smile on her face. "My strength is speed, so I might as well go for it." BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! .... All of a sudden, the tide of the little skirmish has changed in Raven''s favour. Although she wascking in strength, very, it wasn''t her specialty so she didn''t let it affect her. Instead she activated Scanner Rings with Deadly Vision, each in one eye as both of them together on one eye would be a heavy burden on her, a burden that she can''t handle at the moment. Her right eye was using the Deadly Vision skill, while her left used the Scanner Rings. The two abilities, coupled with Ruler''s Domain made it seem as though she could read the future. She was reacting in super sonic speed to the dark reaper''s movements, even before it executed them. For a while, the dark reaper was just sitting there with its guards up covering its head which had confirmed to Raven that it''s the weak point she''s been looking for. Of course, she could already see that with both her Scanner Rings and Deadly Vision. Deadly Vision would change her surroundings into ck and white, while highlighting her enemies in red. At the same time, faint red lines would sh midair indicating ces where she should sh with the sword, or red circles if she had a bow or a gun. The effect varied with the different weapons she used. Scanner Rings on the other hand, made her see the creature''s mana pathways and mana nodes, indicating when the dark reaper is going to use a magic attack. Usually her vision would be 360 around her, with no blind spots, but now that she''s only using it on her left eye, she was missing a small chunk of the 360 degree vision, mainly towards the back right field of vision. The onught kept going for a while that the others, even while being busy fighting a horde of monsters, were surprised at how a C ranker (C++) could hold an A ranker (A+). Cami wasn''t impressed though, she''s seen better. Nheless, she kept a watch while keeping up with her nonstop chanting. Not for a second did she lose her focus. While her attacks weren''t the strongest, they were definitely the most effective. Raven''s every attack was aimed at a critical point in the reaper''s skeletal body. However, the difference in skill, rank, and experience made up the difference the dark reaper needed to tank the attacks. Since it knew its weak points more than anyone else on this, it has made sure everything was well protected. After a while of taking little to no damage, the grim reaper got used to the pattern while Raven got exhausted. What made its job way easier were the sonic booms. An sonic explosion would thunder in its mind a split second before Raven would connect a hit. That has made everything much more easier and predictable for it. A cruel glint crept onto the reaper''s red gems in its eye sockets as it reflected one of the girl''s attacks. That one lucky move was followed by many others that it made the others believe it had no connection to luck whatsoever. Rather, the grim reaper was making itseback. Standing up strong again, the reaper formed a dark sphere that glowed with ominous red. A huge smile appeared in its mind as it imagined the next few seconds were it would turn the little runt that was attacking it into meat paste. Weird noise came out of its mouth at its eyes glowed with the smell of death. Raven could understand what it''s said, ''maybe it''s due to Knowledge of the Ancients?'' she thought to herself. "Acting all high and mighty huh? Let me teach you your manners, kid!" The creature in front of her said as four magic circles appeared around the red sphere. Not a second after, it was thrown towards her with lightning speed. Of course, everything had been part of Raven''s n. "Heh, idiot-" she thought as she dodged the iing attack. "The idiot forgot about my skill Ruler''s Domain already? Anything it uses inside of it will get weaker. A sonic explosion could be heard as Raven appeared behind the dark skeletal creature. "Predictable!" Raven could understand the weird noises that came out of its stinky mouth. Turning around to hit its mark, the grim reaper was surprised to see... nothing behind it. Instead a sh cut through its facial bones from the front. ''I do have ''Stealth'' now do I not?'' Ravenughed to herself. Using predictable attacks, plus keeping the sound of the sonic explosions were all part of the n. Using Advanced Mana Maniption and Stealth made containing the explosion''s sound like a child''s y. Activating a series of trick attacks with the fake explosion sounds made the reaper rather upset. But it could do nothing but tank the damage. "Fuu~" Noticing that her mana levels are falling low, she''s decided to infuse her mana swords with Vampiric Touch and Holy Touch. Vampiric Touch would steal the enemies vitals while Holy Touch would add to her vitality. Unlike the previous integrated skill: Ruler''s Touch, the two separate skills can differentiate between life force, mana, and health. If one would imagine the soul to be a ming ball. Life force would be the structure of the ball itself, better ball would serve for better fuel for the fire, as life force would fuel one''s lifespan. Health or vitals would be like the me itself, if the mes are extinguished, the ball is useless and so is the soul. Mana was like the invisible limps of the soul that could control the entire body. Without it, the ming ball would be crippled, like a trapped bird in its cage. Although the skills weren''t highly effective with a split second contact, the two enchanted, great golden swords and the rapid sh rate had made it count. Plus, Advanced Mana Maniption did a great job at enhancing the effects of the skills. If she could keep this up, she could kill the skeletal creature when it''s at its weakest. Or so she thought. Snatching out her enemy''s health was rather... underwhelming as it wasn''t much. ''Damn I have to practice this more to increase its effect.'' she thought as she used a charge from her skill Invigoration. ''One charge left for today, aftert that, my body won''t withstand the extra amounts of the world''s energy and it would be more harming than useful. Just like over drinking water, kinda funny it can kill you huh?'' she thought to herself as she evaded a blow from the 2nd king. "URRRAAAAHH!!!" It roared all of a sudden as it bore its fangs in rage. "I''ve had enough with you! Dirty b*stard take this!" the dark reaper shouted innguage only Raven could understand. From the group anyway. Five magical circles formed around each of its hands as dark red light lightning danced on its finger tips. Unleashing the lightning charge, it took a dragon-serpent form as it was about to hit Raven in the chest. She was pretty sure the strike would pulverise her, yet lightning was way faster than sound, so she could do absolutely nothing but tank it and hope for the best. ''Maybe if I form a mana shield? Or use my Nanotech Creation to form a conductor? Maybe my enchanted armour would do the trick? No what can I do? THERE IS NO TIME!!'' her panicked thoughts ended up in her trying to close her eyes and wish she doesn''t die. But with the lightning speed of the attack, literally, her eyelids moved slower than the strike. However, just as the lightning serpent was about to hit her, a small figure stepped in in front of her.. Between her and the lethal attack. Chapter 48 - Sorcerer Of Dark Magic * Chelsea Collins - Water Run Dry ft. 24kGoldn * AN: I''m personally listening to the Nightcore version. *** Just as the lightning serpent was about to hit Raven, a small figure flickered in front of her. The little frame of the girl was rather familiar. However, instead of her usual honey bronze skin, pale white hue covered her, almost as if the blood in her veins had been sucked dry. Although Raven couldn''t see Maya''s shiny hazel eyes as she was facing the lightning serpent and the dark grim reaper, she instantly recognised her frame, along with her shoulder length light brown hair. A cool, almost rxing, white aura was emitted by Maya''s body as time seemed to stop in Raven''s eyes. She couldn''t scream, ask for help, or do anything. Heck, she couldn''t move a muscle before it would have been toote. She had no idea how the little girl had instantly appeared in front her, shielding her. However, she knew from her aura and body condition, that her chances of survival were as slim as a toothpick. While time froze, so did her brain. She couldn''t think of anything to help her. ''I have to do something! ''If I leave her... she''ll die... ''Maya. Will. Die... ''Maya. ''The little girl I saved from Lady Luck. ''The little sister I got to have by my side. ''The friend I always needed. ''The girl that means everything to me. ''She. Will. Die...'' None could react. None could scream. None was aware of the thoughts in the two girl''s minds. While Raven had cked out. Maya was more shocked than anyone else there. She didn''t know if she''s unlocked some hidden potential in herself because of her unrelenting will to save Raven, or if it was the act of someone else that was testing her. Maybe even the grim reaper had wanted to torture Raven by killing her first? She had no idea. However, she knew that she couldn''t see Raven die. She''d rather be r*ped, treated as a tool, tortured, or even murdered mercilessly. But she could never live without Raven. The person that had saved her life. No, the person that had given her a life. What she had before could''ve never been qualified as a life, and for Raven''s act of kindness, she was ready to sacrifice herself, along with the whole world. She was so happy inside, even though her face was that of shock, she was so proud of herself. Her only regret was dying on both Raven and Maria. She didn''t want to leave them like that. She couldn''t close her eyes before the serpent hit her. But she didn''t care. For Raven, she''d take anything head on. As adrenaline had slowed down the time around her, she only had one short thought looming around in her brain. ''I''m so sorr-'' However, before she could even finish her thoughts of regret, a short figure appeared in front of her. The figure seemed small and covered in a dark purple glow. Glowing and fading away faster than her eyes could follow, Maya could faintly make out the events happening right in front of her. The short figure turned taller as a gloved hand prated the dense, yet thin,yer of dark mist. With extended thumb, index and middle finger, the gloved left hand swiped to its side, leaving behind a trail of the same dense glowing mist. In any other case, Maya would''ve thought of the move as someone ying a violent game of cards. The swiping move could be seen as a shy way to draw a card. However, Maya noticed that the gloved hand had barely touched the dark red lightning serpent, turning it into a shade of dark purple that matched the mist dancing in the air. Not only that, but even though the colour change had been almost instantaneous, the serpent followed the gloved hand to Maya''s left as it then circled behind her instead of hitting her in the face. As the mist dissipated, Maya could see the figure in front of her clearly. Wearing a pair of slightly baggy ck pants, and purple long sleeve jacket, a boy with medium length void ck hair had his back towards her. The mysterious boy that had just saved her life, and Raven''s, seemed like nobilty as his outfit looked the part, which surprised Maya. His boots were also a mix of ck and purple, matching with his outfit, aura, and gloves. However, the gloves looked more like cloth gauntlets, rather than just normal gloves. Two human skulls were hanging from each side of his waist, while their eye sockets glowed with dark mystic blue. A ghostly white scarf hanged from the back side of his jacket. Maya couldn''t see his face, but she could see his pointy pierced ears with two ring like piercings at each ear. ''Is he an elf? Do they even exist?'' Maya thought for a second before shaking her head, together with that thought, looking back at Raven to check how she was doing. Or where she had thought Raven was standing, where the dark purple lightning dragon-serpent now hovered. The serpent had it''s dark electric currents surging in every fiber of its being as it bared its huge dark fangs. Blinking a couple of times to make sure Raven was indeed not there, Maya felt her heart sink deep in a moment of despair as she thought the serpent had eaten Raven whole. However, noticing how the serpent now threw a violent gaze towards her original caster, the dark grim reaper, her mind begged to differ. Looking back and forth between the dark serpent and mysterious boy she didn''t have a clue on what to make of what was happening. And the others were also as clueless as herself, including the grim reaper who Maya could swear was shaking in what looked like fear. ''Raven has already assumed two different forms; her Draven boy form, and she as Raven. But that was only because of the disguising runestone right? This elf boy... who is he? ''Could he be Draven? but... he''s never been so powerful...'' But all of a sudden, a memory shed in Maya''s head as she remembered the day that she''s escaped Lady Luck''s ce, together with Draven. Draven''s aura at the time has changed to that of a monster, at the time. He was covered in a draconic crimson armour that hid his eyes and upper part of his face. ''Maybe he had changed forms at the time?'' "Ah..." was all she managed to voice as her mind got drowned in Cami''s previous words. She had mentioned that Raven had been acting so cold, and even speaking like a robot, especially with the recordings of the drone she''s watched before... ''Is it...'' *** Standing in front of the dark grim reaper, the elf boy had a dark expression on his face. The dark purple mist had never left his side, as if it was his loyal pet. His deep red eye looked as if they glowed ck for how dark they looked. His pale whiteplexion highlighted the contrast of his void ck hair, making him as majestic as he was menacing. Not knowing what to do with the current turn of events, the dark grim reaper looked at hisrades, or rather its monster soldiers. If it had eyes, they''d be wide open now as every monster was drowning in a pool of dark gooey puddle. Tentacles of ck were wrapping around each and every monster that had attacked the group, pulling them down into the depth of that ck hell. The party was already away from the horde the moment they realised that tentacles have erupted from the now semi-liquid ground. They were surprised the tentacles haven''t aimed at them, almost as if recognising them... Running for dear life was the first idea to had pop into the dark reaper''s mind before realising that it couldn''t move its body. Dark chains had erupted from the ground, pinning its body to the ground. As if getting lost in a trance of its own, the dark grim reaper had quieted down all of a sudden. Tears of ck streamed down its face as its skeletal mouth hanged open in surprise and fear. Small cracks of red appeared all over its body as its mouth widened in a silent scream. Not a secondter, the ck chains turned into dark purple mist that faded in the air. The elf sorcerer gestured for the dark lightning serpent behind him prompting it to open its mouth wide enough for anyone to see the electric currents and ck lightning storm inside of its stomach. A small orb of ck lightning materialized in front of its open mouth, filling the air with crackling noise and the smell of burnt flesh, even though no mes were in sight. With another gesture from his hand, the elf had silently ordered the serpent to throw the small lightning orb onto the dark reaper on the ground. Rather than the small explosion that everyone had expected, from keeping an eye on the size of the orb, the boy had made another gesture allowing the orb to hit its mark and carry the skeletal creature high up into the air. Not a second after, a thunderous explosion sound rang everyone''s ears as a wave of heat assaulted the ground. A huge ck ming storm broke loose in the atmosphere.. If not for its spherical shape and colour, the group would have sworn that that was a nuclear explosion. Chapter 49 - A Damsel In Distress Part 1 * Chelsea Collins - Water Run Dry ft. 24kGoldn * AN: yep, same one we yed yesterday. *** A thunderous explosion sound rang everyone''s ears as a wave of heat assaulted the ground. A huge ck ming storm broke loose in the atmosphere. If not for its spherical shape and colour, the group would have sworn that that was a nuclear explosion. Maya had to blink twice while covering her ears to make sure it was the skies that had flickered ck and not her eyes. Now that the main thread had... vanished, the elf sorcerer made a quick scan to ensure that the party was all doing good. Gazing around at everyone, his eyes lingered at the pale Maya as a faint proud, yet sad, smile appeared on his face. It was almost unnoticeable in the shadow of his void ck hair. But with Maya being so close to him, which made her blush violently as she knew who the kid was exactly, she could clearly see it. Running towards him and hugging him tightly came rather as a surprise to the group. But the boy''s expression had remained the same. Massaging her small shoulder with his gloved hand made her rx at his touch and feel rather warm, while at the same time making the boy aware of how tense Maya actually was. *cough* Not a second after, the boy coughed a mouthful of blood as he felt dizziness attack every corner of his mind. Pushing Maya away gently as if she was a fragile infant, the boy kneeled down on the ground as the dark purple mist engulfed him slightly. Quickly, yet slow enough for Maya to see, the boys features reverted back to their previous characteristics, making him look more feminine. His medium length hair started to grow longer, reaching just a little bit under his waist as it turned silky long shades of crimson-purple. At the same time, his/ her frame started to shrink slowly, returning him/ her to the normal height of 147 cm. Two small lumps appeared on her chest as her clothes turned back to mist, leaving her with the familiar ck armour she''s had on before. As the group realized that the boy was actually Raven, they all rushed to her side. However, Maya had noticed some things that haven''t changed yet. ''Her eyes are still deep red. Also, her ears are still pointed like those of an elf. What is-'' Before she could finish her thought, Raven''s red eyes glowed with a dark hue as she looked up the skies. Looking up, the group could see a figure descending down to the ground. Wearing a garb like kimono that appeared, if one was to ignore the tear and scratch marks on it, elegant and cheerful which contradicted with the gloomy atmosphere of the forest. Of course, Raven was already aware of her presence, that''s why she hasn''t let her guard down for a second. She just had to change forms as her body was at its limits. Not that she was in the perfect condition to fight before, or even right now. With a quick gesture from her little armoured hand, a dark barrier formed around the group. With her other hand, a quick gesture formed a small glowing ck orb that crackled with matching lightning. However, before she could unleash her spell, the figure made some sounds that appeared as noise to the other group members, yet it made sense to Raven. "Please, I mean you no harm! I came here to ask for your help!" Raven repeated to the group as her orb grew denser by the second, making the figure look more stressed than an abandoned puppy. As the figure reached the ground, the group could see ''her'' more clearly. The figure was that of a feminine humanoid girl. Yet from her other features, the party knew she wasn''t human. Her silver blue skin and silver eyes sparkled under the star of the weird. Her long silver hair made her look young but mature way beyond her apparent age. Two small ck horns on both sides of her forehead had confirmed her alien identify. Between her arms rested a ball of cloth. If it wasn''t for her tired expression and the despair in her eyes, the party would have thought she was hiding a small bomb in it. Realising that the group had no intentions of talking, as it was apparent by the crackling soundsing out of the still glowing ck orb, she made some noise again as she pointed at the cloth ball in her arms. "Please, would you help me? My people have been ughtered. I have a child. My master is dead. Everyone is dead." Raven exined as the silver girl''s body shook in despair. "What the F*CK is she talking about?" Maya blurted out. She wasn''t in the mood for ys. However, Raven shushed her with a gentle re. She could see with her Scanner Rings that the girl in front of her wasn''t preparing any surprise attack whatsoever. What made her believe the alien''s story was that the ball if cloth had an independent mana signature. Gesturing for the silver girl with her hand, Raven promoted her to uncover the baby in her arms. Seeing that she indeed had a silver skinned child in her arms made her story, or bbering, rather believable. However, Raven was by no means a hero and she had no idea who the girl was. "Cami, do you know what race does she belong to?" she asked. "Not at all, she''s way more human looking than anything I''ve seen in this sh*thole." Cami replied coldly. "But she seems to be an inhabitant of this ce, or so I''m assuming." Feeling no ill intent from her, Raven talked to her in her ownnguage, which surprised the silver girl, together with the group. After some weird exchanges, noises, and nods from Raven and the foreign girl, Raven exined her situation. "From what she told me, it appears that she''s the maid of the Lord of the town hidden in this forest. Not too long ago, the monsters of the forest have gone rough and started attacking the town. "Not that it wasn''t amon problem they suffered from, but apparently all of a sudden, the monsters have gained a power up that made them way stronger than before. "The Lord of the town, her master, had entrusted her with his daughter as he set out with the guards to fight the rough monsters. "The battle resulted in the ughtering of everyone of her town, along with her master. She said that her master was powerful so she still doesn''t know how he''d died. "Nheless, she''s just a maid and no huntress. She''s been breastfeeding the child and as of yesterday, her food had run out. Water wasn''t a problem since she was hiding near a well north of here, but breastfeeding without food is hard as she''s got nothing to offer the child. "Joey, Rain and Cami. She''s saying she''s followed you to the cave and then here since you looked nothing like the monsters that have attacked her. She thought that maybe you could help her. However once you reached the cave she was so scared to get inside." Raven concluded. The group took a while to digest the new information as the silver girl just stood there awkwardly rocking the sleeping baby gently. Chapter 50 - A Damsel In Distress Part 2 * Sista Prod, Alec Benjamin, Powfu, Rxseboy - Eyes Blue Like The Antic Pt. 2 * *** The group took a while to digest the new information as the silver girl just stood there awkwardly rocking the sleeping baby gently. "Don''t you find her story to be a little unbelievable? How did she manage to survive up to this point? Let alone following me without being noticed? She must be hiding something." Cami wasn''tfortable with trusting aliens who were obviously lying. "Call me an idiot but I believe her..." replied Maria in a low voice which made the others snap their necks to look at her. "Care to exin?" said Cami, more worried than annoyed. "She doesn''t look like she''s acting scared or over friendly, heck I think she''s trying to look more confident. Look at her, she''s shaking slightly and trying to rock the baby to cover that fact. "Her eyes reflect guilt and despair that''s eating her alive. She''s probably trying to convince herself that asking for help was the best option. Plus...." Maria hesitated for a second before continuing, "I think she''s the one that''s acted like the mother of the baby... I can''t exin it but I just feel it... Please ask her, if the Lord''s wife is dead then I''m right." Maria couldn''t tell why but she knew in her heart that the girl has the same look towards the baby she has towards Raven and Maya. It reflected worry, love, and care. "Uhm," nodding slightly, Raven proceeded to ask her about the matter. Although Raven wasn''t so happy about trusting strangers left and right, she had to admit that the woman in front of her wasn''t lying. Her bodynguage, her eyes, her aura, they all indicated that she''s feeling quite desperate, yet she''s trying to hide it and the fright she''s feeling from endangering her master''s kid. Truth be told, someone else would have probably killed them on sight for being aliens in a hostile environment. Well, or r*pe then kill. At the thought, Raven grimaced slightly as bad memories flooded her head. Talking with the silver girl in her own tongue made her shake her head slightly as a sad expression appeared on her face. But it onlysted a second as she tried to cover it with a smile before replying to Raven. Nodding again, Raven started to exin what''s she''s just said to her. "She''s saying that her Lady was the victim of the monsters that live in the forest. Even though they weren''t empowered yet, some were pretty powerful. "A while ago, the same monster we had just killed, attacked a group of merchants while they were about to enter the town. "With her Lady being the Captain of the guards at the time, she had joined the rescue team to fend off the monster. However, unlike her husband, the Lord of the town, she wasn''t that strong and was only proficient in using the spear. "And well, you could guess the rest... She died, her baby was thest memory her husband had of her. And since he trusted this maid, he''d assigned her as the baby''s nanny." Smiling weakly, Maria didn''t know how the girl felt, but she sympathised with her. She wouldn''t want to imagine entrusting her fate, together with her two daughters, Raven and Maria, to some strangers. She had only trusted Cami in the first ce because Raven had brought her with her. And she trusted her daughter''s decisions, most of the time at least, when she''s not being sadistic. Maria smiled weakly at the thought. *gulp* She swallowed loud enough for the others to hear as she started walking slowly towards the girl with the baby. The moment the silver girl realized that she wasing her way, she backed up slightly as a lonly tear escaped her right eye. She hugged the baby tightly almost waking her up. "Wait, I''m sorry I didn''t mean to scare you!" Maria said quickly said but that only sounded like a threat to the girl. She unconsciously looked at Raven. Smiling weakly, Raven was sure the girl''s mental condition was in a really bad state as she could feel even her aura shake in fear. ''It must''ve been really hard...'' Shaking her head slightly, Raven asked Cami for some food as she approached the girl slowly. Stopping midway between her and the girl, she extended her hand and offered an apple. She had no idea what the people of this ate so she tried fruits. Looking at her hand with a worried expression, the silver girl started to slowly walk away from Raven. "It''s food." Raven said in her ownnguage with a smile as she took one bite from the apple to prove her point. Plus, that way the girl can be sure it''s not poison. *gulp* This time it was the girl''s turn to swallow out loud as she almost started to drool. She hadn''t had a bite in a while and the smell of that weird orb the short white girl with crimson-purple hair was eating seemed rather delicious to her little nose. It''s red colour and oval shape made it look like a devils egg, yet she needed food to sustain herself and continue feeding the baby. Approaching Raven rather slowly, she took the apple and inspected it for a few seconds before starting to munch on it. In less than five seconds, the apple was no more. "Here," Raven offered more food. Of course, she took a bite of everything to prove it''s edible, at least for them. The girl didn''t hesitate one bit as she finished the food they had provided. Sparing no time, she opened her kimono slightly as she uncovered one of her ample silver breasts, promoting the baby to suck at it in hunger. Even though she knew it was so wrong, Raven couldn''t help but turn beet red at the sight. It all happened so fast that she was so shocked to move her eyes away. "Hey! Eyes!" Maria ran towards her, almost startling the girl, and covered Raven''s eyes. *sigh* The girl sighed as she thought for a second that it''s all been a trick to make her drop her guard down. She didn''t understand why the crimson-purple haired girl turned red, but she liked her new colour nheless. White was way toomon. Plus, the pink hue she had now matched with her hair. Smiling softly, she watched as the other white girl with ck hair covered her eyes and looked at her breastfeeding the baby. The ck haired woman tried to say something to her yet she didn''t understand a word so she shook her head, with a faint smile. She watched as the ck haired face-palmed and started to talk to the crimson-purple haired girl. "Err, in our... Err, home... it''s rather, err, I''m sorry keep at it I''ll go for a second. Call me when you''re done." Raven''s face was almost glowing red as the girl started worrying she might have gotten sick. "No, please stay with me..." the silver girl said as she got up hurriedly to catch the leaving Raven. However, as she was doing that, the kimono''s upper half fell down exposing her other breast. "I can''t take this..." Raven was already so tried, low on mana, andpletely drained out of her vitality. The extra push that came from high blood pressure made her lose consciousness, falling right into Maria''s open arms. The girl rushed towards her, making sure the baby in her arms was safe, and tried to check up on her. The crimson-purple girl had given her food, and she spoke hernguage. She hadn''t treated her with despite, nor did she try to attack her. She couldn''t let her die now could she? Maria avoided making a sound as not to rm the silver girl. Shaking her gently made Raven open her eyes slowly. But as soon as she saw the exposed silver melon again, her head fell backwards as blood rushed down her nose this time. Cami was rather bbergasted at the scene in front of her. "Dude she''s so into girls... I did not-" "It''s normal though," Maya replied with red cheeks as well. She had big breasts rtive to girls her age, but she didn''t stand a chance against those silver melons. ''So she likes big, no, huge breasts huh?'' she thought as blood threatened spraying out of her ears. "Raven lived her life as a boy, remember?" was what she actually said out loud. "look at Joey..." Looking at Joey, Cami saw him unconscious in Rain''s arms. "Hehe..." Rainughed as her face twitched forming a ratherplex expression. "...." Chapter 51 - A Damsel In Distress Part 3 * Sista Prod, Alec Benjamin, Powfu, Rxseboy - Eyes Blue Like The Antic Pt. 2 (Lyrics)* AN: really? (is it just me or does the title seem irrelevant at this point?) *** "Raven lived her life as a boy, remember?" said Maya with red cheeks, "look at Joey..." Looking at Joey, Cami saw him unconscious in Rain''s arms. "Hehe..." Rainughed as her face twitched forming a ratherplex expression. "... Say say," "Aha?" Maya replied to Cami''s raised eye brows. "What do you think will happen when she goes to the washroom?" Cami said with a frown, as she was serious about the question. "Hehee..." Looking at Maya who instantly turned beet red Cami couldn''t help but chuckle to herself. "I bet she''ll have fun, you know, discovering her new self... "Oh and when do you think she''ll start acting like a girl, since you know, she''s a girl?" she said with a sarcastic shrug. "Do you think she''ll be interested in boys, rather than girls like now? I''m rather curious... Say what do-" Cami stopped talking the moment she saw the look on Maya''s face. Unlike a second ago, she was drained of all colours. She was pale white and not red. Her eyes were wide in shock, almost... realization? She cupped her face with her tiny hands as she rocked back and forth, muttering nonsense. "Err, you alright there...?" Cami approached Maya just a second before she fell unconscious. "Oh. My. God... alright we have a third! Shall we have a fourth?" Cami said in an annoyed yet sarcastic tone. She was referring to Raven fainting first, followed by Joey, and now Maya. However, Maya didn''t faint for the same reason as the first two. She knew her chances of being someone... of importance to Raven, were rather low. Even though she knew how she viewed her as a sister and a close friend, Maya wanted to be more, even though she''s tried before and given up many times. She was determined to either be her loved one, or find her a good one that will never betray her trust. Naturally, being her sister had lowered her chances of sess to just a little bit above zero. However, now that Raven was a girl, and the idea of her having interest in boys rather than girls almost gave her a heart attack. She could do nothing, absolutely nothing about her biological body and the thought of her chances dropping to absolute zero had caused her to faint. *** The silver girl waited patiently for the crimson-purple to wake up again. Although the wait was rather awkward since she couldn''tmunicate with anyone else, everyone had so much on their mind to feel it. About half an hour or so had passed before all three had woken up, Raven was the first to wake up with a still red face. Thest one was Maya. The moment she woke up she strode hurriedly towards Raven, took her by the hand, and dragged her a little bit deeper into the forest. "Eh? Maya are you alright?" Raven was surprised but she didn''t resist. The silver girl was naturally running behind them, but Maya didn''t care since she couldn''t understand them. "Raven..." Maya said after they''ve walked for about two minutes. "I''m listening," Raven said with a caring tone that made Maya hate herself. She didn''t mean to worry Raven but she had to ask about this or she''ll be killing herself from the inside. "Please be honest with me," Maya said with a determined look on her face. "Is there a chance that after you... err, live as a girl for a while, you''ll start taking interest into boys?" ''E noooooo!!'' was what Raven''s mind yelled all of a sudden, but she stopped the thought from escaping her mouth. The only reason she wasn''t into boys was because she was one before, and not only that, but also she''s never felt a thing towards any boy. Some of her male friends liked other boys, such as Mike who used to always hit on her when she was a boy. Even though it wasn''t her ce to judge, a sudden shiver ran down Raven''s spine as the tiny hair on her arms stood to an end, just from remembering Mike''s cringy pick up lines. ''Me turning out to be a girl is... a rather harsh joke life had to share with me, but girls are my personal preference nheless.'' she thought to herself. "Let me ask you this," Raven was so embarrassed that she started fiddling with her fingers without noticing, "as a girl that had always been into boys, how would you feel about, err, you know, liking girls I guess." Her cheeks were so warm that even Maya could feel their heat. Raven''s purpose of asking the question was a rhetorical one, she was just making theparison between the two of them, indicated that she wasn''t and won''t be into boys. Yet Maya surprised her greatly. "I''ve never been into boys..." Maya said with beet red face. "You''re into girls?" Raven was surprised for more than one reason, but she had idea how to express her emotions at the moment. "N¨¤a," Maya shook her head slightly while looking down, "I''ve always liked... you, nothing more and nothing less, it''s just that... I liked your personality! I''ve never paid attention to anything else... "Don''t get me wrong! You''re so gorgeous! I- I..." Maya''s everything glowed red as she just realized that she''s officially, and rather formally to some extent, had confessed her love to Raven. Not that it was her first time, but it still felt... embarrassing everytime. No, this time was way worse, she''s basically confessed that she had not interest in either genders... but in whatever Raven may be or will be in the future. Maya covered her face and stared at her feet, fearing the predictable refusal she''s always expected. ''It''s gonna sting...'' she thought to herself. To her surprise however, Raven didn''t say anything, but rather started to cry silently. *sniff* Her tender arms wrapped around Maya''s little frame as her tears ran down her neck, making her feel way worse than before. "I''m so sorry, I swear I didn''t mean to do this to you- I, I..." Raven started talking but Maya couldn''t understand what she meant. No, rather why she meant it. "What do you mean? You didn''t do anything!" Maya replied. All the while, the silver girl was watching like a deaf person in a consort, she saw yet could understand absolutely nothing of the events unfolding just in front of her. Raven wanted to reply, say that she''s made Maya so reliant on her, that she''s broken her, that- "Raven!" "Huh?" "Stay still for a second!" Maya said loudly as she kissed Raven''s warm forehead. "YOU''RE NOT RED FROM EMBARRASSMENT, THAT''S FEVER!" It all made sense, she''s basically just fought a monster king without much mana left in her. Not just that, but she''s taken on another form. Last time she was Ka, she''d lost her consciousness for almost a day. And fever was so bad then. Maya cursed her stupidity for doing what she did as she knew Raven wasn''t in the best condition. ''I knew she wouldn''t cry easily! It''s either the fever or the new damn hormones running down her veins! ''I f*cking bet she''s suffering from hallucinations!'' Maya clenched her fists for a second before taking Raven between her arms, in a princess carry, and running back to the group. The silver girl followed again while holding the baby tightly.. ''Why wouldn''t they exin what''s happening!'' Sheined in her mind. ''Crimson-purple girl tell me what''s happening please!'' Chapter 52 - A Damsel In Distress Part 4 * 2Trendy & Jason Walker - Change The World * *** ''I f*cking bet she''s suffering from hallucinations!'' Maya clenched her fists for a second before taking Raven into her arms, in a princess carry, and running back to the group. The silver girl followed again while holding the baby tightly. ''Why wouldn''t they exin what''s happening!'' Sheined in her mind. ''Crimson-purple girl tell me what''s happening please!'' "RAIN!!" Maya yelled while running towards the group. A few secondster and Rain was already treating Raven, as she was in Maya''s arms. "How are you feeling?" Rain asked her with a worried expression. ''Her eyes keep darting from me to Maya, then to the rest of the group. ''Her head is constantly swaying as if she''s just awoken from a car crash, even though it''s almost unnoticeable it''s still not a good sign'' Rain analysed in her mind. "Dizzy..." Raven said weakly. ''Ka, please answer me...'' She''s been trying to talk to Ka the moment she''s returned back to normal, yet to no avail. She didn''t know how or what happened that had caused her to turn back into a boy again, albeit an elf boy. But she knew something went terribly wrong there. Unbeknownst to her, her elf ears hadn''t reverted back to their human form yet, nor did her deep red eyes. ''Ka? Pleae give me a sign!'' She was worried sick about her. Even though their start wasn''t the best, Ka had never given up on her and had always been there with and for her. ''I know I''ve been an a*shole but I''m so sorry! Pleasee back, I''ll always treat you with the respect you deserve!'' she yelled in her head as tears streamed down her feverish cheeks. ''Please, I beg of you... don''t go... ''You''re not just a voice in my head, you''re my consciousness! I need you...'' she screamed in her head. "Hey what''s wrong dear?" asked Maria as she cupped Raven''s face in one of her open palms and wiped the tears away with the other. "Please tell me what''s wrong? Where does it hurt?" ''My heart and soul!'' Raven wanted to yell, but she hasn''t told anyone about Ka yet and she didn''t think now was the best of times. "I''m sorry, it doesn''t hurt that much. It''s just that I think I''m daydreaming, err, like having a day-nightmare..." Raven actually said with a half smile, trying to cover the despair in her voice. Although she wasn''t lying about having a nightmare while she was awake, she was lying when it came down to the pain part. The pain in her heart wasn''tpared to that headache assaulting her, but still her head was pulsing like a nuclear bomb. Emotions hit her from every angle and corner of her mind, she was lost without even a destination to look for. ''If Ka ended up leaving like the other voices-'' however she didn''t get to finish that thought. "My healing abilities only work on injuries or abnormalities." Rain said in disappointment. " I''m sorry but I don''t think she''ll recover in less than an hour at least. I''ve started the healing process but the hallucinations will still take a while to fade away." The hallucinations were a natural effect fever had on the brain cells as it would cause confusion and sometimes random firing of neural signals that lead to fake images, voices, and even memories. The fever itself can''t be removed instantly because that would require freezing Raven, which will most definitely kill her. Waiting was the only option they had. "tch," the silver girl clicked her tongue irritated. At first she thought the friends of the crimson-purple haired girl were trying to help her, but after a while of them arguing together rather than giving her some help, she concluded that they''re all idiots. She knew they weren''t faking because their expressions were way too sincere. "Fuuu~" ''If crimson-purple trusted them, then I can...'' she thought to herself as she took a deep breath to calm herself down a little bit. "Here, little white thing," she called out to Maya in her ownnguage as she handed her the little baby. "Eh?" Maya was surprised yet sheplied and held the baby carefully in her arms. ''It''s... really light,'' she thought to herself. "Promise you''ll take care of her!" the girl demanded. Maya didn''t understand a word but she felt like nodding was the way, and that she did. Striding towards Raven on the ground, the girl took off the top of her kimono, surprising everyone. Joey epted Cami''s previous offer as he fainted a second time. (AN: refer to the previous chapter.) "Eh? What are-" Rain wanted to cut her off but the girl put a finger on her forehead prompting her to stay quiet. The gesture was the equivalent of humans putting a finger on their mouths to signal a "shut up please" to someone else. Rain didn''t say anything, but watched intently as Raven''s dizzy eyes fell on the two huge silver melons, promoting her to focus instantly at every jiggle and move they took as the girl got closer to her. Her fever was by no means getting any better, quite the contrary. The girl approached her and said quietly, "Please drink this, it''ll make you more focused and energise you, it''s a little thank you for giving me food." she finished with a soft smile that nobody could see as their eyes were a bit too busy. Of course the others didn''t understand a word anyway, still, they all watched in ''the slow motion illusion'' of their minds as the girl held Raven by her shoulder, sitting her on herp. Raven''s current form was lighter than one would expect, but the girl retained herposure. She pushed gently Raven''s burning face into her ample bosom, "Drink!" she said in a low yet assertive voice. Raven was just like a bay in her arms, and so like a baby she acted. *sh-Snap!* "..." "Oi Maya! What are you doing?" Maria asked, slowly, still confused by what she was watching. "Taking a picture? To save the memory?" Maya said with a bright red face as she held her phone for Maria to see. "Ah, make sure to send it to me ok?" Maria said, her eyes still unmoving. Maria wasn''t looking at the silver breasts in lust, but just with curiousity and appreciation. ''Runing with these must be a hassle," she thought to herself. "For sure." Maya replied as she stored multiple pictures. "uhm,'' as if happy about a job well done, she nodded and sent one to Maria. "OH MY GODDDDD!!!!!" A few seconds into the scene and Raven was already up on one of the nearby trees. She''s managed to jump so fast the the silver girl didn''t understand what had happened. "I can''t believe I was sucking on..." thinking about what she''s just done, her face turned bright red as she stood still on the top of the tree. "Is she gonna faint again?" Cami asked as the others nodded in unison. However, rather than fainting, she was just so embarrassed and... some other feelings that she didn''t care to exin. However, she instantly got an idea of what she''s just drunk. "It''s like coffee... caffeine?" she said in realisation. The energy she got and the urge to go to a washroom, it was like dumping a gallon of energy drinks straight into her stomach. [Hey, Raven you''ve consumed a lot of caffeine. Even though humans drink it regrly, it''s still poisonous. You sh-] "Ka!" she yelled loudly in surprise and excitement. The others heard her but didn''t understand who she was calling for, or why for that matter. ''Where have you been!??'' Raven asked in her mind. ''I missed you so much!'' "Err, pleasee down lil Rav-" ROOOAAARRRR!!! Before Maria could finish her sentence or Ka start her own, a loud explosion of a roar deafened them as monsters started to flood them like a mad ocean. Chapter 53 - A Damsel In Distress Part 5 * Imagine Dragons - All Eyes * *** ROOOAAARRRR!!! Before Maria could finish her sentence or Ka start her own, a loud roar deafened them as multiple types of skeletal beasts started to flood them like a mad ocean. Even though Raven was still disoriented, the caffeine intake that''s now rushing through her veins is doing its job, making her feel awake once more. ''Ka, we have a lot to talk about.'' Raven said to Ka in her mind. ''I don''t know what happened but I need to make sure you''re all right. Give me a sec here please.'' At that, Raven''s figure flickered from the tree and reappeared on the ground near Cami who was the closest to the attacking horde. A faint ominous red red in her eyes while her open palms were directed towards the mad monsters. As if replying to a silent call, the ground opened in front of her as ghostly ck tentacles appeared and wrapped around every single monster, swallowing them whole and pulling them into the depth of hell. It allsted less than a few seconds, making everyone question their sanity and whether what they''ve just witnessed was pure imagination. "There was about a hundred monsters, no?" Cami asked, trying to understand the situation. "I thought I saw about a hundred fifty... but yea something like that." Rain answer weakly. "Oh..." Cami was surprised, almost shocked, by the power the little Raven had just shown. Not that she couldn''t have done it, heck she could destroyed a content in one go if given the time. ''But that''s the thing, the girl had one second to react and she just killed every single monster? what were they, C rankers? I''m pretty sure I felt at least ten B rank monsters.'' she thought to herself in amazement. ''That wasn''t all but after her attack had stopped, nothing had remained. Absolutely nothing, not even a scratch on the ground! She''s the ultimate assassin!'' Cami thought as she remembered who Raven was. "Thank you for saving me once more!" the silver girl said in her ownnguage as a smile spread across her face, it was full with happiness and appreciation. Of course she still had her chest uncovered so Raven just gestured at her own chest and looked down, red in embarrassment as well as fever. Now that she wasn''t feeling as confused and out of ce, she could ''think'' once more. Up until this moment, she still had no idea how she drank that... ''caffeine''. It wasn''t something she''d do if she had her wits around. As a matter of fact, she almost doesn''t remember anything past her transformation into the elf boy. It''s all just a jungle of blurry broken memories. Trying to remember anything would be like trying to reassemble a vase that''s been turned into many little shards that got scattered everywhere. Looking down at her bosoms, the girl tilted her head as if to question Raven, "you haven''t drank enough though, please let-" "No... No! It''s alright don''t worry about me, I''m perfectly fine!" Raven said trying to keep her eyes on her feet to prevent her blood from rushing up to the corners of her brain. "I really appreciate it though, it helped a little..." She would usually turn bright red at that, but she was already beaming like a fully bloomed rose. She still remembers how she woke up to find herself staring at the girl''s shiny silver eyes, and... She just couldn''t bring herself to believe that she''s actually done what she''s done. Raven didn''t want to remember any of the stuff she''s done or said while in her dizzy state. However, something that she could not remove out of her head was that she wasn''t good with caffeine. ''I need to go to the washroom!'' she thought as she bit her lower lip. ''But, how...?'' she instinctively nced at Maya, and then at Maria. That would be her first time as a girl and the thought added to her dizziness. "Hey, Raven can youe with me for a second? I need to talk to you, err, in private." Maria said as she looked at the silver girl who just kept staring at her like a clueless infant. Of course Maria had instantly understood that Raven needed to use the washroom, from her eyes and stance. ''She still makes that same thing with her eyes whenever she needs to use the washroom.'' Maria had long learnt that whenever Draven suddenly shifts his eyes down at his feet, she should make an excuse and leave him be. He''d always take the opening and rush towards the bathroom. But now that Draven had be Raven, she needed ''guidance'' in that matters as her body was new to her. ''And who''s better at giving guidance to my own little daughter than myself, her dear mommy,'' she thought as a warm feeling spread across her heart. "Uhm," Raven nodded slightly as she walked slowly towards her mother. Seeing that, Maya walked in a fast pace towards the silver girl and handed her the baby so she could run after them. The girl took the baby and rushed after all three girls. "Oi! I said in private, you lot leave us alone!" Maria yelled at them. Even though her tone was yful, her sapphire eyes weren''t. **gulp** Both the silver girl and Maya stopped in their tracks, and swallowed loudly as they felt a shiver creeping down their spine. ''Mom is too scary damn it!'' ''crimson-purple girl...'' Both girls had their own thoughts as they sat down defeated on the ground. Once they were alone, Maria held Raven into her arms as she hugged her lightly. "I missed you so much," she said with tearful eyes and cracked voice. "Even though we were so close, you felt so far beyond our reach. In every fight, you were the one to save us all. I''m so sorry for being such a useless mo-" "Stop, please mom," Raven said as she hugged her back relieving all of the pent up stress that''s been clouding her mind and eyes. "But do I take it you''re not angry at me because of almost, you know, dying s couple of times?" Raven said trying to ease her mom''s feelings. "Angry? No, I was frightened..." The sincerity of her tone stabbed Raven in the heart multiple times in a row as tears appeared in her deep red eyes. "But hey, I''ll take my revenge hehe! Why do you think I brought you here?" Maria said with a sadistic smile in her face, turning Raven''s tears to cold sweat. For the next ten minutes, Maria had her fun as she exined to the rose in front of her about the human girl''s body and how to perform multiple necessary tasks with it. From using the washroom, to the monthly period and the such. It was basically the small girly version of "son, it''s about time we had that talk" and well, Maria had her fun teasing Raven. Of course she couldn''t extend it past ten minutes as she still needed to use the washroom. "I''m sorry your first time has to be in the woods, but here," Maria said with a sad expression as she gave Raven some pieces of baby wipes that she kept on her person as they were a good way to moisture the skin, and a hand sanitizer. "I''ll be waiting behind the tree, where I''ll also keep watch, let me know if you need anything. Remember, take your time honey." she said with a smile that would usually cause some necks snap in order to watch her. "Please," Raven said in a hushed voice and an embarrassed expression on her face, "I just need to... pee." all the while her eyes didn''t leave her feet as she couldn''t look Maria in the face. But Maria didn''t want her confident Raven to turn into this timid girl in front of her just because of a small change in her body. "Listen here lil Raven," she said while cupping Raven''s face with her hands, "I don''t know what type of a f*cker the mayor was with you, but a b*tch like her can''t bepared to a real mother," Raven was surprised as she heard Maria curse. Not that she doesn''t, it''s just really rare. "Even though I''m not your biological mother, I promise, I''ll be there always by your side, teaching you and guiding you with every step you take, do you understand?" "Uhm," Raven couldn''t help but nod. "Now, teaching my daughter about this stuff is only natural, please don''t be intimidated, I need you to be my confidant and reliable little Raven, is that ok?" "Yes, thank you... mommy" Raven said with a red face, only this time she seeded in making Maria blush too. "Now go before it''s toote haha," she said as she pushed her towards a covered area, away from the group. Chapter 54 - A Damsel In Distress Part 6 * "Velocity Nine - Memory" or "Circles - Division"* AN: it''s the same song but with two different names. No clue as to why. *** ''Man, life sure is like a rollercoaster, sometimes you''re on the top and others you''re at the bottom.'' Maria thought as she sat in the fresh green grass waiting for Raven. ''First I was the top genius in the city, then got a disease that made my life a living hell. ''I legit forgot how many times I''ve stood over a bridge waiting for the right moment to jump.'' she chuckled at the memories. ''At some point, I think I even considered paying an assassin to get my head... *sigh* ''I can''t express how happy I am to have been so clingy to that sh*tty life though. Even Lady Luck, with all the bad things she''s done and... God I hate her now... ''Nheless, it took me meeting both Maya and Raven to realize how much luck I had in me, to think that I was the one who was thinking of killing herself... ''They''ve literally changed my mind upside down, or rather downside up,'' she closed her eyes in thankful silence for the two girls. ''However, I''m not naive. If I''m to consider this to be the peak of my life, I have to prepare for the problems that will try to crush us down.'' she grimaced at the idea. ''Being hopeful and being naive are two different things, after all. ''I don''t know what I''ve done to deserve having the best two daughters in the world, but I''ll be damned if I''m not ready to fight for them with my life and everything I have. ''Raven, Maya, you just watch me fight against fate itself if it''s what''s causing you trouble.'' Maria thought as she clenched her fists in determination. "Mo-Maria, is everything alright?" Raven asked as she saw the tense expression of her mom. "Oh you''re already here? Hehe, don''t worry about it," Maria said as she hugged Raven tightly, surprising her. "You could call me mom by the way, it makes me happy you know." "u-uhm," she hesitated a little before nodding her head. "Mom, thank you. I really appreciate everything you do for me and Maya." she said with a bright red face. "I love you... I promise I''ll always keep you safe no matter-" "Shhh, you see lil Raven, the mommy of the little chicks is the one protecting them, not the other way around." she said as the hug got tighter and warmer. "And I love you too honey." she finished with a little peck to the cheek. "Doesn''t that make you a chicken?" Raven said as she tried to hide the embarrassment in her voice. It was the first time she''s acted like a little helpless daughter in front of her all knowing mother. She liked the feeling of being loved, taken care of, and appreciated for what she was. As a boy and as a girl, both Maya and Maria had given her their unconditional love and support. "For you and Maya, I''ll be anything and everything, always remember that." After some time that they spent in an unforgettable embrace, they started making their way back to the group. *** After a quick break, the group had decided to go to the girl''s vige to check if there were any survivors hiding in there. Plus, that way they could make sure she''s telling the truth. Of course it was Cami''s idea. ''Ka, pleae tell me what happened? Where were you?'' Raven asked in her mind. [At some point I was updating, and after a while it was you who couldn''t hear me.] It wasn''t the first time that Ka went silent when updating, so Raven assumed it''s natural. ''But what do you mean I couldn''t hear you? Howe?'' [It could be a consequence of mana loss, as your senses be dull and you start hallucinating. The fever might''ve also contributed, or been an oue.] ''I see I see, *sigh* I''m d you''re alright, congrats for the update. You sound more human.'' [Thank you! Would you like to view your status page? You did level up quite a few skills after all, and even gained some new ones too.] ''Oh, that''s strange, you didn''t send any notifications though, true?'' [Correct, you were in the middle of battle and I didn''t want to distract you.] ''Aw, infant Ka has finally grown up to be a fine wisedy.'' [But my age is still-] ''Shush don''t ruin it please, I''m in the mood,'' [Ok, loading Status Page... I''ll mark the changes so that you can recognise what''s new. ''Go for it Ka!'' Raven Thought with a smile. [Race: Soul Weaver. [ss: Royal [Blessings: Infinity''s Will. Avavia''s Affection. [Titles: Soul Weaver Princess. Heavenly Collector. Exorcist. [Rank: C++ --> B [Energy Capacity: 320,000 EP --> 640,000 EP [Magic Skills: Advanced Mana Maniption (tier 2) - Level 2 --> Advanced Mana Maniption (tier 2) - Level 4 (Max Level) [Inherent Skills: Contingency Call (tier ???) - Level ??? Quick Study (tier ???) - Level ??? [Special Skills: Ruler''s Domain (tier 2) - Level 2 --> Ruler''s Domain (tier 2) - Level 4 (Max Level) Invigoration - Level 2 --> Exhration (tier 2) - Level 1 Holy Touch - Level 2 --> Holy Touch - Level 3 (Max Level) Vampiric Touch - Level 2 --> Vampiric Touch - Level 3 (Max Level) Shadow Maniption - Level 3 (Max) --> Darkness Maniption (tier 2 - Full Pass) --> Dark Zone (tier 3) - Level 3 Scanner Rings - Level 2 Deadly Vision - Level 2 --> Deadly Vision - Level 3 (Max Level) Contractor - Level 2 Soul Illusion - Level 2 Stealth (Passive+) - Level 3 (Max) Soul Predation (tier 3) - Level 2 --> Soul Predation (tier 3) - Level 4 Knowledge of the Ancients (Passive) - Level 2 -> Lost Knowledge of the Ancients (tier 2 - Passive) - Level 3 [System Unique Skills: Absorption - Level 2 --> Absorption - Level 3 (Max Level) Integration - Level 2 Appraisal (Passive) - Level 2 Thought eleration (Passive) - Level 2 --> Thought eleration II (tier 2 - Passive) - Level 3 Parallel Processing (Passive) - Level 2 --> Parallel Processing II (tier 2 - Passive) - Level 2 [Ultimate Skills: Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation (Spacial Transfer Bracelet series, Wingman series guns, Guardian Drone series, Scout Drone series.) [Ultimate+ Skills: (A level that''s higher than ultimate.) Sorcerer of Dark Magic (Demonic Tentacles, Chains of Dark, Dark Hell, mmable Void, Dark Lightning, Dark Mist, Soul Torment, Darkness Recharge, Master of the Night.)] ''Oh, My God!'' Raven was bbergasted at the level up she''s gotten. Almost all of her skills had leveled up by 2. Even though she was amazed, she wasn''t surprised. Unlike other cases where she would have fully lost her consciousness while changing forms, this time she was awake. Unlike the draconic yer form, her body has physically changed. And unlike when the ''real'' Ka took over, she was in charge. Albeit, she felt as if she had a different personality when she had the elf''s body. ''I guess it''s not so hard to believe, especially when I''ve managed to use the skills Demonic Tentacles and Dark Hell together even after having my original form back.'' she remembered when she took down all of the monsters that had attacked them less than an hour ago. [Raven, your original form haven''t been fully recovered yet, you still have the elf''s pointy ears and deep red eyes.] ''Eh?'' she questioned as she touched her ears to confirm Ka''s im. ''Why though?'' [Thest will of your elf self was to let your body use Darkness Recharge to recover some of the lost energy, as you desperately need it. Once that''s done you''ll be fully back to normal.] *sigh* ''true, I remember that I''ve used up everything from Invigoration, or rather Exhration'' [Yes, Exhration Level 1 has 4 daily charges just like invigoration, but this time each is 20% of your overall mana. And you''ve already used all of it during the fight.] ''Yikes, well anyhow... Do you mind exining the ranking and EP systems to me? Also, skill ranks and levels.'' [Sure thing. [Let''s start with the skill ranking and tiers, so; [A Tier 1 would have 3 levels in it. [A Tier 2 would end at the cap of level 4. [ Tier 3 has a maximum of 5 levels. [Tier 4 has a maximum of 6 levels. [And so on, However, a major change urs when a skill reaches tier 5. At that point, a tier 5 Special Skill can be turned into an Ultimate Skill. [Or you could choose to wait for more tiers to get more chances of a skill that''s better than an ultimate skill. Note that not in all cases can you choose as sometimes a skill can only go higher or lower than some ranks. [For example tier 6 has a chance of upgrading itself into an ultimate+ (Special -> Ultimate+) [Tier 7 has a chance of bing an Ultra skill ( Special -> Ultra) [Tier 8 (Special -> Ultra+) [Tier 9 (Special -> Ultra++) [Andstly, tier 10 has a chance, albeit really small, of turning into a Zenith skill. (Special -> Zenith)] ''Whoua! Is there someone alive with a Zenith skill?'' [Unfortunately I have no idea, I have no memories of any particr powerful beings that have managed to reach or awaken such skills. [The strongest opponent Ka had ever faced had an Ultra+ skill that was so powerful to even describe. [A good point to remember is that there''s a huge difference in strength between people of the same skill ranks as like in your ultimate and ultimate+ skill, the specific sub-skills can be developed separately as you might choose to focus on one aspect of he power granted to you.] ''Ok my head hurts, move in to EP and ranks,'' [Ok, this is actually way simpler. Each person is born with something called Mana or Energy Capacity. [People are given a rank ording to how much mana their body can store. That''s basically the ranking system. [That''s why an S ranker healer can beat a B ranker fighter easily as they have the mana capacity to keep healing themselves while doing minimal damage to the low ranker. [They can basically oust them. In some cases, if the lower ranker finishes everything with a one hit, the results might be different. [Here''s the estimate Energy Points per rank: [Ranks E-/ E++ (10 EP - 5,000 EP) [Ranks D-/ D++ (5,000 EP - 80,000 EP) [Ranks C-/ C++ (80,000 EP - 400,000 EP) [Ranks B-/ B++ (400,000 EP - 780,000 EP) [Ranks A-/ A++ (780,000 EP - 4,190,000 EP) [Ranks Beyond A++/A* (4,190,000 EP - 5,000,000 EP) This is usually an unintelligent beast that''s an S ranker. [Rank S (5,000,000 EP - 10,000,000 EP) [Rank SS (10,000,000 EP - 20,000,000 EP) [Rank SSS (20,000,000 EP - 35,000,000 EP) [Please note that the ranks Beyond A++ are highly debatable as one might have such an enormous Mana Capacity yet have no fighting power, so the numbers are not to be blindly trusted.] ''Holyyy...'' Raven had her mouth open in a silent scream, ''are you telling me that Cami has at least 6 times energy?'' [More or less...] *sigh* "Well ain''t that sweet," she muttered after a sigh as she looked up at the skies in disappointment. "What''s the matter-" Maya was about to ask her when Cami''s quiet yet concerned voice rang. "Oh no...." said Cami as she instantly ran to the silver girl covering her eyes. Chapter 55 - A Damsel In Distress Part 7 * "Velocity Nine - Memory" or "Circles - Division"* AN: it''s the same song but with two different names. No clue as to why. (same as yesterday) *** "Oh no..." said Cami as she instantly ran towards the silver girl to cover her eyes. It hasn''t taken them long to reach their destination, just about twenty or so minutes. However, what they took a glimpse of was so gruesome that they wanted to leave already. The metallic smell of blood and the sight of gore and torn flesh everywhere made the ce look like a messy ughterhouse. The destroyed houses and small craters all over the ce didn''t make things any easier. ''Sh*t, sh*t! She wasn''t not lying alright!'' Cami thought in guilt as she looked at the silver-folkying around. Their originally shiny blue silver skin was now covered in red blood, and many were torn into pieces. The silver girl removed Cami''s hand gently as she stared at the corpses of her people in silent grief and surprise. When the monsters had attacked, her master had told her to run with his daughter to the woods as far away as possible. They had no good shelters that were able to protect against the empowered monsters, so at the time that was the best possible option. However, that also meant the girl was seeing her dead people for the first time. "Hey... how are you feeling?" Raven asked the girl in a gentle voice that almost sounded like a faint cool breeze. "Sad..." she replied while her eyes started leaking mana. It was the way Mian people cried. Instead of tears, their eyes release some mana which usually makes the eye glow with the respective colour. The girl had silver white aura to her so her eyes were faintly glowing with a matching colour. "I''m so sorry, is there anything I can do for you? Do you want me to help look for the lord''s body?" she said then realized how bad that sounded. Yet, the girl found it rather kind, "No it''s alright, thank you. But can we mana-touch?" she asked in a low cracking voice. "Of course, but what''s that?" Raven had no idea what she meant. "It''s the way my people share their grief. Two people would channel their mana to their hands, and then each touches the others'' forehead. "Feeling the fluctuations of someone else''s mana enables us to almost feel what they''re feeling. I''d be grateful if you''d let me to that with you." "For sure," she answered quietly, yet kindly. She had no idea how that''s gonna work out but she wanted to help the girl nheless. Handing the baby to Maya again, the girl took a steep breath as she stood against the crimson-purple haired girl. Raven and the girl''s hands glowed with majestic gold and silver white hue, respectively, as they looked at eachother in the eyes. Both extended their open palms and touched the other''s brow as they closed their eyes. Immediately Raven understood what the girl had meant. She could feel the silver white aura being warm to the touch. It kept flickering slightly like a candle that''s waiting to be extinguished. On the other hand, the girl felt the confidence andpassion in Raven''s majestic golden aura. Instead of sharing her flickering, the golden aura added to the vigor of the white one, empowering it, almost as if giving it a life of its own. "Thank you," the girl said with glowing crying eyes. "This means a lot to-" Before she could finish giving her gratitude, a huge rock the size of a truck tire was sent flying and almost hit her in the back of her head. Almost, since Raven had instantly conjured a a golden ck energy barrier to protect her. The rock shattered on impact. But Raven''s rage had just boiled over. The monster that had thrown the rock felt terror as it couldn''t move an inch from the chill that glued its spine tightly to the ground. It resembled a ghostly skeletal hybrid of a bear and a gori which meant it was strength based, yet its strength had failed it when needed the most. Without much of a warning, its skeletal body was turned into dust the instant a giant golden ck hand struck it down. Raven''s eyes were full of rage towards the skeletal beast, aspassion for the silver girl. Seeing that, the silver girl had a sad yet warm smile on her face. The feeling the girl is emitting was simr to her deceased master. "Thank you..." she muttered quietly. "Fuu~" Raven took a second to calm down before replying, "Not at all. I''m sorry we couldn''t help when it mattered." she had a bitter expression on her face, but it actually made the girl feel warmer. "What''s your name by the way? My name is Raven. A human from Earth" "Ah, nice to meet you Raven. My name is Axane." said the girl in a calm tone as she took her baby back. " I don''t really know what a is, but travelers and foreigners used to say that we live on a huge rock named Mia. I''m assuming that makes me a Mian." "More it less, haha," Raven said with a soft chuckle. "Um Raven, care to include us into your little chitchat?" Maria said as she hates being left out by her own daughter. But she was happy Raven had regained herposure. "Ah sure my bad, guys the girl is called- actually wait." she said as she stared into her open palm for a second. ''Ka, do you think I can make a trantion device? I know thenguage, I have the Lost Knowledge of the Ancient, plus the Nano Creation skills, shouldn''t that help?'' she thought to Ka. [In theory yes, but you''d have to know the blueprint of such device. Or, you could make your own from scratch which is gonna be a little bit hard.] ''Hm, well I guess I''ll wait till we get back to Earth or get some time.'' she thought with a sigh. [Or you could ask me... I''ll make it for you, you know] ''Pfft, why or course robo-girl! Be my guest.'' Raven thought in sarcasm. ''When I asked you in the first ce I was experiencing help you know! Your getting sassier by the moment little girl.'' [Hehe, am I? Anyhow, let me try that,] ''Oh my, you''re seriously acting way more human than ever!'' The group and even Raven herself watched as the silver goo surged out of her hands and started merging together and taking shape. Not too long after, a thin beautiful silver grey cor was resting in Raven''s open palm. Chapter 56 - A Damsel In Distress Part 8 * NEFFEX - Sometimes * *** The group and even Raven herself watched as the silver goo surged out of her hands and started merging together and taking shape. Not too long after, a thin beautiful silver grey cor was resting in Raven''s open palm. [Appraising item. [ss: Trantor Cor [Rank: B [Rarity: Rare [Description: A device that''s been made using nanotech. It enables the wearer from understanding, speaking and reading thenguages stored within. [Stored Language(s): English.] ''Oh that''s cool! How did you make it?'' Instead of replying, Ka just pulsed the information into Raven''s mind. ''Ah... that''s how.'' she thought as the knowledge behind making the cor was in her grasp. Surprisingly it wasn''t that hard, maybe even too easy. It mainly stores a specifguage that''s then turned into mana pulses that would stimte special areas in the brain. And by stimting these areas, it enables the brain from using the device as an extension of itself. However, it''s just a temporary effect so the moment the mana pulses stop stimting the brain, the person would lose the knowledge about thatnguage. "Just like an old fashioned USB device." Raven muttered to herself. "Here, Axane." she said as she offered her the silver cor. Wearing the cor, Axane felt the mana that tugged on her brain. "How do you feel? Does it work?" Raven sked in her own tongue this time. "Yes," Axane spoke with anguage that wasn''t her own. "I can speak yournguage!" she sounded as excited and surprised as she appeared to be. "And understanding," Raven added with a smile. "Well, guys this is Axane, she''s a Mian. Axane those two are Joey and Rain." "Hey!" "Hello Axane, I love your name!" Joey and Rainr replied. "That''s Cami behind you," "Hi," Cami said weakly, as she was still feeling guilty and embarrassed about what she''s done. "And these two are Maria and Maya, my mum and younger sister." "Hi everyone!" Axane turned red as everyone stared at her, she wasn''t used to getting this much attention. "Thank you for saving me, so many time." After a little break away from the rubble and blood, Raven started making her way back to the destroyed town. "Where do you think you''re going, young girl?" Maria said in a sarcastic, yet motherly tone. "Oh nothing special, before leaving the town I felt the presence of multiple monsters hiding in one area. I''d like to drop by and say hi." Raven said in a too innocent tone and expression. Needless to say, Maria was by no means fooled by her poor acting and only face-palmed. "There''s no way I''m sending you alone, Cami- actually, I''lle with you." "No, you can''t it''s dangerous!" Raven retorted. "Don''t you dare yell at me, youngdy!" "Sorry... mum, I didn''t mean to," Raven said in defence as she lowering her head defeated. "Good girl," Maria smirked. "Cami you stay here and take care of the rest. Joey same goes for you." ""Yes ma''am!"" they both said in unison. Cami even saluted. "Mum," Maya said a low voice, "Can I-" "No." Maria cut her off. "Pretty please...?" *sigh* "Goddamn it don''t give me those puppy eyes!" *puppy eyes intensifies* "Ok ok!" Maria was the defeated this time. "Hehe!" Maya chuckled as she gave her mom a quick hug before turning to Raven. "Hey don''t be so gloomy." "Yea, you''re the one who wanted us to test our powers, well mine." Maria said as she looked at Maya with a questioning look, "Since when do you get to teleport?" "Yea, I''m kinda curious about that too," Raven said with a raised eyebrow. "Err, I have no idea..." Maya scratched her cheek in embracement. "I just blinked and found myself in from of that skeletal monster." She didn''t let it show but she was sad that her hero-image had been shattered. Even though she would have done it I''d she could, she hadn''t nned on saving Raven, she just happened to appear there by ident. "Don''t be so gloomy," Raven said to Maya, making her feel a sense of Deja vu. "You''ve actually saved me there since I had to push through my limits to save you, which actually saved both of us." Raven said as she gave Maya a hug. "Alright, shall we godies?" Maria said as the group started to make their way back to the destroyed town. *** After a few minutes, the group was standing on top of a small house watching a bunch of skeletal monsters guarding a weird looking artifact. "Got any idea what that is?" Maria asked Raven with a raised eyebrow. "Not a clue- actually, give me a sec." she replied quietly. ''Kayal?'' [I don''t know for sure what that thing is, but it''s some type of advanced technology that''s been fused with a foreign anti-magic to bind or lock space. [The signal it''s emitting is blocking the Spacial Transfer Bracelet Ka had made.] "Oh I see." Raven said as she narrowed her eyes. "That''s what has been keeping us prisoners here for this long." "Hm, Maya can''t use her abilities by well. And I''m not honestly that confident in mybat abilities... but I''m pretty sure it''s not a problem for you, right?" Maria said with a tactical smile. "Oh no no, there are only six monsters there and I''m pretty sure it''s a good chance for you to practice your powers don''t you think?" Raven had the same sadistic smile Maria has seen so many times, but it always gave her the chills. **gulp** ''Oh no...'' Maya and Maria thought together with a gulp. "Hahaha!" Raven suddenly burst outughing, alerting the monsters to their presence. "I''m not that evil, but damnit the look on your faces are so worth it hahahah!" Four monsters started running at top speed to get the intruders. Two out of the six monsters were huge skeletal mounts, and on top of them were two ghostly monster knights with huge spears. Two monster warriors were left guarding the artifact. "Watch closely," Raven instructed. "They seem intelligent as they kept two guards and didn''t just attack like mad animals." "Uhm, they''re running fast, counter them please." Maya said hurriedly, trying to prevent panick from taking over. "Are you doubting me, lil sis?" she said with another sadistic chuckle that made the girls think they''re talking to the devil and not the girl they knew for over two years. Chapter 57 - A Damsel In Distress Part 9 * MIIA - Dynasty * *** "Are you doubting me, lil sis?" she said with another sadistic chuckle that made the girls think they''re talking to the devil and not the girl they knew for over two years. "No we have no doubt in your kindness oh mighty Raven, please excuse your little sister." Maria corrected with a smile that she struggled to keep unshaken. "Now please Raven they''re getting closer, they''re here- RAVEN!" ""RAVEN!!!"" Both girls yelled again loud enough for everyone in the woods to hear, even the party. "Hahaha!" Raven chuckled softly as she flicked both girls on the forehead. "I''d rather die a million times over than to let you two get hurt." she said in a whisper that reached both girls as a warm soft breeze that made their hearts flutter slightly. Realising that even with the monsters'' high speed they haven''t reached them yet, both girls took a look behind Raven''s shoulders only to see many ghostly dark handsing out of the ground and holding the mounts together with their riders. Even the other two guards near the artifact were bound to the ground by simr sets of hands. **sigh** both girls were so relieved at the sight, even though they knew Raven wasn''t that cruel. "Wanna try your powers? Or do you want me to crush them already?" Raven asked with a smile. "Err, I''d like to try but I have no idea what or how my powers would work." "Same." Maria said and Maya followed suit. "Hmm, let me try this." Raven said while two azure rings materialised in her eyes, as she ced her hands on Maria''s forehead. After a while, she did the same for Maya. Using her Advanced Mana Maniption together with Scanner Rings, allowed her to see the mana pathways in their bodies. All the while, the monsters kept thrashing around and roaring like hungry caged lions. "From what I can tell, Maria you''ve gained a portion of my powers, Mana Maniption, as I can see the mana running through your whole body without much limitations, not only in their specific pathways." "Makes sense I guess. You''re the one who saved me and I don''t know what you did but ever since then I''ve been feeling rather weird." Maria said with her hand under her chin. "Uhm," Raven nodded slightly, "As for you Maya, your core is a blinding white which means you have so much ambient mana and that''s is awesome, but it also means that I can''t see properly, nor decide what your powers are. "What I can tell you for sure however is that your mana pathways are closed. Forced shut to be exact, as if someone was trying to prevent you from using your powers..." she said in an enraged, yet pained, expression. "I''ll fix it for you the moment we get some time away from danger, I promise. The good news is that I can see some pathways where your mana was trying to spread throughout your body. It has probably happened when you saved me," she said with a soft kind smile. "Alright, let''s get this over with and go back home." Not a second after she finished, the six monsters were already swallowed by the hungry void that had opened in the ground. ''Ka, are we to break this?'' she thought while inspecting the artifact. [Yes, it should enable us to use the bracelets and transfer back to Earth.] "Sweet. Let me take note of how it''s built first, I might be able to replicate it or use something to cancel its signal" she said as her eyes turned azure again. After a short while of detailed inspection and careful handling, she understood to some extent how the artifact was made. Even though it was beyond her knowledge for the moment, she was sure that after some ying around she could figure out a way to replicate it. ''Maybe I could use it to protect our house from intruders, or even mass produce it as means of protection? Hmm...'' CRACK! SQUASH!! The device crumbled under her touch so fast that she was surprised. ''Oh that''s why they had six guards. The thing is more fragile than a ss cup.'' [Spacial Transfer Bracelets are online again] Ka said as well as the other bracelets, even the ones with the other part of the group. "Shall we grab the rest and leave this ce?" Raven said with a smile to which Maya and Maria happily nodded. Reaching the others, they saw calm expressions everywhere as the group had a little time to rx, plus the message the bracelets sent was like a blessing. "Shall we gods and gals?" Raven said to the group. They all nodded in agreement, expect for Cami and Axane who had no bracelet on their wrists. "Hey Cami, you can have yours back..." she said as she looked down in embracement, "I''m so sorry about earlier, it was so rude of me to-" "A, I love you too, lil killing machine," Cami cut her off with a hug and a pinch to the cheek. "I love you too." she repeated again. "Please don''t call me a killing machine..." even though sheined, Raven''s face was beet red and still didn''t resist the embrace. She felt like she owed her this much, especially after all that she''s done to help them so far. "Hahaha, ok I love you lil Rave!" Cami chuckled, still hugging her, "How''s that now?" "A little bit better..." "Hehehe." Cami chuckled happily as she let go of the little girl. *cough* "Ahem!" she coughed trying to forget what had just happened. "Hey you''reing with us too, right?" Raven said as she handed her one of the spare bracelets. ''Damn, Ka sure was prepared. She made a spare for each bracelet. Since we had two each for myself, Maya, Maria, and Cami. We basically have eight. Not that I can''t make more. ''So, Joey, Rain, and Axane each get one. Hmm, even the baby gets one, just in case.'' she thought to herself. "Here''s one for the baby too," she said as she handed Axane another bracelet. "You were expecting to meet me and baby Rituxi?" Axane was rather surprised and grateful at the same time. "To be honest, not specifically, but I always keep myself prepared." she said as she scratched her cheeks in embarrassment.. It wasn''t her that was prepared, but Ka. Chapter 58 - Home Sweet Home? * MIIA - Dynasty * *** "You were expecting to meet me and baby Rituxi?" Axane was rather surprised and grateful at the same time. "To be honest, not specifically, but I always keep myself prepared." she said as she scratched her cheeks in embarrassment. It wasn''t her that was prepared, but Ka. "You don''t minding with us, do you?" Raven asked with a soothing smile. "No, No I don''t. Thank you... I really can''t express my gratitude enough. I have nothing left here, or anywhere else." she said with a pained expression. "If you let me take care of baby Rituxi, I''d be more than happy to be your maid, I''ll serve you till I die." she said as she looked at the baby then back to Raven. "Nope, no need" Raven made Axane''s heart stop for a second before rifying, "I''d be more than happy to have you as a trusted friend, but I need no maids, just promise me you''ll take care of the baby, Rituxi, ok?" "But how can I repay you otherwise?" "Don''t worry about it, we didn''t help you because we needed a payment, but because it was the right thing to do." she said with a smile as the rest of the group nodded in agreement. "You heard her, sister!" Cami said with a smile as she patted her shoulder slightly. "Yea, you were part of the group the moment you helped Raven over there." Rain said making Raven blush at the memories of the strong caffeine. But it only made Axane''s eyes shine silver white which indicated to the others that she was crying. "Thank you, thank you very much..." The only person that has ever been this good with her was her master. Since she was a maid, she wasn''t treated or even viewed this kindly by others. She was usually the person who takes care of things nothing more, and nothing less. Her master has always been good to her and that''s why it made her feel even special when he entrusted baby Rituxi to her. But she''s never expected a stranger to save her, give her food, support her in her time of grief, and above all offer to take her home so she can be safe. Not only that, but the strangers were of apletely different species, hell a different. In her entire lifetime, she''s never felt so thankful yet in debt to someone, not even her master. After all, she was his maid, whereas the crimson-purple haired girl, Raven, just wanted her to be a friend she could trust. "Hey she said don''t worry about it right?" Maria said as she pped her back gently in an encouraging matter. "You heard her," Joey said in a low, yet reassuring voice. Truth be told, he was rather tense for the fact that he was a lone boy with a bunch of beauties around him. What made matters worse was that Raven was Draven before... a boy. "Alright guys, I can''t describe how excited I am to keep this going, but can we please leave already? I need a bath ASAP!" Maya cut the group. Even though her tone was rude, everyone knew she only meant to ease the situation for Axane. "Alright, let''s get going!" ''Ka, you''re all good to activate the bracelets!'' WOOOSSHHH Blinding light and deafening wind coursed by their eyes and ears for a moment before they could open their eyes again. Once they did, the group found themselves back to.... "What the hell is this?" Maya voiced everyone''s thoughts in an instant. Looking around, the group realised they were surrounded by the remains of the not only the ser field, but the whole area around it. The sky was filled with dirty ck clouds that gave off the feeling of being deep into the winter, even though it wasn''t fall yet. If it wasn''t for the smell, no one would have realised that those in fact were smoke clouds and not rain clouds. "STOP RIGHT THERE!" A voice called out to the group as mana started to pulse around them in a threatening matter. "We''re friendlies! Don''t attack!" Cami yelled at the EDA rankers around them. "Identify yourselves!" yelled the voice back. "This is Special Agent Cami Rogers! Identification rank S!" she shouted to be heard. "Cami, you''re alive!!" a young masculine voice beamed as me jets shot from his feet, propelling him towards the group. In the blink of an eye, the group found themselves staring at a white youth in his twenties. He had red ming hair that gave off the feeling that his head was on fire, and matching eyes that inspired many. "Of course I am, Jamie." Cami said calmly and in a friendly matter. She wasn''t a big fan of the one and only me Master Mage James Oliver, yet she didn''t hate him. "d to see you''re good and well too." It was nothing personal, just that his too optimistic and sarcastic personality gave her the creeps. Even more when he gets professional. ''If anyone can change faces this fast, they can be a scorpion in a suit for all I know. Can''t trust them.'' that''s what she''s always thought. To make matters worse, he was crushing hard on her. She''d have to be blind, deaf, and stupid, to not realise that. Unfortunately for him though, the feeling wasn''t quite mutual. Jamie had to fight his nerves to stop himself from hugging her, so after making sure she was alright, he looked at the group. "I''m assuming they''re a bunch of kids you saved? And who''s that hiding behind the little girl?" He was sure Cami can protect herself, but having to protect a bunch of civilians and kids must''ve been hard, especially with her powers that were mostly AOE attacks. Looking at the group, he could see a silver haired girl looking down on what appears to be a baby in her arms, trying to hide herself behind a little crimson-purple haired girl but to no avail. What made things rather weird was the fact that the little girl had an impressive set of armour covering her, and even though she was shorter than himself, it appeared as though he was looking up to meet her eyes. ''What the f*ck?'' he thought to himself after shaking his head slightly. ''I must be dead tired after fighting so many monsters.'' Aside from them, there was a boy, and three other girls. Chapter 59 - Jamie * MIIA - Dynasty * AN: Sorry, not only am I in love with this song, but also this was written yesterday when I had a little extra time. I haven''t written anything today... /I did say it''s gonna be a hectic day./ *** What made things rather weird was the fact that the little girl had an impressive set of armour covering her, and even though she was shorter than himself, it appeared as though he was looking up to meet her eyes. ''What the f*ck?'' he thought to himself after shaking his head slightly. ''I must be dead tired after fighting so many monsters.'' Aside from them, there was a boy, and three other girls. "Not at all," Cami replied to Jamie, " I didn''t save them. In fact, they were the ones who saved my a*s, especially that little girl you- ouch!" Raven had kicked her knee to signal her to stop bbering. She didn''t want the EDA to have an eye on her. She could already see the headlines in the morning newspaper; "A D-RANKER SAVES AN EDA S-RANKER!" That could be bad for both of them as she''d get more attention and probably enemies that would keep an extra eye on her. Might even be required to serve in the EDA as she''s got the potential to be a high ranker, and the EDA aren''t a fan of, no, they actually hate taking chances. People might start doubting the EDA''s training or ranking system, maybe even just Cami''s in particr. Needless to say, Jamie didn''t miss the fact that the little girl had just hit his crush and a fellow S ranker. A blind and deaf person couldn''t have. "Hey, respect your saviour and high ranker!" he scolded the girl. He was tired, upset, and stressed, since he had been fighting for the past hour, ever since the weird gates had started popping around the globe like mashrooms. "Unthankful brat!" "Hey shut up Jamie!" Cami yelled at him. She was upset he''d yell at a little girl, let alone that it was Raven. To her surprise, a small part of her was afraid Raven might identally kill him if pushes to shove. What she''s seen from the little girl wasn''t something she''d expect from a D ranker, and who knows what''ll happen when she bes as S ranker. And she was a hundred percent sure she will be one "But she kicked you! She has no respe-" he eximed but Maya cut him off. "So what, you little dipsh*t? Call my sister a brat again and I''ll show yo-" Raven threw her hands over Maya''s mouth to prevent her from drawing much more unneeded attention. "I''m sorry about my sister," Raven started to act her body''s age. "And about me kicking Ms. Rogers, I just tripped but had absolutely no intentions of harming her. "Tell me Mr., is she your girlfriend? You look so beautiful together, hehe!" Raven finished with a cool soft smile that made Cami choke on her breath. She wasn''t stupid enough as not to realise what was happening, unlike her fellow S ranker. Jamie had turned deep red as he started stuttering. "Ha-haha, silly girl... no we''re not in a rtionship... but do you think we look good together?" He almost started to bleed from the high blood pressure threatening to cut through his vein. "Absolutely! You''re so gorgeous, especially how you wanted to defend her like a hero.!" Raven said as she let it sink in. "Also, when you asked about her when we first came out of the gate, you sounded so~ worried. "Mr., you must be really in love right?" she finished with her index on her mouth in a questioning pose. "Ahahaha-" "Oi, stop bbering you little brat!" Cami retorted as she rushed to hold Raven''s lips in ce. "Didn''t I just say not to call her a brat? You wanna fight Ms. My Love Is On Fire?" "Hey, Maya do you wanna be on my cklist? "Huh? Wanna add me to the list of candy shopkeepers that charged you higher ''cause you look like a child? Heh, especially in that specific department" she teased and pointed at Cami''s chest. "OMG guys!! It''s like a battle field here! SHUT UP EVERYONE!!" Maria yelled as she was tired and even though it was all an improvised act, she still didn''t like it. Axane, Joey, and Rain were feeling awkward and out of ce, yet they were thankful they weren''t part of the mess. "Ahem," Cami coughed as to excuse herself. "Ok then Jamie, keep up the good work! I''ll go with the group so we can rest and have some food, we''ve been there for a couple of days and the food I have isn''t the best without a microwave to heat it up." "A couple of days??" It took him a second to wake up from his day dreaming and stop the nose bleeding he was struggling with, "What do you mean? It''s only been an hour at most!" "Huh?" "No way!" "Was it all just an illusion?" "Don''t you think it''s only natural?" Raven said in a voice filled with wisdom, unlike her acting just a second ago. "We were on another, so it''s only natural the time difference is vast. If I had to guess I''d say it''s something along the lines of one hour here is equivalent to sixty over there. "Since we''ve spent about two days and a half, the math adds up... to some extent I suppose since we don''t know the exact timing." "Wait you were on a different nt?" Jamie was getting more confused by the second. "OMG Jamie it''s not the right time for asking questions! We''ll be leaving for now, go help some people, we''ll go help ourselves to some baths and then food." Cami yelled. "Yes, sorry, yes, I''ll be going," Jaime tensed turning red and started rushing away, "I''ll be back soon to check up on you!" "Yea, yea, sure...Fuu~" Cami took a deep breath to calm herself down, as she watched him leave. "Shall we go somewhere quiet?" she said to the group. "Uhm," Maria nodded. "Let''s get going." "So sorry this has to be your first impression of our," Rain apologized to Axane as she scratched the back of her head in embracement. "Yea, not that it doesn''t suck in general." Raven said with a half smile as she''d never thought Earth was the best to be born at, "but today is especially worse it seems. Cami what do you know so far?" "Err, nothing? You''ve seen Jamie..." She face-palmed, thinking about the events that had unfolded just a few seconds ago. "Yea the dude has got it hard for you, eh?" Raven teased with a smile. "Oi, I haven''t forgotten what you''ve done!!" Cami gritted her teeth in mock anger. "I''ll get my payback soon..." She finished with an evil re. "But she''s right, you know?" Maya continued with the teasing. "Hey! You little beggar I''ll show you... You think you can only act tough cause you''re huge? They''re just extra fat!" Cami yelled, turning red as she covered her chest. "Oho~? Covering those cherries won''t matter since they''re barely noticeable to start with-" "You little... It''s not my choice ok?" Cami was almost in tears, "I was born like this!" "Oi, Maya stop it! That''s just rude!" Maria scolded. "What?" Maya gestured with her hands as if she has no idea that she''s just got a grown up woman, an S ranker to be exact, in tears. "I was being honest, damn it! Even Raven has bigger breasts that she does, and she was a boy!!" "OMG I CAN''T BELIEVE YOU JUST SAID THAT!!" Maria had a furious expression on her face, but she wasn''t as mad. She was more upset that anything. "Oi, lil sis," suddenly, Maya felt two arms wrap around her choking her slightly, "You sure wanna get me into this?" Barely getting a hint of the sadistic smile on Raven''s face was enough for Maya to shake her head in fear. Fake of course, she wasn''t scared of Raven, she would never hurt her. ''She''s said that herself, right?'' Maya thought to herself remembering Raven''s previous words, but at the same time, the chokehold was slowly increasing the pressure on her throat. Chapter 60 - Vision Part 1 * Born Without a Heart - Faouzia * AN: the following content might (probably will) be sensitive to most readers. Don''t read unless 18+ of age, and with a strong heart. You''ve been warned! *** "Oi, lil sis," suddenly, Maya felt two arms wrap around her choking her slightly, "You sure wanna get me into this?" Barely getting a hint of the sadistic smile on Raven''s face was enough for Maya to shake her head in fear. Fake of course, she wasn''t scared of Raven, she would never hurt her. ''She''s said that herself, right?'' Maya thought to herself remembering Raven''s previous words, but at the same time, the chokehold was slowly increasing the pressure on her throat. SINKT!! "ARGH-Pfthu-" All of a sudden, Raven flinched and coughed a mouthful of blood before hearing the sound of the ws that were as sharp as an executioner''s axe, hit and tear her and Maya''s flesh. It all happened so fast that she didn''t feel her arm being severed and cut just underneath the shoulder. But it was slow enough for her to see the ws pass through Maya''s face like a hot kitchen knife through butter. It wasn''t cleanly cut like in movies and books, but rather in a savage and monstrous way. Maya didn''t feel any pain nor did she scream or whimper, her life just ended. On top of the tattered figure that she once was, stood an enormous mascr frame, hulking over Raven who was covered in Maya''s deep red blood. The huge monster flicked his ws and sprayed blood all over the ce, including his own face. The two devilish horns on top of his forehead made his sadistic smile more spooky and frightening, while his eyes glowed with a glint of dark red. The sclera was ck as night, as it matched his face, making the monster''s eyes look rather small, which they definitely weren''t. Looking at the girl in front of him, his fangs prated his lips as they spread across his face in a gleeful smile. Rather than killing her, he looked at the silent group behind her with another smirk that made him look like an ugly kid opening his birthday presents. The group was as lost as the crimson-purple haired girl, yet they had acknowledged his presence, and he saw fear and rage in them. The girl on the other hand looked as though she was already dead, not even caring to stop her blood from rushing through her open shoulder. The monster had only one purpose in life, and that was kill and wreak havoc. It''s something he had learnt the moment he was born. He had to kill his own mother and siblings and feed on them in order to survive. It was a test every inhabitant of Zorax had to pass through. Usually, the female would kill the male after she gets pregnant. And then she''d kill the kids after they''ve matured. That way she can keep getting stronger, until of course, she gets old enough for the strongest kid to kill her and feed on her and, almost always, on the other kids. He had learnt that life is just a temporary disgusting ce one have to pass by, and the only rest was in death; with not existing. However, even by knowing that, he had no intentions of killing himself, rather, he had decided to perform an act of "kindness" to everyone he meets, erasing their miserable existence. Or that was the n. After years upon years of performing his "services", he grew fond of them. To the point where he''d enjoy every ounce of fear and fright in his "customers". That''s exactly why he was saving the little girl for when she realises what had happened. If she hasn''t died by blood loss by the time he''s "served" the group, he''ll get back to her and give her the share she deserves. "YOU B*STARD!!!" A youngdy with jet ck hair and blue sapphires for eyes yelled at him, but it only made him smirk harder. If she didn''t have tears running down her face, he''d say she''s got some beautiful features. And he''d seen so many, yet so little qualified as beautiful. "I might have to save you forter..." he said in anguage that no one but him understood, and eyes filled with nothing but determination, not even lust. It wasn''t something he wanted or needed to do, but rather something that he''d decided to do. As not to ruin her face any further and also to save her athletic body, he gestured with his wed hand up, promoting red chains to erupt from the ground and tie around her body, pulling her down. Thedy kept thrashing against the chains to absolutely no avail, till her face touched the ground. At that point, it was even hard for her to take a single breathe as the chains glued her body down and restricted her every move. "That''s better," he said in a deep voice, yet no one understood. WHOOSH!! The blonde kid shed against him with a light sword, yet he didn''t even evade, just stood there and held the mana de between his long ws. Not a split second after, his second set of ws passed through the kid''s neck, granting him a rather quick death. All of a sudden, the monster felt the ground under his feet crack as he slowly and rather slightly sank in. Looking up, he realised that anotherdy that looks like the one he glued to the ground, with matching hair and eyes, was using gravity magic on him. "Are you trying to make me kneel to your filthy self?" He roared in a rather collected manner. He wasn''t angry, but surprised and repulsed. If there was anything he hated, it was someone who didn''t recognize their ce, and the human in front of him didn''t. "Die", he was about to say when a huge explosion thundered all around him, as blinding light made it hard even for him to see. Chapter 61 - Vision Part 2 * Born Without a Heart - Faouzia * AN: the following content might (probably will) be sensitive to most readers. Don''t read unless 18+ of age, and with a strong heart. You''ve been warned! *** Covering his eyes from the blinding light for a second before reopening them, he was surprised that the explosion had managed to do as much. "Hm, it even made me feel a little warm, but too bad for you, human, hell is my home and this much heat is nothing." Usually, the shockwave alone would be enough to erase anyone, but the monster''s armour like skin shook it off as if it was nothing more than a slightly hot a breeze. However, much to his surprise, the human wasn''t done as he could see the mana spike at her hands as she chanted in anguage he didn''t understand. SINKTT!!! The sound of his ws separating her head from her body was rather loud from the mana she had within. "Maybe, at one point of time, you were stronger than myself..." he said to the rolling head on the floor. It was a rather repulsive and disturbing view, yet he enjoyed every bit of it. CLANKK!! Looking back in surprise, he saw a girl with a rather pale olive colouredplexion. She had light brown hair and matching eyes. Contrary to her scared expression, she was holding a metal rod against the back of his shoulder. "Ah, you have little to no mana that whenpared to the mana explosion this human- had created-" he kicked the the headless body of the dead Cami to emphasize, "you seemed almost invisible." SINKT! The sound of his ws tearing through her face was quieter than it seemed to be, but the view was still messy. "Ah, a Mian befriending a human? It''s just so like your folks, huh?" he said to Axane holding the baby in her arms, being thest one standing, other than Raven. She was so shaken by what she''s just witnessed that she didn''t even attempt to run, hide, or save beg for him to spare baby Rituxi. Her silver eyes were wide open but her pupils were so small, barely noticeable, which reminded him of the little crimson-purple haired girl. "Hm, I''m bored already, I''ll kill you both now." he said calmly as he extended his right hand forward, and with a quick squeeze, he ended her life. He hadn''t strangled her to death, but rather squashed her neck, breaking her spine and mushing her esophagus. The moment her body became as lifeless as a rag, she dropped the baby to the ground. Not wasting a moment to hear the cries of the young one, the monster was about to press his foot against the baby''s head. *CRACK!!!!* The space and time holding reality together seemed to crash and break apart as everything reverted back to its normal state; no one was dead. Raven still had her two arms around Maya''s neck in a fake chokehold as thetter''s eyes were filled with fake fright. Cami was still on the verge of tears from Maya''s harsh words, although they were joking, she was actually hurt by the little girl''s words. Maria was still wearing an angry expression on her face as she was scolding Maya because of her rude behaviour. Even Joey, Rain, and Axane with baby Rituxi, were still feeling awkward and out of ce,a Nd their faces showed exactly that. [Inherent Skill Contingency Call''s passive effect has been activated. [Effect unknown. [Special Skill Premonition has been gained. [All skills have leveled up by two (+2)] Ka''s voice seemed to knock Raven out of her trance as she waspletely lost. [Raven, what''s the matter? Why did your inherent skill activate all of a sudden? And howe I can feel it? [Moreover, why do you seem so shaken? What''s wrong, please let me know, Raven?] Even though Raven was surprised for many reasons, she didn''t let it show on her face. No, she couldn''t. She didn''t even know if all of what she''s just seen was an illusion, a prediction, or if she has reverted back time, somehow. She didn''t have time to reply to Ka, not even her own many questions, before a distant cry could be heard. "WATCH OUT! WE HAVE A ROUGH MONSTER!!!" a voice shouted to be heard before an explosion roared deafening every body. Every fiber in Raven''s being knew what wasing, and every hair on her body warned and yelled at her to run with her group. She didn''t want to see Maya''s face getting torn to shreds, nor did she want to see her blood spraying all over her own face and body. She didn''t want to see Maria restrained and r*ped, only to be killed shortly after. Like an item that has reached its expiry date. She didn''t want to see Cami''s headless body, Joey''s torn flesh, and Rains face turned into a bloody mess. She couldn''t take it anymore. She wanted to run, no she needed to run with everyone she loved away from this ce. Yet, she couldn''t move her body an inch. She couldn''t live with the fear of witnessing all of these events some timeter in the future. It was exactly like the feelings she had had when she was running away from Lady Luck and her assistant. The feeling of being so weak, so... helpless. Nothing she could do was able to make it easier for her, at the time. She was always living in fear of meeting her again, even after bing much stronger than before. The feeling she''s had was like a bug stuck in a spider''s web. ''Sooner orter, the bug would have to fight against the spider, and I''d rather die knowing that I''ve tried, than living my life in fear. I''ve already experienced it once, and I''m not doing it again.'' even though those were her thoughts, she didn''t believe in them for a second. ''No, I can''t just try... I MUST END THAT B*STARD!'' she thought as her eyes glowed with majestic gold. Chapter 62 - Ill Break You Part 1 * Take It Out on Me - Thousand Foot Krutch * *** The feeling she''s had was like a bug stuck in a spider''s web. ''Sooner orter, the bug would have to fight against the spider, and I''d rather die knowing that I''ve tried, rather than living my life in fear. I''ve already experienced it once, and I''m not doing it again.'' even though those were her thoughts, she didn''t believe in them for a second. ''No, I can''t just try... I MUST END THAT B*STARD!'' she thought as her eyes glowed with majestic gold. Noticing her mana spiking up alerted the group instantly, especially with the look of determination and rage she had painted on her face. "Hey, Raven what''s the matter?" Maria said, worry and concern could be felt from her tone. "Please, leave. Cami, I''m entrusting everyone to you for the second time, leave now and protect them with your life." Raven said to the group but her eyes were wide and starting at something far in the distance. Cami was taken aback by her sincerity and seriousness. She remembered when she had first called her an ally... "Raven, please answ-" Maria attempted to ask but she stopped the moment she felt the mana explode out of Raven''s body. It made her body ignite with majestic golden aura. Her crimson-purple hair had ck and golden lightning bolts running through it as the electric discharge made it almost look as if it has escaped gravity''s grasp. "Go. Now!" Raven said to the group with a stern expression. BOOBBOOOOMMMM!! Without waiting for them, she disappeared with a super sonic st as she exceeded her usual speed. Raven wasn''t thinking much about what she was doing, but rather had one thought; ''destroy that b*stard and save my family.'' On the other hand, Ka was busy integrating various skills to allow her to perform her best. The moment Raven reached the battlefield, she saw the monster toying with the present EDA rankers as he killed without discrimination. Young, old, male, female, ck, white... all were killed slowly and painfully. Raven could tell that the monster hade from a different gate as his trail of destruction extended to the other side of the ser field ruins. ''It must''ve felt the presence of strong rankers and came here specifically to kill them...'' Raven though to herself as she felt her anger rise to new heights. Disappearing from her spot made her instantly pop in front of the monster who was looking down at the ranker in his grasp as he was about to squeeze her throat, just like he had done to Axane. Rage could be felt through Raven''s bright golden eyes as the memory passed through her mind. Her foot extended till it almost hit the bottom of her nape, then without much of a warning she released it like a highlypressed spring and hit the monster directly in the face. The monster was still looking at the ranker in his grasp that he didn''t even realize what had just happened. Not waiting for time to spin again, Raven''s figure flickered again, only for her to materialize behind the monster''s back. Aiming at the back of his neck, she kicked again with all of her might. Having received two hits in the same exact part of the second, even someone as strong as the monster was confused as he had seemingly suffered from instant injuries that spawned out if nowhere. Raven however wasn''t nning on wasting a split second as she flickered again and reappeared to his side this time, and still kicked with as much vigor as the first time. This time however, she had her one of her enchanted golden swords in hand as she cut through the monster''s left wrist that was holding the ranker. The great sword passed through half of the monster''s wrist before cracking and reverting back to golden strings of mana. But while it wasn''t enough to let him release his poor victim, the three kicks to the head together with their full momentum were enough to loosen his grasp and enabling the ranker from running away in the neck of time. The scene allsted exactly a couple of seconds, and since Raven had used mana to cover the noise that generates from breaking the sound barrier, it was as if someone was fast forwarding a video with the volume set to mute. Looking at the ranker, she saw how her neck was bleeding profoundly from the monster''s hold. Raven''s mana situation went from a hundred to almost zero really quick, yet she wasn''t in the mood to watching people die, so she used her Angelic Touch, the upgraded version of her special skill Holy Touch, to heal the injured ranker. Or rather speeding her natural healing process. "Thank you," the ranker said in a rough voice as her throat was still hurting like hell. Raven didn''t acknowledge her thanks however as she was busy watching the monster get up without much of a scratch, having had a moment for his monstrous self-regeneration to take effect. "Run." It was one word, but it managed to make the ranker''s heart sink even deeper. For a second, she had thought her saviour meant for her to be safe from the uing sh, but seeing that the monster was unscathed didn''t help at all. "Not bad," even knowing that no one would understand him, the monster still spoke the two words with a smirk. Being able to touch him was an achievement many didn''t have the luxury to even dream about. But cutting through his wrist and sending him flying? That was a first in decades. ''I didn''t expect to find someone as powerful here, but that''s just fine as it should make my job rather entertaining,'' he thought as his smirk took a dark turn. His red pupils sparked for a moment as his night ck sclera got a little bit darker. And his fangs spread across his face as if to emphasize that he''s enjoying himself. Without counting to ten, he unleashed his killing intent towards the girl in front of him, cracking the ground in the process. Chapter 63 - Ill Break You Part 2 * Take It Out on Me - Thousand Foot Krutch * *** His red pupils sparked for a moment as his night ck sclera got a little bit darker. And his fangs spread across his face as if to emphasize that he''s enjoying himself. Without counting to ten, he unleashed his killing intent towards the girl in front of him, cracking the ground in the process. However, and much to his surprise, the girl just stood there and stared back at him with wide eyes that were boiling with rage that he''s never witnessed before. ''She''s angry? Not scared?'' that was also a first in his life, usually his victims would be so scared that they don''t dare look him in the eye. No, they usually turn tail and run as fast as their bodies could carry them for, just like the rankers around them. Some were too shaken too move a muscle, but others have long disappeared from the scene. But this crimson-purple haired girl took his killing intent head on and didn''t avert her eyes. To make things worse, while looking at her gaze, he felt inferior to her. Needless to say, he hated that feeling, as it reminded him of how his mother looked down on him just moments before she attempted to eat him alive. "Trying to threaten me with your killing intent?" Raven was far beyond furious at this point. Feeling his aura reminded her of the vision she had, with the terror she felt, and with the helplessness she couldn''t ovee. FWOOOOSHH!! All of a sudden, wind and lightning ignited together in a ck and gold mana storm as Raven unleashed her full killing intent, or what she could muster at the time. The ground rumbled as dark clouds erased the shadows off of it. Dust and debris could be seen rising in the air from the mana density sinking the ce deeper into an unforgiving storm. The monster was rather surprised for a second, even scared. He recalled the terror his mother had instilled in him. Recovering fast, he felt every fiber in his body screaming for him to kill that human girl. ''Danger!'' he knew he should avoid keeping her alive any longer. Maybe at this point of time she was not stronger than himself, but even toying with her was out of the question as she was an anomaly. She could turn to be way more than he could handle in the near future should he let her live now. Or even now, she could pull some hidden card that he hadn''t taken into ount. "You shall die." he said in a collected yet emotionless tone. Even though Raven couldn''t understand thenguage he was speaking, she understood the meaning of his words. Raven had already enhanced her armour with her dark element. Dark purple mist and mes could be seen and felt around her as well as the ck lightning increased in speed and intensity, producing louder crackling sounds. Even her newly summoned swords were glowing with Dark and golden runes that pulsed with condensed mana as void ck mes could be faintly seen burning around the edges. Now that she had had a taste of his toughnesspared to her swords, she was sure to increase her speed to avoid any hits. A critical part of her instant preparations was to increase her weapons and armour''s durability as well as strength and toughness. BOOOMM!! Usually, Raven would be surprised that someone else has the ability to break the sound barrier. She had never understood how she could do it herself, as it wasn''t even among her skill list, so she''s never imagined that another living being could do that. However, her burning rage was taking over the entirety of her feeling space as she didn''t even flinch when the monster appeared in front of her with drawn ws. Having applied mana to cancel the sound explosion again, the monster didn''t see, hear, or even feel her flicker and appear behind him. She shed through his lower thigh with all of her might. She wasn''t an idiot to aim for his head as she''s already attacked that area and if the monster had an ounce of intelligence, he''d apply a mana barrier to shield that area. Normally activating her Scanner Rings in a mana storm like the one she was generating would blind her, but with True Sight, the special skill integrated from the improved Scanner Rings together with improved version of Deadly Vision, enabled her to see through the monster''s moves. That''s also why her hits were all perfectly aimed at the monster''s uncovered weakness. That being said, even though she could see, react, and attack in time, she wasn''t naive to think that she could either harm him this way, or that her mana willst enough for a final strike. She was already running low, really low. The sh across his thigh released a viscous ck liquid that connected the two edges of the wound and mended them together. Her n was to weaken him as much as she can, and if by any means possible, prevent him from moving as fast as he can now. She wanted to wait for other S rankers to get to the site to take care of him. The monster''s eyes glowed deep red as he focused on Raven before attempting tosh at her again. This time he was careful to cover his entire body as he was already enraged that a pitiful human girl could scratch the skin he took pride in. Not once, but twice so far. "I''ll destroy you and this disgusting!!" he yelled in his own tongue. Raven didn''t understand a word he said, but she could tell he had lost his cool and sumbed to his rage. She didn''t mind at all as she shed just under his kneecap with another swipe. ROOOAAARRRR!!! To her surprise, even though she didn''t do any damage, the monster was more angry than ever. He jumped towards her to grab her throat but she was already gone by the time he reached the ce where she stood just a split second ago. "You''re trying to be angry?" Raven said in a low voice that made the monster subconsciously shiver, albeit for a quick second that he wasn''t even aware of. Chapter 64 - Ill Break You Part 3 * The End Is Where We Begin - Thousand Foot Krutch * AN: Alright it''s official we''re doing a Thousand Foot Krutch Marathon! (JK...) (Am I though?) *** He jumped towards her to grab her throat but she was already gone by the time he reached the ce where she stood just a split second ago. "You''re ying angry?" Raven said in a low cold voice that made the monster subconsciously shiver, albeit for a quick second that he wasn''t even aware of. She was so angry that she could boil mountains and evaporate oceans, yet it only appeared in the glint in her eyes as she had her fear to keep her in check. No she wasn''t the strongest or the bravest person out there, and yes she was scared. She was afraid that she might die and leave her family, Maria and Maya to the fate she saw in that cursed vision. Even Joey, Rain, Cami, Axane, and baby Rituxi... She couldn''t die peacefully knowing that her death is theirs as well. But the monster in front of her had never experienced fear before and as such had no choice but to let rage take over. He''d been the apex predator for as long as he could remember, yet now a small human was challenging his position. That was uneptable in his mind, and Raven knew and saw right through him. ''I''ll make you feel fear, just before I evaporate you...'' Raven thought instead of talking because she knew he wouldn''t understand. Also, she didn''t want to waste time talking when she could used it to strike at his weak points again. Both Raven and the monster were faster than normal people couldprehend, so naturally only a few of the present rankers were able to observe the cause of the massive mana and destruction happening just in front of their open eyes. Most were A- and beyond, yet they knew for a fact that getting caught in that fight was nothing short of a death wish. That''s why those who weren''t standing still with gapped mouths rushed to warn the nearby S rankers. The sh was so fast paced that some rankers died without knowing what hit them. A missed sonic punch or a w sh and a ranker would be turned to bloody dust. Even though A rankers were a force to be reckoned with as almost all of them were trained to unleash their full potential, they still didn''t stand a chance against the frenzied monster. And that''s exactly why Raven only avoided any hits, rather than attempting to block them, as a B ranker, that was just asking to die. Her speed and True Sight were key as she kept on reading the monster''s moves, only to appear from a ce where he wouldn''t expect and strike swiftly before disappearing again. Even though she wasn''t causing any substantial damage, the umted damage over time should be enough to weaken him. ''Or so I''d like to believe but his monstrous regeneration powers are making things rather hard,'' Raven bit her lip as she thought about a solution for her dilemma. Her passive system skill Thought eleration II came into clutch as well by helping her see events around her in slow motion. However, she was running out of juice. ''My mana reserves are almost depleted. I need to get an advantage, and fast.'' she thought calmly, even though she knew she was grasping at straws. Unfortunately for Raven, thest straw had just broke as the monster took advantage of her spacing out for a split second and crashed through her guard. The frustrated monster had had it with little girl as she kept flickering all over the ce and with each flicker, he''d be hit seemingly out of nowhere. What he couldn''t understand was how did she keep her speed and momentum even midair, it was a feat that even he didn''t know how to aplish, before that is. After taking countless hits and observing behind his raised guard, he had realised that she "freezes" her mana, or solidifies it somehow. Even though he still couldn''t replicate it, he could at least predict her moves. After taking some more hits with the humiliation that burnt through his flesh, he''d finally seeded in predicting her a few times before making his move. Once he was sure of her next reappearing point, he readied and charged mana to reinforce his ws, and finally unleashed them in the neck of time. Even though it wasn''t a direct hit, he had managed to sh through her armour and part of her waist. She had been leading the dance up until thest move. ''Finally, it''s my turn now...'' the monster thought as he followed with another sh. Raven didn''t even have time to feel the pain, nor redirect her trajectory as the power of the sh,bined with her own attempt to evade it had sent her flying. Appearing behind her, the monster had a punch ready for her. Yet she evaded without him even realising. "HOW??" the monster roared and unleashed several long ranged attacks where he lets mana out through his ws like an afterimage, except that unlike a mirage, it could cut through steel. "I''LL BREAK YOU! MARK MY WORDS!" he roared like the mad beast he was. And by chance one of the sh attacks grazed Raven''s armoured thigh which caused blood to rush like a living river escaping from its dam. Naturally, the mana sh passed right through her armour as if it was butter on molten cheese. Raven didn''t have time to heal herself so she just solidified mana around her wounds to prevent a blood loss trauma. Other than that, the adrenaline rush had her going and flickering nonstop, evading one attack after the other without much of a pant. However, she could only do so much with whatever little amount of mana she has left, and the monster had realised that quickly enough as little by little, she started to slow down. ''Where are they?'' Raven cursed in her mind as she was out of options and time, yet the S rankers are no where to be found. ''Who am I kidding? If he''d survived one of Cami''s st spells, what can others do?'' feeling her heart about to stop from exhaustion and consciousness fading away, she started to doubt herself. ''Heck, am I expecting Jaimie to help me?'' she thought remembering the youth''s blushing face. ''Should I just giv-NO! she quickly remembered her family and friends depending on her, she needed to survive and destroy that b*stard no matter what. But s, she was already toote. Chapter 65 - Ill Break You Part 4 * The End Is Where We Begin - Thousand Foot Krutch * *** ''Heck, am I expecting Jaimie to help me?'' she thought remembering the youth''s blushing face. ''Should I just giv-NO! she quickly remembered her family and friends depending on her, she needed to survive and destroy that b*stard no matter what. But s, she was already toote. The moment she came back from her trance, she found the monster in front of her with a huge smirk over his face. She could see his fist approaching fast, yet she couldn''t react in time, even though she hasn''t given up, her body had long done that on her behalf. !! She didn''t even hear the resulting sonic st as her mind went all white. She couldn''t see, hear, or even feel the monster''s fist prating her armour, together with her abdomen. The monster had learned to recognize a dead prey the moment he saw it, and Raven qualified as one the moment her movements started to slow down, that''s why he had refrained frombining his punch with a mana attack. He wanted to see and feel her misery. He wanted to enjoy every second of torture he could have with her. Maybe if he was his collected and calm self, he would have respected her good attempts at his life. Yet, she was so annoying that she had unleashed the true beast he was, the beast that had destroyed and killed countless entities. The punch broke through the girl''s armour and flesh, then reached the other side of her back. Stopping his attack there, time resumed and the girl was sted away from the strength of the punch, together with a bigger portion of her abdomen that was turned to bloody mist. Her bright golden ireses turned pale as the dark crimson rings around them faded away, to signal that True Sight was no longer active. The lifeless body of the little girl flew a couple of meters before she hit the floor so hard that it cracked, as did the lower half of her body. Then after rolling a couple of times, she ended up in a newly made hole in a building''s wall, with a long dense trail of deep red blood behind her. Expecting aeback, the monster waited for a few seconds before spitting on the ground with disgust. "That''s it?" he couldn''t believe his eyes. This human who had given him so much trouble was already dead? And what about his torture? His fun and payback? Was it all for nothing? It was akin to someone insisting on ying hide and seek, only to then hide in the washroom or run away before finishing the game. "So fragile..." His voice sounded disappointed, if anything. Standing on top of her body, he was about to kick her when he felt a faint amount of mana glowing around her. It was almost unnoticeable for it was so little. "Is she trying to heal herself? Should I give her some of my mana to awake her at least?" the monster mused out loud. Unbeknownst to him, it wasn''t Raven trying to heal the body, but rather Ka, the former was still in a world of blinding white, somewhere away from the pains her body was put through. He hated her, but more than anything, he hated being disappointed, and in her case, she was plenty of it. The monster wasn''t good with mana maniption and as such he guessed that was a bad idea, ''unless I want to torture her.'' he thought in his mind as a violent smile crept up his face. Crouching down as to be able to reach her in her makeshift resting ce in the wall, he extended his open palm out and stopped just above her face. Her eyes were closed as if she was in a peaceful slumber, and needless to say, that made the monster rather furious. Her face was so pale from the amount of blood that she''s lost, that she almost appeared as a ghost. The little blood she had left covering her face, rather than spraying in the air from the spinning speed she hit the wall with, was only connecting her left eye down to her chin, appearing as though her it has been gouged out. Behind her head and on the wall itself however, there was a huge red ssh from the impact she had caused. The monster directed his aura towards her fragile frame with the intention of releasing just a little bit of mana to either wake her up or give her a quick torture session before he looses his chance. Even if she was still unconscious, he was expecting her body to move slightly or do something in response. In a way, he was one of those b*stards who''d r*pe an unconscious woman and feel more pleasure when she moans from the headache assaulting her as a result of the drugs injected into her bloodstream. [DIE, YOU SHOULD JUST DIE!!] Ka screamed in Raven''s mind even though she was absent. It wasn''t the first time Ka had ''felt'' such helplessness, but it was the first time that she was aware of what was actually happening. And now she was... ''feeling'' rage, and disgust. She ''hated'' herself for having ''feelings'' at this critical time. Even though she''s ''felt'' like she was alive and helping Raven before, it was way different than now. She was a robot... a system installed by a higher entity, by the real Ka, she didn''t even have a name, she was only the Ex System. Yet even now that she was having those ''feelings'' like normal living beings, she was ''feeling'' pain and despair. She was trying so hard to preserve Raven''s body, as hard as she was trying to believe she will wake up any moment now and kick the monster''s a*s. [I know you''ll do it... you alwayse back with new rage, new face, and new vigor. Please, RAVEN!!!] She yelled but her voice reached absolutely no one, only echoed in her own mind. Nheless, she kept on her failing attempts to heal Raven''s body. [I know it, I know you''lle back any moment... now...] Ka''s figure that was stuck in the lifeless body, was shaking with silent tears as she ''felt'' her newly found ''emotions'' eating her alive. [Please...] As if answering the system''s silent prayer, scorching heat assaulted the quiet battlefield as all of a sudden, the monster was sent flying away from the unconscious girl. "Don''t you know that touching an unconscious girl''s body is a sin?" a youthful masculine voice said with all of the seriousness in the world. Chapter 66 - Losing Battle Part 1 * Thousand Foot Krutch - Fly On The Wall * AN: yea we''re still doing that marathon! *** [Please...] As if answering the system''s silent prayer, scorching heat assaulted the quiet battlefield as all of a sudden, the monster was sent flying away from the unconscious girl. "Don''t you know that touching an unconscious girl''s body is a sin?" a youthful masculine voice said with all of the seriousness in the world. His red ming hair was glowing with shades of dark orange giving the illusion that the air around it had caught on fire. His fiery red eyes had a simr glint as they reflected the rage boiling in them. Jamie kneeled down to take a better look at the unconscious girl, he remembered her as being the girl who thought him and Cami were a couple, but seeing her state now made him grit his teeth uncontrobly. She was in a dirty torn up ck and gold ser uniform that was twice her size. Blood covered part of her face, most of her abdomen and chest area, as well as the wall behind her. Scratches and cuts could be seen all over her fragile body. He was certain that every bone in her body was shattered, and so he was surprised to see her small chest rise up and down slightly in a faint yet calm rhythm. Even, more surprised to feel a faint amount mana circting through her body. "I won''t apologize for beingte as I had a legitimate excuse, however, I promise that you''ll be ok now," he said in a quiet voice, giving the impression that he was speaking to a sleeping infant, as he extended his open palm towards her forehead. "Here," he said forming a small mana sphere, "if you can hear me, please take it in, I removed my own energy signature so it shouldn''t be poisonous for you." To his surprise, the tiny frame in front of him took the mana in so fast, almost as if afraid he''d change his mind any second. "DON''T YOU DARE IGNORE ME, HUMAN!" the monster red his massive aura, making the air around him almost unbreathable to others. The ground underneath him had many deep fissures run across it as he jumped so fast towards the unconscious girl and her saviour. However, Jaime didn''t mind him but instead continued feeding mana in small portions to the unconscious Raven, or rather Ka, like he was giving a bitter medicine to a stubborn kid. The monster was beyond furious but unfortunately for him, that also meant he wasn''t careful. The moment he got in range to deliver a deadly punch to the ranker, his vision turned red as a wall of mes erupted from the ground, not only blocking him, but also sending him a couple of meters in the air, while setting his flesh on fire. The monster quickly shielded himself using his own mana, but not before the mes had severly injured his left arm, taking away any strength he had in it. It wasn''t Jamie''s first fight, so he had never let his guard down to start with, but instead kept watch using his senses. "I''m sorry young one, you''ll have to make do with this much for now," he said as he gave her onest mana sphere, "I have to deal with the problem at hand, but my friend should be here any moment now, he''ll make sure you get back to normal in no time," His eyes were filled with so much worry, that someone else would''ve thought they were rtives. He''d intended to give her some more mana to heal herself, however that one sh between him and the monster made him realize he didn''t have the luxury of making that decision. The monster in front of him was an S ranker for sure, and to make matters worse, he wasn''t on the low side of the scale, but again, neither was Jaime. Standing up calmly and walking a safe distance away from the fallen girl, Jaime had regained his serious look as his eyes red again and mana covered his body forming a suit of red scorching hot mes. "Hey, you sure you wanna use your armour this early in the game?" Another youthful voice beamed as Jamie only nodded silently in response. "Please heal her, Ted, she''s in a critical condition," he gestured to Raven''s tattered body. "Already on it," Ted said with a calm smile. "I''ll take care of her, you take care of your share, ok?" he couldn''t hide the worry in his voice. It wasn''t always that Jaimie would get this serious in a fight, it could only mean that the monster was a threat that needed to be eliminated quickly. "Ah," Jaime replied with a soft smile as he approached the monster. "Oi, let me teach you our manners on Earth." he said as he cracked his knuckles together while looking the monster in the eyes. Needless to say, that made his rage reach new heights. The monster obviously didn''t understand his words, but he could tell he was being disrespectful by his bodynguage and tone. Considering his rage was already at its limits, he decided to go all out. Raising his hand up high above his head, his mana started to re violently as gs started to light up and sh red in Jaimie''s mind. However, he still saw that as an opening and took advantage of it. The monster saw that and only smiled as a huge ck sword materialised in his hand. Feeling the dark energy emitted by the sword, Jaime hesitated for a second before forming his own weapon. Extending one hand backwards and the other in front of him, thin air made a burning crackle noise as it turned red hot and twisted to form two deep red daggers that rested in his grasp. The daggers were releasing an aura that threatened to evaporate the monster alive If anything, they were like the reincranation of a supernova. Chapter 67 - Losing Battle Part 2 * Thousand Foot Krutch - Fly On The Wall * AN: smile:) *** Extending one hand backwards and the other in front of him, thin air made a burning crackle noise as it turned red hot and twisted to form two deep red daggers that rested in his grasp. The daggers were releasing an aura that threatened to evaporate the monster alive, they were like the reincranation of a supernova, a star that''s about to explode and blind the universe in a cosmic storm of mes. On the other hand, the monster''s huge dark sword was the reincranation of ck hole as it threatened to suck in the whole gxy without a moment''s notice, as it took the mes head on without even getting a hint of warmth in it. Ted furrowed his eyebrows in worry as he spectated the scene taking ce in front of him. ''He''s definitely an S ranker,'' he thought to himself, looking at the monster''s maniac smile, ''he is enjoying it.'' Looking at the unconscious girl again, he was surprised that she was still alive after all of what had happened to her, especially her fighting that monster and surviving. ''Alright, I''ll leave that mad beast for Jamie, it might be a pretty bad match against him, but if he can''t do it then the city, no, the country will be destroyed before help could arrive.'' he thought to himself. Ted wanted to reassure Jaime or say something to encourage him, but he knew that the best way would be to heal the little girl. As one of the only few S ranked healers around the globe, it was something he could do easily, ''however, I need to keep performing the procedure slowly as not to overload her body with foreign mana. Unlike Jamie, I''m not the best at mana control.'' Jamie was exceptionally an expert with mana control that it made other S ranker look bad, but then again, he was a special case. ''Man I wish I still have at least a third charge!'' he thought as he looked down in disappointment while he continued the healing process. What made him one of the best healers is that six times per day, he could heal a person fully, as long as they''re not dead. He could regenerate missing organs or amputated limbs as if it was a walk in the park. But he only had two left and he needed that in case things go south with Jamie or someone dear, even himself. ''If I''m dead, they all are.'' ''Anyhow, why do I get this weird feeling that the girl is trying to suck my mana dry?'' he thought about it as mostly a joke as he was sure a low ranker such as the girl in front of him would never be able to have the mana capacity or the means of doing that.Or so he thought. ''I must be tired from all the healing I did,'' Ted dismissed it. *sigh* he sighed in relief. After continuing the procedure of mana transfer and applying the healing process, he had reached a level where the suicidal girl was no longer in a critical condition. ''I wonder if she''s just an idiot or if she had a death wish. Why would she want to go against such a monster?'' he thought as he observed the current fight from a safe distance with the girl. It wasn''t so hard to remove her after getting her out of the critical zone, especially with how small and light she is. [Raven! Please, where are you?] Ka was so desperate at this point. Even though Raven''s body was being healed by her and Ted, the girl wasn''t there yet. Not that she was just unconscious, no she was absent, almost as if she was hiding. [Did the trauma caused by that b*stard affect her this much?] Ka was so worried that Raven might be gone for good as she haven''t heard from her in a couple of minutes now, but that was already too much. [Raven...] [Please, give me a sign, I can''t take it anymore...] Ka''s figure floating in the imaginary space inside Raven''s mind was looking so desperate that she could no longer be called a robot. She was too human for that. "Eh?" All of a sudden, Ted could feel his mana being actively taken, no, stolen away from him. "WHAT THE-" He was cut off by the blinding light emitted by the little girl in front of him. [Raven...] Ka didn''t even know what was happening as a sudden reflux of mana, foreign at that, was leaking out of Raven''s body, even though she was almost empty just a second ago. Ka''s worry was beyond simple concern as she started shaking like a broken rm clock. She didn''t know what to think as her mana waspletely different than before, but it still had her original signature. [Raven...] Yet, the girl in question hasn''t replied to poor Ka. Not a second after the light show has ceased, the girl stood up with such grace that it appeared as though she was floating midair. Opening her eyes, Raven''s usually golden ireses were radiant white, in contrast to her void ck pupils. "Hey..." Ted stared bluntly at the little girl''s beautiful features that he almost choked on his own breath. *cough* "Ahem, how are you feeling?" However, Raven ignored himpletely as if he was a fly on a wall, nothing but an insignificant being that her time was too precious to waste on. And of course, Ted wasn''t happy about that, but he didn''t say a word. Firstly, even as an S ranker, he''d seen his share of new personalities after a trauma or a hard mental shock. Secondly, the mana she emitted was by no means normal and he had no intentions of testing her prowess. He wasn''t the best fighter after all, but one of the best healers. Having a second to look around, Raven could easily spot the S ranker fighting with the monster in the distance. "Hey don''t even think about it," Ted said as he saw her gaze over the two fighters, "I don''t care how strong you think you are, but you''ll be turned to toast if you interfere, no, if you even just TRY to interfere," he shook his head. "Pretty sure you''ll die before you even take a breath out there." he continued. The fight was getting rather seriously dangerous as both are S rankers and both are using a good portion of their skills. However, just like before, Raven ignored himpletely as she disappeared from his sightpletely. Chapter 68 - Losing Battle Part 3 * MY FIRST STORY - REVIVER * *** "Hey don''t even think about it," Ted said as he saw her gaze over the two fighters, "I don''t care how strong you think you are, but you''ll be turned to toast if you interfere." The fight was getting rather seriously dangerous as both are S rankers and both are using a good portion of their skills. However, just like before, Raven ignored himpletely as she disappeared from his sight. "OH MY- F*CK!" he yelled as stomped angrily on the ground, "I''m noting to heal you again, you hear me!" He looked like an angry old man yelling at his grandchildren for messing with the TV settings. "Goddamn it, do they ever learn? She was practically dead before I came!" he yelled at thin air again. "''Alright, so ''He'' said I only have one shot, eh?" Raven muttered to no one in particr. Looking at the fight that had turned fromnd to aerial, she saw that both rankers were slightly holding back, at least onrge scale attacks. But otherwise, it seemed like Jamie had the upper hand. Raven widened her eyes in surprise as she took a good look at his serious battle face. Whistle~ "I didn''t expect the dude to be this strong, nor to be able to control himself, to be honest." she muttered, remembering her first impression of the youth. [Raven?] Poor Ka was so afraid that even her robotic ''system'' voice was shaky. "Yo!" surprising Ka, Raven''s familiar voice could be heard in the now not so empty mind. [Raven!] Ka had tears in her eyes as she ran towards Raven and gave her a warm tight hug. "Haha, I missed you too Kay! Can I call you that?" Raven was slightly red from her ownment. [Yes, of course... wait] Ka was deep in so many emotions that she didn''t even realize it at first, [How can I touch you? No, what are you doing here?] Raven wasn''t supposed to be here in this imaginary space, it''s like a person having their soul sucked in and trapped inside their body, but it only meant that the body was vulnerable to that sort of attacks, or any type of attack for that matter. As if reading her mind, Raven answered, "hey, it''s none of the above, I''m still in control and all... well, it''s a long story you see, I''ll tell you about itter, promise!" Ka was so happy that she started to cry again, [As long as you''re fine, I don''t even need an exnation, but thank you.] She turned bright red, surprising even Raven herself. "Hey, it''s alright, I''m here now, I''m not going anywhere, ok?" she said to her as she hugged her and patted her head slightly. [Uhm] "You know, I like the human you three thousand times better than the old you, no offense of course, hehe." [None taken, thank you.] "Hehe, anytime lil Kay," she smiled melting Ka''s heart, ''alright imma have to take care of that idiot,'' she thought to Ka as she focused back on the outside world. Looking at the battle taking ce, Raven noticed that the tide has shifted in the monster''s favour as his giant sword was apparently the perfect choice to counter Jaimie''s Supernova Daggers. The sword would literally absorb anything and especially mana or mes, as such making Jamie waste his energy for nothing. Blinking her bright white eyes slowly, Raven had her serious expression back on. Extending her right hand forward, she generated a small, almost tiny, radiant white mana sphere that floated just above it. Timing it right, she waited for the moment when the two fighters were away from eachother. A silent sonic shockwave made the air explode while signalling Raven''s disappearance as she reappeared behind the monster ready to st him away. However, the monster was prepared as he flickered and blocked the white sphere with his sword, or tried but to no avail, as the hit never connected. Instead, Raven evaded swiftly and extended her left hand while shing with her new white mana calws. The radiant energy covering her fingertips rushed towards the monster''s sword arm, cutting it instantly. Seeing that the girl had not only learned his sh attack, but also used it to cut his own arm came as a powerful kick to the monster''s pride. However, fortunately for him, he didn''t get to feel that for long as Raven had already kicked the sword out of the way and threw her white radiant sphere on the monster''s chest. BUBPBOOOOOMMMMM!!!! The monster was instantly sted away into the atmosphere with no chance to resist, especially after spending so much mana fighting with Jaimie, who had his jaw k open. The sphere hadn''t even prated the monster''s skin, so he didn''t know what was the big y here. Sending him away and removing his sword is good and all, but he''d tried that before himself. The monster can resummon the sword to his hand anytime. Jaime was about to shout at the girl to run away before the monsteres back when he noticed that her form haven''t change one bit. She still had her open palm... open. ''What is she doing?'' Jaime was rather confused. However, just as he thought that, the girl closed her palm releasing her real attack. ''SsssssssssssssssS'' Ted and Jaimie''s ears were ringing hard as they couldn''t even hear anything from the strength of the exceptional st, nor see for that matter. The moment the girl had closed her palm, radiant light had enveloped the entire area blinding absolutely everyone. Even with using his senses, Jaime was still blind. ''What the...'' After a few seconds, the light''s intensity started to decrease as vision started to get back to normal. Looking up, Jaime could still see a small sun high up in the sky, a second sun. The girl was panting hard in the ground, holding her chest as if to prevent her racing heart from jumping out of its cage. ''Did she... kill it?'' Jaimie looked like he''s been struck with a pan straight in the face. ''No way, he must be hiding somewhere!'' he tried to convince himself. Seconds passed, then minutes, and the monster had made noeback yet. "What the f*CK alright?" he refused to believe that that small girl had just killed the S ranker he was struggling to defeat, and she wasn''t even an A ranker! Chapter 69 - Busted * My First Story - REVIVER * *** ''Did she... kill it?'' Jaimie looked like he''s been struck with a pan straight in the face. ''No way, he must be hiding somewhere!'' he tried to convince himself. Seconds passed, then minutes, and the monster had made noeback yet. "What the f*CK alright?" he refused to believe that that small girl had just killed the S ranker he was struggling to defeat, and she wasn''t even an A ranker! [Raven, you have gained multiple skills and... other stuff, would you like to view your status page?] *Huff* *Huff* "Su-sure!" *Huff* "Goddamn it!" *Huufffuuuuu~* Raven tried so hard to regte her breathing rhythm but to no avail. It was like her body was working without oxygen at this point, oxygen that needed to be supplemented. [New changes in order: [ All Magic, System Unique, and Special Skills Leveled Up by two (+2 Levels) [Gained new Special Skill: "Premonition". [Gained new Special Skill: "True Sight", the result of the integration of (Reapers Eyes (tier 2) - Level 2) and (Analysis Rings (tier 2) - Level 1) [Gained a new blessing: "Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light". [Gained Magic skill: "Brilliant Primordial Radiance". [Updating andbining new info,unching Status Page... [I''ll highlight all of the new changes so you can distinguish them faster, [Race: Soul Weaver. [ss: Royal [Blessings: Infinity''s Will. Avavia''s Affection. Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light. (NEW) [Titles: Soul Weaver Princess. Heavenly Collector. Exorcist. [Rank: B [Energy Capacity: 640,000 EP --> 650,000 EP [Magic Skills: Advanced Mana Maniption (tier 2) - Level 4 (Max Level) --> Proficient Mana Maniption (tier 3) - Level 2 Brilliant Primordial Radiance (tier ???) - Level ??? (NEW) [Inherent Skills: Contingency Call (tier ???) - Level ??? Quick Study (tier ???) - Level ??? [Special Skills: Ruler''s Domain (tier 2) - Level 4 (Max Level) --> Dynast (tier 3) - Level 2 Exhration (tier 2) - Level 1 --> Exhration (tier 2) - Level 3 Holy Touch - Level 3 (Max Level) --> Angelic Touch (tier 2) - Level 2 Vampiric Touch - Level 3 (Max Level) --> Demonic Touch (tier 2) - Level 2 Dark Zone (tier 3) - Level 3 --> Dark Zone (tier 3) - Level 5 (Max Level) True Sight - Level 1 Contractor - Level 2 --> Contract Master (tier 2) - Level 1 Soul Illusion - Level 2 --> Change of Heart (tier 2*) - Level 1 Stealth (Passive+) - Level 3 (Max) --> Advanced Stealth (tier 2 - Passive+) - Level 2 Soul Predation (tier 3) - Level 4 --> Soul Hunter (tier 4) - Level 1 Lost Knowledge of the Ancients (tier 2 - Passive) - Level 3 --> The Elders'' Scrolls (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 1 Premonition (Passive) - Level 1 (NEW) [System Unique Skills: Absorption - Level 3 (Max Level) --> Absorption II (tier 2) - Level 2 Integration - Level 2 --> Integration II (tier 2) - Level 1 Appraisal (Passive) - Level 2 --> Appraisal II (tier 2 - Passive) - Level 1 Thought eleration II (tier 2 - Passive) - Level 3 --> Thought eleration III (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 1 Parallel Processing II (tier 2 - Passive) - Level 2 --> Parallel Processing III (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 1 [Ultimate Skills: Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation (Spacial Transfer Bracelet series, Wingman series guns, Guardian Drone series, Scout Drone series, Trantor Cor..) [Ultimate+ Skills: Sorcerer of Dark Magic (Demonic Tentacles, Chains of Dark, Dark Hell, mmable Void, Dark Lightning, Dark Mist, Soul Torment, Darkness Recharge, Master of the Night.)] "Ohua! Ok that''s a little bit overwhelming..." Raven pondered in surprise as she took a good look at her stats after a little bit of rest. She was still dead tired, hungry like she hasn''t eaten in months, and in dire need of a bath. Not only would it help her regain her cool and calm, but it would release her of the oversized ser uniform and make her feel refreshed. "Brilliant Primordial Radiance, eh?" she mused as her hand subconsciously stroked her chin in a detective like manner, "So that''s what ''he'' meant, huh? A new type of Magic..." "Hey, little girl!" "Raven," "Huh, where?" "Dude, my name is Raven..." Raven looked up to meet Jamie''s ming eyes. "Anyway, how did you kill it? I''ve been trying so hard and youe out of nowhere with a half a*sed attack to end it in one strike? Are you even a B ranker?" "Err..." Raven hadn''t thought that far yet. On the one hand, she didn''t want the EDA or other big organisations to have an eye on her. But on the other, she did not know what to say. ''The dude literally saw me st the monster away...'' "I''m waiting for an exnation, you know?" "Oho, where did your warm and caring self go, huh? I''d like to ask it to step here for a second." "Ted, what do you even-" Jaimie didn''t understand Ted''s remark at all. ''He hadn''t arrived yet and he''s already started to spout nonsense.'' he thought to himself. "Never mind," Ted quickly replied as if he has just found a new toy to y with, "Raven, was it? Colour me impressed, I didn''t know you were an S ranker, care to exin why you were hiding that fact all along?" his face got suddenly serious as hiding one''s powers mostly leads to trouble. In case of emergency near her ce, the EDA wouldn''t know that she''s good to help them, as an S ranker. "Well, I''m not," she simply replied as it was the truth, "I''m just a B ranker," she bit her lower lip at that as she wasn''t even nning on telling them that. For all they know, on paper that is, she was just a D ranker. ''Wait! No, I''m not Draven! They have no idea who I might be!!'' Raven was so relieved but she kept it inside. ''with my Soul Illusion bing Change of Heart, I should be able to actually return to my normal body, and they''d have no idea where ''Raven'' went.'' "Listen, there''s no point in hiding it now, you do realise that the whole fight was recorded, right?" Jaime said while face-palming hard, he wanted to get to the part where they discuss her powers already. "Eh?" Raven was caught off guard. "Yes, did you ever think ''oh, how cool the S rankers are, they''re pretty strong!'', you know that because you''ve seen us use our powers on TV, it''s the first time we fight aliens or monsters to this extent, but the im still holds." Ted said with a nk face. "They watch the fights using special camera that can follow... most of our moves when we''re not going all out. And even satellites when needed, so yeah I''m pretty sure the EDA will contact you pretty soon." Jaimiepleted. "Well, the satellite might need a recement," Ted said looking up at the now faint second sun before covering his eyes and looking back at the girl again. ''RIP....'' Raven thought to herself quietly. ''Well, it only means I have to run now before theye, right?'' Chapter 70 - Is That A ... * My First Story - Kimi No Inai Yoru Wo Koete * AN: I have no idea what that means... *** "Well, the satellite might need a recement," Ted said looking up at the now dim second sun before covering his eyes and looking back at the girl again. ''RIP...'' Raven thought to herself quietly. ''Well, it only means I have to run now before theye, right?'' "Anyhow, I see that you''re a little bit nervous, and I don''t me you. You''ve been through a lot already, especially considering your young age," Ted stroked his chin subconsciously and looked Raven up and down, making her feel a little ufortable. "How old are you by the way?" Raven looked back and pondered about the question, her actual age was 16, but her body only looked about ten or eleven maybe. "Hey, it''s impolite to ask ady about her age," Jaime said with an almost serious tone, which surprised Raven. "Err..." Ted didn''t know what to say so he just changed the subject, "alright, how about you help us clean up? There are tons of monsters still roaming the city." "I''m sorry, but no," Raven replied nkly, surprising the duo, "I wasn''t lying when I said I''m only a B ranker, and I''ve done way more than I should have. I can barely stand straight." "It''s understandable, I guess," Ted said back, "sorry, but then just wait for us alright? It''s pretty dangerous if you can''t fight." "You can go back to Cami, and your sister? That little salty girl," Jaime said, still remembering what Maya had said to him. ''the little brat, I wish she was aspetent as her sister here, '' he thought quietly. "She''s not my sister!" Raven said almost too fast, "Err, we just met in the, err, gate, dungeon? The other." she continued. If she wanted no trouble with rhe EDA, she had to find a way to erase her traces as much as she could. "But she said-" "Doesn''t matter, she''s not my real sister I''m telling you!" Raven countered, cutting Jaimie off. To be fair, she wasn''t lying as Maya wasn''t her real sister. "Ok..." "Alright then, umm, we''ll be going, you go back to the group or find any other ranker to protect you," Ted said awkwardly, "We''ll meet again, I''m pretty sure." he said with a wave as he started walking towards the explosions in the distance. "Yea... take care," Jaime said and followed suit. ''What''s wrong with little girls these days!'' he thought to himself. "Fuu~" Raven took a good deep breath the moment they were out of sight. ''I should probably tell the girls to keep my identity a secret.'' she thought as she started walking towards the direction where she left them at. ''I hope to God I don''t find them there, I''d be so angry!'' [Raven?] ''Kay? What''s up?'' [Don''t you want to take a look at the sword the monster dropped? It might prove useful in the future.] ''Oh-'' she suddenly remembered that she''s kicked that huge sword away from the monster, rather than sting it away. ''Um, do you know where that ended upnding?'' Raven asked inwardly with a silly expression on her face, ''I don''t remember exactly where I threw it at.'' [For sure, keep going straight in the southwest direction.] Ka was happy to be of help again, and it appeared in her cheerful tone and Imaginary figure inside Raven''s mind, which made thetter warm inside. ''Copy, ma''am!'' she thought back. [Haha!] It was a small faint chuckle yet it was the first that Raven has heard from the girl in her head. ''You''re so adorable, you know that?'' Raven said with a soft smile as thatugh has touched her heart. She knew for a fact that the girl wasn''t a robot, she was a living being, a young little girl trapped in someone''s head. That internal thought made her heart ache, but she didn''t let it show as not to ruin Ka''s mood. [Thank you! I love you Raven!] Ka replied cheerfully and with a big smile this time. ''Love you too Kay, love you too.'' Walking slowly, Raven kept stumbling across the ruined battlefield untill she reached a small crater behind one of the buildings that were lucky enough to still be standing. However, it wasn''t left unscathed as a huge hole was running through it, forming a straight tunnel-like structure. At the center of that crater, which was just in line with the tunnel-like structure, Raven found herself staring at a... "Is that a cat?" she thought out loud in surprise. In front of her, cuddling in the small crater was a tiny jet ck cat-like creature. "Oh My God it''s so cute!" Raven found her female instincts tingling to hold the creature between her arms. [Be aware that this is not a cat, it''s a dangerous creature!] ''Eh? This?'' Raven asked with a silly face as she was already holding the creature within her arms. [I can feel a weak dangerous aura being emitted by it, it''s the same aura the sword was emitting against Jaime.] Raven could sense it too, and even as a confirmation or a proof, she could feel small burning marks on the jet ck silk like fur. ''This?'' Raven said with the same silly expression she made the first time, unwilling to let go of the unconscious creature. [...] ''...'' [Raven?] ''Eh?'' Raven was about to pat its head, but stopped abruptly when Ka called for her. [Alright,] Raven could swear she heard Ka''s robotic voice make a faint sighing sound. [Since you''re willing to... what''s your n again?] ''Ah... I haven''t thought that far ahead to be honest, hehe.'' Raven hugged the creature with one hand under her wing as she scratched her cheek in embarrassment and started walking away. ''I guess I''ll keep it.'' Suddenly her expression became serious and sincere, surprising even Ka and Raven herself, ''if my hunch is right, then that b*stard had captured this poor creature and forced it to act as his sword, not caring about the consequences or what that might imply on its life. ''I wish I could revive that b*tch only to crush it again, but this time using my own hands.'' Chapter 71 - The Known Secret * My First Story - Kimi No Inai Yoru Wo Koete * AN: I have no idea what that means... *** Suddenly her expression became serious and sincere, surprising even Ka and Raven herself, ''if my hunch is right, then that b*stard had captured this poor creature and forced it to act as his sword, not caring about the consequences or what that might imply on its life. ''I wish I could revive that b*tch only to crush it again, but this time using my own hands instead of an energy st.'' Even though her expression was sincere, her aura was ring around her, albeit weakly since she didn''t have enough to spare for that. "Fuu~" trying to calm herself down, she took a deep breath and looked up the smokey sky while walking. Realising that the ck smoke wasn''t exactly rxing, she looked back down in disappointment. [But what if it went on rampage and hurt someone?] ''Do you trust me, Kay?'' Raven asked inwardly with a soft smile. [Blindly!] Ka answered without a split second of hesitation, almost cutting Raven off in the process. Feeling her determination and heartwarming enthusiasm, Raven felt blessed to have her by her side, and she told her exactly that. [Of course! I''ll always be here for you!] Hearing that, Raven chuckled while she let the warmth of Ka''s words spread into the corners of her mind. ''Thank you Kay...'' Raven said with a low voice that showed appreciation, that made Ka''s imaginary cheeks turn red. ''Anyhow, please trust me with this one,'' she said looking at the cat-like creature, feeling its now calm breathing. ''This creature has been used against its will and treated like an object... I... Kay, before you came I-'' [It''s alright, you don''t have to tell me.] Ka shook her head to stop Raven, she didn''t know what she was about to say, yet she knew it was hard and painful for her to share so she didn''t want to push her. ''haha don''t worry about it, you have to know about this anyway...'' After a little while, Raven was trying so hard to prevent Ka''s frame from shaking like a broken rm clock. ''Please stop crying! I told you it''s alright, I destroyed the b*stards responsible! I''m fine now I promise!'' [But-] "No buts, lil Kay!" Raven appeared again in front of Ka and gave her a tight hug that onlysted a second or so. She was drained and needed to get back home, yet she knew that that second will help Ka. Spending half of the walk back home in silence gave Ka time to calm down. Raven kept walking amongst the chaotic city as she watched the destruction caused by the battles. Luckily, in her current area, there were no bodies on he ground, human or aliens. Just as she was a block away from Maria''s house, she took a turn and ended up in a dark alleyway. "Fuu~ my mana is really low and my stamina is almost nonexistent, but I should be able to do it.'' Raven thought as her shadow wrapped around her covering her in the familiar ck armour. Covering her body with another manayer to cancel the sound of her breaking the sound barrier, as she jumped from one shadow to the other, while also having her Special Skill Advanced Stealth activated. While doing that, she had made sure a mama shield was wrapped around the little creature in her care. It took her about eight seconds till she reached a closed in area of Maria''s garden, behind her mansion, since it wasn''t a straight line ride. The moment she set her foot on the familiar grass, she undid her armour and other skills as she dropped down, taking into ount to shield the little creature in her arms. "RAVEN!!" "That''s me, hehe!" Raven replied with a softugh as Maya dropped near her in a friendly cuddle. "We were so worried," Maria said as she watched the two sisters hugging on the ground. "But we believed in you." At that she had a soft smile on her face. "And I really appreciate that," Raven said, "I can''t even imagine what would''ve happened if you were there with me..." she said remembering that she herself needed to be saved since she has almost died. Of course she wasn''t going to tell them about that part. ''I have to find a solution for Jaime though, he''s gonna snitch me out I can already feel it...'' "Alright make space, I''ming in!" Maria said as sheid down on the soft grass near her two daughters. "Eh, what''s that?" she asked noticing the ck small pillow for the first time as it was covered in Raven''s oversized ser shirt. "A cat?" Maya asked noticing the ck creature for the first time too, "Why does it look like a pokemon?" "Err, let''s talk about thatter, I need to get some sleep," Raven said with a tired yawn. "Please have some food for me when I wake up, I''m starving..." Closing her eyes, she didn''t even feel it when she has lost all traces of reality and fell in deep and calm rhythmic breathing. ""She''s tired, huh?"" Cami and Rain both asked at the same time as they walked towards the girls. Looking at eachother, they bothughed weakly. "Ah..." Maria said weakly too as she hugged her daughter tightly feeling her soft cool crimson-purple hair on her arms and face, afraid to let go of her like a person barely holding on to their lifeline. "Should we tell her that-" "No!" Maya said in a slightly loud voice, cutting Joey off, as she clinged to her sleeping sister. "We''ll wait for her to tell us herself," Maria said as she looked up at the dark sky, "it''s not something we can hide. More importantly, it''s not something she could or should hide." What Raven didn''t know was that her fight with the monster was all being broadcasted over the radio and TV channels, plus other big online sources. It''s not everyday that people get to witness such a fight, especially that the area they''ve destroyed was thergest.. Not only that, but she was an unknown entity with powers that rivals an S ranker. Chapter 72 - Kuru * Theory of a Deadman - Angel * *** What Raven didn''t know was that her fight with the monster was all being being broadcasted over the radio and TV channels, plus other big online sources. It''s not everyday that people get to witness such a fight, especially that the area they''ve destroyed was thergest. Not only that, but she was an unknown entity with powers that rivals an S ranker. People around the globe knew of Jamie, the one and only S ranked me Master Mage. He was one of the very few True S rankers, meaning he''s so close to achieving a double S rank (SS). Seeing how he had struggled with the monster even though he had used his Supernova Daggers, had given an idea of how strong the monster had been. No one had any doubts that Jaimie was going to win in the end, he''s known for tiring out his enemies before using the full power of his mes and striking them down. However, the sole fact that the girl had destroyed the monster in one st was so shocking. Some even believed that the anonymous young girl was a double S ranked entity (SS), but on the other side, a lot of people contradicted saying that she''s almost died the first round. The first faction would always point at the sky, where the dim second sun still shines, making the sky a rather interesting sight. The first real sun was covered by the dark smoke, while the second faint one had sted the smoke away, making way for light to pass through, lighting half of the almost destroyed city. "Are you ok, Maria?" Cami asked in a worried voice while standing on the soft green grass. ''Damn I hate seeing her like that,'' she thought to herself. "Uhm, don''t worry about it," Maria answered as she buried her face further into Raven''s oversized ser uniform. All of a sudden, a soft azure blue nket was thrown over the sleeping trio, or sleeping girl andying duo. "Where Ie from, people get sick when they sleep without covering themselves." Axane said weakly in a soft voice, "I... I don''t want you to get sick." "Thank you, Axane." Maria replied as Maya smiled at her softly. "How are you feeling now?" At that, everyone could see a soft white light glowing faintly behind Axane''s now closed eyelids. Witnessing Raven''s close call was so traumatizing to the silver girl that she kept crying nonstop, even after she had destroyed that monster. "I''m ok now that she''s here," she said as her silver eyes kept shining softly. "Can I-" "Of course!" Maria cut her off. She knew that if Axane was anything like her, she''d like to touch Raven, feel her, and make sure she''s the same girl that she''s known so far. Giving the sleeping Raven onest squeeze, Maria stood up, "you can take my spot." "Thank you." Axane said as she got down andid on the soft grass near Raven. Just being close to her was making her regain her calm and the warmth she felt when she first met her. ''Is that how baby Rituxi feels when she''s in my arms?'' she thought to herself as she remembered baby Rituxi that was sleeping soundly in the warm house. ''Thank you for not leaving me, crimson-purple... Raven.'' Axane thought before she lost her worry and concerns in the young girl''s warmth. ... Seconds turned into minutes and minutes to hours, by the time two hours have passed, the whole group was sleeping outside in the colourful garden, uncaring of whatever horrors are happening outside. Each had their share of trouble and fights and by no means were they interested in another. They all wanted to take their well earned rest. "M-ugh..." "Eh? You good there?" hearing a weak moaning sound, Maria asked thinking it was Raven since it wasing from her direction. Looking at her daughter, Maria found herself staring at a small dark creature that was looking back at her with blinking eyes. The creature resembled a small version of a lion-tiger hybrid that looked alien at the same time. The small creature was all jet ck, except for its silver grey mane, and matching fluffy tail. "Oh my gosh you''re so cute!" Maria said as she instinctively started to approach it with open arms. The small creature retreated into Raven''s side while making a sound that resembled a scared and angry snarl. "Shhh, you''re so cute but you''ll wake her up!" she whispered loudly in an almost angry tone that scared the creature even more, making it bump into Raven''s face and waking her up. "Eugh..." sitting up slowly, Raven started to blink rapidly as she tried to focus on her surroundings. The couple of hours she got were by no means enough for her body to get the rest she needed desperately. "You woke her up!" Maria yelled at the poor still disoriented creature who had no choice but to hide on Raven''sb, under her shirt. "Haha you''re tickling me!" Ravenughed lightly as she held the shaking creature in her arms. The small creature was small enough that Raven''s small arms could wrap around its body without much effort. "It''s alright now, no one will hurt you, ok?" Raven said softly while stroking its silky fur. "Mom is a nice person, don''t worry she''s not really mad," she reassured. The creature had no idea why, but it found it ratherforting. Not just her gesture, but her words, face, and aura. Everything about the girl in front of it made it feelfortable and away from danger. It was feeling safe, a feeling it hasn''t felt in a long while. Seeing the intelligent glint in its silver eyes, Raven suddenly remembered the intelligent monster they''ve seen before. "Oh you''re not a pet, you might be a different species that lives on another!" The creature didn''t understand a word but it still liked the feeling of being safe, so it was more than happy to cuddle in Raven''s embrace. "Hm, give me a second," Raven said as silver goo surged out of her open palm, surprising the creature. Nheless, it didn''t make any attempts to run away. Seconds after, a small silver anklet was floating in air above her hand. "Ok this is not going to hurt ok? It''s good!" she said while putting the anklet around the creature''s right front foot. Blinking twice, the creature realized the function of the anklet. "Hi, can you understand me now?" Raven asked in a hopeful tone. Maria only stared, she didn''t know whether hearing a cat speak for the first time would be good or bad for her mental health. "... I can, thank you for saving me." the creature hesitated for a second but it spoke fluently, thanks to Raven''s Trantor Anklet. "Haha you''re voice is so cute, you know that?" she said hugging the creature in her arms. "So what''s your name?" she asked with a happy tone. "Name?" before putting the anklet on, the poor creature wouldn''t have known what that word meant. It knew nothing but being a tool for its master. But now it did, and it made it sad that it had none. "I don''t have a name," said the creature with a sad voice. "Hehe, can I pick you a name then?" Raven said enthusiastically, surprising both Maria and the creature. Maria had at least expected her to get a little sensitive and be sad, but she couldn''t detect a hint of it in her tone. "Uhm," nodded the creature slightly with anticipation. This was like a dream that it had never expected having. "From your childish voice, I can guess you''re a male?" she asked before continuing, "Or maybe.. err, some alien gender? Doesn''t matter anyway, I''m going to name you Kuru! You remind me of one ck cat animation I used to watch on TV." she said happily making Maria smile softly. "Do you like it? Hehe, of course you do!" Raven said while hugging Kuru tightly her arms. Feeling her warmth, Kuru had no choice but to nod happily. "Uhm!" it was the first time he had had something of his own, even if it was something he couldn''t touch, it was still his. Raven was happy things went this way. She wasn''t naive, nor was she an idiot. She was acting childishly to keep Kuru at ease. She''s had a taste of what being used as a tool could do to someone''s mentality and self-esteem. When she was in Lady Luck''s ce, her will to live was so thin that crushing it would be easier than crushing a tiny sand stone. That''s why the first thing she gave Kuru was love and safety. After that she started building his self esteem with giving him a name to let him know that he matters. She hadn''t lied though, she actually loves that name because it reminds her of a troublesome funny cat she used to watch on TV. The cat used to literally transform its arms into two mini machine guns and rain down hell on the poor viins. And by the end of the day, the Kuru in the animation would go to his old owner and act like an everyday boared cat. "Alright, shall we get some sleep now? I''m sorry I know you just woke up but I''m dead tired *yawn~*" as if to emphasize her point, sheid back down with a yawn. Cuddling by her side, Kuru and Raven fell asleep as their chests started to rise and fall in a calm rhythm. Seeing all of that, Maria couldn''t help but chuckle softly, "You''re so smart, lil Raven..." With a warm kiss to Raven''s cheek, she grabbed another big nket and made sure everyone was warm underneath. Joey got to have his own as he was sleeping a few feet away from the rest of the group.. Nheless, they all seemed so peaceful and carefree that it made Maria fall asleep faster than usual, with a rxed and calm mindset. Chapter 73 - Break * NEFFEX - Alive * *** Seeing and understanding what Raven''s actions were meant to achieve, Maria couldn''t help but chuckle softly, "You''re so smart, lil Raven..." With a soft kiss to Raven''s cheek, she grabbed another big nket and made sure everyone was warm underneath. Joey got to have his own as he was sleeping a few feet away from the rest of the group. Nheless, they all seemed so peaceful and carefree that it made Maria fall asleep faster than usual, with a rxed and calm mindset. ... "Mnu..." opening her eyeszily, Raven realized she was in her own room inside Maria''s house. Smiling softly while imagining her mom carrying her from the garden all the way to her room made her feel so happy with how her life has turned out to be. ''From hell to heaven in one swoop huh?'' she smiled to herself at the thought as she looked to her side, confirming that Kuru was still sleeping quietly besides her. ''I''m so happy I was so tired that I couldn''t move a muscle, otherwise you would have ended underneath me,'' she thought as she started stroking his silky fur and fluffy mane for a few seconds, before getting up to the bathroom. "Damn, I haven''t seen you in a while Mr. bathroom, how have you been?" Raven started having a one-sided conversation with her bathroom. "Oh me? haha I''ve been doing great thanks for asking, you''re so polite you know that?" "Raven? You''re awake already?" Maria''s voice came from the other side of the bathroom door. "She obviously is, didn''t you hear her greet her Mr. bathroom?" Maya''s voice was so thick with sarcasm that she almost choked before bursting out withughter. "Hey, I told you not to discuss her Imaginary conversations!" Maria whispered, yet Raven could hear it all. "AHEM!" she coughed as if to clear her throat, "I am awake, and Maya, at least I don''t have the Opera House hidden in my cupboard!" she snapped back as Maya was known for singing loudly while taking a bath. "But my voice is beautiful! Isn''t it mom?" "Eh? Ah of course it is, honey!" Maria smiled awkwardly. None of these facts were a secret, but she never liked talking about that because- "Speaking of embarrassing habits, mom did you have a good night''s sleep with Dr. Fluffy?" Maya asked with a grin that''s so big for her little face. "I bet he missed yo-" "But why? I didn''t do anything to you!" Maria turned red at the mentioned of her Dr. Fluffy. Even though she was an adult woman she had always had Dr. Fluffy by her side. He was a small stuffed brown bear in a whiteb coat. It wasn''t a gift from anyone, but she herself bought it when she enrolled in med school back in the day. And up until now, she still finds it hard to sleep without him being next to her. Hearing the conversation outside, Raven could already tell that her mom was being harassed by her little sister. Putting on a white bathrobe, she open the door and hugged Maria softly, "I personally think it''s so cute, mom! Don''t listen to the devil." she said pointing at Maya. "Me? The devil?" Maya said with so much drama that for a stranger, it would look like she was shot in the chest with a poisoned arrow. "Hehe, took you long enough to realize! Wuhuhaha!" After spending some "quality" time with her family, Raven got back to the washroom and took her bath. Needless to say it wasn''t easy for her because of her previous identity as a boy, she was so tempted to stand up and look at the mirror in order to ''explore'' her new body. ''Maybe if I look down in the water? It''s so bubbly that I wouldn''t see anything? Right?'' she kept questioning herself. Ka was feeling so awkward at that point that she tried to hide deeper into her imaginary ce in Raven''s mind. Fortunately for her, Raven had eventually, after some hesitation, decided to finish her bath early and go have some breakfast. She was starving after all. However, even starving didn''t prevent her from staring at her face in the mirror. It was the first time she saw herself, aside from the small mirror Rain had let her burrow while they were at the cave, and she had to admit, "Hell, this girl is on fire!" Turning red the moment she thought about that, she appreciated her crimson-purple hair and majestic golden eyes. Her skin looked so wless that she couldn''t help but give her cheeks a little squeeze to make sure that''s really her actual body. She remembered her face from the trial too, she saw a small girl with same face she has now. "I wonder who that was, it couldn''t have been me because I''ve been someone else..." The thought of her stealing her sister''s body or someone else''s body was painful to bear. But she knew for a fact that this was her real body. Both Ka''s had confirmed that multiple times. Cami even saw her transform. ... It didn''t take her long to get dressed and go have she breakfast. At the kitchen table she saw that everyone was awake and in a good mood. "It''s like we''re a big happy family, I like it!" Cami said as she hugged Maria with a silly smile on her face. No one paid attention to her red face when their bodies touched, other than Maria that smiled awkwardly at her but still didn''t resist. They all had a small conversation before starting their meal. During that time, Kuru had woken up and joined them. Sitting on Raven''sb was apparently his new hobby. And it was a bliss that he could eat human food as they wouldn''t have known what to do otherwise. Raven was so happy that Kuru was not as scared or stressed as when they had previously met. He even got to meet Baby Rituxi. "Oh my she''s so adorable!" Raven said as she held the baby girl in her arms. Kuru wasn''t so happy about it as his spot was stolen from him, but he made do with Raven''s shoulder for now. Baby Rituxi was roughly six months and wasn''t on the heavy side of the scale. Simr to but notpletely like Axane, she had bright silver white skin, two cute silver eyes and short ck hair. Short because she was still young. Needless to say, the contrast her hair made with her other features made her look even more adorable. Spending some time with eachother, Maria, Maya, Raven and Kuru, Cami, Axane and baby Rituxi, Rain, and Joey be more familiar with everyone''s public background, schools, work, hobbies, and other interests. Their rtionship had ranked up from strangers who met because of the first dungeon outbreak, to be a close circle of friends. "Alright, umm, do you want to watch some TV? Maybe see what happened while we abandoned the city?" Cami said sarcastically. By the time she woke up, she found so many missed messages from the EDA, Jaime, and other people she knew. But even so, and with knowing what was happening outside, she couldn''t care less about her job or rank anymore. It was a kin to someone working so hard to reach their goal, but in her case she''s already found her goal. Having Maria and the others by her side made her feel at ease, peaceful, and happy. That was all she''s ever wanted in her life. They were people who respected her and loved her for her personality, nothing else. But even so, a part of her was feeling guilty as she could be abandoning people she might be able to save. "Sure, we can do that, I''m feeling good enough that I can help if desperately needed, I guess," Raven said while stroking Kuru who was cuddling happily on herp. Chapter 74 - Unanswered Questions * NEFFEX - New Beginnings * *** "Alright, umm, do you want to watch some TV? Maybe see what happened while we abandoned the city?" Cami said sarcastically. "Sure, we can do that, I''m feeling good enough that I can help if desperately needed, I guess," Raven said while stroking Kuru who was cuddling happily on herp. However, just as Cami was about to turn in it on, she jumped suddenly from her seat, startling everyone, including poor Kuru, and tried to cover the TV screen with her open arms. But with the huge size of the TV screen, and her own small size, it was pointless. It took a second for Ted''s words to click back in. Remembering what he''d said about watching S rankers fight, Raven was sure hers would be on TV as well. "Please, don''t!" she said to Cami who suddenly remembered and realized why Raven was acting as such. Raven''s fight is ought to still be broadcasting on the TV channels, and the n was letting her tell them on her own, not force her by ''identally'' stumbling across footage of her almost dying. That would be bad for everyone, most importantly Maria and Raven. ''F*CK! I screwed up...'' Cami thought as she looked at Maria while biting her lower lip in guilt. "Ah I remembered something really important!" Maria said, standing up too while pping her hands together, "why don''t we go to the garden again? It''s pretty good outside after all." She didn''t remember something, and no, it wasn''t good outside, with the smoke and all. Her fidgeting with her hands didn''t help at all and even gave the impression that she''s a school girl asking her first crush on a date. ''Oh my gosh... mom is terrible under pressure...'' Maya thought as she face palmed while looking at Raven. "So... you already know, huh?" Raven lowered her arms in defeat and regret as a sad smile appeared on her face. Looking up at Maria, she could already tell that she was one day toote. ''So their behaviour yesterday...'' "Yes." Maria said bluntly as she bit her own lip hard enough to cause herself a light bleeding. She was trying hard to repress the tears and prevent them from escaping to her eyes and down her rosey cheeks. "I''m so-" "So sorry?" Maya cut Raven off and finished for her as she stared at her eyes with some mixed feelings. On the one hand she was so mad at her stupidity, but on the other hand, she could understand where she wasing from. If the events weren''t recorded, then she might have been able to avoid hurting Maria''s heart. But now that it was broadcasted, and Maria had already cried her eyes out yesterday, Raven owed it to her to exin herself. She never needed to attack the stupidly strong monster. She could have just ran away with them. Walking up to her, she gave her a good shoulder punch as she gestured towards their mother. "She deserves better than a few words of apology." Nodding silently, Raven approached Maria who was now bleeding from her lower lip, with sad eyes that were ready to burst out spraying tears everywhere. With each step Raven took, Maria lost more control over her eyes. By the time the two were engaged in a tight hug, tears were already covering her cheeks and dripping down Raven''s back. "I''m so sorry, I really didn''t mean to let you suffer... I- the only reason I-..." "I know. You wanted to avoid worrying me." Maria finished for her as she squeezed her even harder. "Uhm," Raven nodded as she couldn''t help but tear up. Not a second after, Maya pushed Axane towards the hugging duo, "you know, Axane cried her eyes out and almost got blind from watching you almost... you know." Raising her head up, her eyes met the silver shining eyes of Axane who had a pained expression on her face, as if holding herself from crying was hard on her. Releasing her mom slowly, she gave Axane her own warm hug. "I''m sorry for worrying too Axane, I didn''t mean to..." However, the silver girl didn''t reply, but rather embraced the warmth she was feeling at the moment. After giving Axane her share, Raven approached Maya who had a rather angry expression on her face. "I''m sorry, lil Maya," hearing that, Maya only huffed and shrugged it off. Raven''s behaviour was still stupid in her eyes so she didn''t want to forgive her easily. If she didn''t appreciate her own life, she had to know others did. And any pain to herself would put others in danger too. However, even Maya with her anger didn''t expect Raven to kiss her. It was a quick peck to the cheeks yet it gave her face a 180 change. Not leaving room for Maya to reply, she wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug, but this time, she couldn''t fully prevent her tears as they ran down her cheeks, making her golden eyes emit a light of their own. In her vision, Maya was the first to die. She still remembers how the monster had passed his sharp ws through Maya''s face like a hot kitchen knife through butter. She doubted she''ll ever forget that scene. Heck, she couldn''t even prevent it from ying nonstop in her mind right now. Which caused her aura to faintly re in anger, desperation, and pain. Feeling that, Maya started to cry without even noticing. "Raven, please... what''s wrong?" she said in between sobs. Taking a moment to rx and calm down again, Raven exin what had happened in her vision in detail to the group. Raven wasn''t the type to share her burdens, she never was. But this time, she needed to, otherwise she might go insane. She needed to share it with someone, and not anyone, but her family and close friends. ''They already know, I need to exin why I did it so they don''t think I''m suicidal, right?'' she tried to convince herself. Even though she''s killed the monster, her mind has kept nagging at her to get stronger. What would she do if she was in a simr situation? There''s always someone stronger than her after all. Hearing the full story, the group was shocked that the girl was keeping all of that to herself. Maya for instance, rather than appreciating that Raven had shared that with them, was mad angry. "LISTEN HERE, YOU!" she yelled at her face while holding her by the shoulders, "You keep saying we''re family, right? F*CKING ACT LIKE IT!" she was so mad that Raven would keep such secrets from them. "Please," Maya dropped her loud voice and got back to sobbing, "we can''t live without yo-eigh" Maya was surprised that Raven had squeezed her so hard that she couldn''tplete her sentence. "I can''t live without you either." ... After taking a breather and understanding what had actually happened, the group sat back on the couches against the TV, without it being on. "You know, unpopr opinion, but I think she''s went with the best course of action," Cami said, staring at the floor in thought. "If the b*stard had endured one of my attacks, even though it wasn''t my strongest, then it''s dangerous. "And I''m more that willing to believe he would, after seeing how he''d given even Jaime a hard time." "But maybe you could have worked together and-" "No" Cami shook her head, cutting Rain off. "The monster was speed and strength based," Joey said in response, "Standing in front of him for a second would be a death wish, it''s just a bad match. "Even hiding and waiting for an opportunity would be useless since Raven wasn''t able to handle him properly at first." "Yea," Cami said, "we didn''t know how far Jaime was nor if he was even able to deal with such monster..." "Uhm," this time it was Maria nodding. "Raven?" "Yeah?" "What happened... when you ''fainted'' I mean?" Maria said with some hesitation as it wasn''t easy for her to discuss the matter. "When you woke up, you were more powerful, right? What was that white light?" "I don''t know for sure..." Raven admitted. "but I know I had a conversation while I was unconscious, and was ''blessed'' by a person, err, or rather I think his real identity is a dragon, because his blessing is called the Primordial Dragon of Light, unless he was a proxy of sorts I guess." "Eh?" "Say again?" "To be honest I''m surprised my self, but it''s not the first time we meet." Raven said and exined to everyone about what had happened in the trial, and how the dragon had destroyed the more than once in one attack." "My p- Raven!" "Yea?" Raven looked at Joey who had his mouth wide open. "Can you please describe how that man looked like?" "Umm, well he was white, like so white that it was hard to see anything but blinding light, yet it was so easy to see his features... I guess it was pretty weird but I was kinda busy at the time so I didn''t pay it much attention." "Do you NOT know who that was?" "U- no? Should I?" At that, Joey face palmed. ''It is so annoying that her majesty had lost her memories, but I guess I can''t help it now...'' "Let me ask you this, since you can see his blessing using your system, is it something along the lines of Brilliant Radiance?" "Yes but no..." Raven was actually surprised but she tried to hide it nheless, "The blessing is called Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light, but I''ve do received a Magic Skill called Brilliant Primordial Radiance." "Oh my... I''ve always known you were special, your majesty," Joey said as he kneeled on the floor. "Hey you''re making me and everyone feel awkward, please exin. And call me Raven, am I just getting a deja vu or have I already told you this?" "Yes, your- Raven," Joey said with a quick bow as he started to exin, "Let me start with the general information everyone on Erembourc, the of Soul Weavers, knows. It''s about the nine rulers of existence." "Or rather the seven Absolute Keepers, and Two Supreme Sovereigns...." he corrected. Chapter 75 - The Nine Rulers Of Existence * Far Out - Overdrive * *** "Hey, you''re making me and everyone else feel awkward, please stand up or sit down, and exin. Oh, and call me Raven... am I just getting a deja vu or have I already told you this?" "Yes, your- Raven," Joey said with a quick bow as he started to exin, "Let me start with the general information everyone on Erembourc, the of Soul Weavers, knows. It''s about the nine rulers of existence." "Or rather the seven Absolute Keepers also known as the seven Primordials, and Two Supreme Sovereigns, also known as the two Primals..." he corrected. "It is believed that at the beginning of time, there were nine rulers that started life as we now know it." "You mean gods?" Cami cut Joey off as she was getting restless, she didn''t stand the idea of a single entity having so much power, let alone nine with as much power, ''rulers of my a*s!'' she thought to herself. "Some call hem that, yes. Others call them Supreme Beings, Sovereigns, Hope, Death... "However, from the stories shared on Erembourc, they were mostly known as the Supreme Dragons, as in fact, most incidents or any mention of them across our history was of them taking the forms of dragons. "Dragons enormous enough to make a whole look small inparison to one of their ireses. "It''s argued that the simple act of emitting their aura could end life as we know it." "It''s just rumours though right?" Cami asked with a frown. "I don''t know for sure, as I said, it''s just stories that-" "Can you continue please, I''d like to know why you were so surprised when I mentioned my blessing." Raven urged him to continue. "Ok," Joey said taking a deep breath, "so out of the nine rulers, two were of a higher existence, and usually referred to as the Primals, or the Supreme Sovereigns. "The seven others are called the Primordials, or the Absolute Keepers, since they''re the ones keeping the order of the universe. "The seven are called as follows: "First, the Primordial Dragon of Light, the ruler of Light and mes. The keeper of the Brilliant Primordial Radiance and the Inextinguishable ze. The governor of hope and destruction. "Second, the Primordial Dragon of Darkness, the ruler of Darkness and Shadows. The keeper of the Dreadful Primordial Chaos and the Unrelenting Entropy inherent in all that exists. The governor of insanity and abnormality. "Third, the Primordial Dragon of Stars, the ruler of the Stars and Energy. The keeper of the Primordial Dazzling Celestials and the Vigorous Energy empowering all that lives. The governor of mana and charm. "Fourth, the Primordial Dragon of Life, the ruler of the Primordial Elements of Life. The keeper of nature, water, air, and all that of which life can arise from. The governor of happiness and the first half of the order of the universe. "Fifth, the Primordial Dragon of Death, the ruler of the Primordial Anti-life Elements. The keeper of the souls and all that''s supernatural. The governor of sadness and the second half of the order of the universe. "Sixth, the Primordial Dragon of Space. And Seventh, the Primordial Dragon of Time." The room was so quiet after he''d finished that you could hear everyone''s silent breathing. "Thest two keepers, Space and Time I mean," he continued, "are known to be so close to eachother, but not even our elders knew if they were two or only one existence." "And so you think I have connections to the first one, the primordial light thingy?" Raven asked with a raised eyebrow. "Err, from the name of that skill and blessing you have, and the second sun you created... I''d say yes?" Joey said in a questioning tone rather than giving a straight answer. Remembering back to the trial in the cave, and the blinding light in that ce she was sent to when she was unconscious after fighting that monster. ''Maybe it''s partially true?'' she questioned herself, since everything seemed to match. [But the question is why would such a being be interested in you. And was that his trial you had to pass when you changed forms after the real Ka... ''faded away''? And what sense does that make?] Ka had so many questions, and so did Raven, but Joey had already said he didn''t know much. It''s what little he heard from the soul weaver''s elders and rumours circling Erembourc. "Anyhow, what about thest two? The Primals you called them?" Raven asked after giving up on her case. ''I can just ask that white dude when I see him again, I guess.'' "Well, I don''t know if the elders know about them or not, but I''ve never heard their names or much about them for that matter. "All I know is that the first Primal controls everything. And the second Primal controls nothing." "Eh?" Cami couldn''t help have a frown on her face. "When you say controls everything, and the other controls nothing, do you mean nothing nothing, or like... the Nothingness?" "I don''t know, I''ve literally quoted the elder that used to talk to me about that. One controls everything and the other controls nothing." ''Hmm, it could be that the first one is the king or Queen and so he or she or whatever controls all of the other primordials. And thest Primal is either so powerful that he or sh- or whatever, can order the first around. ''Maybe like a safeguard in case the first goes dark all of a sudden and decides to erase the universe? ''Well, or that he actually controls nothingness, is that a thing though?'' thinking to herself, Raven cupped her face in her hands as to force herself out if her trance. "Anyhow, thanks for sharing some history with us, but I don''t think any of us care enough to discuss that." She said out loud. "But what if the Primordial Dragon of Light has an eye on you?" Joey asked sincerely. Chapter 76 - A Forgotten Past * Far Out - Overdrive * *** "Anyhow, thanks for sharing some history with us, but I don''t think any of us care enough to discuss that." She said out loud. "But what if the Primordial Dragon of Light has an eye on you?" Joey asked sincerely. "He shouldn''t, I''m but a little alien bo- girl actually that''s so messed up to be of any importance." she said as she looked down on her body. Living a series of big fat lies for a life has had a toll on poor Raven. From being a boy to now being a girl. From a human to an alien race. ''Heck, if I think back, my dad never liked me and wanted to sell me away. My mother was so blinded by her position as the mayor that I doubt she even knew my name. And that''s not taking into ount that I''m not really their real daughter. ''If am an alien then that means my real parents had already given up on me sending me here, but that woman...'' that azure haired woman was like a small torch making Raven''s way clear as she navigates through her gloomy life. "Auk!" Raven was suddenly grasping for air as Maria hugged her tightly. "Never say that again..." she said with tears in her eyes. Out of everyone here, Maya and Maria had known Raven the longest, but what made them closer to eachother was that how their lives started as a mess, only to get better at the end. Or so she hopes. ''Ah, I have others lighting my gloomy way,'' she thought with a smile as she returned Maria''s warm hug. "Are you gonna join or you''re still ying ''hard to get''?" "Eh? I''ve never- I don''t- I..." Maya didn''t know how to answer so she only walked up to Raven and Maria and squeezed both of them. Or rather tired, as she was too small for that. ... "Um, by the way, how do you know all of that?" Raven asked Joey, "You said on of the elders talked to you? Did you live on Erembourc?" "Yes," Joey said surprising everyone, including Raven herself. She knew he was a soul weaver but didn''t expect he''d lived there. "I lived my first four years there. You lived there one year less..." he said looking at Raven. "Eh? Me?" Saying she was confused would be an understatement. "Yes, I told you before, you are the prince- or rather the princess of the soul weavers." "But that doesn''t make any sense!" Cami jumped in, "How would you even know that you lived there or remember such things if you''ve left at the age of three, how old are you now even?" "I''m seventeen, a year older than Raven. But soul weavers, unlike humans mature way earlier. At the age of six months we''d be able to function as a ten year old human child." "But that doesn''t make any sense, OMG!" Cami was loosing it. All of the previous talk about Rulers and whatnot had made her nerves itch inside. "It does..." Joey said calmly, "I''ve lived with Raven as her bodyguard in the castle. My father was known as Lord sixth, one of the Great Sages and leader of the Guardian n. "He was close friends with the king, Raven''s fath... Is it ok if I continue?" he asked this time looking at Raven, as he rememberedst time she had told him to not discuss the matter. "Ah, please keep going." "Alright," he said looking up the roof to remember the past events, "Your father was the king, Lord Marlock, or Lord First, also the leader of the Royals, or the Shadow n. "Your mother was the queen, Lady Avavia, the daughter of Lord Seventh, of the Phoenix n. "You were known as prince Araxel." Joey continued. "Araxel..." Raven said as she closed her eyes to see if that stirs any memories, but nothing happened. "The reason why we were sent to Earth, was because of a war..." Joey took a second to remember further, "I don''t know the details but I remember that my father told me to go inside a space capsule of sorts and that when the door open again, I''ll be somewhere else. "My mission was to find you and serve you back as your bodyguard." he said with determination as he looked Raven in the eyes. "Wait, when did that happen?" Asked Cami. "Err, when I was four, so thirteen year ago, maybe?" "Oh. My. God..." Cami whispered loudly in surprise, "it can''t be a coincidence..." "Err, what can''t be-" "Don''t you remember?" Cami was acting like Sarah Connor when she first found out about the day of judgement and the whole intelligent robots plot. "Thirteen years ago! When multiple weirdets hit Earth, it was them! Theets are just probably a cover up made by the EDA, it was the Erembourcian ships! "And in that day, humanity came to know its first ability user! That''s how we obtained our powers!" Cami was practically screaming as she thought she now understands the secrets of the universe. "How can ships do that though?" Maya asked with a neutral experience which was weird for her. "I don''t know, but it had to be them! Raven don''t you agree?" Cami asked but Raven was staring at the ground with a desperate expression. Noticing that, Maira quickly put her hand over her shoulder, "what''s wrong honey?" "Eh? Ah... nothing don''t worry about it, haha" even though that''s what Raven had said, her eyes spoke otherwise. She hasn''t heard anything after the mention of the war. She didn''t know why, since she still doesn''t remember anything. However the word brought back a bad feeling, an ominous one at that. She felt like her heart was out of her chest spraying blood into her mouth, burning her lungs in their search for oxygen in her own metallic red liquid. She was sad, desperate, mad, and ready to either destroy herself or the. "Raven?" Maria nudged her again trying to get a real response out of her. "I''m sorry, I''ll go outside help some people. Don''t worry about me I''ll be back in no time." she said as she ran out of the mansion. She needed to destroy something, anything, ''I hope to anything that can hear to find some monsters out there....'' Chapter 77 - An Unwanted Invitation Part 1 * Lost Sky - Fearless [NSC Release] * *** "Raven?" Maria nudged her gently again trying to get a real response out of her. "I''m sorry, I''ll go outside help some people. Don''t worry about me I''ll be back in no time." she said as she ran out of the mansion. She needed to destroy something, anything, ''I hope to anything that can hear to find some monsters out there...'' [Please don''t...] Ka was feeling the mess inside Raven''s mind. ''But I ha-'' [Don''t you get why Maya was really angry at you? You''re not alone anymore, you have family and friends... People that love you and care about you, please, do you want to see the others sad again? [Maria, Maya, Axane, and everyone else, they care deeply about you and you know it.] Ka was by no means scolding her, just reminding her of some important facts. "Hey, sorry did wee in the wrong time?" Looking towards the source of the voice, Raven saw a couple of familiar faces. Mike, the captain of the ser team and Draven''s friend. Remi and Jake, Draven''s childhood friend. Next to them Raven could see a girl their age, with pale white skin, bright violet eyes, long silky ck hair. She recognised her as the new student in her ss, Rachel. Behind his ssmates stood Jaimie and Ted, the two familiar S rankers. Next to them however, were a set of three new faces. A short man with bulky muscles making his business suit look small on him. His olive toned skin was shining under the little light prating through the smokey sky. He was wearing vision sses above his void ck eyes, and he had a matching short silkyhair. Behind him stood a young Japanese looking woman with a slender frame, pale skin, gentle brown eyes, and long ck hair that was tied backwards in a ponytail. Next to her was a tall young man with pale white skin, blonde short hair and sparkling silver eyes. With his suit and sunsses in his chest pocket, he looked like an everyday FBI agent. "Sorry for the intrusion Ms. O''Bannon," the short bulky man said as he extended his hand for Raven to shake. "Your recovery speed is really impressive, if I may." ''Well f*CK!'' Raven cursed in her mind. ''Their appearance and them threeing with two other S rankers only proves it, they''re EDA .'' Seeing that the little girl had no intentions of shaking his hand, the man looked rather unfazed as he returned it to his side again. "My name is Bell Hond, I''m the local EDA executive, or the current unit leader of the EDA base in Torinto city." he said in a professional manner, "you''ve already met James Oliver, and Ted Baker. And these two behind me are William Green and Yaski Sorushima." Hearing all of that, Raven didn''t even think about stopping the man from talking even though she couldn''t care one bit. Every thought on her mind was about them finding out where she was. ''Did they track me down? Maybe Cami''s phone? HOW?'' Noticing her stone cold expression, Mike decided to say something to make her feel at ease. "Hey Drave- err, Raven, we were so worried about you, you know, with all of the fighting and stuff, I hope you''re feeling better than yesterday, haha," Mike said as he scratched the back of his head in embracement. He wasn''t into girls, but the thought that Draven was inside that body made his stomach flutter. "Alright boss, you can see the girl isn''t willing to talk for now, give her a break I''m sure she''lle around." Jaime said as the awkwardness in the air was so intense for his taste. "I''ll go see Cami, she''s ought to be inside-" "Where the f-" Raven was so stressed and angry at the moment that she almost lost track of her mouth, "I don''t remember this house being yours to barge into like a loose elephant." "Err... may I-" "Oi Jaime boy haven''t I tought you to ask for permission before you start walking into people''s houses?" Cami called out as she shook her head. Her voice was a mix of disappointment and embracement. "Cami!" "Yea that''s me... so what''s the n here Mr. Hond? I don''t think you''re here for me this time, huh?" "Correct Ms. Rogers," Mr. Hond said yet in a professional tone, "it hase to our attention that this youngdy may be an S ranker and so we''re here to offer her early admission to the EDA Rankers'' Course." The EDA Rankers'' Course was every ranker''s dream, basically a way to get a job and work as a professional ranker for the EDA. It''s somewhat like a police academy, or an army special force training, basically something to test new recruits, but in a higher level... stupidly higher level. It was known that the entrance exam for the EDA Rankers'' Course was one of the hardest to ever exist. Having early admissions means skipping the exam and not waiting till Raven was eighteen, which was when rankers are usually allowed to try and take it. For others it was the opportunity of a lifetime, but for Raven, it was a way to bind her and prevent her from enjoying her life. She''s never wanted to be a ranker, not even have powers. However, after the monster incident and how poorly she had performed, she wanted to get stronger to be able to protect her family and those she loves. But she knew that the EDA will do more bad than good. If they found her to be stronger that normal, she''ll be forced to stay with them. In case she decided to run away or simply refuse, they''d have her family as means of pressuring her into submitting. "Thank you," Raven said in a low voice, yet everyone could hear her just fine, "I''m not interested, feel free to leave now." While saying that, she directly stared at the short man, Mr. Hond, who didn''t let her reply affect his professional attitude. ''Hm, I''d like to believe that she''s goodie goodie and all, but everything about her screams I''M GOING TO CAUSE YOU TROUBLE...'' Mr. Hond thought and came with a response in the spur of the moment. "It''s understandable, given the recent events and all," he said as he looked at Maria and the rest of the group who had just arrived. "It''d be a shame to leave such a beautiful family all alone after al-" WOOOOOSHSHH!!! Air suddenly became thick with killing intent that threatened to cut everyone''s oxygen supplies. "Did you just threaten my family?" Raven said in a low voice that gave chills to four out of the five EDA rankers. Mr. Hond seemed rather impressed as he had a smirk on his olive toned face, ''to make me struggle for one breath is a feat so great... you have no idea, or rather, I have no idea what you are made of, young miss.'' he thought to himself as he flickered and reappeared to Raven. Sensing his presence near her and feeling danger, she instinctively formed her golden aura around her fingertips as she thought about shing at his neck. In any other scenario she would have used her white aura, but she couldn''t do that since she couldn''t really control the output yet. One wrong move and she might bring a new sun crashing down on Earth, annihting many life forms. However, even the normal sh attack was a bad choice for the moment. ''I can''t- No, he''s strong... if I miss, the sh will continue and hit one of my ssmates... No, even if I hit- I still don''t have enough control to fight like this in close quarters-'' Even increasing her aura was more harmful than good at this point. Up until this moment she had a barrier around anyone other than the five rankers. But any more and that barrier won''t take it, and she''d end up harming if not killing the people she''s been trying so hard to protect. It was for an instant, buy Mr. Hond felt the pressure in the air disappear as his hand was about to strike the girl''s neck. He was aiming at her carotid artery and vagus nerve, as he only meant to knock her out. His test has been to see if she actually cares about her family even if it meant fighting against a stronger foe, or if she was a psychopath who only cares about power. ''You pass...'' he said as he felt the hit connect. However, it took him a second to realize that what he had hit was the girl''s guard, as she has covered her arm in a dense golden aura and avoided a direct hit. The strike wasn''t strong in particr, only fast and urate so it didn''t break her arm or even hurt her at all. Nheless it was a surprise that such a small frame could move so fast. What surprised him the most was that the girl was already a step ahead of him as she was midair with her leg ready to take his head off. PUUFFF!! A small shockwave could be felt in the air as Mr.. Hond caught her foot midair and retreated backwards with raised hands to signal his defeat. Chapter 78 - An Unwanted Invitation Part 2 * Castle in the Sky - DJ Satomi * AN: to be honest, it''s just a weird song that doesn''t even match the mood, but it''s helping me focus so... *** PUUFFF!! A small shockwave could be felt in the air as Mr. Hond caught her foot midair and retreated backwards with raised hands to signal his defeat. Solidifying her mana under her foot, Ravennded with the grace of an owl and looked the old ranker in the eyes. Mr. Hond was so impressed by the girl''s performance and conduct that he had a wide grin across his face and his professional attitude was long gone. He had felt when she had changed her tactics at the spur of the moment as not to injure one of the teens behind the rankers or her family behind herself. "What did I tell you, Bell?" Jaime said with a smirk as he walked over to stand by Cami''s side. "She''s a hard but sweet cookie." "I never said I didn''t believe you, Mr. Oliver. I just wanted to see for myself," said Mr. Hond as he dusted and reorganized his suit and retied his red tie. "Here," he said as he threw a business card towards Raven who caught it between her index and middle finger. "I can''t force you to join us as helping people isn''t something that can be done forcefully," Mr. Hond said as he waved his hand goodbye and retreated to the mansion''s gate with William Green and Yaski Sorushima, "but after witnessing your potential, I''d be lying if I said it''s not a huge loss for the EDA and humanity as a whole, not to have you among our ranks." Waiting a little bit for them to be farther, Ted started to talk, "May I know why you''re against joining the EDA? And forget that I''m a ranker or the one who had saved you before, just give me your answer at face value, please." Looking at him and releasing a breath she didn''t know she she was holding in her lungs, Raven said, "I don''t want to be bound by any organisation, EDA or not. I''m not against helping people, but if I''m away who knows where helping some strangers, who''s going to protect my family?" Hearing her words, Ted could tell that she had more to say, but even without the full answer, he could easily tell that it was part of the truth. "Hm..." he looked up the sky, trying to think for a moment before replying back, "I certainly see your point, how about we make apromise?" "Care to borate?" Raven asked with open arms and a silly face, making fun of the S ranker in front of her, even though her eyes weren''t joking. "I don''t have any authority over the EDA Rankers'' Course but I can talk to Mr. Hond and see what he thinks about it. "I think his main concern is having you with us, as it''s not a secret by now that you have the potential to easily be an S ranker. And having a rough S ranker isn''t optimal for the EDA as the amount of damage that can be done by one is massive. "So, we might be able to offer you admissions to the course, and you can go through with it for the sake of learning the rules and increasing your control over your powers, so it''s safer for yourself and the people around you. "And in return, you''d give us your service whenever we''re in sever need for personnel. I think that''s the best solutions for both sides, especially with your age and the schooling you still have toplete. "Well, after they fix the schools and such. Anyhow, what do you think?" he finally asked Raven afterpleting his proposal. Thinking about it, Raven found it a rather good chance to measure other people''s strength and get introduced to different abilities and powerful rankers. "Give me a while to think about it. Ask that old dude and see what he thinks about it." she finally said. "Err, sure thing. But please refrain from calling him that. He''s a powerful S ranker that got his position by proving himself honourably-" "Spare me your words please, I''m thankful for you healing me, sure. But the moment you start talking in the EDA''s name, you remind me that you were only doing your job. "Like a medic saving someone''s life because the Code of Honour, but after that they''replete strangers. "You shouldn''t expect a special treatment, nor do I owe you anything. If you''re done, please show yourself the way out." "Man... you be staying people left and right, huh?" Jamie''s remark didn''t go unnoticed as Cami nudged him a little too hard in the ribs. "Want your tongue intact? Keep your mouth shut." She simply said. *sigh* Giving a deep sigh, Ted looked at the little girl with a smile, "you''re right, you owe me nothing, and I''ve never expected anything in return. "But heck you are one reckless girl! I was scared I''d have to scrape your remains off of the ground the moment you joined the fight... d I was mistaken. "Anyhow, take care, I hope to see you soon... err, in a better condition too." he saidstly with a wave and left to follow Mr. Hond. It surprised Raven that he could see through her, as she wasn''t in the best condition right now, mentally and physically. "I can stay right?" Jaime asked, pointing to himself with a big pleading smile in his face. "You''re Cami''s problem, not mine." Raven answered bluntly. "Girl, you''re so cruel!" heined. "Want my truthful opinion?" Raven raised an eyebrow. "Err, no... thanks," he said in defeat. The four teens were astonished by the events of the past minute that their minds seemed to short-circuit. They knew from the footage, timings, and all of the other evidence that Draven has turned into Raven. The satellite image captured the moment when the transformation happened. And the EDA had asked for their help in locating her. Since they knew she spent most of her time in Maria, or Ms. Bawlden''s house, rather than her mother the mayor, it wasn''t so much of a problem. But seeing how everything had turned out to be was surprising to say the least. Especially with how their ssmate treated the EDA rankers that so happened to be some of the best S rankers. Everyone knew Jaime and Ted, but they couldn''t believe how they looked like a clueless kid and a teen that has lost his cat in an ident, respectively. And all of that was a result of Raven''s actions. ''What happened to my cool angel boy...?'' Rachel thought as she looked at the crimson-purple haired girl I''m front of her. *** "What do you think, sir?" William Green asked Mr. Hond the moment they were out of the gates. "Call me Mr. Hond haha, no need for extreme formality." Mr. Hond said with a smile as he was in a wonderful mood. "To be honest, I''m surprised, and needless to say, I''m not easily surprised." He said as he inspected his hand, the one he used to catch the girl''s silent super sonic kick. Seeing how his hand shook uncontrobly as well as the burning marks on it, made him happier. "It''s been a while since someone this powerful had appeared." he said with a big grin as he clenched his injured hand and embraced the pain. "Our unit''s position is currently at its worse as we don''t have enough powerful rankers. "Without Mr. Oliver and Mr. Baker taking care of the most urgent things, we''d practically be a bunch of low rankers." "But sir, Mr. Hond, almost everyone is a rank A or above-" "Exactly... so weak. However, with her on our side, we might be able to help on a national level. We have to find someone to clear all of these gates or portals that have appeared all over the globe. "Sooner orter, the main unit will be calling for our rankers." he finished. "Don''t you think she''s too dangerous, Mr. Hond?" Yaski Sorushima asked again with a tensed expression, "it''s not confirmed yet, but we believe that she has connections to the runes site to the North. "As myself and Mr. Green were searching her history, I found out that she was kidnapped by Lady Luck, and that she''s escaped around that time period when the ce had exploded and produced those ruins. "Many people died in that explosio-" "Do you have any evidence?" Mr. Hond cut her off, as he was feeling his mood already ruined. "Not quite... we can''t find witnesses as anyone in that area had died. Even Lady Luck and her assistant are nowhere to be found." Yaski replied. "Well, there you have it, find me evidence and I''ll make sure she spends her entire lifepensating for what she''s done. "If you ask me though, she can''t be the one who did that. If I remember correctly, that other girl, Maya, she was with her too, right?" "Correct, Mr. Hond." "Yes, she won''t kill everyone and then decide saving her alone. Plus, it was way before her powers had spiked up. "Something happened specifically when she almost died and got treated by Ted, he mentioned something about her stealing his mana." "But Mr. Ho-" "Enough, Ms. Sorushima. Find evidence thene back to me. Understood?" "Yes, Mr. Hond." Yaski didn''t hate the girl, rather was scared of her. ''What if she''s not morally bad, just bad at controlling her powers? That would exin it....'' she thought but her mouth wouldn''t move to argue back to her boss. Chapter 79 - A Secret Lab *** * Halsey - Castle * - six floors underground, in a secret collection ofboratory facilities, on the Floor of Operations - Inside Operation Room number seven, a young teen was restrained by many leather bindings that connected him to a metal bed that looked more like an autopsy table than anything else. Three researchers were standing on top of four others that wereying in a puddle of their own blood, dead, with kitchen knivesing out of their chests, faces, or necks. If they had scalpels, they would have used them, but the experiments conducted in thesebs didn''t require such a thing. The three researchers wore whiteb coats that had red sshes of blood all over them, together with a look ofplete oblivion. They started undoing the leather bindings on the young teen efficiently, making sure he could move freely again. Standing up with the grace of a young queen, the boy had pale white skin, medium length bright brown hair, and two deep orange eyes that reflected the bright white lights inside the operation room. However, with his emotionless face, it made him look like a living doll of a long lost prince, rather than a normal living being. Walking slowly towards the room''s metallic double door, he signalled to one of the three researchers. The researcher swiped a key card of sorts in the digital lock to the right of the door. A small screen above the digital lock showed the picture of an eye, to which the researcher promptly stared at, allowing in it to scan her own eye. The moment the door opened, the boy nodded silently for the researcher as she pulled out one of the kitchen knives that was stuck inside a dead researcher''s left eye. Without much of a struggle, the two other researchers had their throats cut open as they fell to their death on top of the other bodies. Before existing the room, the young boy and the one left researcher threw the stic bags they wore as shoes in their feet, making sure no blood prints would follow their trail. Walking out of the metallic door behind the boy, the researcher locked the door of Operation Room number seven from the outside and proceeded towards one of the other rooms. "Danger! Hazardous Chemicals and Radioactive Materials inside!" was written with red LED lights above the double door entrance. The LED lights were turned off, meaning no operations were being conducted inside at the moment. The researcher entered alone and returned after a minute with two yellow hazmat suits. The boy put the suit on without much of a change to his expression, much like the researcher. She herself looked more like a walking dummy, or a skeletal with flesh. Her movements were robotic and slow. Whereas the boy looked like an emotionless AI (Artificial Intelligence) trapped in a human body, nning to take over the entire world. Wearing the Haz-suits covered every bit of their body, except for their face that one could see through the transparent stic screen. However, considering how the light was reflected off of its surface, no one would notice who''s inside the suit. Signalling for the researcher again, she went inside the double door entrance again and pressed a big red botton. "Deadly radioactive materials in the air, if you have ess to a hazmat suit please wear it. Otherwise, please proceed to the nearest exit point! "Deadly radioactive materials in the air, if you have ess to a hazmat suit please wear it. Otherwise, please proceed to the nearest exit point!" Hearing the loud robotic voice beaming and seeing the red light shing, the boy and the researcher waited for a couple of minutes before making their way to the exist, together with every other panicking researcher or office worker. *** * Unknown Brain - Why Do I (feat. Bri Tni) [NCS Release] * "So, um... how did this happen?" Mike asked as he pointed up and down at Raven. The ssmates were currently sitting in one of the living rooms, together with Joey who stayed since he knew Mike from the ser match. Maria and Cami were preparing some juice, while Axane with baby Rituxi, Maya, and Rain were having a conversation outside. "Well," Raven looked down at herself with a look that made her look like a kid lost in a part. "Apparently I''m a girl, and never was a boy to start with..." Telling the group a condensed version of the events that has unfolded on the other side of the portal, they couldn''t help but have their mouths wide open. "Wait, so you entered as a D ranker, and left the portal as a B ranker?" Mike asked in surprise. "On top of that, even though you yourself thought that you were a human, you ended being an alien... of sorts?" Remi was surprised too, she''s never expected her childhood friend to be a person from another. "Uhm," Raven nodded with a tired smile, "yes, and yes... anyhow, um, i see that you made a new friend, huh?" she tried to change the subject as she didn''t want to discuss the matter further, she was already drained mentally. *cough* Noticing Raven''s gaze, Rachel coughed politely before starting to speak, "I''m sorry I haven''t introduced myself yet, You''ve probably forgot who I am but I was the new s-" "Rachel, right?" Raven asked with a confused expression. "You''ve introduced yourself when you transferred to our ss, nice to meet you by the way, haha." "Ah, yes, you remembered?" Rachel didn''t expect her to remember her name as even back then, Draven looked as though he didn''t acknowledge her presence. "Uhm, sorry at the time I was kinda out of it," Raven smiled again, "you must be really nice if Remi''s sticking with you," she said, looking at the two girls. "Hehe, yea she is!" Remi said enthusiastically, appreciating the way Raven thought about her. "Thank you, both," Rachel said quietly as her face started to turn red. "Well, um, so considering that you guys have probably heard the news and know what''s happening around the world, with the portals and all... care to exin?" Raven asked, trying to change the subject. "Yeah for sure," Mike said with a smile, "So, as of an hour ago, no one knows what''s actually happening. "Portals have opened all around the globe, and either monsters are rushing out, or people are being sucked in. And sometimes, like the case of the ser field portal, it''s both. "People started calling them efflux portal, influx portal, respectively, and dual or raid portal for thest one. "Another type of portals people have observed was the silent type where the portal changes shapes into a cave or an underground tunnel where monsters live, and that''s now being called dungeon." "Honestly," Remi said, "it''s a little bit messy, but from what I''ve heard, not all of the monsters are bad. No, they''re not even monsters, just aliens. "Some were probably brought here against their own will... There are rumours of some friendly aliens that are even helping up with clearing the other portals." "True," Jake said while adjusting his sses, "Also, my father told me that people who were sucked in a dungeon never returned, even some very powerful A rankers. I''m happy you guys made it out!" he scratched his nose while his face took a hint of red. He couldn''t stand staring at Raven for too long, she was pretty to say the least, but remembering that she was a Draven, he couldn''t help but pinch himself through his pocket. "Sorry I have an irrelevant question..." Rachel suddenly said, "remember the ser match?" "Um, yea?" Raven said trying to remember what she was referring to. "Why did you kiss that girl, Maya?" since Raven had introduced everyone, they came to ''know'' eachother, "Wasn''t she underage?" Raven felt attacked as she remembered what had happened before the match, with her as Draven and Maya. "Ohu~" Maya''s voice came from above Raven''s head as she stood behind her with her hands on the couch supporting her chin. "Jealous much?" "Eh-WHAT? No!" Rachel didn''t expect the girl to show up at that exact moment. "Haha don''t worry about it, she''s no lolicon, if that''s what you''re thinking," Maya said seriously, "I remember I had forced her... sorry about that by the way," she looked at Raven and apologized sincerely. ''I love you...'' Maya trailed off with a whisper in her mind. ''But I''m not going to force myself onto you, I don''t see you as a brother or a sister, but if that''s how you wish to see me as, then I''ll act like one...'' Maya looked so genuine that she managed to make both Raven and Rachel feel bad. "Well, it''s not the time for this talk anyway, mom and Cami have been working hard on some weird juice, so you better drink all of it, you hear me?" Everyone nodded silently. "Hehe, good because it looks like some killer acid made inside a scorpion''s stomach... enjoy!" she said as she headed straight out to the garden, while Maria brought the green juice cups to the living room. Standing outside away from Rain and Axane, Maya had a sad smile on her face as she didn''t know why she still thinks the way she thinks, even though it pains her greatly. Raven was never her real sister, and even though she viewed her as such for a little while in the past, it was mostly because she viewed her as her protector. She didn''t know whether her feelings were genuine or whether it was an effect simr to the suspended bridge effect. And that''s exactly what Maya wanted to avoid. She also didn''t want to depend on her to protect her all the time. ''f*ck, that previously almost got her killed...'' she thought to herself. ''Part of me wants to repay her for everything she''s done for me, but I at the same time, I can''t think of anything to give her. ''What could I possibly give her that wouldpensate her for risking her life for me multiple times? ''But... if I forget about everything she''s done, and focus on her appearance, personality, and who she is... do I still love her?'' she asked herself. ''Ah... I really do...'' Axane who was watching from the distance, saw Maya''s pained expression and couldn''t stand it anymore. Walking up slowly behind her, she gave her a warm backwards hug and let her aura wash over her gently. Even though she didn''t know the full story, she could tell what Maya was thinking at that moment. "Thank you, Axane...." Maya said in a sincere voice as she embraced the silver girl''s soft hands. Chapter 80 - Attack On Korea * Thousand Foot Krutch - Wee to the Masquerade * *** - On the front lines of the Korean coast - The Korean army and Korean EDA rankers have been fighting the monsters nonstop. A new ind has formed a few kilometres from the shore, and on that ind thousands upon thousands of monsters were being piled every day by the huge rift at the center of the ind. The monsters there resembled dark tentacles that convoluted around eachother forming humanoid figurest that varied in size. Since their build was different from what humans have fought before, it was almost impossible to recognise any vitals or weak points. They didn''t have eyes, mouths, or the such. Their faces resembled a bundle of steel solid tentacles that was as threatening as a wrecking ball of the same size. Most of them had no fingers in their limps, only another bundle of tentacles. However, a handful of them got creative and developed their tentacles in a way that they could use separate tentacles to strike separately, like a hand wielding three or more whips. The fight has been going for almost two days now, yet, the monsters seemed to grow stronger every time. Their previously smooth skin started to develop hard scales to cover them, and in many cases these scales were hard enough to stop a bullet in its tracks. As such, the army was forced to use grenades and rockets to slow them down. Rankers also had to work extra hard to push them back to their ind. On top of the professional rankers and soldiers, there was a bunch of volunteer rankers that either lived close by and wanted to help buy some time to their families. Another bunch joined the fight simply because they wanted to help their country survive, just like ranker Erin Kim. He was a charming young boy with pale white skin and reddish brown hair with a few streaks of neon green running through its front, giving him a futuristic look of sorts. His eyes were glowing with light green that made his allies feel safe and enemies feel frightened. "Ho~ must be enjoying yourself too much, hah?" a young girl looking the same age asked in a yful tone as she watched him sh through one of the tentacle monsters with ease. "I''m here to share the fun too, you know." Looking at the girl, Erin felt his tense face rx slightly as he smiled sincerely, "hehe, it''s only because of Lightning, you know that Jina," he said with a wink as he squeezed the handle of his huge broad gold sword while lightning bolts red through it. "Haha, I know I know, now go for them babe, I got you covered." Even though they both know how to speak Korean, they mostly choose English as it was a habit they picked up during school when they used to practice thenguage. Unlike Erin, Jina was Korean by birth, and she looked the part. She had simr pale skin, light brown eyes, and long sparkling orange-blonde hair that made her look like a prom princess. Some soldiers looked at the duo with envy as they both were eye candies and others with respect and gratitude, as they were from the little rankers that were making a difference in the battlefield. The boy would strike down multiple monsters in one swipe or every once in a while he''d rain lightning down on their heads, thinning their numbers greatly. In fact, he was the one that''s discovered that the monsters were weak to electricity and lightning. The girl on the other hand had the ability to form strong force shields around herself and others, shielding downed soldiers and buying some time for the healers to help them. Every once in a while she''d also cover the boy''s back as he charges into the monsters head on. "Sergeant Hwan, Focus!" the captain of the special forces team yelled in Korean at one member who was staring at the duo, "the rocket won''t jump into theuncher by itself!" "Sir, yes sir!" the sergeant yelled back. Even though the captain had yelled, he wasn''t angry at the sergeant as he wasn''t staring in envy or ill will, but rather admiration for the duo. They were indeed a blessing, especially that they didn''t have any S rankers on the field since they were summoned to the main cities where most of the poption is. Not only that, but the duo would always protect the individuals around them a Nd be mindful not to harm them, something that many strong rankers never cared about. Coteral damage was quite normal in the battlefield after all. "Kid, behind you!" yelled an older ranker that was near Erin as a monster was about to smash its gigantic club-hand on his head. Hearing the ranker''s words, Erin couldn''t help but smile in gratitude as he felt worry in that voice. However he didn''t even turn his head to look at the threat, but rather closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he raised his broad sword high up in the air with two hands. SMAAACKKK!! Erin could hear and feel the monster''s body m against the hard sandy ground of the shore as Jina pushed it harder using her force field. A few seconds after, the monster was nothing but dark paste that would get someone''s shoes dirty. The older ranker couldn''t help but facepalm at the scene, yet a smile spread across his face as he was happy to see the duo''s blind trust. ''Hm, we''ve pushed most of them so far back to the ind, yet some are still putting up a fight on our shore.'' Erin thought as golden lightning ran violently through the two handed sword like a snake ying catch. Up above in the sky, a thunderstorm started to brew loudly turning the sky gold and grey, ''if we finish this wave though, we should be able to advance to their ind and fight them in their own house,'' Erin though to himself. Waiting a few seconds for the storm to be sufficient for taking out the current wave of monsters, Erin swiped Lightning downward and stabbed it into the ground. CRAACKLEEE!!! A thunderous explosion deafened everyone as the golden lightning hit a cluster of monsters who were so close to each other, releasing a cloud of smoke and a disgusting burning smell. *Huff* *Huff* Panting hard after the attack, Erin supported himself using Lightning as Jina walked up to him. "There are still a bunch here, but the other rankers should be good with taking them out," Jina said in a warm tone as she gave Erin a quick kiss, "you did awesome!" "Hehe, I figured as much when I got a kiss," Erin said with a smile. "Uhm, um what do you think is going to happen next? Will the monsters send another wave soon?" "Well, we haven''t finished everyone here, they''re so little, but even one could kill a bunch of us, so I''d rather avoid that," Erin said with a serious face. "After we finish up here, we''ll have to deal with the rest, but I don''t know how helpful I can be since I can''t use my lightning attacks in the water, might backfire and hit some allies..." "Uhm, don''t you think they''re acting weird by the way? Sending monsters nonstop is kinda of crazy, especially that now they''re on the loosing end." Jina asked as she looked at the ind in the distance. "Loosing end? No they''re only getting started," Erin said with a sad smile, "I have a bad feeling, but whoever is in the other side of the portal is using us to-" BOOMM!!! Cutting Erin mid sentence, a huge explosion sound could be heard on the ind''s side as a huge smoke cloud could be seen rising up in the sky. "What was that?" Jina yelled in Korean instinctively as she panicked and formed a shield around her and her boyfriend. However, nothing but a small wave of heat reached them. "It''s up there," Erin said pointing up in the sky at a figure that was too far for them to make it out. "What''s that?" "No idea..." the duo was surprised, just like everyone else on the battlefield. "But I think it''s on our side, because it''s just annihted every living creature on that ind." ''Is he an EDA S ranker?'' Erin couldn''t help but wonder. The figure in the sky started flying away from the ind after a couple of seconds, which Erin assumed the figure used to scan and make sure their mission was done. "It''s noting for us..." Jina breathed a sigh of relief as she realised she was hugging Erin tightly, nevertheless, she didn''t let go of his warmth. *** "The monsters on the ind have beenpletely wiped out," the figure said on the radio the moment he was in range, "the ind wasn''tpletely destroyed as you''ve requested, further inspection can be performed." "Yes, thank you for a job well done," another voice replied on the radio. "We''re lucky to have you as part of our rankers force, Axth." "Thank you, out." Chapter 81 - First Demon Summoning Part 1 * Mr. Kitty - After The Dark * AN: Probably gonna see (hear) this song again, kinda love it... *** "Yes!" a ranker yelled into his radio, "I repeat, this is Ranker Terry, identification rank B++. Requesting immediate support in Ottara city, the northwest region." "Copy, that ranker," a feminine voice replied back at the radio, "help is on the way, what''s your status?" "Two efflux portals have appeared at the center of the city. Currently both types of monsters from each portal are fighting eachother, causing massive destruction and causalities. "First type is a giant humanoid monster of sorts. The second type is small yet fast and highly destructive!" "Copy that," the feminine voice replied back, "I''ve updated your status, help should be-" BOOOOOMMMMM!! A loud explosion cut the voice, signalling the fall of one of the giant monsters as it''s legs were cut clean. "Ranker Terry what was that?" she sounded confused but she still demanded the info as she needed to send more rankers if the situation has already progressed to the worse. "Oh... Um, I think help is here already?" "Excuse me?" "Um, I see two, no, three people fighting both monster waves while protecting civilians and other rankers alike, I''m assuming they''re the ones you sent? "Negative..." the voice on the other end was rather lost, "help should at least take ten minutes to arrive." "Then who the hell are those"? Terry said as he stared at the three figures. One belonged to a young boy with spiky red hair and glowing red eyes that was wearing a jet ck light armour while holding two red short swords that looked sharp enough to cut air itself. He was the one who''d cut the giants legs. On the other side of the battlefield, there was a young looking man with a ck royal garment that made him look like he belongs to some forgotten ancient era, yet it only made him look more wise and threatening. As he wasn''t close enough, Terry couldn''t see his features very well, but he could see that the figure wasn''t holding a weapon, but rather using some kind of invisible magic as his hands seemed to move in sync with a series of dark explosions that destroyed hundreds of monsters at a time. Thest person was in fact a young looking girl that was standing in the middle of the action, watching the other two, uncaring of the monsters attempting to sh at her. Looking under her feat, Terry couldn''t believe his eyes as he could see a circle on the ground around the little girl, that was explicitly formed by the monsters'' bodies as they all died without ever crossing its borders. The girl was wearing a ck miniskirt with a matching ck hoodie that had "Fool" written on it. Her hoodie wasn''t on her head, but she had a baseball cap to cover her features. Yet nothing could prevent Terry from admiring her crimson-purple silky long hair. *** - twenty minutes earlier - [Special Skill: "Contract Master" has been activated. [... [A contract has been formed with an unnamed entity. [Entity is currently being prepared for summoning.] ''Well, now I know how that skill works...'' whispered Raven in her mind. She''s wanted to test her skills and make sure they''re all usable and not just for decorating her status page. Currently, she was summoning a demon from the demon world. ording to her special skill "The Elders'' Scrolls", there were multiple nes within one world. That means that in addition to what humans can see on Earth, there are at least two more nes associated with the same human ne. And those were the Celestial World and the Demon World. ''Little did I know, demons don''t actually live in hell...'' Raven wasn''t able to preform aplete summoning where the summoned creature would stick around forever, yet, so she only cared about a short term contract where the summoned creature must finish a task before returning back to their world. She chose a demon since forming a contract with a resident of the Demon World was easier than ones that inhabit the Celestial World, especially that demons are always looking for opportunities to visit the human ne. The Celestial World inhabitants on the other hand had were either too young and weak, or were powerful spirits that are conscious enough to refuse a contract. And unlike demons, they didn''t care for extra mana, souls, or any other form of payment as they mostly had everything they needed in their world. [Entity has been sessfully summoned. [Contract will end whenever the task ispleted or the summoner decides to terminate the contract. [Current task: Help summoner with eliminating any targets she deems dangerous, and help any she deems in need] Looking at the figure that appeared out of a small summoning circle, Raven wasn''t impressed. The figure was about a meter tall and with not much of a cover for their particr... embarrassing areas. ''Well, it''s official, demons don''t have the same ethical standards we have...'' she thought to herself watching what she thought was an imp in front of her. "Hi...?" she asked hesitantly as she didn''t even know it''d understand. The imp looked up at her with red eyes, and red everything else, yet didn''t reply. [An imp would be qualified as a High Ranked Lesser Demon.] ''Isn''t that like the worst rank ever?'' [It is possible to find lower ranked lesser demons, but... basically yes] ''Aw, well we''re stuck with this dude for now so let''s make the best out of it, ording to the knowledge gained from my skill, naming a demon gives them additional powers.'' Raven thought to Ka. ''''I doubt it could give it much, but I''ll give it a try nheless, it''s a training session for me anyway.'' "Demon, do you have a name?" The small imp only shook its head in a ''No'' gesture. ''Well, of course you don''t.'' she thought before speaking up loudly. "I shall give you a name then, from now on you shall be called Calcer. Serve me and you shall receive my gratitude." [Calcer?] ''Shhh goddamn it, I was caught in the moment and said the first name that came into my mind.'' Raven could feel Ka''s figure shaking as she tried so hard to suppress herughter. The moment Raven finished her small speech, a brilliant red light covered the demon''s body as it started to grow in size. [You have the option of sharing one ability with your demon servant, what ability would you choose?] Thinking for a moment, Raven knew exactly which skill she wanted to share. "Dark Zone!" she wanted the demon to cover itself so badly that she didn''t even consider the practical use of the skill. [The most basic level of the skill will be shared with the demon while not affecting your use above the skill at all.] "Ugh! A heads up would be appreciated next time you steal my mana..." Ravenined. Looking back at the demon as the light faded away, she noticed a huge change between the initial image of the imp and the new one after the change. [Appraisal?] ''Err, yea go for it.'' [Name: Calcer [Race: Low Ranked Greater Demon [Rank: C++ [Shared Abilities: Shadow Maniption. [Racial Abilities include: Soul Devouring, Demon Magic.] Unlike his previous demonic appearance, Calcer was looking more human now. With spiky red hair and matching eyes. The only features that would scream demon were his blood red sclera and two upside down horns on both sides of his forehead, but the fact that they were also red made they''d blend in with his hair colour. His overall size increased so he was now a little taller than Raven, while he also wore a ck light armour simr to the one Raven usually wore, when she was Draven. ''Say, Ka, how much mana did I lose in total, as a price for the contract?'' [About 9% for summoning, and 30% for naming] ''ouch...'' "My Lady, I shall serve you to the best of my ability." The young demon said in a masculine voice that was filled gratitude and determination. "Ah, sounds good, thank you." Raven said awkwardly as she didn''t expect him to speak now. "You can start with helping humans out of the battlefield." "Will do, my mistress." he said and headed to the center of the action. ''Well, since I''m already at it, let me try this again.'' "Fuuu~" Taking a deep breath, Raven focused in the summoning process again as she injected more mana into the magic circle itself. The process only took a few minutes but Raven was already exhausted. As the magic circle took shape, dark mist enveloped the area around it as a figure appeared out of it. Bowing politely to his summoner, the demon looked rather collected and wise, especially with his weird outfit and special features. He had void ck hair with two deep red eyes, however, unlike Calcer, he had ck sclera and no horns on his forehead, which only added to the mysterious air around him. "My mistress, I shall serve you to the best of my ability." he said surprising Raven as he sounded sincere about it. ''He can already talk? How much mana did that take from me?'' [The summoning process alone took 58%] ''WHAT?? No wonder I feel like I''m gonna faint from exhaustion!'' *cough* "Ahem, um, I do apologize for the fact that I can''t name you..." Raven said and to her surprise, the demon looked rather disappointed. "It''s a regret..." he said as he looked at the ground, "however, you''ve already given me my payment of mana, so I shall provide my assistance, like agreed." If demons respected anything, it was loyalty. Since he''d already agreed to the contract, he was expected to pay back with his services. "Wait," Raven stopped the demon in his tracks before he could join the battle. "I can still share one of my skills with you," she said as she extended her arm forward. [Same skill?] ''yes please, share "Dark Zone" with him.'' Feeling the connection between them strengthen, the demon couldn''t help but widen his red eyes in surprise. "You humble me with your kindness, my mistress." "Don''t worry about it, make sure to save any humans you can find while killing all of the aliens attacking them." "Yes, my mistress." he said before flickering away into the battlefield. "For the love of **** tell me you appraised him!" [Of course.] Ka was happy she did. [Name: none [Race: High Ranked Greater Demon [Rank: A [Shared Abilities: Dark Zone [Racial Abilities include: Soul Devouring, Demon Magic, Shape-shifting, and others. [Own Abilities; Can''t ess] ''the f*cker is a higher rank than me? His summoner? What the f***?'' [Language...] ''&¡ê#&¡ê'' [Err... anyway, yes he''s a higher ranker, that''s why he can ess the full potential of your Special Skill: "Dark Zone". [Also, don''t forget he''s a high ranked demon, you can tell by the way he looks and behaves.] ''But greater demons aren''t nobility, ording to what we know.'' [Maybe there''s a condition for bing an archdemon? And he doesn''t have that condition met yet?] ''Hm, that''s possible, can we review the ranks again please?'' [Absolutely, [The demons on this usually have three main ranks: Commoners, Nobility, and Royalty. They''re divided as follows; [Commoners: Low Ranked Lesser Demon, High Ranked Lesser Demon, Low Ranked Greater Demon, and High Ranked Greater Demon. [Nobilty: Archdemon, Demon Duke, and Demon Archduke. [Royalty: Demon Lord, Devil, and Devil Lord. [However, currently, only Demon Archdukes are acting like royalty and ruling the Demon World. That''s because the ''real'' royal ranks have only been heard of in legends, meaning none of them are true ranks that have been seen in demons.] ''Hm, so anyways, that means he''s indeed a Greater Demon, but... ''Well, maybe he serves an archdemon and so he''s behaving politely.... anyhow, let''s go observe.'' Raven thought as she flickered towards the chaotic battlefield. *** Within the darkness of nowhere, a person was observing, with a smile on their face, Raven''s actions in a big ck mirror. "Adorable, isn''t she?" the figure says in a young yet authoritive voice filled with wisdom. "Yes, your highness." another voice replies, "do you think she''s the one?" "Do I think?" the first youthful masculine voice replied, "no, I''m rather sure about it, she''s the one that will lead us and help us uncover the secrets of this world, kfufufufufu!" Chapter 82 - First Demon Summoning Part 2 * Mr. Kitty - After The Dark * *** "Ranker Terry, please exin the situation!" said the familiar feminine voice over the radio. "Since you mentioned they''re not the help you requested, I''m assuming they''re rankers that have decided to help out," Terry said to the confused woman in the radio, "you can actually cancel the help request, they''re doing everything by themselves..." Ranker Terry watched in awe as the three ''rankers'' took on both alien armies. Across the battlefield, the ck haired demon suddenly stood still as he heard a voice in his head, ''show me the full potential of the power she''s gifted you.'' The voice was young yet authoritive and filled with wisdom. The ck haired demon recognised it as his master''s in the Demon World. In fact, he was the one that had allowed him to answer the girl''s call. It was surprising to see his esteemed master being interested in someone so young, let alone not of the demon race, but he wasn''t one to question his master. Since he couldn''t reply to the mind link from his end, he only nodded while knowing his master was watching. Terry who was looking at the young man with the ck royal garment, couldn''t help but widen his eyes and let his mouth hang open, "what the..." In the distance, he could see hundreds of monsters, including giants, freeze as if time had stopped, however he knew it wasn''t the case. Widening his eyes even more, he could see that every individual shadow of each monster was taking a humanoid form with red glowing pair of gems where the eyes would''ve been. Each shadow wrapped one of its shadowy arms around its owner while the other hand formed a sword like end. SPLAASSHH!! In the span of a couple of milliseconds, blood sttered from every freezing monster''s throat as their shadow''s sharp arm passed right through them "WHAT THE F*CK??!!!!" Terry lost it when time seemed to resume, allowing many monsters to drop lifeless on the ground. ''Impressive!'' Hearing his master''s delighted voice seemed to help the ck haired demon stand tall, proudly, while ignoring the fact that he''d almost depleted more than half of his overall mana reserves. Usually an attack like that wouldn''t cause such a burden on his body, however, the skill was new to him and so he wasn''t that efficient in his mana use. Also, an important factor was that he was not named. Nor was he using a burrowed body, and so he was in a weakened state. "THAT ¡ê&¡ê¡ê &#_#&#...!!" [Raven! Language!] ''Didn''t you see that son of-'' [He''s using your own skill!] ''And that doesn''t help my case! How can he be so powerful? I mean, I can do what he did, but I have so much experience while he doesn''t!'' [Then show him what you''re capable of...] ''Hm, I can do that... there are still approximately three hundred giants, and more than a thousand of the small w scratching a*sholes.'' [And the portals are still active, so probably more on the other side.] "Copy that." Raven said as she closed her eyes and solidified her mana underneath her feet. Using her special mana control, she used the mana tes to float in the air. "Fuuu~" Stopping at about five meters high in the air, she took a deep breath as she started activating her skills. ''First, I have to recharge my mana reserves,'' thinking that, she activated her skills "Master of the Night", "Exhration", and "Darkness Recharge." Master of the Night allowed her absorb the dark element around her while also making her strongest in the dark. ''It''s unfortunate that it''s not night-time already, but the smoke is helping.'' Darkness Recharge, as the name suggests, allows her to use her dark element to recharge her mana. The skill was naturally stronger at night time. Exhration was a familiar skill that allowed her to absorb charges of mana from the world energy that was abundant on the. Using up two charges and keeping two for when she needs them the most, she continued charging her mana using the other two skills for a bit, making sure she had more than enough for the stunt she''s about to pull off. ''True Sight, Dark Zone, Proficient Mana Maniption, Demonic Touch, Soul Hunter, Dark Hell and finally, Demonic Tentacles.'' Using the basic level of True Sight allowed her to see every enemy in her now 360 degrees visual field, meaning nothing was hidden from her. Dark Zone and Proficient Mana Maniption gave herplete control over the shadows while massively increasing the power of her Dark element. That step was to increase the effectiveness of her Dark Hell and Demonic Tentacles skills. Dark Hell allowed her to open a portal to a deadly hell at a predesignated area, usually the ground, allowing her to trap and kill anything inside. Normally, targets inside the area of effect would be vulnerable to any sort of attack as they''d be struggling to free themselves from the hell opening underneath their feet. And by the time they''re fully submerged underneath, they''d be dead. Demonic Tentacles allowed her to condense her dark element into tentacles that would strike at her enemies. Demonic Touch and Soul Hunter were like the icing on the cake. They allowed her to steal her enemies'' vitality and absorb or destroy their souls as she wished. ''Alright, here we go!'' she thought as she opened her eyes, revealing the crimson rings surrounding each of her golden pupils, and spread her mana across the battlefield. WHOOOOSHHH!! A huge rift the size of a cruise ship opened up behind her, throwing a dark shadow and covering a massive portion of the city. All of a sudden, enormous shadowy tentacles prated the rift and came rushing out. There was about a hundred of them, and each one was the size of a cargo train. Everyone who saw the spectacle was dumbfounded, including the two demons. The tentacles didn''t wait as much as a second before charging over to the many monsters. The moment a tentacle would touch any living being, their vitality and own soul would be attacked, weakening them and almost killing them. The final blow would be the enhanced version of Dark Hell that, thanks to Proficient Mana Maniption and Dark Zone, would suck the target in into the tentacle itself, erasing every trace of them having ever existed before. The ughter onlysted a few seconds, in which it looked like a massive dark Kraken was running amok in the city. The portal closed after that, giving the illusion that the world has just be brighter, while it was only the extra darkness that had left. All of the remaining monsters were killed by the aura emitted by the young girl. It was simr to how she had once killed Lady Luck''s assistant. ''Phew! Who knew that would take so much mana.'' Raven thought to Ka as she descended to the ground of the now quiet battlefield. Feeling the air ying with her silky hair, she instinctively put her hand on top of her head to check if she still had the baseball cap on. [It flew away the moment you activated that skill and the rift opened, and I thought it''s obvious that you''d loose so much mana, that was a mass destruction skill...] ''I mean, yes and no... see I used two skills in particr that would help fuel my mana the more I killed.'' [You mean, Demonic Touch and Soul Hunter?] ''Yea...'' [But is it not obvious that the mana cost will berger than whatever you might gain?] ''Well, ok sorry Karen, everyone makes mistakes. We live, we learn...'' Raven thought with a sarcastic smile as she bent slightly to pick up her baseball cap from the ground. ''To be honest I didn''t think I''d find you so soon, my dear cap, haha.'' she thought while adjusting the cap on her head. [Um, anyhow, do you want me to save the previous skillbinations for future use?] ''You can do that?'' [Yea, what do you want to name the firstbination? "Master of the Night", "Exhration", and "Darkness Recharge."] ''Um, Mana Recharge..?'' [Noted, second one? For "True Sight", "Dark Zone", "Proficient Mana Maniption", "Demonic Touch", "Soul Hunter", "Dark Hell" and finally, "Demonic Tentacles."] ''Err, I''ll go with Dark Kraken.'' [Alright, all set. You can now see them on your status page as Skill Combinations. Also, once one of the involved skills is evolved, you can update the Combination or continue using the old effect.] ''Wait, did I not gain any points for what I just did? I destroyed every monster on the freaking battlefield!'' [Um, sorry to break it for you like that, but this is not a game where your skills would evolve whenever you use them once or twice. [Your understanding of the skills must increase substantially for the skill to evolve. On that note, you''re so close to evolving many skills, just keep up the good work.] *sigh* Sighing in disappointment, Raven walked away from the two portals. *** "Ranker, what was that?" the feminine voice said again on the radio. "..." Terry had no idea how to describe what he''s just seen. "Don''t you have ess to the satellite images and recordings?" "Not unless it''s absolutely necessary..." "Well, I- I don''t know what to say... There was a small girl, and suddenly a huge portal opened and boom no monsters left." "Wait what? I want you to describe the girl please." "Um, she was small, with a cap on her head, crimson hair of sorts, like it-" "Was it crimson-purple?" "Ah yes, I thi-" Hearing the sound of the headphones hitting the desk, Terry knew the woman on the other side had already left. Chapter 83 - Battle On Shore Part 1 * Thousand Foot Krutch - Lifeline * *** - EDA Ranker''s Support and Intelligence Unit - "Sir, requesting permission to ess satellite recordings of Ottara city." the woman that was talking to Terry said to her officer. "Reason?" the officer asked bluntly. "We''re suspecting that an unidentified high ranker from Torinto city has unleashed arge scale destructive attack." "Oh was it that crimson-purple girl?" seeing that the woman has nodded, the officer continued. "Well, she''s not unidentified anymore. Bell Hond, the local unit leader in Torinto city has vouched for her. Make sure to read your reports when you have enough time, Ms. Lucia." "Yes, sir." Ms. Lucia replied, feeling her cheeks getting warm from embarrassment. "Timmy!" the officer called on a blonde ranker that was busy checking on various screens at once. "Sir?" "Can you y the recordings you showed me again for two portals at the north side of the city?" "Sure thing!" Timmy said and transferred a video file to arge screen at the center of the room. Even though the officer has watched it before, he couldn''t help but admire the precision and strength of the attack. "She has such fine control that would put most of our rankers to shame..." the officer muttered before looking at the Ms. Lucia again. "We''ve already sent the footage to Mr. Hond so we''ve done our part. And even though I''d like to contact the girl and have her go help at the south side of the city, Mr. Hond had advised otherwise. Think of her as a free bird, so for now, just go back to monitoring the situation." "Yes, sir!" Ms. Lucia said and went back to her desk. *sigh* ''I envy you Bell, for having such talented rankers in your city.'' the officer thought to himself. "Timmy, make sure to check who the other two rankers with her are, I wasn''t informed about their identity yet." "Copy!" A boy that can cut giants in one sh. A young man that can kill hundreds in mere moments. And finally, the girl who killed more than a thousand monsters using such a controlled mass destruction attack... *** "My mistress!" the ck haired demon called out for Raven. "Uhm?" "Are we going to fight on another battlefield?" "Yea, we''re going to another province actually. My friend told me there were several portals in Halifax - Nova Scotia, as well. And while they''re close to the ocean, rankers are being sandwiched between two main portals. "A huge water-type monster has appeared from the portal near the shoreline and two S rankers are struggling with that. "And as if that wasn''t enough, a floating ind that was generated by a portal also appeared above the same city making the fight even harder." "I see. That exins why you casted that massive destruction spell." the ck haired demon said thoughtfully, as he was trying to approach the subject stealthily as his master had instructed. *Cough* "Ahem, ah- yea, of course that''s why!" Truth was that Raven only hated the fact that the demon she summoned was doing, so easily, what she has struggled to do before. "My mistress," the red demon called this time as he flew next to Raven. Currently, both demons had their wings unfurled while flying next to Raven who had simply solidified mana around her feet, forming mana boots, while guiding them through the air. She was basically air skating using mana boots, and her incredible mana control. "Calcer? What''s up?" "Can I please be your servant? I mean after we finish this mission?" "Aw thank you so much for the thought," Raven said as she tried to remove the image of Calcer''s old self from her memories. The demon has changed quite a bit after she''d named him. "But I can''t do that." she continued, giving Calcer a metaphorical punch to the guts as he hadn''t expected his mistress to refuse him "I''m sorry but it''s not that I don''t want you, it''s just that I can''t keep the Summoning for so long. Remember? I only formed a contract with you." Hearing till the end, Calcer''s expression rxed at Raven''s words. "Then it''s ok. If it''s you, my mistress, I''m sure you''ll be able to perform aplete summoning in no time!" the red haired demon was so cheerful with a toothy smile that made Raven change her outdated view of demons. ''He''s just like a child wanting someone to take care of them...'' she thought with a warm smile. "How about it then? Once I''m able to do that, you''ll be the first I summon." "Uhm!" Calcer nodded with a big smile, "thank you, my mistress!" "Can you please summon me too, my mistress?" said the ck demon, partially because his master has instructed him to do so. After all, he wanted to know more about this human girl. "Ah, for sure, hehe." "Thank you, my mistress!" Raven wanted to tell them to call her by her first name, but she thought she''d wait till she actually fully summons them, not when all that binds them was a weak contract. "Alright, let''s hurry up, people need us!" The trip by car would take at least a day, but at the speed the trio was going and the fact that they were flying in a straight line meant they''d be there in less than two hours. *** - Nova Scotia, Halifax coast - The coasts and beaches in Halifax would usually be the tourist''s number one destination when visiting the area in the summer. Even the locals enjoy the current warm atmosphere in the area since it''s mostly snowing all the time. However, that wasn''t the case today as many bodies wereying around. Both human and alien. The golden sand was died red and the blue sky was covered by a huge floating ind that blocked the sun rays from reaching the surface. An enormous giant alien that looked like a hybrid between a turtle and an octopus was wreaking havoc and killing rankers left and right. The monster didn''t have any special abilities in particr, however, it''s structure and size made it qualify as an S rank entity as even S rankers were struggling to avoid being hit by one of its tentacles. In addition to that, it''s shell was built in a way simr to a water cannon. It could use the internal curves to suck water in from the ocean and pump that at high pressure. Needless to say, that was deadly as highly pressured water could destroyed houses and skin people alive. On top of the one monster army, there were hundreds of other monsters that were attacking from the sky around the floating ind. If one was to describe them, they''d be a twisted form of harpies as they had humanoid bodies with feathery wings, but instead of a normal face, they had a weird liquid ball attached to their torsos. The ball didn''t have any specific features but rather looked like a ne sphere. Other than their annoying flight ability, they had weapons that would use mana to produce long distance sh attacks. The weapons themselves varied in shape and structure. "Sara! Catch!" A flying blonde haired girl yelled at another girl on the ground before she threw her a winged monster. "Ahhhhhh!!!" The other girl yelled, scared, as she saw the monster getting closer by the second. Panicking, she attempted to p the iing monster. But before her hand could touch the monster, the air around it twisted and spinned forming a whirlwind that sent it crashing against the ground. "Stop doing that, Be!" the girl was almost crying, "it''s not funny!" "Aw,e on..." Be said sounding guilty, "you know Sara, you should have fun in battle, or else it''ll be just us killing other lives." "But I don''t want to take their lives..." Sara was at her limits already and her conscious was telling at her to run away, "I don''t want to fight!" Sarah yelled as her eyes started to tear up. "Hey, there there," Be descended down and gave Sara a pat on the head, "I''ll make mango sd when we get home, It''ll be my apology so please don''t cry, ok?" "But I-" Before the girl could finish her sentence, a light shed in her eyes as a loud crashing sound deafened her ears. Looking at the source, she found herself looking at what she thought was once a ranker. The girls couldn''t even tell the body''s gender as the upper have was missing and it all looked like a bloody mess. Instantly afterwards, a couple of cannon shots could be heard as the area around them was filled with craters. Be didn''t hesitate for a second before grabbing Sara who was standing still in shock by the shoulders and flying away. ''No, no, NOOO!!'' Be was yelling in her mind, ''how did it get here? I made sure we were close to the shore but away from both the huge squid monster and floating ind. ''I only wanted to help some people while training Sara, how did ite here?'' Sparing a second to look behind her while even increasing her speed, she could see the huge monster getting close to their side of the shore as the rankers were trying to push it away from the popted areas. ''STUPID EDA RA-'' Be didn''t get to finish her thought before noticing that the monster had fired another pressured water shot at them. It was by ident of course, the monster was aiming for the rankers attacking it, but nheless, coteral damage is part of any battle. Sara couldn''t see it as she was being held with her face facing forward. But Be on the other hand, could see the shot approaching them in slow motion. ''Nooo... is that how we die?'' she found it disappointed, if anything, as not one soul would notice their disappearance. Even though they were technically fighting, they were supposed to be away from action so no one would even know of their sacrifice. ''Even evading is not an option. I''m not fast enough... damn... well, at least Sara won''t see it... I hope it''s fast and not so painful. I''m sorry, Sara, I''ve failed you.'' Event though her wings were still beating at full speed, they feltpletely still to her just like everything else around her, except for the water ball approaching them. BOOOMMM!! -SssssssssssS- Be couldn''t tell if she was dead or not, but she was sure that if she was to live, her ears would suffer from a long term damage. ''Eh? It doesn''t hu-'' again, she didn''t get to finish her thought before being interrupted, but this time she was thankful because it meant she was alive, together with Sara. "HOLY SH*T!" a feminine voice yelled after the loud explosion, "water dude is not kidding, huh? That shot would''ve easily taken down a skyscraper if aimed properly!" Chapter 84 - Battle On Shore Part 2 * Thousand Foot Krutch - Lifeline * IMPORTANT AN: dashes (-) will be used like brackets for conversations of people that aren''t directly in the scene. *** "HOLY SH*T!" a feminine voice yelled after the loud explosion, "water dude is not kidding, huh? That shot would''ve easily taken down a skyscraper if aimed properly!" "Are you alright, my mistress?" a childish voice called while panting. "Ah Calcer," replied Raven, "thank you!" "Hehe, I knew you''re awesome, my mistress!" the red haired boy said with a wide smile. "What the heck?" Be couldn''t help but mutter to herself as she descended to the ground to catch her breath. "Oi, you good?" the crimson-purple haired girl descended next to her and extended her hand towards her and Sara. Feeling her energye back, Be couldn''t help but look at the girl in admiration while holding the now unconscious Sara in her arms. Not only did the young girl just save their lives, but also gave her some energy to make sure she can get to a safe ce. "My mistress is awesome, isn''t she?" the red haired boy said with such a cheerful tone that almost made Be think she was at a birthday party and not a half destroyed city. Dismissing the red haired demon, Raven pressed her earpiece gently as she had heard Cami say something on the other side. Her "friend" that was giving her information about monster locations was obviously Cami since she had ess to that information through the EDA. While Raven didn''t like the idea of being an EDA ranker, she appreciated the help, especially that she knew Mr. Hond knew of their small operation. "Cami, I hear you, what''s up?" Raven said while holding down on the earpiece. "R##EN TH### #ERE!" Cami''s voice wasgging much that Raven couldn''t hear them. Even though she knew this should never happen with the specific devices they used. "Cami I can''t hear you!" "MAYA!! THEY #### ##R MAYA! MANY OF ####!!!" Raven couldn''t hear much, but from Cami''s panicked tone and words it appeared as though Maya was in trouble. Widening her eyes in realization, her aura red so violently that the ground cracked instantly under her feet. Everyone on the battlefield could feel the majestic rage of the mysterious little girl, including the ck haired demon that Raven had instructed to go help with the big monster, and the two S rankers there. Be felt the golden aura attack her very soul as her knees buckled under her. Seeing that the girl was about to drop down unconscious, Raven retracted back her aura and instructed Calcer to take care of her. A split second was all that Raven needed to get back to her original mindset. She couldn''t just go and leave the city in ruins, so a quick idea came into her mind. Feeling his mistress''s will, the ck haired demon flickered from the battlefield and reappeared in front of Raven, kneeling down. Raven had her hand extended already touching his void ck hair. Activating her newly acquired Combination Skill "Mana Recharge", and controlling her mana properly, Raven began the naming process, which was simr to a contract in a way. "Demon," Raven said quickly yet with such grace and rage that it made her look like an experienced queen ordering her troops to battle, "I shall give you a name; from now on, and till the day you die, you shall be called Keith. Serve me and you shall receive my gratitude." Suddenly, a ck golden light enveloped the demon signalling the beginning of the naming procedure. However, unlike Calcer, Raven felt that something was holding down the process. A third party was trying to prevent the naming. (Into the Demon World side) - "Your highness, I thought you were interested in the girl. If I may ask, why are you trying to break the naming ritual?" "Kfufufufufu! It''s nothing much. If that girl is indeed the one we''re seeking, then this amount of interference should be negligible to her." Sitting on his throne, the young royal had a smile filled with extacy as he was testing the girl for the first time. - (Back to Raven) Feeling the barrier between her and the red haired demon, and understanding that someone was trying to forcefully eliminate the contract made Raven rage beyond description. "I DON''T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" She yelled angrily as her aura turned brilliant white immediately, lighting up the entire city. It was simr to the incident of the small sun, yet this time it wasn''t exactly an attack, but rather raw Radiance. The Radiance was a result of Raven''s second Magic Skill: Brilliant Primordial Radiance. The only reason she resorted to that was because she needed to finish this and reach Maya instantly. Needless to say, everyone including the monster and other rankers, even people from other cities could see what was happening since it was all being broadcasted. (Demon World) - "YOUR HIGHNESS! Are you alright?" the old butler suddenly shouted as his master had been thrown away from his throne and sent crashing against the floor. "Kfufufuf-*cough*" the young demon tried tough while standing up but to no avail, he could neitherugh nor stand properly. His little stunt to suppress the naming ritual had almost cost him his life. ''Sven though my soul is in extreme pain, my mind is finally at ease. We''ve finally found her, the seeker of truth.- the demon thought as he closed his eyes that were bleeding from the pressure in his head. ''I hope you forgive me, when we meet that is.'' *sigh* (Back to the human ne) No one could tell for sure what has happened, but one thing that the S rankers, in particr, could feel was the presence of a new entity with enough power to either make them win or lose the war. A few seconds after the radiant light had faded away, everyone found themselves looking at a young man with an ancient royal garment of sorts. The garment itself was coal ck with mystic bright white patterns across, making it look more majestic. The man himself, unbeknownst to many that was a demon, had a medium length hair that was void ck with a couple of white strands running across. The white strands made him look young and wise at the same time while also emitting a mysterious powerful aura around him. "My mistress, you broke the seal..." Keith didn''t expect that a naming ritual would break the seal his old master had created. It wasn''t something harmful, but rather to prevent other demons from iming him their own. Looking around, he couldn''t see or feel his young mistress, but he knew what his mission was. Clenching his right gloved hand, he looked up the sky feeling better than ever before. He could feel the foreign yet friendly mana running through his body. "Thank you my mistress," he said sincerely still looking up in the sky, "I shall serve you with everything I have." *** * Maria''s mansion back in Torinto city * Cami and Joey were both standing in front of the rest of the group, spells and swords at the ready. Rain, Axane, and Maria were all surrounding Maya who was the center of attention. Kuru was in her arms ready to switch into his sword form when need arises. Currently, a group of flying white aliens were filling up the sky above them. They looked like angels in many aspects as their skin and feathery wings were sparkling white. However, Cami could tell that their aura wasn''t angelic at all. They''ve been in this position for the past few minutes but no party had attempted to make a move first. Many of the flying angels were looking at Maya in particr with a mix of hatred and envy, hence why Maria and the others chose to surround her. The tension was so thick in the air that it made it hard to breath. And to make matters worse, one of the ''angels'' decided tond in front of the group. Landing with with the grace of an owl, the ''angel'' looked Cami in the eyes as he could tell she was the strongest. "We havee to escort our queen back to our home." surprising everyone, he spoke with their ownnguage, rather than making some weird noise like monsters always do. "F*CK. OFF." Cami wasn''t ying this sort of game and she wasn''t handing anyone to a strange alien. "Through our studies, we have concluded that humans are more likely to obey if we''re polite," repeated the winged alien again, "please, let our queene back with us." Although he was speaking politely, his aura was anything but. "F.*.C.K. O.F.F." Cami repeated slowly for him to take a hint. "Apparently our calctions were not correct..." he said nkly, "a second resort would be violence, is that a stronger motivation for you to give us back our queen?" Maya who was listening this whole time was currently past her limits. "Did you not hear her you f*cking dipsh*t? She said F*CK OFF!" She knew Cami had already warned both of Jamie and Raven that they needed help, so they only needed to buy enough time for them to arrive. Maya wasn''t stupid and she knew that she in particr was the weakest and had no powers to fight with, but surrendering herself while Raven and Jaimie were only a few minutes away was beyond question. She would have failed her family and Raven in particr so many times. "My queen, we don''t understand why you''ve left us, but we have finally found you, pleasee back with us." the angel''s voice was almost too robotic for anyone to even consider alive. "Stop calling me your queen, I don''t even know you, d*ckhead!" "I understand that. It seems as though you''ve erased your own memories. We''ll fix that." The alien was done talking and started approaching the group. The rest of the winged aliens started to descend to the ground in a circr formation with the human group in the middle. "Please, your highness, we''ll fix that, we''ll fix you." He was getting closer to the group so Kuru turned into his sword form in Maya''s hands. Seeing the demonic ck sword in his queen''s hands, the angel made a disguted expression, as if about vomit. "So it''s true that you have betrayed us!" Saying that with the same robotic tone, the alien extended his ws as he charged at Maya who blocked with the sword. CLANK!! CHOP! The contact onlysted a few seconds as Kuru, in sword form, cut through the alien''s sharp w. "EEEEEKKKK!!" The collection of aliens screamed loudly deafening the group. Maya had blood running down her ears but she didn''t even think about letting go of the sword. Noticing that the alien was about to charge again, she readied Kuru and herself for a block. "I''m so sorry Kuru, I can''t wield your full power so I''m probably just hurting you..." WWHOOOOOOSHH!!!!! Blinking twice, Maya was sure she had shed at the alien-angel thing, but even after blinking a couple of times, she didn''t seem to find him around. "But what was noise I heard- COULD IT BE?" Looking around her, she found herself looking at her party members'' confused expressions and injured bodies as they''ve also had their small shes with the aliens. ''But where are they?'' everyone had the same thought. Looking up in the sky in search for them, everyone saw something falling down, or rather someone. """RAVEN!!!""" Chapter 85 - Mayas Origins Part 1 * Aero Chord - Shadows (feat. Nevve) [Monstercat Release] * *** - a couple of seconds before Raven''s arrival, from her POV - Dashing, or rather soaring, at top speed through the air, Raven could see Torinto city in the distance. [Raven please slow down or take a quick break. If you keep going at this pace you''ll faint from exhaustion before you''re able to help anyone.] ''Kay, I appreciate your thoughts and I know you''re right, but I can''t stand the thought of something happening to Maya or the others.'' Raven''s expression was a mix of worry and rage. The moment she reached Maria''s mansion, she could see about thirty or so white winged aliens engaged in their unfair skirmish against her family and friends. Maria had the Wingman heavygun the real Ka had created in what seemed like a long time ago. In front of her, Raven could see about five aliens that were already dead on the ground with blue blood oozing from different holes in their chests or heads. Joey had his light sword out hacking and shing like he was preparing dinner while dancing. But he was heavily outnumbered so he wasn''t in the best position. Rain was performing long ranged healing at the party, which wasn''t easy considering their movements and her trying to also avoid being cut in half by a stray w. But Axane was helping her. While she was hugging baby Rituxi, Raven noticed that her two ck horns were nowrger as her aura was more violent. She was forming energy barriers that would stop one of the aliens'' w attacks from badly injuring the party members. Cami was the most unfortunate in this scenario as she never faired well in close quarters, because of the nature of her skills. However, she had a couple of orbs surrounding the group and rotating in a way that would let her both attack the aliens and defend the others. Raven was so proud of them but at the same time confused and angry. Her observation didn''tst more than a second thanks to her Though eleration III system skill. Taking a second nce, she could see Maya fighting off alone against another alien. Looking closer she could see Kuru in his sword form in her hands, which made her even more furious. The aliens had not only attacked the people she cared about, but also forced some of them into potential traumas, such as Kuru. Raven had tried so hard to make him forget about his past with the terrible S ranked monster that had used him as an item. But it all was wasted now. Raven''s first thought was to jump down and kill all of the aliens but then a white light shed through her eyes as she saw the alien against Maya use a special skill of sorts. While Maya was going for his head, he''d already had his glowing ws just a few centimetres from her throat. At that, all of Raven''s feelings disappeared and were reced with scorching rage. If she doesn''t move in this very second, Maya will surely die. Raven''s face turned ice cold and steel emotionless as her eyes turned radiant white. She raised her hands in front of her while looking down at the alien fighting Maya in particr. Time seemed to have stopped for everyone else but herself. In front of her hands, a radiant white mana ball of sorts was formed. Countless tiny beams were fired at once from the ball, each was the size of aser beam, and with the same speed. The beams passed through the aliens'' heads and bodies selectively, evaporating them on the spot. No one knew what had happened. Aliens died without even knowing why, and the group''s had their enemies disappear which caused them anxiety and relief at the same time. Having eliminated the threat, Raven''s eyes turned back to their normal majestic gold as her body started to fall down, not having an ounce of energy to support her flight anymore. - back to the group - Looking up in the sky in search for the aliens that have seemingly disappeared, everyone saw something falling down, or rather someone. """RAVEN!!!""" Seeing Raven''s lifeless body falling down almost gave them a heart attack, but they quickly recovered as Jamie swooped in with fire thruster jets from his feet and grabbed her. "Ugh-" Raven hasn''t lost consciousness yet which was quite surprising, but on the other hand she was dead tired. "You gotta stop ying suicide squad, kid, you''re strong and all, but use your head goddamn it!" Jaime scolded Raven as heid her down on the ground. Even though his words were logical and out of worry, he only got ignored by Raven and red at by Cami and Maya. ''How do I always end up at the losing side?'' he thought to himself with a nk face. Maya and Maria naturally ran towards Raven to make sure she was alright. Also Kuru and the rest of the group were worried about her so they followed. "Maya are you alright? What happened?" Raven didn''t wait for them to either start scolding or thanking her, she needed to understand what was happening. "I am, thank you." Maya said as she slowly helped Raven sit down. "Those aliens swarmed us suddenly saying that I''m their queen or something, and they wanted to take me with them to their." Raven was confused but she didn''t let it prevent her from giving Maya a warm hug. "Don''t worry about them, I''ll destroy their and erase their entire race if I have to, no one''s taking you away from us." "Aw," Maya was rather touched at her words so she hugged her back tightly. "Thank you, Raven. I''m really the luckiest person alive to have met you." she said with tears in her eyes. "Sorry lil Maya but I''ll have to disagree," Maria got down to the ground and shared their hug, "I''m the luckiest to have met all of you." ""Hahaha!"" the group chuckled for a second before focusing on Jaime who was giving them a weird vibe. "Yo Kid," Jaime said suddenly looking at Raven with a serious expression, "I''m assuming you''re out of juice?" "Eh? Yea, why do you ask?" Raven asked, confused. "I think we still havepany..." he said looking up at the sky. Looking at the same direction, the group had to word hard to keep their breathing in a calm rhythm. In the sky, they could see hundreds of winged aliens. Everyone could tell they were of the same species as the group Raven has just massacred. However, there was something about them that was different. Unlike the previous group, they seemed more... majestic, and pure in a way. "Cami, I think I can take them on but some help would be appreciated since I''ve been fighting almost constantly for the past week," Jamie said with the same serious look. "Everyone, please go somewhere far, this is not going to-" "No it''s alright, they''re not here to fight." Raven surprised everyone with her calm reply. "How can you be so sure?" "Err, just trust me with this one," Raven said. She can usually feel the slightest killing intent, and right now she felt no bad intent whatsoever. "If anything, they''re emitting a friendly aura." Raven continued, activating one of her Exhration charges while standing up slowly, supported by both Maya and Maria. Stopping at about a hundred meters away from the group, midair, one angel in particr made eye contact with Maya. Descending to the ground slowly, the angel had a calm and collected expression. The moment he touched the ground, he kneeled down towards Maya''s direction while looking down, as if requesting permission to speak to her. Now that Raven had time to inspect the beautiful creatures, she could clearly see that they weren''t actual angels. ''Ka, what are they?'' [Akash, a species that specialises in technological innovations. They''re mostly known across the gxy for selling advanced tech and seeking knowledge] ''Akash, huh? seems like they''ve made technology part of themselves...'' Raven''s thought came from inspecting their appearance. Even though the Akash had human-like faces, the white feathery skin and white wings across their backs made it clear that they''re no humans. On top of that, most of them were wearing some type of weird clothes and metal vessels. Most of them covered the upper part of their head with a metal helmet that covered even their eyes. Others had metal gloves that resembled a cyborg arm, or other limbs. "Raven?" Maya inquired, looking at Raven. "Well, I''ll go see what they want, you stay here." "But it''s about me and it might be a trap, I can''t let you do that!" Maya retorted. "Heck, they''ve just attacked us with intent to kill!" "I agree, it''s reckless to go on your own." Jaime said with a nod. "Dude," Raven made a silly face, looking at Jaime, "they''re literally a couple of meters away, jump and give me a hand if things go south." Hearing that still didn''t satisfy Maya. "Yo, speak up, what do you want?" she yelled at the kneeling alien. All in order to prevent Raven from approaching them on her own. Hearing her words, the alien looked up and started to speak in fluent English. With their knowledge, it wasn''t hard at all. "Your highness, do you really not remember us, or your past?" The alien could already tell that his queen wasn''t the same one he''s served a long time ago. But he needed to make sure. The only options he could think of were that either she had lost her memories, or that the girl in front of him was the queen''s daughter, which then proves that the queen had betrayed her people. Both options weren''t good yet they still needed to know the truth, as it could determine the fate of their entire race. Chapter 86 - Mayas Origins Part 2 * Aero Chord - Shadows (feat. Nevve) [Monstercat Release] * *** The alien could already tell that his queen wasn''t the same one he''s served a long time ago. But he needed to make sure. The only options he could think of were that either she had lost her memories, or that the girl in front of him was the queen''s daughter, which then proves that the queen had betrayed her people. Both options weren''t good yet they still needed to know the truth, as it could determine the fate of their entire race. "Care to state your name and who you are first?" Raven said in a diplomatic tone. "Apologies, I had a lot on my mind that I''ve forgotten my manners." the alien answered sincerely, "my name is Jakol, the fifth general of the Akash kingdom of Akish." From the way he conducted himself and his appearance, Raven could tell he was indeed who he imed to be. He wore a silver armoured pants of sorts that looked both efficient and formal. And even though his mascr chest was left for the eyes to see, he had a robe of sorts covering his shoulders, and that was made out of metallic tes as well. Many badges were left hanging from the left side of his robe as an indicatiin of his high rank. "Well met, my name is Raven. So what brings you here?" Seeing that his queen was silent, waiting for his answer, he didn''t let her wait. "The current situation is as follows: a random portal of sorts opened in one of our main cities, and we were asked, by the current ruler, to investigate it. "Once we got to this side, we detected your presence, your highness," Jakol said with a bow towards Maya, "and so we came here to check whether it''s actually you or not." "Ok, break time," Raven said, "a couple of idiots looking kinda like you, I''m assuming same race, came here and attacked Maya, the one you''re iming to be your queen." At that, Jakol''s aura red bright white for a second before fading away. "I do apologize, it seems as though the ''Resistance'' was one step ahead of us." "What?" "The current situation in Akish isn''t at its best, it hasn''t been since the day you left, your highness..." "Listen here dude," Maya was so confused that she didn''t swear this time, "why do you keep assuming I''m your queen or whatever? I''m a little human girl with no powers. Are you blind or do you think we both look the same?" "Your highness, but we can feel the connection!" "Bullsh*t! I feel absolutely nothing," Maya wasn''t taking it easy on a creep that wanted to basically kidnap her with permission, "Just go find a cat or a bird and im them your kind and queen. I''m not into giving orders anyway." Hearing her reply, Jakol didn''t know what to do. The real queen would never act like that, so that left him with option two: the queen had betrayed them. ''No! What am I thinking, our queen would have never done that.'' he tried to convince himself. "Your highness, can we do a small test, to check whether you''re indeed human or Akash? I can guarantee it''s safe and will cause you no harm." "Why would we trust a wording out of your mouth?" this time it was Maria who spoke as it was her daughter they''re talking about here. "You don''t have to trust me, I''ll show you..." Jakol said while extended his hand forward, palm up. A small bracelet of sorts materialised in his hand. "This is a device that would test someone''s internal energy to confirm their race. It''s mostly used in crime scenes, among other applications, to determine who stole or killed, etc." he said while cing the bracelet around his wrist. Beep! Beep! Beep! Making weird noises for a second, a hologram materialize above the bracelet like a screen. The hologram had one word on it, and that was "Akish". "Is that enough of a proof? Not even a scratch." he said while showing them his wrist after taking the bracelet off. Thinking for a second, Raven looked at Maya to confirm her race. ''Kay, she''s human right?'' [My appraisal shows that she''s human, yes. However, remember when you had the disguise runestone to hide your gender? She might have something simr for her race.] "Alright, we''ll try it," Raven said surprising her group. But, she could swear she heard a sigh of reliefing from Jakol and even some cheers from the flying Akash above them. Raven approached Jakol alone to get the bracelet. Her n was to try it on herself and see if it shows Soul Weaver for her first, if that was safe and legitimate, then she''d try it on Maya. However, even if she did that, there could be something else blocking a good reading of her race, like Ka had mentioned. "I KNEW IT!" a voice beamed as Raven could instantly feel danger, but in her current state, there was nothing she could do. ''What the...'' Jakol and Jaimie could see a boy approaching her so fast while aiming a long dagger at her neck. They both were about to stop the boy when a figure seemingly appeared out of thin air in front of Raven. Jaime could faintly see a magic circle underneath the figure, but it disappeared the moment he fully appeared. ''Wait, is that another magic circle? What''s going on here?'' Jaime muttered while noticing another magic circle forming midair. PUCHI! BOOM!! The dagger was stopped in its tracks by two gloved fingers. And at the same time, another figure appeared midair and kicked the attacking boy in the head. But the boy was quick and put his guard up, while making a dash backwards, or so he tried. But he couldn''t move as he felt his body hit the ground hard enough to crack a normal man''s body. Taking a moment to digest what had just happened, Raven found herself staring at Keith, the newly named demon who was holding the attacking boy by his head and preventing him from making a single move. Keith appeared to have a neutral expression on his face, but if someone was to look deep into his deep red eyes, they''d see rage burning brightly. Even though Raven was only his temporary master, she''d given him a name for the first time in his life. Something that even his actual master had never done. Above that, she had treated him nicely and with the utmost respect. Because of that, he wanted nothing more than to squash the boy''s head like the insect he is, but he knew better. "My mistress, may I kill him? Or would you like me to torture him for a while?" Keith finally said in a polite tone. However, before Raven could even answer, another voice beamed next to her, "MY MISTRESS, ARE YOU OK?" Looking at the source of the panicked voice, she could see Calcer midair with a tense expression, as he hadn''t seeded in defending his mistress. If it wasn''t for Keith, that dagger would have hit his mistress, and he wasn''t happy about that, to say the least. At that very moment, Calcer had one thought in his mind, ''I should get stronger. I should be strong enough to defend my mistress, just like Keith.'' he thought while looking up at the demon in front if him. "Keith, Calcer, thank you," Raven said with a smile. "You''ve certainly saved me, hehe" Even though she looked calm on the outside, things weren''t going well in her mind. ''How did I just stand here like an idiot? In any other situation, even if I waspletely drained, I would have found a way to stop it!'' ""It''s our duty!"" both Keith and Calcer said in unison, breaking Raven out if her thoughts. [But remember you were COMPLETELY drained, you''ve used up everything to summon and name the two demons, attacking aliens and defending civilians. You also flew over provinces even though it''s your first time actually trying mana flight...] ''But I used my skill Exhration just a second ago? What happened with that?'' sheined again. "Well, I was about to save you too, you know," Jaimieined but Raven didn''t seem to notice, while Jakol just stood their silently. [Raven, if you didn''t activate it you wouldn''t have been able to walk? Do you not feel pain? I can tell you exactly how much damage each part of your body has suffered... Anyhow, you have your Keith and Calcer to protect you now so it''s alright, try to stay as passive as possible, at least till you could get some rest, please.] "What just happened?" Maya murmured and the group just shook their heads, including the clueless Raven. "Ahem! Um, Kid, would you please introduce your friends?" Jaime said, looking at the red haired boy and the young man in the weird garment. "Hey don''t you dare ignor-" the boy on the ground tried to yell but was quickly silenced with a head squeeze from Keith that made him yelp like an injured puppy. Chapter 87 - Truth About Demon Summoning Part 1 * Imagine Dragons - Believer * *** "Ahem! Um, Kid, would you please introduce your friends?" Jaime said, looking at the red haired boy and the young man in the weird garment. "Hey don''t you dare ignor-" the boy on the ground tried to yell but was quickly silenced with a head squeeze from Keith that made him yelp like an injured puppy. "Yes Raven, please introduce us," Cami said with a grin, "for as long as I can remember, you disliked being treated as a princess and have always told Joey to not treat you as such, yet now those two call you ''mistress''... are you forming a secret cult or something?" Raven turned red at that, "well, it''s that I don''t want Joey to treat me like that, it''s just that he changes his behaviour around me and I don''t like it. "He''s always energetic and funny, like he was in the ser match. But around me, he''s always so formal..." Raven was only telling the truth, she didn''t want her friends to treat her formally as it would make her feel weird and guilty. Hearing that, Joey realised where he was mistaken and felt bad about it. "I''m d.." he muttered looking up in the sky. "I''ve always thought you hated me or didn''t trust me because I reminded you of your past, but to think that it''s because you didn''t want me to change..." it didn''t sound like a sensitive subject for the others, yet it made Joey tear up. "You know... Araxel, that''s so like you." Joey said with a charming smile that made his chestnut brown eyes sparkle under the sun. "You''ve always insisted, back when we were still children, that we were like brothers and calling you with any sort of formality feels like an insult to you..." Hearing that, Raven smiled warmly and sincerely. She didn''t remember her past, but she knew it was something she''d say. "Get a room-" again, the boy was silenced. But this time it wasn''t just a squeeze. His head hit the ground hard enough to break it. Keith didn''t like babysitting, but he couldn''t just simply kill the boy in front of his mistress if she hadn''t ordered it. *cough* Cami coughed to break the awkward atmosphere. "So anyway, who are these two gentlemen?" "Um, so this here is Keith." Raven said pointing at the ck and white haired demon holding the boy. Keith bowed his head slightly in respect as Raven called out his name. "And that''s Calcer," she pointed at Calcer who waved back. "Hi, nice to meet you! It''d be great if we became friends when my mistress summons us for real!" he had such a cheerful smile that made everyone feel off. "What do you mean by summons for real?" Maria asked in confusion. "Um well, you see, they''re both demons that I''ve summoned-" "They''re WHAT??" Jaime yelled subconsciously as he''d never heard someone mentioning demon summoning so casually. "My mistress," Keith looked at Raven and asked, "Will it, and I shall teach him respect." he said in a collected manner while looking Jaime in the eyes. The boy in his grasp seemed to twitch in pain for some reason. "No don''t worry about it," Raven replied with an awkward smile, before looking back at Jaime. "How many?" he said in a low voice. "How many what?" "How many have you killed to summon such powerful demons?" Jaime wasn''t naive and he knew these two demons weren''t just some easy targets. Keith was at least A+ ranked if not A++ and Calcer was at least C++. Normally Summoning demons required a sacrifice, and to think that the girl Cami respected so much would have killed people or used the deaths in the city to her advantage for demon summoning made him almost puke. "Why would I kill?" Raven was genuinely surprised and confused. "I only formed a contract with them, I didn''t kill anyone." "Are you telling me you summoned them without a sacrifice?" "Yea-" "BULLSH*T!" Jaime yelled, startling the group while ring his mana. Naturally Keith wasn''t happy about it. "Calcer, hold the boy," he ordered as he was a higher rank. Handing the boy to the red haired demon, he stood by the still confused Raven''s side. "My mistress, I was taught to be respectful in front of my masters'' guests, however, I''m feeling that his rage is directed towards you. Would you like me to interfere?" Blinking twice, Raven shook her head. "Yo, Jaime boy, I don''t know what your problem is, but if you don''t want to believe me then you don''t have to." "Jaime, Raven won''t lie to you..." Cami said with a hint of disappointment and anger. "Yeah, I can''t believe you''re such an idiot," Maya followed, "don''t you think she would have not mentioned the part about... you know, them being demons, if she wanted to hide the truth anyway?" *sigh* Jaime felt that the little girl was making sense, yet he wasn''t satisfied. "Keith, was it?" he said with an uneasy tone. It was never a wise decision to underestimate a named demon. "Has your mistress, as you call her, paid you with souls, and if so, how many?" "Sure, answer honestly..." Raven nodded towards Keith who was looking at her for confirmation. Raven didn''t even know souls could be used to summon demons. Heck, she didn''t even know how to acquire or preserve souls. Part of her wanted Jaime to believe her, and the other wanted to nt his stupid head in the ground. But considering her state and that Jaimie is basically a friend by now, and that he''d saved her more than once, she had to go with the diplomatic approach. Receiving the confirmation from Raven, Keith nodded quietly and answered honestly, "Yes." "Eh?" Raven was taken aback by Keith''s answer. "I''m sorry Keith it sounded like you said ''yes'' but that can''t be true?" Jaime only clenched his fists hard enough for his nails to dig in in his palm and cause him to bleed. "My mistress," Keith continued. "I understand that you might not know it yourself, but if I were to describe the summoning process, it''d be as follows; "First, offering the souls to attract the demons'' attention. Once that happens, the demons either solve it peacefully or fight among themselves to determine who would answer the summoning. "When a winner is decided, they absorb the souls in order to strengthen their body enough to withstand the atmosphere in the human ne for a specific period of time. "That, or they absorb massive amounts of souls that''s enough to build their body anew, thus, removing the time restrictions. "Demons are beings that are built from souls and mana after all. They can''t exist without both of these two elements being present in sufficient amounts. "After acquiring a good body, they use the mana from their new master to transfer themselves into the human world. It''s very rare for a summoning or a contract to be permanent since the amounts of souls required is-" "Keith, stop..." Raven said with an expressionless face, looking at the ground. Only after hearing the truth from Keith did she realise what she''s actually done. "Tell me, how did I give you souls if I didn''t even know anything about them?" Raven could feel herself lose control slowly. She didn''t care about using souls for her summoning if that was going to help her save people that are still alive. Heck, as an assassin, she''s killed many people, even when she escaped from Lady Luck''s ce. But most people were in the brothel''s close vicinity so she didn''t care, not that she''s nned it anyway. What made her mind unsteady though, was that the demon she summoned, named, and trusted, was lying to her. Trust was an issue she thought she had got ridden of along time ago, but maybe not. Feeling Raven''s mana and rage, Keith instantly kneeled and bowed his head down. "My mistress-" "Did you just lie to me, Keith?" Raven said with a voice that was chilly enough to sent shivers down his spine, and a re that was sharp enough to cut his heart apart. She didn''t have any mana left for a fight against the demons and she knew it, but Raven wasn''t happy about someone misusing her trust. "I didn''t," Keith said honestly, which made Raven stand there clueless as to what he meant. She knew for a fact she hadn''t actively included any souls for the contract. Jaime who witnessed all of that didn''t know how to react. Both of them seemed honest and sincere about their answers. Yet, it didn''t make any sense. "My mistress!" Calcer kneeled besides Keith while keeping the boy''s head on the ground. "Keith isn''t lying. Please, may I exin?" "Uhm," Raven nodded as she didn''t know what else to do. "Thank you," Calcer thanked her and started his exnation, "what happened to me was that after I''ve won the fight against the other demons that were interested in the contract, I was sent into another dimension of sorts. "It''s not the first time that I''ve been summoned to the human world so I know that part wasn''t supposed to happen. When I woke up there, all I could see was darkness and one soul sphere that was floating in the air. "Even though the soul sphere looked like a purple apple, like it usually does, it had purple mesing out of it. Lord Keith, I''m assuming that''s what happened to you too, right?" ''Lord Keith?'' Jaime muttered in his mind. "Yes," Keith replied, "when I woke up in that dimension, I found three soul spheres floating midair, illuminating the otherwise dark space. However, unlike normal soul spheres, each one was packed with at least a thousand souls. "Also, they weren''t only human souls, but many other races that I couldn''t identify." "Raven?" Maria asked as she tried to approach her, but she was stopped by Cami. "How did you get so many?" Cami asked with a look of betrayal. ... "I don''t know..." Raven said after a long pause. She actually had no idea how or why.. At first she thought the two demons were ying tricks on her, but now she just didn''t know. Chapter 88 - Truth About Demon Summoning Part 2 * The Soul Of Wind * AN: not a song, but a YT channel. I''m not promoting whoever the owner is, but letting you know that I listened to one of their songs while writing this. The songs all have the same name, so name won''t help. *** "How did you get so many?" Cami asked with a look of betrayal. "I don''t know..." Raven said after a long pause. She actually had no idea how or why. At first she thought the two demons were ying tricks on her, but now she just didn''t know. Feeling the looks of betrayal from the group, Raven felt like her heart was about to shatter to a thousand pieces. Maybe she looked strong and confident to others, but her power and self-esteem arises from the fact that she has her family and friends to support her. Without them, she''d go back to being the broken soul she was at Lady Luck''s ce. "I''m sorry..." she muttered to the group with a pained expression. ''Maybe I should just leave them be?'' she thought to herself with teary eyes. ''Now that Jaimie knows, he''ll think I''m a gctic assassin or something. Heck, even the group would think that I''ve lied to them. ''I can''t do that to them. Or rather, my heart can''t withstand seeing the way they''ll look at me after today.'' Ka was strangely quiet that Raven thought she didn''t love her anymore. Needless to say, that made her situation even worse. Feeling the pressure on her heart increase by the second, Raven started sweating while breathing heavily. "Hey kid!" Cami suddenly yelled to get Raven out of her trance, "damn, you''re so sensitive and moody, you know that? I didn''t mean that I doubt you, I''m just curious and worried at the same time." Looking up again at Cami she saw her smiling warmly, "but just now, you were looking at me with a- a weird look..." Raven could swear Cami was mad at her. "What weird look?" Cami was confused as she was only worried at her. Looking at Cami again, she saw a warm yet confused expression on her face. "But don''t you think that I''ve lied to you, and betrayed you-" Raven stopped mid sentence feeling rather tired all of a sudden. "Hey, no! No one looked at you weird," Maria reassured, "maybe that idiot Jamie but that''s it. Raven, you know we''ll never doubt you right? Me, Maya, Axane, Rain, Cami, Kuru, and Joey... we all love you and we''d back you up even if you be the queen of devils." "Yea, don''t worry about him though I''ll kill him if he goes out of line again, hehe," Camiughed while pointing at Jaime and making a One-Word-And-Imma-Cut-You-Down gesture. Looking at Maria, Raven saw her soft smile and felt warm inside. Cami and the rest of the group had simr expressions as well. "Ah... I should have known-" Saying that, Raven felt the world spin around her as her vision got blurry all of a sudden. Closing her eyes, she gave in to the headache and dizziness assaulting her ruthlessly. Right before she could hit the ground, Keith was already by her side, carrying her in a princess-carry. The group panicked for a second before Rain had confirmed that it''s just exhaustion. She had overexerted herself after all. *** After putting Raven in her room and making sure she was alright, Keith and Calcer disappeared back to the demon world as they''vepleted their part of the contract and their bodies started to lose energy. "They''re so nice, right?" Rain wondered out loud, "they don''t strike me as ''demon'' material." Remembering how Calcer was so sad about leaving Raven, and how Keith felt bad about what he''d said and how he''d caused her problems, Maria nodded slowly. Calcer of course hadn''t left before making sure at least five people were going to tell Raven to summon him again. "They''re definitely better than Jaime," she said while directly staring at him in the eyes. "You know," Maya said with her hands under her chin on the kitchen table, "I''ll destroy you, and I f*cking mean it, I will destroy the f*CK out of you if you yell at Raven again." Jaime didn''t know why, but even though he couldn''t see the girl''s expressionless face, he could feel the chill behind her voice. "Listen, I understand that she''s your sister and friend or whatever, but you have to be careful around her," Jaime argued, "she''s still- what eleven years old? And has already killed thousands, what does that tell you? "She''s obviously hiding something from you!" Standing up slowly, Maya approached Jaime with rage boiling in her eyes, "What did you just say you little dipsh*t? I don''t care who the f*ck you think you are, S ranker or not, I''ll kill you slowly and painfully if you keep this attitude of yours. "Raven is the one that gave me my life. She''s the one that has saved countless people and lives." she refrained from mentioning Kuru since she didn''t want the EDA to interfere and im him dangerous, since he used to be a dangerous weapon and all. "What have you done? Aside from fighting monsters? I bet you do it for fame and other sh*t-" Maya wanted to continue but Cami patted her shoulder, prompting her to stop. "Listen Maya," Cami said calmly, "Jaime might be an idiot, but he''s not evil ok? He''s had a- let''s say a bad experience with demon summoning and that''s why the subject rubs him off the wrong way. "But on the other hand, you Jaime," now she looked at him, " you have to trust Raven. I know she always seems different and... almost alien, with her methods and actions. But she''s in fact the kindest person I''ve ever met. "You know, she''s also saved my life... believe it or not, she was a D or C ranker at the time and she still saved an S ranker. What makes me trust her blindly is that we had a small fight before she saved me." "You had a fight? And how did she save you?" Jaime asked curiously. "Well, I- I kinda did the same thing you were trying to do," Cami said in a sad expression as she remembered the events that had unfolded in the cave, "I didn''t trust her even after all she''s done for me, and I identally red my mana and almost hurt everyone in the cave. "Seeing how I almost hurt Maya and Maria, Raven got mad angry and- anyway, I was kicked out. "While I was wandering around in the forest, I got attacked by two strong monsters, and even though I killed one of them, the other almost got me. "But in the exact moment before the grim reaper could im my soul, Raven appeared out of nowhere and saved my a*s, haha" Camiughed softly remembering how mad and sad Raven was when she found out that Cami was hurt because she wasn''t allowed to stay in the cave. "I remember her yelling that she''s the one that almost killed me, because she kicked me out, and not the monster." Cami omitted this part but she remembered how at one point during the fight, Raven had a dark sadisticugh on her face, while her aura was terrifyingly evil. If Cami was told that that face was the face of the one who''d ughtered thousands of people, she''d believe it instantly. But at the same time, she knew that wasn''t the same Raven. ''The girl needs help... I don''t know who or what was that, but if it''s inside of her, she might be in danger too...'' "I see..." Jaime said in reply to the silent atmosphere after Cami''s anecdote. *sigh* "If you''re that sure that the girl herself is good, then it could be that the souls within her body were inserted by someone else..." "What does that mean? And isn''t that dangerous?" Rain asked. "It is dangerous, but give me some time and I''ll ask around. At this point all I know is unconfirmed rumours that I''ve heard around so I''m not sure." Standing up, Jaime took ast look before walking towards the door, "tell her I said sorry..." "My queen," Jakol said after Jaimie had left, while looking at the still standing Maya who was clenching her fists super hard. "I can ask around my people as well, we''re one of the few races that has grasped many secrets-" "Do it," Maya said cutting him off. Jakol had asked to stick around to protect Maya in case another portal appears. While she hasn''t tried the bracelet yet, to determine her race, she didn''t care. She wanted to ask Raven for advice first and so she decided to wait for her to wake up. Typing some weird characters on a small hologram, Jakol confirmed that his team is working on it, trying to find information about how would thousands of souls get into the same body while only one is being actively expressed. Jakol had used a device to turn himself into a human, or rather just his appearance. Now he looked like a young man with silver eyes and matching hair. No feathers or visible alien technology could be seen directly on his body. He only had some causal clothes on that made him look rather stylish and way different than before. "Yo Maria," Cami asked in a casual tone. "Are you sure you''re ok with having the kid go in peace? I mean he literally almost killed Raven." Thinking about it for a second, Maria replied, "I think it''s alright... Raven wouldn''t have been hurt by an idiot like him." Smiling weakly, Cami patted Maria on the shoulder while giving her a quick massage. The kid that had attacked Raven was named Kenny, sixteen year old B ranker that had thought Raven was suspicious when she had shown so much power against the S ranked monster. And when he saw a bunch of flying aliens and decided to follow them, he found himself looking at a ''suspicious'' transactions between the aliens and the girl, so he thought she was making a deal of sorts with them. Since Raven had sustained no damages, the kid was released to the hospital to heal his face, without any charges, especially that Maira and Maya didn''t care. They had already given him a punching bag treatment for a short period of time, after all. He''d never forget his encounter with Raven and will always remember to be careful and not jump into random usations. "Say Cami," Maria said, "what do you think about me, Maya, and Raven''s rtionship... Is it tooplicated?" Cami could tell that Maria was tired and didn''t want to discuss Raven while she wasn''t present. "Complicated... no," Cami replied as she didn''t even know the depth of what this family of three had shared. "But from what I know, I can tell you''re really close to eachother, it''s heart warming." At that, Maria rxing her shoulders and smiled, "Uhm, I think we all care about eachother. And the unconditional trust and love we have is what had made us reach this far." "Yea, you''re gonna have to exin to me what your story is since I really don''t know much, but that''s a conversation for a different time." "Oh right," she paused the massage and said, "why don''t you go sleep next to her? I''m sure it''ll make her feel better when she wakes up with you by her side." "I can? Wouldn''t that be weird or maybe embarrassing for her?" Maria wanted to, but at the same time didn''t want Raven to be ufortable. If anything, Maria understood exactly how deep Raven''s wounds ran... "I''m pretty sure she will be happy." Cami said with a smile. Not needing any extra motivation, Maria grabbed Maya and ran towards Raven''s room. "Eh? Me too?" Maya was surprised. "You''re her sister, do you want to support her?" Maria asked. Looking down in disappointment, Maya nodded and kept going. "What an awkward family..." Cami said with a smile as she sat down near the big kitchen window watching the sky rain, cleaning up the blood and bad memories. The group all smiled warmly at that, they''ve all been and are basically strangers to eachother. Their only real connection is the three girls that they''ve randomly met. "Joey, you''ll have to tell me more about Raven one day," Cami said as she took her eyes off of the beautiful rxing rain outside, "Axane, why don''t you go get some rest too, you look tired." "..." Axane was disappointed that Maria hadn''t invited her to Raven''s room and it was rather visible to the others. *sigh* "Alright, Joey and Jakol, I''m sorry my dudes but you gotta sleep on the couches in one of the living rooms," Cami said as she stood up, "You lot follow me. We''ll take over Raven''s room hehe." "Uhm!" Axane nodded cheerfully. Rain only smiled warmly. Kuru tried his best not to jump happily but he still did it. "Oh... Kuru..." "Pretty please... I''m not even human," Kuru made some expert puppy eyes trying to convince Cami to allow him in too. "Sorry bud," Camiughed sadistically, "you keep Jakol and Joey''spany, hehe" Not too long after, Raven''s room had three girls on a queen sized bed and three others on the floor, with a tiny baby in her own small portable bed. Kuru wasn''t happy about staying with the two boys, but for some reason, just the fact that Raven was safe made him feel better and he slept quickly after. "You seem happy..." Jakol muttered to Joey who was stroking Kuru''s silky dark mane. "Uhm," Joey nodded, "I was thinking how she always seem to be able to find the best in all people... "Maybe Raven is not the most cheerful, nor the strongest, but she always takes care of her people. People always flock around her because of that. "It''s just heartwarming, knowing that I''ve been her first bodyguard and first real friend. Even though she doesn''t remember, I''m sure I''ll gain back her trust." ''Rest assured, your highness, many people care for you and love you, they always will. No matter the hardships or obstacles standing in your way, you''ll always be able to ovee them with your friends. ''Rest assured, your highness, even though you don''t know what tomorrow is hiding for you, know that whatever it is... it will be ok....'' Chapter 89 - Aftermath And Loss * The Soul Of Wind * *** The sky was sleepy grey, and the wind was calm yet chilly. The sun was hiding behind the rainy clouds almost as if afraid to share the sadness in the atmosphere. Rain hadn''t stopped for thest five days, as if Earth was trying to erase and purge anysting signs of the massacre that had urred, yet to no avail. It''s been a week since thest portal had appeared, but the metallic smell of blood is still in the air. Monsters have stopped flowing out of the portals, yet the threat was by no means away. Humanity had suffered and is still suffering from the aftereffects of the global monster attacks. Many good people have died, and more were injured. Most of those who''d entered the portals have disappeared for good, and are assumed dead. Up to this point, only one group had returned. Many tears were shed, minds broken, and hearts shattered. Today, humans share their grief. Not many bodies were left intact since the monsters devoured the majority, but a collective funeral was held in each city, to honour those who have fallen, and celebrate those who have risen against the odds and survived. The broken streets were quiet, even though they were filled with people. They all wore the same ck clothes, the same ck umbres, and the same sad expression. On top of a makeshift stand, stood the mayor of Torinto city and gave her prewritten speech about humanity, grief, and honour. Other mayors across cities and presidents across counties around the globe had, more or less, the same speech prepared. "Grief is no fear, no weakness, no disorder... Grief is thesting effect of love. We loved and thus we now grief. "Grief is the longing for those who we''ve loved after they''ve parted ways... to a better ce. "Don''t try to forget your loved ones in order to feel better... No, make sure to remember them, their sacrifices, their love, and the hope they wanted you to embrace. "All of our loved ones had left us one thing inmon, and that is the hope for a better future. "It''s no shame to be sad or feel shaken, but it''s a shame to let it hold you down. One must know that after hardships, only ease wille... "Live, and smile in the face of danger. Live and remember that this life we enjoy today was earned, and rightly so, as it''s the gift of our loved ones..." Far away from the crowd, yet within earshot, a girl was sitting down on top of a small hill, tightly hugging her knees, with her back resting against a red maple tree. Her eyes and ears were focused on the mayor and her borated speech, yet her mind was wandering somewhere else. The girl was sitting in her wet clothes, not caring for the rain or cold assaulting her bones. No, she couldn''t feel any more pain after all. Her eyes had no more tears left and her mind couldn''t take the stress and despair anymore. Just like many others, she had lost a dear one. She''s lost her older brother, her only family... She still remembers when he''d told her he''ll be back for dinner. "Lizzy, I''ll take a quick look outside ande back, ok?" he said with a smile, in response to a sudden explosion sound in the distance. "Eh? But Sammy, it''s dangerous outside, didn''t you hear what they said on TV? Monsters are roaming the city." Lizzy had replied. "Haha, don''t worry about it, I''m not powered for nothing, you know." "But you''re not that strong!" Lizzy pouted. "Come on now don''t go insulting me like that, I''m an A ranker! If I didn''t have my degree to work on and you to take care of, I would''ve epted the EDA request and joined their ranks." "Hey, don''t me me for not joining the EDA, you''re just a nerd who can''t fight, *huff*" blowing at her short brown locks, Lizzy pretended to be angry. "Ok, I''ll bring you some sweets and be back for dinner, how''s that? Sammy said as he approached Lizzy for a hug. "I''m not a kid you know, I''m twenty years old..." "So, you don''t want your sweets?" "No... but a couple of lollipops would be appreciated." Lizzy said with a red face. Sweets were her weak point after all. "Haha, consider it done, I won''t bete I promise." Sammy said as he hugged his little sister hurriedly and ran outside through the door. ... "I''m still waiting for those lollipops, you idiot..." Lizzy muttered subconsciously. Even though she was old enough to be an adult, Sammy had always treated her like a baby. Just thinking about it made her smile for a second before returning back to her sad expression. Even though she had no tears left to shed, her feelings of sadness have been only increasing by the second. "Hello, youngdy!" a hoarse voice shook Lizzy out of her trance. Lizzy''s body wasn''t exactly well developed and as such she was used to people thinking she was a boy. So now that someone had recognised her as a girl, she was slightly surprised. However, her expression remained unchanged. Looking up at the source of the voice, she found herself staring at an old woman that appeared to be in her sixties. She wore a ck clothes like everyone else, and had a wooden crutch in her right hand. What stood out was the smile she had stered across her face. It was like a small candle in the darkest nights. Even though it was faint, it lit up the atmosphere and gave a weird feeling of nostalgia. "Show me that smile of yours," the older woman demanded, kindly. But Lizzy couldn''t bring herself to smile anymore. All of her previously cheerful memories with her brothers have been painted with blood. Every ounce of happiness has been turned into sadness. "You have to try at least," the woman urged her, "I can tell that you''ve lost someone dear, who was it? "My older brother," answered Lizzy after some hesitation. Even though the woman was old, she didn''t seem to have any issues with hearing the girl''s low voice that was akin to a whisper lost in the wind. "We''ve all lost people that were dear to us, honey," the woman said, "do you know who I''ve lost?" At that, Lizzy only shook her head. She could have obviously taken a guess, but she didn''t want to bother with talking. "I lost... no one." "Eh?" Lizzy couldn''t help but feel surprised, why was the woman here if she hasn''t lost anyone? Why was she smiling earlier? "I don''t have anyone to lose..." the woman continued, making Lizzy bite her lips in understanding. "My husband and two kids died in a car crash thirty years ago while... I was driving... I was the only survivor, do you know how that felt?" Lizzy didn''t say anything, only looked down with a pained expression. *sigh* sighing, the woman continued, "I spent most of my recovery days after the crash in regret and pain. I thought of killing myself many times... "But you know, whenever I stood at the balcony ready to jump, I''d see the faces my husband and two kids, smiling at me. "At first I thought I was going insane, but when I read about mediums and spirits, I understood that I was seeing the actual souls of my beloved ones." the woman teared up at that. "They were always there urging me to continue on living," the woman continued and Lizzy nodded. Lizzy found it weird how the woman kept mostly smiling even though her eyes were in pain. "Only after I''ve promised to keep their memory alive with me, did they leave peacefully... "Old stories and books has it that when a person dies, their soul gets transferred into the Celestial World, and there, they live another life as spirits. "Do you know why I''ve stopped to talk to you, youngdy?" she asked and Lizzy shook her head again. "Because I see your brother''s soul next to you..." Lizzy started looking left and right weakly, but she couldn''t see her brother. "I''m sorry, but only I can see their souls... he''s been with you since the moment he lost his body, and you must know, he''s never truly dead. "You must go back to living your own life, rather than worrying about his lost one. "Give him that peace of mind he needs to proceed to the other side, the haven of spirits." "Are you implying that if I make peace with him leaving, he''ll be happier?" Lizzy spoke for the second time, with uncertainty. She didn''t believe in ghosts and whatnot, after all. She understood that the olddy was trying to make her feel better, but it still didn''t feel real. "Yes, I know it seems hard to believe, but let me change your mind," the woman said with a smile, as she pulled two lollipops out of her pocket. Lizzy didn''t know why but she instantly regained her ability to cry, and warm tears flowed down her cheeks silently and without much resistance. ''she must have heard me mutter something about sweets,'' Lizzy thought but still appreciated the gesture. ''She''s trying to tell met that only by embracing the memory of those who we''ve lost, that we actually show how much we cherish them...'' *** After a while, the older woman left Lizzy alone and started walking towards the city. Feeling like something was tugging on her mind in a weird way, the woman decided to get some rest and then go back to the hospital. Entering the general hospital, she was directed towards her room on the third floor. "Hello back Ms. Taylor," the nurse greeted as she gave the old woman her supper. "Hello, Suzie, have I by any chance told you where I was heading today?" "No, is everything alright, Ms. Taylor? the nurse asked with concern in her voice. "Yes it''s alright, I just don''t remember anything from today''s events... I remember when I walked away from the hospital and when I came back, but everything in between is just a blur." "I see, it seems like your disease is progressing faster than we thought, I''ll let the doctor know." "Thank you, Suzie," the older woman said with a kind smile before proceeding to eat her warm food. Getting out of the room, the nurse wrote down every change she''s noticed on the older patient, in addition to her story. Giving her notes to the doctor, she reviewed her files onest time, "Keely Taylor. Sixty seven years old. Single. No kids or known rtives. "Pathological history: Alzheimer''s disease started as early as when she was in her fourth decade of age. Her co-workers started noticing that she''s forgetting a lot, etc. "Latest history includes increased symptoms of the disease. Cholinesterase inhibitors aren''t showing any improvements as ofst week. "When we let her out of her room for the first time in a week, today, to roam the vicinity of the hospital, such as the mall and little park, she revealed some memory loss." The nurse finished. "I see," muttered the doctor, "the guards are instructed to not let any patients leave the hospital grounds so I''d say it''s safe to let her roam for the next week or two before the symptoms be more severe. "Everyone would notice an olddy in a white hospital gown roaming around anyway. "There isn''t much we can do at the moment, so why not let her enjoy herst month or so..." "Understood..." said the nurse sadly. It wasn''t the first time she had to deal with a terminal illness patient, but it''s never gotten easier, "I''ll inform the staff, thank you doc!" *** After thedy has left, Lizzy decided to take a quick walk to relieve her stress and refresh her mind. Even though it was raining, she didn''t mind it. Not because she purposely wanted to get sick, but mostly because she was already wet. That, and also that she didn''t care much at the moment. The rain had a nice calm rhythm to it, as if the stars were singing a sweet luby. Together with the grey clouds, the atmosphere was pretty rxing on it''s own. Walking away from the ck river of people, Lizzy found herself in a busy parking lot somewhere in the city. All around her, she could see workers and machines working hard to get the city back to what it once looked like. "Every start has an end, but the end of one thing isn''t necessary the end of all..." she muttered to herself. "If you can hear me Sammy, please know that I''ll forever remember you. "I''ll live and follow your steps as much as I can... I''m not as strong as you, smart as you, or even responsible as you are. "You''ve always treated me as a baby, and a baby you''ve created." At that, a warm smile spread across her face. "But I promise, I shall live on and be someone you can be proud of, big brother..." Warm tears ran down her light pink eyes as she looked through her blurry vision at the clouds above. "I promise...." Chapter 90 - Vacation Part 1 * Diamond Eyes - Everything * AN: this was a 3K-word chapter so I cut it in two for the ease of reading. *** "Maya stop, I can''t go in there!" Raven whispered loudly to her little sister that was dragging her by the arm into the girl''s changing room. "What do you mean? Do you want to go the boys'' side?" Maya asked puzzled by Raven''s words. "No..." Raven replied with red cheeks, "but I- I think I can change in the washrooms?" Currently, they were in a beautiful waterfront resort, away from Torinto city and its sad memories. Even though the monster invasion was a global issue, it happened that some ces were left unscathed, and this resort was one of them. "No, you can''t change the washrooms because they''re not made for that!" Maya retorted impatiently. Since Maria, a woman that''s akin to their mother, had urged Raven and Maya to take a dip in therge swimming pool they have at the resort, mainly to relieve their stress, both girls obviously needed to change into their swimsuits. But the problem arose from the fact that Raven had only been a girl for less than a week. Previously, her real girl-body was disguised by a strange runestone and as such, she lived her entire life and up untiltely as a boy. She wasn''t used to her new girl-body yet, nor to girls'' mentality in general. Even though her hormones helped in that aspect, they also made her feelings harder to control than a runaway train. ''I really miss my life as a boy...'' she thought to herself with a sad smile. Everything was easier back then. She could just say whatever she wanted, and act the way she felt like, without being mindful of the countless stereotypes around her for being a "pretty girl". She could use the men''s washroom without even thinking twice. But now... Now she couldn''t use it because of her body, and had to even be more careful in the girl''s washroom since she still has the mentality of a boy. [You could change your body into that of a boy, temporarily.] Ka said in Raven''s mind while trying to suppress augh. She was akin to a system that has been trapped in Raven''s head after a recent ident. ''Kay, imma get back on you, I promise...'' Raven replied to Ka with fake rage, as she was making fun of her. Maria had advised against changing her body, even though she could. "It''s a matter of getting used to it. Being a girl is your true nature after all, and it''s not wise to suppress that." Maya had said with a ''soft'' smile. "Come on now!" Maya shook Raven out of her trance as she pulled her forcefully into the women''s changing rooms. Raven stopped in her tracks the moment she set foot in the changing room. Watching all of the ''wonders'' caused her blood to boil in her brain and threaten to rush down her nose. ''Is this it?'' she thought to herself, ''is this how I die? High blood pressure... stroke in this... wonderfulnd? Have I been good enough to deserve this as myst memory?'' Noticing that Raven had ''malfunctioned'', as it was apparent by the smoke rising from her ears, Maya face-palmed as she dragged her into one of the closed changing rooms. ''Oh my God...'' Maya was both embarrassed and jealous of Raven''s behaviour. They weren''t blood rted sister, and after a bad ident where Raven ended up saving Maya from very, she started having this weird feelings for her. Taking a moment to breath again, away from all of the half naked girls trying to change into their swimsuits, Raven felt substantially better. But at the same time, she realised something was off. "Maya...." "Aha?" answered Maya who was tired from dragging Raven around. "I can''t change into a swimsuit..." Raven muttered with a loud gulp and scared expression. "Why?" Maya asked as she palm pped her forehead. "I''m basically a boy trapped in a girl''s body, I''m not actually a girl! How do you expect me to- you know, get myself into something like that..." she said pointing at the swimsuit in Maya''s hands. "No, you''re not a boy ... let me correct that for you," Maya said with a tired expression, "you were born a girl, with a girls'' original mentality and body. "Through unfortunate events, you ended up living as a boy, but that doesn''t change the fact that you''re a real girl, both in body and mind." Even though it made sense to Raven, she still couldn''t do it. "I''m sorry but I still can''t-" "Oh, let me help you with that!" cutting Raven off, Maya jumped on top of her and started undressing her. *** "It''s taking them a while to get changed, huh?" Maria said to Cami who was sitting next to her, on a luxury beach chair. Maria was a young woman that was in her early thirties, but her beautiful shiny skin and long silky jet ck hair made her look in her mid twenties. Her athletic body that was mostly revealed thanks to her azure blue swimsuit made her look even prettier, andbined with her sharp sapphire blue eyes, many people found it hard to look at anything besides her. "I mean... you sent Raven and Maya, what did you expect?" Cami said in reply. It wasn''t a secret that Maya would get the butterflies whenever she was with Raven. Even though she didn''t stand out as much as Maria, Cami was considered a beauty on her own. Her fair pale skin, long ck hair, and deep blue eyes made her look like Maria''s twin sister, even though the two weren''t rted in any way. "But don''t worry about it," Cami continued, "we''ve sent Axane and Rain after them, so they should be good." "Uhm," Maria nodded in worry as she used arge towel to cover her stomach and thighs. The stares were getting rather ufortable after all. "Do you want me to scare them off?" Kuru asked. Kuru was an alien of unknown race that looked like a small version of a lion-tiger hybrid that was both cute and menacing at the same time. He was all jet ck, except for his silver grey mane, and matching fluffy tail. Even though he was proud of his appearance, most people would just dismiss him as a wild cat. Until he starts talking, that is. "Haha, don''t worry about it, I''m more concerned about Raven and Maya when theye out, even Axane too." Maria replied with a smile, "even though Jakol had given her a device that makes her look human, rather than her original silver Mian form, she is still rather stunning..." "Yeah..." Cami said, not caring to hide the jealousy in her tone, "I personally think we should cut down some of her ''extra weight''... if you know what I mean." she said while gesturing towards her chest. "Here theye!" Maria said happily, as she was getting worried something might''ve happened. Looking at the four girls, Cami saw Maya in her light green swimsuit that matched her hazel eyes, and quicklymented, "Maya has the ''extra weight'' problem too..." "Shush, are you jealous of a teen?" Maria raised her eyebrows sarcastically. "No, I''m just stating facts..." Cami replied with a fake smile that would be more appropriate for filming advertisements. "..." Maria stayed silent for a while, observing the girls, before answering. "fair point." Aside from Maya, Rain had a one piece orange swimsuit that highlighted her olive toned skin. Axane was wearing a white swimsuit that went quite well with her silver white hair and matching eyes. But as if to address Cami''s concern about her ''extra weight'', she had arge red towel covering her shoulders, back, and part of her chest. In addition to that, she was carrying a small baby girl between her arms. "Oh look at her go," Cami said with augh, "covering her assist isn''t the smartest move, but with baby Rituxi being so cute in her human form, she gains some extra points back." "I mean, the stares get pretty unpleasant, you know. And yes with baby Rituxi in her arms, Axane always manages to look like a cute mother," Maria replied with a smile before taking a good look at Raven. The crimson-purple haired girl had a light purple jacket covering her upper body, and even though the zipper was left open at the top, it only made her look prettier while highlighting her dark blue swimsuit. "I honestly expected you to be wearing shorts at least," Maria said to the feverish coloured Raven while looking at her pale tender thighs. Turning to look at Maya, she asked, "what did you do to your sister?" Chapter 91 - Vacation Part 2 * Diamond Eyes - Everything * AN: this was a 3K-word chapter so I cut it in two for the ease of reading. *** "Hehe!" Maya had an evilugh, "she had actually only brought shorts, t-shirt, and this jacket, so she was ''lucky'' I had packed an extra swimsuit that happened to match her size." "It''s alright Raven," Axane reassured, "you look so courageous! And you''re not revealing much so you shouldn''t be so embarrassed." "I feel naked..." Raven said with a tone that was akin to crying, while trying to pull the jacket a little bit down, but she was stopped by Maya. "Hey, stop doing that, unless you want me to take that jacket off," Maya had an evil grin that sent shivers down the poor girl''s spine and made her shake her head rapidly. Raven recalled the events that had taken ce just a few minutes ago in the isted changing room. Maya had jumped at her and restrained her to the ground whileughing hysterically. Not that Raven was weak and couldn''t overpower her little sister, but she would never risk using her powers against her family. Removing her clothes and leaving her in her two underwear pieces, Maya had given her the swimsuit she had brought for her and headed towards the door. "I''ll give you five minutes to change, and after that I''ll barge in, ok?" and without waiting for her reply, she had left. Axane and Rain only arrived after Raven was already in the swimsuit, almost crying. With Axane being loving and caring, she forced Maya to stop torturing the crimson-purple haired girl and she then handed her the jacket she was now wearing. "Ahhhhhh, the weather is so good and warm, wanna take a dip now or wait till after lunch?" Maya asked Raven who was still shaken. "I- I''ll take a moment to get used to this," she said while gesturing at her swimsuit, "you can go ahead and I''ll follow after." "Ok, sounds good," Maya said with a smile as she surprised Raven with a hug. "Sorry, it''s not my intention to scare you like this, it''s just that... you have to live as a girl remember? It''s who you really are. "It''s not easy, nor is itfortable all the time, but it''s who you are and you must embrace it." Hearing her little sister being all wise and smart made Raven smile slightly, "uhm, thank you, I''m not used to it, but I''ll get there one day, haha," she smiled as she calmed down a little bit. Watching Maya and Rain jump into the pool not too far away from her, while Axane sat on the edge with Baby Rituxi in her arms, made her smile. Leaning back in her own luxury beach chair, she sighed as Kuru jumped at herp. "Kuru!" Raven said loudly, half startled as she started to subconsciously caress his soft silver mane. "Sorry to startle you," Kuru purred, "is it ok if I stay here?" "Haha, it''s all good," Ravenughed weakly yet warmly, "you''re still young so you can sit on myp." Kuru rubbed his nose against Raven''s hand in a ''thank you'' gesture. "Out of curiosity," Cami said, "how old are you, Kuru?" Looking at Cami then Raven for a second, Kuru shook his head, "I don''t really know..." "It''s alright," Raven said softly, "you don''t have to force yourself into remembering anything, it''lle along on its own when the time is right." Raven had always tried to avoid mentioning any aspect of his past life as Kuru didn''t have the most beautiful one. His race apparently has the ability to switch their bodies into weapons, and so he was previously used as a sword by an evil S ranked monster that almost ended up killing Raven and destroying the whole city. If it wasn''t for two other S rankers, Jamie and Tod, Raven would have been dead now. The two were naturally friends with the family now. Especially since Cami herself was an S ranker too. "Mom?" Raven asked while looking at Maria who was staring at some people in one of the pools, "what''s wrong?" "Hm, oh- nothing serious..." Maria muttered as she stood up from her seat and wrapped the towel around her waist. Walking towards the bunch of young men that looked in their twenties she stopped and looked them in the eyes, making sure the towel covered enough of her body to prevent their dirty gazes from reaching her. "Does it feel good staring at a bunch of teens in swimsuits?" she asked with a frown, "I get that you''re young and all, but seriously? Why perverted looks at young girls, do you not have anything better to do?" Maria had seen them staring at Maya first, and then Raven. She had no problem with people just looking, but one guy in particr had such a dirty look towards Raven that made her almost puke. Worst part is that he wasn''t trying to hide it. He was purposefully trying to find an angle to look underneath her light jacket. "No, we weren''t staring at anything!" the man denied hurriedly, as if to dismiss her quickly. "Yeah, what are you talking about?" said another. "Stupid women think they can say whatever they want just because they show some meat!" She recognised him as the guy who was staring at Maya with a look that made slicing him up sound like a good choice. Girls wore swimsuits to make it easier to get a tan or swim in the pools, not for others to stare like filthy dogs. Feeling her rage boiling, Maria was about to kick the men in the face, one by one. With her martial arts training, she could knock a guy out with one hit. However, before she could even move from her spot, she felt the air around her be thick and chilly. The men, and everyone else for that matter, froze in ce and only a brave handful dared to look for the source of the chill that threatened to break their spines. "Oi, is it just me or are you trying to y thugs on my mom?" Looking at the source of the voice, the men found themselves staring into an endless gold void that threatened to suck their souls right in. Only after a second of staring at Raven''s majestic golden eyes did the men finally realise who she was. They all remembered seeing her on TV. She was the rumoured double S (SS) ranker that had annihted an S ranked monster while creating a second sun in the process. The white star had faded after about three days, but the rumours about her only traveled farther. "Raven," Maria called for her daughter, "it''s alright, these gentlemen will promise to never stare at young girls, right?" Looking at Maria, the men nodded rapidly in speed that was enough to break their necks. Right now, they wanted nothing but to leave this ce and never meet the crimson-purple haired girl ever again. "Che," Raven gritted her teeth as she let her aura subdue, making everyone else release breaths they never knew they were holding in. The rest of the day went smoothly as no one dared to cause any trouble again. A true SS ranker was enough to destroy a whole continent, and no one wanted a catastrophe to hit because of their stupid ill behaviour. However, aside from fear, people were excited. It was a one in a million chance to see the rumoured girl in the flesh. Even though Raven has mentioned to the media that she was never truly a double S (SS) ranker, but merely a B ranker that knew how to control her aura quite well, no one believed her. Many people still asked for pictures, yet only a few young boys and girls got to take a picture next to Raven and her family. Maya and Axane received quite the crowd. They weren''t famous in particr, but with how cute and stunning they both were, and the fact that they were Raven''s friends, people wanted to keep a memory. Needless to say, Raven didn''t let that get in the way of her family''s vacation. Whenever it got out of hand, a small mana surge would let everyone know picture time was over. Overall, everyone had a very good time. Especially Maya who got to drag Raven into the pool. After some practice, Raven was a little bit morefortable that she took her light jacket off, albeit for about two minutes, but it was a start. Eventually, even Maria and Cami joined the swimming party to y ''find the coin''. It was basically a little fun game where Axane would throw the coin into the air, and the others would have to start searching for it once it hits the water. Every once in a while, someone would switch with Axane and take baby Rituxi while she takes a little dip. "Everyone''s gangsta till Raven starts using her powers to pull the coin towards her." Maya joked. "Haha true that!" Camiughed, "But you know what''s more fun? Her using her powers to pull us away from the coin!" "Hahaha! Even more when she stars pushing you underwater." Rain''sugh was coupled with a tense expression, "we''re not fish so I doubt any of us can breath underwater." "You guys are ming poor Raven because you''re just bad at swimming!" Axane defended Raven as she thought she''d never do something like that. Raven heard all of that and looked away, as if to spot a far away bird or something. She almost started to whistle when Maria touched her shoulder, startling her again. "You''re totally cheating and using powers, aren''t you?" Maria whispered into her ear. "I can''t swim fast in this body!" she whispered back loudly. "plus, I still have my jacket on..." "No it''s ok, I understand."Maria surprised her, "I was just wondering why poor Axane always thinks you''re so innocent when you''re acting so sus..." "I always keep an alibi..." Raven said with guilt in her eyes. "I let her win sometimes, and never use my powers next to her, so she thinks I''m good." "Ah, gotcha," Maria nodded in understanding.... Chapter 92 - The World Is A Cruel Place Part 1 * Zedd, Elley Duhe - Happy Now * AN: this was a 2.9K-word chapter so I cut it in two for the ease of reading. *** "Ms. Elizabeth Lavendon!" yelled a short man in a ck suit, his bald head was shining under the officemps. "Yes!" replied Lizzy with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. It''s been about two weeks since Sammy''s death, yet his disappearance has only be more unbearable with each passing day. Lizzy had trouble waking up to her phone''s rm instead of her brother''s soft voice. A morning crying session has be a routine for her. Whenever she enters the kitchen, she''d imagine him surprising her with blueberry pancakes for breakfast. And wherever she looks around the house, she''d find traces of him everywhere, which would only make her cry harder. Even though she knows her brother is noting back, it still pains her greatly to see his room with a closed door. He had always kept it open, never once closing in it in his sister''s face, but now that he was gone, Lizzy had closed it to avoid being overwhelmed by grief again. Part of her still believes that he''s inside his room... Lizzy''s feelings of grief, despair, and stress, weren''t the only thing Sammy''s loss had left her with. She has basically lost her guardian, the one taking care of her, guiding her through this tough life, and supporting her emotionally, mentally, and financially. Even though he was a student too just like her, he had a part time job that was enough to support both of them. He''d always wanted his sister to focus on her studying rather than working and that''s why he''d never let her get a job. The real reason he hadn''t joined the EDA was because he didn''t want to risk losing his life and leaving his sister alone. Little did he know, that was exactly what he had done. Now that Lizzy didn''t have a source of ie and together with the fact that she was over eighteen, she was expected to get over her loss quickly and continue on living like normal. In normal circumstances, one might find help from the government or other agencies, but with the current situation of the and the aftermath of the portals incident, everyone had their own family to support. That meant that Lizzy had to secure a job on her own. And this is exactly why she was waiting for the past hour for the job interview at a small electronic store. "Ms. Elizabeth Lavendon," said a man in a white suit sitting behind a round table. And before Lizzy could say hi, the man continued "we don''t have enough time, so please tell me quickly why should we hire you?" Lizzy was taken aback by the man''s rude behaviour. She was never the shy person, but quite the contrary, she was one of the confident ones. But her loss had changed her to the worse, even though she was fighting hard against her bad feelings and trying her best to live up to her brother''s expectations. "Yes-" thinking for a second, and going back to her professional attitude, "why should you hire me? Well for a start, I''m aputer sciences student in the University of Torinto, the top school around." Smiling in a professional manner, she continued, "I''ve been named one of the best among the thousands in my ss because of the experience-" "Ms. Lavendon, I apologize for interrupting your bragging session, but I was wondering, Why. Should. We. Hire. You!" the man had a frown on his face as if he was already dismissing her. "Let me ask you this, in your resume you stated that you''ve never worked before, is that correct?" "Yes, I haven''t worked for a payment, but I did some volunteer work in the university-" "Ms. Lavendon, please just answer with a yes or no, have you ever had a real paid job?" "No..." Even though she still had a smile on her face, Lizzy was about to start crying. In most professionalpanies, a volunteer job for a student would be as good as a job, but the manager of this small store wasn''t even giving her a chance. "Have you ever had any experience with customer service?" the man in the white suit continued. "No, but-" "Then what can you possibly bring us to the table? What good would adding you to our team do?" he interrupted. Hearing that, Lizzy was confused and one word away from breaking down. This was supposed to be a small job at an electronic store, not a job at Microsoft Corporation. "I''m sorry, I have to go..." saying that, Lizzy stood up and headed to the door. With each step she took, her tears became warmer, heavier, and harder to suppress. By the time she reached to grab the door knob of the office, she was barely seeing anything from the blur in her eyes. Breathing the outside air almost made her cough her eyes out. Even though it had justtely stopped raining, about two days ago, the metallic smell of blood was still faintly in the air. Walking up to a random bench on the street, Lizzy sat down and covered her face with her shaking hands. "Why?" she cried silently, "why is this world such a cruel ce?" It wasn''t the first job interview she''s gone through. The other day, Lizzy had tried her luck at a girls'' clothing store, but she was kicked out for ''faking gender''. The store manager didn''t believe her when she said she was a girl, even though she had provided an ID. He''d only dismissed her with the thought that she was a pervert boy with a fake ID. Before that, she took her chances at an interview at a grocery store close to her house, but she was refused the position because she has no customer service experience. "Why?" Lizzy whispered again in her wet hands, "why is it so cruel? Is it better on your side, Sammy? Can I join you?" Having no one to support her at her time of need, Lizzy was one step away from a full mental breakdown. "Please, save me..." she whispered, yet her voice was lost in the city''s noise. It got so noisy all of a sudden that Lizzy thought she was going deaf. A huge part of the city was under constructions, but the noise shouldn''t be this loud. Taking a moment to breath and calm herself down, she realised it was just her the stress caging her mind. ''Am I losing it already?'' she thought to herself, feeling drained. "Hello?" Lizzy could hear a young masculine voice calling out next to her. Looking up, she found herself staring into two light blue eyes. "Sorry young miss, I was waiting for the buss on the other side of the road when I noticed that you''re... crying? What''s wrong?" the young man asked with worry in his voice. He seemed in his mid twenties. "I''m sorry," Lizzy said while wiping away the tears from her face and eyes. "It''s alright, nothing serious..." Lizzy was surprised that the man had recognised her as being a girl, but she guessed it was because of her feminine skirt suit. Hearing her talk and with such a shaky voice, the youth felt bad, "I can tell you''re so bad at lying, haha," he said with an awkward smile as he sat down next to her. "From your clothes and situation... can I assume that you''ve been fired- wait I''m sorry, it''s not my business to ask about that." the youth looked rather embarrassed when he said that, but it only made it easier for Lizzy to breath again. "It''s ok..." she replied weakly. It''s been a while since she has talked to another human being, aside from that olddy at the collective funeral and the crappy store managers. Looking closely at the youth next to her, she could admire his calm blue eyes, wavy brown hair, and mascr build. "I wasn''t fired, but I never got the job either," she said between sniffs that she couldn''t control. "Hm, the problem isn''t you if that''s what you''re thinking." the youthmented warmly, "at these times, most people have lost someone or something dear to them, plus everyone is looking for a job. "That contributes to the business owner''s bad attitude and since they have more people to choose from, it''s only natural that they''re quite picky, don''t you think?" Hearing the youth''s reasoning, Lizzy felt a little better about herself. "uhm..." Smiling to himself for being sessful at calming the girl down a little bit, he introduced himself, "my name is Liam by the way, nice to meet you." Chapter 93 - The World Is A Cruel Place Part 2 * Zedd, Elley Duhe - Happy Now * AN: this was a 2.9K-word chapter so I cut it in two for the ease of reading. *** Looking up at Liam, Lizzy hesitated for a second before following suit and introducing herself, "I''m Elizabeth... nice to meet you." Just thinking about her own name made her remember her brother who had given her the nickname Lizzy, which only made her mood drop down a few notches. "Are you powered by any chance?" Liam continued, "tell me what you''re good at, and I might be able to find you a job. I work at a newly established constructionpany and we''re looking for people." Nodding her head, Lizzy was rather surprised that a man would go out of his way to help a girl he''s never met before, but she dismissed it for now. Talking a little bit about herself, Lizzy stopped to let Liam digest the information. "Hm, so you''re not powered, but you''ve got the brains, huh?" he said with a smile. "Are you good with math? And maybe talking to people?" "Uhm," Lizzy nodded seriously. "That''s cool," Liam said, "how about youe with me now? My shift is supposed to start at three, and it''s about that time now." "It''s actually three thirty..." Lizzy said after checking her watch. "Eh?" Liam had such a silly panicked look on face that he even seeded in making Lizzyugh. "EHH??? I''mte, please let''s hurry!" Lizzy wasn''t a kid and she knew that she shouldn''t trust random people she meets on the streets. But for some reason, she didn''t care. ''What''s the worst that could happen? Die?'' she thought as she followed Liam to the closest bud loop around. She was at that point where death seemed like a bless more than anything else. She wouldn''t try to purposefully kill herself, but she didn''t have much to live for either. Yes she''s trying to be someone her brother would be proud of, but what guarantees that he''ll be watching? Maybe she''s just suffering for nothing... "Elizabeth? Liam knocked Lizzy out of her trance, causing guilt to wash over her for thinking the way she just did, "it''s our stop." A few minutes after, Lizzy found herself in a construction site not too far from her own house. Many warning or construction signs were set up around a partially destroyed skyscraper. Workers were working hard, and machines were stupidly loud. The air was filled with dust, but if anything, it was better than the smell of blood in the city streets. Lizzy could see many powered workers flying around with wings on their backs while carrying heavy metal bars up to the people on higher floors. Others were working on the ground while wearing different types of powered suits. They couldn''t fly, but they could lift some pretty heavy rocks or equipments. Lizzy subconsciously smiled at the scene in front of her as it was rather... new to her, especially that she''s never personally been to a construction site. It was inspiring how the technology has advanced enough to allow engineering teams to creat such wonders. Soon enough, these suits would be able to fly as well, making ce for even unpowered humans to join the stage. "Let''s go, my manager would probably want to see you-" "Liam!" a voice yelled to be heard over the heavy equipments'' noise. "You''rete!" "Oh Mr. Dento!" Liam yelled while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Let''s go to my office!" Mr. Dento yelled again, while passing a helmet to Lizzy who put it on without any questions. Liam had one of his own. The moment they stepped into the ''office'' which was in fact a mobile office trailer, the noise became less intense, making it easier for Lizzy to calm herself down and thus control her heart that was hammering against her chest violently. "Hello young miss," Mr. Dento said with a smile, only to follow that with a frown as he looked at Liam, "you''rete young man, what did I tell you about beingte? You wanna be fired? I can happily do that!" "No, please Mr. dento, listen..." Looking at both Mr. Dento and Lizzy, Liam didn''t know what to say. He wanted to say it''s not his fault, but at the same time he would throw Lizzy under the bus. "I''m sorry, it won''t happen again!" was what he actually said. Awkward silence spread across the office before Mr. Dento nodded and silently. "Liam... I respect you more for not arguing like you always do." Mr. Dento said with a smile. "I''m assuming this young miss is looking for a job with us?" "Yes," Liam replied with a smile, it wasn''t often that his manager would be this lenient with him for beingte. "Mr. Dento, this is Elizabeth. Elizabeth, Mr. Dento." "Nice to meet you!" Lizzy said with a professional smile. She hasn''t expected that a man she had met on a bench on the street to actually provide her with a job interview, let alone this quick. "Calm down, young miss," Mr. Dento said with a smile, "I can feel the stress in your voice... Don''t be rmed, we''re in dire need for workers so it''s not a matter of whether we need you or not, but rather where we need you the most." Hearing that, Lizzy couldn''t help but feel warm inside, ''is the world not so bad after all? Could it be real?'' "Understood," Lizzy said enthusiastically, "to be honest with you Mr. Dento, I''m not powered, nor am I strong enough to left heavy items. "But when ites to building yourpany a website on the, or maybe ordering supplies for you, I can assure you I won''t disappoint you!" Hearing her now cheerful voicebined with her professional smile made Liam happy that he had brought her with him. It was all so random. Mr. Dento had asked his workers to bring their neighbours who were looking for a job, or anyone else they knew needed money. And to think that he''d find such apetent person on the side of the street made him smile widely. When he had approached her on the bench, he wasn''t even thinking about the job but rather how he could calm her down. After all Liam had a soft spot for crying girls. "Liam? Do I need to remind you that you''re about an hourte?" Hearing his manager''s voice and seeing his ''soft'' smile made the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand to an end. "Elizabeth, please show Mr. Dento that I''m not useless!" saying that abruptly, he disappeared through the door. "Oh my... I''m sorry about Liam, he''s... overenthusiastic all the time, *sigh* but I assume it''s a good thing in times like these." "I might be guessing here, but you guys don''t know eachother, do you?" Mr. Dento asked Lizzy who then told him their small weird story. "Hahahaha!" Mr. Dento burst outughing after hearing her story, "that''s so like Liam!" Taking a moment to calm down, his face became professional again, "Ok, you mentioned that you''re good at building websites and ordering supplies? I''ll take you up for that. "For this week, we''re good for supplies, so you can start with the website as we desperately need that. And while you''re doing that, you can answer the phone calls and redirect them to me, for today at least. "I''ll give you a booklet about who we are and what we do, that way you''d have more context of what''s going on and you''d be able to answer phone calls all by yourself." Hearing all of that seemed like a dream to Lizzy who had been rejected from a job interview after a job interview. "Here," Mr. Dento said as he handed her some papers, "this contains some papers you need to read and fill up, mostly stuff about liability etc. I''ll give you the booklet by the end of today. Do you have questions?" Shaking her head slightly, Lizzy felt light-headed at how fast paced everything was, but it gave her a good feeling at the same time. "Take a moment to rx if you want to," Mr. Dento said with a smile, "Oh and by the way, your pay will start at twenty-five bucks an hour, and will increase with how much you improve, how''s that?" "Perfect..." Lizzy muttered. "Thank you so much, Mr. Dento, I promise I won''t let you down!" "Uhm," nodding happily, Mr. Dento left the mobile office with a smile. Taking a chance to rx for a second, Lizzy sat down and closed her eyes. ''You''re a world away, somewhere in the clouds, in a foreign ce, are you happy now? ''Sammy, I wonder how you''re doing... I hope you''re happy, big brother, wherever you are... ''I hope you can find someone to take care of you, the same way you took care of me... ''I am so sorry if I ever get weak and let my emotions take control... Or if I ever lose my way... but I promise that I''ll never forget you. ''Take care, Sammy....'' Chapter 94 - Forgiveness * Marshmello ft. Bastille - Happier * *** "Mom," called Raven to Maria who was sitting next to her in the luxury limo, "Thank you so much for the trip... but I have some questions if you don''t mind." "Yes for sure, what is it?" Maria replied with a smile. "I get that you wanted us to have fun and relieve stress, but did it have to be something so expensive?" Raven was worried since Maria had basically paid for everything: the expensive resort with the premium stay, the limo, and other luxuries they used along the way. She had previously refrained from saying anything during the vacation itself, but now that they''re basically done, she had to mention it. "How are you feeling?" Maria asked casually in reply. "Eh? I''m ok... better than before," Raven said with a warm face. Understanding that Maria loved her so much meant a lot to Raven. Her trust wasn''t something she''d give casually, but the Maria and the others had earned it. "Then I didn''t waste a penny, did I?" Maria said with a soft smile to her two daughters sitting by her side. Both girls only smiled warmly in response, as they deeply appreciated everything Maria''s done for them. "I think the trip was so much more than just relieving stress and having fun," Cami said and Axane nodded happily, "it was basically the first activity we do that''s not rted to EDA or monsters... "Plus, Axane got to enjoy our for the first time with baby Rituxi and the rest of the group." Cami said and Axane followed with another intense nod. With her body moving up and down that fast, Raven had to look away to avoid burning her cheeks. Axane would have never expected that a random group of ''aliens'' she met back in her home, would end up being her family. And for that, she''s always felt safe around them, especially Raven. For Axane, it seemed as though the little girl would burn the world asunder if it was for the sake of her family. "But say," Cami continued, "why did it have to be so expensive? We could have went to a ''less expensive'' ce and I can guarantee we would have had the same amount of fun." "You''re stingy..." Maria said after blinking twice at her unthankful friend. Cami had a silly embarrassed face afterwards as she hadn''t expected such a reply. "I''m sorry it''s not that-" Cami stumbled with her words. "Catch!" Maria cut her off as she threw her a cold energy drink. Cami had no trouble catching the cold can, but she couldn''t open it since it would explode in her face. "Well, I''ve umted a huge sum of money because of the nature of my job. Being a genius doctor does that you know," Maria said as she opened her own drink, "and I don''t have anything in particr to spend that money on, so why wouldn''t I at least make sure my family is well taken care of? "After what we''ve been through and the dangers we have faced, I realized that I have a lot to lose. But money isn''t one of them." Cami looked at Maria and only nodded. She didn''t disagree with her one bit there. "Thank you..." Raven said as she was really embarrassed she''s never given Maria anything, but rather, she was always at the recieving end. ''I should buy her a gift...'' "Hey, don''t you even think about it," Maria said with a frown to which Raven only responded with a confused expression, "you''re overthinking it, aren''t you?" she said to her daughter. "You''re probably thinking how I always pay for everything and maybe you should give me something in return?" Seeing Raven''s cheeks getting redder, Maria knew she was right. Getting a hold of Raven''s tiny chin, Maria looked her in the eyes while patting her head gently, "Raven, you know that our rtionship doesn''t require any gifts and whatnot..." Maria didn''t care how much she spent on her two daughters because they''ve both given her a life that she had no way of acquiring before. A life that she enjoys. ... After some graceful silence, Rain spoke, "It''s a shame we didn''t bring Joey with us..." "Hm, true," Cami replied, "but he had stuff to do so it''s all good I suppose." "Yeah we''ll get him with us next time." Maria said and smiled as the limo came to a stop. Looking outside through the windows, the group had their guard up as they realized they weren''t in Maria''s mansion. "Hey rx it''s alright," Maria said to the tense group, "I asked the driver to make a quick stop here. Me and Raven have some business to attend to." Raven hadn''t arranged anything with Maura before, but looking at her real mother''s house outside, or rather the mayor''s house, she understood what Maria had in mind. Nodding silently, Raven followed Maria to the house. "I''m sorry I haven''t told you before," Maria had an ufortable expression on her face, "but you know we had to do this eventually..." "It''s ok, I''m ready." Even though she said that, Raven had her expressionless face on, the same face she had worn many times while killing criminals across Torinto City. The Mayor''s house was also her office. It was a three story building that was painted blue and with a colourful beautiful garden outside. Normally the gates are open since many people would visit the mayor at her office. Walking through the gates made Raven''s aura travel away from her body and rm the guards. "Raven, your aura, please!" Maria noted. "Ah, sorry I was spacing out," Raven shook her head and retracted her aura. "Hello," one of the guards, Mr. Lopack greeted with a nervous tone as he had recognised the girl as the SS ranker he saw on TV, "how can I help you?" Since the transformation scene was only caught via satellite, only the EDA had ess to it. So naturally, the guard didn''t know the girl was the mayor''s son, even though he could see the simrities. "Is the mayor at her office or the town hall?" Raven said with her cold face. "Mrs. O''Bannon is in her office," the guard replied while wiping the cold sweat forming on his forehead, "she has no guests, so if the matter is urgent I can guide you there" "Thank you, but I know the way" muttered Raven under her breath as she walked towards the office. The guards didn''t move an inch. Getting into the office itself didn''t take much time especially since her mother had no guests. Looking up from her desk, the mayor took but a second to make the connection and realize that her newly arrived guest was her ''son'' Draven. "Draven?!" she had a surprise expression as she had never expected her son to turn into a girl. She had seen the girl on TV and saw some simrities, but now that she was looking at her in person, there was no doubt about her identity. Running towards Raven with already blurry wet eyes, the mayor hugged her tightly. On the other hand, Raven was shaken to her core as she had never expected herself to let the mayor hug her again, after what had happened three years ago. Usually she wouldn''t let her touch her, but now, her body would not obey her orders. She wanted to move, push her aside, or do anything to keep her away. Yet, her body was unmoving still. Something inside of Raven''s mind had awakened after three years of slumber. All of the previous memories of her mom, the mayor, pampering her as Draven came back rushing, overwhelming her senses and making her heart ache. Especially now, her touch was just like that of Maria... motherly and caring. She couldn''t bring herself to avoid it this time. "I''m so sorry," her mother said between sobs, "I''ve always thought that by working hard and being a good mayor, I''d be a good mother. But that''s not the case." "But you were working just now..." muttered Raven, against her best judgement. "No," said the mayor while shaking her head, "since I gave my speech a while ago, I''ve been here looking for clues about your location. "I almost had a heart attack when I realized you were missing for two weeks now, I just took it for granted that you were safe in your friend''s house. "To make matters worse, the EDA had refused to give me any intel about you. The one thing they said after a week of me begging was that you were one of the only group that had returned from the portal... you have no idea how worried I was. "I''m so sorry for being a terrible mother. Please,e back to me! I''ve lost you and your dad three years ago, but unlike your dad who can''t return, you''re still breathing and here with me. "Please, Draven,e back to live with me. I can''t take it anymore." At that, the mayor started crying again. Ever since the ident, Raven had kept mostly on living at Maria''s house. Although she slept home asionally, she mostly never saw her mother. ''Kay, do you think she''s faking?'' Raven asked Ka as her mind was currently a mess. [I doubt it, she sounds so sincere. I know it''s hard to ask, but I think you should give her a try...] ''But even if she''s not, how can I exin what had happened three years ago, or even the fact that I''m not human...'' "I- I have a question," Raven said after some hesitation, "please be honest with me, am I your real daughter?" "Yes!" the mayor replied with a genuine expression, "you''re not adopted, or a result of an ident. You''re my one and only child and I- I really really love you." "I see..." even though her reply was dry, she believed the mayor. Even though she was cursing herself for trusting her, she couldn''t stop herself this time. ''something isn''t right, is she a soul weaver? But this can''t be.'' Raven was struggling to understand. [No, I can confirm that your mother is a normal human with no powers.] ''But how did Ie to be? How am I a soul weaver- unless-'' thinking that her dad was a soul weaver, or rather that she''s inherited something from him, made her almost throw up. He was the man who had sold her away and gotten himself killed. He was the reason for Raven''s trauma and mess of a childhood. "Honey, are you okay?" the mayor asked since she''s noticed her daughter spacing out. "M- mom..." Raven had never expected to call the mayor ''mom'' again since she''s thought she had a hand in her dad''s actions. "You can call me Raven..." ... Spending about an hour with her mother, Raven eventually came to the agreement that she''d spend at least three days in her real mother''s house. After some resistance, the mayor gave up on negotiating with Raven to spend the night in her house. Mostly because she was exhausted from many days without sleep while searching for clues for her daughter''s whereabouts. "Promise me you won''t leave me," the mayor said as she hugged Raven tightly. "Uhm," Raven nodded sincerely, "I promise I''ll be back soon." "Thank you," the mayor struggled to keep her eyes open as the adrenaline had already faded away. Noticing that, Raven activated her "Special Skill: Angelic Touch" and restored some of her mother''s energy while healing her mental exhaustion. Without another word, she walked her to the bedroom and watched her fall asleep peacefully. Making sure she was safe, Raven had a warm smile on her face as she left the house and went back to the limo. ... "How was it?" Maria asked as she saw Ravene out of the house. "Why did you disappear!?" Raven asked, feeling betrayed. "Aw, don''t give me that face it makes me feel bad..." Maria was already feeling bad but since she had seen the happiness in the mayor''s eyes while hugging Raven, she had decided to let them be.. "Anyway, we have guests at home so we better get going." Chapter 95 - Business Relationships * n Walker - 135 * *** "EDA?" Raven asked while biting her lower lip. Last time she had an official visit from the EDA she almost got into a serious fight with an S ranker. Luckily for her, the S ranker at the time, Mr. Hond, was only testing her and had no intentions of fighting against a B ranker. "Yes, ording to Joey they have asked for you specifically." Maria said as the limo parked into the mansion''s parking lot. "Yo, what''s up kid?" Jaime greeted Raven before crouching down to get closer to her. "Are you the ''EDA'' visit? From the way Joey talked I thought it was a big shot..." Maria asked while tilting her head to the side in question. However, Jaime only spared her a quick nce before putting both hands on Raven''s shoulders. Noticing the serious glint in his eyes didn''t make Raven any less angry about him touching her without permission. "Hands off." Raven said with a re, "I didn''t give you permission to touch me..." Since he was basically a friend, she didn''t want to start a fight. That, and she also wanted to avoid fighting an S ranker. "Listen, it''s serious." Jaime said while taking his hands off of the little girl''s shoulders, "the vice president of the Canadian EDA Division is here, especially to see you! "Unlike Mr. Hond, he won''t let you off easily if you get aggressive, just keep that in mind." Raven hated where things were going already. "Oh, and there is another guest with him," Jaime said, "he''s a little... weird, don''t provoke any of them and you should be good." Raven refrained from letting her anger get the best of her since she knew Jaime was only warning her. But at the same time, she wasn''t happy that someone was visiting Maria''s house and acting like a boss. "Everyone, please go take a rest, have some food or take a shower-" "I''ming with you." Maria cut Raven off, "It''s my house and no guests will be a difort for my kids." Maria wasn''t blind and she could see the tense expression on Raven''s face. "I''ming too," Maya said and the rest of the group nodded. Jamie was already having headaches since he knew it wasn''t the best course of action. But then again he didn''t want to cause amotion. Entering one of the mansion''s living rooms, Raven could see Joey sitting opposite to two other people. One had his eyes closed while curving his mouth into a smile. His long silver hair and shiny pale skin would have made him look like a girl, but his features were definitely masculine. His weird ck coat made him look rather wise yet young, giving him a special aura around him. Next to him was another young man who looked angry, if anything. His short light ck hair and deep red eyes made him look rather tired. That, or he was just careless. He too was wearing a weird outfit yet it only added to how handsome he looked. Next to him resting on the couch was a massive covered object that looked like a sword, or rather a huge ymore. "Oh our guest is finally here!" said the silver haired man with his eyes still closed. "Nice to meet you, Ms. O''Bannon, and the rest of course." His voice was rather tender and kind that it came as a surprise to Raven. "Ah, hello," Raven greeted with slight confusion in her voice as she sat down near Joey. "So what bring you here today, er, Mr. ?" "Ah, where are my manners," the man apologized, "my name is Scott Harris, also known as the Canadian EDA Division''s Deputy General. Feel free to call me Scott." Raven''s surprise at his friendly attitude didn''tst long as she her thoughts were interrupted by the ck hairedd next to him. "Deputy General." he corrected with an angry sigh. "Refer to him as Deputy General and not Scott." "Uhm, sure." Raven could only nod since things were taking an awkward turn. Stealing a nce towards Scott, he only had a smile in his face while his eyes were still closed. "And you can call me Sir. Anyway," continued the young man. "we''re here to discuss... you, for theck of a better term." "Discuss me?" Raven asked with a weird look yet she didn''t make any attempts at correcting him. "Ask away, what do you need to know?" "For a starter, ording to our resources you were the only groups of people to return from one of the portals, correct?" without waiting for a confirmation, he continued, "exin how, please." Even though he was speaking politely, his expression indicated that he just wanted to leave and had no interest whatsoever in what she had to say. ''Damn, the dude really hates his job alright...'' Kaughed at that. ''Anyway, what''s the n here Kay?'' [Tell them the truth. You can help a lot of people with the Spacial Transfer Bracelets. Plus, I doubt you can hide the truth. From the way he''s talking, you can tell he knows you''re the reason why the group could escape that death trap, he''s not even taking notice of someone else.] ''Makes sense I guess. They''re being polite about it too...'' Raven''s Though eleration III allowed her to talk with Ka in her mind without much dy in the real world. ''Kay I need your help though, I''ve never done it before myself and you seemed proficient with the skill.'' Raven remembered back when Ka had made Kuru his trantion device. [Hehe, what would you do without me? Of course, I''ll give you a hand] ''Cheeky much, eh?'' she subconsciously smiled which looked a little weird to the rest. "Well," Raven said out loud as she looked at the two men. "It''s better if I show you." Activating her Ultimate Skill "Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation" silver goo surged from her open palm and floated midair. Raven didn''t miss how Scott kept his eyes closed even though his expression made it look like he was seeing it all. Raven watched as the silver goo, with Ka''s guidance, took the shape of a bracelet. And next to it, a small seed of sorts formed. "Let''s go outside for a better demonstration." Raven said and everyone followed. Once they were outside in the mansion''s colourful garden, Raven let go of the silver seed and everyone watched as it hit the green grass. Not a second after, sparkling silver thin roots sprouted out of the seed and prated deep into the ground. About a minute after, a single silver flower started to grow in front of everyone''s eyes. Giving the bracelet to Scott, Raven said: "Sco- ahem, I mean Deputy General, feel free to put the bracelet on. It''s safe and-" However, Scott was excited and didn''t even wait for her to finish before putting the bracelet on. Reading the small hologram forming above the bracelet made him smile as he started to walk away from the group. After reaching about a hundred metres away, he pressed the holographic botton on the silver bracelet. Just as he did that, silver light enveloped him and the flower as they switched ces. The flower then started to disperse into thin silver particles and into thin air like it never was there before, and so did the bracelet. "Impressive!" Scott said with a genuine smile. Even the ''Sir'' looked impressed, albeit not as much as the Deputy General. ''Nice, nice, nice!!!!'' Jaime was so happy with how everything was going so far. Not only did Raven gain the Deputy General''s favour and trust, but even his personal assistant''s that''s known for being so strict and always causing trouble. "There are many restrictions so far though," Raven said in response to the EDA officials'' smiles. "It takes a lot of time to make so making a lot of them is going to be a problem. Plus, they''re only a one time use so it''s not as efficient as one might think." "How much time do you need to fix that problem? And is there a time or distance limit?" Scott asked. "No, time and distance are irrelevant, as long as the flower is unscathed that is. Once the flower is gone, so does the bracelet. As for the limited production issue... I need more experiments since it''s pretty hard but I''ll try my best." "Perfect! This could change everything!" Scott was so happy and his childish smile only helped in abolishing his assistant''s own smile. "With how revolutionary this could be, I''d like to offer you the EDA''s help in any form or shape you desire. If you need money, we''ll give you that. If you need ab or even a team to help you, we''ll also help with that." Scott said as he extended his hand towards Raven for a handshake. Not knowing what else to do, and mostly not wanting to anger him, she shook his hand and thanked him with a smile. "Wonderful! It''s decided then!" Scott said and Raven''s heart sank for a second. "What''s decided?" she asked. "That you''ll work with us to finish this Spacial Transfer project. Anyhow, we have some other questions for you." The Deputy General dismissed her concerns while looking at his assistant. "Adam, feel free to jump in." "Right..." the ck haired man face-palmed and looked at Raven. "So, we''d also like to know how were you able to kill an S ranked monster. As such, we''ve already scheduled a Rank Test for you." "A what? And... wait what?" Raven didn''t like how they were leading the dance without her permission. "Hm, not much time for useles exnations, your test starts in about twenty minutes, let''s go." Chapter 96 - Colourless * Stray Kids [Tower of god Ending Song] SLUMP (Korean Version) Extended Edit * *** "Hi honey!" a beautiful young girl called out to a young teen who was sitting on a bench in the za, under a red maple tree. "Sorry I made you wait, the line was longer than expected." The girl was considered a beauty in every aspect. Her sparkling blue eyes and long ck hair made many necks snap towards her, in admiration more than anything. The boy wasn''t any less impressive as he had sparkling pale skin that reflected off the warm sun rays, medium length bright brown hair, and two deep orange eyes that made most people lose themselves in their mystery. "Uhm, it''s alright." he replied with an emotionless expression, yet the girl didn''t seem to mind. "Here," said the girl as she handed him an ice-cream cone, "I bought you a strawberry one since it''s my favourite haha!" The girl looked awfully happy whereas the boy waspletely expressionless. To most people, the scene looked rather confusing so they kept just walking instead of staring at the couple. "So what are you up to tonight?" the girl asked casually. "Uh, I have to help my mom with her work," the boy muttered with same expressionless face, "she''s been having some troublestely." "Aw your so cute!" the girl''s heart was melting at how loving and caring her boyfriend was. She''s only met him about two weeks ago in a grocery store, yet she instantly fell in love. At first, she was so scared to ask someone as handsome as he is out, but after observing for a while, she realized how socially awkward he is, and at the same time, he was the cutest thing. That alone easily qualified to snatch her heart. After she''s gotten to know him, she realized that he wasn''tcking in confidence, he just didn''t like to talk much. And when he did, one can tell it''s not a habit of his. "Ian," the girl muttered softly, "it''s been about two weeks of us dating, when can Ie to your house? You know- um, you can introduce me to your mother and um, you know..." her face was a deep shade of red that she looked like a rose soaked in blood. "Uh, we can go now if you want, my mom already knows we''re dating." Ian said quietly surprising the poor girl. "SHE KNOWS??" she screamed almost dropping her own ice-cream cone, before hurriedly covering her mouth with her empty hand. "Uhm," Ian nodded and continued to chew the ice-cream nonchntly. "Diana, may I ask you a question?" "Uhm, what is it?" Diana replied after getting herself back together. "And please stop chewing on that, it makes my head and teeth ache." "What is it like being a normal human and living a normal life?" Ian asked with same expressionless face while licking instead of chewing on the ice cream. "Err, what- what do you mean, Ian?" "I mean..." Ian took a second to look up at the sky and try to gather his thoughts, "how''s it like being able to live a life of freedom, not guided by the restraints of fate, being ignorant to what''s happening all around you, and more importantly... not seeking answers to the Infinite questions in your mind?" Diana took a second to digest the question. It wasn''t the first time she had suspected that Ian was hiding something. But his question just now told her that he wasn''t feeling at ease, he wasn''t happy, but he wasn''t sad either, he was just... lost and confused. Getting closer and closer to Ian, Diana finally hugged him tightly. Unbeknownst to her, this was Ian''s first ''real'' hug, ever. He felt invaded. In his silent internal panick he wanted to push her away, yet he didn''t, because at the same time he felt something strange inside of him. A small torch lit up inside his empty vessel. "Can I show you something?" Ian asked Diana quietly. "Of course," she answered rather curiously. It was the first time Ian had offered to share something with her, other than money. Extending his two fingers towards her forehead made Diana rather confused, but the moment his cold yet tender fingers touched her forehead her face turned warm red. Not even she knew why. "Are you ready?" Ian whispered. And to that, Diana nodded. For a few seconds Diana didn''t feel anything, but a momentter, Ian''s fingers glowed faint orange that only she could see and then all of a sudden, the world lost all of its colours. Focusing hard on her breathing and trying harder not to scream or faint, Diana looked past her boyfriend''s hand and towards the now colourless world. She could see people walking yet they all seemed rather dull. Above everyone''s heads, she could see numbers and letters floating midair. It took her a couple of seconds to realize that these weren''t their ages as it was going down rather than going up. "Is that their lifespan?" Diana was terrified at the idea, and even more when realized she couldn''t make a sound. Her mouth was moving and all, but no sound was being generated. However Ian''s nod implied that he''d heard her which made her calm down a little bit. "Are you ready for phase two?" Ian''s voice came from inside her mind. Seeing her nod even though she was shaking made him think about it twice, however, looking on top of her head at the numbers flowing midair, he decided to proceed with it. As the glow of his fingers intensified, the world seemed to loose more colours even though that was impossible, and at the same time Diana started to hear noises. NOISE NOISE NOISE NOISE!! Widening her eyes in surprise at the intensity of the noise that made her ears bleed she wanted nothing more than to jump and run away. Noticing her distress, Ian quickly retracted his hand back to his side. "Are you okay?" Even though he talked like he always does, Diana didn''t react. "Diana?" he muttered again. The girl''s eyes were blinking slowly and her breathing was normal, yet he could tell she wasn''t feeling good. Focusing his eyes on her face and allowing his eyes to glow with their deep orange made him widen his eyes in surprise for the first time in his life. However, his "feeling" of surprise onlysted a second before a faint orange aura enveloped him returning him back to his old emotionless self. Focusing at Diana''s face again, he could hear some sort of static noise in her mind. Another look above her head showed a number that has drastically changed. Before he had touched her, her countdown was at 68 years; 2 months; and 5 days. Now however, the numbers were at 36 seconds. Ian''s vision blurred bright orange as he saw what seemed like a distant vision of a car that came crashing where he''s sitting right now. Widening his eyes again, he took a hold of the girl''s arm, grabbing her while running away from the bench. Looking back at the still confused girl with empty looking eyes, he could see the numbers go back up to 68 years; 2 months; and 5 days. 6, 5, 4, 3... Looking back at the bench, he could hear a squeaking noise as the tires of a taxi trying their best to stop the car in its tracks but to no avail. The car crashed into the bench and to the stores behind it, killing a couple of people on the spot and injuring many others. Looking back at Diana who was still looking like a malfunctioned robot whom even the crashing car''s noise didn''t wake her up, he touched her forehead again. Just as he did he could hear the noise in her mind. It was like an alien high frequency wave that was trying to destroy her brain cells from the inside out. Looking up above her head, he saw the numbers quickly changing from years to months. Months to days and back to seconds. Ian was about to envelope her with his aura but as he was trying to do so, the aura covered his own body for a second before fading away and relieving him from his concerns and revering him back to his emotionless expression. With his dead fish-like orange eyes, he watched as Diana''s body started to shake like a leaf, only to turn bright orange all of a sudden. No one else but him seemed to notice the current events unfolding. He watched as her eyes turned into a pure orange glow that almost covered her face. The girl, no the soulless doll now, floated midair and was slowly devoured by the glow till nothing was left. Looking at the spot were she was standing just a second ago, the boy felt a cold breeze envelope his soul and extinguish the recently lit torch, switching the vessel back to it''s colourless and lifeless self. Looking up the sky, he sighed as he decided to take a stroll away from the panicking crowd and newly arrived ambnces. Unbeknownst to anyone but Ian, a beautiful and loving girl on this day was gone and... forgotten. Not even her parents at their own house remembered her anymore. Every action she''s ever done, every friend she''s ever made, all of her achievements, and most importantly she... was no more. Walking silently in the city that was still under heavy constructions, Ian wanted to be sad. Or rather "feel" anything at all towards the missing girl. Yet, he felt nothing. He had lost someone dear after all. He had heard and seen people cry after losing someone they care about. He knew that a part of him had developed "feelings" towards the girl, albeit for a few seconds, yet now that part was gone. He couldn''t care less about a dead girl that no one even remembers anymore. "Oh, you who ept this burden, "You shall live the life of the dead, "Observe the world behind a colourless veil, "Unbounded by the weaknesses of the living, "Waiting patiently for the absolute archon to descend..." Ian was muttering to himself subconsciously while walking alone. "How will I know though? When and if the archon has descended? Am I just supposed to-" Ian stopped abruptly as a running boy collided with him, almost causing both of them to fall and hit the ground. But the other boy (girl?) held him between her arms to stop their fall. "Oh I''m so sorry, are you alright?" the boy, or rather the girl stopped and apologized. "I was so focused on my date with Liam tonight that I didn''t pay much attention to my surroundings I''m so sorry." The girl had short brown locks and light pink eyes. And if it wasn''t for her outfit, anyone would have thought she was a boy because of her build. "Uhm," Ian just nodded and continued walking with the same emotionless face. Although this time, he had a little bit of confusion mixed with his features. Thinking that his attitude was because of her, the girl didn''t let him go and talked him into apanying her to an ice-cream store nearby. A few minutes after, Ian was waving goodbye to the girl that gave her name as Lizzy, while carrying his second strawberry ice-cream cone of the day. "Um, I was sure I made it so that no one can see me, let alone collide or touch me..." Ian was confused since with his powers, he could make it so that people just ''ignore'' and moreover ''avoid'' his presence. He could rob a bank without a single soul even realising. Yet that girl... not only did she see him, but she was able to touch him. Watching her take a sharp turn and disappearing behind a big building, Ian shrugged his shoulders, ever so slightly, and kept on walking with the cone in hand. ... Reaching his home and knocking on the door, Ian was greeted by a woman that looked in her mid thirties and had a beaming smile on her face. "Finally home, my dear!" she said while giving him a quick hug. She was one of the researchers that had trapped him and conducted various experiments on him. A normal person would have wanted revenge, yet he couldn''t care less. Revenge and anger weren''t things he''d ever care about. All he wanted was to live a normal life. That''s exactly why he had used his powers to turn her into ''his mother''. He had basically changed and yed around with her memories so that she forgot everything that had happened before and imnted new memories in her mind. Now she thinks, or rather "knows" that Ian is her only son and she loves him as such. Even though he knew it wasn''t ideal, he wanted to at least have a taste of what a real life might be like, before his fate came true. Yet, no matter how hard he tries, life seems always dull and fake. Always.... so colourless. Chapter 97 - Rank Test Part 1 * Dwin - LaLaLaLaLa (Gaullin Remix) * Since many streets were still damaged and to avoid traffic, Adam, Scott, and Raven had to rush through the city. Raven had transparent mana tes under her feet while she was gliding midair, above the city. The deputy General, Scott, had his hand resting on his assistant''s shoulder as the two soared the skies. One of Adams abilities was to generate a stable bubble of sorts which lets him fly at high velocities while shielding him from air resistance among other obstacles. This ability had an advantage over Raven''s mana control in that it required less attention as Raven had to manually create everything, including a mana screen to shield her eyes and body from things that might hit her while flying, such as insects. As the three were going pretty fast, the trip to the testing ce didn''t take long even though it was located outside of the city. "Alright," Adam said as hended near a huge building that was miraculously unscathed, as if the recent war was beneath it. "This is the newest EDA branch, and here''s where you''ll be taking your Rank Test". Raven wasn''t worried nor stressed about the test, yet, she could now feel her heart racing. Even though she''s decided to ignore it and think of it as side effect of her flying over a long distance, Ka couldn''t stay quiet about it. [Raven... are you alright?] ''Ah, don''t worry about it,'' taking a deep breath to calm herself, Raven smiled slightly but still could feel her heart in her ears. ''I don''t know what it is, but I should be fine.'' [Please be careful, ok? We don''t owe them anything, nor do you have to take any tests, you can just-] ''Kay, please don''t worry about it, ok? It''s a minor difort, nothing more.'' [Ok, but please be careful...] ''Always,'' Raven thought to Ka as her smile spread just a little bit wider across her face. Entering the facility and staring through a second thick ss set of doors, Raven thought she was in a sci-fi movie shot as the interior of the building was rather futuristic. What surprised her the most was that from the outside, the ss exterior seemed to project a normal picture of a boring business building, which wasn''t obviously the case. Neon white-blue lights spread across the white ceiling and walls. Androids and touch screens could be seen everywhere. On top of that, she could even spot some aliens in a white and ck uniform that she could tell was the receptionists''. Adam pressed his hand across the touch screen behind the first ss door, which prompted the second set of doors to open, leading them inside. Just as they did, an android approached them. Looking at it, Raven saw that the lower half was basically a shiny white hovering tform, while the top was that of a humanoid robot wearing a ck suit jacket. "Hello sir, Mr. Deputy General, and Ms. O''Bannon," a robotic voice came from the android even though its ''mouth'' didn''t move, "please follow me to the test room." Following the android, the group found themselves in a big hall of sorts where many people were standing in line, waiting for their turn to take the test. Only a handful lucky bunch had seats to ease their wait. Not a second after they entered, the people in there took a note of them, and just a strong smell in a warm breeze, whispers started to spread across the hall. "Is that the SS girl that killed the monster?" "Hey I''m a big fan of her!" "Shut up! That''s the Deputy General!!" "Why is the General apanying a little girl?" "OMG who''s that handsome ck haired guy with the sword!" "Shut up! Goddamn it, can''t a man sleep in peace?" ... "Quiet." He wasn''t loud, but a single word from Adam''s lips made the hall quiet again. "Oh, Adam, Deputy General, and Ms. O''Bannon, we were expecting you." A man''s calm voice rang as the group turned their heads towards him. "Mr. Hobbs, it''s been a while," Scott greeted with a quick nod, and so did Adam. "SixRay Thousand, you may leave now," Mr. Hobbs instructed the android. "Thank you sir!" beamed the robotic voice of the android as it proceeded to leave the hall. "Alright, Ms. O''Bannon, shall we get this started?" Mr. Hobbs said as Raven nodded. Leading them towards the center of the room where a huge device was stationed, he started to speak, "So, I''m assuming you''re not familiar with the EnergyMeter correct?" "Uhm," nodding slightly while trying to shake off the deafening sound of her heartbeat, Raven looked at the giant machine that somehow managed to look like a kneeling metal titan with both of its arms extended forward. Wires covered most of it, but the majority of them were centered where the hand-like things were connected together, forming some sort of a tform that looked alien to Raven. ''There''s no way this thing is or was a living being, right?'' Raven wondered to herself. "Ok, so this device is simple. All you have to do is insert both of you arms at the center of the opening on the elevated tform, and the device will do the rest, is that clear?" But before Raven could answer, a voice called out towards the group: "Excuse me." Looking at the source, a teen boy could be seen standing with his hands in his pocket. "I believe we''ve been waiting here for way longer that yourselves, don''t you think?" he said to the group of three. His dark ck hair contrasted with his white skin and made his blue eyes shine brighter. He wasn''t yelling, but his anger and disgust were rather apparent. "Please return back to your seat, Mr. Hans," said Mr. Hobbs calmly, yet his eyes were anything but. "Why should I? Am I wrong here? Why does she get a better treatment, whoever she is!" his eyes seemed to spark for a second, but he still didn''t take any actions just yet. Needless to say, murmurs and whispers were already so loud that it added to Raven''s headache. "It''s ok, we can do thister I don''t want any trouble," Raven said to the group in order to avoid more headaches, literally. However, it wasn''t going to be that easy. "Please don''t move Ms. O''Bannon," Mr. Hobbs narrowed his eyes and said the moment Raven started to walk away, "Mr. Hans here should know his ce and retreat when a high ranker order him to do so." "No, don''t worry about it, I''m-" "Don''t try to y nice in front of people now," the boy cut Raven as his eyes seemed full of contempt, "EDA and high rankers... I''m sick of this stupid system, you im that your cause is to protect humanity when you can''t even provide fairness and equality. How do you expect to save sh*t like this?" "I''m sorry, I''ll let you have-" Raven tried to say but she was cut off short again. "You shut up! Weren''t you caught stealing some alien technology to help empower yourself?" At that, whispers seemed to echo through Ravens head like a hammer striking a helpless nail. "Please, stop-" she pleaded as the pain was now intolerable. "S rankers, huh? Such a disgrace to humanity you all are," the boy continued which made Raven hold her head between her hands. Mr. Hobbs was quickly running out of patience especially that he was in the presence of the Deputy General and his assistant. Adam seemed bored but bothered, if anything. While Scott was mostly entertained. Scott, the Deputy General, wasn''t a fan of the norm nor did he like people who follow the rules blindly without thinking and evaluating what''s right or wrong, that''s why he found the boy rather interesting. [Raven, are you ok?!] Noticing how fast she was breathing right now, and adding her off the charts fast heartrate made Ka worry to no end. [Please, Raven, we can just go home right?] Even though Ka was talking, all Raven could hear was noise. NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! ''Please... I can''t...'' Raven thought she muttered, but in reality the words had never left her mind. "Mr. Hans, this is yourst warning," this time it was Adam who spoke, sending a shiver down those who were present. He had heard of the arrival of a new estimated A++ ranked recruit. Normally that would be all good and well, but it so happens that he was a troublesome fe. "What are you going to do, sir?" the boy called out with a disgusted tone, emphasising thest word especially, "will you kick me out? I sure f*cking wish you do! I''ve been-" Out of the blue, a sudden aura re blinded everyone as the ground seemed to shake under their feet. Only a handful realized what was happening. Chapter 98 - Rank Test Part 2 * Thousand Foot Krutch - Lifeline * "I see that you''re still in need of my sword in order to defend yourself. It''s sad to see how that past hasn''t taught you anything about the nature of life..." Amongst all of the chaos in Raven''s head, only one voice was clear, and it was whispering quietly with a faint echo. "I guess I''ll have to give you a hand this time too..." *** "What are you going to do, sir"? the boy called out with a disgusted tone, emphasising thest word especially, "will you kick me out? I sure f*cking wish you do! I''ve been-" Out of the blue, a sudden aura re blinded everyone as the ground seemed to rumble under their feet. Only a handful of people realized what was happening. Raven''s usual golden pupils were dyed crimson red in an instant as strange runes started to glow within. Without a moment''s notice, Raven disappeared from her spot and reappeared midair in front of the boy that was causing the trouble. Raven''s body seemed to flicker as her foot shot upwards and was about to connect with the boy''s skull with a force powerful enough to shatter it on the spot. However, seeing that, Adam took a stance to signal his readiness. Almost at the same time, with a snap of his fingers, Scott willed it so that Mr. Hans was reced by Adam. The two switched ces instantly. Blocking against a B ranker''s strike would usually be as easy as opening a bottle of water, but knowing better, Adam used a fortified version of the barrier he used earlier during his flight as an extra support. Little did he know, some people even when they''re being overestimated, they are in fact still being underestimated. And unfortunately for him, Raven was one of those people. Raven''s kick seemed to pass right through his bubble barrier and break his guard instantly as though it was the easiest thing in the world. Hearing his bones crack before even feeling the paint, Adam quickly used his sheathed sword to protect against the attack and avoid it taking his face off. The great sword in its sheath took the brunt of the damage with ease, but the force of the kick still forced Adam a few meters backwards, which in turn generated a powerful shockwave that sent many people flying and crashing against the wall of the test hall. It all happened so fast, and so many still didn''t know what hit them, nor what the in the world was going on in front of them "Magnificent!" Scott muttered under his breath as a small smile spread across his face. "Motherf*cker." Adam cursed under his breath as he tried adjusting his clothes, that is until he felt the pain radiating from his arm which forced him to stop and get ready for the next strike. ''No-'' Raven whispered in her mind as everything seemed to get just a little bit clearer. Waking up from her frenzy in a sudden confusion, her eyes retuned to their normal majestic golden light as she slowly started to realise what had just happened. Although she was dead tired and found herself panting faster as her body required more oxygen than her lungs could supply, she knew that she''s almost killed or heavily injured a person. Rushing towards Adam with a worried face that made her look as if she had just awoken from ten years of slumber, Adam raised his healthy arm with the still sheathed sword to fight off against her. "Wait, I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to!" Raven apologized quickly even though she didn''t slow down. Allowing her to touch his almost shattered arm, Adam could feel a warm sensation quickly washing over him and spreading across his injury, healing it back to normal, and even giving him an invigorating rush through his veins. "Ms. O''Bannon, colour me impressed," said Scott with a smile instead of being on his guard, "not only did you manage tond a good hit on Adam, you also healed his injury within a heartbeat." Noticing the healers join the crowd in order to heal those who have suffered some injuries from the sh, Adam smiled awkwardly at Scott. "Deputy General, remind me to have a word with you after we''re done here..." Adam said while narrowing his eyes. "Fufufufu, you got your a*s handed to you Adam, don''t y tough now." Scott teased as Adam''s aura started to grow denser, making it harder for some of the people to breath. "And you, kid, we''ll have a talk as well," unlike Scott, Adam wasn''t happy in the slightest about Raven''s behaviour. "Uhm," Raven nodded, understanding that not only did she hurt his arm, but his pride as well. "I''m sorry..." "And you," Adam said while approaching the boy, Mr. Hans, "what do you have to say for yourself? I can guarantee your head would have been turned into dust had that kick hit you. Don''t act superior to others, it''ll only end in your demise..." "Uhm," the boy nodded even though his throat was burning with defeat. He hadn''t meant for it to reach this point as he wasn''t a trouble maker to start with. He was brought here against his will in order to take that Ranker Test and he knew that eventually, he''ll be forced to join the EDA against his will. "It''s not fair..." he muttered as his eyes started to water up. It seemed rather strange since no one had expected the kid that was ying tough to start crying all of a sudden. "Now, now," Scott said calmly, "Mr. Hans, or rather Lloyd, I''m sure Raven didn''t mean to hurt you, but since you''ve crossed the line, many times ording to my knowledge, I''m sure that witnessing someone else''s Power would teach you to respect others, no?" "I don''t care about that..." Lloyd muttered while shaking his head slowly, "why did you bring us here? I never asked to be here, nor do I want to be an EDA ranker, I just want to go home! And above that, even though we''ve been waiting here for the longest time, you juste here and try to take the test without a minute of waiting? How''s any of this fair?" at thest sentence, Lloyd broke down and started crying. Lloyd was in fact just a fifteen year old boy who was forced to start working at the age of twelve in order to support his family. His single mother worked really hard when she was younger since she was the only person supporting her family, but as a result, she got sick and was unable to work anymore. His older and only sister is now neen, but she was also forced to start working at a young age in order to support the family. With him being brought here away from his family that needed his support, he was enraged, sad, and desperate at the same time. He was brought here in the first ce because a ranker had witnessed his powers against the aliens in the recent war while he was trying to fend off the enemies away from his house, and as a result he was rmended for future recruitment. "Is this what I get for defending my family?" he muttered as tears ran down his face. "Lloyd," Scott said, "I understand where-" "No you don''t!" Lloyd yelled, "I told you I don''t want to be here! My family needs me, I have to-" Suddenly, unable to hold herself back, Raven hugged Lloyd from behind and used her skill Angelic Touch to calm his aura down. Feeling the calm aura envelope his core made Lloyd breath slowly and calmly again. They stayed like that for a few moments before Raven let go of him. During that time, Lloyd had noticed Raven''s fast and shallow breathing which made him rather confused. Forgetting about his worries for a second, he asked: "are you alright?" Raven who wasn''t expecting the question was rather surprised the kid was worried about her. "Uhm, I''ll be alright, don''t worry about it. and I''m so sorry for taking your turn, but I doubt I can wait any longer, is it ok if I take the test now?" "Yes, if you think you''ll be ok." Lloyd answered with a flushed face after realising how bad her situation was. ''God, I''m such a jerk...'' "Thank you," Raven said then looked at Mr. Hobbs who was still confused at how the events were unfolding rather quickly, "shall we get this done with please?" "Yes, for sure," he answered hurriedly as they proceeded towards the Device. [Raven... please, tell me what''s going on?] ''I... I think I know what''s going on... but let''s finish this quickly, we can''t stay here for long.'' "Deputy General," Adam whispered, "why are we still proceeding with the test? She''s obviously an S ranker at least, there''s no-" "Let''s watch for now, I have another test for her," Scott replied with a smile, "I think I know where the issue is..." Adam didn''t understand, yet he''d kept quiet about it. "Alright," said Mr. Hobbs after taking a deep breath, "you have to ce both of your arms on top of the little orb above the tform, once you''ve done that, make sure to release a small amount of your aura and the device will do the rest." Proceeding as instructed, Raven inserted both hands into the structure in front of her. Inside, she could feel a soft orb floating midair, pressing her hands on top of it made her dizziness a little bit better as she was able to use it support herself. Pressing a few buttons on a nearby tform, Mr.. Hobbs watched as the device started to glow, producing countless mana orbs of different colours that surrounded the hall, making everyone feel that they''re floating in space amongst the stars. Chapter 99 - Rank Test Part 3 * Thousand Foot Krutch - Lifeline * Proceeding as instructed, Raven inserted both hands into the structure in front of her. Inside, she could feel a soft orb floating midair, pressing her hands on top of it made her dizziness a little bit better as she was able to use it in order to support herself upright. Pressing a few buttons on a nearby tform, Mr. Hobbs watched as the device started to glow, producing countless mana orbs of different colours that surrounded the hall, making everyone feel that they''re floating in space, amongst the stars. "Sir," a man in ab coat looked at Mr. Hobbs with a confused expression, "I think the device has malfunctioned..." Mr. Hobbs knew exactly what his assistant meant. Normally, the device would produce mana orbs corresponding to the main elements of the ranker undergoing the test. Normally, a person would have one or two elements, four if the person is special. But the little girl in front of him had literally every possible colour, although at the moment, the main colours were emphasizing a bright crimson hue which was akin to a young supernova. "Ohu~" Scott had both an excited and a serious expression on his face as he tried to understand what was going on in front of him. ''So, the girl is an Original?'' he thought to himself with a smile after a short while. "Mr. Hobbs," Adam had to raise his voice to be heard over the loud whispers of the crowd. "Are the results out yet?" "Yes, sir... yes!" Mr. Hobbs answered hesitantly after a pause, with an expression of a child who was lost in the woods, "but I''m afraid the device has malfunctioned. It''s showing that she''s only a B ranker even though it can''t be..." Mr. Hobbs understood that what he was witnessing wasn''t normal. ''The device isn''t supposed to function like that...'' he muttered to himself while ignoring the noise of the crowd and Raven''s pained expression as she held her head between her hands again. If one was to describe the mana cores found inside rankers as vessels that support their own mana, then this device can be described as a measure of pseudo energy that can''t interact with the real mana. One could think of the pseudo mana as a measurable amount of light that can''t directly interact with the substance of a matter. Basically, what this implies is that to measure the mana capacity, or the amount of mana the core can withstand, the EnergyMeter infuses its own pseudo mana into the core, thus it can easily tell how much mana was lost from the original starting point, and so this can be used as an indication of the mana capacity of a person, which is also used to define the rank. ''But again... I''ve seen her powers and aura... she can''t be less than an S ranker,'' Mr. Hobbs'' brain was so close to call it a quit as the matter was the first he''s ever heard of, but as a scientist, he was also excited for a new discovery. ''Could it be that she has a different type of energy? Or maybe her core is just different? But... no, how could this be?'' "A B-ranker? That''s quite a surprise..." Scott said with raised eyebrows to emphasize his fake surprise. In his heart, he believed it was nothing short of a lie. "Anyhow, Ms. O''Bannon, can we proceed on to the second test please?" "A second test? I''ve already told you that I''m only a B ranker and the device proved I was saying the truth, what else do you need to test?" Raven was rather annoyed as she wanted nothing but to leave this dreadful ce, especially with the ringing in her head increasing in magnitude and frequency by the second. "Oh, the second test has already been prepared" Scott said with a smile, "you see, I''ve asked a friend to help me out and he agreed. Please don''t think bad of me because of this, it''s all for the better end..." Before Raven could evenprehend what Scott was about, he snapped his fingers and Raven felt her heart tighten all of a sudden, almost squeezing her brain into a bean, as the world spinned around her head. Widening her eyes, she realised she was now in a different ce, an open arena of sorts. There were walls hiding the external world, yet nothing prevented the sun rays from warming the atmosphere along with the crimson pulsing runes on the ground. Worst part was that she actually knew exactly where she was, as these familiar runes that covered the floor were rather hard to forget. ''We meet again...'' she could hear the voice in her head, as the runes under her feet pulsed together with her heart in a rhythmic beat. ''You- you''re the same voice...'' Raven wanted to speak out loud, but the pain didn''t make the task so simple. Her heart felt as though it was bound to these runes all around her. "See, Ms. O''Bannon," Scott said with his usual smile, "your powers are rather impressive, even though you''re not even an A ranker, you can stand up against a powerful S ranker such as my assistant Adam... what''s your secret?" After a pause, he continued, "Yeah, it''s alright if you don''t want to answer I suppose," he shrugged his shoulders, "but we''re about to figure this out anyway. Remember the friend I mentioned earlier? I believe you''ve met already, Bell Hond, he''ll be your opponent here." Just as he said that, Mr. Hond approached Raven who was standing still at the center of the arena with a pained expression as she kept on supporting her head with her hand. "A couple of notes before you start," Scott continued, "This ce is very special. You see these runes on the ground? They have some really weird effects such as that they''re mana resistant and can withstand the power of an S ranker easily, so don''t be afraid of coteral damage. "Also, I can tell you''re feeling lightheaded and I want to assure you that it''s only natural, especially with us being so close to, and almost in, the center of the runes. "Lastly, Ted Baker, the S ranked healer you met earlier, will be here soon, so don''t be afraid of hurting Bell over here, alright? Do you have any questions?" After finishing his speech and realising that Raven had no intentions of answering his question nor did she has any of her own, Scott started making some distance between himself and the two of them. Just as he was doing that, he noticed something strange happening all around him. ''Were the runes always pulsing so fast?'' he muttered to himself before proceeding to stand near Adam away from the arena. "Deputy General, let me get this straight," Raven said now as her face slowly turned expressionless and her tone became calm, yet threatening, "you kidnapped me, a sixteen years old girl, brought me here into a ce where even a high ranker would struggle to breath, and now you''re asking your friend which happens to be an S ranker, to fight me, which happens to be a f*cking B ranker?" Even though she wasn''t loud, her voice seemed toe from all around them, which confused everyone. Raven didn''t even try to hide her disgust. This situation was very much like what she has experienced here, in this very same ce, before. This ce was where she was once kidnapped and kept as a ve for Lady Luck'' pleasure. A woman who ruled arge portion of the underworld, and specialized in prostitution... needless to say, nothing is left of her except the bad memories. If recognising the ce wasn''t enough, the voice that was now back in Raven''s head was enough to make her hate humanity once again. "Hm, something is really strange..." Scott muttered as he felt immediately that something was off. Adam had a simr feeling as well. Mr. Hond knew the girl wasn''t an easy target and so he didn''t think much of the weird sensation he''s getting. As a result, he just proceeded as previously instructed by the Deputy General. ''So I only need to focus on mental attacks and pressuring her into a corner, huh?'' Mr. Hond wondered as he tried to remember his objective. Scott has informed him to avoid directly attacking her since she wasn''t an official S ranker. ''alright, here we go...'' Scott knew from his interactions with the girl, and especially after reading her files, that she had a strong emotional trauma. ''Such a trauma can permanently hinder her control over her powers...'' Scott thought to himself as he watched Mr. Hond''s eyes glow red to signal the start of his attack. ''If things get even worse with her control, she might end up destroying herself or even the city with such powers. ''With a quick test now in such a controlled environment, we can help her and in turn gain a powerful ally.'' he thought with a faint smile that seemed his first real one. Feeling the red aura attempt to prate her weak mind made Raven standpletely still for a second before looking Mr. Hond dead in the eyes, sending a shiver down his spine that seemed to shake his very core. "You dare intrude on my own memories?" Raven''s voice, even though still calm, sounded rather enraged. Her pupils slowly turned hollow and crimson once more, as she clenched her fists. Raven knew of her own w. She had a lot of corrupted memories... memories that she desperately didn''t want to remember, and others that she wished to forget as well. She didn''t necessarily know what her mind was hiding, but she knew that it wasn''t good. She knew she couldn''t bring herself to remember her true past... she just couldn''t. ''Do you see now?'' the familiar deep voice said quietly in her mind. ''Why don''t they just leave me alone?'' Raven thought as her hollow eyes seemed to tear up. ''You''re still naive, kid. Humans... no, all living creatures value guaranteed safety over risky prosperity.'' ''But I wouldn''t purposefully hurt anyone with no reason...'' she muttered to the voice. ''Yet, you''re still a wild card in their eyes. You might be their saviour and salvation, but you might also be their extinction. You''re an anomaly that they haven''t observed before. For all they know, you could be the Devil incarnate...'' the voice was deep and seemed rather sincere. Raven didn''t fully trust the voice, but as he had saved her before from Lady Luck''s grasp, she came to think of him as a saviour of sort. But why does he only appear in her time of despair? Or is it the voice that actually causes her despair? ''But not knowing my origin doesn''t mean they have the right to assault my mind, isn''t that right?'' she muttered again to the voice in her head. She knew... Raven knew that the voice once wanted to take over her body... he wanted control. ''But what if he was imprisoned and only wanted to be free...'' she thought to herself. ''Or maybe he''s just another side of me that wants toe out to help me?'' ''How would you chose to deal with an anomaly? A person that might be an angel, or might be a devil?'' the voice asked. ''From my time here alone I came to know a lot more about humans, one example that I like is that of Hitler... a dictator that announced war on the world. ''People at the time didn''t know whether that innocent and shy looking kid at the back of the ss would be a doctor that saves many lives, or a demon that would steal so many...'' ''You talk like you know for sure that I''m a devil... why would youpare me to a person that almost annihted the world nations?'' before the voice could answer, Mr. Hond''s aura seemed to re as he shot towards Raven with the speed of sound, generating multiple sonic explosions along the way as he faked multiple paths. The test was basically a test of Raven''s mental prowess and her fortitude under stress. Mr. Hond wasn''t going to actually hit her, nor was he nning on hurting her. But from their little interactions not long ago, Mr. Hond knew to never underestimate the little girl, and that''s exactly why he wanted to make it a little bit more challenging for her. Thinking that with the presence of three high rankers and such a special arena, everything was going to be done safely was a mistake on the Deputy General''s side. Time seemed to slow down as the only thing Raven could see was Mr. Hond''s fist that was getting closer to her by the second. ''Do you need my help?'' the voice asked, even though it seemed more like a statement than a question. In Raven''s inner mind, a part of her was extremely sad that Ka hadn''t even said a word to support her or give her a hand in all of this. It wasn''t the first time, actually, many times where she needed her support, Ka would just disappear. Raven was feeling as though she was suffocating from the sadness and despair blurring her mind, and so she didn''t mind the offer the voice had made her. ''Uhm,'' Raven nodded mentally, against her better judgement, and left all in the voice''s hands. ''If they''ve already decided to go this far to test if I''m a threat, I might as well give them the benefit of the doubt....'' Chapter 100 - Crimson Dragon Of Death Part 1 * Feint - My Sunset * *** [Raven... Please... Why? Why can''t you hear me cry? Raven, don''t... DON''T DO IT...] *** Raven was feeling as though she was suffocating from the sadness and despair blurring her mind, and so she didn''t mind the offer the voice had made her. ''Uhm,'' Raven nodded mentally, against her better judgement, and left it all in the voice''s hands. ''If they''ve already decided to go this far to test if I''m a threat, I might as well give them the benefit of the doubt...'' "Deputy General...?" asked Adam just a second before Mr. Hond''s attack could connect. "Yes, I can feel it too," nodded Scott, "the ground in shaking..." Suddenly, bright crimson aura erupted from ground as everything froze, making it look like as though everyone was instantly sent to a space where no gravity nor momentum existed. Everyone seemed to float for a second before the crimson runes carved into the ground started to float slowly, only to concentrate around Raven''s calmly hovering body. Space seemed to lose any colour but intense crimson as the runes formed magical circles. In the span of a few milliseconds, countless magic circles coated the girl''s body as everyone watched in awe as her clothes morphed into a crimson armour. It seemed all so surreal to everyone that was watching. No one seemed to notice, but no walls where left standing as many buildings were lying in ruins now and Raven was clear for everyone to observe, even though only a handful couldprehend the scene in front of them. Mr. Hond''s arm that was extended towards the girl was long gone from he intense aura as he couldn''t even scream in pain for his mouth wouldn''t produce any noise. Raven''s body was now d in a heavy yet elegant crimson armour that seemed to highlight her feminine features. Her eyes were covered in a helmet that seemed more simr to a dragon''s skull than anything else, which only allowed a portion of her nose and her mouth to be seen. Naturally though, her long crimson-purple hair was left hanging on her back. Different degrees of crimson light seems to concentrate inside the dragon''s eye sockets on the helmet, producing what seems like reptilian or rather draconic eyes. "Ah..." the deep voice seemed to speak through everyone''s minds, "it seems as though I am still not able to gather my original powers..." the voice sounded disappointed, yet for the those who were hearing, it seemed both calming and soothing. "Adam," Scott had a serious expression on his face as his eyes seemed to burn in rage. "Use your Emperor''s Legacy transformation." Adam who was struck by both fear and amazement as Scott''s eyes peered into his sharply. It was the first time he''d opened his eyes, or at least the first time Adam had seen them. They didn''t look human. No, they looked omnipotent, almost- "Adam, Now!" Scott yelled for the first time in what Adam could remember. "Your Emperor''s Legacy form should give you a second to grab Bell and clear the area." Adam was surprised Scott wasn''t actually asking for his help, but rather wanted for him to run away with Mr. Hond. Not that he could make a difference. From the aura he was feeling now from the little girl, Scott was the only one in the city, heck the country, who could stand up against her. Or rather, he hoped he could. Looking onest time into the Deputy General''s eyes that seemed to capture one''s soul, Adam bit his tongue hard enough to almost cut it in half, forcing himself to concentrate out of his trance. "EMPEROR''S LEGACY TRANSFORMATION!" Adam yelled loudly while ignoring the blood gushing out of his mouth as he clenched his sheathed ymore in both hands. Without much of a sound, the sheath of the sword seemed to devour Adam''s figure as it turned into a ck armour with hints of violet. A violet mask covered his face as his aura seemed to change entirely. His now unsheathed ymore was releasing a heavy dark violet aura that seemed so dense for the air to withstand. Raven didn''t have much of a reaction to Adam''s spike in power. The crimson reptilian eyes nced for a second at Adam who in turn felt suddenly so heavy to move a finger. Understanding what they wanted, Raven swiped her index across the space in front of her as her fingertip glowed light crimson and Mr. Hond''s body was suddenly thrown towards Adam who promptly caught it. Not stopping for a second to understand what was going on, Adam''s figure flickered as he disappeared with Bell Hond in his left hand and the great sword in his right. "So, Deputy General," Raven''s mouth moved and Scott could hear her voice in his mind which made him grit his teeth, "you wanted to test me... I shall give you that wish of yours." Thest sentence seemed to be spoken by Raven and the deep voice simultaneously which made it strangely echo in the now crimson distorted space. Looking around for a second, Scott was surprised to see that the closer portion of the EDA headquarters has been levelled to the ground. "You''ve always seeked destruction, I see that nothing has changed in that department" Scott said with rage rather apparent in his voice, "but let me ask you this: do you remember me?" he said thest sentence as though he was spitting venom at Raven. Looking him up and down only to finally focus on his eyes, the reptilian eyes seemed to glow in recognition. "Ah... the wielder of the Cosmic Inclination." Beamed Raven''s voice along the deep one. "I''ve always loved the sight of the Cosmic Inclination, is that what you still call those eyes of yours? That''s why I left you alive, you''re aware, right? I had no use of them nor was there a way to extract them from you without wasting their potential..." Cosmic Inclination was the name given to a special type of eyes that was only found in Scott''s real, Amarak. Only one person may wield the Cosmic Inclination per generation and, as such, Scott was one of a kind. However, after his''s destruction, he became ''truly'' one of a kind as he is thest of his kind. Only spared for the beauty trapped within his eyes. They didn''t have pupils in them, nor were they necessarily white. The Cosmic Inclination gave off the colour of the cosmos, the ever changing space. Gxies,s, and stars swirl within. Many rumour around the universe speak of the Cosmic Inclination and im it contains the will of the stars. Those who wield it are believed to have control over some aspects of the universe. "Such a waste..." Raven''s double voice said with a hint of disappointment which seemed to be thest straw that breaks Scott''s fake tranquility. "You know, I''ve been waiting for this moment my entire life," Scott said as his aura red up turning the dull ground under him tova. Steam arose form the air around him. "Truth be told however, I''ve never expected you to be here on Earth, let alone to meet you so soon. "I''ve watched you kill my family, friends, and people. I''ve witnessed your vile actions as you destroyed city after city, country after the other. "You have made a grave mistake by leaving me alive after you''ve destroyed my, and you shall pay for that with your blood!" "Hahaha," Raven''s double voiceughed calmly, "You entertain me, Cosmic Inclination wielder. Very well, I shall give you a chance to show me how much you''ve improved. "I need to test my powers after being sealed for so long, after all. Show me the prowess of the Cosmic Inclination and prove to me that leaving the useless lump of flesh you were long ago wasn''t a total waste. Prove to me the Amarakans do, or rather did, indeed deserve their pride and reputation across the gxies. "But remember, I have lived countless centuries and in turn have ended countless legends... and I must say that yours was one of the more disappointing ones." Raven''s face was emotionless and the draconic eyes gave off a simr feeling. They were ready for battle. "I will kill you and show you that the one mess you didn''t bother to clean will be the end of you," Scott said with seething rage as his eyes looked fiery red with a tinge of gold that resembled a birth of a new star, a neb, "I will erase you.... Crimson Dragon of Death!" Chapter 101 - Crimson Dragon Of Death Part 2 * Feint - My Sunset * *** "Why do I feel so lost?" Raven muttered to herself as she inspected the crimson chains binding her in what seemed like a dimensional prison of sorts. "How did I get here? Was the Voice never my friend to start with?" In front of her, she could only see clouds of crimson and ck. No stars, and nos... Nothing alive. "I was happy with Maria, Maya, and the rest... why did I have to undergo this stupid test?" tears started to flow down her golden eyes and towards her cheeks as it was getting harder and harder to breath. "Ka..." Raven said in between sniffs, "I need you, please don''t abandon me now..." Raven didn''t know how long she''s been in that state, but it seemed as though it was an eternity of loneliness and despair. Meanwhile, in another corner of that distorted space, there was a young girl with tears running down her void ck eyes. Her dark purple hair was almost floating from theck of gravity as her little frame shook in a rhythm with her crying pattern. [Raven... *sniff* pleasee back...] *** "I will kill you and show you that the one mess you didn''t bother cleaning will be the end of you," Scott said with seething rage as his eyes looked fiery red with a tinge of gold that resembled a birth of a new star, a neb, "I will end you... cursed Crimson Dragon of Death!" At that, Scott''s eyes released an ominous glow that seemed to shatter the boundaries of space. Light was sucked into an invisible web of shes that cut through the space fabric and threatened to explode the moment it got unstable. The scale of the attack wasn''trge, but it was strong enough to make the ground melt into boilingva and then evaporate into volcanic fumes. "That''s a well executed lightshow," Raven teased with her voice as the deep one echoed after, "but I''m afraid your time is running low... Against me, you will only get one chance to perform one good attack since I''m being lenient, and so far I''ve seen nothing impressive." What the voice didn''t realize was that the concentration of shes were actually meant to cut space and that wasn''t a byproduct of the real function. After all, isting one area of space in such powerful pressure conditions was enough to make it copse on itself. "You impatient f*cker I''ll make it worth your while I promise," Scott cursed as he was about to show the b*stard that had destroyed his that leaving him alive was a big mistake. "Cosmic Inclination," Scott muttered, "I hereby order thee, devour the impurities of this world, cleanse the universe of this vile curse... COSMIC ASSIMILATION!" Scott wasn''t naive, nor had he hoped to one shot a creature as powerful as the Crimson Dragon of Death. However, he wanted to at least seal it away since its presence has only brought chaos to the universe. ''This creature... whatever its real name is, has lived for far longer than me, or anyone that I know of for that matter,'' Scott thought as he himself was only a couple of hundreds of years old which meant he was considered young in his''s standards, ''he must have fought against other Cosmic Inclination wielders before me, and if that''s the case, then he''s most likely familiar with the obvious techniques. ''That''s why going with the indirect approach of sealing it, rather than actually kill it now, would be the most surprising and thus increasing the probability of its sess.'' Scott has worked on this sealing technique for so long and has made it especially to iste the Crimson Dragon of Death with it. If this didn''t work, then humanity was doomed. ''But I will not lose... I will prevail!'' he thought as he unleashed the true power of his eyes. An enormous magical circle appeared in the sky which covered the entirety of the EDA''s headquarters, but specifically targeted the little girl in the crimson draconic armour, Raven. All of a sudden, the previously small web of shes drastically increased in size as they released a white and ck hue which seemed to prevent air from moving or escaping the active suction. With a wave of his hands, the shespressed in size and instantly tore the space around Raven which would have usually caused a massive explosion. Yet, everything was ounted for and no explosions ured since Scott has done his calctions right after all. The shes didn''t need to touch the girl or her armour for the voice to realize something wasn''t right. However, before Raven could even move, the entire universe seemed to pull her into nothingness. Light was no more. Blinking twice, Scott made sure he wasn''t seeing things. Looking around and double checking to ensure the creature''s signature was no more, he sighed in relief as he was about to copse. ''The b*stard must be regretting his choices now, fufufufu-'' before Scott could even clean his mess, space seemed to get distorted once again as a bright crimson light prated through. Not believing his eyes, Scott had trouble breathing in front of Raven''s might. ''She cut through space? She cut through my seal with this much ease? No... how could this be?'' Scott could see a huge ymore in Raven''s hands. The ymore looked as if it was built from moltenva that was magically held together. ''What are you?'' Scott muttered as he''d never seen such a creature before. Let alone anything that wielded such powers. He had so many questions: How did the Crimson Dragon get to Earth? Why bother with disguising itself as a little girl? What was its objective? What is that great sword in her hands? What role does Raven y in all of this? "So many questions and so little answers, huh?" Raven''s double voice echoed as she looked at the fatigued Scott. "This sword is a sword created by my own aura. A powerful seal was cast on it to dim its powers, otherwise, the after effects of me cutting your little prison might have been disastrous for this." Raven pointed at the void ck chains that were now visibly hugging the sword. "Also, me and the girl are two separate beings. Yet, I am trapped within her..." Raven said and the deep voice echoed, "It might be surreal to imagine for someone as weak as yourself, but I have been defeated before... hence why I''m sealed." ''Weak?'' Scott thought to himself as he was literally one of Earth''s most powerful, if not the most powerful. Yet, the girl in front of him seemed to tower over him, strength wise. "To make matters worse, I can''t break the seal, no matter how hard I try. Without her permission, I would have never been able to show my powers." continued Raven. "In addition, while we do have a past, I have no interest in your struggles with revenge. I am here now because you tried to push the girl''s limits beyond what she has allowed. And let me warn you, she is more capable than you can imagine..." "Someone defeated you?" Scott found it hard toprehend, "and the girl summoned you here? But... wait..." Scott tried to get his calm self back again and regain his previous professional attitude. "What happened to the girl?" he asked calmly. "She is in a sort of slumber." Raven answered and the deep voice echoed. "But she''s in no danger." "*sigh* I understand that your powers are sealed, but how-" he wanted to ask about how could he break the seal that he''s worked so hard to create. Yet, one look at the ymore in the girl''s hand made it all clear. So instead, he decided to ask a different question. "Howe you''re being... reasonable?" From what Scott could remember, the creature that destroyed his was a tyrant dragon that only brought cmities. No one knew its real name, but it or rather ''he'' was known as the Crimson Dragon of Death for the amount of death he brought upon this world. The tyrant he knew would have never spoken to someone weaker than him... *sigh* "Humans, Amarakans, and all mortal creatures are so naive... your question is wed to start with. You''re implying that I was unreasonable before because I''ve destroyed your?" without waiting for a response, Raven''s voice continued, "the question is rather biased. If you want to know the truth about the destruction of your, then you better look for it... Anyhow..." just as the deep voice echoed, Raven''s body flickered next to Scott who found it hard to even breath in the presence of such intense aura. "Let me show you the true power of your eyes," and with that, Raven''s index and middle finger touched Scott''s forehead who in turn widened his eyes suddenly as mana erupted from the two of them. "The little stunt you pulled here has most likely affected the in too many ways already, but the girl wouldn''t be happy if such a disy was left untreated..." Saying that, Raven retreated a few steps allowing Scott to breath again. Blinking twice, he knew what he had to do. ''For a stranger and a tyrant to know the power of my eyes better than myself is... a big disgrace...'' Scott thought with a sigh. ''Let alone that he''s practically asking me to fix a problem I created.'' Raising his right hand above his head, he focused all of his mana in his palm as he shouted: "Cosmic Inclination, I order thee, cleanse thends of this foul disy and purify the evil signs... COSMIC PURIFICATION!" And with that, he snapped his fingers. Chapter 102 - Limit Expansion Part 1 * Feint - My Sunset * Raising his right hand above his head, Scott focused all of his mana in his palm as he shouted: "Cosmic Inclination, I order thee, cleanse thends of this foul disy and purify the signs of evil... COSMIC PURIFICATION!" And with that, he snapped his fingers. ... Recovering from the amount of energy he''d lost, Scott seemed to have almost forgotten about the little girl in the crimson armour. "That''s beautiful..." Scott whispered in awe as he watched the ground fixing itself as if someone had pressed the rewind button. "Most people im that magic is a type of science that they don''t fully understand yet," Ravenmented and the deep voice followed. "However, that is not necessarily the case. "Even if it''s true that some types of magic can be understood in terms of its mana consumption and intended function, other types are not asparable to science or anything simple for normal people to understand. "An example would be your eyes, the Cosmic Inclination. They contain the will of the stars and can drive unlikely events against their normal course. I find it really unfortunate that you''recking so much in terms of your understanding though... *sigh* how low has the universe gone?" "Drive unlikely events?" Scott was baffled as he''s never thought something like that was possible. "Uhm," Raven nodded, "didn''t you see what you just did? Even though notpletely equal, in terms of probability, Chaos and Order are two sides of the same coin. Magic can be used to flip that coin, if you will. Chaos is more likely to ur as a matter of fact, but with some energy spent, Chaos can be converted back into Order. "Think of what you did, you''ve practically ''erased'' the effect of our little encounter, or a part of it I should say, as some small parts can not be changed by the power of mortals, even the strongest of them. "How can I make it easier for you to understand? Hm... think of it like this; the fact that you broke the boundaries of space is like breaking a mirror. One small crack can extend to the far ends of the mirror, and as such can negatively affect other ces as well as other people. For example, in some other areas of this city or county, some people must have lost their lives for your little trick." "But how?" Scott eximed, "We''ve fixed it already, didn''t you say that?" "You didn''tpletely fix it, no," Raven said calmly while shaking her head, "What you did was akin to putting the broken pieces back together. That doesn''t in any way change the fact that there is still a crack in the mirror." "I- I appreciate the exnation I guess," Scott sighed as he wasn''t happy that some people have died while his target of revenge is having a casual conversation with him, "but why are you telling me all of this? Why are you even helping me save people from the negative effects of my own actions?" Scott knew it wasn''t a thing the Crimson Dragon would usually do. "Hm," Raven seemed perplexed herself, "I guess I''m just trying to spend some more time in the outside world while I can... Also, since I can''t break the seal, I might as well be on good terms with the kid, she''s a pretty interesting being after all..." "Oh, in that regard," Raven turned towards Scott before she looked at her open palms, the draconic eyes seemed to shut for a second before opening once again, "I''d like to keep this incident between us if possible, and to ensure that, I must-" As the deep voice echoed, the space seemed to turn bright crimson, "I must ask you to form a contract with me, after all, all beings respect contracts, and those who can''t abide with them will have to face the wrath of the Crimson...." Scott didn''t have time to mutter a word before the draconic eyes seemed to blur his vision and turn the world to a shade of crimson. As he was falling to the ground unconscious, a bright crimson tattoo that looked like a dragon''s eye lit up on the back of his palm before disappearing. *Sigh* Sighing softly, Raven focused her intense crimson mana in her hand before pping them together. Enormous crimson chains appeared out of nowhere with two girls being stranded in them. "Ugh..." a faint painful moan escaped Ka''s mouth as she realised where she was now. Looking besides her, she realised there were two Ravens in her sight: One was chained midair next to her while the other was d in crimson armour in front of her. Needless to say, Ka had no trouble recognising the real Raven. "What did you do to her?" even though her eyes were still warm red from the tears she has shed, her voice was ice cold as was her gaze. "What did you do to my Raven?" "Nice to meet you, little girl," Raven''s voice said as the deep one echoed, "I am just an inhabitant of the kids body, the same as you. Apologies for the misunderstanding, I didn''t mean for both of you to be chained instead of me. I still am not sure how the seal works just yet, but apparently, someone must be bound to the chains at any given moment. I-" "Cut the crap," Ka''s eyes shone with a spark of rage, "this isn''t your body so go ahead and let Raven take it back!" without realising, a dark purple aura seemed to re around her, almost corrupting the chains. What was interesting was that the aura seemed to have small microcircuits inside of it, giving the illusion of electricity and neon lights swirling inside. "Interesting..." the voice muttered, "I haven''t seen one of your kind in so long, let alone as young as you, Cyber Valkyrie..." Ka blinked once as the voice was muttering what seemed like nonsense to her. "Did you not hear me?" she said as her rage was about to spill out. But before the voice could even answer, a blinding radiant covered the entire area as the crimson chains binding Raven were shattered to pieces. Out of the radiant storm of white, Raven walked with sparkling bright aura covering her frame. Looking at her body in the draconic armour and Ka still stranded by the chains made her furrow her eyebrows. Tilting her head to the side seemed to produce a loud crack. Ka was afraid for a second since she thought Raven had broken her neck somehow. But she soon realised that the crack noises wereing from the chains that were binding her. Widening her eyes and realising that the real Raven was standing in front of her made her tear up again as she jumped at her, hugging her tightly. "Thank goodness," Raven muttered in a calm manner as she hugged Ka''s shaking body back, "in my moment of despair, I thought you had abandoned me... I''m so sorry, even though it sounds so wrong to think about, but I''m d you were chained as well rather than just fine somewhere else..." "I''d- *sniff* I''d never leave you... ever *sniff*" "I''m sorry, I know you wouldn''t, please forgive my insolent self." "Well, that''s rather interesting," Raven heard her voice mutter as the ''voice'' echoed after, "you''ve somehow managed to break the chains restraining me to you..." "Not so fast though," real Raven said, "I may have broken the seal, but that doesn''t mean you''re free to go your way." ''He said I have about a thirty seconds, Hm, should be enough I guess...'' Raven thought to herself before her pupils changed from gold to blinding white, simr to the aura around her. "You''re the Monarch of Contracts aren''t you?" Raven asked as her white aura red even brighter. "Some call me that, but-" "Don''t bother, I don''t really care, you imprisoned me and Kay inside a soul draining prison and now you expect to run away with my body? Think again!" "Soul draining?" the voice seemed rather confused before the draconic eyes seemed to shine in recognition, "I''ve been in there for so long that I''ve forgotten the real purpose of that prison. Apologies, it must have been harsh for mortals like yourselves, I''m even surprised you didn''t lose your souls inside now that I think about it... but I assure you it wasn''t my intentions. "As a show of my goodwill, I will not resist if you try to seal me again," the voice said calmly, "after all, now that I had a little bit of freedom, I came to remember how boring an immortal life can get, so I really don''t mind being bound to you again, and hopefully you''ll be able to show me the truth of this world... It is after all the mystery I''ve been seeking answers for for so long." Raven found it rather weird that the voice was basically saying sorry you might punish me for my bad deeds but she didn''t care much. She wanted her body back and she was going to take it back. "Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light!" muttered Raven as light condescend forming two halos behind her. Out of them, light extended and seemed to shine brighter than the stars, covering the entire area in Raven''s radiant energy. ... "Phew..." sighing in relief as she opened her eyes to see herself in her real body, Raven hugged herself tightly. "I''m so sorry to have doubted you, Kay, I''m so so-" before she got to finish her words, she felt two arms hugging her. No, not her arms. "Eh?" eximed Raven in confusion as she opened her eyes and was surprised to see Ka hugging her. "But this is my real body, I''m not in soul form still, am I?" She wondered because everything felt so real, yet Ka normally doesn''t have a body so how is she- "No," Ka shook her head, "It''s just that- I- I am here-" Ka couldn''t even finish her sentence as she started crying again. Chapter 103 - Limit Expansion Part 2 * Feint - My Sunset * "So you''re not able to sustain it for long?" Raven asked as she sat on ground, hugging Ka while ignoring the noisy city. "Uhm,"she nodded, "I''m not sure how I am suddenly able to do this in the first ce, but if I had to guess, I''d say it has something to do with your weird powers, you know, when you turned white and all..." "Uhm," Raven nodded as she used her shoulder to support Ka''s head, "so what basically happened is that now you''re still connected to my mind, but you''re merely assimting your own energy to create a clone of sorts?" "I guess that''s what you''d call it, yeah, but it''s also more since it feels real to me... almost like I have my own body," Ka said with a smile as she was enjoying the feeling of having a body andying on Raven''s shoulder. "I think- I think I may be able to help you better this way... instead of always watching from the sidelines. You know- it''s always painful... seeing you- euigh" Ka was about to start crying but was Raven instantly tightened her hug around her, "hey now, don''t even think about it. You''ve always been here for me. You don''t know how much that means to me, having you by my side..." Raven couldn''t help but feel sad for Ka who had to endure being bound to her. She was basically robbed out of her own will... "Uhm," Ka nodded while some tears still managed to escape her eyes. "You look cute by the way," Raven said as Ka blushed. "You only say that because I have your face..." sheined even though her cheeks got warmer. "Hm, we might look alike in a way, but you have your own defining features, you know," at that both Raven and Ka smiled. Even though they looked pretty much like twins, they weren''tpletely identical. Unlike Raven''s golden eyes that gave off the feeling of majesty and sublimity, almost demanding the person on the other end to kneel in their presence, Ka''s void ck eyes seemed to attract the person''s soul towards them in a calm manner. Whether that soul was being attracted to its salvation or end was a separate matter. Plus, Ka''s hair wasn''t crimson-purple but rather dark purple which seemed less fancy yet more cozy and mysterious. Not to mention the fact that she was notably shorter than Raven, so it was really easy telling the difference between the two of them, from a distance even. "Alright, shall we go home?" Raven asked while looking at Scott who was unconscious on the ground. "What do you want to do with him?" Ka asked curiously. "Hm, the only concern here is if he deems us as enemies or high risk individuals which will basically mean we have to fight the EDA," Raven said while using her right hand to massage her forehead, "but I think the voice did force a contract with him so he should keep quiet about this incident. You know, for such a weird voice, the dude was rather kind, in a way..." ''Thank you.'' "You''re we-" Raven answered before a ''WTF-look'' painted her face. "Hey Kay, did you say anything?" she said as she blinked a couple of times. "Uh no," Ka answered, "that was the voice... the Monarch of Contracts, right?" "Uhm," Raven said, "I thought so too." "..." "..." "What in the f*CK?" "Language!" Ka said while using her index finger to shut Raven''s mouth. The gesture felt rather strange yet kind and reassuring in Raven''s perspective. Ka didn''t realise but her cheeks were red herself having willingly touched Raven for the first time. "I''m sorry," Raven said with a blush, "Ok, timeout, so Mr. Voice, what are you doing here?" ''Well, since you''ve broken the seal but still kept me bound to you... I am still here,'' the voice answered, ''this is what you wanted, no?'' "Not quite... *sigh* it''s ok though, if you don''t cause any troubles I guess." Raven said with a tired sigh. ''I should have asked him to go into details about how to use those powers, instead of trusting him blindly...'' Raven thought to herself. "Is it ok with you, Kay?" Raven asked, "having him here I mean." "As long as it doesn''t bother you, I''m fine," she said with a smile. "Although, I do hope he doesn''t try anything funny, that would be annoying." "Ah, I''ll give him a beating if he does, hehe!" Raven smiled. "So don''t worry about it." ''To think that I- the Monarch of Contracts am being harassed by a young Soul Weaver and her younger Cyber Valkyrie friend... seems like the world has changed indeed *sigh* but it''s not such a big deal since it is what I have chosen after all,'' the voice thought to himself, ''if my hunch is correct, then she is hiding more than she even realises. This should be interesting...'' "So, err, since you''ll be sticking with us here for a while," Raven said, "what should we call you ''cause I''m not calling you Monarch or whatever...?" ''... I''ve been called Turanor before," the voice said after some thought, ''you can call me that if you''d like.'' "I like the fact that you''re rather polite, such a fresh change," Raven said with a smile, "but no that''s a long name, how about Tu?" ''How is Turanor a long name?'' Tu asked with confusion. "Oh I wasn''t asking you Mr.," Raven said while tilting her head to the side, "Kay, what do you think of Tu?" "Has a good ring to it," Ka answered with two thumbs up, "I like it. Nice to have you on board, Tu!" ''Ah...'' Tu was bbergasted at how he was being treated, yet he didn''t mind it. In fact, he was sick of people always making a huge deal of every minor thing he did or said so, in a way, the girls'' carelessness and how casual they acted around him was rather refreshing to him as well. "Sweet!" Raven said with a smile as she stood up and supported Ka by her side, "from what I remember, Scott was rather strong, no Tu?" ''Strong is rather subjective,'' he said, ''but he is indeed one of the strongest on this, yes.'' "Good," she said, "so we can leave him here and assume he''ll be ok while we head home." "Say, say, Raven," Ka pulled on Raven''s sleeve, "you haven''t told the girls about me yet, so do you want me to go back to your mind space already?" "Are you joking?" Raven seemed almost attacked, "are you saying that I''d rather prevent you from being out in the real world just because I''m toozy to make some introductions?" she said thest sentence with raised eyebrows. "I''m sorry," Ka said while looking down in embarrassment, "not what I mean..." "Haha it''s ok," Raven said while holding Ka''s hand. For a stranger, they''d look like an older sister and her younger sibling. ''If the young Cyber Valkyrie is being introduced, I''m assuming the same goes for me?'' Tu said as Raven felt a wave of mana escape her body. Watching closely at how the mana seemed to condence, allowing Tu to construct a clone of himself made Raven rather conflicted. In front of her stood Tu in a human form. He looked like a young man in his early-twenties, yet he looked rather mature for his age. He had bright crimson eyes that slightly resembled a cat or a dragon''s depending on how a person would look at them, while his hair had a simr glow. He was wearing a pair of ck pants as well as a ck T-shirt that highlighted his eyes rather well. In addition, a dark and thick cloth ne was strapped tight around his neck. "Hi," he smiled and muttered with a wave. "..." "..." Raven wasn''t into guys, yet she had to admit that she''d understand if some girls or even boys fell for him on first sight. But even then, Ka only chose to stay closer, by Raven''s side. "I don''t remember allowing you out, Tu," Raven said with raised eyebrows. The fact that he could do that now without even asking for permission was unsettling. But for some reason, she felt as though he wasn''t going to cause her any real trouble. "I apologize," he said in a noble manner, "but I thought you wanted to introduce us to your family, no?" "First, that sounds so wronging out of your mouth. Second, Are you Kay?" she asked while looking between the two of them, "I don''t think so." "Ah," Tu seemed rather disappointed, "it''s ok I suppose..." sighing, he was about to disperse his clone and return his attention to the space inside Raven''s mind. For a stranger, it might have looked like a young girl was scolding her older brother. "But it''s ok...," Raven muttered while looking down in embarrassment, "you can join us for a while I guess." Raven''s weak point was polite people. She''d feel extremely bad if she had just let him back in after being so polite towards her. He didn''t even try to convince her otherwise, but rather just epted her decision calmly. In another world where he didn''t have powers to dominate the world, Tu might have been the shy kid at the back of the ss... The idea alone made Raven want to pamper him and almost pat his head. It was a problem that he was well taller than her though. "Oh, thank you," he said with a sincere smile that made Raven blush slightly. ''Ew I''d like to die please,'' she thought to herself while shaking her head at the thought of blushing to his words. "Anyhow, do we have a contract of sorts between us two?" Raven asked Tu with a serious expression. "Hm, no not as of this moment," Tu answered curiously, "would you like to form one?" "Not necessarily..." she answered, "I was just wondering why you were being so noble and calm about all of this. I''d imagine someone like you to have other things to do and maybe don''t wanna stick with us, you know." "It''s true that I have other stuff that I''d like to do," Tu nodded, "but I can''t exactly just leave. Even though I don''t have a contract with you, nor am I sealed within you, I am still bound to you. "Plus, the spell you used earlier on me was a strong one, even in my standards. That spell prevents me from harming you in any way." After saying that, Tu looked at her curiously, "I''m sorry, but you already knew that, no?" "Eh, hahaha... sure" Raven smiled as she scratched her cheeks in embarrassment. ''Yes, I should have asked about the function of that spell, silly me...'' "Anyway," Raven tried to dismiss Tu and Ka''s gazes as she looked the other way, "let''s go home now, shall we?" Chapter 104 - Introductions Are In Order Part 1 * NEFFEX - Alive * "Ugh," waking up with a terrible headache made Scott subconsciously massage his forehead as he tried to stand up. Blinking a couple of times before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he tried to remember the events that took ce before he had lost consciousness. *sigh* "Not only did I get my a*s kicked," he muttered to himself, "but I also let the enemy and destroyer of my run amok... how did it all go south so fast?" "Scott?" a voice yelled. "Adam?" Scott answered in reply. "How''s Bell doing?" Right now, it was his priority as he was the reason why Bell Hond had gotten harmed. "Mr. Hond is in Ted''s care, he should be fully healed by now," Adam said with a sigh, "but what exactly happened here?" he said while looking at the ce that looked miraculously unscathed. "It wasn''t all some type of weird psychological battle of yours now, was it?" "Not quite, no, everything was real..." Scott shook his head, "let''s talk about thatter. Right now, I need you to make up something for the press to chew on since the lightshow must have attracted a lot of attention. After that, we have to deal with that little girl..." "I''ll deal with the press," Adam said promptly, "how are we going to deal with the girl though?" From Adam''s point of view, it seemed rather obvious that Scott was no match for her, not that he med him since he had witnessed her powers himself, but this onlyplicates the matter as higher rankers from around the globe might be dispatched to deal with her. Thest time the country had to deal with an S ranker fight, things didn''t go so well... "Haha you seem very stressed for your usual self," Scott joked as Adam had never shown this side of him. He''d only ever looked so nonchnt about anything and everything. "Well, it doesn''t take a genius to realise what follows next," Adam said with a sigh, "if she went on rampage again we might lose an entire city within a blink of an eye, and that would be in the best case scenario. We have to deal with her quickly, so I''m assuming we''ll have to-" "No, none of that," Scott cut him off as seeing how worried he was didn''t feel pleasant but rather made him nervous himself. "I''ll go talk to the girl, don''t worry about it yourself. But with that being said, I do need you to create a special ss for the new A+ and higher rankers. Make sure to only pick the most talented and capable individuals." "Wait," Adam seemed to grasp the idea behind Scott''s words, "you''re not nning on putting the girl into a ss with A rankers... that''s uneptable! Plus, how would you even convince her? No, why would she even need to learn anything, she''s practically one of the most powerful rankers on the!?" "Just trust me," Scott said tiredly, "I know this incident must''ve shattered the image of the all-mighty boss you used to see me as, but all I''m asking for is a second chance.. can I have your trust again, Adam?" Adam seemed perplexed since if it was someone else, he would have probably punched them to death already. The idea of having someone beyond SS rank in the same ce with an A ranker was beyond crazy. But then again, deep inside Adam''s heart, he''d always viewed Scott as the cool partner that knows everything as well as towers above everything. He''d never confess that even to himself, yet Scott has been the caring hand he was missing in his life. What made worry to no end was the fact that Scott might get actually harmed if he had to go against the little girl once more. The worse part was that he could actually do nothing about it. "Adam!" Scott called out, knocking Adam out of his trance, "please? I trust you can make that ss an official matter in no time?" "Fine..." he said with a tired sigh, "I''ll leave the girl to you then. Be careful." "Of course," Scott said with a smile as he watched Adam flicker out of sight. *** "Heh~" Cami said with a smug smile, "let me get this straight, you had a younger twin of yours, which doesn''t make any sense I may add. In addition, she was living in your mind... Say, like an imaginary friend? Oh and by the way, this also doesn''t make any sense." "Anyway, so on top of that, you had a strange man hidden inside your mind as well? Did I miss something?" Even though Tu looked rather nonchnt about the whole ordeal, Ka and Raven were burning red under the pressure of the group staring at them. "I''m not sure if you expect us to actually believe all of that," Maya teased of with a smile. It wasn''t that she didn''t believe Raven, but she wanted her to pay for only telling them now, "I take it that you''ve heard of the parsimony principle; the simplest answers are mostly the right answers... So, from the looks of it, you had a boyfriend that looks at least ten years older than yourself, and you managed to get a child? How long have this been going on for even?" "What? No!" Raven yelled almost disgusted at the idea of having a child, especially with her background as a boy. "Maya you''ll pay for this! Mom please trust me..." "I- I believe you honey," Maria said while shaking her head slightly, as if to force herself back to reality. "So you''re saying that poor Ka had been stuck without a body since the portal incident? And this man is the same one that helped you escape from Lady Luck''s ce? "I do believe you but..." Maria seemed at a loss for words, "why have you been hiding this from us?" Maria was worried sick. She wasn''t Raven''s real parent yet she understood well enough about parenting to realise that withholding the truth from the parents was a huge sign of not showing trust. ''But how? Why doesn''t she trust me!?'' "Well... um, listen," Raven took a deep breath as she approached Maria and held her hands within her own, "I''ve always trusted you, don''t mistake that for even a second. It''s just that it seemed that we''ve all had so much going on at the time and to be honest, even though I nned on telling you eventually, I''m thinking now maybe wasn''t the right time..." Taking a second to digest what Raven just threw at her, Maria sighed as she realised that what Raven was saying was the truth. They''ve all had so much to sort out, especially Raven herself with changing bodies and discovering new powers, etc. ''it must have been extremely hard for her, but...'' "Raven," Maria said with a serious expression and matching tone, "I understand how things must have been from your perspective, but promise me you''ll never hide any secrets from us again. Please, never..." Maria seemed more worried than sad since she didn''t want to lose Raven''s trust. "Uhm, I''m so sorry for hiding this for too long," Raven said while looking down in embarrassment, "I promise I''ll won''t hide any secrets from you." "Uhm, Thank you honey," Maria could finally sigh in relief after hearing Raven''s promise. "Alright, so care to introduce us again?" "For sure!" Raven said enthusiastically, "this is Ka, I call her Kay, she''s kinda like my second soul, my voice of logic and conscience, correcting or helping me out whenever needed." Ka turned bright red while Raven introduced her which made her look so much more- "OMG she''s so cute!" Cami couldn''t contain her excitement anymore as the little girl looked cuter than anything she''s ever seen in her life. Just as Cami was about to pat Ka''s head, Maria pped her hand away, "stop it, you''re scaring her!" she said towards Cami who was caught off guard. *sigh* "Please continue on," Maria said to Raven while making sure Cami stayed away from Ka. "Err, yeah, sorry," Raven was rather embarrassed at the way her family acted, "Um, so this is Tu, short for Turanor. He''s the one who gave me the crimson armour... I think only Maya and Maria know about that." Maya nodded her head as in her perspective, that crimson armour, even though was scary at the time, had enabled Raven and herself to escape from Lady Luck''s death trap. However, for Maria who was previously ''cursed'' by the armour... things weren''t so pleasant. Noticing her distress, Raven spoke hurriedly, "Mom, it''s ok! I know what''s probably going through your head now but Tu is not all that bad." ''I am asking for her trust so I might as well prove her that I trust her back.'' Maria said while taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Making sure Maria was feeling better, Raven continued and introduced everyone to Ka and Tu. "Nice to meet you all," Tu and Ka said in unison. Chapter 105 - Introductions Are In Order Part 2 * NEFFEX - Alive * "So, Tu huh? what''s your story?" Cami asked casually as the group moved inside the mansion rather than staying outside. Since Raven had already exined Ka''s special circumstances and how she technically is still pretty young, Tu''s situation was still a mystery. "That''s a rather broad question, don''t you think?" he asked back with a smile. Contrary to what one might expect, his voice wasn''t as deep as before since he''d changed it to match his human form. "Well, let''s start with who you really are and where are you from?" Cami asked in a forced smile. "Hm, that would be too much information for you, but I can tell you about the general circumstances that lead me to be trapped inside the kid''s body," Tu said as everyone perked their ears as it was a rather interesting subject. "How does that sound?" "I like it, go ahead!" Cami said while feeling proud that she was able to get him to talk. "Tu, the kid you''re trapped in actually has a name you know," Ka scolded. "We don''t call you lizard because you''re a dragon, and you don''t call her kid because she''s young!" Hearing that, especially that it wasing from the girl who looked almost six, everyone smiled at how cute she looked and sounded while ying tough. Raven hugged her the way someone would hug a stuffed toy while Tu scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "You''re right..." Tu said in defeat, "so I''ll share with you the events that have lead me to be trapped inside Raven''s body." He spoke thest sentence while looking at Ka who in turn nodded her head in approval. ''Oh my, she''s so cute!'' Cami couldn''t help but feel her heart melting as her hands begged to pat Ka. "So, it all started a couple of years back," Tu said, "I was in search for... something that was stolen from me, you could say." "Wait," Raven inquired, "I understand if you don''t want to talk about that something, but how was it stolen from you? Aren''t you like... I don''t know what rank, but probably one of the strongest beings around?" "Haha I can see why you''d say that," Tuughed, "I may be one of the strongest beings on this, but when you startparing me to other creatures across the gxy, I''m not all that impressive." he said with a smile as Raven looked concerned. Seeing that, Tu smiled at her. "It''s only natural that you might feel inferior to unknown dangers such as mysterious enemies, considering that you''ll probably make them stronger by filling out the missing details with your imagination." Tu reassured, "but fret not since you have no one outside of this to worry about. For now at least." He finished with a smile. "Uhm," Raven nodded while taking a deep breath to calm herself down. ''I know I shouldn''t be worried... but what''s this strange feeling I can''t shake off?'' she thought to herself silently. "Anyway," Tu continued, "during my search, I passed by a strange that was giving off a strange aura. Against my better judgement, I suppressed my energy and decided to check it out. "Upon setting foot there, I noticed that the sky was dark red which didn''t really seem weird inparison to others, but the issue was the way the clouds were arranged. Instead of being organised randomly, they were mostly concentrated above one specific area, which after some observation, seemed like an abandoned castle of sorts. "On the outskirts and areas near that castle, countless creatures, humanoid and otherwise, wereying around motionless. Some were alive but others were dead, not from an injury, but rather from thirst or maybe other reasons. However, those who were alive were almost as motionless as their dead neighbors." During all of this, Joey seemed to keep moving in his chair a lot more than usual. "I can see that you''ve already noticed the simrities, young soul weaver," Tu smiled and said to Joey, "although I didn''t notice at the time, I did eventually realize that was the soul weavers'', Erembourc." Having his theories confirmed, Joey sat in his chair quietly. But that only made him think harder about what had actually happened at the time. ''He must be talking about the season of sacrifices...'' he thought to himself. Raven on the other hand had a sickly feeling about it all. "Anyway, trying to dismiss the weird phenomenon as a local matter, I decided to investigate the castle," Tu continued, "however, just as I was about to enter through the gates, a tremendous amount of pressure tired to crush me against the ground. "Recovering quickly, I looked around to find a person staring at me with a smile. That person had pinkish crimson hair, blood red eyes, and wore a heavy dark armour while a sadistic smile surfaced his face." Raven didn''t need to look at Joey''s reaction to know who that person was. Yet, she stayed silent in thoughts. "Hm, I''m assuming you two know who it is?" Tu asked in a low voice. "Uhm," Raven answered after some hesitation. "But please go on." Seeing how she didn''t want to talk about it, Tu didn''t push any further and continued. "Well, to be fair, there''s nothing much to talk about after that," Tu said sheepishly, "I''m not sure how, but I got defeated pretty badly that I don''t even remember the full details of the incident. But the immediate memory after that was me waking up to being sealed within your body." he saidstly while looking at Raven. "Raven, that person... he was your biological father?" Maria asked calmly remembering a previous tall they had with Joey. "Uhm," Raven answered after a pause, "from what Joey had told us a while back and the description he''d given us, I''d assume that''s the case..." "Raven... are you ok?" Ka asked in a quiet voice as not to rm Raven or the others. Seeing that Raven didn''t answer her, she knew she was deep in thoughts so she decided to take action. "Eh?" Raven was suddenly confused as to why Ka was hugging her arm. "Kay, I''m sorry I forgot about the strain from maintaining your body here. How does it feel?" ''She is worried about me even though I can feel the pain in her voice...'' Ka smiled at how lucky she was to have Raven by her side. "I''m ok, I''ll go back once it''s too much for me." she said with a smile. "Oh look at you two," Cami said with an excited voice, "you''re so cute!" "Eh-haha... thank you." Raven sad awkwardly since she was still shaken from Tu''s story. "Anyway, I''m sorry Tu for what you had to suffer." Raven apologized. "Don''t worry about it, it wasn''t your fault or anything. But correct me if I''m wrong, it seems as though you have a question for me?" he said while looking at her. "Uhm yes, do you think you can adjust the rules of the contract? The one between me and Maria" Raven asked with a serious expression. After all, he was the person who had forced a contract with Maria and prevented her from harming Raven in any way since they were still enemies at the time. At her question, Tu put his hand under his chin in thought. Not able to hold herself any longer, Cami sat down besides Ka then started moving her hand slowly towards her head. Noticing that, Ka only looked at Raven awkwardly. Yes she was young, but she was by no means clueless. "Cami?" Maria asked with a forced smile, "what''s that about?" "Ah!", Cami was startled as she was so focused on how to sneakily get her hand onto Ka''s head. "Hehe, it''s nothing, don''t worry about it..." Noticing that Ka was looking at Kuru every now and then, Cami snatched him from his seat on a nearby couch, "Oho~ look at Kuru, he''s so cute right?" "Drop me this instant!" Kuru tried to shake her grip but Cami insisted on not letting go. "Uhm, he is," Ka nodded as she has always thought Kuru was cute from what she''s seen before through Raven''s eyes. "Oi, leave me alone!" Kuru screamed but Camipletely ignored him. "Do you want to pat him?" she said to Ka with a hungry smile. "Uhm," Ka nodded again, "can I?" "Yes, of course!" Cami said while handing Kuru to little Ka. Smiling happily, she hugged him between her arms. "Hi Kuru, can I pamper you a little bit?" she asked with a genuine smile that made Kuru smile shyly, forgetting all about Cami''s harassment. Not knowing how to react, Kuru nodded. "Hehe, thank you!" she said in excitement as she started rubbing his mane. ''That is so adorable!'' Cami thought as her hand was about to touch Ka''s head. "Cami!" Maria called out which startled poor Cami once more and made her retract her hand to her side. "I guess I''ll just watch for now..." she muttered to herself while a silent tear ran down her cheek. During all of that, Raven was forcing a smile since the whole ordeal seemed rather awkward to her. Leaving them be for a while, she nced at Tu again who was still thinking about her question. "Hm, since the contract was already made, it''s against rules to twist its contents." Tu said with a hand under his chin, "but since it was a forced contract, there might be a way to adjust it. However, you asked for an adjustment specifically and not for a nullification of the contract, why is that?" "Well, I like the fact that I can feel my mom''s vitals and general state," Raven said with a serious expression, "it has allowed me to save her previously. But also, the side effect such as if I die so will she, is rather... harsh." "I see," Tu muttered. "Well for a starter, I''d like to make it clear that I can''t change it at the moment, not even nullify it. I haven''t recovered even a small portion of the powers I spent earlier, so it''ll take a while." "I understand..." Raven said while looking down. "I''m curious though, now that the seal is broken, will you get your powers back?" "I think I should be able to get stronger, simr to how I was before," Tu answered, "but the issue is that I still need the item that was stolen from me in order to return to my prime." "I see..." "Raven?" Ka muttered as she pulled on Raven''s sleeve weakly. "Can I go back now please?" she said with a smile. "Of course!" Raven said hurriedly as it was obvious Ka was extremely tired. As soon as Raven gave her permission, a bright purple light envelope the living room as Raven felt Ka back in her original ce in her mind space. At the same time, a message shed in Raven''s mind; [The Ex System is now rebooting...] [An update is in progress, please hold.] Chapter 106 - Elite Ranker Class * Feint - My Sunset * [The Ex System is now rebooting... [An update is in progress, please hold. [Unit Ka is undergoing an evolution... [Synchronization of the Ex System with unit Ka may take minutes to hours, please be patient...] Inside her mind space, Raven could see Ka''s figure being enveloped in a purple cocoon of dense light. "It''s only natural," Tu reassured while looking at Raven''s tense expression. He couldn''t see the messages the system had sent, but he could see the purple cocoon of light since he was also connected to Raven. "Cyber Valkyries are a species that''s always improving while seeking the most optimal version of themselves. "With how she was able to obtain a body after your little upgrade in power level, it''s only obvious that she has gained some extra merits as well." he finished with a smile. "Uhm," Raven nodded even though she seemed a little bit down. She didn''t like the fact that Ka wasn''t responsive, but Raven didn''t mind as it was better for Ka. ''He doesn''t seem that bad after all...'' Raven muttered to herself while looking at Tu. Previously, she had thought he only sought destruction, but now she views him in a different light. Feeling tired herself after what she''d been through, Raven wanted to take a nap badly, but then she remembered that some EDA rankers are ought to show up soon at her front door. Thinking about it for a moment made Raven cringe at her own stupidity, ''Since Scott now sees me as a threat, they''ll probably send reinforcement, and with Tu out of juice... what the f*CK did I do to deserve this?'' Feeling a wave of dread wash over her made her panick as she realised she was basically giving the EDA a chance to attack her family. "Mom, I need to go for a bit, see you!" Raven yelled as she was already outside the mansion. "Alright, I guess I''ll see you soon," Tu smiled as his body dispersed into thin air while he focused back on his real self inside Raven''s mind. "Tu, I''m assuming you can''t help at all right now? In case we get attacked again, I mean." Raven asked with a worried voice. "I''m afraid that''s the case." He answered as it was the truth. Three years ago, when he thought he''d escaped Raven''s body, he had only transferred the seal into the environment while maintaining the connection they had with eachother. Overall, it only made it harder for him tomunicate with her but he was still trapped. While his powerbined with the seal had created the rune arena the EDA used as part of their headquarters up until recently, he wasn''t able to umte any powers for an extended period of time. Even after binding back with Raven, Tu found out that his energy regeneration is now way slower than before. ''Maybe it''s because of the kid''s poor abilities? Or maybe it''s just because I haven''t found that item yet. *sigh* It''s probably both...'' "It''s ok," Raven said with a sigh herself. If Tu couldn''t help her now, she had to do it herself. She had to make sure to avoid conflict as much as possible. But considering the fact that she''d knocked out the Deputy General, also known as vice president of the Canadian EDA division... that was ought to be hard. *** Flying at high velocity, Scott was worried about what the girl might be doing. With the amount of power she has demonstrated, it was obvious she could pose a serious problem, if not a crisis, for the EDA. Sure Scott had some other tricks hidden up his sleeve, but he wanted to avoid causing an incident that could expose civilians to imminent dangers. After all, the had just recently recovered from one. "I have to avoid conflict as much as possible," Scott thought to himself with a sigh, "After all, I don''t want to get the General involved in this if I don''t have to." Just thinking about the General of the Canadian EDA division made Scott shiver mid flight. "Yep, avoid conflict at all costs..." Deep in his mind, Scott knew that if the General wasn''t in a deployment outside of the sr system, she would have been able to pick up the spike in energy levels during their recent fight quite easily. All of a sudden, a bright sh of light seemed to pass right next to Scott''s face as it was going the opposite direction. He instantly recognised it to be the girl, Raven. "Deputy General!" Hearing Raven''s voice and seeing her standing midair, defying gravity, was enough to knock Scott out of his trance and back to the real world. "Ms. O''Bannon?" Scott was not only caught off guard, but was rather confused as to what was the girl hoping to aplish by going back to the headquarters. Raven was solidifying her mana into invisible tes under her feet and controlling them to stay afloat midair which made her look as though she was standing on thin air. Scott was floating just a little bit higher than her. Both looked uneasily at eachother as they didn''t know how to proceed from that point onwards. "Ahem, Ms. O''Bannon," Scott said with a little bow, "where''s the Crimson Dragon?" "Hayo~" Tu materialised next to Raven midair and greeted with a smile. "Nice to meet you again, Cosmic Inclination wielder." "Eh?" Scott muttered in confusion. "It can''t be... You''re not- no, you can''t be!" Scott couldn''t believe, or rather didn''t want to believe that the person in front of him was indeed his feared nemesis. ''Stupid Tu!'' Raven yelled at Tu in her mind space, ''we could have used you as a leverage to prevent a fight! But now he knows you''re weak and I can''t do anything to stop him if he decides to fight me!'' Hearing Raven scolding him made Tu scratch his cheek in embarrassment. ''Apologies, I''ve never had to bluff my way out of a fight before... but with that being said, for all he knows, I could be just hiding my powers, right?'' Thinking about it for a moment made Raven nod her head slightly. ''I doubt it will work but I''m willing to try since I don''t have another choice...'' "Deputy General," Raven said, knocking Scott out of his trance once again. "I came seeking you in order to offer a truce. I realize that you can''t share any information regarding Tu''s presence with anyone, as per the established contract, but that doesn''t prevent you or the EDA from viewing me as an enemy. And I''d like to avoid that if possible..." "Tu?" Scott asked while tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Cosmetic Inclination wielder?" Tu said while mirroring the same gesture. "Oh so that''s what they call you..." Scott found it rather hard to believe such a silly name was the name of his''s destroyer. The very same person that could destroy Earth with one half-hearted attack. *sigh* "Ms. O''Bannon," Scott called to Raven while massaging his nose bridge. "I second that call of yours, I''d like a truce as well. But how can I guarantee that the Crimson Dragon won''t attack us again when he gets bored?" Raven was surprised Scott didn''t mind the truce, but if she was in his shoes, she would have probably done the same in order to avoid harming people. "Err, don''t worry about that aspect," Raven reassured, "I''ll take care of Tu and make sure he behaves himself." "Haha she''s rather bossy you see," Tuughed, "I can''t go against her." ''What the f...?'' Scott didn''t know if the two were just yed games on him since there was no way this Tu person was actually the same Crimson Dragon. But he wasn''t willing to challenge them. *sigh* "Well, it''s not like I can do anything to stop him if he tries to revolt... yet." he said thest word while eyeing Tu menacingly. While he didn''t re his killing intent, the fact that he opened his eyes was enough to send a shiver down Raven''s spine. "Enough of this," Raven said between gritted teeth, while shaking her head to get rid of the feeling of cold sweat running down her back. "Ms. O''Bannon," Scott called while closing his eyes, "There are a few things I''d like to share with you, just so we''re on the same page. Firstly, I want you to know that you have miserably failed the second ranker test." "What test? The one where you put me up against an S ranker? The same test where you kidnapped me and had me fight in an unfavourable environment?" Raven snorted as she was still furious. She wanted nothing more than to teach him a lesson, but she knew she couldn''t achieve that now so she needed to turn it a notch down and hold her aura down. "Indeed," Scott said calmly, "the objective of that test, however, wasn''t to win against Mr. Hond, not at all. In fact, you were only supposed to hold onto your will to protect yourself and not break down under the pressure of his aura. Yet, not only did you fail, but you also exposed the city to a dangerous creature." he said which made Tu smile. teasingly. "I''m not sure how you both ended up in the same body, but I''ll make sure to investigate thatter." Scott continued. "Anyhow, concerning my second point, I''d like to offer you a ce in a new Elite Ranker ss we''re creating. "The ss will have a group of talented rankers that are worthy of bing a special force in the EDA." "What made you think I''d want to join the EDA?" Raven retorted, "I''d like nothing more than to stay as far away as possible from all of your EDA nonsense." "I realize that you may not have the most interest in the EDA, but I can guarantee that you''ll find the ss most helpful and... informative." Scott said. "N-O-T I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T-E-D!" Raven said slowly and clearly to emphasize her point. *sigh* "Maybe not yet," Scott said with a sigh, "but trust me you will be...." Chapter 107 - Another Loss * The Soul Of Wind * "Why...?" a girl cried silently, yet bitterly, on the cold marble floor. "Why is it always me who''s suffering? WHY!??" Her short brown locks fluttered slightly as she shook her head in despair. Her light pink eyes were sparkling from the tears filling them. In her arms, she held the lifeless body of her boyfriend... once boyfriend. They haven''t known eachother for long, yet he was the beacon of hope she followed with the utmost trust. He was the candle lighting the darkness that was her life... until it was forcefully extinguished, that is. ''Liam... why did you leave me too? I trusted you- I... I thought you wouldn''t leave me like he did...'' Even though her tears were warm, her eyes were hollow and cold, filled with despair. Since her brother''s disappearance, only Liam was able to help Lizzy regain her true smile. "Yep just like that, hehe, smile more! You''re astonishing with that smile on, you know!" that''s what he always used to say... Yet, that smile was already gone, maybe forever... "Ms., we called the ambnce, they should be here in a moment!" a guy called, trying to calm the girl down. "Please let me perform the CPR procedures, I''m certified!" "Ah..." Lizzy looked at Liam in her arms onest time as she felt her tears dry out. ''It is ok I guess, everyone ends up leaving me anyway...'' "Here," Lizzy said while removing her hands from under Liam''s body, letting it touch the ground gently. Even though people tried to make her wait for the ambnce, she knew it was a lost cause. There was no way of exining it, but she knew that Liam was no more. She could feel it in her bones. This was supposed to be their seventh date. Normally, she wouldn''t be so attached, but meeting him right after her brother''s death had made her long for a caring hand, and Liam was just too nice at offering what she missed. "How did it all happen so quick...?" She thought to herself as she recalled the events that have unfolded just a few minutes ago. While they were sitting, having their desert at the restaurant, Liam unexpectedly stopped mid sentence and dropped his fork. Lizzy didn''t need to look for more than a few second into his suddenly empty eyes to realize that he was already gone. ''What was he trying to say anyway? Something about moving in together, huh... so naive...'' her mind wandered about as she grabbed her coat and headed out of the restaurant, tears forming again in her cold eyes. The restaurant was ironically near the bench where she had met Liam for the first time, about three weeks ago. Liam had seen her cry as she was declined a job opportunity at the time, only for him to offer her another one so quickly. Even though she had thought he was joking, or maybe was just a guy who would kidnap her and steal her organs, she hadn''t particrly cared... she thought that she was a lost cause anyway, a person who had nothing to live for anymore. Yet, Liam had provided her not only with a job, but with the care and attention she desperately needed to keep her sane. She was no longer feeling lonely. She no longer wished to die. She... had something to live for. She had hope, once more, for a better future... "Naive..." she muttered to herself while walking under the rain. "Why? Why did he have to be so naive? Maybe if he had minded his own business that day, we would have both been alive now... "But... why do they all leave?" she muttered with a cracking voice. "First Sammy, and now Liam, the only people I ever cared about..." It wasn''t that she didn''t care about her parents, but as a child, she had only Sammy by her side, so she had never considered parents to be something she needed. "What did I do to deserve this? Am I a curse?" At that, she broke down crying loudly. Her weak legs could no longer hold her shaking body. Water soaked her pale skin and cold infiltrated her fragile bones, yet she didn''t mind. She had lost all hope... *** "I''M. NOT. INTERESTED. IN. JOINING. YOUR. STUPID. CLASS!" Raven said slowly and clearly to emphasize her point to the Deputy General. *sigh* "Maybe not yet," Scott said with a sigh, "but trust me you will be..." "What''s that supposed to mean?" Raven asked carefully since it wasn''t obvious whether Scott was threatening her or simply saying that she''d be interested in what they have to offer. "I''ll send you the details and everything you need to know soon," Scott ignored her question and said. "You should have about two weeks if you''re lucky, but we''re working hard to finalize everything pretty quickly so be ready in a week if possible." "You didn''t answer my question..." Raven said tiredly. She didn''t like Scott''s attitude at all. "I am well aware, Ms. O''Bannon," Scott answered while massaging his nose bridge, "I''m telling you that you will have to join, or rather, you will want to join the ss. "I''m not going to share any details at the moment, but we''ll share them with everyone once the ss starts. Until then, take care-" he muttered and disappeared from his spot. "What a f*cking b*stard..." Raven muttered under her breath. For a second, she almost thought Ka would jump on that and yell nguage" at her, but then she remembered the purple cocoon and sighed. "Hm, I think he has a reason for inviting you though, " Tu said, "his tone didn''t imply that he was threatening you in any way, if anything, he made it seem as if though they need you... which no offense, but I doubt they do, so I''m not sure overall." Tu said in a thinking pose. "What did you say?" Raven said as a vein popped up above her eye. "Are you saying I''m so weak to the point where I''m even useless to those EDA idiots?" "Uhm, exactly that," Tu said with a smile as he banged his fist in his open palm. "... well you''re not wrong I guess," she muttered in defeat after some hesitation. After all, even though she had the power to stand up against S rankers from time to time, it wasn''t something she can do continuously. No, even when she herself was in danger against the S ranked monsters... if that certain someone hadn''t helped her, then maybe she would have been dead now... "Hm, maybe that ss isn''t a bad idea after all..." Raven muttered under her breath. Deep in her heart, she wanted to get stronger. She wanted to grow into a person who can confidently support and protect what''s dear for her. "But at the same time, I just want a normal life...." Chapter 108 - The Last Loss AN: the following content might (probably will) be sensitive to most readers. Don''t read unless 18+ of age, and with a strong heart. You''ve been warned! (Short chapter so you won''t miss much if you skip) *** * Porter Robinson - Goodbye To A World * Warm water droplets dripped down Lizzie''s short locks as she sat in her filled bathtub, hugging her knees, with her mouth touching the water. Her eyes were still warm and reddish from the tears she had shed. "Now I am truly alone..." the sadness in her voice echoed throughout the bathroom. "I''ve suffered enough, Sammy," she said quietly, "don''t you think?" *sigh* "I know that I have promised you that I''d live a happy life and always remember you, but- but I can''t... Sammy," she said in between renewed sobs. "I''m just not strong enough, I need someone to hold my hand and guide me, do you hear me?" her voice was slowly rising as she had had it with misery and the suffering she had to endure. "I''M NOT YOU SAMMY!" She yelled seconds before she started sobbing again. "I- *sniff* I am not strong enough to live anymore... I can''t take it. Why do people always leave me? Why do I have to endure this suffering on my own?" Tired as she was, her voice went faint again. "Why must life be this cruel?" she said quietly which sounded more like a whisper lost in the wind. "Will you forgive me Sammy?" she muttered while looking at the shiny, yet sharp, object next to her. "Will you forgive me if I sacrifice my future toe and see you again?" "I have tried and you know it... the world knows it... I''ve tried, but I can''t stand it anymore," she said as she held the small razor de in her hand. "I''m not even shaking anymore..." she said out loud remembering the first weeks of her brother''s passing. She had tried to take her own life back then too, but she was too scared. Unlike back then, now her hands seemed more determined and less fearful. *sigh* "I guess that even my body had it with this cruelty we call life... "Farewell, stupid world... "Open your arms Sammy, and you too stupid Liam..." she muttered while gripping the de harder and closer to her artery. Without feeling it herself, her hand started to shake uncontrobly. "Here I-SSSSS" PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN Feeling the pain clouding her mind made her smile bitterly while thinking of Sammy and Liam. Through the pain, she could hear her own screams even though she wasn''t aware that she was screaming. She felt ice cold all of a sudden as blood left her body. Then warm as her own warm blood touched her skin and dyed the water red all around her. The pain didn''tst long however as her consciousness started to drift away... from pain to nothingness, that was what she felt... Slowly, lights seemed to fade away leaving nothing but an empty void... The pain and suffering seemed to disappear.... Chapter 109 - Meeting With Friends * Diamond Eyes - Everything * Strollingzily towards her house rather than flying, Raven could finally take a deep breath and think about the past week. ''One hell of a week I''ll tell you that much!'' she thought to herself while yawning. "Say Tu," she called, "is there anything interesting outside of Earth? Out there in space I mean," she asked as she was curious. ''Hm, that depends on your preferences I guess,'' Tu answered in her mind space, ''it is definitely different in many aspects as the universe is a mysterious ce. But at its heart, every civilization is the same.'' he said after some thought. ''Different creatures always want power and control,'' he continued, ''I have witnessed the downfall of many civilizations, heck, I''ve been the cause of many... but once in a century or two, one gets to meet someone that''s not tainted like the rest. Someone with a real goal in mind...'' Tu said as Raven realized he was deep in thoughts again. "Did you meet someone like that?" she asked. ''Uhm, a long time ago...'' "I see," she said as she didn''t want to pry any further. ''There are many wonders as well,'' Tu continued while trying to be a bit more cheerful, ''things that you don''t get to see here or in any of the othermons. ''I have seen ces where the simplestws of physics, such as gravity and maism, don''t exist. In addition, I''ve seen civilizations living in strange floating bodies of liquids, castles built in the skies, caves dug in the stars, and even objects that can gain consciousness and will of their own. ''The most unbelievable ces, however, were areas where peace actually exists... when the residents of one unite together to master the arts of technology, sorcery or magic, wonders are easily born. ''The universe... it is such a vast ce after all.'' he finished with a smile. Raven could feel the longing in his voice. "Uhm, I hope I''ll be able to visit such ces one day..." she muttered out loud as Tu nodded in agreement. ''I am sure you will,'' he said with a genuine smile that made Raven feel strangely at ease. ... Entering the mansion''s gates, Raven could see three sports bikes parking near the entrance. "Oh, not f*cking EDA again!" she instantlyined as she was tired of dealing with them. The main reason she thought they belonged to the EDA was because she wasn''t expecting anyone to else visit. The bikes were coloured ck with another colour that varied from bike to the other, which made them look threatening in a way. However, just as she entered the mansion''s doors, expecting to see a bunch of people in suits, she heard some distant chatter. Blinking twice, Raven followed the source of theughter until she reached one of the living rooms that was particrly closer to the bedrooms. "Oh Raven, you''re back!" Maria announced as soon as she saw her. "Sup!" "Hi" "Hello!" "Long time no see, how have you been?" Looking around her, Raven saw her friends from school; Mike and Remi. Both Rachel, the new transfer student, and Jake, the smart kid in the ss were with them too. ''Looks like they''re all still having fun together, huh?'' she smiled as she found it rather refreshing, just thinking about her school life back when she was, more or less, normal. She was surprised that Mike and Remi became friends with Jake, but she didn''t have anything against it. Rachel looked rather nervous, always avoiding looking her in the eyes, while Jake was almost initiating a staring contest with her. "Hi, Mike, Remi, Jake, and Rachel. I missed you guys, hehe!" she said with a smile as it was the truth, at least for the first two. She didn''t have an opinion about Rachel yet, and Jake... wasn''t particrly her favourite. Just remembering her time ying ser and attending school made her happy as it might have been the most rxing experience she has ever had and she still misses it dearly. Jake and Rachel were surprised that she had remembered them. Jake tried to act as if it was nothing, while Rachel seemed to get the courage to look her in the eyes for a few seconds before looking down again. "So, your friends were telling us how they haven''t had a chance to see you in a while, and they were wondering if you''d go with them on a small trip." Maria said as soon as Raven took a seat. Of course, Maria had to hide the fact that Maya was nagging on her to let her go with them. But she knew she couldn''t let that happen. ''If Maya was to go with them, someone would surely develop a PTSD condition from this trip...'' she said to herself while thinking back to the incident in the Ser Stadium. Back then, a boy had tried to act tough with Maya and that obviously was the worst decision of his life. "A short trip, huh?" Raven tilted her head to the side while looking at Mike who had a toothy smile stered across his face. He''s always been so excited around Raven, and it had always given her a deep feeling of happiness around him. "Yes," Mike confirmed. "Rachel was so generous as to offer us a ce to stay in, a little bit away from the city." "It was my dad''s idea so it''s absolutely fine." she replied quickly, trying to hide the fact that her cheeks just got warmer. "And it''s a waterfront cottage that''s really close to the local forest in the area." Remi continued excitedly. "ording to the local news, there are some rumours about ghosts and supernatural activities going on there! We can investigate further and maybe organise a Ghost Hunt!" ''Ah I remember now,'' Raven muttered to herself. ''She has always been into stuff like that.'' Remi was so excited that it made Raven smile subconsciously. Of course, this detail wasn''t hidden from Maria who was extremely happy for Raven. "Grow up, Remi," Jake said while adjusting his sses, "everyone knows that ghosts aren''t real!" "Everyone used to say that about aliens and well... what do you think now?" Remi said back with raised eyebrows. She was referring back to the portal incident were many unknown races attempted to invade Earth. Her blonde hair fluttered slightly as she shifted her gaze towards Jake. "Aliens are creatures from differents so it''s only natural that they exist. Ghosts however are supernatural beings, just like vampires, werewolves, and demons. All of which don''t actually exist." Jake answered while looking at Remi as if challenging her to prove him wrong. "Actually, demons are real." Raven said, surprising everyone. "..." "Why did you all get quiet all of a sudden?" "Demons are not real, they can''t be..." Jake said in a skeptical manner. "Yet, they are..." this time it was Maya who said while cracking her knuckles, then neck, as if getting ready for a fight. "Anyway, Raven if you''re going with them, be careful of that witch." She said while pointing at Rachel who found herself pale all of a sudden. "Something''s fishy about the way she looks at you..." "Also," she continued, "let me know if this idiot gets you into trouble, I''ll teach him a lesson myself." She pointed at Jake who suddenly felt as if he had gotten shorter while looking up at the small girl. "Mike, and Remi," Maya looked at the two of them as they gulped loudly, "I heard you two are her best friends, you better take care of her, do you hear me? If anything bad happens to her in any way, shape, or form... I will hunt you down, torture you, and then slowly cut your throats. Am I making myself clear?" In the background, Axane was nodding in satisfaction while Cami was having trouble holding herughter back. "..." "..." "Did you not hear me?" She asked coldly as she gazed at the two of them menacingly, in response to their silence. ""Yes, ma''am!"" they both answered together, in fear. "You seemcking, but it''s ok for now I suppose..." she said while shaking her head in dissatisfaction. "You little witch, Rachel, was it? Can I talk to you in the back garden for a moment? Privately, if you don''t mind..." "MAYA!" Raven suddenly collected her thoughts and realized what was happening. "Stop it!" "Raven?" Maya suddenly acted all innocent and cute, as if she was a different person. Approaching Raven, she held her right hand between hers, while giving her an apologetic smile. "I only wanted to make sure you''re not going to be mistreated, you know. Did I do something wrong?" Seeing how she changed her attitude all of a sudden made Maria almost faint. ''What did I raise?'' she wondered in fear. *sigh* "Maya, you''re not a little kid anymore, I think you know what you need to do now, right?" Raven scolded, yet not harshly as she couldn''t be harsh on Maya. "Ok... if you say so," Maya looked down in sadness. "I''m sorry everyone, I should not have yelled or treated you like dummies, I only meant to warn you that if any of you, even by ident, dares to mistreat my Raven I will personally make sure-" "MAYA!!" Raven yelled again. *Cough* "I mean, ahem, sorry. Please take care of my dear Raven, I can''t stand the fact that I''ll be leaving her alone with you..." Maya said while looking at Maria with renewed hope. But, if anything, Maria now had a stronger reason to keep Maya from joining them on their trip. "I''m sorry guys," Raven said while clutching her head between her hands, "she might seem aggressive, but that''s because she''s just really sweet. I promise you that she''s very kindhearted in reality." "Of course!" Maya said with a smile and nodding head. "I''m the sweetest!" ''Oh My God...'' Raven muttered in embarrassment.. "So, um, when do we leave?" she said with a forced smile as she didn''t know what else to do. Chapter 110 - Getting The Team Together Part 1 * FTL Faster Than Light - Theme Song * *sigh* ''What did I do to deserve such hate?'' Rachel thought to herself as she existed the mansion''s front doors with the group. ''That little girl was so vicious it''s almost scary...'' Currently, the n was to gather at her house until everyone is ready. And from there, they''ll be able to fly over to her dad''s cottage in a city called Laurentides, in a neighbouring province. "Um, so wait, howe you guys can drive motorcycles?" Raven asked in confusion. "I know you can get the license at sixteen and all, but I doubt at least three of you have their license." "Huhuhu~, you think thew can stop us?" Remi asked with a smug smile. "Pretty sure they can..." Raven said as she tilted her head to the side. "Ah-e on... no one''s paying attention now," Remiined as Raven has bursed her bubble. "There are more important matters that thew enforcement has to take care of..." "And you''re abusing that..." Raven shook her head. "How are you fine with that, Jake? I thought you were the dude to always follow the rules." "Hahaha!" Mikeughed as he mounted his bike. It was mostly Dark with some red here and there. "Jake almost didn''te with us because he was afraid someone would stop us." he finished as he put his helmet on. "I wasn''t scared!" Jake retorted while wearing his own. "I was just concerned for your safety since none of us have licenses, except for Rachel." "Rachel, you have a license?" Raven asked curiously as Rachel instantly turned red for a moment. "Ah, haha, yes, I do," she answered while standing near her dear ck and yellow bike. "Is something wrong?" Raven asked as she touched Rachel''s forehead to make sure she wasn''t sick and was actually fit for riding. ''She was acting weird inside too...'' "Eh? What are you doing?" Rachel asked in confusion while trying to step back away from Raven, her colour turning bright red, again. "Oh, you seem a bit tired, your temperature isn''t that high but it''s not good either," Raven said, "Do you want me to drive?" ""You can drive a motorcycle?"" Mike and Remi asked in surprise. Even though they didn''t have legal licenses yet, they''ve been undergoing motorcycle training with Rachel for the past few days. But for all they knew, Raven couldn''t drive. "Hehe, not really," Raven chuckled, "how hard could it be though? Rachel can you teach me what everything does real quick?" "Eh?" Rachel wasn''t sure what to say as everything was going too fast for her, especially with her being so close to Raven. The original n was that Mike would have Jake behind him, and Remi would have Raven behind her, while Rachel would ride solo. But now they were going to be together on the same bike? Not only that, but Rachel had to hold on to Raven since she wanted to drive? ''Why am I so worked up about it?'' she thought while cupping her rosy cheeks in her warm hands, trying to hide her embarrassment. She has had a major crush on Raven the moment she saw her in ss, a few weeks ago. And up until now, she still hasn''t gotten over that crush even though they barely spoke to eachother. ''But she''s a girl now! I am not into girls!'' She thought to herself. ''Right?'' "Yo, witch!" A cute yet threatening voice called out as Rachel jumped from surprise. "Change that look on your face, I don''t like it." Maya narrowed her eyes. "Maya, enough with that, I''ll be real upset with you!" Hearing Raven, Maya looked down with a serious expression. She knew she wasn''t allowed to be this clingy or this rude, but she couldn''t hide her sadness at the fact that Raven will be away for a while. "Eiegh!" Maya was surprised suddenly as Raven hugged her tightly. "I understand... trust me, I do." "You do?" Maya asked while closing her eyes and returning the warm embrace. She wanted to enjoy every second of it. "Uhm," Raven nodded as she disengaged and patted her head slightly, "you''re not a little kid anymore though, you don''t need me by your side all the time, you know." "But I do!" Maya retorted. She''s always never felt truly at ease without Raven being next to her. She''d feel like a fish outside the sea. Or a bird submerged under the water. Something always felt missing without Raven next to her. "Shhh," Raven said while putting her index over Maya''s tiny lips. "It''s just a little trip with my friends, I''ll be back soon." she said with a smile and Maya shrugged it off with a sigh. "Fine..." She wasn''t happy about it. ''But if Raven is happy, I should be happy too. *sigh*'' "YOUR HIGHNESS!" A voice called as everyone looked for the source of the sound. "Um, Joey, don''t call me that please..." Raven muttered tiredly. Mike was surprised to see the captain of the Vikings here, but chose to stay quiet for now. "Ah, apologies," Joey said as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Anyway, what''s the matter?" Raven asked. "And what''s up with your choice of clothes?" Poor Joey had only just woken up so was so he was still in shorts, and an oversized shirt. "Oh, I just heard you''re going on a trip, and I was wondering if I could join..." he said while trying to hide his embarrassment by fidgeting with his fingers, but to no avail. Looking at Mike, Rachel, and the others, they all nodded as they didn''t mind having Joey join them. If anything, Mike seemed more excited. "Ok, so I''m guessing the n is to go to Rachel''s house, make sure everything is ready to go, and then leave from there?" Raven asked. "More or less," Mike said, "the reason we''re going to Rachel''s house now is because we wanted to introduce the new you to the team." Suddenly realising that she was intending to keep her identity as a girl a secret, Raven couldn''t help but wonder if this was ok. ''Everyone saw me on TV... those who already know me have probably recognised me the moment they saw my fight against that S ranked monster. Maybe one of the others even, for all I know... *sigh*'' "We''ll pack everything tomorrow then leave shortly after, "Mike finished with a smile. "What team by the way?" Raven asked. "Why, the ck Knights, of course!" Mike said enthusiastically. Raising her eye brows, Raven couldn''t help but feel a soft, yet proud, smile escape her lips. Focusing back to the task at hand though, she looked at Joey. "Ok, Joey you can go pack whatever you need from your house, my mom *cough* Maria I mean, will pack some clothes for me and bring them in tomorrow." She was slightly embarrassed to call Maria ''mom'' in front of her friends, because then questions will be asked. "We''ll all meet in Rachel''s house at... I don''t know, say 6PM? and then leave at 6:30PM." she said. "How does that sound?" "Perfect!" Mike said with a grin. "Ah- I''m ok with that too!" Rachel said while trying to ignore Maya''s dominating presence. The little girl herself was pressing her lips tightly and while frowning at how everything was going south for her. She knew that Rachel wasn''t to be left alone with Raven. But she didn''t want to make Raven feel like she was constrained so she decided to let it side. Forcing a smile for Raven''s sake, Maya waveed goodbye, and went inside for a quick nap. Seeing that, Raven could only sigh and smile at how cute Maya was while being concerned for her. But she knew that one way or the other, Maya needed to learn that she must be able to work alone, without Raven guiding her. ''It must be because of the connection we share...'' Raven thought back to Lady Luck and her dark deeds before a frown made its way to her face. Trying to shake the thought out of her head, she was determined to take Maya and her family for another trip when shees back. ''Maybe just a quick one to the mall or something would be nice.'' she thought to herself as she didn''t want to make them feel left out. ... With Joey preparing to go home to pack his stuff, and Maya away, Rachel felt a little bit morefortable as she went through every lever, button, and handle on the motorcycle for Raven. "Hm, I see..." Raven muttered to herself, trying to remember everything. Thinking about it for a moment, she wanted to use her Appraisal skill, but since that was a System Skill, and the system was currently updating, she couldn''t. "Well, let me try this manually..." she thought as she mounted the bike and put a helmet and some dark protective gloves on. Touching or looking at every handle and button to make sure she knows where everything went, she nodded her head unintentionally as a signal for herself that she''s ready. Rachel realised that and smiled warmly before ncing the mansion''s door to make sure Maya wasn''t observing her. Little did she know, Maya was actually watching from her room''s window. But instead of being mad or upset, she was just... sad. She felt useless as if she wasn''t part of Raven''s life anymore. Shaking her head and focusing back at observing Raven, she forced a smile in hopes of changing her mood. ''Fake it till you make it...'' ''Alrigh, so first, turn on the engine by rotating the key to the right.'' Raven thought to herself while going through these steps. ''Press the front breaks and clutch handles together, then follow that with press to the ignition or starter button.'' She was basically trying to imitate everything that Rachel had taught her in the past few minutes. VRROOOOOM!! The motorcycle was louder than what she''s expected, but nothing extreme. It was a beautiful sound, in a way. ''Now, shift the left pedal down, and boom, now it''s in first gear'' Raven instructed herself with a smile. ''Release the front brake handle. Start releasing the clutch slowly while elerating at the same rate...'' ... After a couple of minutes of ying around the wide parking with the bike, Raven wasfortable and confident with her ability to drive it safely. "Alright, hop on, princess!" she said to Rachel as she patted the backseat in excitement. True, she could fly. But feeling normal again felt refreshingly great! On the other hand, Rachel was thankful no one could see her rosy cheeks inside the helmet as she held on to Raven tightly. ''So, she likes motorcycles, huh?'' Maya wondered while resting her chin on her open palms. Chapter 111 - Getting The Team Together Part 2 * FTL Faster Than Light - Theme Song * "Ah~ that was awesome!" Raven''s suppressed voice came out through the helmet once the group got to Rachel''s house. Well, house was an understatement. Rachel''s ''house'' was in fact arger mansion than that of Maria''s, with gatekeepers, guards, and gardeners. Hopping off of the bike and taking off her helmet, Raven shook her head slightly as the wind bathed in her long soft hair. Rachel found it mesmerising and even hard to look away from. Same went for Jake who was eyeing Raven sneakily. "You like what you see, huh? Fufufu~" Remi whispered in Rachel''s ear with a smug expression as she put her arm around her neck in a friendly manner. Jumping in her ce as she was startled, Rachel''s cheeks instantly turned bright red while trying to look away. "Shush Remi, please!" "Yo, Rave," Mike called out to Raven as he took his helmet off too, "weren''t you against riding the bike without a license and all?" "Yo, buddy," Remi released Rachel and called, "why do you think you can call her Rave, huh?" Remi wasn''t upset or anything, she was mostly teasing. "Meh, nothing special," Mike said with a smug smile, "it''s just that me and Rave were best friends way before any of you could even spell their names, ohoho~" Mikeughed while covering his mouth as if he was the viin in his own movie. "Oh no you weren''t, buddy," Remi retorted as if Mike had just initiated a war, "we all know that me and Raven met way before you two knew eachother." "Oho~ is that so?" Mike asked in apetitive matter, "then why was I the one to introduce you two to eachother?" The smug smile never left Mike''s face. "But... Ugh, ok you think you are her best friend?" Remi countered. "Name her favourite colour!" "Red," Mike answered almost instantly. "Her favourite fruit." "Cherries." "Favourite sport!" "Are you even serious?" Mike raised his eyebrows as everyone knew Raven liked ser the most. "Ugh... um, her favourite- um, I don''t know goddamn it. You know her alright, but I know her better, I''m telling you!" "If that so, then name every movie she''s ever watched!" Mike said to Remi who was taken aback by that. She knew most of the movies, but not all of them. "What''s that? I can''t hear you," Mike said with a smile in response to Remi''s silence. "Did you just say you don''t know?" Mike teased while shaking his head. "I am obviously her best-" "You two, enough of this," Raven chuckled awkwardly, yet sincerely, as she hooked her arms around the two of them. "You know, I kinda missed this..." she said as the two of them observed her face closely. She was shorter than both of them so they two had to slightly crouch to be in her range. ''She is so adorable...'' they both thought at the same time. Both of them turned bright red at how stunning and cute she looked up close. None of the two were interested in girls in particr but they found her really attractive. ''I have always loved her as Draven, is she not basically the same person?'' Mike questioned himself. ''I think it still counts, no?'' ''Will she hit me if I pat her head?'' Remi thought while shaking her head to clear her mind. "Anyway, in response your question, Mike," Raven said, "I still think it''s wrong to drive without a license, for multiple reasons, but I don''t particrly care as I am no cop." Raven shrugged. Not able to resist any longer, Remi found her hand touching Raven''s head. ''Gently, up and down,'' Remi found herself thinking while unconsciously patting her. Feeling Raven''s cool to the touch, yet delicate and plushy, hair made her heart ache from the pleasure her soul felt. "Eh?" Raven was confused and it took her a second to realize that she was being patted. Jumping back away from both of her friends, she stood still for a second before looking back at Remi who was now staring at her hand in satisfaction. "Alright, you can hit me now," Remi said as she closed her eyes, "I have no regrets whatsoever!" "That was weird," Raven said after a pause, "I''m not going to hit you, but-" "Can I do it too?" Mike asked in a serious tone. "Um... since when was I a pet?" Raven questioned with a tilted head. "Being patted isn''t just for pets you know. It can be used as a way of showing affection towards someone you find criminally adorable," Mike said after some thought. "Now, for the sake of our friendship, can I pat you, pretty please?" Mike asked again. "Nope, non, nein, na''ah!" Raven said while making an ''X'' sign with her arms. "I was caught off guard once, but dare any of you repeat it and some hands will be cut off!" she warned. Of course she was joking, but her friends still gulped loudly. "Y''all such a scary family," Mike muttered, remembering Maya''s threats too. "Anyway, um, where''s everyone?" Raven asked as she was supposed to meet the ck Knights, her teammates in the highschool ser team. "They''re all inside," Rachel shook her head to recover from the sudden patting urge that suddenly overcame her senses. "Let''s head in." *** "Sir!" A voice called out to Jakol who was busy pressing away at some holographic keys. "Speak up, Sargent!" Jakol ordered calmly without looking at the source of the voice. Jakol was currently in his human form as he tried to make himselffortable in this transformation. He mainly wanted to make sure his disguising device could hold for an extended period of time. "Sir, our main support group has been ambushed in a nearby city, to the south," the Sargent spoke quickly. "And?" Jakol asked nonchntly as he was busy searching through his documents, reviewing some information. "Where''s the main assault team?" "You see, sir, um... General" the Sargent seemed rather nervous. "All members of the assault team have been heavily injured during thetest fight. The main support team was supposed to provide aid but as you already know-" "And so you want me to save them?" Jakol interrupted with a sigh. He was sent here with acking team even though he was one of the Generals in the Akash army. ''Good, but weak...'' he muttered to himself. "Send me the coordinates, Sargent" Jakol said as he teleported just outside of their temporary headquarters. Feeling the Earthen air blowing his silver hair and cooling his temper, he sighed. His pale white skin sparkled under the golden sun rays, and so did his silver eyes. White shiny feathers, almost too pure for this world, materialised behind him forming his angelic wings. Even though he looked young, his aura radiated wisdom and experience. Looking down at his ship, he couldn''t help but sigh at how cheap the equipments they were provided with actually were. ''Command obviously don''t care about this mission much...'' he thought to himself. This ship was not made for long distance travel, yet he was asked to take a team of fifty and travel through the portal that suddenly appeared on their. The same portal that caused him to reach this, Earth, where he had discovered his long missing princess'' presence. Even though the truth behind the young girl that was rumoured to be the princess hasn''t been confirmed yet, he had suspected that she was indeed the one. And as such, by orders from her, he had sent a group of soldiers to clear out a recent portal incident. "Try to help out the humans as much as you can, while keeping low profile of course," Maya had instructed. Jakol didn''t want anything other than to stay by her side, but he was asked to investigate some things for her, so he had to oblige. Even though the immediate threats of the portals were dealt with, monsters would still randomly spawn. Unlike before, however, the numbers weren''t enough to cause a serious crisis. Beep! Hearing a beep, Jakol swiped his fingers across thin air as a holographic screen appeared in front of him.. Seeing the Sargent''s message, Jakol knew where his team was, and so he disappeared to the rescue. Chapter 112 - Thinning Out The Gates * Feint - My Sunset * "Command, this is Force Axe, do you copy?" A figure muttered in a deep voice to his radio earpiece. "Force Axe, this ismand, zero alpha. Loud and clear. Locking channel, over." A feminine voice replied at the other end. "Command, two targets have been destroyed in the designated area. Please send the janitor team for further inspection." the figure said. "Also, send an updated target list." "Force Axe, copy." the feminine voice replied. "Sending Bravo to clean out the stragglers. Also, updated target list has been sent to your RAG. Please move out with caution, we have been receiving continuous SOS signals from those areas, many rankers have been lost in Area 6D2 in particr. "Force Axe... no, Ranker Axth, please be careful." the woman on the other end continued. "Run away and regroup if you deem the area too dangerous. Do you copy?" "Command zero alpha... *sigh* I do copy, loud and clear," ranker Axth said with a sigh. "I will be careful. Will report back in a few minutes. Over and out." he said as he tapped his earpiece, closing the channel. "I always tell her to be more professional..." he muttered to himself while inspecting his Ranker''s Arm Guard. RAG was a device that is especially produced by the EDA for rankers to act as an inbatptop of sorts. It was basically an arm guard that has aputer screen that is able to connect to the various EDA satellites. It mostly functions as the main means ofmunication and sharing information. Inspecting his RAG onest time, Axth decided to head for the easier areas first. Leaving the most dangerous forst would increase the probability of him saving more lives. "I should seriously ask for a raise..." Axth muttered as he flickered across the skies. He''s been working for the past two weeks, even more, with little to almost no breaks. In reality, he didn''tin much as he knew that people were dying, and his help was much needed. Axth, just like his name, was by no means human. He had pale blue skin, bright silver hair, and matching eyes. Aside from his skin tone which made it clear he wasn''t human, he had two ck hornsing out of his forehead. In a way, they looked more cute that threatening. He was from a called Mian. The same Axane and baby Rituxi came from. "Alright, this shouldn''t take long," he muttered as he flickered away in the air. Reaching an area where a couple of monsters spawned, he ended them swiftly while ensuring minimum coteral damage. Targeting the areas in his list didn''t take much time as he was always efficient. Axth believed in the saying "don''t y with your food", and so he would always end his enemies quickly. "Alright, now onto thest area," he sighed as he flickered out of sight. All he knew about this area was that it''s dangerous and many rankers have been injured there. *** In an area to the south of the main city, a huge portal had opened in the middle of the street. Although the appearance of portals wasn''t a strange phenomena by now, this particr one was. Unlike the other portals, it had only spawned one monster, and that one monster was one of the strongest around. The threat wasn''tpletely understood before a handful of rankers and arger bunch of civilians had already fell victims for it. Currently, some of Jakol''s soldiers, along with some rankers, were holding the monster back in hopes of giving those who sustained injuries just enough time to recover. The alien soldiers were waiting for their assault team to recuperate while the rankers had already requested a backup team. However, even though the n was simple on paper, the soldiers and the rankers haven''t ounted for the appearance of the new patch of monsters. They were smaller ones, yet still vicious and bloodthirsty. "Retreat!" one of the rankers yelled as soon as he saw the small monsters envelope their ranks as a gue. "Hold your grounds!" one of Jakol''s soldiers yelled in reply. "We have to hold them down or they''ll harm civilians!" The rankers were taken aback by the fact that the aliens were more willing to prevent the death of humans than themselves. Even if they got harmed themselves. In reality however, they were mostly following their leader''s orders and dare not run away from battle. "Officers, well done holding your own. Now step back!" a voice called as the sky suddenly turned brighter. Looking up, everyone could see a silver haired young man floating midair. Silver feathery wings were beating behind him in the grace of an angel. Doing as ordered, everyone retreated quickly to the safer side, behind the silver haired youth. Looking down at the monsters, Jakol only sighed before swiping his hand downward. A deadly pressure instantly pushed the monsters to the ground, cracking most of their boned in the process. Another horizontal swipe with his gloved fingers generated countless feathery needles that shot out of his wings and prated each and every one of the monsters. With him killing a bunch, more started toe out of the smaller portal. Seeing that, Jakol clicked his tongue while more needles were shot down, forming a barrier around the monsters. "This should hold them for a moment," he thought while shifting his attention to therger monster. The monster seemed like a hellish hybrid of different animals and aliens that it wasn''t clear what it was. Its body was alien yet it resembled that of a rodent. Instead of normal limbs, it had multiple tentacles supporting its weight while ugly leaf-like wings prated its back. Even though it had wings, it couldn''t fly for how massive in size it was. Overall, it was more disgusting than scary. Yet, Jakol couldn''t bring himself to underestimate it. Deciding to finish it quickly, Jakol took a deep breath while aiming his hand at the monster. Mana seemed to flicker in his eyes as his previously human hand started to transform into what seemed like an arm cannon. Mana started to gather at the cannon''s end forming a dense ball if silver, while the air seemed brighter around it. The energy ball kept increasing in size until it was the size of a small room. The monster, suddenly feeling danger, tried to run away. But s, Jakol was prepared. Gathering some more mana, he amplified the size of his wings substantially. "This should be enough," he muttered to himself while shooting four massive feathers that hit the ground around the monster, creating a a square ring around it. Seeing how white electricity flickered between each feather forming a barrier around it, the monster was hesitant to break through, but then decided to do it anyway because the danger it felt was way more dangerous. "Not so fast," Jakol said as the energy ball was instantly shot from his arm cannon. BOOOOMMMM!!! Little did the monster know, the barrier wasn''t meant for it. Jakol simply put that in ce in order to contain the damage caused by his cannon. "Well, that was easy..." Jakol muttered to himself while deciding what punishment he should administer to his weak soldiers. Sure they were loyal, but they were too weak for that to count. Whistle~ Hearing a whistling sound, Jakol turned his head to see someone flying next to him. That someone was none other than Axth, the EDA ranker. "You just finished my job for me," Axth said with a smile. "Uhm, no worries I guess," Jakol shrugged casually as he didn''t feel any bad intentions from the person next to him. Descending to the ground in order to check on the injured soldiers, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. "Please wait," Axth said, "I''d like to know who you are, if you don''t mind of course," he smiled again. "Enough with your creepy smiles," Jakol narrowed his eyes in annoyance, "for a Mian to be within the EDA ranks, I''m assuming you either have the connections or the skills to back you up, huh?" "Hm, what does that imply exactly?" Axth asked. *sigh* "I thought the EDA would tell their rankers about their allies," Jakol sighed, "but anyway, we''re working with the S ranker Ms. Cami Rogers, I''m assuming you heard of her?" "Oh, the ranker with the title of Battle Mage, interesting," Axth muttered with a hand under his chin. "I don''t particrly care," Jakol replied with clear indifference, "anyhow, I''ll be taking my leave now." "Ah, sure," Axth said with another smile as Jakol cringed. Leaving the Akash to his business, Axth flickered away and to the top of the closest skyscraper he could find. "Command, this is Force Axe, do you copy?" he muttered after gently tapping his earpiece. "Axth, this ismand, zero alpha. Loud and clear." the same woman from earlier muttered as she locked the channel. "Are you finished already?" "Positive," Axth said with a sigh as he liked to keep things professional, yet things weren''t going his way. "Can you please do a small background check on Ranker Cami Rogers? I''d like to know who are her registered allies and any notes about her." "On it," the woman said efficiently, "are you suspecting something, Axth?" "Negative, just the general procedure," he said back, "After all, I want to make sure I know my allies...." Chapter 113 - An Old Acquaintance Part 1 * n Walker, K-391 & Emelie Hollow - Lily * "Sir," a man in a ck suit spoke in a clear matter, "we''ve arrived at the Drakon''s mansion." "I can see that," a man in a luxurious fur coat replied with a frown. "Who are these kids though?" he asked. They both were sitting inside a ck car that seemed to belong to one of the richest people in Torinto city. Looking at the mansion''s entrance, the man could see a bunch of motorcycles. Near them, stood five teens that were about to enter the through the main doors. "Sir, the one at the front with the long ck hair is Mr. Caleb''s daughter, Rachel Drakon, the rest are probably her friends," the other man replied. "Hm, make sure they don''t interrupt our business here." "Of course, sir." *** As she was about to enter Rachel''s house, Raven noticed a luxurious car approaching them. "Who''s that?" she asked. "Oh, um, I think they''re a bunch of my father''s business partners," Rachel answered after a short pause. "I see," Raven muttered and entered the house. She was already told that Rachel''s father owned a bigpany and was rather famous so she didn''t question it. Upon setting foot inside, she heard faint chatter soundsing from under her feet, ''and what is that? Music?'' she thought to herself. "Ok, everyone is waiting in the basement, let''s go," Rachel said with a smile. Calling it a basement was an understatement. It only qualified as one since it had no windows, but otherwise, it was a huge room with so many equipments; for sports and entertainment. Descending down the stairs, Raven was overjoyed to see her friends chatting together. Some were ying ping-pong, others ying the piano, and thest bunch were ying video games. Noticing their arrival, the ck Knights members stopped what they were doing and admired the beauty that just entered their vision. All but two boys that were so engrossed in their video game that they didn''t notice the change in the atmosphere. "Hi," Raven said with a sincere smile as she had missed them. Whistle~ "Who is this cutie?" a boy named Danny asked after a whistle. He was yer number 4 in the team. "By the way, your hand looks heavy, do you want me to hold it for you?" A small vein popped on Raven''s forehead. ''Is that how they greet me for the first time after a while?'' She was familiar with Danny''s sarcasm and carefree attitude, but she knew exactly what always came after a ''Danny remark''. "Danny! Enough with that, you promised I would get the next one! You''ve already hit on Rachel so many time, I get the new girl," said Dan, yer number 9, while pushing Danny away. Rachel turned slightly red at the mention of her name. Normally, she would just ignore them or show them what three years of self defense sses can do to one''s prowess. But now that she was with Raven, everything seemed weird and alien to her. So she decided to stay quiet. "Ahem, um... I''m sorry I don''t know how to say this without hurting your feelings," Dan directed his attention towards Raven while scratching the back of his head as if showing embarrassment. "But your lips seem kinda lonely... would they like to meet mine?" ''... did he just actually say that?'' Raven thought to herself in confusion. ''Oh no...'' ''Rip.'' ''Welp, there goes a good yer...'' Jake, Remi, and Mike thought at the same time. BOOOMM! BOOOMM!! It took everyone a second to recover from the explosion sound and realize that the sarcastic duo had disappeared. Looking at the ground, they could see that both boys wereying face down, with giant bumps on their heads. "Guys," Dan said with a groan. "She doesn''t tolerate jokes..." Danny continued for him as he held a thumbs up barely above his head. ''Noted,'' the rest of the team thought, swallowing loudly. ''Noble soldiers, died for the better good...'' In addition to the team members that were all boys, two female coach assistants were present: Ainsley and Erika. And unlike the rest, these two enjoyed Dan and Danny''s punishment as they can be embarrassing in front of strangers sometimes and they wanted them to learn their lesson. "Geez... I know you two love sarcasm and jokes, but is that how you greet every girl you see?" Raven asked with raised eyebrows. "Only the hot ones-Argh," Danny tried to say before Raven stepped on his head, silencing him. "Timmy, what happened buddy?" Raven asked one of the yers in confusion, "I told you to stop them whenever they start spouting stuff like that!" Standing with a confused expression on his face, Timmy didn''t know how to reply. "Wait, how do you know about our 94bo strat-" The 94bo strategy was basically a small agreement "Draven" came up with. Timmy was supposed to always prevent the duo, Dan and Danny, from being the sarcastic duo they are, at least in front of public eyes or someone new. And since Raven was supposedly a new person that they''ve never met before, Timmy was supposed to prevent them from spouting nonsense. Yet, he didn''t. """DRAVEN?""" everyone suddenly yelled as the realisation kicked in. ''Wait, how can that be?'' they all thought as confusion was painted across their faces. Draven was taller, had azure eyes and matching bright blue hair. And obviously, he was a boy and not a girl. And unlike Draven who seemed as angelic as fragile, this girl seemed different... she felt kind yet sharp, almost like a mirror: smile to her and she''d smile back, but try to harm her and you''d get stabbed. ''No, she can''t be Draven, that''s for sure... Is she her rtive? They do look alike in a way...'' they thought. "Wait, I''ve seen you before!" a voice yelled. It was Henry, the ck Knights'' goalkeeper, and yer number 1. "You''re the SS ranker everyone was talking about!" "Oh I remember that too! I''ve seen you on TV!" Mark, yer number 7 yelled. "What the f-" Before he could swear, Ericka pped him swiftly to shut him up. "I''m sorry," Ericka apologized, "I don''t understand what someone as powerful and famous as yourself might be doing here, but our team has shown such a disgraceful attitude. I deeply apologize." Raven remained quiet. Some ring from Erika and Ainsley was enough to get everyone to line up, in an orderly fashion, and bow slightly to show respect. It was a habit they acquired from ying ser so it wasn''t hard to execute efficiently. Yet, Raven still remained quiet. It was either that or she''d burst outughing. ''Do I continue on with this and risk giving them a heart attack, or do I just tell them the truth?'' she thought to herself. ''You are indeed evil,'' Tu muttered with a chuckle in her mind. He enjoyed their performance too, after all, and wanted to see more. """AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!""" although Raven held herself together, it was Jake, Remi, and Mike who burst outughing loudly. "Oh my goodness I can''t hold it anymore, hahaha," Mike held his stomach as it seemed to hurt him. "You guys... AHAHAHA!" "Oh poor souls, hahahaha!" Remiughed too. *sigh* "Sup guys," Raven said after a deep breath, deciding not to give anyone a stroke. "It''s been a while." "SO IT WAS YOU!!" the team yelled in unison. "That''s so disrespectful I can''t believe you did that!" Erikained. "Meh, gotta admit though, I enjoyed the show," Raven chuckled. "Plus, you did deserve it," she said with a shrug. "But that''s pure evil!" Ainsley eximed. "I should have trusted my instincts," Timmy said with a sigh. "But wait, so how did this happen?" Henry asked. "So, are you actually the same Draven?" Erika asked. "Yes, tell us!" Dan said excitedly, "how do you grow b*ob-Argh!" before he could finish, he was mmed against the ground again. "Seriously dude, you should stop that," Raven muttered with a ''smile''. Although he couldn''t see her face, he could feel his body shaking in fear. "So you''re not going to tell us?" Danny asked in disappointment. Raven''s smile twitched. *sigh* "Of course, I''ll tell you the general idea," Raven said with a sigh as her friends deserved to know the truth. "Oh nice!" Danny said happily, "I''ll go grow some-" BOOOM!! ''Ouch...'' *** "Mr. Drakon," the man in the fur coat said while taking a seat in Rachel''s father''s office. "How have you been?" "Could have been better," Caleb said with a nervous smile. "Mr. Red Joe." "Mr. Joe is fine," Red Joe said with a predatory smile. "Have you thought about our offer yet?" he asked with a threatening re. Red Joe was one of the most influential criminal master-minds in the city. After the recent portal incident, his business has lost a few millions in property damage and the like. As such, he needed additional sources of ie. So, he had ordered hisckeys and thugs to do some research. And although it doesn''t happen often, luck had smiled upon Red Joe and he had learnt that the one and only Caleb Drakon had moved into his city, just recently. Caleb, Rachel''s father, was the owner of argepany that had branches all over the country. Needless to say, he was loaded. Of course, Red Joe wouldn''t waste such an opportunity. And as such, when he had met Caleb for the first time yesterday, he had offered him a deal. "75% of your annual ie is mine, otherwise, suffer the consequences." Chapter 114 - An Old Acquaintance Part 2 * n Walker, K-391 & Emelie Hollow - Lily * Caleb wanted to inform the police, yet he couldn''t. Red Joe had most police officials under his thumb. Flying away wasn''t an option either since he''d know of that as well, thanks to his men in the airport. Caleb had tried to let his daughter run away with her friends, at least untill he deals with the problem. ''If I stay here, they shouldn''t notice that my daughter has left with her friends. And even if they do, technically, I would still be here myself so that shouldn''t cause any troubles...'' that was his thought process. Yet, even though Red Joe was supposed to arrive in at least a week from now, he was six days earlier than what was first nned. "Oh by the way, Mr. Drakon," Red Joe saw that Caleb was in a trance and decided to knock him out of it. "Good touch on your part to let your guards know about our arrival and ask them not interrupt us." Again, he smiled in a threatening matter. ''F*CK!'' Caleb yelled in his mind as he realised what Red Joe was implying. ''He had already bought the guards'' loyalty...'' Thinking about the kids in his basement, and especially his daughter, Caleb didn''t know what to do so he decided to roll with it for now. His daughter means a lot for him after all and he wanted nothing that would harm her. "Mr. Joe," Caleb said in a professional manner while having the poker face of a busy businessman, "I''m afraid that 75% is too much... *sigh* but considering the fact that you''ll keep us safe in the face of the many dangers we might face in this city, it''s a small price to pay." In the short span of a few seconds, Red Joe''s face went from smiling to frowning and back to smiling again. "Hahaha I knew I could recognise a wise man when I see one," he said in satisfaction as this have been far easier than he had anticipated. "Choosing safety over luxury is the best way to guarantee a happy life after all." "Now if you don''t mind, we''ll be signing a contract..." he continued with another smile as one of his men approached Caleb with a sadistic smile. "I''m sorry, what are you-" Caleb tried to ask, but he was interrupted by Red Joe. "Don''t worry about it," he chuckled. "You know, a couple of studies seemed to support the notion that a strong trauma to the brain can be remembered for a long period of time, whereas a contract can be forgotten the moment a better one is presented, don''t you agree Mr. Drakon?" Just as theckey was cracking his knuckles in a threatening manner, the door seemed to slowly slide open. "Um, hi?" Raven peaked through the opened door with an innocent expression over her face. "Apologies, I thought this was the washroom, hehe." Most of the people inside had a tense expression on their faces, including Caleb that didn''t want anyone to get hurt, especially kids. "It''s ok honey," Rachel''s father muttered almost too fast, "please leave for now, we''re trying to sign a very important business contract." "Hm, can I join you then?" Raven said in a too innocent of a face. "I''m really interested in the business world and I''d like to learn from you, hehe." she continued with a childish chuckle. "Markos!" Red Joe called in a deep voice as he was fuming. "Haven''t I specifically asked you to keep the kids from interrupting our meeting?" ''Did he go the washroom instead of guarding the door as I requested?'' Red Joe thought while gritting his teeth. "Markos!?" Red Joe called out again with a re that was directed towards the childish Raven. ''That b*stard is dead meet when hees back!'' he yelled in his mind. "Oh, um, is this the Markos you were calling for?" Raven asked while opening the door, allowing the body of an unconscious man to drop on the floor. "What did you do to him?" Red Joe suddenly realised that the kid wasn''t normal. ''Markos is a B ranker, there''s no way this girl took him down quietly...'' "Oh, let me try to remember, hm," Raven said with a finger under her chin while giving a thoughtful expression, "oh, so what happened was that I only said hi... *nod* and then he fainted! From exhaustion I believe *more nodding*. You should really take care of your men, you know." "Enough of this sh*t," he said as he looked towards his other men in the office. They were a total of three B rankers and one A ranker. Not including himself. "Knock the kid out, and get rid of her after we''re done!" he ordered and hisckeys started to move. "Wait, she''s a kid!" Caleb yelled. But before he could do anything, the three B rankers moved out instantly as they appeared in front of Raven. "Why don''t we go somewhere else, kid?" one said in eyes full of lust. "I''m pretty sure we could have some fun-" Before he could finish, the others saw his body suddenly flop down the floor. Raven''s eyes glowed with a dangerous golden light. "Disgusting..." she muttered coldly as the atmosphere suddenly got so chilly for anyone to move a muscle. Seeing lust in someone''s eyes was enough to remind her of Lady Luck. Further more, she had obviously recognised Red Joe and that was enough to remind her of who she once was and how many people she had killed. With all of the mixed emotions and memories of the past, her heart became ice cold, as did her expression. Something inside of her wanted to kill some more. Redirecting her attention towards the other two men in front of her, she focused her dense mana in their lungs to prevent them from breathing. Forcing them to suffocate was harsh, but she didn''t mind. Fighting the urge to kill them, she watched as the twockeys fell on the floor unconscious. Just as the A ranker was about to make a move, Red Joe extended his hand to stop him. "I see now that you''re not just a random kid, huh." he said with narrowed eyes. "Who do you work with?" even though he tried to y tough, he was barely breathing. But he still needed to know what faction she was with. Maybe if he wasn''t so busy taking care of his ''business'', he would have been able to watch TV and maybe then he would have been able to recognise the girl in front of him as the SS ranker. But even so, he should have known that they had a past together. "Oh, do you not recognise me?" Raven threw a deadly re at him. Feeling his soul almost escape his body, he put a hand on the desk to support himself. "Has your memory gone rusty all of a sudden?" Thinking about it for a moment, Red Joe still couldn''t remember. ''I would have definitely remembered a kid with such powers...'' "Tsk, quite unfortunate..." Raven muttered as she let her aura run amok inside the office. Everyone but Caleb could feel their bones crack under the pressure. Raven didn''t want to harm her friend''s father after all. "Maybe this will remind you," Raven''s conflicting feelings and memories sent her from cold to bloodthirsty as a sadistic smile appeared on her face. Suddenly, her shadow on the ground started to move as if alive and covered her body in an instant, creating the familiar dark armour around her. A majestic golden one-handed sword was instantly generated in her hand as it radiated intense killing intent. Even though the colour had changed to gold, and the size from two to one-handed, Red Joe was still able to recognise that sword and its wielder. He had never seen the wielder''s face up close, but he still couldn''t forget the darkness of that armour that had always sent shivers down his spine. ''Wraith....'' Red Joe tried to mutter but under this amount of pressure, he could he only watch in horror as his grim reaper got closer and closer to him with each breath he took. Chapter 115 - The Secret Thats Hidden Within Part 1 * n Walker, K-391 & Emelie Hollow - Lily * ''Wraith...'' Red Joe tried to mutter but under this amount of pressure, he could he only watch in horror as his grim reaper got closer and closer to him with each breath he took. Rachel''s father felt his body shaking even though no killing intent got past the barrier Raven created around him. Just the look on her face was enough to send chills down his spine. Suddenly, a crimson haired figure appeared next to Raven and put his hand on her armoured shoulder. "Raven..." he called quietly. "I know, Tu..." Raven muttered, taking a deep breath. With a sigh, she let go of her armour and sword as they turned into mana and then dispersed into thin air. The room started to get back to its normal state the moment her shadow descended back to its original ce on the ground. *Deep breaths* ''Deep breaths, keep calm...'' Raven found it rather hard to calm herself down as she deeply despised those who abuse or oppress others who are weaker than them. ''But that is not all...'' she thought to herself, ''something is not right within me...'' Deep within, she knew that a hidden part of her was trying to reawaken. And that part longed for warm blood. Shaking her head, she looked at Red Joe who was breathing heavily. Settings on one of the nearby chairs, she waited for him to calm down as well before speaking. "Haven''t I told you to stop abusing your position and powers?" Raven said after a pause. "You have money, you have a legitimate business, and you have the ability to help people, yet all you want is more money, even if it costs others their lives? "Haven''t I saved your daughter for you? Do you not remember the dread you felt when you realized she was kidnapped?" Raven was feeling her temper rising up again. "The only reason I haven''t killed you already was because I thought you''d start a new path. You have the ability to be a f*cking hero, yet all you care about is more f*cking money that will end up being spent on your funeral?" Raven yelled as mana erupted out of her body for an instant, forcing Red Joe to his knees. Another shoulder pat from Tu was enough to calm her down again. "This is yourst chance, take your men and leave," Raven said while gritting her teeth. "I want you to be the f*cking hero you can be, am I making myself clear here? "No bullying people. No robbing sh*t. No illegal operations. I want you to spread the word, tell everyone that you''re changing your ways because you work for Wraith now, do you understand?" Forcing himself up after some difficulties, Red Joe nodded silently. "Good. Because if you don''t, I will find you, and I will f*cking end you along with anything and everything that has ever been dear to your heart. Now take your men and scram!" she ordered as he started fidgeting with his phone in fright. Raven understood that he needed the help of whoever was left in his car to move the unconscious men, so she let him be. Existing the room, Raven kept walking down the hallway until she put some good distance between her and the office. Rachel''s father was bbergasted, impressed, and afraid to be able to look Raven in the eyes or even thank her, so he chose not to go after her. Sitting on the ground with her back to the wall, a tried and disappointed expression painted Raven''s face. "What''s wrong?" Tu muttered. "You seem fatigued, and I''m afraid it''s not because you have exerted a little bit of your mana. That much wouldn''t have affected you. "It is not, no," she shook her head slowly. "I feel weird... it''s like I- ugh *sigh*" she didn''t know how to exactly express the feelings she was having. "It''s ok," Tu reassured. "I think I understand what''s going on. If my hunch is correct, then your Soul Weaver nature is slowly awakening. You''re feeling what you''re feeling because you''re hungry, not because you want to kill." Looking at him with her hazy eyes, Raven was happy that he understood the urge she was feeling. Yet, she wasn''t satisfied with his answers. "Hungry?" she asked and Tu nodded. "I''m assuming you mean hungry for souls?" she muttered as she opened her palm slowly. A small glowing ball of purple energy materialised in her hand. Tu couldn''t help but widen his eyes in surprise. He knew exactly what that was. ''Apressed soul?'' he thought to himself in disbelief. For all he knew, Raven should not have ess to something like this. Having apressed soul in her inventory, wherever or whatever that was, implied that she had killed some living beings and saved their souls intentionally. That was not supposed to be the case for way too many reasons. Giving him a quick nce, Raven opened her mouth and swallowed the ball quietly. "Meh, not so tasty..." she said as she hugged her knees. "So you''re not as clueless as you pretend to be..." Tu muttered in realization. "I guess so..." she said while looking him in the eyes for a bit before looking down again. "Do you want to share what happened, and how did you get this far?" Tu asked as he was concerned. "There''s not much to it. I''ve been exposed to the notion of devouring souls for a few times now. The first was when I tried to use a cursed weapon of sorts in the first portal incident. "The weapon, I think it was a scythe... anyway, the thing was filled to the brim with souls that tried to corrupt mine. At the time I lost consciousness, but after I woke up I became aware of the fact that I have destroyed, or rather, devoured a lot of souls. "I tried to dismiss it as a false memory and all, but then after a while, when I performed my first demon summoning, I realized that souls do indeed exist and one can gain powers if they devour them. "I don''t know when, but some time after, I started suffering from these urges to devour souls. You know, I even have a special skill for that." she chuckled sadly. She was referring to the tier 4 skill that was called ''Soul Hunter''. A skill with the sole purpose of hunting down souls in order for her to devour them mercilessly. Chapter 116 - The Secret Thats Hidden Within Part 2 * Faine - Wildfire (feat. Nevve) * "I''ve always tried to hide these strong impulses from Ka, you know. And as far as I''m aware, she doesn''t know... yet at least." Raven said with a deep sigh. "But it''s bing harder and harder to conceal. Unlike before, now it''s more than just the urge to devour any soul. "Now, it feels as though I need stronger souls to be satisfied. And not just that, I- it''s like... I want to kill, not because I have to eat, but just because I want to feel the blood ssh on my face." she admitted with her head down, tears dancing at the edge of her eyes. "Maybe I''m just meant to be evil after all..." she said as a lonely tear escaped her left eye. The same hazy look was still stered across her face. Just as Tu was about to speak, Raven had something else to say. "Oh, by the way since you do know a lot of things and all, here''s a question for you: is it possible for someone to have a lot of souls inside of them, even though they''re not aware of their explicit presence?" "Can you please borate?" He asked as he didn''t grasp the meaning behind her question. "Well, to put it simply," she said. "ording to my demons, I have given each of them thousands of souls as a sacrifice to bring them to the Human ne. "Even though I have some souls from the monsters I killed previously, I don''t remember having that much. So, I must have a bunch of souls that I''m not aware of." "I see." Tu said after a pause. "First, I want to assure you that what you''re feeling is quite normal." "Really?" Raven seemed almost hopeful. "Will I go back to normal?" "Well, since you''re aware of the fact that you''re a soul weaver and not human, this should be easier to understand." He said. "Think of it this way; whereas humans go through emotional issues during their puberty, Soul Weavers go through issues simr to yours." "Really?" She asked again, her voice wishful. She didn''t want to keep up the facade in front Ka. ''She is just a kind soul inparison to me...'' she thought to herself. In a way, she felt like she''d end up corrupting her if she continues down this road, something that she wanted to avoid at any cost. "Yes," Tu said with a soft smile. "Don''t stress it much. Just try your best to stop your ''soul snacks'' and you should get back to normal soon. Think of it as a strong and dangerous type of addiction that you need to stop. "Make it so that you only consume souls when you absolutely need to, and not when you want to. I understand that it might be difficult, but it''s something that you need to work on. "Make use of theing trip to lose any urges and focus on enjoying yourself. How does that sound?" He asked. "Good," she said with a sigh of relief. "Thank you Tu!" she said giving him a quick hug. He was surprised but still epted her with open arms nheless. Taking a deep breath, Raven closed her eyes and pped her face a couple of times in order to wake herself up. "Go wash your face and maybe use the washroom, it was what you came to this floor for after all," Tu said with a smile as it was the truth. If the three washrooms in the basement were not upied at the same time, then Raven would not have been able to rescue Rachel''s father. "I''ll wait here so I can walk you back." Tu finished. "Ok," she replied with a soft, yet tired, smile. Watching her enter the washroom, Tu adopted a serious expression on his face. ''So that''s why the Deputy General wanted to test her; she''s mentally vulnerable... very vulnerable. ''She can turn from the sweetest kid in the world to the most sadistic assassin in the universe, just within seconds. And she doesn''t even have full control over these episodes. ''I wonder what she''s been through, for her to be like this. The fact that she has an abundance of souls inside of her just doesn''t make any sense... ''The only scenario I can think of is if someone had forcefully sealed souls within her when she was younger... just like how they sealed me within her...'' the realization kicked in, yet it still made little to no sense. ''Why would someone do that? What were they trying to aplish?'' *sigh* ''I have a bad feeling about this, too many things don''t add up together. This means that these urges are most definitely more than just a passing stage... ''This might be worse than what it seems like...'' he thought with visible concern. ''But for now at least, I must support her and try to keep her on track...'' Seeing that Raven was out of the washroom, Tu put on a friendly expression and greeted her with a smile. ... Going down the stair leading to the basement, Raven had already put on a smile as if nothing had happened. And as promised, Tu was by her side. "Did I miss anything?" Raven asked with a smile as she walked up to the group watching Mark wrestling with Henry. "Actually, I think the right question is, what did I miss?" she asked while slightly tilting her head slightly to the left. Even though Raven was afraid they might have heard something from themotion she cause upstairs, her friends didn''t seem to notice anything. Plus, she was away for mere few minutes only, so her friends did not suspect anything. "Oh, hi Rave, don''t worry they''re just practicing" Mike said while turning around for a second to give her a small wave. "HOLY SH*T!" Mike yelled startled. "Who is that?" Hearing Mike''s loud voice, the two boys on the ground stopped wresting and focused on the new face in the room. "Hi!" Tu greeted with a light wave. "Hiii!" Erika and Ainsley greeted back almost instantly. Realising that they had simr reactions, they both stared at eachother for a second before looking back at Tu. "Um, so this is my friend," Raven introduced. "His name is Turanor, but we call him Tu. He''s friendly don''t be afraid to say hi." she mostly said to the boys that were skeptical of the new unknown face. Looking at Mike, Raven found him staring at Tu in a weird way that made her shiver. Slowly approaching him, "he has eyes you know, he can see you..." she whispered in his ear which made him jump, startled. Realising he was being too obvious, Mike looked away for a second, before staring right back at Tu as if nothing had just happened. Raven sighed and decided to let him be. Watching Erika and Ainsley interact with Tu seemed to make the group more willing to talk to him. "Alright, how are you feeling now?" Tu paused his conversation with the others and asked Raven. "Oh, I''m alright now, don''t worry about it," she said with a sincere smile. "Thank you for keeping your promise." "I''m d," he said with a simr smile. "And of course!" Seeing the two talk together made everyone widen their eyes. Some "Aw~"s and "So cute~"s could be heard, but Raven wasn''t particrly in the best mood inside so she ignored them. "Alright everyone," Tu said, "I''ll see youter!" With a smile, his body dispersed into thin air as they watched in disbelief. Instant chatter filled the room after his departure. Although, the real him was inside Raven''s mind now. The group didn''t know, and Raven didn''t tell them. "You don''t seem yourself," Rachel who was the only one that has ignored Tu, approached Raven and put her hand on top of her forehead. This act was inspired by Raven''s previous actions, back when she had suggested to drive her home. But naturally, Rachel wasn''t as confident as Raven so her cheeks turned warm rose the moment she touched her forehead. "Oh thank you," Raven muttered in appreciation, "but I''m alright haha, you''re the one who seem to have a sudden fever now." she joked. Realising that Raven was indeed fine, and furthermore, she understood her n to get closer to her, Rachel instantly retracted her hand and hid it behind her back. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to..." "Haha don''t worry about," Raven reassured. "I found it rather kind if that helps," she said with a smile that contributed to the increased redness in Rachel''s cheeks. Looking at the team, she realised they were still arguing about who Tu really was. Some had some really interesting theories... Needless to say, Raven didn''t like any of them. "Ok, listen up!" she yelled with her melodic voice. Some people turned their heads towards her while others still didn''t hear her. Taking a deep breath, she was about to yell again when she decided to y them dirty. Releasing a small amount of mana and retracting it quickly made everyone feel like someone just touched their souls. It wasn''t painful or necessarily scary. It was akin to a quick rollercoaster ride. "So, can you all hear me now?" she asked with a smirk. "Hell..." Mike muttered slowly as everyone stopped to listen to him. "Hell... is filled with people like you!" he said pointing at Raven who instantly burst outughing. "Alright, maybe that was too much, I deeply apologize," she said with a fake courtesy bow. "Deeply sorry?" it was Remi who spoke this time. "How could you do this to us? I thought I was gonna die! It felt like the ground opened up and was going to swallow me whole!" she said emotionally, and everyone nodded vigorously. "Oh no!" Raven said with fake concern, shortly before a chuckle escaped her mouth. "But anyway... let''s talk ns!" she said with a p of her hands to gather everyone around her. It was amon practice when nning something in or before a game of ser so everyone knew it was time they stopped ying. Adopting serious expressions, they all watch Raven intensely. "Geez, chill out guys, we''re just reviewing tomorrow''s ns for the trip.." Raven said as everyoneughed. Chapter 117 - Laurentides * Kygo - Stranger Things ft. OneRepublic (n Walker Remix) * "Haaa~ that''s so beautiful!" Ainsley whispered with a smile as she got down the private jet. The team followed behind her with simr expressions. "I''ve been told that Laurentides had some good scenery," Mike said, "but damn this is good!" "True," Raven agreed with a smile. "Especially for us city folk, this is just so rxing." The group had just reached their trip destination. Laurentides was a small city in a neighbouring province to theirs. Unlike Torinto city, it wasn''t as popted, nor as busy. With Rachel''s father paying for the full trip expenses, together with the fact that he had provided them with his waterfront cottage to stay in, they had nothing to do but to enjoy their time there. "Alright guys," Erika said loudly, grabbing the group''s attention, "just a quick refresher of what we''ve discussed yesterday; First we''ll start with getting our lunch, or breakfast," she said looking towards the golden sun up in the sky. "Then we''ll wander around as a group to explore the area," she continued, "we can split after than if you want, but we''ll have to be back at a predesignated area by sunset. "Once we''re all back together, we''ll have dinner as a group in one of the restaurants myself and Ainsley agree upon, since we''re your tour guides." Looking at the group to make sure no one had any objections, she smiled. "As for thest activity of the night, we''ll check out the Fall Harvest Festival." She said with an excited smile. "Apparently, it''s a festival that extends for a week or so, meaning we''ll be able to enjoy a variety of activities for the rest of our stay. Any questions?" she asked. "You don''t get to ask any questions!" Ainsley said to Dan who was about to ask a question. "Nope, you don''t get one either," Erika said to Danny who lowered his head with a sigh. ''Hehe, they sure are tough on the duo.'' Raven thought with a forced smile. Even though she knew why they didn''t let them ask questions, she still felt bad for them. ''Even after what they said about... you know,'' Tu said with a chuckle, remembering the recent encounter she had with the duo. ''Tu, you know, sometimes it''s better for you to stay quiet right?'' she said, ''now is a very good time to do so.'' Tu chuckled. "Dan, Danny," Raven called out after making sure Tu had nothing else to say, "is any of your questions really important?" ""Uhm,"" they both nodded with serious faces. ''Well, this is concerning...'' Erika thought to herself as the duo had never had anything serious to say, other than when they''re ying ser. "Well, go ahead," Raven said to them. "Ok, why is this guy with us?" Dan asked as Danny followed with a nod as well. "Yes, I am pretty sure he''s the captain of the team we defeated before the monsters attacked us." Danny added. "I thought this was only for us, the ck Knights!" he almost sounded too emotional. Rachel and Remi have been hanging out with the team a lot recently, so naturally the duo had gotten used to them being around. "Eh? Did we not discuss that yesterday?" Ainsley said while massaging her nose bridge. "Plus, the game was interrupted. We didn''t actually win...*sigh*" "I''ve already told you guys that Joey is my friend," Raven said with a serious face. "Dan and Danny, you have to understand that he''s here with that identity as a friend, and not as the captain of the Vikings." Joey only scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he felt like a parasite to the group. He didn''t belong. "Hm, I trust you Drave- I''m sorry, I mean Raven," Dan stuttered. "But I''ll keep an eye on him." he said with a thumbs up. "Me too!" Danny added. "I feel like he''s waiting for the right opportunity to steal our secret ns. But don''t worry we have the situation under control!" He said proudly while pointing at himself and Dan. *sigh* ''This is going to be a long~ day...'' Erika said with a sigh. Looking at Ainsley, she smiled as she realised they both had the same thoughts. "Secret ns?" Raven tilted her head while blinking her eyes rapidly. "Ok listen up," she said with a p, out of habit. "From now on, Dan and Danny will be our security team. They''ll keep Joeypany and make sure he''s always being watched so he doesn''t steal our national grade ''secret ns'', is that clear?" "Aye, Aye!" the team cheered, as Dan and Danny smiled happily. They appreciated their new role and felt like they have an important task they needed to excel at. Obviously, the rest of the team did their best not tough. Thankfully, they were quite sessful. ''Fufu, they''re taking that seriously,'' Ainsley thought while looking at Erika. ''Maybe it won''t be a long and tiresome day after all,'' Erika thought while looking back with a smile. ''Damn, I missed Drav- I mean Raven being with us. She makes everything so much easier!'' .... Having everything settled down, and with Dan and Danny being on a mission, which made them quieter than usual, the group lunch went very smoothly. "That food was so~ good!" Remi said as the group nodded their heads. "True," Mike said while patting his stomach, "I haven''t had something this good for a while!" "Agreed, can''t wait to see what''s for dinner," Erika said with a sigh. Even though she was slim and rather athletic, she was the one to eat the most. ''I already miss the taste of that delicious lunch!'' she thought with a silent tear. After some chatter between the team members, Ainsley called for attention. "Alright," Ainsley called out to the group. "So what''s going to happen now is that we''ll roam around for a bit just to get the hang of where everything is, then we can split into smaller groups ording to where you want to spend the majority of your time. Any questions?" Seeing that no one had any questions, Ainsley smiled and started leading the group around. "You and Ainsley are still as efficient as I remember," Raven said to Erika who was walking next to her. "I bet you two did so much research before we came here." "Hehe, you noticed!" Erika seemed too happy she was getting some appreciation, together with Ainsley. "Although, we only had a short window to prepare. Rachel literally contacted us a day before the trip and was like: yo! get your sh*t together we''re going on an adventure!" Erika joked as she did her fake ''Rachel impression''. "Hehe, sorry about that," Rachel said with an apologetic smile. "I''m happy we were able to gather most of the team though, this is really fun so far." she said while stealing a nce at Raven who smiled at her. Turning red, Rachel looked away. "You lot!" Ainsley yelled at the group as they were all chatting together. Even Dan and Danny seemed to be having a wholesome conversation with Joey. "I''ve been giving a speech about the scenery and native sights all this time but no one''s listening? Why did I bother anyway? You don''t deserve the time I spent researching this!" "Whoops! Sorry please continue, I''ll give you my undivided attention" Raven said with crossed fingers behind her back. The groupughed but Ainsley didn''t seem to notice and instead nodded happily. "That''s the spirit!" she said with her enthusiasm back to full throttle, "Let''s go! Oh and by the way, I heard they sell some good sharp knives here, don''t talk or tongues will be cut!" she said with a ''smile''. The group swallowed loudly. Chapter 118 - Fall Harvest Festival * Kygo - Stranger Things ft. OneRepublic (n Walker Remix) * The sun had already hid behind the magnificent Laurentians, giving the frosty moon a chance to shine brighter in the starry skies. Cool winds yfully blew among the people gathering in the main square, giving them a chilly rush in their veins. "Fall is a upon us, and the Laurentians are once again aze with colour!" An old man said while the crowd huddling around him listened excitedly, including Raven, Joey, and the rest. "Tonight marks the first night of our annual Fall Harvest Festival; the Water Lantern Festival!" the man said as the people cheered. "We are honoured to have so many new faces join us in our celebration!" Aside from Raven''s group, a lot of other tourists were present. "Since most of us locals are very familiar with our traditions, what do you say, folks, we help our new friends?" One of the benefits of living in a small city was how easy it was to recognise strangers. And the old man knew exactly how many foreigners were among the crowd. Being the mayor, he naturally wanted to ensure everyone''s satisfaction with the festival. "It''s a season of happiness and excitement, let''s all have fun together!" he said as the crowd cheered again, loudly. The locals were always excited about the fact that they get to share their traditions with new people every year. So most of them were excited to help exin the festival''s details. As such, a bunch of locals tried to approached Raven''s group to exin what the festival was exactly about. However, just as they did, Erika pped her hands, demanding attention from the group. "Alright, let''s get it together here," she said as the group got closer to eachother. "Ok, so tonight will be the Water Lantern Festival!" she said excitedly as the locals watched in surprise. " The first festival, of many, that go under the title: Fall Harvest Festival!" The fact that a young tourist spent some time to study their festival felt honouring to the locals. "The festival reflects the strong bond the locals share together and with their mountain range and homnd, the Laurentians." Erika continued as the locals behind her nodded in satisfaction. Even though she hasn''t noticed yet, some more locals and other tourists started to huddle around the team to listen to her speech. "For this part, what we''re basically doing is writing our own wishes on antern each, and once we''re all done, we''ll release them onto the water of Lac des Deux Montagnes." Erika said as some people nodded again behind her, signaling their understanding and appreciation. "You might be wondering what do those fancy words mean? Well, they mean the Lake of Two Mountains. Theke actually supplements about four different rivers, it''s very fascinating!" Erika was so excited to share her research about the area that she still hasn''t realized that almost everyone in the main square seemed to be focused on her. "Anyway, after all of thenterns have been released, we just sit and behold the reflections of over a thousandnterns in the water." she said while cupping her hands over her heart subconsciously, showing how passionate about it she was. "Plus, many of the locals are experts when ites to food! They will have many special dishes prepared along the beach for the asion, I''m pretty sure it''ll make this evening a memorable one!" She finished, almost drooling. After all, her love for research couldn''t beat her love for food. CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!! Hearing the first round of apuse from Raven and the others made her proud. But after realising that she could hear some louder pping behind her, she was startled and almost jumped out of fear. "Ehyaa!!" she screamed before covering her mouth, and quickly backing up towards her friends. Realising now that everyone was staring at her made her face turn red in embarrassment. Looking at the group with a look of betrayal, she mouthed the words: "Why didn''t you tell me I was being watched?!" she red at them. Mike and Remi shrugged while Ainsley had a smug smile on her face. The rest were mostlyughing and enjoying her suffering. After all, she used to let them train herder day after day. ''Sweet revenge!'' most of them thought. "Hahaha, exactly as the youngdy has mentioned! The Water Lantern Festival is a way for us to express our bonds and special connections with eachother and the nature around us, especially the Laurentians!" The mayor was extremely happy that it wasn''t a local who was exining all of that, but a foreigner. "As for the wishes on thenterns... who knows, maybe some capable presence would make theme true!" The people behind him cheered while others chatted with eachother. ''A hero?'' ''Yes, I heard that a hero lives here!'' ''Oh, maybe the hero can make our wishese true!'' Some other chatter spread across the crowd as well. "What''s your name, youngdy?" the mayor asked while extending his hand to shake Erika''s. "My name is Erika," she recovered quickly and said with a smile while shaking his hand professionally. "It is an honour to meet you!" "No, youngdy, Erika" the mayor said, "it is an honour to meet you!" he said with a smile. "Alright, let''s get ready, Let the Lights Shine!" ... While that was happening, Raven used the situation as a distraction and made some distance between her and the group. Walking up to a small alleyway, she nced behind her back to make sure the group hasn''t noticed her disappearance. "I have to leave for a bit, please go back to the group," she said as she knew a specific someone was following her. "Where are you leaving to? You''ve been acting really weird!" Rachel said as she came out from behind the wall she used as a cover. "Please, tell me what''s wrong?" *sigh* "You don''t have to worry about it. I want to check something out really quick, that''s all." Raven replied with a sigh. "I''ll be right back." "Wait," Rachel called for Raven, "what happened yesterday? My dad- he seemed scared of you.. please tell me what happened!" "Not now..." Raven shook her head. "I''m sorry, but I need to go." "Please wait-" before Rachel could finish her sentence, Raven was gone. ''Is it ok to leave her like that?'' Tu asked Raven, ''plus, it seems that her father wasn''t secretive about what happened.'' ''It is ok,'' she replied while jumping from one rooftop to the other, and casually using her mana gliding te as a base for her jumps. ''I will take care of thatter.'' After a few seconds, she found herself in the middle of a dark dense forest. The trees were tall and wide, creating a screen that prevented the city lights from reaching farther into the forest. ''The mana was being emitted from this direction.'' Raven said to Tu, ''somewhere close...'' She wanted to use her skill ''True Sight'', but then decided otherwise. ''With how I''m feeling right now, it''s better to use as little mana as possible.'' Just like yesterday, a part of her still wanted to randomly kill and ughter. ''My mission here is just to observe and make sure we''re in no danger...'' she thought as she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She had felt a strong mana signaling from this direction, and thinking that if worsees to worst, she''d be able to warn the citizens and her friends. She wanted to avoid any fights if possible since she didn''t want to risk turning into a bloodthirsty assassin. "Ugh-uh" Hearing a pained moaning from her right, she realised there was someone hidden in arge tree bark. Looking at the source of the sound, she found herself looking at a young teenager who was clutching his stomach as blood seeped through his fingers. Just looking at the boy in this situation made her senses sharpen as though she was ready to cut him in half. ''Raven!'' Tu yelled in her mind as she widened her eyes in surprise, she bit her tongue to make sure she stays in control. Shaking her head, she slowly approached him. "Who''s there?!" the frightened boy yelled in panic as a mana ball was shot out of his extended hand. Catching the small energy ball with her right hand and instantly crushing it, Raven red at the boy who suddenly felt death clutching his throat. ''Please don''t kill me!'' he said before almost fainting. ''Oh my- what''s wrong me with?'' Raven yelled in her mind while trying to focus again. "It''s ok, I''m sorry," Raven said with her hands raised up in surrender. "I''m here to help you!" she said with a smile. The boy didn''t believe her, but said nothing nheless. Closing his eyes, he was waiting for death while wishing he had listened to his parents when they had warned him about the dangers of the forest. ''Dark creatures live in the forest, never go there!'' his dad had told him. ''Listen to your dad,'' his mom had said, ''many people have went missing in there!'' ''I wish... I wish I never came here!'' he yelled in his mind. But suddenly, he felt a warm hand clutching his own. Instantly after, his pain started to vanish. His body stopped shaking, his stomach stopped aching, and his mind became clearer. Opening his eyes slowly, he found himself staring at the face of the most gorgeous girl he''s ever seen. Even though the forest was supposed to be dark and vision limited, he somehow was able to see everything around him clearly, dyed in a golden light. Looking at the details of her face in awe, he realised that she was looking down at his bloody abdomen. She was crouching down, holding his hand against his stomach. Her long crimson-purple hair rested on the ground while reflecting the golden rays off of his injury. ''Why is my stomach glowing?'' he wanted to say out loud, but his heart was aching from how adorable the girl in front of him looked and so he decided not to disturb her work. Looking back at her, he found her eyes shining bright gold that made his mind rx and soul warm inside. He didn''t know why, but looking at her breathing heavily like she was, made him want to sacrifice everything he has for her sake. ''I don''t want her to be tired like this...'' he muttered to himself. Feeling himself returning back to full strength, he blinked a couple of times to make sure his eyes and mind weren''t ying tricks on him. Yet, everything stayed unchanged. Everything was real. "Please, marry me!" he whispered, a little too loud. Chapter 119 - Conflicting Emotions Part 1 * Feint - My Sunset (Original Mix) * "Today is going to be a good day," I told myself before going out to the forest. My n was simple: find the monsters lurking around and defeat them all. I''ve been doing this for a while now, and apparently it''s something I''m good at. But even so, today, the monsters seemed different. They gave off a different feeling. They even emitted a strange aura, a more intimidating one that made the hair on the back of my neck stand to an end. They''ve never done this before! What happened that cused them to change so drastically? Well, anyway, seeing that the monsters were strangely powerful today, I have tried to run away. But before I could get far, the monsters seemed to be alerted by my presence. One of them howled at my sight, and just like that, a bunch of them had started chasing me. I tried to run away from the city and deeper into the forest since most of the citizens had no powers and I didn''t want the monsters to find a way out of the forest. The chase didn''tst long as the monsters were terribly fast. In a matter of seconds, I was cornered and forced to fend for my life against four powerful monsters. I was never a bad fighter, but even so, against their prowess, I felt so exposed. I felt weak inparison to them which made me almost give up, yet I continued to fight. "I can''t die now," I had told myself. I needed to tell my mom how much I love and appreciate her. I needed to tell my dad that I''ll never go to the forest again. The fight persisted for a while in which I somehow managed to kill the four monsters. However, it didn''te without a price. The monsters have heavily injured me: I couldn''t feel my left hand at all, my stomach had a wide gash in it, and I was bleeding from the back of my head. My body was scratched and bloodied. I didn''t want to give up. "I killed them! I can go home now!" I tried to convince myself, but my body just refused to move, my legs were too weak to carry me. I tried my best to drag myself home, but the most I could do is hide in arge tree bark. "Do I die here?" I whispered to myself as tears ran down my cheeks. "Is this how it all ends?" Well, I thought I was done for. My vision started to blur and I could barely even breath. I fought so hard against closing my eyes... It was tough, but I managed to hold on. Moments passed which felt like whole years. But after a while, just when I was about to fade away, someone came to the rescue. After a small misunderstanding between the two of us, the person managed to help me get my senses back. My stomach didn''t hurt as much anymore, and I could even feel my arm again! Slowly opening my eyes... There she is, the most beautiful and adorable girl I''ve ever seen. She was kneeling down with her hand against mine, trying to fully heal my injury. It was hard on her, I could tell. She was breathing heavily, sweat droplets ran down her cheeks. I was feeling better and I knew I should let her know. She didn''t have to tire herself any further for my sake. I''m good! But I couldn''t say it. I couldn''t let her know she can leave my hand. I didn''t want to lose this feeling of warmth and belonging. I even felt the need to have her by my side at all times. I want her! I want her to be always with me! "Please, marry me!" My mouth moved too fast without me even realising. But before she could even reply, a strong wave of mana shook my bones. Looking at the girl, I realized that she was holding the side of her head in what seemed like pain, while gritting her teeth. ''I need to help her!'' I thought as I stood up quickly. ''She saved my life and I owe her that much!'' Those were my thoughts. But as I stood up, a monster rushed the girl in a speed that was simply too fast for me to react to. BOOOMM!! CRACK!! A sharp shockwave hit me hard, forcing me to guard my face. At the same time, I could hear the sound of bones crack. I was scared sh*tless. ''No way he killed her!'' My heart started aching all of a sudden as it couldn''t bear the fact that my adorable saviour was now dead. "B*STARD!!" I yelled at the monster as my aura red violently. How dare the monster hurt the person that saved me? "UNACCEPTABLE!" I was furious! The monster was still standing behind the girl with its sharp ws extended towards the girl''s back. ''But I don''t see blood? What is happening?'' Why is she looking down? Is she truly dead or only injured. Why isn''t anything moving? Did they freeze in time? I was confused, to say the least, but that didn''t stop my reflexes from taking over. Releasing arge surge of mana from my hand andpressing it into an energy ball, I was about to throw it on the monster who was just standing still. Until the realisation hit me. ''The monster is dead.'' But how? The monster didn''t move nor did it breath. What happened to it? Are the monsters here simr to bees? They sting once before they die? No... No way. Before I could do anything or think any further, a melodic voice startedughing. Theugh started as an enchanting one, but slowly, it started to turn into scary maniacalughter. My heart dropped as the girl''s golden irises looked down on me, giving me the feeling of an insignificant prey in front of an apex predator. ''Weird... I thought I was taller-'' I muttered weakly as everything around me started to turn dark. ''I guess weak rabbits still end up dead. Whether the cause is human hunters, other animals, or idents... They always... end up dead-'' This was myst thought before feeling my consciousness slip away. I was a weak rabbit.... Chapter 120 - Conflicting Emotions Part 2 * Primal - (NEFFEX) * Cutting her maniacalughter short, Raven widened her eyes in surprise. She hadn''t expected that killing only one monster is enough for her urges to control her again. ''What the f*CK am I doing?'' Raven yelled in her mind. ''I can not let myself be manipted by stupid emotions or urges!'' Forcing her body to move, she gritted her teeth while punching the ground with her bare hands. She purposefully didn''t coat or reinforce her fist with mana as she had hoped to use the pain to her advantage and maybe get rid of her strong urge to kill more. But unfortunately for her, she felt no pain at all. Instead of her fist getting harmed, it was the ground that got cracked under the pressure. Feeling her consciousness drift into darkness, Raven was afraid of what her bloodthirsty self would do. ''Tu, help!'' she pleaded in her mind. Ka was still undergoing her evolution and Tu was the only person who could help her at this point. ''I don''t want to be a sadistic maniac who only kills for joy¡­'' Even though she had asked for help, Tu didn''t seem to hear her. ''Oh, so it''s one of these episodes¡­'' Raven thought to herself as despair was clutching her soul, slowly but surely. ''It is just like when Kay wasn''t able to hear me¡­ is Tu being stranded somewhere too?'' she thought to herself. While she was fighting against the corruption trying to take over, her body was releasing massive amounts of mana that cracked the ground all around her and threatened to permanently damage the forest. The boy''s body that was unconscious on the ground seemed to be shaking violently as well. ''I need to go somewhere safe¡­ I can''t harm innocent people!'' ''I can''t let that happen¡­'' she thought to herself while clenching her fists. ''I want nothing more than blood and adrenaline right now, but I can''t let that happen. Just like Tu said, it is an addiction! It''ll only get worse¡­'' Thinking about what would happen if she started killing the people in the city, her heart sank. Her friends were there too. ''Yes, I want souls. But I can''t let that happen. Yes, I want to kill, but I can''t let that happen¡­'' Raven was muttering to herself trying to control her emotions. All the while, most of the monsters that were spread throughout the forest seemed to be afraid of her aura and started running away. While most of them ran deeper into the woods, some escaped towards the city. ''Please¡­ focus¡­ I can''t lose it!'' Right now, Raven''s emotions were running amok. She wanted joy, excitement, and death. But a part of her also wanted rage. ''I won''t y by the rules¡­'' she whispered to herself. ''I won''t sumb to these stupid urges for killing and wreaking havoc¡­'' *Deep breaths* ''If my urges want me to be a hot headed psychopath and destroy anything and everything in my path, then I''ll choose to be a cold-blooded but calcted assassin.'' *Deep breaths* Trying to steady her breathing and focus on her thoughts, Raven knew she had to choose one or the other. Both included killing. But she felt like whichever emotion she focused on would change her behaviour ordingly. ''Tu,'' she muttered, ''if you can hear me, please give me a hand.'' As she muttered thest word, her figure started to flicker ck and gold. The gold seemed to try hard to stay in control, but the ck energy seemed to be far stronger. In a matter of seconds, Raven''s figure seemed to be stealing the light from every corner of the forest as the area around her turned into blinding darkness. The gold light was almost gone when suddenly, a tiny crimson sliver of light started prating through the darkness. Almost as if she was internally crying, warm tears escaped Raven''s closed eyes as her face got serious. "You''re right, Tu¡­ I will choose neither." She said out loud, with her eyes still closed. "I can''t risk bing a sadistic psychopath¡­ I can''t risk harming my friends¡­ and most importantly, I can''t in any space, time, or reality, hurt my two saviours: Maya and Maria. "The two girls that gave me my sanity back. The ones who cared for me and loved me unconditionally... There''s no way in hell I''d risk their well-being!" With thest word, her eyes snapped open as golden radiance spread across the forest, shedding light on its every corner. Even though she was still d in the same dark armour, majestic gold and warm crimson hues seemed to mix together and form some mysterious runes along its edges. The captivating radiance solidified in front of her face, creating a sparkling and soothing mask that covered her eyes and only extended to cover her tiny nose. The mask looked like the face piece of a small dragon''s skull. Two short, yet shiny, fangs ran from the bottom of the mask and down towards her cheeks. Two horns of the simr mysterious, yet majestic, colour extended from the top of the mask and outwards. In a way, the mask made her look cute rather than intimidating. Instead of being malevolent dark, her aura turned golden as before, with hints of crimson that danced around her. *Sigh* ''I am d to know you''re back to normal, even if just for now,'' Tu said with a tired sigh, ''I thought I lost you there with how violent your aura was.'' He said with a sincere smile. He had exerted a lot of his own energy in order to send her one quick message. Through the darkness, his voice was the only one to guide her. He only spoke simple facts and asked one short question: ''Raven, with you craving souls and giving in to your addiction and temptation, nothing prevents you from viewing your family and loved ones as food, don''t you agree?'' That simple question was enough for her to strengthen her will and fight harder against the corruption. "Thank you, Tu," she said as she took a deep breath, "I owe you... big time." She finished with a smile. ''Think nothing of it,'' he smiled in response even though Raven could feel that he had sacrificed a lot of his own energy for her sake. *Sigh* ''I should keep it together, I can''t risk losing control like this in front of Ka when shees back. Heck, I can''t even release my aura in front of Maria, Maya, and the rest, as it will most likely hurt them. This has to stop!'' she scolded herself. ''Do you feel that?'' Tu interrupted her thoughts. Enhancing her senses, she was able to feel a few strong mana signaturesing her way. "Uhm," she nodded, "we havepany¡­" Chapter 121 - Monsters Of The Dark * Skillet - Hero * Even though she was in control now, Raven knew that she shouldn''t use a lot of her mana just yet as it would be a huge risk. ''I can''t be careless here if I want to keep my sanity¡­'' Waiting a few seconds for whoever wasing her way to arrive felt like hours, but they finally arrived. Under the starry sky, Raven could make out the silhouette of two humanoid creatures that were toorge to be normal humans. Clenching her fists, Raven waited for them to speak first. ''I can''t be aggressive since I want to avoid killing or using mana, but at the same time, I can''t let them attack me without defending myself, or leave them free to chase towards the city.'' ''Maybe they''re not aggressive?'' Tu asked. ''Try to be hopeful.'' Even though he said that, he didn''t seem to believe it himself. ''Well, I hope so-'' before she could finish her sentence, one of the figures flexed its hand, producing a short sword out of thin air. The sword seemed to be glowing with a beautiful royal blue light. ''Well there goes our hope¡­'' she said as Tu couldn''t help butugh. ''Oi, this is serious!'' Raven scolded. Previously, she had never really feared anything, but now, she was her scariest thought. Shaking her head Raven focused again on the two figures. Under the blue glow of the sword, Raven could more or less make out the details of the figures in front of her. ''They are not aliens or monsters?'' Raven questioned herself since even though they were huge, they both looked human-ish. ''Are they using a special skill of sorts to make themselvesrger?'' Raven thought to herself. ''And why the sword?'' Both of them seemed to be guards of sorts. She could easily tell from the way they were dressed. ''That or a bunch of idiots who roam around in armours¡­'' At that, Tu couldn''t help butugh again. ''Are you not wearing a glowing armour with a mask too?'' Realising that, even she couldn''t help but find it funny. ''I believe "smile in the face of danger" is an actual saying, but you know we can focus right? It would definitely do us better!'' She said while at the same time appreciating what Tu was trying to do. He wasn''t just randomlyughing, he purposefully wanted to make her feel better. After all, most of her problem was emotional. If she could fully control her emotions, there was a high chance she wouldn''t be bothered by suppressing the use of her mana, and instead she could defend herself if needed. "Hi?" Raven said, focusing back at the task at hand. But before she could receive a response, the one guard with the sword swung it fast enough for a small cyclone to be flung towards Raven''s direction. Evading the enraged cyclone easily by flying upwards using her mana control, she gritted her teeth. ''Why would they attack me?'' she could feel her temper rising again. Before a second notice, the two guards flickered out if sight, only to appear in front of her. Both attacked at the same time. The glowing sword wielder used it while the second used its fists. Flickering away from them and evading each hit made Raven consider fighting them for real, but she knew it was a bad idea. Her feelings at the moment were a mess that she didn''t want to explore just yet. "Stop!" Raven yelled subconsciously as her mana red for a second, blinding the two guards. Under the golden glow of her mana, Raven could see the two of them smirking with their eyes wide open, challenging her radiance. Each had a different eye colour, but both had dark sclera. "Not bad, young human," one said with a predatory smile. "Indeed, when I felt your aura previously, I thought I was up against an equal," the other said, "why don''t you show me what you''re capable of? I like strong toys, you know¡­ until they break, hahaha!" From their voices and the way they talked, Raven could tell both were masculine. And both viewed her as a prey for whatever sick game they''re trying to y. Feeling a sadistic smile surface across her face made Raven shake her head while evading some other attacks. All of a sudden, both guards nodded at each other and attacked at the same time. With Raven''s sluggish movements, she was caught between a fist that was about to break her ribcage, and a sword that was about to sh at her nape. ''My mistress,'' time suddenly seemed to be moving slower as Raven heard a familiar voice in her mind. ''Please, allow me to aid you, I''m ready for a new contract!'' ''Me too, my kind mistress!'' another young voice called out. Even when both attacks were so close to hitting her, Raven found herself smiling in appreciation. BOOOMM!! Disappearing from her spot with a sonic explosion, Raven took a deep breath while looking down from her new spot in the air above the two guards. Seeing her smile like she was, with runes of gold and crimson surrounding her, the guards could not help but feel inferior to her, which made them grit their teeth in anger. Even though she wasn''t fighting them seriously, neither one could deliver a single attack. "My demons,e forth!" Raven called out as two magic circles appeared midair. "Keith and Calcer, show yourselves!" At that, golden radiance lit up the skies. Even people from afar could watch as two figures emerged from each summoning circle. Suddenly and without a warning, the light disappeared, leaving only the two figures floating in the air. One was a young man wearing an ancient royal garment. His hair was dyed void ck with a couple of pure white strands in the mix, giving off a mysterious aura around him. The second was a young teen who was d a light dark armour. His hair was ring passionate red while two demonic ck horns extended out of his forehead. While the two guards could see them both with smiles stered across their faces, they could feel different auras radiating from each of them. The red haired demon seemed really happy and could not help but smile and wave at the human girl, who smiled awkwardly and waved back. While the ck and white haired demon seemed to only smile for a second at the girl before focusing back at them. His aura was almost suffocating. ''WE NEED TO RUN!'' they both thought in unison as they knew they were no match for them. However, before they could even mouth their thoughts to each other, Keith disappeared from his spot and reappeared in front of them. At this distance, both felt their will to fight disappear instantly. "Please, wait!" One of the guards called in panic. "Let us talk this through, peacefully, I''m pretty sure our master-" Before the guard could finish the sentence, Keith''s gloved hands caught each of their throats. "My mistress, may I do with them whatever I desire?" Keith didn''t even bother replying to the two guards since they were nothing but bad insects that were bothering his mistress. "Uhm," Raven nodded tiredly, "but don''t kill them in front of me if that''s what you wish to do with them." She said as that might be the final straw. Nodding, Keith''s eyes glowed with a ruby red light as the two bodies in his grasp started to shake. "Chains of blood may siphon your life force with every breath you take." Keith muttered as chains of red started squeezing the bodies of the two guards. "Demons of blue¡­ you may suffer for the rest of your short miserable lives." He said while looking them in the eyes. "But before your souls are fully disinterested, go to your master, and tell them that the human ne is off limits, red says. Do you understand?" It was the first time Raven heard Keith talk with such manners. Ignoring the fact that she didn''t understand most of what he was saying, she knew that he was angry. He was angry for her. "It is ok my mistress," Calcer said with a smile and a thumbs up. It felt so sincere that Raven found herself subconsciously smiling. "Keith is just making sure no other demonse here after. "Although most demons are stupid and won''t listen to threats, mentioning his previous master''s name should be enough for them to understand who they''re up against, hehehe!" Raven didn''t understand what he was saying and many questions arose in her mind. ''Are these two guards demons too? What are they doing here? Keith actually had a master before? What happened between them? Are blue and red codenames? *Sigh* they''ve been here for seconds and I have tons of questions already¡­'' Raven sighed internally. She watched as the two demons'' veins started pulsing in their faces and necks. Runes of blood were itched to their bodies. ''I can''t watch this,'' Raven said while shaking her head and descending down to check on the kid. "Keith, me and our mistress are waiting for you, don''t take too long!" Calcer called before following Raven. Chapter 122 - My Demons * Marshmello - Alone [Monstercat] * Sighing softly, Raven dismissed her armour and mask and focused on the unconscious kid on the ground. "Hi, are you dead yet?" She asked while poking him with a short stick she found on the ground. "My mistress, he''s still alive," Calcer said innocently. "Do you want me to wake him up?" He asked as a short sword materialised in his hand. "We want him alive, Calcer, A-L-I-V-E!" Raven said while shielding the boy from Calcer. "Hehe, don''t worry my mistress, I am aware!" He said with a sincere smile that made Raven subconsciously trust him and move aside. "Say Calcer," Raven asked as Calcer pointed the tip of his sword on the kid''s chest. "Howe you changed so fast?" "Um, what do you mean, my mistress?" He asked as a warm red beam shot out of the short sword''s tip and towards the kid''s chest. "Err, first call me Raven please, I don''t like this mistress business," she said, prompting Calcer to adopt an apologetic smile on his face. "I''m so sorry, it feels so inappropriate... calling one as great as you with no honorifics, my mistress," he said while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. *Sigh* "At least try..." She said with a sigh as he had called her ''my mistress'' again. "Yes, my mist- um, Ra- ugh, um¡­ hm, Rav-" Calcer was stuttering hard that Raven could only facepalm. "Ok never mind," she said in defeat. "Thank you, my mistress!" He said with another one of his smiles that made Raven''s heart melt. ''I don''t know what to do with him¡­ he''s so cute and honest with everything he says or does¡­ *sigh* it''s going to be hard to get him to obey me if I tell him to leave me alone inbat situations, unless I order him by the contract rules¡­'' she sighed as she didn''t want to do that. The fact that he was this attached to her meant that he might feel the need to protect her even when she doesn''t need it. Just imagining a situation where she would need to fight a troublesome opponent made her bite her lips as she knew Calcer will most likely avoid leaving her alone against danger, even if the opponent was stronger than him, which would put her at a disadvantage. "Um, so anyway," Raven dismissed the matter as it was a problem for another day. "My question was: how did your appearance change? Last time I summoned you, you had red horns and not ck ones, plus they wererger. "And if I remember correctly, you had red sclera, not white like humans, no?" She asked while tilting her head to the side. "You still remember that?" He asked with a tear in his eye. "You''re truly so kind and passionate, my mistress!" "Eh? Hehe, thank you for thepliment, but really¡­ I wouldn''t say I''m too kind, I''m just good to those who are good to me," she said with a forced smile. "Um, anyway, so what happened?" Wiping the lone tear, Calcer smiled. "The change is a result of my training!" He said happily. "See, before you summoned me here, I was a mere imp, one of the mostmon types of demons in the demon ne¡­ we normally serve as food for the upper ranks," he said with a bitter smile. It was the first time he had such a sad face that it made Raven sad inside. "But when you summoned me, my mistress," he said with renewed enthusiasm, "I instantly became stronger, especially after you named me! "After returning to the demon ne, I practiced and practiced. I even asked Keith to teach me some of his tricks. "He''s a pretty cool teacher! He even introduced me to others that taught me some other stuff like healing!" He had such a happy smile that it gave Raven''s mood a 180 to the best. "My healing still isn''t the best," he said while ncing at the dim red beam still directed at the kid. "But after my training, I''ve learned to be thankful. You see, basically, the reason I resemble humans much more now is because I''ve undergone an evolution! "I''m no longer a weak imp! I''m now a High Ranked Greater Demon!" He said happily, "and it''s all because of you my mistress, that''s why I admire you to no end!" He smiled again. Suddenly, unable to hold her emotions anymore, Raven found herself hugging Calcer who was as surprised as her by the gesture. ''That is why he''s so attached to me¡­ I''ve basically given him a life¡­ Poor souls, those demons¡­'' she thought to herself. Unbeknownst to her, a small part of her believed that saving the rest of the demons was an achievable task. "My mistress?" Calcer asked, knocking Raven out of her trance. "Are you ok?" He hadn''t returned the hug, only asked with a tilted head. Realising that demons probably don''t have the same traditions as humans, Raven exined: "this is called a hug," she said while releasing Calcer. Her cheeks were now rosy as she realised it was her feminine hormones and emotions taking control. Normally, she wouldn''t just hug people randomly. Even if she wanted to, she''d mostly get shy and avoid it. But not now. "You hug those who are dear to you to let them know you care for them," Raven said, trying to hide her embarrassment. ''I am quite fortunate that he doesn''t know what is embarrassing and what is not, phew!'' Hearing her definition of a hug, Calcer couldn''t help but clutch his arm right using his left hand, trying to understand what Raven had just said. "So, I am dear to you, my mistress?" He asked with a tone that said he was beyond surprised. In the demon ne, kindness and love weren''t a thing. You had to be useful if you wanted to live. No one loved others for what they were, only for what they could provide. They sure honour loyalty, but that is nothing close to love and hugs. Taking a moment to understand, Calcer felt his body move on its own, hugging Raven. "You are dear to me too, my mistress," he said as he closed his eyes and tried to imprint this feeling onto his heart. It was a strange feeling, yet he found it soothing and wanted to treasure it. Returning the hug, Raven smiled. ''I thought you didn''t want him to get attached to you, no?'' Tu asked. ''Well¡­ I can''t exactly tell him I can''t hug him, he''s just too innocent for that.'' she said. "Ugh, where am I?" The boy in the ground finally woke up with a hand clutching his head. "My healing worked!" Calcer said while releasing Raven. "You did well, Calcer!" Raven smiled and patted his head slightly. ''Stop pampering him!'' Tu said as he didn''t know what she wanted exactly. She didn''t want him to get attached, but she kept providing him with the care he needed. "Aauhhh!!" The kid screamed, "you¡­ please don''t kill me!" He said while shielding his face from Raven. ''Aw f*CK!'' she thought with a face palm, ''I forgot I almost traumatised him¡­'' ''Almost?'' Tu asked with raised eyebrows. ''Ok enough talk for you today, why don''t you go to sleep?'' she asked him in her mind. ''Hypocrite!'' Tu eximed. ''Meh, that''s old news,'' she smiled internally, which curved her mouth into a real smile. Noticing the smile on her face made the boy scream harder as he''d remembered her maniacalughter. "My mistress," Calcer called with a confused expression, "what''s wrong with him? Are all humans that are not you this dumb?" "My mistress!" Keith said while approaching them. Kneeling in front of Raven, he continued: "the demons have been dealt with. But I''m afraid I also bear bad news." Keith was always as serious as Calcer was innocent. Yet both cared for Raven deeply. "Uhm, what''s that?" She asked with a neutral expression. "I believe it''s better if you check it out yourself, my mistress," he said. "Hm, I''m assuming it''s something near, huh?" She asked. "And Keith, please don''t kneel, stand up tall, you both saved me just now, I don''t want to y queen here." Without arguing, Keith stood up. "Yes my mistress, it is near." "You''re not going to kill me already?" The kid interrupted, after a while of screaming. "You know, I kinda deserve it. My friends told me to never ask a girl to marry me without going on a date with her¡­" Tilting her head in confusion, Raven seemed to suddenly remember the earlier events. "Oh yeah, definitely don''t do that." Raven said. "Hm, but I couldn''t stop myself you know," he said, "my mouth just started moving on its own¡­ you''re just that adorable what was I supposed to do? "Plus, to be fair, I wouldn''t mind if I died in the hands of such a beautiful girl. I was dead before you showed up anyway." He shrugged. "Do you have a mental issue there, buddy?" Raven asked seriously.. The boy was just screaming out of fear, but now he''s asking to die by her hands. Chapter 123 - A New Friend * Krewe - Alive * "Do you have a mental issue there, buddy?" Raven asked seriously. The boy was just screaming out of fear, but now he''s asking to die by her hands? "Um, nothing that I know of," he said. ''Hm, I shouldn''t do this, but after summoning Calcer and Keith I lost quite a bit of mana, which means it''s less likely for me to turn into psycho mode¡­'' she said while activating her special skill: True Sight. Looking into the boy''s brain and realised that some areas were damaged, ''aw I screwed up¡­'' she muttered, realising that she''d caused some internal brain damage to the boy. Looking into her golden eyes being surrounded by crimson rings of light made the boy back away from her, slightly. ''Hyperactivation of the amygd and prefrontal cortex, slight inhibition of the hippocampus, and a lot of inhibition in the thmus¡­ that''s not good.'' she muttered. "So, hear me out kid," she said as the boy straightened up instantly without realising. "What''s happening is that your brain is functioning in high stress conditions. "It won''t be a permanent condition if I treat it now. But you''re basically afraid of me without remembering why exactly. And those random memory shes by inconsistent activation of the hippocampus are not helping. "In a sense, your brain is trying to protect you, even though it''s only making things worse. Anyway, I''ll need to touch you." "..." "Err, your head I mean... I need to touch your head" she added. "So, don''t panic, ok?" "Yes!" The boy answered instantly. *Sigh* ''This is going to be troublesome¡­'' she said while activating her True Sight once again. She couldn''t keep the skill up for too long so she needed to be swift. That, and she didn''t want to use a lot of mana. ''Even though healing may be fine?'' she questioned herself. Looking at the veins slightly throbbing at the sides of her eyes made the kid quieter than how he''d normally be. But it was better for Raven so she didn''tin. Activating her Angelic Touch next, she started pulsing mana into regions while leaving some with ack of mana. In a sense, she was trying to control the blood flow using mana equilibrium, in order to artificially inhibit or activate specific regions as required. "My mistress," Keith interrupted with a bow, "May I help? I have some control over blood." Being as focused as she was, a few words were enough to startle her. Widening her eyes in surprise caused her eyes to revert back to normal. ''Ouch¡­'' "You do?" She''d never heard of someone controlling blood before, but again, she was not that educated when it came to powers anyway. "Correct." "Ok, just amplify my effect if possible. This way, I will be able to focus more on healing the tissue itself." "As you wish, my mistress." "Are you good by the way? You can speak, it helps to know that I''m not identally turning you into a zombie¡­" she said to the boy who gulped loudly and started to speak back. The process didn''t take that long. But after they finished, the boy seemed more rxed and unlike earlier, he had normal responses¡­ "Thank you for saving me," he said while standing up and dusting himself off of the dirt. Since he was aware of the fact that they saved him, he assumed they were good people. And whatever nightmares he had seen before of the beautiful girl were just that: nightmares. "Do you have a name?" Raven asked with a smile. "Yes," answered the boy, "my name is Noah." "Nice to meet you, Noah," Raven said with a smile. "My name is Raven. This is Calcer, and that''s Keith." "Nice to meet you all," Noah said. "Ok so let''s get straight to the point," Raven said with a serious expression. "What happened here?" "Well, you see," Noah scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "To cut the chase¡­ I''ve recently discovered that I have some sort of powers. I can condense my mana into energy balls and fire them at high velocities." He said with a quick demonstration. Firing an energy ball towards a tree, he left a medium sized hole in it. "I realize it''s not the most impressive¡­" he seemed disappointed that none of the three said a word. "But I usually use this to fight the monsters hiding in the forest." "Oh no, your powers are not bad, don''t say they''re not impressive," Raven said with a smile. "I''m sorry, I was just thinking about the applications of such powers." She said as she condensed her own golden mana in a simr sized ball. Seeing that, Noah widened his eyes. Hers was, by far, more stable than his, and seemed to be radiating more power. "See, what you did was good and all," she said, "but for maximum effect, you need to give it a small spin and a final push before you let it go. The initial angr and forward velocities you give it will determine the increase in power level, considering that other variables are still the same." She said as Noah watched the golden ball spin in her small palm. ''Watching the baseball team train near us after school wasn''t a waste after all,'' Raven thought with a smirk. Of course she could just fire it using mana repulsion, but where was the fun in that? Adopting a pitching position, she kept the ball close to her heart, focused on the tree target, and threw with all her might. Just as the ball was about to be released from her grasp, she used her mana control to spin it and then give it ast push. BOOOMM!!! Instead of passing through the tree bark, the mana ball took the tree down and proceeded to hit some other trees in the way. After hitting a couple of trees, it eventually exploded with a small area of effect. ''Good job¡­'' Tu said in her mind. ''Eh¡­ whoops?'' "My mistress, you''re the best!" Calcer cheered happily. "Quite impressive, my mistress," Keith followed.. Even though his face stayed neutral, one could tell he was proud. Chapter 124 - Changes * Krewe - Alive * Noah gasped and couldn''t believe that someone just copied his powers and even made them a hundred times better. "That''s so cool!" He found his mouth moving on its own but this time he didn''t mind. "I''ll try this tactic! You''re so awesome!" He said, his eyes shining brilliantly. ''I thought he''d feel down because of it, but it seems I was wrong¡­ and I''m d I was,'' Raven could not help but smile as Tu nodded in her mind since he had the same expectations. "If we get a chance, I''ll teach you how to be more efficient with it," Raven said. "Really?" Noah seemed extremely happy. "Uhm," she nodded. "But not now since you still seem a bit too moody in a way, you''re searching between stoic, and hyperactive quite a bit¡­ you should get some rest when you get home, ok?" "Uhm, for sure," he smiled happily. "Ok, so before you leave," Raven said, "you were fighting monsters?" "Ah yes," he said, "so monsters usuallye out of the forest and attack people close by. In addition, some eat our crops and damage our farms. "Usually, I''d be enough to take care of them since they''re not powerful, but tonight¡­ they seemed different. "They were scary," Noah said while unconsciously hugging himself. "They were more powerful and even seemed intelligent." "I see," Raven said, feeling bad that she asked in the first ce. "Don''t worry about it, I promise I''ll take care of them." Her smile was enough to get Noah to rx again. "Uhm, thank you¡­" he said, "also, before I go, um, I believe that the portal they used to spawn from is getting extremelyrger than before, that might be why they''re changing, I think. "It''s increasing in size and even the feeling it gives off is now more dangerous. Please be careful." He said with a determined yet concerned expression. "It''s ok," Raven smiled, reassuringly, while patting his head. "I''ll be fine!" Even though he hadn''t met her in his life, Noah knew she wasn''t lying. She will deal with the monsters, and she will be fine. "Calcer, I want you to escort him home." Raven said with a serious expression as Calcer nodded. "Also, if you remember Joey fromst time, please make sure to tell him that I''ll being back soon." She didn''t want her friendsing after her in the dark and with monsters everywhere. "Yes, my mistress!" "Keith, we''ll deal with the portal together." "As you wish, my mistress." Watching Calcer and Noah leave, Raven sighed. ''Something is fishy here¡­ if the portal is increasing in size as he said, then it is possible we''re going to witness another incident, simr to the one in the ser field¡­'' her expression was tense, remembering the previous events. "My mistress, may I speak?" Keith didn''t want to interrupt her thoughts but he also needed to share what he knew. "Ah, yes of course, what is it?" "About the bad news, it seems that what the kid was talking about is only the beginning." "Eh? What do you mean?" "After extracting some information from the two demons, it hase to my attention that something is going to change in this world. "The two demons were part of a faction of demons that follow a specific Demon Lord. That Demon Lord is in fact one of the Seven Cardinal Sins. "She goes by Blue, or the Cardinal Sin of Lust." "What? I thought there were no demon lords in the Demon ne!" She said, remembering what Ka had told her before. "Didn''t they disappear long ago?" What she knew was that currently, no demon lords were alive. The rulers of the Demon ne were only Demon Dukes or maybe Demon Archdukes if they were extremely powerful. ''Or that should have been the case¡­'' "That is true," Keith said, "but as I mentioned, the world is changing. One of these changes is that the Seven Cardinal Sins will be awakened." Swallowing loudly, Raven didn''t know what to do. First, it was the strange portals with the aliens. And now demon lords will start spawning out of nowhere? "I am not very familiar with the concept myself, but I believe that someone trustworthy will be able to help us understand the situation." "Let me guess, that trustworthy someone would be your previous master?" Raven narrowed her eyes. "Correct, my mistress." "And you called him red, am I right?" She was making it clear that she was hinting at something here. "That is correct as well, my mistress. And you are right to think that he is one of the Seven Cardinal Sins," he said since it was obvious Raven knew. "However, it is a bit moreplicated than that, I believe you should hear what he has to say." *Sigh* "I guess I don''t have a choice¡­" she said with a sigh. "Let me guess¡­ we''re going to the portal?" "Correct, my mistress." Keith said. Not arguing any further, both of them started making their way towards the abnormal portal in the Laurentians'' forests. *** - Back in the city, Laurentides - "Joey, behind you!" Mike warned as a montsershed out towards Joey''s nape. He was already too busy fighting two in front of him, but that didn''t mean he was blind. shing his white broad sword in an arc behind him, he cut the monster in half. "I owe you one," he smirked at Mike while firing an energy ball towards the two monster in front of him, to give himself some distance. "Keep escorting people to safety!" "On it!" Mike yelled back. The night started off as a very peaceful one. The crowd was about to enjoy their festival and start lighting up thenterns. But out of nowhere a blinding golden aura erupted out of the forest. What followed that was pure chaos as monsters rushed towards the city. Most were just running away, but some couldn''t help but sumb to their instincts. They saw human, but in reality, they saw food. Luckily, no one was injured so far since Joey was a B ranker. He could easily take care of the monsters and even heal if required. "I hope you''re doing good, your highness," he muttered since he knew for a fact that Raven was the source of that majestic golden aura. But inside, he knew she was ok. While he was in a trance, a stronger monster noticed and decided to take advantage. Just when its jaw was about to close on Joey''s leg, his instincts yelled at him to wake up. He was about to sh at the monster when a small energy ball hit it in the face fiercely, sshing blood and gore everywhere. Looking at the source, Joey saw a red haired boy with a smirk on his face. He was holding another boy in his hands while his ck wings were beating in the air. "Nice shot, Noah!" He smiled happily whilending slowly away from monsters. Chapter 125 - Meeting Red Part 1 * Krewe - Alive * Walking towards the center of the forest, Raven could already feel the pressure the portal was emitting. "Keith," Raven called. "My mistress?" He answered. "I want you to know that I really appreciate you and Calcer," she said after a pause, "but please be honest with me, you''re hiding something from me, correct?" "That is correct," he admitted. "To be frank, I have many secrets¡­ however, my loyalty to you is not fake, nor am I hiding something that might harm you, my mistress." *Sigh* "I believe you," Raven said after a soft sigh. Looking up at the dark sky, she continued. "It''s not that I care much." She shrugged. "Everyone has their own secrets. I get that. It''s just that¡­ it felt weird hearing you talk to the two demons about something that sounded so foreign to me. "And now you''re saying that your previous master is one of the rulers of the Demon ne¡­ those are some big news, you know." She said tiredly. "Next thing I know, you''re also a demon king or something." Throwing her hands up in defeat, she continued. "As I said, I don''t mind it I guess. But it feels like you''re a wild card¡­" Hearing all of that, Keith stayed silent. Remembering back to the first time they met, it wasn''t his own idea to answer her first summoning, nor was he excited about serving her. However, not only had she treated him with the utmost respect, but she had also given him a name of his own, something that none has done ever before. After all that she''s done for him, it was only natural that she''d gain his trust. He wouldn''t admit it, but deep inside, it felt like everything that went wrong in his life was meant to be. Everything that he''s ever done has led him to this point now where he ended up being named by Raven. And for that he was grateful. When he was with her, he felt aplished. He had a purpose. One that he believed in... "Keith?" Raven questioned. "I''m sorry, I realize I''m being unfair and all¡­ I was just sharing how I feel about all of this. But I want you to know that I trust you. *Sigh* "I don''t trust many¡­ but you''ve gained my trust. Just promise me whenever you go back to the demon ne to take care of Calcer ok? He told me that you taught him some interesting stuff. "I''m really proud that you guys are getting along well together. It feels really nice to know he''s being loved when he''s not here¡­ he''s just a little kid after all." Inside her mind, Tu knew she was saying the truth. After her little talk with Calcer, she came to care for him even more. In a sense, she was his mother, or older sister. She didn''t physically give birth to him, but she gave him a life. She obviously wanted the best for him. ''Tooplicated¡­ immortals,'' Tu sighed quietly. Being the beast he is, he had never needed to deal with such matters himself. "My mistress," Keith called, "we''re near." "Uhm," Raven nodded. She could feel it in her bones. Crossing a thick line of trees, she found herself staring at a massive illuminated gate in the ground. ''What the f*ck is that?'' Unlike normal gates that were usually set up vertically, this one almost looked like a corrupted ck hole of sorts. Inside of it, an enormous vortex of glowing stars swirled violently, giving it a dangerous aura. "This isn''t like the other gates¡­" Raven said in surprise. Just thinking about what monsters woulde out of this one made her gulp loudly. "That is true, my mistress," Keith said, "this gate is one that was actually opened from the Demon ne, hence the difference. "Since the two nes are connected, the recent effects in the Human ne were enough to make it possible for such a gateway to exist between the two of them." "I see," Raven said. ''If the Cardinal Sins are responsible for this, then there might be more than just one of these¡­ ''Are we going to have to face another war soon? And this time with demons?'' she bit her lower lip as she was lost in her thoughts.'' *Sigh* ''I need to get stronger if I want to have any hope of making this easier on my family¡­'' she said with a soft sigh. ''And there''s still the secret behind the portals connecting us to the others. ''Someone is ying a dangerous game, and we''re their obedient little pieces.'' she gritted her teeth. "My mistress?" Keith noticed the tense look on her face. "Um, so where is our guest?" She asked while looking back at the abnormal gate. "I thought they''d be waiting for us here, is everything alright?" Just as she said, the portal seemed to pulse with mana as the vortex increased in speed. Suddenly, out of it came a lone figure. Raven couldn''t clearly see the person''s features in the dark, but that wasn''t the weird part. What she found rather strange was that she couldn''t even sense them properly. ''If I was to put this into words, I''d say the person is too weak. ''But with being Keith''s previous master and one of the Cardinal Sins, that''s probably not the case.'' Landing with the grace of a feather in front of Raven, the person greeted with a young masculine voice: "I''m honoured to meet you, O'' Great One!" Keith''s master said with a graceful and elegant bow that made Raven flinch. She didn''t know how to react since she wasn''t expecting something like that from one of the Cardinal Sins, presumably one of the Demon ne''s rulers. "Ah- haha, hi!" Raven said with a forced smile. "Um, my name is Raven. I''m assuming you already know?" "That is correct," he said while finally ncing at her face. "Ah~ I''ve longed for this for far too long!" He said in excitement. "Eh? What do you mean?" Raven asked, confused. "As you might imagine, I''ve been constantly monitoring you, O'' Great One," he said, "I can''t believe I''m in your presence atst." He said while cupping his face with both hands, which made Raven extremely ufortable. "So, essentially, you were spying on me?" Raven asked, feeling her cheeks getting warm. For someone as powerful as a demon ruler, there was no telling how much he could have seen, which meant that... "Ah, that''s one way of putting it," he said with a smile, still unaware of the predicament he was throwing himself in. "Pervert¡­" Raven said in a low tone.. A shade of golden hue seemed to spread in a hiss, dying the air around her. Chapter 126 - Meeting Red Part 2 * Feint - My Sunset * "So, essentially, you were spying on me?" Raven asked, feeling her face getting warm. For someone as powerful as a demon ruler, there was no telling how much he could have seen, which meant that... "I guess, that''s one way of putting it," he said with a smile, still unaware of the predicament he was throwing himself in. "Pervert¡­" Raven said in a low tone. A shade of golden hue seemed to spread in the air around her. Blinking twice, the young man was confused for a second before realising what Raven had meant. "Oh, apologies¡­ I can imagine how you might have gotten the wrong idea here," he apologized with a bow. "But I meant discreetly monitoring your activities in terms of fighting and decision making." She was still upset nheless. ''Am I an experimental rat?'' she thought in anger. However, before she could make her move, the vortex in the gate started glowing violently again. Calming herself down, Raven watched as a massive figure emerged from the gate. It seemed to belong to a titan. From her spot, she could see that the titan''s figure was covered in a shiny silver armour while a matching spear rested in his right hand. Raven couldn''t see the details or features of the neer and she didn''t want to activate her True Sight since she didn''t care much. Keith was with her after all, she could rx for a bit. "### ######!!!!" The titan''s voice was deep and ear piercing at the same time. But Raven didn''t understand a word as thenguage was foreign to her. Just as she thought that, something in her mind clicked, and she realised that the titan had said two words: "Bow, mortals!" Raven was surprised since she almost forgot about her skills. A skill she had: The Elders'' Scrolls, supported with Ka''s knowledge, allowed her to understand foreignnguages amongst other things. As such, she knew thisnguage was one that is mostmon in the Demon ne. ''I miss you Kay¡­'' she thought, remembering how Ka used to always give her some critical suggestions to help her inbat. Her being absent for a while now made Raven feel lonely. Staring down at them, the titan red his dangerous aura while approaching the group. Bracing herself against the impact, Raven was surprised by the power the titan demonstrated. The trees around them seemed to be squished against the cracked ground. Suddenly, a barrier materialised around Raven, providing her with protection against the violent aura. "Are you alright, my mistress?" Keith asked politely, while shielding himself and Raven. "Uhm," she nodded with a smile, before focusing back on the attacker. ''If I had to estimate his powers, I''d say he''s at least a rank A+ or maybe even A++'' she clicked her tongue, knowing this is going to be troublesome. Not that she couldn''t deal with them, but she wasn''t ready to use her mana just yet. ''Keith is more than enough to take care of him¡­ I think,'' she thought to herself while ncing at Keith who was focused on the monster. "Human and demons alike, in the name of her highness, the Cardinal Sin of Lust, Asmodeus, I ask you to cooperate and die quietly, or else your souls will be forever doomed!" The titan said as his aura was suddenly magnified, opening massive fissures into the ground. Watching all of that quietly, Keith''s master spoke in a chilly tone: "I see that the followers of Blue are as annoying as ever¡­" At that the titan seemed to suddenly retract his aura out of pure fear. "I was having a conversation that I''ve been long waiting for," he said his voice cold as ice. His eyes were menacingly staring at the titan who suddenly felt as helpless as a newly born hellhound. "Insect, turn to ash!" With an intense re in his eyes, Keith''s master said. Raven instinctively took a step backwards as she watched the massive titan turn from flesh to stone, from stone to ash, and from thetter into thin air. Just as the ash was reduced to nothing. The sun seemed to start rising above the horizon. Although coincidental, Raven couldn''t help but shiver slightly. After all, the person in front of her just evaporated an extremely high ranked monster!! With enough light in the atmosphere now, Raven watched as Keith''s master''s expression returned from anger back into calmness. "Apologies, I deeply despise those who don''t respect their superiors," he said in a calm manner, just like before. "And even more those who interrupt others." Now that she can see him clearly, more or less, Raven was able to observe his appearance closely. Unlike Keith, he had coal ck eyes with normal white sclera. Aside from that, he had void ck hair, and pale white skin. Even though he looked human, he felt anything but. He was wearing a royal garment, simr to that of Keith, but it was more imposing. "It''s ok," Raven said, trying to think of her next course of action. "Please don''t be wary of me," he said as it was apparent that Raven was stressed. "I am not here to harm you. On the contrary actually, I''m here to propose a contract with you. "O'' Great One, will you ept me as your follower?" He said with a bow that left Raven even more confused. "What? Why?" She asked the first question that came to her mind. "Why would someone as powerful as you, especially while being one of the Cardinal Sins, want to be under someone like me?" "Hm, first and foremost, I''d like to make it clear that I am not who you think I am." He said, "I am aware that you think I am Red, or the Cardinal Sin of Wrath, but that is not the case." "You''re not?" Raven asked, confused. ''This meant that Keith had lied to me? No, he wouldn''t do that. Someone is hiding something...'' "Yes," he answered. "Some high ranked demons in the Demon ne know me as Red, that is correct, since I am ying the role of someone else. But this is only temporary, and I''m afraid I can''t share why exactly at the moment." ''Ah so he''s pretending to be Red, the Sin of Wrath for some reason,'' Raven thought to herself. ''That doesn''t make any sense, but ok¡­'' "However, you''re free to call me Red or any other name you choose, O'' Great One," he said as he didn''t really have a name. "Additionally, I believe what you meant by your question was what reason do I have for following you?" "Yes," she answered. "What benefit would you gain from following me?" "I see. Hm, the simple answer would be¡­ a purpose." He said with a sigh. "While I may not be able to exin any further, I''m pretty sure that everything will be clearerter on. "After all, I didn''t decide to follow you for what you are right now, but for what you will be in the future, O'' Great One" He said. "I see," Raven said as she was instantly immersed in her own world, thinking about his request. Chapter 127 - Secrets Of A Dark Past *Far Out - Rise * "I see," Raven said. Stroking her chin subconsciously, she was already deep in thought. ''He would be of the utmost help, and I could use someone as powerful as him¡­'' she thought with a sigh. ''But do I really want to be served by someone who can kill me with ease?'' In a real fight, she didn''t think she would win against him easily, if ever, especially after the little demonstration of power he showed. ''Aside from that, he''s not actually expecting much from me right now, but rather wants to see me grow¡­'' she thought, ''it is really nice that he''s aiming for a better version of me, but at the same time¡­'' *Sigh* "Apologies, but I''m afraid I will have to decline." She said after a pause, with a serious expression that surprised both Red and Keith. "I am sorry, but I can''t ept your offer right now," Raven said while shaking her head. "I appreciate your good intentions and all, but I simply can''t ept that due to the fact that you''re basing your hopes on someone that is not here yet, or might not even be real¡­ "I am aware that you probably have high hopes for me, however, me being me is different from me working to be a person that someone else wants me to be. "On top of that, I''m pretty sure I can''t name you at the moment, for countless reasons, so you won''t really benefit from this." She shook her head. "If you''d like to keep the offer an open ended one, I''d be happy to ept it when I''m confident enough that we can both help each other out. "I hope this makes some sense¡­" she finished with a sad smile. *Sigh* "That''s alright," he sighed in relief which surprised Raven. "At first I thought you rejected me unconditionally which would have shattered my heart if I had one¡­ but as long as you will be epting me when you''re ready, I don''t have anyints, O'' Great-" "Oh and please stop that," Raven cut him off. "I understand that it might be respectful between demons to call people with such honourifics, but in the Human ne that''s just embarrassing." "Oh, I wasn''t aware, apologies," he said sincerely which made Raven force a smile. "Erm, what would you like me to call you?" "Um, since I call you Red, you can call me Raven," she said with a smile. "Hm, may I call you Lady Raven then?" He asked with a cute curious face. "Err, sure," she said as she''s already given up on trying to convince them otherwise. ''As long as it''s not super edgy I should be fine, right?'' she questioned herself. "Alright, Lady Raven, with that solved, I''d like to warn you, or rather give you a general idea of what''s going on in the Demon World." He said as his face turned serious all of a sudden. Raven nodded for him to continue. "First, you need to understand that for the longest time, the Demon ne was ruled by seven strong demons. "During the centuries, these demons started growing in power and wealth. Naturally, younger demons viewed them as deities of sorts, or leaders to say the least. As such, people started following them and some even worshipped them. "With time, they came to be known in many names, the most famous being the Seven Cardinal Demons of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Seven Cardinal Sins for short. "They were called that since they each had one specific demeanor and power that marked them from the others. "With time, the seven demons developed many friends and foes in the Demon ne. But even then, peace was amon theme at their time. "However, just like everything else in this world, it didn''tst for long. For some unknown reasons, a war broke out between the seven." At that, Red seemed to take a deep breath before continuing. "Eventually, that came to be called the Great Demon War, in which after, the seven went missing without a trace, let alone a clue. "Demons that were previously under their rule fought for supremacy amongst themselves. And after years of bloodshed, almost all of the strong or high ranked demons either died or went missing. "Onlytely did a high ranked demon sessfully locate one of the Seven Cardinal Sins and managed to bring her back to life. As you might have guessed, it''s Blue, the Cardinal Sin of Lust, Asmodeus. "However, even though she is alive now as we speak, little is known about her actual condition. From what we know so far, her body''s condition isn''t at its best." While Red was talking, countless questions shed in Raven''s eyes as many aspects of the story have probably been hidden from her. Whether that was because of theck of information, theck of relevance, or some other unknown reasons, she didn''t know. But what she knew for sure is that there are a lot of secrets behind the seven demons. ''Heck even Red is full of secrets. I haven''t met the dude for more than a few minutes and I already have a ton of questions for him¡­'' Why did the seven start a war? How did they go missing, or rather, who killed them? Was it a n they had in order to leave their roles as rulers, or did someone actually kill them? Who reported the whole ordeal? What parts were lost from the story or purposefully left out? Needless to say, Raven still didn''t know the answer to any of these questions. "Anyhow, what you need to know is to always keep your guard up. "If Blue is making her move, then more gates will start connecting the two nes pretty soon. "I suspect that she has a n in her mind, she wouldn''t just tell her subordinates to open the gate randomly. And if I had to guess, I''d say she probably has a cure that would return her to her prime. Otherwise, it would not make any sense for her to send forces into the Human ne. "However, all of those assumptions copse if we take into consideration the fact that this all might be a facade. "Maybe someone is trying to take control over the Demon ne by spreading rumours and lies¡­" At that, Red seemed to be thinking about the matter even further. "There''s a lot that we don''t know, as such, I''ll do my best to investigate further," he said. "I''ll also keep an eye on you, Lady Raven, so we''re able to give you a hand whenever needed." Seeing her re, he quickly corrected: "if you wish, of course!" He said with a gentle bow. *Sigh* "I appreciate the offer, but I''ll call for your assistance if needed, well not you personally, but rather Keith and Calcer," she said as Red seemed heartbroken for a second, before Raven continued. "I would love to have your assistance too, but your role in the Demon ne is just too essential to be dyed. "If this whole ordeal is real, then you might be able to stop, or rather dy, whatever they''re nning to do." She said and he seemed to catch his breath in relief. ''He is so weird¡­'' Raven thought to herself. The way he was looking at her was that of passion and affection. It wasn''t that of young love or sexually oriented, it was pure¡­ admiration. ''What did I do to ever deserve that?'' she muttered in her mind. ''I think it''s more of a what will you do, or what he thinks you will do¡­'' Tumented. ''Hm, it''s all so weird¡­'' *sigh* "Thank you, Lady Raven," Red said with a smile, "knowing that I''m ying a great role in your n makes me extremely happy," he said while almost hugging himself, which creeped Raven out, especially whenbined with the look on his face. It was cute, threatening, capturing, sensitive, and almost suffocating, all at the same time. "Anyway, I don''t wish to take more of your time," he straightened up and followed with a polite bow, "please take care of yourself, Lady Raven. Get stronger and grow up to be the best version of yourself. I''ll be waiting for you to ept my offer then. "Other than that, I do believe that''s all I wanted to share with you for now. I am overjoyed to have been in your presence for this long, but regrettably, I must go¡­ Farewell, Lady Raven." With onest nod and a sad expression, he disappeared from his spot. ''What a weird guy¡­'' she thought to herself. ''I do believe I heard Maya present that as¡­ a weirdo behaviour, if I''m not mistaken,'' Tu said with a smug smile. ''Pretty much,'' Raven smiled. "Ok, Keith, i just have to ask, is he always like that?" She asked with a curious expression on her face. "Erm, my mistress¡­ I do not believe so," he sighed in embarrassment. "He''s always bright, smart, collected, wise, calm, and almost has everything that would make a good king¡­ but now he was different, to say the least. I apologize on his behalf-" "Oh, no don''t apologize," Raven smiled tiredly, "he didn''t do but good, it''s alright. I''m sorry you had to endure this by the way, I can only imagine your feelings right now," even though she was sincere at first, she couldn''t help butugh at the end. "On a side note, however," she said as a serious expression surfaced across her face. "We need to prepare for war¡­" Chapter 128 - Young Cyber Valkyrie * Jim Yosef - Firefly [NCS Release] * Stretching her body with a soft yawn, Raven was about to start heading towards the city. However, before she could move a foot, a tremendous pressure suddenly washed over her, pushing her towards the ground. ''What the f*CK?'' she thought while infusing her body with mana in order to protect and prevent her bones from cracking. Taking a moment to adjust, she shifted her gaze towards Keith to make sure he was doing alright. "Are you alright, my mistress?" He asked after taking a heavy breath. Other than the strained look on his face, he was unharmed. "Uhm," Raven nodded in relief. Focusing on the source of the heavy pressure, she found herself staring at three titans, simr to the one Red had just killed a few minutes ago. "Tch," she clicked her tongue. "This is going to be troublesome." Part of her wished for him toe back for a second or two so he can reduce them to ashes... The three titans were floating up in the sky, above the abnormal gate. Their features seemed to be that of anger and hatred. "Filthy humans and traitor demons," thergest of them, and seemingly their leader, spoke with a thundering voice. "You dare not only disobey a direct order from her highness, the Cardinal Sin of Lust, Asmodeus, but also kill one of her own loyal subjects? You shall suffer a fate worse than death!" Raven''s mind was working at full speed, trying to think of techniques she could utilize to stop the three from doing so much damage to the environment and hurting other people. ''Their ranks are at least ranging between A and A+, Keith might be able to take one or two down, but if I don''t help, we''ll both end up dead. ''I need to use my mana then, arge portion of it too¡­ but at the same time, should I refrain from killing? Maybe I can just restrain them for Keith? But they''re too powerful, we can''t fight them half-heartedly.'' Raven could already feel her head hurting, not just from the situation they were in right now, but also, from the feeling of her urges rising back up again. "Prepare for punishment!" The leader said as dark energy red out of his body, covering the sun and dimming the previously bright morning. However, just as the giant monster was about to attack, time seemed to slow down, until it came to aplete stop. A floating passage of text appeared in Raven''s vision. A second after, a robotic voice followed. [The Ex System has been sessfully updated, thank you for your patience.] Raven widened her eyes in surprise as she hadn''t expected this to happen right now of all times. Finding her mouth subconsciously curving into a smile, she couldn''t help but feel her stresses and urges all go away for a moment. [Unit Ka has sessfully acquired and integrated a part of her source code. [Unit Ka has evolved into a separate entity. [Unit Ka has sessfully evolved into a Young Cyber Valkyrie.] [Unit Ka is requesting permission from the main body to fully integrate the Ex System into her own source code. [Please note that this may be harmful for unit Ka or may simply not work as intended. [This request is not supported by the system and it-] "I grant her my permission!" Raven interrupted the robotic voice hurriedly. ''If she asked for my permission, then I must trust her.'' Raven thought with a determined look on her face. [Permission granted from main body... [Proceedings as ordered¡­ [... [... [Error in the system!] At that, Raven gritted her teeth. ''I trust you Ka, please, be well!'' [Unit Ka''s source code is too fragile for the full integration. [Proper actions are in order¡­ [Solution: the system will be partially integrated, granting unit Ka partial control over the system. [The remaining data will be functionally separate in order to ensure the safety of the main body and unit Ka. [Unit Ka may fully integrate the system once her source code is able to support it, if she still wishes to, at that time. [Final synchronization is in progress¡­ [End of evolution.] "!!!!" Worried and happy as she was, Raven was startled as a gentle pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. "I missed you!" Ka whispered and Raven couldn''t help but feel her eyes water up a little bit. "I missed you too!" She said while hugging her back. All the while, time was frozen still. "How are you doing?" Raven asked. She was worried since not only did she take way longer than expected, but she also couldn''t integrate the system as she wanted to. "I''m alright I guess," Ka said with a soft sigh. "I will tell you everythingter, but for now, you only need to know that we''ve both received some buffs, I guess." She said looking down as her n has failed, but then she smirked since she didn''t care much in the first ce. ''When I''m with Raven, everything is always fine!'' her smirk got Raven to match her expression, which gave both of them a deep feeling of nostalgia and happiness. "I will keep the system messages functional, temporarily, since it might be easier for you to read them rather than me talking about them," Ka said, "but for now, ultimately, all you need to know is that I''ve got your back." "Wanna kick some a*s?" She said as her smirk widened. "Oi, you''re not supposed to say such words!" Raven scolded as in her eyes, Ka was still very young. "But for sure, let''s get them!" She said with a chuckle. "Hehe, let''s get them!" At that, purple mana enveloped Ka''s figure as her eyes shone brighter. A foggy screen of mana filled the area as time seemed to move forward again. Disappearing into Raven''s body, Ka greeted Tu with a wave and a toothy grin before focusing back on Raven and her imminent fight. Feeling Ka back in her mind again made Raven happier than ever. Everything suddenly seemed so bright and vivid. In front of the titans'' confused eyes, a field of dark purple mist covered the area that was previously clear. Furthermore, the girl that seemed defenceless just a second ago was now d in a dark purple armour with golden runes itched into its surface. Mana radiated from her body menacingly as the three titans found themselves almost cowering on the ground instead of floating in the air. ''How could this be?'' the leader wondered. "Alright," Raven said while passing her hand in front of her face in a graceful manner. With her swift motion, a bright crimson-golden mask materialised on her face, covering her eyes and part of her nose, while leaving her smirk visible to the onlookers. The two horns and two fangs one the mask made her resemble a young humanoid dragon, yet her powers weren''t to be underestimated. "Disgusting humans!" The leader of the titans yelled. "Do you think that some cosmetics will help you one bit against us? You were already dead the moment we set our eyes upon you!" Only replying with her smirk, Raven adopted a pose as crimson-golden energy materialised in both of her hands. Materialising into two shiny short daggers, they were instantly dyed in a dark purple hue around the edges, giving them a frightening look. Since they were already on the ground, the titans applied pressure to their feet and sprang up quickly, forming a small wind current that almost pushed some trees away. Advancing with their mana ring behind, the three titans were aiming at Raven''s figure. "Take this!!" One of them yelled while extending his hand forward. Instantly, an enormous boulder was formed above the forest and was suddenly falling down on Raven''s head. The other one mmed his fist against the ground, without much of a word. Lava exploded from beneath and shot upwards like the wave of a deadly tsunami. "Suffer!" The leader yelled while jumping upwards. Flickering up in the sky, energy exploded between his hands forming arge goldennce of violent lightning that was making loud crackling sounds. As the three titans attacked with all of their might, Raven just stood at the center of it all, as if waiting for all to fall down. Before the three forces of nature could hit, she mouthed three words with a grin: "Dusky Phoenix; ckout!" At that, arge shadow seemed to be born out of the present light. Noticing how the morning light was all vanishing into darkness, the titans thought that they''d lost their vision. ''But it doesn''t matter, there''s no way she''d survive our attacksbined!'' the leader thought. Flickering from her spot, Raven watched as the masses of energy and matter were all devoured by her ck phoenix. It all happened so fast and quietly. ''No¡­ why can''t I hear the resulting explosion? Or even feel the energy? WHAT HAPPENED?'' The leader was panicking. Suddenly, the mass of ck disappeared, giving a chance for the light to take its natural spot again. Before the titans could adjust their sight to the brightness that washed over them, they noticed a small figure floating in the air. With the two short daggers tightly gripped in her hands, Raven flickered between the titans and reappeared behind them. Various massive cuts were instantly generated across their tough armour and were able to even prate deeper than their skin level. "Hahaha!" The leader suddenly startedughing. "It was surprising and painful, but do you really think that would be enough to stop us from destroying-" "You know, for a dead idiot, you sure talk a lot," Raven smirked, sending cold chills down their spines. Suddenly, realising that they can''t heal themselves, the titans gulped loudly, in fear. "Oh by the way, this was just the opening act," she said, "Our main act starts now!" With that, runes of bright blood started glowing on their skin. ''When did she manage to write on my own skin using my own blood?'' one of the titans muttered in his mind before agonizing pain assaulted his very soul. Little did he know, it was Keith''s doing. "Bloodbath: Chains of the underworld, I order thee, take the sinners with you!" Chains of bright blood extended out of their skin and started pulling them underneath the ground. Not being able to stand the pain, the three monsters started activating random skills that ended up all being absorbed by the chains. Screaming and yelling for help contributed in nothing but making their trip to the underworld more painful. Chapter 129 - A Rewarding Evolution Part 1 * Jim Yosef - Firefly [NCS Release] * "Good job Keith!" Raven said under her mask, with a sincere smile while descending down gracefully. Approaching him, she gently tapped his shoulder while activating one of her skills. Feeling his energy suddenlying back to him and strain being removed from his body, Keith widened his eyes in surprise. "Thank you for your kindness, my mistress," he said with a bow. "Ah, no worries!" She replied, enthusiastically. Seeing how her mood has greatly improved, he was happy but shocked at the same time. ''So the little Valkyrie is her cure¡­'' Tu couldn''t help but mutter to himself as a smile made its way to his face. Releasing her armour, Raven allowed her shadow to return back where it belongs while rxing her body. "Why is it that you''re always fighting someone?" Ka asked as purple mist formed around Raven, condensing itself into Ka''s figure. Blinking twice, Keith realized that a little girl was hugging his young mistress, and instantly knew she was the reason Raven could now fightfortably. Unlike before when they were observing from the Demon ne, before they had asked her to summon them, himself and Calcer knew something wasn''t right. ''So that''s why¡­'' "Err, I mean, um, it happens you know," Raven stuttered but still answered Ka while patting her head. "You''ve be even cuter than before, do you know that?" Even though she mainly tried to change the subject, she was honest about it. Unlike before, Ka''s figure seemed to have slightly grown up. Instead of six, she looked almost seven now. "Hm, is it worth it though?" Ka said while looking herself up and down. Just like before, she was basically a younger copy of Raven. But instead of golden irises, she had dark-purple ones that matched her long hair. "Of course it''s worth it!" Raven said while hugging her tighter till their cheeks were touching. Noticing the opportunity, Raven couldn''t resist the temptation and started rubbing Ka''s head again. "Umu- stop it!" Kained, but still didn''t resist. She has missed Raven so much that this felt satisfying, rather than annoying. "Uhm, sorry, you''re too cute for me to resist, hehe," Raven chuckled and let go of Ka who instantly regretted her choice of words, but said nothing else. "You know," Raven said, "I can already see the changes in your personality as well, it''s like you''ve matured a bit during this, huh?" "Uhm," Ka nodded, "it wasn''t something I had expected, but I''ve learned a lot about myself I guess. I''ll tell you about itter!" She said with a smile. "For now," she continued, "do you want to check the system notifications? I mean I can tell you all about them but I''m toozy." She shrugged. "Uhm, sure, whatever is easier for you," Raven patted her head once more and nodded. "Alright brace yourself!" Ka said with a grin as a bunch of notifications shed in Raven''s vision. [Updates requested by admin. [Currently disying changes and rewards of evolution. [Entity Ka''s updates: [Entity Ka has gained the title Admin of the System: Admin of the Ex system that is a mysterious interactive cyber interference program designed by "Ka the Cyber Pioneer". [Upon gaining control over the Ex System, entity Ka has gained full control over the System Unique Skills. [Upon evolution, the bond between main body and entity Ka has strengthened. [All System Unique Skills have evolved by one full tier. [Main Body''s Updates: [By the request of the Admin and the Blessing''s Will, Admin now has partial control over the Blessing: Avavia''s Affection. [The blessing will-] "Stop!!" Ka suddenly interrupted the messages while trying to hide her face from Raven. ''Why did I space out for that one second there?'' she questioned herself since Raven now knows of her little secret¡­ "So you knew?" Raven asked while looking away as well. ''Trying to hide it won''t work anymore, so I might as well tell her¡­'' Ka thought to herself. "Uhm," she nodded after a pause. "I''m sorry I shouldn''t have-" Before she could finish her sentence, Raven hugged her. "It is okay, I thought I was hiding a secret from you. You have no idea how bad I felt inside." Even though to Keith, it sounded as though they were talking nonsense, the girls knew what they were talking about and understood each other''s thought process very well. It was a fact that Ka already knows about Raven''s strange urges. It all started back when Raven got her soul corrupted by the souls trapped in the cursed scythe and then by her own blessing afterwards, back in the portal they got trapped in. At that time, another blessing, namely Avavia''s Affection, had helped her a great deal in erasing parts of the corruption. Ever since that time, Ka had secretly kept the blessing active so that Raven wouldn''t suffer from those unforgiving urges. However, just before her evolution and during that time, Ka wasn''t able to utilise the blessing as usual. That was the reason Raven had an increase soul craving and the such. "You''ve always tried so hard, huh? Even when I didn''t know¡­" Raven couldn''t put into words the amount of pride she was feeling right now. "Ka, you haven''t matured with your evolution, you''ve always been this responsible." Raven said, "I finally understand that I need you more than I have ever thought. I''m thankful to have you by my side, Kay." "Uhm, I''m happy to be of help!" Ka sniffed. It wasn''t the first time Raven hadplimented her, but now, she actually felt how helpful she was for Raven. She''s always thought she was the chains pinning Raven down, but thetter had just proven that she was in fact the bird that is carrying her to the top on her wings. Releasing Ka, Raven grinned, "Let''s have ice-cream after this, what do you think?" "Uhm," she nodded. Unable to hold it any longer, a lone tear made its way down to her chin, only to be wiped away by Raven who smiled at her. "Definitely!" Ka said with a smile and sparkling eyes. "Great! Hehe," Raven chuckled. "Ok let''s get this notification thingy over with! Oh but before you do that, why don''t you instruct the system on calling me Raven? I kinda am not a fan of ''Main Body'' as a name." She forced a smile. With a chuckle, Ka nodded her head allowing the notification stream to continue. [Pilot''s Updates: [All Special Skills have-] "Oi, I said Raven!" Raven said. "No ice-cream for you if you don''t listen to me!" "But calling you Pilot is way cooler! Right?" Seeing that she wasn''t joking, Raven forced another smile and nodded her head. [Pilot''s Updates: [All Special Skills have evolved by two levels. [As a result of previous actions while the system was partially nonfunctional, Magic Skill: Proficient Mana Maniption has gained one extra level. [A new Combination Skill has been created: "Dusky Phoenix; ckout" [Dusky Phoenix; ckout: abination of the following skills: "Dynast", "Demonic Touch", "Dark Hell", "Void Ruler", "Dark Mist", and "Proficient Mana Maniption". [Dusky Phoenix; ckout: First, absorb the energy surrounding you in order to ignite the power of the Dusky Phoenix. [Utilising the power it holds over the mysterious void,press and trap iing attacks and violent energies. [A portion of the trapped energy will be redirected towards the caster''s energy reserves, whole the rest will be used to fuel a void suction that will filter and spread the neutral energy back into the surrounding environment.] "That''s interesting¡­" Raven muttered as she thought she''d looked over all of the notifications. What grabbed her attention was the new skill, but she''s already used it so she knew what to expect. Otherwise, everything else seemed rather¡­ mediocre. [Loading other changes...] the system suddenly continued as Ka had a grin on her face. Raven raised her eyebrows since she knew Ka was hiding something. ''She''s too excited to even try, huh?'' [Overall Energy Capacity of Pilot has increased from 650,000 EP to 767,000 EP. [Ranking has increased from B to B++ [... [Loading Stats Page¡­ [All changes will be marked. [Race: Soul Weaver. [ss: Royal [Blessings: Infinity''s Will. Avavia''s Affection. Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light. [Titles: Soul Weaver Princess. Heavenly Collector. Exorcist. [Rank: B --> B++ [Energy Capacity: 650,000 EP --> 767,000 EP [Magic Skills: Proficient Mana Maniption (tier 3) - Level 2 ---> Proficient Mana Maniption (tier 3) - Level 3 Brilliant Primordial Radiance (tier ???) - Level ??? [Inherent Skills: Contingency Call (tier ???) - Level ??? Quick Study (tier ???) - Level ??? [Special Skills: Dynast (tier 3) - Level 2 --> Dynast (tier 3) - Level 4 Exhration (tier 2) - Level 3 --> Breath of Life (tier 3) - Level 1 Angelic Touch (tier 2) - Level 2 --> Angelic Touch (tier 2) - Level 4 (Max Level) Demonic Touch (tier 2) - Level 2 --> Demonic Touch (tier 2) - Level 4 (Max Level) Dark Zone (tier 3) - Level 5 (Max Level) --> Void Ruler (tier 4) - Level 2 True Sight (tier 1) - Level 1 --> True Sight (tier 1) - Level 3 (Max Level) Contract Master (tier 2) - Level 1 --> Contract Master (tier 2) - Level 3 Change of Heart (tier 2*) - Level 1 --> Change of Heart (tier 2*) - Level 3 Advanced Stealth (tier 2 - Passive+) - Level 2 --> Advanced Stealth (tier 2 - Passive+) - Level 4 (Max Level) Soul Hunter (tier 4) - Level 1 --> Soul Hunter (tier 4) - Level 3 The Elders'' Scrolls (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 1 --> The Elders'' Scrolls (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 3 Premonition (tier 1 - Passive) - Level 1 --> Premonition (tier 1 - Passive) - Level 3 (Max Level) [Combination Skills: Mana Recharge Dark Kraken Dusky Phoenix; ckout [System Unique Skills: Absorption II (tier 2) - Level 2 --> Absorption III (tier 3) - Level 2 Integration II (tier 2) - Level 1 --> Integration III (tier 3) - Level 1 Appraisal II (tier 2 - Passive) - Level 1 --> Appraisal III (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 1 Thought eleration III (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 1 --> Thought eleration IIII (tier 4 - Passive) - Level 1 Parallel Processing III (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 1 --> Parallel Processing IIII (tier 4 - Passive) - Level 1 [Ultimate Skills: Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation (Spacial Transfer Bracelet series, Wingman series guns, Guardian Drone series, Scout Drone series, Trantor Device..) [Ultimate+ Skills: Sorcerer of Dark Magic (Demonic Tentacles, Chains of Dark, Dark Hell, mmable Void, Dark Lightning, Dark Mist, Soul Torment, Darkness Recharge, Master of the Night.)] "Oh I''ve be a B++ ranker... Not bad," Raven muttered with a smile while noting the other changes. "Wait, wait," Ka grinned, "you know how I became a separate entity and all." "Aha?" "Well¡­ hehe, check this out!" Ka said excitedly as she shared some extra notifications with Raven. Chapter 130 - A Rewarding Evolution Part 2 * Jim Yosef - Eclipse [NCS Release] * "Wait, wait," Ka grinned, "you know how I became a separate entity and all." "Aha?" "Well¡­ hehe, hear this out!" Ka said excitedly as she shared some extra notifications with her. [Disclosing previously hidden data... [Other changes: as a separate Entity and the Admin of the Ex System, Entity Ka has gained the ability to view her own Status Page.] Even though it seemed natural and not such a special feature to her, Raven realised that a status page was Ka''s way of identifying herself as an independent individual. Widening her eyes in surprise as she just now realized what Ka must have been feeling before, she couldn''t help but remember how worried Maria was when she had first met Ka. She was concerned about the fact that Ka was stuck in Raven''s body. At first, she didn''t even have the ability to create a body of her own in order to move around, nor was she able to make her own decisions since she was basically "trapped" within Raven''s mind''s subspace. But now, Ka has grown enough to be able to at least do that. Not only does she have the ability to create her own body and move around, but she has also found a way for the system to recognise her as a separate individual, giving her the notion that she is her independent "self". She is a person that has her own will and personality. She''s not just a robotic voice in someone''s head¡­ "Raven? Are you alright?" Ka tapped Raven''s shoulder gently and asked in visible concern. "You seemed to space out for a second when the screen showed up¡­ are you not ok with me having my own- eiguhh!!" Suddenly not being able to catch her breath, she realised that Raven was hugging her tightly. "Uhm," she nodded with watery eyes. "I am more than alright that you have your own Status Page!" Raven quickly wiped her tears and smiled for Ka. She wanted her to be happy more than anything else. Hearing her answer and seeing her smile, Ka''s smile widened. Hugging Raven''s arm, she said: "Can I show you now?" "Of course!" Raven said with a smile. At Ka''s smile, the system reacted and a screen appeared in Raven''s vision. [Loading Stats Page¡­ [Race: Cyber Valkyrie [ss: Juvenile [State: bound to a soul weaver Pilot (Raven) [Blessings: Ka The Cyber Pioneer [Titles: Admin of the System [Rank: ??? [Energy Capacity: 425,000/??? EP [Inherent Skills: Call of the Valkyries (tier ???) - Level ??? Lord Machina Ex Daemon: Ascendance (tier ???) - Level ??? Cyber World (tier ???) - Level ??? [Special Skill: Infusion (tier ???) - Level ??? [Shared System Skills: Absorption III (tier 3) - Level 2 Integration III (tier 3) - Level 1 Appraisal III (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 1 Thought eleration IIII (tier 4 - Passive) - Level 1 Parallel Processing IIII (tier 4 - Passive) - Level 1 [Shared Ultimate Skills: Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation (Spacial Transfer Bracelet series, Wingman series guns, Guardian Drone series, Scout Drone series, Trantor Device..)] "That''s a lot of question marks!" Raven widened her eyes. What caught her attention was that Ka''s rank was not identified. "Yes I am aware!" Ka said. "So apparently my energy capacity is huge but I only have ess to 425,000 Energy Points. "In addition, my rank is also hidden," she said with a smile, "that can only mean that I am above normal rankings! Wuhahaha!!* Ka tried to force an evilugh but it only highlighted how cute she sounded. "Anyway, the most important of all is my special skill!!" She almost jumped from happiness. "See the one called ''Infusion''?" "Uhm," Raven nodded. "See, unlike my mysterious inherent skills, I actually have ess to this skill! Do you want to know what it does?" She asked excitedly. She was going to tell Raven anyway, but she was just too excited not to make the most out of it. "Yes, for sure!" Raven smiled and tried to match her excitement. "Well, hehe, it allows me to fully infuse myself with you!!" Ka said while jumping and hugging Raven. "From my understanding, when using that skill, we''ll truly be one entity together. "We''ll be able to share our thoughts, energy, skills, and everything else!" She finished. Hearing that, Raven started thinking about the implications of such a skill. First of all, it was one of these special skills that was unidentified, meaning that it was probably really strong and had more secrets to it than what meets the eyes. Secondly, the fact that they share their stats and skills was too good to be true. It basically meant that when fusing together at their current stats, they''d be an A- ranked entity. ''And not only that, we''d be so close to bing an A ranker together!'' Lastly, the fact that she could merge her unidentified skills with Ka''s, meant that maybe she''d be able to learn something further about them and maybe how to use them. "Interesting¡­" Raven muttered subconsciously before looking at Ka who had a wide smile stered across her face. ''She really was more happy about the fact that we can now merge together than the fact that she was identified as an independent individual'', Raven sighed as she has realised how pure and kind Ka really was. "You know Kay," Raven muttered, "I am not an expert when ites to some of the skills I have¡­ "Say, what would happen if I were to, hypothetically, say give you full control over the System Unique skills together with my Ultimate Skill? You were the one to always use both of them for me anyway. What do you say?" Digesting what she had just heard, Ka was still a bit confused. "Um, why would you want me to have full control over the skills when they belong to you? "I can use them on your behalf, sure, but you''d still have the full control. Isn''t that more beneficial for you?" Cupping Ka''s face between her hands, Raven tried to overlook how cute and squishy she was and focused on her eyes instead. "Are you doubting my decisions, youngdy?" She asked with a smirk. Willing it, Raven internally requested from the system to perform the transfer. [Pilot is requesting permission for a change of ownership of the following skills: System Unique Skills, and Ultimate Skill: Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation. [Does admin ept?] "Yes," Raven mouthed to Ka who was still confused. "You ept, don''t you? I mean if you don''t want that ice-cream it''s fine¡­" "Hm, are you sure though? I''m not certain how this will turn out?" Ka asked seriously. Seeing that she had ignored her joke attempt, Raven forced a smile, but still appreciated the concern. "Definitely!" She said with a matching expression. "Ok¡­" Ka muttered. Closing her eyes for a second and then reopening them, Raven could see silver circuits swirling inside. [I ept] Ka said in a robotic voice that managed to startle Raven. [Admin has given her permission. [Transfer is in progress¡­ [Update!] At that, dark purple mana with floating silver circuits in the mix red out of Ka''s tiny body. With such energy released into the atmosphere, Ka started to slowly ascend into the air. [Transfering skills under the title "System Unique Skills"... [Individual skills within the System Unique Skills have been fully upgraded. [Max potential reached! [Error! [Maxpatibility detected in new skill holder. However, the holder has not fully developed yet. [Due to the undeveloped state of the new holder of the skills, new limits will be put into ce to ensure safety. [All of the System Unique Skills will evolve collectively. [... [System Unique Skills have evolved into the Ultimate Skill: Cyber Senses. [... [Transfering skills under the name of Ultimate Skill: Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation. [Individual skills within the Ultimate Skill Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation have been fully upgraded. [Max potential reached! [Error! [Maxpatibility detected in new skill holder. However, the holder has not fully developed yet. [Due to the undeveloped state of the new holder, new limits will be put into ce to ensure safety. [All of the skills that fall under the Ultimate Skill: Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation will evolve collectively. [... [Ultimate Skill: Ex Machina: Nanotech Creation has evolved into the Ultimate+ Skill: Ex Machina: Cyber Creation. [Stabilizing¡­ [The transfer has been sessful] At that, Ka''s aura seemed to calm down. Slowly, she started descending into Raven''s embrace. Opening her eyes slowly, Ka found Raven''s weing toothy smile quiteforting. "Thank you, I love you¡­" she muttered quietly. Of course she loved Raven before, but now with how things have developed, she realised that Raven was more than just someone that''s taking care of her. Raven was the person giving her a purpose. Raven was her guiding hand. Andst but not least, Raven was her lifeline¡­ and she loved her to no end. "Hehe, I love you too!" Raven said with the same toothy smile. "See how you should always listen to me though?" Raven teased. "Uhm, I''m sorry I didn''t mean to- oiugha!" Finding herself unable to speak, Ka realized that Raven was pinching her cheeks and disturbing her ability to speak. "I was joking, hehe, don''t worry about it," Raven said. " I didn''t know that it''ll be this much of an upgrade for you, but I''m quite satisfied!" "Alright, wanna head out to some ice-cream shop?" She asked Ka while helping her to stand on her own. "Uhm," she nodded with a smile. "Can I hold your hand though?" "Ah for sure!" Raven said. The two held hands and walked slowly towards the city. Behind them, were the signs of a hell that has broken loose and destroyed arge portion of the forest. Yet, the smiles on their faces made it all seem like some spooky decorations and none of it was actually real. Looking at her own system interface, Ka found herself smiling subconsciously. ''I hope you always stand by my side Raven¡­ I don''t think I can bear a life without you¡­'' [Loading Admin''s Stats Page... [Race: Cyber Valkyrie [ss: Juvenile [State: bound to a soul weaver Pilot (Raven) [Blessings: Ka The Cyber Pioneer [Titles: Admin of the System [Rank: ??? [Energy Capacity: 425K/??? EP [Inherent Skills: Call of the Valkyries (tier ???) - Level ??? Lord Machina Ex Daemon: Ascendance (tier ???) - Level ??? Cyber World (tier ???) - Level ??? [Special Skill: Infusion (tier ???) - Level ??? [Ultimate Skills: Cyber Senses (Absorption, Integration, Appraisal, Thought eleration, Parallel Processing.) [Ultimate+ Skills: Ex Machina: Cyber Creation (Spacial Transfer Bracelet series, Wingman series guns, Guardian Drone series, Scout Drone series, Trantor Device..)] Chapter 131 - Hero In Pain Part 1 * Jim Yosef & Anna Yvette - Linked [NCS Release] * Reaching the edge of the forest with Ka holding her hand, and Keith following behind her, Raven was now able to observe the clearing near the beach where the festival was supposed to be celebrated. In front of her, she could see the broken wooden stages and destroyed stalls that were once decorated golden yellow. ''They once gave off a happy aura...'' Joey, Calcer, Noah, and some other people were fighting the present monsters while Raven could see many that have already died on the ground. However, approaching the group was a giant monster. Unlike the titans she fought, this one seemed smaller in size but more vicious and less intelligent. "It is probably weaker than what we''ve fought, but it''ll still be sad news for the rest, we should go and- ah what the..." All of a sudden, Raven found herself shielding her eyes from a bright light in the sky. Before her vision could even focus back, the source of the light suddenly plunged down with frightening speed. On impact, countless spears of cyan light sprouted out of the ground at light speed and prated the surrounding monsters, including the wild giant, eliminating them on the spot. Raising her eyebrows, Raven saw a figure of a young boy slowly standing up with glowing cyan eyes and an edgy expression. Instead of an armour, the mysterious boy had a weird set of clothes that had the same glow to it. "He''s strong¡­". Raven said while narrowing her eyes. "Uhm," Ka nodded. "He''s an S ranker." "Pfft wait for real?" Raven was surprised since she wouldn''t have guessed. He didn''t fully release his aura yet so she had no way of knowing yet. "Yeah, he''s a pretty interesting fe¡­" Ka muttered while sharing a system notification with Raven. [Race: Soul Weaver [Rank: S [Energy Capacity: Estimated 6-7M EP [Abilities: What is known so far: target uses aura control in order to manipte the spiritual benevolent power of the world and shape it into spears of celestial energy that is able to prate the soul directly, cleanse evil, and conquer demons. More observations are needed in order to make more urate estimations. No other information is visible at the moment.] "He is a soul weaver?? And what sort of ability is that?" Raven widened her eyes as she hadn''t expected that. Watching in silence, she observed as the boy approached an iing group of giants, simr to the one he''s just killed. He seemed to mouth something that made him look even angrier than he already was. Dark cyan aura red out of his small frame as his eyes seemed to glow even brighter. Pushing his hand forward, a giant spear if the same aura materialised in the sky above the giants. "Insignificant, die!" He yelled loud enough for Raven to hear. Swiping his hand down, the massive spear was sent crashing down against the monsters'' heads. What was really unique was the fact that not a single drop of blood was left after the hit. In fact, all Raven could see at the moment of impact was countless simr spears prating out of the ground and embedding themselves into the giants. After that, only the bright glow of the cyan aura was left behind. No monsters, no blood, and no spears. ''Is it just me or is this boy¡­ he''s using something very simr to my powers,'' Raven bit her lower lip remembering her time as Wraith. A sh if her sword that was mixed with her aura was enough to shatter the soul, together with the body, leaving nothing behind but a pile of clothes. Letting go of his benevolent aura, the boy seemed in pain as his hand subconsciously clutched the side of his head. Shaking his head a couple of times, he looked at Joey, Calcer, and the rest. Seeing that they were holding their ground, he didn''t bother to say a word. Instead, he looked towards Raven for a second before turning around and dashing away, disappearing from his spot. "What the hell was that?" Raven''s mouth moved in it''s own. "I don''t know¡­" Ka answered. Shaking her head Raven focused back on her friends. ''I will deal with himter.'' she thought. "Keith, the group is taking care of the stragglers, can you help them and then clean up please?" Raven asked with a smile, "the festival was supposed to take ce here so we might as well clean up the area¡­" "Yes, my mistress." He said and started his work quickly. For a demon who controlled blood, cleaning up some bodies was nothing more than an easy walk in the part *** It didn''t take long for everything to get back to normal. The field was clean again, ready for the festival stalls and preparations to be set up again. No monsters were left alive and no other traces of the fight were left behind. "Raven?" Rachel asked, concerned. Having no monsters around had made the area clear for the public and powerless people toe back again. No one was injured thanks to the group''s efforts and synergy, including Naoh and Calcer. With all of them back to greet Raven, she could already tell they were concerned since she had disappeared without much of a word. "Err, hi!" She said while fidgeting with her fingers. "I''m sorry¡­?" She raised her eyebrows with a silly smile. After what had happened in the forest, she was certainly happy that no one had followed her there. Otherwise, things would have gotten messy. "We were worried, you know," Erika said while face-palming. "Especially her by the way," she said pointing at Rachel, "she would keep looking out of the window searching for you. "Whenever she sees a monster being cut and half and its blood spraying everywhere, she''d pale and sit still for a second, but then rinse and repeat¡­" Seeing how nervous Rache was Raven approached her with a smile and patted her head. Since Raven was shorter, the scene was rather cuter than one would expect. "It''s ok, I''m fine and unharmed." Raven reassured and Rachel seemed to calm down for a second before realising that Raven was patting her head which then made her cheeks turn bright red. "I appreciate your concern, but you have to trust me, ok? I am strong enough to take care of myself" She said with a charming smile that left Rachel lightheaded. ''liar¡­'' both Tu and Ka thought in unison. They didn''t bother hiding the thought, so hearing that, Raven''s smile twitched. "Ah-uhm, yes!" Rachel stuttered as she found it rather hard to focus with Raven so close to her. Grinning at her, thetter stopped patting her and returned to Ka''s side. The group was obviously eyeing the tiny girl with admiration and curiosity. Needless to say, Ka felt very ufortable since she started having shbacks to Cami''s behaviour. The second Raven was close to her, she used her as a shield to cover herself from the others. "Oh my gosh she''s so adorable!!!" Ainsley seemed to almost run towards little Ka to give her a hug or a head rub. "Hehe, yes she is!" Raven said while partially hugging Ka, getting her closer to herself, which of course was appreciated by thetter. "She looks so cute and squishy and I want to pinch her cheeks so bad!!" Erika said while cupping her face in excitement. "Me too!" Dan yelled, then followed by Danny. Being a team and all, the group started dividing themselves into subgroups of two where every subgroup gets a few minutes of "Ka patting". "No, nope, sorry," Raven shook her head. "No touches. Not even stares like this," she said while pointing at all of them. While the group didn''t seem to mind much, Dan and Danny instantly looked away when she mentioned "no stares". After all, they had both experienced Raven''s displeasure. "Ka is cute and all, but she is rather shy," Raven said. "I''m sorry but I can''t have you make her feel ufortable." Seeing that she was serious, Ka felt much appreciation but guilt at the same time. She didn''t want to create a barrier between Raven and the group. Yet, she stayed even closer to her. "Her name is Ka by the way," she introduced her. "And she''s my best buddy!" Raven''s smile eased Ka''s racing heart. "I know we look identical..." Raven said in response to some looks that were switching between her and Ka as if trying to figure out the difference. "I guess you could say we''re rted, in a way. So don''t you dare bother her, ok?" She ''smiled''. "Hi," Ka said while everyone seemed to melt at how cute she sounded and looked. "Nice to meet you all." After some introductions, the group gave Ka her space. It wasn''t that she didn''t trust other people, no. Raven was with her anyway and she feared nothing whenever by her side. But she reacts the way she does because she doesn''t want anyone else patting her. It was rather embarrassing for her. ''Uhm,'' she nodded to herself. ''Only Raven can ever pat me or rub my head.'' Seeing her nod to herself, Raven smiled and patted her subconsciously which made Ka''s face turn red. ''Not now, please¡­'' hearing Ka in her mind, Raven smiled and stopped. Turning her attention towards Calcer and Keith, she wondered if the two needed to go back to the Demon ne, but the two shook their heads as they hadn''t been summoned for long yet. Meaning they could stay for some more time. The contract for this summon was that they needed to protect Raven. Technically, that could be for whenever she needed protection. But it was a matter of fact that their bodies were not strong enough to support that. Raven obviously didn''t mind them staying by her side, but she couldn''t help but think about Red and whether he needed help or not. ''I also need to warn Scott about this¡­'' she thought to herself. If the world was going to suffer from another war, the EDA needed to know. ''Especially if it was against some insanely strong demon lords such as the Seven Cardinal Sins. It didn''t take long for the mayor and other people to approach the group and thank them for what they''ve done. "Hi, Mr. Mayor, I have a question," Raven said while approaching the mayor. "I saw this boy earlier, fighting the monsters with spears of dark cyan energy. "Is there any chance you''re familiar with his identity? Being a small city, I''d have to assume he''s either on a vacation like us or he''s a local. Correct?" "Ah¡­ where do I start?" The mayor said with a sad expression. Chapter 132 - Hero In Pain Part 2 * Jim Yosef & Anna Yvette - Linked [NCS Release] * "That girl¡­ she seemed familiar," said the young soul weaver while dashing out of the battlefield. Glowing cyan aura swirled around him. "But it can''t be¡­" *Sigh* The air was particrly cool and rich, yet it stinked of the smell of death. Fluttering in this air was his dark hair. The edgy expression didn''t leave his face until he had reached home. "Zeru, you''re back!" A happy young feminine voice called out. The girl was about to try and sit up in her bed when Zeru approached her quickly and tapped her shoulder instead. "Ae, please don''t do that on your own," he muttered with a sad face. "You need to move as little as possible, remember? But here, I''ll help you." "Pfft! And who says that? My cute little brother who is always exerting his body even though he has the same disease as me? Humph!" Ae scoffed even though deep inside, she really appreciated every gesture of kindness her younger brother showed. "... I am sorry, but I can hold on for a little bit longer, you know, someone needs to protect the city¡­ and you." Zeru said while taking a deep breath. "Your body isn''t as strong as¡­ *sigh* as it used to be. "I am sorry, but I promise you, Ae, I''ll find a way to heal us both. You won''t need to sit still for days, nor will you have to hold on your passion for cooking or anything else for that matter." He said with a determined expression that Ae almost believed every word he said. Zeru closed his eyes and slightly lowered his head on instinct as Ae started patting his head. "You''re so cute, Zeru¡­ I''m really lucky to have you, you know?" "Stop it, please," he whined helplessly. "I''m not a little kid anymore¡­" "Hm,ing from my little brother who''s actually young and as tall as 157cm ¡­ not so convincing, I''ll tell you that much hahaha!" Aeughed. Seeing herugh was so precious that Zeru suddenly didn''t mind being treated as a kid anymore. "Anyway, tell me, what has happened since you left?" She asked. "Themon folks were starting the festival, but apparently a bunch of monsters attacked all of a sudden." "Oh, that''s unfortunate¡­ did you have to interfere as usual?" Ae asked curiously. "Not exactly¡­" Zeru hesitated. "There were some good people actually, probably foreignersing for the festival. "Anyway, some of them were really good and were able to hold their own against the monsters. "That is until they were being overwhelmed. And that''s when I had to hop in or maybe they would have been heavily injured, to say the least." He finished. "Hm¡­" Ae contemted to herself while looking down at her covered legs.. "You have to stop at some point though, don''t you agree? "If you keep protecting them like you do now, they''ll get used to someone always backing them up, which will mean that they would not have to find another way to protect themselves. "In addition, don''t kid yourself¡­ you''re not better than me in terms of disease progression." Ale bit her lower lip in regret while her eyes started to water up. "I wish I could give you a hand at least, I''m sick of being so useless¡­" Breaking down, she started crying. Suddenly, Ae found her little brother''s arms wrap around her in a warm hug. In his embrace, she''s always felt safe, happy, and at home. But, she knew that this embrace will notst for long if he continues on with helping themon folks. ''Why did this stupid disease decide to wash over me? And not only that, but stupid me also infected my adorable little brother¡­ I''m such a useless piece of trash!'' Letting her cry on his shoulder for a while, he could feel her fragile body shake with every breath she took and every tear she shed. "Are you alright now?" He asked after she had calmed down for a minute. He wasn''t the best at interacting with others, so he didn''t know how tofort Ae even though he wanted to, badly. "Uhm," she nodded. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to break down like this. Guess I''m not really mature yet, hehe!" She tried tough it out even though her eyes were still sparking from the tears running down. "No it''s alright," Zeru reassured. "What am I if not the shoulder you cry on?" He asked while releasing her. At his words, Ae could not help but feel so grateful for him. He was always the one taking care of her even though she was actually years older than him. His condition was as bad as hers. Yet she wasn''t able to use her body like he did. She couldn''t stand the pain suffocating her at night, nor was she able to hold her cries like he did. Unlike her, he was always strong and responsible. ''I wonder if I could ever repay you for this, Zeru¡­'' "Can you please stop? I need to go make some food," Zeru said with his head down and eyes closed as Ae has been petting him nonstop. "Ah, hehe, sorry I spaced out," she apologized and retracted her hand to her side. Standing up, Zeru approached her and kissed her forehead, which made her smile in appreciation. "It''s ok, you can pat me some more after I bring you your food, how does that sound?" "Perfect!" She said with a weak p. Smiling, which was something he rarely did, Zeru walked into the kitchen and started making his sister and himself some breakfast. *** "Hm, is that so?" Raven stroked her chin subconsciously while thinking back to what the mayor had just told them. Zeru and his sister Ae have only moved here about thirteen years ago, ording to him. At the time, they both were good and felt nothing special as they were really young. The only thing that stood out was the fact that the siblings lived alone with no parents. The sister was fifteen at the time while the brother was five. However, even though they were really young, they acted as anything but. They both seemed like mature adults trapped in young bodies. As they got to know them better with the years, the locals started to realise that Zeru was the silent kid that would throw res all the time. However, when a threat shows up, he''d be the first to protect everyone. Despite his hostile attitude, everyone got used to him and learned to love him. The girl on the other hand was just as pure as she looked. She would always smile and greet others. She''d almost always apologize for Zeru''s attitude whenever she was around. The two had opened a bakery a few years back. The sister was a master chef and the bakery became a hybrid restaurant after a while. The project was rather sessful at first. however, due to their conditions, the restaurant was shut down. Apparently, the two siblings had a rare disease that has never been heard of. As a matter of fact, the doctors or even top healers never knew what was wrong with their bodies. On the outside, they both seemed just fine, but their subjective symptoms proved otherwise. From that point onwards and after the closure of the restaurant, the locals had decided to repay the siblings for always keeping them safe. As such, they prepared a quota that every capable person would pay in order to buy food and other essentials for them. Even though the siblings had refused to ept such a thing, the locals stood their ground and expressed their gratitude by taking care of them. It wasn''t anything special, it was just a "thank you" for always keeping their city safe. However, after a while, especially after the recent portal incident, people watched in horror as Zeru almost died, fighting off against the monsters that had assaulted their city. But luck was on his side it appears, his body was just a little bit stronger than the disease at the time and he''d survived. Themon folks understood after a while that the siblings viewed protecting the city as their job, since they were receiving their food as a contribution from their goodwill. "That of course wasn''t the case¡­" the mayor sighed. "We''re still debating. Some people want to stop the donations in order to free the siblings of their own assigned duty. "However, most people know that any alternative would be harsher on them. It is a dilemma that we''ve been trying to find answers for for a while now¡­" the mayor sighed as a sad expression painted his face. Simr expressions were apparently on the faces of people who listened to the story. It was obvious that everyone here loved the siblings and appreciated their good intentions. Furthermore, they all wanted the best for them but didn''t know how to achieve that. As a matter of fact, the n for the first night of the festival was to take as many pictures as possible of the lit upkes with thenterns. They were supposed to make a massive collection then write gratitude messages and share them with Zeru and Ae. They understood that it was hard for them to make it to the festival, but nothing prevented the festival froming to them. Chapter 133 - Soul Evanescence Part 1 * Jim Yosef & Anna Yvette - Linked [NCS Release] * Yawn~ Waking up from her short nap with a quiet yawn, Raven blinked a couple of times and looked around. "Ah, true¡­" she said while holding back another yawn. ''We didn''t sleep at allst night so we decided to take a nap.'' Looking around, she saw Erika, Ainsley, and Rachelying, each in her own bed. Ka had refused but to sleep next to her, so naturally, she obliged. ''She has been away for a while, I can imagine that she''d want to be out in the real world rather than trapped in my mind space again. ''Speaking of which, are you good there? You seem prettyfortable for an old man sitting in the girl''s room¡­'' she asked Tu who was slightly floating above the ground with his closed eyes. ''It is not like I enjoy watching you snore-'' Tu opened one eye and tried to say, but was interrupted. ''Oi! Don''t you dare... I only snore when I''m tired!'' she replied back in embarrassment. ''Last night was a long one, ok?'' ''Haha, I''m joking, you didn''t snore.'' Tu said while closing his eye again. ''It was pretty quiet here. I actually enjoyed listening to your collective heartbeats-'' ''That is creepy¡­ *sigh* Anyway, keep watch over them, I''ll go take a shower really quickly,'' she said in her mind and Tu nodded. ''By the way, Calcer asked me to remind you to summon him again soon. Himself and Keith had to go while you were asleep. ''Oh, thanks for rying the message.'' ''No worries.'' Making sure to get up slowly in order to avoid making so much noise, Raven sneaked out of the room after reminding Tu toe back to her mind space if any of the three girl''s wake up. Looking at the clock in the hallway, she stretched her body, allowing her muscles to rx for a bit. ''It is already noon, huh?'' she thought to herself. They were currently in a small local hotel. The girls, including her, all slept in one room while the boys shared three other rooms. Even though small, the hotel was known to have pretty good service and some of the best food around. ''I guess I''ll go take a shower, go down and grab some breakfast for everyone. Then maybe help repair the damage and restore the festival stages.'' With ast stretch, she went into the bathroom with a towel in her hand. *** "Mhn?" Ka slowly opened her eyes. It was her first time actually sleeping, and she enjoyed it. Seeing Raven standing near the bed, she smiled and tried to get up. "Oh, it''s ok, no need to get up from your bed," Raven smiled. "I just want you to sit up, I already have your food ready!" Since her body was essentially made up of mana, she didn''t need to wash her face, nor did she need to brush her teeth. Mana doesn''t get dirty after all. Noticing the three girls eating on their beds too, Ka smiled while looking forward to what Raven had brought her. "Pancake ice cream sandwiches!" Ka said excitedly. She has never eaten anything before, but the system was telling her all she needed to know about it. The smell itself was enough to let her appetite skyrocket, even though she didn''t really need actual food. Looking at her te, she saw some blueberry and caramel ice cream trapped within heart shaped pancakes. "It looks so good!" She said while receiving a fork from Raven. "Uhm, I heard it is!" Raven said while grabbing her own te and sitting next to her. "I''ve promised you ice cream, remember? Haha I hope you enjoy your first meal!" "Uhm, I do," she nodded, taking her first bite. It took her a second to savour the taste but she was satisfied. "Thank you!" "Hehe!" Meanwhile, Erika, Ainsley, and Rachel were enjoying their own pancake ice cream sandwiches while eyeing the two. "They''re pretty cute-*cough*" Erika said, almost choking on her food. "Haha you need to chew first," Ainsley teased. "But agreed, their happiness is heartwarming!" Rachel was eating quietly while stealing nces at Raven whenever she could. ¡­ The breakfast, which the group had at lunch time, was rather good and everyone enjoyed it. After waiting for everyone to get ready, the group went to the festival site and offered their help. The locals happily epted since every hand was needed to get this done quickly. "Hm, I''ll help too!" Ka said while cupping her hands together. A soft purple glow radiated out of them as mana gathered around. A second after, a drone was created. [Construction Drone has been created. Admin is required to install instructions.] Or course Ka didn''t need the message to tell her what to do, but she kept it for Raven to read. It took her a few minutes to create about five of the drones, before she was tired. Seeing that, Raven used her special skills: Breath of Life and Angelic Touch. The first one regenerated Ka''s energy supplies while the other healed her fatigue. Feeling her excitement back to its peak, Ka instinctively hugged Raven''s arm. The locals were extremely surprised but the sudden appearance of the glow at first, and then the drones after. However, it only took the moments to adjust to the quick change. The drones would move equipment around or directly help in building or cleaning. The job itself however, didn''t take too long. Since everyone was working hard, the repair procedures were done sooner than expected. "Thank you for your assistance!" A local said while others followed behind. "We couldn''t have done it without you, again, we really appreciate your assistance!" The mayor said this time. "Ah, no problem," Raven smiled. "But say, Mr. Mayor, I can''t get the idea out of my head for some reason¡­ but is there a chance I would be able to meet the siblings?" "Zeru and Ae, you mean? I''m afraid that''s a rather hard request." He said while stroking his chin. "We almost never visit them directly due to their disease. We do note that even though some people have interacted directly with them, none has developed symptoms. "But the possibility is still there, as such we generally steer clear from their house. But with that being said, I can lead you there, if that helps. May I know the reason you wish to meet them?" He asked. "Hm, it''s just that I have an ability that might be able to heal them. I''d like to try it out. It would feel really bad if we were having fun here while the duo were trapped in their home." Raven said as she truly meant it. That, and the fact that the boy, Zeru, was a soul weaver meant that his sister might be one too if they were blood rted. If there was a way for her to help her people, she''d be happy to. ''I have the title "Soul Weaver Princess" in my title anyway¡­'' "I''m afraid that is not possible," he said with a sad expression. "Many well known healers have tried, but none were able to seed. However, we can try. Follow me please I will lead you there." Raven wanted to call for Joey, but he and Noah were the strongest after her, from the people that were present. So she just let the group know she''s leaving for a bit before heading off. *** "What do you want?" A voice called out from a tall tree as the mayor, Raven, and Ka got closer to the siblings'' house. It was a rtivelyrge house, stationed on top of a hill that had a wonderful view down to thekes. Seeing that the siblings would be able to observe the festivalnterns from their own home made Raven happy. "Hello, Zeru, apologies for the intrusion." The mayor said with a quick bow. "These two youngdies have helped us a lottely and they wanted to meet you and your sister, if that''s alright." "Well it isn''t," Zeru answered coldly. "Now please leave." He said, already dismissing them. "Hm, but I may be able to offer some help. Wouldn''t you want to give healing yourself and your sister a chance?" Raven asked with a serious expression while slowly floating up to his position on the tree, with Ka by her side. Upon closer inspection, she could see his features for the first time. Zeru was rtively short and seemed really young, which only made the fact that he was an S ranker rather ironic. He had dark ck hair under the shade, but when exposed to the light, it would turn dark cyan. Right now, it was a mix of both since he was somewhat covered by the shades of the leaves while a portion of the sun rays still reached some areas. His eyes had a golden hue to them, but unlike Raven''s, they were closer to green than gold. "You all say that," he said with a disgusted expression. "But no one can heal us. Now please leave before I make you." He said while narrowing his eyes. Realising that he avoided ring his aura because of his sister, Raven had a sad smile on her face. "You won''t lose anything though, right? Let me give it a shot, would ya?" She asked. Not waiting for permission, she activated her True Sight and tried to observe the boy''s body. Whoosh!! Before she could even get a good read, Zeru threw a bunch that narrowly missed her face. "I won''t miss next time," he said again, gritting his teeth.. Dark cyan aura seemed to leak out of his body. "Leave, now!" Chapter 134 - Soul Evanescence Part 2 * Jim Yosef & Anna Yvette - Linked [NCS Release] * "Tch, I''m here to offer you some help and that''s how you repay me?" She clicked her tongue, annoyed. "Please let her help," Ka said in a soft voice. "She''s a soul weaver just like you and your sister. You don''t have to go through this on your own." Widening his eyes at the mention of his race, he realized that he hadpletely ignored the little girl. But this didn''t mean his mood got any better. "Now what?" He asked as his aura seemed to get more vtile and unstable. "Did you think that knowing my race would earn you more points? How much did you ask from the old man in exchange for having a failed attempt at healing my sister?" He seemed furious. "Do you think I''m new to this game?" He continued. "Every now and then, some idiotes here and pretends to be able to heal my sister, and let me tell you that one loses hope after a while. Now f*cking scram!" At that, his aura seemed to shake the air around him. "Tch, I asked for no payment, I''m merely doing what is best for my people," Raven said while gritting her teeth. His aura was anything but pleasant after all. "You might want to chill out for a bit, don''t you think? The old man can''t stand your aura, nor can your sister." Realising that his aura was subconsciously getting more violent, he clenched his fists really hard and tried his best to suppress his aura. Before he did that, he had obviously noticed the fact that a thin mana barrier was formed around the mayor and his own house where his sister was resting. ''Why is she acting like this?'' Zeru wondered. Normally, people would have left by now, but this girl insisted on helping him and his sister even though he was almost certain she would not be able to do anything. Realising that he had calmed down, Raven activated her True Sight once more. "I understand that this may feel ufortable, but please bear with me." Watching her eyes shine even brighter while rings of crimson materialised around her pupils made Zeru almost flench. "It is ufortable, and I haven''t given you permission to do so!" He was almost too angry at her disrespect since she has ignored his wishes. As of now, she was the only person that has ever disregarded his orders as if he was a nobody. "Shush! Don''t be a little weakling!" She said while gritting her teeth. After Ka''s evolution, her body seemed to be stronger than before, but the feeling of mana swirling in her eyes was still as unpleasant as it was before. Noticing the veins on the sides of her eyes pulse harshly while a stressed expression washed over her, Zeru seemed to subconsciously hold his aura from running amok. He felt that she was sincere¡­ After what seemed like an eternity of a staring contest, Raven allowed her eyes to rx while massaging them softly. "I should not have kept it active for this long," she muttered while slowlynding down from the top of the tree, with Ka helping her stand straight. "Are you alright?" Zeru found his mouth moving on its own. He had never cared about others, yet he felt the need to make sure the girl was doing ok. "Uhm, thank you, I''m doing just fine," Raven sighed. "But let me say this, you''re one strong idiot, huh?" "Eh?" Zeru seemed confused since he didn''t understand what she meant. "So it is what we expected it to be¡­" Ka nodded her head as soon as Raven shared her readings with her. "Uhm," Raven nodded. "Much simr to me when I had my urges, but for them to hold on for so long it means that they didn''t need souls in the same amounts I did, and/ or they are strong enough tost this long." "What are you talking about?" Zeru felt ufortable with two people talking about him as if he was nothing but an insignificant gust of wind. "Here, try this," Ravenpletely ignored him again and said, while passing him a tiny soul orb. In a sense, it was a couple of souls that were condensed together to form a "healthy" substance for soul weavers. ''They seem to be suffering from whatever I was suffering from, but in a substantially lower intensity. Otherwise, they would have already feasted upon the city, if not the whole province.'' she sighed as Ka nodded her head. ''Are you sure it''s wise to give them souls though? What if that encourages the development of whatever they have? Didn''t that happen to you?'' Ka asked. ''No, you could say I''m a special case I guess. Unlike them, my body requested souls and as a matter of fact, my mana core seems to be built around consuming souls. ''For example, did you ever think back as to why I have evolved from a D ranker to a C+ ranker during the portal incident, which would have normally taken people ages to do? ''What had actually happened was that my mana core was exposed to souls for the first time, which then consumed all of them and evolved quickly. It wasn''t the only reason for sure, but it was a necessary condition. ''After all, I have destroyed and absorbed the power of ten thousand souls at the time.'' Raven sighed while Ka tried to remember the incident from Raven and her own memories. While that incident exined her evolution, it didn''t exin the strangely high amount of souls she had. ''But that''s a problem for another day¡­'' ''The siblings'' mana cores, on the other hand, or at least Zeru''s since I haven''t checked his sister''s yet, did not seem to be affected when presented with souls. ''It is akin to them not knowing what their bodies require. I''m not sure how that works but we''ll figure it out.'' she finished and looked at Zeru who was still holding the purple orb in his hand without consuming it. "Dude, eat it!" Raven said while massaging her nose bridge. "You''ve been staring at it for a while now, don''t you think?" "Actually, ahem, Raven, when we talk together," Ka was hinting at their talk through their mind link. "Time in the real world slows down substantially. After the recent evolution, the ratio is so great that you could say we can stop time now." "Oh, well isn''t that convenient, haha," sheughed while Zeru seemed to get only more confused by every passing second. "What is this?" He asked while looking at the soft orb in his hand. "It is food¡­ eat it!" Raven said again. "I''ll exinter, you won''t be hurt I promise- um, I hope¡­ I want to believe so?" Raven wasn''t in fact sure since she wasn''t an expert. But she had a n B anyway so she didn''t care much. "You don''t sound confident much in-" ""EAT IT!!!"" Both Raven and Ka yelled at the same time that Zeru, with his fatigue and the stress clouding his mind, obeyed almost instantly, swallowing the orb quickly. Activating her True Sight again, Raven watched as his mana core absorbed the bundle of souls while distributing the energy collected into the whole body, bncing the mana fluctuations. Zeru was confused but, for the first time in a long while, he felt a little bit better. His headaches seemed to be slightly less painful and his aura seemed a little bit more stable. It was easier to rx now that he didn''t need to actively suppress his aura all the time. Normally, he wouldn''t even be able to sleep fully without keeping part of his consciousness awake to make sure he doesn''t destroy the city. "What did you do?" He asked confused and thankful at the same time. "Hehe, so it did work!" Raven said excitedly. "How do you feel?" "I feel¡­ better?" He asked, almost confused himself. He hadn''t expected that a random girl woulde and offer him a strange orb that worked as a medication for his incurable disease. "Not that, I am aware you''re feeling better," Raven face-palmed. "What I meant is that do you feel that you need more of these orbs? Um, say like any kind of addiction?" ''You are just so subtle, aren''t you?'' Tu asked, not even trying to hide hisugh. ''Shush you! You''re not even helping.'' ''I mean, young Kay is helping you, no?'' ''Hm, fair enough¡­ you could give us some insight though.'' ''Well, what I can say is that the sister will require a bit more than that, plus, her case is more sensitive, so be careful.'' Tu warned and Raven nodded. "No," Zeru shook his head. "I don''t need any more, I''m ok! But please, can you please help my sister? She has been getting exponentially worsetely. Please, I beg of you, I''ll do whatever you want me to¡­" the previously strong, edgy, and collected Zeru seemed to be on the verge of breaking down. "My sister needs you, please!" Recovering from her shock, Raven shook her head and helped Zeru to stand up, not realising when he had fallen to his knees in the first ce. "Of course, I''m here to help her too," she smiled. Zeru could not help but let go of some of the tears he''s been holding for an awfully long time. Going into the house, Raven found an unconscious girlying in bed with sweat rolling down her forehead. "Ae!" Zeru yelled while checking on his sister. It wasn''t weird that she had fever, but it was weird that her skin was so pale the way it was.. In a way, she almost resembled a ghost. Chapter 135 - Soul Evanescence Part 3 * Aero Chord - Shadows (feat. Nevve) [Monstercat Release] * "Ae!" Zeru yelled while checking on his sister. It wasn''t weird that she had fever, but it was weird that her skin was so pale. Her skin would usually be a hint of blushing pink whenever she had fever. But now, she almost resembled a ghost. Her hair was a bright pink that made her look almost too angelic. Seeing her in this state gave Raven an ominous feeling. It was simr to the time she had almost lost Maya and Maria. Just thinking about it made her aura swirl violently inside her body while her expression started to turn ice cold. Unbeknownst to her, it was her mind''s way of protecting itself; it just shuts down her emotions'' pathways and bes as emotional as a robot. "Raven!" Ka shook her out of her trance instantly to avoid any disasters. Shaking her head, Raven focused back on the task. "Out of the way, please, I promise I''ll do my best to help her" Raven tapped Zeru on the shoulder. Nodding his head, he quickly moved away, giving space for the two girls to get closer. Choosing not to activate her True Sight, Raven was already determined to go to n B anyway. Ka didn''t even need Raven to tell her what to do as it was rather clear in her eyes. Getting closer to Raven, she held her hand while touching Ae''s overly warm forehead. While she was like that, her eyes focused on the unconscious girl as purple mana started to swirl within. Silver circuits of strangely sparkling mana started to appear around her too. [Admin is requesting a full activation of the blessing: Avavia''s Affection. [... [Blessing''s Will has provided consent. [Waiting for Pilot''s approval. Does the Pilot give permission?] "I give my permission, activite the blessing and heal her core, please!" She said while closing her eyes and feeling the warm motherly energy wrap around her and fill the room to the brim. Bright azure aura enveloped the three girls before fully being transferred to Ae''s unmoving body. Zeru was shivering while hugging himself in fear of losing his sister, his only family. However, as soon as he felt the azure energy in the room, his body and mind seemed to fully rx. "What is this?" He muttered to himself. It was simr to the feeling he had when he had consumed the purple orb, yet, this time it felt way stronger. He was still confused as he had almost forgotten what true rxation was. Feeling a strong urge to fall asleep, he fought against it. "I have to make sure my sister is alright¡­" he said, struggling to keep his eyes open. Approaching his sister from the other side of the bed, he noticed a thinyer of azure energy coating her skin. The fever seemed to instantly disappear as Ae''s pale face started to turn healthy pink. Opening her eyes, her bright green pupils seemed to struggle in order to keep up with the radiance in the room. However, it only took a moment or two for her to adjust. "Zeru?" She said weakly in response to her brother hugging her tightly. It took her a moment to realize that he was burying his head by her side while warm tears reached her skin. "Are you crying?" She asked, almost in disbelief. She didn''t realize what was going on yet, but for some reason she felt like she was breathing clean air for the first time a long while. Looking around, she found herself looking at two strangers that were smiling at her. One had a strained look on her face while two rings of crimson surrounded her golden pupils. Under her gaze, Ae felt like she was almost naked. It made her feel extremely ufortable. "Hello?" She asked, almost panicking since she wasn''t expecting to find two strangers looking at her when she wakes up. ""Hi!"" Raven greeted while disregarding her True Sight, and Ka followed suit with a wave. "Sorry for the intrusion," Raven said with a smile. "We''ll leave you together for now, I''m pretty sure you two could use some rest. See you tonight at the festival!" "Huh?" Ae couldn''t help but mutter while watching the two girls leave and close the door behind them. "Are you mocking me?" She said in confusion. Not only did she never see that girl, but now she was also making fun of her because of her disability. "I can''t really go the festival you-" But it suddenly clicked in her mind. "Wait¡­" she said while trying to sit up in her bed. "This feels¡­ so much easier¡­" To say she was confused would be an understatement, and it didn''t help that Zeru hadn''t said anything so far. "Zeru, you''re making me worry over nothing¡­ right? Please tell me, are you alright?" However, Zeru didn''t answer her. "Zeru?!!" She almost yelled, scared that the strangers had done something to her little brothers. "I''ll kill you!!" She yelled as her aura red in the room menacingly. "How dare you hurt my brother!!?" Standing up with the grace of a feather strolling in the wind, she helped Zeru up to the bed before checking up on him again. However, with his face clear for her to see, she could see him smile as if the weight of a thousands had been removed from the top of his shoulders. "Zeru?" She asked after making sure his heart was beating and lungs were breathing, all normally. "Why aren''t you answering me?" But then she realized that even her brother, just like any living being, required sleep. She has never seen her brother sleep for a very long time as he was always ready for whenever she needed anything. But now he was sleeping¡­ Looking at herself and forcing her worries shut, she became aware of the fact that she was now standing up, without any help. "!!!???" Her face was that of shock and surprise. "Was that dream a reality?" She asked herself, remembering that azure haired woman helping her up in her dream. "Hello, young soul weaver," the woman had said with her melodic voice that made her soul feel at ease. "A very precious person to my heart wants me to heal you, would you be so kind and allow me to help?" Although she was confused at the time, Ae wasn''t able to refuse her smile and extended hand. Grabbing her as if she was her lifeline, azure light seemed to shine brighter than anything she''s ever seen. ... "But dreams can''t be realities right?" She asked herself while still staring at her feet. Shaking her head and pping her face didn''t seem to change the fact that she, somehow, was able to walk easily on her own. Realising that this was probably the doing of the two girls that had just left her with smiles, warm tears ran down her cheeks while unable to hold her urge to jump from the happiness filing her core. *** In the Demon ne, another strange phenomena was in the making. In arge castle that was dyed royal blue, massive amounts of energy was being released into the atmosphere. This amount alone was enough to give life to various species of nts around the castle. However, what mostly seemed to grow was thorns, lots of them. "So that''s the collective power of her Demon Dukes¡­ interesting," Red smiled while looking at the castle from a safe distance. Suddenly, the light seemed to disappear as every ounce of energy that was released was now being absorbed back. "Ho~ so she''s finally truly awakened?" With that, Red flickered from his spot and appeared in front of the gates. The guards were two Archdemons with des by their sides. "Stop!" They both yelled while instantly drawing their weapons. "Don''t take one more step!" They warned Red, who was only smiling at them. "Well aren''t you two adorable? Kfufufufuf~" He asked with a menacingugh. The two Archdemons felt their bodies be sluggish while their trusted des seemed too heavy for them to be able to hold. Before they could even do anything, Red appeared between them as dark grey mist enveloped them. "Apologies, but I can''t leave any witnesses¡­" A sadisticugher was thest thing the two demons heard before sumbing to the grey mist that was devouring them alive. Flickering from one ce to the other, while disabling the various traps, Red reached the castle''s entrance. Some more demons ''went missing'' along his way. Finally reaching a set of massive blue gates in the underground part of the castle, Red strode in as if he owned the ce. Walking through, he found himself looking at about fifteen Demon Dukes that were helping a young girl in a fine blue dress out of a small room in the ground. Normally, the power of one Demon Duke was enough to rival an S ranker in the Human ne, but it wasn''t something Red concerned himself with. The girl in the beautiful dress seemed to radiate power that made it even hard for the powerful demons around her to breath. Waiting for them to finish, Red waved at the girl without alerting the other demons. Noticing his smile, she seemed to almost flinch while looking his way. The others noticed quickly and looked at the spot where he was standing just a second ago, but he was already gone. "Are you alright, your highness?" One of the demons asked in confusion. "Uhm," the girl answered while extending her hand forward. Thorns and petals of bright blue seemed to instantly grow out of the ground and form arge throne for her to sit on. "Please leave me alone for a while," she said with a kind smile, "I need to gather my thoughts." Understanding that it was all still hard for her to take in, the demons agreed and started leaving. But one in particr stopped in his tracks. "Would you like me to stay by your side, my mistress!" The demon asked with concern. "I appreciate the thought, but it''s alright, I just need some time alone." "Understood," the demon said with a bow. "We''ll be outside, please call for us should you require any assistance. We''ll go to the throne room once you''re feeling better." The demon said before leaving and closing the gates. And with that, the young girl in the blue dress was sitting alone on her made up throne. "Thank you for not killing them, ck," the girl said with a sincere smile. Chapter 136 - The Erem Tree Part 1 Feint - My Sunset "Thank you for not killing them, ck," the girl said with a sincere smile. "Why the sincere expression¡­ Blue?" Red asked with a smile of his own, yet it was anything but kind. "You couldn''t possibly be happy about seeing me now, are you? Kfufufu~" At the sound of his sadisticugher, the girl found her body freezing in the spot, not being able to move an inch. Suddenly, Red''s figure flickered before reappearing just in front of her face. "Don''t you ever try to y pretend in my face," he whispered into her ear while her whole body was shaking like a broken rm clock. "Never act as if you''re happy to see me when you are in fact not," he continued with a voice that was akin to the executioner''s axe about to cut her throat open, "am I making myself clear, lowly servant?" "Y- yes, master!" She said while standing up from her throne then kneeling on the ground in fear. "Kfufufu, I like your enthusiasm, but you have to make sure to lower your voice," he said with another sadistic smile, "you would not want me to cut down your strongest subordinates, now do you?" "N-no, master." She answered in a low voice as cold sweat ran down her back. "Good," he whispered with a smile that made her state even worse than before, "also, call me Red if you have to, ck will stay hidden for now." "Yes, master!" She answered, making sure to prevent her stuttering this time. "Andstly," Red said, "I want you to continue what your subordinates have started. Spread news about your return and inform me when you receive any new information from the others. Do you understand?" "Yes, master!" "Good!" And with that, he disappeared from his spot, leaving only dark mist behind. Moments after, the girl copsed on the floor coughing blood, unable to withstand the fear in her heart. ''Why did you reawaken me, stupid subordinates!?'' she cursed in her mind. **** "Rave, are you alright?" Ka asked in concern, remembering the cold look on Raven''s face when she saw the unconscious girl. "Oh, yea I''m good, hehe," Ravenughed. "I''m d we were able to help her." "Uhm," Ka nodded. She understood as much as Tu that Raven was deeply hurt, from everything she has been through. That was why she didn''t want to push her any further. ''I wish I could do more for you, Rave¡­'' "Um, so... Kay?" Raven called. "Aha?" "What do we do next?" She asked. "This was a temporary solution, right? How do we ensure they don''t end up having that condition again?" "Hm, well, right now they''re not in much danger. When I used the Blessing, I was pretty sure some energy was transferred to Zeru as well and not just his sister, meaning that both of them are more or less at the same stage now." Ka answered after a pause. "However," she continued. "It is true that their cores may weaken again in the future. Seeing how they didn''t react in a negative way towards the soul orb, maybe you should give them more? Or teach them how to create it?" Thinking about it for a moment, Raven shook her head. "The way I make the soul orbs is basically by using my special skill ''Soul Hunter''. It allows me to extract the souls from the victims and weave them into what could be defined as a condensed soul orb. "The issue is that it requires killing people, I''m not even sure if it works with any living beings, such as animals. The reason I am able to make soul orbs is also rted to the fact that I used to assassinate criminals as Wraith before. Maybe I should get back to it?" Raven questioned with a sad smile. She didn''t want to hurt people, even criminals. ''Funny I say that when, just a few days ago, I was ready to murder people because they looked at me the wrong way¡­'' she thought to herself, refering back to the time Tu had to stop her from releasing her massive aura in Rachel''s dad''s office. *Sigh* Seeing the sad expression on her face, Ka knew she had to interfere. "Um Rave, why don''t we ask Joey?" She asked as it was indeed a viable option. "True, he''s a soul weaver too!" She said while punching her fist into her open palm. "You''re a genius, Kay!" Raven''s mood suddenly made a 180 as she patted Ka on the head and started mana gliding towards where Joey should be. Just as she did, she stopped midair while looking back towards the siblings'' house. "Did we forget about the mayor?" She asked while tilting her head. "Haha no, I mean we did, but not really," Ka scratched her cheek, "he had actually left shortly after we were able to deal with Zeru. I guess he figured that he can''t help and left." "Hm, I see." And with that, the two made their way back to the festival site. *** "Soul orbs?" Joey asked confused after hearing what Raven had to say. "I''m sorry but I''m not sure what that is¡­" "What?" Raven blinked a couple of times, questioning whether he was joking or genuinely didn''t know. "You''ve never seen something like this?" Raven asked while creating a small purple orb that rested in her open palm. "Oh you mean the Erembourcian fruit? Joey asked with a smile, "to be honest I forgot what it''s called in our tongue, but it''s a rare fruit that was only present in some ces in Erembourc¡­ before it was destroyed that is. How did you get one?" "Wait, you''ve only seen this on the soul weavers''- oh¡­" suddenly, an image of a purple orb that resembled the one in her hand shed in her mind. "I know the trees you''re talking about¡­" Raven muttered while recalling the crystal like tree she saw in her trial, back when she was in the cave, during the first portal incident. At that time, she was exposed to her feminine or rather true self for the first time. In addition, she had gained the blessing that is currently preventing her from bing a mindless beast: Avavia''s Affection. Forcing herself to remember more, she could tell that the tree itself looked like a tree that''s been under so much pressure that it was enough to turn it into fossilised diamond. In addition, it had no leaves, only purple fruits. The fruits looked more or less like purple plums, or the orb in her hand now. "So, Joey," she looked at him with a serious expression. "When was thest time you consumed one of these?" She asked curiously. "Um, probably back when I was young, on Erembourc," he said thinking back to his childhood. "The thing about this fruit is that it''s reserved for the royal family, meaning that even nobles won''t get a chance of tasting it." Joey scratched the back of his head. "I remember that you once let me share one with you," he thought back. "But usually, if someone is caught eating them without permission from the king or one of his subordinates, there would be some terrible consequences." "But this doesn''t make any sense¡­" Raven was puzzled. ''So only some soul weavers require it while others don''t? Why does my body require souls?'' "Joey, what makes me, or any of the royal family members, more special than other soul weavers?" She asked. "Well, you''re from the Shadow n, or the Royals. If I remember correctly, your n had the ability to manipte mana and auras through shadows. "This may seem boring, but I''ve heard that the king or your dad, lord Marlock, had the ability to summon a dragon from his shadow. Needless to say, he was the most powerful soul weaver on the, that''s why-" "Let me take it from here, young soul weaver," Tu interrupted as crimson mana started to condense itself near Raven, forming his body. "Oh Tu, you''ve fought against my dad, correct?" Raven asked while clenching her fists. She had some very mixed feelings about her parents and she didn''t want to make any judgements before meeting them in person, if they were still alive that is. "That is correct indeed," he nodded. "It''s been a long time ago, but the memory is still fresh in my mind¡­" he said with a sigh. For someone as strong as he was to lose a fight was pretty rare if not near impossible, yet he did lose against her father. So it was only natural he''d still remember. "At the time, your father was d in a heavy dark armour with no helmet on. If I was to differentiate between different armours, I''d say his own resembled that of a hybrid between a demon and a dragon yer armour. "Just the sadistic look on his face, paired with red crimson eyes looking down on me, made my instincts scream at me to run away. "To be fair, I did consider the possibility of just running, but I wanted to believe that a soul weaver had no chance of winning against me, one of the monarchs. "What is still really fresh in my mind from that encounter, is the dark energy that radiated from him. It was as if my soul was being kidnapped before the fight had even begun¡­ "Anyhow, I don''t want to go into details," he said while shaking his head, noticing Raven''s expression. "But what I can tell you with a hundred percent certainty, is that you and him both use mana control as your main skill. "In addition, do you remember the way Zeru fought against the giants?" He asked. "He used mana control to condense his energy into spears!" Raven''s eyes widened in realization. Chapter 137 - The Erem Tree Part 2 * Jim Yosef - Eclipse [NCS Release] * "Do you remember the way Zeru fought against the giants?" Tu asked Raven. "He used mana control to condense his energy into spears!" Raven''s eyes widened in realization. ''Wait so does that mean that mana control in general requires such a thing as constant supply of souls?'' she wondered in her mind. "Your highn- um, Raven," Joey corrected himself, "do you mean that there''s someone else with powers that are identical to yours?" "I wouldn''t go as far as to say identical," Raven shook her head. "But, he did appear to use mana control, in one way or the other, which means we share the same origin of powers." "That simply does not make any sense," Joey shook his head this time. "Unless, whoever that is, is in fact a part of the Shadow n, which means he''s your rtive¡­" At that, Raven''s eyes widened. ''There is no way, right?'' There were many questions roaming around, in her head, but she didn''t know which one to ask first. "I''ll guess I''ll ask himter," Raven tried to focus back on her main task. "For now, I need to try and build that tree." Hearing that, Joey couldn''t help but tilt his head in question, "you''re building the tree? The same tree we were just saying was so rare that only royalties could taste on Erembourc?" "Uhm, pretty much," Raven smiled. "How will you do that?" "We''ll figure it out, don''t worry about it hehe," Ka chuckled while hugging Raven''s arm. *** "Adam, have you sent out the requests yet?" Scott, the Deputy General, asked his assistant. "Yes, we should receive the responses soon," Adam said. Currently, they were trying to contact other EDA officials around the globe in order to organise the Elite ss. The idea behind it was that they needed a group of young rankers that have the ability to grow up and be the next generation of elites. As of now, only a handful of officials knew the reason behind Scott''s request. But those few had made sure to encourage the rest to ept. The ss is intended to have rankers from around the globe, not just Canada, as they intended to gather the best of the best. "Deputy General?" Adam called. "Adam?" "Do you think it would be wise to include that girl in the mix? From what I can see, the strongest young ranker we have on the list is ranked at A++ "Meanwhile, that girl is beyond SS rank, to be able to defeat you¡­" Adam thought back to the incident while clenching his fists. During the encounter, he was nothing but useless. All he could do was run away. "Adam," Scott said while tapping him on the shoulder, "I can''t tell you what happened that day, but you have to trust me when I say that the girl isn''t such a bad person. "And although she did win that battle, it¡­ it wasn''t by her own strength¡­ I can''t tell you more than that, but the takeaway message is that she is safe to enter the Elite ss. "In fact, we need her with us. The dangers that are approaching us can''t be underestimated." He finished. "While we old rankers may be able to hold our own in the uing fight, many are expected to die." *Sigh* "The goal of the Elite ss is not to fight that battle for us, but rather to take our spot once we''re gone¡­" he sighed. "I understand," Adam said while looking down. He seemed to be drowning in his own thoughts. "Will the general be here for that?" "Uhm, hopefully," Scott nodded. "She''s been informed at least, and we have to trust that she''ll be able to dy the danger, or be here in time. "But even so, we know it''ll take a while, so we do have some breathing space." Scott chuckled. "As of now, we have roughly four months¡­" *** "Hm, something does not add up, huh?" Raven muttered while staring at the purple orb in her hand. "So, we''re looking for a way to extract the power of the soul, and make it so that it regenerates on its own¡­" Ka muttered in turn. They have spent about two hours now just staring at each other. They needed to create something they''ve never seen. Furthermore, what they were nning to create was something akin to a new source of energy, in a sense, which made it all a lot harder. "Hm¡­ maybe we''re taking the wrong approach," Raven muttered while staring at the crowd in the distance. People were still working hard to recreate the stalls and set up the stages that were destroyed just a few hours ago. "We shouldn''t be trying to recreate something we don''t have much experience in," she said. "What we should be doing is creating our own from scratch." "But that doesn''t change the fact that we have no clue how to actually perform that task, right?" Ka raised her eyebrows. "On the contrary," Raven smiled. "I created this soul orb, remember?" "Hm, interesting, I like where that''s going," Ka teased. "Go on." "You''re such a kid!" Raven forced a smile since Ka seemed as though she had already given up and left everything in her hands. "Well, I mean¡­" "Ok, shush, watch me," Raven said before closing her eyes. ''The way my soul weaving ability works is by extracting the soul through the shadow of a living being. ''But does it have to be a living being? And does it have to be through the shadow? What if I inject a soul into an object and give it the mana to grow? Probably not a good idea¡­ ''Ok what makes up a soul?'' thinking about it, she opened her eyes and used True Sight on the purple orb. Strangely enough, or maybe not as strange, the orb didn''t seem to give away any secrets under her True Sight. *Sigh* "Wait!" Suddenly, an idea shed in Raven''s mind. ''How did I not think about that?'' "Um, we''re waiting¡­" Ka raised her eyebrows. "Ok hear me out," Raven smiled. "What if the tree wasn''t a way to create souls, but rather extract them? "We''ve learned that humans have been living on Earth for a couple of billions of years, no? "Meaning the soil itself should be soaked with souls. Well, not literally, but you know what I mean, right?" She asked Ka. "I actually think I do," Ka said, "but are you saying that you''re willing to use the souls of people that lived here before? Isn''t that a bit immoral" "Well, killing is immoral too," she shrugged her shoulders. "You have to think about it this way, we either go hunting for souls by killing people, or by using the souls of those who have already passed away. "In addition, I doubt we''ll be able to find souls that are intact after this long, but what we''re counting on is that each one has at least left something for us to collect. "The condensed energy from a group should be enough for one soul orb, or something simr at least " "So wait," Ka interrupted while shaking her head, "we need something to gather the soul remains, while condensing them to absorbable orbs? Doesn''t that make you an Earthworm?" Looking at her with raised eyebrows, Raven wasn''t happy. "I''ll ignore that for now, but I''ll remember it when the timees¡­" she smiled menacingly. "Anyhow, let''s start¡­" with that, mana started erupting from Raven''s body. ''I think I now understand what I saw that time,'' Tu muttered to himself, remembering his visit to Erembourc. During that time, many people were just sitting in the clearing in front of the big castle''s gates as if waiting for their deaths, or already dead. ''They used living people to create an area ofrge soul concentrations¡­ is that it?'' He wondered to himself. ''I wonder if that was solely Raven''s dad''s doing¡­ ''I really hope she doesn''t end up being like him. But, from her actions, I want to believe that she''s different than what he resembles.'' he smiled while looking at her "Alright," Raven took a deep breath while stacking one skill upon the other. "Ka-" "On it!" Ka instantly said while holding Raven''s hand. The two connected their thoughts and started working together in absolute sync. It took them about an hour or so, but at the end of it, they had a crystalized purple tree with silver circuits running through its bare branches. The structure itself was a mix of different types of mana. The most dominant was the one belonging to Ka''s Ultimate+ skill: Ex Machina: Cyber Creation. This skill allowed her to convert mana into matter. So even though it might appear to others as though she had created something out of nothing, in fact, she was using mana as an input. "Do you think this would work?" Raven asked while panting on the floor with her back resting against a tree near the edge of the forest. They had chosen this spot since it was rtively hidden from ne sight as well as had easy ess for when Zeru and Ae might need it. "I''m not sure¡­" Ka had the same expression. "But it''s the best we got so far. "The tree should be able to support itself by absorbing some of the avable world energy, just like normal nts use oxygen and carbon dioxide. "Also, since it has a model of what it needs to gather, it should be an easy task to achieve it, with the help of both of our skills. "Yours gives it the ability to gather soul matter and condens it into soul orbs, while mine is able to guide it." "Uhm, I didn''t expect your skill to have that function. But I guess Ultimate+ skills are indeed special." Raven said since she has just learned that Ka''s skill is able to insert a function, simr to a simple system, into any device she creates. In a way, it means that anything she creates can function, on its own, as aputer with an end goal. "Hehe, it''s all thanks to you!" Ka chuckled happily. "Alright, so what do you want to name it?" "Call it? I mean it might not even work as intended¡­" "Still though," Ka shrugged. "We worked hard to get it this far, no?" "Hm, I guess¡­ well, if anything, I''d go with um, Erembourc Tree, or actually scratch that, I''ll go with The Erem Tree," she smiled. "What do you think?" "Has a good ring to it haha, sure let''s go with the Erem Tree!" With a smile, Ka rested her head on Raven''sp and closed her eyes. "You must be so tired huh?" "Uhm," Ka muttered since she still had these sudden episodes of fatigue as she wasn''t used to having her body out for so long yet. But she wanted to practice. So instead of going back into Raven''s mind space, she chose to sleep on herp. "Well, we can take a quick nap," Raven said while massaging Ka''s head softly.. After a while, she closed her eyes too. Chapter 138 - Water Lantern Festival Part 1 * Ahem¡­ so for the song today, let me say it''s a bit of a weird one, like more than usual, but there you go: "Coffin Dance Chinese Version Chinese Traditional Instrument Band Astronomia Mashup By OctoEa" * "Mhn," waking up with a confused expression, Zeru realized he was sleeping in his sister''s bed, and covered in some warm nkets. "Huh?" Looking around, he didn''t find his sister. Blinking twice in rapid session, he jumped out of the bed and soared through the door. He was still half asleep that he forgot to even call for her. But that didn''t really matter as he was able to find her the moment he exited the house. "Ae¡­" he muttered in relief at her sight. It took him a second to realize that she had her eyes closed. She was sitting in the middle of the small garden they had at the front of their house. Floating with her fists punched against each other and her legs crossed, countless tiny droplets of water were circting around her, as ifs orbiting their sun. "You look beautiful!" Zeru''s mouth moved on its own, revealing his true feelings and weakness for once. Ae was the most precious person in his life and nothing could ever change that. Yet, he''d almost never told her that into her face. He had always forced himself to be the protective brother in order to keep her safe. Theck of sleep and the disease that was assaulting his soul didn''t leave him the luxury of having a normal conversation with his sister. Especially when she was sick herself. As a teenager, Zeru never had the time to act like people his age or have his own time where he does what he likes¡­ that simply wasn''t a luxury he could afford. But now, after seeing the peaceful expression on Ae''s face, he knew that every second of suffering was worth it. He was able to keep his promise to her by keeping her safe until she was healed. Although he had wanted to be the one to find her cure, he didn''t mind the stranger''s help. Fighting against tears, still wanting to show that he was reliable to his sister, his expression hardened. "Right¡­ it wasn''t me who found her cure, but I''ll be her shield and keep her safe from any dangers, that is the least I could do for my precious older sister." He muttered quietly to himself. Deciding not to disturb Ae, he was about to stand guard while keeping his distance. But his ns were short lived as she had already felt his presence the moment he had woken up. "I heard that," Ae muttered, losing her focus and letting the water droplets fall to the green grass under her feet. "You''re so sweet." She said as tears started pouring down her eyes. Seeing her flicker from her spot, Zeru was surprised to feel her arms wrap around him. Squeezing his chest softly in a warm hug, she kissed his forehead. "There''s no need for you to be the protective brother now¡­" she said, trying to prevent further tears from rolling down her cheeks. "You''ve done that for a long time. Now it''s my time to step in and take my role as your older sister." She smiled while patting his head. Having his head patted, he closed his eyes while sinking into his shoulders. Even though he acted like he wasn''t a fan, he wanted nothing but be patted by his sister. It has always given a deep feeling of being invincible while in her presence. Hearing her talk and seeing her healthy appearance made him beyond thankful for that girl. "You know, you''re such a sweet younger brother, sacrificing your own health to provide me with the support I needed. I can''t thank you enough," Ae said while releasing Zeru from her warm embrace. Thetter felt his heart bing colder the moment she let go, yet he didn''t say a word. "Your sister is back now, which means you''re back to being my baby, do you understand?" She asked with a toothy grin that made Zeru''s heart long for another hug. "Uhm," he nodded quietly. "Am-" closing his eyes again as Ae''s hand reached for the top of his head again, he let out a soft smile. "Hehe, ok then, how about you go get dressed now?" She asked. "We have a festival to attend to, and someone to thank." *** "Ah, it''s so beautiful¡­" Ae muttered subconsciously. Herself and Zeru were currently standing at the edge of the clearing and about to enter the festival area. Even though the sun had almost set, the lights from the stalls and stages made everything as bright as the stars. Hearing the sound of the water droplets swirl softly in response to the yful wind currents swimming in the water of Lac des Deux Montagnes made her smile get even wider. She hadn''t attended the festival with her brother for a couple of years now, yet it felt so nostalgic and reminded her of years past. Slowly, people started to notice their presence, and soon, cheers of joy and happiness could be heard from the crowd. The two siblings were akin to heroes of the people for how kind and powerful they both were. It was a known fact that they both cared deeply for everyone in Laurentides. As such, the two were usually the ones standing against any danger that would threaten the people here. Even though Ae could not fight during the portal incident, Zeru was more than enough to make sure everyone was safe in their homes. Due to his efforts, Laurentides city had almost no injuries due to the recent disaster, which was a miracle if one was topare it to other cities. Spotting two girls with mixed purple hair colours and beautiful clothing, Ae grabbed her brother and started running towards them. "Hm, oh it''s you two, how are- eughk- time out! I need to breathe!" Raven was suddenly left panting for air as Ae hugged her tightly. While hugging her, she only patted Ka since she didn''t want to hurt her small frame. Zeru tried to keep on a strong expression but was left with red cheeks due to his sister''s embarrassing behaviour. "Thank you," Ae said, with appreciation rather apparent in her voice. "I¡­ I owe you, big time." "Hehe, it''s alright," Raven said the moment she was able to take in a good breath. "How are you two feeling?" Without waiting for their response, she activated her True Sight and peered into their eyes. Shivering slightly, at the feeling of being so exposed, the siblings tried to bear with it since they both knew the girl only meant good for them. "Hm, you''re more or less good, but here," she said, offering them a soul orb each. "Wait, this is¡­" knowing what it was, Ae was confused since the girl seemed as harmless as a dove. Yet, she didn''t judge their saviour. ""Thanks,"" they both said, feeling even more refreshed after consuming it. "Uhm, no worries," Rave smiled. "But I do have a couple of notes for you two," Raven said while massaging her eyes from thesting pain of her skill. "Even though you feel better now, you should try to use as little mana as possible as you''re still internally deprived of energy soul matter, which as soul weavers with mana control, you need both. "In addition, it may seem as though you have suddenly fully recovered and all, but that''s because of the blessings I used on you. You have to know though that your souls still need some time to make further adjustments. Is that clear?" She asked. "Uhm, thanks again," Ae nodded and Zeru followed after. Now that he was able to focus on her face, he realised how cute and charming she was. "Oh, also," Raven added. "I am assuming you both now know that these purple orbs are good for you?" She asked referring to the soul orbs. "Aye, we do now," Ae said with a nod. Ae knew what the orbs were, but she had never thought that she needed then to start with. ''She seems knowledgeable about us more than myself or Zeru, I need to ask her whenever I get a chance¡­'' "Sweet, then I''ll make sure to show you a ce where we''ve nted a tree that would generate them periodically," Raven said. "It''s important that you don''t consume more than you need, I''d say one orb every week or two should be enough. "Well, start with one orb weekly, starting the day we leave, because I want to make sure you''re alright before that. "And let me make this clear: consuming more than that may, and probably will, turn you into mindless monsters, is that clear?" ""Uhm,"" the siblings nodded while gulping loudly. "Hehe, ok I''m done, sorry if I acted a little bossy," Raven scratched the back of her head, "I just wanted to make sure to get my point across, that is all." "No it''s alright¡­ do you mind if I ask though, what''s your name?" Ae asked. "I would like to know the name of the person that has saved me and my brother from years of suffering¡­" Even though the girl seemed so young, she had the personality of a natural leader. A leader that cared for people that she didn''t even know... "The name is Raven, hehe, and this is Ka," Raven introduced herself with a smile, while Ka waved back at the mention of her name. Chapter 139 - Water Lantern Festival Part 2 * NEFFEX - Alive * "Raven and Ka," Ae repeated with a smile. "Well met. My name is Ae, and this is my younger brother Zeru." Now that she had time to observe them, Raven had to admit that the siblings were rather good looking. Whereas Zeru seemed to be the quiet and mysterious kid, well in public at least, Ae was the kind and talkative type. Even though they were siblings, their simrities didn''t extend much further than their shared bright green irises that almost seemed to shine gold, and themon features siblings would have together. However, even feature-wise, Ae didn''t seem to resemble her brother that much. Unlike his dark cyan hair, she had long light pink hair that seemed soft and plushy. Raven was tempted to touch it for herself to check how it feels, yet she decided to save herself the embarrassment. "Hehe, nice to finally meet you in an official manner," Raven chuckled while looking at Zeru who had a 180 change in behaviour around her now. ''Is he acting all shy because his sister is here now? Or because I technically healed them?'' Raven wondered. On the other hand, the kid had his own thoughts. ''Why is my heart racing?'' Zeru asked himself while trying to avoid looking at Raven in the eyes. To others, it seemed as though he was struggling to keep his feelings in front of his crush. Of course, Ka noticed that but didn''t say a word. Raven wasn''t into boys and she knew Zeru won''t cause her any trouble. If he decided to prove otherwise, then she''ll have a chance to test her new skill "Infusion". It was a win win scenario for her. And even though a part of her was already feeling sorry for Zeru''s ''to be'' broken heart, she still put a smile on her face, since Raven''s safety and well-being was beyond anyone else''s. "Are those your friends?" Ae asked while taking a look at Joey, Noah, and the team behind her. While most of them were focusing on the music ying and the beautiful scenery under the starry sky, Dan and Danny were trying to enjoy the rich buffet to the fullest. Of course, they had managed to convince Joey and Noah to join them which meant that they weren''tcking that much after all. "Uhm, they''re my buddies," Raven nodded with an embarrassed smile, "they helped restore the area to what it looked like before the monster attack so they''re trying to get the best out of it, hehe¡­" she forced a chuckle. "I can tell that you did well," Ae smiled sincerely. "Zeru told me that you guys managed to repel most of the monsters while making sure no one got hurt, that''s an achievement on its own!" "Yeah, while I didn''t make it in time to help, the rest did some pretty good job defending the locals." Raven smiled. "Wait, you didn''t help?" Ae asked confused. "Howe?" "Well, I was uh-" "She was busy saving my a*s and protecting the city from a bigger danger," Noah smiled with a mouth full of meat and potato egg rolls. "Blergh, close your mouth while eating, buddy¡­" Raven shivered as Noah only kept his smile until Joey flicked his ear, sending him jumping like a crazy ball. "I''m sorry, they''re quite embarrassing..." Raven apologized as she knew not only Ae and Zeru were watching, but also the locals. ''But Noah is a local, he''s technically an embarrassment for them, so don''t feel bad about it,'' Ka smiled as Raven adopted a simr expression in response. Ae noticed both smiling at the same time and could not help but look between in them in confusion. Since they were using their mind link, there was no way for her to know they weremunicating with each other. "Ah it''s totally fine hehe, Noah has been known to always cause trouble, I can''t believe how much he has grown up¡­" she shook her head with a smile. "But anyway, what did he mean by protecting him and the city from a greater danger?" "Well, you see¡­" ¡­ Telling her most of what had happened, excluding Red, Keith and Calcer''s roles, Raven looked at Ae with a smile. "Hm, an unstable portal in the forest?" Ae closed her eyes as she seemed lost in thoughts. Shaking her head, Raven tapped Ae on the shoulder. "I realize that you''re worried and all, but whatever you''re thinking about is not meant to be done now, during a festival, why don''t you enjoy the food and entertainment provided? "In a couple of minutes, we''ll be releasing thenterns so you better get ready. Take your brother and go have some fun. Plus, the people have missed you plenty," Raven said with a smile. Looking between Raven and her brother, then the festival stalls, Ae sighed while rxing her body. "You''re right, it''s been a long time since I was able togo out like this. I might as well have some fun, thanks for keeping me on track, hehe, see you around!" She said while grabbing Zeru''s hand and strolling away. As much as she wanted to spend more time with Raven, she knew that Zeru was the one deserving of her undivided attention. ''He has sacrificed so much for me, the least I can do is provide him with my care in return.'' she thought with a smile while stopping at a stall to try a game with him. "Hello, Ms. Ae and Mr. Zeru, I''m d to see you''re both doing good! I can''t believe you''re finally able to walk among us again," the old man in the stall cried in happiness, which made Ae smile awkwardly, yet she appreciated the concern. "We''re d we''re back too, Mr. Henry!" Ae smiled her famous smile that would make almost everyone look at her in awe. Seeing that, many people couldn''t resist to stare at her radiating happiness that washed away their worries. A brave handful approached and gave their gratitude for everything the siblings have done. Seeing that, many others joined and tried to invite the siblings to light thenterns with them. But Ae politely refused as she wanted to do that with Raven and her friends, to express her gratitude. "Alright folks, please give them some space and allow them to have some good time, ok?" Mr. Henry said while handing Ae and Zeru both a water gun. "Alright, Ms. Ae and Mr. Zeru, let''s hope you haven''t lost your touch, hahaha!" The old man, Mr. Henry, chuckled loudly before starting to cough. Patting him in the back, Ae made sure he was alright before turning to face her brother. "Hehe, alrighty then, bring it on, dear brother," she smiled at Zeru while pointing the water gun at the rubber ducks passing down herne. *** "Is everyone ready?" Ainsley called out to the group. Currently, everyone has already finished decorating and building their ownntern. Dan and Danny painted pictures of food and ser balls. The duo startedughing at something together after whispering in each other''s ears. Joey didn''t seem happy about what they did and decided to ruin their painting which made them sad. But their mood quickly got brighter the moment Joey pointed at Raven and then them, following that, he passed his index slowly in front of his neck with a ''smile''. Erika and Ainsley both had some beautiful portraits of each other. They had made a quick contest in which one would paint the other the best. The end result was rather impressive. Even though Ae had a pretty good painting of some trees and flowers, Zeru''s painting was almost professional, which had left many speechless. It seemed as though suddenly, his harsh attitude was longer an issue as many girls and even boys started to flock around him. He wasn''t happy in the slightest but seeing that Ae was having the fun of her life making fun of his embarrassment, he could notin one bit. Instead, he seemed to smile more often. Sitting with her elbow on Raven''sp, Ka drew a scene of herself and Raven holding hands while standing on top of a colourful hill full of beautiful flowers. Obviously, because of her background as a Cyber Valkyrie, the painting seemed almost surreal for how beautiful it was. Raven herself wasn''t the best painter and could only make some random spots and shapes of colours and hope for the best. Of course, the end result was anything but pretty¡­ Nheless, it did give Ka and the rest a goodugh so she didn''t care much about how bad it looked. Under each of their paintings, everyone made sure to include a small wish. Some wished for health, money, or family, and some wished for them all. "Aye, we''re finally done! We''re ready!" Ae replied to Ainsley with a thumbs up. Everyone else nodded while showing their own fully builtntern. Seeing that everyone was ready, Erika passed a match box between them so that they could light theirnterns. Only a few minutes passed until all of thenterns were lit. "Is everyone ready tounch thenterns?" The mayor asked everyone this time while standing in top of the stage. "Aye" "Yessir!" "Yep, done here!" Seeing that every group was finished, the mayor directed his gaze towards Ae and Zeru. "Would you please honour us withunching the first twonterns?" Smiling softly, Ae nodded, and so did Zeru. Walking to the edge of the water, they both smiled before entrusting the Lac des Deux Montagnes with theirnterns and letting go of them. Momentster, and the water was a mix of glowingnterns that made for a magical scene. "This is so beautiful¡­" Ka muttered while clutching Raven''s hand. "Uhm, it is," Raven nodded with a smile. She enjoyed being here for sure, but right now, she couldn''t be thankful enough that Ka was by her side. ''It is a fun activity and all, but I''m happier now that Ka is happy herself. This is her first time experiencing something like this and it''s just so wholesome!'' Raven was extremely happy. "Indeed, it''s so pretty!" Ae said while hugging Raven from behind and patting Ka on the head. If not for them, herself and her little brother would have never been lucky enough to attend this year''s Water Lantern Festival. Chapter 140 - Girls Night Out * Neffex - New Beginnings * - A Few hours earlier, in the morning after Raven''s fight in the forest - BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Hm, not bad, you hit all three targets while flying midair, that''s a lot of improvement!" Maria encouraged while pping her hands. "Hehe, thank you!" Maya replied with a smile while clutching the Wingman gun, that was created by Raven, with her two hands. While Maria was observing with huge noise cancelling headphones, Maya was floating midair with two pure white wings behind her. Although they weren''t beating, they were what enabled her to fly. In addition, while her wings were out, Maya gained the ability to analyse everything in her field of vision, meaning that every little detail, movement or contrast wasn''t hidden from her. She could spot almost anything, even a tiny fly moving across the distance. Right now, her limit was around fifty meters far. Beyond that, she''d slowly start losing the analysis skill. Furthermore, she found that she can use short distance teleportation. Meaning that she could focus on anything within her field of vision, within her fifty meters of influence, and teleport near its vicinity. While she hasn''t mastered this ability yet, she was pretty close. The two have been practicing together for a while now, behind Raven''s back. It wasn''t that they wanted to hide this from her, but more like surprise her when she bes good at it. ''I am aware that this would be withholding information from Raven, just like she did with us, hiding Ka and Tu¡­ but she deserves it,'' Maria shrugged her shoulders since a part of her wanted to punish Raven for that. "My turn now, hehe," she chuckled while watching Maya descened near her and fold her wings. "Ok, be careful, mom," Maya said with a smile while handing her the gun. Unlike Raven or Maya, she didn''t have any special skills even though her race was converted into soul weaver by Raven, a long time ago. But that didn''t prevent her from practicing with the gun. "Hehe, here I go!" Maria said while focusing on the moving targets. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Right now, they wanted to practice with three consecutive shots to get better at recoil and constant target movement. The Wingman gun didn''t need physical ammo, but rather, needed to be charged either automatically using the world energy, which would usually take some time. Or with one''s own mana which was usually the fastest way. Needless to say, the recoil was anything but easy to handle. The girls used the fact that you can switch the settings if recharge in order to allow each shot to charge for about 30% only. They didn''t want to destroy the basement after all. "Three targets evaporated out of three previously normal targets hehe," Maya chuckled. In terms of aim and recoil control, Maria surpassed Maya by far, thanks to her past self training with all weapon types, back when she used to work in the criminal world. ''Funny to think that my work as a criminal master-mind gave me a chance to meet Maya and Raven,'' she muttered to herself while feeling her mouth curving into a smile. Maya, on the other hand, had the ability to detect almost anything in her field of vision, as such, it was easier for her to catch up to Maria''s level of skill. In terms of final output, they both were equally good. *** "Haa... that was so much fun!" Maria said after finishing her shower. "Yeah today''s training was pretty good!" Maya smiled for a brief second before looking down and releasing a heavy sigh. "What''s wrong dear?" Maria asked, concern visible in her voice. "Oh, I''m just wondering whether Raven is having so much fun now, or if she misses us, you know¡­" "Hahaha," Maria chuckled. "Why not both? She''s probably having fun, but she also probably misses us, no?" "Uhm, true," Maya said with another sigh. "Can we call her?" Thinking about it for a second, Maria nodded. "I think she forgot her phone here, but I have Joey''s number, let''s give it a shot!" ¡­ "Hello, Joey?" Maria said with a frown. The phone has been ringing for a while now and she was starting to get worried. "Hello, aunt Maria? How are you do-" "Call me aunt Maria one more time¡­" Even though they were talking on the phone, Joey started sweating, just by imagining her ''smile''. "I''m sorry, it will never happen again! Maria!" "Pfft, anyway, where''s my lil Raven? Can I speak to her?" "Oh, actually she''s asleep, everyone is¡­" "What? It''s nine in the morning! Why are you still sleeping thiste in the morning? Were you upte? Why did you take so long to answer? You better pray she didn''t go to a club or I''ll-" "No, no, nothing like that, please calm down. What actually happened is that we''ve been fighting monsters all night yesterday." Joey said, trying to defend Raven and himself. Hearing that, Maria winced, feeling her heart stop for a second. "Fighting monsters? Is she injured?" "Haha of course not, she''s her highness, Raven, after all." He said, making both Maya and Maria feel a little bit more at ease. "She''s merely tired, like all of us, since we didn''t get much sleep, trying to stay alive and all, you know." He joked. "I see¡­ well if that''s the case, I''ll let you go back to sleep, but hey you better let her call us whenever she wakes up, ok?" "Yes, I''ll try my best to remember that-" "Oi, you... will remember!" "Yes, Ma''am!" "Hehe, ok bye!" "Take care!" Saying that, Joey instantly fell back into his bed. He was lucky he had avoided fighting the giantsst night, otherwise it would have been a mess. ''I have to remember to let her highness know that her mom¡­'' before he could finish his thought process, he fell asleep. Needless to say, this call was already forgotten the moment he closed his eyes. ¡­ "Hm, so what do we do now?" Maya sat on the couch and hugged her knees. "I really wanted to talk to her, I- really miss her¡­" Hugging her daughter, Maria smiled. "I miss her too, but hey we''re together, right? Axane will be awake soon, do you want to go shopping? "We can go to the mall, watch a movie, y some games, you know¡­ there''s a good bowling ce in the mall near us, we can have some fun while waiting for Raven. "You have to remember that she''s having fun too. I''m pretty sure she misses us a lot, but that doesn''t mean that she doesn''t enjoy her time, right?" "Hm¡­ ok for sure," Maya said. She didn''t didn''t feel like going out, but since Maria was trying to make her feel better, she didn''t want to disappoint her. *** "Hahahaha!!!" Maya suddenly burst outughing in front of everyone in the bowling ce, unable to hold her tears even. "Axane honey, this is a bowling ball, what are you trying to do?!" Maria was struggling really hard, trying to keep her posture and prevent herself fromughing, especially with Baby Rituxi within her arms. They''ve been ying for a while now, and both Maria and Maya had noticed Axane eyeing the bowling ball as if it was some sort of delicious food. Every time she held the ball, she would almost start drooling, before shaking her head and focusing back at throwing it in the right track. But apparently, after a while, even the collected Axane couldn''t hold her instincts for too long and tried munching at the hard bowling ball. Obviously, the result was that the ball won''t fit in her mouth, instead it made her teeth hurt. Realising that biting it wasn''t an option, and being as determined as she was, she decided to start by licking it. Maria obviously stopped her before doing so. "Please stop, you Can not-hahahaha!!" Not able to hold herself any longer, Maria burst outughing as well. Suddenly, focusing back at the world around her, Axane realized that everyone wasughing at her, including Maya and Maria, which made her look down with a sad expression. Looking at baby Rituxi, she saw her smile as well. But unlike the rest, her smile was pure and wasn''t sarcasticughter. Taking baby Rituxi into her arms, from Maria''s, she sat back in her chair without minding the others. "What the hell was that? AHAHAHA!!" Maya keptughing while banging at the wall behind her, unable to stop. "It looks like a really delicious type of fruit from Mian, ok?" Axane said with red cheeks. She didn''t care about people, buting from Maya and Maria, it lowered her confidence and self-esteem. Forcing herself to stopughing, Maria left them and went to wash her face. "Even you Maria?" Axane asked with tears in her eyes. "Raven is better than you two." Baby Rituxi seemed to hold her fingers, trying to let her know she was with her. "Thank you, Rituxi, you''re so kind, like Raven too," she smiled. "I''m sorry, I''ll stop!" Maya wiped away the tears and started to focus on keeping a straight face. "I''m sorry, ok? It was just so funny¡­" "Are you really sorry?" Axane asked while narrowing her eyes. "Uhm, yep I am." Maya said, trying to cover her mouth. Only after taking some deep breaths did she actually calm down. "Oi, keep your fingers to yourselves if you don''t want them cut and fed to the pigeons outside!" Maya threatened with a ''smile'' the people that were stillughing. "Thank you," Axane muttered. "Hi, I''m back, sorry," Maria apologised while handing something to Axane. "Here, this is a little something to let you know that I''m sorry, ok?" "What is this?" Axane narrowed her eyes at the ball in her hand. "Are you trying to make fun of me again? Humph, I like Raven better after all¡­" "Hahah no no, trust me," Maria said, "this is something that can actually be eaten. We don''t have whatever you have on your, but this should be really tasty. It''s called jawbreaker candy! "To make you feel better, I brought one for me and another for Maya too. And here, this is a cooling teething toy for baby Rituxi, took me a while to find, but there you go!"She smiled while handing each their respective item. Seeing that Maya had already started licking her own jawbreaker candy and no one wasughing at her, Axane decided to trust them. Trying it for herself, her eyes widened at the burst of sweet and sour vours in her mouth. "Hmmmmm¡­" closing her eyes and savouring the moment, Axane wished that Raven was with them so she can either have her own candy, or share one with her. "Can we buy one for Raven?" She asked Maria who was surprised at this request. "Ah, for sure," she smiled sincerely at Axane''sment.. "You''re so sweet, Axane," she said while giving her a quick hug. Chapter 141 - Clarity Part 1 * LP Lost On You - Elk Road Remix * In an abandoned warehouse in the port of Torinto city, an intense malevolent aura gued the air. "Why?" A feminine voice asked while looking at the young teen standing in front of her. "Why couldn''t you just let me have my rest?" Her voice was cold and emotionless, yet tears of dense dark blood ran down her eyes. "Who are you to take away the sole freedom this cruel world has left me with? Who are you to wake me up from my death?!!" She screamed thest words, yet the boy seemed just as phased as a machine could be; he was not phased in the slightest. The girl had short yet blindingly dark locks that contrasted strongly with her sickly white pale skin. "My name is Ian," Ian said nely, with his hands inside his hoodie''s pockets, his bright orange irises almost glowing in the darkness. "Why did I prevent your death you ask? The straight forward answer would be that I did not¡­" Looking at the kid in front of her, her rage started to reach high up past its limits. "You dare lie to my face?" At that, deadly dark energy erupted out of her body, corrupting and destroying literally anything and everything in its way. The warehouse wasn''t meant to withstand such foul aura, and as such, it was instantly turned into ck liquid that evaporated shortly after. Ian was unscathed. Darkness seemed to take shape and wrap itself around the girl''s previously naked body while lifting her up in the air. "My Lady, the kid tells the truth!" A stranger materialised near Ian in a kneeling position and spoke in a masculine voice that somehow managed to sound excited, yet calm. He was wearing an elegantly bright white suit with a matching fedora that had a ck stripe running around its center. The stranger didn''t seem to be affected by the deadly aura around him either. On the contrary, he looked ecstatic while staring at the girl that was now wrapped in a fine yet extraordinary dark dress. Looking down at the two of them, she swiped her hand horizontally across the empty atmosphere. The man flinched for a second but held his ground and didn''t attempt to defend himself. Ian just kept his hands in his pockets while looking at her with the same emotionless, and almost bored, expression. However, contradictory to what the man had thought, the girl didn''t mean for that disy to be an attack. After her swipe, darkness had condensed itself into a short dagger that floated in the air in front of her. Grabbing the dagger with both hands, the girl cut her own throat, or rather, attempted to. She didn''t even scream, nor was she afraid, she wanted to die, but s things don''t always go as nned. Instead of red blood, dark liquid sprayed out her exposed arteries, seconds before they were all glued back together by some unnatural phenomena. "Why won''t you leT ME DIE!!!?" she yelled while continuously stabbing herself. The heart, the head, the throat... nothing seemed to work. After stabbing herself for about ten minutes straight and realising she wouldn''t die, her aura became even denser and harder to withstand. The man was already panting in the ground while coughing blood. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME???!!" she yelled while condensing massive amounts of her malevolent aura into a sphere of utter darkness. Throwing the ball at the two in front of her, she watched as the sphere exploded and released massive amounts of ck liquid that seemed to corrode the ground itself. With the ball reaching the water of the port, it turned everything around it, including the sea water, into a ck muddy substance while screams of agony could be heard from within. Looking in front of her, the girl realised that the kid was left unscathed. No matter what she did, his emotionless expression didn''t seem to disappear or even change in the slightest. Furthermore, his clothes weren''t even touched by the ck liquid somehow. On the other hand, the man was screaming in agony as his skin was being corroded away, making space for the bones and internal organs to breath some uged air. However, momentster, and the man was back to normal. Except, he was panting and looked like he was about to faint. Yet, a smile was stered across his face. "Finally, to be able to witness your return, and for you to demonstrate your powers in front of me¡­ it is such a great honour, My Lady! I''ve been waiting for far so-" "Shut up!" The girl in the ck dress spoke and silence followed. Looking around, she realised that she had destroyed arge portion of the port while ships started to sink. Even more, some weird creatures climbed up the water and sunken ships and started making their way towards the shore. Watching their dark skinny limbs and scales, she understood that they have probably been the fish in the sea before. Kneeling in front of her, the dark creatures radiated with an aura that was simr to hers. Twisting her face in disgust, she snapped her finger and rendered them all back to still liquid. Descending down until she was just slightly above the dark puddles, she looked at the two in front of her. "What are you? And why can''t I die?" She now seemed rather calm,pared to her previous tantrum. "My Lady, you are the Empress of Darkness! You are the leader of this world! You are the absolute-" "Shut up-" she said while mming a mass of dark liquid down on his body that was instantly turned into a pile of bones. Momentster, dark matter started wrapping around the bones to create the flesh and white clothes again. The girl didn''t mind, but rather looked at the expressionless boy since he seemed more reliable. "What can you tell me?" She asked. "My name is Ian, as I have already mentioned, and I can tell you that we''ve met before¡­" he said while looking her in the eyes. "I can''t tell you much about who I am in particr, but I can tell you that I''m here to help you. "My mission was to wait for the archon to descend, in which after, I''ll be responsible for serving them." "And you think I am this archon? Is that why I can''t die? Who decided that I have to be the archon?" "At first, yes, I thought you were the archon," Ian said calmly, "but after witnessing this disy, I have to make some further observations in order to decide¡­" "Whatever." She simply said. "And when you say we met before¡­ was that long enough that I can''t remember?" "No. However, being forgetful of your past self and life isrgely rted to the fact that you have gone through some¡­. processes," Ian said, "for example, I could tell you thatst time we met, you gave me a strawberry ice-cream cone, but I''m pretty sure you can''t even remember such a random fact." Realising that she indeed didn''t remember, the girl dismissed the matter with a shrug. "What do you mean by some processes?" "You have killed yourself a couple of times now, but as you already know, you can''t die easily." He answered with the same expression. "Dying countless times is ought to affect your memory. Let me ask you this: do you remember why you want to die?" Hearing that, the girl shook her head. She didn''t know why. Even though she had such a strong urge to kill herself and abandoned her life, she didn''t remember the reason¡­ "It doesn''t matter," she said instead. "You just said that I can''t die easily, does that mean that there''s a way for me to die?" "Uhm," he simply nodded. "get the strongest being on this to kill you." "My Lady, your highness, please don''t die, we-" the man tried to speak but he was quickly turned into a puddle of dark liquid. "The strongest being? Who might that be?" She asked Ian. Not that she was curious, no. She just wanted to die, and it didn''t matter how. "I can''t tell you that-" "You little f*cker!" She yelled whileshing at him with her aura. But even though she had intended for her aura to prate his soul, nothing happened to him. Realising that she can''t scratch him, let alone kill him, she tried to y around it. "Let me ask you this, if I was not the said archon or whatever, would you kill me?" "No, I''d simply leave you alone," he said, which made the girl in ck grit her teeth. "However, if you weren''t the archon, I''d kill you if I was ordered to do so, by the real archon." "I see," she smiled. "So the secret is finding the real archon and going against them. Ok then, who''s the other archon candidate?" "I can''t tell you that either," he shook his head. "What can you tell me?" She asked while clenching her fists. Due to her rage, her violent aura managed to evaporate the man in white again. "I can tell you that the answers to all of your questions can be found once you learn of who you once were, back before you had killed yourself the very first time." "And let me guess, that''s something that I have to figure out on my own?" She asked with a snarl. But before he could answer, she continued, "or maybe, I can just destroy the? There''s ought to be someone that''s strong enough to kill me, don''t you think?" She smiled while her aura increased even further in intensity. Ian shrugged since he couldn''t care less. However, just as the girl was about to release her massive aura abruptly, a voice called out in her head. The voice was soft, affectionate, and tender, but most importantly, it was familiar: "Lizzy, please¡­ don''t lose control!" Chapter 142 - Clarity Part 2 * NEFFEX - Primal * Just as the girl was about to release her massive aura abruptly with the intent of destroying everything around her, a voice called out in her head. The voice was soft, affectionate, and tender, but most importantly, it was familiar: "Lizzy, please¡­ don''t lose control! Don''t lose yourself once again." "Who is this?!" The girl yelled, feeling her surroundings change into utter darkness. From within the blindness, a single figure shone brightly. "Please, don''t give up like I did before. You were given a chance¡­ a chance to correct my mistakes," the figure said with a smile. "Who are you? ANSWER ME!!" She yelled. At that, the figure started to get closer to her. With every step, the figure''s features started to get clearer. Eventually, the figure was close enough to touch her steel cold hands. "I was hoping you''d recognise my voice¡­ my name is Elizabeth. I''ve been called by other names too such as Lizzy or Liz by my brother, Sammy, and my lover, Liam. "Do you not recognise these names? Do you not recognise me? Do you not recognise yourself?" Lizzy asked with a pitiful smile. With every word she spoke, and with every question she asked, the dark dress covering the girl''s body became brighter and brighter. Eventually, it turned into sparkling particles of brilliant light and dissolved under Lizzy''s sincere smile that was clearing out the darkness all around them. Not giving a chance for the girl''s body to be fully exposed, Lizzy wrapped her arms around her. "You''re ok now, you''re alright¡­ everything will be alright¡­" Lizzy tried to reassure her other self while patting her head. Her body was extremely cold that she could observe her breath with every word she spoke. "Is that how you felt? When Sammy died?" The naked girl asked as the darkness surrounding her tried to wrap around her body again. "Is that what you said to yourself when Liam was killed in front of you? Did you say that everything was going to be alright?" Hearing that, Lizzy shook her head as warm tears leaked out. "No¡­ I was stupid enough to despair¡­ I gave up to the cruelty of this world-" "Exactly," the girl said, the darkness was slowly covering her again. "And look how that ended up for you, for me¡­ you have created a monster." A predatory smile appeared on the girl''s face as the blindingly dark dress was fully restored. Unable to withstand the corruption eruption from her, Lizzy backed away. "You created me, you brought me to life in order to kill myself over and over again, but to no avail. You''ve created a monster that can''t die. Is that what you wished for when you killed yourself?" The girl yelled. "No! Listen, don''t do that! I know what you''re feeling right now, trust me, I''ve been there¡­ we''ve been there¡­ we''re the same person, after all. Please don''t do that to us!" Lizzy yelled. "Don''t make the same mistake twice!" "Don''t do that to us????" The girl yelled, outraged. "And who the f*CK are you to tell me what to do? It was by your actions that we got to this point, that I was created to suffer in your stead!" Hatred and disgust clouded her eyes. Suddenly, whatever was left of the light emitted by Lizzy was extinguished, as darkness took its ce. "However, I am thankful to you for reminding me of your stupidity." The girl in the dress chuckled coldly. "Now, I have an objective in mind. "Now, I can take revenge on those who have destroyed your life, and forced you to create me. "Those who caused the death of your loved ones, and thus the death of you¡­ they shall suffer! "If I am the reincarnation of your mistakes, caused by their actions, then I must be the judge for these actions!" She said with a chilly smile, her eyes seemingly shining with a darkened light. "And I''ve already decided their sentence!" She chuckled as her surroundings dissolved into darkness. Everything had be clear in her mind as nothing was hidden anymore. ¡­ Opening her eyes, she realised that she was back near the port. The man in the white suit was crying in a kneeling position on the ground while the boy was just staring at her, looking almost bored. "Tch, you both are extremely annoying. You''re so disgusting to look at." She said with a snarl. The boy kept his expressionless face while the man tried to hug her legs, only to be kicked hard enough for his skull to shatter into a thousand pieces. Momentster, dark liquid assimted the missing pieces, only to show the man''s ecstatic expression. "Don''t you dare touch me again, am I making myself clear?" The girl in the dress said. "Ah, yes, My Lady, Ruler of the Heavens, Destroyer of the-" before he could finish, a small sphere of darkness exploded in front of his face, scattering his pieces everywhere. "Did you get an awakening?" The boy, Ian, ignored what was happening and asked calmly. "Is that what you call it? Sure." She answered passively while swirling around some dark energy in the air. "So I''m assuming you have an objective now? One that isn''t as mindless as killing yourself?" The girl wasn''t happy about the way the boy talked to her, but she knew she couldn''t harm him so she let it slide for now. But nheless, she chose to ignore him. Condensing the dark energy into a thick muddy liquid, she threw it on the ground and watched as it started to take form. Moments after, a giant shadowy figure was kneeling in front of her. "My Lady¡­" the figure managed to say in a deep voice. "My ve," she smiled. "Go to the city and wreak havoc! Find any beating heart, and make it stop!" She simply ordered. Without much of a word in return, the giant stood up and strolled into the city. Seeing the dark aura swirl around it made the girl happy. ''But this isn''t enough¡­'' Opening her palm and raising her hand up in the air, she gathered the surrounding dark energy and ck liquid together. The process took about a minute, but by the time she was done, a huge sphere of ckness was spinning in the air. With a flex of her hand, the sphere hit the ground. Out of it, an army of dark giants was born. "Destroy the city! Kill all that lives, and destroy all that stands, my ves!" She said with a cold expression. "I thought you said you had a different objective¡­" the boy tilted his head. "Ah, I do. Ignorant kid." She muttered while closing her eyes. Closing her eyes, she started releasing her aura. Manipting the dark energy, she created a ck mirror that started floating in the air, just in front of her. "O'' power of darkness, show me what my eyes had seen, make me feel what my heart had felt, and lead me to my adversary." Suddenly, the dark energy started swirling inside the mirror. Almost as if it was alive, it shot outwards quickly and swallowed the girl''s body. Short moments passed before the energy was absorbed by the girl''s dress. Although she was smiling coldly, tears of ck ran down her eyes. Those too, however, didn''tst for more than a few seconds before being absorbed. Looking around her in the distance, she clicked her tongue. ''They''re not close by, but they''re still on this,'' she muttered to herself. Inside the mirror, while she was exposed to her previous memories, she saw two types of auras attacking Liam, killing him on the spot. While she didn''t feel anything towards the fact that he and Sammy were dead, she knew that she had to punish the people responsible. That was the goal she had set for herself, after all. ''I can feel the faint presence of someone that is connected to one of the auras¡­'' her mouth curved into a predatory smile, seconds before sheunched herself into the direction of the city. A sonic explosion echoed in her wake. Buildings were shattered, grounds was cracked, and lives were stolen. *** "Raven!" Ae yelled in the girl''s ear while hugging her. "I can hear you alright, no need for yelling, you know," Ravenined. "Is that so? Have you been ignoring me for the past five minutes?" Ae tilted her head. "I was calling for you, poking your cheeks, and even rubbing your hair, but you just seemed so out of it¡­ Are you alright? "Is it the food? Do you want more? I can manage that!" She said with a smile. "Or is it the brightness of thenterns and the way the water reflects their light? I can dispose of them if they''re bothering you." "Haha, no it''s alright," Raven forced a smile before adopting a serious expression while clutching Ka''s hand. "it''s just that my heart is telling me that something isn''t right¡­" She said with a heavy sigh. "Uhm, I''ve noticed that you were staring at the distance for a while now, do you miss home?" Ka asked softly. "I guess so¡­" Raven smiled at Ka. "Well, to be fair, I miss my mom and Maya¡­ it feels as though I haven''t seen them in a long while, even though I''ve only been here for what, two days now?" She sighed. "Joey just told me that my mom had called in the morning, when I was asleep. When we tried to call her back now she didn''t answer¡­ I know it''s wrong, but I can''t help but worry¡­" "Hm I see, we can go back home if you want," Ka suggested. "There''s no use for us sitting here if you''re not enjoying yourself. "The whole trip would take about an hour going back and forth, considering you decided to fly at sonic speed both ways. You''d be here before-" "It''s alright," Raven interrupted her while patting her head. "This is your first time going out to a festival, or experiencing food like this, *sigh* I''ll visit home first thing tomorrow morning, but for now, let''s try to rx ok?" "Weren''t you the reason we''re having this conversation to start with?" Ka pouted and Raven chuckled. "How are you telling me to rx?" "You guys are so cute, yet so hard to understand¡­" Ae sighed while going to grab another pack of ice-cream. "Do you want anything, food, drinks, or toys?" She asked. "I''m good thank you," Raven smiled. "Hehe, sure I''ll take another ice-cream cone!" Ka chuckled as she has recently be a fan of ice-cream. "Ok, give me a second I''ll be back!" Ae waved at them. Looking into the distance again with eyes full of worry was Raven. ''Uhm, I''ll visit tomorrow first thing in the morning,'' she thought to herself while clenching her fists.. Something in her heart was burning hot in concern, and she didn''t know what to do about it. Chapter 143 - Fading Memories Part 1 * NEFFEX - Cold * With every breath she took, the image of the grim reaper''s grin became clearer and clearer in her mind. She could almost see him mocking her, making fun of her ignorance. With every passing second, she could feel the aura of death looming closer and closer to her soul. With every beat of her suffocating heart, she knew that she was about getting closer and closer to the sorrowful, yet, inevitable truth. ''Why did I not listen to my gut feeling? Why did I not listen to Kay? WHYYY?? I can''t let this happen again! I CAN''T!!!!'' Energy and heat erupted in the girl''s wake as a trail of gold glowed brightly behind her. Golden radiance shone furiously all around her, illuminating the dark atmosphere. Her crimson-purple hair fluttered behind her violently in the wind. Crossing the skies at top speed, she was like the thunder in a yet toe storm. She was strong and menacing... no sane creature dared stand in her way... Yet, no matter how fast she was¡­ no matter how fast the thunder was, in the end, it is always lightning that would strike first. And she was going up against lightning... *** * Skillet - Hero * "Ah~" Maria moaned gracefully while stretching her body under the starry sky. "That was some time well spent, won''t you say, youngdies?" "Yeah, this was so much fun!" Axane smiled while hugging baby Rituxi closer to her body. "Even dear Rituxi seems so refreshed!" "Hahaha, I can still see the image of you trying to munch on that bowling ball in my head," Maya chuckled while holding her waste. "I can''t wait to see Raven''s reaction when we tell her, ahaha!" "But you promised you won''t tell anyone! You said it''s our little secret!" Axane pouted. "We even made the pinky promise! Maria, please talk to her!" "Hahaha, I mean, don''t you want Raven to get a goodugh?" She asked with a smile. "I can almost guarantee that she''llugh at first, but then she''ll give you a good hug. "You know how Raven is, right? She won''t make fun of you like Maya did." Maria said with a chuckle. "Hey, youughed too," she tried to defend herself but s she was ignored. "Do you think we can fill her in on our little secret, no?" Maria asked. "Surely, you don''t want to exclude her?" "Hm, now that you bring it up this way¡­" Axane tilted her head and stared into the distance, in a thinking manner. "Hehe, I guess it''s not a bad idea after all." She chuckled happily. ''So easy¡­'' both Maya and Maria looked at each other, almost as if reading each other''s thoughts. "Well, anyhow, it''s kindate now," Maria said, looking at the starry sky above, then the luxurious watch on her wrist. "We should get going." "I''m pretty sure our ride should have been here by now though¡­" Maya said while looking around. "What''s the hold up?" "Let me check," Maria said while checking her phone. "There might be an ident somewhere, holding the traffic. After a few moments, Maria nodded to herself. "Yep, so apparently there was an ident near the port, hm-mhm, and some people are saying that a portal had opened there. "The traffic ispletely blocked downtown too, well that''s quite unfortunate¡­ *sigh* You girls wanna book it home?" "I mean, we''re kinda lucky we chose the mall that happens to be near the house," Maya said and the two nodded. "Also, we''re even luckier that the portal isn''t close to this area. Now that would have been messy!" She sighed. Without Raven, Joey, or Cami, their group was as good as dead. "Now that I think about it, I''m pretty sure that Jakol''s squad has their ship somewhere close to that port. Poor Jakol is always busy and now he has to deal with an efflux portal¡­" "Uhm, by the way, have you told him that you''re technically not human, and probably something simr to them? Meaning you''re most likely their queen?" Maria asked. "I mean, no¡­ Raven hasn''t given me the race measuring device thingy yet, so I didn''t even try it. For all I know, I could be a human with super powers, not that I care much anyway." Maya shrugged. "Plus, it doesn''t make any sense for me to be a queen of a whole race without remembering anything, don''t you think?" "True, I guess," Maria said with a nod. "Imagine if you are though, hehe, you''d be a decorator I''m pretty sure, hehehe!" "Hey, I''m not that bad, right?" Maya asked while looking around for someone to say no. But what she found was Maria shaking her head, Axane looking away from her, even whistling away as if trying to convey that she''s not paying attention, and even baby Rituxi had a knowing smirk on her face. "Oi, you traitor! I always feed you whenever Axane is busy, why would you take their side?" Maria cried at the injustice she was suffering from. "Are you serious? Do you guys think so little of me?" "Well, I don''t even care, humph!" She pouted and looked away. "I''ll ask Raven about it." "Hey, remember we can''t tell her yet-" As Maria was speaking, a sudden pressure and sense of dread washed over the group. Unable to hold herself, Maria cowered down and started puking on the ground from the intensity of the sinister aura. Axane watched in horror as blood leaked out of baby Rituxi''s ears, eyes, and nose. Trying her best, she fell on her knees and red her aura in an attempt to protect herself and the crying baby. Maya froze momentarily from the shock, before teleporting near Maria and touching her shoulder. Extending her hand towards Axane, she was about to teleport all of them away when a sonic explosion shook the ground underneath their feet, producing a mini earthquake. Everyone wasunched away in a random direction. A deafening explosion shattered the ss of the nearby buildings. The scene was something out of an apocalypse: no stable ground, smoke everywhere, people either running for their lives or bleeding to death. Suddenly, an entire building seemed to shatter into tiny pieces, disappearing from view, as a dark shadow passed through it. Although the huge building was visually gone, physics still yed its role. The tiny pieces acted as projectiles that seemed to have the power of an orbital cannon. The projectiles passed through other buildings, cars, people, and some even dug holes through the ground. A couple hit the group of three girls and one baby, even though there was a good distance between them and the building. Although Maya had tried to teleport in front of them and shield them with her wings, the projectiles were simply stronger and far faster than she could have ever imagined. Agonizing pain ran through her veins as she hit the ground instantly, blood sshed everywhere. Opening her eyes that she wasn''t aware she had closed, Maya realised that she was now missing an arm, a wing, and had a nasty deep wound in her shoulder. If it wasn''t for the adrenaline trying desperate to circte through her veins, she would not have been able to move from the pain. Looking around, she found Maria standing in front of her, shielding her with open arms, from the shadowy figure of a young girl. Taking a closer look, she realised that Maria was bleeding from her face due to her now missing eye. In addition, a deep cut ran from her bleeding eye socket and all the way to her ear and back of the head. Searching for Axane, Maya found her face covered in blood as silver mana shone in her eyes, which was a sign of her crying. Even though Axane looked like she was crying out loud, Maya could not hear anything at all. It took her a second to realize that she has gone deaf. Looking into Axane''s arms, she realised that she was holding the bloody unmoving body of baby Rituxi¡­ "It seems as though the two of you have spent so much time with our unknown culprit," the girl in the dark dress spoke with a chuckle while looking at Maya and Maria in particr. "I can see that these two are still new to your party, so I''ll be merciful... Oh wait, one is already gone." She smiled coldly at Axane. Unfortunately, Maya could only see her mouth moving and could only guess by reading her mouth what she was talking about. "What- do¡­ you want?" Maria managed to speak between heavy breaths. She was already feeling her legs giving up slowly. "Oh, I am only here in order to deliver the just judgement," the girl in the dress adopted a predatory smile that sent Maria down to her knees. "Please," she begged. "Leave them alone-" *heavy breaths* "please, they''re- still- so... young¡­" Maria was still unaware of Rituxi''s situation, or even the damage the two girls have suffered. "Oh, so would you like to die first?" The girl asked, dark energy swirling around her. "Uhm, if it¡­ means that- they can live¡­" she managed to say between sobs and cries of renewed pain. "Hehe, of course you would want to die first, it''s the easy way out." The girl chuckled. "To be fair, killing you swiftly would be the justice you deserve, bute on, where is the fun in that?" Approaching Maria who felt her life force being quickly diminished, the girl extended her hand towards her as she was nning on injecting some dark mana into her. It was an easy method of torture in the girl''s eyes, but what she hadn''t ounted for was the difference in power level. If one ounce of her dark energy manages to get into Maria''s system, thetter would instantly die. Just as she was about to touch Maria''s forehead in the intent of harming her, pure white energy radiated furiously in front of her as two wings were unfurled and expanded outwards, almost blinding her sight. Chapter 144 - Fading Memories Part 2 * Hero - Skillet * Just as she was about to touch Maria''s forehead in the intent of harming her, pure white energy radiated furiously in front of her as two wings were unfurled and expanded outwards, almost blinding her sight. "Hou~ interesting," the girl in the dark dress smiled coldly. Maya stood in front of her with a determined look on her face. Even though she was able to regenerate her wing, her arm was a lost cause, so all she could do was apply pressure to prevent the bleeding. Needless to say, that wasn''t going so well for her. "Don''t you darey your filthy hand on her," she struggled, but still managed to say to the girl''s face. "Rude," the girl in the dark dress said with a disgusted expression. Suddenly and without a warning, she flickered in space and reappeared in front of Maya as her hand closed in on her throat like a bear trap. Gasping for air, or trying to, Maya was left with burning lungs that were left with no air within. With every passing second, less and less blood reached her brain which caused her severe dizziness, among other things. Also, the fact that she was touching the source of such corrosive energy made her feel that her core was about to be extinguished. Trying to fight off against the ice cold grip proved useless as the power difference was just massive. "I see that you want to y," the girl muttered, her dark locks fluttering in the air as her matching iresis looked almost hollow. "Let''s y!" She said with a cold chuckle. Seeing her life sh before her eyes, Maya had only one wish in her mind. And that was for Raven to not have to face this creature resembling a young girl in front of her. "Please- leave her!" Maria yelled at the girl while standing up. Suddenly, a bright azure aura erupted out of her body, as it was trying to heal her. "First time is funny, the second time is just annoying!" The girl said with a disgusted expression on her face. "On your knees!" With a flex of her gloved hand, Maria''s knees were broken as she was forced down to the ground. Screaming in agony, Maria still didn''t give up. "Give me back my daughter!" She yelled. With so much blood and tears filling her eyes, it was almost impossible for her to see. Yet, she could clearly see and even feel Maria''s body twitching in pain. Suddenly, silver light shed across as a fist wasunched at the girl''s face. Smirking, she blocked it with a dark energy barrier. "I was going to let you go, you know?" She asked while looking at Axane with her mana ring violently around her. Her previously human form was shattered apart as her horns extended in size and skin turned silver blue. Her aura changed and so did her appearance. Instead of the formal clothes she was wearing before, a tight armour that looked as made of bones and metal was wrapped around her. Her previously kind silver eyes were now ring with hatred. "You killed my baby!!" She yelled while trying to deliver countless strikes. Even though Axane had put some considerable strength behind each hit, she was nowhere close to putting a scratch or a dent in the dark barrier. However, she didn''t give up. Baby Rituxi was the only memory she had left of her previous master, from Mian. Furthermore, she loved her with every ounce of her being. Seeing her tiny unmoving body was like a nightmareing true. Poor Axane could not take it. "You will pay for this!" She yelled while gathering even more energy behind each punch. "You will see- *sniff* I will tell Raven everything! "I will tell her how you harmed Maya and Maria. I''ll tell her how you destroyed the city¡­ *sniff* "I will tell her how you killed baby Rituxi! How¡­ how you prevented her from experiencing life!" With each passing second, and with every word she said, Axane could feel her anger grow and so did her powers. On the contrary the girl only smiled coldly. "Meh, you''re as useless as the rest, I''ll y with youter," saying that, the girl caught Axane''s arm and wrapped her fingers around it tightly. Pulling with ease, she managed to separate Axane''s arm from her body. Uncaring, thetter regenerated another arm while continuing with her unrelenting assault. "I will tell Raven!" She yelled, with her eyes glowing faint white. "Tch, I really wanted to keep you forter, but you''re just so loud and so annoying, die!" The girl was annoyed and didn''t want to y anymore. Onmand, a dark beam was shot out of her index, prating Axane''s forehead, and making her still. It only took a second for Axane to be rendered just another lifeless body in the destroyed streets. Watching her body fall, Maya''s trembling body stopped shaking as white energy red out of her eyes and surrounded her body. Letting go of her throat, subconsciously, the girl in the dark dress was surprised to see someone as fragile as her in possession of this exotic power. Pure whiteness covered the area as Maya''s energy tried to cleanse the corruption around and heal the injured. With a sh and a bang, Maya flickered in the air and kicked the girl in the head, or at least she tried. Blocking with her dark barrier, the girl was surprised to see it break as if it was some cheap ss. Clicking her tongue, she blocked with her gloved hand that was slightly pushed back. "This is slowly getting out of hand, I would have never expected you to have something that can harm me," the girl said with an expression that made it clear she wasn''t amused. "Let''s end this¡­ or I may actually keep you forter, if you can harm me, then you may be able to kill me, no? So many choices, but so little time..." Sighing, the girl''s dark energy erupted out of her body as countless tentacles of dark matter attacked Maya in the intent of trapping her for now. But before they could reach her, the blindingly white aura she emitted increased in intensity as massive wings were formed behind her. With only one beat of her wings, the dark energy was all scattered away. ¡­ Out in the distance Jakol, the fifth General of the Akash army, who was fighting against the countless shadow giants attacking the city felt the awakening of his queen. Widening his eyes in surprise, he ordered his second inmand to take control of the situation before disappearing from his spot. Chapter 145 - Fading Memories Part 3 * Resistance - Skillet * On the other side of the battlefield, Axth, the Mian S - EDA ranker, felt the presence of a high ranked entity deeper into the city. Calling for backup, he made sure to clear out the area he was responsible for, before flickering towards the bigger danger. ¡­ Sighing, the girl''s dark energy erupted out of her body as countless tentacles of dark energyshed at Maya with the intent of immobilising her. But before they could reach Maya, the blindingly white aura she was emitting increased in intensity as massive wings were formed behind her. With only one beat of her wings, the dark energy was all scattered away. "Having trouble, My Lady?" The man in the white suit flickered in front of the girl in the dark dress and kneeled down. He was watching since the start of the fight, and he was quite surprised to see someone with the power to stand against his mistress. "Shut up!" The girl yelled coldly at the moment her foot connected to the man''s face. The kick was strong enough to scatter the dark matter forming his head everywhere. She wasn''t happy that a weakling like him was offering her help. "Get out of my sight!" The man''s face instantly regenerated while backing away. "Isn''t she lovely?" He smiled with admiration towards the girl while returning back to his spot, away from the battlefield. Ian, who was standing besides him with his hands crossed,pletely ignored him and focused on the fight. However, not a second passed before his eyes darted towards the distance. He didn''t know what was happening, but he knew that his body was reacting in a weird way. ''My body is reacting to something that is approaching¡­'' Looking at Maya, the girl''s expression was that of anger, yet some hesitation was present. "You¡­" she clenched her fists. ''She might be able to kill me¡­ but my goal is no longer to die,'' the girl muttered to herself. ''My goal now is to deliver punishment and judge the culprits who killed Sammy and Liam!'' Making up her mind, she focused back on Maya who was now healing herself and Maria while, at the same, trying to transfer some energy into Axane''s body. With Maya''s new powers came new knowledge. She was now aware of things she had never known existed. As such, she was aware that unlike humans, Mians were not as fragile. An adult Malian has three souls that coexisted within a body. While this didn''t necessarily mean that not all three were injured within Axane''s body, it meant that there was a chance she could still be saved, and she wasn''t going to miss such a chance. ''Raven won''t forgive me if I let Axane die here¡­'' a gentle yet faint smile appeared on Maya''s face before ncing at the tiny bloody body that was resting on the ground near them. ''I am so sorry, poor Rituxi..." Not being an adult yet meant that baby Rituxi had only one soul, and that one had already¡­ A sudden aura burst interrupted Maya''s thoughts. "After the rudeness you disyed, and considering the fact that I don''t need you anymore," the girl spoke in a chilly voice sending shivers to those who heard, "You shall die in the most agonizing way!" While Maya didn''t hear her since she hasn''t healed her auditory system yet, she could guess what was happening. However, as of now, her main focus was healing her own vital organs, Maria''s, then Axane''s, in that order. Hearing wasn''t her priority yet. Preparing for the new encounter, she tried to push Maria behind away, but thetter shook her head. "We will fight together. We either both survive until Raven arrives, or we both die¡­" Unbeknownst to her, Maya couldn''t hear her, yet thetter smiled. Her aura and face spoke volumes. Within her vision, it was clear that Maria had somehow managed to use the aura Raven had stored within her, when she had saved her a long time ago. It was the same incident where she had turned her into a soul weaver in the process. Watching the calm azure aura surrounding her made Maya smile as it reminded her of Raven''s past: Draven. The kid that had saved her from Lady Luck''s clutch had bright white azure hair and matching eyes. ''He, or rather she, is an angel, and I can''t wait to see her smile after we beat this enemy¡­'' *Deep breath* Taking a deep breath, Maya smiled at Maria while ring her aura. Thetter did the same. "Finally done with your goodbyes?" The girl said as she appeared in front of Maya who only smiled. Snapping her finger, the girl was teleported away. Blinking twice and realizing that Maya was underestimating her, she grit her teeth in anger. Unbeknownst to her, Maya wasn''t underestimating her, but rather was doing all she could. She was still new to her powers and didn''t know what to do with them. But from her previous training, she was able to use her teleportation to avoid danger. "You dare make fun of me?!" The girl roared while releasing her full aura. "F*CK it, you all deserve to die!! This shall perish!!" Massive pressure suddenly came crashing down on Earth as if the looming shadow of death made its appearance to signal the end of time. Raising her hands up, the girl concentrated the power of her corrosive aura and created an enormous ball of dark energy that, strangely enough, seemed to have a heartbeat. With every beat, a wave of corruption would shake the ground and destroy whatever or kill whoever was in its way. Fighting off against the waves, Mayasted for about thirty seconds with Maria constantly healing her. After a few moments, the girl smiled as the ball was fully condensed into a small sword that seemed to radiate with the most sinister aura the world has ever encountered. Shaking in her torn clothes, Maria was terrified. More scared of her daughter getting even more hurt than anything else. ''I only hope that Raven is close by,'' she thought to herself. ''Just like always, she wille to the rescue. She always does that!'' she thought to herself, trying to stay awake against the deadly pressure. ''If Raven can''t win, then we''re all¡­'' Suddenly, Maya knocked her out of her trance. Touching her arm, she transferred her a quick message. ''Go grab Axane and baby Rituxi and get as far as possible! Now!'' Unlike Maria, Maya knew that one swing of that sword was enough to wipe the province off of the map, if not the country as a whole. Summoning whatever power she could muster and concentrating all of it into her wings, she knew that she had to sacrifice them, and probably herself, in order for whatever is left of her family to survive. ''I can at most block one swing. Raven, I''ll leave the rest for you to clean up¡­'' with a sigh, she nced towards the girl who was smiling sadistically then at Maria who now had both unmoving bodies in her arms. Seeing that her mom and Axane were about to leave the battlefield and possibly survive, Maya smiled. Chapter 146 - Fading Memories Part 4 * NEFFEX - Closer to Heaven * Seeing that her mom, and possibly Axane, were about to leave the battlefield and possibly survive, Maya smiled. However, what she didn''t notice was the cruel smile the girl in the dark dress has now adopted. "Do you think that you can run away now?" She muttered and looked towards Maria''s direction. "I believe that you wanted to die first¡­ well there you go!" And with that, she swung her sword. BOOOOOMMM-SSSSSS!! It all happened so fast. Just as she swung her sword, a massive shockwave shook the ground, sending many skyscrapers down. Many cracks and fissures were suddenly created in a sh. Then, deafening silence followed. Smiling coldly and with such cruelty that was not simply imaginable, the girl found herself staring at the bodies of her prey, or rather, what was left of them. In front of her were the bodies of three girls and one baby. "Huh, one of you is still alive?" She snarled as this should not have been possible. At the instant she swung the sword, she watched that the girl with the pure white wings had teleported in front of the others. Stacking her two wings on top of each other and using them like a shield, she stupidly took the swing head on. She was able to observe in slow motion as the after effect of the swing had crashed against her wings, cutting them apart like butter and reaching her heart that instantly exploded before her torso was cut apart from the bottom of her chest and all the way up to the side of her neck. "Stupid¡­" the girl muttered while looking at Maya''s dead body, blood covering most of her features. What was surprising, however, was that although she had died, she did indeed manage to dy the others'' deaths, or at least one of them. Looking at Maria, the girl smiled sadistically. Approaching her and kicking Maya''s lifeless body out of her way, she raised Maria up in the air by the throat. "To think that you wanted to die first¡­ only to stay alive in the end," she mused. "The irony isn''t even funny. But since we''re at this point, why don''t we have some fun together?" She smiled while emitting another wave of her deadly aura. "At this point I''m starting to wonder whether the culprit even knows you or not¡­" she muttered, "the fact that they have killed Liam is uneptable, don''t worry my dear, even if they don''te to see you being tortured, I''ll make sure they suffer more than you lot did." She smiled while looking at Maria. Opening her barely functional eye weakly in response, Maria could not feel anything but unbearable pain. Seeing the girl smile made her instantly give up hope. ncing down, she was able to see Maya''s unmoving body. Tears ran down her cheek, washing the blood away. She couldn''t move a muscle nor was she able to breath properly, but the pain from seeing Maya''s body like that was the worst pain she has ever experienced. However, after focusing on her for a moment, Maria could see a faint silver aura swirl around Maya''s body. Seeing that, she almost had her hopes up. Gritting her teeth, the girl in the dress was furious. "Die, you cockroach!" She yelled since she just realized that Maya was trying to heal herself. Stabbing the dark sword directly in her chest, where the massive wound was, she released her aura through it. Without a sound, Maya''s body tried to fend off against the corrosion but s she was too weak inparison. Fading into light particles, Maya''s body finally disappeared, leaving behind only a faint carving on the ground of where her wings once rested. Maria felt everything fade away with it. Just a few moments ago, she was having fun andughing with Maya, Axane, and baby Rituxi. Just a few moments, they were all alive¡­ but now, everything was gone. ''Raven¡­ your sister-'' she muttered to herself, but seeing that she was in a trance, the girl sent chains of dark around her limbs and neck and held her up in the air. Slowly, the already dim azure aura around Maria was getting dimmer with each passing second. Suddenly, light shed as two fists were sent at the girl with her sadistic smile, yet, none hit. "Now, what?" The girl said, feeling her temper reaching new heights. Looking around her, she saw two aliens nodding at each other before mana erupted out of them. Flickering in space, the two tried to attack her from all directions at the same time, yet to no avail. The barriers around the girl seemed unbreakable. Looking at Jakol who was furious, Axth shook his head. "We need to retreat, she is beyond what we can handle, we must wait for backup¡­" Any sane person would have thought so as the damage done to the city just now was almost enough to kill them. Instead of a city, Torinto now looked like a barrennd, if anything. However, Jakol didn''t respond. Instead, he was staring at the wings'' mark on the ground, his eyes watery. Unable to hold back his emotions and grief his aura red violently as two wings were generated behind him. "How dare you Kill our queen?!!!" He yelled. He had thought that finally finding their long lost queen was the way to bring peace back to Akish. But now all hope was no more. Flickering in front of her, he tried to punch her using a special glove that instantly materialised around his fist. Blocking the punch with her dark barrier, the girl clenched her fists. Suddenly, dark tentacles materialised midair and instantlyshed at Jakol and Axth. While Axth had his guard up, his power as an S ranker was simply not enough to defend against the girl''s strength. Needless to say, for Jakol who wasn''t thinking properly, even his S ranked power wasn''t enough. So evading the attack was nigh impossible. Both Jakol and Axth ended up being flung away with serious injuries. Axth barely survived his head being chopped off, but instead had to suffer a major shoulder injury. Jakol, on the other hand, suffered a lot more than just that. Major wounds were suddenly inflected on his body with such power that he was sent crashing against the ground and could not get back up. "What a f*cking waste of time!" The girl said with a disgusted expression. So far, she has been interrupted countless times by weaker creatures that could do nothing right. ''These three girls first, then these two alien idiots. What''s next?'' However, just as she was thinking that, intolerable pressure was suddenly applied on her body as she was almost forced to her knees. The pressure was simply too much that her feet were starting to sink into the ground. But just as she was about to look up at the source, a fist came crashing down her skull. The power of the punch scattered the dark matter forming her head in the wind. Recovering quickly, she created countless dark spheres that were shot towards the source of the attack. The spheres were mainly a distraction so that she could make out what was happening and weren''t meant to hit their mark. However, she was expecting at least an explosion or something. Yet, nothing happened. Only after forming some barriers around her was she confident enough to look at the attacker that took her by surprise. The man in the white suit instantly appeared near his mistress with a serious expression in his face as five swords of ck were floating in the air around him. This time, the girl in the dark dress didn''t seem so furious about his presence. Looking at her attacker, she found herself staring at a young girl with hollow eyes that were looking at her the same way a lion would look at a small fowl. Long crimson-purple hair fluttered behind her. ¡­ Freeing Maria from the weird chains wasn''t easy, but was still done rather quickly. Applying her Special Skill: Angelic Touch, Raven quickly healed Maria fully. Thetter, unable to hold her tears, wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her hard. Moments passed before Maria realised that something was wrong with her daughter. Looking at her face, she saw her hollow eyes glowing with a faint white radiance instead of their normal gold. In a way, the colour seemed to reflect the confusion in her mind. "Mom?" Raven asked, in a hushed voice, as tears slowly ran down her cheeks. "What happened? Where is Maya? Why is baby Rituxi not moving? "Why is Axane staying still? Doesn''t she realise her daughter needs her? Mom¡­ please tell-" Interrupting her with another hug, Maria didn''t know what to say. She was aware that Raven knew exactly the state of everyone here, but she just couldn''t face the truth. "Mom? Please answer me¡­" she begged, her voice shaking. "Is it because I left you? Is it because I didn''t take you with me? "Please tell me where Maya is, I promise I''ll take her with me! Tell her to stop, I don''t like hide-and-seek! "They''re still having the festival there! Everyone is happy, they''re all having fun. I promise she''ll be so happy there¡­ mom, please...." Chapter 147 - Faded Part 1 * Neffex - Closer to Heaven * "Mom? Please answer me¡­" Raven begged, her voice shaking. "Is it because I left you and went alone to the festival? Is it because I didn''t take you with me? "Please tell me where Maya is, I promise I''ll take her with me! Tell her to stop, I don''t like hide-and-seek! "They''re still having the festival there! Everyone is happy, they''re all having fun. I promise she''ll be so happy too¡­ mom, please..." As Maria hugged Raven''s trembling body, tears ran down both their cheeks. The view of them hugging in the apocalyptic situation they were in would have given anyone goosebumps, however, unfortunately for them, their audience was anything but patient. Clenching her fists in frustration as the pair ignored her, the girl in the dark dress red her dark energy to assert her presence. A small shockwave wasunched towards the hugging duo, however, before it could reach them, it was broken apart by another wave of white radiance. "What are you waiting for? Kill them!" The girl ordered the man in the white suit. Even though she didn''t particrly care about her life before, something now was pushing her to be more cautious. The crimson-purple haired girl was an anomaly that could easily defy her. And what made it worse was that she knew for a fact that she had a hand in Liam''s death. ''But¡­ how can she have more than one aura type?'' she wondered as from what she could see, the girl had the mana signature that had killed Liam all over her, and the amount of resemnce was just too great for her not to be the culprit. Yet, she was using another type of aura right now. ''I can sense at least three mana types radiating from her¡­'' Heeding by his mistress''s orders, the man flickered in space towards Raven. With a flex of his hand, the five swords all shed at the same time. Seeing that the crimson-purple haired girl didn''t move, he was sure he''d finish her in one strike. However, just before the dark swords were able to get in range, a huge dark cyan spear intercepted them and prevented them from inflicting any harm on the two girls. Surprised as he was, the man forgot to check his surroundings. Before he could even realize, a bright green sword cut through his body vertically, splitting it in half. Dark matter erupted out of his wounds and glued the body back together. Smiling cruelly at his attackers, he wanted to take them by surprise and strike back. Usually, the person would have been confused at his sudden regeneration and would let their guard down. However, unfortunately for him, his opponents were rather experienced. Noticing that his five swords were all blocked, he looked up and realized he was staring up at a pink haired girl that had a terrifyingly cold expression on her face. Before he could even retreat, she flickered next to him as pink lightning ran through her body. Clutching his shoulder with her empty hand, the other had the bright green sword clenched tightly. "You can regenerate your body? Good," the girl muttered. "Then holding back won''t be a problem. But please, do me a favour andst long enough for Raven to slice you down herself¡­" Trying to move his body as fear took a hold of him, the man in the white suit found the task nigh impossible. Under her gaze, he knew he was the prey. Suddenly, the sword was infused in violent pink lightning that cut through his body multiple times in an instant. Trying to regenerate his body, he realised that electricity was applying a repulsive force through the dark matter forming his body, making the process far slower than normal. "Pathetic," the pink haired girl said with a merciless look on her face. Gritting her teeth, she was about to deliver another strong blow that aimed to permanently lock him out his regeneration powers. But before she could do that, a spear of dark cyan energy embedded itself in the man''s still regenerating head. Cyan energy seemed to apply an attractive force that glued the man to the spear. "Don''t tire yourself, Ae." Zerunded near Ae softly. "Remember what Raven had told you? You still need to recover." "But can''t you see what they''ve done?!" She said coldly, pink lightning flickering through violently in her eyes. Raven has be Ae''s idol and best friend in the past few hours. When she had seen her disappear in a sonic explosion, she knew something had went terribly wrong. The look she had on her face made it rather clear. Seeing now that someone had massacred Raven''s loved ones, Ae was beyond mad. Even though they didn''t look the part when they first met Raven, the siblings were rather strong. While Zeru was an S ranker, and a special one at that. His sister was a special SS ranker. The word "special" in a rank usually meant that they were somewhat like Raven. Although their bodies and mana cores had the capacity to withstand and store the power of their respective ranks, each could use their own mana to their fullest. This gave them the ability to challenge higher ranks, such as what Raven had demonstrated a couple of times now. "I am aware," Zeru said with a simrly cold expression. "However, he isn''t the one we should focus on. She is¡­" he said, pointing towards the girl in the dark dress who was fuming, seeing her subordinate being so useless. "Disgusting," she said while gritting her teeth. "All of you are utterly disgusting!" She yelled, her dark aura erupted out of her body, pushing the siblings away. While they were strong, the siblings chose to avoid being directly exposed to the sinister aura as it gave them a sense of dread "Raven!!" Ka suddenly materialised near Raven and shook her awake of her trance. "I''ll go help Axane, go deal with that ck haired b*tch ok?" It was her first time swearing yet Raven didn''t even realize. While her body was made up of mana, Ka wasn''t good at hiding her emotions. As such, she could not help but let her tears run down her eyes. But more than anything, she was mad, and it showed. Suddenly, as if realising for the first time where she was, Raven looked around and observed what was going on. Locking her hollow eyes on the girl unleashing her aura, she flickered in the air and condensed the brilliantly white aura in her fist while punching with all her might. The girl in the dress condensed her own aura and created a small shield to protect herself. However, that simply wasn''t enough. The punch was strong enough to shatter her shield and send a shockwave that broke through her face. Retreating as far as she could, the girl quickly regenerated her face, her heart racing. "Dangerous!" She said while adopting a serious expression. "You must die now!" "You¡­" Raven''s shaky voice muttered, feeling helpless. "Where did you take Maya to? Can I please have her back? I really can''t live without her¡­ please¡­" Seeing her as helpless as she was, the girl smiled coldly. "Oh Maya? I''m assuming you mean the girl that has white wings on her back?" She asked, faking her smile. Remembering back to the time Maya had saved her from a near death situation by teleporting in front of her, she remembered that two wings were stered across her back. "Yes!" Raven almost smiled, yet her eyes were still as hollow as before. "Please tell me you saw her!" Her entire body was shaking as tears didn''t stop pouring down. "Ah yes I saw her!" The girl in the ck dress said, "see right there?" She pointed at the ground. "See those wings marks carved into the ground?" She asked, "I killed her there." She smiled sadistically. Hearing that, Raven''s pupils instantly widened in shock. The world suddenly seemed to get darker and darker until she wasn''t able to see anything but dark blood. "I created this sword you see, it contains a concentrated portion of my energy. I held it like this," the girl demonstrated. "And I plunged it down into her heart! I made sure she suffered as much as possible!" Being as broken as she was, everyone gritted their teeth and expected Raven to murder her. Even Zeru and Ae had red their aura violently, unable to hold their emotions. However, poor Raven''s legs gave up. Falling down to her knees, her entire body was shaking like crazy. ''Please kinddy, don''t joke like that¡­ I want my Maya¡­ please!'' Raven wanted to say but her mouth won''t move. Broken and shocked as she was, her mind cked out as she fell on the ground unconscious. "Oh you''re out already?" The girl asked. "I haven''t told you how I''m going to torture your friends one by one yet." She said while approaching her unmoving body. "See? Now I have to actually kill the girl you just hugged. She wanted to die first, I can''t let her live any longer?" With each step she took towards Raven, her aura became more violent. "However, you must know that everything I''m doing here is to make you feel what I''ve felt before. "You must feel the despair Lizzy felt. You must hate life. You.... you must kill yourself as you watch the world you once loved getting burnt down to ashes." Chapter 148 - Faded Part 2 * Jim Yosef & Anna Yvette - Linked [NCS Release] * "Step away from her!" Ae yelled while jumping in front of the unconscious crimson-purple haired girl, pink lightning dancing around her body and highlighting her green eyes. Gritting his teeth while stepping next to her, Zeru decided to go all out since the girl in front of him seemed to be rather powerful. If he was to fight her with Ae on their current level, they''d both lose more than just an arm or a leg. ''I guess there''s no way around it,'' he muttered to himself while taking a deep breath. "Zeru? Are we doing it?" Ae asked with a furious expression. She couldn''t stand the girl in the dark dress any longer. "Uhm," Zeru nodded as his aura red violently. "Carry Raven and leave, now." He said to Maria who was hugging her unmoving body. Close to her stood Axth who was a Mian himself. Crouching near Axane, sweat and blood covered his silver skin while trying to help her. Currently, he and Ka were in the process of healing her soul... thest soul she had. However, it was more than just damaged, and as such, they needed to perform a delicate procedure to make sure she can make it back to full health. Although Ka was currently focusing mostly on Axane, rather than Raven, a part of her consciousness was making sure she was not in any internal danger by applying the blessings and other skills she had ess to through Raven. ''I am worried about Raven, but I doubt she can handle losing Axane as well¡­'' Ka muttered to herself, her eyes sparking with tears. "Sorry boss," Axth said in response to Zeru''s order. "That''s a no can do¡­ from the mana escaping your body, I''m assuming you and the girl next to you can buy us a couple of seconds?" He asked fully knowing that the two together were more powerful than most of the EDA officials he knew. Clenching his fists, Zeru nodded. "At least take some necessary-" before he could finish his sentence, Ka''s body dispersed into thin air. Momentster, Raven opened her eyes. However, instead of her normal gold or recent exotic white she disyed, her irises were dyed dark purple. Without saying a word, she jumped backwards and stood near the group helping the unconscious Axane, with Maria in toe. "Give me a hand!" She ordered Jakol who instantly nodded. With a flex of her hand, silver gooey substance materialised in front of her. Sighing, Jakol released hisrge wings and shot some feathers down as a protective barrier surrounded them. Without a second to spear, Ka who was controlling Raven''s body shot the silver cyber matter onto the feathers. Momentster, a dome started to form around them, silver circuits swirling within. Looking back at the girl in the dark dress, Zeru could see two dark swords in her hands now, instead of one. "Those are too dangerous, please be careful," he said to Ae while passing his hand in front of his face. As he did, a dark cyan mask with ck patterns was formed on his face, covering it entirely. The mask resembled an exotic demon with glowing bright white eyes that had no irises or pupils, and two short horns that shot upwards from the forehead area. ring her own aura simrly, pink lightning condensed itself under Ae''s eyes as two lightning bolts glued themselves there, resembling live tattoos, giving her a fierce look. Both siblings seemed to pulse with immeasurable power while clenching their fists hard in anger. A terrifying dark cyan spear was formed between Zeru''s hands who promptly caught it midair andunched himself forward in a swift movement. However, before he could even reach the girl in the dark dress, pink lightning passed just besides him as Ae flickered and reappeared in front of the girl in a mid sh stance, two bright green swords in her hand. Completing the motion and shing at the girl who had a cold smile on her face, Ae was surprised that she had countered both swords efficiently. Not giving a chance for the girl to celebrate her counter, Ae dashed backwards to evade the ck swords while sending a bolt of lightning her direction as a distraction. Just as she did, a small dark shockwave was generated and sent towards her as an after effect of the sh. Plunging down from the sky was Zeru who trusted his sister in taking care of herself. Spinning like a tornado, Zeru''s spear almost went through the girl''s guard and through her head, but s she was not only prepared, but as strong as him if not more. As such, she blocked it easily while sending a strike of her own. Breaking the dark shockwave with a pink one of her own, Ae dashed and exchanged a couple of extra strikes with the girl. The siblings kept the girl in the dark dress in check, which was rather impressive. However, she was getting tired of this. They weren''t against her lowly subordinate anymore, but they were up against a predator, and she wanted to make sure they knew that. Feeling danger all around them, the siblings quickly flickered away. Massive amount of mana escaped the girl''s body as the ground underneath her started releasing some dark smoke. Smiling like a snake eyeing her food, the girl started floating midair as dark energy gathered around her, guing the atmosphere. "I hope you''ve had enough fun for now,* she smiled coldly yet sadistically, "because I can assure you, this is yourst time!" And with that, hell broke loose. *** Sitting in a dark field of dried up flowers, Raven was silently hugging her knees, warm tears running down her golden eyes. "Why did you leave me, Maya?" she muttered with a look of disappointment, if anything. "How do you expect me to live on like this?" Thinking back to the time she had first met Maya, back when she was trapped in Lady Luck''s grasp, it was little Maya that had helped her keep her sanity. Chapter 149 - Faded Part 3 * Jim Yosef & Anna Yvette - Linked [NCS Release] * "Why did you leave me, Maya?" Raven muttered with a look of disappointment, if anything. "How do you expect me to live on like this?" Thinking back to the time she had first met Maya, back when she was trapped in Lady Luck''s grasp, it was little Maya that had helped her keep her sanity. She''d always visit her at least once a day to provide her with good food and make sure they talk together for a while. In that hell she lived in at the time, Maya was the sole beacon of hope she could follow. But now¡­ now that beacon of hope is gone. And with her gone, Raven''s life is back to being a colourless meaningless abyss. "Hm, why do you seem so lonely?" A voice asked with a hint of a smile. Looking up, Raven found herself looking at Ka, the girl that was akin to the angel''s voice in her head. Yet, something felt off about her this time. Instead of her usual dark purple irises, she had bright azure ones that looked extremely passionate, and almost motherly... With each step she took, the dried flowers seemed to regain their colour and adopt a fresh look. "Kay?" Raven asked with her hollow eyes. "Uhm, I am lonely¡­" she muttered while looking down. "I- I feel¡­ a lot of things right now," she smiled as more tears ran down. "A lot of bad things¡­ bad feelings¡­" "I understand," Ka spoke in a kind and understanding tone. "Talk to me, if you feel like it, of course." "But-" she struggled to speak. "It''s hard to, even though I want to, but it''s difficult to describe what I''m feeling¡­ "It''s like the sun has died out in my vision. Everything has either lost its colour or turned ck¡­ nothing has a meaning anymore." She said with a deep sigh. "I''m not sure where I belong anymore. I''ve never imagined my life without Maya. No one has ever loved me as she did¡­" At that, Ka bit her lip as tears left her azure eyes. She was hurt, and she couldn''t hide it, but she was thankful Raven wasn''t looking at her face. "I don''t know what to do anymore¡­ do you think I''d meet her if I killed myself?" Raven asked, almost hopeful. Shaking her head, Ka wrapped her arms around her and patted her back. "Never!" She said firmly. "I''m aware how difficult this must be for you, but have you ever stopped being so selfish?" Ka asked and Raven widened her eyes as she hadn''t expected something like that from Ka. "Kay?" She asked, confused. "Don''t you ever think about what Maya had wanted? Are you going to abandon what she had died for? "And what about the rest? Are they all trash? Didn''t Maria take care of you and treat you like a mother would treat her child? "How about Axane that views you as her saviour? She almost worships you, yet you almost never appreciate her enough. "How is any of that right?" Ka asked, tears running down her azure eyes on Raven''s shoulder. "Can you imagine what they''d feel if they lost you too." Although she said that, it was her who''d miss her the most. Even right now, she couldn''t spend her time with her the way she wanted to... "Can you imagine Maria''s broken heart after losing two daughters on the same day?" She continued. "How about Axane who had already lost so much in her life? She has first lost her people,, and then the master that has taken care of her. And now, she lost baby Rituxi and Maya just like you did. "Can you imagine her heart after losing you too? She''s fighting really hard right now against fate itself, so that she cane back to you. "Even though she had lost baby Rituxi, she didn''t give up. Do you know why? It''s because she knows that you''d be able to help her ovee this. "Why didn''t Maria break down? Why is she even trying to help Axane? The answer is because she knows you''ll be back in a second to fix everything." *Deep breaths* *sniff* Ka needed to breathe as her body was shaking right now, unable to hold her emotions. "I''m sorry Amy¡­" Ka muttered while squeezing Raven even harder. The situation made her remember a dark past she was trying hard to ovee. Hearing that name, Raven widened her eyes, but didn''t know how to react. She knew she had heard this name before, it have her a sense of inner peace¡­ yet she couldn''t ce it. "I am aware that this must be difficult, to always be the one everyone is relying on. But they all do it because they believe in you." Ka continued. "Everyone has great faith in you. Can you think about why Maya sacrificed herself? Why did she fight so hard? Tell me¡­" "Because she was waiting for me¡­" suddenly the realization hit Raven in a st that seemed to give everything its colour again. "She wanted to buy me as much time as possible¡­" she spoke, her eyes wide, yet filled with tears. "Even though she had no guarantees, she chose to put her faith in me and push through the pain¡­ "She chose to trust that I wille to save her¡­ but didn''t I fail her?" She asked while looking down, her heart broken some more. "Yes, you did¡­" Ka said, her hands behind Raven, shaking. "But will you fail the rest too? Will you fail Maria, Axane, Zeru, Ae, Tu, me... and everyone else that is working so hard for you. "They''re all waiting for your return. They all chose to put their faith in you. Will you fail them too?" "No," Raven said while closing her eyes to get her her thoughts. "I will not fail anyone anymore." Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Ka held Raven by the shoulders while looking straight into her eyes. Getting closer to her, Ka kissed Raven on the forehead. "You''ve grown quite a bit, I want you to know that I am really proud of you, lil Amy!" She said with a sincere smile as tears ran down her eyes. Watching a tear drop down on one of the flowers, Raven was surprised to see the tear turning everything it touched into a shade of bright azure. Blinking twice, Raven realized that she was now drowning in a sea of azure that slowly turned brilliant white. Opening her eyes in surprise, she found herself back near her family. Chapter 150 - Judgement And Redemption Part 1 * NEFFEX - Be Somebody feat. ROZES * Blinking twice, Raven realized that she was now drowning in an azure sea of light that started to slowly turn brilliant white. However, the feeling was rather refreshing than suffocating. Opening her eyes in surprise, she found herself back to the battlefield, with Maria, Ka, Axane, and the rest near her. Taking a deep breath and looking around her, she was happy to see that everyone was still doing well, or at least alive. A smile painted her face while looking at Maria who instantly dashed towards her and hugged her tightly. However, she couldn''t help but feel some tears sparkling in her eyes, obstructing her vision. ''Maya, I wish you could share this hug with us¡­'' she thought while swallowing quietly and clenching her fists. Suddenly, feeling two mana spikes approaching her quickly, she let go of Maria and focused on the appearing threats. In the distance, she could see two dark sinister swords flying her way, aiming for her head. Taking a deep breath, she flickered from her position and reappeared away from her loved ones, in front of the swords, as she wanted to avoid exposing them to more dangers. Catching the two swords in her hands, she rxed her muscles as white brilliant radiance began to surround her. Even against the might of the dark swords, her aura seemed calmer than ever as she took a deep sigh to calm herself down. Looking back at Maria and the rest, she found that Axane had her eyes open now, even though her condition seemed critical still. Smiling softly, she focused her mana in her hands while slowly disintegrating the swords into nothingness. The girl in the ck dress red her aura in rage as Raven only ignored her presence, while at the same time, producing a brilliant white barrier to protect everyone against the iing shockwave. Walking slowly towards her family, she saw that most of them were extremely tired and barely standing. However, she also noticed that Zeru and Ae were still standing guard, trying to buy time for her, even though they were both barely holding themselves together, with so many wounds all over their bodies. What she didn''t know was that the moment she had woken up was the first chance they got to fill their lungs with air as the girl had been bombarding them with an attack after the other in quick session. And needles to say, whatever followed was stronger than the previous one. Even though the fight onlysted a few minutes, it was enough to make their bodies almost copse, even with their might. Smiling softly, Raven snapped her fingers. At that, the two siblings were teleported in front of her and next to everyone else. Extending her hands forward and activating her skills, she not only healed everyone, but she also made sure to replenish their energy supplies. Looking at their bodies in surprise, and then back at Raven who was now smiling, the group could not believe their eyes. Everyone had so much to say, yet for some reason, no one could utter a word. A lot has happened in a very short time that it was more of a shock that anything. Some still didn''t know if this was a dream or reality, especially poor Maria. Sitting up slowly, Axane approached Raven in the intent of giving her a hug and crying on her shoulder as she needed to share her burden with her. But before she could go through with it, she remembered they were still in a battlefield, so she retreated slightly. However, just as she did, Raven flickered next to her and hugged her herself. Instantly, Axane''s eyes turned a shade of white as mana calmly radiated from under her eyelids. "Raven- " she tried to say, but couldn''t stop herself from stuttering. "I know¡­" Raven said quietly. "Rituxi and Maya¡­ they, they''re-" "I know," said Raven again, while squeezing her tighter. "And that girl, sh- she-" "Uhm, I understand. I''m sor-" stopping herself from apologizing as it won''t do anyone any good, she clenched her fists. "I''ll make sure she pays for what she did," she said instead. "Uhm," Axane nodded, her body trembling like a leaf in winter time. They both knew that whoever was lost was lost for good. Maya and baby Rituxi¡­ will always love on in their memories, but that will never change the fact that they''re gone now... Gritting her teeth, the girl in the dark dress was furious. Even though the siblings had proven quite challenging at first, they were no real march for her when she had gotten serious. After a few moments of the start of the fight, they were so close to death that she felt like toying with them. But then out of nowhere,es this little br*t and takes her prey away from her? Who was she to ignore someone of her status? Releasing her aura, two dark daggers materialised in her hand as she threw them towards the girl''s back. ''Never turn your back on me!'' she yelled in her mind. However, as the daggers got closer, they slowly stopped elerating until they touched the bright barrier and instantly disappeared. Turning away from Axane and looking at her with her white iresis, Raven''s expression turned from friendly and loving into cold and unforgiving. "Wait for your turn." She simply said, her tone as sharp as a knife that could cut air itself. Seeing her expression together with her aura, the girl''s legs almost gave up. Shaking in her ce she suddenly wanted to run away. Returning to her senses, she tried to focus back and put her head in the fight. However, a deep part of her knew that this white aura was something she couldn''t take out easily. ''Doesn''t matter¡­ I have to avenge Liam, Sammy, and Lizzy¡­'' she muttered to herself. ''This girl must pay!'' And with that, she red her aura again, this time stronger than before. Yet, the barrier was left unscathed and so was the group. Taking a deep breath, Raven focused on controlling her aura. She didn''t want to hurt her family after all. Releasing Axane from her embrace, thetter felt a piece of her soul instantly bing bitter cold, yet she chose to stay quiet for now as she knew she''ll get another chance to warm her soul next to Raven''s. It wasn''t an overstatement to say that Raven, in Axane''s eyes, was what Maya was to her. Approaching Maria who was crying silently, Raven wrapped her arms around her slowly and gently. She wasn''t good atforting others, especially now that she needed morefort herself than she''s ever needed in her entire life, but a hug was a start. Seeing that Maria was quiet and didn''t utter a word, Raven could only guess what was going through her mind and broken heart. "I am here now," was all that Raven could really say. However, feeling the embrace getting tighter around her, she knew that Maria was at least responsive which made the harshness of the situation just a little bit more bearable. Moments passed as the duo kept their hug. During that time, the battlefield seemed more peaceful than a deserted ind in the middle of a bright ocean. Slowly releasing Raven, Maria smiled. "Go," she simply said while wrapping her arms around herself instead, tears still fresh in her eyes. "Uhm," nodding. Raven turned towards the rest: Zeru, Ae, Jakol, and Axth. "Thank you," she muttered before walking towards the girl with the sinister aura. ''Thank you too,'' Raven said in her mind to Ka and Tu. While Ka was taking care of Axane, and then of Raven''s unconscious body. Tu was doing his best to reinforce the earlier barrier they created in order to keep everyone safe. After all, without the power of a monarch, even a barrier that was created by Ka and Jakol was not going tost more than a few shockwaves. Which meant that without him, almost everyone would have died by now. Moreover, Tu was making sure to gather as much energy as possible since he knew that Raven was ought to wake up sooner thanter. In addition, he knew that a fight was ought to break between her and the girl in the dark dress, and now was this time... Taking a deep breath, Raven blinked once as her expression turned from passionate into ice cold, making the girl pale while looking at her. "Enough ying around!" She yelled. "You have been awake for two seconds and now you think you canst against me in a fight? Let me teach you yourst lesson!" "Hm, good point." Raven muttered, surprising the girl. "If it was my power alone then I might have already given up to be honest¡­ but unfortunately for you, I am not alone, nor am I ready to forgive you for what you''ve done." Suddenly, her golden aura red as her shadow took shape around her, creating the familiar dark and golden light armour. Shortly after, a white radiance wrapped around her body calming her senses and brightening the atmosphere around her. ''I can help too,'' Ka said as a mix of purple and silver circuits of cyber matter were suddenly spread across the armour, giving it a futuristic, yet threatening look. ''This should make it easier to use my skills to aid you whenever needed, plus we can share the energy use as well as the burden of this power...'' ''I have a small surprise for you as well,'' Tu muttered in her mind as he had been preparing for this for a while now. Not a moment after, a crimson great sword materialised in front of Raven''s hands, chains of dark were wrapped around it. The sword looked as if it was made out of solidva that was constantly burning, evaporating the air around it, yet it didn''t seem to bother or hurt Raven in any way. Slowly, crimson and white aura seemed to infuse themselves with the dark chains, dissolving them and releasing the power of the great sword. ''Thank you, both¡­'' she said in appreciation as she was extremely thankful for everything they''ve done for her. "Alright, shall we begin?" She asked in a rhetorical manner as she disappeared from her spot. Chapter 151 - Judgement And Redemption Part 2 * Vicetone ft. Kat Nestel - Nothing Stopping Me * Seeing that Raven was about to engage in a serious battle against the dark haired girl, Zeru and Ae wanted to help her. After all, hey both knew how powerful she was. However, just as they tried crossing the white barrier that was set up by Raven, they got repelled backwards, gently of course. Staring at each other, they both cursed under their breaths. They understood that they were weak inparison to the girl, but they knew that Raven wasn''t in a better situation. ''Why is she trying to keep us away?'' Zeru asked himself with an angry expression. ''This is rather devastating. Are we supposed to watch her suffer against that monster alone without helping her?'' If anything, from what he could tell, himself and Ae were much higher than her in terms of rank and energy capacity. However, what he didn''t know was that Raven had the help of other beings that could put the strongest rankers on Earth to shame, if any manages to survive a sneeze that is. Sighing softly, Ae tapped Zeru on the shoulder and smiled, "I am in the same boat as you, I want to help her more than anything else. "However, if she has decided that we''re better off being inside this barrier, then I give her my full trust." With that she rxed and let her aura calm down. "Please remember who she actually is¡­ we wouldn''t be here today without her help." The two pink lightning bolts under her eyes disappeared as she sat down on the ground, and started to observe Raven quietly. Seeing that, Zeru sighed and did the same, letting go of his dark cyan mask and rxing his aura. ¡­ [The blessings Avavia''s Affection and Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light have been externally activated. [The blessings of Avavia''s Affection: [Soul and body protection against corruption and corrosion has been applied. [Continuous healing and protection against curses and dark magic spells has been applied. [... [The blessings of the Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light: [Converting mana into Brilliant Primordial Radiance. [All skills now use Brilliant Primordial Radiance instead of Pilot''s own mana. [All skills have been temporarily upgraded and will be treated as tier ??? - Level ??? Skills. [Ultimate+ Skill: Sorcerer of Dark Magic has been temporarily deactivated. Reason: Brilliant Primordial Radiance cleanses darkness magic by nature, as such, the skills included within the mentioned Ultimate+ skill are unable to function. [... [New Blessing has been received and is currently active: The Sacred Contract of the Crimson Monarch. [Pilot can summon the Great ymore of the Crimson Monarch at will. [The Great ymore of the Crimson Monarch: an ancient ymore that has been dyed dark crimson by the blood of the Crimson Monarch''s enemies. [Depending on her body''s state, Pilot can unlock the full potential of the weapon with the help of the Crimson Monarch: The Monarch of Contracts. [Any entities that are identified as enemies of the wielder will forcefully undergo a contract that prevents them from using their full potential. [The amount of power lost depends on the Pilots state and the enemy''s power level. [Current power loss of the unknown entity: 30% [In addition, Pilot''s abilities and stats are multiplied when in the presence of the Great ymore of the Crimson Monarch. The amount of power increase is directly proportional to the amount lost from the designated enemies. [Current increase in power: 30% of the enemy''s energy. [... [Admin has activated the special skill: Infusion (tier ???) - rank ??? [Admin and Pilot have their abilities shared together. Parallel use of skills is essible for both Admin and Pilot.] Seeing the system notifications sh in her mind, Raven understood that Ka was just giving her a quick update. A quick and rather important update. Smiling softly at Ka who had adopted a serious look on her face while activating almost every skill they both had, Raven patted her head to calm her down. ''I will avenge Maya,'' she muttered in Raven''s mind, tears threatening to leak from her dark purple eyes. While she hasn''t known her for long, she knew how precious Maya was to Raven''s heart and she knew how traumatised she actually was. Even during their little interactions every now and then, she admired how brave little Maya was. To see that she was gone now¡­ Ka was heartbroken, to say the least. However, from her perspective, it was also her failure that Maya had passed away. If she had encouraged Raven to go check on her family when she had that dreaded feeling, instead of waiting for the next morning¡­ ''Maybe Maya and baby Rituxi would have still been alive now¡­'' she muttered to herself. ''Only if I have-'' ''Hey, it''s not your fault,'' Raven said calmly while taking a deep breath. ''Many things could have been done differently to prevent this, however, we can''t reverse back time. ''All we could do now is to deliver the appropriate punishment.'' Raven said with a sad expression. ''The least I could do for Maya and baby Rituxi is to avenge their deaths¡­'' ''Uhm, don''t overthink the possible scenarios that could have happened,'' Tu added. ''You are here at this point in time now, just focus on the present. ''On a side note,'' at that Tu got serious while turning towards Raven. ''Your body will copse in a few minutes, so you better get this over with quickly. ''Right now, you''re in possession of more power than this has ever been exposed to. ''Needless to say, you will need to control your output ordingly so as not to permanently damage it. And more importantly, you need to deal with that girl as if she''s your equal. ''Believe it or not, even though she''s not aware of it yet herself, she has the power to stand in your way.'' he narrowed his eyes as he was feeling the dark power brewing within her body, in the distance. "Uhm," Raven nodded while adopting a cold yet serious look on her face. Focusing back on the real world, she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. ''Maya¡­ I hope we can meet one day. If not in this life due to a miracle, then maybe in another. ''When we do, I promise you that I''ll keep you in my eyes and protect you with my heart.'' she thought while grabbing the floating crimson ymore in front of her and wrapping her hands around its handle tightly. Taking another deep breath, she smiled in respect to Maya before a cold expression surfaced across her face. "Alright, shall we begin?" She asked in a rhetorical manner as she disappeared from her spot. Chapter 152 - Judgement And Redemption Part 3 * Feint - My Sunset * Flickering from her spot, Raven reappeared in front of the girl in the dark dress and shed horizontally with her crimson ymore, heat and violent aura erupted out of her. Gritting her teeth, the girl unleashed her own aura while blocking the strike with her bare hand that was dyed ck now. "Is that all you''ve got?" She muttered while pushing Raven''s sword away and stabbing at her with a dark dagger that was just formed in her hand. Retreating slightly, Raven didn''t bother evading the dagger and instead used the white aura to disintegrate it into thin air. ''Be careful,'' Tu warned in her mind. ''Ah, I''m aware of how strong she is.'' Raven replied with a serious expression. *** ''How is she suddenly so powerful?'' the girl muttered in her mind, feeling the strain on her body. Compared to the previous duo, this crimson-purple haired girl was on a whole different level. ''But that doesn''t mean I can''t win against her!'' she thought while dashing towards her, two dark swords materialising in her hands. Evading her strikes easily, Raven grinned while counter attacking with a kick to the ribs. The kick was strong enough to send the girl crashing against the hard ground. ''How dare you?'' she thought, her anger rising above the limits. However, at that moment she let her guard down, and Raven didn''t risk letting that chance go to waste. Suddenly, white runes lit up the edges of the crimson ymore as she jumped slightly up then plunged down at the girl. A reinforced dark barrier was created in front of her, but against the white radiance of the ymore''s runes, it didn''t stand a chance. Evading the sh by a hair''s breadth, the dark haired girl watched in horror as the giant sword passed right through her guard and almost cut her in half. A small cut was left on her cheek, under her right eye, as dark matter leaked out of it. ''Why would it not heal?'' she muttered while jumping away, panic slowly taking control. ''How dare someone as lowly as her do that to me?'' she asked herself, feeling the aura within her burning chaotically. Seeing that her attack had failed, Raven took a deep breath and dashed forward towards the girl in order to press the advantage. Suddenly, the purple and silver circuits along her armour shone as countless pins of cyber matter were created in her open palm. Without much of a word, the pins chased after the girl, like bullets that had a mind of their own. In reality though, it was Ka who was controlling each and every one of them. The pins were so small and fast that the girl who was moving sluggishly, due to the effect of the ymore, among other factors, had trouble avoiding all of them. On Ka''smand, the tiny pins attacked the girl, prating her body that was suddenly frozen and unable to move. Snapping her fingers, the pins started to instantly get bigger in size as well as increase their mana concentration. The girl was almost frightened at the idea of that exotic white aura invading her body. Thinking quickly, she turned her body into dark mist that suddenly dispersed, leaving behind the pins that were about to explode. Even though she was quick, a portion of the explosion still managed to wound her. Yet, since almost no white radiance was actually embedded into the pins, she was not actually harmed. Clicking her tongue, Ka decided to try and make the next attack even more challenging. *** While watching the fight, dark aura red from the white man''s body who was still struggling to free himself from the dark cyan spear connecting him to the ground. Flickering next to him was Ian with his still neutral expression. Touching the spear, he made it instantly disappear into thin air. Not waiting for a moment, the man wanted to go help his mistress as he had been watching the fight and wasn''t happy in the slightest. ''How dare that kid harm my mistress?'' he thought, anger painting his features. However, before he couldunch himself into the fight mindlessly, Ian stepped in front of him. "Do not think for a second that your interference would be of any value here." He simply said. "A battle between two archon candidates is ought to be this violent." He said, more to himself, than anything else. The moment he had felt the white radiance of that crimson-purple haired girl, he knew that she was one of the other candidates he was nning on testing. Furthermore, he could see the numbers above her head suddenly disappear before the fight had started, which meant that an immortal presence was backing her up and even guaranteeing her survival. Normally in his colourless vision, he could see that each person has a number to indicate their countdown. After the countdown reaches zero, the person would die. What made this encounter between the two archon candidates even more surprising, was the fact that the dark haired girl regained her countdown after being exposed to that white aura. However, it kept changing from hours, minutes, to seconds and so on. But it would even hit a surprisinglyrge number every now and then, such as months or even years. It was as if the crimson-purple haired girl was still debating whether she wanted to actually kill her or not. ''Interesting¡­'' Ian muttered to himself while thinking about the countdowns in general. ''Now that I think about it, even though the tiny baby that passed away had a normal countdown that ended normally, that girl with the white wings did not, her countdown had never reached zero¡­'' Feeling a sudden mana change in the atmosphere, Ian watched as the crimson ymore cut through the dark haired girl''s body. ... Watching the girl with her wounds on the ground refusing to heal up, Raven could feel the dark aura raging within. Although she could have taken this chance to end her, she chose not to. Screaming in agony, dark energy escaped the girl''s body as it tried to attack Raven. A simple white barrier was enough to stop the attack from harming her. Gritting her teeth, Raven looked at the girl while making sure not tosh at her instantly. "Tell me, why did you attack my family? Why did you destroy the city? And why¡­ Why did you kill my Maya?" Chapter 153 - Judgement And Redemption Part 4 Gritting her teeth, Raven looked at the girl while making sure not tosh at her instantly. "Tell me, why did you attack my family? Why did you destroy the city? And why¡­ Why did you kill my Maya?" "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" The girl suddenly startedughing maniacally, tears of dark leaking down her eyes. "Why did I attack your family, you say? Why did I destroy the city, you ask? "Then here''s a question: WHY THE F*CK DID YOU KILL LIAM?" She yelled. "Why did you have to destroy myst attempt at life?" Raven could see hints of light pink in her otherwise dark eyes, but that simply disappeared too quickly. "Why is life so cruel? What did I ever do¡­?" She looked down, tears still running down. "What do you mean?" Raven asked now, confused. "Who are you? Who is Liam?" "Ah¡­" Lizzy said, her eyes darker than ever before. "True¡­ who am I to begin with? Who am I toin about the cruelty of life or to seek revenge? I am just a nobody without a family or a friend after all¡­ "But you know what? That''s what you made me¡­ I was never like this¡­ You, and everyone else, made me what I am now... and I am here to pay you back!" With that, her aura suddenly condensed around her, almost suffocating Raven who was lost in thoughts. Unable to react to her sudden strike, she felt some warm liquid ssh across her chin and face. Looking down, she realised that a tentacle of dark slimy liquid was embedded into her chest. She could hear screams and yells faintly in the distance, but she wasn''t sure who was screaming or what they were trying to say. However, a part of her was conscious of the fact that Tu had exactly warned her about this. She was supposed to fight the unknown girl as an equal, not strike a conversation with her. ''But she seemed to be in pain too¡­'' Raven though as her vision started getting blurry by the second. ''She looked like I did when I realised that Maya was¡­'' Within a heartbeat, the tentacle sent a faint shockwave that sent dark matter into Raven''s veins, knocking her out of her trance. Thetter felt rather dizzy as the world started spinning around her. Trying to stand was suddenly a costly task that she wasn''t able to aplish. "Send Liam and Sammy my regards," the girl muttered. "Tell them I''m sending them one more b*star after you¡­" Breathing heavily, Raven was suddenly filled with regret. ''I can''t¡­ I can''t fail them again¡­'' she was now aware that she was alone again, stranded in the dark area of her mind. ''Please, stand up, focus on the fight¡­" she encouraged herself. ''I can''t let them down... never again¡­ I''m sorry Maya, as much as I would love to meet you and wrap my arms around you, I''ll have to decline for now¡­ ''I have to get back to Maria, Axane, Ka, Tu, Cami, Kuru and everyone else¡­ I have to get back!'' Opening her eyes slowly, bright white radiance shone from her body, blinding everyone and cleansing the darkness away from her. Engulfing the area in a blinding radiant light, she slowly stood up and walked towards the girl who was staring at her with suffocating murderous intent. Two auras of blinding white radiance and suffocating darkness seemed to crash against each other, fighting for dominance. "You''re just like her, a cockroach that won''t die until I step on you intently then burn your body whole!" She yelled angrily. ''I am sorry if you''ve suffered in this life¡­'' Raven closed her eyes, white radiance still shining brightly around her. ''I feel sympathy towards you and whoever you''ve lost. ''However, killing Maya and baby Rituxi was utterly monstrous-'' tears ran down her eyes, unable to hold back her emotions. ''Not only did you kill an innocent person that had suffered more than anyone else, but you also killed a baby that hasn''t experienced but a small portion of her life¡­ ''I may be selfish, but I simply can''t let that slide easily.'' Closing her eyes and summoning the Crimson ymore to her hands, she could feel the dark aura released by the girl get slightly dimmer. Opening her eyes back with determination, she flickered in space and reappeared in front of the girl who was ready for her. Both girls had put their full power into one single strike that was meant to end it all. However, before the two even were aware of the sudden change in the surroundings, a figure stopped both of their attacks with their bare hands as if they were nothing but mere child''s y. *Sigh* "Apologies, I can not let you two go through with that attack..." The figure said in a young masculine voice, blinding white aura radiated out of his body. "And who the f*CK are you?" Lizzy yelled while stepping away. She felt inferior to the man in front of her in every aspect, but a part of her could not resist the urge to kill him. ''Why is he emitting the same aura as that girl?'' "That is not particrly important right now," the young man said calmly. "However, I need you to understand that you both can''t go at it like this." Snapping his fingers, many screens filled their vision. Every screen showed almost the same pictures: broken buildings, destroyed cities, bloody streets, and nothing but endless suffering. "You must understand that the power you both wield now is just simply too much for this to withstand at the moment. "Young girl," the man turned and looked towards Raven who was biting her lower lip, confused and feeling guilty. "I understand that you want revenge, but are you willing to sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of mindless revenge?" Shaking her head slightly, Raven clenched her fists. "I should have been more careful¡­ Tu did warn me about this after all, but am I supposed to just let her destroy the herself? "Isn''t that what she''s doing? And even though I''m not one to kill people for fun, I can''t ignore the fact that she''s killed Maya!" At that, rage seemed to take over her senses again. "You killed LIAM! You b*tch how dare you act all innocent when you destroyed my life? Do you know the despair I had to live through? I-" "Please calm down¡­" the man tapped both of their shoulders, interrupting their outrage, as they suddenly felt calm and better than ever before. "I simply can not let you fight." He said simply. "But if I were to predict who would win in an all out fight, then it would be you," he turned towards Raven. "You possess a fragment of my own power, as well as some of ''his''..." He said with a smile. "You on the other hand, you only have a smaller immature fragment of a friend of mine¡­ *Sigh* "However, if you''re not willing to follow the rules, I''ll have to take action myself." He said as sudden brightness covered the area around him. "From now on, you, Elizabeth Lavendon, will have your abilities sealed," he said while tapping her forehead firmly. Suddenly, the girl in the dark dress felt her body trembling as it got weaker and weaker. Eventually, she fell on the ground, trying to cover her almost naked body as the dark dress started to turn into white light particles, disappearing from sight. Her eyes gained a hint of light pink, making her resemble her old self some more, but her hair was left as short locks of blinding darkness. In the middle of her chest, between her two cor bones, a small ck tattoo of a sun surrounded by eight small torches appeared. It seemed to emit the same dark aura she possessed before. "With this power sealed, you should be able to get your old consciousness back. After all, the power of the darkness can indeed be hard to control." He sighed again. ''I should deal with that person who gave her this power¡­'' "You on the other hand, Raven O''Bannon, I can manually control your usage of my power, however, I will let you decide the level of power she gets." He said while Raven looked at him confused. "The seal I ced on her is one that is called the Seal of the Eight Fires. And I have chosen you as the owner of the seal," he said while pointing towards her own chest. Looking at herself, she found a simr tattoo that only had the sun in it, without the eight torches. "You can determine how much of her overall powers she''s able to use by taking away her torches. All you have to do is will it, and one at a time, her torches will be transferred to you. "While they may not affect you, they will remove a portion of the seal dimming her powers, thus she regains them back." He finished with a smile. "And why would I ever give her her powers back?" Raven asked, gritting her teeth. "After all she''s done¡­ Why don''t I just kill her with minimum losses? While she can''t fight back, I still have my powers¡­" "Hm, that will be up to you to decide¡­" the man said, somehow he managed to sound disappointed. With a snap of his fingers, the brightness disappeared as the girl''s were transferred back to their own world. Chapter 154 - The Calm After The Storm Part 1 * Clean Bandit - Symphony (feat. Zara Larsson) * "You seem more tired than usual, Ava" the young man said, white radiance still shining brightly all around him. Ava was short for Avavia, which was the name of Raven''s mother, and consequently, the will of one of her blessings. "Uhm, aren''t we all, Aether ?" Ava nodded, after making herself visible. Holding her hand was a kid with an expressionless face that kept rather quiet. The woman had long bright azure hair and matching eyes that shone with passion and calmness, yet fatigue still managed to make its way through. The kid, on the other hand, had dark silver hair that seemed to have a special glow to it, while his eyes kept changing colours every so often. Sighing, the man nodded. "True¡­ Some third party is trying to mess with the bnce in this for some reason, and not in any subtle manner." He said. "Do you mean the person that gave your friend''s power to that girl?" Ava asked, concern visible in her eyes. "Uhm," Aether nodded while showing a screen of a youngdy that was talking to Lizzy. "This was a scene that took ce a couple of weeks back. "This olddy was talking to the girl, and during that short period, she managed to pass her the power of Entropy, a fragment of the Primordial Dragon of Darkness. "However, thedy seemed to lose her memories and die just a few days after. "The real culprit is still out there and I have no way of knowing who it is at the moment." Aether said with a sigh. Even though he was in control of the power of light, as a fragment of the Primordial Dragon of Light, he was unable to help one of his friends, due to his circumstances. ''After all, I am tasked with watching over the most important person in the universe¡­'' he thought to himself with a smile while looking at the kid with dark silver hair. His eyes were bright crimson for just a moment, before taking a hint of reptilian yellow. "So you mean that without the interference of that olddy and whoever was controlling her, my daughter''s friend would have still been alive?" Ava asked, feeling her rage rising. "More or less¡­" he said with a shrug. "There''s nothing we can do now though, I have already asked another fragment holder to clean up the mess." He said while creating a screen that showed Ian floating in the air, silver aura radiating out of his essence. "That kid is the holder of one of the fragments of the Primordial Dragon of Time. "The specific fragment is called Amias, and even though he can control time flow if needed, he can only control it in respect to objects, not living beings," he said quietly. "So he can''t revive the baby, or the girl? And what about the thousands that died during that?" Ava asked, more in regret and sadness than anything. "Unfortunately, there''s nothing we can do about it," Aether shook his head slightly. "However, if it makes you feel any better, apparently the girl, Maya, is not a lost cause yet." "What do you mean?" Ava asked. "Well, you see, Amias told me that the girl''s lifespan countdown had never reached zero, meaning that she has most likely attained the power of immortality sometime before meeting your daughter, and now she''s used that power to reincarnate herself." "Is that even possible?" Ava widened her eyes in surprise. "Why not?" He shrugged. "However, the downside is that we don''t know where she is right now-" "That''s ok," she interrupted. "The news of her still being alive should be enough to cheer Amy up!" She said, almost too excited that her daughter will be just a little bit happier. "But," Aether said, "she might have also lost her memory¡­" "Oh¡­" hearing that, her hope was suddenly shattered. ''But, she sure would not forget who Amy or rather Raven is, right?'' *** Opening her eyes, Raven found herself blinded by a silver light that was being emitted by someone up in the sky. Looking up, she saw a kid floating in the air, his hair and clothes fluttering under the pressure of his aura. All around her she could see the ground fixing itself and the buildingsing back together. Within seconds, the entirety of Torinto city was back to its earlier fresh look. However, what caught her attention was that the bodies in the ground didn''t heal up. No, they were all dead after all. Remembering the previous events, rage boiled in her soul as she stood up, looking around for the girl that had destroyed her life. Momentster, she was able to find her naked body on the street just next to her. Raven gritted her teeth in anger and confusion. Although she should be able to kill her easily now, she didn''t know if that was the right choice or not. Looking at her now closed eyes and innocent face, inparison to what she was before, she didn''t know if she was even the same person. ''We can wait till she''s awake and see what happens¡­'' Ka muttered, not sure of why she said that. Clenching her fists, Raven nodded while leaving the unconscious girl as is, and going to check on her family. In the distance, she saw Maria who was running towards her. Flickering near her, she hugged her tightly. "Are you alright?" Maria instantly asked while inspecting her body. "Did you get hurt?" Shaking her head, Raven smiled, even though she was feeling worse than ever before now that she was more aware that Maya had left her. "I''m ok, physically, I think," she said with a sigh. Noticing the dark tattoo on her upper chest between her cor bones, Maria frowned. "What is this? It''s not some sort of a weird curse right?" She asked since he still had a small fear towards strange tattoos, after what Tu had done in the past. Looking at her chest, she sighed and told Maria what happened. Momentster, the group joined, and this time Cami and Kuru were with them. Even though she was always sarcastic, Cami seemed to be in distress after she had heard the previous events. Kuru jumped from her hands and onto Raven''s, trying to make sure she was ok. "I should not have left them," Cami bit her lip as tears ran down her eyes. "Only if I have stayed with them, then maybe, just maybe¡­" Looking down as her tears got watery, Raven didn''t try tofort her. She was right and Raven thought so. If Cami had stayed with them and went to have fun with them instead of going on her own mission with Kuru, then maybe they would havested just a little bit longer for her to arrive. But at the same time, Raven herself wasn''t with them¡­ "Ugh," Moaning in pain while holding her head was the girl that caused it all. Looking at her, Raven''s expression went ice cold as killing intent leaked out of her body. However, the moment her eyes met the girl''s, thetter looked quite embarrassed and covered her important parts while looking down. Raven wasn''t aware that the girl had lost her memories. However, that didn''tst long. Suddenly, as if lightning had struck her and she remembered everything, she widened her eyes as tears ran down her eyes. "No way¡­" she muttered, remembering what her dark version had done. Even after she had tried calming her down, she was attacked and almost killed by her own self. "I wish she had killed me instead of leaving me with this much blood on my hands¡­" she muttered, tears running down her eyes still. Unable to withstand such guilt, she fainted again. Raven that was watching her didn''t know how to react. No one in the group knew what had just happened in that girl''s mind. But since Cami, unlike the rest, didn''t know who she was and thought she was just a girl that got wounded during the fight, she rushed near her, held her in her arms and covered her with the jacket she had on. No one said a word as they were still confused. Not too long after, the EDA started rushing into the scene. Just as they did, the silver radiance got dimmer and dimmer until it disappeared. Descending from the sky with his ever unchanging expression, Ian approached the group and stared at Raven. Thetter stared back as she didn''t know what else to do. "Listen, I''m not in a mood for games, do you need anything?" She asked. "I''m thankful and all for restoring the city, but honestly I couldn''t care less." She continued while sighing. Looking around, she noted that the man in the white suit had disappeared. ''I have seen this kid standing near that dude in the white suit but unlike him, he didn''t interfere¡­'' she muttered in her mind. ''But¡­ he watched as she did what she did¡­'' she grit her teeth. "My name is Ian," Ian introduced himself. "I''d like to follow you around to check if you''re the archon, is that possible?" He asked politely. "No," She answered definitely even though she didn''t know what nonsense he was talking about. Hearing that, Ian didn''t seem to react at all. But after a moment or two, he turned towards Cami who had the unconscious girl in her arms and walked towards her. "I only want to stay near the girl," he said to avoid any troubles since he felt Raven''s aura almost assaulting him. "I have no intentions of fighting." He''s simply said. "But at the same time, you didn''t protect anyone," she grit her teeth. "Didn''t you just watch Maya die?" She asked, feeling her rage umting. "Maya, the girl with the wings? She is not dead¡­" Ian answered while looking at Raven who widened her eyes in surprise. Chapter 155 - The Calm After The Storm Part 2 * MIIA - Dynasty * "Maya, the girl with the wings? She is not dead¡­" Ian answered while looking at Raven who widened her eyes in surprise, and suddenly felt her knees go weak. "You''re joking¡­" she felt her heart fluttering, her hands shaking, and her world spinning around her. "While I don''t know where she is, or how she didn''t die, I know for a fact that her lifespan hasn''t ended yet." He said and continued towards the unconscious Lizzy. Suddenly, warm tears ran down Raven''s eyes who had waves after waves of conflicting emotions. From not being able to confirm what the boy just said, to questioning whether she will be able to find Maya soon¡­ Unable to withstand the pressure on her mind, especially after she had exerted herself to this extent, she fell unconscious. Catching her quickly, Maria could barely stand herself, yet she knew she had to be stronger this time. ''We will find you, Maya, I promise you¡­'' she swore to herself, her eyes blurry. ''We will definitely find you and bring you back home!'' *** "Mhn," Moaning softly, Raven opened her eyes slowly, only to find herself on a hospital bed. However, unlike what she expected, she found her body warm andfortable. Looking around, she realised that Maria had her wrapped between her arms while sleeping next to her. Smiling softly, she held her hands and kissed them, since she realised how shaky they were. ''She must be hurt the most¡­'' Raven thought to herself. ''Ka, Tu, are you both doing alright?'' she asked since it''s been a rough experience they all had to go through. But knowing that Maya was still alive seemed to cheer her up nheless. "Uhm," Ka muttered as she materialised next to her andid down next to her. With her small body, she had no problems fitting in the small space left on the bed. ''The right question is: are you alright, Raven?'' Tu asked, surprising the two girls with the way he asked. ''Uhm, I''m ok now that I know she''s not truly gone¡­'' Raven said in her mind with a smile. ''This means that I can repay her with everything I have. I can take her with me wherever I go. I can keep her safe again, and at all times..'' Shaking his head slightly, Tu had a concerned look on his face. ''But you have to understand that the world is such a vast ce, the probability of you finding her is¡­ rtively low.'' He was going to say zero, but didn''t want to shatter the poor girl again. However, even if broken, Raven was by no means naive... ''I am aware¡­'' she muttered, feeling her eyes water up, ''but do you think I''ll be able to live if I had no hope?'' she said to him, her body shaking under Ka''s touch. ''I have to believe that I will find her, sooner orter, or I might as well go mad.'' She said, warm tears building up in her soft golden eyes. Feeling her body trembling within her arms, Maria subconsciously tightened her grip around her fragile body even though she was deep in sleep. After all, she wasn''t as strong as Raven, yet she had to experience the exact same tragedy. No, her experience was even more unforgiving as she had to witness everything happening in front of her while knowing she was helpless and could not help her dying daughter. Yet, she knew that she had to be stronger for her other daughter, Raven. In their hearts, both mother and daughter knew that they had to believe that they''ll be reunited with Maya. "I am willing to take the risks¡­" Raven muttered. "After all, anything is better than nothing." She smiled as Ka wiped away her tears. ''Also, Tu, thank you for finally giving me your blessing, it helped quite a bit,'' she said. Even though she meant it, she was mostly trying to change the subject. "Uhm, of course," he said as his body materialised near the bed, standing. "You''re such a strong little girl," Tu smiled while patting her head in a brotherly manner. It was the first time Raven felt that she had an older brother, and she found the feeling to be quite nice. "Even against the hard circumstances and conditions, you always struggle to find your way through, back to the light." He said with another sincere smile. ''I wish I was like that¡­'' Tu muttered to himself, remembering an incident of times past when he had given up on life, before bing who he is today. At the time, he was pushed so hard in an unfair fight with a friend of his. They were both betrayed by their party and forced to fight for their lives. Tu, being the kind and naive person he was at the time, he didn''t know what to do as he felt his heart shatter together with his world. But, then his friend had willingly sacrificed herself for him, and made sure he got the power he has now in order to live on and carry both of their wills with him. "Don''t you dare die on me, Turanor!" She had tried to yell but the blood covering her face together with the deafening explosions in the horizon made the task harder than it should have been. "With the power of myst contract, I hereby, *cough* I hereby pronounce you the new monarch. "Rise Up, O'' Crimson Monarch: The Monarch of Contracts." With that, Tu had felt the power strengthening his soul and body to no ends. Smiling as she felt her soul almost leaving her body, his friend muttered a fewst words: "Tu, promise me you''ll use this power to save yourself¡­ don''t feel bad, I was a dead cause anyway, amongst the monarchs, I was the weakest¡­ "I had no way of saving you or even myself against- *cough* against their powers... "But I''m sure you''ll make for a better and stronger Monarch than I was, please, take care of yourself, ok? "Find someone that is worthy of the sacrifices we made, and then... then ask them to help you achieve our goal, ok?" Before he could promise her anything or evenin about how she dared leaving him alone, she was gone¡­ Chapter 156 - The Calm After The Storm Part 3 * MIIA - Dynasty (Lyrics) * "Find someone that is worthy of the sacrifices we made, and then... then ask them to help you achieve our goal, ok?" Before he could promise her anything or evenin about how she dared leaving him alone, she was gone¡­ "Tu, are you alright?" Raven asked, concerned as he seemed lost in thoughts. Smiling softly, he nodded. "Ah, I was just thinking that I may have found the person I was looking for, for a long time now¡­" "Oh, and who''s that?" She asked curiously. "It''s you, you silly," heughed as while flicking her forehead gently. "Eh, what do you mean?" She asked, trying to cover her embarrassment, while at the same trying to figure out the change in his personality. ''Why the sudden change? This first thing he had told me when we first met was to kill people.'' she thought back to Lady Luck''s hell. ''And even after that, he had helped me fight against Scott thinking he''d be able to escape from me¡­ ''But now, he''s saying that he was looking for me all along?'' she wondered. "Ah, it''s alright, I''ll tell youter," he smiled. "You''re acting all caring and easygoing," Ka narrowed her eyes while hugging Raven tighter in jealousy, "that''s sus to say the least, stay away from my Raven!" "Hehe," chuckling, he raised his hands up in fake defeat. "I''m sorry, but I thought we were all partners here," he narrowed his eyes in return. "Meh, nah, you came inte to the party buddy, she''s mine and mine alone!" She stared at him in a challenging manner. "Hm, I could swear I''ve known Raven before you were even a thing¡­ weird," he smiled. "Nah, you were useless anyway, didn''t you try to leave her? Heh, go ahead, I''ll give you a hand," she didn''t back away. "Hahaha!" Raven chuckled at their disy, unable to hold herself. "Now, now, you''re both dear to me, we''re all staying together from now on, isn''t that right?" She smiled. "I won''t be leaving you two any time soon, so no need for a fight," she smiled again. "Mhn," moaning softly, Maria opened her eyes. "You''re finally awake?" She muttered to Raven. Seeing how she had a smile on her face made her heart warm up. "Eh? I''ve been awake for a while now, you''re the one who was asleep," Raven tilted her head. "Un," Maria massaged her eyes. "You''ve been asleep for the past two days, I must have fell asleep for an hour or so while checking up on you." "... Two days? What do you mean, two days!?" "It''s only natural though, after you have exerted your body to that extent, what did you expect?" Hearing the sound of the door opening, Raven saw her real mother, the mayor, stroll in. "Oh, you''re awake!" She said while rushing to her side. It''s been a while since the two have seen each otherst. Knowing that, Ka and Tu moved to the side to allow them some space together. "I was so worried!" The mayor said as she hugged Raven tightly. "I was so happy you were alright, you have no idea what''s been rushing through my mind¡­" "Uhm, I''m d you''re okay too," Raven said, returning the hug, "I''m sorry, I haven''t been keeping up with my promise and visiting often¡­" Deep inside, Raven now didn''t hate her real mother, but she still couldn''t help but feel that she was distant from her, after what her dad had done. ''Wait, so I have three moms,'' she thought in her mind with a smile, ''Maria, the mayor, and my real real mother that gave birth to be¡­ talk about aplicated life¡­'' "It''s alright," the mayor said, "I watch the news, and try to always call Maria to make sure you''re doing good." "Eh?" That was news to her since she''s never realised that Maria was in contact with her. "It''s true," Maria smiled. "She always calls to check on you." "Thank you," Raven muttered, not knowing what else to say. "No, it''s my job as your mother," she said through her blurry vision. "I am aware of how hard it must be for you to forgive me after everything you''ve been through and the way I treated you before, but I''m d to be able to see you doing well, that is all." Staying like that and talking for a few more minutes, eventually the mayor left Maria and Raven alone as she had her job to take care of and to make sense of what had actually happened. "Ma''am, can we-" a man in an EDA uniform tried to ask the mayor as she exited the hospital, but was instantly interrupted. "Don''t you f*cking dare!" The mayor said in a cold tone that shook the man''s spine. "My daughter has risked her life and lost her friend for the sake of fighting against a huge danger to the city¡­ why the f*CK did she have to go through all of that? "Where have you or other strong rankers been during all of this?" She asked. "I-" "It was a rhetorical question," she shut him up. "I am well aware that you all were busy hiding your shaking a*ses in your moms'' closests! "But don''t worry, I will make sure this doesn''t happen again." She said, storming through the press. On each set of doors leading to the hospital, she had assigned some well known guards to prevent any EDA rankers or journalists from getting in the hospital. She didn''t want anyone interrupting her daughter''s recovery as well as reminding her of the terrible incident she had to go through. ''This matter will have to be addressed as soon as possible,'' the mayor thought to herself, feeling her rage increase by the moment. ''We are supposed to have certified rankers helping save civilians, but instead, a sixteen year old girl had to save us all¡­ what a joke! ''And not just any little girl, but my adorable little girl!!'' she clenched her fists. ''I will show them all!'' Seeing the mayor from afar, a journalist who was nning to sneak past the guards and question the crimson-purple haired girl, changed her mind. ''Nope, my boss can go to hell¡­'' she thought, ''the guards can''t kill me, but the mayor can!'' With that, she turned her car on and drove away. Chapter 157 - Regret And Sorrow Part 1 * Hoang - Run Back To You (feat. Alisa) * Shaking in her white and blue hospital nket, Lizzy''s eyes sparkled as tears ran down her cheeks. "Sammy¡­ Liam¡­ I killed¡­ I''ve killed so many people!! Blood! All I see is blood!" She cried. "Help, please! Help me¡­ I can''t stand this!" She''s been crying like this ever since she has woken up a few hours ago, unable to withstand the regret and guilt stirring in her veins. Holding her head between her hands and crying even louder, she could feel her stomach screaming at her and squeezing her body as a bitter taste assaulted her mouth. Running to the washroom and throwing up, surprisingly, or maybe not so much, she didn''t have anything in her stomach. Before she had taken her own life, a while back, she had deprived herself of food and water. As a matter of fact, she would have already been dead if it wasn''t for that olddy injecting her the power of the Dark, or rather, the power of Entropy. That power required some conditions to be met in order for it to be activated, and one of those conditions was for Lizzy to die. As of now, she wasn''t exactly dead or alive as her body was mainlyposed of ck matter. ''Why¡­ Why am I still alive after killing myself? Is this hell? How did I end up here?'' she thought to herself in confusion and pain, unable to speak. ''Was I born in hell to start with? Why haven''t I moved on? Where are you Sammy? Liam?¡­ I need you¡­ I need someone, please, anyone¡­'' Watching all of that unfolding were the man in the white suit and Ian. Unlike before, the man in the white suit was actually way smaller than before. Instead of a man, he was simr to a young kid in appearance, with a very tiny body. If someone was to trap him in a glove, it would fit him perfectly. Standing on Ian''s shoulder, he had a grumpy look on his face. ''What happened? Where the f*CK is my mistress?'' he asked himself, not knowing what to do. The girl in front of him looked nothing like his mistress in terms of attitude and power, event hey she looked identical in appearance. "Hey you, orange boy" he called out to Ian. "Where''s my mistress? Why do I feel her auraing out of that pitiful human looking thing?" He asked while pointing towards Lizzy. "Ah, she''s your mistress." He sighed, not knowing if he should keep following her now that she could not ess her powers freely. During thest battle. A fragment of one of the archons has asked him to repair the destruction caused by the girl. Of course he would not have done it for free. In return, he came to know more about the archons. And from what he''d learned, this girl and the crimson-purple haired girl both were in possession of archon fragments. What came as a surprise was that he himself had one. But it did indeed exin quite a bit of his circumstances, so it all made sense. Noticing the door opening, Lizzy who was washing her face saw crimson-purple hair swaying in the wind of the open window. Realising that the girl she was fighting was in front of her, wearing a simr blue hospital gown just like hers, she fell on the ground, unable to look her in the eyes. Crying silently, she closed her eyes and covered her mouth to avoid screaming. ''Please kill me¡­'' she wished in her mind. Taking a look inside the room, Raven closed the door behind her and wrapped the room in her aura to iste sound from escaping. She had made sure Maria was still asleep in her room so she didn''t want to rm her. Noticing the tiny doll-sized kid in the white suit and realising he was the same man that was serving the girl in the dark dress, she narrowed her eyes. Snapping her fingers, dark tentacles extended out of his own shadow, constraining him and bringing him closer to her. Ian only watched since he made sure to always stay neutral. His main job was to observe, not fight. "Mis- mistress¡­ would you be so kind and give me some power?" He stuttered as he couldn''t do anything without Lizzy''s powers. "What''s your name?" Raven asked in a cold voice. "I am-" before he could answer, Raven squeezed him hard enough for his body to explode in her hand. Containing the tiny fragments of ck slimy liquid forming his body in a mana bubble, she watched as they all reattached to each other, regenerating his body. "Didn''t you ask-" he tried to argue, but he found himself unable to move his mouth as he felt a dangerous aura being emitted by the crimson-purple haired girl. Looking at him with a cold sadistic smile, Raven suddenly had so many ways to torture the creature in her hand. What followed for the next ten minutes or so was Lizzy still crying silently on the ground, unable to move her body from the sickening feeling she had, especially now that she was in the presence of the one she had been fighting against. On the other hand, Raven was enjoying herself squishing the doll-like creature periodically in five seconds intervals. Getting bored after a while, she looked at the dark haired girl on the ground. A small part of her felt bad for her. But on the other hand¡­ BOOOMM!!! A sonic explosion thundered across the isted hospital room as Raven kicked Lizzy in the face. Her foot passed right through her face as if it was butter and sshed dark matter across the room. "Mistr-" before he could continue, the creature in the tiny white suit was squished like a fly again. Approaching Lizzy who had her face generated already, Raven gritted her teeth and could not help but feel her aura escaping her body dangerously. Holding Lizzy by her dark hair, she lifted her up and exposed her crying, pitiful, yet almost too innocent face. Suddenly, feeling her heart ache at how the girl in her hands looked, Raven almost let her go, but then she remembered Maya and mmed her head against the floor. Dark matter sshed again and covered the surrounding area making it look as if someone had dropped a jelly cake and didn''t bother cleaning after. Waiting for her to regenerate again didn''t take long, but once she was done, Raven lifted her head again and was about to repeat the process, but a hand touched her shoulder and stopped her. "Please stop¡­" Ka said, warm tears running down her eyes. "Please, I can''t stand looking at you behaving like this¡­ I am aware *sniff* "I am aware that at the end of the day, I don''t understand the pain you''re feeling, but¡­ I can''t stand the pain I feel when I watch you like this¡­ please." She begged, her hands shaking. Ka wasn''t against killing in general, if the person was evil. But right now, Raven''s enemy could not fight back. No matter what she''s done before, the fact that she can''t fight back now gives Raven no right of torturing her, or at least so she thought. Letting go of Lizzy, tears ran down Raven''s own eyes. "This is not a pleasant feeling for me¡­ you know" she muttered. "But what am I supposed to do?" She asked, her voice shaking. "I can''t forgive her for what she''s done¡­ even if Maya is alive, there''s no reason why she had to suffer the pains she had to go through¡­ "For all we know, she might be in a worse ce right now with no one helping her... "Why did she make Maya leave?" She looked at the girl who was shaking like a leaf in the wind. ''Please¡­ kill me¡­ let me go see Sammy and Liam¡­ I deserve everything you do to me, but they don''t deserve to see me kill¡­'' Lizzy was struggling to keep her sanity against the various types of pain she was experiencing. On the one hand, she was mentally almost broken and so close to bing a mindless zombie. But, on the other hand, each hit Raven delivered made her experience the pain of death over and over again. Swallowing loudly while wiping away her tears, Raven cupped her hands around Lizzy''s face and forced her to look her in the eyes. "Why did you do it?" She simply asked. Even though her voice was cold, warm tears ran down her eyes. Seeing that, Lizzy felt even worse as she felt a thousand knots tightening in her stomach. Not knowing what to say, she tried to shake her head, tears running down. "I- I wasn''t in control¡­" Lizzy managed to say. At that, Raven''s hands let go of her as she widened her eyes, surprise and guilt taking a hold of her. Chapter 158 - Regret And Sorrow Part 2 *Hoang - Run Back To You (feat. Alisa) * Swallowing loudly while wiping away her tears, Raven cupped her hands around Lizzy''s face and forced her to look her in the eyes. "Why did you do it? Why did you destroy thousands of buildings and kill even more people? "Why did you kill baby Rituxi, didn''t you know that she hasn''t experienced her life yet? Why did you let my Maya and Maria suffer? Did they ever harm you in any shape, way, or form?" Raven asked. Even though her voice was cold, warm tears ran down her cheeks as her lips quivered, struggling to keep herself from crying out loud. Seeing that, Lizzy felt even worse as she felt a thousand knots tightening around her stomach and lungs, preventing her from breathing. Not knowing what to say in response to Raven''s question, she tried to shake her head as she felt tears running down. "I- I wasn''t in control¡­" she managed to say. At that, Raven''s hands let go of her as she widened her eyes in surprise, regret and guilt taking a hold of her. Raven wasn''t a stranger to the concept of power taking control over the body. It was something simr to when she had almost lost control and killed Red Joe and his men in front of Rachel''s dad, or even when Tu had helped her in the fight against Scott. Even though he had meant to help her, she had her soul chained away in the dark corner of her essence. From what the girl was showing, whatever or whoever was taking control was by no means helping her. ''It must have been really hard on her¡­'' Raven thought in realisation, feeling the strange ache in her heart tearing her apart. "Can you borate?" Raven asked, gently this time. *Sniff* "I- I''m not sure," Lizzy managed to say in between sniffs. "It was dark- *sniff* I tired to kill myself, but- but then I was alive again¡­" she stuttered as she realised how confused she actually was by the previous events. It was almost as if she was watching some disoriented and blurry clips of a horror movie she has never seen before and then trying to make sense of what was going on. Except, she was the main character in that movie. "A dark version of myself took control and destroyed everything." She managed to say before coughing and starting to feel even dizzier than before. "I tried to stop her¡­ she was too powerful¡­ she pushed me away and I was helpless. "I watched as she ughtered and killed¡­ I saw blood," she swallows loudly. "A lot of it, I could not help. I could not breath. It''s still hard¡­ "Whenever I close my eyes, I see and smell blood. I even feel it on my face as if I was bathing in it¡­ "I can''t die, but I''m not alive¡­ please let someone release me from this torture!" She finally broke down, unable to understand what she''s deserved to ever suffer this much. First, she''s lost her brother. Trying to force through her tough life, she was extremely happy when she had met Liam. But then, he had also left her alone. And just when she was at the pit of her life, drowning in despair, and decided to give up, this hell refused to leave her¡­ Even though she had tried to stop her suffering, this world decided that she hasn''t had enough yet and that she deserved even more suffering. As such, she was put against more torture. With every droplet of blood she caused to drop on the ground, she felt her soul shattering apart and her sanity dissolve into nothingness. With every person she killed, she felt herself being pulled away from everything she''s ever believed in¡­ from everything she''s ever loved. ''Sammy, Liam, will a timee when you ept me back into your hearts?'' she thought, feeling her vision getting darker as regret and sorrow choked her, prevention an ounce of air into her lungs. All the while, Raven was clutching her chest tightly, unable to swallow her guilt and feeling it blocking the veins if her heart. ''I am such a disgusting and miserable living being¡­'' She thought to herself as her arms moved on their own, wrapping around Lizzy''s shaking frame. Feeling the sudden warm aura surrounding her as Raven hugged her, Lizzy didn''t even question it as her mind was on the verge of being lost forever. Returning the hug and squeezing Raven even tighter as if she was herst lifeline, she cried and cried on her shoulder. Unlike before, she seemed to get calmer with each tear she shed as Raven''s aura almost consoled her and eased her pain. Staying like that for a few more minutes, Lizzy could not resist and quickly fell asleep in Raven''s silent embrace. Feeling her tense muscles suddenly rx, Raven swallowed loudly and tried to calm her own racing heart. Trying to put her alone in her bed, Lizzy subconsciously held tight onto Raven who was surprised. But realising that the girl was just a victim of some strange interference, she didn''t mind keeping herpany and making sure she was okay for just a little bit longer. Pointing towards the door, Ka ushered Ian and the kid-doll in the white suit out of the room. Closing the door behind them, Ka moved a chair closer to the bed and rested her head near Raven. "You believed her rather quickly," Ka whispered quietly. "Although I didn''t want you to torture her while she was helpless, I didn''t mean for you to act as her mother or feel guilty for what you''ve done¡­" Looking into Ka''s red eyes then the ceiling, Raven didn''t know what to say as she was mostly doing good in order for her to ovee her guilt. However, deep in her heart, she knew that the girl wasn''t lying. ''There is no way she was lying and all of that was just acting¡­'' she thought to herself. "Kay?" Raven called while closing her eyes. "Do you think I did the right thing? "Maybe she was lying¡­ or maybe she had some other ns that would endanger the future¡­ but what if she was just a victim? "What if what she said is the truth and someone actually controlled her body and mind?" *Sigh* "You ask me that even though you''re hugging her in her sleep to make sure she''s rxed?" Ka sighed. "I only know as much as you do¡­ "But with that being said, even if you feel that she was indeed just a victim, will you be willing to forgive her after everything that''s happened and after everything she''s done, controlled or not? That is the question you must ask yourself." At that, Raven sighed, not knowing how to answer. ''In addition, what would Maria think? What will she do to the girl or me after knowing that I was kind to her?'' "Also," Ka continued. "If she was a real victim that you gave hope to, imagine what would happen if you suddenly acted all cold when she woke up¡­" "I''dpletely break her¡­" Raven muttered in response, biting her lip in concern. ''I guess¡­ I''m willing to take the risks¡­ after all, I''m pretty sure Maya would have been extremely mad at me if I didn''t,'' she smiled. Chapter 159 - A Test Of Trust *Hoang - Run Back To You (feat. Alisa) * Opening her eyes slowly, Lizzy felt strangely refreshed, as if everything that has happened has been just a bad dream. ''Was I dreaming?'' she thought before looking outside the window, noticing that it was nighttime. Looking around her as her memories be clearer, she realised that she wasn''t dreaming. Her being in the hospital was a rather strong clue. Realising that the crimson-purple haired girl had left her side, she suddenly hugged herself, feeling her body getting extremely cold. However, that didn''tst for long as the door was opened, revealing the soothing crimson-purple hair. The girl wasn''t wearing her hospital gown, but instead had some ck leggings that she was wearing under a pair of mini blue jeans-shorts. And for her top, she was wearing a ck and white striped tank top that was partially covered in a dark soft zipper sweater. "Hi, you''re awake already!" Raven smiled while handing her some chocte bar snacks she grabbed from the vending machine. Lizzy didn''t know how to react as she felt her heart warming up to that sincere smile and gesture. "It''s alright" she shook her head with a simr smile, her dark locks fluttering in the air. "I don''t need food now, since I''m not¡­ you know-" "Hm, it''s ok though," Raven shrugged while insisting she takes the snacks. "Kay here isn''t human and her body is notposed of flesh either, but rather of mana and cyber matter, yet she can still enjoy food. Try it!" Ka supported Raven with a smile and a thumbs up while drinking her juice box happily. ''If that''s her choice, I''ll support her," she thought after looking at Raven who seemed rather happy. ''She has never been good at hurting people, doing good is what she excels at¡­'' "Uhm, thank you," Lizzy smiled as warm tears made their way down her cheeks. She would have never expected Raven, a girl that she had inflicted with various pains, to be this kind to her. But remembering what happened before she had fallen asleep made it easier toprehend that not everything is bad in this world, and not every bad action should be treated in a likewise manner. Some people acknowledge that others are suffering, and what they do may not have been due to their own choices, nor would it reflect their own beliefs. "Oh, do you really hate chocte this much?" Raven asked while wiping away Lizzy''s tears, referring back to the chocte bar snack she was holding. Lizzy understood that she was joking and trying to make her feelfortable so she chuckled. Taking a bite from the chocte bar in her hand, she was suddenly aware that she had lost her sense of taste. However, even though it came as a sad surprise, she acted as if everything was ok and continued chewing on it. ''I may not feel the taste, but the feeling in my heart is more than enough to make me happy,'' she thought to herself while smiling at Raven. "It''s so good, thank you!" She smiled. "Hehe, happy to hear it!" Raven chuckled. "Um, so we haven''t met officially yet¡­ my name is Raven, and this is Ka, what''s your name?" "Raven and Ka¡­" Lizzy closed her eyes and repeated the names as if to savour the feeling they gave her. "You two have some pretty names, I love them!" She smiled happily, her eyes sparkling. "My name is Elizabeth, please feel free to call me Lizzy, or Liz, hehe." She chuckled at this surreal feeling she was having. "Lizzy¡­ Liz¡­ hm, I like both¡­ haha let me think about it I''ll choose er!" Raven smiled. "Alright, I''m aware that it''s too soon, but I''ll need to leave for a bit, I''ll be backter, promise!" "You promise?" Lizzy asked, not believing her ears. The girl was so kind to her and that dream possibility wasn''t as far-fetched now. "Aye, I do!" "Uhm, ok, I''ll see you soon then!" Although it pained her to see her leave, she didn''t want to be a burden. "Ok I want that chocte bar gone before Ie back, you hear me?" Raven said while closing the door behind her with a smile. Smiling softly as tears filled up her light pink eyes, Lizzy nodded and kept on chewing on the tasteless snack happily. *** Closing the door behind her, Raven sighed while walking towards Axane''s room. Opening the door, she found Maria there too, sitting on a chair near Axane who was in the bed. Although they weren''t injured physically, they were all asked to stay for further examination. Plus, the medical care units had wanted them to stay away from home so that they don''t keep reminding themselves of the recent incident and the people that they''ve lost. "Did she take the snacks?" Maria asked, looking up at Raven. "Uhm," thetter nodded. "Did shein?" Maria asked again. "No," Raven shook her head. "In fact, she said it was pretty good¡­" Hearing that, Maria seemed confused. "Did she show any signs of surprise?" Axane asked. "No," Ka shook her head. "From my analysis¡­ I can confirm that she didn''t show any signs of surprise or worry when consuming the chocte bar... "I can almost confirm that she just trusts Raven with everything she has..." Axane''s lips quivered, knowing that the girl was in fact a victim of this incident just like the rest of them. The girls have decided to do a small test. The chocte bar Raven gave to Lizzy was supposed to be extra salty and bitter as they had added some weird spice to it. The idea was that if she didn''t trust Raven, she''d firstly try her best not to ept the snack or fake eating it, knowing that it might be a poison that is meant to make her suffer or something simr. And then even if she ate it for real, she''d be rmed from any strange tastes at least and be concerned about that. However, if she wasn''t faking, but was in fact genuine in her trust to Raven, she would have a genuine reaction for the weird taste of surprise but not worry or concern. But Lizzy generated a third scenario where she ate the chocte and didn''t even notice the taste, which made Ka argue that she could not feel tastes in general. Instead, she was solely happy by the gesture itself, which confirmed her trust towards Raven. Overall, the girl''s didn''t know whether they should be happy that the girl was now saved, or sad that she had suffered the fate of having her soul and body vited while killing so many innocent people. Chapter 160 - Abnormal Gates Part 1 *ILLENIUM - Nightlight * "Sir, I can''t let you in," the guard on the entrance said before holding his breath as he felt an overwhelming pressure emitted by the person standing in front of him. "EDA personnel are not allowed into the hospital without a valid excuse, and absolutely no one is allowed into the seventh floor without the mayor''s permission." "Do you have any idea who you''re talking to?" The man said tiredly, his eyes closed and his long white hair fluttering in the air. "Sir, please contact the mayor if you''d like to-" the guard tried to say, but he suddenly fell onto the ground a tremendous aura rested upon his shoulders. "I said, I''m going in, and I need no permission," he said, walking in through the doors. "Oi, he was trying to get his job done," a voice called out as a crimson-purple haired girl seeminglynded from the sky, even though she only jumped down from the seventh floor. "Ms. O''Bannon," "Scott, or rather, Mr. Deputy General¡­ what do you want?" She asked, gritting her teeth. "I''m obviously here to ask you for information about the incident," he said, his eyes closed still. "Also, there are some important news that you need to hear." "Of course you''d be this bold,ing here to ask for information after everything is over. Protecting your a*s is your priority after all!" Raven was angry since Scott has not shown up to fight against the danger even though he''s one of the strongest in the country. "I was busy, I was not here when-" "Cut the crap!" She yelled as sheunched herself forward. BOOOMM!! A sonic explosion thundered as her fist connected to his jaw that was instantly broken, producing loud cracks. Seeing as though he hadn''t guarded against her strike, she clenched her fists even harder. "What''s the matter now? Are you trying toe up with an excuse to say you can''t fight?" She asked. Silently however and without a response, Scott healed his jaw and opened his eyes, instantly freezing Raven''s body as if she''s be a statue. Taking a hold of her wrist, he watched as a foreign white radiance dancing around her clenched fists. He was fascinated that the girl, even though a low ranker inparison to him, had this much power without the crimson dragon''s help. Suddenly, breaking out of his spell, Raven freed her hands and delivered another powerful punch to his stomach that sent a shockwave, instantly breaking the ss doors behind Scott. Spitting some blood, Scott was surprised as a smile painted his face. Closing his eyes, he raised his hands in surrender. "I''d like to avoid a fight next to a hospital, would you please allow me to exin?" He asked politely. Taking a deep breath, Raven lowered her arms and retracted her aura. But the frown didn''t leave her face. "I haven''t even read the report yet," Scott admitted. "I was in an important meeting in the USA and wasn''t even aware of what was happening. "The moment I got out of the secured room, I was bombarded with messages¡­ and here I am." He finished. "Do you know what I just heard?" A voice called out coldly from behind Raven. "Just a bunch of bullsh*t!" The mayor strode near Raven and rested her hand on her shoulder. Strangely enough, even though she was surprised by her presence, Raven felt calmer and more confident that her mother was backing her up. "Mrs. O''Bannon," Scott smiled, confused. "You''re saying you were in a meeting? How does that affect your ability to protect the city?" She asked, almost enraged. "Your responsibility is to find people to protect the city, you don''t have to do it yourself. All you had to f*cking do was to hire some good rankers. It''s that f*cking simple! "Does the city end the moment you leave? Where are the rankers that helped in the portal incident, a few weeks ago? "Are they scared of dying so they let the citizens die? Do you know how many bodies were found? Do you know how many collective funerals I have to set up now? "Why did my sixteen year old daughter have to endanger herself and protect everyone?! A sixteen year old is protecting the whole city and surrounding areas!! And she''s not even a f*cking EDA ranker!" Pulling on her sleeve, Raven shook her head as she was now aware of how many people were watching and filming the heated argument. "Let them film!" She looked at the journalists in the area. "You wanted a story?" She asked loudly. "Here''s your story: EDA Scared Sh*tless, Can''t Protect City, Sixteen Year-old Saves Attempts To Save Everyone And Almost Die!" The mayor shouted. As if her sentence was giving the crowd the permission, instant chatter filled the ce as the white shes of countless cameras illuminated the area. Most of the journalists focused on Raven who was now their saviour in their minds. After all, she was the rumoured SS ranker who had also protected the city recently, during the portal incident. Not many people were able to observe her fight, but a lot of videos of her were taken during the time the area was being repaired by Ian. Of course, many focused on Ian himself too. But as of now, Ian, Zeru, Ae, and the rest were still unknown. "Raven, honey," the mayor tapped Raven''s shoulder and spoke gently. "Please go to your room and rest, don''t bother with anything else. I''ll take the trash out," she said, looking at Scott intently. "Apologies," Scott said in a neutral tone, "but this is important, and you have no right to prevent me from talking to the kid." "This ''kid'' has a name. You either call her Raven or you shut up. In addition, she is my child" the Mayor said in a disrespectful tone. "Are you trying to say that I don''t have the right to protect my own daughter from useless trash like you?" In the back, some people were shocked their mayor would speak like that to an EDA official, let alone the Deputy General. Others were cheering her on, and some were urging her to punch him in the face. "No, I am trying to say that the EDA recognise her as a powerful individual and I am here to share with her some important information," he said, redirecting his attention towards Raven. "Would you pleasee with me to discuss the matter?" Raven knew that she would probably want to hear what he had to say, but she didn''t want to go against her mother after what she''s done. *Sigh* "No, please leave," she simply said with a sigh and walked through the hospital doors. *** Walking away while massaging his eyes, Scott wondered what would the General think of him now. He has not only disgraced the EDA, but made a joke of himself in public. "The strongest we have after myself and Adam are all S rankers, excluding some special cases like Jaimie and a few others," Scott contemted. "From my understanding, the danger was beyond what an S ranker could handle, how am I supposed to exin that rankers aren''t gods but rather just normal people with some powers? "Just like anyone else, they cry, they bleed, and they die¡­" Noticing someone following him, Scott flickered and reappeared behind his target. "Oh, it''s you¡­ what happened to you?" He asked, looking at a small version of the crimson-purple haired girl, yet the colours didn''t quite match. "Doesn''t matter," Ka''s voice called out. Currently, she was remote controlling a small cyber avatar of her while maintaining contact with Raven. Obviously, Raven could be the one speaking if she wanted to, but she was already tired so she let Ka take over that aspect while she listened quietly. "What do you want?" She asked, floating next to his face. "You said it''s important right?" "To keep it short, I have some tasks for you," Scott spoke quickly as he wanted her to listen. "Firstly, I''d like you to exin what happened since we don''t know much. All we know is that the danger was beyond what most of our rankers could handle. "Secondly, I''d like you toe take a look and observe the new recruits for the Elite ss we talked about earlier. You will be just another student like them, but I''d like to see what you have to say about them. "Lastly and most importantly, we are suspecting arge influx of monsters as many new portals have been created recently. "What makes the matter urgent is that some monsters are beyond A+ which make them challenging for most of our forces. "As you might already know, we don''t have a lot of S rankers, and most of them have already been tasked to take care of the strongest portals." He finished. ''So that''s where Cami has been?'' Ka asked in her mind as Raven only hugged her knees, sitting on the roof of the hospital, while listening intently. "How many portals are there, roughly?" Ka asked. "And what type of monsters areing out of them?" "A lot," he sighed. "The portals are opening in random locations and at random times, and they''re different from what we''ve encountered before. "They''re more like a magic circle or a better description may be a magic vortex that releases monsters." Hearing that, Raven was almost certain of what to expect for the second part of the question. "And most of the monsters seemed rather strange looking and weird," Scott said, "but if anything, they resembled demons as they emitted a simr aura." Chapter 161 - Abnormal Gates Part 2 *Illenium - Fractures (feat. Nevve) * Scott rubbed his chin, seemingly lost in thoughts after what Ka had told him about the incident. "This is concerning¡­" he said with an expression that highlighted his worry. "You''re saying that the girl is still in the hospital? Why hasn''t she been put into a secure ce?" "You''re asking me?" Ka asked, "I''m not the person responsible for keeping the people safe¡­" Suddenly, Ka''s tiny avatar''s purple eyes lit up as mana surged through them. Nodding her head to herself, she snapped her fingers as golden and purple mana swirled in front of her. Condensing into fine mist, the energy then formed a crimson-purple haired avatar that resembled Raven in her current clothes and normal size. ''Your control has greatly improved,'' Ravenplemented Ka who smiled sincerely. ''Hehe, I haven''t shown you the best parts yet, you also got some improvements, but I''ll share them whenever we get a chance!'' she chuckled. In reality, Ka had prevented Raven from receiving any system notifications since she''s been under a lot of stress recently and she didn''t want to bombard her with extra information. ''Ah, sounds good,'' she smiled. "Oh, interesting," Scott muttered as he watched Ka''s avatar sitting on Raven''s shoulder. "The girl stays where she is," Raven simply said to Scott with a cold expression. "Howe?" He asked, "I thought you''d want her suffering, if anything¡­" "As I said, she stays where she is," Raven repeated. "And if anything, I''d like you to suffer, not her." Feeling the cold sweat rolling down his back, he frowned. Shaking his head, he focused back at her. "I understand," he said quietly. He had so many questions to ask, yet his audience wasn''t patient in the slightest so he decided to keep them for himself. "I''m assuming you want to take a look at the students now?" "No," she answered. "I couldn''t care less about them. But I''ll check the portals with you." *Sigh* "I still want you to check them out, and I''d like to perform another Rank Test to assess the new changes you underwent¡­" he said, looking at Raven who seemed to ignore that part. "Let''s go," Raven simply said. Watching Scott shake his head and dashing away, she followed. *** Staring at the magic circle carved into the ground and radiating with demonic energy, Raven frowned. ''Strange, this one is still inactive¡­'' she muttered in her mind as she crouched down next to it. Resting her palm on its surface, she sent multiple pulses of her own mana through it. As if it was a mirror, the magic circle started to crack as it eventually broke like fragile ss and disappeared. "As you can see, they all spawn like this at first." Scott said. "In this state, they mainly absorb energy. After enough energy has been gathered, the portal opens and monsters, or rather demons are able to escape and wreak havoc on this side. "What makes this a special case is that countless portals like these have been found around the globe." He sighed tiredly. "The reason why we had a special meeting was because we''re thinking this may be an attempt for another invasion." He finished. "You''re not wrong," Raven said nely. "Excuse me?" Scott tilted his head. "It''s not my first encounter with these portals, I''ve had to fight a bunch of demons that spawned out of one of them," she said. "I just wanted to make sure we were talking about the same thing. "Furthermore, I know the reason behind this, and it''s moreplicated than just an invasion attempt." "Care to exin?" He asked. "Not really¡­ but I guess someone has to," she said. "It''s a long story, but all you need to know is that there are seven strong demonic beings that are fighting amongst themselves in the demon world, or will be fighting soon. "And apparently, they want to control the human ne now that they have ess to it." She said as Scott widened his eyes. "If you thought that thetest portal incident, Or rather alien invasion, was a disaster, wait for this¡­ But don''t worry, I''ll take care of it." ""You will?"" Both Scott and Ka asked at the same time, surprised. Scott hadn''t expected her to take care of an invasion by herself, nor did he have high hopes. Yet, he knew that she knew a lot since she''s been mentioning the demon realm as if she''s familiar with it. Even more, he knew for a fact that she had changed as her aura had substantially increased in power. For him to feel threatened by her aura tells quite a lot. ''And that''s not including the power of the crimson dragon¡­'' he muttered to himself. Ka on the other hand, just didn''t expect Raven to want anything to do with fights, especially after what had happened to Maya, baby Rituxi, and the rest. "Ah, I will," Raven confirmed her choice. "After all, Maya is probably somewhere on this, right? I can''t have her witness some other crisis." "Kay, can you do me a favour?" She asked. "I already know," she smiled while snapping her fingers. Dark purple mana erupted out of her tiny body as many simr avatars suddenly appeared all around her. There were about twelve of them in total. Opening their eyes at the same time, the avatars seemed like robots that have been magically brought to life. Although in reality, it was just Ka with her skill: Parallel Processing. The skill allowed her to divide her focus on different tasks and get them done efficiently all at the same time. In an instant, the avatars flickered and disappeared as they were set on the hunt for more portals and destroying them. ''Make sure to disable the avatars the moment you feel yourself getting tired, ok?'' Raven wanted to make sure Ka doesn''t harm herself. ''Don''t exhaust yourself.'' ''Ah, for sure,'' she said as she hugged her, appreciating her concern. Watching as Raven patted Ka''s tiny head, Scott seemed surprised to see her smile, but it onlysted a moment as she got back to her cold expression the moment she turned her attention towards him. Taking a deep breath, Raven looked from Ka to Scott before clenching her fists. ''Do you want me to create devices that can measure the demonic energy?'' Ka asked as if reading her mind. ''This can help the EDA deal with the issue of the portals themselves.'' ''Not now,'' Raven said, shaking her head. ''I don''t want you to put too much pressure on yourself. ''Once the avatars have done a quick sweep of the most popted areas, we''ll let you rest. Only after you''re feeling energetic again can you start with the production, ok? Because we have to make some transfer bracelets as well. ''After all, some portals have been leaking monsters continuously since thest portal incident, and we need to take care of that as well, or at least help the EDA with that.'' Nodding her head, a smile was stered across Ka''s face. ''Ah, it shouldn''t be hard since I almost have full control over the cyber matter now, the only issue is my mana capacity,'' she sighed. ''I will give you a hand, obviously,'' Raven thought as she focused back to the real world. She was happy that Ka had the skill Thought eleration, otherwise, this conversation would have looked really awkward from Scott''s perspective. "Is that all you needed?" she asked him. "As I mentioned earlier, I need you to take a look at the students," he answered. "Why? What can I simply do for people that I don''t care about?" She asked coldly. "I would like you to test them," he answered before swallowing loudly. "I am aware that you''re an original, so I''d like to see if someone amongst them is an original as well. Your kind has a higher improvement rate." "What''s an original?" Raven asked as she tilted her head, curiously. "Eh? You''re an original how do you not- *sigh* actually, it''s a little bitplicated to exin to someone who doesn''t know the history of powers, but to keep it short: originals have the capacity to store and use more energy in their bodies. "They''re the original owners of powers and the reason normal folks are able to use powers. "In a sense,paring an original to a normal person with powers, is likeparing the power level of a power transmission tower, also known as an electricity tower, to the power level in a house a few blocks away." "Are you implying that originals distribute their powers amongst the rest of the poption?" She asked since this was the first time she''s ever heard of something like this. "Not exactly, but you got the right idea." He answered. "As I mentioned, everything will be exined once you attend the ss. We should officially start soon." "Hm, I guess I can send an avatar¡­" she said loudly as Scott face-palmed. "Do you think your avatar can withstand a spar between S rankers? Because your instructors are not going to take it easy on you. "After all, we''re running out of time. And before you ask, yes, we''ll be exining the urgent circumstances during the ss too." "The avatar won''t be there for physical practice as I don''t feel the need to prove or improve my powers to anyone, especially not EDA. The avatar will only be there for the information provided. "However, the avatar is made by Kay, meaning that I can instantly teleport there if needed. On that note, Scott, meet Ka. Kay, you already know Scott." She said as Ka nodded. "I have way too many questions," Scott said. "Too bad I won''t be answering any.." Raven said in return. Chapter 162 - Fragile Like A Flower * Illenium - Fractures (feat. Nevve) * "Jakol?" Raven said as a winged figurended on the rooftop, next to her. "Have you found anything?" "No," he shook his head. "Not yet." Biting her lower lip, she looked at him with watery eyes. "Are you sure? Can I take a look myself?" *Sigh* "Trust me, no one wants to see her highness more than I do," he said but Raven instantly disagreed in her mind. She was prepared to do anything for the sake of finding Maya. "But from what we can tell so far, she is not within range, otherwise, our devices would have spotted her energy signature." Jakol continued. "Oh, also, here," he said, handing her a small device."You said the range doesn''t matter, correct?" "Uhm," she nodded as two crimson rings instantly surrounded her majestic golden iresis. Inspecting the device in her hand, she called out to Ka in her mind. ''Do you think something like this would work?'' She asked. ''I should be able to tell whenever I sense her mana signature, but this device seems to function in a slightly different way¡­'' ''Hm, that''s correct. This device carries a strong resemnce to the one he provided you with when we first met him, the one that was supposed to test whether Maya was a human or an Akash.'' Ka said in response while multitasking and making sure the avatars are getting their job done properly. In addition to the twelve avatars cleansing the city from the still inactive demonic portals, she was also controlling the other two that were following Scott to the EDA headquarters, where the students are supposed to be. Scott wanted her to meet the students if she was nning on listening to what the EDA was hiding from the public. ''In addition to recognizing Maya''s mana signature, this device also scans for anyone who has the Askash blood in them.'' Ka added. ''Wait, but isn''t that stupid? Maya will most likely be human or¡­ I''m not sure, but not Akash, right?'' Raven seemed confused. Asking Jakol about it, he shook his head. "On the contrary, once Akash, always Akash. Maybe you haven''t noticed, but previously, the queen was still carrying the Akash blood in her veins. How do you think we were sure she was the one?" *Sigh* "I see," Raven sighed while hugging her knees again and leaning her back against the rooftop railings. It didn''t take an expert to realize that she was feeling down. "By the way, did you manage to find anything about souls?" "A lot," Jakol said in a simr expression to hers. "But nothing that explicitly exins the possibility of storing souls inside a living body. "In most cases, someone might try necromancy or one of its variances, and the intentions would normally be trapping a soul or many into a lifeless body. "The process isplicated. From what I''ve been able to gather, it shows that anything made that way would most likely be a ve to the caster. "So, unless you serve some unknown master, or you were a soul that has taken control of another''s body, then I''m not sure we''ve found a match yet. "In addition, the souls trapped that way are bound to fight amongst each other for control over the ownerless body, which also isn''t the case with you. "You obviously have no care for the other souls and they''re not trying to take control in any way, correct?" He finished reporting weeks worth of resear, but at the end he still had no real answers. "Hm, not quite, I guess." Raven said while staring into the distant azure sky. "But I do remember one time when I was attacked by some rough souls trapped in a cursed weapon." *Sigh* "but that''s a different matter, so it''s alright, just keep on looking for answers. However, make sure to prioritize Maya''s search, ok?" "Of course, I wouldn''t be waiting for your permission to do that." He said as he spread his wings, ready to go. "Oh really? Didn''t you prioritize fight stupid shadow creatures against rushing to Maya''s side from the start? Weren''t you supposed to protect her? Didn''t you watch her die?" Raven didn''t look him in the eyes as her mana red around her. Yet, Jakol felt his soul screaming in fear as cold sweat rolled down his back. ''Raven!!!'' Ka scolded in her mind. "Tch," he clicked his tongue while clenching his fists, his fear turning into rage. "I am aware." And with that, he flew into the air before disappearing from sight. Hugging her knees even tighter and sinking her head in between, she felt bad, but still didn''t forgive him. She hasn''t forgotten nor forgiven anyone about the incident yet, no one. Not the girl responsible for this, not Jakol, not the EDA rankers, not Cami or Kuru, and definitely not herself. Although Axane and Maria had technically failed in protecting Maya and baby Rituxi, the two of them had tried their best even though they weren''t fighters. Everyone else thought of themselves as fighters and especially the EDA rankers and Jakol. The first was supposed to be an organisation to protect people, and the other was supposed to be Maya''s guard. Yet, they all failed. But in her mind, she was the biggest failure as she was Maya''s everything, yet she wasn''t able to protect her because she was spending time somewhere else. The anger welling up inside her soul slowly turned into sadness then despair. She could punish the EDA, she could punish herself, but what good would that do her? EEEEK!! The door to the hospital''s rooftop was suddenly cracked open as the two familiar figures of the siblings emerged from it. Rushing towards Raven who had a grim expression on her face, light pink hair fluttered in the air as Ae crouched down and wrapped her arms around her. They didn''t speak a word for a while as they just stayed like that, sinking into each other''s warmth. "Are you better now?" Ae asked in a calm tone. Looking into her eyes, Raven seemed grateful, but the gesture had only allowed her to open up the pit she had chosen to keep covered until now. Shaking her head as tears ran down her eyes, Raven found herself crying into Ae''s shoulder. "Go guard the doors!" Ka materialised and ordered Zeru who didn''t know what else to do in order to help. Ka didn''t want someone to find Raven in this state, especially not the girls. Nodding, Zeru didn''t hesitate to do as ordered. ''Raven has been trapping her emotions and trying to hide her true feelings from Maria and Axane.'' Ka thought to herself, watching her tears drip down her chin. ''But in reality, she was now more broken than ever. ''In front of her close family she yed the undefeatable hero, while in front of her enemies she yed the cold assassin, but in front of her friend, she can be herself for a few minutes. ''She can cry, she canin, and she can remove the weight that has been crushing her chest and preventing her from breathing. ''Even if just for a few minutes, she can just be her true self. After all, she is but a young broken flower.'' Before she was aware of it, Ka had joined the two girls in their hug, as if trying to give them a hand. Aside from Ae, Ka was the one Raven relied heavily upon, as she was the only one knowing her every secret. Even Tu wasn''t this close to her. Speaking of which, Tu has been rather focusing more on gathering his powers thanmunicating with Raven. Realising how he was almost useless in thest fight, he wanted to prove to himself more than anyone else, that he is worthy of following Raven, supposedly the person who is going to allow him to view the reality of this universe. *** Minutes passed before poor Raven was able to stop her tears from flowing down her eyes. After getting some time to get her thoughts, she wiped away her tears and thanked Ae. "I''m sorry¡­" she apologized. "I don''t know why I did that. I should not have cried like a little baby." Even though she meant to say it as a joke, it didn''t work out as intended and she almost got back to crying. Biting her lower lip, she tried to focus again. "No, never apologize for this," Ae shook her head, almost scolding her. "I''m aware that I can''t imagine what''s going on through your mind right now, but you have to remember that I basically owe you my life," she said as she grabbed a soul orb from her bag, supposedly from the Erem Tree Raven and Ka had created. "You gave me and Zeru both another chance, to live like normal people," she continued. "The least I could do is give you my embrace to cry in, and my shoulder to lean on. "You can be the hero everyone needs and all, but you don''t need to hide that whenever we''re alone, ok? It would mean a lot to me if I was able to help you, you know." She said while patting Raven''s crimson-purple hair. Nodding silently, Raven took a deep breath and tired to calm herself down again. Looking at her pure expression turning cold, Ae winced in realization of how mentally pressured the girl was. What scared her the most however, was how she instantly adopted a natural expression and smiled after that. Her smile seemed sweet and genuine, yet after what she had just witnessed, Ae knew it was a fake one. "By the way, me and Zeru have decided that we''re staying with you from now on," she said, partially trying to change the subject. ncing towards her, Raven shook her head. "I''m aware of how strong you both are, but my next maneuver is more dangerous than usual. I appreciate the thought though." She smiled again, melting Ae''s heart. ''Her act is so good, it''s as if she has different personalities¡­'' she thought to herself. ''It is actually so scary.'' Even though she thought that, she could not help but lean closer to her. Deep inside, Ae wanted to protect this broken soul that was Raven. She wanted her to live happily, the same way she had allowed her and her brother to do. Deciding to leave them alone, Ka walked over to Zeru who seemed to be deep in thoughts. Chapter 163 - Paper Thin Part 1 *ILLENIUM, Tom DeLonge, Angels & Airwaves- Paper Thin * "A dangerous maneuver? What do you mean?" Ae asked, concerned. Even though she resembled the undefeatable might of an army, Raven felt as fragile as a flower that was made out of soft ss, one gust of wind was enough to blow her away. The barriers protecting her emotions were paper thin that anything and almost everything was enough to harm her. "What could possibly require your help that other people can''t get done?" Ae asked while leaning closer to Raven, her eyes red in anger. Seeing how her voice was rising, Raven understood that she was deeply concerned for her, and she didn''t me her. Raven was aware of how hurt she was. She wasn''t naive and so she knew that adding more pressure to her te was ought to eventually break her. Yet, she couldn''t just sit by and wait for Maya to magically appear in front of her. No, even as wishful as she was, she knew that was crossing the border of stupidity. In addition, she couldn''t watch as more members of her friends and family got hurt by stupid invasion attempts or other means. "A demon war." Raven replied with a smile as she tapped Ae''s forehead to calm her down. Turning bright red at Raven''s gesture, thetter held her hand within hers so she could focus. "Say what again?" Exining the situation to her, including the information provided by both Red and Scott, made her pale. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. "And why do you have to be the one taking care of that? Aren''t there people that get paid for that?" *Sigh* "Uhm, they''re simply not good enough¡­" Raven said with a sigh. "Well, rather not strong enough." Thinking back to the recent incident and how Raven was the one to stop the dark haired girl, Ae understood that under such circumstances, only Raven would be able to stop a demon invasion. After all, even herself and her brother didn''t stand a chance against the girl, even though they obviously had more experience. ''We gotpany,'' suddenly, Ka informed Raven who instantly was on guard. ''No, no, I mean Maria and the rest, don''t be rmed.'' Hearing her, Raven took a deep breath as she stood up and dusted herself. Not too long after, Maria, Axane, Lizzy, Joey, Mike, and the rest of her friends came up the staircase. Ignoring everyone, Ae and Zeru''s eyes snapped wide open as theyunched themselves on Lizzy who was caught off guard. Before the siblings could touch her, however, Raven flickered like lightning in front of her and blocked both strikes. Even though they were stopped in their tracks, the powerful blows still managed to send a violent gust of wind that would have hit the group, if not for the barrier created by Raven in that instant. Realising who the person blocking their hits was, the siblings seemed rather confused. "It''s a long story," Raven smiled and Ae instantly recognised that it was a fake one. Nevertheless, she didn''t want to go against her or question anything now. Lizzy who saw everything happen so fast felt her knees go weak as she fell on the ground, hugging herself and shaking. Seeing that, Raven felt her heart ache. Biting her lower lip and patting Lizzy''s head, she smiled. "It''s alright, Liz, I''m here now," hearing her name mouthed by Raven seemed to knock her out of her panic episode as she stopped shaking. Looking up at Raven, she instantly hopped up and gave her a tight hug. Immediately, she felt as though she was reunited with a part of her soul that was long lost. Suddenly, her body was no longer cold, her mind was no longer blurry and confused, and instead, she was now at ease. "You seem better now," Raven said while continuously stroking her dark locks. Seeing that, Maria and Axane could not help but think how much Liz resembled a lost child that suddenly found her mother. They weren''t against what Raven was doing, but at the same time, they knew Raven wasn''t being herself. Making Liz rely on her so much was never good. Yet, they understood that the poor girl was also a victim, and Raven didn''t want to treat her harshly. ... Momentster, the atmosphere seemed rather rxed as the ser team members had a lot to share about their trip. They were aware of what had happened, and mostly trying to make everyone feel at ease. The duo, Dan and Danny, seemed to be doing a very good job at that as Maria and Axane seemed so engrossed in their stories and funny reactions. Joey seemed down as he knew that even if he was present, he would have probably been another victim and nothing more. It took some effort from Raven to raise his spirits. But even then, he had vowed to himself to be stronger and protect his princess, no, but rather his dear friend, Raven. The siblings took some time topletely understand what Raven had said about Liz and how she had no control over her actions. In addition, Raven herself had full control of how much power she could release, meaning she was absolutely harmless now. "Um, so how old are you?" Ae asked Liz awkwardly. After all, she seemed quite young, judging by her appearance and actions. Since the moment she got up here, she hadn''t left Raven''s side. "I''m actually twenty," Liz smiled, feeling confident and refreshed near Raven, even though she knew she was younger than her, she couldn''t care less. "Wait, are you serious?" Ae asked, her mouth wide open. "I thought you were far younger! Then why do you act as if Raven is your lost mother? Shouldn''t the roles be reversed?" "Hehe, maybe you''re right age wise, but there''s no way I''d be as confident and kind as Raven is," she smiled. "Even though I''m older, I''d happily admit she''s my mama!" She said with a wide smile stered across her face. Hearing that, Raven instantly made a weird face and tried to get away from her. "Hey, I''m joking!!" Liz suddenly said in panic as she hugged Raven''s arm and refused to let go of her. "I- I am not usually like this, I promise," she said, her eyes watery, "just give me some time to recover, ok?" Chapter 164 - Paper Thin Part 2 *ILLENIUM, Tom DeLonge, Angels & Airwaves- Paper Thin * Thinking back to her past, Liz has always been insecure about friendships and such. Whenever she got to know and love someone, that person would tend to disappear or die by some weird ident. That''s why she couldn''t let go of Raven whenever possible, since a part of her was still waiting for that moment when Raven disappears and her dreams shatter apart. Every moment of her life now felt so surreal that it just made her extremely happy. ''Even if this is a dream, I would rather live it to the fullest!'' She thought to herself. Seeing her expression, Raven sighed and sat still, instead of trying to run away from her. "Um, so I know that Rave here is sixteen," Liz said, trying to focus on the outside world, rather than her own worries and sadness. "How old are you?" "Wait Raven is sixteen..? Also, why are you calling her Rave? Since when did you two be besties?" Ae asked, not caring to hide her jealousy. "Hm, don''t try to avoid the question, Ae!" Liz called out to her. "Eh? It''s rude to ask a girl about her age you know," she said, looking away. "But you asked me first!" Lizined. "Raven, help?" She looked at Raven who in return just looked away muttering that she was only sixteen and had no say in the matter. "Humph, whatever! I''m twenty eight, happy?" She asked, her cheeks red since she was rtively old, inparison to Raven who she wanted to be friends with, badly. "Reall?" Liz eximed in surprise. "You look so young! I honestly thought you were younger than myself. I would have guessed you were neen or something." "Well, I''m not human, so the age flow is different for me," she shrugged. "As Raven already knows, I''m a soul weaver." "Soul weaver? Is that an alien race?" Liz asked curiously. "Uhm, you could think of it like that I guess," she nodded. "And you know, Raven is also a soul weaver, hehe! So I''m more simr to her than you are!" "Hey, stop teasing me!" Lizined yfully as she was enjoying her time, "but you know what, I get to hold onto Raven''s arm and hug her, while you''re an oldy so you can''t, hehe!" She teased back as she stuck her tongue out. "Hi," a voice suddenly called out, preventing Ae fromshing out at Liz with another response. Looking up to the source of the voice, Raven smiled, "Ayo, Rachel!" She smiled. Even though it seemed sweet and genuine, Ae knew she was faking. Joining the three of them, Rachel got to know them better as she tried her best to keep up with their enthusiasm. Even though she wanted to ask Raven about how she was doing, she knew that it was the wrong question to ask at this time. Instead, she just smiled and decided to enjoy watching the showdown between Ae and Liz. During that time, Zeru and Ka sat away observing the rest. They all seemed happy. It was almost surreal, to think that after what they had witnessed, smiles would make their way back to their faces. Aside from paying attention to the group, Ka was still piloting the other avatars. ''The two Avatars have reached their destination.'' she said to Raven through their mind link. ''Uhm,'' Raven nodded. In the EDA headquarters, the avatar''s eyes belonging to her shone with a golden radiance as she took over. While Raven was able to use Ka''s skill "Parallel Processing", Ka hadn''t allowed her full ess since in her condition, it would make it harder to focus and would only damage her. That''s why her main body was now leaning on Liz''s body. Although her eyes were still open, she seemed tired and almost ready to fall asleep. Seeing that, Liz made a shush gesture to Ae as she slowly lowered Raven''s head into herp. Noticing that, Raven didn''t mind and instead she rxed, allowing her main body to seem asleep. *** Passing through the same hall she once did her test in, Raven clenched her fists as it reminded her of what Scott had done previously. The avatar didn''t need to breathe, yet she still took a deep breath to calm her nerves down. Walking throughout the white futuristic hallways didn''tst long as they approached arge set of doors. Opening the doors silently, Scott stepped to the side, allowing Raven and Ka on her shoulder first. Inside, Raven found herself staring at about fifteen kids that had some special EDA uniforms on. Their ages seemed to vary from fourteen to neen. Some were a bit younger or older. Each one or two of them had different uniforms, indicating the region or county they came from. Raven could see some that seemed Korean, Japanese, some other Canadians, some from the USA, and other countries. Suddenly, a blonde haired girl waved at Raven who was caught off guard. The girl had a wide smile stered across her face as she started approaching Raven while dragging a dark haired girl behind her. Scott seemed surprised at the gesture of the blonde girl, yet he didn''tment. Reaching Raven, the girl was now rather nervous, yet she tried to ignore that feeling. "Thank you very much for saving our lives! We owe you more than we could ever repay you!" The two girls said loudly while bowing deeply in front of Raven. Standing up, the blonde still had a wide smile while the dark haired girl seemed embarrassed, if anything. "I''m aware that you may not remember us, but you saved our lives during that portal incident¡­ we really owe you big time, you know!" The blonde spoke in a British ent that Raven found rather pleasant. "Uhm, thank you very much!" The dark haired girl spoke fluent English even though she looked Japanese. "Uhm, no worries," Raven said politely, in reply, "you two are from Nova Scotia, aren''t you?" "No way! You remember us?" The blonde grinned, "hehe, it''s a pleasure being recognised by the one and only SS ranker around!" At that, the faces of the other kids snapped towards Raven, with various expressions. Some seemed rather happy that a strong person was with them, protecting their backs. Others gritted their teeth in annoyance. But some didn''t even seem to notice. A duo caught Raven''s attention during that time. A girl that looked Korean who looked at Raven with a smile and even waved when their eyes met. And a boy sitting next to her who seemed to be rather quiet, resting his hands on his knees while closing his eyes, as if asleep. "My name is Isabe, but please feel free to call me Be," the blonde said with an enthusiastic smile, "and this is Sara." "Nice meeting you, Be and Sara, my name is Raven," she smiled while nudging Scott sneakily. Realising that she was signalling him to save her, Scott coughed with a smile. "Alright everyone, seeing how some of you might want to introduce yourselves, I''ll give you a few minutes to do so. "However, after that we''ll have to carry on with the formal introductions of the students as representatives of their countries, as well as the instructors and their different roles." Chapter 165 - Scotts Scheme Part 1 *ILLENIUM, Tom DeLonge, Angels & Airwaves- Paper Thin * Realising that Raven was signalling him to save her, Scott coughed with a smile. "Alright everyone, seeing how some of you might want to introduce yourselves, I''ll give you a few minutes to do so. "However, after that we''ll have to carry on with the formal introductions of the students as representatives of their countries, as well as the instructors and their different roles." Understanding that he took the opportunity to go against her wishes by letting others join the introductions rather than save her time, Raven sighed softly and tried to give him the pleasure of irritating her. ''It didn''t hurt to get to know the younglings he''s so invested in.'' she thought in her mind. ''Younglings? I''m pretty sure you''re younger than most,'' Ka whispered in her mind. ''Oi, you''re still a month old, aren''t you? Let me rant on my own please and thank you,'' Raven replied before shifting her attention towards the others present in the hall. Chuckling softly, Ka was happy she was trying to be positive, instead of being trapped in her grief. "Hello, Raven," a young and cute sounding voice called out to Raven. Looking down, Raven found herself staring at a tiny girl that seemed to be Middle Eastern. Her brown hair was rather short and beautiful, as were her dark green eyes. Her features reminded Raven of Maya that she wasn''t aware of how tight she was clenching her fists. Only the sound of her blood dripping down the marble floor knocked her out of her trance. "Oh, you''re bleeding!" The girl said as she approached Raven and touched her hand gently. Suddenly, a bright green aura erupted out of her kind eyes as tiny petals of flowers materialised on Raven''s bleeding palms, healing her on the spot. The pain wasn''t much to start with, but seeing that the girl was happy that she healed her, and taking into ount her simrity to Maya, Raven couldn''t help but crouch down near her and give her a gentle hug. "Thank you, you''re so sweet," she said with a sincere smile. "What''s your name?" "Raven is interested in knowing my name? It''s an honour! My name is Amira!" Amira said while smiling happily and returning the hug. "It''s a beautiful name," Raven said with a smile. "Aren''t you too young to be here though, little princess?" "Hm, I am a little bit younger than everybody here, hehe, I''m only twelve actually," she smiled sheepishly while fidgeting with her fingers, "but I wanted to heal everybody! I used to work as a healer in my hometown, then some gentlemen from the EDA wanted my help, so I couldn''t refuse!" "Wait, you''re twelve? Do your parents know you''re here? Did the EDA just take you away from your family?" Raven asked, feeling her temper rising. "Actually, Amira is an orphan," a voice muttered in response. Looking at the source, Raven found herself looking at a handsome boy. He had soft ashy light blond hair and equally calm brown eyes. "Uhm, it is as Albedo said," Amira nodded with a smile. "I was born in a tough time it seems, my parents both died when I was still very young, and I was adopted by an orphanage. "But they were happy for me toe here and help more people! I promised to always send them pictures of ces I visit!" She seemed too happy as if she was going on a field trip, not to be a ranker and risk her life for the sake of others. "I see," Raven sighed. Patting her head, she looked at Albedo who smiled in return. "Are you her guardian?" She asked. "No, I''m merely a friend that got to know her story," Albedo smiled calmly. Something about him seemed to calm Raven, and she didn''t like it, it was unnatural. "Stupid, I can''t believe you''re not dead yet with that naive smile on your face and thoughts in your head." A young boy said with a cold expression on his face while ring at young Amira. "What did I get myself into, being stuck with idiots here?" His light blue hair made him look older than he actually is, while his silver eyes gave him a sharp and cold look. Looking at him, Amira stuck her tongue out and pulled her eyelid down. "Loosseers only talk,e fight me weirdo!" She shook her body mocking him. Seeing that, Raven burst outughing as she hadn''t expected the cute girl to do something like that. But it seemed as though she''s been through a rough life that she had learned to be brave and stand up for herself. ''I wonder what kind of environment did she grow up in, being an orphan and having to protect herself at a young age surely isn''t the best childhood¡­'' realising that even this reminded her of Maya, she pursed her lips tight. Seeing that the little girl was making fun of him, the blue haired boy cracked his neck as he stood up from his seat, mana leaking from his body. Another kid that was sitting next to him stood up and joined him ring at the little girl. He had blond hair and cold blue eyes. "Let me teach you that this world is cruel," the boy muttered while staring at Amira who didn''t even think about backing down, instead, her green aura red around her small frame. Even though both parties looked young, their powers weren''t to be underestimated. Flexing his hands, the blue haired boy turned thin air into two blue weirdly shaped long daggers. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the daggers were hydro based as water droplets condensed around the edges and dripped down the marble floor. The boy next to him pped his hands together as blue white ice formed around his friend in the form of a protective armour. With a sadistic yet cold smile that matched the colour of his hair, the kidunched himself across the hall towards the little girl. Chapter 166 - Scotts Scheme Part 2 *ILLENIUM, Tom DeLonge, Angels & Airwaves- Paper Thin * Raven was confused at how fast things have escted, but she still chose not to interfere for now. ''Kay?'' Raven mutter in her mind Nodding as if reading her mind, her avatar smiled. ''It appears that our trouble makers are A++ for the blue haired one, and A+ for the blond. Amira on the other hand is just an A ranker and I have a feeling she''s not a fighter, from her words.'' "Well, I obviously can''t let this happen then?" She muttered to Ka more than anyone else. Flickering from his spot, the blue haired kidunched himself towards Amira who only smirked in return. Snapping her fingers, dense magical thorned petals materialised in front of him, forcing him to stop his advance, but not before leaving him with many scratches across his face as it wasn''t protected by the armour. ''Kay? You said he''s an A++?'' Raven seemed confused. ''And his friend was supposed to be an A+? ''How are they being contested by an A ranker? And a healer at that!?'' ''Err, I guess rank doesn''t determine experience. We''ve always known that but here''s a clearer demonstration.'' Ka seemed as confused since the kid could have just cut the thorns apart with his water des, yet he didn''t. ''Ranks are an indication of how much mana their bodies can withstand, but if they don''t practice enough, they''ll be just like mana batteries with no real function.'' Ka said and Raven face-palmed. ''But¡­ I can feel that the blue haired boy is afraid of exerting too much power, I''m not sure why¡­'' ''With each passing second, I''m believing more and more that this is just a prank from Scott,'' Raven sighed. ''Does he actually expect kids to fight and protect his a*s?'' "If you stop now, I can still be nice and heal your pretty face, what do you say?" Amira asked in her little cute voice. Her personality was like a more polite version of Maya since thetter would have just bombarded her opponents with curses and attacks, rather than being this kind to them. Thinking that, Raven smiled. Suddenly, the blue haired kid gritted his teeth as condensed water vapour created a mist screen around him. Flickering from his spot, he appeared in front of Amira who was caught off guard. Watching the sharp water des heading towards her throat, she instantly red her healing aura all around her body in an attempt to protect any uing damage, but the hit nevernded. While everything was covered in the mist screen, a pained scream could be heard as the blue haired kid was suddenlyunched away from Amira. The sound of him cracking his bones and the wall he ended up being glued against shook the room and everyone inside. "Oi," Raven called out, her eyes ring with a dangerous golden radiance. "Are you out of your mind? Attacking to kill? Just because she made fun of you?" With each step she took towards him, the boy felt his consciousness fading away. Just when she was a couple of feet away, he closed his eyes as if he''d given up, and dropped to the floor,pletely unconscious. "Tch, what''s the meaning of this?" She asked Scott who was watching all of that unfolding from the sidelines. "You didn''t bring me here to babysit idiots like him, now did you?" Seeing how she talked to the EDA official, especially someone that''s known to be the Deputy General, everyone was surprised at her attitude, but still chose to stay quiet. Be, Sara, and Albedo seemed concerned for Raven since her aura indicated that she was ready for a fight between her and Scott. "SHIN!!!" Amira''s cute voice seemed terrified as she suddenly screamed. Running towards the unconscious blue haired kid who now had his blond friend trying to shake him awake, she instantly red her aura and healed his broken bones. *Sigh* "Not at all. Your job here is only to observe, and I''ve told you that, no?" Scott answered Raven''s question calmly. "You chose to defend the little girl." "What was I supposed to do then? Watch the idiot slit her throat open?" She answered, her voice rising. But even so, she felt that suddenly, nothing made sense. Why did the girl run to help the blue haired boy who just tried to kill her? Why is everyone else so quiet? What''s happening? "Absolutely not, even if you haven''t moved, no harm would havee to young Amira," he reassured while pointing at a couple of people in the room. The first one was Albedo that had waved back in response to her re. "Our fellow here, was ready to teleport Amira the moment she was in actual danger." Scott said while pointing at the duo that had caught Raven''s attention earlier. "That kind girl over there, Jina, had created a mana barrier around Amira that she would not have been in any danger whatsoever," he said. "And her boyfriend, the one resting his hands in his knees, was moments away from sending his swordpanion to block the strike. And those are just the obvious examples. "Even Shin himself, the blue haired kid, has limited the use of his powers and substantially slowed himself down to avoid any unfortunate idents. "Out of almost everyone here, you were the only one who attempted to attack Shin, instead of just protecting little Amira." Scott smiled. He mainly wanted to point out that she could trust others here. While they haven''t all been under the same circumstances she had to go through, everyone here was strong in their own way. In addition, Raven''s teamwork abilities were close to none, and Scott wanted to change that. His thoughts were simply having her as the leader of this force. But with her current personality, that was simply impossible. "Let me ask you this," he smiled and asked Raven who was clenching her fists again. "What would you do if you were all suddenly attacked by a strong monster?" Before she could open her mouth and answer, Scott continued. "Let me guess, you''d probably just leave a barrier around everyone and deal with the danger on your own, no?" He asked. Raven kept quiet since that was exactly what she would have done. The biggest example was herst fight where she protected Maria and the rest with a barrier while attacking her enemy. "I''m aware that this may have seemed harsh, so I do apologize in advance," Scott said with a sheeplike smile. "But this has all been staged¡­" Chapter 167 - Elite Instructors Part 1 "I am aware that this may have seemed a little bit too harsh, so I do apologize in advance," Scott said with a sheeplike smile. "But this has all been staged¡­" Gritting her teeth, Raven wasn''t surprised at this point. Not after witnessing the horrified look on Amir''s face after she had kicked the blue haired boy, apparently called Shin. She hadn''t even meant to harm him as much as she did, but at the sudden thought of blood sttering out of little Amira''s throat, she infused her foot with her golden aura the moment she kicked. She was able to feel the boy''s lungs being squished against his broken ribs the moment her foot connected to his chest, yet she didn''t feel an ounce of pity at the time. Now however, her consciousness was adding more pressure on her already full te. ''Since when have I be this tunnel visioned? Why can I no longer see the bigger picture?'' Raven asked herself, feeling the guilt tormenting her. Not because she had physically harmed the kid, but rather because of what that implies. She was ready to kill anything and anyone that would try to harm someone she had deemed relevant to her. ''Do you not mean -deem your own-?'' Raven suddenly muttered to herself, unaware of what she had just said. ''Is it that I''m just obsessive? Do I just want to protect what is mine, rather than what or who I love?'' Shaking her head, she cupped her face within her warm palms to force herself back to reality. She knew those words weren''t something she should even think about. She loves Maria, Maya, Axane, and all of her family and friends. ''Uhm, I am just disoriented now¡­ that''s all,'' she tried to convince herself. Taking a deep breath, she walked slowly towards Shin to check up on him. Seeing that, Amira''s small frame instantly jumped and opened her arms in order to protect the boy who''s still in slight pain. "Please, Raven, Shin was joking! He''d never harm me!" She shouted in fear. "Please forgive him, it was that man''s idea!" She said while pointing towards Scott. *Sigh* Crouching down, Raven patted her head with a soft smile. "I- I know now¡­ I''m sorry, I''m just trying to check up on him. That''s all." "Do you promise?" She asked. Only after Raven had nodded did she move aside. Raven noted that she hasn''t cried even once during this time, but rather was so focused on healing Shin if anything. She appreciated howpetent and focused she was, that would be a blessing in the battlefield. "Are you alright?" Raven asked Shin who looked away with a frown. "I could have beaten your a*s, you know," he said, his cheeks warm red. "I just wasn''t expecting something like that. The Deputy General told us to expect that you would protect Amira, but he didn''t say anything about you attacking me¡­ "I guess I should have expected that, maybe that''s the lesson he wanted to teach us." He finished with a sigh. Taking a moment to digest all of that, Raven burst outughing. "Oi, what are youughing at?" He stood up and red his mana. Flexing his hands, the two familiar water des materialised in his grasp, yet this time Raven could tell they were indeed dangerous as his blue aura radiated out of them menacingly. "How about a rematch?" Shin asked seriously. "I bet I''ll give you a run for your money this time now that I''m ready for you!" Wiping away the tears from her eyes and trying not tough any harder, Raven stood up again. "Uhm, I''ll take your bet, but not now, I''m not feeling good at the moment," she said calmly. "Excuses! You just realized how deep the rabbit hole you were that''s all!" He said, his cheeks still warm. Raven started to feel that it was more than just embarrassment from being defeated. ''Well of course it''s not just because he''d lost against you,'' Ka muttered with a chuckle in her mind. ''I bet you''d have warm cheeks if a gorgeous girl was this close to you!'' ''Are you calling me gorgeous?'' Raven raised her eyebrows. ''Or are you trying topliment yourself since we both look alike, more or less?'' ''Hehe, maybe both?'' Ka''s avatar smiled while whispering in Raven''s ear. Thinking about it for a moment, Raven decided to make some space between her and Shin since she didn''t want to set any weird gs to the poor kid. "But anyway," he said, dismissing his des. "I don''t want to hurt a cute girl like you," he said while scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "I''ll give you a chance to recuperate before our rematch!" ''Oh here it is,'' Ka teased with a chuckle but Raven frowned in her mind. "Ah, that''s so kind of you, Shin," she said while waving a quick goodbye. "Thank you for the second chance. Now if you''ll excuse me, I need to talk to Scott over there. See ya!" "Wait," he called out but Raven ignored him before dashing towards Scott. Grabbing him by the arm, she dragged him outside the room. Everyone in the room was left speechless at how the Deputy General didn''t argue with her, but none daredment on that in front of him. "What is it?" Scott asked once they were outside the ss. "Ka, you said you''re done with most of the portals, correct?" She asked, partially ignoring Scott. "Aye, the avatars were able to destroy about two hundred of them, but many are being created with each passing minute," Ka said and Scott frowned. "Ok, I''ll give you some time to recover before we start the production of the devices." She said. While Ka nodded in understanding, Scott was left confused. "Are we talking about the teleportation bracelets?" He asked. "Uhm, that and some devices that will allow the EDA rankers to find the demonic portals." "Here''s a quick sample," Ka said as a wave of cyber matter was formed in front of her tiny avatar''s hands. Twisting the cyber matter in the air as circuits of silver and purple were fused with it, two devices were created in an instant. "Here," Ka said with a smile. "The new generation of the teleportation bracelets can produce their own anchor point. In addition, they are now reusable. All you need to know will be given as instructions in the holographic disy." Touching the small screen on the bracelet, Scott was surprised as a holographic screen was disyed, showing all the steps to activate the anchor and then how to use the bracelet itself and actually teleport. "Hm, inparison to the previous version, this is indeed more efficient." Scott said in appreciation. "We were preparing arge team to help you, but apparently you only needed some time to be able to produce this. Last I heard was that our technology team was dying to meet you. "Anyhow, from my understanding, you only need to take this piece and throw it somewhere," he said, holding what seemed like a small attachable panel he removed from the bracelet, "and it would then act like an anchor? Finally, injecting mana would be enough to activate it?" "Yep, it''s that simple," Ka said with a smile. "Also, here''s the demonic energy detector," she said, handing him the other device. "This will simply function as a radar for the demonic energy, since not everyone might know how to distinguish them from normal energy, plus, it has arge range," she said as she sat back on Raven''s shoulder. "Alright, thank you," Scott said. "They seem good and all, but I''m assuming you''ll be able to produce some more soon?" "Aye she will, just give her some time to recover," Raven said, slightly annoyed. Ka scratched her cheek in embarrassment at her behaviour. "Oh, here theye," Scott suddenly said as Raven felt the presence of a couple of familiar mama signatures. Looking at the hallway behind Scott, she was able to see Cami and Kuru, Jaimie, Adam, Axth, and two other rankers that she wasn''t able to recognise as she hadn''t seen before. "Alright, please wait inside with the rest, we''ll start the official introductions soon" Scott said to Raven who stole a wave at Kuru and Cami before doing as told. "Hello,dies and gentlemen," Scott greeted. "Are we all ready to get this show rolling?" "Oh, we are, Deputy General," one of the unknown rankers said as her short blonde hair fluttered with each move she took. "Aye, aye," said the other new ranker excitedly. She was wearing some cute nursing outfit as if she was dragged straight out of her job from the hospital. "Just a question, Deputy General," the blonde said. "Was that girl the troublemaker Adam was afraid of?" "Oi, I didn''t say I''m afraid of her," Adam red at her. "I''m just saying that she doesn''t belong here, she could easily stand among us as an equal, in my opinion that is." He shrugged since they were all in for a shock. "Oho~ as an equal to you lot, maybe, but to me?" She asked with a fiendish smile. "I''d be rather surprised and even impressed if someone her age was a triple S ranker. But hey, that would be a lot of fun now would it not? "After all, I can''t remember thest time I was able to enjoy a good fight.." She said, licking her lips as if she was about to enjoy a tasty meal. Chapter 168 - Elite Instructors Part 2 "Hello ss," Scott greeted everyone officially. "As most of you should know by now, my name is Scott Harris, and I am the Deputy General of the Canadian EDA Division. "To my right, you have my assistant Mr. Adam Han, me Master Mage also called Mr. James Oliver, Battle Mage Ms. Cami Rogers, and finally Mr. Axth from Mian. "To my left, you have Ms. Ramira Sato, who also happens to be the Deputy General of the Japanese EDA Division." At that, she waved innocently at the clueless kids in front of her. Adam felt a knot tightening around his stomach from her acting since he knew what real monster she was. "Next to her, you have Ms. Hinata Amaka, also known as the Spirit Puppeteer, she''s a Japanese ranker as well." Scotts said while pointing at the cute girl in the white nursing outfit who had a rather calming smile on her face. "It''s important to note that not all of them will be your teachers. "For now, they''ll only be here to officially give you your first practical test. This may not seem fair to many as we''re not all fighters here, but we have to have a way of giving each of you a role so that we can assign the leadership. "You don''t have to worry much about the test, just do your best. If it happens that you''re not happy about the score you get, you''ll get a chance at a redo. "Starting tomorrow, Ms. Cami will be responsible for teaching the magic sses, Ms. Ramira will be responsible for the weapon mastery sses, while Ms. Hinata will be responsible for the meleebat training. "We''ll start with the theory portion and the purpose of this ss pretty soon. We''re just waiting for-" just as he was about to say some more students, the door was flung open. "We''re here!" A dark haired boy shouted as soon as he set foot in the hall. Raven instantly recognised him to be the kid that was causing some trouble when she was about to take her Rank test. Walking after him, came a red haired boy that seemed rather annoyed that he had to be here, if anything. Seeing that, Ramira frowned. "Mr. Hans, Mr. Major, please take your seats." Scott said. Giving a moment for the students to chat and take a breather, Scott directed his attention towards Ramira who was slowly releasing her suppressive aura. "Ramira, you''ll get to have your share of fun, but remember that some are still young and our purpose is to educate them and pass on our experience above all, not to break them." He scolded the Japanese Deputy General as she scoffed and looked away, annoyed. "Alright, as some of you already know, you are here because you were chosen by the EDA Divisions of your own respective countries. "This Elite ss is one out of three around the globe. Aside from this one for North America, we have two others, one for Europe and one for Asia. "However, as you should already know, the sses have been mixed up so that we can incorporate the most amount of variations in style and skill. That''s why some of your instructors are not from North America either. "With that being said, all of the three sses will have simr training schedules, and all three will function as three coborative units. We''ll eventually have some exercises with the other two sses. "Overall, the idea behind these Elite sses is to be the next line of EDA leaders. "The reason will be clear as we go on but for now, just remember that you are the future of this, in the very sense of what that implies." Even though he had his eyes closed, Raven could feel him gazing at her. "Any questions?" Seeing Raven raise her hand, Scott smiled and signalled a "no". "Ms. O''Bannon, we''ll discuss thatter," he said as if already knowing what she had wanted to ask. Shrugging, she lowered her hand. "Alright, I''ll give you a minute or two to familiarise yourself with your instructors before we start your first practical tests." Scott said to everyone. Most of the young rankers that were present flocked around Hinata in the nursing outfit as she looked the cutest. Some were interested in Ramira, but were quickly sent away by the wild aura ring around her. Raven however, wasn''t interested in knowing her instructors since she was mostly going to leave this for her avatar which would almost always be controlled by Ka. Waking slowly towards Axth, the Mian, he was rather surprised to see the girl interested in talking to him and not Cami, who he knew was already her friend. "You were called Axth, correct?" Raven asked nely. "Yes, my name is Axth, from nter Mian." He confirmed. "A Mian, then why are you not checking up on Axane?" She asked curiously. "I''m aware that you are busy and all, but don''t you think that someone of your own race is worthy of keeping taps on?" "Uhm, I''ve actually meant to visit her and check up on her the moment I recovered," Axth smiled. "But as you have already guessed, I''ve been really busy. With that being said however, I will visit her for sure once I get a chance to do so." "Uhm, ok," she nodded. "She''s quite sensitive though so be careful with her, ok? Don''t mention her lost daughter casually or treat her like she''s inferior to you in any aspect." Raven narrowed here yes as Axth only nodded with a smile. He was happy to see someone who wasn''t a Mian taking care of one, and not because she needed something in return, but simply out of goodwill. "Good," she said while catching Kuru who jumped towards her. Although she had wanted to keep him away from the EDA''s sight, she learned that they already had aliens working with them, so Kuru was just another smart alien to them. "Cami and Kuru, you have to spend more time with Maria and the rest too," Raven said while looking down. She knew that she sounded more bossy than caring, but she just wanted someone to make her family feel better, especially Cami who meant a lot to Maria. Flicking her forehead, Cami smiled. "I''ve spent so much time with Maria before you woke up, you know. But yes I know what you mean¡­ I''ll be teaching sses here during the week, but I''ll still have some time to check up on her. "Out of curiosity though, howe you''re here?" She asked curiously. "I thought you''d want to stick with her and Axane." "Well, you see-" "This is just an avatar," Ramira spoke with a tone that showed how disgusted she was. Approaching Raven, sheunched her fist towards her face. Before anyone could even say a thing, a hole was made in the avatar''s face as cyber dust was sent flying across the hall. "Tch, annoying," Raven''s real body said as her aura red slightly around her. "Raven, are you good?" Ae asked, concerned. "Rave, Rave, what''s wrong? Are we being too loud?" Liz asked, almost feeling guilty. "No, no, it''s just an annoying dream, I''m sorry," Raven said as she closed her eyes again and focused on the avatar that was now in good condition, and looked at Ramira with narrowed eyes. "Why are you sending an avatar here? Do you not understand how important this is? Does having two Deputy Generals in the same room not tell you how serious this is?" Ramira''s voice rose as did her anger. "I couldn''t care less," Raven said with a re. "Ranks and positions are just as useless as those who follow them. People in higher positions treat those that are not as numbers. "Where are you when the public needs you? Where are your powers when a disaster hits? "Does a Deputy General like you even care about the public? I bet you''re only doing this for fun and out of boredom." Raven gritted her teeth. A fiendish smile surfaced across Ramira''s face as she was about to punch Raven again, but this time, Raven wasn''t going to give up her avatar easily. Brilliant golden aura red around her as her eyes shone with a simr radiance. Catching Ramira''s punch as if she was but a mere kid in front of her, she looked at Scott. "You better talk to your pet before I break her," she said, getting her teeth. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" Ramira startedughing like a maniac as she shook away Raven''s grasp. "Magnificent, let''s fight!" She said as she red her aura, getting ready to attack. However, before the duo could start a disaster, Scott stepped in between them. "Enough of this. Ms. Sato, you''re a Deputy General, act like it. Ms. O''Bannon, try to save your energy for the production of the devices that can save many lives, not useless fights." ""Tch,"" both girls clicked their tongues in annoyance. "Fine, but I want to be the one testing her." Ramira snarled. "Prepare the test room-" "No," Scott shook his head. "Ms. O''Bannon will not be tested." "What bullsh*t is this?" Ramira asked, feeling her temper rising. "What makes her a special case? Are the rumours about her beating your a*s true? Is that why you''re trying to cover for her?" Everyone found the argument rather interesting and couldn''t resist but stop their chatter and listen carefully. "Unlike anyone else here, she has gone through more dangerous tests that I''m confident enough in her skills." Scott said. "Bullsh*t!" Ramira yelled again. "Just like anyone else here, she will have to go through the test, and I am demanding to be her tester since she seems to have connections to the Canadian EDA. If you don''t like it, good luck with requesting an amendment!" Feeling her rage rising, Raven frowned. "Tch, I''ll fight you alright. But what do I get once I wipe the floor with your sorry a*s?" "Hoho~ now you''re talking!" Ramira was extremely happy the girl had ignored Scott since if he had actually requested an amendment, she would have been most likely redeployed somewhere else. "And that''s so bold of you to even think that you''ll able to see me in a fight, let alone wipe the floor with my a*s. "But you know what? I''ll ept that! You can ask for one thing you want the most from the Japanese EDA, and I shall provide it with no questions asked.. If you win, that is," her fiendish grin made its way back to her face. Chapter 169 - A Spar With Ramira Part 1 *Feint - My Sunset * "I am aware that I have entrusted you with a portion of my power, but are you sure that''s how you want to use it?" The familiar figure of a man that was glowing with blinding radiance asked curiously. "Uhm," Raven simply nodded. "As you probably already know, Ramira is an SSS ranker, ording to the system and Ka. "I''m almost certain that I will have to fight people that strong during my next, err adventure I guess, when I head over to the Demon ne. You can think of this as a practice for myself since I want to control this power without being blinded by rage. "Previously, I''ve been only able to use it in a state of grave danger, maybe it''s time for a change, don''t you think?" "Hm, I see." The figure sighed. "However, you must remember that you will have a very limited ess in terms of intensity and duration, since as of now, you''re using this power as a skill of yours," he said and Raven smiled in return. "Uhm I am aware, anyhow, thanks for stopping by," she said as the figure waved his hand and disappeared from her mind space. Just as he did, the world got back its original hue as the intense radiance had disappeared. Of course, only Raven and those that connected to her mind space, such as Tu and Ka, were able to observe this strange phenomena. ''Heh, so he''s interested in almost anything rted to his powers,'' Ka muttered since she hadn''t expected him to show up. ''Yeah, that''s fine I guess, knowing that he''s keeping watch, he would probably boost my powers in a real fight, just like he did previously¡­'' ''Also, he seemed to know about your skill,'' Ka added as Raven''s smile widened. ''Ah, does it really matter though? Seeing how he didn''t mind, I''m assuming it''s not that bad¡­'' Looking at the system message sent by Ka, her smile turned into an excited grin. [Apprentice of the Primordial Light: allows for manual activation of the blessing ''Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light''. [Note that the blessing will have its strength and duration decreased when activated this way. [Current rank increase: 1 star [Current duration: 9 seconds [Cool down: 9 days] ''Hm, by the way, what other ranks do you think there is out there?'' Raven asked curiously. During her recent fight against Liz, she had received the blessing: Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light. At the time she hadn''t realised, but now that she looks back at it, her rank was not disyed in themon way. Instead of it being S or SS, her rank was represented in stars. ''What was itst time, do you remember?'' she asked Ka. ''My rank under the influence of the blessing I mean.'' ''Hm, I''m pretty sure it was 3 stars'' Ka shrugged. ''From my understanding, it''s just an ancient way of disying ranks, but the issue is that it was hard to find someone with such a level of power that the old system was disregarded. ''Manys use a simr ranking system to Earth. But from the knowledge I have, it appears that each star in the ancient system was equivalent to a triple S rank.'' ''Wait, does that mean that a one star ranker is a triple S ranker?'' Raven asked. ''Well, not really,'' Ka shook her head. ''It is actually an increase to their original rank. So, if you gain a star with your skill, your rank will be higher than a normal SSS by your previous rank, and that usually you will be another SSS. ''You can think of it as SSS being the base, and stars start to umte after that. Or even you can consider the first star to be Hexa S, then the second star would be Nona S, etc. ''Hm, I see¡­'' Raven closed her eyes as if to gather her thoughts, before smiling and opening them back again. Seeing how excited Raven was, Ka seemed to feel happier. ''Do you want to see your new status page now?'' She had previously avoided doing so since Raven was under a lot of stress, but she seemed better now. ''Uhm, for sure,'' she nodded with a smile. [Status Page request has been received. [Loading Status Page¡­ [Please note that new skills will be marked as {NEW} [Launching Status Page... [Race: Soul Weaver. [ss: Royal [Blessings: Infinity''s Will. Avavia''s Affection. Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light. The Sacred Contract of the Crimson Monarch. {NEW} [Titles: Soul Weaver Princess. Heavenly Collector. Exorcist. [Rank: A- {NEW} [Energy Capacity: 990,000 EP {NEW} [Magic Skills: Proficient Mana Maniption (tier 3) - Level 3 Brilliant Primordial Radiance (tier ???) - Level ??? [Inherent Skills: Contingency Call (tier ???) - Level ??? Quick Study (tier ???) - Level ??? [Special Skills: Dynast (tier 3) - Level 4 Breath of Life (tier 3) - Level 1 Angelic Touch (tier 2) - Level 4 (Max Level) Demonic Touch (tier 2) - Level 4 (Max Level) Void Ruler (tier 4) - Level 2 True Sight (tier 1) - Level 3 (Max Level) Contract Master (tier 2) - Level 3 Change of Heart (tier 2*) - Level 3 Advanced Stealth (tier 2 - Passive+) - Level 4 (Max Level) Soul Hunter (tier 4) - Level 3 The Elders'' Scrolls (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 3 Premonition (tier 1 - Passive) - Level 3 (Max Level) Apprentice of the Primordial Light (tier - ???) - Level ??? {NEW} [Combination Skills: Mana Recharge Dark Kraken Dusky Phoenix; ckout [Ultimate+ Skills: Sorcerer of Dark Magic (Demonic Tentacles, Chains of Dark, Dark Hell, mmable Void, Dark Lightning, Dark Mist, Soul Torment, Darkness Recharge, Master of the Night.)] Looking at her new skills, Raven felt happy that she was slowly getting stronger. ''Every bit of power gained, is more power focused towards protecting those who I love¡­'' she thought as she slowly felt her expression get cold. Seeing that, Ka frowned as her avatar started pinching Raven''s cheeks. "Oi, are you good?" "Hahaha don''t me her, you little doll," Ramira suddenly called out with a grin. "She''s just not sure what life she led for her to end up against me, hahahaha!!" Ignoring her, Raven smiled while focusing back on the real world. While she had spent some time talking to Ka and looking at the system messages, for everyone around her it was but a few moments that had actually passed. "Yo, Scott, I have a small request," Raven called out to Scott who seemed concerned about the sort of damage these two will cause. Last time he fought Tu while he was in control of her body, the fabric of space was torn apart and many innocent people died as coteral damage. What made him even more worried was that the girl was in control this time, and he knew that her prowess had substantially increased,pared tost time. ''I am by no means inferior to Ramira, no, I could even say that with proper training on my Cosmic Inclination I''d surpass her by far.'' Scott thought. ''Yet, I still lost in front of Ms. O''Bannon, what should I do?'' "Ayo~ Scott?" Raven called again. "Huh?" He suddenly asked, clueless that she has been calling for him. "I was wondering, is it possible to have this fight away from everyone''s eyes?" She asked. Not knowing what else to do, Scott nodded. "We have a secure area near this hall, follow me. Ms. Rogers, Axth, and the rest of the instructors, please take over for a moment, and feel free to conduct the introductions and then follow that with the practical tests." Although disappointed that they won''t get to witness the fight, the rankers nodded. The kids had simr expressions. Cami seemed to be the most worried but a smile from Raven let her know she got this under control. Only Hinata didn''t seem as interested since she was confident in Ramira''s abilities. Reaching the secured area, Scott sighed before shifting his attention towards both of them. "Remember that this is just a little spar that is meant to rank the individual Raven O''Bannon in her ss. "Ramira, as the EDA official, you are expected to value the student''s life above anything else. Am I making myself clear?" He asked while opening his eyes. They were the only three individuals in the room that he didn''t mind. "Tch, sure I''ll take it easy and-" "No need," Raven calmly interrupted. "You cane at me with all of your might." "Hm, I''m starting to think you''re more of an idiot that a confident one, but sure I''ll fulfill your wish," she grinned as her previously honey brown eyes instantly turned a darker shade as a dark armoured dress wrapped itself around her. Flexing her two hands, thin air condensed between her fingers in the shape of dual swords that seemed sharp enough to cut one''s soul. "Ready?" She asked Raven with a monstrous grin. This was her first time ever trying to go all out, although she knew she had to hold back, the thrill was still enough to send her blood rushing in her veins. "Ah," Raven nodded calmly as she took a second to savour the feeling her body was experiencing against someone at least three times as strong as her. She could feel her knees weakening as the air became harder to breath. Her heart struggled to deliver the right amount of oxygen to her brain. Every part of her seemed sluggish. But she knew that this would change the moment she activated her skill. "On my mark," Scott said slowly, giving both of them a chance to ready up. Out of the three of them, he was the most anxious. ''Why is the girl not activating any skills? Where''s her armour? Why is she just standing still? Does she want to die?'' Many thoughts roamed his mind, but deciding to focus on preventing the fight in case Ramira decided to ignore the safety measures, he released his own aura as a barrier materialised around the room to boost its defences even further. "Go!" ¡­. Blinking twice, Scott was left bbergasted at what he was looking at. ''Did I ck out? What the hell happened? I have my Cosmic Inclination activated, how did I not see anything?'' In front of him, he saw Ramira sitting on her knees. Her face was that of horror as she wasn''t able to lift her eyes off of the ground. In front of her, a white haired girl stood with a cold expression on her face. Her iresis were glowing with brilliant white that seemed to bleach the colours out of everything else in the room. Without realising, Scott found himself sitting on his knees as well, unable to breath. Chapter 170 - A Spar With Ramira Part 2 *Shatter Me - Lindsay Stirling * Straining every muscle in his body, Scott prepared himself to jump in the following second or two to save Raven who just stood there as if she was ready to die, with no armour or protective aura around her whatsoever. ''I hope she has a n in mind¡­'' he muttered to himself while gritting his teeth and focusing his cosmic eyes on her. Take a deep breath, he shouted: "Go!" Just as she heard the signal, Raven clenched her fists and activated her skill. The process of activating the skill was extremely fast and almost instantaneous thanks to Ka''s Thought eleration skill. [The skill Apprentice of the Primordial Light has been activated. [All skills will now use Brilliant Primordial Radiance instead of Pilot''s own mana. [All skills have been temporarily upgraded and will be treated as tier ??? - Level ??? Skills. [Ultimate+ Skill: Sorcerer of Dark Magic has been temporarily deactivated. Reason: Brilliant Primordial Radiance cleanses darkness magic by nature, as such, the skills included within the mentioned Ultimate+ skill are unable to function. [Warning! Even though this avatar has been created by admin and has a direct contact with Pilot, it will disintegrate if the skill is kept for its full duration. [Beginning countdown: [9¡­ Instantly feeling the foreign, yet familiar, radiance spreading through her veins, Raven closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she tried to saviour this new feeling. Her previously crimson-purple hair was now dyed brilliant white and so did her previously golden eyes. While she wasn''t as strong as when she had fought Liz in her dark form, she was substantially stronger than her former self. After all, there was no realparison between an A- ranker and a one star ranker. Opening her eyes, she instantly teleported in front of Ramira. [8 Instantly feeling her senses being overwhelmed by this blinding energy, Ramira fell to her knees. ''I am sorry you had to be the subject of my little experiment¡­'' she could feel Raven''s voice in her mind as everything else was just noise in the background. ''But I am also disappointed that you couldn''t even stand in the presence of only this much energy¡­'' [7 ''I am now afraid that the level of the EDA rankers is just too low,'' Raven contemted as Ramira felt her body wanting to shake from fear, yet no muscle was able to do so. ''What if you were faced with a danher simr to the one I had to go against? Do we just lose? Would you just watch the burn down?'' *Sigh* [6 Giving up on speaking to Ramira as she watched her expression turning nk as she stared down on the ground, Raven lost interest and instead decided to slowly test her powers. Snapping her fingers, she watched as a small orb of light materialised in front of her. It was both warm andforting that she feltfortable just staring at it sending tendrils of light in every direction and bleaching the colours out of every object and person in the secure room they were in. [5 ''Kay, how are you feeling?'' she asked curiously. Strangely enough, she wasn''t feeling any sort of strain on her body as she would have expected. ''Err, I''m alright,'' Ka shrugged in her mind. ''This energy is way more refreshing that normal mana. And apparently, it''s helping Tu in his meditation or whatever he''s doing.'' she said while pointing at him. ''However, the avatar is being destroyed and reconstructed almost instantaneously. Since I have ess to your energy, the process isn''t tiring, but it''s something to note I guess.'' ''Hm, I see, ok here''s a question,'' Raven said as she tilted her head. ''Howe there''s a cool down on this skill?'' ''Oh, I''m not sure, but if I had to guess, I''d say it''s rted to the white dude not wanting us stealing his powers or something, or maybe it''s putting a strain on his body?'' ''Hm, possibly¡­'' taking another deep breath full of energy, she closed her eyes and scanned the entirety of her real body using the brilliant radiance to make sure she wasn''t affecting her real self or the people around her negatively. ''Everything seems ok, my body isn''t leaking any energy which is pretty good¡­'' Thinking about for a moment, Raven questioned herself curiously. ''Hm, why is there more than one type of energy?'' she wondered to herself. ''Why can''t all people use this power? If there''s this type, did Liz have her own dark energy when she had fought me? It was all blurry at the time and I can''t remember anything now¡­ s.'' [4 Since most of her interactions were done using Ka''s skill, not much time had passed, but she felt that it was useless keeping this power active for longer than she needed to. Deactivating the skill, she felt her body lose this surreal power and go back to her old state. [Skill duration prematurely ended. [Since duration wasn''t fully used, current cool down is set to 6 days instead of 9.] Her hair and eyes got back their familiar hues as she looked down on herself. Suddenly feeling sluggishpared to an instant ago, she frowned as she realised how weak she actually was. ''Oi, your thoughts are the first step towards being power hungry¡­'' Ka warned. Smiling softly, Raven apologized since that was her intention. Looking around, she found Scott on the ground as well, sitting on his knees and staring at her like a zombie with his beautiful set of cosmic eyes. Snapping her fingers loudly was enough to knock the two Deputy Generals out of their trans. "Are you two good?" She asked since she didn''t know what to expect. Looking at Scott, he seemed to get back to normal rather quickly. Even though he was holding his head in pain, he didn''t seem as disoriented as Ramira was. "Are you alright?" Raven crouched down and asked Ramira in a caring tone. Even though she was annoying and battle hungry, she didn''t want her to be hurt as she was still a ranker that would sacrifice her life for others. "Uh-" trying to nod slowly, Ramira suddenly fell over and would have hit her face if it wasn''t for Raven holding her. *Sigh* Activating her Angelic Touch, Raven made sure she was safe. ''Oh, apparently it''s just a psychological problem¡­'' ''Wait, that''s worse, no?'' Ka asked, suddenly feeling even more concerned. ''Let us hope she''s just fatigued.'' Nodding, Raven held her between her arms and walked towards Scott who was still trying to recover from both the physical and mental shocks. "Do you have a clinic here? A med bay? Err, anything of the same nature?" Raven asked. "Uhm," Scott nodded while trying his best to keep his eyes open against the fatigue he was feeling. Chapter 171 - Sugar Rush Part 1 *Miss Amani - Come On Now * Opening her eyes abruptly, Ramira was surprised to find herselfying down on a medical bed. She couldn''t remember thest time she was sick or injured that she needed a doctor, yet now she was... Looking around, she found the crimson-purple haired girl looking at her with a smile. "How are you feeling?" Hearing her voice, even though it sounded rather caring, made her experience shbacks of the white blinding radiance. Hugging herself all of a sudden, she shook in her bed slightly as she tried to calm herself down. Frowning, Raven stood up and touched her forehead to check her fever or anything abnormal. Finding nothing out of the ordinary after conducting a quick scan, she was even more certain that the problem was a psychological one. Sighing, she stood up from her seat besides the bed and was about to leave so that Ramira could actually rest. "Don''t leave!" She said while still hugging herself. "Was that¡­ was that I''ve witnessed real? The white haired you, the blinding light, all of that?" "Uhm," Raven simply nodded. "Then why aren''t you making fun of me?" Ramira asked, gritting her teeth. "Why would I?" Raven asked, confused. "You made a triple S Deputy General fear for her life, drop down to her knees, and then bedridden her, all the while not even fighting her for real since you didn''t even try to punch me or anything, but with simply just ring your aura¡­" she answered. "Do you want me to beg that you keep this a secret? Or will you just make fun of me and the EDA anyway?" Tilting her head, Raven tried to understand the situation, but she couldn''t. "I''m sorry, I realize that you may be tired, but you have to know that I am by no means happy that this was the end result." Raven frowned, surprising Ramira. "I may have won the encounter, but that was not my own power," Raven said,"in the short term, yes I''d obviously win since my rank was enhanced and ended up being about twice as yours, but if the fight was to somehowst for more than ten seconds, I would have been miserably defeated. "In fact, I am more concerned than anything now that I know people can have ess to powers such as mine¡­" she sighed while looking down at the ground, thinking back to her fight with Liz. "Can you please borate? What do you mean that people can obtain such powers?" Scott''s voice came from around the corner with a tray of tea and biscuits for the three of them. Giving her share to Ka since unlike her, she could taste food through her avatar, she told the two Deputy Generals about her fight with Liz. "Wait, and you expected us to deal with that?? With someone of a higher rank than yourself?" Ramira almost dropped her teacup if it wasn''t for Scott''s fast reflexes. Raven only shrugged since she wasn''t aware of the rank difference at the time. "Eat your biscuits," Scott said to Ramira who found it hard to. "The sugar is good for you." Sighing, she did as ordered. "Hm, can you exin what happened, during the fight?" Ramira asked Raven. "Well, nothing special really," she said, "I activated one of my skills that enhances my powers, err kind of, and I became stronger than you." "But this doesn''t make any sense, for you to be able to pull something like that, on you''re merely a¡­ are you an A ranker?" Ramira asked after estimating her mana level. "A- actually¡­" "Oh you''re joking¡­ I, a triple S ranker, got my a*s beaten by an A-..." She didn''t know how to react so she ate a biscuit instead. Shrugging again, Raven didn''t know what to say. "So are you going to brag about beating a Deputy General?" Ramira asked while sinking her head between her shoulders in embarrassment. "On the contrary," Raven said. "Feel free to tell them that you won. I was injured and so we had to visit the medbay, that''s all." Hearing that, Ramira frowned. "Why would you do that? If I was your age and have beaten my trainer, I''d be more than happy to brag about it." "Hm, as I said earlier, it doesn''t feel like a win to me," Raven said. "You would have won a fair fight between us two, but I used this as an experiment to test my new skill that''s all. "Also, I''m pretty sure with your experience and career as a ranker, I can benefit a lot from sses with you. That''s why I''d like to ask if it''s possible for me to keep this avatar here. "While I won''t be always focusing on lessons, my friend Kay will," she said pointing towards the small doll sized avatar munching on biscuits and barely able to fit the teacup in her grasp, using some silver wires to support her." Watching Ka like that was enough to shift Ramira''s mood positively as she burst outughing. Looking at everyone staring at her, Ka felt embarrassed. "Excuse me, can I eat my snacks in peace? Oh and Scott, you surely got some more of these tasty biscuits somewhere here, no?" She asked, hopeful. Wiping away her tears, Ramira offered her some of hers. "Oh why thank you kind Ramira," Ka said before she started munching on the new wave of biscuits. "Interesting, at first I thought she was a robot of sorts, but she''s an alien, correct?" Scott asked Raven who nodded. "I guess that''s one way to think of it," as of now, she didn''t hold as much of a grudge as she did earlier in the EDA rankers since with her little test, she was able to recognise that the power level she and Liz have is most likely even rare amongst the strongest on the. "But Kay is my friend, so I''d appreciate it if you called her by her name, Ka for you." "Uhm-nom-nom," Ka nodded while fitting a whole biscuit into her mouth. Only after swallowing was she able to speak. "You heard her! I''m her bestie and you don''t call me alien, you Amarakian alien sucm!" "Oi, you''re being rude," Raven said while flicking tiny Ka in the forehead, almost dropping a biscuit from her hand. "Is that what sugar does for you?" "Eh? Hehe, no no sugar doesn''t get me high at all!" She said innocently which made Raven a little bit concerned. "Interesting, this is yourst biscuit then, savour the vour," Raven said while taking the pack she had and leaving her with the one in her hand only. Ka wanted to fight but she knew how stubborn Raven was, so she decided to use her secret weapon. "Please, Rave¡­" she pleaded, her eyes watery and pitiful, "I need food, I need biscuits¡­ don''t do this to me¡­ do you not like me? I''m your bestie *sniff* I always work hard... "When did you stop loving me? Did I ever hurt you? Please give me the biscuits-nom!" She was barely able to finish thest word before munching on thest biscuit since she saw Raven eyeing it as if she was nning on snatching it away. Chapter 172 - Sugar Rush Part 2 "Please, Rave¡­" Ka pleaded, her eyes watery and pitiful, "I need food, I need biscuits¡­ don''t do this to me¡­ do you not like me? I''m your bestie *sniff* I always work hard... "When did you stop loving me? Did I ever hurt you? Please give me the biscuits-nom!" She was barely able to finish thest word before stuffing thest biscuit in her mouth since she saw Raven eyeing it and instantly knew she was nning on snatching it away. "Oi, stop it¡­" Raven said while narrowing her eyes. She knew Ka was tired from always working behind the scenes, but at the same time, she has never had this attitude issue before. Maybe it has something to do with the biscuits? Or the white energy she was exposed to recently? Oh¡­ maybe the continuous avatar reconstruction during the duration of the new skill? Seeing how she was drinking her tea while trying to swallow thest bit of biscuit in her mouth, Raven found her rather cute, but she knew something was not right and she got worried. Finishing her drink fully, Ka directed her attention towards the group and extended her hand innocently and muttered in the most adorable way: "more biscuits please?" "Kay?" Raven called out in worry. "Bestie?" Ka called in return, her hand still extended, asking for more. "Can you please hug me?" Raven asked. "I need a real hug with your normal size, please." Hearing that, Ka''s little avatar instantly increased in size as she jumped from Raven''s shoulder and into herp, hugging her in the intent of making her feel better. But she did it so quickly that Raven knew she was working off of instincts. Biting her lower lip in guilt after performing a quick scan, she knew the reason Ka was acting weird. "You''ve been working nonstop recently, huh?" She asked in a low tone that was almost motherly. Her scan made it visible how much work was out into keeping the avatars functioning throughout the new skill. "I am sorry, I should have paid more attention to you than other useless matters like the spar or the kids¡­" she said again in her caring and warm tone. Hearing and seeing her like that made the two Deputy Generals flinch at how worried she was, and how cute they looked together. Thinking about the power they just disyed in the previous spar made their heads hurt. Hugging Ka tightly, Raven took a deep breath as she made her aura as calm as she possibly could. Releasing and engulfing the real Ka in her mind with her aura, she urged her to sleep. Unable to resist, especially under the pressure she was under from the continuous maintenance she had to perform, Ka fell asleep instantly while entrusting everything to Raven. Looking at the avatar of the little girl disappearing into light particles, the two Deputy Generals suddenly felt their heart sink as they thought something went awfully wrong and they obviously knew Raven wasn''t a silent griefer¡­ ''She is going to destroy the city isn''t she?'' they both paled. But a chuckle from Raven made it clear that Ka was okay. "She just needs some sleep, don''t worry about it," she said out loud while still hugging the real one in her mind and watching her peaceful expression. She couldn''t remember thest time she had watched Ka sleep. From what she was aware of, she has always been awake for her, and she had only slept during her evolution. ''I should be more considerate¡­'' she thought while supporting her avatar with her own mana. *Sigh* Shaking her head for a moment, she turned towards Scott. "Before I forget, you wanted to know the originals in the test hall no? "Since I''m not sure what qualifies as one, I''d just tell you the Soul Weavers I found amongst them, but you have to know that others may be hiding their real race. "Do you have a picture of the students?" She asked since that would make it easier than describing them. Normally, she would have asked Ka to create a hologram of each, but now obviously wasn''t a good timing. Nodding, Scott quickly disappeared towards his office in order to grab the students'' files. ¡­ "Erin Kim, d Major, Shin Ivanov, Amira Khan, Albedo, and Haruki Takahashi." Scott read the names on the pictures Raven pointed out. "Hm, so all of these are originals?" "Not originals, but rather Soul Weavers," Raven corrected. "Same as myself. But hear me out, keep it a secret for now. "There are some internal conflicts between Soul Weavers, so it''s better not to mention their race right now. Plus, I bet that most of the names I listed don''t even realize that they are not humans¡­ speaking from experience." She looked down with a frown. "Yes of course, we''ll keep it a secret," Scott agreed. "Our only goal is to have them develop the most since we know that they have the most potential, that is all." "Sweet, I don''t think there is anything wrong with that," Raven said tiredly. "Well, anyhow, I''ll leave the production of the devices forter. I guess I''ll see you whenever I send an avatar back," she waved as she was about to dismiss the current avatar. "Wait!" Ramira called out, "err, um, so what do you want for the prize? You know, I promised you anything from the Japanese EDA Division¡­" she said while looking down in embarrassment. She hasn''t expected to lose a fight in her life, not against an A- ranker at least. But a deal was a deal. Smiling softly, Raven muttered a few words before disappearing into light particles. "You owe me¡­" Ramira repeated in defeat. She could not help but swallow loudly. "The General will be quite upset about this¡­" "Well then, you must be happy that he''s not here at the moment," Scott joked since both of their supervisors would be upset about some of the choices they made. "By the way," Scott asked. "Do you think the girl would win against one of the Generals, seeing how easy she defeated you?" Thinking about it for a moment, Ramira burst outughing. Scott couldn''t help but chuckle too. "Why do you think most Generals were deployed out to space?" Ramira asked a rhetorical question before proceeding to answer it herself. "While they''re doing a good job by protecting others while working with the Supreme Gctic Alliance, the main reason they left Earth was because their presence was simply too much for us to bear. "So for your obvious question, I give an obvious answer: no." ¡­. -Demon Realm- "Master, I have done as ordered." A young girl in a fine blue dress said while kneeling down in front of Red. "Many portals are still being opened every second in the Human ne and the armies are getting ready." "Good," Red simply said, showing hints of boredom while sitting on his throne. "But remember, my fine servant, to make sure you don''t make any moves soon. Am I making myself clear?" "Ah- yes, master," the girl said, her soft blue hair fluttering with every moment. "But if I may be so rude to ask, why are the others making their moves-eigh!!" She suddenly screamed but held her breath as Red dashed towards her. Holding her chin in his cold palm, he smiled. "You asked for permission, but then proceeded to speak without waiting for my confirmation? How arrogant of you, my dear Asmodeus¡­" The girl''s blue eyes sparkled with tears as she was so close to copsing. She wanted to apologize, but then it would make Red even angrier. ''What do I do? Am I supposed to end up at the losing end every time?'' she thought to herself. "However, I will forgive you this time since you bring up some good news," Red said with a sadistic smile that sent a shiver down the girl''s spine. "Tell me, who are the ''others'' you speak of, the ones that have made their move without my permission?" Swallowing loudly, Asmodeus clenched her fists to prevent them from shaking as she spoke. "Master, I- I think one of them is Violet¡­" "Hm, I see," Red suddenly got serious. ''Truth be told, that Prideful brick is but a bother¡­'' he thought to himself. Looking down at the girl who was still kneeling, he muttered a few words as he gave her a new order then dismissed her quickly after. "What a predicament, Lucifer is quite a troublesome opponent to deal with," Red thought to himself. "Even though he thinks I can still defeat him with ease, he still chose to go against my orders¡­" Suddenly, a red magic circle materialised on the ground as a shadow made its way through it. "Red," a voice called as the magic circle broke away to reveal a white and ck haired demon in a royal garment, bowing in respect. "I believe it''s better to ask our mistress toe along. After all, she was interested in visiting the Demon ne and preventing the war." Hearing that, Red could not stop himself from smiling passionately, feeling his mood suddenly improving at the mention of the ''Great One''. "What a joyful point you bring up, Keith," Red said with a nod. "Lady Raven will hopefully be satisfied after hearing out ns. "And maybe, just maybe, she would be able to finally give me a name¡­" he smiled in ecstasy as he hugged himself. While he was in that state, his dark sinister aura engulfed the area around him without him even realising. Chapter 173 - Team Compositions Part 1 * Trevor Daniel - Falling * "Mhn" Moaning softly as she opened her eyes, Raven realized she was back on the hospital bed, covered in some warm nkets. ''Eh? When did I fall asleep? How did I get here?'' She had no recollection of going to bed. Thest memory she had was bid goodbye to the two Deputy Generals. ''Hm, I must have been tired as well¡­'' Looking around, she found Liz sitting down on a chair next to her, with her head resting on the side of the bed. *Sigh* Sighing, she jumped out of bed and slowly but firmly held the sleeping girl between her arms. Putting her in the bed took seconds, and covering her with the nkets took even less time. Washing her face, she mentally checked and made sure Ka was still asleep. Getting out of the room and slowly closing the door behind her, she went to Axane''s room that was directly next to hers. On her way, she saw Ian and the doll in the white suit. She simply ignored them this time. Walking into Axane''s room, she found her hugging Maria on her bed as her eyes glowed with a bright white hue, signalling that she was crying. "Hi, what''s wrong?" She said softly as she held her hand. Sneakily, she activated her Angelic Touch and made sure to ease her stress. Maria looked at Axane who silently nodded. "We were taking a stroll outside, and we saw a little baby¡­ *sigh* it''s still tough for her, you know." "I''m sorry," Axane shook her head and tried to quickly recover. "I can''t keep thinking straight when I remember how baby Rituxi''s body disappeared into light particles in front of me¡­ "But at the same time, I''m aware that you two are suffering too. It''s so unfair of me to act like this, and for that I apologize¡­" Looking down in silence, Raven shook her head. "It''s a tough time for all of us, just remember to be as transparent as possible when ites to that, we''re not a family if we can''t help each other." ''Coming from you, I can''t tell you how disturbing that sounds¡­'' Ka said with a yawn. ''Heh, finally awake? I thought you''d take a week to recover and get your beauty sleep¡­'' Raven said and Ka scoffed at her. "Thank you," Axane said as she gave her a quick hug and a smile shortly after. "You always make me feel better, I wish I could be useful¡­" Shaking her head with a smile, Raven flicked her forehead. "That hurts!" Axaneined beforeughing it off. "You have to know that you being you is of the utmost help to us, I''m pretty sure that the situation would have been a lot harder if we didn''t have you to share our burden with. "However, if you''d like something to do, how about you both start training together? "I know it''s not the optimal situation or time, but soon, I''ll be leaving to the Demon ne," Raven dropped the bomb. Widening her eyes, Maria looked Raven in the eyes, held both of her shoulders and then shook her hard. "You. Don''t. Go. Anywhere." Tears instantly ran down her eyes, yet she seemed more furious than sad. "Let me exin pl-" "No." Maria interrupted her. "Simply, no. "You don''t get to argue this time. I''ve already lost one daughter, and I''m not losing a second. The only way for you to go fighting again, Demon ne or B*tches ne, is by leaving my house forever." At that, Raven suddenly felt her heart pulse unnaturally as pain spread through her veins. "Am I making myself clear? You either stay as my daughter, or leave as a stranger. You''re not responsible for saving anyone but those who you care about, you''re no fighter, nor you an EDA ranker. "Unless you prefer to save the country and lose your family, may the odds be with you. "That''s all I have for you." With that, Maria stormed out of the room, warm tears dripping down from her sparkling blue eyes. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she bit her lips hard enough for them to bleed. ''I should not have said that, I SHOULD NOT HAVE SAID THAT!!'' she yelled in her mind, feeling helpless as regret fueled her despair. ''What if she absolutely had to go? Will she leave me? Why did I have to say that? F*CKKKK!!'' Her sadness and anger suddenly all became directed towards herself. *** -EDA HQ. Elite ssroom- "Alright everyone," Jaime said with a smile while looking at the students in front of him, "we''ve finally finished the practical test, and your ranks have been decided. "For your information, the scores will be public for everyone, so don''t panic when we call your name and follow with your rank." At that, some students seemed to swallow loudly. "Any questions?" Seeing everyone shake their heads nervously, he proceeded. "Alright then, so to make it clear, I''ll call out your names, your ranks, and then your role in the team. "Note that some of you will be stronger than others, rank wise, yet that will not be the sole indication of one''s position. "So for those who are on top of the ranks, be aware that you may not be the leaders, am I making myself clear?" Jamie wanted to make everything clear from the start to avoid confusion. Seeing that no one had any objections, he smiled. "Alright then, let''s start! "First, let me exin that we have two main teams: the Assault Team, the team that is responsible for attacking the enemies and conquering the battlefield, and the Support Team, the team that is responsible for supporting the Assault Team in various ways. "This can be through providing protection, information, healing, cover fire, support attack, or even more. "In some cases, the Assault team will heavily depend on the support team, so please don''t feel discouraged in any way that you''re not part of the Assault Team. Chapter 174 - Team Compositions Part 2 *Trevor Daniel - Falling * "Ok, I''ll start with the Support Team." Jaimie said. "Here we have the following students: "Alek. An A+ ranked Defender. He is specialized in Ice as an element, and will be responsible for shields, buffs to the team, and some crowd control. "Jericho. An A ranked Intelligence Gatherer. She is specialized in cyber security, breaches, hacks, and pretty much will be the main source of information in the unit. "Sam. An A- ranked Crowd Controller. He is specialized in mind reading and mind control. This ability gives him the chance to be a support crowd controller that can stop enemies advances as well as gather information, amongst other things. "Amira. An A ranked healer. She is specialized in healing while she can do some fighting and crowd control as well. But she will be the main healer of the team. "Andst but not least, we have the leader of the Support Team, and that will be Jina. She''s an A+ ranker that is specialized in creating shields around the battlefield that can both provide protection and distraction. "For the support team members, please respect Jina as your leader now. If you need anything, you have to go through her first, before asking the instructors. In case she doesn''t satisfy your expectations of a good leader, please let the instructors know." Seeing how they seemed rather happy, he smiled while looking at the rest of the students, ''Oh boy here we go¡­'' he wasn''t excited about starting the introduction of the roles for this part of the ss. "Alright then, now let''s sort out the Assault Team. For this one, we have the following students: "Sara and Isabe, an A+ and A ranked Ranged Support, respectively. Sara is specialized in control over wind, meaning she can fly while bombarding the enemies with attacks. And Isabe has the ability to fly as well, thanks to her wings, and then she can fire mana bombs down on the enemies. "Erza. An A++ ranked Crowd Controller. She has the ability to control electricity and restrict or attack opponents. "Lloyd. An A++ ranked Crowd Controller as well. Lloyd has the ability to create structures with his mana, ranging from simple mana gloves to full on giant mana suit that he controls while wreaking havoc in the battlefield. "Shin. An A++ ranked Assassin. He has the ability to control water and create a special set of weaponry that depends on that. He is especially swift and efficient, hence why he is our only assassin. "Albedo. An A+ ranked mage. He is specialized in magic and various spells that are focused on attacking or controlling the enemies, while some can be even used for support." *Sigh* "Now, while we''ve left the hardest choices till the end, I want to emphasize that there will be no changes in terms of rankings, and this will be our final team, as of now. "So I want you to respect the person we assign as a ranker, is that clear?" Jamie asked while looking at the three remaining students. They nodded. "Alright, we have Haruki, an S ranked Game Changer. The role is a bit of a made up one, but that reflects how special Haruki really is. He has the ability to control physics and almost anything in his path. "His main power output is usually directed towards changing the trajectory of moving objects, which also applies to living beings." At that, everyone looked at the shy kid in admiration. His face suddenly got flushed red as he wasn''t expecting such attention. "d. An S ranked Warlock. He has almost full control over his mana which makes him one of the strongest we have. "Unlike normal mages, his spells and mana control are mostly focused on attack. With a snap of his fingers, he can make the mana unstable and cause it to explode, dealing massive amounts of damage to the enemies. "Needless to say, his powers are also very dangerous, that''s why he''ll mostly have to attack the heart of the enemy solo. "Lastly, we have the Leader of the Assault Team, Erin. He is an A++ ranked Sword Warrior that has a swordpanion. "Himself and hispanion, Lightning, have the ability to call forth storms and lightning that deals massive and devastating damage to the enemies. "While many of you may be skeptical about our choice, making him the leader, since he''s not particrly the highest ranker in the team, I''ll have you know, again, that this is our final decision. "During our tests, he had proven to be the best candidate for the leading position." Seeing that they were quiet, Jamie breathed a sigh of relief. Out of everyone, only the red haired d seemed to grit his teeth in annoyance, but no one noticed. He was an S ranker, and for him to be a follower of a lesser rank was nothing short of humiliation. What made him even more sick of this, was the fact that other S ranker, Haruki, has kept quiet about it, indicating his consent. "Sir, I have a question," Erin spoke with a respectable tone as his reddish brown hair fluttered in the air, a few streaks of neon green ran along its front, making him look even more elegant than he already is. "Go ahead," Jamie said. "Will the other student join us?" Erin asked. "I believe her name was Raven? The girl the Deputy General wanted to test earlier." "Oh, that is a little bitplicated¡­" Jamie muttered. *** -Back at the hospital- "She''s just a little stressed out, from everything that''s happened¡­" Axane tried to ease the situation for Raven who nodded quietly. "Why do you need to go to the Demon ne, and what is that ce to start with?" *Sigh* "It''s a ce, you could say another dimension where demons live." Raven answered with a sigh. "Err by the way, where is Ae and Zeru? Did they leave with everyone else?" "Hm, I think they were still on the rooftop, but the rest, Joey, Noah, Mike, and the rest have all left since they didn''t want to overwhelm you, they said, especially after you''ve fallen asleep." Axane answered. "I see," taking a deep breath, Raven decided to visit someone she never thought she''d visit. "Please tell my mom that I''ll be back in a bit, I''m not going to fight anyone, ok"? "Are you sure you don''t want to talk to her? She seemed to be in distress¡­" "I am aware, but I''ll give her some time to sort out her thoughts, I don''t want to pressure her into something she would not like." "Uhm, I understand." "Ok then, I''ll see you in a bit," she said with a smile before disappearing from her spot. ''Where are we going?'' Ka asked as they flickered through the city. ''Oh, we''re going to pay a short visit to our friend, Red Joe¡­'' Raven replied, feeling her gaze getting cold. Chapter 175 - Good Deeds Pay Off Part 1 * Trevor Daniel - Falling * -In a poor looking building in Torinto city- "Have you brought everything down the truck?" A man in an elegant ck suit asked one of hisckeys in a stern voice. "Yes sir, we''ve brought thest box of packages and we''ll be done for today after this." One of theckeys answered quickly. "Good," he replied with a sigh. "Oh my goodness, you''re early!" An olddy''s voice boomed as she opened the double set of doors leading to the poorly structured building. "Haha," the manughed in a business like manner. "We just happened to finish our run earlier than usual. Some call it luck, but I tell ya our new driver is something else!" Hearing that, one of theckeys, presumably the drivers, instantly puffed out his chest to show how proud he was. "Oh dear hahaha!" Thedyughed and ushered them inside. ""Hello Mr. Joe!"" Many voices called out as soon as the man entered. Most of them seemed either feminine or quite young. "How has everyone been doing?" He asked in a friendly manner, while smiling to the kids. Many kids ran towards him for a hug while others answered that they were good because of him. "The winds of the night are quite cold you know," the olddy muttered. "And food is pretty hard toe by. Having their bellies full of warm food is a blessing they didn''t get to always experience in their lives. "Everyone here at the shelter is very thankful for your kind, merciful, and most importantly, continuous help, Mr. Joe." The olddy tried to bow as much as she could but the man stopped her. "It''s alright, no need to thank me or bow and damage your back," he stopped her. "As I''ve mentioned earlier, I''m merely doing this to pay a debt I owe. However, truth be told, I''m beginning to like this¡­" he talked as if longing to a feeling he''s forgotten existed. "However, I also want you to know that I''m still working on your job offers," he said with a smile. "I''ve recently bought a new property that I''m nning to convert into a working space for every capable hand. "Those who have degrees will work in the offices in jobs that corresponds to their profession, those who don''t will be trained to fit their future roles, andstly, those who are not willing to work behind a desk will work as janitors or be transferred into another ce to work as construction workers." Hearing that, everyone, especially the adults'' faces seemed to brighten up considerably. "Oh and before I forget, those who have young children and still wish to work can leave them in the new kindergarten that''s going to be opening soon on the same property." With that, they almost got quite at how generous Mr. Joe was, but then in an instant, their cheers became loud enough to be mistaken for a fight. ¡­ Moving the food packages inside and bidding everyone a farewell, the man and his men strode into their truck and left the scene. "Boss," one of theckeys called. "How long are we going to keep on doing this for? I know that you have a deal with Wraith, but does that deal ever end?" "Hm, and why would you ask that?" Red Joe asked calmly. "Is it possible that you''re missing killing and watching your friends get killed?" "Oh, no, no!" The man instantly shook his head. "I only ask because I''m worried about what we''re going to do once this is over, that''s all. "You know, boss, I''ve only joined the crime life because society had no ce for me. But I''m rather happy now that we''re continuously helping shelters across the city. It brings me immeasurable joy!" He said honestly with a big smile. "Good to hear that," Red Joe smiled. "Then rest assured that we''re not dropping this charity work any time soo-" Just as he was about to finish the sentence, arge ck SUV bumped into their truck from behind. And it didn''t stop at that, instead, two other SUVs formed a blockade in front of them. "Boss, down!" The driver yelled as he ducked down with Red Joe as a barrage of bullets broke through the windshield. While the driver didn''t get hit with any bullets, he had lost control of theirrge truck. ''Oh no¡­ of course it would happen on the day we''re not having the armoured truck!'' Red Joe yelled in his mind as he felt gravity losing control over his body before it got tossed around like a crazy ball the moment they hit the blockade. The truck flipped a couple of times before halting as it hit the edge of arge building. "AHAHAHA!!" A crazyugh could suddenly be heard as it woke Red Joe from his unpleasant ckout. Fortunately, he wasn''t heavily injured since he had his seatbelt on, and even though not armoured, the truck had some good safety measures installed. "The one and only mafia boss, the boss of Torinto city, Red Joe, is making shelter deliveries in the flesh!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" the crazy voice could be heard again. Unplugging his seatbelt and trying to look around, he found that his men already had their weapons pointed at their assaulters. "Now, now, howe you do charity and carry a gun on you at the same time?" The man with the crazy voice asked. "Tch, Pinguin?" Red Joe muttered, looking at the man surrounded with about fifteen of hisckeys. The man was known as the Penguin since he was short and fat. Furthermore, he used to leave a signature card after each operation he went through, and that card had a Penguin''s face stered on it. Looking closely at his men, he found that most of them didn''t have guns, meaning they had powers. ''We have two men with guns, and two men with powers, excluding me, how will we y this out?'' he thought to himself. "You know, seeing you defeated was a dream of mine, I''m so happy to have had the opportunity to ambush you today, after so much work! Maybe this dream of mine will finallye true!" He said. "Hm, so you''re saying that there''s a traitor amongst my men?" Red Joe said in the hopes of buying time. His backup should already be on the way considering their truck has flipped over, that''s an instant emergency call. ''But if it''s true that there''s a traitor, there''s no say how far they would have gone¡­ did they already kill my men at the warehouse?'' "You''ve always been a genius Joe, how did you figure it out, want to enlighten me?" Pinguin said with a frown while licking his gun sadistically. "Hm, pretty simple. You''ve just mentioned that this was an ambush that took you a while to n, this could only mean that you''ve had the opportunity to review some vital information in order to get the perfect opportunity and timing for such an ambush. "Getting ambushed on the day my armoured truck is put to a different use¡­ that''s no coincidence, a simple child would have been smart enough to realize." He spit out like venom, insulting Penguin while at the same time answering his question. "Hahaha, pretty urate!" Pinguin chuckled. "Don''t worry, I''ll get your daughter in that armoured truck of yours pretty soon too!" "You b*stard you better leave her out of this!" Red Joe yelled, feeling his temper rising and his calm disappearing. "Or what?" He retaliated as another crazy sounding chuckle left his throat. "Or I cut that disgusting throat of yours," a cold voice said quietly as the wind suddenly got colder and stopped swirling around. Chapter 176 - Good Deeds Pay Off Part 2 * Trevor Daniel - Falling * "Or what?" Penguin retaliated as another crazy sounding chuckle left his throat. "Or I cut that disgusting throat of yours," a cold voice said quietly as the wind suddenly got colder and stopped swirling around. "Who''s that?" Pinguin yelled while pointing his gun in random directions. "Just to make sure," the same cold voice said again. "Red Joe, you''ve warned everyone that you''re working with me, correct?" Hearing that, suddenly everything became clear as day. Smiling like a child receiving his birthday gifts, Red Joe nodded. "Yes, I''ve made sure everyone knew." "Good," the voice said again. In an instant, the area flickered with a golden hue as a young feminine frame appeared between the two parties. "FIRE!!!" Pinguin suddenly yelled at his men who emptied their magazines on the figure''s direction. Red Joe''s men were startled as they saw the bullets getting fired at them and instantly ducked behind cover, but their surprise was even bigger when they realised that every bullet was now resting on the ground in a straight line as if an invisible barrier had stopped every and each one of them. "This was supposed to be a casual visit," the cold voice said again. "To imagine that I''d run into some idiots trying to mess with my servant? Uneptable!" Flickering in front of them, the Penguin and his men were finally able to clearly see Raven''s figure. No armour was around her since it was just a waste of mana. Instead, she wore a dark miniskirt with streaks of red, while a thick ck and purple hoodie covered her hair and hid how small she actually was. A golden-crimson mask was covering her face, sending the strange radiance to the area around her. "It''s only a child! Kill her!!" He yelled at his men as he saw her legs and how short she was. But before they could even move a muscle, Raven snapped her fingers and as if inviting them to sleep, the men fell on the ground, one by one, with a thud each. "You knew that Red Joe was associated with me and yet you chose to harm him?" She asked while slowly walking towards him. He wanted nothing more than to run away as the feeling the draconic mask gave him was obnoxious, to say the least. "Leave me alone!" He yelled while trying to run away. Yet, his feet won''t move. "You knew that Red Joe was the servant of Wraith, working as shemands, yet you chose to go against her will? How impudent¡­" she said as she flickered in front of him, making him feel his soul slowly escaping his body. "DON''T KILL ME PLEASE!! I BEG OF YOU! I MADE A GRAVE MISTAKE! PLEASE DON-" "Shut up!" Raven ordered calmly, yet in annoyance. "You''re so loud, let me fix that-" with that, the openings of the mask, where the eyes would be, suddenly shone with a crimson hue as Penguin felt his body being put under a dissecting microscope. In an instant, Raven passed her index in front of his throat in a cutting motion. But surprisingly, not a scratch or a drop of blood was visible. Startled as he was, Penguin screamed, or rather tried to, but he then realised that he had no voice and instead, he was just puffing out air. "Better," Raven ''smiled''. "Now, before you panic, let me ''assure'' you that you will not die." Even though Penguin should have been relieved, something about the way she said it made his body shake like a ragged doll and his mind almost cked out. "Na''ah, you''re not going anywhere," she said as she injected some mana into the right regions in his brain so that he doesn''t faint. "Now, let us have some fun, ok?" ''Smiling'' she muttered: "Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Soul Torment". Just as she did, Penguin fell on the ground and started thrashing around. The scene was repulsive enough for Red Joe and his men to realize how gifted they were to be called Wraith''s servants. Figuring out that he might damage his body and possibly kill himself from his chaotic thrashing, Raven paralyzed his body by injecting mana into the right brain regions. This was rtively easy for her since she had True Sight and Ka on her side. And of course she decided that this level of pain wasn''t enough, so she increased the effects of her torturing skill, while at the same time preventing him from going insane or fainting. Since the pain was soul rted, she didn''t need to mess with his physical pain receptor. Watching him drool with open eyes and a pained expression, Raven was satisfied. After all, she wanted her point to get across clearly. Shifting her attention towards Red Joe and his men while activating her True Sight, their faces turned pale, thinking that she was about to attack them. "Rest at ease, I''m just checking to see if anyone is injured." She reassured with a smile as she was quite satisfied with their job. "I''ve visited your headquarters at first and didn''t find you there, but to my surprise, I found out that some of your men were nning to overthrow your rule. Apparently, they wanted to kill you thenbine their ''nee'' assists with another organisation. "I''ve restrained everyone that was part of that n so that you can question them yourself. I thought that getting to you in time was more important than spending my time on questioning them myself. "Anyhow, do what you must to recover and bring me the names of those organisations, I''ll take care of them." She said as she was about to leave. "Wait!" Red Joe called out. "What do we do with that?" He pointed towards Penguin in disgust as he had already let go of his bowels and started smelling like a dumpster, or arguably worse. "Oh, hm, I don''t care, but try not to kill him. It''s better if he escapes and spreads the word, I don''t have time to stop every criminal in the city while dealing with bigger dangers." Raven answered. "So it''s better to let someone like him get the message to the rest; no one is allowed to mess with your operations. "Also, he should stop being a flesh dumpster in a few minutes. If you could, make sure to leave something that indicates it''s your doing, just in case someone doesn''t trust his story. And feel free to make a clear threat to anyone who challenges you. "I don''t want anyone messing with the city, robbing and killing innocent people, especially at these times." "Understood¡­ and thank you, I''m heavily indebted to you," Red Joe bowed slightly. "Also, onest question, do you know if my daughter is safe?" "Aye, I checked up on her, the men with her seem trustworthy." She answered. "Oh and before I forget, I do like the work you''re doing now, helping people like I''ve told you to do. "Consider me impressed! Keep up the good work!" She smiled before disappearing from her spot. Chapter 177 - A Bonding Session *Hoang - Run Back To You (feat. Alisa) * "Are you feeling better now?" Raven asked in a concerned tone while leaning against the railings on the hospital''s rooftop. She had decided to check up on Maria after dealing with Red Joe''s issues. The ''organisations'' behind the incident were simply some other criminals that thought they could get rid of him while he''s at his weakest. Obviously, it was no trouble for Raven to make sure they all remembered not to mess with him or Wraith. Surprisingly enough, the media has also spread the message rather quickly, seeing the fate of Penguin and some others. *Sigh* "Uhm, I''m¡­ better," Maria answered Raven''s question as she sighed tiredly while clenching her fists. "Please tell me now, why do you want to go to the Demon ne, and what is that to start with, the demon world or something?" "It is exactly that, the Demon ne is where demons live," Raven chuckled, trying to ease the tension in the air. "I¡­ well, from the information I''ve gathered in the past couple of weeks, I learned that some ancient demon lords are nning on invading the Human ne, this being the one we live in. "Think of it as something simr to the Portal Incident, yet here we''ll be up against demon lords and organised armies, unlike before where we were up against chaotic bloodthirsty monsters or lone aliens." Hearing that, Maria gritted her teeth. "And why the f*CK is it your job to take care of that? Where''s the f*cking EDA at?" To say she was enraged would be an understatement. ''She has been swearing a lot recently, she so stressed and disoriented¡­'' Raven thought to herself. "Well, you see¡­" she looked down, feeling guilty that she had made Maria upset after everything she''s been through. "The EDA rankers are not powerful enough¡­ and apparently, they''re preparing for a bigger danger. "While they didn''t exin much, I know that they''re preparing an Elite ss that is supposed to deal with an iing danger, and at the same time, they didn''t know of the demon invasion that has been slowly taking ce." Raven avoided telling her that she has epted being part of that ss. "F*ck''s sake, why does anyone want to invade this stupid now all of a sudden? Aliens, monsters, and f*cking demons!" Maria was torn between way too many emotions. Her sadness and grief for losing a daughter, her fear for losing another, and her anger towards everything that''s been going on. The EDA rankers were supposed to be their shields, protecting humanity from any danger, and especially when it came to supernatural threats. Yet now, they were just hiding behind their reinforced buildings and leaving the job for others to get done. ''And those others had to be my family,'' Maria''s palms suddenly started bleeding as she had dug her nails into them. Seeing that, Raven instantly healed her and trapped her in a warm hug. "Listen mom, it''s¡­ *sigh* it''s ok, I understand if you don''t want me to go, I''ll stay here with you, I promise." Hearing that, Maria suddenly snapped out of it. "I''m sorry honey, I- I don''t want to control you like this or order you around but- my heart won''t take losing you too¡­" she said, her eyes watery. "I don''t show it, and I try to stay strong for everyone''s and especially your sake! But I can''t anymore," she cried on Raven''s shoulder as she sat on the floor. "Why am I so weak? Why do my daughters suffer while I just stare at them¡­ why can''t I help them? "D- do you know Rave-?" She stuttered. "I watched your sister die¡­" she was barely audible because of her crying. "I watched as that cursed sword went through Maya''s heart, tearing it apart¡­ I watched her blood spill on the ground, her pained expression, everything¡­ I can''t take it! I''m sorry I just am too weak, I CAN''T! "Whenever you mention anything about fighting, I can''t help but imagine you in the same position, bleeding and dying under my sight while I am literally staring at you, unable to help or move a muscle. It¡­ breaks me. "I''m trying to be your mother, but what is a mother that can''t protect her children? Am I better off dead?" She cried more. "Please, never say that again," Raven''s voice was quiet as silent tears ran down her face. "I¡­ I have a lot to say, but can we just not think like that? "Nothinges from being negative about what happened. Trust me, I feel you, but this is just not the way. "Maria will be back, and I am not dying any time soon, I promise you that. Ok?" Hearing that, Maria didn''t seem to buy it, yet she cupped her face in her hands and tried to calm herself down. After a few minutes, she nodded that she was ok now. *Sigh* "In any case, It''s alright if you don''t want me to go to the Demon ne, I understand your reasoning and what you must be feeling. But that would mean that I''ll have to send an avatar. We can''t leave the matter untouched after all." "What avatar?" Maria asked as Raven wiped away her tears. Smiling, a calm purple aura materialised and condensed itself in front of her as a second Raven was formed. "Hello," the new Raven said with a smile. "I''m actually Ka, but I can make multiple avatars and control them all at once." With a snap of her fingers, three other Ravens appeared in the same manner. Seeing that, Maria felt astonished that something like this was possible, yet at the same time- "you know? It''s like I don''t even know you." Realising how that sounded, Maria covered her daughter''s mouth before she got to speak. "What I meant was that we never talk about stuff like this, I still remember when you introduced little Ka and Tu, but aside from that, we''ve never discussed your new powers and friends. "I feel like we need to have a long chat, what do you say?" Maria smiled while trying to recover her posture. "Are you willing to teach me how to be a proper soul weaver?" Chapter 178 - Preparing For A Demonic Trip Part 1 *Hoang - Run Back To You (feat. Alisa) * Taking the time to exin her situation to Maria made Raven feel closer to her than ever before. Maria was very impressed, and even astonished, with her little Raven. Even though she knew how powerful and reliable she was, she didn''t know what usually happens behind the scenes. She was also surprised by the fact that Ka was doing so much work on her own, supporting Raven, despite her being less than two months old. Maria didn''t even try to hide how much she appreciated everything Ka made to ensure her daughter''s safety. And in a way, Ka felt like a granddaughter to her. That''s why she was insisting on having her sit on herp as she patted and pampered her nonstop. Of course Ka didn''t mind, quite the contrary, she loved it. Raven had also mentioned her deal with Red Joe. Being a previous criminal mastermind in the underworld society, Maria was impressed at how she had managed to make him do charity instead of killing and kidnapping people for their organs. Seeing the footage of him delivering food boxes into shelters had her mouth wide open for a few seconds before fully recovering. ''I guess she is my dear daughter and champion,'' Maria thought to herself. ''If someone would have described Raven to me five years ago and imed that she would be my daughter, I would haveughed my a*s off, but now¡­ heh, I guess it still feels surreal.'' Digesting every piece of information she received was going to take a while, yet she didn''t mind. She was extremely happy that Raven had finally shared everything with her. "Alright, can I ask you for a favour?" Maria asked excitedly. "Uhm, of course!" Raven nodded quickly, happy that she had recovered her smile and positive attitude. "You know how you''ve turned me into a soul weaver, and up until recently I wasn''t able to control my internal energy?" She asked and Raven nodded. "Well, considering that you know so much, why don''t you teach me? I''ll be your student!" Maria smiled. Tilting her head, Raven started thinking about it. "Here''s my offer, you wanted to go to the Demon ne?" She asked and Raven nodded again, slowly, as she started understanding where this was going to. "Alright, take me with you!" Maria said and Raven face-palmed. "Don''t give me that attitude! Hear me out, you go stop the bad guys and all, but that doesn''t stop you from training me so that I can get stronger along the way. "That way, I can help you whenever you need me! "And don''t even start spouting nonsense about the Demon ne being dangerous. Let''s face it, staying by your side is probably the safest option, no?" *Sigh* "See, the thing is that you''re safer here because there''s no danger on this side, at this time," she said with a sigh. "You''ll be safe with me in the Demon ne but what''s the point of exposing you to dangers? "And if you''re admitting that I''m strong enough¡­ shouldn''t you trust that I''m strong enough to go alone?" While asking that, she could see Maria smile sadistically yet yfully at her, and as such her voice was slowly getting lower and lower till she almost whispered thest word, "alone" and it was barely audible. "I''m a hypocrite, wanna fight me?" Maria asked with a menacing smile. "I''m sorry, but I''m the mother here and I give the orders, got it?" Seeing that, Ka was trying so hard to suppress herughter in the background. "Uhm," Raven nodded while looking down in fear, fake of course. She was happy now that Maria was feeling good enough to act like that. But she still noted Ka''sughter. ''I will pay you back Kay, I promise,'' she smiled in her mind and Ka suddenly choked on herughter. "Ok you know what?" Raven said with a smile. "Let''s call it a deal. I''ll keep you safe and train you in the Demon ne so that you can get stronger!" "Fantastic!" Maria pped her hands in excitement. "Ok when are we leaving?" Almost on cue, the metallic door leading to the rooftop was flung open as Liz came into view while panting as if she had just run up the stairs. "Oh my- *huff* * huff* I- I was so¡­ so scared you two have left me!" She said while running towards Raven before copsing on the floor. A single touch from Raven while activating her Angelic Touch was enough to get her strength back. "Thank you Rave!" Liz said happily as she hugged her and swayed her body back and forth, cracking her back a couple of times along the way. "Oi, stop it!" Ravenined as Mariaughed. "So what were you two talking about?" She asked. "I''m pretty sure I heard something about leaving, are we done withthe hospital?" Forcing a smile, Raven exined everything. "Eh? The demon world?" Liz asked frightened as she held tighter onto Raven, not caring about the age difference. "But it must be full of demons!" "Pfft, yeah no sh*t Sherlock!" Ka couldn''t help but joke. But suddenly both Maria and Raven looked at her as if she had justmitted a crime. "Listen honey," Maria said. "You''re still too young to say bad words like that, ok? I might swear, but please don''t be like me." Nodding silently, Ka couldn''t help but think how unfair the situation was for her. Needless to say, a single pat from Maria was enough to change her mind. "Err, anyway," Raven tried to change the subject. "So yea we''re going there to fight some demon lords, pretty much. That''s why I''d urge you to stay here, I''ll make sure to tell-" "Nope, not gonna happen," Liz instantly shook her head as her expression suddenly got serious. "I''m not willing to leave you, no matter what. I know how much I''ve hurt you two¡­" she muttered quietly and sadly. "I''ve experienced the loss of a loved person first hand, more than once." Liz sighed. "And I''m determined that I have to make it up for you. "Even though I wasn''t in control at the time, I know that I am and will forever be indebted to you, that''s why I will never leave you to face any sort of danger alone. "I''ll protect you with or without any powers. I don''t care if I die or get tortured. But I promise you that I''ll be your sword and shield. I''m never letting anyone hurt you, never ever again." She said with so much determination that both Raven and Maria were left speechless. Smiling softly, Raven returned her hug before chuckling. "Ok then, I guess you''ll being with us to the Demon ne." "Hehe," Liz instantly chuckled since she''d gotten her approval. "Are we bringing clothes and stuff with us, or anything else for that matter?" "Oi, you''re bringing us with you!" Suddenly, a voice called out from the sky as light pink hair covered Raven''s vision. Chapter 179 - Preparing For A Demonic Trip Part 2 *Hoang - Run Back To You (feat. Alisa) * "Hehe," Liz chuckled as she got Raven''s approval to join them on their trip. "Are we bringing clothes and stuff with us, or anything else for that matter?" "Oi, you''re bringing us with you!" Suddenly, a voice called from the sky as light pink hair covered Raven''s vision. Landing beside them on the rooftop, Ae smiled as she tried to pat Raven''s head, who instantly jumped away. Frowning yfully, Ae let it go for now. "Me and Zeru areing with you. We''ve already told you that we''re sticking around. We just went to secure the house and make sure Noah and some other people with powers were given the new guardian roles." Landing softly near them, Zeru''s dark cyan hair fluttered in the air as he nodded as well. "I want to protect you too, for what you''ve done. So, I''ll be keeping youpany." He smiled. "Mistress!" A childish voice called out as the metallic door was opened once more. "We''ll be joining you too!" It was the doll-sized man in the white suit that spoke as he stood on Ian''s shoulder. Even though he looked simr to his old self, he was now more simr to a chibi kid-doll that can be said to be adorable. Yet that description wasn''t urate in Raven''s eyes. Ian simply nodded since his n was simply following the archon candidates and observing them. He couldn''t let them leave his sight. Seeing them, especially the white suit doll, Raven gritted her teeth. Noticing that, Liz looked down while biting her lower lip. "Is it okay if-" "No," Raven simply said as her mood did a 180 to the worse. "While you were under control when you did what you did, he wasn''t," she clenched her fists. "The only reason he''s still alive is because he hadn''t harmed anyone directly, and that he''s your follower now meaning he''s harmless." "Who do you think you are to speak to my mistress in this tone of voice?" He asked in his childish voice. Even though he remembered his little torture session just recently, he wasn''t the type to tolerate any disrespect towards his mistress,ing from strong person or not. Flickering in space and reappearing in front of Ian with her glowing golden eyes, some ck matter suddenly sshed in the air and on Ian''s face as Raven squished the chibi kid''s body. Watching it regenerate, she smiled sadistically. Feeling the air around her getting colder only contributed in making her grin wider. "Let''s have some fun shall we?" She asked in a terrifying tone. Looking down at him in her hands, her golden aura condensed around him as it formed a cube of sorts. Without much of a word, golden des were created inside the cube as they started chopping on the chibi kid''s body. Even though the surface was bright gold in colour, it was still rtively transparent, making it possible for others to see through. Dark matter was vigorously being mixed with the golden aura as if whatever was inside was being prepared to be served as a smoothie. "Raven!" Suddenly Axane''s voice knocked everyone out of their trance. They were all watching Raven intently both in utter surprise and disbelief. No one, especially Maria and Ka, had expected her to chuckle or smile in such a dark manner that they were left speechless. Shaking her head, Raven looked back at everyone as if just realising what she was doing. Looking back and forth between the golden cube and the group, she decided to leave the doll inside to suffer some more. "Are you okay?" Axane asked while touching Raven''s forehead and cheeks. She had mistakenly thought that you can tell if something is wrong with humans or soul weavers by testing their temperature in those areas. "Why did you re your mana like that? I could feel your anger and sadness¡­ are you ok?" ''Oh no¡­ How did I lose control in such a trivial manner? Kay?'' she asked for help since she was surprised Ka hadn''t warned her. ''I have tried,'' Ka said honestly, ''but¡­ this wasn''t you wanting souls or anything like that, this was you wanting to kill¡­ that''s all. I''m sorry I was confused and didn''t know what else to do other than shout in your mind, but you didn''t seem to care.'' she was worried. Shaking her head, Raven apologized for everyone while sitting back at her spot. "I''m sorry I was just a little bit mad¡­" Not giving a chance for anyone toment, she chose to continue preparing for their uing trip. She argued a little bit that Zeru and Ae should refrain from joining them because of their condition and how they need the Erem Fruit, but they argued back that herself and Ka can make another tree. Being as worried about Raven as she was, Ka supported that notion and said that it''s easier to nt an Erem Tree now that she has the blueprint. Sighing softly, Raven understood and didn''t argue back. Instead they focused on practical nning. They needed clothes, but they couldn''t carry suitcases with them, in addition, they needed something tomunicate with since they obviously wouldn''t have reception in the Demon ne for their phones to work. "Hehe, I have the solution for your problems, mortals! Bow to me and I shall be merciful and bestow upon you some of my wisdom! Wuhahaha" Ka said as she gave her best evilugh. She wasn''t tired nor was she high from sugar. No, she was merely trying to brighten up the situation since everyone seemed so serious after what had happened. Lifting her eyes to look into everyone''s, they suddenly all burst outughing as she felt the tension disappearing from the air. ''Phew, this is a sess for me!'' she cheered in her mind.. ''Alright, now to show off the work I do with Parallel Processing and Thought eleration during my spare time!'' she thought happily as a wide smile appeared on her face. Chapter 180 - Preparing For A Demonic Trip Part 3 *Hoang - Run Back To You (feat. Alisa) * ''Phew, this is a sess for me!'' she cheered in her mind. ''Alright, now to show off my achievements with Parallel Processing and Thought eleration during my spare time!'' she thought happily as a wide smile appeared on her face. "O'' Great and Mighty One, what do you have to offer?" Liz chuckled happily. Maria and Axane didn''t hold back theirughter. "Hehe,e here give me your hand!" Ka ordered Liz as she closed her eyes and cupped her hands together. As Liz stood up from her spot and approached Ka in Maria''sp, she watched as purple mana engulfed the area in front of her while sparking circuits of silver swirled inside. The aura kept on condensing until a purple bracelet with the same silver circuit was created. "Phew," Ka exhaled loudly even though her body didn''t need oxygen. "Here, put that on!" Abiding by Ka''s order, Liz extended her hand towards the bracelet, but before she could touch it, the bracelet itself jumped onto her wrist and formed a tight fit around it. Liz was surprised that she would have screamed loudly if she was able to speak, but she instead just froze out of fear. "Haha, it''s alright don''t panic," Ka reassured. "It won''t hurt you." "Hm, so what is it?" Raven asked as she didn''t know. The bracelet looked different from her teleportation or trantion bracelets. "Hehe, this is mytest creation, I don''t have a name yet, but basically, this braceletbines the most basic skills for survival in the Demon ne. "It is meant to deal with every problem you might encounter!" Ka was so excited while exining. "So to start with, it contains a dimensional storage that is able to store clothes, food, and other stuff. "The storage is protected by mana so anything inside will be insted in space meaning it will not go bad and its temperature won''t change. "In addition, since we''re going to the Demon ne, I thought that we need to be able to understand the Demonic tongue, so I''ve added a trantion function that is able to make you understand theirnguage and even speak it yourself! "Not only that, but it also has an attachable ear piece that enablesmunication via mana. While this is good and all, it may not work properly if you were to stand in an area that is filed to the brim with mana, so be careful. "Lastly, the bracelet has the ability to produce three anchors that are used as teleportation nodes. Meaning that if you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation, you just teleport away to one of those three nodes that can be set in different locations." Ka finished proudly. "So what do you think?" "Pretty impressive!!" Ae suddenly broke the silence of the awed expressions. "That''s so good!! This must equal a fortune if you were to sell it!" "It looks so cool and stylish too!" Liz said with a smile. "Hehe, I expected nothing less from you, Kay!" "Hehe!" Ka chuckled, feeling proud of herself. "What do you think, Raven?" She asked since she was more interested in hearing her opinion. Looking at her with a tilted head, Raven shrugged. "Hm, if anyone else had came up with it, I''d be impressed. But for you, this is the norm, I only expect great things from you, Kay!" She smiled sincerely. To strangers, this may have seemed like a half-heartedpliment or even a harsh thing to say, but for the group, they knew it wasn''t. Ka, who understood that Raven wasplimenting her everything and beyond the bracelet production, jumped up from her spot and squeezed her tight. "Hehe, thank you Rave, I really appreciate it!" *** Making bracelets for everyone was rather easy and quick. After that, everyone including Zeru, Ae, Maria, and Axane were given a couple of hours to bring whatever they needed with them. Raven had decided to bring Axane with them since Maria wasing anyway. Plus, she doubted that Axane would have epted anything other than a yes. "Ian and¡­ what''s your name again?" Raven asked while looking at the chibi kid-doll in the white suit. He was extremely tired from the torture he''s been through and was barely able to lift his eyelids to open his eyes. "I believe he had told me his name was Raykun," Liz said weakly. She was still unable to forgive herself or Raykun for what they''ve done to Raven. "Hm, Liz, why would you want to bring him with you?" She asked while maintaining her calmness this time. "Err, he¡­ he''s not so bad¡­ he only wants to serve me as his mistress, and he''s been helping me whenever you leave my room. "I think that he was just following my orders or something simr when I was under control and did what I did¡­" she answered. Looking at him in his state as ck matter was still dripping from his tiny body, Raven wanted to feel bad for him, but still couldn''t. *Sigh* "Ok, he''ll being with us if that''s your wish," Raven said as Liz opened her mouth in surprise. "However, the moment I feel he''s plotting something behind my back, he''ll instantly be disintegrated, am I making myself clear?" To her question, both Liz and Raykun nodded, thetter at least tried but still failed for how tried he was. "Ok, Liz please go prepare yourself then." Nodding again, she left with Raykun. "As for you Ian, what purpose do you have withing with us?" Raven asked. "Hm, nothing in particr, as I''ve mentioned before, I won''t be participating in fights, I''ll merely be observing." He answered calmly. "I see. In that case, you won''t need the bracelet, correct?" She asked. "I would rather have it just in case, if that''s possible. Also, it would help me understand the situation whenever demons speak theirnguage." "Alright," she said tiredly, I''ll ask Ka to make you er. Ian nodded and walked away following Liz. He didn''t have anything in particr that he wanted to bring with him anyway. He didn''t even have another set of clothes, which was particrly sad for Raven. ''Wait, this reminds me of Liz''s story¡­.'' Raven thought, ''She had first killed herself in her own house¡­ will she get her clothes from there? ''I guess I''ll go shopping for both of them. But for Ian in particr, I''ll need to buy him something and then store it in the bracelet before giving it to him,'' Raven thought to Ka who nodded. ''Even though he looks as nk as a robot, the kid is still a living being that requires care, food, and shelter¡­ ''And the same can be said for Liz, in a way, she''s just as broken as me¡­'' ''Wait, Rave¡­ um, Axane and Maria need their clothes from the mansion so¡­'' Ka said as Raven suddenly shuddered understanding. The thought of them entering the mansion and being bombarded with emotions all over again was not pleasant, to say the least. Before being told, purple mana materialised as it was mixed in the familiar silver circuits. Momentster, three avatars were created andunched with different objectives. One was for Liz, the other was Ian, and thest one was for Axane and Maria. Ae and Zeru didn''t need any help with gathering their stuff so they were left alone. Many thoughts crossed Raven''s mind but she didn''t know what to make of them, so she decided to ignore them and proceed towards her next objective. Chapter 181 - Preparing For A Demonic Trip Part 4 * Sigma - Find Me ft. Birdy * Seeing Ka instantly send out the avatars to help Liz, Axane and Maria, and possibly prevent a rpse of the traumas they have experienced, Raven could not have been more thankful. ''Thank you, Kay,'' Raven said with a sigh of relief. ''You are a lifesaver¡­'' ''Aye no worries, hehe, I got your back!'' Ka cheered which caused a smile to surface across Raven''s face. Proceeding towards her next objective, she flickered in the air and flew all the way towards the EDA headquarters. Soaring through the clear blue sky while bathing in the sunlight was enough to make Raven rx and forget her sadness for a moment. People who saw her in the air pointed at her and cheered since many were able to instantly recognise her long crimson-purple hair fluttering behind her. Reaching the headquarters, she quickly dismissed her smile and got back to her guarded self before requesting a meeting with Scott. Normally such a meeting with the one and only Deputy General would have been impossible to manage in a few minutes, yet everyone was specifically instructed to always abide by her orders and requests. "Here," Raven said while handing Scott a box containing twenty premade transfer bracelets that were made only for teleportation, not the new type Ka had created. Checking them, Scott smiled happily as this was ought to cause some major advancements in the current technology. This was simr to the discovery of dimensional magic that was then utilised in storing and sometimes even transferring items, something that would have otherwise been harder, if not impossible. Plus the luxury it provided was priceless. And these teleportation bracelets were nothing short of that! ''Are you sure you don''t want me to give them the new ones?'' Ka asked. ''Aye don''t bother, we''re creating- err, I mean you''re creating a whole new device for them specifically so that they can manufacture the bracelets, I don''t want you to tire yourself.'' Raven answered before shifting her attention to Scott again. "Those premade ones are meant to be for the students and instructors of the Elite ss alike," Raven said and Scott nodded. "And this is mostly because I''m pretty sure your scientists will try to figure out some other uses of the devices and probably keep the machine upied for a while." ''Kay, is it ready?'' she asked Kay in her mind who instantly nodded. Suddenly, purple mana spread in the air as it condensed and formed an avatar that resembled Raven. "Where do you want the device?" The avatar asked as it was being controlled by Ka. Scott was mildly surprised but didn''tment. Leading them to an empty spot in what seemed like a researchb, many scientists in whiteb coats were suddenly gathering around them as if preparing to witness the discovery of a new element. Of course, they hadn''t missed the face that two identical girls were standing next to each other. Most of them however, dismissed it and chose to believe that they were twins. Flexing her fingers as energy radiated out of her, Ka in Raven''s avatar spread her mana in front of her before condensing it down into a single shape. Silver circuits covered the surface of the object in front of her as it started trimming and fixing it while at the same time increasing in size. With each passing second the object started resembling an alien device. Looking in excitement, one of the scientists decided to touch the device to observe it. Smiling, Ka and Raven watched as mana spread out of the device, forming another avatar that resembled Ka this time. The AI avatar was floating in the air as if sitting on an invisible chair. It had identical features to Raven but it differed in the dark purple hair and matching captivating eyes. Additionally, she was shorter and smaller, body size wise. "Hello sir, I am your AI assistant, how many Transfer Bracelets do you require today?" Surprised as he was, the scientist almost fell over, but the moment he heard it''s an AI, he tried to dismiss it and continue on with following his curiosity by touching the device. After all, he had a skill that required him to physically touch an object in order to analyse it. "Sir, please keep your distance, the device is more dangerous than you''d expect," the ''AI avatar'' warned but the man chose to ignore it once more, thinking it''s simr to the robots they have at their headquarters. They''re called AI yet they only follow orders and are unable to make their own choices. Just as he got too close to the device, the ''AI'' smiled kindly while swiping upwards. From the device, cyber matter and mana erupted out as a purple and silver tentacle swiftly struck the scientist in the stomach, making him fly a few meters backwards and knocking him unconscious at the same time. "You''ve been warned, hehe," the ''AI'' chuckled as she pped her hands together. "I told you the device is more dangerous than you''d imagine!" In fact, the AI was just one of the fragments of Ka''s attention that was created using her skill Parallel Processing. Even though the scientists should have been at least notfortable approaching the device again, after the ''friendly'' demonstration, they were now even more interested in the smart AI who kept on delivering an attack after the other. Seeing that, Scott shook his head and decided to punish them allter. Raven and Ka left after making sure the device was protected by its own guard now that was assigned by Scott. "Hm, I''m not sure if you''re aware, but this transfer or rather teleportation technology isn''t a thing yet, meaning you''ve just discovered a new method of transportation that can be utilised in countless manners and will ultimately change the way we live!" Scott said excitedly. "Whatever, just makes its not to abuse it," Raven shrugged as she wasn''t interested in the slightest. Chapter 182 - Preparing For A Demonic Trip Part 5 *Sigma - Find Me ft. Birdy * "Hm, I''m not sure if you''re aware, but this transfer or rather teleportation technology isn''t a thing yet, meaning you''ve just discovered a new method of transportation that can be utilised in countless manners and will ultimately change the way we live!" Scott said excitedly. "Whatever," Raven shrugged as she wasn''t interested in the slightest. "Hm, I see. But as a payment for your efforts, your name will be associated with such creation from now on, I''ll make sure of it," he said, which made Raven stare at him for a moment, contemting in her mind whether to ept the offer and simply decline it. "If that''s the case, then please tell everyone that the name of the creator is Ka. She''s my friend, and she''s the one who made this possible." Raven said. Hearing the Scott was confused, yet didn''t argue and nodded instead, while Ka on the other hand widened her eyes in surprise. ''Really? You''d do that? I mean I''m so thankful, but um, I don''t exactly benefit from the fame you know¡­'' ''Hm, maybe not now, but wait till you evolve some more. I''m almost certain you''d be able to create a permanent body for yourself!'' Raven smiled. ''I don''t want to!'' Ka instantly replied, which surprised Raven. ''I want to always be connected to you, I can''t imagine what I''d do without you.'' ''Silly,'' Raven flicked her forehead as she materialised in her mind. ''I will never leave you, but you should aim for a body of your own since it will be easier for you to explore the world and see what you love.'' ''But I love you!'' Ka rubbed her forehead as if the flick hurt her. Hearing that, Raven smiled sincerely for the first time in a while. ''You are the cutest, Kay.'' ''I know, hehe,'' she replied with a chuckle. ''And¡­ I guess you can tell him that it''s me,if it''s what you want¡­ ''But I''ll still be able to get back to your mind whenever I''m tired, right?'' ''Aye, aye,'' Raven said with a smile. While Ka had the ability to make her body materialise in the real world, she chose to conserve her energy at this time. Obviously, their little talk was done through Ka''s skill Thought eleration, so it all was almost instantaneous in the real world. "Ok, so in addition to the copyrights and name, your friend will obviously receive money for such creation. So how much will you be asking for a single bracelet?" Scott asked curiously. "Hm, the device functions on mana, meaning that one would have to inject it with their own mana to get their bracelet. So I can''t imagine the price being too much, but err, hm¡­" Raven contemted then turned her attention towards Ka. ''How much money per bracelet?'' she simply asked. ''Hm, I love biscuits, so, how much is enough to buy that?'' she asked curiously. ''I am not stupid, but you''ve almost never bought anything yourself so I''m not sure of the prices.'' ''Haha, that''s understandable, I think three dors are enough for one good biscuit pack.'' Raven replied. ''Hehe, ok so let''s say I want ten packs, that''s thirty dors! Tell him that''s my price!'' she was so happy she will soon earn her own money and buy her own snacks. ''Come to me sugar!'' "Err, so my friend says thirty is a good price for a single bracelet," Raven said, which made Scott schoke in his breath. "WHAT? *Ahem* sorry, say what aga?" Scott asked, confused. "Something like this is revolutionary and one bracelet is easily worth millions! It enables a person or an object to be teleported from a ce to the other. "This literally ends the car industry, cripples busses, cruisers, and changes everything! And you''re willing to sell it for thirty bucks?" Just thinking about the implications of criminals buying such a powerful device this easily made his head hurt. ''They could teleport weapons, people, escape jails¡­'' "Hm, if it''s too much of an issue then don''t release it to the public just yet. Let your scientists y around with them and create some anti-teleportation devices etc." Raven said. "We''ll do that, but still," Scott shook his head, "you''ll have to charge higher¡­" "Ok whatever, make it thirty thousand for a bracelet, and if apany or even the EDA themselves are trying to buy the blueprints of the devices, because trust me they won''t be able to replicate it without permission, that will cost them three millions. Happy? "The AI avatar near the machine won''t produce anything without the proper pricing." Raven asked with an ''over friendly'' expression. To her surprise, Scott seemed happier about that. ''Well, I guess you''ll be drowning in biscuits Kay, imagine buying a whole factory of sweets and candy and start producing your own just because of selling some low tier Transfer Bracelets?'' Hearing that, Ka''s mind was blown away from the possibilities this opened to her. ''Can we buy some biscuits now? I''m so excited at the idea and I promise I''ll pay youter!'' ''Nope,'' Raven simply said, breaking Ka''s dreams in an instant. Walking towards the training hall, Raven found that it was Cami''s ss now. She was tormenting the students with her mana orbs that were glowing with an ominous red. "Don''t run from them!" She yelled at Sara and Be who were struggling to stay calm. "They don''t bite! Your job is simply to feel them and recreate something simr! You''re no mage if you can''t create a single mana orb. Dimwits with no mana control are only dead dimwits!" Seeing how she was having fun, Raven found herself smiling subconsciously. "Ayo, Rave," Cami greeted with a firm as Kuru jumped into Raven''s embrace. Talking for a bit, Raven handed each of them one of the new bracelets that were multifunctional. "Here''s another one for Jaime¡­ he did help me a lot so he deserves the good stuff." Seeing that she had some better quality bracelets, Scott understood her earlier price request. Noticing his gaze, she sighed before handing him one for himself, and then some for the other instructors and important rankers. Leaving an avatar behind as previously agreed upon, she made sure Cami and Kuru knew of their ns before leaving. "If you ever need any help, just know that I''m literally a second away from you since I can teleport to wherever my avatar is." Raven said. "Additionally, the avatars have some considerable amount of power, so you''re in good hands." With a smile she bid them farewell as she disappeared from her spot. Chapter 183 - Amethyst Heart Part 1 *Sigma - Find Me ft. Birdy * Standing on top of the EDA building, Raven used Ka''s skill Parallel Processing and shifted her attention towards the other avatars all at once in order to make sure everything was going smoothly. To her surprise, Axane and Maria had decided to go into the mansion anyway, despite her avatar asking them to go buy something new entirely. Although they clenched her hands tightly every now and then, overall, they had strengthened their resolve. They were intent on getting stronger before meeting Maya again. And they were willing to work hard to achieve that. Liz on the other had chosen to listen to the avatar and instead go shopping for new clothes. She was afraid and almost terrified of entering her house again. But after the quick shopping trip, she was feeling much better and was extremely happy that Raven was with her. In a way, this was a dreaming true, having a friend that she could spend time with... That''s why she took advantage of that and chose not to take a single step without holding hands with her. Since Ian had followed them with Raykun on his shoulder, Raven had decided to take the time and buy them both something. She obviously messed with Raykun and bought him some Barbie dolls'' clothing that he was forced to wear after an order from Liz who wasughing her a*s off with Raven. Poor kid-doll seemed to wish he was physically tortured instead as he started to mutter how much he hated the situation he was in, especially that his esteemed mistress was making fun of him. Ian also seemed to be experiencing a ''feeling'' that he has never experienced before. Well, he had never experienced any feelings to start with, not ever since the ''incident'' anyway. Now, although his face was as nk as ever, he could feel a faint white radiance lighting the darkness inside of him. Realising the change that was happening to him, he chose to ignore it and not concern himself with ''feelings'' or whatever they were. But this simple shopping trip had taught him that this ''Raven'' had more to her than what meets the eyes. ''Maybe she is the true archon? But is it truly possible?'' he kept muttering to himself. After a few hours, everyone was back at the hospital rooftop, as they had previously agreed. Everyone but Raven. "Did she tell you that she''ll be meeting the mayor?" Liz asked since that was what the avatar had told her. "Uhm," Maria nodded. "We should be ready now though. Once shees back, we''ll be going to the Demon ne. How do you both feel about that? Concerned, scared, or excited?" "Hehe, I''m obviously excited!" Liz instantly said in a cheerful tone as a big grin appeared on her face. "No one can harm us whenever Raven is near! I see no reason to be scared or concerned!" "Haha, I guess I feel the same way," Axane said. "Although I want to learn how to protect myself more than rely on her. After all, she is almost always under a lot of pressure, you know¡­ I don''t want to add to her te." *Sigh* "You''re right," Maria said, "I don''t want to rely as much on her either. Instead, I want to catch up to her level!" "Ayo! What are you girls muttering about?" Suddenly, the group could hear Ae''s voice as shended besides them with a tired and angry expression. "Damn, I''ve been forced to travel back and forth between provinces as if it was a few meters away¡­ it''s FAR and it''s NOT EASY!" Taking a deep breath, she realised that Raven was nowhere to be seen. "Where is she?" She asked while looking around. Putting a hand on her shoulder, Zeru calmed her down since she was tired. "Apologies, she always gets mouthy whenever she''s exhausted." Ae wanted toment on that, but she realised that she''d only prove him right so she chose to sit quietly instead. "Well, um, Raven will be here soon, you can rest for now, want some juice?" Liz asked as she grabbed a pack of juice from her bracelet and gave everyone a box. *** "Are you sure you want to leave? It''s dangerous! And why the Demon ne in particr?!! Why would you do that to yourself? Or even your friends and¡­ me." The mayor eximed, concern and worry visible in her voice. Taking the time to exin herself, Raven made sure her mom wasn''t angry with her. "And here''s this," she said while handing her a bracelet. "I''ve left some avatars here in the city so you should be able to talk to them using this bracelet, and they can ry the message to me which means we canmunicate with each other! See, it''s not bad, I''m prepared!" She said with a smile. "Hm, I don''t quite agree with you¡­ but it''s ok, I will support you no matter what," she said as she wrapped her arms around her. "There''s something I want to give you, before you go. I should have done this a long time ago, I''m sorry, butter is better than never." Saying that, the mayor undid the first two buttons in her shirt as she exposed her neck. "First, I want you to know that for all I know, I am your biological mother." The mayor said, understanding how stupid that may have sounded. "Or to be fair, that was my belief for at least a decade or so, but¡­ "Until recently¡­ hm, let me ask you this: do you remember when I had told you that I needed to go visit your aunt in Chicago?" Raven nodded. "Well, the truth was that I needed to perform a high risk surgery. Thankfully, it was a sess, as you can see," she pointed at herself, supposedly being alive. "But then I still remember the doctor asking me if I''ll ever be willing to dere to the public that my daughter, you, were adopted, something about the public deserving of an honest mayor... "Obviously the question had taken me by surprise, but after seeing my confusion, the doctor had exined that I have a gic disease that critically impaires my ovaries¡­" Hearing that, Raven widened her eyes in surprise. While she knew the mayor wasn''t her real parent, it was still hard when it''s out this way. The mayor nodded at her reaction.. "Yes, I can''t have children, ording to the doctor." Chapter 184 - Amethyst Heart Part 2 *Sigma - Find Me ft. Birdy * Hearing that, Raven widened her eyes in surprise. While she knew the mayor wasn''t her real parent, it was still hard when it''s out this way. The mayor nodded at her reaction. "Yes, I can''t have children, ording to the doctor. "I''m sorry I waited for this long before exining¡­" the mayor looked down before chuckling softly. "But knowing how smart you are, you''ve probably figured it out long ago, no?" "Uhm, I did¡­" Raven nodded while looking away from her eyes. "It''s ok, I''ve expected as much, don''t feel bad about it. I could always tell from your questions that you knew more than you let me think, you''re a smart one after all.'' she smiled. "But anyway, the reason I''m telling you all of this is because I think-" she said while removing a ne from her neck. "-I think that this belongs to you." She said while handing Raven an expensive looking silver ne that held a single dark purple heart-shaped gemstone that was made out of what seemed to be Amethyst. However, unlike other amethyst gemstones, the purple heart was so dark that it almost looked ck. Something like this would have been hard even for a king to purchase. After reluctantly removing her eyes off of the dark purple heart, Raven observed what looked like pieces of alien azure metal that was wrapped around the amethyst heart, creating two wings that seemed to be trapping it a passionate embrace. Raven didn''t know why, but her first instinct after tightly holding the amethyst heart in her closed fist was Infusing her mana with it. Just as she did, the azure wings opened slightly, allowing purple, azure, and golden auras to radiate brightly as countless tiny orbs were created in the mayor''s office who suddenly had her mouth gaped wide open. She has had this ne for more than a decade, ever since Raven was with her, yet only now has she realised that it can do something like that. Suddenly, colourful holographic images were being projected in the middle of the room. Between the unfamiliar faces in the images, Raven was able to see her tiny younger self holding a seemingly familiar hand. In others she was even younger and was held in the same person''s arms. In most of the holograms, she was wearing royal dresses and even armours that were simr to the armour belonging to the girl she saw in the trials a long time back, when she had to face the white dragon for the first time. The person holding her was a strangely familiar azure haired woman that had a happy smile stered across her face. Not knowing why or how, tears ran down Raven''s cheeks. Suddenly, as quickly as they came, the tears disappeared. "Hm?" She blinked, confused, as if she had forgotten what she was doing there in the first ce. The mayor who was too immersed in the holographic images didn''t notice the quick change. "Do you recognize any of these people?" She asked Raven who shook her head. Ka who watched everything unfold seemed to suffer the same issue as Raven, she forgot that Raven had just cried for an instant there, but she was aware that someone had interfered with her system. [The Blessing: Avavia''s Affection has been externally manipted. [The Blessing: Avavia''s Affection has activated a secret function. [... [The Blessing: Avavia''s Affection has recovered its original function.] This left Ka confused yet she stayed quiet about it. "It''s strange," Raven said, seemingly still ignorant to what had just happened, "I am sure that this little girl is me¡­ but I don''t know who the others are, even though they all look familiar, especially this woman¡­" she said as she instinctively walked towards the image of the azure haired woman and tried to touch it. Just as she did, the images seemed to flicker and disappear. Looking at the amethyst heart in her hands, she saw the azure wings embracing it tightly back again. Feeling refreshed and happy for some unknown reason, Raven sighed and looked up to the mayor. "Um, mom, thank you, it''s wonderful that you still have it!" She said happily. "Of course, I''d never lose something this precious to you!" Just as she said that, she realised a problem. "Wait, how do I know that it belongs to you? No, when did I even get it in the first ce? I know I''ve had it for a long time, ever since I gave birth to you¡­ but¡­ wait..." "But you could not have given birth to me..." Raven said, understanding that someone had manipted the mayor and messed with her mind, making her think that she had given birth to Raven and convincing her that she was her real mother. Seeing how her mother''s mood had suddenly dropped, she ran towards her and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. "Don''t let that affect you since this does, by no means, change the fact that you have raised me, mom." Hearing that from her daughter, tears filled her eyes. Especially the word ''mom'' that now all of a sudden meant much more to her. "I know that we''ve had our share of fights, but I still love you and deeply appreciate everything you went through in order to raise me. You are, and will forever be, my mom, ok?" "Uhm, always," the mayor said while hugging her back even tighter. After talking for a bit more with her mother, Raven made sure she understood how to activate the bracelet and contact her if needed. Before leaving, the mayor had asked to put the ne on her, an offer of which she happily epted. Bidding her mother a farewell, Raven flickered away from her spot as she soared towards her friends that have been waiting for a while now. While she was in the sky, she could not resist the urge of holding the Amethyst Heart within her warm palms. "I love you, mother¡­" she closed her eyes while muttering these words instinctively, feeling a somewhat fuzzy, yet friendly, swirl of emotions within her own heart. Chapter 185 - A New Adventure (Into The Demon Plane And MORE!) *MY FIRST STORY - REVIVER * AN: a bit of a longer chapter, whoops¡­ *** "Hi!" Raven said whilending softly on the hospital''s rooftop, feeling refreshed and ready for a new adventure. "Sorry, I kept you waiting." "Aha, you did! How are you gonna make up for it?" Ae asked after swallowing some gummy bears. "Hehe, I''m taking you to see another world, what else could I give you?" Raven asked with a chuckle. "Hm, good question," Ae said. "I guess you cou-uugh" Just as she was about to say something else, Zeru covered her mouth and smiled apologetically. Standing up from her spot, Liz walked slowly towards Raven and gave her a hug. Smiling, Raven hugged her back as she didn''t know what else to do. "Alright everyone, since we''re all ready, let''s head to the mansion to set up an anchor point." Raven said while snapping her fingers. A portal opened behind her as the group could see Maria''s mansion. "Oh that''s so cool!" Liz cheered happily and the rest seemed surprised as well. "How did you do that? Is it the bracelet?" "Nope, it''s one of my talents, hehe," Ka suddenly appeared and made a victory pose. She had been working hard in her skills recently, especially her Ultimate and Ultimate+ skills, Cyber Sense and Ex Machina: Cyber Creation, respectively. The first allowed her ess to the system skills, her original skills, like Thought eleration and Parallel Processing that were of the utmost importance. While the second allowed her ess to a set of skills that she didn''t have full control of. Teleportation and dimensional magic were two aspects that she was able to replicate using her cyber matter even though she wasn''t able to grasp the concepts behind them just yet, notpletely at least. However, her teleportation knowledge has greatly improved recently after her extensive research, and the portal behind her was the proof. She was now able to create a teleportation portal to any ce she had visited before, as long as she had left a trace of cyber matter in the area. This skill was simply called Teleportation Portal. This was only one of many skills that she aspired to master in order to help Raven and herself reach their goals. After all, in her mind, Raven was everything to her and she wanted to give her as much help as possible. "Ok, hop in girls, and err¡­ boy and Barbie doll, hehe," Kaughed at Raykun who was still trapped in a tiny, yetvish, pink dress as tears ran down his eyes. Doing as ordered, soon the group found themselves back at Maria''s mansion. "Ok everyone, I want you to replicate what I''m doing right now," she said while removing the anchor attachment from the bracelet and resting in the ground. Just as she did, the dark piece of cyber matter seemed to dissolve into the ground. "This piece will automatically hide under the ground so it''s safer, and whenever you''re in deep trouble, just think about teleportation and you will be sent back here! Simple!" Raven said. "Any questions?" Liz raised her shaking hand, "are we going to be trapped in the ground when we teleport back?" She asked in fear. Hearing that, Raven smacked her forehead. Maria and Axane almost did it at the same time too. Ae and Zeru were just a secondte, while Ian didn''t seem to care. "No, Liz, no," Raven said while forcing a smile. "Oh, that''s a relief!" Liz smiled as if everything was alright. "Err, I have a question," Maria raised her hand, "so um, does the bracelet read our minds? Since you just said that only by thinking about teleportation we can travel here?" "Hm, maybe I should have rified," Raven said while looking at the group, "so it does not read your mind, but rather understands your intentions, in a sense. "Whenever your heart is racing and you''re feeling the need to escape, the bracelet will pick up these signals from your wrist as well as your mana signal and then automatically teleport you here since it''s set as the default one as of now. "And if it ever happens that you''re sent here by mistake, which I doubt, you can still teleport to the other anchors you''ll set during the trip. Each bracelet contains three anchor points but that can easily be increased if needed. "Once they''re all set, you''ll be able to travel between those anchors easily, but you''ll be paying with your mana obviously." "Oh, I see, that does rify quite a bit, thank you!" Maria said with a smile. "Aye, no worries," Raven smiled. "Ok, any more questions?" Seeing everyone shaking their head, she took a deep breath and decided to proceed on with the ns. Jumping away from the group, she focused her aura around her then condensed it into her hand while mming it against the green grass, creating a single blood red magic circle that had strange demonic runes carved into its surface. ''Contract Master!'' she muttered in her head, even though she didn''t need to, as a dark figure suddenly appeared from under the magic circle, breaking it into tiny particles of light. "My mistress," Keith greeted as he kneeled down. "Keith!" Raven greeted with a smile. "We''re ready." "Understood! May I borrow your precious mana, my mistress?" He asked as he couldn''t set up a portal on his own yet. However, before Raven could even nod in approval, a familiar loud chuckle was heard. "Silly Keith," the voice said, "never ask Lady Raven such a terrible request, not when I''m around at least, do you hear me?" Suddenly, a blindingly dark aura exploded out of the ground while creating and then instantly shattering many magical circles all at the same time. "Heh, Red, I didn''t expect you toe here again," Raven forced a smile as this guy still gave her the creeps. "Of course I''d be here to receive you, Lady Raven," Red said with a deep bow. "Allow me¡­" saying that, he closed his eyes while concentrating his mana all around him. mming his palms together, his aura seemed to glow with an ominous dark hue that swallowed anything around it. However, it onlysted an instant as it all was sucked into a newly formed magical circle on the ground that was then shattered, forming what seemed like a teleportation portal. It was strangely simr to the portal the titan demons appeared from, back in the forests of Laurentides. Inside of the portal, the group found themselves staring into what seemed like a meeting room, an overly expensive andvishly decorated meeting room. Shrugging, Raven looked at the group who nodded, showing their resolve. Suddenly, shadow tentacles appeared from Raven''s shadow andshed at Maria, Axane, and Liz, squeezing them tightly and securely. With a smile she jumped into the portal forcing them with her. Soon after, Ae, Zeru, Ian and Raykun were already doing the same. With a nod, Keith followed, leaving Redst. Thetter couldn''t help but let go of a chuckle while hugging himself tightly, before following his mistress too. *** "Mhn," moaning softly, a delicate young looking girl opened her eyes and looked at the blue-white sky above her. Her iresis warmly reflected the colour of the skies while adding a hint of silver grey in the mix, making her already beautiful pale face look more refreshing. Her hair wasn''t long, but rather barely made it to her shoulders. It had the same property as her eyes and not so strangely, they matched in colours, even though it was a little bit brighter. Standing up in her beautiful white dress, she clicked her tongue while snapping her fingers. Just as she did, a silver hue surrounded her body, transforming her dress into a beautiful silver armour te that covered her feet up to the knees, hands and arms, chest, andstly shoulders. The armour itself seemed to be made of some strange diamonds that radiated with power. Underneath, she was now wearing a shorter dress that was pure white in colour, simr to the original she had on, yet it seemed to be easier to move in. In addition, it had many gemstones that were stered on its surface. Even though they were captivating, their real purpose was mostly protection. Stretching her soft body, the girl looked around for someone, but she couldn''t see anything but the bright green grass underneath her feet and the blue-white sky above. "Raphael, you''re awake!" A voice came calling excitedly. Looking at the source of the voice, Raphael found herself looking at an old friend of hers. "Uriel?" "Uhm, you''re finally back!" Uriel said happily. "How was it? Was it fun?" "Fun?" Raphael asked, confused. "Nothing of what we do is fun, we are the mighty Seraphim, we disguise ourselves in mortal flesh and roam theirnds in order to judge their actions and beliefs. What part of that is fun?" Uriel suddenly looked down, feeling her excitement disappear. She had waited twelve decades for her friend, Raphael, toe back from her mission, even though this may be so little for an immortal, she could not help but feel lonely without her. It saddened her that she didn''t miss her back, but at the same time she remembered that while her job was to create the cycles and designate their roles for them, the other three Seraphim had it worse since they had to forget who they are and judge mortals as mortals themselves. It was nothing short of a torture for immortals, even a Seraph. "Hm, but now that I think about it¡­" Raphael spoke slowly, "I remember that myst mortal life in this cycle was what you would describe as, err, fun, I guess," Raohael scratched her cheek in embarrassment. For an immortal, and one of the four Seraphim at that, to enjoy the short mortal life was nothing but a disgrace. That''s why she''d only trust Uriel to share this with. Gabriel and Michael would have never tolerated such things. "Really??" Uriel asked, her childish personality appearing despite her true age. "Tell me more! Tell me everything!!" This was also a chance for her to share some time with her friend before she had to leave again into another cycle. "Hm, it''s a lot to talk about, but I guess we have some time before the start of the new cycle¡­" Raphael muttered while sitting down on the cool grass with Uriel next to her. "So, um, it all started pretty badly in the human world to be honest, but then¡­ it all got better when I met an azure haired boy who was in fact a girl!" While narrating her story, she felt her heart racing, as if missing the feeling of being with that person. "Oh really? Have mortals reached that point where they can change gender as they wish?" "Not quite, this person was just a special case¡­" Raphael looked up at the sky, feeling something strange in her heart. "Anyway, in her girl form, she had a pretty and plushy crimson-purple hair that was as soft as a bundle of silk and was quite long, reaching just under her thighs. "Her eyes glowed with a majestic golden hue that gave off the feeling of superiority, yet wereforting and rxing to stare at¡­ even now when I think about her, I¡­" "Heh, is that what mortals call love?" Uriel asked with a teasing smile while looking at her friend. Normally, she would act cold and tough, yet now everything seemed to have changed for some reason. Not that sheined, in fact, she liked this version better. "Heh? Love? No!" Raphael instantly answered, feeling her cool pale skin getting slightly warmer. "Hehe, I can feel it!" Uriel teased again, "but it''s ok, I promise I''ll keep it between us! Now go on, tell me more! What did you do together? What did she call you? How about others?" "Hm, what did we do and what did she call me?" Raphael fidgeted with her fingers nervously. "She, erm, I mean I¡­ I think we kissed once¡­" she said feeling as though her cheeks were on fire, remembering one incident in the ser stadium, one of many that she has experienced as a mortal. "Um, and as for what she used to call me¡­ she¡­ she used to call me Maya¡­" Chapter 186 - Demon Conference Part 1 "Is everyone present?" Raven''s voice was calm and almost cold when she asked the question. Herself and Red were currently preparing for a conference, or rather a meeting, with Red''s retainers. Since their arrival to the Demon ne, Raven and her group had spent some time adjusting to the changes in mana concentrations as it was more potent here than in the Human ne. While at first, Raven had spent some time training her group and giving them some tips here and there, she decided that now was the time to get the job done. The demon realm was a dangerous ce and she didn''t want to leave Axane, Maria, and the rest here for long. The n was to simply track down the newly awakened demon lords, the Cardinal Sins, and eliminate them, or at least that''s what Raven had thought. But apparently, some of them were working with Red and under hismand. While he hasn''t exined how or why they were following his orders, he confirmed that they can help them against the rest. "Yes, Lady Raven," Red said, answering Raven''s question, while standing besides her. "Those pitiful six aristocrats are my retainers, and they currently rule the demon kingdom in the centralnds with each ruling over their own duchy." Hearing that, the demons present could not help but frown at how their master was treating them. Although they had each imed the noble rank of archduke, the pinnacle of what the demon evolution had to offer, they were being mocked in front of a young stranger that wasn''t even a demon herself. "Master," one of the demons stood up, anger seeping from his veins. "If I may so bold to ask, who is that little girl and why is she taking your seat while you''re left standing like a serv-" Before he could continue, he felt something poking against his chest. By the time he realised something was wrong, he became aware that arge chunk of his chest had disappeared as blood sttered everywhere. "I haven''t allowed you to talk, now have I?" Red''s enraged yet chilly cold voice came from behind him, making him almost lose consciousness. "Red," Raven simply said while signalling for him to return to her side. She was currently sitting with her chin resting on top of her hand against the side of the throne while crossing her legs in an uncaring manner. "Don''t start ughtering your retainers like flies." Hearing that, Red quickly returned to his spot besides her. "Hm, and you¡­" She looked at the archduke that had spoken and let his aura re. "You asked who I am, correct?" She asked and he simply nodded, rage was still visible in his eyes as he healed himself. "Hm, the answer is quite simple-" Saying that, Raven''s eyes glowed with a crimson hue that was filled with some otherworldly energy. With a snap of her fingers, dark crimson chains suddenly appeared out of nowhere andshed at the six demons'' necks. By the time they were able to perceive what had happened, they each felt a strange alien mana signature inside of their mana cores that somehow felt as if it had trapped their souls. "I am your new master," Raven said while snapping her fingers again, making the chains go invisible while maintaining their effect. ''Hm, d I haven''t been storing energy for nothing,'' Tu muttered as a system notification shed in Raven''s vision. [Notice. [New contribution received from entity Turanor, the Crimson Monarch of Contracts. [New Skill has been Acquired and added to the effects of the blessing: The Sacred Contract of the Crimson Monarch [Crimson Monarch''s Chains: summon the chains of the monarch that force a contract with the enemies of the monarch and traps them in an eternal bind that controls their destinies. [Enemies that are bound by the Chains of the Monarch have their souls under full control of the monarch. [However, this effect is dependent on the difference in power levels. If the difference is too vast between the caster and the enemy, this skill will not work or will be broken shortly after being casted.] ''Good job, Tu,'' Ravenplimented since she knew the effort he had put into adapting his original techniques as a Monarch into assisting her with small stuff like this. Understanding what had just happened, the six archdukes seemed seething with rage. They were nobles, the rulers of the Demon world, but now they were being mocked by a young girl that didn''t even look that threatening. "Let me make things straight," Raven stood up from her throne while avoiding ring her mana for multiple reasons, the most important one being that it would be a waste of mana. Whenpared to the massive amounts of mana the six demons in front of her possessed, she was just a fish in a small pond while they resembled sharks in the sea. "Me and Red will be going for a small trip soon. And you, kids, are still too weak to apany us, so you''ll be left home to protect the people within this castle from a possible invasion. Is this clear?" Noticing their silence, Raven clicked her tongue, "speak up, don''t stand like a bunch of morons!" "I- Lady Raven," one spoke her name slowly since he had heard it from Red. "May we know who you are?" Hearing that, Raven infused herself with Tu''s crimson aura as she flickered in front of him and instantly delivered a kick straight to the face then followed that with a punch that sent his body crashing against the enhanced walls of the castle. BOOOOM!! Seeing his face and chest explode in front of them, the rest were left shaking. ''She is crazier than Red¡­'' they all thought while looking at Red in plea, but they soon realised they were doomed the moment they saw him hugging himself and smiling sadistically. "I''ve told you that I''m your new master, are you deaf?" She asked as the demon in front of her had his missing parts regenerated quickly. "The only questions you can ask are those rted to my orders, is that clear?" "Yes, apologies, mistress." He apologized with a deep bow. "I have asked a disrespectful, and rather obvious, question and I greatly appreciate your guidance." "Good," Raven said while walking back to her throne. "Next time you can say goodbye to your miserable life.. You''re dismissed." Chapter 187 - Demon Conference Part 2 "That was wonderful, Lady Raven!" Red pped his hands together as soon as the six archdukes left the premise. A sadistic smile made its way towards his face. *Sigh* "Are you sure that this was the optimal way to settle this? Why did we have to go on the offensive like this?" She asked Red with a bored expression as she tried to hide the fact that adrenaline was rushing through her veins. She had just bullied six demon archdukes, the rank that should be the top of the demon world, just under the cardinal sins that were the ancient lords of the demon world. During her little demonstration of power, Ka had given her a quick summary of their stats and they were quite simr. [Name: None [Race: Demon [ss: Archduke (Noble) [Rank: SS+ [Racial Abilities include: Soul Devouring, Demon Magic, Shape-shifting, and others. [Own Abilities; Can''t ess] If it wasn''t for Tu''s help, it would have been impossible to make them submit like they did. The skill "Apprentice of the Primordial Light" was still in cool down, with one day left, meaning she would not have been able harm them or protect herself if they decided to attack her. Even Ae and Zeru would have been powerless in front of them. "I''m not sure about the optimal way to settle this," Red replied. "However, these six are my retainers and the rulers of the central region, which contains thergest demon poption, simply because they are the strongest around. "I don''t care much about the demon poption myself, so I never check the way they rule, but I can guarantee that they rule with power, and power alone. "That''s why I urge you not to feel bad for them." Red said as Raven was able to feel a sinister dark aura surround him. "They are all murderers and much worse, I wouldn''t hesitate to kill them all if I didn''t need someone to carefully watch the poption." Raven could feel that it was almost something personal between Red and the demons. She was almost sure that he ''hated'' them. "Hm, I see. So, let me ask you this," she said while taking a deep breath. "How do you have six followers that are this powerful, and furthermore, you have some of the Cardinal Sins following your orders? No, I even think the real question is¡­ just who are you exactly?" She asked while scanning him quickly. [Name: None [Race: Demon [ss: Unknown [Rank: Unknown [Racial Abilities include: Soul Devouring, Demon Magic, Shape-shifting, and others. [Own Abilities; Can''t ess] "Oh, I am but your loyal servant, Lady Raven," Red suddenly smiled sincerely, surprising her. "Ok, whatever," she replied in disappointment since he didn''t really answer her question. "Oh, before we run out of time, what can you tell me about you and the seven sins?" Thinking for a moment, Red shook his head. "At this moment I cannot tell you much, however, I promise to tell you everything soon. I''ll start from who I actually am, and why I''m pretending to be one of them. But just not yet. "We are on a verge of war that is more dangerous than just a few demon lords having a fight. There are more yers in this than us and the seven sins- Oh, speaking of the demons, here theye-" Just as he said that, two shadows suddenly materialised near the door of the room, kneeling. Once they were entirely visible, Raven found herself looking at two rtively young looking demons. One was a young girl that was wrapped in a beautiful pink dress. Her long hair was silky blue that matched her eyes. The other was a young man with yellow reptilian eyes and matching short hair. He was wearing a beautiful garment that seemed both luxurious and good for protection. Whereas the girl''s expression was that of fear, the young man had an expression that was akin to respect. "Master," both called out, supposedly to Red, with a bow. "You''ve asked for our presence, Red?" The yellow haired man asked. "I did," Red said after a nod from Raven. "And why call me Red? Is the word master toorge to fit in your mouth?" "Hm, excuse me master," he corrected. He seemed rather uncaring and didn''t take offense, even though he was one of the Seven Cardinal Sins. Looking towards Raven, they were both surprised to see her sitting on Red''s throne, yet they didn''tment. *Sigh* "I guess there''s no need to act in front of two demon lords that can easily tell my power level," Raven stood up with a sigh. Approaching the two demons, she could feel a familiar sense of weakness and dread, simr to when she had stood against Ramira before activating her skill. Activating her Analysis skill and performing a quick scan, Ka found nothing of relevance so she didn''t even bother Raven. [Name: None [Race: Demon [ss: Unknown [Rank: Unknown [Racial Abilities include: Soul Devouring, Demon Magic, Shape-shifting, and others. [Own Abilities; Can''t ess] "Ok, so to keep things short," Raven said. "My name is Raven, and I am your new master." Hearing that, they both nced towards Red who was just simply smiling. Seeing that, the yellow haired man shrugged his shoulders as the blue haired girl didn''t know how to react. Raven seemed too fragile and weak, yet Red didn''t mutter a thing. They didn''t know whether this was a test or if the girl had something hidden up her sleeve. But that didn''t change the fact that their best course of action would be to follow her orders. "Hm, no questions whatsoever?" Raven was almost surprised, seeing how they didn''t even question her or Red. "Are you willing to follow me just like that?" ""We have no questions, mistress,"" they both said. "Ok then, Blue, was it?" Raven looked towards the blue haired girl and asked: "so I''ve heard from Red about Violet, the cardinal sin of pride, but what can you tell me about him?" "Mistress," Blue said. "Violet, or Lucifer, is supposedly a traitor that defied our master''s- err, previous master''s orders. "Red has asked us, before, to construct portals connecting our world to that of the humans, while refraining from constant attacks. "However, Violet has been using the portals to attack the Human ne constantly. After some investigations, we''ve found that he''s been working together with some other demon lords and forming their own faction. "The current factions are myself, Red, and Yellow forming one faction, which leaves Violet, Green, Orange, and Cyan, that are forming that other faction." Hearing that, Raven seemed more confused than ever. Red was hiding some critical information from her. ''Why did he order them to construct these portals? Why are they forming factions against each other now? How did they even awaken after such a long slumber, all at the same time? ''Someone else is involved in this, there must be¡­'' Raven thought to herself while remembering Red''s previous words. ''This is more than just a fight between some demon lords and yet I have little to no information about what''s really happening¡­'' Chapter 188 - True Colours Part 1 After taking some time to digest everything she heard, Raven approached therge map on the conference table. Looking at it, she saw how the center region was trapped within the various demon lord territories. Starting from the northeast and going clockwise, she observed the way the seven territories formed a circr visible light spectrum from wraith/red in the northeast and all the way to pride/purple in the northwest. ''It makes me wonder how was Red able to im the center region while maintaining control over his own region.'' Raven thought to herself. The north itself was left as a white empty area meaning it probably hasn''t been explored before. Asking Red about it proved useless as he only mentioned that there are dangerous demon beasts living there so no one actually risks exploring the north. "You two, Blue and Yellow," Raven called. "What are your powers exactly? And how strong are you? Do you have any ranking system between the seven demon lords? "The original n was taking one demon lord at a time, but now that you mention factions, it means that we''ll be up against four ancient demon lords¡­" Raven sighed, not knowing how to proceed from this point. "Mistress," blue raised her head, "we do not have such a ranking system, but we know that-" suddenly noticing a re from Red, she hesitated and didn''t know what to say. ''Wait, was he just bluffing when he allowed her to announce herself as the new master?'' Blue was confused. Gritting her teeth, Raven looked at Red, rage visible in her eyes. "If you have something to say, spit it out now or don''t interfere!" "Apologies, Lady Raven," Red bowed with a smile. "But as I have mentioned before, some secrets should be left-" "F*cking bullsh*t!" She cut him off, feeling her aura surround the area around her. To say that she was lost and mad would be an understatement, Keith had said that she could trust Red, but now she was doubting that. "Lady Raven, you have to understand that-" "Shut up," Raven interrupted Red again. Clenching her fists, she looked him in the eyes. "Just what side are you on exactly? You formed a faction to take over the entirety of the Demon Realm. And that wasn''t enough, but you also seek control over the Human Realm? You disgust me!" Feeling his mistress''s rage slowly grow, Red smiled inside since everything was going as nned, although part of him was hurting badly since he didn''t want to see his mistress being mad at him. "Blue," Raven said while looking at the demon lord kneeling in front of her. "Continue answering my question. You were about to say something before being interrupted by Red, what was it?" While she was enraged, Raven had wanted to avoid conflict as much as possible, for far too many reasons. The most urgent and critical one being that her family was near her. ''You also have no way of beating them¡­'' Ka simply said while analysing the situation in every possible aspect. ''Our chances of winning against Red are simply too low, not counting the other two demons.'' "Lady Raven," Red spoke instead of Blue. "If you insist on hearing the answer, then let me teach you some history." He smiled, sadism radiation out of his every particle. "I am called Red simply because I have defeated the real Red, also known as Satan, and took his spot." The demon said with a grin. "I was not originally part of the Seven Sins, I am merely a demon that hates all of them. "I am their bane and destruction, and that is why they fear me. Instead of Red, I used to go by ck. "What Blue wanted to say was that I am able to defeat them all. So in terms of rankings, I am the king and everyone else is beneath me!" His smile gave Raven goosebumps for how violent it was. His dark corrosive aura radiated around him and started to corrupt the room''s walls. "Lady Raven," he said again, almost in mockery that she had believed him to start with. "You are here because I have acknowledged your power. But s, you have chosen to ask too many questions... you shall be my food!" Gritting her teeth, Raven''s mind was working at top gear trying to find a solution to end three ancient demon lords and rather quickly since she couldn''t let this drag on or else her family might as well be coteral damage. ''Hehe,'' Ka smirked, easing Raven''s concerns. ''Do not worry about anything, remember that we have the anchors already set up in the Human ne, in Maria''s mansion. ''I have sent a message to everyone through the bracelets, and they''ve assured me that they''re all safe! It''s only us and the demons so you can easily ignore them and teleport away too!'' Hearing that, Raven''s frown turned into a smile while mentally thanking Ka. ''Let us go now!'' Ka said while noticing that Raven was standing still. ''Ka,'' Raven said, in a low yet serious tone, which made Ka''s heart drop. ''Remember how Red can basically teleport between the two nes as if it''s nothing? I''d rather teach him a lesson now to prevent him from chasing after us¡­ I can''t risk hurting my family again.'' ''But you can''t! Staying here and hurting yourself will definitely hurt Axane, Maria, Liz, Ae, and literally everyone else! ''The only skill that can be helpful here in this situation is currently unusable and under cool down!!'' Ka yelled, feeling that everything around her was going the wrong way. She had calcted every possible solution to this scenario, and the optimal option was to run away. There must be a limit to how much he can travel between realms, even more, he''d be weakened in the Human ne which makes it a better fighting ground for Raven. Here, she waspletely under their mercy. The only other option that provided Raven with a hint of a win was too dangerous to attempt. If she didn''t die by the demons'' hands, she''d die as a side effect, or even worse¡­ she''d turn into a killing machine! ''Rave¡­ that blessing is too dangerous. It has corrupted your soul before you know that, right? Why would you attempt to mess with it again?'' Ka asked, understanding Raven''s thought process. ''I understand,'' Raven answered. ''I am not asking you to activate Infinity''s Will since we don''t have control over it, however, if you just let that corruption empower me for just a second, it would be alright, I promise¡­'' Ka''s mind was struggling to keep up even Raven''s stubbornness, but seeing how determined she was, she knew that it was already toote to change her mind. "Please Ka, do it¡­" Raven muttered while shifting her attention towards Red, or rather ck. Widening her eyes at Raven''s request, Ka hugged herself tightly in her mind space before nodding with a sorrowful expression. She didn''t want to do it, but she had to support her and especially in critical situations like this one. [The Blessing: Avavia''s Affection has been internally deactivated.] Chapter 189 - True Colours Part 2 "Please Ka, do it¡­" Raven muttered while shifting her attention towards ck, who had a sadistic smile stered across his face. Widening her eyes at Raven''s request, Ka hugged herself tightly in her mind space before nodding with a sorrowful expression. She didn''t want to do it, but she had to support her and especially in critical situations like this one. ''I am so sorry Raven, you deserve someone more powerful than me to support you¡­'' [The Blessing: Avavia''s Affection has been internally deactivated.] A single message appeared in Raven''s mind. Taking a deep breath, she focused her attention towards ck who suddenly widened his eyes in realization. ''No, this is not part of the n!'' He yelled in his mind, fear getting a grip on his soul. On the other hand, Raven had only one thought focused in her mind, and that was to remember Maya¡­ ''I will not lose myself to my killing intent, nor will I lose my loved ones for my enemies¡­'' Suddenly, her golden eyes seemed hollow, yet extremely focused, as they red at ck who was standing still in shock. The two other demon lords had simr expressions. Even though they had stood up previously to announce their alliance with ck, they were now just frozen in fear. "HAHAHAHAHA!" A short maniacalugh escaped Raven''s mouth. Without Avavia''s Affection, it was harder to control her bloodlust, yet it was the only sure way to end the threats in front of her. Now, she was feeling the same bloodlust she had felt while facing Red Joe''s men previously, or even when she had tried fend off against the cursed scythe that was about to devour her soul. "To think that I''d be betrayed again, ironic yet disappointing... life¡­ isn''t it? But let me tell you," her previously amused expression was now ice cold. "I don''t tolerate traitors-" Before he was able to hear thest word, ck suddenly fell on the ground unable to keep his body from shaking as Raven flickered in front of him. Gripping his throat tightly with her hand, she lifted him up in the air. Topensate for the difference in height, she made herself float slightly above the ground. cing her other hand on where his heart would be, she started muttering something before stopping mid way. "Soul Hunt-" ''Wait¡­. He didn''t betray me-'' A wave of thoughts that didn''t belong to her filled her mind and made her widen her eyes in surprise. Without waiting for a second longer, Ka reactivated the Blessing that was responsible for keeping Raven sane. [The Blessing: Avavia''s Affection has been internally reactivated. [The Blessing''s Will, Avavia, is extremely unsatisfied with the previous course of action. [The Blessing''s Will, Avavia, has issued ast warning notice to the admin of the system. ["Do not attempt such a thing ever again!"] Of course, Ka had prevented any of the messages from reaching Raven who was now struggling to breath, even though she hid that fact from the demon lords quite well. Out of the four people in the room, Raven was thest one standing after her little stunt. Hiding a deep inhale, Raven looked up at ck in the eyes while she was still grasping his throat. "Don''t ever threaten me, you ipetent servant, do you understand?" She asked, trying to go along with his ns for now. "Normally, I would have killed you on the spot for such a remark, but as I mentioned before, I need frogs to kill the flies. "You will be my servant in the Demon ne while I take care of the Humans'', however, I will not hesitate to end you if you ever think about repeating this again." "And you," she asked while letting go of ck. Just as he was about to fall to the ground, she kicked him in the chest and sent him crashing against the wall. Seeing that, Blue and Yellow had thought that they were doomed since they had intended to go against her. Dreads filled their faces. While Blue was merely terrified, Yellow seemed lost in thoughts while gritting his teeth, as if he was thinking of a way to escape or fight back. "The same goes for you two," Raven continued, but avoided getting closer to them since she didn''t want to give her secret away. She was barely standing now after all. "I would have killed already if I didn''t need your services. I''ll contact youter when I determine the next step in the n. For now, just scram!" With that, they instantly disappeared from their spot. Making sure that they have actually left the castle, Raven''s dropped on the ground and coughed a mouthful of blood. Banishing the effects of Avavia''s Affection had multiple effects on her body and soul. The most important ones were allowing her invasive and bloodthirsty soul weaver essence to take over, and the second was allowing Infinity''s Will to be more dominant. And thest time that blessing was fully active, her soul was mildly corrupted, an effect that has only been possible to heal with the constant application of Avavia''s Affection. "What the hell ck?" Raven yelled as soon as she could speak. Kneeling in front of her, he bowed so deep that his forehead was touching the ground. "You may punish me, Lady Raven," he simply said, guilt and anger could be felt in his voice. While he had a n, he felt his heart shatter to pieces when he realised that he had made Raven very wary of him. For a moment, in their short encounter, he had activated one of his skills to transfer her the message about how all of this was part of his ns, and he had exposed his true feelings for Raven as his master and proved his loyalty. But at the same time, he had felt the rage and pain of betrayal in her heart that it made his ache. Raven was the sole person he had ever called master, and he didn''t mean for any of this to happen. "I need you to exin, everything, from the start!" Raven said while gritting her teeth. Chapter 190 - Blacks Story Part 1 *Huff* *Huff* Panting heavily, Mammon dropped on his knees in his castle, feeling his body shaking like a leaf in the cold winter winds. "I didn''t sign up for this!" He said, his eyes were wide open in fear, almost phobia. "What type of monster was that?" He asked, remembering the little girl''s aura. He was an ancient demon lord who had previously ruled over the demonnds for centuries. Howe was he brought down to his knees by such a young and naive looking girl? Looking into the mirror, he found himself staring at a version of himself that looked terrified as a kid who had just witnessed the murder of his parents. His yellow reptilian eyes were wide and looked dry as he had trouble blinking, thinking that crimson-purple haired girl was going to attack him the moment he closed his eyes. His matching yellow hair was short and wet from the sweat he didn''t know his body had the ability to release. "I have to tell ''him''¡­ we have a huge problem on our hands¡­" he muttered while grabbing a silver orb of weird ss. Tapping its surface in a specific pattern while releasing a small amount of his mana, he suddenly heard a young yet authoritative voice on the other end. "Yellow?" The voice called, almost bored. "What is it?" "My Lord, we have a problem, it''s a girl, she''s powerful!" Mammon stuttered. Seeing that, the person on the other side knew something was not right. For a demon lord to act like this meant that there was a disaster approaching. "Is it ck?" The voice called in disdain and hatred. He still remembers the day he was utterly defeated and sealed away by ck. Hest remembered him as a man, but a demon of his power could easily switch genders if he so desired. That''s why he thought it was him even though Yellow had mentioned a girl. "No, my Lord¡­" Mammon said, his yellow hair dripping with sweat. "It- it''s someone far stronger¡­" *** "What the hell ck?!" Raven yelled the moment she was able to speak. During her little exchange with him, ck had shared his true feelings of loyalty and love towards her as his master, but his actions didn''t make any sense whatsoever. "I need you to exin, everything, from the start!" She said while gritting her teeth. "Yes, Lady Raven," he said while taking a deep breath. "I- *sigh* what I''ve mentioned earlier about having defeated Red, or rather Satan, the sin of wrath, was not a lie. Nor was the fact that I have defeated all of the other sins¡­ "But in order for everything to make sense, I have to go back and exin my story¡­ will you allow it, Lady Raven?" He asked, guilt and hatred could easily be felt in his voice, and were directed mostly towards himself. "I''ve already told you to exin everything, from the start, just go on," Raven said with a nk face as she didn''t know what to expect. "And look me in the eyes, you''re speaking to me, not the floor." "Apologies, Lady Raven." He said while trying to look at her, which apparently was rather hard for him. "It all started a couple of thousands of years ago, I''m not sure of the exact timing. I was but a young child, living with my family in the demons'' red capital when we had heard that our leaders, the seven demon lords, were preparing for a massive war against each other. "This came as a huge surprise since most of the demons loved all Sins equally, and could not have imagined a time where they would have fought against each other. "Anyhow, the mes of war exploded faster than we could have anticipated and the general poption was by no means able to do anything. "My parents were two influential demon archdukes at the time, and we were the direct ancestors of Satan, or rather Red. My parents and even my young self were dragged into the war and were forced to fight against the other demon lords'' subordinates. "During one major encounter between Red and Violet, Red was pushed back and would have been forced to submit to Violet also known as Lucifer, the Sin of Pride. "However¡­ he had chosen to cast a spell that changed the tides of battle¡­ he performed a forbidden spell that sacrificed both of my parents'' souls, shattering them and converting them into massive amounts of energy in order to aid him in battle. "I remember seeing that all happening in front of me as if it was a distant dream¡­ young me saw that and couldn''t take it. "My parents had so much faith in Red that they weren''t expecting betrayal from him. I can still see the looks of betrayal and pain in their eyes¡­ in a way, they were simr to the feelings I made you experience just a few moments ago¡­" he said, feeling down and almost heartbroken. Raven felt bad for him. *Sigh* "I''m not sure what happened at the time," ck sighed, trying to gather his thoughts. "But that was a turning point for me where the person I believed in the most ended up just shattering my hopes and beliefs like they were nothing more than thin sticks under his boots. "I remember feeling hatred, betrayal, and disgust by just looking at Red. I wanted to punish him and make him pay. I swore an oath to the world that I was going to destroy his soul to pay him for what he''s done. "Not only that. My goal was to kill all of the Sins that have contributed to that stupid war. And to my surprise, the world had acknowledged my oath¡­ I heard the Voice of The World speaking to me." Raven was surprised at that and had way too many questions to ask, but she decided to let them go for now. She will ask himter. "The voice said something about how my will to hate and desire for revenge were admirable, and then it muttered something about epting my efforts. Shortly after, my body went numb and my vision ck. "My hatred was the source of my power and motivation. I was given the title of the Eighth Sin, the Sin of Hatred, and was given the colour ck." He said while clenching his fists tightly. Looking at him, Raven saw how hurt he was, like a bird without his wings. He was suffering. He looked just like her when she was betrayed by her father, the mayor''s husband. ck looked so fragile in his moment of weakness that Raven wasn''t able to hold herself back. Approaching him, she simply patted him on the head. Feeling her touch, ck widened his eyes in surprise as he seemed to forget his fear from her. Looking at her intently with teary eyes, the simple gesture was a show of kindness that he had never experienced in at least a thousand years. ''What is happening to me?'' ck thought to himself, trying to catch the strange water droplets falling from his eyes into his hands and tried inspecting them. Chapter 191 - Blacks Story Part 2 Approaching ck who seemed so fragile and almost broken, Raven patted him on the head with the intent of letting him know that he is not alone. Feeling her touch, ck widened his eyes in surprise and seemed to forget his fear from her. Looking at her intently with teary eyes, he realised that his mistress was showing him her support. She was there with him to aid him in his time of need. ''What is happening to me?'' ck thought to himself, realised that his vision was getting blurry and ufortable. Additionally, the swirl of emotions in his heart made everything seem fuzzy and strange. "It''s ok now," Raven''s voice was calm and peaceful, soforting. "As long as I''m with you, I will never betray you, nor will anyone else. You don''t have to keep suffering and tormenting yourself with thoughts of a dark past or sinister hatred. "I promise you that I''ll help you achieve your goal, but remember that you will do it as my subordinate. I will help you defeat Silver if you''re willing to do it under mymand, and not a stupid oath that is made to make you suffer, ok?" Seeing his confused expression made Raven chuckle at how cute he looked. Yet, she was sad at how pitiful and fragile he actually felt inside, but she tried to hide it. Giving him a quick hug and some time to recover, Raven watched him wipe away his tears with a smile as a fierce yet happy expression took over his face. He seemed rather sincere in his emotions while looking at Raven in admiration. "Thank you, Lady Raven¡­" "Uhm, think nothing of it," she smiled. "Now, go on with the story please, many questions are still unanswered." Nodding silently, ck got serious again before continuing. "At that time, after waking up from my conversation with the Voice of the World, I found out that I had gained powers that were equal if not more dominant than the other sins. "After a quick skirmish between me and Red, I was able to crush his soul and avenge my parents, the same way I have stated in my oath, gaining even more power than anyone else in the Demon ne. "Additionally, I have fought against the remaining sins. Seeing how powerful I was, they had agreed in the heat of battle to form a truce andbine their efforts against me. "That obviously didn''t matter as I was still able to defeat them all. However, just before fulfilling the final part of my oath, a small light in the back of my head decided to investigate the reason the Sins have started the war, instead of living in peace like they''ve always done. "After some questioning, it became apparent that someone else had their hands mixed into this. "During my questioning session, the Sins seemed to point their fingers at each other, iming that ''A'' had started the war when they had destroyed a portion of their capital, and then ''A'' would im that it was ''B'' and so on. "What made thisplicated was the fact that none of them was lying, they all believed their own ims. "Not too long after, the Sins were sure that someone else was mixed up in this. Someone was taking their forms and attacking the others'' cities. "After some investigation, we were met by someone that called himself Silver. We didn''t know anything about him, other than the fact that he was the one to light up the first spark of war. In a way, he was my nemesis and he was the reason my parents died and my world dyed ck. "To our surprise, even though I have fought together with the sins, this Silver guy was more powerful than what we could have expected. Especially after the fact that all of us were exhausted from the previous fights. "At that time, it boiled down to either us all losing against Silver, or us sacrificing our lives to stop him. "While part of me had wanted to destroy the Sins'' souls to gain the power Icked, I knew that that would make me nothing less of an imposter of Red, the person I hated the most. That''s why I''ve chosen another option at the time. "Combining the energy of the seven Sins present at the time, including me, I was able to cast a massive spell that was aimed to destroy Silver. "However, for some reason, the spell wasn''t able to fully destroy Silver and instead put his body in a state of hyperbaton of sorts. "Consequently, me and the other Sins were on the verge of breaking down as we had lost almost every ounce of energy we had, and so we had chosen to go into slumber ourselves, and the n was to wake up before Silver, and destroy him for good." ck took a chance to recover his breath while stealing a nce at Raven who seemed lost in thoughts before continuing. "Fast forward many yearster, I woke up before the rest of the Sins, and found out that Silver had already woken up before me even. "The good part was that none of us had their powers fully restored yet, so none made any advances. "As time passed on, I built back the central demon capital and assigned some archdukes to lead the poption. "Naturally, as time passed on, those archdukes died, leaving behind their offsprings to take care of their responsibilities. Thest line we have so far isposed of the six archdukes you''ve met earlier. "And finally, as of now, we have all of the Sins awake from their long slumber, yet almost none has recovered their full powers, including myself." Hearing that, Raven widened her eyes. ''What sort of power did they have? Their aura alone at their weakened state could easily wreak havoc in the Human ne! What will happen when they fully recover?'' Shaking her head, Raven still didn''t understand the purpose of ck''s ns. "So I get what happened and all, but why did you try to act as if I was your enemy? Why did you pretend to want to fight me? Why-!!!!" Like thest piece of the puzzle falling into ce, Raven finally understood everything that was going on. The reason ck acted the way he did, and the reason the two demon lords, Blue and Yellow, had acted the way they did. Raven still remembers how Blue was merely terrified while Yellow seemed more angry and was thinking of a way to escape. "Seems like you have it all figured out, Lady Raven," ck smiled weakly. "Uhm," Raven nodded. "So Yellow is a traitor that is currently working with Silver?" She asked to confirm. "Yes, Lady Raven," ck replied, hoping that his mistress will be less upset with him. ''But will I be able to forgive myself? I have inflicted her with the pain that had turned me into what I am today, is that fair?'' Chapter 192 - A Previous Encounter Part 1 Raven was deep in thoughts as it was apparent from her eyes that looked focused and serious. ck was unable to resist keeping her in his gaze. ''So as of now, we know that Yellow is a traitor that is working with Silver.'' Raven thought to herself and Ka. ''And this Silver guy has a power that rivals all of the living Sins at the moment. What a predicament¡­ but at the same time, from ck''s way of talking I can expect that-'' "Yo, ck," she called while looking at him. "Let me ask you this, are you still working together with the other Sins? Other than Yellow I mean." "Yes, Lady Raven," he said with a bow. "It is as you have deducted. The factions are fake and were only put in ce to fool Silver and the traitor. However, the rtionship between me and the rest of the Sins is that of hatred as previously exined. "Even though they were set up by Silver, they were still the reason my life was dyed blinding ck and turned the way it did." He said with a serious face. "I understand," Raven simply said while taking a deep breath. Everything has been a heavy load toprehend in such a short period of time. ''I need a break some time soon¡­'' she muttered and Ka nodded intently. "Wait," Raven suddenly said. "So you''re the one allowing Violet to attack the Human ne?" She narrowed her eyes. "No," ck shook his head. "I''ve told all Sins to wait out for now and not send their troops into the Human ne, Violet simply decided not to follow my orders. "And¡­ *sigh* I''m afraid that I''m not as powerful as he is at the moment. After the spell we casted together a while back to seal Silver, I had taken the brunt of the damage since I was the one leading them. "My body hasn''t fully recovered yet, and unfortunately, I haven''t been able to gather my old strength since I''ve woken up¡­" "Hm, I see," Raven looked down as she seemed to be lost in thoughts again. Suddenly, breaking her trance and looking ck up and down, she smirked. ''I guess I can name him tomorrow, when I receive the chance to activate my skill ''Apprentice of the Primordial Light'', that should at least make him as powerful as before¡­'' Seeing her smirk, ck was confused and tilted his head in question, yet Raven seemed to ignore him. ''Please do not forget asking him about the Voice of the World thingy, what is that? And why did it want him to kill the Sins?'' Ka questioned and Raven nodded. "Um, so ck, what was that thing you called the Voice of the World?" She asked. "Ah¡­ truth be told, I don''t know much about the Voice of the World myself, however," he suddenly got serious. "I know that a person would need to pass some trials, or simply possess a significant amount of power for the World to recognise them, before being able to hear the Voice. I am surprised you can''t hear it yet," he said honestly. "Speaking of which," ck closed his eyes as if lost in memories. "I have heard the Voice of the World just a couple of years ago... about thirteen years or so, I believe. "Unlike what one would expect from such a powerful¡­ err, entity, it was quite afraid and almost shaking as it was apparent by its tone. "At the time, it had told me that it needed my help to eliminate a single target. And as a reward, it would give me more power to achieve my goals. "The Voice had mentioned that the target was weak and vulnerable. Furthermore, it had imed that it was of the utmost importance that the target got destroyed as soon as possible as it was one that would end up destroying this World, and ending everyone''s life on this, all nes included. "The Voice had imed that it had already destroyed at least one other world in its path, which is why I had assumed it was weak at the time which would make it easier for me to get rid of it." "Hm, interesting¡­" Raven said. "And I''m assuming you have epted her offer and destroyed that target? Seeing how we''re all still alive and all? Did you receive the extra power as a reward?" "Yes, and no¡­" ck said while shaking his head with a smile. "I have epted the Voice''s offer and went on my search for that target. "To my surprise, the target was but a little sleeping boy that looked no older than three years old, and was thrown in a dark thick forest. Although this kid looked human, I knew he wasn''t. "He seemed abandoned in an alien spaceship of sorts that was no longer functional." He said and Raven''s eyes slowly started to go wide. "Abiding by the Voice''s instructions, I was about to plunge my hand into the boy''s heart to supposedly save the World and get my reward. However, before I could proceed with that n, I- I saw the boy''s eyes¡­ "They were beautiful azure that I couldn''t resist losing myself into. It took me a second to realize that he was indeed dangerous, and if left to grow up, he will most likely be enough of a threat to endanger the world. "The fact that he was able to hypnotise me, an ancient demon lord, was the biggest evidence." ck said while looking at Raven. "Furthermore, around his neck, I saw a lustrous ne that looked simr to-" "Something like this?" Raven interrupted while holding out her Amethyst Heart between her fingers. Her hands were shaking and tears were welling up in her eyes. "Ah, this ne indeed," he smiled, seemingly not surprised. On the other hand, Raven and Ka seemed to be in shock. ''Wait, how could this be? There''s no way¡­ so, we''ve met before and not only that, but most likely, he was the one to save me¡­'' Raven was nothing short of confused as countless questions filled her head. ''And wait, I destroyed a? And will destroy this? Why? No, how? This is pure chaos and doesn''t make any sense¡­'' Chapter 193 - A Previous Encounter Part 2 "Around the boy''s neck, I saw a lustrous and mysterious ne that looked simr to-" "Something like this?" Raven interrupted while holding out her Amethyst Heart between her fingers. Her hands were shaking and tears were welling up in her eyes. Ka couldn''t believe this was happening as she understood where all of this was going. ''But why was the World wary of her? There''s no way Raven would destroy a and kill all of the innocent people, right?'' she questioned herself, feeling just as lost as Raven was. "Ah, this ne indeed," ck smiled, seemingly not surprised, which exined to Raven why he had wanted to be her subordinate before even ''meeting'' her. ''Something must have happened to convince him of leaving me alive at the time¡­'' Raven thought, feeling her head hurting. "To be honest, I had no interest in the ne, but I still remember reaching for it." ck continued. "Just as I was about to hold it within my hands, I remember a sh of azure aura that sent me crashing against the ground, crushing my knees in the process. "I realized at the time that someone, far more powerful than myself, was protecting you." As he said that, Raven held tighter onto her ne as a vision of an azure haired woman shed in her eyes. ''Where are you?'' she muttered before blinking twice as if she was not aware of what her lips had just mouthed. Waiting a few seconds for Raven to focus again, ck continued. "Just as I was thinking about a new way of killing¡­ you¡­" he said with a bitter chuckle, "a kind, yet firm, feminine voice rang in my mind, and it didn''t belong to the cold Voice of the World. "On the contrary, the kind voice had told me not to trust the Voice of the World. I remember talking for a while with this other voice, but what convinced me of leaving you alone was the fact that¡­ hm, oh, I''m not sure I can tell you." He chuckled at Raven''s expression. For some reason, she felt that everything was okay and didn''t even think about asking further. As if she had already known what he was hiding. "Anyhow, after some negotiations with the voice, we reached an agreement and formed a contract, of which I can not disclose just yet. "Shortly after, the azure light disappeared and I was left alone with you in the forest. "Naturally, I knew a lot about human interactions and such. That''s why I held your tiny shaking body within my arms and travelled to the nearest human city I could find. "While I was there, I saw pictures of one woman that seemed to be popr amongst the humans, with her pictures everywhere on boards and items that we do not have in the demon world. "Finding her was an easy task because of the signs leading to her. And once I did find her, I did what any demon would have done¡­" he smiled. "You manipted her mind, I mean... the mayor''s mind¡­ you were the reason she had thought I was her ''son'' at the time, and biological one at that¡­" Raven said. Feeling her knees weak, she sat on the throne and hugged herself as everything started to suddenly make sense, and she didn''t know how to feel about it. Ka wanted to ease the tension in her mind but she didn''t know how. But a small part of her also wanted to make sure Raven was able to deal with this one on her own. "Yes, Lady Raven, I did," ck bowed in front of her, "However, I''ve only manipted her memories, together with everyone else in the city, to ensure no one can figure out the truth. However, I did not cast and charm or love spells on the mayor, meaning that-" "Her love was all real¡­" Raven cut him off and he nodded with a smile. "Ok, who was that voice and did ite from this ne?" Raven asked weakly while holding the Amethyst Heart tighter between her fingers. "The voice that told you to help me." "Hm, all I can tell you about the voice is that the one behind it truly loves you, Lady Raven," ck said. "Don''t act dumb, or do you think I''m stupid?" Her voice was suddenly cold as she stared at ck. "It was my real mother, was it not? Why do you hide that fact from me? Why is it that every time I think about her- I¡­ why is that every time I-" feeling her consciousness drift away, she held tighter into the ne before falling asleep. Materialising in front of Raven, was a brilliant azure solitude of a woman. "ck¡­" her voice rang across the conference room, it was kind yet firm, just like he had described it. "You''re aware that you didn''t need to tell her any of this, right?" Avavia asked while patting the sleeping Raven''s body. "Mu¡­ mum¡­" Raven suddenly spoke, surprising everyone and especially Avavia as she was not supposed to be awake. She wanted to avoid meeting her now at any cost, she needed to ensure that Raven forgot about her for the time being. Raven''s voice was weak as if it was on the verge of tears. "It is you¡­ I thought- I will never see you again¡­" It wasn''t clear whether she was truly awake, or was dreaming loudly. "Amy¡­" Avavia muttered, feeling her body getting weak already as it started flickering like amp that was about to burn out. "Sleep, honey," she said while touching her eyes gently to prevent her from seeing the azure light. ''You want to see me, and I want to talk to you, honey. But at this time, you''re not ready yet. ''You have to get stronger¡­ no, I have to get stronger¡­ I''m not sure if I can watch your broken expression a second time¡­'' if Avavia''s body was real, she would have gotten goosebumps just by thinking back to herst memory with her daughter. *Sigh* "ck, promise me to keep that contract of yours, ok?" She asked slowly. "If demons respected anything other than power¡­ it would be loyalty and honouring contracts. Fear not, mother of my Lady, I will keep her safe," ck said with a bow. Before allowing her body to disperse into thin air, Avavia looked into Raven''s eyes and took a deep breath. "Young Cyber Valkyrie¡­ Ka, I know you hear me, please keep this incident from her. It may seem cruel of me to keep my distance, but¡­ it''s for the best, trust me please¡­" Getting closer to Raven''s face, Avavia gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead as a single tear ran down her eye.. Momentster, she was gone. Chapter 194 - A New Morning Getting closer to Raven''s face, Avavia gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead as a single tear ran down her eye and dropped over Raven''s cheek which startled her. Opening her eyes, Raven could only see a glimpse of an azure light that was already gone by the time she was aware of it. Shaking her head, she looked towards ck whilst tilting her head. "Mhn, what were we doing here?" She asked weakly before remembering. "Oh, you were talking about finding me and stuff," she shook her head again as if to keep herself awake. Looking into her mind space, she found Ka greeting her with a smile on her face. ''Say, Ka,'' Raven called. ''What do you think the Voice of the World wants with me? And do you think I could have destroyed a? I don''t have such powers do I?'' ''Hm, not now, no,'' Ka said with a shrug. ''But I can imagine why someone would think you''re a danger to humanity, don''t tell me you don''t?'' Ka chuckled. ''Hehe!'' Raven chuckled back before taking a deep breath and redirecting her attention towards ck. "Um, ck, I had some questions for you, but to be honest I forgot for some reason, so err, I''ll go check on my friends that are back to the Human ne, before taking a nap. "Once I''m back, be ready for your naming rituals!" She said with a smile as ck widened his eyes in surprise. "Truly, Lady Raven?" He asked. Not that he didn''t believe her, he just hadn''t thought it would happen this soon. "Aye, aye," Raven said with a smile. "Anyhow, I''ll leave an anchor here, so I''ll be seeing you soon," she said before disappearing from her spot. Recovering quickly, ck looked around and didn''t know what to say since her friends hadn''t actually returned to the Human ne. Keith and Calcer knew of his n and thus they had informed the rest. Meaning that ck just let his mistress cross to another ne for no reason whatsoever. Obviously, Raven realised as soon as she was in the empty mansion. Massaging her left shoulder tiredly, she decided to take a nap here before going back. ''Hm, so they''re probably still in the Demon ne, meh, let them sleep there I guess¡­'' Raven said as she jumped on her bed. Closing her eyes, she didn''tst long before falling asleep. ''She has been through so much¡­ must be tiring'', Ka thought before focusing on matters that have been bothering her for a while. ''So, something happened before I was with Raven,'' Ka muttered with a sad smile. ''And as of now, she has no memory of it. ''Furthermore, the question remains what happens if she gets that memory back? Will she be in danger? Or will she be the danger to others? Or maybe both¡­'' Ka sighed while shaking her head. ''I remember clearly that Joey had mentioned how Soul Weavers are aware of their surroundings and able to make rational choices at three years of age, so Raven should have a recollection of her mother and the events that have unfolded before being sent here. ''What could have happened? Why is her mother trying so hard to stay away from her?'' She was so confused and irritated that she couldn''t just outright ask her. ''I guess I will just do my best to be her best friend and help her with everything she needs. But, I also need to get stronger, far stronger¡­'' thinking that, Ka decided to enhance her training schedule. Using her skills Thought eleration and Parallel Processing, she let part of her attention focus on increasing her understanding of each skill she has. ''I will have to force an evolution if I want to get stronger¡­ Once I''m strong enough, Raven will get to focus on one task at a time. ''Instead of facing everything on her own, she will have someone she trusts to cover her back¡­'' with that thought in her mind, Ka smiled while observing Raven''s calm and rhythmic breathing as she slept. *** "Good morning!" Liz greeted Ian and Raykun as she stretched her body. She had just woken up and wasn''t actually surprised to see them in her room already. Ever since she was in the hospital, these two would always be the first faces she''d see in the morning that they became herfort. As a result, there was a good chance that she''d get anxious now if she didn''t see themq the moment she woke up. "How was your sleep Ian?" She asked while fighting against a yawn. "Hm, it was ok," he simply said. His sleep was by no meansforting or special. For him, sleep was a period of weakness where he is forced to lose consciousness, and he wasn''t a big fan of that. "Hehe, d to hear!" Liz replied with enthusiasm, unaware of the thoughts roaming his mind. "How about you Ray?" Although her subordinate''s name was Raykun, she had decided to go with Ray as a nickname. "My sleep was alright too, mistress," he said while jumping off of Ian''s shoulder and standing on top of Liz''s who instantly patted him with a smile. Normally, Raykun would not even require sleep. But in his state now, he couldn''t function without getting his sleep. Momentster, the group was all awake and ready for a new day of training under the instructions of Calcer and Keith. Axane and Maria were making some pretty impressive progression in their mana control and mastery of their rtively newly found talents. Axane has known about her very rare affinity with bones since she was young, and now, she finally had a chance of practicing that special talent. She was able to create an armour of bones around her body and reinforce it with mana which makes it harder than metal. Additionally, she could create weapons or small minions that would help her distract her enemies. She was quite happy that she was finally getting the chance to hone those skills that would give her the strength to help Raven, Maria, and everyone else she cared about. Maria herself has also been practicing with mana control to increase her mastery over the special soul weaver''s mana that was granted to her by Raven. Unlike Raven, her racial powers didn''t center around soul devouring or such, which meant that she wasn''t at risk of needing souls for her development. While souls would definitely help her, they weren''t necessary. Instead of soul rted powers, she was able to feel something strange within her body that she still wasn''t able to grasp. It was as if something was caged inside her and waiting for the right moment to get out. Nheless, she was making some interesting progress in her training as well since she was able to summon her aura and manipte it at will. "Yo!" Raven greeted everyone as they entered the training hall in ck''s castle. "How was your sleep?" "Rave! Good!" Liz and Axane shouted at the same time while running towards her for a hug. Maria smiled, seeing Raven being choked to death by the two that were trying to supposedly hug her. "Hi sweetie," Maria greeted Raven who suddenly flickered next to her, in her attempt to run away from the duo. "Our sleep was good, but why didn''t youe back? "We were told to tell you we''re safe once you or Ka contact us. While we weren''t at the mansion, we were indeed safe in the castle." She exined. "It''s ok, but I''d have appreciated it if you were more transparent about that, you know," Raven shrugged while evading the two girls who were starting to get impatient and wanted their daily dose of Raven. "I mean, we were told it''s a n and all¡­" Maria sighed. "But I understand, I''ll make sure to let you know the exact location and situation next time you ask. How''s that?" "Perfect!" Raven said with a smile. Taking advantage of her being distracted, Axane clenched her fists then raised them upwards while releasing her mana. A cage of blindingly white bones shot out of the ground, trapping Raven inside, leaving only one side open which was where the two girls stood waiting for her; their prey. Smiling, Liz jumped forward with Axane just a step behind. Looking up, Raven didn''t see any bones so she thought it was her way out. However, just as she tried to jump, she sensed a familiar aura that was blocking herst escape route. "Mom!!" She shouted at Maria as if she had just been betrayed. "Oho~ what is it honey?" Maria faked a cold smile. "Did you think we spent yesterday for nothing? We have learned quite a bit you see, hehe!" Looking at them all happy and excited, Raven felt warm inside since she felt that they were all making some good progress together while having fun at the same time. And above all, their happiness meant a lot for her. Suddenly, and before she could even realize, Raven felt three sets of arms wrap around her as the three girls surrounded her in a tight hug. Chapter 195 - Naming Rituals Part 1 Moments after the girls had their fun, the three demons arrived at the training hall. "Lady Raven," "My mistress," "My mistress! Are you spending your time with us today?!" ck, Keith, and Calcer all greeted, respectively. Thetter was a little bit more excited and his smile was enough to let Raven pat his blood red hair. "Hi!" Raven greeted back. "And, not quite, Calcer," she smiled apologetically. He didn''t seem to notice as he was engrossed in enjoying the pat. "I''m actually here to perform the naming rituals for ck." "Eh? That''s so cool!" Calcer shouted happily. For a stranger, he''d look like a hyperactive kid. ''To think that he''s a demon¡­'' Raven shook her head. "Uhm," she nodded. "ck, I also wanted to ask, can you summon Blue for me?" Suddenly, his expression got darker, yet he still bowed respectfully. "Yes, Lady Raven." "Ho~ and what''s up with that attitude of yours?" She asked while narrowing her eyes. "Apologies, my mistress," he said. "I could merely imagine the inconvenience Asmodeus'' presence might cause to everyone here." "Nah, it''s ok, summon her here for me," Raven said with a challenging look. "I have something to ask her." While Raven hasn''t forgotten her promise to ck, but she had some ns for Blue. "Yes, Lady Raven," ck said again. A swift motion from his fingers caused a magical circle to materialise on the ground. Almost instantly after, Blue''s kneeling figure became visible. "Master," she greeted, yet her eyes didn''t move an inch from the ground, even after noticing everyone''s gazes towards her. "Master...? I thought I was your master¡­" Raven tilted her head, watching Blue''s fragile body that has suddenly started shaking like a sick kid. Confused and traumatized as she was, Blue didn''t know what to say or do. "But- mistress¡­ he said¡­ I- master- mistress¡­ please¡­" Chuckling softly, yet feeling sad inside, Raven approached the panicking Blue and crouched in front of her. Holding her chin between her hands, Raven adjusted Blue''s gaze so that they were facing each other. "How much did he torture you?" Raven asked. At that, she could feel ck and Blue''s bodies tense. Thinking for a moment while trying to suppress her shaking body, Blue shook her head, unable to remember how or how many times ck had tortured her for. "A lot¡­" she simply said. "But it was all because of what I did!" She followed, noticing ck''s gaze. "I deserved everything! Every bit of torture was actually a lesson for my sinful self!" She said, her voice cracking. Maria gritted her teeth at that, but said nothing and left everything to Raven. Sighing, Raven rested her hand on top of Blue''s head in a kind gesture. Feeling her touch, Blue suddenly felt calm, before remembering the amount of power Raven had disyed during their previous encounter. "It''s ok," Raven said, noticing her distress. "No one is going to torture you anymore, ok?" Blue silently nodded. Feeling her heart sinking even further. No torture meant that she was going to probably die. Yet, somehow, that felt easier than ck''s continuous torture. "ck," Raven asked. "I may not be aware of what dark past you two have had together, but I''m not interested either. "From the evidence I''ve umted so far, I can tell you with certainty that Blue has no intentions of going against your will. "Additionally, I think whatever amount of torture you made her suffer through was enough to change her¡­ "To be honest, I think this is just cruel at this point. Although, if someone was to harm my mother," she said while ncing at Maria who smiled at her, "I guess I could imagine myself going above and beyond to make their life worse than miserable¡­" *Sigh* "ck, this is a question that you''re supposed to answer based on your own feelings and thoughts," Raven said. "Will you, no, are you ready to forgive Blue, or will you choose to kill her instead? "I will not allow her to live like this, so the choice is yours, either make her your subordinate, or kill her." She said coldly. As she was about to stand up and leave, ck spoke. "If it is my selfish self talking, then I would rather kill her, rather than keep her around you, Lady Raven, knowing how much she will gain from your kindness and mercy. "However, as your loyal subordinate, I would rather keep her alive to serve you until thest day of her life." Smiling softly, Raven let out a breath that she was holding. ''Thank goodness he didn''t choose to kill her¡­ a demon lord or not, she seems so broken.'' "What do you say, Blue? Will you serve ck as his subordinate while he takes orders from me? "Naturally, this will make you a subordinate of mine as well, meaning that anyone who has bad ill towards you would have to go through me first. Oh, and we don''t torture our subordinates so don''t even think about that," Raven smiled sincerely. Seeing Raven''s smile, Blue didn''t know what to say. Would death be better? Or should she give this a try? ''But I have already witnessed how powerful this girl really is, why would someone like her be honest with her words?'' Blue thought warily, ''is it not more likely that she just needs something from me? She will probably get rid of me shortly after achieving her goal¡­'' Suddenly, and before any sort of warning, the castle shook as a portion of the training hall was sted away into nothingness, ignoring the castle defences whatsoever. Not a second after the explosion, the bodies of three demons were thrown on the ground, sending rubble and dust out to the air. They were three of the six archdukes that were supposed to be protecting the castle. Looking above at the sky, Raven widened her eyes at the sight. Countless beasts were covering the sky from sight while sending explosive breaths or other types of attack towards the city. In front of the demonic beasts, one individual was floating in the air. With his violet short hair and matching beautiful eyes he was quite handsome, yet threatening at the same time. He looked down upon everyone as if he owned the entirety of this world, showing superiority and pride. "Finally found the ant queen!" He said, focusing his attention towards ck who only stared at him coldly. "Ready to be squished to paste?" Chapter 196 - Naming Rituals Part 2 "I''ve finally found the ant queen!" The violet haired youth said, focusing his attention towards ck who only stared at him coldly. "Ready to be squished into paste?" He asked with a sadistic smile. "Interesting," Raven said while shielding everyone from his aura. To be fair, it was quite a taxing task considering that he was as strong or even stronger than Ramira, the triple S EDA ranker. "Do me a favour and wait just a second, please and thank you," Raven requested with a smile while looking at the violet haired youth who instantly bared his teeth in hostility. "Do you know who I am? Arrogant brat!" He yelled. "I am Lucifer! Also known as the Violet Sin of Pride, who are you to act with such disrespect?" Ignoring him with a smile, Raven approached the two demon lords who were kneeling, showing the utmost respect and trust for her. ''Watch out, he''s stronger than Ramira for sure,'' Ka said after a quick scan. ''While I can''t see his rank, I can tell you that he''s far stronger than ck or Blue. ''His mana is not only demonic. Something is hidden in there and adding some substantial power.'' Ka warned, knowing that he hasn''t even shown his full potential. Maria''s eyes were shifting from the confused demon lord, Violet, to Raven who just stood there, uncaring. "It seems that the ant queen has be the worker?" Violet snarled at ck. "I knew you were a fake, but really? Kneeling in front of a weakling like this? She''s not even a demon, where''s your f*cking pride?" Seeing how ck ignored him and kept his head lowered in front of Raven, Violet was seething with rage. "I see, well, you all shall be burnt to cinders!" Not a moment after his threat, he snapped his fingers, grabbing the attention of every beast behind him. "End them!" He ordered while firing his own attack. "Quite!" Raven said, her eyes suddenly shining with a brilliant radiance. [Activating the Special Skill: Apprentice of the Primordial Light [Converting mana into Brilliant Primordial Radiance. [All skills now use Brilliant Primordial Radiance instead of Pilot''s own mana. [All skills have been temporarily upgraded and will be treated as tier ??? - Level ??? Skills. [Ultimate+ Skill: Sorcerer of Dark Magic has been temporarily deactivated. Reason: Brilliant Primordial Radiance cleanses darkness magic by nature, as such, the skills included within the mentioned Ultimate+ skill are unable to function. [Current rank increase: 1 star [Current duration: 9 seconds¡­ [9... The barrage of attacks from the various demonic beasts, from dragon''s to harpies, and even Violet''s own attack were all suddenly frozen in the air, moments before disappearing into nothingness. Maria, Axane, Liz, Ae, Zeru, and the rest observed in awe as Raven''s previously crimson-purple hair was now dyed confirming white that seemed to soothe their souls. On the contrary, the hostile demons, including Violet himself, were suddenly unable to fly in her presence, and crashed against the ground. They felt the brilliant radiance emitted by Raven pass through their soul, slowly siphoning their life force as if they were some type of onion. Ian watched closely Raven who was now more focused on her task. ''This form¡­'' [8¡­ ''Demons,'' suddenly, ck and Blue heard a voice in their heads. Realising that they have been transferred into a strange space, Blue and ck found themselves greeted with a radiant white light. Not giving them a chance to adjust to the blinding light, Raven appeared directly in front of the two demons. Looking at her, ck and Blue could instantly see the outline of two white draconic eyes in the distance behind her. It''s distant aura alone was enough to shake their very core and let them feel Raven''s true potential and might. ''Demons,'' She said again. ''Are you willing to serve me with every bit of strength you can muster, no matter what the conditions or orders are?'' Raven asked. She was currently using Thought eleration which means she could avoid burning through the skill''s duration as long as they were in this space, her mind space. ''Will you two be my faithful servants?'' ''Yes, Lady Raven!'' ck insanity said. He had a lot of reasons to follow her, but now that he knew of one of her secrets, he was more than convinced. ''Yes, mistress!'' Blue repeated almost immediately after. ''Good,'' Raven said. ''Then I shall gift you each a name that will forever be yours.'' She said, her beautiful white iresis focusing on them while lifting their heads up so that they could see her clearly, and not her feet. ''Demon,'' she said while looking at ck. ''You shall be called Abbadon, my daemon of death and destruction. You shall be my baneful executioner. ''And you...'' she turned towards Blue. She was already called Asmodeus before so Raven didn''t know whether she would prefer the same name. The ritual of naming was more than just giving a name, it was giving your right to name yourself to someone you value more than yourself. Additionally, demons that are named by powerful masters gain might that is proportional to that of their master''s. So ultimately, the name Raven chooses, whether old or new, didn''t matter in the end. ''You have had a name before,'' Raven said to Blue. ''Would you like to keep it? Or would like me to give you a new one?'' ''Yes, mistress, I''d like you to give me a name that is worthy of being a name for one of your loyal subordinates,'' She said, her fists clenched while forcing herself to look closely at her new master. ''Very well,'' Raven said. ''Then you shall be called Maeve, my daemon of courage and order. You shall be my precious adjudicator. ''My demons, Rise-'' just as she was about to transfer her aura into them and finish the ritual, she felt herself abruptly being teleported into a different space. Feeling tired all of a sudden, she was rmed. Her skill was still active, and the countdown was still not working, indicating that whatever, or whoever, caused her toe here can control time flow to some extent. ''Or simply has the same ability we have,'' Ka said while scanning the area around them. ''What is this? It''s just an empty space! Can we use the bracelet? Can we teleport back?'' A message that came as both sound and image shed through Raven''s mind. Even though she had her strongest skill activated, she couldn''t prevent her body from kneeling down. ''What the f*ck?!!!'' she screamed in her mind. Chapter 197 - The Mother Spirit Part 1 A message that came as both sound and image shed through Raven''s mind. Even though the space around her looked endless, she could feel the ground underneath, and consequently, she could feel her knees hitting it against her will. ''What the f*ck?!!!'' she screamed in her mind. Although she had her strongest skill activated, she felt so weak and sluggish in front of the mysterious presence of the Voice of the World. Although she felt the presence of the Voice getting closer to her, she could barely move her body to observe. ck! ck! ck! She could hear the sound of heels hitting the invisible surface of this weird space, and getting closer to her with each passing moment. With each step this presence took, Raven could feel her body tearing apart slowly and mana escaping away from her. ''What is happening?'' she thought, feeling her consciousness drifting away at an rming speed. Suddenly, she felt a cold grip getting a hold of her chin and raising it upwards. The motion was so simple yet was akin to someone smacking a meteor against her face. She wanted to scream or run away, yet she could barely keep her eyes open. She couldn''t hear Ka or Tu''s voices but this time she wasn''t sure she could fix that herself. ''No, I can''t let this happen¡­ I can''t be defeated here,'' she thought, mustering every bit of strength she has left and focusing on her will power. The young girl demanded. Noticing that Raven wasn''t speaking, she grit her teeth in anger. As soon as she said, she readied her hand, as if getting ready to plunge it into Raven''s throat. "Hands off of her, b*tch!!!" A feminine voice called out, breaking the spirit''s focus and confusing her. Feeling danger, she quickly jumped away. Raven who was trying her best to stay awake was suddenly ovee by fatigue. She slowly felt the darkness devouring her consciousness and making her body sumb to the gravitational force of this weird ce. However, before her body could hit the invisible ground, a hand supported her. "It''s ok, honey." The feminine voice said kindly. Feeling a familiar touch, Raven tried to open her eyes, but then all of a sudden a white radiance blinded her and numbed her senses. ''Eh? Did I die?'' Raven wondered since it was so sudden. ''But¡­ why? I had ns¡­ wait, I can still think, so I still exist¡­ no?'' Realising that she wasn''t actually dead, she tried opening her eyes again. In her disoriented vision, she watched as a faint azure lightpletely faded away. Smiling softly while realising that that must have been her mother, she tried to regain her strength as she didn''t want to look weak in front of her. ''You may have your reasons for always disappearing,'' Raven thought since she couldn''tpletely forget the visions of that azure light, even though it was clear that someone was actively trying to erase her memories of it. ''But you know, the thought of you watching over me is soforting, mum¡­'' Feeling her powers and consciousness getting back to normal, she stood up and tried to focus on what was happening. In front of her, she saw the girl on the ground, fear and anger apparent in her eyes and expression. Next to her, was the familiar figure that was emitting the white aura: the fragment of the Primordial Dragon of Light she had within her body. ''Oh, that''s why my powers are suddenly back,'' she said, feeling the white radiance refreshing her and regenerating her energy. The girl''s voice came from inside Raven''s head which was pretty disorienting and annoying. "I''m merely doing my job," the fragment said while ncing at Raven then back at the young girl. "You have to know that she will help you if you ask her nicely, don''t attack her out of nowhere and expect her to read your mind, exin everything clearly." "Just do as I say, please. Introduce yourself." The fragment said to the girl. she grit her teeth. Raven looked at the young girl, many questions roaming her mind. *Sigh* "I''ll exin then," the fragment said with a sigh since Gaia had only made things even moreplicated. "First, even though I''ve introduced myself in our previous meeting, I believe I haven''t told you my name. You may call me Aether." He said while looking at Raven. "This youngling is the spirit of Earth, the Mother Spirit. She is quite irritated because many of your actions have led to her weakening as well as inflicted harm upon her. "One result of your actions was the widespread of the supernatural powers humans now have control over. "Those powers weren''t meant to be for humans, hence why Gaia is suffering because of this newly brought unbnce. "Additionally, your newly named demons will potentially bring in more irregrities since their powers will be infused with mine. That is simply too much for this, for the Mother Spirit, to withstand." Hearing that, Raven''s already tired mind felt as if it was on the verge of exploding. ''I am the cause of powers? What?'' she shook her head. ''This young girl is Earth? And I am making her suffer?'''' The girl said to Aether while lifting her sleeve up to the level of her shoulder, showing the crack marks on her otherwise healthy flesh. Raven flinched at the sight. Her healthy tone was interrupted by the presence of what seemed like small fissures running along her arm. Chapter 198 - The Mother Spirit Part 2 "I- I''m sorry¡­" Guilt was apparent in Raven''s voice. The girl yelled, surprising Raven. "Hm, I''m sorry, but I can''t do that," she said while shaking her head. The Voice seemed to being from Raven''s head that she felt dizzy, yet, the sincerity of the girl''s plea was what hurt her the most. "Then just get stronger!" Raven yelled at the girl. "If you''re too weak, then just work on improving your powers! What do you expect me to do when we''re facing a damn war? "I''m fighting against demon lords and sh*t, what are you doing? F*cking nothing! "And in case you were as dumb as you look, then let me tell you that you''re being targeted forplete f*cking annihtion!" While Raven didn''t want to disclose the information gathered by her avatars yet, she thought that her family won''t hear anything she says here. The girl seemed to calm down. "I mean that, as of now, there''s a massive fleet of invasive aliens approaching Earth, err, you. "My avatar has picked some stuff while spying around the EDA headquarters. While you may not know what that is, you just need to know that humans are secretly preparing for an all out war. "That''s why¡­ I need more power. I can''t let my family die¡­ I simply can''t," Raven clenched her fists. Understanding that she meant Liz, Raven looked down while clenching her fists. ''But I lost the people I cared about that time, I have lost Maya¡­ and if I hadn''t stepped in, the world would have been destroyed, no?'' Contrary to her previous angry expression, she was now sad and tense, afraid of being destroyed by the beings she cared about for more than a billion years. "Hm Raven''s suggestion still holds some ground." Aether said thoughtfully, after a while of silence. "You can just simply get stronger." Gaia said. "Let me ask you this, have you felt any spike in power since the appearance of the portals?" "That is naturally the case since only a very small portion of them has been cleared so far," Aether said. "The portals are filled with magiculus, a form of pure mana that supports any form of magical life. "Basically, what you need is someone clearing out these portals, thus transferring the magiculus into the atmosphere,and consequently, you." Sitting down and hugging her knees, Gaia seemed on the verge of breaking down. She has been bearing the pain and trying to stay positive, thinking that the pain would disappear soon, but to no avail. It''s already been thirteen years now, and if anything, the pain has only increased. She had thought that by killing this girl, she would get some rest that wouldst her a while and give her time to regenerate her health. But now she saw how far fetched her dreams were. It wasn''t only the girl, or the portals, or the random people with enormous amounts of power. No, even if she was somehow able to solve that issue, she was still going to get destroyed by some alien invasion. Looking at her hugging her knees with such a sad and desperate expression on her face made Raven''s heart ache. "Did you not hear what he said?" Raven said. "He just said that you can be healed by simply clearing out portals." "Hehe!" Raven chuckled while extending her hand for Gaia to help her up. "Although I think you''re a psycho for wanting to kill me with no exnation whatsoever, I still care about my loved ones and I don''t want them to get hurt. "If that means I''ll have to help you get stronger then so be it, I''ll clear the portals and prevent any further harm from befalling you. "Also, you have to know that simply having a specific power level isn''t enough to harm you, otherwise, Aether''s presence would have been your end since whatever energy he''s holding within is enough to bomb a gxy," Raven said. Aether just shrugged since it was more than urate in his eyes. "See?" Raven asked with a smile. "Also, this means that my two demons won''t be a problem, right? I''ll just have them conceal their true powers, and in case they must fight, I''ll ask them to finish it quickly." Gaia finally epted Raven''s hand and stood up, although she was still upset with her. "Would you like to join them?" Aether asked. "Instead of being trapped in here I mean." "That will be you too, naturally," Aether smiled.. Snapping his fingers, Raven could suddenly feel Ka''s presence. "Let me teach you how to transfer skills¡­" Chapter 199 - Blessings Of The Mother Spirit "Eh? This feels-" Gaia muttered in two different bodies. The first was an avatar she created out of her own magiculus, and the second was her original body. "I thought that something that''s called Parallel Processing would be more fatiguing in terms of dividing my attention." Gaia muttered through her avatar. Although it wasn''t the first avatar she created, she was never able to function with both bodies simultaneously. The avatar resembled a tiny fairy with a golden crown on top of her head and beautiful white wings protruding out of her back. "Hm, it would feel ok as long as you limit yourself to two or three," Ka said through a small avatar while sitting on top of Raven''s shoulder. "It gets harder the more divisions your attention goes through, trust me, hehe." She spoke from experience since even though Raven helped with the avatars, she had to do most of the work. "By the way, I''m curious as to who you really are," Gaia said while looking at Ka. "You have skills that surpass my own skill set, something that not many can achieve, and you''re still barely an infant." Looking at her with a smile, Ka scratched the back of her head. "I mean, all I know about my self is that I''m a Cyber Valkyrie, but the system won''t-" "Pfft! *Cough* Wait!!" Gaia almost choked on her breath. "You''re a what?!! Did you just say a Cyber Valkyrie?" "Um, yes?" "No way!" Gaia seemed astonished that she suddenly approached Ka and couldn''t stop her eyes from wandering all around her body. "Oi, you''re making her ufortable," Raven flicked Gaia''s fairy body away. "But she''s a Cyber Valkyrie!!!" Thetter eximed. "I''ve only heard rumours about her type!! "Cyber Valkyries are so rare and it''s only possible to be one by a special type of evolution that not many know of. "And most of the Cyber Valkyries are rumoured to have lived through the original genesis of this world. Indeed, it is strange that you''re this young, you must be hiding something hehe, what is it? Who are you really?" Gaia asked seriously but tried to hide it as a tease. "I told you I don''t know! I''m Ka and that''s all that matters!" Ka eximed and got closer to Raven''s cheek as if to hug her. "Hm, it''s alright, you can all keep your secrets," Gaia scoffed. "But um, what do you say about¡­ hm, can you help me be one? A Cyber Valkyrie like yourself!" Gaia suddenly asked with a big fake smile as she sat down on Raven''s shoulder near Ka. "Oi, go away, you''re heavy!" Raven said while pushing Gaia away. "And I told you you''re making her ufortable, right? Ka was born as a Cyber Valkyrie to start with so she can''t help you." "Cruel," Gaia''s tiny body started shaking as she faked crying. "You''re so cruel! First you make me live through so much pain, and now when I ask you to help me, you refuse? You''re so cruel! Right, Aether?" She asked while trying to sit on his shoulder. She had deduced that if the duo can''t or didn''t want to help her with an evolution, then a fragment of one of the Primordial Rulers would surely be able to. *Sigh* "Ok, I see that you two are on good terms now, more or less," Aether said with a sigh. "Try not to cause any troubles," he said while slowly fading away. Noticing her seat disappearing, Gaia was left forced to fly again. "You''re all so cruel! I hate it here!" "Sure," Raven shrugged. "Err, can you let us go now? And please learn how to conceal your true aura because with Aether gone, I can slowly feel fatigueing back¡­" "Hm, I should learn many things but I was so busy trying to save my residents'' a*ses every now and then you know. nts, animals, and humans all depend on me for their survival!" Gaia scoffed while adopting a pose. She was expecting to be at least praised or thanked but she soon realised that none of them were actually an original resident; one was a Cyber Valkyrie, and the other was a Soul Weaver. "Whatever, yea let''s go¡­" she said grumbly as she snapped her fingers. Hearing her voice bing distant, Raven felt herself falling into an endless void before opening her eyes back in her own subspace with her two demons. She found herself in the same state as before she was transferred, so she understood that the two demons may not have realised that anything had happened. Taking a deep breath, Raven enjoyed the feeling of power now that she could feel the effects of the skill: ''Apprentice of the Primordial Light'' since Gaia''s aura was gone. ''Ugh, what do you want?'' *Sigh* Focusing on the two demons and quickly pulsing her aura through their bodies, she could feel them getting massively stronger. ''Rise up, my loyal servants!'' she said as she pulsed thest amount of mana she had. ''Abaddon and Maeve!'' The two demons that seemed in a weird trance were suddenly enveloped in a strange cocoon that covered them entirely. [Notice. [Naming Ritual has beenpleted. [This naming Ritual has been blessed by Gaia: The Mother Spirit. [Pilot has sessfully named two demon lords, thus evolving them into a different species: daemons. [Pilot has sessfully created a rank Two Stars subordinate: Abbadon, daemon of death and destruction, the Baneful Executioner. [Pilot has sessfully created a rank One Star subordinate: Maeve, daemon of courage and order, the Precious Adjudicator. [Pilot evolution is required in order to receive benefits and rewards. [Notice beforemencing evolution. [A new blessing has been received: the Passion of the Mother Spirit. [All rewards and effects will receive a significant boost. [Commencing Pilot''s evolution¡­ Chapter 200 - Evolution: Superior Soul Weaver [Evolving from Soul Weaver race into Superior Soul Weaver race. [Sessful. [New resistances acquired: [Ailment Nullification, All Elemental Nullification, and Spiritual Resistance. [Acquisition sessful. [New Racial Skills Acquired: [Mana Elementalist: Weave and gain control of all elements that are generated through mana. [Oasis: A mind space where subordinates can freely converse with Pilot and other subordinates through Mind Link. Additionally, subordinates that are linked to the oasis can increase their power level proportional to Pilot''s. [Sessful. [Magic Skill Proficient Mana Maniption (tier 3) - Level 3 has gained 3 levels and evolved into Apprentice Mana Maniptor (tier 4) - Level 1 [All Special Skills have gained 3 levels: [Dynast (tier 3) - Level 4 has evolved into Dominator (tier 4) - Level 2 [Angelic Touch (tier 2) - Level 4 has evolved into Saint (tier 3) - Level 3 [Demonic Touch (tier 2) - Level 4 has evolved into Plunderer (tier 3) - Level 3 [Contract Master (tier 2) - Level 3 has evolved into Summoner (tier 3) - Level 2 [Change of Heart (tier 2*) - Level 3 has evolved into Master of Trickery (tier 3*) - Level 2 [Advanced Stealth (tier 2 - Passive+) - Level 4 has evolved into Stealth Master (tier 3 - Passive+) - Level 3 [The Elders'' Scrolls (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 3 has evolved into The Elders'' Scrolls (tier 4 - Passive) - Level 1 [Premonition (tier 1 - Passive) - Level 3 has evolved into Premonition (tier 2 - Passive) - Level 3 [Sessful. [Total Energy Capacity has increased from 990,000 EP into 1.94M EP [Rank has increased from A- into A+ [Sessful. [Notice. [Admin of the system is attempting to evolve the Ultimate+ Skill: Sorcerer of Dark Magic. [Failed. [Retry. Failed. Retry. Failed¡­ [Admin of the system is attempting to evolve¡­ [Failed. [Admin of the system is attempting to evolve the Ultimate+ Skill: Ex Machina: Cyber Creation¡­ [Failed. [Admin if the system is attempting to evolve the Ultimate Skill: Cyber Senses¡­ [Failed. Retry. Failed. Retry¡­ [Sessful. [The Ultimate Skill: Cyber Senses has evolved into the Ultimate+ Skill: Cyber Sense. [Admin has gained evolved control over her Cyber Matter. [Admin''s current energy capacity has increased from 425K EP into 642K EP [Admin is attempting to use her skills Absorption and Integration on Pilot''s skills¡­ [Pilot has given consent¡­ [Admin is attempting to absorb and integrate the skill Breath of Life (tier 3) - Level 4 together with Saint (tier 3) - Level 3 [... [Failed. [Retry. [Failed... Retry... [Sessful. [New Special Skill Acquired: [Saint of Life (tier 3 - Passive+) - Level 1: Passive effects: Infinite Regeneration. Active effects: regenerate health, heal allies in a small area of effect, regenerate mana and/or regenerate mana for allies in a small area of effect. [Completing Evolution.] Although it took a while, it was all but a mere second in the real world. Raven''s body was glowing with a blinding brilliant light as her body underwent the evolution, and so did the bodies of her new subordinates. The moment the light faded away, the group was astonished at what they saw. Even Violet that was watching from a distant could not help but swallow loudly, fully knowing that he was done for. The previously scared and fearful demon that was called Asmodeus was now a new person; Maeve. Her long beautiful hair took a hint of silver that made its original blue look healthier and more elegant. Her eyes took a hint of sharp blue that looked brighter now, making her as sweet as threatening to the onlookers. A beautiful dress of ck was wrapped around her curvy body as she unfurled her six dark demonic wings and bowed elegantly to her new mistress. Abaddon had much less of an apparent change as he simply stood up from his kneeling position and opened his eyes. His sclera was dyed suffocating ck while his iresis were dyed with golden hue like his mistress. The pupils however took a hint of blood red instead of normal ck. His new clothes didn''t differ much from his old royal garment, however, this one looked more aggressive as pieces of shining ck metal could be seen in some areas recing the cloth. It didn''t take an expert to realize that he was an executioner. And for those that were nd, his sadistic smile made everything much more clear. Unfurling his three pairs of demonic wings, he passed his gloved hand through his night dark hair that now had two strands of gold in between. Bowing with a deep smile that gave everyone the creeps for how ruthless it was, he looked at his mistress''s body as the light started to fade away. As the bright light particles were washed away revealing a new Raven, the same thing was happening with the avatars since Ka was able to replicate the changes. Maria couldn''t help but feel slightly scared of what had happened, but one look at her daughter''s smile put her heart at ease. Raven''s previous small body felt now more mature¡­ in more than one aspect. Her plushy crimson-purple hair was left unchanged, save for a few hints of gold on top of her head that almost resembled a crown. Her majestic golden eyes were left unchanged as well, but they looked more refreshing for her allies, yet more threatening to her enemies. Although she looked mostly simr to before, she was a whole new race now and her aura feltpletely different as it was calmer than an eye of a storm. And she was a storm. [The skill Apprentice of the Primordial Light has been deactivated. The skill has only been used for two seconds, however, its use in the Naming Ritual has maxed out its cool down. [You can not use the skill for 9 days.] "Son of a b*tch!" A cute voice yelled in anger and spite, shattering the elegant atmosphere to tiny pieces. "Mother****** that *****!! I''ll never forgive that *****!! What the ***** does it ****** require for me to level up a skill, huh? *********" Hearing the stream of cursesing out of Ka, especially with her tiny body, everyone was having issues with their facial expressions a s way too many emotions were mixed into their reactions. "Are you alright, honey?" Maria asked since she realised that Raven was left speechless. "What''s wrong?" Ka who who was panting looked as if she was about to murder someone. "The ********** system!! It says I''m the admin but I can''t do a ***** thing!! Why do I have to suffer for just one ******** skill? *********!!!" ... "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Suddenly, Maria burst outughing with tears in her eyes. "I don''t like the fact that you''re swearing like that, but you remind me of Maya haha, it must have been something that really bothered you, huh? How about you tell me about it calmly?" Taking a second to calm down, Ka nodded. "Erm, hi everyone!" A small fairy greeted. "My name is Gaia! Nice to meet you¡­" she tried to introduce herself but everyone seemed so busy to notice. Shrugging, she flew near Ka and decided to swear at the system with her. "Lady Raven," a voice called. "Ah, what is it, Abaddon?" Raven asked with a smile. "Is the young mistress alright?" He asked while looking towards Ka. "Err, she will be¡­ I think she''s just upset with the system¡­" "Hm, I''m not sure I understand, but as long as you think she will be alright, then that''s ok." He said. "Additionally, would you like me to deal with our uninvited guests?" Looking at the frozen Violet and his beasts with their fearful expressions, she smiled, "sure, go for it, but make sure Maeve gets her share!" "Thank you, Lady Raven!" "Thank you for your care, Lady Raven!" Chapter 201 - Punishment For The Sinners "Hello, Lucifer," Abbadon said with his rather special smile. "Let''s go somewhere private, shall we?" Snapping his fingers, Abbadon muttered the words ''Domain of the Sinners'' as the world all around them blinked, transferring him, Maeve, and Violet together with his legion of beasts into a different domain. The mighty beasts suddenly, as if broken from a trance, started seething and roaring. Without their master''s control, they were put on the loose. "Maeve, would you like to take care of them?" Abbadon asked calmly. "Hm, doesn''t that mean that you''ll be taking Violet for yourself?" She asked while raising her eyebrows. Her old self would have never questioned Abbadon, but now that she has a generous mistress that cares for her, she felt more capable. Additionally, He was no longer her enemy. Now, Abbadon was just her senior, since he was undeniably stronger than her. "On the contrary," he smiled in response to her question. "I''d like you to take care of all of them, I want to observe your new powers, that''s all." He smiled, and it wasn''t one of his ''usual'' smiles. "Oh, I see," Maeve was surprised. "Thank you, Abbadon." "Fufufu! No worries, show me what you got." Violet who felt death knocking on his door almost regained his vigor once he learned that Maeve was the one that''ll be fighting him, and not Abbadon. Remembering how weak she was before, he had no problem smiling with pride again. ''I will strike the moment she is busy with beasts. After all, some of them can easily overpower a demon lord that is as weak as her, and I am Lucifer, the Sin of Pride, there is no way a weakling such as herself can take me down!'' Taking a deep breath, Maeve extended her hand forward. Just as she was about to unleash her attack, a voice came rushing towards her mind. [Entity Maeve has not yet received a gift from Pilot. [Pilot has consented to sharing any of her Special Skills with entity Maeve. [Entity Maeve is able to choose up to two skills. [Entity Maeve is advised to take her time since this choice can not be undone. Understanding that this was a gift from her mistress, Maeve smiled and looked towards Abbadon who seemed to have heard something simr. ''Thank you, mistress¡­'' She thanked her in her heart while browsing through the skills that were avable for her. ''Lady Raven wants me to be her Adjudicator, so which of her skills would make me a better one?'' Smiling softly, Maeve took her pick. [Entity Maeve has made her choice. This will not be undone. Proceed?] "Yes, please," she said. [Sessful. [Sharing the skills: Dominator, and True Sight¡­ [Additional rewards can be gained due to being a higher ranker¡­ [Calcting¡­ [Requesting assistant from admin¡­ [Admin''s conditions and demands have been met. [Absorbing the two skills and integrating a new one. [Dominator and True Sight have been absorbed and integrated into the new Special Skill Judge''s Domain: enables the creation of a massive domain around the caster. Enemies in the designated domain have their wills and bodies under the control of the caster. Additionally, enemies in the domain can not tell lies.] Reading the description of her new skill, Maeve was astonitioned such a thing was possible, but remembering how powerful her mistress is, she calmed down. This skill is not only so powerful, but also matches his own skill set. "Will you show us your new gift?" Abbadon smiled happily. Seeing his sadistic smile as he hugged himself, Maeve knew he must have also made his choice, and she couldn''t be more thankful for being on his good side now. "I am having trouble constraining myself from using the power bestowed upon me by our beloved mistress, please hurry and punish the enemies of our mistress before I lose my self control, kfufufufu!" Biting her lower lip, Maeve took a deep breath and extended her hand forward, again. ''If all he thinks about is killing, I must be a just judge¡­ I must be useful to Lady Raven!'' "O'' beasts of the underworld, followers of Voilet," she said while activating her newly acquired skill. "Submit to your new mistress, or die!" One of her own skills was mind control, so it was rather easy making sure that they all understood her request. Momentster, a massive ring of blue became visible in the sky of this domain. Thoughts and pleas from the beasts were instantly transferred to Maeve''s mind. Not too long after, many of the beasts, including massively giant dragons, titans, and more creatures, allnded on the ground and bowed their heads downwards to signal their submission. Unfortunately, it was but a small faction out of the bunch that were still loyal to Violet. "Quite unfortunate," Maeve muttered sadly. "However, I shall respect your choices. Now, die..." Without waiting for a second longer, she started closing her open palm, dying the ring in the sky with a deep red colour. Instantly after, the beasts that didn''t submit started convulsing unnaturally as Maeve finally and quickly snapped her palm shut. Blood sshed in the air as every single monster was turned to paste. Watching in horror as the beasts he was so proud of just suddenly vanishing from existence, Violet felt horror taking a hold of his heart. ''HOW?? How did a weakling such as Blue kill more than half of my legion of monsters this easily? They should have been powerful! They should have been impossible to defeat!" "Kfufufufufuf!" Abbadinughed while pping his hands. "Good job, Maeve!" "Ah.. thanks?" She struggled in reading what he wanted, but she had a feeling that she understood. "Do you want to take care of Violet?" In fact, she was really curious as to what his gift was. "Kfufufuf! Don''t mind if I do¡­" he said as his smile got even more sadistic, which Maeve didn;t think was possible. "I can''t resist anymore¡­ I want to test the powers of my beloved mistress! But how do I get the most out of a dead man? "Violet, how would you like to die? How would you like to fight yourst fight?" he asked. "Tell me, and tell me quickly!" "Stay away from me!" Violet yelled hysterically at the approaching daemon. "I''ll kill you! This is just an illusion! I came here to kill you! I was sure I had umted more power than you! Yes, this must be an illusion, I can still easily kill you no matter what!!" Stopping in his tracks, Abbadon seemed to have suddenly lost interest. "I have thought that the demon lord of pride would have been more resilient, but it seems as though I was wrong¡­ "Nheless, you have destroyed a city that now belongs to my mistress, and for that you shall die." Snapping his fingers with a bored expression, he watched as Violet''s body instantly disappeared. Maeve who watched didn''t understand what had happened, but there was one thing that was unmistakable: Violet was dead. He was killed in a mere fraction of a second. It didn''t matter that he was one of the ancient demon lords, one of the Sins¡­ nothing mattered against the Baneful Executioner of her mistress. [The test has beenpleted. [The skills Void Ruler, Dominator, and Plunderer have been absorbed and integrated into the new Special Skill. [The Special Skill Execution has been created: Utilizing the power of the three offensive skills, the caster can take control of their enemies'' minds and souls and choose whether to deprive them of their life force to strengthen theirs or banish them into the depth of the mysterious void. [If banishing does not work on a powerful opponent, life siphoning will deprive them of arge portion of their life force and their mana.] "What a useless test subject¡­" Abbadon''s smile and excitement were long gone. Snapping his fingers, he dismissed his special domain and returned to the real world. ****** "Muahahaha!" Kaughed like an evil mastermind. "It finally worked! I found a way to cheat the system!!" "Eh? What did you find?" Raven asked curiously. "I can use my skills on your subordinates!" Ka said. "Uhm, and?" "And you can use their skills!!" Ka cheered happily. "Well, to some extent¡­ hm¡­ maybe I was too happy for no reason¡­ But no, on." She shook her head. "Your new skill, the Oasis, can make it so that you can have a ''shared skills pool'' where you can use whatever skills your subordinates have¡­" "Oh, that sounds pretty good, why are you¡­ err, sad, I guess? Shouldn''t that make it good for us?" "Hm¡­ Well, you see, both of your subordinates are way more powerful than you are." Ka shook her head. "Maeve is the same rank as you when you use that skill of yours ''Apprentice of the Primordial Light'', and Abbadon is even more powerful¡­ "So, do you think you''d be able to handle their skills?" Ka asked in disappointment. "Oh say Kay," Raven said, "do you have this little faith in me? Hehe, I''ll surpass them in no time!" Seeing her smile, Ka seemed happier. "Hm, I guess so¡­ Also, even if you ck off, I guess they can still protect you, so that''s not a huge issue." "My mistress!" A voice suddenly called out. "Hm, yes Calcer?" Raven asked while watching the young demon fidget with his fingers. "Will you be able to make me and Keith your subordinates for good?" he asked, concerned. "You know, just like you did to Abbadon and Maeve." "Hehe, of course I can!" Raven smiled, cheerfully. "I have also evolved a skill of mine that enables me to summon, instead of just making a contract, so¡­" "We can serve you even when you''re in the Human ne?!" He asked happily. "Uhm," Raven nodded. "I knew you were going to do it soon! Mistress!" Seeing his smile, Raven felt happy inside as she started thinking about her next move. Chapter 202 - Inspecting Changes Part 1 "Lady Raven," Abbadon called with a bow, "we''ve taken care of Violent and his legion of beasts." "Hm, I see," Raven stroked her chin as if she was deep in her thoughts. "I''m not sure if I''m seeing things, but isn''t that an army of beasts behind you? Is that how you took care of them?" She asked with raised eyebrows. "Lady Raven, may I speak freely?" Maeve said slowly. Her voice was so low, almost as if it was a whisper lost in the wind. A part of her was still afraid of her mistress''s true powers." "Haha, of course, Maeve," Raven chuckled. "Thank you, kind mistress," she said. "I was the one to spare those monsters and bring them back. I thought that if they''ve sworn their loyalty to you, you''d forgive them. And I am your adjudicator, my mistress, no soul can lie to my face. "I''ve only done that thinking that it might please you, if that''s not the case, then I''ll eradicate them in an instant, my mistress." "I see," Raven smiled. "If you trust that they won''t be a burden on you, then by all means, let them be under yourmand. "You just made yourself an army of demonic beasts," Raven chuckled. "Take good care of them, ok?" "Of course, my mistress," she bowed again with a smile, feeling as if a heavy weight had been removed off of her shoulders. She had thought that her mistress was angry there for a second, but she should have known better. "Lady Raven," this time it was Abbadon who spoke. "May I be so bold to ask you a question?" "Hm, for sure," Raven smiled. "My mistress, what is our next step? Would you like to go on a full on war against Silver and his army? Or would you rather build up our strength first?" *Sigh* "Thing is, I''m not quite sure what this Silver''s capabilities are, yet, so we can''t just underestimate him and charge head on," Raven said. "However, for now, I want you to grab the remaining Sins and test their loyalty. From my understanding, Mave you can do that, correct?" "Yes, my mistress," Maeve said. "Good, then you go do that," Raven said. "But before you go, Abbadon, make sure to consult your three remaining archdukes and let them know of our ns so that they can mourn their deaths and get ready for battle against Silver." "My mistress," Abbadon said, "we demons do not mourn the deaths of our fallen. I''ve only heard that term being used in the human realm, otherwise I would not have understood you to start with." "Oh¡­" Raven didn''t know what to say to that so she just nodded. "Well, err, feel free to start with everything else then." ""Yes, mistress,"" they both answered before disappearing. The army of forty or so monsters instantly disappeared as well." "You seem concerned," Liz''s voice almost startled Raven. "Um, hehe, not much I guess, it''s ok," she said. "Hm, what is it?" She asked while slowly wrapping her arms around her. "While I may act childishly, I''m still your older friend and I may be able to help, you know." Taking a deep breath, Raven looked around at the destruction caused by a single demon lord and couldn''t help but shake her head. "I just keep wondering¡­ have I done the right thing?" She asked. "I''m raising powers that could very well be the end of this world. Yet at the same time, I can''t just turn a blind eye and ignore the dread that ising our way. "On this side we have this Silver guy to take care of, and on the other, we have a whole alien invasion all over again¡­" Feeling Liz''s arms tighten around her, Raven looked at her face. She saw tears in her eyes, and her fearful yet childish expression made her look so cute and pitiful at the same time. "That''s so scary!!" She cried. "I can''t believe someone your age has to go through all of this, ahhhh!" She cried while hugging her even tighter. "Eh? Ehhhhhh??" Raven didn''t know how to react to Liz''s unexpected breakdown. "You said you wanted to hear my concerns!! What happened to ''Oh let me hear it, I''m older you know''????" "I was joking!!" Liz retaliated. "I''m but an old baby!!" She sniffed as Raven started to slowly wipe her tears away. "You''re such an idiot¡­" Raven said under her breath. "I am?" Liz asked. "You definitely are!" Ae''s voice suddenly came from behind a corner. She had a big smile on her face as well as tears in her eyes. "Were youughing at her or me for trusting a baby like her?" Raven asked, understand that she must have beenughing her a*s off from their interactions. "Both!" Ae was struggling to hold herughter. "But erm, anyway, I don''t understand what you''re concerned about exactly. "Yeah we''re being attacked on both ends, but how does that affect you? Remember your goal is to find your Maya, no?" She grinned. "Will anything stop you from finding her?" Hearing Ae''s words, Raven couldn''t help but think of how stupid she must have sounded just a second ago. "No, obviously not¡­" she smiled. "Nothing will stop me from finding my Maya." "You''re such good friends!" Liz said while hugging them both together, tears still in her eyes. "And you''re just a giant baby!" Ae scolded. "Good for nothing but requiring attention!" "Hm, maybe," she shrugged. "But I''m with Raven. I can be whatever when she''s with me." Hearing that, Ae smacked her forehead while biting her lip. "May I borrow this ungrateful kid?" She asked. "By all means," Raven replied with a fake cruel expression. Without waiting for Liz to understand what was going on, Ae grabbed her neck like a pup and dragged her away. "Wonderful friends you have," Gaia said while making herself visible, sitting on Raven''s shoulder. "Uhm," Raven nodded with a smile. "Why didn''t you make yourself visible for them to see you?" "Hm, I don''t know¡­" she shrugged. "You lot are weird, I''d rather understand by observing you first. I''ll start interacting with them more once I get used to-" "Let me stop you right there," Raven interrupted. "What you''re saying is that you''ve actually never interacted with a living soul before, so you''re not sure how to go around it?" Chapter 203 - Inspecting Changes Part 2 "Hm, I don''t know why I didn''t make myself visible to Liz and Ae, or why I didn''t try to speak to them¡­" Gaia shrugged. "You lot are weird, I''d rather understand by observing you first. I''ll start interacting with everyone more once I get used to-" "Let me stop you right there," Raven interrupted. "What you''re saying is that you''ve actually never interacted with a living soul before, so you''re not sure how to go around it?" "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Ka suddenly burst outughing. She was listening the whole time while focusing more on the avatar taking part in the EDA course, but she just couldn''t hold herself fromughing. "That''s pretty much it!! She''s an anti social nerd!" "Oi, that''s harsh!" Raven scolded. "You''re starting to curse and not care much for how others feel¡­ what''s wrong with you Kay? You''re not hitting puberty are you?" Raven narrowed her eyes. Hearing that, Ka stoppedughing and instead sat down next to Gaia while massaging her shoulders. "I was joking! See? I care for her!" Taking a deep breath, Raven shook her head with a smile. "Um, you two might be more or less right¡­" Gaia said, defeated. "I''ve always been so busy that I didn''t have enough time to talk with another soul. "I''ve always observed though¡­ I have so much information about everything and how to act appropriately, but knowing and executing are two very different concepts¡­" Gaia sighed. "It''s ok, you''ll get there eventually," Ravenforted. "In fact, if you want to get some practice, I''d urge you to keep my mom''spany. "She''s a wonderful person and she''ll take you for whatever you are and she will never care about your imperfections. I promise," Raven smiled. "Hm, I''d say that Axane is also like that to be fair, so choose your pick or maybe pick them both!" Seeing Raven''s smile, Gaia felt at ease. "Hm, maybe I will, but let me sit here for now, ok?" "For sure!" She smiled again. "Oh, Kay, I''ve been meaning to ask you, can you show me my status page?" "Aye, for sure!" [Requesting Pilot''s Status Page¡­ [Loading Pilot''s Status Page¡­ [... [Race: Superior Soul Weaver. [Blessings: Infinity''s Will. Avavia''s Affection. Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light. The Sacred Contract of the Crimson Monarch. Passion of the Mother Spirit. [Titles: Soul Weaver Princess. Heavenly Collector. Exorcist. [Rank: A+ [Energy Capacity: 1,940,000 EP [Magic Skills: Apprentice Mana Maniptor (tier 4) - Level 1 Brilliant Primordial Radiance (tier ???) - Level ??? [Inherent Skills: Contingency Call (tier ???) - Level ??? Quick Study (tier ???) - Level ??? [Unique (Racial) Skills: Mana Elementalist Oasis (Mind Space, Mind Link, Subordinate Status, Power Share, Skill Share, Mana Share, etc.) [Special Skills: Dominator (tier 4) - Level 2 Saint of Life (tier 3 - Passive+) - Level 1 Plunderer (tier 3) - Level 3 Void Ruler (tier 4) - Level 5 True Sight (tier 2) - Level 3 Summoner (tier 3) - Level 2 Master of Trickery (tier 3*) - Level 2 Stealth Master (tier 3 - Passive+) - Level 3 Soul Hunter (tier 4) - Level 6 (Max Level) The Elders'' Scrolls (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 3 Premonition (tier 2 - Passive) - Level 3 (Max Level) Apprentice of the Primordial Light (tier - ???) - Level ??? [Shared Skills: Judge''s Domain (status: unable to use) Execution (status: unable to use) [Combination Skills: Mana Recharge Dark Kraken Dusky Phoenix; ckout [Ultimate+ Skills: Sorcerer of Dark Magic (Demonic Tentacles, Chains of Dark, Dark Hell, mmable Void, Dark Lightning, Dark Mist, Soul Torment, Darkness Recharge, and Master of the Night.) [Resistances: Ailment Nullification, All Elemental Nullification, and Spiritual Resistance.] Going over her status page, Raven was surprised and intrigued at the same time. "Hm, interesting¡­ I see why you''d hate the system now," she muttered, realising that she couldn''t use the skills of her subordinates. "Also, why do the new skills not have tiers and levels?" Raven asked, confused. "Hm, I actually am not sure, but if I had to guess, I''d say they''re not meant to improve? Or maybe it''s that they improve with another skill, so they''re technically connected to another skill?" Ka muttered. "Wait, actually let me ask the system¡­" [... [Normally, tierless skills are skills that have surpassed the power level of an ordinary SSS+ [Any ranker with the rank of Star[1] or above can be identified as Hexa S+ and they''re special skills are automatically included in an Ultimate or an Ultra skill which is used as the ranking system in such a case. [In Pilot''s Case, the skills "Mana Elementalist" is connected with the skill "Apprentice Mana Maniptor (tier 4) - Level 1" and as such does not have a rank of its own, much like the skills included in the Combination Skills section. [Additionally, the skill "Oasis" is a unique skill that can not be improved, but new subskills can be added into it, much like an ultimate Skill, etc.] "And there you go!" Ka said in a bit so appreciate tone. She was still salty from the system calling her the admin but then torturing her when trying to help Raven. During the evolution, she had tried to evolve some specific skills but almost all of them ended up failing. She knew the system had something to do with it but she just didn''t know what, yet. "Hm, makes sense, in a way I guess, but... hm, can I see the subskills from ''Oasis''..." She asked, noticing one subskill that she was interested in. "In particr, can I view my subordinates'' status for real?" Raven still remembered how Abbadon''s status page was technically hidden from her before she had named him. "Yep, for sure!" Ka replied. "Just activite the skill, like any other." "Oasis, Subordinates'' Status!" Raven said. [Activating the Oasis; viewing subordinates'' status pages¡­ [Loading Abbadon''s Status Page¡­ [... [Name: Abbadon [Race: Daemon [Affiliation: A subordinate of Raven, the Superior Soul Weaver. [Blessings: None. [Titles: Baneful Executioner (Daemon of Death and Destruction) [Rank: Star[2] [Followers: None [Magic Skills: Mana Maniption [Unique/ Racial Skills: Soul Devouring, Demon Magic, Shape-shifting, Spiritual Body manifestation, True Form Unleashed, Skill Analysis, Skill Integration, Contractor, etc. [Ultra Skills: Domain of the Sinners (Anti-Magic Area, Space Istion, Blink, Mind Prison) Baneful Executioner (Execution, Eyes of the Sinner, Void Particles, Blood Seal) Sin of Hatred (All to Ashes, Corrosive Energy, Chaos Unleashed, Mind Control, Temptation for Hatred) [Resistances: Physical Attack Nullification, Ailment Nullification, Natural Elemental Nullification, Mental Attack Nullification, and Spiritual Resistance. [.... [Loading Maeve''s Status Page¡­ [... [Name: Maeve [Race: Daemon [Affiliation: A subordinate of Raven, the Superior Soul Weaver. [Blessings: None. [Titles: Precious Adjudicator (Daemon of Courage and Order) [Rank: Star[1] [Followers: 42 demonic beasts (inspect to view all) [Magic Skills: Mana Maniption [Unique/ Racial Skills: Soul Devouring, Demon Magic, Shape-shifting, Spiritual Body manifestation, True Form Unleashed, Skill Analysis, Skill Integration, Contractor, etc. [Ultimate+ Skills: Temptation World (Anti-Magic Area, Space Istion, Skill Seal, Undeniable Love, Servant''s Wish) [Ultra Skills: Precious Adjudicator (Judge''s Domain, Spiritual Assault, Order of Blood, Eyes of Judgement) Sin of Lust (Nature''s Thorns, Charm, Mind ve, Petals of Life, Temptation for Lust) [Resistances: Physical Attack Nullification, Ailment Nullification, Natural Elemental Nullification, Mental Attack Nullification, and Spiritual Resistance.] Chapter 204 - Inspecting Changes Part 3 Looking through the Status Pages of her two subordinates, Raven was amazed at their various skills. "So each of them have at least two Ultra Skills," she muttered. "Hm¡­ I''m not sure if I should be happy or upset with this¡­" "Maybe both?" Ka suggested. "They''re your subordinates so it''s fine if they''re strong. They can protect you better, you know." *Sigh* "Hm, I guess you''re right¡­" Raven said with a sigh. "Also, while looking into the details of their skills, it bes apparent that they each have an Ultra Skill that matches their sin, and another that matches the role I gave them. "Doesn''t that mean that I have actually given them an Ultra Skill? Why can''t I have one for myself!?" She asked, almost sad. "Well, yes you kinda gave them the skill," Ka said. "You caused them to undergo an entire evolution, and since you were blessed by Gaia here, it''s only natural!" She said while smacking the little fairy on the back, yfully. "But you have to remember that they were stronger than you were to start with, remember that Red was higher than a triple S rank to start with, since you could only see question marks previously. You''ll get your ultra skills once you''re as string as them!" Ka shrugged. "I see¡­ and err, do you think I can get into the details of each skill?" While thinking that, Raven tried tomand the system, and it worked! Reading through the skills'' details, she couldn''t help but widen her eyes at how broken they were. "Oh, so Maeve is more dominant in charming her opponents into submission. Her strongest set of skills seem to be centered around controlling nature in general, as well as the minds of her opponents." Raven said out loud. "She''s the Sin of Lust after all," Gaia giggled loudly. "What''s up Rave? Why the red face?" Ka teased. *Cough* "Ahem! So, anyhow¡­ I will choose to believe it''s something different than what you dirty ones are suggesting," Raven took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "Hm, so as for Abbadon¡­ "Abbadon is more specialised in just¡­ killing," Raven said, "most of his skills are centered around using his corrosive aura and destroying his opponents, turning them to ashes and stuff. "Additionally, the skill he gained from his evolution allows him to banish weaker opponents into the void, or steal the life force of the stronger ones to strengthen his own¡­ oh he can do the same for mana." "Yeah he''s a good executioner alright," Ka muttered and Gaia nodded. "Oh by the way, what''s that skill they both have?" Raven asked before looking into the skill called "True Form Unleashed". [True Form Unleashed: a skill that allows the caster to strengthen their body and mind so that they can withstand the use of their full power. [Once unleashed, the caster changes form into their true nature that allows for the most efficient mana and skill use. However, caster may simply unleash their true power, rather than their true form. [Lastly, for Pilot''s subordinates that are both daemons, they would be able to unleash their Daemon form and use Daemon magic, etc.] Whistle~ Raven whistled after hearing that. "It doesn''t state the amount of power increase, which makes this kinda tricky, but the thought of them getting even stronger is mind blowing¡­" "Enough about your subordinates," Gaia said. "What else did you get out of that evolution that you want to test now?" "Hm, I got some resistances which shoulde in handy in fights," she replied after some thoughts. "And I also got Oasis, and another new skill! Mana Elementalist!" Thinking about it, she knew that in simple terms, it meant that she''d be able to control any element that was created by her mana. "Hm¡­" Raven then understood that she had no idea of how to create elements from her mana. "This may be a little bit trickier than what I''ve thought¡­ however, I have some skills that may help!" She grinned while activating her Ultimate+ skill: Sorcerer of Dark Magic. A dark aura surrounded her body and pulsed with power. Her hair took a hint of a darker light. Snapping her fingers, dark fire erupted in the air. ''So this is the result of mmable Void¡­'' she observed using her True Sight and Ka''s Appraisal. ''Hm¡­'' After a few minutes of a staring contest between her and the burning ck torch floating above her open palm, Raven smiled. ''So it''s mainly tiny void particles that increase the friction in the air, and naturally cause heat. ''Additionally, when the skill is active, the void particles are moving and vibrating at extremely high velocities. ''This contributes to both stability and heat! So neat¡­'' she thought with a smile while trying to replicate the same oue using her skill Mana Elementalist. Creating tiny mana orbs in the air, she caused them to vibrate in a simr manner to what she has observed so far. [Mana Elementalist has gained control over fire.] A system message shed in her mind the moment the brilliant red torch was lit above her open palm. Smiling, she moved on to other elements. After about two hours, she took a break to stretch her body. "Ahhh! This is harder than I thought, but hey I''m making some good progress," she grinned while viewing her stat for the Unique Skill. [Mana Elementalist: Once acquired, the elements can be created in suboptimal conditions. Current usable elements: Pyro, Hydro, Electro, Void, and Cryo.] The method behind each was trickier than thest and that''s why she had decided to take a break. "So each element has a trick to it," Raven muttered. "Pyro is just forcing particles into moving quickly to cause friction and, consequently, heat. "Hydro is just condensing the water vapour in the air using a catalyst point of attraction such as a single mana particle thatcks stability. "Electro¡­ hm, I have mainly cheated that by using my Dark Lightning¡­ but I could imagine the true way of forming electricity from mana would be by manipting the charges of electrons in the air. "Void was again cheated by using my skill, Ruler of the Void. Truth be told, that skill is really powerful and I''m highly proficient in its use. "Lastly, cryo is simply created by removing heat from a specific area¡­ hm, while overall I''m stillcking, I think further analysis of this would help me master all elements, what do you say?" She asked while looking at Gaia who was yawning and Ka who smiled with a nod. "Huh, you were talking to me?" Gaia askedzily. Snapping her fingers, all possible elements started swirling around in front of her open palm. "Oh, I totally forgot that you''re the ultimate elementalist¡­ being who you are and all¡­" Raven smiled. "Say Gaia, how about you give me a hand?" She asked while holding onto her tiny wings. Watching Raven''s mouth curving into a sadistic smile, Gaia swallowed loudly. Suddenly, a few shadows could be seen rising from the ground near the trio. "Lady Raven," a familiar voice called. "We''re back." ***** Note: Just a heads up, the upload schedule might get a little shaky for April, because of university exams and other reasons. Additionally, I''m thinking of ''maybe'' trying the Spirity Writing thingy. If that happens, I will still be uploading daily for this book, but maybe less chapters etc. The idea is that I''ll force myself to release the 3 ''promised books'' faster. Also, this would probably bring in some more readers here. The book title for the contest will be "Infinity: Rising of the Guardian Angels", or something simr, and as you''ve already guessed, this will be a story that is set in the same universe with the same characters, but different settings. (This will be Book number 3, while book number 2 must be released after this one ''IRSW'' since they''re more rted). For the new book, you may see Raven, but she will not be the main character, instead it will be someone she cares about... I''ll make sure to let you know whether I end up participating or not.. (These are just spections after all). Chapter 205 - Recieving The Sins Seeing a few shadows rising from the ground near her, Raven grinned as she knew what to expect. ''They are finally here!'' "Lady Raven," a familiar voice called. "We''re back." "Oh, Abbadon, Maeve, wee back!" Raven greeted with a smile while looking at her two subordinates. Behind them, she could see three figures in a kneeling position, to show respect. "Lady Raven," Maeve said with a smile, "we bring with us the three ancient demon lords that have proved their will to submit to you. "Those are the Orange, the Sin of Gluttony, Green, the Sin of Envy, andstly, this is Cyan, the Sin of Sloth." "Hm, raise your heads," she said and motioned to the three figures so that she could see their faces. The orange haired Sin looked at her in curiosity as a grin made its way up to his face. "Nice to meet you, mistress!" "Oh, hehe, nice meeting you too!" Raven was surprised at this attitude, but she didn''t mind at all. She liked that he was friendly. The green haired Sin looked at Raven as if analysing her. She didn''t like that she was now serving someone who looked weaker than her. A nce from Abbadon was more than enough to convince her otherwise though. "Hi?" Raven asked in uncertainty. "Hello, mistress," was all she said in reply. ''This is going to be troublesome¡­'' Raven thought. Looking at the Cyan haired demon lord, she found him yawning like a baby. "Had a long night?" Raven asked with a chuckle. "Uhm, every night is a long night¡­" he saidzily, making Raven chuckle some more. ''I definitely rte to that¡­'' she thought to herself. "Well, anyhow, I''m assuming Abbadon and Maeve had told you everything?" """Yes, mistress,""" the three said together. "Hm, good then," Raven said. "Maeve, are they all clear?" "Yes, mistress," Maeve said with a nod. "Even though Green acts the way she does, she is willing to be fully loyal to you." "I understand," Raven said. "I would like you three to be under Maeve''smand for the time being, do whatever she tells you to. "This will be an extended testing period since one''s beliefs can change overnight, I want to make sure that your loyalty is real. "Once you''re deemed worthy by Maeve in two week''s time, I will gift each of you a name. Any questions?" "Hm, I have one, mistress," Cyan raised his hand. "Go ahead," "Will we get enough time to sleep at night? I can''t function without good sleep, in fact, I might need a nap now¡­" he said with another yawn. "Interesting, well I''m going to leave that for Maeve, she''s your boss now," Raven said with a shrug. Maeve was both surprised and happy that her mistress was giving her such an important role. "We''ll discuss thatter, Cyan, once we''re done here." She said. "Sweet," Raven said and Cyan noddedzily. "Any other questions?" Orange raised his hand with a smile. "What''s up?" Raven asked. "I was wondering, is it possible to go back to my castle to eat? I haven''t eaten since morning and I''m quite hungry¡­" *Sigh* "Ok imma leave you to Maeve too." She said, almost disappointed that those were the ''Cardinal Sins'', but she knew not to underestimate them. "Green, any questions?" Thinking about it for a moment, Green nodded. "I was wondering, mistress, can you show us a demonstration of your powers? I''m rather curious¡­" "Please let me take this one, Lady Raven," Abbadon suddenly said while standing up from his spot. Nodding, Raven let him be. Flexing his fingers, a single tiny dark orb materialised in his open palm. Without much of a warning, the orbunched itself from his palm and into Green''s shoulder, prating her in an instant. Widening her eyes at the amount of pain she suffered from, Green almost fainted. Normally, this act of disrespect would not have been tolerated by her, but she could do nothing against someone as strong as Abbadon. "You asked for a demonstration of our Lady''s powers?" He asked coldly with a frown. "I am her creation. I am her power, was that enough of a demonstration?" "Y- yes, I deeply apologize for my act of disrespect," she muttered, her body shaking. "Good," Abbadon said, narrowing his eyes and radiation hatred. "Anything simr to this attitude of yours and I might as well ask our generous mistress to let me have my revenge. Know that you''re all merely alive because of her mercy." Approaching the shaking Green slowly, Raven activated her skill Saint of Life and healed her. It didn''t take much time, especially considering Green''s own generation skills and that Abbadon didn''t cause a significant amount of damage since it was a mere demonstration. "Abbadon, you''re the executioner of my enemies, not my allies," Raven scolded with a frown after making sure Green was good. "You can''t harm those who are willing to work with us." Hearing that, Abbadon realized that he didn''t have to harm Green to prove his mistress''s strength. "Apologies, mistress. My decision was fuelled by my hatred towards the sins." Clenching his fists, he knew he deserved a punishment. Yet, Raven didn''tment any further, to his surprise. "Alright, you''re all dismissed," Raven said with a sigh. "Except for you, Abbadon." Abbadon had a regretful expression on his face, making it clear that he realised that he was in trouble. He was mentally getting ready for his punishment. "What''s wrong?" Raven asked. "Lady Raven, are you going to punish me now?" "Huh?" Raven was confused, but then she quickly understood. "No, no, I just have a task for you. What you did was wrong and I''ve told you not to do it again. You''re smart enough not to harm your allies again, right? "I am aware of your grudge against them, and it''ll take some time, but you will have to forgive them eventually. Build that rage and hatred of yours and directed towards our enemies, is that clear?" "Yes, mistress," he answered with a bow while clenching his fists in regret. "I will make sure to only bear hatred towards those who mean harm for you, Lady Raven.", *Sigh* "Good, then that''s that." Raven sighed. "Now, I want you to tell me everything you know about Silver. After that, we''ll do a quick scouting mission, the two of us." "Mistress!" His voice was suddenly loud. "It''s dangerous, and you''re not at full strength, correct?" Seeing how worried he was, Raven couldn''t help but chuckle. "It''s alright, it will only be a scouting mission, not engaging in any fights or anything. I just want to get a feeling of that Silver guy, that''s all. "The faster we get rid of him, the faster we''re able to go back to the real world and help clear out portals so that Gaia is able to power through theing alien invasion¡­" Raven had so much on her te that she couldn''t wait to finish all of this and start looking for Maya for real. "I- I understand, Lady Raven," Abbadon said hesitantly. "If it''s your wish, then I shall support you, in this mission and till eternity." ***** Note: Just a heads up, the upload schedule might get a little shaky for April, because of university exams and other reasons. Additionally, I''m thinking of ''maybe'' trying the Spirity Writing thingy. If that happens, I will still be uploading daily for this book, but maybe less chapters etc. The idea is that I''ll force myself to release the 3 ''promised books'' faster. Also, this would probably bring in some more readers here. The book title for the contest will be "Infinity: Rising of the Guardian Angels", or something simr, and as you''ve already guessed, this will be a story that is set in the same universe with the same characters, but different settings. (This will be Book number 3, while book number 2 must be released after this one ''IRSW'' since they''re more rted). For the new book, you may see Raven, but she will not be the main character, instead it will be someone she cares about... This is too much of a spoiler, but I can tell you the book will be interesting. I''ll make sure to let you know whether I end up participating or not.. (These are just spections after all). Chapter 206 - A Scouting Mission Gone Wrong * Haliene - Dream In Colour * Dashing through the snowy forest, Raven and Abbadon were too fast for the eyes to catch, and too faint for the mind to notice. Raven hid her mana quite well while at the same time used her skill Stealth Master to conceal any signs of her presence. While the information provided to the demon poption states that the north is filled with dangerous demonic beasts, it doesn''t state that Silver has made it his nest. After a while of silent, yet, extremely fast travel, Raven and her daemon reached a giant castle. ''Lady Raven, that is the pce Silver had made his home,'' Abbadon said through their mind link. ''As you have already noticed, the castle is surrounded by countless magical traps as well as demonic beasts that guard the entrances and the surrounding area. ''Uhm,'' Raven nodded. Taking a deep breath, she opened her palm as water droplets floated gracefully above it. With a flex of her fingers, she sent them in the air. Using her hydro mastery from her Unique Skill: Mana Elementalist, she manipted the water droplets and formed some lenses that enabled her to see into the castle from the top. ''My mistress is so crafty, just as I would expect from someone of her status,'' Abbadon thought to himself with a smile while quietly hugging himself. ''Such a blessing it is to watch her so focused on her task!'' ''Oi, stop staring at me like a creep!'' Raven scolded him through their mind link, turning his smile upside down. Tears almost ran down his eyes. ''My- but¡­ my dear mistress is calling me a creep?'' he stuttered. ''I was just admiring your dedication in your tasks, mistress¡­'' Noticing that he was on the verge of tears, Raven was surprised but shook her head as if to clear the image from her head. Activating her True Sight, Raven adopted a serious expression in her face. ''Follow me!'' she ordered. Abbadon got serious and did as ordered. Dashing like two rough phantoms through the beasts guarding the perimeter, Raven and Abbadon were almost unnoticeable. Almost. Just as they were able to cross the entrance into the castle, a presence appeared in front of them abruptly. A momentter, Raven was confronted by what seemed like a humanoid creature that was wearing a ghost-clown''s mask. The back of its head, or rather mask, was extended backwards as if forming a crescent with a bright silver cker ball at the end. The eyes looked ghostly red and would have most certainly caused a heart attack for a normal person. The mouth was stitched, akin to a scarecrow. Overall, the sight wasn''t a pleasant one. Understanding that they were about to get caught, Raven wanted to end the creature quickly. However, before she could move a muscle, the creature was already gone. ''Sh*t! Where did it go? We have to either find it quickly or run back,'' Raven thought while biting her lower lip. But suddenly, she could hear Ka''s voice, ''Abbadon used the skill you gifted him, Execution.'' ''Wait, no way he killed that thing in an instant, did he?'' Raven was bbergasted at how efficient he was. ''I didn''t even feel his attack!'' ''Mistress,'' Abbadon called through his mind link. ''We must leave now. That creature was but a clone, and it''ll being back with reinforcements¡­'' He didn''t want to expose his mistress to danger and he knew better than to underestimate Silver and his subordinates. Gritting her teeth, Raven decided to push through. ''We can teleport back if we get caught, let''s power through it. I need to see Silver with my own eyes.'' Abbadon didn''t like it but he didn''tin. ''As you wish, Lady Raven.'' Even though the guards ought to soon know that there are some intruders in the pce''s premise, the skills they were using were ought to make it harder to detect them. Dashing through the castle halls swiftly, Raven was looking for something that screams ''I am the throne room!'' or something like that, but suddenly, she could feel Abbadon''s tug on her mind. ''My mistress, Silver is underneath,'' he said with a look of disdain in his eyes. Nodding quickly, Raven followed the stairs into the underground floor of the castle. It didn''t take them long to find a room with a massively huge door. ''Tch, we''ll have to open it if we want to go in¡­'' she said to Abbadon, knowing that mightpletely blow their cover. Snapping her fingers, mana des cut a small hole through the door. Raven instantly used Void Ruler to destroy the missing door pieces so that the noise wouldn''t rm nearby guards. Before entering, she felt her heart pound harder for some unknown reason. Holding her head between her hands, she felt dizzy all of a sudden. [The skill Premonition has been activated.] Understanding that she had seen something in the future but couldn''t remember it, it could only mean that it was something that her mind refused to believe. Shaking her head and looking through the hole she made, she couldn''t help but widen her eyes while feeling tears dropping down on the ck marble floor. "No way¡­" she muttered subconsciously. ''Lady Raven, what''s the matter?'' Abbadon almost panicked at his mistress''s behaviour. Out of Raven''s small body, mana leaked freely, uncaring of her situation or circumstance. Pushing the door open, she was greeted by a crowd of six sadistic creatures wearing different clown masks. Their eyes instantly darted towards her, yet, she couldn''t care less. Raven''s eyes were only centered around a holographic screen in the middle of therge hall. There, she could see the image of a beautiful young girl speaking with one of the creatures that seemed to be in charge here, supposedly Silver. But Silver was no longer her objective here, no... it has be that girl. Although her previously lovely brown hair has been dyed with a silver blue hue, and the same coloured eyes have reced her previously sweet hazel eyes, there was no mistaking it¡­ Even though a cold expression had reced her usual loving and caring one¡­ this girl was still¡­ Raven''s mind seemed to nk as she walked right past her enemies. Those who tried to attack her were repelled by Abbadon. Although Silver knew of their arrival from his sharp senses, he hadn''t expected this girl to walk so boldly in front of him. Not only that, but she didn''t even care about his boss, one of the four Seraphim of the End, watching her. Instead of kneeling like everyone should in their presence, she approached her like an equal. ''This girl has no respect¡­'' Silver shook his head in disappointment. ''I will make sure she pays!'' Just as Silver looked at the girl''s golden yet hollow eyes, he couldn''t help but feel something in his soul telling him not to approach her. Gritting his teeth from behind his mask, he decided to wait it out. The approaching Raven stopped in front of the holographic screen and muttered one word¡­ "Maya¡­" Chapter 207 - A Mirage Of A Broken Memory * Haliene - Dream In Colour * "Maya?" Raven asked, her eyes hollow and filled with tears. She couldn''t believe her eyes, but there was no way her soul was lying to her. This girl was Maya for sure¡­ her Maya. "Where are you Maya?" Raven''s tears ran without constraints. Forgetting that she was facing a holographic image, her hand moved as if to touch the girl, yet it passed right through it. Noticing that, the girl shook her head. "Apologies, who might you be?" She muttered coldly, harshly shattering Raven''s heart into tiny pieces. "My name is Raphael, and I am one of the Seraphim of the End. Again I ask, who might you be, mortal?" "Don''t y games now¡­ please, Maya, you know me. I am Raven, your older sister!" Raven''s voice was cracking as was her soul. "Maria is also waiting for you¡­ Axane too¡­ and me¡­ please,e back, I promise I''ll protect you with my heart, I will never let you suffer ever again! "I understand that you might want to run away from us, but¡­ pleasee back! Even Jakol is still waiting for you¡­" "Silver," Raphael simply called out, ignoring the familiar crying crimson-purple haired girl. "You may proceed with your ns. "The Supreme Deity has agreed to ept you back once your task is finished." "Thank you for your kindness, O'' Great Seraph." The creature in a dark and red patterned garment and a scary smiling clown mask said. "Also," Raphael said. "Next time, make sure to clean the trash out of your ce. This will not be forgotten¡­" "Yes, I understand, O'' Great Seraph," Silver swallowed loudly. Momentster, the holographic image flickered and disappeared, leaving Raven with a nk expression in her face as tears dripped down her eyes and onto the marble floor. Clicking his tongue, Silver was anything but happy. Although his mask kept its smile, his eyes were glowing with an ominous red. "Look at what you''ve done now, this was my chance to impress my bosses, yet you just ruined it like that!" He said, his voice slowly rising in anger. "I shall kill you two before moving onto the rest of the world!" His sadistic smile was hidden behind the mask, yet Abbadon and his subordinates could clearly feel it. Not waiting a second longer, Abbadon flickered next to Raven who was now sitting on her knees on the ground like a broken doll. Without a moment''s notice, they both disappeared. Silver was surprised to see that the one and only ck had left without fighting him, but he understood that the girl was precious to him which exined his actions. ''Good, now I can break something that he cares for!'' he chuckled. "Oh, my dear subordinates," he called for the five clowns around him. "Whose turn was it today to guard the castle today?" His aura red. All heads snapped towards the ghostly clown. Kneeling on the ground, the clown bowed sincerely, "boss, please forgive me, I thought that one of the monsters had eaten my clone! It''s been done before, I suggest we kill that beast!" "Hm, sure I''ll forgive you and kill that beast." Silver suddenly said, surprising everyone. "Really??!" The ghostly clown almost screamed. "You''re such a generous boss!" "I haven''t finished yet¡­" Silver continued. "I will forgive you once you catch the two intruders. If you catch both, I''ll even promote you to my second inmand!" One clown that had red vertical scratches that were filled with blood along his mask wasn''t happy about his bosses idea. But he knew that if Silver was saying that, it''s only because it''s an impossible task. "If you catch only one of them¡­ I''ll just forget that any of this happened." Silver finished. "When do I start?" The ghostly clown asked. "And do I take my troops with me?" "Start now, and no, that''s a punishment for you, and you alone!" Hearing that, the clown instantly disappeared from his spot. He didn''t want to test Silver''s patient any longer *** ''This is bad¡­'' Raphael muttered in her mind. ''This was Uriel''s task, why did I decide to help her? No, this should not matter anyway, soon they''re all be-'' "Raphael!" A voice called. "Here she is!" Raphael wasn''t happy. "Uriel, I need your help!" "Eh? The great Raphael needs my help?" Uriel asked with a teasing smile. "Hehe, sure! What can I help you with?" "Your smile is so annoying! I''m only asking for your help because it''s your fault to start with!" Raphael scolded. "Do you remember the girl I was talking about? The crimson-purple haired girl that used to call me Maya?" "Yes, of course I do!" Uriel nodded while trying to hide how hurt she really was by Raphael''s harsh remark. ''Of course I remember that miserable mortal who was able to change you¡­ ''I have always admired you, the old you. I have always wanted to be like you, to be friends with you¡­ ''But that girl stole that opportunity from me. Not only did she steal your heart, but also made you weaker than who you once were¡­'' "What about her?" Uriel asked, hiding her true feelings. "I just met her while talking to Silver, the idiot you wanted me to send a message to!" Raphael said. "For some unholy reason, that girl was there with him, and she recognised me as the mortal she knew, my lost mortal body¡­ Do we have a protocol for that? What do we do in this case?" "She recognised you in this form even though I always make sure none of the Seraphim look like their mortal bodies¡­" Uriel spoke out loud. "She must really love you huh? Do you love her too?" She asked with a grin, although her heart was burning with ck fire. "Stop joking around!" Raphael yelled coldly. "This is a serious matter! You''re one of the four Seraphim, act like it!" "Well," Uriel instantly turned cold as well. "You know the answer to your question then, right? You''re merely asking me to check if I could possibly change the oue. "The girl clearly is not normal to be able to recognise you in your original form. But that simply doesn''t matter since their world was found unworthy anyway. "After repeated cycles of failure, not Michael nor Gabriel are happy about their. It will be destroyed soon, so you can forget about that girl." Hearing her words, suddenly, everything became clear in Raphael''s mind. "Wait, this was all a part of your n¡­" Chapter 208 - The Hurtful Truth Hearing Uriel''s words, suddenly, everything became clear in Raphael''s mind. "Wait, this was all a part of your n¡­" "You asked me to deliver the message instead of you so that you have more reasons to banish that¡­ but why? Were you jealous of that girl?" Raphael was confused that she was no longer upset. ... "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!", After moments of silence, Raphael suddenly burst outughing like a maniac. "Do you really think that I care for that girl?" Raphael''s eyes were ice cold and almost as sadistic, unlike what one would think of an angel. But then again, she was no normal angel, she was one of the angels of judgement. "Don''t kid yourself! I was the one to discuss with Michael and Gabriel the fate of that miserable. "You know more than anyone that I''ve lived two lives there, in two cycles. You''ve made me live as an orphan with no one to take care of me, and you know what? I was sold as a ve and raped in those two lives! "I was treated as nothing but a tool, no, even worse. Unlike a tool, they kept using me even after breaking! "Why would I ever want to spare such a disgusting?" Raphael''s voice was loud as she was seething with anger at the mortals who treated her like nothing more than trash. "Oh, and since you don''t know¡­ now that the other two have just returned from their cycles and they need some rest, I''ll be the one to destroy that. Watch me crush everyone there with my own hands!" Raphael''s smile could be described by any term, but angelic. No, it looked more demonic, if anything. "What is it?" She asked Uriel who was frozen in ce. "You didn''t expect that, did you? Tch!" Clicking her tongue, Raphael disappeared from her spot. Not a second after her disappearance, Uriel dropped to the ground with tears in her eyes. "No¡­ why did this happen? I was angry with that stupid crimson-purple haired girl! Why did I project my anger on the person I love the most¡­ "I didn''t mean for you to suffer when I sent you there, Raphael, I only wanted the trials to be fair¡­ the Supreme Deity would have punished both of us if our judgment was biased... "I¡­ I don''t want you to hate me¡­" Uriel clenched her fists. "But it''s alright¡­ when that girl dies, I''ll make sure she gets some special treatment. Also, I''ll have the rest of eternity to get closer to you, my dear Raphael¡­" she smiled while cupping her face in a mix of sadism and sadness. ¡­ On the other of this strange space they were in, Raphael sat down with her back leaning against a tree, while holding her head in pain. Her hands were shaking. "Everything I said was true," she muttered to herself. "I loathe that and its inhabitants¡­ but why is my heart aching at the thought of destroying it? "I was the one to ask Michael for that myself¡­ what''s wrong with me?!" She could feel her heart racing and shaking hard, as if wanting to escape her ribcage. "Why?? Why do I feel so sick all of a sudden? I am one of the Seraphim, I can''t get sick or ill¡­ why is my chest hurting?" She could feel herself panting for air even though her body didn''t depend on it to function. "Is it because of that girl? Am I regretting my choices? But it was either me, or the others¡­" she could feel tears running down her eyes. "If she had to die¡­ I''d rather be the one¡­ "Yes¡­ when Silver fails, because I know he will.. I will be the one to end her, R- Raven¡­" just as she said that, she could feel immeasurable pain, even more than before, assault her heart as she remembered every second they spent together as Maya. Every moment of torture, they spent together. She was always trying to make her feel better, she was always there to protect her, she was always there for her¡­ "No, that''s not true," Raphael forced herself to say. "No, I died while she was on a vacation¡­ she deserves my anger, my hatred¡­ by why? Why does the pain persist the more I think about her¡­" *** "Lady Raven, are you alright?" Abbadon asked while kneeling near Raven with her hollow tearful eyes. She shook her head slowly as in response. "Please¡­ bring Maya back¡­" Raven clutched onto Abbadon''s garment while letting her tears run free. Realising how desperate his mistress was, and how useless he was to her right now, Abbadon could not help but clutch his fists in anger. Moments passed before he remembered that Maria would most likely be able to help his mistress. Noticing him getting up from his spot, Raven forced Abbadon down. "Where are you going?" She asked, her voice cracking. "I was thinking that Lady Maria would be able to-" "No!" Raven simply said, her face getting serious and almost angry. "This stays between us, do you understand?" Surprised as he was, Abbadon nodded his head obediently. Raven who seemed to have suddenly woken up from her state, stood up slowly while clenching her fists. ''Someone must have Maya hostage¡­ or maybe she''s being threatened? Who the f*CK would dare threaten my Maya?'' her aura red around her as these thoughts went through her mind. Ka didn''t know what to say so she kept quiet. Gaia, on the other hand, has heard before about rumours narrating some tales of the Four Seraphim of the End¡­ ''This is not good, what task would they have for Silver to aplish here?'' she thought to herself in horror. "My mistress," Abbadon said, "I can sense a strong presence getting closer to us, would you like me to interfere?" "Uhm," Raven simply nodded before going back into her serious, almost frightening, expression. Leaving his mistress to her thoughts, Abbadon disappeared from the room they were in and intercepted the ghostly clown, just outside of the city. Chapter 209 - Preparing For War Part 1 "My mistress," Abbadon said, "I can sense a strong presence getting closer to us, would you like me to interfere?" "Uhm," Raven simply nodded before going back into her serious, almost frightening, expression. Leaving his mistress to her thoughts, Abbadon disappeared from the room they were in and intercepted the ghostly clown, just outside of the city. "Ahh!!" The clown screamed, startled. "You scared me, man, why would you do that?" The clown started panting while wiping the imaginary sweat away from his mask''s forehead. "Anyway, Boss seems to have some interest in you and that girl that was with you, I suspect he''s nning a special punishment for you, hehe! "Anyhow, would you please be so kind and hand over the girl too? I''ll take you to Boss and he can see his business with you two, and then I get my promotion!" He started pping happily. Waiting for some time, he realised that the person in front of him wasn''t nning on providing answers to his questions. "What is it buddy? Did you scare yourself too when I appeared in front of you too all of a sudden? Will you wake up from it? Buddy? Hayo there?" "You must be joking¡­" Abbadon''s voice was low and cold. "My mistress is having the worst times, and instead of being with her supporting her like a loyal servant, I''m here to hear your jokes? You must be kidding me¡­" Noticing Abbadon''s dark expression, but no aura around him, the clown smiled sadistically. "You know, Boss said he wanted you too, but he didn''t specify whether he wanted you dead or alive¡­ I might as well get creative!" With a sadistic smile, the clown pushed his hands against each other as a red sinister aura erupted all around him. "Lowly nameless demon," the clown said. "I, Roku, the loyal servant of Silver; the master who has named me, shall make you regret your life choices! "Out of everything that you could have done in your miserable life, you chose to oppose my master who was generous enough to give you some sort of hope by escaping¡­ pathetic!" His voice was rising with each passing second, and so was his confidence. "Now, let me teach you to respect the powers and ranks we demons so highly hold!" He said as countless demonic ghosts danced around him, their howls were akin to haunted spirits that were hungry enough to eat anything in their way. "Oh, if it makes the situation any better, you should know that I hold the legendary rank of a Demon Lord... so don''t feel bad when you feel your soul being shattered into nothingness, ok?" Although he had expected something, even a single reaction, from the person in front of him, he didn''t find it weird that he was unable to move a muscle or even speak in his presence. As Roku was about to unleash the power of his ghosts, a maniacally dark and sadistic, yet amused,ugh thundered from the man in front of him. "Kfufufufufu!" Abbadonughed while passing his hand through his dark hair, pushing the two golden strands aside. "You surely jest. But that''s alright, you did make me feel just a tiny bit better about my uselessness to my mistress¡­ at least I know that someone is as useless as you are to their master-" Without waiting for him toprehend what he had just said, Abbadon flickered in the air and appeared next to Roku. Taking a second to look around, Roku realized that his ghosts were nowhere to be found. Panic started rising in his heart as Abbadon''s gloved hand touched his shoulder. He felt like a helpless insect that was caught by a spider''s web. But what made it more terrifying was that, in his case, the spider has its mouth already open and ready to consume him whole. "Ah, for your information," Abbadon muttered. "My name is Abbadon. I am mydy''s executioner. Oh, and by the way, I am also a daemon¡­ feel honoured to have died by my hands-" Before being able to hear thest word, Roku''s soul was banished into the bottomless void. "Pathetic," Abbadon snarled in anger and disappointment. Clenching his fists, a thought crossed his mind, ''maybe if I can get some information from Silver about that girl¡­ maybe¡­ my mistress will get back to her normal cheerful smile? I''d surely be useful then!'' The thought alone was enough to make him feel happy. *** "My kind mistress," Maeve said while kneeling in front of Raven. "I am here with the three Sins as you''ve requested." "Good," Raven said while looking at the three demon lords who looked terrified by looking at her expression, but she didn''t mind. "I realize that I haven''t given you two weeks as originally nned, but we have to move on. Do you think the three are ready?" Looking at Orange, Green, and Cyan, Maeve raised her eyebrows. They each nodded in response. "Yes, my kind mistress," Maeve then confirmed. "Good," Raven said as she approached Orange first. Touching his head, she was about to name him, before being suddenly stopped by a tug on her mind. ''Wait,'' Tu said. ''Let me activate my blessing, it should help you with the mana cost since your own mana is terribly low inparison.'' ''Me too!'' Gaia said. Nodding silently, Raven watched as a system notification shed in her mind. [The Blessings: Sacred Contract of the Crimson Monarch and Passion of the Mother Spirit has been activated.] Feeling her power increase, Raven started the naming rituals. ''Although I don''t have ess to my skill Apprentice of the Primordial Light, this should be enough for now, they can evolve further in the future.'' One by one, the demon lords were named by Raven, whom they have sworn to be loyal to. "Aamon," Raven said to the orange haired demon, previously called Orange. "You shall be my daemon of strength and might, you now are my Indestructible Shield. "Levi," Raven said to the demon girl with the green hair, previously called Green. "You shall be my daemon of trickery and stealth, you now are my Ghostly Assassin. "And, Bel," Raven said to the Cyan haired demon, previously called Cyan. "You shall be my daemon of chaos and control, you now are my Dark Necromancer. "My daemons¡­ Rise!" Chapter 210 - Preparing For War Part 2 "Aamon," Raven said to the orange haired demon, previously called Orange. "You shall be my daemon of strength and might, you now are my Indestructible Shield. "Levi," Raven said to the demon girl with the green hair, previously called Green. "You shall be my daemon of trickery and stealth, you now are my Ghostly Assassin. "And, Bel," Raven said to the Cyan haired demon, previously called Cyan. "You shall be my daemon of chaos and control, you now are my Dark Necromancer. "My servants¡­ Rise!" Instantly, a system message shed through her mind. [Notice. [Naming Ritual has beenpleted. [This naming Ritual has been blessed by The Mother Spirit, and The Crimson Monarch. [Pilot has sessfully named three demon lords, thus evolving them into a different race: daemons. [Pilot has sessfully created a rank One Star subordinate: Aamon, daemon of strength and might, the Indestructible Shield. [Pilot has sessfully created a rank One Star subordinate: Levi, daemon of trickery and stealth, the Ghostly Assassin. [Pilot has sessfully created a rank One Star subordinate: Bel, daemon of chaos and control, the Dark Necromancer. [The three new subordinates have been automatically added to the Oasis. [Commencing evolution¡­] With that, blinding light covered their bodies, moments before dissipating into thin air. The trio kneeled in front of Raven with smiles on their faces. Aamon, even though kneeling, looked like a giant for how tall and big he has be. His orange hair and matching eyes were left unchanged, yet a tattoo of a golden shield was weaved under his left eye, on his cheek. Levi''s body was left, more or less, unchanged. Her eyes were as green as her long hair. But additionally, four beautiful bracelets of gold were stered around her wrists and just above her ankles, one on each limb. Bel seemed to get slightly taller. Just like the others, his original features were left unchanged. However, a golden tattoo of a skull was created on the back of his left palm. [Notice. [Gifts are in order. Does Pilot give consent for-] ''Do it,'' Raven interrupted. [Giving out gifts¡­] Waiting a few moments for each to choose their skills and match it to their own skill set, Raven noticed a new string of notifications. [Sessful. Sessful. Sessful. [Sharing the skills: Plunder and Saint of Life with entity Aamon... [Additional rewards can be gained due to the entity being a higher ranker. Absorbing the two skills and integrating a new one. [Draining Shield: Any attack that is countered will be negated, losing its effect proportionally to the difference in power between the caster and the opponent. Additionally, the negated portion of the attack can be thenunched as an attack of its own. [... [Sharing the skills: Stealth Master and The Elders'' Scrolls with entity Levi. [Additional rewards can be gained due to the entity being a higher ranker. Absorbing the two skills and integrating a new one. [Master of Craft: The caster is able to create any weapon as long as she has the blueprint in mind. Additionally, she is able to quickly master any weapon she touches, weather created by herself or a different being. [... [Sharing the skills: Dominator and Summoner with entity Bel... [Additional rewards can be gained due to the entity being a higher ranker. Absorbing the two skills and integrating a new one. [Chaos Puppeteer: The caster is able to dominate and instantly kill an opponent of lower rank. Opponents that are killed this way are automatically revived as puppets that follow the caster''s everymand. [This effect can also be applied to any strong being that is already dead with its soul intact, however, if its soul is too strong for the caster, the skill will not work. [Lastly, puppets that are made this way are immortal and can regenerate infinitely, at the cost of mana, until the caster dismisses them. And they can be stored in the caster''s shadow as well as summoned at any time.] Receiving their gifts made their smiles even wider. Levi who was uncertain before had no more doubt in her mistress''s powers whatsoever. Although something about the four bracelets around her limbs felt¡­ contradictory to her beliefs. ''Kay, how did they all gain a rank of Star One? Are they the same rank as Maeve who was named while using the skill Apprentice of the Primordial Light?'' Raven asked as she was confused. ''No,'' Ka shook her head. ''Even though they have the same rank, you can clearly see that Maeve is closer to achieving rank Star Two. ''If you want to go into the detail, you can look at it their stars''position: ''Aamon: Hepta S; ''Levi: Hexa S; ''Bel: Hexa S; and, ''Maeve: Octa S. ''So even if they are technically all Star One, there''s a clear difference in powers.'' ''I see,'' Raven though while shifting her attention to the four demons kneeling in front of her. "Alright, you have two minutes to ready up, we''re going to fight Silver head on." Saying that, she disappeared from her spot. "Maeve¡­ I can see where you gained powers and confidence from," Levi said while looking Maeve in the eyes. "I only envy that you were named before me, thus gaining more power that enables you to serve our mistress better. But watch your steps, because I will surpass you very soon¡­" "I look forward to that," Maeve smiled charmingly, making Levi blush, highlighting her surprise. "I will happily provide my help any time if you require it. I am aware of thepetition, but I''d rather see my kind mistress happy than anything. "So if you''re able to make her happier and protect those she loves, I shall grant you my full help and support, Levi." "Idiot-" Levi muttered shyly, before disappearing from her spot. She needed to gather her troops after all. Not a second after, both Aamon and Bel were already gone. Smiling, Maeve teleported outside of the castle to make sure her beasts were ready for theing fight. ''I guess I can call my archdemons as well¡­'' ¡­ "Should I tell my mom or just leave quietly?" Raven wondered while standing at the entrance of the training hall. "But she can''t know about Maya yet¡­" Watching Maria fight against Keith with astonishing azure wings unfurled behind her, Raven clutched her heart as this made many emotions swirl around in her heart. ''These azure wings-'' Not being able to continue, she felt a touch on her shoulder, startling her. As stressed as she was, Raven was instantly on guard as she almost cut the person''s head in half with her golden mana sh. "!!!!!" Quickly dismissing her attack Raven was greeted with Liz''s tearful eyes. "You were going to cut me down?" She asked, shaking. "Shhhh," Raven shushed her while taking her farther away from the training hall. "Why would you startle me like that!?" *Sniff* "I- I''m sorry," Liz sniffed. "I didn''t mean to! I even called your name many times, you were just distracted¡­ I thought that maybe you needed a nudge but- maybe I was wrong, I''m sorry!" Chapter 211 - Preparing For War Part 3 "Shhhh," Raven shushed her while taking her farther away from the training hall. "Why would you startle me like that!?" *Sniff* "I- I''m sorry," Liz sniffed. "I didn''t mean to! I even called your names many times, you were just distracted¡­ I thought that maybe you needed a nudge but- maybe I was wrong¡­" *Sigh* "It''s ok, I''m sorry I should have kept focus on my surroundings," Raven sighed while hugging Liz who seemed as afraid as a puppy without its mother. "Why are you not training with them?" "Oh, um¡­ I can''t¡­" Liz said while releasing Raven, and suddenly feeling cold. "I can''t." She repeated. "To be honest with you, right now, I''m¡­ *sigh* I''m still terrified of fighting¡­ even though you have control over my powers and I''m basically powerless now, I can''t bring myself to fight, or even practice fighting¡­ "I can''t even hold a knife to cut my food because all I''d see would be dyed with blood¡­ heck, I can''t even taste food¡­ I- wait! No, I was joking! I can taste food!" Liz realised that she had spilled out a secret that she had decided to keep for herself, amongst others. "It''s ok," Raven shook her head. "We know¡­" "You do?" Liz was surprised, yet almost relieved. "Uhm," Raven nodded. "You know, you act so tough sometimes, but at the same time, you act like a little baby. "But the truth is¡­ you''re trying so hard to hide your true feelings¡­ the fear, loneliness, istion, and everything else¡­ you know that you don''t have to, right?" Raven asked Liz who looked serious for the first time ever. "But¡­ how am I supposed to share my burden with you or the rest when I was the reason you¡­ the reason you lost-" Liz could not finish her sentence before sumbing to her weak heart and tearful eyes. Seeing her cry for real was enough to hurt Raven, "hey, it''s ok¡­" she said while hugging her shaking body. "But I was-" "Shush, it told you to stay quiet, right?" Raven asked while shushing her. "You can always cry on my shoulder, you''ve been through hell yourself. I know it wasn''t directly you who did what has been done. "But it''s alright because I can fix it all¡­ it''s alright. Ok?" While Liz didn''t understand that Raven had already found Maya, she understood she was honest with her feelings, thus, she didn''t find it hard to cry on her shoulder until she was feeling better. "Thank you, Rave," Liz said while trying to rpose herself. Hugging Raven even tighter, she felt that she couldn''t let go of her. "Thank you, for everything, and for being my everything¡­" slowly letting go of her felt hard, yet she pressed on. "I''ll leave you to whatever you were doing, hehe," Liz forced a chuckle. "I''ll go watch their training. Who knows, maybe I''ll learn something that way." She said while jogging away. "Liz," Raven called. "Don''t force yourself¡­ and you know, you can call me whenever you need someone to cut your food, I''ll help you." Hearing that, Liz felt her heart ache for how good Raven was. "Thank you!" Was all she said, but the feelings in her heart were far stronger. "Aye, no worries, I''ll see you around!" Raven said with a smile before disappearing from her spot. "Apologies, and thanks for waiting," Raven said to the four daemons. She had felt Maeve''s presence earlier, but she had left the moment she realised that her mistress was in the midst of a personal conversation. Seeing her stressed expression, Raven could not help but chuckle. "Alright, let''s get going." "Lady Raven," Maeve called while trying to hide her embarrassment and guilt for interrupting her mistress''s conversation. "Is it possible to invite our subordinates as well?" "Hm, for sure," Raven said, "during the scouting mission, it was clear that there were countless demonic beasts around Silver''s nest, so they should be able to help." [Notice. [Would Pilot like to share Oasis with subordinates?] ''Eh?'' Raven was surprised by the notification. ''What effect would that have on them?'' [Oasis will help Pilot''s subordinates in gifting their own subordinates and evolving them. They will be treated as Pilot''s subordinates as well.] ''Hm, sure do that then,'' Raven said. Watching as her daemon''s received the notification from the system, she could see them smile happily. [Sessful! [Updating followers for each subordinate¡­ [Would Pilot like to view the results?] ''Nope, let''s just get going,'' Raven said as she had just felt Abbadon engage in a seriousbat. ''He is probably fighting against Silver¡­ that idiot!'' Gritting her teeth, Raven made sure everyone was ready before teleporting them all near the castle. She had purposefully left an anchor so that was not a problem. As soon as they arrived at the location, Raven instantly put up a barrier, as did everyone else. For some reason, the air seemed corrosive and radiating with anti life energy. Raven could not help but widen her eyes at the sight in front of her. Everything had changed so drastically that she wasn''t sure if she was in the same ce she was in just a few minutes ago. The forest was no more, the snow was no more, and most importantly, the castle was no more. Heck, even the sky seemed a dark red in this region, as if someone had called forth god''s wrath. The dark mist that covered the area only strengthened that im. All Raven was able to see was Abbadon with his back towards her, facing four individuals that were wearing simr clothes and masks, resembling different types of terrifying looking clowns. In Abbadon''s hand, Raven could see what seemed to be a severed head that was still dripping blood. Silver was being shielded by his subordinates as his left arm and shoulder were all missing. ''How long have they been fighting for?'' Raven asked in her mind since she could swear they had only started just a few seconds ago. Yet the area all around them was telling a different story. ''No, you''re right,'' Ka said. ''They have only started a few seconds ago, but Abbadon has gotten serious from the start¡­e to think of it, this is the first time we''ve ever seen him fighting seriously.'' Raven and the rest of her subordinates looked in awe at the scene and didn''t know what to do, ''Would we not just be a hindrance?'' ¡­ Abbadon who felt his mistress''s presence felt his sadistic smile widen. "Oh, My Lady is here to witness your end, let''s not make her wait for long, ok?" Crushing the severed masked head in his hand, blood sttered all around him, making Silver and his subordinates shiver in fear. Chapter 212 - A Display Of Prowess Abbadon who could suddenly sense Raven''s presence felt his sadistic smile widen. "Oh, it appears that My Lady is here to witness your end, let''s not make her wait for long, ok?" Crushing the severed masked head in his hand, blood sttered all around him while not even a single drop touched him because of the thin mana barrier around him. This little show of dominance, apanied by his aura and the fact that he''s just killed one of them in a blink of an eye, was enough to make Silver and his three subordinates shiver in fear. The daemons and their subordinates couldn''t help but gulp loudly and thank their mistress for somehow taming Abbadon, otherwise, the whole Demon ne would have been done for. Noticing that his mistress hadn''t ordered him to stop, Abbadon assumed that he could go on, and so he did. Snapping his fingers while muttering a few words, Abbadon activated his Ultra Skill: Domain of the Sinners. While it didn''t seem to change anything to the onlookers, the three clowns and their master feltpletely and instantly drained from mana. They were locked in an anti magic area. "B*stard, isn''t magic your strongest weapon as well?" One of the clowns muttered. He was the one who had bloody scratches along his mask, covering it from top to bottom. "Why did you cast the anti-magic area? "Don''t tell me that you think you''re strong enough to take the three of us, together with our master, in meleebat alone? Because that would be a mere illusion and I''d be happy to prove you wrong!" "Tch," Abbadon clicked his tongue. "Somehow, your low level of intelligence doesn''t surprise me." Hearing that, the clown who just spoke felt his blood boil from anger. "First of all, yes, I can kill all of you without using my magic," Abbadon continued while observing his gloves in boredom. "Second of all, trapping you in an anti magic area doesn''t mean that I''m restricting my own magic use," as if to demonstrate, he snapped his fingers. Surprisingly enough, no other sound was heard but the sound of Abbadon''s fingers. However, the moment the clowns looked at each other, they realised that someone was now missing; there were only two of them with their master. "No, way¡­" the other clown muttered while dropping to his knees. He had a mask that resembled a smiling skull. "Master, help us!" He yelled in the midst of his panic attack. The one with the bloody scratches was in no better position and simply looked at Silver as his body shook in defeat and despair. "Last of all, and this one''s for you Silver," Abbadon muttered while focusing his deadly gaze on the clowned figure that was hiding behind his two subordinates. "My mistress has some questions for you so you better keep your sanity, am I making myself clear?" Seeing that he didn''t respond, Abbadon flickered next to him and held onto his shoulder. "I said, am I making myself clear?" Suddenly, as if realising something for the first time, Abbadon''s grit his teeth while grabbing Silvers head and then instantly smashing him against the ground. Surprisingly enough, the ground was only destroyed in one enclosed spot, as if a barrier blocked the shockwave from travelling further. Abbadon purposefully did that to prevent killing the other two clowns instantly. After all, he needed someone to answer his questions. ''You must be joking¡­'' the masked clown with the bloody scratches muttered as he fell onto the ground. ''He wasn''t joking when he said that he could kill us all with his bare hands¡­'' "Master!" The masked clown with the smiling skull was crying inside his mask. "How did you kill our master!??" ring his aura, he knew he was already dead, but he wanted to at least detonate his body and cause some damage to this fiend in front of him. ''I can not let a monster like you live after killing my dear master and friends! Please, run Lace!'' he thought while looking at the other masked clown. Just as he was about to explode himself, he felt a tap on his shoulder¡­ and that was the end of him. No explosion, no body, no blood, heck, not even a single scream. He was instantly banished into the depth of the void. "You," Abbadon muttered clearly as his golden iresis and red pupils gazed into thest masked clown, the one with the bloody scratches. "Was Silver always a clone, or did he switch when I first arrived here?" He had realised the moment he touched him, that the Silver that was left here was just a clown and that is why he had killed him Instead of questioning him. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" The clown named Lace suddenly startedughing like a maniac. "Why would I tell you? You are going to kill me anyway!" "Tch, you''re not wrong," Abbadon clicked his tongue. "But you could have died without being tormented endlessly, now that''s just a happy dream that you''ll always think about for eternity." Hearing that, the clown knew that he had made the mistake of his life. Activating his native Ultra Skill: Sin of Hatred, Abbadon was able to easily read Lace''s mind. ''Hm, so the b*stard did not discuss the n with any of his subordinates anyway¡­ and from what I can tell, he had left the moment he had lost his arm, during the initial impact. ''I bet he''s at that traitor''s castle right now, I''ll have to obliterate both of them sooner orter, so it''s alright, I guess¡­ As for you¡­'' Looking at the clown in front of him, Abbadon smiled sadistically while activating some of his skills: Anti-Magic Area, Space Istion, Mind Prison, andstly, Temptation for Hatred. ''Hm, if you survive, maybe you can be brought back to serve me and my mistress as a loyal servant,'' Abbadon thought as he snapped his fingers, ''if Maeve could utilize our enemies, then so could I¡­'' Snapping his fingers, Abbadon instantly sent the clown into an isted space where he would be tormented until released.. There was no other way out of that space unless allowed by the caster. Chapter 213 - Respecting Orders "Lady Raven," Abbadon bowed deeply to his mistress as a small, yet proud, smile painted his face, "I have taken care of Silver''s subordinates, but unfortunately, he was able to escape. "However, rest assured that I know his roundabouts. Additionally, I believe that I can take care of him on my own, there''s no need for you to tire yourself, my mistress." "Ho~ is that so?" Raven asked while slowly approaching Abbadon. She wasn''t smiling. No, her expression was enough to fill the daemons and their subordinates'' hearts with fear. "Yes, mis-" SLAP!! Widening his eyes in surprise, it took Abbadon a few moments to realise what had just happened. Looking up from his position, he watched as his mistress had a frown on her face while massaging her hand. "This is thest time you ever act on your own ord, am I making myself clear, Abbadon?" Raven spoke in a serious tone. The army behind her felt pitiful and sorry for Abbadon who thought that he was doing a wonderful job. But at the same time, almost everyone was wondering what would happen next. Seeing that Abbadon has now shifted his gaze towards his mistress, they all readied themselves to fight him, thinking that someone of his status would never allow himself to be humiliated in such a manner. After all, they''ve all seen his power''s first hand, but the same could not be said for their mistress. And although they believed in her prowess, they knew not to underestimate Abbadon. "Are you deaf?" Raven said to the frozen Abbadon. "Am I making myself clear? You''re not allowed to move a finger without my permission, do you understand?" Holding their breaths, the army watched with their hearts racing. The only person who knew the oue of this encounter was Maeve who only smiled. "Yes, Lady Raven," Abbadon finally spoke with his head down in shame and disappointment. "I shall never act on my own ord, and I shall never lift a finger without your permission, my kind mistress." Hearing that, everyone seemed to blink twice to make sure that they weren''t imagining things. ''You need to learn that our mistress wishes for order, Abbadon, you can''t act on your own since that''s the key for chaos.'' Maeve thought to herself feeling bad for her senior. ''I do find it pitiful though... that you had to be the one to receive our mistress''s punishment. After all, amongst us, you''re the one who loves her the most¡­'' "Good," Raven said while turning around with the frown still on her face. ''Thank you, Tu, for letting me borrow your strength for a second there¡­'' [The Blessing: The Sacred Contract of the Crimson Monarch has been externally deactivated] ''Ah, no worries,'' Tu smiled while deactivating his blessing. "Now, give your report, Abbadon," Raven continued while feeling bad for him. ''I only did this to teach you, and everyone else, that you can''t get arrogant for whatever little power you have. ''Someone out there is more powerful than you are and one slip like this one is enough to get you killed¡­ ''And I''m sorry if I''m selfish, but I will not lose anyone, ever again¡­'' Of course this thought never left her mind. "Yes, mistress," Abbadon said, feeling that uttering the name of his mistress is a disgrace for her now. Especially, after he had acted independently the way he did. ''How could I act as if my mistress did not exist? ''What was I thinking, going out on my own without asking the permission of the person I admire the most? ''How could I disregard the opinion of my ruler? The one who has every right over my life? What a disgrace I am¡­'' Abbadon could not believe his own actions now that he took a second to think about them. "Nothing is certain," he started his report, focusing back on his mistress while only looking at her shoes as he felt that he wasn''t worthy of admiring her face anymore. "But from my knowledge, and considering the fact that I have eliminated every one of his subordinates, my best guess would be that Silver is currently with Yellow, the Sin of Greed." "I see," Raven simply said while consulting Ka and thinking about the next steps. ''Something doesn''t set right, how did Silver escape Abbadon who had just disyed such powers? ''Also, what does Silver wish to aplish by escaping to Yellow''s pce if it''s the first ce Abbadon would think to chase after? No¡­ something is not right-'' Just as she thought that, a thunderous explosion blinded everyone as it was aimed to take their lives. Activating their mana barriers, Abbadon and Raven were able to stop the attack in its tracks. Looking upwards in the sky, Raven saw a figure flying in the air, two pairs of feathery wings beating behind them. "Looks like all of the troublemakers are in one spot," the voice called. "Perfect! It''s payback time!" With that, the figure disappeared and reappeared in front Abbadon as a sonic punch connected to thetter''s jaw. Abbadon stood his ground and took the hit head on. The shockwave alone was enough to create countless cracks and fissures in the already broken ground. As a result, some parts turned into pure dust that covered the area, reducing visibility even more. The figure forced a difference in mana concentration that made the dust clear away, making way for Abbadon''s face to be apparent. "You haven''t moved an inch!" The figure eximed. "This is it! Just like the old times! Give it to me ck! Give me your wrath, and your hatred! I want it all!" ''Is this it?'' Abbadon uttered in disgust. The pain in his heart was more than enough to make this punch look like a child''s y. Looking at his mistress, humbly, she simply nodded. "Thank you, my kind mistress," he said with a bow, ignoring the figure. Looking at her attire, he was happy that dust was nowhere to be found on her. It meant that his little barrier had gotten the job done. "You''re Silver, I''m assuming?" Abbadon asked while slowly dusting himself off. "Tch, yeah don''t tell me you don''t remember the taste of my punch?" He asked, almost offended. "Also, what''s up with that attitude of yours?" "Nothing of your concern," He replied. "Oh, and my name is Abbadon. It''s a dear name to my heart, gifted by the mistress that I adore, so you better respect it." "Oh, that makes sense!" Silver said. "You did try to protect herst time." Looking at Silver''s new form Abbadon seemed slightly confused since his wings weren''t demonic, but rather looked closer to the angelic kin. "Seems like you''re far away from home, don''t you say?" Abbadon asked while cracking his knuckles and neck. He was mainly hinting that an angel should be in the celestial ne and not the demons''. He wanted to extract as much information as possible, for his mistress''s sake. "Heh~ seems like you''re not just a stupid demon after all," Silver teased. "Yes, I''m far superior to all of you. I had to consume a demon lord to regain a portion of my power, thus allowing me to get back my real form. "So, you''ve concluded right, I am an angel and I am going to conquer the Demon ne, now bow to me!" Saying that, he spread his wings even wider as a big confident smile painted his face. Chapter 214 - Abbadon Vs Silver Part 1 "I am superior to all of you? Bow to me?" Abbadon repeated after Silver in an ice cold tone. "How dare a fallen angel mutter such filth in the presence of my mistress? "You''ve fallen from grace, haven''t you? You''re a disgrace to your own kind as much as you''re a disgrace to yourself. "I may as well be doing the worlds a favour by getting rid of you!" With that, Abbadon retracted his aura into his body as a serious and deadly expression painted his face. Seeing that, Raven teleported away while at the same time ordering her army to retreat and watch from a safe distance. ''I can easily tell that Silver is stronger than Abbadon, but I doubt that will stop him from showing his best in front of me. ''I will give him a few minutes of solobat before giving him a hand, let this be a lesson for him. There''s always someone stronger...'' Watching intently as Abbadon almost erased his presence by consuming all of his mana, Raven suddenly noticed a change in Abbadon''s form. ''Ho~ Kay, what is he doing?'' she asked. ''Err, here, let me show you¡­'' saying that, a couple of system notifications shed in Raven''s mind. [Abbadon has used his Unique Skill: True Form Unleashed, thus granting himself power over daemon magic, also known as curse magic. [As a result, Abbadon''s magic skill Mana Maniption has been converted into Curse Maniption.] ''Oh, well that''s new¡­'' Raven thought to Ka while observing closely. Not a second after, Abbadon''s body turned all ck as his physical body started turning into what seemed to be a terrifying ghostly presence of dark, or rather, curse energy. Looking at his rank, Raven widened her eyes at what she saw. ''No way¡­ he has just gone up by a whole Star! He''s ranked as Three Stars now¡­'' Gritting her teeth, Raven understood that this may cause a terrible pressure on Gaia''s body. ''Abbadon, end this quickly, I don''t want your aura to corrode the and hurt our allies,'' Raven said through their mind link while checking on Gaia who seemed to be fine for now. ''Yes, O'' kind mistress,'' Abbadon said sincerely. Raven sighed in relief seeing that he had responded rather quickly which indicated that he was still in control of his senses and was still loyal to her. ''Maeve, Aamon, Levi, and Bel,'' Raven called through her mind link. ''Your responsibility is to protect your own subordinates, make sure none of them gets hurt. Feel free to observe from afar orpletely retreat if you have to.'' ''Yes, mistress!'' all said simultaneously. They appreciated that she didn''t want any of them to get hurt, but at the same time, they wanted to see what Abbadon, their senior, was capable of. "HAHAHA!! That''s more like it!!" Silverughed like a maniac. "Show me your strength! Make this dull job just a tiny bit interesting!!" Saying that, Silver released his aura while beating his ck wings behind him, prompting the fallen feathers to form rings around him. Energy radiated out of him menacingly. Looking up in his direction, Raven realized that both Silver and Abbadon were radiating with simr amounts of power. The only difference being that Silver''s kept increasing with each passing second. Not wanting to waste more of his mistress''s precious time or risk damaging the, Abbadon snapped his fingers, activating his three ultra skills, one by one. Domain of the Sinners, Baneful Executioner, and Sin of Hatred. Teleporting behind Silver, he set up his anti-magic area while at the same time applying his skills: Eyes of the Sinner and Blood Seal. Silver found it hard to move for just an instance, however, that was more than enough for Abbadon who followed that with the activation of Mind Control, Chaos Unleashed, and Temptation for Hatred. His goal was to damage Silver''s mind as much as possible since this was the most effective weapon against angels, especially with his skills that used the might of curses instead of normal mana. Curses were the foundations of the ancient demon magic, an art that not many know of, and in this new age only daemons were capable of using it. Mind control and Temptation for Hatred worked hand in hand in urging the target to develop feelings of hatred towards the caster. Once that condition has been met, the caster would gain a massive advantage by gaining the ability to anticipate and counter every move performed by the target. Of course this effect ought to vary in strength in response to changes in power difference between the caster and their opponents. Chaos Unleashed enabled Abbadon to unleash the power of chaos and strengthen himself even more. Applying his skill: Execution at the moment Silver was still frozen, Abbadon was able to siphon arge portion of his life-force and power, thus empowering himself beyond what''s usually possible. Lastly, he activated his skills: All to Ashes, Void Particles, and Corrosive Energy. Against normal opponents, All to Ashes would have simply been their end, as Abbadon has once demonstrated against the demonic titans that have attacked the Human ne a while back. But against someone as powerful as Silver, it wasn''t guaranteed to generate such an effect. That''s why he chose tobine it with his Corrosive Energy, Void Particles and Curse Maniption. Smiling, Abbadon condensed this energy that was radiating with immense power, and created tworge sets of ws that reced his normal hands. The ws matched his ghostly figure that made him look like a terrifying monster that is only seen in nightmares. The moment Silver was aware of his surroundings again, he realised that arge portion of his body was already gone. The nightmarish ws were able to instantly corrode anything they touched and instantly banish it into the depth of the bottomless void. Regenerating his body instantly, Silver flickered away. ''It hurts!!'' he screamed in his mind. ''How could this be?!! I''m supposed to be a powerful angel and devils should have no might against me! ''How could this filthy creaturey a hand on me? How could he cause me pain?!'' Chapter 215 - Abbadon Vs Silver Part 2 The nightmarish ws were able to instantly corrode anything they touched and instantly banish it into the depth of the bottomless void. Regenerating his body instantly, Silver flickered away. ''It hurts!!'' he screamed in his mind. His specialty was regeneration and sustainability. That was the reason he hadn''t died a long time ago when the entirety of the seven Sins hadbined their attacks into one against him. However, this was the first time he''d felt such a terrifyingly painful feeling. Additionally, his body has lost a massive portion of its energy from that single attack that his regeneration powers were almost insufficient to keep up. While he was lucky this time, nothing guaranteed his survival in the next blow. "You devil scum! I''ll destroy you!!" Silver yelled in hatred and spite. There was no way he would forgive this filthy and lowly devil who had managed to harm him. "You shall taste my wrath and hatred!" "I have already done so," Abbadon said while licking his lips sadistically, "quite tasty I must say!" "Tch, die!" Silver simply clicked his tongue while gathering every bit of energy he had, not understanding what Abbadon had actually meant. "Although it is a regretful decision I have to make¡­ I shall restrain myself from torturing you and instead I will just end you swiftly, filthy devil!" Disappearing from his spot, Silver appeared behind Abbadon with a massive sword that suddenly materialised between his two hands. Although no one could see his smile from under his mask, that didn''t stop him from grinning widely. ''There is no way for anyone to avoid my attack, you''re done for, b*stard!'' Striking with all of his might, a massive mana sh was released from the sword. The attack was directly targeting Abbadon who had no way of escaping. Contrary to what most of the daemons watching had expected, there was no sound, no explosion, and nothing else but a radiant white light that was suddenly extinguished. "Eh? What happened? Where''s my explosion?" Silver wondered out loud. "Ah, that was truly painful," Abbadon''s voice was cold as ever, but his eyes were closed shut as if to savour the pain. "I''m happy however¡­ "I''ll make sure to remember that this is just what a disgraceful fallen angel is capable of. I wouldn''t want to endure my mistress''s punishment, for her might is iparable to anyone else. "But anyhow, that attack would have managed to eternally damage thend if I hadn''t stopped it, and in case you haven''t realised yet, the entirety of thisnd belongs to my mistress now. "Needless to say, you are not allowed to wreak havoc in hernd!" Opening his eyes that radiated with power, Abbadon watched Silver''s body shaking like a broken doll. "You weren''t supposed to survive this attack!!" Silver yelled. "Hm, indeed," Abbadon said thoughtfully. "It would have been able to mortally damage me¡­ however, have you forgotten that you''re a sinner? "Remember that hate and spite you expressed just a few seconds ago? Sinners have no power against me!" He said while at the same time thanking his mistress who had aided him in the fight. ''To aid someone who is most deserving of your wrath, my mistress, you are truly a kind and merciful one!'' Smiling coldly, Abbadon dug his deadly ws into Silver''s body and slowly separated the head from the body, as if removing the bones from an overly cooked fish. Holding Silver, or rather, his head, Abbadon dismissed his skills and regained his old form. "I trust that even a filthy fallen angel like yourself is able tost quite a bit of time without your body, kfufufu! "My mistress has some questions to ask, so you better answer each of them with the utmost care and honesty, else I''ll make sure you suffer." Seeing his smile, Silver knew that he was done for. Approaching his mistress, Abbadon kneeled and presented Silver to her. "Thank you, my kind mistress, for supporting me during the fight." Raven looked at him coldly while dismissing her Crimson ymore, well, Tu''s ymore. She had noticed that it might be too troublesome for Abbadon to negate Silver''s attack on his own, that''s why she had used the ymore''s Effect which took away 30% of Silver''s power while supplying that to Abbadon as a power boost. Approaching Abbadon, Raven tapped his head in a patting manner, even though her face was as cold as before. "Never ever in your life as my servant take an attack head-on if you are able avoid it. "I gave you the power to protect yourself and everyone else, yet you chose to voluntarily harm your body. This will never happen again, do you understand? "Although I was- no, although I am still angry with you, I have never stopped caring for you. I don''t want you to harm yourself thinking that I would feel pleasure watching such a thing. "I repeat for thest time, do you understand?" Raven asked. Hearing her words, Abbadon''s face twisted like a baby that was about to cry, as evident by his tearful eyes. ''What type of idiot am I¡­'' he thought, letting go of his tears and pride. ''My mistress is so kind that the thought of her stupid servant getting harmed had forced her to use her own sacred power to defend me¡­ ''Yet after all of that, I neglected her care and instead inflicted harm and pain upon myself... ''I am not worthy of her love or care¡­ How do I keep making such stupid mistake? How could I not realise that her kind heart would ache at the sight of me getting hurt?'' "My- my mistress- I-..." Abbadon stuttered, unable to speak from his guilt and sadness. Seeing that, the daemons and their subordinates'' were left speechless with their mouths wide open. Each and every one of them, including Maeve, was in a deep state of disbelief. ''Abbadon is crying?'' they all wondered if this was an illusion. ''No no, it''s true! Abbadon is crying!!!!'' *Sigh* "It''s ok," Raven softly patted his head. "You are my loyal servant and, at the same time, my baneful executioner. You can''t start crying like this, alright? "I am merely teaching you what you need to know and how you need to act, that''s all. "Will you be so kind and wipe away your tears? You don''t want to give your enemy the pleasure of seeing you in this state now, do you?" ''He is just like a baby who''s been scolded by his mother¡­'' Raven thought while trying to ignore Ka''sughter in the back of her mind. ''This is so embarrassing¡­'' Shaking his head while forcing himself to recover, Abbadon nodded. Opening his eyes again, no tears were in sight, yet one could easily tell that he was still not his usual self. "Thank you, my kind mistress," he said. "You can call me Lady Raven like you used to, Abbadon," she smiled. "Yes," Abbadon struggled to keep hisposure against his mistress''s care and kindness. "Yes, Lady Raven." Smiling softly, Raven stopped patting him and instead adopted a serious expression while looking at the bodiless head. "Now.... Silver, was it?" She muttered with a sadistic smile. Chapter 216 - Understanding The Threats *Sigh* "So let me get this straight," Raven sighed while holding Silver''s head in her hand. "You''re an angel who has fallen from grace, or rather have been kicked from the Celestial ne? "And now you''re trying to destroy this, because it has failed ''the test''?" "Yes, your highness," Silver said, not knowing what else to call this girl who held his fate within her hands, quite literally. "I was offered a mission from the seraphim. I could have been epted back into the Celestial ne if I had seeded my mission-" "That is none of my concern," Raven interrupted while shaking her head. "First, I care about what you''re saying about failing the test. Second, are you saying that the girl you were talking to was the one who had told you to destroy Earth?" Raven asked with a nk face. She wasn''t trying to hide her emotions, no. She didn''t know what to feel about that... "Yes, your highness," Silver said again. "ording to the seraph that spoke to me, this has failed their tests many times, and it was time to end it. "Also, that angel, err, girl, was actually one of the seraphim who hade to that conclusion and gave me my orders." "You''re not making sense," Raven gritted her teeth while tightening her grip around his head, "who are those seraphim? What are they? Why is Maya asking you to destroy the!?" "Your- your highness," Silver struggled to speak from the pain, "the seraphim are the angels that are responsible for judging the mortal realms. "There are four such angels, and they are called the Seraphim of the End, mostly because those who hear of them end up meeting their end. In the celestial realm, they are known to be the close servants of the Supreme Deity who rules this universe. "ording to what I''ve heard from them myself, they have conducted their tests on this and they''vee to the conclusion that it is not worth keeping around¡­ that''s why they want to destroy it." Hearing that, Gaia felt fear taking a hold of her. There was no way she or anyone else could stop those Seraphim. "You don''t make any sense!!!" Raven almost squashed Silver''s head between her fingers. However, she stopped as soon as she felt blood coating her fingertips since she still needed Silver alive. "Again!! Exin why would Maya want to destroy this? This is her home! Did anyone mess with her memories? What happened to her? Tell me!" "Raven¡­" Gaia spoke slowly as she materialised near her. Touching her hand gently, she smiled, trying to ease the tension on her mind. "I think I can exin¡­ in this universe, there are multiples such as myself. "Each has two nes, generally; the Material Realm, which is our Human ne, and the Sinners'' Realm which is our Demon ne." Taking a deep breath, Gaia continued. "I''ve only heard rumours, so Silver, correct me if I''m wrong. "But from what I know, I can tell you that the seraphim have the ability to create mortal vessels that are then used to observe the Material Realm, and judge the actions of the mortals there, so-" "No!" Raven''s aura suddenly burst out of her body as tears ran down her cheeks. "This can''t be true!" Understanding that Raven had quickly grasped her point, Gaia bit her lower lip. "I''m sorry¡­" "No¡­" Raven''s anger made her body shake as she struggled to keep herself from destroying the bodiless head in her hand, and anything around her for that matter. "Are you saying that Maya was just an illusion? There was never a real Maya? It was just one of those b*stards who want us dead now?" "But Raven please think about it," Gaia pleaded. "While I wasn''t always watching you since your arrival, I did witness quite a lot¡­ "Do you want to tell me that Maya, if she was indeed a judge¡­ would have been happy about the people living here? "Do you remember the poor little girl you met a few years back? The one that was mistreated in various aspects, the one that was tortured, the one who had no one to support her for the longest time¡­ what would her judgment be?" Understanding her point, Raven felt her world suddenly shatter apart. Yet, nothing made any sense, or rather, Raven did not want anything to make sense. "No, it can''t be... "I saved Maya¡­ I was her older sister, her friend and her... everything, why would she want to destroy this? Will she kill me along with Maria and Axane then? The people who took care of her- wait¡­ what am I saying? "What the hell is wrong with me? There''s no way Maya would want us dead! It must be someone controlling her! Maya¡­ I''ll save you, I promise¡­" Raven tried tofort herself, but to no avail. "Raven!" Gaia yelled. "You''re not stupid! You''ve been betrayed before haven''t you? Maya was nothing short of that! "She was doing her job as a judge and you were stupid enough to trust her, a girl that you''ve never known before! But guess what, she will end up killing us all!" Gaia was upset rather than afraid at his point. Gritting her teeth, Raven looked at Silver coldly. "So what''s going to happen now that you have failed?" "Your- Your highness," he stuttered. "I''m afraid that they will either send someone else to finish the job, or¡­ *gulp* or they mighte here themselves¡­" "Good," Raven said before throwing the head to Abbadon. "Torture him," she simply said and he nodded. Not a second after, Silver was sent to the same hell as Lace, his subordinate. While Raven could have simply used Soul Torment or any other skill to torment him, she wasn''t in the mood for games. "Maeve," Raven called as her Precious Adjudicator instantly materialised in front of her, kneeling. "From now on, you''ll be responsible for leading my army. Gather as many troops as possible and make sure they''re fit for heavybat or good support. "I''ll name those who you deem worthy to increase our overall power. And don''t forget that you have subordinates now, meaning that you can order them to help you and gather even more troops." "Yes, My Mistress," Mavee bowed deeply before disappearing with her subordinates, meaning that no one was left but Raven, Gaia, and Abbadon. "Abbadon, you will be my personal guard. But for now, you''ll go clear out portals in the Human ne to help Gaia withstand theing war. "I''ll count on you to clear out most of them, but at the same time, I''ll send some demons to help you soon," Raven said while trying to calm herself down. She was still trying to figure out a way in which she can tell what she has just learned to Maria and Axane. "Yes, Lady Raven," Abbadon bowed. "Would you like me to start now?" "Ah, just make sure to take Keith and cer with you," she said. "Actually¡­ I would not mind if you took the rest with you: Maria, Axane, Zeru, and Ae. Keep Liz for me though, I don''t want to force her intobat yet¡­" while saying that, she remembered that Ian and his small doll will be joining them. "Abbadon," Raven continued. "Make sure to let them watch and learn from you as well as apply their knowledge in practice. And needles to say, no harm will befall them, do you understand?" "Of course, Lady Raven!" Abbadon instantly said with a bow, understanding how precious those people were to her. But at the same time, he couldn''t help but smile since such a task indicated that his mistress trusts him quite a bit now. "Oh, andstly, coordinate with your three archdukes and let them get ready to be named. I want them to be strong on their own to take care of the Demon ne while we''re gone " "Yes, Lady Raven," Abbadon said. "If you''ll allow me, I''ll start now then." "Uhm, go," she nodded and he disappeared. "Raven," Ka called out in a hushed voice as she materialised next to her. "What''s your n?" "Eh? I just gave out my orders, what do you mean?" Raven asked. "Don''t y ignorant¡­" Ka said while slowly hugging Raven. "How will you bring yourself into fighting Maya? If that girl is truly her that is¡­" "It is," Raven said with a serious expression. "I''m sure of it¡­" Looking up, at the still red sky, Raven took a deep breath. "And, I will not fight Maya¡­ I don''t think I can bring myself to do something like that. However, I may have to iste her while I try to figure out what''s wrong with her. "I''ll have to find out who is the b*stard that''s controlling her," clenching her fists, she felt anger rise in her veins. ''How dare anyone touch my Maya?'' "I see, and how will you do that?" Ka asked, still hugging her. "I am not sure yet¡­ but I''ll find a way. No, I have to find a way!" Chapter 217 - Mana Refinement Part 1 ''Lady Raven,'' Raven could suddenly hear Abbadon''s voice in her mind. ''I think that you need to see this¡­'' Hearing his excited voice, she could see a magic circle materialising next to her, forming a teleportation portal. Understanding that this was Abbadon''s, she hopped into it. "What the¡­" as soon as she was brought to the other side, she felt a terrifying pressure in the air. Looking closely at the source of this pressure, she could see Maria''s figure glowing with a fierce azure while pinning Keith on the cracked floor. Smiling proudly, Keith gently tapped Maria''s wrist, prompting her to release him. Not a second after, Maria dropped on her knees, panting. Looking towards Raven that she felt looking at her, she smiled, seconds before fainting into Keith''s arms. Raven instantly flickered next to her and applied her skill: Saint of Life. Making sure that she wasn''t in any danger, but merely exhausted, she stared at Keith with a serious expression and muttered one word: "exin!" "My mistress," he said with a smile while handing her Maria. "I''ve been able to unlock Lady Maria''s hidden potential." Raven could feel his excitement, which he had never shown before, yet she still wasn''t clear of what was going on. "Exin more, what happened?" "It is what he has just said," Ae''s voice came from behind Raven, seconds before her arms wrapped around her tense body. "This Keith of yours has more to him than meets the eyes. "He was able to tell that Maria had something preventing her body from exerting its full potential, and simply helped her get rid of that, or rather control it. "They''ve been working on that for a while now, she wanted to surprise you actually, but I guess she was too tired to grin in your face." Hearing that, Raven didn''t know what to feel about it. "Keith, I want to hear it from you. What sort of powers does she have? And how were you able to remove whatever was preventing her from unleashing her full potential?" From what Raven remembered, Maria was powerless and had nothing but what she had previously injected her with, back when she had saved her life and converted her into a Soul Weaver. But even though she knew that she was the one to convert her, Raven hadn''t witnessed the process herself. ''If I remember correctly, it was one of my weird episodes where I somehow gained a different personality¡­ or something. ''I am not sure¡­ but it was that robotic me, that Cami spoke of, that had helped my mother at the time.'' "My mistress," Keith bowed. "During our training sessions with your mother, Lady Maria, I''ve conducted some mana tests to check up on her mana core, nodes and circuitry. "You can think of them as her mana heart, mana filters, and mana vessels. Unlike the natural ones most creatures have, they circte mana around the body, and not blood. "Lady Maria had her nodes set in a way that constrict her mana usage and prevent her mana core from producing its full effects. In simple terms, it was limiting her overall potential. "I have informed her of such, and ording to her will, we have decided to go on with a n that helps her fix that issue. Now, she simply has control over her mana usage." Everything sounded normal and sweet, yet Raven knew something wasn''t right. "How did you do that? In other words, what was that n you conducted, to relieve her limiters? Wouldn''t those limiters be put into ce to prevent any damage to her body in the first ce?" "It''s moreplicated than that, my mistress," Keith said calmly. "However, it is a little bit tricky to exin, may I share part of my memories about the incident with you?" "Um, sure," Raven answered. Touching her forehead, Keith used one of his skills to transfer his thoughts to his mistress. Instantly, foreign memories that weren''t hers flooded her mind. They were cut and trimmed in the way that would make the most sense and coherence to Raven. She could suddenly picture Maria''s mana core in her mind and see the familiar azure energy radiation out of it. ''But this looks so wrong¡­'' Raven muttered in her mind. ''Why is her core being destroyed and reconstructed every second? How is that possible? Why are her mana nodes almost transparent? It''s like they''re working as magnifiers rather than limiters now¡­ ''Instead of having normal paths for mana to circte through her body, it seems that her entire body is made out of mana now¡­ what is that? What did he do to her?'' Shaking her head from those visions and memories, Raven held her head between her hands. "How did you do this? And is it not dangerous for her mana core to be constantly reconstructed?" "Oh, I simply guided through a process that is called mana refinement." Keith said. "It''s a process in which one would dive deeper into the depths of their own body and internal energy to try and understand the way it works. "Only by havingplete understanding over such matters can a person unleash their full potential. "As for your second question, I agree that it is usually bad that a person''s mana core is being destroyed and reconstructed. "However, for some reason, it seems that Lady Maria''s body is adapted to that. I''m not sure what that exactly implies, but I know it''s not particrly harmful for her." "I see¡­" Raven said while looking at her mother. ''Wait, how have I never heard of something called mana refinement?'' As if reading her mind, Abbadon''s voice came from behind her, almost startling her. "Lady Raven, is it possible that you''ve never gone through the process of mana refinement?" "Um¡­ I''m not sure¡­" Raven stuttered since she didn''t know. "There''s no way though, right?" Ae asked while tilting her head. "I understand that Maria was forced into her powers and that''s why she had no knowledge of it, but you should have full control over your powers, no?" "May I look into your mana pathways, my mistress?" Keith asked curiously. Abbadon and Ae nodded in agreement. "Uhm, sure," she nodded. ''Maybe this can help me be more powerful?'' Gently touching her forehead against, Keith blinked twice as a bright blue radiant light was emitted from his eyes. Looking deeper into Raven''s mana pathways, he was expecting to see a stream of golden energy or maybe something that matched her mother''s, but instead, what he saw made him widen his eyes in surprise and horror. "My mistress¡­" he muttered in disbelief. "What happened to you? This can''t be true¡­" "Eh? What is it?" Raven asked since she didn''t understand one bit of what he was trying to say. "Your mana pathways¡­ they can''t really be called pathways, I''m not sure of what I''m looking at¡­" Keith said while reverting his eyes to their normal colour. ""May I take a look?"" Both Ae and Abbadon asked simultaneously. "Sure," Raven shrugged. Momentster, both of them had a simr expression to Keith. Yet, both seemed almost angry. Gritting her teeth, Ae hugged Raven. "Tell me honestly, how was your first experience with powers?" "Eh? Um, from what I can remember, my first experience with powers was Tu''s energy." Raven said with her index over her lips, trying to remember. "It was the time when me and Maya were trying to run away from Lady Luck and her assistant, the duo had kidnapped us and kept us for a while¡­" This was the first time for Keith, Abbadon, Ae, and the rest to hear of that incident so they were all shocked. "We will have to f*cking talk about thister," Ae said, her anger seeping into the air. "But for now, tell me what happened after that? The way you said it implied that you''ve never used your own energy, is that true?" "Hm, well, my body kind of got used to that feeling Tu''s energy gave me and so I could replicate a small portion of it," Raven said while creating a blood crimson orb of energy. "Then, after some experiments, I realised that I had some talents such as controlling my shadow and stuff. "Shortly after, I had to go through a trial where I was first exposed to this girl form¡­ *cough* Am I going back a lot?" She asked, embarrassed. "No, no, go on, I feel like I don''t know you," Ae said, trying to hide her surprise. ''She was a boy??!!'' Narrating her story, Raven told them the entirety of the energies she was exposed to; the crimson energy, the golden energy, the white radiance, the purple energy and the rest. "Wait, so what''s your real energy?" Ae asked, confused. "Are you telling me that you''ve never used your own energy?" "I mean, I think my own energy is the golden one, since it is the one I have the most control over," Raven said, slightly embarrassed that she has never questioned that herself. "Ok, let me tell you what we saw of your mana pathways, and you tell me if that makes sense," Ae said. "So, in short, your mana core is almost fully blocked, your mana nodes are set to prevent you from using mana to start with, and there''s little to no mana circting through your body¡­" Chapter 218 - Mana Refinement Part 2 "Ok, let me tell you what we saw of your mana pathways, and you tell me if that makes sense," Ae said. "In short, your mana core is blocked, your mana nodes are set to prevent you from using mana to start with, and there''s little to no mana in your body. I''m not even sure how you''re able to do the stuff you do now..." "Eh? But that can''t be right¡­" Raven seemed confused. ''It is,'' Tu said through their mind link. ''I have always thought it was your way of limiting your mana use, but then after witnessing your fights, I realized you even fought with your core as is.'' ''But what does that mean?'' Raven asked. ''Is someone preventing me from using my own mana? And if so, how can I use all those mana types and skills?'' ''Rave, those different mana types you use are ours, I think you''re just borrowing them somehow, maybe through your inherent talents?'' Ka said in a hushed voice. ''Think about it, the sacred crimson aura you use is Tu''s, the purple one that controls the cyber matter is mine, the white aura is for Aether, the primordial dragon fragment, and so on. ''I think that your own original mana is the golden one too since I can''t think of anyone else having it, but at the same time, you barely use it for actual skills. Right?'' Realising that Raven was silent all of a sudden, Ka was scared. ''Rave? Are you ok?'' It took her a second to realize that she was in a different subspace and that she was now, more or less, separated from Raven. "Hello, little Cyber Valkyrie," a rather familiar voice called. "Eh? Hello?" Ka said suspiciously. Looking at the person in front of her, she found herself staring at a young azure haired beauty. "Avavia?" "Oh, d you still remember me," Avavia raised her eyebrows. She has always tried erasing both of her and her daughter''s memories, yet somehow, the little Cyber Valkyrie was able to remember her. "Of course I do, you''re my best friend''s mother," Ka said, yet still acted cautiously. "How can I help you?" "Don''t be rmed," Avavia said with a smile, noticing her tense expression. "And I simply need to tell you something, regarding my lil Amy, err, Raven, I mean Raven." *Sigh* "So to keep this short, I simply want to warn you¡­" she said with a smile. "As much as I love my daughter, I''d like to prevent her from using her innate powers. "I don''t expect you to understand, or even fully trust me, but please do believe me this time, it is better for everyone that Raven doesn''t learn to utilize her full potential." "And why is that?" Ka narrowed her mysterious dark purple eyes. "Why would a mother who supposedly loves her daughter want to limit her potential? "You''re basically admitting that you were the one to mess with her mana core, correct? And if so, how does it feel to know that you were the one to prevent her from saving Maya? "Do you even know how broken your own daughter is because she simply has to take care of everyone, and has no one to take care of her?" Biting her lower lip, Avavia seemed hurt, but she simply shook her head. "No one loves her more than I do, but I simply know the consequences of letting her powers run amok¡­ "You have Gaia, the Voice of this, on your side. Ask her, why was she so afraid of Raven? "Also, ask yourself, why is there a primordial being blessing her? Do you remember what happens to Raven without my blessing? "Please, believe me. I love my sweet daughter, but I just can''t let her make the same mistake she has already made once¡­" Avavia shook her head, regret and guilt filling her eyes. "Would you please be so kind and help me in that regard, Ka?" Hearing that, Ka didn''t know what to think. ''What does she mean? Ask Gaia¡­ does she mean that her fears were actually based on factual information? Did Raven indeed destroy a? ''And why is a primordial being supporting her? I''m assuming she is talking about the primordial dragon of light¡­ True, why? ''Also, what happens when I deactivate Avavia''s Affection¡­ Raven would suddenly get hungry for souls, and her entire personality would change¡­ why? Why is she like that? Who is Raven really?'' Suddenly, countless questions roamed around her head as she felt lost. "Ka," Avavia called with a sad smile. "I understand that I''m asking too much, but would you please ask her not to refine her mana? Please¡­" "I can''t, and I simply won''t," Ka shook her head. "If there''s anything I can do to make her stronger and give her hope of protecting her loved ones, then I''ll do it without hesitation. I''m sorry. "I may not know who Raven really is, but, I know that she''s my friend, no¡­ she''s my best friend, my soul, and everything. I''ll help her reach her goals without any doubts!" Taking a deep breath, Avavia seemed rather conflicted in her heart, yet her mouth curved into a tiny smile. "I''m d she got to meet someone like you. And, I''ve already expected that this would be your answer. "Let me give you some tips before I am forced to leave," she said while looking at her body that seemed to be slowly losing colour. "First of all, the power Maria has now is a derivative of my own power that is called the Soul of the Phoenix. "The reason her core is being constantly destroyed and reconstructed is because this power focuses on immortality, and always maximising one''s own potential. "So, please let Raven know that Maria is okay. She will no longer need her constant protection. However, let Maria herself know not to act carelessly since she can still be killed... "Second of all, I- *sigh* I''ll help you refine your own mana, together with Raven, since it might be dangerous for anyone else to do it. "If you really love her, you must trust me in this. I will leave her core blocked as it is, but I will instead allow her nodes and paths to circte a little bit more mana through her body, thus, she can use the manas around her more efficiently. "Lastly, please keep this a secret, ok?" Avavia smiled while asking herst question. Ka, who thought that by knowing more, she''d be more satisfied, realised that she was wrong. She had way more questions now. "Wait," she said while looking into Avavia''s body, slowly turning into grey light particles. She needed to ask the most important question, and fast. "If your powers center about immortality, doesn''t that mean that you''re alive and well? Why don''t you reveal your presence to your daughter? "She needs you! Why would you torture her the way you do? Why-" before she could finish, the space all around her flickered a couple of times, before changing back to Raven''s mind space. ''I am sorry lil Kay,'' Avavia muttered to herself, away from stray ears. ''The reason I hide myself from my precious Amy is because she''s not yet ready to meet me¡­ or her past¡­'' Chapter 219 - Mana Refinement Part 3 ''Kay? Ka? Hayoo~ are you listening?'' Raven seemed confused at Ka''s sudden silence. ''What the hell was that?!'' Ka clenched her teeth, not realising that Raven was calling for her. She was left divested from her encounter with Avavia. She had so many questions and concerns but she didn''t know what to do about them. Not being able to discuss the matter with Raven didn''t help at all. ''Kay? Please say something, you''re making me worry...'' Raven''s kind, yet hesitant, voice knocked Ka out of her trance. ''Eh? Raven!'' Ka called while looking at her with tearful eyes. She was now aware of her surroundings. ''Oh, what''s wrong?'' Raven smiled while hugging Ka''s fragile body. ''What is the matter? You were fine and well just a second ago.'' ''Ah¡­ I- I¡­ bleh never mind,'' Ka said shaking her head. ''Do you trust me, Rave?'' she asked, trying to hide how conflicted she really was. ''Of course! With my life, Kay,'' Raven answered without hesitation as a smile brightened her face, making Ka smile in a simr manner. ''Good, then let me help you, ok? I- *sigh* I''ll share with you some information, but please don''t ask me how or why I would know such things, ok?'' Raising her eyebrows in question, Raven didn''t like the sound of that, yet she still nodded. ''Ok, if you''re saying that, then probably best for me, hehe!'' ''Thank you, Rave!'' leaving her embrace and adopting a serious expression, Ka shared the information she received from Avavia while keeping her source a secret. And of course, she didn''t forget to emit the parts about her past or anything else that may concern Raven. This didn''tst more than a few moments in the real world. When they were done, Raven shifted her attention towards Keith and Abbadon. Naturally, no one missed the change in Raven''s attitude. Her smile seemed to falter, revealing that she now looked hurt for some reason. "Abbadon, please feel free to start with your tasks now. However, note the slight change in ns; ''Maria is staying here to rest, Liz will stay to take care of her. Take everyone else." Seeing her serious expression, Abbadon nodded and instantly started his tasks as ordered. Snapping his fingers, a teleportation portal opened up in therge training hall. One by one, Keith, Calcer, and Zeru hopped in it without hesitation, knowing that they had some serious job to get done. Axane gave a stern nod towards Ae before following suit. Of course, they all wanted to stay with Raven, but they knew that they needed to have faith in her. "Raven¡­" Ae called out as she handed Maria over to Liz. "Are you sure you want me to go too? I can stay if you want-" "No, it''s alright," Raven shook her head with a weak smile. "Ka said she''s capable of guiding me through the mana refinement process by herself. There is no need to hold the rest of you back. "Plus we need to clear out the portals as soon as possible since any strong entity is enough to damage Gaia, err- the, right now. "We have to make sure everything is ready for the uing war. The portals will release some energy that will strengthen the and ensure Gaia and everyone else''s safety." "Ah¡­ I see," Ae was disappointed and almost hurt that Raven didn''t get her point. She wasn''t concerned about the mana refinement process as much as she was worried about Raven herself. She knew how much pressure she was under. ''You are such a dense kid¡­ *sigh* but don''t worry, I''ll get strong enough to protect you without you needing to worry about anything.'' "Uhm, stay well, Rave-" with a smile, Ae vanished into the magic portal. Bowing his head slightly, Abbadon quickly followed behind her. Momentster, the portal disappeared, leaving therge training hall dead quiet. Liz who was now struggling to carry Maria between her arms saw Raven''s distant expression and couldn''t help but frown in concern. "Are you alright, Rave?" "Huh? Err, sorry, I was just deep in thought, hehe," she tried tough it off. "Yes, I am perfectly fine!" *Sigh* "You don''t have to lie to me. I can tell easily whenever you''re lying, you know," Liz said while slowly walking away. "But anyway, I''ll be in the sleeping quarters with Maria if you need me. Please, don''t hesitate to let me know whenever you do, ok?" "Uhm," Raven nodded with a smile, trying to hide her shock at Liz''s serious expression. She had never seen her like that before. "Thank you, Liz!" "Uhm, no worries," thetter said before disappearing behind therger set of doors leading out of the training hall. ''Liz knows whenever I lie?'' Raven asked herself in concern. The girl always looked so pure and almost naive that it seemed impossible. ''Have I be such an open book that everyone could easily read? Or was she always this sharp without me realising?'' Raven was naturally keeping her thoughts to herself. Otherwise, Ka would have scolded her into having some more trust in her friends. They all deeply care for her after all. However, another matter was clouding Raven''s mind. ''So, it is as I''ve suspected¡­'' She thought to herself. ''I understand why Kay hid her source of information, but that doesn''t mean I don''t know who told her everything¡­ ''I remember stuff too, you know¡­ ''So, that old trial I went through a long time ago wasn''t just randomly made¡­ Also, my dreams were not just random nightmares after all, huh? I still remember them all so vividly... ''They all have the same settings and events; I wake up to blood sttering across my face. ''Suddenly, my seemingly normal field of vision starts getting higher and bigger, as if I am levitating, until I''m looking up from above and down at a single ball that rests between my glowing white hands. ''Out of nowhere, a blinding light shoots down, turning everything into fine dust, and nothingness soon after. ''At that point, I can hear nothing but my own cries and screams as everything turns ck¡­'' *Sigh* Raven sighed, feeling a heavy weight resting on her fragile shoulders. ''I am not stupid... and by connecting the dots to what Gaia and Abbadon had mentioned before¡­ it all bes rather clear¡­ or does it?'' She was unsure, hesitant, and almost afraid. ''Maybe I am just overthinking it¡­ maybe it is just a dream and I''m connecting random dots¡­ but, what do I make out of Ka''s words?'' *Sigh* ''I guess I really don''t know anything for sure¡­ Why doesn''t ''she''e out to tell me everything already? How long do I have to wait for?'' Chapter 220 - Tournament Of The Elite Part 1 - Three Weeks Later - *Spit* "Not bad, you b*stard, not bad," a light blue haired boy said while spitting a mouthful of blood on the cracked arena floor. "But I wish you weren''t such a coward. Fight me head on!" His usual warm silver eyes were cold and sharp, watching the team of three in front of him. His pale skin was covered in bloody cuts and bruises that made him look almost pitiful, but he wasn''t alone. Next to him, on his left, was a little brown haired girl standing next to him, rapidly healing his wounds. She herself had many small wounds that were still bleeding profoundly. "Amira," the boy called while wiping the blood off of his face, and particrly his eyes, in order to clear his field vision. "Heal yourself first, I''m ok." "No!" The little girl retorted in worry. "I can''t leave you like this, Shin. You''re more important than I am in this fight!" "Tch," Shin clicked his tongue while holding his two water daggers even tighter between his sweaty palms. On his right, was another little girl that was looking at their opponent with glowing dark purple eyes, trying to analyse their every move. Her long, beautiful, and plushy, hair matched her eyes in colour as it swayed left and right from the northern winds. "There''s no way you could beat us," the leader of their opponent team said calmly, as if it was the simple fact that everyone knows about. "I am a special S ranker while my two teammates are A++ so please, again, give up. I will have to hurt you even more if you do not." "Delusional b*stard," Shin said while rolling his eyes. "Kay, are you done already? We can''t hold them off for much longer¡­" "Ah, give me a few more seconds, I''m almost there," the dark purple haired girl said calmly. Although she was merely a fraction of the real Ka''s awareness and attention, and just a clone, she was more than enough to analyse and understand the situation at hand. ''Let me review the data that I have collected so far¡­'' She muttered to herself with a focused expression. ''The leader of the enemy team has not moved a single step since the start of the match, none of the three opponents have. ''However, even without moving an inch, they were able to cut through our defences immediately after the start of the match. ''At the moment the referee had signalled the start of the round, the leader''s eyes had glowed with an ominous green aura. ''Momentster, various cuts and wounds were covering both of my teammates, Shin and Amira. However, nothing happened to me¡­ ''It wasn''t that the enemy could strike through the defences I cast around my team, nor was it that they could move faster than our eyes could see either¡­ no. Hm, what a strange ability. ''But then again, why have I not been harmed? Could it be what I am thinking of? Oho~'' "Kay!" Shin whispered more urgently as he saw the enemy leader''s eyes almost start glowing with that ominous green again. It was definitely frustrating. Shin, although an amazingly powerful fighter, was unable to take one step closer to the enemy. No, it didn''t matter if he moved at all. Their enemy leader could instantly harm them with his gaze. ''How is he doing such a thing?'' Then suddenly, an idea popped into his head. "Kay! Is it something simr to a Gorgon Gaze? Can we fight them normally if we close our eyes?" "No, I''ve tried closing my eyes but I was injured anyway." It was Amira who spoke while shaking her head. They were at loss and their enemy''s indifferent expression didn''t give them any hints either. Gritting his teeth, Shin started to get angry. "Then why isn''t Kay hurt as well? Is she working with them?" Looking at Ka who looked back at him and Amira with an innocent, and almost hurt, expression, Shin instantly felt guilty. For some reason, his heart ached more than the deep wounds covering his body. For the past few weeks, he had gotten to know this girl, Ka, more and more throughout their training in the ssroom of the Elite with the EDA. She had first introduced herself as Raven. At the time, she was such a beauty -with her crimson-purple hair and warm golden eyes- that he couldn''t stop blushing when in her presence. After the first few days, she had then used some sort of ability to transform herself into the way she looked now. And even though she looked less shy in this form, Shin was still unable to stop thinking about her with each breath he took. His small outburst that caused this angelic looking girl to look hurt, caused him more pain than the bloody wounds siphoning away at his blood and consciousness. "I''m sorry¡­" he sheepishly said while avoiding her gaze. ''I guess even the enemy leader could not harm such a beautiful and kind looking girl¡­'' "Oh, it is quite alright, Shin," Ka smiled apologetically. She has taken a little bit more time than expected in analysing her enemies, and her teammates had to suffer the consequences. She wasn''t angry about Shin''s outburst and instead found it justified. "Oh, and I''ve also found out their secret!" She said with an innocent smile and a thumbs up. ""Really?"" Both of her teammates blurted out in excitement. Her enemies looked wary of her. "Uhm," she calmly nodded while pointing her index towards the enemy leader. "After all, the fact that his gaze could not harm me gave it away!" Her enemies were even more wary of her now as the three of them watched her carefully. She hasn''t said ''avoided'' harming her, but rather ''could not'' harm her, which showed their weakness. Ka was able to tell from their body movements and eyes that they were anxious of her. Yet, they looked as though they were about to start attacking her physically, without the use of their leader''s ability. "What''s their ability? Tell me so that I could beat them for you!" Shin said excitedly. But Ka only pressed her index against her lips in a motion for him to keep quiet. "I will tell youter, I don''t want to give the audience this advantage, hehe!" ''Diablocally charming!'' Shin thought as his cheeks started burning before forcing his gaze elsewhere, away from her captivating smile. Chapter 221 - Tournament Of The Elite Part 2 ''Diablocally charming!'' Shin thought as his cheeks started burning before forcing his eyes away from Ka''s captivating smile. pping himself a couple of times, he regained awareness of their surroundings. ''She is indeed the smartest and most cool-headed person that I''ve ever met! ''Well, and the most charming... and the most beaut- *cough* anyway! She''s right, we can''t give out such a secret that would make it easier for ourpetitors¡­'' Looking around to gather his thoughts, Shin remembered that this was not just one battle that they had to get through, no. This was only one of the many matches they had to win in this tournament in order to im the final victory. That''s why they needed to n ahead as well. They were currently in a special arena/ stadium that was made to be able to withstand rankers'' spars. Additionally, they weren''t fighting random people. No, this was a tournament that was well organized by the global Earth Defence Alliance. Such a grand event was naturally transmitted globally for people to watch. While most people thought this was purely for entertainment purposes, the EDA officials had thought that showing off their rankers'' might is a good way to support morale. ''Why am I arguing about airing and promoting this tournament to the public?'' Scott, the Canadian Deputy General, had asked the other EDA officials with a predatory grin. ''Am I crazy? Am I stupid? Are those your questions? ''Then the answer is simple¡­ I am not crazy, nor stupid. No, I am simply astute. ''What do you think is going to happen in three months from now, when we announce the massive scale invasion headed our way? ''Do you think the public will take the news calmly and forget the previous portal incident when Earth was nearly destroyed? ''Do I need to remind you of the huge numbers of casualties we had suffered from for simply not having organized escape routes and because people were not putting enough trust in our rankers? ''Contrary to a crazy person, or a stupid person, I have a vision for the future. I am not nning to depend on the people''s blind trust in us and risking the avoidable downfall of many cities. ''No. I am nning to show everyone the might of our young rankers. Seeing them in action in a friendly environment, such as a tournament, will make it easier for the people to cheer and support some of those young heroes. ''Furthermore, it will make them realize the massive power they''re holding. Which in turn, will make them trust us, the EDA, even more. After all, we are the ones training them!'' At the time, tremendous pping noise filled the conference hall as everyone had burst into cheers for Scott. "Deputy General," Cami Rogers, who was sitting next to him on the front row with her deep blue eyes sparkling under the sun rays and long jet ck hair fluttering in the wind, had a warm and curious smile glued to her beautiful pale face. "You seem rather happy, judging by your creepy expression¡­ What are you daydreaming about?" "Daydreaming? Hm, maybe I was¡­" Scott shrugged his shoulders while looking up at the bright blue sky. It was a beautiful day. His efforts back at the recent EDA conference had paid off and the tournament had been greatly weed by the normal poption as well as the other powered People and rankers. This was one of the first preliminary steps into ensuring not only their survival, but also their victory against the alien invasion. "Oi, you two keep quiet!" Ramira Sato, the Japanese Deputy General, motioned for them to shut up as she was extremely focused at the current match. "I am really curious to how things will unfold here and I don''t want any distractions!" "Hm, you seem captivated¡­ like you''re lost in your own world. Are you even watching the match?" Cami asked with raised eyebrows. "Of course I am! I am just full of expectations. Ka is that girl''spanion after all, is she not?" A look of pure excitement was clearly brightening up her face. Ramira had fought against Raven before and she knew that someone like her was a prodigy, without a doubt. Herpanion, Ka, was ought to be just as much of a genius! "Who do you think will win?" Jaime asked curiously while ying with his fiery red hair. "Is it not obvious?" Cami asked with a grin. "To be honest, it''s almost unfair to let Ka join the tournament, but hey, she''s only a B ranker ording to her Rank Test." "My money is on that purple haired girl as well!" Hinata Amaka, one of the instructors as well, said with a forced smile while hugging herself pitifully. "She always gave me such a frightening gaze whenever I toyed with, err educated, her teammates and friends. So chilly¡­" "Hm, focus on objectively judging the students'' performance, rather than having personal opinions! Tch!" Scott clicked his tongue. "Boring¡­" Hinata said while avoiding his gaze. Cami smiled awkwardly. "Ho~ between you and me, who do you think is gonna win, Scott?" Ramira asked. "Deputy General Ramira Sato, our task is to judge the students'' performance¡­ I ask you again to watch the matches objectively while taking notes." Scott said in a professional manner, although a smile made its way up to his face before focusing back on his notes. Yes, although this was an extremely fun and engaging match to watch, the present EDA officials were more concerned about their real objective here. The real purpose of this tournament, after all, was to observe and rank the skills of each Elite Team. This would give the higher ups an idea of where each team would excel at during the uing war, which would ultimately help in the deployment process. Although they had decided that the official EDA Generals and their subordinates would be the ones mostly doing the fighting, they weren''t sure if they''d be enough since a lot of ambiguity was still involved. That''s why those young heroes were training hard. They were expected to contribute massively to the wellbeing of Earth. Needless to say, this tournament didn''t only include the Canadian Elite ssroom, but also the other ones from around the globe, including Japanese, British, Middle Eastern and so on. There were a total of forty teams ''of threes'' taking part in this tournament. And needless to say, all of them wanted to win this tournament and be the final victors. This was the least they could do to show their pride in their own county for believing in them and entrusting them to protect Earth. Chapter 222 - Tournament Of The Elite Part 3 *Sigh* The blue haired boy sighed while looking at the thousands of filled seats and people cheering him and his team on, Shin could not be more thankful for Ka for keeping their opponent''s powers a secret. ''Naturally, giving out the secret of this enemy team to the rest of our (future) enemies was a bad move¡­'' he thought while clutching his hydro daggers even harder. Looking towards Ka, Shin could see her calcted smile and could not help but feel rxed that she was starting to make her move. ''Man, this is so unfair for our opponents, hehe¡­'' he grinned while looking at the enemy team''s leader with a pitiful expression. ''The moment Kay had collected enough data about any team, they''d be pretty much done for.'' "Amira," he called out loud while moving towards the edge of the arena with the little brown haired girl. "We can rx now, I guess it''s another win for us, thanks to Ka." "Ah!" Amira agreed while nodding her head vigorously. "Kay is so amazing!" Although their opponent could hear them, they couldn''t care less. No, they didn''t have the guts to even ount for them in the presence of such a predator. Although Ka looked unbelievably innocent, even more than a tiny baby, everyone knew she was the predator here. Everyone could feel it. She has proven that fact so many times throughout this tournament that no one could believe their eyes at first. After her first match, the number of audience has drastically increased. Everyone wanted to see this rumoured deadly angel with their own eyes. That was partially why Shin and Amira believed in Ka so much that they were sure it was their victory for this match. It wasn''t her first time. ... In the center of the arena stood calmly the dark purple haired girl that was now the center of attention. A grin was stered across her face as she contemted, ''how should I end this match now? ''Hm, since this is sort of like a testing ground, why don''t I test something that Raven would benefit from?'' Of course, while Ka cared about this tournament and all, her end goal was always to make Raven stronger. ''While she has made some tremendous improvements in power level and mana control since I, and secretly Avavia, have helped her with the Mana Refinement process, nothing can prevent her from getting even stronger!'' She could feel her opponents'' anxiety, yet she didn''t care. She wasn''t nning on killing them. ''Plus, many healers were present at the arena so they should not be so worried about their lives. ''Also, I know that they want to win badly. But s, the victory if this match has long left their grasp.'' With that thought in mind, Ka''s grin suddenly got more intense as her aura red around her. ''System. Adminmand. Activate prototype 5.2: Cyber Valkyrie Battlesuit Armour.'' [Adminmand received.] A quick system message shed in her mind. [Activating prototype 5.2 of the Cyber Valkyrie Battlesuit Armour.] Instantly, Ka''s purple mana surrounding her got darker as it was condensed into liquid form. The liquid suddenly changed colour into sparkling ck cyber matter that was coated with silver circuitry-like nodes all over. The refined cyber matter seemed to devour Ka''s body in a simr manner to Raven''s shadow armour. Suddenly, hissing sounds thundered across the now silent arena as a dark purple mist covered everything from sight. Mere momentster, the purple mist seemed to quickly get absorbed by the figure standing at the center of the arena, Ka. Her entire body was covered in a light cyber-matter armour that looked more intimidating than she had meant it to be. Covering her amused eyes was a beautifully designed silver-white visor that was an improved version of her analysis skill. This was simr to Raven''s True Sight; it enabled her to see the flow of mana and corresponding mana core, veins, and nodes in her opponents'' bodies. Behind her, about fifteen swords were floating in a graceful manner while vibrating with energy, resembling two widely spread threatening, yet insanely beautiful, wings. Seven ck swords were floating at each side, left and right, while the fifteenth sword was left as a short floating tail for her battlesuit. While they were ck and immensely powerful, the faint hint of silver glow from the edge of their des made them look almost royal, demanding respect. The overall appearance of the battlesuit was breathtaking, evident by the way the massive crowd had forgotten to inhale their necessary dose of oxygen. Loud coughs filled the stadium shortly after the first shock. Looking at herself in admiration, Ka''s grin got even wider. "Oho~ this would look sick on Raven!" Her smile went from pure into vicious in a matter of seconds. "Entertain me!" She called out to her three opponents that found it hard to make eye contact, but rather kept imagining the relief they''d feel, and pain they''d avoid, if they were to surrender right now. But s, this was the first time Ka had shown this prototype in action, and she wasn''t nning on walking away from today''s arena without properly testing it. Whistle~ Cami and Ramira both whistled in admiration at the same time. Everyone else had their eyes glued to the girl in the battlesuit as she looked almost terrifyingly majestic. In contrast to everyone else''s expressions, Scott had a deep smile in his face that almost looked greedy. ''Just the thought of our army wearing something like that is terrifying! ''This girl was the same one that had created the many teleportation bracelets, is it not possible for her to supply us with such battlesuits for the war? Hehe, is she hinting that she could do it if we were able to pay the right price? Vicious¡­ ''I remember the first time she had shown her true form¡­ Raven had clearly said that Ka is a precious person to her heart, and anyone who messes with her was going to die. ''Yes, I remember clearly how she had made that bold threat as if she was stating a simple fact. Such a scary little girl. But at the same time, I know how smart and calcting she really is. ''How much will she want for one of those battlesuits? *Groan* I am jumping ahead of myself. Let us just watch the beauty of this little girl''s creation first, we''ll discuss her intentionster¡­'' Chapter 223 - Tournament Of The Elite Part 4 "Entertain me!" Ka called out to her three terrified and shaking opponents that found it hard to make eye contact. ''Am I shaking?'' the enemy leader thought to himself while inspecting his hands. ''How? Why am I shaking? I am a special S ranker, there''s no need for me to fear a B ranker no matter how strong they are! ''Yes she''s just a B ranker! She is nothing! I am strong! I am strong and mighty, but why¡­ ''Why the hell?! My body, I order you to move! Attack! Attack her!! She''s weak!'' Yet, he could not move a single step. He was barely keeping his lungs functioning. He had always depended on his special power that he had never expected a day where he''d have to fight using his fists. ''But why? Why do my powers not work on her? Who is she really?'' His powers were something out of a fairytale. They were extremely special and rare that they were ranked as special S. No matter how strong his opponent was, And no matter what their rank was, he had the ability to inflict various instant injuries onto them. This could vary from minor injuries that could merely be bothersome, to serve injuries that could be life threatening. Although he himself did not understand the ins and outs of his special powers, he knew that he was meant to be a ruler. A king above all. He was meant to take control of anything and everything. Everything was created to serve his needs. Or so he thought. ''Why?! How could this be?'' For some unholy reason, his supreme powers would not work on this dark purple haired girl. ''Should I just give up? She''s too strong! She''ll hit us hard! It will be painful! I don''t want to feel pain!'' Watching the leader tear up as he fell to the ground with an expression that was pitiful, to say the least, Ka opened her mouth in surprise and disappointment. "Oi," she called out with disgust. "Why are you sitting on your a*s? How can you call yourself a ranker? "Did you think bing a ranker is as easy as drinking your mom''s milk? Stand up! Fight!" Hearing her soft melodic, yet terrifying, voice, the leader thought he was about to faint, and so did his two teammates. "Aspiring to be a ranker means that you will have to fight strong enemies. You will be pushed down, you will be toyed with, and you will suffer, but you will still have to look strong and confident! "What would you do when you graduate as a full fledged ranker? Will you sit on your a*s and watch people die? Disgusting! "You must be ready to fight until you die, if you''re certain that you''re a liability then buy some time for your team to retreat, aren''t you the leader?" Ka was disgusted after witnessing such an act. ''What a disgrace! Did he go through the same lessons we had to go through in my ss? Is he an elite? ''No wonder Raven is out there working hard to protect everyone on her own. The EDA rankers are quitecking and would be nothing more than extra weight! What a joke¡­'' "Tch, useless idiots!" She was angry. The fact the Raven had to risk her life to do this idiot''s job made her furious. Looking at the leader shaking in the ground, she wondered about her next course of action. Her anger and disgust aside, Ka had used a lot of her energy to first analyse his skill and then create this battlesuit. There was no way she''d let the opportunity to test it slide by this easily. Suddenly, she heard a weak voice trying to mutter something. "I surren-" before having a chance to give up on the match and avoid the pain, a voice interrupted the leader. "No you don''t!" Ka suddenly appeared in front of him in a mere instant and punched him in the stomach with strength that was enough to shatter a building. Naturally, her strength was highly augmented, so she didn''t even need to put much force into the punch. The battlesuit did most of the work for her. The leader coughed up a mouthful of blood before flying across the arena and hitting the wall, shaking the stadium and releasing a shockwave of dust that made everyone widen their eyes in surprise. The crowd gasped before suddenly going from silent into ear piercing cheers. Although the impact looked quite divesting, everyone knew that there was no permanent damage to the participants, including the leader that was just sted into the arena wall. Many healers were present, including Ted Baker, who could even revive a person under certain circumstances. Looking at the healers rushing towards their leader, the two boys were about to fall to their knees and cover their face since they knew that surrendering was not an option in the presence of such a beast. *Sigh* However, contrary to their expectations, Ka sighed in disappointment as she dismissed her battlesuit. "Go ahead and surrender already. "I thought you were special after witnessing your leader''s rather unique ability and got too excited, but you seem more useless than an open balcony on a ne¡­ "Do yourselves and everyone else a favour by giving up on bing rankers. You just don''t have it in you." Waving her hand at them indifferently, she started walking towards her friends to check up on them. One of the boys looked at his downed leader before clenching his teeth. "Tch, you b*tch!" Taking advantage of Ka''s opening as she presented her back, he instantly summoned a spear that was made of pure white light. Plunging with the spear towards her heart with all his might, the boy yelled in anger and hatred: "Die!!" The crowd instantly fell silent as a wave of anxiety and stress hit them. However, there was no need for that. "Ah, no thanks, I think I''ll pass," a voice called out from behind the boy as a hand clutched his neck. With a swift kick to the back of his knee, he fell to the ground on his knees while his throat was left exposed. He was being held in a position that instilled fear into the depths of his heart. He was extremely vulnerable to any sort of attack. This was a position that made it easier to execute criminals with a sword. "How!??" The boy yelled, fear gripping his heart tightly, he hadn''t expected Ka to disappear from her spot and reappear behind him that quickly. Naturally, he hadn''t realised that she had baited him. Furthermore, he was not aware of the fact that she was able to perform short range teleportation. No one knew, aside from Raven of course. For anyone else in the crowd, they had to assume that she was simply too fast fast for them to see. However, Scott had a hungry smile on his face, although a part of him was terrified of this girl''s potential. ''No, the real culprit is the crimson-purple haired girl¡­'' he thought in awe. He still remembered the time she had fought against Ramira. Although her suffocating aura wasn''t directed towards him, he had almost fainted. ''I should be extremely happy that she''s on our side¡­'' he sighed with a forced smile. "Just what are you? I was sure I hit you with my spear!! How?" The boy continued wailing like a widow. "I am not obligated to answer any of your stupid question," Ka answered indifferently while delivering a swift blow to the biggest mana node at the side of his neck. The boy fell unconscious in an instant, hitting the ground with a thud. Looking towards his friend that was previously standing next to him, she found him unconscious as well, although she had not touched him. Shrugging, she continued walking leisurely towards her friends; Shin and Amira. "Ah- Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!" The announcer said after an awkward pause. "Team eleven hase out victorious in the quarter finals! They will proceed towards the semi finals!" The crowd was still recovering from the shock so it took them a few seconds before bursting into happy cheers. "Yo, how are you two doing?" Ka asked her teammates with a smile. They were both getting treated by the healers. The reason the EDA had allowed for such a level of violence was because the officials wanted the elites to understand that sometimes they''d have some broken bones. They wanted everyone to realize their weakness and know when to give up before it is toote. The reason Ka was able to stop the opponent leader from surrendering without a penalty was because she was simply faster. If this was a true war, and the opponent had dyed their retreat to thest moment, they''d simply be dead right now. "We''re perfect!" Amira said with a smile, before wincing as the healer applied some substance that made her wounds feel like a burning wildfire. Ka chuckled before looking at Shin who also nodded vigorously. "Thanks to you, we were able to win! Good job, as always!" His cheeks were burning red. "Hehe, it''s alright." Ka smiled while trying to ignore his blushing face. "We''re a team after all, you two did well by holding them off till I was ready, it''s our win!" Smiling, Ka extended her hand forward towards the two of them. The two instantly put their palms on top of hers before smiling widely. "Team Eleven Go!" """Team Eleven Go!!!""" The crowd repeated after them happily. Chapter 224 - Tournament Of The Elite Part 5 "Good job, you did well in that match." A familiar voice said, as if simply stating a fact. Looking up while continuing to dry her dark purple hair with a towel, Ka nodded. "Deputy General," she acknowledged Scott who was standing in front of her room, leaning on her door. ''I was expecting him toe over after showing off my new prototype armour, but to think he couldn''t wait until I had changed into something more fitting¡­'' Looking down at herself, Ka sighed after seeing her white gym shirt and purple shorts. She only had simply slippers on her feet. She had just finished her shower after the match. Although she didn''t need it as she hadn''t worked that hard, she still took it since it has be a habit of hers. ''I wish they''d give us our own showers, I could have avoided looking like a casual fifteen year old¡­ but meh, I am not even one year old so that''s alright I guess.'' "What do I owe this pleasure to?" Ka asked without hesitation. She didn''t care about hiding her difort. She was supposed to meet up with Amira and Shin to n their approach and strategy for the next match. "Oh, you could at least pretend to be happier about seeing your Deputy General," Scott said with a forced smile but Ka waved her hand as if she was disregarding hisment. "I can''t seem to be able to ''pretend'' while in your presence, oh Great Deputy General," she said mockingly. Although Scott knew that Ka and Raven were connected, he didn''t know to what extent. Nheless, that made him more rxed around her. "Anyhow, I''m quite aware of how busy you are, but I had some questions for you," he said before adopting a serious expression. *Sigh* "I''m sure you do¡­" Ka sighed before adopting a simr expression. "First of all, did you figure out Tony''s powers?" He asked. "Huh, Tony?" She seemed confused. "The opponent team''s leader. The same boy you just crushed against the arena wall." "Ah, that boy¡­ Not fully, but I have a pretty good grasp of how his powers work," she answered honestly while narrowing her eyes. She hadn''t expected him to ask about this. "What do you think of it?" Scott asked with a stern look. "More precisely, how powerful would you rate it to be? And how did you avoid its effect?" "Ho~ and why would the Deputy General ask me, a simple elite ranker candidate, something like that?" *Sigh* "We both know that you''re anything but normal. Do you need me to walk you over to the top secret transmission bracelet generator that has an AI avatar that has your appearance to prove that you''re not normal?" He asked with a sigh. "You are connected to that girl, Raven, so you''re naturally anything but normal¡­" ''Ah true¡­ that half a*sed machine I created to produce the teleportation bracelets for the EDA has a simple AI interference that has my appearance. Well, it''s moreplicated than an AI interference, but whatever¡­'' "Elite candidate Ka, are you nning on answering my questions?" Scott asked with raised eyebrows. She was obliged to answer his questions after all, since he was a higher rank than she was. But he knew that EDA rules didn''t matter one bit in her eyes. *Sigh* "Sure," she sighed. "Well, I think the kid''s power is a pretty dangerous one. If my analysis is correct, then I''d say his power could be named something like¡­ Causality Maniption." Hearing that, Scott nodded with a serious expression. "Ah, that is true. This ability can be terrifyingly dangerous if used properly, but Tony, as you may have already noticed, is not the brightest¡­ "He literally has the ability to be one of the strongest rankers to have ever existed. He was the power to control the probability and cause of an effect, yet-" he pursed his lips. Deep in his heart, Scott was nervous about the kid''s power since he himself had something simr. His Cosmic Inclination, his special eyes, had a simr effect. But he had only realised that after his chat with Tu, during theirst battle. "As of now, he has minimal control over his powers," Ka said and Scott nodded again. "Out of everything he could do, he can currently only probe the body and cause previous injuries to surface. He is technically increasing the chance of opening an old wound, but I doubt he even realises that himself." "Uhm," Scott nodded. "Anyway, I don''t want to hold you for too long, so please answer myst question. How did you not get affected?" It was hard to imagine a way of countering such an effect. In a way, Tony was able to control fate, albeit barely a sliver of its fraction. ''How could this girl survive such an ability? After all, it was an ability that would most likely be able to kill an S ranker in an instant, if used properly.'' "Oh, it''s simple, really," Ka looked down while clutching the towel tighter in her palms. "I have never been injured before." "Huh?" Scott''s mouth opened in surprise, unintentionally. "What do you- what?" *Sigh* "I''ve answered your questions," Ka said with a sigh. "Now if you''ll excuse me, Deputy General, I''ll be on my way." Saying that, she pushed past him, opened the door to her room, and went in, silently. The reason she was not affected by that power was because her body has never been injured before. The power to bring out old wounds will not work if her body had none to start with. Inside, Ka sat on her bed while looking at arge mirror that was in front of her. She clenched her teeth. ''That ability is quite dangerous, if this wasn''t a clone, but rather Raven''s body, then¡­'' Ka''s thoughts trailed off. During her analysis, she had realised that Shin and Amira''s injuries all matched their record of previous injuries. Even a small paper cut that Amira hadined about this morning hade back as a bigger cut. ''What would happen if Raven was exposed to such an ability? Someone with her history of injuries¡­'' Ka gritted her teeth in frustration. Chapter 225 - Gathering Resources Part 1 "Lady Raven," an elegant voice called respectfully to the crimson-purple haired girl that was standing under the night purple sky of this strange. The little girl and her subordinates have been clearing out portals relentlessly in order to ensure that Earth, Gaia, gets powerful enough to withstand theing war. "Lady Raven," the voice repeated after realising that the girl was not paying much attention, but rather was staring at the sparkling night stars above her head. "Hm? Ah, Abbadon, what is it?" The girl asked while keeping her eyes focused on the cosmos above. "I was wondering, are you nning on sharing the news of war with the human governments and organizations?" Abbadon asked calmly. "Uhm," the girl nodded absent-mindedly. "I guess I should¡­" *Sigh* The girl sighed before lowering her gaze from the night sky and instead focusing at the strange castle in front of her with the countless alien soldiers staring at her warily. "But what good will that do?" Her eyes seemed to be full of pity and uncertainty. "Humans are weak. Even the EDA that is the most powerful organisation on Earth¡­ they''re all pitifully weak¡­" she subconsciously brushed her plushy hair to the side, away from her eyes, as she let out another sigh. She was nervous. This little girl that was feeling the weight of the near future crushing down her shoulders¡­ Although she didn''t admit it openly, she was scared. "Abbadon, how do you think people will react when realising that the angels of judgement, whom they some even worship, have deemed them unworthy of living?" The girl asked while casually creating a fierce golden orb of mana on the palm of her right hand. "Lady Raven," the stoic and elegant voice called calmly. "Are you not forgetting the other part of that question?" "Hm? What do you mean?" She asked, her soft and silky hair swaying left and right by the pressure the golden mana orb in her hand was exerting. The ground started to shake under her feet as the night sky started losing colour. "Lady Raven," the daemon in the dark royal garment smiled sincerely. "You forgot to ask- How do you think people will react when they hear that you, our mighty mistress, is standing by their side? "How will the EDA react when they hear of your ns? How will they react when they realise that you will not allow those arrogant angels to harm their? "Lady Raven¡­ Earth- no, Gaia is your friend. And you will not let your friends get hurt, isn''t that correct?" The daemon''s smile was sincere and warm. If any of his subordinates saw him like that, they would have no choice but to think that he''s apletely different person. *Sigh* The crimson-purple haired girl sighed while watching the alien soldiers in front of her shake at the mana swirling around her. ''I have already let my friends down though¡­'' she thought with a sad smile, remembering a precious person to her heart. ''Maya¡­'' The daemon seemed to understand his mistress''s train of thoughts, that''s why he instantly interjected, "Lady Raven, I believe that you will not allow that to happen twice, isn''t that enough of a guarantee for our sess?" "... Will not allow that to happen twice?" She repeated absently trying to understand those words as the golden orb seemed to get smaller and smaller, yet its destructive power was only being amplified beyond reason. ''Ah, that''s true¡­'' she thought to herself, realising what her subordinate had meant. ''I have already let Maya down once¡­ But there''s no way I''d let that happen a second time. ''No matter what or who is controlling her mind and making her think about destroying Earth, I will not allow that to happen. ''Whether it''s the other angels, or the Supreme Deity herself¡­ I''ll make sure there''s nothing left of them after their attack. There''s no way I''d let them hurt my family¡­'' ''Raven, the orb!'' A voice called in the girl''s mind. ''Oh, sorry I wasn''t thinking,'' the crimson-purple haired girl apologized with a weak smile as she started absorbing parts of the golden orb back into her body so that she didn''t st this whole. She was only aiming for the castle after all. This young mistress and her baneful executioner were currently ''negotiating'' with the royal faction of the aliens in one of the portals. Those portals naturally lead to differents. Unlike mindless monsters, aliens had some level of intelligence as humans. Albeit rare, some aliens even exceeded the average human levels of intelligence. That''s why it wasn''t practical to destroy every portal without attempting some negotiations. "This is yourst chance," the young mistress called out in the alien tongue thanks to her little dark purple haired friend. "Are you sure you don''t want to submit to me? If you do, you might live. If you don''t, well¡­" As her soft yet chilly voice trailed off, the aliens instantly gulped while looking at the golden orb in her hand. While she had absorbed most of its energy, what was left was more than enough to destroy the castle they considered to be their safe haven. "Please wait!" A shaking alien voice called out in fear. Arge alien with four tentacles protruding out of its upper body was floating midair as its lower body, consisting of two human legs, seemed to follow behind independently. "We will surrender! We will submit to you!" On top of this alien''s head was a star-like crown that made it look special. "It is safe to assume that you''re the ruler of this castle?" The young mistress asked with a stoic expression. "Correct," the shaking voice of the alien was heard again as it slowly descended to the ground. A couple of armoured aliens tried to follow. But they didn''t move as their ruler raised a tentacle in the air. Allowing its lower body to kneel in front of the misleadingly cute human looking girl, the aliens ruler took a deep breath as it wanted to speak, but was interrupted before even starting. "Good," the girl said. "Now since you''ve submitted to me, you will be my messengers on this. You will spread the word of my arrival and make everyone else submit to me, do you understand?" The residents of this castle were only one faction living on this. Many others, with simr castles, were spread around too. "But- but- we¡­ we are weak!" The alien ruler muttered with a shaking body. "Hm, that is true, I suppose. But that is fine," she said with a smile. "You will only act as my guides and messengers as I''ve said before. I will send a guard with you to guarantee you do your job well." "A- a guard?" The alien ruler could not help but stutter. Chapter 226 - Gathering Resources Part 2 "A guard?" The alien ruler asked while looking up towards the young human looking girl. It was easy to distinguish humans from other races since they looked very distinguished and unique. Although weak, humans themselves had one of the best body models in the gxy. They were not perfect, but their bodies were simple and easy to operate. Most of them were smart, and had the ability to heal themselves naturally even without powers, given enough time. Although some aliens had the ability to regenerate amputated limbs, an ability that humanscked, humans were still considering one of the best species/ race models as their intelligence was enough to create another more powerful limb. This of course didn''t factor in humans with abilities and various skills. Humans weremon around the gxy and on somes they were known to have super powers. That in itself made them a leading race on a gctic scale. However, one known fact was that humans weren''t the only race that looked human¡­ Some species were naturally human looking, with some small detailed variation like a third eye or four arms. However, the most important piece of information was that other intelligent and extremely powerful races had the ability to make their bodies resemble that of humans. In front of the ruler of this castle were two individuals of those extremely special species. The power this the young girl had just disyed was enough of a proof. Those types of aliens were more powerful than any other, across the gxy. Ignoring the alien ruler''s weird eyes that were shaking in fear, the young crimson-purple haired mistress uttered one word while raising her hand, and the golden orb with it, towards the night sky. "Balrog." As soon she called her subordinate''s name, a magical circle appeared besides her as a kneeling figure came into sight. "Mistress," the figure called stoically. His appearance was simr to that of a human noble, and his clothes matched. But the alien ruler knew that he wasn''t human, just like this little girl and her other subordinate in the ck royal outfit. "Ah, Balrog," the young mistress called one of Abbadon''s previous archdukes as she released the golden orb into the sky. He was now in a whole different level,pared to his previous self. "You will be acting as a temporary guard for these aliens." She said in the Earthen demonic tongue. Naturally, the aliens didn''t understand. "They are tasked with making everyone else on this submit to me," the crimson-purple haired girl said casually. "Although they''re weak, these creatures have ess to many rare smithing minerals that are needed to create some of the best weapons. We need them to arm our forces in order to deal with the angelic invasion. "This is really small inparison to Earth, and the poption is rather small as well. So gather all of them and make them extract those minerals, it should not take long. "We''ll have to destroy the portal here soon, so they will end up living in the Demon ne, together with the rest of the aliens we have brought to our side." If it was a bigger that Raven and her forces needed, Ka would have created a teleportation portal that connected this to the Demon ne, and didn''t require the use of teleportation bracelets. Although that would have been costly in terms of guarding as they could not leave an easy ess to their base in the Demon ne. Of course, Ka could just use her bracelets as a confirmation of identity and means of activating the portal. But that would simply be a waste of time. "Understood, mistress," Balrog said with a respectful tone as he slowly stood up. Looking up at the previously night sky, he saw a golden sun shining brightly above the clouds. The golden orb his mistress had released silently caused this breathtaking sight. ''What a magnificent view!'' he thought with a simple respectful smile. He was previously one of Abbadon''s archdukes. At the time, he and his fellow archdukes hadined about his mistress''s young appearance and how she was talking to Abbadon as if he was her servant. He remembered how they were spouting nonsense about killing her. He still could not forgive himself for saying such words and doubting his mistress. Remembering the powers of the dark chains that have made them her ves at the time, and thinking back to the power they had all gained after being named by their mistress¡­ ''Ah¡­ I can''t help but smile at the thought of our mistress ruling the universe! ''I am grateful for her great mercy. If it was anyone else with this amount of power¡­ I would not have made it this far¡­ I would have been dead as a punishment for whatments my mouth spouted at the time¡­ ''That is why I need to make sure others get the same chance I got. I will let them all follow our mistress and be her loyal subordinates!'' Balrog''s smile got thicker and thicker with each passing second. The person that was previously a mere archduke was now on a whole different level; a whole different species. He was now a Devil Lord. A devil was naturally more frightening than a demon. Although a Devil Lord wasn''t as powerful as a Daemon, they still had a magnificent power to be reckoned with. ''What a vicious sight¡­'' the alien ruler thought to itself as it looked at this smile that threatened to make its heart explode from the invisible pressure. *** Leaving this portal to Balrog, Raven and Abbadon teleported back to Earth, using Ka''s raw abilities instead of the bracelet''s. While they had both undergone an excessive mana refinement process, Ka was the one to gain the most from it since she became able to easily integrate different creation''s skills into her own and even allow Raven to use them. For example, she didn''t need the teleportation bracelet in order to teleport, and she didn''t need the Wingman serious guns in order to fire raw destructive energy. She had grown quite a bit. Raven on the other hand has gained no unique abilities, however, her mana control was now on a level that made her previous self look like a joke. Everything about her had be much stronger than before. After all, she had spent three weeks of training and struggling in order for her to get this far. "Abbadon," she calmly called the moment she was back to Earth. "You saw how I dealt with them, the aliens I mean, right? They were weak, so I had no issues with threatening them, although I wouldn''t have actually destroyed them or their, simply because it''s against my values. "And although I did practically invade their home, I am nning on making a new home for them. "My priority right now is not how they feel, but rather, the safety of Earth and most importantly, the people I care about. "I am selfish, no I''m even beyond that¡­ but I need to protect our home. I need to protect Maya¡­ I need to win thising war. "Do you think you can take care of the few remaining intelligent races we managed to find?" "Of course, Lady Raven," Abbadon bowed deeply. "I won''t let you down!" "Good," Raven simply said. "Also, you know what to do if you encounter a strong poption, right?" "Ah, of course, Lady Raven," he nodded calmly. ''I just have to overpower them kfufufufufu,'' he chuckled internally. ''Good,'' Raven thought to herself as she didn''t know his thoughts. ''If you encounter someone strong enough to endanger you, destroy the portal and run back here¡­'' Unbeknownst to them, the servant and mistress both had different thoughts. Chapter 227 - Gathering Resources Part 3 "How sure are you of this information?" The Canadian Deputy General, Scott Harris, asked with a frown on his face. "Pretty sure," a young crimson-purple haired girl answered in a casual tone, yet her eyes were looking up at the sky with a worn out expression. "They shouldmence their attack soon." *Sigh* "Unbelievable," Scott sighed while massaging his temple. "Utter nonsense¡­" Although they were already expecting an invasion from an alien faction in a few months, there was no way for them to realise that there was an angel invasion that was bound to happen soon. "You said they''re nning on destroying the because what? We failed a f*cking test?" He asked with a clenched fist. "Uhm," Raven calmly nodded, her gaze towards the sky unchanging. "What about their power levels?" Scott asked. "No, let me rephrase that¡­ do we have a chance of winning?" Looking at the young girl who shifted her gaze towards him for the first time, he held his breath in cold anticipation and worry. This girl was without a doubt one of the strongest people on this, seeing her cold, yet worried, expression made his fists shake. ''What is up with her expression? Are we just about to get annihted? This can''t be, right?'' "Scott," the girl said calmly. "I live on this. My family lives here. I will not allow anyone to harm my family." Scott gasped at her short statement. "However," she continued as she made eye contact with him. "Many people will die-" "Just what-" Scott couldn''t hold his mouth. "Many people will die," she repeated. "The EDA rankers should focus on defense. My team and I will focus on offense. That is the best course of action. "You protect the people. I will kill the invaders." She finished as she looked up at the sky again. "You and your team? What?" Scott was confused. "Do you mean you and that girl? Ka? Also, are you implying that the EDA''s current level is too weak to cause any damage to the opponents?" "Yes," the girl answered without an ounce of hesitation, causing Scott to flinch. His eyebrows were quivering. "Stuff people in the underground bunkers you''ve been creating-" Scott gasped again. ''That was supposed to be top secret information¡­ Not many people know about this-'' Of course, nothing was a secret from a Cyber Valkyrie. Ka was working hard during the past three weeks as well. She was making some pretty big preparations. "Make sure the public is safe," the girl continued as her golden eyes glowed mystically under the bright sun. Her crimson-purple hair swayed majestically and softly as the wind yfully nudged it, like falling snow, left and right. "My team will have to fight without holding back, so anyone who''s not in the bunkers is bound to die." "Just what are you-" Scott tried to question her but he stopped after noticing her raise her hand. She muttered one word. "Alka!" Her voice was calm yet stern. As if the sun rays had suddenly dimmed, the ground turned ck-red as a magical circle was instantly formed in front of the young girl. A person was kneeling at its center. "My mistress," a feminine voice called as the figure became clearer. The crimson-purple haired girl turned her head and observed Scott who had a confused expression in his face. ''What the- what is this?'' She could see his hands shaking. The feminine figure looked almost tiny inparison to the size of the magical circle that was starting to disappear. Scott couldn''t see her eyes as she was kneeling with her eyes closed. Her bright neon green hair was almost blinding under the sun. Although her body looked weak and almost fragile, Scott could barely keep his breathing rhythm normal in her presence. ''There is no aura around her¡­ why is it so suffocating? Who is she? Did she just call Raven mistress?'' Many questions shed in Scott''s mind that he was almost overwhelmed. "Scott," the crimson-purple haired girl called out to the Deputy General who flinched at the mention of his name. "This is one of my subordinates; Alka-" "Subordinates, what?" *Sigh* "Focus," Raven sighed in annoyance. "She is one of my subordinates. The reason you''re feeling this suffocating presence is because of the pressure your eyes are feeling." Although Scott had his eyes closed as always, his Cosmic Inclination was warning him that this person was dangerous. "The Cosmic Inclination that is trapped within your eyes can feel her dangerous aura even though she isn''t openly releasing any of it to the atmosphere¡­" The girl said with her casual tone. "Scott, I am by far stronger than Alka-" "What?" Scott couldn''t help but ask with a gasp. ''How? How is she stronger than her when I am able to feel the neer''s dangerous presence but not Raven''s? ''No, Raven feels as if she has a peaceful aura around her. How can she stronger? Wait¡­ no way¡­ are you saying that she-'' "Uhm," Raven nodded, as if she had ess to Scott''s thoughts. "I am strong enough to deceive your special eyes. Scott, you''re not strong enough¡­" ''What? I am one of the strongest people on this! How? How am I not strong enough?'' His eyes were shaking. He understood her point. ''If I am not strong enough, just- *gulp* just how powerful are the invaders?'' "Alka is a being that is called Devil Lord." The cute and casual voice sounded like a beautiful melody, yet the meaning of her words was like a giant boulder that was suddenly crashing against Scott''s back, breaking it without much resistance. "A Devil Lord?" He asked in disbelief. He didn''t know much about the Demon ne, but he knew that there is not supposed to be any Lords alive at this time¡­ ''All of them died, isn''t that supposed to be the case? They had a great war and they all died!'' He tried to convince himself. "Uhm, Alka is one of the many strong beings I have under mymand," Raven continued while ignoring Scott whose eyes were shaking in fear. "However, even her strength will not be enough for thising battle-" Alka, the Devil Lord, who hears all of that could not help but slightly shake her head at how weak she was. ''I should die if I am not helpful to my mistress¡­ but I don''t want to die. This means that there''s only one path in front of me¡­ I have to get stronger!'' Scott felt his world shake as everything felt more like a dream than reality- no, not a dream, but a nightmare. ''Many Devil Lords are not enough for thising battle? What the hell are we fighting against, again? Aren''t demons and devils the most powerful enemies again angels? Why is she calling them weak?!'' "That''s why, Scott," the girl continued as she grabbed his attention.. "That''s why we need your Cosmic Inclination." Chapter 228 - Gathering Resources Part 4 "That is why, Scott," the crimson-purple haired girl continued, grabbing the Deputy General''s attention. "That is why we need your Cosmic Inclination." "Huh?" Something seemed to break in Scott. Trying to get himself back together was hard, and what was harder was that the girl didn''t give him any chance to process everything she said. She was just dumbing one shocking piece of information after the other without paying much attention to his mental health. "Scott, will you be my subordinate?" The girl finally asked, her tone as calm as ever. Some would even call her tone cold. "What? Your subordinate? Why? How? Is that possible?" Scott ryed his tangled thoughts that were messing with his sanity. *Sigh* "Tu," Raven called after a soft sigh that indicated how tired she really was. Instantly, a crimson aura started to condense next to her. Out of that aura, a familiar figure appeared, smiled, and waved towards Scott. "Hayo~ long time no see, Cosmic Inclination Wielder." Tu''s over friendly tone seemed to restore Scott''s face''s colour. An annoyed and tense expression painted his face. "The Crimson Dragon of Death¡­" "Hehe, you can call me Tu, that''s alright, we''re old friends after all! Aren''t we?" Tu said cheerfully with a gaze that some night call too innocent or too stupid. Scott gritted his teeth and clenched his fists to prevent himself from jumping on the person that has destroyed his and killed his people. Not waiting for Scott to start bbering again, the young girl spoke with urgency. "Tu will be your instructor for whatever time we have left. Make sure to learn well." Scott pursed his lips. He didn''t want to. He would rather die. But at the same time¡­ he remembered what this girl had just said, ''we need your Cosmic Inclination,'' and that wasn''t all, but she also asked him to be her subordinate¡­ "Tu will train your eyes. You will have to strengthen your Cosmic Inclination if you want to be of any help in theing war." The girl said with her casual tone, yet Scott could now see the slight marks of worry in her face. "Also, once you''re ready, let Tu know and I''ll turn you into a subordinate of mine-" "How?" Scott interjected quickly. "How will you turn me into a subordinate of yours? And what benefit would that give me or give you?" "You will be stronger, of course," she answered calmly. "Trust me, I don''t have ns of making everyone my subordinate, but for me to be able to share my powers with you, you must be my subordinate. "You see, for demons, devils, or daemons," Raven said, making Scott gulp loudly. "For those species, it''s as simple as undergoing a naming ritual. But for other species that are not part of the Sinners'' Realm, or rather what we call the Demon ne, it is much moreplicated. "To rify, I can''t grant my powers to someone who is not a subordinate of mine.Think of it as a prerequisite. So, it is up to you to decide whether you want to be stronger and help, or just hide with the rest." "Oh, and mention this to Ramira when you meet her. Additionally, gather everyone that''s above triple S rank and get them ready to train under Tu. "Anyone who is only double S rank will be left to take care of the bunkers and keep the people alive and organised. Of course, you can continue the Tournament of the Elite as usual since Ka is using that to gather promising rankers. "We will grant promising subordinate candidates additional powers once they prove they can handle it. Even though they may not surpass the required rank, some participants have some pretty good skills that will be valuable even at a low rank." "So you were using the Tournament and the ss of the Elite to your advantage from the start?" Scott asked warily. "Not from the start¡­ My friend, Ka, has always wanted to roam around, have friends, and test her powers. I thought that the Elite ss would be her chance to have a semi-normal student life where she can aplish what she wanted. "But you see, there was a change in ns at the moment we learnt about the invasion. "Scott, you don''t need to be wary of me." She added. "After all, we both want to save the. Isn''t that right?" He only grit his teeth. *Sigh" "Oh, before I forget," the girl sighed softly while fixing a lone strand of crimson-purple that strayed away from the rest and decided to cover her face. "Alka, my Devil Lord, will be training those Ka deems qualified." "I see," Scott said while looking at the still kneeling neon green haired Devil Lord. He still could not believe that a legendary existence such as a Devil Lord was humbly kneeling to this weak looking girl. ''No, I should know more than anyone else the amount of power this girl has¡­'' He could not help but nce at Tu who was busy ying with a grand of his crimson hair that would make most girls jealous of how soft and beautiful it looked. "Also," the girl said again as her hair fluttered some more under the effect of the sudden cold breeze. "Scott, where are the Generals?" Scott gasped before looking at the ground. "I''ve met two Deputy Generals, so where are the Generals?" She asked again. "Are they the ones who warned you about the future invasion in three months?" She asked casually. It wasn''t a real question, she was just confirming her suspicion. "Uhm," Scott nodded in defeat under her gaze. "The Generals are part of the Supreme Gctic Alliance¡­ they are the strongest Earth has to offer¡­" The Supreme Gctic Alliance. Raven has heard of this organisation before. Joey had warned her about them. Although she was afraid to ask, Raven had recently requested more information about her past from Joey. ''Although I am not sure the reason for the war, I am certain that the people behind the war and the destruction of Erembourc were part of the Supreme Gctic Alliance.'' Joey had a look of disgust when mentioning their name. Although she knew some parts of Joey''s information were not urate, she was certain that the Supreme Gctic Alliance has contributed towards the war on her, Erembourc. ''But I guess I ended up here, meeting Maria, Maya, and the rest because of that,'' she thought with a mental shrug, although she seemed to have opened up a closed wound, and a deep one at that. ''Maya¡­'' "Naturally," Scott continued as he didn''t realize the swirl of emotions hiding behind the girl''s stoic expression. "The Generals have ess to information that we could not obtain anywhere else aside from the Supreme Gctic Alliance. They told us about the invasion, or rather warned us about it. "That is why I''m rather curious¡­ how do you know about the invasion of the angels? Or whatever you''d call it; Divine Invasion? Angelic Invasion?" Scott asked, expressing his doubts for the first time. "And wait¡­ How, no, when did you hear about this? There''s no way you just heard about it¡­" Chapter 229 - Gathering Resources Part 5 "That is why I''m rather curious¡­" Scott asked, expressing his doubts for the first time. "How, no, when did you hear about this Angelic Invasion? There''s no way you just heard about it¡­" "Uhm," the crimson-purple haired girl nodded with a stoic and distant expression. "First, before I answer your question, tell your Generals toe save their, I don''t get paid to save it¡­" Her nk expression and her sincerity, even the small hint of annoyance in her tone, told Scott that she was not joking. She was only doing her best because she didn''t want to see her friends suffer or get hurt. "Second, to answer your questions," she continued. "I heard about the invasion in the Demon ne," She said as she subconsciously looked towards Alka who was still kneeling obediently. "Ah, Alka," she called as if just realising her mistake. She hadpletely forgotten about her loyal subordinate. "Apologies for keeping you upied. Feel free to follow Ka''s signal and observe the matches with her. She''s apparently fighting someone interesting right now, you might find it fun to watch," her smile was kind and gentle. "Please don''t apologize, my mistress," Alka said while bowing her head down further. "It is my pleasure to be in your presence. However, I will dly do as you''ve ordered. I will go towards young mistress Ka. Please call for me whenever you need me, my mistress." "Uhm, thank you," the girl replied with a smile. With a respectful nod, the Devil Lord disappeared from her spot. Scott subconsciously gasped. ''That Devil Lord is definitely stronger than I am¡­ far stronger¡­'' "Anyhow," Raven resumed, looking towards Scott. "I heard about the angelic invasion while investigating something in the Demon ne. Apparently, the angels wanted to recruit one of their fallen angels to do their bidding." "Oh, a fallen angel?" Scott asked. "What happened to it?" "The fallen angel and his subordinates are no longer a danger," she simply replied, sending chills down Scott''s back. "As for yourst question, I first heard about it three weeks ago." "What?! Why did you only tell us now?" Scott blurted out in surprise, shock, and rage. "You need to control your rage in my presence if you''re even considering my offer of bing my subordinate¡­" The girl said as if she was giving him advice that would end up saving his life. "You see, some of my existing subordinates¡­ err, can get quite emotional, I guess, when someone is disrespectful to me." Scott swallowed loudly, although his gaze was still as fierce since he was concerned with their lost time. They could have done so much to prepare in three weeks. "To address your question though," the girl continued, noticing his gaze. "I was busy. I could not contact anyone, not even my subordinates, for most of those three weeks." She still remembered her strange Mana Refinement training. "I- I see," Scott was not satisfied, but he knew he could do nothing about it. The girl continued to speak nonchntly. "My subordinates, however, have been working hard to conquer the portals. I am assuming you''ve noticed a massive decrease in the number of portals around?" "Uhm," Scott nodded silently. He had found it wired, but it was for the good so he hadn''t questioned it much. Although he had sent many teams to guard the portals as precautions for these weird activities, there were never any reports of anyone being around. It was almost as if it was the doing of a ghost. A ghost was clearing the portals quietly without anyone realising. He subconsciously shivered at that thought. "Good," the girl simply said. "Clearing out the portals gives us more than one advantage in thising invasion. "First of all, we increase the resistance of the by increasing the amount of magiculus in the air. I will not borate." She said while thinking about the increase in Gaia''s rank. Gaia needed to survive for everyone else to survive. If the gets destroyed, everyone dies. Scott didn''t understand what she was talking about but he nodded since she didn''t want to borate. ''Less stuff to worry about¡­'' he thought while quietly smiling to himself. His mind was chaotic already with the preparation for theing alien war. This angelic invasion had brought its own headaches and he wasn''t ready for such a thing. "Second of all, I am gaining some precious materials and minerals that are needed, or rather can be beneficial, for creating helpful equipment and weapons," she thought back to Ka''s request. Although she could create almost anything from Cyber Matter, having a strong base for her creation ought to increase their strength and efficiency, allowing her to mass produce for the army whenever possible. Additionally, that would ensure self sufficient equipment that she didn''t not always pay attention to. In a sense, it wasfortable for her this way. ''Usually, any loot that is taken from a ce that is considered a battlefield belongs to the government. This means that those minerals and materials¡­'' Scott instantly shook his head. ''What am I saying? We''re all on the same side here! We all want to save the we cherish!'' "Third of all," the girl continued, ignoring Scott''s quivering eyebrows. "I am able to gather more subordinates that will help us survive through the invasion. "Lastly, we are undoubtedly helping raise the citizens'' morale by giving them the peace of mind they need, for now at least. Less portals means less chance of monster attacks. "This will show the people that someone, supposedly the EDA, is taking care of things. We had already ovee one invasion attempt, namely the portal incident, so why not ovee the second as well? I hope this all makes sense, Scott." "Uhm, I understand," Scott nodded before lowering his head. This young girl was doing so much while he was unaware of many changes around him. "What is the estimated time of attack? Err, I mean when do you think the invasion would start?" "I am not sure," the girl shook her head in disappointment. "Be vignt. Always be prepared. That''s all we can do for now. Make sure to do your part. At this time, you need to start sending out rankers to help with evacuations to the safe havens and bunkers while you start training, you understand that, right?" "Yes¡­ yes ma''am," a weak smile appeared on his face. *Sigh* "Good," the girl said with a sigh before disappearing from her spot. ''Be her subordinate huh¡­ doesn''t sound that bad to be honest, she''s pretty reliable¡­'' looking at the bright blue sky above, Scott''s smile widened. "Ho~ you seem pretty happy," a teasing voice called from behind him, almost giving him a heart attack. "F*CK!!" Scott yelled in frustration all of a sudden. "Hm, such vulgar choice of words," the teasing voice said with a frown. "I guess I''ll have to teach you more harshly! I have been practicing well during these past three weeks as well, I could use a test dummy!" The Voice sounded a bit too happy. "To think that you''d be the one teaching me¡­" Scott gritted his teeth. "You b*tch of a dragon." "Uhm, it''s determined then," the voice suddenly became louder and more violent as a strong suffocating aura covered the area, drowning the air in a deep crimson hue. "I will need to use my old torture methods as the Crimson Monarch of- *cough* I mean teaching methods! It''s time to use the good old teaching methods of the Crimson Monarch of Contracts!" Chapter 230 - Intertwined Hearts Part 1 "Ho~" a gentle yet serious voice gasped. "It''s that serious, huh?" A young woman that looked in her early twenties expressed her concerns through a half-transpaernt magic screen. She was currently on a spaceship belonging to the Supreme Gctic Alliance. Scott, who was on the other side of the screen, speaking from Earth, nodded his head while looking down. Earth has failed a test that was conducted by the angels, and as such they have decided to destroy it?" The woman repeated to emphasize the point Scott had just mentioned to her. Her white azure eyes, that matched her soft radiant hair, sparkled as she was deep in thought. "The esteemed angels have decided that humans do not deserve the luxury of living?" She continued before making eye contact with Scott. "How sure are you about this, Deputy General?" Using his position rather than his name indicated that this question was quite serious. She needed to hear about this source of information. "I-" Scott hesitated for a second before remembering the cold gaze of the crimson-purple haired girl. He could still see her clear golden eyes that were staring at the distance as she informed him of the invasion. "I am pretty sure, General Arkan." "Ho~" the young woman seemed to understand what he meant. "By the way you are talking right now, it seems safe to assume that your source is that girl, right?" "That is correct, General Akan." He replied without hesitation this time. ''Hm, that girl that I have heard a lot about. Someone who can easily defeat an S ranked monster and even make Ramira, the SSS ranked Japanese Deputy General faint from shock, only by releasing her aura¡­ ''She must be pretty special just like Scott has mentioned before. I guess it is time I look into her...'' The young General was deep in thought. "Deputy General," she called out to Scott. "What are your chances of sess? Did that girl mention anything about the probability of you winning and preventing the invasion?" "Negative, General Arkan," he replied almost instantly. "But... I could tell from her tone that things were going to be hard for us. "She sounded pretty nervous, but what was frightening was that her tone was cold¡­ it is as if she had internally given up-" Scott didn''t know the reason behind Raven''s tone, he had assumed that she was prepared to fight a losing battle. But the truth was that Raven had no ns of being defeated. She wanted to protect her family with everything she had. There was no way she''d back down. However, she was nervous about fighting Maya. She had a cold gaze because she could not imagine herself attacking her precious Maya that she thought she had lost. No, she was going to protect her with her heart. She wouldn''t let some b*stard manipte her as if she was a mindless doll. There was no way she''d let that slide. "Hm, is that so¡­" The General said in response to Scott''s answer. ''If that girl was so concerned and nervous, then it must be-'' "However," Scott continued, interrupting her thoughts. "She had mentioned that she would not let her family die. She said that her family lives on this, and she was going to protect them. "She said that we have already prevented one invasion, when we had stopped the portal incident, so there is no reason to fail to do it again." Scott finished with a firm nod, as if to confirm it to himself more than anything. "Heh, I like it!" The General smiled in excitement. "I like it very much!" Her smile continued to get even wider. Although she looked elegant and noble in her General uniform, especially with the different beautiful badges across her chest, the young woman was one of the strongest leaders in the Supreme Gctic Alliance. She was the reason Earth was epted in such arge scale alliance in the first ce. Earth has a lot to offer to this alliance, or rather, this young General has. However, this innocent looking woman had not fought in a while since her strong subordinates usually took care of everything, but against these invading angels, it seemed like she would get a chance to flex her fingers. "Spread the news, Scott," she said with a grin. "Announce the urgent emergency status to every government and move everyone into the bunkers as the girl had suggested. "Make sure to follow her orders for now since she seems to be the most knowledgeable. "Also, tell everyone that the Generals areing home." Her grin looked vicious. "I am currently, far away from Earth, on a mission that I can''t leave unfinished, however, the other Generals will be there. "And once I''m done, I''ll be there as well. Scott, take care of everyone," she said those words while holding an azure diamond, that was hanging down from her silver ne, in her pale hand. The diamond took the shape of a small sparkling heart. Two beautiful wings surrounded that fragile looking heart, giving it an aura of protection. Noticing Scott''s intense gaze, the General smiled. "Scott, you''ve always seen my pendant, why are you staring like that all of a sudden? Haha, you better go spread the news." "Ah, apologies," Scott had an apologetic smile. "I''ll be off then. See you soon, General." With that, he closed themunication device and the screen turned ck. "That pendant, it must mean something¡­" Scott slowly walked away from the device. It looked too precious and borated for it just to be a meaningless piece of jewelry. Opening the door to exit the now quiet room, Scott was greeted by a crimson haired young man that had a ''way too sincere'' of a smile on his face. Although there were many EDA officials around, Scott, their Deputy General, couldn''t help but feel dangering from that smile. "Ayo~ my weak student, are you ready for your punishme- *cough* I mean training! Are you ready for your precious training?" Tu said with his smile. "Ugh," Scott groaned. "Wait, I need to deliver the General''s orders. "Uhm, I''ll be waiting outside," Tu replied. "But don''t be toote, I can''t wait for our training!" With a wicked smile, Tu disappeared. The people who saw Tu''s attitude and how he had just called their Deputy General ''weak'' could not help but gulp loudly. They all wanted to re at Tu, but they could feel danger and severe anxiety whenever they made eye contact with him. **** In that faraway spaceship that was about tomence its mission, the young General Eliana Arkan was holding her diamond heart tightly. She was still thinking about Scott''s gaze. "Hm, I guess he couldn''t help it, it''s too beautiful after all, hehe. "Ah, it''s too beautiful¡­" her gaze got softer. ''It is the only reminder of a family that I have¡­ ''but¡­ that damn family.'' She suddenly red at her pale hand that was clutching the azure diamond. She had way too many mixed feelings that she didn''t know what to feel about it. Deciding not to think about it much now that she needed to be the clear-headed leader for this mission, she simply hid it underneath her uniform and headed towards the main deck. Chapter 231 - Breaking Bonds Part 1 In a lush green field of soft grass, stood a single girl that was looking up at the rxing white blue sky. As if her short hair was a collection of countless mirror particles, it reflected the breathtaking colour of the sky she was so engrossed in looking at. Even her eyes had a simr hue, if one was to disregard the beautiful hint of silver it took. But of course no one in their right mind would do that since that fading silver added to her unmatched beauty. "I find it quite funny, yet intriguing, that there''s a sky above their sky¡­" she muttered to herself, her eyes still gazing above. "So beautiful¡­ "I wonder... what do they think when they look up? What do they think once they reach their sky? Hm, what do they think once they travel beyond their sky? "Those mortals¡­ do they really think that they are beyond logic and morals? Do they think that by prating their''s atmosphere¡­ do they think that they''re omnipotent once they achieve that? "Why did they have to fail their stupid tests? Did no one try to think about how awful other people''s lives are? "Although some mortals are more angelic than us¡­ they do not stop the evildoers¡­ why? Do they think that they''re not enough? Is it because of fear? Are they not afraid of us? We are literally their destruction once we reach them... "Or maybe... do they think that they won''t be judged? Do they not believe that they will be judged for not stopping violence and ill will? "Hm¡­ but I guess some people do indeed stop those evildoers¡­ just like that girl¡­ just like Rave-" "Raphael!" A voice suddenly shook the girl out of her trance. "What are you mumbling about? I''ve been calling your name for ages!" "Ah, apologies, Gabriel," Raphael smiled apologetically while scratching her cheeks in embarrassment. ''I hope I wasn''t mumbling too loudly¡­'' "Hm, do you have fever?" The red haired seraphim touched her forehead in visible concern. "I told you to call me Gabe. Why do you look so distant?" His voice was gentle. Instead of doing what he asked for or answering his question, or even being thankful for his concerns, Raphael pushed his hand away. She could see his soft ck eyes staring at her. "Angels don''t get sick, did your cycles affect you this much?" She simply said with a cold tone the moment she realised something. "Ouch, so cold, Raphael!" Heined with a tone that would be akin to a whining child. "Tch," she clicked her tongue. "You should go get some rest Gabriel, you don''t look like yourself." Her words were gentle but her tone wasn''t. "I don''t look like myself?" His gaze suddenly got serious. "Are you sure it''s me who doesn''t look like himself and not you?" His eyes were not shaking like before, instead, they were firm and threatening. "I''d say it''s you who is not feeling well, Seraphim Raphael, are you not feeling well about destroying a you spent a couple of cycles on?" Although his words could be mistaken for concern, his cold tone made it clear that he was not feeling so concerned. Calling her with her rank first indicated that he was not being friendly, but rather professional and critical. He was simply questioning the integrity of his fellow seraphim. ''Ah, as expected,'' Raphael confirmed to herself. ''Of course he was just acting.'' "Raphael," those intense ck eyes stared at her own. "Do I need to take care of that for you? I''ll make sure to end it quickly. I''ll even go alone and st them all in an instant-" "Seraphim Gabriel," Raphael''s voice was anything but kind as she called him with his rank first to indicate that she was not joking. She was not treating him the same way he was treating her. "We have discussed this with everyone else before, haven''t we? "This, Earth, is my responsibility to end as I''ve spent the most time there. Don''t you realise that it was me who seconded Michael''s decision?" ''Yes, I was the one who agreed with Michael. I believe that we can''t let those mortals live-'' "Ho~ but you''re aware that even if you haven''t done so, the decision was going to be made by the rest of us, do you take me for an idiot?" Gabriel asked coldly. "Of course, you''re obviously an idiot," she responded as if it was only natural, and without a second thought. "And to tell the truth, I couldn''t care less about your thoughts or concerns. "Right now, you and Michael are supposed to be resting, and Uriel does not go into the mortal realm, so naturally, I''ll be the one taking care of that, as nned before." She said, simply stating facts. "But, dear Raphael," his voice was chilly and threatening, especially as a violent gust of wind pushed the grass around as if to bully it''s fresh green colour. "Are you not taking your sweet time with gathering troops? "Normally, something like destroying a would take a moment of your time, no, even less, yet here you are staring at the empty sky and muttering iprehensible nonsense to yourself. Did you go crazy?" "How disrespectful, you dare-" "Enough!" A third authoritative voice thundered across the green field. "Michael." "Michael!" Both seraphim called after noticing their leader approaching them. "Since when was fighting amongst us a thing?" His voice was gentle yet serious. Both seraphim looked down in defeat. Michael was their leader and they could not talk back to him. "I''ve heard enough of your argument to get an idea about what''s going on," he said as he looked at Gabriel. "Gabe, you are not allowed to talk like that to Raphael, no matter the circumstances, am I making myself clear?" He wanted to retort, to say that he had all the rights to talk to her like that¡­ but he could not. "Yes, Michael." "And Raphael," his voice got softer.. "I understand what you''re going through." Chapter 232 - Breaking Bonds Part 2 "And Raphael," Michael''s voice got suddenly softer as he turned towards the white-blue haired seraph. A gentle and almost apologetic smile painted his radiant face. "I understand what you''re going through." He really did. He was the oldest of the Seraphim, contrary to Raphael who was the youngest. He has gone through various hardships before. "I understand that it''s not easy to end a world that you''ve once considered home, regardless of the pains you experienced there. "It hurts, and trust me when I say that I feel your pain," he said as he stepped closer to Raphael who was looking at her feet in defeat while clenching her hands into fists. Of course, Michael was not lying. He feels her pain. He had felt it before. That pain that is associated with destroying one''s home. He had gone through the same pain many and countless times. "However, it is our jobs as the Angels of Judgement, as the Seraphim, to end a sinful ne, do you not agree, Raphael? "Little Raphael, do you not remember?" He asked as a hint of anger passed through his handsome pale face. "You were the one to experience the hatred on that the most, am I not correct? "Did you not feel injustice, inequality, oppression, and other negative feelings and acts? Where you not used as a ve, a mere tool, and r-" "Enough," her voice was shaking, unlike her firm posture. "Enough, Michael. I understand. I get that it''s my job to end that cursed and that''s what I''m preparing for!" "Hm, that is indeed the case," he replied with a smile and a gentle tone. "Then I take it that you''ll be ready to start in a week?" "A week!?" Gabriel, the red haired seraph, shouted in disbelief. "What does she need a whole week for!! She has already wasted so much time!" *Sigh* "Gabriel, haven''t I told you to stay quiet?" Michael''s voice was not loud, yet it was imposing. Extremely so. "Tch, I understand." Gabriel instantly shut his mouth and spoke no more. "Anyhow, Raphael, please answer my question, is one week enough?" Michael asked again, more gently this time. "Y- yes, yes it is. One week should be enough time to get everything ready." Raphael looked up at the beautiful sky that matched her hair colour. Her clenched fists were shaking. "Good," Michael said with another gentle smile. "I believe in you Raphael. I believe that you''ll do a wonderful job. "Little Raphael, don''t think of it as destruction. No. Think of it as salvation. "We are saving the weak and the oppressed. There are many of them. Think of it as granting those poor people a relief from the daily hell they''re living in. "Isn''t that how you should think of it?" He tilted his head and asked. His gentle smile never left his face. "Uhm," Raphael nodded slowly and reluctantly. "I- I guess so. We are granting them salvation, not destruction." She repeated to strengthen her resolve. "Yes, that''s why you should make it as quick as possible once you start. Don''t make them feel the pain. Let them meet the light. That''s our mission. That''s why we are the Seraphim, little Raphael." "I understand, Michael, thank you," she said while still looking away at the sky above her head. "Uhm, well then. I''ll be off. I need my rest after all, haha," he chuckled gracefully before disappearing. Although he didn''t have his wings out, a couple of bright white feathers were left behind after his disappearance. They slowly, and gracefully, floated in the air without a hint of sumbing to gravity. They''d usually disappear after a set amount of time. "Tch, I''ll leave as well, you better do a good job," with that, Gabriel left while leaving some white feathers as well. Although he wanted to say some more, he knew that Michael would be upset. Watching them both leave gave Raphael a chance to breathe again. "Stupid mortals and their greed and selfishness! Because of them¡­ because of those stupid- *sniff*" Her body slowly shook as pure tears ran down her hazy eyes. She had tried to affirm her resolve. She had tried to convince herself that she was going to grant her salvation¡­ but no. Her heart knew that this was wrong. Her heart was aching so bad. Even though she had destroyed manys before. She had killed many people before¡­ Raven was different. "Raven- I- so sorry¡­ I don''t want to- I- *sniff*" Again, she almost choked as her body shook. "Raven, you- you were the one to- *sniff* you were the one to save me. "People like you- good people like you don''t deserve to die *sniff* people like you deserve to live happily¡­ why do I-" Suddenly, her heart sank as she felt a presence near her. ''No!'' Someone was going to see her tears, hear shaking eyes, her fragile body... ''Wait? How long have they been here for? Did they see everything? No!'' Her mind was tunneling, feeling trapped. ''What would happen if they saw me like this? What if it''s Gabriel? Will he convince Michael to destroy Earth himself? ''What will he do to Raven? I can''t let him torture her! I absolutely can''t! Raven-'' Suddenly, as she was struggling to focus on this presence near her, she felt some two gentle arms wrap around her. Her body shook in fear. She felt exposed and in danger. Someone was actually here! But then, all of a sudden- *Sigh* "I knew something like this would happen the moment I leave you alone," it was such a graceful and gentle voice that Raphael could not help but flinch inside this person''s embrace. ''It is Michael!'' her mind was a mess. She knew how Michael followed the rules blindly. He was the oldest Seraph and the mostwful one. ''There was no way he''d let this go¡­'' However, contrary to her expectations, he only wrapped his arms around her tighter, while maintaining his soft touch. "Now, now," his voice was like a hot bath on a winter night. Warm and refreshing. "Don''t cry, little Raphael." Looking up, she could see his gentle smile and beautiful golden eyes looking at her like a father looking at his baby daughter. ''No¡­ what''s with this look?'' Raphael''s heart was still beating widely and inconsistently.. His smile, even though sweet and gentle, made her even more scared. ''Why is he acting like this? There''s no way this is the same Michael I know¡­'' Chapter 233 - Breaking Bonds Part 3 "Now, now," Michael''s voice was like a hot bath on a winter night. Warm and refreshing. "Don''t cry, little Raphael." Looking up from within his embrace, Raphael could see his gentle smile and beautiful golden eyes looking at her like a father looking at his baby daughter. ''No¡­ what''s with this look?'' Raphael''s heart was still beating widely and inconsistently. ''Why is he acting like this? There''s no way this is the same Michael I know¡­ ''Why does he sound so sincere? Something must be wrong!'' "Hm, are you feeling better now, little Raphael?" She could hear his soft voice again. "Huh?" She realised that she had stopped crying, but she could not reply. Her heart was still beating as if she was a powerless human kid running from a deadly wild animal. "Hm, it''s alright. Take your time to calm down. I can still feel your heart beating like a rabbit that''s trying to break its cage," he chuckled gracefully at his own analogy. But Raphael knew. ''He is not making fun of me, he is only trying to make me feel better¡­'' Wiping away her tears and taking a few seconds to calm down, she shook her head as if to force her eyes to clear up their fuzziness. "I am better now," she said quietly. "Thank you." "Uhm," he simply nodded. "Little Raphael, please tell me, what''s wrong? This has a lot more to do than a home you lived in for some years, especially for someone who has lived countless years. "I tried to ask Uriel but she seemed to be hiding something from me, will you please tell me? I can''t help you if I don''t know." She could not help but look at him in disbelief. ''Uriel did not rat me out? And Michael is trying to act like a good older brother or father? Am I dreaming?'' "Little Raphael?" He asked again with a tilted head. "If you''re not feeling good, I can d-" "No!" She subconsciously shouted, before quickly covering her mouth with both hands. "Oh dear, please tell me what''s wrong, you''re not acting like normal at all," he truly seemed concerned. She knew that he could simply ask Uriel again. Heck, he could ask her again or rather order her to tell him everything, yet he wasn''t doing that. "I- On that, I-" she frowned as she realised that her voice was still shaky. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "On that- *sigh*" she shook her head before adopting a serious expression and asking Michael a question. "Michael, do you really think that killing a good person is equivalent to granting them salvation?" She asked nely. "Taking into ount the alternative options, yes. It is definitely salvation. " He answered without an ounce of hesitation. "Even if they''re a really good person that tries to defend the weak? Even if they risk their own life to protect the oppressed? "Isn''t a person like that doing what we believe in, as Angels of Judgement? Isn''t what we want is a good world where everyone lives happily? What if that person is doing that?" "Hm, I guess that you met someone like that on this?" Michael asked with a hand under his chin. "Uhm, I did," Raphael simply answered. "Don''t you think that we should give that person a try, or rather, a chance? "Would it not be easier if she, err that person, was able to change the world into the best, instead of us destroying everything and calling our actions ''salvation'' for the weak?" *Sigh* "Please describe this girl to me," he said. "Or better yet, show me. Show me what this girl made and aplished. Show me who is that girl that is worthy of your precious tears, little Raphael." "Really?" She eximed in disbelief. Seeing her reaction made Michael chuckle. "Uhm, please show me," he nodded. *** "Hm, I see," Michael said calmly after having Raphael share some memories with him. "I can definitely see why you''d try to save someone like her." "Uhm," Raphael nodded happily. "That''s right!" She was so happy and excited. "That''s absolutely right! She saved me. She made me her family. And not just that, but she helps whoever needs help! "She is definitely walking a path of angelic deeds! Right? You must agree with me after seeing all of that, right, Michael?" Her voice sounded so refreshed and happy that it was hard to believe that she was a seraph, and angel of judgement and destruction. "Michael," she called out again, without waiting for him to answer. "Doesn''t she deserve a chance? It is obvious that the was simply unlucky since our tests came before this girl, Raven, had a chance to fix it! "You must agree with me, right? Is it not obvious that, given time, she''d be able to fix everything and let that pass the test? We can simply repeat onest test after she''s made those changes! "It will most definitely pass the test! I promise! I know her, I know Raven, she will fix the so that it''ll pass our judgement! What do you say Michael?" After she finished she was breathing heavily as she had talked without giving her lungs a chance to suck in some air. Michael looked at her weird since he knew that seraphim and angels in general needed no air, nor oxygen. They breathe in energy, not air. And they don''t use lungs for that. ''Hm, it must be her memory,'' Michael silently thought to himself. All the while, Raphael was holding his hands and throwing them up and down. Her excitement was akin to a child visiting a chocte factory and getting an intense sugar rush while begging her father for some more chocte and sweets. "Hm, I see¡­" Michael suddenly said. Those words instantly weighed heavily on Raphael''s shoulders, making her almost lose bnce. ''Huh?'' she was confused, to say the least. ''Michael?'' she tried to speak, but her lips won''t move. In fact, her entire body seemed so heavy to move. She slowly fell down on the lush green grass. ''Huh?'' She was not unconscious. No, her eyes were wide open. ''What is happening?'' "I see where the problem is," Michael''s voice sounded just like before, however, it was devoid of any trace of kindness or gentleness. It was cold. Colder than a harsh winter night. Raphael''s heart started beating widely again. It was beating so hard that blood threatened to leak out of her ears and nose. Her body wanted to shake in order topensate for the coldness it felt, but s, she could barely keep her eyelids open. Shivering was out of question. "I see¡­" Michael repeated calmly. This person that was treating Raphael like his young daughter just a second ago was suddenly looking at her as if she was a defective tool that he needed to throw out. "Everything makes sense now¡­" he muttered, quietly. "Hm, let me ask you a question, young girl." He didn''t call her seraph or little Raphael. Raphael''s heart sank. "What is your name? No- "Actually, let me ask you this¡­ Who are you?" Chapter 234 - Breaking Bonds Part 4 "Everything makes sense now¡­" Michael muttered again, quietly. "Hm, let me ask you a question, young girl." He didn''t call her seraph or little Raphael. "What is your name? No, rather, who are you?" ''Huh?'' Raphael was beyond confused and frightened. Everything felt so unreal, as if she was dreaming. ''I am Raphael!'' She tried to scream. What nonsense was he asking, why would Michael ask such an obvious question. "Raphael? Are you saying that you are Seraph Raphael?" Michael asked as if he was able to read her mind. ''YES!'' "Hm, you are Raphael, huh? "Are you sure that you are not Maya instead, young girl?" The cold voice was like a bucket of ice water dripping on her sleepy face, yet she couldn''t move a muscle, not even to flinch. "Answer me. Are you sure that you''re not Maya? "The person you talked about, Raven, had saved someone named Maya, not Raphael. Why were you talking as if she had saved you? "Since when can one cycle ovee countless years of memories and experiences? Have you forgotten who you really are? Seraph Raphael would never care about one cycle. "Young girl. You''re not Raphael. No. You''re Maya¡­" If her facial expressions could function, the girl on the ground would have a look of realisation, betrayal, and fear. This person. She knew that she should not trust him. How could she do something like this? What is he going to do to her now? ''Am I going to die? ''Am I going to die because I shared my honest thoughts? ''What if myst life had left a strong impact on me? Wouldn''t that indicate that Raven is able to change the world? ''Heck, she was able to change me, a f*cking seraph! Why doesn''t this b*stard trust my words! ''Son of a b*tch you saw everything! F*CK! Can you not see that Raven had changed me? She will f*cking change the world! ''Give her a chance you b*tch! Damn it! My mind is being fired. F*CK you! Don''t you darey a hand on her you b*stard!! ''*huff* *huff* F*ck! I can''t even breathe in my own mind! You can still hear me can''t you- ugh'' She suddenly felt the pressure on her mind increase ten folds, no, even more. ''What are you doing to me- f*cking b*tch¡­ *huff* *huff* you know¡­ she, Raven-'' *huff* she will f*CK you up! She-'' *huff* ki- you- *huff* b*tch!'' Even though her face was not moving, she was smiling inside. There was no reason for her to be worried about Raven. No, that girl will ovee anything and change everything. Raphael, no, Maya needed to meet her. She wasn''t worried about her. No. But she wanted to meet her again. She wanted to be with her. But s, she was too weak to fight back this fatigue. ''So- *huff* sorry... ''Ra¡­ ven.'' She slowly felt her world disappear. The grass was no more. The beautiful sky was no more. All of a sudden, she was alone. If she was previously feeling like she was dreaming, she now felt like she was waking up from a dream. Everything in her dream became fuzzy and hazy beyondprehension. Cracks could be heard as some bonds were destroyed. Everything that connected her, Maya, to this world was now broken. All of those bonds¡­ they were broken. Everything disappeared. *** "Ugh," opening her eyes with a groan, the girl with hair that was as beautiful as the endless sky above her, clutched her head. Looking up, she realised someone was staring at her with an uncaring, no, with a cold expression. "Michael?" She asked coldly. "Raphael?" He raised his eyebrows, yet his gaze almost insulted her. "Tch, to wake up to your face after going through such a disgusting cycle," she clicked her tongue and spoke with a venomous tone. "Thank you Michael. Thanks to you, I realized that I don''t hate Uriel''s face that much! Compared to you, she is a blessing." There was no hint of sarcasm in her voice. She was simply stating her feelings. ''I don''t like her attitude, but this is definitely Raphael,'' Michael thought and smiled internally. ''But to think that someone as weak as her, that gets her memories impacted by one cycle¡­ by a human¡­ to think that she acts like this¡­'' Of course, he had not known that Raven was actually a soul weaver since Maya had not gone through that. "Can you look somewhere else?" Raphael called out with an annoyed expression while slowly sitting up. I find it hard to hold my stomach any longer, I''m about to throw up from looking at your face. "Tch," Michael clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Report." "Hm," she seemed obviously annoyed as well, but she was aware that Michael was a senior, no, a superior. "The I wasst on, Ourago, is a disgusting, I''ll end it after a day''s worth of rest. That''s all." She quickly finished her report. "Hm, I see," Michael simply said as he pretended to be thinking about something. "Raphael, don''t care about Ourago. I''ll destroy it myself. I need you for another mission." He was internally grinning. Ourago, huh? Good, that''s a while back. She should not know who that girl is now.'' "Huh? Since when was that a thing?" Raphael asked coldly. "A mission without destroying a that disgusts me?" "As I said," Michael emphasized. "Don''t concern yourself. Rest for a week. I''ll contact you with detailster. The you''ll need to end is called Earth." Earth? What a stupid name¡­" she muttered before asking a question. "But why don''t you go destroy it yourself? Scared now, are we?" She grinned. "Raphael," he made eye contact. "Tch, whatever," she clicked her tongue. "Send me the details, I''ll take care of it." "Good," he smiled coldly. "You''ll like it. It''s a that needs to be destroyed slowly and painfully." "Ho~" she gasped. "Now we''re talking, hehe!" Her chuckle was ice cold and she had a matching gaze. The beautiful colour of her eyes made her gaze even more frightening. "It''s been a while since I''ve ended a and had fun!" ''Heh, I forgot how vicious she used to be before that, Earth,'' Michael thought to himself. ''I guess Gabe''s intuition was right on point. Herst cycle had missed something in her head. ''This means that she''s either so weak, or¡­ that girl she spoke about, Raven, is a bit of a special case. ''I will have to keep tabs on this issue. I''ll make sure she turns that piece of rock called Earth into dust, and then I''ll make that dust disappear. ''Oh, and since there was something wrong with Raphael, doesn''t that mean that Uriel had hidden this from me? Did she know about this? Heh~ ''I guess I have to take care of her too somehow¡­ or at least¡­ I''ll have to investigate¡­'' No one was able to see inside of Michael''s mind, but if someone did, they''d see a grin that was by no means for an angel. Chapter 235 - Demolishing Fake Heroes Part 1 "What- what did you just say!?" A frightened cry rang. "We have to submit to who?" The voice was shaking. The person speaking was shaking. The ground was shaking. The sky was crying. Although the person speaking looked almost human-like, he was not human. He had long ears instead of normal human ears. An Elf. Mystical creatures with impressive dominating magic control and firepower. Although they usually dared not kneel to anyone, this elf was now barely able to keep himself awake under the pressure of a single person''s dark aura. "What do you take us for?" The frightened elf struggled to speak, yet he was fierce. One had to admire his courage, or was it arrogance? "Our race has finally broken the seal and managed to gain freedom after a fight for death! Countless lives were lost in the process! "Why would we ever submit to someone ever again and lose the freedom we worked so hard to achieve? "We''d rather die! Huh! You can''t kill us, can you? Haha!" Slowly, the shaking adult elf stood tall. Although he was arrogant, he did not dare make eye contact with the person in front of him. His aura alone was suffocating even though he was a fair distance away. The elf had a feeling that he just managed to confirm. This person was not able to harm them since if he wanted to, they''d already be dead, they all knew it. It was clear as the sun on a hot afternoon. Others, hundreds of elves, who were squirming on the ground around him just a moment ago fought against their shaking limbs and stood up as well. Their arrogantughs annoyed a certain daemon, no, a certain Baneful Executioner. He was surrounded by the passive aura of death. "Hahaha! You must need us desperately!" Another elf spoke with a sly chuckle. "You can''t kill us! What you just said was merely an empty threat!" Others chuckled as well while keeping their distance. Even though they were arrogant beyond belief, they still felt danger all around them. However, it was only a single person. What can he do? And he can''t even hurt them! Although they didn''t know why, since he was clearly capable, they were almost sure that he was not going to harm them. "I don''t expect you to understand," a weak yet stern voice rang as an elder elf with a beard stood up with someone else''s help. "We are elves. We are not to follow some random name and be ves. This is a new era for us! "In the past, the original residents of thisnd have called us cursed, demons, and sinners! "The original residents- they banished us, a whole race! They banished us to the ne of the Sinners! They sent us to hell and called us evil! "But we didn''t give up! We fought hard. We broke the seal with our superior magic! We were able to withstand every dire situation we were thrown in. "We are survivors! We are the chosen race! We are the elves!!" "The chosen race! The elves!" Countless voices belonging to the elves, behind the elder elf, rang across a destroyed battlefield. A once beautiful fertilend was now drowning in red blood and countless corpses. Sliced organs, crushed bones, and torn flesh indicated that this battlefield had been the end of countless lives. "What makes a youngd like yourself-" the elder spoke loudly. His voice was vicious, "what makes you think that you''ll be able to stand against the chosen race? We have been chosen by-" "Enough," a chilly voice simply said in an uncaring expression. "You''re so loud. I didn''t ask for your boring life story." This voice belonged to Raven''s loyal servant, her baneful executioner. And he was annoyed. Abbadon was annoyed. He had gone through countless portals so far. Usually, the job would be easy as he''d just tear everything evil apart and destroy the portal before leaving. The destruction of the portals would automatically transfer massive amounts of magiculus to Gaia, thus giving her a chance to evolve and grow stronger as well as making her capable of sustaining and withstanding theing battle. Yet, not every portal was so easy to deal with. It wasn''t that Abbadon found existences that were strong or brave enough to threaten him. No, he was his mistress''s Baneful Executioner after all, he would not dare taste defeat and run to his mistress with his tail between his legs. However, those portals were not portals to some dungeons that were filled with mindless monsters. No, they were portals that would create paths to differents, and as such, it was only natural that intelligent creatures would be living on somes. Abbadon''s young mistress clearly knew that her forces were not enough to stop a massive scale invasion, and since it was inevitable, she had asked her subordinates to collect as many intelligent creatures as possible if they were of use to her. Even if they were not strong, they would be useful if they had a special trait or talent. Alien technology or alien magic would also be of great use! Normally, intelligence meant epting fate and fear. Thus, many alien lifeforms were not as arrogant as those elves. In most of his previous runs, Abbadon had easily scared or tempted the creatures to join them. His mistress had allowed some level of threatening to be thrown around. After all, the creatures would always change their mind after realising how kind they were going to be treated! Additionally, many were greedy, which naturally meant that they were easily tempted to join someone else''s battle for the sake of treasures. Even though Raven would not allow those greedy souls to stay under her protection after theing war, she knew that now was not the time to be picky. However, even though many creatures have epted to join her ranks, not all of them did. Those who absolutely refused were allowed to be left alone since Raven was not a tyrant. She needed help, but at the same time, she knew that they would instantly betray her during a fight if they were brought against their will. ''This is annoying, so annoying¡­ I would rather crush them all, but my kind mistress has instructed otherwise¡­'' Abbadon always preferred to talk with his fists and magic rather than his mouth. ''Smart, civilized, creatures were less likely to attack Earth. ''Thus, they did not cause any threats, under normal circumstances that is. ''Althoughdy Raven had asked me to recruit these creatures, they seem quite arrogant, they would only drag us down¡­ ''However¡­'' "Don''t get any weird ideas because I let you rant." Abbadon said coldly, "I didn''t mind getting some information without wasting time, but you see¡­ "You are wasting time at this point, speaking such nonsense... "Survivors? Chosen? What delusions fill that empty shell between your shoulders? "The only reason you would be qualified to call yourselves Chosen is because my graceful mistress has decided that there''s value in keeping your pitiful lives. "Again, and for thest time, I am merely giving you two options; submit and follow my mistress, or die. That is all. "Now, choose! Oh, and please, feel free to choose death, it''s my expertise after all." Abbadon''s voice was calm, yet cold and freighting. The hundreds of elves that had stood up in their moment of courage and arrogance, just a few seconds ago, dropped down to their knees again the moment they saw the sadistic smile on the daemon''s face. Chapter 236 - Demolishing Fake Heroes Part 2 The hundreds of elves who had stood up in their moment of courage, just a few seconds ago, dropped down to their knees again the moment they saw the sadistic smile on the daemon''s face. This daemon, this creature in front of them¡­ he looked human, even elves knew about humans, the blessed race¡­ However, their surprise came from his aura. He was not human. No, he was dangerous. He was far more dangerous than any other creature or danger they have ever faced. The sadistic daemon was wearing dark luxurious clothing that was fit for nobles, no, for royals. What gave the elves the chills and made it hard for them to breathe wasn''t his clothing however, no, not even his spine breaking smile... It was the dead monsters behind him. Although these elves have been in a deadly fight, those monsters were not the enemy they had fought. No, they had fought against the humans, the original residents of this, who had banished them. However, just as they were about to win andpletely wipe out the humans, they were attacked by monsters. What was left of the humans died to these monsters. Not seconds after enjoying their human appetizers, those terrifying monstrous creatures attacked the elves causing countless casualties. Even their strongest warriors were trampled to death and crushed in mere seconds. However, just as they were on the brink of despair, a bright light dyed the sky as a single figure descended down like an angel, a ruler of the sky. This figure had mercilessly ughtered the bloodthirsty creatures, wiping them out in an instant and thus saving the elves. Most of the elves thought that they were dreaming, that they were already dead and every ounce of hope they experienced was simply an illusion. However, even after pping their faces or pinching their cheeks, the scene didn''t change in front of them and instead stayed the same. This figure, this person has saved them. They thought he was a god¡­ a supreme being who had been watching over them and finally chose to save them¡­ to nurture them and make them rise above all other races! But to their dismay, reality was not forgiving¡­ This person whom they thought was their saviour had asked them to obey him. To submit their wills to him and his mistress¡­ Many elves found it hard to believe. This supreme being was supposed to be their saviour and a person who had chosen to make THEM the pinnacle of existence! They, the elves, were not a race that was meant to follow anyone! They were meant to rule others instead! Why was this supreme asking them to submit to him and his mistress? How could they do that? The chosen race¡­The elves¡­ of course they won''t submit to anyone! Of course not! Even if this person was indeed a god or a supreme ruler, there was no way they''d throw away their freedom again! It was a fate worse than death! That''s why they refused to obey. They stood their ground. They chose to fight for their freedom once again! They''ve always done it anyway. Onest battle for freedom won''t change anything! But even then¡­ This person, this supreme ruler¡­ was he really going to kill them all? He definitely could! His power was no child y, they''ve all witnessed it themselves!! Behind his elegant figure, the countless monsters were in viciously, ensuring not a single hint of their souls were left in their bodies. Each creature was leftying down in a puddle of its own blood. Fissures and cracks were dug deep into the ground by the effect of this being''s wicked abilities. Red blood flooded through them like rivers. What made the scene so terrifying and almost unbelievable was the fact that he had absolutely no blood on him. His clothes were dark, but they were clean and almost sparkling under the rays of this''s two bright stars and one beautiful silvery moon. Even though this person was standing in front of rivers, no seas of blood, not a single drop tainted his handsome pale face, nor his night ck hair. Two strands of rich elegant gold were making his hair even glossier, prompting people to make eye contact with him and appreciate him as a breathtaking piece of rare art. However, anyone who dared look straight at his golden iresis and blood red pupils ended up fainting. ''Tch, so annoying,'' Abbadonined while looking down on the elves who were staring at the ground in fear. He was not particrly emitting any type of pressure, but his passive aura was enough to make the weak elves faint. To make matters worse, they were so arrogant! It was almost unbelievable! They were talking about being chosen and being survivors, however, the truth was that they were getting attacked by those monsters that were now dead behind him. If it wasn''t for his mistress''s orders, he would have annihted such an arrogant race and this entire pitiful rock they live on! "You''re out of time," Abbadon''s cold voice suddenly rang around. It was not loud, but everyone felt their ears ringing from the words he spoke so calmly. "I guess it is only natural that an arrogant race such as yourselves would prefer to die than to serve the most generous mistress, the high and mighty Lady Raven. "Well, at least you''ll serve to lessen my boredom, please scream! Kfufufufufu-" Of course, Abbadon wasn''t going to actually disobey his mistress''s orders. He was more cunning than his handsome appearance indicated. "Wait!" A voice cracked under Abbadon''s devilish chuckle. Just as he started channeling his aura, this weak voice called. "Tch," Abbadon clicked his tongue although he smiled inside, ''as nned.'' The person who spoke previously started getting up from the ground, weakly and with great effort. "Sir hero!" "Sir hero, why did youe here?!" "Sir hero, no! You haven''t recovered yet!" "Please, Sir hero, you''ve done enough for us! We have to fight for ourselves too!" "Please recover, we''ll hold him off!" The elves all looked at this newly emerging figure in reverence and respect as they each shouted in fear. They knew they were weak against this mysterious being, but this sir hero would win if he had skmet one to recover his strength! Of course, this sir hero was so strong that he was able to help them with everything; from teaching them how to break the seal to fighting against the original residents of thisnd! This sir hero was unstoppable! But they had to give him some time to recover, after all, he had worked the most! "Hm?" Abbadon looked annoyed at the sudden chatter, but he focused on this person as well. "Anyst words?" A vicious cold smile surfaced across his face, giving the elves a terrifying feeling as many of them fell unconscious once more. Although not many noticed, the ''so called hero'' stiffened all of a sudden, before continuing to approach Abbadon as if nothing had happened. Abbadon could clearly see the cold sweat rolling down his forehead, making his smile even bigger! Chapter 237 - Demolishing Fake Heroes Part 3 "Anyst words?" A vicious cold smile surfaced across Abbadon''s face, giving the elves and their hero a terrifying feeling, shaking their core. Many of the already small bunch of elves that were left awake fell unconscious, finally giving up on their resistance as dread filled their nightmares. Although not many noticed, the ''so called hero'' stiffened all of a sudden, before continuing to approach Abbadon as if nothing had happened. Abbadon could clearly see the cold sweat rolling down his forehead, making him smile even wilder and more viciously! ''This person seems to be the person who had broken the seal and guided the elves to this ne, or at least one of the people responsible.'' Abbadon thought to himself while observing the injured ''hero''. From Abbadon''s estimation, this person should be able to temporarily break a weak seal or open up a path between the two nes of this. ''I guess he also had to fight against the original residents of this continent, the humans. ''ording to what I''ve observed, there have been many battles going on at the same time, many people died from both sides. Only the lucky ones or the strongest ones survived. ''I have sensed both human and elven bodies in the stomachs of the creatures I killed as well¡­ what a mess¡­'' This had tworge continents. The first was filled with cities built in the jungle where residents focused on advanced magical research, while the other, the one Abbadon was currently in, focused on technological advancements. Abbadon had gone to the jungle first and found the original residents to be there. The original residents of the jungle looked human, no, they were in fact humans, with various abilities. From Abbadon''s interaction with them, it was clear that they possess terrifying control and understanding over the various magicalws of the mysterious universe. Of course, humans were arrogant just like the elves, but they valued their lives more. As such, it didn''t take them long to deliver their submission to this daemon''s mistress. After all, Abbadon had shown them what he''s capable of¡­ Additionally, they were more than willing when they had heard of their objective; All they had to do was conduct research as they''ve always done. However, what made the offer more tempting was that this daemon''s mistress would provide them with everything they needed and more! Even more information and guidance in regards to magic! Furthermore, the daemon had promised that they would gain immense powers once hey truly join their side and contribute to his mistress. It was obvious from Abbadon''s demeanor that this mistress he spoke of so restfully was someone highly important, and as such, they didn''t dare let this opportunity escape their grasp. Anyhow, the two continents didn''t seem to be simr to each other, in fact, they have been specting a destructive war amongst themselves! Apparently the elves had made it easier for the people of the jungle to avoid war. But even so, if it wasn''t for Abbadon moving them to Earth, they would have attacked and won over a new massive piece ofnd. But all of that was obviously of no concern for someone like Abbadon who only cared about his mistress and her wellbeing. ''In any case, I was here for the humans of this, but I''ll take the elves.'' Abbadon thought to himself while watching the said hero approach him weakly. "Who are you?" The hero spoke in a low voice as he looked warily towards Abbadon who had called back his aura, restraining himself massively, making it easier for the hero to look at him. Abbadon smiled as he heard the question. He smiled viciously that some of the few remaining elves dropped on the ground. "A human helping the elves. A human that disregards races and helps those who are in need. A hero indeed!" Abbadon''s tone made him sound extremely and weirdly happy, but it only made the others fear him more since his smile didn''t match his tone. However, the contrast between the daemon''s smile and his tone wasn''t the thing that shocked the hero. It was his actions. While keeping the same smile on his face, Abbadon threw a bottle of beige liquid towards the hero who didn''t even have any strength nor the time to evade. "Sir hero!" "No!! You evil-" "Protect sir hero!" "Huh? What- sir hero!" "Oh, sir hero can stand tall again!" "I can feel the sir hero''s strengthing back! Do you feel his aura?!" "Sir hero! We''re saved!" "Finally!! We''ll teach that b*stard a lesson!" "Go sir hero!!" It all happened so quickly, but what Abbadon did made the human hero only frown as he stood with a tense expression on his sweaty and dirty face. For some reason, although his injuries have all disappeared, he was feeling more uneasy. No matter what he did, he felt stuck in an invisible spider web while the predator was smiling at him sadistically. A way too happy tone made him tense even more. "Who am I?" Abbadon repeated the hero''s question, making many elves flinch, remembering that he was still standing there. "I am a person that you can''t win against no matter how strong you are. "So take this as a word of advice from a young senior: stop with your pointless resistance. "On this entire, no one can possibly cause me any real harm. And let me tell you, you''re not even the strongest of them." Abbadon was speaking as if he was discussing the weather. No, he sounded even more certain than specting about the weather. He was stating a simple fact. A fact that can not be refuted by mere mortals. The hero felt his lungs gasping for air even though he was not being restrained. His legs were slightly shaking, and his palms won''t even obey hismand by closing into fists. His face was very pale as well, as if he had seen a ghost. Although he was like a wet rat, this ''hero'' was quite good at hiding it from the naive elves. Chapter 238 - Demolishing Fake Heroes Part 4 It was quite hard for the ''hero'' to keep hisposure, yet he tried his best. He avoided looking at Abbadon, yet he didn''t kneel or admit submission. No, he can''t possibly do that! "That beige liquid is a high grade potion. It both heals you andpensates for your lost mana." Abbadon continued. "That''s only one of things my mistress would give for her subjects, the loyal ones that is." His smile got more vicious. "What''s with your smile then?" The hero''s back was filled with cold sweat even though he was back to peak condition now. ''He is far more dangerous than I thought. But that''s ok, the situation will change very soon¡­ that smile on his face won''tst for long¡­'' "Oh? What''s with my smile?" Abbadon asked, genuinely confused. "My mistress has taught me to smile while delivering a message from her-" The hero suddenly widened his eyes in realization. ''Such a vicious mistress, of course! This person is not even my worst enemy¡­ ''It is this mysterious mistress that he keeps talking about that is the true source of evil! ''If it is his mistress, then it is only obvious that she would be stronger than him and¡­ more dangerous!'' The hero was struggling to swallow his feelings of inferiority. ''Are we doomed? Are we really going to serve this mysterious queen of hell!? But¡­ I can''t let that happen. After all, I have worked so hard to get this far!'' "Are you saying that my smile irritates you?" Abbadon asked, switching his smile upside down after understanding the human''s question. That made everyone even more frightened. "Or do you dare say that my gorgeous mistress has taught me wrong, you imbecile low-life?" His frown seemed more genuine the longer he looked at the human in front of him. "No, no, of course not!" The human instantly raised his hands, almost yelling as he tried to clear up the misunderstanding. His heart almost stopped with the daemon''s simple question. He wanted to exin that he only meant that such a vicious smile like the one he had on was anything but a real smile. It was a smile that would be used to mentally break and torture the worst evil creatures in the world instead! It wasn''t something to use while negotiating! But before he could speak, he realised that it might make him even angrier. They would all perish if that happens. ''No, I can''t let that happen¡­'' the hero was about to give a reply when Abbadon raised his hand. "Anyhow, I don''t have time to waste." Abbadon''s voice was as cold as ever, sending chills in the air and filling the area with his suffocating presence even though he was still heavily restraining his aura. His expression was now neutral and cold. "Seeing that you''re their leader, I''ll give you ast chance, will you submit, or will you die?" "Isn''t that too unreasonable?" The hero asked while slowly stepping forward. He wanted to get away from the elves so that they are not exposed to danger. Yes, he was the hero. He could not allow the elves to be enved again, even if he had to sacrifice himself. He had to protect them¡­ Like hell he cared about the stupid elves!! He only wanted to enve them himself! Those stupid creatures are strangely masters of magic! They would help him invade the continent of the jungle, thus securing both continents under his grasp! He was no hero, no, he was simply a man with ambition. He worked hard to achieve his goals and nothing was going to stop him now! Soon, he''d be the supreme king of the two continents! So what if this creature was terrifyingly strong? He had a n for these types of situations after all! Directing his attention back to Abbadon who was looking at him coldly, he swallowed loudly as he readied himself to buy some time. "You say that your mistress will offer us rewards such as high grade potions, but your smile seems to say that we''ll be food for the devil." The hero continued, trying to stop his shaking chest from indicating his fear. "Additionally, those people behind me, those elves¡­ they have been through a lot! From very and being treated like garbage to being banished andpletely forgotten... "And now you''re asking them to submit to someone who -for all they know- could be a tyrant? You''re asking people who had just finished a war for their freedom, to give it up again? "Esteemed sir, you surely understand how unreasonable you sound right now, don''t you?" Abbadon clenched his fists, struggling to keep his calm. His aura wanted to do nothing but destroy every disgusting soul in front of him. ''Did he just call the kind Lady Raven a tyrant?'' Getting a hold of his wild emotions, Abbadon gritted his teeth before forcing himself to fully calm down. "Didn''t I just save your miserable lowly lives?" Abbadon asked while pointing at the countless in beasts behind him. "You owe me your lives, so you will obviously pay me back with everything you have, including your freedom." "That''s unreasonable!" The hero yelled, his anger winning against his fear. "Hm, your friends are surely toote, huh?" Abbadonpletely ignored the hero''s story and instead channeled his mana. The hero instantly got frightened and raised his guard. ''How!? How the f*CK did he know? I am sure that I sent a telepathic signal to my friends, he can''t trace that can he?'' "Just who the hell are you?" The hero said out loud, thinking that this person would at least tell him his identity and before killing him. But contrary to his expectations, Abbadon was not preparing an attack. He simply channeled his mana in front of him and hardened it enough to create a throne fit for an emperor. "Hm, I told you and everyone when I first came here, didn''t I? I am my mistress''s Baneful Executioner." He smiled elegantly while sitting down on his throne like an prideful king waiting for his jesters to entertain him.. The mention of his mistress and his own role instantly made him feel a thousand times better. "Now then, you surely understand how hard it must be for an executioner not to cut a b*astard''s head off, right?" Chapter 239 - Demolishing Fake Heroes Part 5 "You¡­ what?" The hero asked in fright as he had not heard what Abbadon had said. After all, how could he hear what the daemon had said with all the ear piercing noise filling his mind and shaking his core? For an instant, the hero was able to hear the unmistakable sounds of his cracking spine and his own pitiful wails as he begged for life¡­ He instantly shook in fear. This wasn''t mere illusion. This wasn''t just imaginations based on fear. No, this was way more than that!! One of his abilities was foresight. He could see glimpses of the future. And just now... just now, he could have sworn that he had seen the person in front of him, the person that is now sitting on the throne, smiling sadistically like an arrogant tyrant before snapping his fingers in the air. The sound of his snap was almost instantly apanied by the breaking of his own spine! The hero felt even the tiniest hair on his body stand to an end! His eyes were clearly shaking as if he had just gone through multiple deaths in a mere second! ''Just¡­ just what the hell is this creature?!'' "You''re a b*stard, that''s what I said," Abbadon repeated, thinking that the hero was not satisfied with being called a b*stard. His smile was long gone, and only a cold and serious expression was left. He had noticed the new fear in the hero''s heart, but he wasn''t sure just yet if the reason behind it. "You dared name my mistress a tyrant, did you forget?" Abbadon''s displeased voice was clear as a cathedral''s bell, ringing in the ears of everyone that wasn''tying on the ground unconscious "If it wasn''t for my mistress''s mercifulness, you would have been already dead countless times. Do you understand?" "But- but I only said for all we know, your mistress may-" he suddenly could not continue, feeling the cold gaze prating his soul. "I apologize-" The hero''s heart was still beating loudly and quickly like a drum, making it harder for him to listen or even focus on anything else but avoiding his death! "How smart of you!" Abbadon pped happily, as if his previous cold gaze was nothing but a mere illusion. "You understand your mistakes pretty quickly!" The hero who was now sitting on his knees, on the bloody ground, felt his body shake in fear. His arrogance long gone after getting a glimpse of the painful future awaiting him. "But unfortunately," Abbadon''s vicious gaze didn''t waver, yet his tone got instantly sharper like an exterminator''s axe. "It''s toote for you. Saying something so prosperous about the person I admire the most can not be easily forgiven. Even an idiot like you surely understands." The hero''s heart sank. He could feel his spine aching as he remembered his vision. He was done for. Everything that he had worked so hard for will soon disappear¡­ No, that wasn''t it. His entire life¡­ will soon be extinguished! "However," Abbadon said as he nced at the elves behind him, only a handful had not fainted yet. "I might consider killing you quickly and without torturing your soul if you admit that you''re no hero. "I want you to admit that everything that you''ve done so far, from releasing the elves from their torture to massacring most of your own people, was solely made to get you the ruler''s seat. "Admit that you wanted nothing more than enving everyone on both continents. Admit that you''re nothing but a mere sinful lowlife! If you do that, I might spare your disgusting soul." One of Abbadon''s skills was mind reading, and he had obviously known that this scum was no hero! He was able to read him and see his desires like an open book. And although Abbadon''s face would usually be brimming with joy and anticipation while torturing a sinner like him, he could not smile now that he was aware of how dark and evil this filthy human was. He had sacrificed many people for the sake of his own goals that were filled with feelings of superiority and greed. He wasn''t a person who valued the elves more or hated the humans because of their actions. No, he simply didn''t view anyone but himself as a worthy entity. He believed that everyone and everything else was beneath him! That''s why Abbadon wanted nothing but to throw him into the depths of the void and torture his soul for eternity! After spending so much time with his mistress, Abbadon had learned to value the lives of living beings and cherish them. However, that only applied to people who were not as corrupted as this so-called hero, this fake hero! "Sir hero¡­?" "Sir hero? What is he talking about?" "Don''t listen to him, Sir hero, destroy him!!" The few elves that were still able to withstand Abbadon''s re urged the hero to get rid of his evil presence already, yet he was only shaking in the ground, unable to utter a word. "Hoda!!!" A voice thundered across the destroyed ground, startling the hero and elves. The voice came from the skies a group of humans came soaring, auras unleashed and fists clenched in anger. "Look! It''s Sir hero''s friends!" "It''s Sir M and the others!!" "There''s still hope!" "The heroes are here to beat up this evil liar!!" "Haha we still have hope indeed!!" ''Huh?'' The fake hero on the ground was unable to speak after what Abbadon had said. He was going to die for sure! But his friends are here! There''s no way this person would kill them all, right? ''No¡­ this person¡­ this supreme being¡­ no one could possibly defeat him¡­ we''re done for!'' Thoughts of his soon toe death were assaulting his sanity. He could hear his friends, yet he could not even warn them to run. Well, not like he cared that much about them. They were merely his servants and vassals. They were meant to die for him.. What made him feel bitter though, was the fact that even if they all die, they won''t be able to save him. Chapter 240 - Demolishing Fake Heroes Part 6 The so-called hero, Hoda, weakly looked up at hisrades, struggling to even make the slightest movement with his eyes and head. The act of looking at his friends, or rather partners in crime, was enough to leave him panting and wheezing for the precious oxygen in the air. "What are you doing, Hoda?!" One of the humans, Honda''s partners, called M yelled, realising that something has gone terribly wrong. Even though each of them had their own battlefields that they still had to take care of since not all of the original residents were dead yet, they didn''t hesitate to rush over to Hoda when they realised it was an urgent matter. However, they still didn''t expect him to look like a pitiful wet rat with two hollow soulless eyes!! ''What just happened?'' M thought while looking at the ck haired man sitting imperiously on the massive and glorious throne, as if he owned the entire. He didn''t even bother looking up at them! "Tch, it must be him!" One of the people apanying M clicked his tongue and yelled in disdain. "What did you do to Hoda, you devil?!" "Oh," Abbadon showed an amused reaction after hearing those words, yet he didn''t raise his head to look at them. He merely acknowledged their existence, like an emperor not caring for, yet acknowledging, an insignificant matter such as an annoying fly above his head. With a snap of his fingers, the nine people floating in the sky lost their bearing and quickly sumbed to thews of gravity. "What the-" "I can''t fly!" "You b*stard!!" "B*tch!!" The group yelled in surprise and frustration as they realised they were no longer able to fly. Bang!! Bang¡­. Bang!! Nine bangs sounded as the nine people fell like dead birds from the sky and hit the ground like meteors. The blood and gore from the battlefield sttered across their faces and clothes, making some of them even angrier. "You damn devil!! I''ll tear you apart!!" One of them yelled while clenching his teeth beforeunching himself at Abbadon who simply smiled. He was entertained so far. "Rku, enough!!" M yelled at the top of his lungs in order to urge the man rushing to his death, Rku, to stop. Noticing that he did not stop and continued his wild charge, M immediately teleported in front of him and quickly subdued him using force. M was not stupid and he quickly realised that this person was not to be messed with. He was quite dangerous. The look in Honda''s faces was saying it all! "Let me go!! Didn''t you see how he''s treating us like flies?" Rku yelled. "This f*cker! Look at what he did to Hoda! We can''t make the n work without him!" "Yeah, let''s chop him into pieces!!" Another person called, enraged. "Who is he to think he can mess with us and our ns? We''ll soon be the rulers of thisnd!!" "You devil, what the hell do you want!!?" A young woman called while being restrained by another person. She was looking at Abbadon as if he was an executioner that had taken her lover''s life. Little did she know, that was not far off the truth. "Hm, this is the third time you called me devil, but you''re obviously wrong," Abbadon''s amused voice didn''t indicate rage or frustration. He was enjoying himself. After all, he has been waiting for them for a while now. "I am no mere devil, get your vocabry right, less you lose your empty heads and useless brains that you don''t bother using. "I am a daemon, a superior being that none of you is worthy of looking down upon, that''s why you are not allowed to fly above me, isn''t that clear as day? You all belong below my feet." "This motherf-" Rku struggled against M''s hold. "Let me go! I''ll make him wish he-" "Enough, so loud," Abbadon frowned, showing displeasure for the first time, as he snapped his fingers. Everyone widened their eyes in surprise and fright. The elves and the neers both started shaking, some in fear and some in rage. The fake hero, Hoda, didn''t seem surprised in the slightest, but his heart started beating even faster, threatening to jump out of its cage! The ce was so loud just a second ago, yet, it suddenly got so quiet after the ck haired man''s snap... M looked between his arms where Rku once was struggling for his freedom¡­ but he couldn''t find his friend, he only saw a puff of dark grey smoke, no¡­ a puff of ash! M''s hands and feet started shaking in fear and disbelief. "He was just between my arms¡­." He knew this person was not normal, but he had not expected something like this¡­ When this young man had snapped his fingers, Rku had turned into ash¡­ Just like that¡­ Rku was dead... He was no more... He would no longer argue with everyone. He''d no longer drink and y with girls. He''d no longer fight alongside them. He''d no longer be a ruler with them. Rku was truly gone! "Oops," Abbadon widened his eyes in surprise. He seemed genuinely shocked by his own actions. He was panicking, realising that he had vited his mistress'' orders by killing someone for real! He didn''t mean to kill the stupid human! He only meant for him to shut his mouth. Yet, it was toote. Nothing but ashes were left of that human, and even the ashes started drifting in the air as if wanting nothing to do with Abbadon. The ashes quickly disappeared into the distance. ''No¡­ Lady Raven will skin me alive this time!'' Abbadon''s face looked as prideful as ever, yet his mind was a total mess. ''No, what am I thinking? The merciful and kind Lady Raven would never harm me, but¡­ but she''d be disappointed in me¡­ ''She would remember what I did before¡­ I have already made her upset many times! ''Just like the time I went to fight Silver on my own¡­ back then, she had told me to stick to the rules and not raise a finger without her permission, yet¡­ ''What a stupid idiot¡­ What should I do with myself now? How can I continue calling Lady Raven as the person I admire the most when I can''t even respect her simple orders¡­ ''Will she ever forgive me if she knew they were evil people? But¡­ even so, she had told me not to kill¡­ I was supposed to only intimidate or tempt, but never kill an intelligent being if they mean Earth no harm¡­ ''What do I do now?'' Abbadon was flustered inside, yet on the outside, he looked exactly the same. The people around him were still shaking as if they were hit by lightning. Suddenly, a radiant white light burst in the sky, blinding everyone but the ck haired daemon who had his mouth open in shock¡­ He was shocked at his miserable luck! ''Out of every time, I was caught now¡­'' Shaking his head, a grim expression surfaced across his face. He was done for¡­ Maybe Lady Raven was not going to physically harm him, yet the look of disappointment in her eyes would soon be like a sharp dagger stabbing into Abbadon''s heart. Dismissing the throne quickly, the poor daemon instantly kneeled in respect and looked up at the elegant figure descending from the sky gloriously. Her golden eyes were cast upon the miserablend that was dyed red with blood and gore, yet she managed to radiate warmth and calmness into everyone''s soul. Abbadon could not help but admire everything about his young mistress as she floated slightly above the ground. "Lady Raven¡­" Chapter 241 - Demolishing Fake Heroes Part 7 Raven''s warm gaze was directed at the surroundingnd that was dyed red as a hint of sadness filled her golden eyes. A beautiful, yet sturdy, blindingly dark armour with sparkling streaks of gold along its sides was wrapped around her seemingly fragile yet elegant body, highlighting her young feminine curves and adding to her charm. The armour was not the normal knight attire but instead consistent of a pair of thick knee-high boots, a short protective skirt that left her milky white thighs under the mercy of the harsh wind, a pair of thin yet sharp looking gauntlets with two delicately decorated arm guards attached to them, and finally, a beautiful chest te piece that left a lot of the shadowy cloth wrapped around her tender skin visible to the onlookers. On top of her shadow armour, a soft cloak was covering her shoulders and back as if she was trying to hide her body from others. As a matter of fact, she would usually prefers some gender neutral clothing, such as shorts and hoodie, because of her rather special circumstances. But since she was now preparing for war and gathering subordinates, Ka had urged her to look more of a professional ''leading figure'' than a rascal gangster. *Sigh* Giving a soft sigh after noticing the gazes of anticipation from others, Raven shook her head as if to clear her mind. The gesture was sneaky that no one noticed. Although she had a lot on her mind and didn''t exactly know what had happened here and did not want to jump into conclusions, she could not help but imagine seeing the same bloody scene on Earth as the invasion takes ce... ''Invasion?'' Raven thought to herself, or rather scoffed at her own thoughts. ''It is more appropriate to call it eradication¡­'' The sad gaze she casted upon everyone seemed to touch everyone''s heart and warm them up as many of the fainted elves woke up and stared at her as if she was their saviour. Although she had descended from the sky the same way the evil daemon had, the warmth of her gaze made it clear that she was no evil presence like him. No, she was a true angel in their eyes. Little did they know, this young mistress hates angels the most... Noticing how the ground was filled with blood, Raven decided not to step on it. Instead, she solidified the mana under her feet and levitated midair. To the others, it looked more like she was stepping on an invisible structure that they we''re not qualified to set their eyes upon. "Lady Raven¡­" Abbadon''s voice grabbed Raven''s attention as she noticed him kneeling on the ground in respect.. "Abbadon¡­" looking at him, his mistress instantly frowned. Abbadon could feel his heart pounding against his chest. He closed his eyes, unwilling to look her in the eyes. The elves who had woken up and the eight humans that were left, together with their hero, looked at the elegant neer with a tense expression. They had first thought she was going to help them. They had fallen for the same twice! They both appeared the same way; both descended from the sky with a sh of white! Why would they think she''s on their side? Her warmth? Her attractiveness? Her charm? Her kind expression? They were all obviously fake!! This neer knew the name of the person that was threatening to destroy them! They were obviously working together! Suddenly, everyone had the same thought; we''re done for! Their terrified expressions said it all. "Lady Raven," Abbadon said again in response to his Lady''s call, his voice sounding grim. !!!!! Suddenly, as if a sh of lightning hit them all in the face, they flinched! They clearly heard it¡­ this person¡­ she is this person''s mistress¡­ She was the person who had taught him to smile when threatening someone¡­ She was the person who had given him his terrifying power¡­ She¡­ she was the person they were asked to submit to! Now, they were truly done for!! *Sigh* "Why are you kneeling on the ground?" Raven asked with a sigh, her voice was calm and filled with concern. "It''s filled with blood and gore. Look at your clothes now¡­" She shook her head at her helpless subordinate who had ruined his luxurious clothing just so that he could kneel for her and show some respect¡­ While Raven was being considerate towards her subordinate, everyone else''s expressions stiffened even more. She wasn''t concerned about the blood of their people. She wasn''t concerned about the corpses filling up the ground. No, she cared about the evil person''s luxurious clothing¡­ "Lady Raven," Abbadon could not help but swallow loudly after hearing his mistress'' words. He could not help but feel even more guilt clogging his veins. "Lady Raven, I don''t deserve your mercy, I have gone against your orders and taken a life!" "Oh, you have?" She asked in surprise. She hadn''t expected Abbadon to disobey her direct orders. But she knew something must have gone wrong. Not waiting for him to exin, she approached him and touched his forehead. "I''m going to read your mind, is that alright?" She asked softly. "Of course, Lady Raven," Abbadon nodded politely. Still closing his eyes out of guilt. He absolutely did not want to see the disappointment in Raven''s captivating eyes. "Oasis; Mind Link!" Applying her skill, Raven was suddenly flooded with memories of what had taken ce just a few minutes ago. Emotions that weren''t hers also made their way to her mind, making her instantly frown. "Abbadon¡­" she could not help but gasp at the emotions of guilt and dread radiating from her loyal subordinate. *Sigh* "Abbadon, open your eyes," Raven''s voice was soft and calm. Even though Abbadon did not want to see his mistress'' expression, he had no choice but to do as told. To his surprise however, she was smiling warmly at him. Patting his silky and beautiful ck hair, she opened her mouth to speak, but she instantly stopped after seeing the change in Abbadon''s expression. At first, his face looked sad and grim, yet it looked as pure as a newborn the moment their eyes met. "It''s alright," she chuckled softly. "I understand what happened. You did good, more or less." She had an apologetic expression as she didn''t want to fullyplement him since he had killed a person. Yet, the simple act of shifting her attention towards those filthy humans made Raven''s smile turn upside down. Abbadon, who was captivated by his young mistress'' beautiful face, could not help but shiver as he watched the change in her expression the moment she looked at the fake hero, Hoda. "Hoda, was it?" Raven''s voice was still soft, yet her expression indicated anger. Chapter 242 - Demolishing Fake Heroes Part 8 "Hoda, was it?" Raven''s voice was still soft, yet her expression indicated anger. The fake hero felt a bolt of violent electricity pass through his body as he involuntarily turned his head to look at her frown. He instantly felt the urge to choke himself to death after noticing that innocent looking frown¡­ the guilt from doing what he had done instantly filled his dark heart. "I believe that my subordinate, Abbadon, had already exined that you need to exin yourself to the poor elves, correct?" Her voice was as soft as ever, yet everyone''s hearts beat a lot faster as she finished. "Y- Yes, Yes ma''am!" Hoda, who was struggling to breathe, said in a loud yet respectful voice. "Good, then please go ahead!" Hearing her words, the elves seemedpletely lost. However, that was only the start. Hoda was hesitant at first, but the moment he looked back at the youngdy''s frown, he had no choice but to obey. Hearing his exnation and confession, the elves could not help but feel suffocated. They''ve been tricked¡­ They''ve been yed by their heroes¡­ They''ve been yed by the people they respect the most¡­ Their lives actually had no meaning whatsoever in those people''s minds. They were mere pawns that were meant to be sacrificed¡­ *Sigh* Raven could not help but let out a sigh of pity after seeing the expressions of pain and betrayal in the elves'' faces. They seemed utterly and thoroughly defeated. "Abbadon," Raven called her loyal subordinate, "let''s destroy the portal and leave. We have important things to attend to." "Yes, Lady Raven," he hid his surprise and answered politely. He didn''t think his mistress would just leave the people of this just like that. Was she not going to take care of the elves? Was she not going to punish the evil humans? Abbadon had the urge to at least ask her about gathering the elves since it was what he had wanted to achieve, yet he did not dare. If his mistress was leaving, then it was because she does not want them to be fighting alongside her. But even still, he couldn''t help but feel confused about it. After all, the elves had some fascinating magic spells that could help them in theing war. "Ma''am!" A shaking voice suddenly called out to Raven as she was starting to ascend into the sky and into the distance. "Hm, what is it?" Raven''s soft voice seemed concerned, but she smiled politely nheless. "About the offer¡­ does it still stand?" The elf asked. He was the elf elder that had rallied the others against Abbadon before. After realising that their heroes had betrayed them, they wanted nothing to do with this ce. It was nothing but a filthy ocean of gore and blood! Those pitiful fake heroes can rule this sh*thole as they please! However, to everyone''s surprise, especially Abbadon''s, the youngdy shook her head. "Apologies, but the offer does not stand any more," she smiled apologetically. "What¡­. Why?" The elf elder and the rest felt lost and confused. Didn''t she want them before!? "I''m sorry ma''am, but can you please tell us why? After all, you sent us a messenger¡­" he nced towards Abbadon, timidly. "Uhm, the reason is because I only needed you to fight together with me against some people who are nning on destroying ournd," Raven waspletely honest and open about it. "However, seeing the situation you are in right now, regardless of who was the righteous side in this battlefield, I believe that you are no longer fit for battle¡­ you deserve a break." Hearing her soft words that seemed full of honest concern, the elves could not help but me themselves for not epting the offer before! This youngdy seemed to have been the contrary of what they had imagined! Why would she send someone like that evil man as a messenger? Was it a test? Maybe she was testing them all along! But s, they must have failed the test¡­ Many elves felt the urge to smack their heads against the ground and wail for how stupid and arrogant they acted. They''ve been betrayed by their heroes, and when someone was trying to offer them a hand, they bit it and spat on it! "Please don''t me yourselves," Raven said after noticing their expressions. "Even if you joined me, you''d only suffer more. After all, the war we''re setting out to is nothing but arge-scale massacre. It is better for you to stay here. "As for those people who call themselves heroes, I believe they won''t harm you anymore, correct?" She asked with a meaningful look towards Hoda. "Yes! Yes, Ma''am!" He instantly bowed deeply, almost soaking his head in blood and he touched the ground. "We promise you to pay our debt and work hard to rebuild thends and take care of everyone! We will never ever seek a position of authority in thisnd and instead we''ll work hard topensate those who have fallen victim to our vile actions!!" "Good," Raven said softly at that, yet a tinge of coldness clouded her expression. If it was her or her people, she would have massacred those humans mercilessly and in the most painful way. But unfortunately, she didn''t have time for this right now nor did she care enough. After all, from what she could tell from Abbadon''s memories, the elves aren''t the best people either. Something must have happened between them and the humans before which caused them to be banished. In any case, that was not her concern. Turning towards Abbadon, she nodded. "Our job here is done, let''s go." "Yes, Lady Raven!" He instantly cleaned himself from blood with one of his skills and appeared beside Raven who had a look of surprise. She didn''t expect him to be so bold, but her subordinate had just turned his clothing into ashes before instantly wrapping himself in a new set of shadowy clothing, thanks to his skill: Void Particles. In a sense, he wrapped himself in a mantle of void particles before converting that into a normal set of clothing that matched his formal set. Grinning, Raven led the way towards the portal that they needed to destroy before teleporting back to Earth. Watching her leave, the elves could not help but feel restless. Regret filled their veins. They have wasted a great chance¡­ Even though this was just a short encounter, they felt that this youngdy was a person who was truly worthy of being called a hero, no¡­ even more! As for the fake heroes¡­ they felt their body shaking under the disgusted gazes of the elves. Although they still had the power to wipe them out, they could not possibly do that after witnessing the expression on that youngdy''s face. They didn''t know how or why, but they felt that the moment they went against their promise, they''d instantly regret it. How pitiful... They had ns of conquering the world¡­ They were going to be the rulers of the new era¡­ But in the end, they werepletely suppressed¡­ They didn''t stand a chance against that young fragile looking girl. They were utterly andpletely helpless in front of her. Instead of bing the masters, they now had to serve the eleves topensate them for their actions¡­ They were destroyed¡­ Utterly demolished.... Chapter 243 - Last Dusk Part 1 * BEAUZ & JVNA - Crazy [NCS Release] * "Lady Raven," Abbadon''s voice was calm and collected, yet filled with concern. "Are they close by?" Although his mistress has not uttered a single word after teleporting back to their, Earth, he could not help but feel uneasy, not because he was afraid of facing the angel invasion, but rather because of his mistress'' behaviour. Raven was quite calm, yet she wore an anxious expression on her face. Abbadon knew that she wasn''t afraid of facing the invasion either, no¡­ Raven was afraid of facing her sister, friend, and family¡­ She was afraid of meeting the person that she was supposed to protect, yet let down¡­ She was afraid of keeping herposure in front of her little Maya¡­ How could she greet her again after everything that''s happened? Will she ept her back? Will she forgive her? Will she be willing toe back and be their Maya again? Will everything be back to normal? If not now, will it, in the future? All of these questions kept on prating Raven''s fragile mental defences. She wasn''t ready to face Maya yet and she knew it. However, she couldn''t possibly allow herself not to! Everything was her fault. She had obviously failed her and could not protect her! But¡­ But her heart could not possibly be unscathed after everything that had happened! Raven needed to meet Maya and work things out with her! Otherwise¡­ she''d be no more than her old lost self, just like before the two of them became friends¡­ Just like when they both were enved by Lady Luck... Back then, Maya and Raven were each other''s hope and salvation, the two could not have survived if it wasn''t for each other''s help! Even though she could never forgive herself for letting her little Maya down, she still needed her forgiveness like she needed oxygen and she was nning on doing absolutely anything to get it! "Lady- Lady Raven¡­" Abbadon''s heart was aching while observing the unexinable expression in his mistress'' milky white face. It was a mix of uncertainty, agony, fear, anxiety, and many other conflicting emotions that Abbadon has never observed before. For some reason, his mighty mistress seemed so weak and fragile like a thin piece of ss that would break the moment she was exposed to the slightest breeze¡­ Seeing Raven like that was agonizing, even for someone like Abbadon¡­ no, especially for someone like Abbadon who had the utmost admiration and respect for his young mistress! "Huh? Uhm, sorry, I was deep in thoughts. What is it, Abbadon?" Her facial expression instantly changed as an apologetic smile surfaced across her face. Even though the smile would be enough to charm any stranger on the streets, it only caused Abbadon''s heart to feel more pain. "Apologies for interrupting-" "No, no." Raven immediately waved her hand and interrupted Abbadon. "It''s quite alright. I need to get serious and gather my thoughts together after all, thank you. But anyway, what is it that you needed?" "I understand," he replied grimly. "I- Lady Raven, I was wondering¡­ why did you call me back? Not only that, but you came to get me personally. "I understand that it''s not something you''d normally do as you were the one to give me the order of recruiting the residents of that inside the portal¡­ "I had first assumed that the war had already started¡­ but it is clearly not the case," he said while looking up at the sky then the ground below. No signs of abnormalities were detected. On the contrary, everything seemed rather normal; people were being evacuated as per ns. It seemed that they were actually ahead of schedule! "So I was wondering," Abbadon continued. "How can I be of any use to you, Lady Raven? Could it be that you have a bad feeling? Do you think they''ll attack us soon and that''s why you need me here?" *Sigh* "Hm, unfortunately, it is more than just feelings," Raven sighed after hearing Abbadon''s concerns. "I am not sure if you''re aware, but I have a skill that enables me to see some glimpses of the future¡­" Abbadon widened his eyes in surprise. It was indeed his first time hearing of something like this! If that skill indeed enabled his mistress to see the future, would she not be too overpowered and unbeatable? She could easily predict everything her opponent would do and instantly turn the tables!! Seeing the smile of anticipation on her subordinate''s face, Raven instantly waved her hand with a dismissive smile. "It''s not as great as it sounds¡­ "The skill was called Premonition before, and it had the ability to show me random future events that would cause major changes in the time flow or affect me greatly. "The first time I used it, or rather acquired it, was when the first S ranked monster appeared and threatened to hurt Maria and¡­ and Maya¡­" shaking her head with a sad look, Raven continued. "Anyway, the skill had just recently evolved after I finished my training a few weeks back when I had undergone my Mana Refinement process. "The skill now is called Oracle. It''s an upgrade that, in addition to the previous function, enables me to focus on a specific event and predict a possible oue. "I obviously used the skill to predict the time of the invasion and¡­ well, *sigh* it''s happening tomorrow at dawn¡­" Abbadon seemed deep in thought as listened carefully to his mistress. "Uhm, I understand. What are the next steps, Lady Raven?" He asked with confidence, not showing a hint of weakness. He knew that Raven was ought to be shaken with the revtion. The anticipation from her encounter with her sister must be weighing heavily on her, yet she had delivered the news as if she was discussing the weather; with a neutral expression. "The next steps?" Raven tilted her head. "We rest, of course.. It is going to be a long war and we have to be ready for it." Chapter 244 - Last Dusk Part 2 *BEAUZ & JVNA - Crazy [NCS Release] * "Uhm, I understand, Lady Raven," Abbadon replied promptly. "Hm, I need you at full strength tomorrow, so please get some rest." Raven confirmed with a smile. "Yes, yes Lady Raven¡­ but, may I ask¡­" he hesitated for a second. "What are you going to do? Or rather, may I stay with you just a little bit longer? I can tell that you''re not going to rest right away¡­" "Uhm, sure." Raven smiled, thankful. Although she hid it quite well, she was quite nervous about staying alone all by herself. She was afraid of the oues and possible paths generated by her imagination if she was not keeping herself busy. Her thoughts and anxiety were making it harder to breathe the more she kept thinking about the inevitable encounter. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and answered Abbadon''s question calmly: "I''ll have to make sure everything is going well with the EDA on this side, then do one final inspection of the troops allocated around the globe. "After that, I''ll be checking up on our Demon Country since it''s the busiest of ces. Many of the neers from others are rather nervous, but they are quite excited to prove themselves as well. "Additionally, we have evacuated many of the humans into the Demon Country since the EDA''s underground shelters did not suffice; many of them were still under construction at the start of the evacuation procedures, and obviously we don''t have time to finish them now. "The main reason the underground shelters are not ready yet is because thising Angel Invasion was out of everyone''s expectations. The shelters were actually being prepared for anotherrge-scale invasion that''s estimated tomence in a few months¡­ "*Sigh* To think that many beings want us either dead or as ves¡­ that''s rather discouraging, right? "Err, anyway, so after that''s done¡­ I guess I would then get some rest myself." Raven finished with another warm smile, as if to let Abbadon know that she was doing well. Although she mentioned that she''ll be able to rest after getting this done, Raven knew that she probably won''t be able to sleep, but she could at least close her eyes and rest¡­ or so she hoped. "Uhm, I understand," Abbadon nodded in acknowledgment. "I''ll be going with you then, Lady Raven." "Uhm, let''s go!" She nodded, happy that she wasn''t going to be left alone for now. ''I haven''t been to the Demon Country for a few weeks now since I''ve been busy with closing one portal after the other¡­ I wonder how everyone is doing¡­'' Abbadon looked excited to visit the ce. The Demon Country¡­ Abbadon had never imagined the Demon ne would be united under one ruler, let alone epting humans as refugees, or other alien races! Yet, his mistress has done it all! After taking in the other Deadly Sins, which were the ancient demon lords, under her wing, the entirety of the Demon ne submitted to Raven, willingly. Every demon that she had found to be reliable was granted a name and special powers, thus automatically granting them higher status! The demons were quite intimidated at first, yet everything was settled when they saw their new leader, Raven, together with her subordinates -their ancient lords and ancestors- standing behind her. They already knew that she was insanely strong by the fact that she had tamed the Deadly Sins! Additionally, every doubt had evaporated once they saw her sincere warm smile and ns for the future, starting by defending the against the invasion! The demons together with the neers had worked together super hard to prepare for every danger that''s sooning. From various types of potions created by alchemy, to various types of magical weapons and armours, to even some ways and recipes to increase one''s prowess, they had prepared it all! And not only that, but they have also donated a lot of them to the EDA and human rankers to make sure everyone survives! No, actually, the goal was not just mere survival; the goal was now victory against the aggressive invaders and teaching them that Earth is not to be messed with! Snapping her fingers, a few magical circles activated around Raven and her loyal subordinate as she activated Ka''s magic; teleportation magic! Noticing his surroundings change rapidly as his mistress teleported him with her into the sky above the EDA headquarters, Abbadon was left astonished. Although he had not realized before, when she had teleported with him from the where the elves lived and back to Earth, it was rather clear now that Raven was not using a Transfer Bracelet! "Lady Raven, can you use teleportation spells without the bracelet now?" He looked excited while looking at his mistress''s gauntlets. Although he could not see her delicate skin underneath, he seemed rather convinced that she was not wearing a bracelet since the magic formation was a little bit different from what the bracelet would use. He would have missed it if he hadn''t been paying attention, just like the first time he witnessed it! "Hehe," Raven grinned. "Of course! I''ve gained many skills and abilities thanks to the Mana Refinement process that I went through, but more importantly, so did Ka!" "Oh, of course, Lady Ka has gone through the process with you!" Abbadon seemed to remember now. "So she is able to teleport anywhere without the bracelet now? And you''re able to utilize her ability?" "More or less," Raven giggled like a schoolgirl, rather than an absolute ruler of the two nes. She seemed to be enjoying her time, talking about things other than the war that was just around the corner. "Ka has gained many precious abilities after the Mana Refinement process. One of her passive abilities now, that isn''t technically a real talent, is to passively release tiny Cyber Particles wherever she, or I, go. "This means that we technically have an anchor for teleportation in any ce that we visit, even if just once! The only downside is that the Cyber Particles decay after some time, but the decay rate would decrease the stronger Ka gets, meaning that they''dst longer!" "That''s great!" Abbadon smiled, genuinely happy. This would be a precious ability that would enable his mistress to switch between battlefields during the invasion, providing help to ces that need it the most! Abbadon didn''t even need to ask since he knew that Raven would have already visited all ces of interest to scatter Ka''s Cyber Particles! His mistress was truly a genius! "Oh, Lady Raven," Abbadon widened his eyes in realization. "Then the real reason you came to personally pick me up from that rather than using our Mind Link¡­" Chapter 245 - Last Dusk Part 3 *BEAUZ & JVNA - Crazy [NCS Release] * "Oh, Lady Raven," Abbadon widened his eyes in realization. "Then the real reason you came to personally pick me up from that rather than using our Mind Link¡­" Ah¡­ it all made sense! His mistress was short on time and was not going to just waste time like that! And it''s not like Abbadon himself that she would be worried about him... No, she nned on spreading the Cyber Particles so that she could teleport there at will! That would open countless possibilities, especially if she''s done that on every that was not destroyed! She could technically teleport the people there if worsees to worst! "Lady Raven¡­ you''re truly a genius!!" Abbadon''s eyes were sparkling, unlike his usual self. Of course! Why not use others? They could easily moves if the invasion was too massive! Sure, they''d have to get used to new environments with new dangers, but it''s better than perishing! "Hehe, as expected of my loyal Abbadon!" Raven seemed satisfied as she had a rare childish proud grin on her face while rubbing her nose lightly. "Ka has already tested the candidates and made sure we have at least a couple that can be good recements for Earth. "Additionally, the Teleportation Gates are already set up and we can start mass teleportation at any moment! "Furthermore, many of the alien rulers on our side have already agreed to the n while maintaining the same rtionship we already have; with me as the Supreme Ruler, even if we used their own as our new home! "They''re obviously experiencing a period of advancements that they''ve never imagined witnessing, so they could not help but be so excited about it!" "That''s¡­ beyond my wildest expectations!" Abbadon could not help but mutter. "Lady Raven and Lady Ka, I truly have a lot to learn from you! You''re always thinking ahead and making sure to have backup ns! "I am truly just a little naive kid in front of your heavenly wisdom! I''m honoured to be your loyal servant, Lady Raven!" Raven was so touched, but she couldn''t not help but frown after seeing the stars of excitement in Abbadon''s eyes "However," her expression suddenly turned grim, subconsciously twisting Abbadon''s smile. He suddenly stopped smiling and listened carefully. "Even if everyone; humans, demons, and aliens, decided to ept abandoning Earth and live peacefully on another, I won''t leave, no matter what." Her voice sounded absolutely serious, leaving no ce for argument. "Bullsh*t! I''ll kick you myself if you don''t leave!" A childish, yet very angry, voice suddenly thundered across the golden afternoon sky. Abbadon was not the one to speak. However, he was only startled for a second, before nodding his head in agreement. Under normal circumstances, anyone who dared utter those words to his precious mistress would be already dead. However, the person who spoke was so close to Raven that Abbadon would not dare touch her. Raven gasped lightly after hearing the angry voice, but her face got even more serious. She had already expected Gaia to be eavesdropping, but she was not going to leave no matter what. Gaia''s little fairly-sized body appeared out of thin air with a puff of sparkles. A heavy frown was stered across her face. "Did you hear me? The moment you realize that you can''t win, you''ll leave with everyone else at once! "If not, then I''ll force your little sorry a*s through the teleportation portal myself, before sealing it! Do you get it?" Gaia was serious as she yelled at Raven. "No. I''m a bit slow on the uptake, I didn''t get it." Raven suddenly looked away as if to ignore Gaia''s presence while whistling absently. "Ugh, you blockhead!" Gaia''s tiny hands suddenly started pping and punching Raven''s armoured shoulder, dealing zero damage. Although she waspletely and absolutely serious, the scene looked ratherical because of her tiny body. "Why would you stay here if it''s dangerous for you? Did you already forget that I had tried to kill you? "Heh!" Gaia harrumphed, trying to sound cold. "I don''t even know why I bother. It''s not like I care if you die!" "Good, then you should not mind me staying behind," Raven grinned. "Ugh, you-" Gaia groaned. "You goddamn¡­ you dummy! Why would you stay? Give me one valid reason!" "Hm, I can think of many," Rvan shrugged. "Then tell me!" She demanded. "Hm," Raven suddenly turned towards Gaia and closed the distance between their faces. Gaia tried to look angry, but her face immediately blushed. "I- *sigh* I''m not sure when, but at some point, I started thinking of you as a friend, Gaia, you should already know that." "But, Raven¡­" the tiny fairy seemed on the verge of tears. "The Seraphim of the End are not just some stupid angels! They''re legendary existences that bring destruction upon anything they deem unfit of existing! You''ll most likely die if you dare stay!" "So what?" Raven shrugged, sounding indifferent. "It''s not like I didn''t consider the consequences-" "You-" Gaia tried harder to conceal her flushed cheeks and watery eyes. However, her anger was real. "Gaia," Raven interrupted. "You can''t be this selfish!" She scolded. Gaia stiffened, hearing her words. "I told you that there are many reasons, and you''re only one of them," Raven sounded serious. "So, please, try not to feel guilty about my own decision. "I have to stay because I have to meet Maya. "I have to stay because I don''t want to abandon my home. "I have to stay because I can''t allow my subordinates to abandon their homes. "I haven''t told many people about the Teleportation Gates nor am I nning to use them unless we have absolutely no other choice. "Gaia, you must understand. The moment we provide a way out, many people will find it easier to give up. The temptation to leave peacefully and without getting harmed is rather strong, that''s why I can''t allow everyone to know about it; only a handful of my own subordinates know about it, so only I have the final say on the matter. Not even the EDA higher ups know about them! "Also, think of it this way; what if the stupid Seraphim have a way to track as down? Do we just keep bouncing betweens with a trail of blood behind us? I absolutely can''t allow that to happen... "So please, Gaia, don''t be selfish and ask me to abandon Earth, my home¡­ you.." As she finished, Raven was already pressing the tiny fairy''s body against her chest in a warm hug. Chapter 246 - Last Dusk Part 4 *BEAUZ & JVNA - Crazy [NCS Release] * "So please, Gaia, don''t be selfish and ask me to abandon Earth, my home¡­ don''t ask me to abandon you." As she finished, Raven was already pressing the tiny fairy''s body against her chest in a warm hug. "U- '''' Gaia could not even speak as she tried to dismiss her tears but to no avail. She knew that Raven was well aware of the danger, yet she wanted to stay with her, even if it meant her death. ''Is she dumb?'' Gaia thought between sobs. ''Yes sure, Maya may be able to remember her past and time with Raven, thus stopping the invasion temporarily. But what about the rest of the Seraphim? ''There would be three left! ''Those three Seraphim would most likely not hesitate to kill Maya together with everyone else!'' Gaia could not predict the future, but this much was rather obvious!! How was she being selfish? She was simply trying to get her first ever friend to safety¡­ how could she not? Even though she had tried to kill Raven during their first encounter, they quickly became friends soon after! Was she truly selfish because she wanted her to live a happy life? Gaia hugged Raven back, her tiny body trembling in emotions under thetter''s touch. She didn''t want her to stay, she absolutely didn''t want her to die with her! However, the fact that Raven sounded so sincere and stern left her no room for negotiations¡­ After all, only Ka or Raven were able to activate or deactivate the Teleportation Gates! But at the same time¡­ just the fact that during her billions of years of life¡­ just the fact that a single soul -a single young girl- was willing to stay with her until the end¡­ It meant the world to Gaia who only knew loneliness before! She has never had something so precious like a friend, nor has she ever experienced precious feelings such as the love, care, and warm sympathy that apany friendship¡­ She was scared of death, but most importantly¡­ she was scared to die alone¡­ But here, Raven -her first friend- had offered to stay with her until the end¡­ Gaia could not possibly describe the warmth she was feeling no matter how hard she tried! But she knew that now she was happy... Even though death was just around the corner, she was feeling great, knowing that her friend was taking care of her! ¡­ "Ms. O''Bannon!" A voice suddenly called out, knocking Gaia and Raven out of their respective trances. Abbadon seemed upset about it but he did not do anything since his mistress quickly adapted a professional demeanor. He just simply got closer to her as if to ward away the new presence. "General Kai," Raven said with a polite smile. "I believe it''s my first time meeting you, it''s quite the pleasure." General Kai. He was the Korean EDA Division General and the person inmand of its important decisions¡­ or so it should be. However, up until now, the Deputy Generals were the ones making decisions on Earth while the Generals were taking on missions under the Supreme Gctic Alliance''smand. That also applied for the entirety of the EDA divisions around the globe. This was done long ago to ensure the safety of the¡­ But that of course was just lies. If Raven was to describe them, the Supreme Gctic Alliance was nothing but an agency for bullies to have fun torturing weaker creatures. Even though Earth had been under attack previously, during the Portal Incident, the Supreme Gctic Alliance did absolutely nothing. Scott had mentioned how he had requested help, yet not even their own Generals were allowed to go back and assist in the matter. If they did, it would have been considered going against orders and thus rendering Earthlings as pathetic traitors. Even now, with theing invasion it would have been natural to receive help from the Alliance, yet this is not happening, obviously. If it wasn''t for the General of the Canadian EDA Division, also known as the Global Commander General, ina Arkan, holding a somewhat decent position in the Supreme Gctic Alliance, not even their own Generals would have had a chance to defend their against thisrge-scale invasion. And now, some of these Generals have reached Earth! Raven had received news about General Kai arriving just a few days ago. However, only now did she have the time to meet him. "The pleasure is all mine, Ms. O''Bannon." General Kai was quite the gentleman and it showed. "If it wasn''t for you, Earth would have had no way of hearing about the invasion, let alone preparing a counter n in order to defend everyone, and instead of an invasion, it would have been a very simple, yet quite ugly, massacre. "I''m very thankful for everything that you''ve done and for giving us a warning in time! I look forward to defending my home together with you!" Hearing that, Raven smiled and nodded without uttering a word. She hadn''t expected an esteemed General of the EDA to give her this much gratitude since at the end of the day, she was still just a sixteen year old little girl. ''It seems that Scott''s rmendation has reached far, huh?'' Raven mused. It was Scott that had informed the Commander General after all. But even so, Raven suspected that General Kai was naturally kind and understanding. Raven could certainly feel the power flowing through the General, and if it was someone else, they would have probably had dirty thoughts regarding someone as young as her, especially that she seemed weak and defenseless, even though she was in her armour. "Ms. O''Bannon," General Kai continued with a smile. "Please allow me to give you this humble artifact as a sign of my gratitude. Please consider it as a gift or a rather smallpensation for everything that you''ve done so far. "I apologize as it''s nothing special in particr; just a mere R-Grade artifact, but I hope my gesture is not impolite." Saying that, General Kai extended his hand, offering a beautiful golden bracelet that was glowing with runes, flowing with energy. Raven widened her eyes in surprise. This was her first time seeing something like this. ''Hm, interesting¡­'' Ka''s voice was calm and collected. ''Take a look at this!'' Suddenly, a transparent system screen was generated in Raven''s vision. [Viewing data on the appraised artifact¡­ [Using the updated system... [Name: Universal Shielding Bracelet [Grade: R-Grade [Description: A universal protective artifact that is able to withstand attacks up to Star-5 level of strength. [Maximum time of activation: 1 hour [Cool down: 5 hours.] Chapter 247 - Last Dusk Part 5 ''R-Grae?'' Raven asked with wide eyes, curiosity taking the better of her. ''What is that exactly?'' ''Err, to be honest, I haven''t yet consolidated all the new data after the update, give me a few moments to look it up!'' About three weeks ago, Ka had undergone the Mana Refinement process together with Raven which gave her various perks. Amongst these perks was a knowledge update in which she was able to acquire, or rather unlock, new knowledge. Included in the new sea of knowledge was the Grade of this artifact in Raven''s hand, in addition to a whole new ssification system. After a few breaths, Ka''s voice beamed in Raven''s mind. ''Alright, so it seems that the General wasn''t kidding when he said it''s a "mere" R-Grade artifact¡­'' Ka seemed somewhat disappointed. ''This R-Grade is apparently the lowest grade of artifacts in the Vast Universe. The Vast Universe being just the actual universe we live in... ''But even so, many people can''t even afford it, so I guess it''s a good gesture from the old man!'' Hearing her say that the General was an ''old man'' let Raven force a smile as he wasn''t actually that old, appearance wise at least. ''Additionally,'' Ka continued, ''its power is not something that can be underestimated; it can block a Star-5 level attack after all! ''In any case, the updated ssification System states that in the Vast Universe, the lowest artifact grade is R-Grade, followed by Infra-Grade, V-Grade, Ultra-Grade, X-Grade, andstly Gamma-Grade. ''Amongst these sses, an artifact can be ssified as Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, and High-Rank. The Universal Shielding Bracelet is actually a Mid-Ranked artifact!'' ''Hmm, interesting¡­'' Raven looked at the bracelet in surprise. ''If such a low ranked artifact was able to withstand the attack of a Star-5 level attack then what of the highest grade artifact? ''Just what power do creatures in the Vast Universe need to protect themselves from? Is everyone out there so strong? What about those who actually create those artifacts?'' Raven seemed calm on the surface, just like an ancientke that hasn''t been disrupted for thousands of years, yet this wasn''t the case on the inside. *Sigh* Letting off a soft sigh, Raven redirected her attention towards General Kai. Noticing her sigh, even though she had a smile on her face, General Kai thought that she was troubled because of his artifact. "It seems that I have presented you with a shameful artifact that is not worthy of your-" "No, no," Raven quickly waved her hands in slight panic. "General Kai, this gift is so precious and I am very thankful. I was just wondering if it''s really appropriate for me to ept something like this for simply doing my duty!" ''Precious gift?'' Ka snickered. ''It is a good gesture and all, but you definitely don''t need something like this!'' ''Shush lil Kay, we still have manners!'' Raven argued. ''Plus, even though I don''t need it, I have some ns, hehe...'' ''Meh, I can create far better artifacts if I try!'' Ka took pride in everything she created and although she has never assigned a grade to her creations, she knew that they''re of higher value! Something like the Transportation Bracelet or even her drones were quite valuable. After hertest evolution, she even gained the ability to create Teleportation Gates that are able to connect two ces in the Vast Universe, regardless of the distance between them! ''Lil Kay, that''s exactly why I said I have a n¡­'' Raven smiled internally. ''Think about it, most of our forces are not strong enough, so with this artifact as a model, you can easily create something better! ''If we distribute defensive artifacts to our forces¡­ hehe¡­'' Hearing her slyughter inside, Ka quickly understood and gave a simrugh while rubbing her hands like a fly that has found her best te. "Hahaha!" General Kai suddenly chuckled in a pleasant surprise after hearing Raven''s gentlement. "Miss O''Bannon, you''re so polite. It''s true that defending our home is our duty, but no one else has taken the initiative but you! That''s why it would make me happy if you were to ept this insignificant gift of mine!" Hearing that, Raven simply smiled and epted the Universal Shielding Bracelet. "Thank you, General Kai!" Her smile was modest and her actions were professional. Her demeanor was also gentle and graceful. In his heart, General Kai did not expect this young girl to have such a pleasant personality! Somehow, it made him believe that his was already saved. The fact the younger generation was strong yet without a trace of arrogance made him feel at ease. Looking at General Kai, Raven had a chance to observe him now. On the outside, he looked like a middle aged Korean man with fiery red hair, not a trace of whiteness on his head. A matching short beard made him look older than his age, yet gentler and quiteposed. However, Raven was not going to mistake his kind appearance for weakness. She could feel the power emanating from his body, like a star that''s being forcefully suppressed as not to harm the neighboring celestial bodies. This man was at least a Star-5 being! Raven was tempted to use appraisal on him, yet she didn''t want to be impolite and as such she didn''t bother. "General Kai," Raven called with a smile. "I heard that the General of the German EDA Division had also arrived, is he inside the headquarters?" "Hm, yes I believe Adrd is already waiting for us inside. But he''s not the only one, many have also made their appearance! Uhm, let''s go in, they must be waiting!" General Kai said enthusiastically. "Uhm, let''s go!" Raven nodded politely and followed the General towards the EDA headquarters, together with her faithful subordinate; Abbadon. This was the same building where she had once undergone her Rank Test and fought against Scott for the first time. Additionally, she had fought against Ramira Sato, the Deputy General of the Japanese EDA Division. Needless to say, this ce was filled with unpleasant memories for her. *Sigh* ''I guess it''s time to turn a new leaf¡­'' Raven muttered quietly as she entered the familiar ss door. Chapter 248 - Last Dusk Part 6 "Is she not here yet?" An angry voice called out as the trio reached a set of well decorated wooden double doors. "We''ve been waiting here for a long while already!" Another voice called with displeasure and disdain apparent in his voice. Those were obviously two of the Generals that were waiting for her. "Enough!" A familiar voice suddenly rang in anger. "No one told you to wait for her! You''re the ones that came without notice and requested a meeting! "I haven''t been able to contact her recently so she must be busy. You can''t possibly me her for taking care of our home while you ck away!" This was none other than Scott''s ferocious retort! He sounded really angry. "cking away?" A young voice rang in response. "Do you think Earth would still be intact if it wasn''t for us serving in the Supreme Gctic Alliance?!" "Other than that," a calm voice said. "Didn''t you tell her that me and Kai would be waiting for her? That''s utter disrespect if you ask me-" "Well, no one asked you!" Scott called out. If Raven was to see him, she''d widen her eyes at the veins that were bulging around his eyes in anger. He really seemed to me the Generals for some reason. Raven, who was outside the door with General Kai and Abbadon, raised her eyebrows as she heard the Generals arguing, but she didn''t act irrationally or even show a hint of anger. Abbadon, however, couldn''t help but show a hint of viciousness on his face. General Kai didn''t know why, but he suddenly felt a terrifying chilly touch approaching his soul, as if to reap it away. He wasn''t the only one; the Generals inside felt it as well and couldn''t help but quit their heated argument and look at each other suspiciously, before ncing towards the door. Raven, on the other hand, was still smiling and had no idea. "Lady Raven," Abbadon called out in a cold voice and matching expression. "Would you like me to deal with those insolent idiots?" General Kai suddenly raised his eyebrows as he hadn''t expected this disrespectfulment from Raven''s subordinate. "No, it''s fine," Raven waved her hand dismissively. "I guess I''ve beente, I''ll deal with it myself." As she said so, she pushed the set of double doors and stepped inside with General Kai and Abbadon one step behind her, one to her left and the other to her right, respectively. Inside the room, six men and three women were seated around a ratherrge meeting table. They all had their eyes focused on the neers. "Hm, if General Kai is here¡­" one of the women that has been quiet till now spected, "then that means you must be the girl? Raven?" Everyone subconsciously nodded while looking her up and down, as if to evaluate this girl that has been keeping them waiting for some time now. "Uhm, I am Raven," Raven smiled gently. "Apologies for keeping you waiting. I''ve had something important to take care of." "Hump," a young General harrumphed in a cold manner. "What could be more important than meeting us?" The young General''s plushy hair was blond and reached his shoulders. His eyes were beautiful bright green and seemed to pierce through one''s soul. Raven smiled at his disrespectful attitude but nodded as she dismissed his bad manners. "It is in fact more important than meeting any of you," Raven had a rather soft smile that seemed to irritate some of the Generals. "And what could that be?" An old Asian General with a rather long mustache cold out. The entirety of his hair was snow white, as if to emphasize his age. "Yes," another cold voice resounded. "Please enlighten us!" This General seemed rather aloof. His short blue hair added to his cold attitude. Raven ignored them temporarily as she sat down at the head of the table in a swift manner. Abbadon stood to her right. General Kai smiled as he took the seat closest to her. He didn''t mind that the others didn''t seem to like this girl, but he had a good premonition about her and he has always been a man that follows his own intuition. "Dissolute!" The snow haired old General yelled as he stood from his seat, his mustache swinging left and right. "How dare you take the seat of the Commanding General!?!" Watching that, Raven''s smile got wider as she watched the others'' reaction. They all seemed to have the same question. While the others didn''t speak, the young blond General''s gaze suddenly got colder as he stared at Raven, as if wanting to skin her alive. The three female Generals smiled but they didn''tment. They seemed rather happy that Raven has done what she''s done. "Little girl, answer General Meng!" The blue haired General demanded, anger apparent in his tone and expression. Before giving a chance to answer, Raven heard a soft chuckle across the room. It wasing from one of the female Generals. The young Asian looking General had covered her mouth with a beautifully decorated fan as she continued her seductive chuckle. Her eyes were honey brown and her long hair was jet ck,plementing her overall look. She looked elegant and polite, yet young and alluring. "Meng, d," the young General called. "I didn''t expect you''d be so nearsighted. You can''t even see past your noses. Can''t your u see the confidence behind the little girl''s every move? "It doesn''t take an expert to realize that she holds the position of Commanding General right now." "What?!" The old General asked loudly, a hint of displeasure apparent in his tone. "How could that be?" The blue haired General asked. He seemed to calm down now. "Considering the circumstances, and looking back at everything that has taken ce, I guess Commanding General Arkan had appointed her the position of Commanding General. Temporarily at least." The blond General answered calmly. His eyes still showing a cold and chilly glow. "Uhm," the young ck haired General nodded behind her elegant fan. "Isn''t that true, Deputy General Scott?" Smiling, Scott nodded, prompting General Meng and General d, the snow-white old General and the blue haired one to look like they''ve just eaten a mouthful of some rotten food. General Meng sat back on his chair in defeat, yet the disgusted expression never left his face. Chapter 249 - Last Dusk Part 7 "It is as General Kazuha and General Adrd have spected!" Scott finally replied with an amused grin. "Additionally, Ms. O''Bannon was the one to warn us about the invasion. "Realising that she knows more than anyone else, Commanding General Arkan has decided that Ms. O''Bannon will be taking her ce until the end of the invasion. After all, she knows everything while we know close to nothing. "Furthermore, on Earth, Ms. O''Bannon currently holds the most power! We simply cannot imagine defending our home without her on our side." "Knows the most?" "Holds the most power?" "Can''t defend our Earth without her?" Some Generals had rather "unique" expressions on their faces after hearing Scott''sment. "Bullsh*t!!" A voice suddenly rang! It was none other than old General Meng! "Scott, you''re merely a Deputy General!" The General yelled. "Every word you''ve said so far was nothing but mere insults! I don''t care what this girl did to you, but I can''t simply believe anything you''ve said so far! I request an immediate meeting with Commanding General Arkan!" *Sigh* Before anyone could retort, a soft sigh left Raven''s cute little mouth. The various Generals involuntarily felt at ease as they heard it. "General Meng, I understand where you''reing from but I ask you to act more rationally and behave yourself, you''re a General after all," Raven''s voice was like a cool breeze that made others feel the joy of the spring. "Behave myself?!" General Meng yelled while standing again, his face resembled a hungry beast that was about to jump on its prey. "You''re a mere little kidl! What are you even doing here!? I''ve had enough, I''ll kick you out myself!" Saying that, he was about to jump at Raven. "Lady Raven..." Abbadon whispered, feeling inpatient. His face looked natural but his mind was a mess. How could an old foggy threaten his mistress in his presence? How could this old idiot be so arrogant and disrespectful while speaking to his mistress? Abbadon wanted nothing that torture his soul for eternity while making sure everyone witnesses everything so that they realize that insulting his mistress was a sin they could not bare the punishment for! However, Raven only shook her head. Abbadon had no choice but stay put. Just as General Meng was about to move from his ce, Raven looked straight into his rage filled eyes with her own cold golden ones. "Settle down!" Two words escaped Raven''s mouth. Her voice wasn''t loud nor disrespectful. She was simply ordering her subordinate. While it may have seemed like nothing to others, General Meng suddenly felt his body weighing the weight of a thousand mountains, leaving him with no choice but to fall back into his seat. His face was filled with terror and fear as cold sweat started forming on his forehead. "Wha-" he was good to ask about what had just happened, but he found it to be so taxing to take normal breaths. Everyone looked at him with wide eyes, realizing that something doesn''t feel right. General Meng, who looked like a ferocious tiger just a moment ago, now looked like a pitifulmp that was staring at a massive terrifying wolf that was about to swallow it down its throat. "General Meng?" The blue haired General, General d, called out in a hushed voice, feeling something wrong. The young blond General looked between General Meng and Raven suspiciously. The others were dumbfounded as wells once they didn''t know what had just happened. Scott was left speechless as well. "You¡­" General Meng forced himself to speak. "How?" "Hm?" Everyone could easily tell that he was referring to Raven as a look ofplete shock was painting his face. Looking at Raven, the Generals suddenly felt the need to evaluate her strength. Since they had seen the little girl, none of them has taken her seriously and as such none of them had bothered with checking her power level. Thinking that she was some kind of a monster with unimaginable strength, they all released a subtle hint of their aura to gauge hers. Raven felt them and naturally understood their intentions so she didn''t bother stopping them. "Hm, just a mere Star Three," a voice called out. "Yes, she''s not that strong, so why¡­" "It''s true that she''s pretty strong, rtive to the power level on Earth, but she''s not enough to let Meng act as if he''s just seen a ghost¡­" "Indeed, maybe it''s her subordinate?" Hearing those words, the Generals suddenly let hints of their auras travel towards Abbadon to measure his strength as well. Unlike his mistress, Abbadon wasn''t going to make things easy for them; he blocked their intentions with a bright smile that somehow looked sadistic. "Boy!" One of the old Generals called. "Let us measure your power level!" "Hump! Try if you have the ability, or do I need to feed you everything with a silver spoon?" He smiled in a cold manner. He had had enough of them disrespecting his mistress so he wasn''t given to act nicely. *Sigh* Another sigh left Raven''s mouth. "Enough with your nonsense!" She wasn''t mad at Abbadon, no, she was mad at the Generals. Hearing her shout, everyone settled down with grim expressions on their faces. "Scott has already told you that I hold the position of the Commanding General, has he not?" Her voice was cold and sharp. "Do you dare second guess Commanding General Arkan that made this decision? Or are you calling Deputy General Scott a traitor? Which one is it?" Hearing her words, they realised that they''ve made a mistake. "Commanding General O''Bannon," the young female General called out with a forced smile from behind her fan. "Please excuse these old fools for doubting you, it''s just that we haven''t been here for some time and we weren''t expecting our temporary Commanding General to be so young, I apologize on behalf of the Generals that are present here today." Saying that, she stood up, putting her seductive body into view as she bowed down respectfully. "I don''t need your apology!" Raven snapped back, seemingly angrier than before. "This is a serious manner and you''re here doubting me and Scott. "Although my power level is indeed the lowest here, I can guarantee that none of you- no, even all of you put together can''t win against me!" Hearing the im, some Generals narrowed their eyes, but said nothing. On the other hand, others couldn''t stay calm. Chapter 250 - Last Dusk Part 8 "Enough with this nonsense!" The blue haired General, General d, yelled while releasing his terrifying violent aura to attack Raven. Something like this would usually be considered a legal offense as it''s basically attacking a superior. However, he could not tolerate the young girl anymore! Even if it was the Commanding General Arkan''s decision, if this girl can''t withstand his aura then she''s not eligible to be their temporary Commanding General. Contrary to everyone''s expectations, Raven didn''t panic but instead smiled as she raised her hand to prevent her subordinate from taking action. Abbadon''s temperament was rather¡­ extraordinary, after all, and she didn''t want him to murder one of the Generals that would soon be of use to her. Instead, in a blink of an eye, she simply released her own aura to counter the General''s. General d''s aura was like a vicious tiger that was about to devour its prey while, on the other hand, Raven''s aura was calm like an ocean that threatened to swallow the world whole! Naturally, even a viscous tiger was no match for the deep majestic ocean! To everyone''s surprise, in mere seconds, General d''s aura was broken like fragile pieces of ss as Raven''s aura pushed past it and settled in the room, giving everyone a hard time breathing. The Generals were shocked and left gasping for air! "What?" "How could this be?" "She''s a mere Star Three while General d is Star Seven¡­" "This aura and pressure¡­" "Stop it!" "Is d really this weak¡­ no, it must be the girl!" "Ms. O''Bannon!" Thest shout was Deputy General Scott''s plea as he was having a hard time breathing. With a satisfied nod, Raven retracted her aura. "I believe everyone is satisfied now?" Raven raised her eyebrows. "I assume you do believe my im? Evenbined, you can''t win against me." She was simply stating a fact and now everyone had no choice but to believe her! They all nodded. Even though it made absolutely no sense, they didn''t dare deny her ims lest they suffer the pressure of her aura once again. Their power levels were not low. In fact, some of them had already reached Star-8, but they still didn''t understand what had just happened. "In any case," Raven said in a calm manner while disregarding the events that have just unfolded as nothing but mere children''s y. "Now that we have gotten the unimportant matters out of the way, I believe most of you are more interested in what I was doing beforeing here, correct? You''ve all asked about the reason I kept you waiting¡­" "Yes Commanding General O''Bannon," the young female General nodded while trying to conceal the cold sweat on her face from behind her elegant fan. The feeling of Raven''s aura weighing down on her was still fresh in her mind. "Ms. O''Bannon, please enlighten us!" General Kai was naturally curious as well. He hadn''t believed that this young girl he was chatting with before had such cards up her sleeve. "Uhm," Raven nodded as a serious expression surfaced across her face. "The reason I waste was because I had used one of my methods to acquire some information and- *sigh* "The invasion is happening tomorrow¡­ tomorrow at dawn. Today''s dusk¡­ it''s thest dusk if we don''t work together to repel the invaders!" Her voice was grim yet calm, indicating that she wasn''t just spouting nonsense, but was telling the truth. Everyone left soft gasps as they heard her words. "Commanding General O''Bannon, you must be joking!" "Commanding General, we understand that we''ve crossed the limit, we''ve been disrespectful," General Meng said, trying to prevent himself from shivering. "But please don''t joke about this manner!" "I am most definitely not joking," Raven sneered in a cold tone. "Why do you think I''ve been tolerating your audacity up until now, huh? I wanted to prove to you idiots that I am no joke and everything I say is the truth, no matter how absurd it may sound! "Additionally, hasn''t Deputy General Scott already exined that the reason I was given this position temporarily was because I know the most? So, enough with your arrogance already! "The only reason I''m giving you face in the first ce is because Earth, our home, needs all of us tobine our efforts and stand together! Many of you have a power level that surpasses Star-5 which is why I need your help; each of you is a General that is qualified tomand the EDA forces and lead the civilians in their respective regions! Now is the time you act like proper Generals and protect your people! "Anyhow, we''ve already wasted enough time! Ultimately, whether you believe me or not is not my concern as I could not give a sh*t about your opinions! "However, now is a crucial moment so listen up: I will ry my orders for tonight and tomorrow, memorize every word I say, or better yet, take notes!" Feeling the chill in her voice, none dared disobey or take her words lightly. In a matter of seconds, they all had arge notepad with a pen in front of them as they were ready to write down her orders. ¡­ After about half an hour, Raven and Abbadon left the Generals to make preparations as they strolled out of the EDA headquarters. "Lady Raven," Abbadon called in a calm voice, but he couldn''t hide the fact that he wasn''t satisfied with how things had unfolded. His rage wasn''t easy to extinguish! "Uhm, what is it, Abbadon?" Raven smiled. "May I speak freely, Lady Raven?" He asked in the same calm manner. "Of course, please do!" Raven seemed interested. She has always been trying to get Abbadon to act normally around her, yet she was never able to achieve that. But now he seemed to suggest that himself all of a sudden. Even temporarily, it was quite interesting her eyes. "Is it really worth it?" He asked while turning a cold face towards the EDA building they were leaving behind. "They''re all arrogant b*stards, do you specte that they''d be able to really help us? Will they be able to make the correct choices or sacrifices when the timees?" Chapter 251 - New Methods Part 1 * Diamond Eyes - Everything * "Is it really worth it?" Abbadon asked while turning a cold face towards the EDA building they were leaving behind. "They''re all arrogant b*stards, do you specte that they''d be able to really help us? Will they be able to make the correct choices or sacrifices when the timees?" Hearing her subordinate''s question, Raven could not help but smile and look up at the clear blue sky as the sun sent its rays down upon her, warming her milky white face. ''So that''s what he wanted to ask about,'' Raven nodded to herself in understanding. It was clear that Abbadon was concerned about her. "Although I can''t say for sure, I have to make this small leap of faith," Raven shifted her gaze downwards from the clear sky and said while looking at Abbadon''s eyes. "What else can I do?" "This¡­" Abbadon hesitated. "We can just defend Earth alone! Many of my peers, you faithful subordinates, have already crossed the Star-Rank mark, and many have already be stronger than these Generals! Why would we need to depend on them?" *Sigh* "I guess you''re somewhat correct. Many of my subordinates have advanced into higher ranks and achieved something truly wonderful," Raven smiled sincerely, a hint of pride filled her face. Ever since she had undergone the Mana Refinement process, she had acquired more knowledge thanks to one of her skills: The Elders'' Scrolls. Amongst the knowledge scattered in her skill, Raven was able to acquire a new way of recruiting and strengthening subordinates. The new method involved pouring massive amounts of souls into those who wish to pledge loyalty to her. By utilizing this power, the person can easily reach unimaginable heights! Although this may seem rather costly, evil, and hical, Raven, for some unknown reasons, had an unbelievablyrge number of souls stored within her; a number that would make recruiting millions of subordinates take a tiny amount of souls that was almost negligible. And together with the improved version of her skill Soul Hunter: Soul Reaper, the task was pretty easy and almost natural! As for whether those souls suffer or not, Raven didn''t care since her people alwayse first on her priority list! What''s hurting some souls for the cost of saving Gaia, Maria, and everyone else? Not to mention that she was nning on beating the b*stard who is manipting Maya! Raven will naturally pay any price to save her beloved Maya! In any case, this method was also the one she used to recruit Scott who now rested at the Star Four power level! Although he was rtively low,pared to the Generals, his training with Tu gave him the ability to defeat some that are stronger than himself, especially with the help of his Cosmic Inclination! What''s more, Raven was able to apply the new method on her old subordinates, including Abbadon, Keith, Calcer, and even Maria, Axane, and the rest! In addition to the power spike, those subordinates, or family, would be truly loyal to Raven since, in a sense, she still has the ability to suppress those souls. But at the same time, she also has the ability to strengthen them, giving her people an even greater increase in power during battle for a short period of time. That''s why, in Abbadon''s eyes, those Generals were nothing but extra weights that cost more than the benefits they give! "Abbadon, although our people have more potential, we still don''t know much about our enemies so it''s always better to be cautious. The more allies we have, the easier it would be to protect ourselves!" Raven said while still looking into Abbadon''s golden irises and blood red pupils. "You can say that I have faith in the Generals'' skills, however, if we were to argue about the level of trust I have of them¡­ I think it would be better if we send someone to keep them under control. Kay, what do you say?" ''Uhm, instantly!'' Ka replied. In a matter of seconds, several clones materialised to Raven''s sides. They all looked like herself, but her warm golden eyes and long silky hair were reced by dark purple that gave off an icy feeling to whomever was brave enough to stare. Seeing that, Abbadon smiled as he watched the clones leave towards different destinations. With Lady Ka keeping tabs on the situation, everything would be under control! ''Hm, although I am able to recruit the Generals as subordinates, nothing guarantees that the Supreme Gctic Alliance won''t be able to see through them¡­'' Raven considered her options calmly. ''Uhm, it''s safer this way. Although I am nning to give those b*tches a visit, now is definitely not the time!'' "By the way, Lady Raven," Abbadon sounded hesitant. "I understand that you''ve only reached the Star Three Rank just recently, so howe you were able to suppress the Generals? Some of them reached Star Eight which is not something to be taken lightly, yet, Lady Raven, you-" "Hehe," Raven chuckled mischievously, making Abbadon''s hair stand to an end. "Of course, a Star Three can never really do much against a Star Eight, it would bemendable if they could breathe under their pressure!" "Then Lady Raven¡­" Abbadon didn''t know why but he could not help but gulp loudly. "She stole my aura, of course!" Gaia''s pouting face came into view all of a sudden. Although she was listening the whole time, she never made herself visible; she didn''t want to raise amotion. These Generals were a waste in her eyes and they''ve already wasted enough time with them after all! "I prefer the term ''borrowed''," Raven forced a smile. "Humph, there''s a huge difference between the two terms, and you definitely didn''t borrow!" Saying that, she sat on Raven''s shoulder as she gave her a cold nce. "Lady Raven¡­" Abbadon was left even more confused than before. "Could it be that that aura was actually Lady Gaia''s and not yours?" "Hm, yes and no," Raven raised her index as if to lecture her poor subordinate. "Well, to better exin it, I have to ask you: do you know how everyone has Mana Core, Mana Nodes, and Mana Veins, right?" "Uhm," Abbadon nodded in understanding, he wasn''t particrly proficient in Mana Maniption, but he knew at least that much. Chapter 252 - New Methods Part 2 "Okay so during my Mana Refinement process, I did not refine my Mana Core, but instead focused on my Mana Nodes and Veins!" Raven smiled while pointing at her chest. "So, even though my Mana Core is not particrly high levelled, my Mana Nodes and Veins are on a level that''s higher than most. "This in turn enables me to absorb and circte more World Energy into my body than normal people!" "Uhm, truly magnificent, Lady Raven!" Abbadon smiled in satisfaction, he knew his mistress was not as simple as she looked! Just moments ago, even though her power level was the weakest in the conference room, she was able to subdue everyone within a breath worth of time! "Humph!" Gaia harrumphed coldly. "Your thief of a mistress basically abused her abilities to steal my aura andbine it with hers! "Although you might not know this, since you''ve been relentlessly destroying portal after portal, I was able to rank up all the way from Star Four to Star Nine! "So what made the Generals cower in fear was the fact that shebined her Star Three aura with my Star Nine aura, basically giving a total of Star Eleven aura!! I''m telling you she''s a thief!" While exining, Gaia kept on violently stabbing her index finger into Raven''s rosy cheek. "Oi!" Raven held Gaia''s fairy body within her hands and smiled slyly; a smile that was both terrifyingly scary and unimaginably cute. "Was it not because of me that you gained this much power? Are you going to deny that it''s all thanks to my efforts?" "Your efforts my a*s!" Gaia yelled, trying to free herself from Raven''s clutches, but to no avail. Even biting didn''t seem to have an effect on Raven''s rather tender hand. Although Gaia didn''t understand the principles behind Raven''s resistant flesh, she understood that she had to give up on forcing her way out. "Abbadon was the one who did most of the clearing, plus the others, including Maria, Ale, Zeru, and the rest! You barely cleared one portal!" Gaia retorted. "Whatever, Abbadon is my subordinate and the rest helped because I asked them to train!" Raven replied while looking away, not daring to face Gaia. "Humph!" Gaia''s harrumped coldly once again, as if she knew that she had already won the argument the moment Raven looked away. *Sigh* A soft sigh came from behind the group that was caught off guard. Looking around, Raven found a new clone looking at her tiredly. "Sorry to interrupt your ytime," Ka teased with raised eyebrows. "But shouldn''t you go spend some time with everyone? I''ve already sent the information and the n to everyone so you don''t need to bother, but now Maria and the rest are waiting for you¡­" "Uhm," Raven suddenly got serious and nodded. "I should discuss some things with them personally too¡­" Raven seemed to be lost in thoughts for a few moments before ncing at Ka. "By the way," she said softly. "Have you made your selection yet? You were supposed to choose a group of the EDA elites to undergo your special transformation¡­" "Uhm," Ka nodded softly, her expression seemingly distant. "I''ve already chosen all of the members. They''ve also agreed to undergo the transformation. In fact, they''re all doing so as we speak. "Although it sounds simple, it''s moreplicated than one would think¡­" Ka sighed. "The process of infusing my Cyber Matter with one''s Core is rather¡­ unique... and pretty painful." Just like Raven had acquired her new methods and knowledge, her little Ka was able to unlock some new methods of her own. Understanding this, and realising that Ka was showing signs of anxiety, such as looking down at her feet or looking into the distance as if she was deep in thought, Raven could not help but wrap her arms around her andfort her by patting her silky dark purple hair. "It''s okay, Kay, don''t stress it too much. I believe in you, and more importantly, they believe in you. "The reason they agreed to undergo the transformation was because they all trusted you and believe that you''re worthy of keeping them safe and sound. "Additionally, they all aspire to protect those who are important to them, so they''re naturally prepared to experience some pain and difort. Kay, you''re doing a wonderful job!" Raven''s voice was warm and filled with unmatched confidence. Ka could not help but look into her eyes and smile sincerely. Although she knew what Raven was thinking most of the time, it was far moreforting to hear them out loud. "Uhm," she nodded softly. "Thank you!" "Hehe, no worries lil Kay," Raven squeezed her onest time before letting her go. "Feel free to focus on the transformation and leave everything else to me. I''ll send others to take care of the clones you sent out. They''ll report back and everything will be just fine, so don''t get stressed over it!" "Uhm!" Hearing that, Ka nodded urgently as she quickly dismissed her clone. She decided to listen to Raven and focus on the elite students that were screaming and convulsing in pain in front of her main clone. The reason she cared so much about them was because she had spent a lot of time with them; Shin, Amira, Albedo, Erin, Jina, and the rest. She had spent a lot of time with them during the Tournament of the Elite that was organized by the EDA. During that time, they had experienced a lot of different feelings together that they got closer to each other, making them close friends! Ka had never experienced such a feeling before! Although one might consider Maria, Maya, Axane, Ae, Zeru, Liz and the rest to be her friends, she actually considered them to be her family, a family that was granted to her by Raven! But now, Ka had some close friends that she made on her own and without relying on Raven! It was only natural that she''d cherish them too! "Such a worrywart¡­" Gaia could not help but softly chuckle as the clone disappeared. "She can still hear you¡­" Raven forced a smile as she could feel Ka ring at her inside her Mind Space. Chapter 253 - Demon Country Part 1 * The Kid LAROI - STAY (Ft. Justin Bieber) * "Such a worrywart¡­" Gaia could not help but softly chuckle as Ka''s clone dispersed into thin air. "She can still hear you¡­" Raven forced a smile since she could feel Ka ring at her inside her Mind Space. "Humph, let her hear!" Gaia pouted like a three year old little girl. *Sigh* Sighing deeply, Raven didn''t mean to entangle more into this and instead shifted her gaze towards Abbadon who was standing at the side quietly. "Abbadon, let''s go home!" She gave the order softly. "Yes, Lady Raven!" Abbadon responded promptly and started heading towards one direction. "Hold up, where are you going?" Raven asked with raised eyebrows and a mysterious yet cute smile. "Lady Raven, are we not going to our Demon Country?" Abbadon was rather perplexed. "The direction of the portal is towards that direction." He was pointing at the direction of a certain portal. "Nope, all old portals have been blocked by me and Ka," Raven waved her hand dismissively. "Lady Raven¡­" Abbadon tilted his head in question. He had a feeling that his mistress''s evolution wasn''t as simple as he thinks and her abilities are far beyond what she has disyed so far. ''Did they create a new portal?'' Now that he thinks of it, his mistress has already said that she has created Teleportation Gates, does that mean that- "Hehe," Raven giggled while extending her index and middle finger towards Abbadon''s brows. Suddenly, a light shed on her tender fingers as Abbadon stiffened all of a sudden. A few momentster, he nodded quietly. Without uttering a single word, he started forming a series of weird seals while supplementing mana between his hands ordingly. Momentster, several small andrge magic circles were starting to take shape underneath himself and his mistress. Not long after, after Abbadon''s mana cirction, the magic circles started coalescing into one massive magic circle that shed three times in session. Without a warning, Abbadon felt himself being weightless for a few seconds as the scenery shifted and twisted, changing his surroundings. Looking around in a daze, he realised he was in apletely different ce. "Good control!" Raven''s voice came from behind as sheplimented sincerely. This was the first time he used this series of seals yet he showed superb technique and quick speed. Abbadon smiled sweetly, like a young child receiving his favourite candy. Anyone seeing this would not believe that this person is the strongest of the Deadly Sins! "Lady Raven, this is?" He asked after a second or two, inquiring about the seals he just performed. "It is Kay''s wonderful work!" Raven exined with a smile. "Ever since Kayst dealt with the Demon portals that were spawning randomly across the globe, she came up with the idea of creating a special door connecting the two Realms; the Humans Realm and the Demons or Sinners Realm. "This idea depends on her own understanding and new development of the power of space! "Although she used to convert her Transfer Bracelets to something simr to a dimensional pocket, she was never proficient in the way of space. "But as of recently, -specifically after the Mana Refinement process- she was able to gain a lot of new methods including the way to build the new Teleportation Gates that connect to differents, teleporting anywhere using Cyber Particles, andstly this new method!" "So that''s how it is," Abbadon nodded in understanding. "However, you must know that this new method is not meant for me or Kay specifically, but rather for everyone other than the two of us!" Abbadon didn''t speak but only tilted his head, inquiring. "Teleportation is only used by me or by anyone who''s got the Transfer Bracelet, but what happens if the bracelet is broken?" Raven asked patiently in order to exin. "Now, anyone can use this method in order to teleport to this predesignated area! "However, this ''anyone'' must be taught by me or Kay herself, so it''s not really anyone, but rather our close confidants and friends. "Such a method saves a lot of time and makes it easier to control for unauthorized personnel crossing realms." Raven finished. Abbadon nodded silently in understanding. ''So it''s indeed Lady Ka''s work; such superior methods are only the creation of Lady Raven or Lady Ka¡­ magnificent!'' Abbadon seemed to have been expecting this much. After having a second to calm down, he finally decided to shift his gaze forward; suddenly, he saw a scene that he had never seen before. He estimated that he was somewhere in a deserted jungle as many trees were all around him, with animals and insects of various kinds roaming around him. Under his feet however, there was no grass at all. It was clear that this area was cleared using man-made methods. But the thing he cared about the most was not the surrounding area, but rather what he saw directly in front of him. There, in the space opposite of him, the void was cracking and twisting strangely and silently, forming an oval shaped distortion of space! Although it looked quite weird, it didn''t take an expert to realize that it is some form of a ck void passageway. "A portal!" Abbadon muttered subconsciously. "A Teleportation Gate!" Raven corrected with a chuckle. "This Gate connects the two Realms!" Abbadon didn''t speak, but his eyes widened in surprise. He then looked back at his mistress as if he had just realized how majestic she really is. "I told you it''s Kay, don''t look at me like that," Raven forced a smile. After all, she herself realizes how magnificent Ka''s powers and abilities are. What made her feel slightly embarrassed was that Abbadon would look at her in a look of appreciation and almost worship. But she was aware that Ka is the one who deserves this look and not herself! "The Lady honours us with her grace!" Suddenly, the respectful greetings of two people sounded. Looking around at the Teleportation Gate again, Abbadon saw two demons dressed in thick heavy armour, guarding the passageway. Chapter 254 - Demon Country Part 2 "The Lady honours us with her grace!" Suddenly, the respectful greetings of two people sounded. Looking around at the Teleportation Gate again, Abbadon saw two demons dressed in thick heavy armour, guarding the passageway. Although they had been there even before the arrival of the mistress and her subordinate, Abbadon didn''t seem to realize as he was so immersed in the Teleportation Gate itself. The two demon guards didn''t dare look Raven in the eyes, with her being the Supreme Ruler of the Demon Race and all, so they could only look down with bowed heads. Raven could not help but feel awkward, but she forced a smile and nodded at them. "Good work, you two. You can stay at ease!" The two demon guards were both at the level of Demon Nobility, specifically two Archdukes! In the past, this level would only serve as leaders or deputy leaders of the demon race, but now considering the fact that Raven had promoted everyone using her control over souls, most previous Demon Dukes and Archdukes were all promoted into the level of Demon or Devil Lords! And these two Archdukes are only one level of control and protection left by Ka on this side. Coming back to their senses, the two Archdukes just realized that their mistress and Supreme Ruler has justplimented them! The Demon Race values strength above anything else, and their mistress had proved her strength that allowed the other Ancient Lords to serve under her respectfully. Receiving apliment from someone this powerful is a great honour to the two of them! "It is our honour to serve The Lady!" The two instantly replied, making Abbadon smile in satisfaction. "Alright, let''s go!" Raven smiled as she disappeared into the void passageway with Gaia on her shoulder. Abbadon nodded at the guards before following his mistress like a shadow. Behind them, the void seemed to be turbulent for a second before calming down in just a few seconds. After they were gone, the two demon guards waited for some time in silence. Making sure no one was around, they suddenly looked at each other, smiling from ear to ear, enjoyment obvious in their eyes. *** The trip through the void passageway was rather bumpy and turbulent as the void twisted and made the trio feel a little ufortable, but that onlysted for a quick second. On the other side, Raven opened her eyes and looked around, feeling slightly dizzy, but it was nothing serious. Abbadon was by her side as always, but he was looking around as if to make sure they were indeed in the Demon Realm. "The Lady honours us with her grace!" Respectful greetings sounded again as the armoured demon guards assigned to this side of the Teleportation Gate realized it was their Supreme Ruler who had just teleported over. "Uhm, thanks for your hard work!" Raven nodded with a sincere smile. Looking at her smile the two guards instantly felt warm and smiled subconsciously, appreciation visible in their expressions. Before they had a chance to react and respond with a few words of respect however, Raven was already strolling away. Abbadon behind her gave the guards a cold look that made them shake in their boots. Feeling the grim reaper''s touch, the two of them wanted to say something, but s, Raven and Abbadon were gone already. Waiting for a few minutes and making sure they were the only ones left near the Teleportation Gate, the two looked at each other wryly while swallowing loudly. "Lord Abbadon is even scarier than they say he is¡­" the more courageous of the two guards said in a hushed voice. "Right!" The other guard answered while nodding fiercely. "But Lady Raven is so precious!" "Shut up!" The first guard suddenly yelled in panic. "What? Are you saying that she''s not?" The second guard suddenly felt his anger rising. "No, you idiot!" The first guard scolded. "How can I say that she''s not precious? Heck, I''d die for her! She''s so noble and majestic, yet so cute and casual! She subconsciously makes people around her feel important and valued!" "Yes!" The second guard nodded in approval. But then he looked at his mate in a weird manner. "Why did you tell me to shut up?" "Never call her by her name!" The first guard said in a hushed voice while looking around, as if trying to hide a pot of pure gold and make sure he doesn''t get seen or heard by another living soul. "Always call her ''The Lady'' or ''Mistress'', never use her name!" "Huh, why? Judging from her character, she would not care. Didn''t you see how sheplimented us even though we''re just doing our jobs?" "I saw, I saw!" His mate responded, yet for some reason he looked as if he had just seen a ghost. "The Lady doesn''t mind that''s for sure, but¡­" "But what?" "But Lord Abbadon¡­ he cares¡­" swallowing loudly, he looked around again to make sure they were alone. "I once heard that an unlucky fe was patrolling inside the city and just like us, he received apliment from The Lady. From what I heard, that stupid fe got really excited and called her Lady Raven¡­." "And... what happened?" The other guard swallowed loudly while looking terrified. "That fe¡­ he is- he is still being tortured in Lord Abbadon''s Domain of the Sinners until this day!!" He suddenly blurted out. Just the mention of this matter made him feel the breath of death. Naturally, his mate wasn''t doing any better. He somehow could feel strange demonic eyes ring down at him as if looking at an ant that''s about to burn to ashes. The demonic eyes felt strangely familiar, yet he could not actually observe them. However, he could feel a hint of bright golden and blood red mixed in this re! "Do you- do- you- do you think we''ll also-" "Shut up!" The first guard yelled, feeling sweat rolling down his back. "Don''t jinx it! No one should have heard you say anything so you better shut up if you don''t want to live a life worse than death!" "Y- yes!!" He responded promptly, trying to calm his exponentially rising heart beat. Chapter 255 - Demon Country Part 3 Even though at the back of their heads, a weak voice was trying to convince them to act as proper Demon Nobility, they simply were not able to do so! Both of them were continuously looking around in order to make sure that no one was listening to their conversation since if someone actually did¡­ their end would be tragic! Although words of the mentioned incident were passed on throughout the entirety of the Demon Country, no one actually knows who started this rumour or whether it''s true or not. However, it was enough of a deterrence to ensure that no demon would be bold enough to call Raven by her name. After all, no one would ever want to be on bad terms with theirdy''s Baneful Executioner! *** *Achoo!* A rather dignified sneeze sounded from Abbadon''s side while walking one step behind his mistress throughout the streets of the market area of Central City, at the center of the Demon Country. Central City was stationed between the eight regions that are or were ruled by the various Ancient Demon Lords, also known as the Deadly Sins. Additionally, it was the most popted single city and thergest. Lastly, it was the city Raven had chosen as her main headquarters. Demons were buying and selling like there''s no tomorrow. In fact, this is the case since theirdy has issued an order demanding that all non-urgent ces and buildings close down at dusk by tonight. Of course, everyone knew that this order was a result of their mistress worrying about their safety. After all, an invasion is estimated to start on the next day. In other words, this is thest peaceful dusk before the invasion; the Last Dusk! However, it can be said that since that''s the case, today''s streets are the busiest they have ever been. And¡­ And all those people who were busy in the streets were trying their best not to look at Raven and Abbadon. Although it is considered disrespectful, it was an order from Lord Abbadon who seemed to be in a bad mood. Their Lady only smiled apologetically while nodding, so they could only mind their own business. "What are you looking at?" Abbadon red at a little demon girl who seemed to have been startled when noticing Raven pass by her. "Didn''t I say that if you dare look at Lady Raven I''d personally scoop your eyes out and feed them to you!" Hearing that, the young demoness instantly burst into crying, her eyes red. "Abbadon, don''t be harsh on the young ones!" Raven reprimanded, but she kept in mind to do it loudly to save her subordinate''s face. Looking at the young girl, Raven crouched down and patted her head kindly. "Hey, it''s alright, don''t cry, it''s okay now." Her words and actions seemed to have casted a fixation spell on the busy crowd as everyone stopped moving while staring at their mistress and the young girl in front of her. One must know that Raven rarely appears in the crowds since she''s always busy. However, the radiance she gave off in her dark battle armour was just so eye-catching and the kindness she just disyed was so heartwarming that everyone couldn''t help but ignore Lord Abbadon''smand and stare intently. The young girl under Raven''s hand took a few seconds to catch her breath and wipe her tears. Staring at Raven, she looked as if she was looking at her hero that was going to save her from the evil dragon. "Big sister, you''re so kind, I love you so much!" The little girl suddenly blurted out while stepping forward and hugging Raven with her short arms. "Ah, hehe¡­" Raven forced a smile and hugged her back without saying much. However, the people around her almost dropped their jaws out of surprise. Some were shaking in fear. Others were shaking their heads at the little girl showing pity. A few even looked at the little demoness as if they were looking at a dead girl. But it didn''t stop there... "Big sister," the little girl called again before pointing at Abbadon who raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner in return. "This man is an evil man, stay away from him, he''ll hurt you!" """Hiss!!!""" The crowd collectively took deep breaths that seemed to exhaust the air and energy in the surrounding area. Although the little girl didn''t know much about life, she looked sincere while talking to Raven which showed that she actually believes that Abbadon is a bad guy. ''The ignorant is fearless!'' Many people thought in unison without daring to utter loudly. Contrary to the expectations of many, Abbadon didn''t utter a word, but simply looked at the girl in front of him while flexing his fingers, as if getting ready to throw the perfect pitch. This action made the girl shake under Raven''s embrace. "Abbadon¡­" Raven rolled her eyes while taking a long sigh. From his movements, it seemed as though he was ready to catch the girl''s head and throw her away at any moment; she obviously can''t allow that! "Hey cute lil, what''s your name?" Raven asked the girl while ignoring Abbadon. "Nimue!" The girl answered with a smile, seemingly forgetting about the scary guy staring down at her, taking refuge in her big sister''s embrace. "What a beautiful name," Raven said with a smile. However, as she was about to ask the girl about her parents, the girl looked at her in a puzzled manner. "Big Sister, what is your name?" The girl asked cutely. But this action in itself made the crowd pity the girl and her entire family even more. "Uhm, my name is Raven!" Raven answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She didn''t care about the crowd or her subordinate''s cold gaze towards the girl. "Raven¡­ like the dark bird?" The girl sounded surprised and the crowd hissed again in fear, feeling their bodies cold all of a sudden. Chapter 256 - Demon Country Part 4 "Raven¡­ like the dark bird?" The girl sounded surprised and the crowd hissed again in fear, feeling their bodies cold all of a sudden. "Err, I guess," Raven shrugged, seemingly not minding the remark. "I actually had a different name, but some stuff happened and I was forced to change my name." "Oh, I see," the little girl seemed to be lost in thoughts for a second before looking at Raven up and down for the first time. "Big sister, you''re wearing a dark battle armour and you look beautiful and sharp. I think Raven suits you pretty well!" "Hehe," Raven simply giggled, making the crowd go silent and stare at her in awe once again. ''Have there ever been such a tolerant and patient Ruler in the history of the Demon Realm?'' Everyone''s thoughts were going wild. "Oh, by the way, Nimue, why are you here alone? Are your parents with you or are you lost" Raven asked calmly. "My parents¡­" The girl suddenly left Raven''s embrace and touched her lower lip using her index finger, as if she was lost in thoughts, while looking around. "Ah, dad!" Nimue suddenly shouted while running towards a certain person in the crowd. As she got closer, she hugged the man who seemed to have lost his soul. His face was pale like paper while looking at his approaching daughter. The crowd looked at him sympathetically while showing pitiful expressions. Little Nimue didn''t seem to find anything wrong with her dad, but instead smiled brightly. "Dad, I met this pretty and kind big sister, and she protected me from the evil guy. "Look, she''s over there, and the bad guy is standing behind her like a statue, not daring to move. This big sister seems to be pretty strong!" "Enough!" The father finally said. Although he wanted to yell, it sounded more like a whisper. He wasn''t angry, no. He knows that children are not well versed in the ways of life. It was his own fault his daughter was acting like this. It was his own fault that they both were going to¡­ leave the world... "Nimue, I love you¡­" saying that, he silently hugged his daughter as if protecting her from some mortal danger that was going to take the lives of both of them. Little Nimue didn''t understand but rather simply repeated that she loves him too. Watching the father-daughter duo like that, Raven faintly felt something wrong but she didn''t bother saying anything. ''Are they that scared of me? Or is it Abbadon? Hm¡­'' *Sigh* With a sigh, she stood up from her crouching position and looked around her, watching the crowd''s various expressions speechlessly. "Everyone," Raven suddenly said while shaking her head. "Don''t stand motionless like this. Everyone must get ready for tomorrow''s battle so stock up on everything you need and remember to rest well tonight! Tomorrow is going to be a long day." The crowd was still in a daze as Raven nodded towards Abbadon and silently strode down in thene the crowd subconsciously created for them. Abbadon followed in silence, not even looking back at the young girl. "Bye Nimue!" Raven suddenly called out before disappearing down the street. "Bye, big sister!" Nimue waved her hand enthusiastically before yelling in concern: "please be careful of the bad guy!" "I know!" Raven smiled and said without correcting the little girl. The crowd watched until there was no sign of the two of them before staring at the little girl with looks of surprise, envy, awe, and some other inexplicable expressions. *** "Am I the bad guy?" Abbadon suddenly asked in a weak voice. "What do you think?" Gaia, who was silent since they reached the Demon Realm, suddenly sneered while smiling sarcastically at Abbadon. "Err, no you''re not," Raven answered while looking at the scenery around her. Although she seemed to enjoy the surroundings, this was her attempt at avoiding eye contact with Abbadon. "If Lady Raven says so, then I can be sure that I am not a bad guy!" Abbadon smiled happily. *Cough* *Cough* Raven suddenly choked on her own breath, but still didn''t mean to say anything. Gaia on the other hand didn''t contain herself and burst intoughter. Although she wanted to throw some sarcastic remarks, she ended up choking on her words so she justughed loudly instead. Abbadon didn''t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to be thinking of something different. *Achoo!* Abbadon sneezed yet one more time. Suddenly, he turned his gaze backwards, seemingly looking into the void with cold eyes. However, if one was to focus and follow the direction of his gaze, they''d notice that he was looking at the direction of the Teleportation Gate connecting the two Realms. "Hm, that''s the fourth time, Abbadon," Raven''s concerned sound suddenly came into Abbadon''s ear, knocking him out of his trance, or whatever he was doing. "Are you sure you''re not sick?" "Naturally not, Lady Raven," he said calmly, even though he appeared annoyed by his situation. "A Daemon like me can''t catch a cold like normal people, it would be a disgrace to all Daemons if that was to happen¡­" His face got suddenly dark with anger after he said that and he subconsciously looked back towards the Teleportation Gate for a few seconds before shaking his head and looking back forward. "Ho~ maybe someone is gossiping about you!" Raven chuckled slyly while covering her mouth, appearing like a troublesome child attempting a big prank. "Gossiping about me? Is there such a thing?" Abbadon raised his eyebrows before he suddenly looked around at the busy streets. This time, it seemed as though he deliberately avoided the direction of the Teleportation Gate for some reason. Gaia suddenly looked at the direction of the Teleportation Gate for a few seconds before bursting out inughter again. Raven on the other hand simply shrugged her shoulders. "I''m joking, don''t worry about it.." She finally said to Abbadon before looking at the direction of the magnificent castle in the distance, her expression getting more serious with every step she took. Chapter 257 - Requiem Of Desolation: Lightning Phantom Part 1 *twocolors - Lovefool * Raven who was walking towards the castle with a dignified expression on her face suddenly looked up. There, in the direction of the sky above the castle, a sh of pink lightning shot towards her. The pink lighting was so quick and even appeared as though it had blinked or even teleported in front of the trio. As soon as the lightning stopped mid air above Raven, Gaia, and Abbadon, it took the shape of a graceful figure that had a grin on her face. As soon as she appeared though, the trail of pink behind her vanished and immediately after, a loud thunderp exploded above, shaking the heavens. Gaia frowned and gritted her teeth at the grinning figure while standing up on Raven''s shoulder and raising her hand. She appeared as though she was going to p the figure down, but a change urred before she had a chance. In front of the group, a cyan glimmer appeared out of thin air. That glimmer suddenly condensed into the shape of another figure as it took shape. Stepping forward, the figure looked indifferent and expressionless; he showed no joy, no sadness, no anger, or any other emotion. However, that changed the moment he looked at Raven and herpanions as he nodded in acknowledgement, showing a faint and rare smile. Looking at the figure on the ground, then at the one in the sky, Gaia scoffed all of a sudden. "Get down here!" Although her small fairy-sized body was tiny, it didn''t prevent her from yelling loudly in frustration. "Why can''t you be as silent and gentle as your brother, why do you have to be loud and hurt me like this?" The girl in the sky tilted her head to the side in an inquiring manner before looking back and remembering that she had just caused countless lightning arcs to weave across the sky. "Hehe¡­" the girl forced a dry apologetic chuckle as she slowly descended down. "I''m sorry¡­ I didn''t mean to-" "Humph!" Gaia harrumphed coldlya s she cut her off, clearly not meaning to listen to her excuses. *Sigh* "If you can''t bear getting spanked gently, then wait and see tomorrow¡­" Raven said with a soft sigh. Although the lightning must have hurt, it should be nothing. She knew that Gaia was simplyining without a real reason, but this should be a reminder that tomorrow will be tough on her. After all, the entire is her body and the entire battle against the invading angels will take ce here, which means that she''ll experience the most agonizing pain. Although Raven didn''t want that, there was nothing she could do about it. "What do you mean?!" Gaia suddenly asked with flushed cheeks. "Who''s getting spanked? Why are you talking nonsense!?" "Huh? I didn''t mean it literally¡­ It''s a figure of speech¡­" Raven said in confusion. However, this only made Gaia''s cheeks burn even harder. "I know!" Gaia said, her tiny head releasing water vapour as she burnt in embarrassment. "Of course I know! I was just joking!" "Err, Uhm," Raven nodded subconsciously before taking a deep breath and looking at the two figures in front of her with a gentle smile. "Ae, Zeru," Raven nodded at the two sister-brother pair. "You seem to have improved quite a lot!" "Hehe, we have!" Ae said with a grin. "We were thinking about sparring with you, what do you think?" "Err, I just got here¡­" Raven looked disappointed. She came here to check up on everyone and she didn''t want to start a sparring match. "So what?" Ae shrugged. "It''s a good way to relieve some stress, you know." Squinting at the pair, Raven found that although Zeru looked calm, his fighting spirit was obvious in his aura. Needless to say, Ae didn''t even conceal her enthusiasm. *Sigh* "Ok, I''ll give you three minutes only, I''m not in the mood," Raven said with raised eyebrows. "Hm, three minutes¡­ that''s a bit challenging," Ae pondered. "But that''s ok, I guess!" Saying that, she instantly turned around and disappeared in a pink sh; thunder followed. Gaia gritted her teeth again, her cheeks burned hotter for some reason as she looked back and forth between Raven and the lightning arcs in the sky. Zeru nodded as he silently disappeared into a glimmer of bright cyan thenpletely dissipated into thin air as if he was never here before. Raven smiled as she observed them leave before following behind them. Momentster, Raven arrived at the castle gates. The guards greeted her with respect and reverence. She naturally nodded gently before disappearing inside. Entering the underground arena of the castle; the ce used as a training hall, Raven found the two siblings waiting for her patiently. "Since we have three minutes, we were thinking of showing you one of our new moves!" Ae said with a grin. "As long as you can maintain peak condition for tomorrow, I don''t really mind," Raven shrugged before jumping into therge arena where the two were waiting for her. Gaia jumped into Abbadon''s shoulder and watched silently. Watching Raven looking at her expectantly, Ae raised her hand to signal for the demons presiding over the protection in the hall. Momentster, a protective dome flickered and took shape above the arena, solidifying to the maximum. The demons obviously didn''t underestimate theing match. On the contrary, they have already begun to call some of their friends toe and watch. Without further ado, Ae and Zeru took action the moment the protective dome was ready. Ae''s yful expression disappeared in an instant as she extended her hand towards her brother that stood beside her. Thetter did the same. As their palms touched, their mana fluctuated and mixed together as colourful rays of energy dyed the air. Pink lightning and ghostly cyan suffocated the air inside the dome and even the few demons who were watching couldn''t help but swallow loudly at the scene. The dome protected against most of the terrifying aura but they could still feel their hair stand on an end in horror. At a certain point, Ae and Zeru''s aura skyrocketed to a new height as they yelled together: "Requiem of Destion: Lightning Phantom!" Chapter 258 - Requiem Of Desolation: Lightning Phantom Part 2 "Requiem of Destion: Lightning Phantom!" As soon as the words were heard, the mana inside the dome turned into substance as it condensed above the siblings. Pink thunder and cyan phantom energy started taking shape in front of everyone''s eyes as they slowly, yet strangely fast, turned into a giant phantom above the siblings heads. The demons who were present could not help but widen their mouths in surprise, and those who just got there were even worse. The giant phantom resembled a simple humanoid upper body that looked muscr and tougher than rock. Its vaguely transparent phantom skin was dark cyan in colour, however, everyone could see the dangerous pink lightning arcs swirling within, giving them goosebumps. The giant phantom looked as though a magic thunderstorm had taken form. And although it didn''t specifically have a lower body, it had a ghostly tail that was connected back to the siblings'' shadows. Raven who looked at the giant phantom smiled gently, appreciating the artistic nature of such supernatural power. She could almost guess how many days this took for Ae and Zeru to create and perfect. Seeing her smile, the siblings were proud inside, but their faces were either serious or indifferent as they continued to urge their momentum forward. "Lightning Phantom, arms! Grab your Lightning Halberd!" Ae yelled in a thundering voice. The giant phantom that looked like a simple power disy before suddenly opened its eyes and allowed lightning to flow from within. *Hiss!* The crowd suddenly gasped as they watched in horror. ''This thing appears to be really alive!'' Everyone suddenly thought in unison. The giant phantom, uncaring for their looks of awe and surprise, grabbed at the air beside it. Lightning shed inside its grip strangely and cyan energy wrapped around it, slowly taking the shape of a long halberd. With a weapon in hand, the giant phantom looked at Raven with a threatening posture. A faint life-like grin appeared on its ghostly face. Raven instantly frowned. She wasn''t upset, but rather was deep in thought. She suddenly remembered something. ''I have definitely seen something simr!'' Although she was sure she did, she could not remember what it was or when she had seen it. For some reason, she guessed that she had just grasped an important clue! s, the siblings didn''t seem to think that her frown was anything but a sign of taking things seriously, so they could only urge the giant phantom to proceed forward. "Attack!" Zeru said in a low voice that gave the audience goosebumps. With a grin on its face and a weapon raised high above its head, the giant phantom moved forward, lightning arcs on its body and weapon shaking the dome. As soon as it got closer to Raven, the ghostly Lightning Halberd smashed down with a force that was enough to break the entire arena. Although it may seem like a cruel move against Raven, none of the demons present seemed upset or angry with the siblings for using such force. They all knew that the two weren''t cold, but rather were using such strength in order to prove to Raven that they will not be a burden in theing war, and on the contrary, they''ll be able to provide her with a lot of support. Additionally, not a single soul was worried about Raven. Everyone has heard at least one rumour about her monstrous power and they were all eager to witness it in person so they could not help but show looks of excitement. On the side, even Abbadon and Gaia were smiling in anticipation. Raven, who looked frozen in ce and lost in a world of her own, suddenly shook her head and disregarded her distracting thoughts as she looked up at the giant de that was in the process of smashing down at her. With a gentle grin, she raised her gloved hand upwards in order to meet the approaching attack. The crowd stared at this tiny looking palm. However, none dared underestimate the power hidden in it. An instantter, Raven''s eyes shed a radiant white and immediately after, a thin looking translucent barrier covered the protective dome. Everyone knew that Raven simply wanted to ensure the safety of the crowd so they were thankful. In fact, none was sure that the dome would be enough to protect against theing impact. And finally, the impact came¡­ The Lightning Halberd smashed down at the innocent palm, and the moment it did, a powerful shockwave cut through the protective dome in an instant and proceeded to hit the translucent barrier. The crowd shuddered, imagining that their fate would be nothing better than the dome if the translucent barrier was broken through. However, to their relief, the scene they were imagining didn''t happen. The translucent barrier seemed to be way stronger than it looked; when the shockwave hit, it simply caused a faint ripple and then regained its posture. Ae and Zeru, and even the crowd, widened their eyes as they stared at the giant Lightning Halberd that was caught inside Raven''s small palm. The siblings urged the giant phantom to strike harder. But to their surprise, no matter how much power it exerted, the giant could not move its weapon. Forget striking harder, it could not even retrieve the halberd! After a short period of struggle, the giant phantom looked at Raven with a frown as it gritted its teeth. "Too weak," Raven shook her head with an expression of disapproval. The siblings looked at each other helplessly, but both were also confused and surprised, they knew that Raven would never talk to them in this way. The crowd wasn''t any better. Everyone knows the gentle temperament of their Supreme Leader and they know that she would never be harsh in her advice, let alone make fun of someone who''s trying hard. Suddenly, a look of realization shed across Ae''s face as she stared at the back of the giant phantom staring at Raven. "What?" Raven raised her eyebrows. "You''re still ying the role of a useless puppet?" Chapter 259 - Requiem Of Desolation: Lightning Phantom Part 3 As soon as the remark came out of Raven''s mouth, the crowd widened their eyes, some in realization and some in fear. Seeing that the giant phantom didn''tment, Raven sighed lightly and let go of the Lightning Halberd. "Try again," she instructed while looking the giant phantom in the eyes. "This time, try to hit slightly harder than a little girl!" Hearing that, the giant phantom grit its teeth in anger and raised its weapon upwards. To the crowd, it seemed that the Lightning Halberd was covering the entire sky. Mana was crazily drawn from the siblings as pink lightning and cyan energy coalesced on the surface of the giant''s halberd. "Die!" A deep cry sounded inside the training hall as the Lightning Halberd fell down like a meteor. Everyone shuddered once more! It has its own wisdom! Even the siblings were frightened. "This thing has its own consciousness and wisdom!" Raven smiled as she watched the skies falling down on her head, however, contrary tost time, she clenched her first andunched a simple fist upwards, meeting the giant''s strike. But behind that tiny fist, there was a power that was enough to destroy the heavens! A look of panic appeared on the giant phantom''s face as the two strikes finally met in the air. It suddenly felt its arm going numb as it lost its grip on the halberd. With a loud bang, the Lightning Halberd smashed against the barrier and then across the arena grounds. Contrary to the giant phantom''s panic, Raven appeared calm as she raised her eyebrows and looked at her fist. Seeing a faint cut mark on her ck gloved fist, she showed a soft smile and nodded at the giant phantom. "It''s so-so," Raven said. Hearing that, a proud and smug look appeared on the giant phantom''s face as it looked down on Raven. The siblings were left speechless with wide eyes! Seeing the smug smile on the giant''s face, Raven jumped up into the air in front of its face and solidified the mana under her feet, appearing to be floating midair. The giant suddenly stiffened and its smile copsed as the look of panic returned to its face. Watching Raven''s narrow gaze, it could not help but swallow loudly. "You will be responsible for their safety," she said while pointing at the two of Ae and Zeru underneath. "Do you understand?" The giant phantom nodded its head instantly while smashing its fists against its own muscr chest, producing loud bangs and frightening shockwaves, as if saying "you can depend on me!". ''Oh, it appears that it''s still hard for it to really speak¡­'' Raven thought in disappointment even though she looked the same on the surface. "Good," she finally said in response to the giant''s action. "Then if something happens to them in the future, I''lle looking for you, hehe!" Although she chuckled normally, the crowd could not help but suddenly feel bad for the poor giant phantom who shuddered in fear. Without giving it a chance to say any more, Raven flicked its forehead, prompting it to turn into colourful rays of fluorescent light as it retreated back into the siblings'' shadows. Ae and Zeru breathed a sigh of relief after watching all of that, but confusion was still obvious in their eyes. Both looked at Raven in an inquiring manner. "I don''t know," Raven replied helplessly. Even though she felt like it''s not the first time she sees something like this, she couldn''t quite recall any information about it. "But I know that it''ll be protecting you whenever it''s summon " "Uhm," Ae nodded. "How much time was it by the way?" "Just a little bit more than thirty seconds," Zeru replied indifferently, although a hint of disappointment was apparent in his eyes. "Don''t feel discouraged," Gaia''s voice was suddenly heard. "She used one of her super powerful skills! Didn''t you see her eyes turn white? That thing is no good, I''m telling you! Also, she stole a portion of my power!" As thest word left her mouth, Gaia looked at Raven while seething in anger. "Hehe, what she said," Raven confirmed while approaching Gaia and patting her on the head. Thetter pped her hand away, leaving Raven with a sad smile. "Wait, so we did good?" Ae asked, reluctantly. "Of course you did!" Raven replied. "Such power is enough to rank you amongst the very top of people in this world, so you can be proud about it, you did awesome, hehe!" Smiling from ear to ear, Ae rushed towards Raven and hugged her hard, not caring about the noisy crowd. "Well then, go see the rest, we''ll be ready for tomorrow!" Saying that, Ae grabbed her younger brother and rushed away. Smiling softly, Raven snapped her fingers and finally dispersed the translucent barrier. "By the way, what type of barrier is this?" Gaia asked curiously. "It can let people in and out, but the attacks or even auras can hardly shake it." "It''s a barrier of Brilliant Primordial Radiance, you can''t use it," Raven replied knowingly. Gaia sighed as though she had already expected it. Smiling lightly, Raven turned around as she looked at a person who was looking at her with big silver eyes. No words were spoken between the two people, or rather, no words needed to be spoken. Axane, with her big silver eyes, walled calmly towards Raven and gave her a deep hug. Raven appeared helpless, but she hugged her back with a smile. "How are you doing?" She asked, her voice akin to a whisper. "I''m ready to get Maia back!" Axane replied resolutely, determination visible in her eyes. "Good!" Raven replied and nodded. Letting go of Raven''s small body, Axane seemed to subconsciously look at the former''s neck. Tracing it down towards her corbones and the top of her chest, she sighed heavily. There, between and under Raven''s corbones, a ck tattoo of a sun surrounded by two torches. Although they were static, they gave the illusion of being life-like, trying to burn Raven''s snow-white skin. "Does she need help?" Raven, who noticed Axane''s gaze, asked in concern. Chapter 260 - The One To Blame Part 1 *ILLENIUM and Tori Kelly - me Myself * Although Raven didn''t specifically exin or borate on who ''she'' was, it was clear to Axane that she meant Liz. After all, it is no secret that her dark powers have been sealed away using the Seal of the Eight Fires that is now controlled by Raven herself. The seal isposed of two parts; the first is the tattoo of the sun surrounded by eight torches on Liz''s chest, and the second is the tattoo of the lonely sun on Raven''s. The eight torches on Liz''s end represent the power of the seal. However, now that Raven has transferred two torches onto herself, it can only mean one thing; she has weakened the sealing powers by two eighths of its original, which is equivalent to releasing two eighths of the total power of the seal! Although she was strongly against such actions, she could onlyply with Liz who had begged her countless times. The poor girl saw how everyone was getting ready to fight to death and, with her pure personality and generous character, she could not just stay on the side to watch. It was too tormenting for herself, especially after what she has done before and the many lives she has taken. With that being said, Raven wasn''t ready to just give her strange powers back and get her back on the streets. So, as a safety measure, Raven didn''t want her to be out on the field before making sure she is able to fully control the released portion of her powers. As a result, she was locked up behind closed doors. To be more specific, she was locked behind a Brilliant Primordial Radiance barrier that only she can open and close at will. "Axane, does Liz need help?" Seeing the hesitation in Axane''s eyes, Raven repeated the question in concern. "I- I am not sure," Axane shook her head. "But her screams have subdued now, I am not sure whether that''s a good or a bad thing¡­ Can you please check up on her?" "Uhm, it''s my intention," Raven nodded with a serious expression. She could see the fear in Axane''s eyes. Although Liz has a direct rtionship with baby Rituxi''s death, Axane has a pure heart and she knows that Liz is simply a victim just like the rest of them. So, she can''t bring herself to be harsh on her, let alone watch her scream in pain. However, realizing that the screams have subdued, she could not help but think of the worst! Nodding towards Axane, Raven instantly disappeared from her spot. Reappearing in front of a secret room underground, Raven took a deep breath and stared at therge set of doors. On the outside of these doors, a thinyer of translucent barrier was ced. Without much hesitation, Raven stepped forward and passed through the translucent light, which promptly closed behind her, and then entered the secret room through the doors. Inside, a blindingly dark cocoon was suspended midair, seemingly floating. However, with Raven''s special eyesight, she was able to see the thin and almost invisible ck silk wires connecting the cocoon to the walls. Raven could instinctively feel danger behind those seemingly simple dark wires. It was as if their existence is pretty dangerous to hers. Frowning, Raven blinked once, turning her eyes a shade of white. A brilliant aura enveloped her as she stimted the power of the seal on her chest. One of the dark torches started glowing, giving the illusion ofing to life. "Why didn''t you kill me?" A familiar voice, with an unfamiliar tone, called out from inside the dark cocoon. "Is she in pain?" Raven ignored the question and asked while gritting her teeth. "She''s always in pain, what do you understand?" The voice asked in a cold manner. "Then how about letting her go?" Raven asked, trying to keep herself calm. "Little girl, you have the wrong idea," the voice sounded. At the same time, a strange crackling sound came from the dark cocoon. "Oh, enlighten me," Raven said with raised eyebrows. "Hehe, she''s not in pain because of me," the voice said, as a matter of factly. The cocoon was shaking violently at this point. "She''s in pain because she''s alone. She''s in pain because you killed the only person who cared about her. You are the person who is causing her pain. How about you die?" Suddenly, a huge gap appeared on the surface of the suspended cocoon. From that crack, two soft snow-white hands touched the outeryer of the cocoon and used them as a support to jump outside of it. Liz''s figure slowly came into view. Descending to the ground, the dark wires and cocoon started moving towards her body, attempting to merge with her body. As the darkness enveloped her, her smile grew colder. Around her, a dark dress that was made out of pure darkness was born, making a remarkable contrast to her milky skin, highlighting her tender features. "Is that your will, or hers?" Raven tilted her head and asked. "Does Liz me me for her pain?" "Yes," dark Liz simply confirmed. "So, can you please die and make her feel better?" "Oh, then how about my pain?" Raven''s calm appearance started getting colder the longer she stared at the girl in front of her. Nightmarish memories shed in front of her eyes, reminiscence of the blood and wing marks still engraved on the ground somewhere in the city. "Your pain?" Dark Liz asked, confused. "Your pain is caused by your own actions. You killed Liam, and as a result, a person who is close to you got killed. Isn''t that called karma, or fairness? Many people would say it is." *Sigh* Letting out a cold breath, Raven looked Liz up and down but said nothing. "What, done talking?" Seeing her get quiet, dark Liz was confused once more. "Aren''t you supposed to be wasting time in order toplete the seal?" Strictly speaking, it''s smarter for Raven to keep talking in order. I buy some time for the seal to reactivate. The act of staying silent is simply giving a chance for dark Liz to act. "No, it''s alright," Raven shook her head.. "Let Liz out, I''d like to talk to her while in this form before the seal has been reactivated." Chapter 261 - The One To Blame Part 2 "Let Liz out, I''d like to talk to her while in this form, before the seal has been reactivated." Raven said calmly, her fists clenched. "Oh, I''m sorry, but are you dumb?" Dark Liz narrowed her eyes. "I am Elizabeth, and Elizabeth is me." "Oh, I could swear Liz would disagree with that statement, or at least, with the actions you do while in that form," Raven gritted her teeth. "I said let her out." "We are the same person, but with focus on different emotions. While in this form, I have ess to the darkness in my heart, the nightmares that I try to keep away from the light, and the natural evil that is trying to corrode my existence." She replied. "But that doesn''t change anything still; I am Elizabeth, and Elizabeth is me." *Sigh* Raven gave off a soft sigh, the radiance around her shining even brighter. Suddenly, a sh brightened the dark room as Raven disappeared from her spot. Reappearing in front of dark Liz, she raised her hand high up, but she suddenly stopped her movement. "Aren''t you going to stop me?" She asked, confused. "Why would I?" Dark Liz shrugged. "You haveplete control under this barrier." She gestured around her, meaning the Brilliant Primordial Radiance barrier covering the room. "Additionally, the more you abuse me, the more I will hate you." "Oh, so your n is for Liz to me me for everything?" Raven asked calmly. "Uhm," Liz nodded. "You could say that, I guess." "Funny," Raven said coldly. "But as a matter of fact, I me Liz for everything!" As soon as she shouted, her raised hand mmed down, pping Liz in the face. Although it seemed like trivial p, the power behind it was enough to destroy mountains. Liz who was git wasunched towards the other side of the room and mmed like a rocket against the barrier. Not giving her a chance to recover, Raven with her bloodshot eyes appeared in front of her and choked her with one hand as she pressed her against the barrier. Liz wanted to smile, as if to point out that her n was already working. However, her smile stiffened before it took shape. The dark sun on her chest gained a dark torche, creating a total of seven. Raven on the other hand, had only one left. Suddenly, tears of dark streamed down Liz''s face. "I- I am sorry¡­" she struggled to speak. Looking at Raven''s cold look, she felt her body getting colder and colder. Sadness and heartache enveloped her. "Did you hear what I said?" Raven asked between clenched teeth. "Uhm," she almost choked while nodding. "You me me for everything¡­ but it''s okay, I understand. After all, I was the one to kill tens of thousands of people. I was the one to kill Maya and baby Rituxi¡­ "You tried your best to make me smile, thinking that I was the victim, but¡­" finally, unable to hold herself together, Liz started crying out loudly. Raven had no intentions offorting her. She just red intensely. "You can kill me," Liz finally said. "I don''t me you¡­" "Oh, but I me you," Raven said. "But-" tears of dark continued streaming down Liz''s milky cheeks. "Do you want Maya to kill me?" She finally asked, as if realizing something. After a while, she could only nod. "That works, at least, I''ll make something right before I die. Although it won''t ount for everything I have done, but-" "God, you''re so useless," Suddenly, Raven said, letting go of her choking hand. As soon as Liz''s feet touched the ground, she looked at Raven in confusion. "How was it?" Raven asked, pain apparent in her voice. Although her question was abstract, Liz understood her clearly. She wanted to cry against her friend''s shoulder, but remembering what had just happened, she didn''t have the power to do it. So, she could only answer honestly. "Filled with blood." Hugging herself, she closed her eyes, as if to remove the bad memories of the blood rivers she created and keeps imagining whenever the darkness takes control. "Uhm," Raven nodded with a sad expression. "Do you me me for Liam''s death, and for who you have be?" "No!" Liz suddenly said. "I can''t¡­" "Liz, don''t lie to me," Raven shook her head. "You just said so." "No, that wasn''t me-" "But it was," Raven tilted her head. "Just be honest, not with me, but rather with yourself. You need to believe in your own thoughts and emotions." "But-" "Do you me me?" Raven cut her off and repeated. After a while of silence, Liz looked Raven in the eyes and nodded. "Uhm, I me you." "Good," Raven said. "I looked into it, you know. The police records show that the time of Liam''s death matches with the time me and Scott were fighting. At that time, Scott wanted to trap me inside a dimensional prison, but that obviously didn''t happen. "What did happen, however, was that the moment I broke free from that prison, I messed up some of the time-space sequences. One of these consequences was the loss of many lives. In other words, it wasn''t just Liam who had died that day. "Additionally, if you think about it, if Liam had not died, you''d still be living happily, and this power would not have awakened. So it''s all my fault, right?" Strangely, Raven was smiling as she asked thest question. Liz was confused at what she had just heard, but her eyes could not help but widen in realization. She has always thought that Raven was the one to kill Liam, but she never actually knew how or why. But now she knows. It was an ident! A simple ident caused her life to copse! A simple ident caused her to lose control and take the lives of many! But¡­ Why is Raven smiling? Why does she have that look, as if the weight crushing her chest has been finally removed? Chapter 262 - The One To Blame Part 3 "Rave¡­ you¡­" "That is the truth," Raven shrugged. "But, why do you-" "Do you me me?" Raven cut her off and asked again,pletely ignoring her point. After a moment of silence between the two, Liz nodded. "Uhm, I me you." However, although she said that, she could not help but look at her feet, as if a shy kid confessing her true feelings. At the same time though, she could not help but feel that something was not quite right. "Good," Raven said with a smile. "Then live on and avenge your Liam. I made you who you are today, so you better be strong enough to take your revenge on me. Do you understand?" "Uhm," Liz hesitated for a few seconds before nodding in confusion. "However, I want you to be the one taking revenge, not the darkness inside of you. Do you get it?" "Uhm," Liz nodded again, feeling that although she seemed harsh, Raven was still her best friend. She seemed to be guiding her towards a goal. It is as if she wanted her to see the light at the end of the tunnel¡­ "Do you me me?" Liz suddenly gathered the courage and asked. "For killing Maya¡­ and for taking baby Rituxi''s life¡­" Before even finishing, she could feel her heart beating wildly as she clenched her fists in worry and anxiety. Looking up in order to observe Raven''s reaction, however, was like cold water on a hot day; she had a simple yet gentle and soft smile on her face. Her expression seemed to indicate that she has already expected the question. "To be honest, I used to¡­ but not anymore, I guess. Err, at least not as much as before..." Raven took a deep breath as she finished. "However, I just exined that it''s all my fault, so technically speaking, I should not be ming you, right?" "So, you haven''t totally forgiven me?" "There''s nothing to forgive you about," Raven shook her head. "You''re just a victim in this, please don''t make yourself feel bad because of that, ok? As for what I truly feel¡­ let''s say that it''s moreplicated that I can exin. "In any case, you could say that I don''t me you! Even though I''ll be a target of your revenge from now on, you''ll still be the same Liz to me. So again, don''t feel bad, ok?" "Uhm," Liz nodded with a sigh. She understood that Raven''s heart must be a torrent of conflicting emotions and she could not help but feel sorry for her. However, she also knew that there''s nothing she herself could do about it. It''s a matter for Raven herself to figure out on her own. After some thoughts passed through her head, Liz suddenly raised her head and looked at Raven in a questioning manner; "But then, what do you me me for?" She was confused by this from the start. Why did Raven say that she mes her too? What does she me her for, if not what she has done to Maya and baby Rituxi? "Hm, I me you for being stupid!" Raven shrugged. "Huh?" Liz looked dumbfounded. *Sigh* "I me you for insisting on having your powers back," Raven sighed. "You''re too innocent, too naive, and too dumb. I really feel bad for you." Suddenly, feeling wronged, a blush passed across Liz''s face. "But I wanted to help too!" "You wanted to help because you thought it was your fault," Raven corrected. "Now you know it''s not, so what do you say we seal your powerspletely?" She gestured at her chest, where a sun with one torch was left. "No!" Liz argued. "I still want to help!" "Oh, why?" Raven raised her eyebrows. "Because you''re my best friend!" Liz said cheerfully, as if nothing had just happened. "Also, I can''t leave the rest to fight alone. Ae, Axane, and Maria¡­ I can''t watch them fight on their own. "What type of person would I be to hide behind my friends and watch them bleed when I myself have the power to protect them?" *Sigh* Raven sighed, but this time she could not bring herself to argue back. This girl had a head of hollow steel; hard on the outside, but empty on the inside. However, her response made her heart warm up nheless. ''Why is life so hard on kind people?'' she thought to herself. Shaking her head, Raven wanted to walk away and let Liz continue getting used to her powers now that she has tuned it down. But she suddenly stopped and looked at her feet. "You know, it may be hard to kill your best friend," she said quietly. "Are you sure you still want to call me that?" "Who said I''d kill you?" Liz seemed genuinely confused, but there was also a trace of horror in her voice. "Huh? Didn''t you want your revenge?" Raven asked. "Revenge, yes." Liz confirmed. "But I do not have to kill in order to get my revenge. Don''t joke about stuff like that! I''d rather die than kill you! "Also¡­ don''t forget that I''m not good with blood¡­" her face suddenly turned pale. Shaking her head vigorously and then pping her cheeks, she looked at Raven again. "As for my true revenge, err, I haven''t thought about it yet. But I guess I can give you some sour candy and lie and say it''s sweet to take you by surprise. Or make you buy me some food. Or- you know, something like this, I guess¡­" Staring at her in a daze, Raven could only shake her head. "You''re too naive." Liz just shrugged. "Do you hate me?" Asking such a question made Raven raise her eyebrows. But she then simply smiled and shook her head. "I don''t." No, in fact, Raven hated herself, if anything. She has not only ruined Liz''s life, but also her own and many of her friends''. It''s too cruel to think that Liz, a pure girl that is even afraid of blood, will be thrown into the battlefield¡­ With that being said, maybe she can just let her guard the Demon Country? It''s almost guaranteed that no angel will reach this city unless the war is going really bad, so that might be a good solution! Chapter 263 - Reassuring A Precious Heart * Down To Nothing - Siddhartha Menon * "If you don''t hate me¡­ then¡­ Can I hug you?" Liz suddenly asked, cutting Raven''s train of thoughts. However, anticipation was visible in her eyes. "... Sure," Raven answered with a warm smile, after some hesitation. Without waiting for an extra second, Liz plunged into Raven''s arms, breathing heavily and trying her best not to cry again. Although it didn''t ur to her at first, Raven realised just how much Liz was doing her best to hold herself together. But at the end, she was a hurting soul that needed to beforted. Giving off a deep breath, Raven hugged her back and activated her skill Saint of Life. That skill was originally called Holy Touch and functioned as a healing skill. It was also used to pass on life force and mana. And as a result, Raven had used it many times in order tofort people. She has used it the most on Maria, especially after the recent incident. And now that it has evolved into Saint, its effects are even more significant! Looking at Liz that was sniffing quietly under her warm touch, Raven slowly patted her head while sighing to herself. Thinking about it, Liz is the third girl that Raven has hugged today. First it was Ae, then Axane, and now Liz. Looking back, she was originally a boy and as such she''d never dare do such a thing. But now, it''s like a must-do gesture with her friends, otherwise they''d think something is wrong... *Sigh* *** Slowly closing the door and barrier behind her, Raven looked up at Axane who was waiting for her anxiously. Seeing the concern in her eyes, Raven simply nodded with a smile, making her breath a sigh of relief. "Oh by the way, you should go see Maria," Axane suddenly said. "She''s home." "Uhm, I''m going then," with a smile, Raven disappeared from her spot. Reappearing in front of the Teleportation Gate towards the Human ne, she was greeted by the shaking guards that were caught off guard. But she simply nodded and crossed the Gate. The two demon guards kept looking around after Raven had left, as if expecting a ghost to show up behind them. However, after some time, nothing weird happened and nothing scary popped up behind their backs so they could only sigh in relief and thank their mistress secretly for not having Lord Abbadon with her this time. Greeting the guards on the other side, Raven disappeared once again. But she didn''t go towards Maria''s mansion right away. Instead, she went deeper into the forest, found a thick tree, and sat under it without a sound. Hugging her knees like a lost child, Raven stared up at the sky and falling leaves around her silently. Many thoughts and emotions were swirling inside her head that she felt dizzy. "Being a girl really sucks¡­" "You know, it''s not just your female hormones that are making you feel like this," Ka''s voice came from inside her Minda Space. "Anyone under the same conditions as you would have probably thought their life was miserable¡­ it has been tough on you¡­" For some reason, Ka''s sound seemed apologetic. She secretly mes herself for not being able to help her Raven. "Uhm," Raven quietly nodded with a dull expression on her face, feeling quite tired. "How are things on your end?" "They''re still fighting¡­" Ka''s voice was filled with anxiety. Her main clone was still biting her nails in worry while staring at the kids she had chosen to undergo her transformation. Pain was visible on their faces and it didn''t help Ka''s case! "Hm, let me know if I can help with anything more than energy, I''ll give you a hand." "Uhm, I know," Ka smiled. "If it wasn''t for the energy I''m stealing from you, it would not have been easy so far. Thank you!" "It''s nothing, hehe," Raven chuckled faintly before looking up at the cloudy sky. "It''s been a long day¡­" "It''s always a long day when you''re working hard," Ka shrugged. Nodding quietly, Raven closed her eyes and opened her heart to the surroundings. Feeling the squirrels running around on top of the trees and hearing the birds chirping was rather rxing. After staying like that for a few more minutes, Raven finally got up from her spot, patted her clothes and disappeared. *** *Knock* *Knock* *Knock* Three faint knocks sounded as Raven''s tender pale knuckles touched therge and beautifully decorated door leading towards Maria''s mansion. *Click* Two breathster, a faint click came as the door was gently swung open. Maria''s beautiful and elegant figure appeared on the other side. Long silky jet ck hair covered her back while her rosy face seemed to have its own unique light. Her usually sharp blue sapphire eyes seemed reddish now, as if she had shed many tears recently. Noticing that, Raven didn''t hesitate to jump at her and envelope her with a gentle warm embrace the moment the door was fully opened. Maria didn''t seem to be surprised but rather smiled as if she had confirmed her prediction. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around her daughter. The two didn''t need to exchange words, but simply kept listening to each other''s heartbeat, seemingly able tomunicate that way. Some time passed before the two broke apart. By that time, both had faint smiles painting their faces. Although they seemed at ease, they both knew what the other was thinking and how much stress was stored in that seemingly simple smile. Without uttering a word, the two went inside and closed the door behind them. Step by step, the two walked over towards a beautifully decorated room that seemed to have been untouched for a while now. But even so, not a speck of dust was present, indicating that someone has always taken care of the cleaning here. Judging by the flowers, stuffed dolls, pinkish lighting, and the overall setting of the room, it seemed to be a girl''s room. Suddenly, a hollow chuckle left Maria''s mouth as she inspected the room. "What a weird girl¡­ she rarely touched her room¡­" she said as a cloudy look appeared on her face. "Uhm," Raven nodded softly as a simr hazy expression filled her face. A hint of reminiscence clouded her eyes. "Although you paid a lot of money to set up everything for her, she kept sleeping either in the living room or my own room¡­" "I know!" Maria eximed while looking around at the dolls. "I remember she was the one to pick those dolls but she never touched them! In the end, I even ended up buying another bed for her to put inside your own room!" "She was always like that¡­" Raven let out a soft sigh. "She only does what she wants." "What an unfilial child-" Maria struggled to speak as she felt some heartache, remembering her second daughter; her precious Maya. Warm tears ran down her rosy cheeks and dripped down on the cold floor. "Mom, I''ll bring her back," Raven said softly while wrapping her arms around her mother once again. "I promise, I will bring her back." Her expression indicated that she was simply stating a fact. Her voice was full of confidence that indicates her determination. She will bring her little Maya back! "Uhm, I know," Maria nodded with a faint smile as tears continued dripping uncontrobly. Although she knew that Raven was going to achieve her promise, she was still a mother and her heart was still weak. But at the same time, her sapphire eyes shone brightly as a hint of relief filled her core with unmatched confidence. She was going to see her daughter soon! Chapter 264 - A Long Lasting Dawn Part 1 *Vivy: fluorite eye''s song - Sing My Pleasure * A/N: this actually has both Japanese and English vocals which is pretty awesome:) *** At dawn, everywhere on Earth, no one was asleep; everyone was up, awake, and ready to spill angel blood! The fighting spirit was continuously rising as many rankers practiced their skills and many citizens continued to sharpen their des, load their magazines, or stock up on various types of arrows. Of course, there was nothing ordinary about those weapons, ammunition, or even the arrows; they were all made by either the abilities of some special rankers, or the alchemy and magical skills of some aliens who were brought by Raven! All around Earth, everyone had the same thoughts; everyone wanted to fight for their home, everyone wanted to protect those who they love, and everyone wanted to live on! Almost no soul knew about the Teleportation Gates that were created by Ka and as such, everyone had the thought of either killing or being killed! There was no third option, no running away, and definitely no being a bystander! Unlike most times, the EDA Generals were not hidden from the public or away on some ssified missions, but rather present and they were all spending time with the citizens and rankers of their respective countries. This contributed to a healthier environment and more courage everywhere. ording to the n set by Raven and Ka, every country must have at least one EDA General and one Deputy General in order to give and pass orders from the higher ups, namely Raven and Ka, to their troops. Of course, Ka''s enhanced Bracelets mademunication all a lot faster and much more rapid than in the past so there were no issues in that regard. Even if the radio towers ormunication satellites were destroyed, everyone can still pass on orders as required! Under those Earth Defensive Alliance Generals and their Deputy Generals were themanders that were appointed internally, and Raven had no say in the matter. In Canada however, now that General ina Arkan was not present, it meant that Canada was missing its General. As such, Raven, as the temporary Commanding General, appointed Scott as a temporary General while Cami Rogers was appointed as a temporary Deputy General. Although Cami is not the most powerful in closebat, she is considered the best when paired with Kuru. Once they''re in a critical situation, he can instantly turn into a Great Sword, and in Cami''s trained hands, he can show his best! With that being said, Cami is a specialist inrge scale battles and that''s exactly why she was given the title Battle Mage; with her abilities, sting through the defences of the enemy ranks should be as easy as breathing! Of course, one can''t ignore the fact that Jamie, the famous me Master Mage, will be apanying her as a guard! Additionally, Jakol, the fifth general of the Akash kingdom of Akish, and his troops were stationed as a support unit that will be ready to support any country at a moment''s notice. After all, their ship is meant to travel intergctically and it was no issue to cruise between countries. If that news wasn''t enough to make the rankers and citizens everywhere feel excited, then hearing that some ancient demon lords, none other than the infamous Deadly Sins, will be joining sides with them surely did! Before thest dusk, Raven had had a detailed meeting with her five daemons: Abbadon; the Sin of Hatred and her Daemon of death and destruction: her Baneful Executioner, Maeve; the Sin of Lust and her Daemon of courage and order: her Precious Adjudicator, Aamon; the Sin of Gluttony and Daemon strength and might: her Indestructible Shield, Levi; the Sin of Envy and her Daemon of trickery and stealth: her Ghostly Assassin, Andst but not least, Bel; the Sin of Sloth and her Daemon of chaos and control: her Dark Necromancer. The contents of that meeting were simple and easy to follow: the five mentioned Daemons will be named Executives and will be in charge of a selected portion of the battlefield, with the exception of Bel who is crucial to Raven''s n. Under each of the Executives, originally there were at least five or six demon Archdukes. However, they''ve all been granted a huge amount of souls by Raven which allowed them to evolve into Devil Lords! Their functions would be simr to Deputy Generals, under the Executives. With that being said, one special Executive had a ''little bit'' more than a few Devil Lords, and that was Maeve! Back when she and Abbadon were being named by Raven, an uninvited guest had barged in with a legion of demonic beasts. The uninvited guest was none other than Lucifer, the Sin of Pride! However, his luck ran out the moment he met the two newly named daemons. While Abbadon killed him, Maeve snatched a bunch of his subordinate beasts! That''s why she now has many more subordinates than the other Executives! And not only that, but every one of those demonic beasts have actually ranked up significantly after being named by Raven and granted their own share of souls! Each of them is equivalent to a Devil Lord; respectively called Devil Beasts! After the evolution into Devil Beasts, many of them even gained human forms! What makes this news outrageous to other Daemons is that those Devil Beasts, whenpared to a Devil Lord of the same strength, are more likely to win against them in a life or death fight! What contributes to this result is simply their original physical builds and natal abilities! It''s a shame, though, that out of the seven original Deadly Sins, not everyone had survived; The Sin of Pride, Violet, died under Abbadon''s single hit. The Sin of Wrath, Red, also died by the hands of Abbadon during the ancient demon war, granting Abbadon''s wish for revenge. Andstly, The Sin of Greed, Yellow, died under Silver''s hands before his battle against Abbadon. Silver, at the time, needed a way to restore the original power of the Fallen Angel and as such used Yellow as a nutriment for that purpose. s, he ended up being soul tortured in Abbadon''s Domain of the Sinner until this day! Chapter 265 - A Long Lasting Dawn Part 2 Overall, there are only five ancient Deadly Sins left, including Abbadon, that serve under Raven''smand. However, with that being said, she is not as unlucky as one might think! A while back, when she had first discovered the method of using souls as means to pass through evolution rather quickly, she had also used it on the very first and second demon subordinates she summoned; Calcer and Keith! And to her surprise, Keith, who seemed to have been on the losing end of the evolution race, had finally evolved into a powerful Daemon, and not only that, but for some reason he seemed to have some frightening hidden potential! With that being said, the feeling he gives off now is actually slightly simr to the feeling Silver, the Fallen Angel, used to give off! That made Raven a little confused, but although she felt that she had grasped one of the hidden secrets of her subordinate, she didn''t ask any unnecessary questions. If Keith wanted to share, she''d listen quietly, but if not then she would not pressure him, especially that she knows just how loyal he is to her! Eventually, under Raven''s blessing, Keith was named as the Sin of Kindness and her Daemon of blood and magic: her Blood Warden! This name was also mainly guided by Keith himself who seemed to have a n of his own, as such, Raven onlyplied happily. Contrary to Keith however, Calcer was unable to rank up and reach the power of a Daemon. But even so, he ended up being a very strong Devil Lord! Now, the two of Keith and Calcer are working together as a special support team! Err, or that was Raven''s n¡­ However, under Keith''s request, the duo has been given permission to act freely across the battlefield. Meaning that the two can go ande however and wherever they want! ording to Keith''s n, he wants to target specificmander level targets on the enemy lines, which would significantly weaken them! Overall, everyone was pretty much ready and in ce. But in addition to Keith and Calcer, there were some individuals who were assigned as a special task force that was responsible for working together as a team in order to eliminate powerful enemy elites and leaders! And, that special task force insisted on naming themselves The Raven''s Guards! Although that name is somewhat¡­ peculiar, to say the least, it managed to grab everyone''s attention across the! Now, everyone has heard of this special name at least once! And whenever this name is heard, they would feel a rush of excitement passing through them, as if a magnificent being has suddenly wrapped them under their wings and granted them a sense of being protected at all times! It wasn''t that weird, really, considering the fact that this name represents the most powerful and trustworthy person on the entire, Raven O''Bannon herself! She was first known for being the double S ranker who killed an S ranked monster, protecting the entire city. Not long after, some rumours were heard about how she was dealing with the portals and saving people all around the. Additionally, it is no secret that she was the one protecting everyone against the Lady in the Dark Dress! Not only that, but many rumours spread about her going to the demon world and stopping a massive war! All in all, Raven''s name has be like a melody across everyone''s mouths and there''s no way that she won''t be recognized amongst the crowds, whether by name or appearance. Her rumoured crimson-purple hair with a golden pattern like a crown is rather well known and aspired after, after all! With that being said, many people wondered who this special task force, The Raven''s Guards, really were¡­ After some investigation, the results were not as surprising actually. The words spreading all around indicated that those bunch were some of Raven''s close friends, including her mother, Maria herself! One might underestimate the power of a normal six-individuals based team, however, hearing their names made everyone excited and no soul dared underestimate The Raven''s Guards! The Raven''s Guards team was headed by the two siblings: Ae and Zeru. And the other members consisted of the two Mians: Axane and Axth, the dull and expressionless Ian, Liz''s subordinate in the white suit: Raykun, andst but not least, Maria herself! Although Ian has always insisted on being a simple observer, he seemed to want to fight this time. However, Raven heard from him that he won''t be using the power of the Primordial Dragon of Time fragment in his possession, instead, he''ll be using his normal abilities. Even though he''s been around for a long while, no one knows exactly how powerful he truly is or even what his abilities are, but everyone is definitely excited for the good show! Additionally, Raykun has now regained some of his lost power now that Liz''s seal has been weakened! He''s even gained some height! Instead of being the size of a small doll, he''s as tall as a ten year old now! But even so, he''s still wearing the same white suit and fedora that he''s obsessed with. And not only that, but news was spread that Liz, the Dark Girl herself, will be joining the battle after some time! Although the public didn''t have enough details to make conclusions, everyone was excited that this destroyer, that once was an enemy, will be joining them. And even though many people hadints at first, they all calmed down the moment they heard that Raven herself guarantees Liz''s loyalty! But this is definitely not all! Many more powerful figures will be joining in this fight, such as Joey, Raven''s close friend, who has been practicing for a long while now. After all, it''s a fight for survival and all hands are required to ensure optimal results! ¡­ As the first sun rays showed their brilliance, everyone''s fighting spirits were high up and almost reached the skies! Raven, who was sitting against the fence, on top of one of the tallest skyscrapers, with her hands on top of her head in azy posture, smiled excitedly while looking up high. Chapter 266 - A Long Lasting Dawn Part 3 "What are you smiling about?" Gaia''s little figure asked in confusion. She was expecting Raven to be slightly stressed if anything, not smiling from ear to ear. "Isn''t it obvious?" Ka asked through her simrly sized avatar. "Hm¡­" Gaia stroked her chin in a thinking posture. "Is she happy because she''ll meet Maya soon?" "Bingo!" Ka smirked. Hearing that, Gaia smiled slightly while getting stressed all of a sudden. She knew that it wasn''t necessarily a good thing meeting Maya this time but she didn''t want to ruin the mood so she simply shut her mouth. Raven who was sitting silently suddenly nced at Ka and flicked her little forehead. "Hey, what did I do?!" Kained. "Can you show me my Status Page? It''s been a while¡­" Raven asked while scratching her cheek. "You could have just asked nicely¡­" Ka mumbled while activating the system and loading Raven''s Status Page. [Loading Pilot''s Status Page¡­ [... [Race: Superior Soul Weaver. [Blessings: Infinity''s Will. Avavia''s Affection. Radiance of the Primordial Dragon of Light. The Sacred Contract of the Crimson Monarch. Passion of the Mother Spirit. [Titles: Soul Weaver Princess. Heavenly Collector. Exorcist. [Rank: Star [3] [Magic Skills: Mana Maniption Master (Tier 6) - Level 4 Brilliant Primordial Radiance (tier ???) - Level ??? [Inherent Skills: Contingency Call (tier ???) - Level ??? Quick Study (tier ???) - Level ??? [Unique (Racial) Skills: Mana Elementalist (Pyro, Hydro, Electro, Void, Cryo] Oasis (Mind Space, Mind Link, Subordinate Status, Power Share, Skill Share, Mana Share, etc.) [Special Skills: Dominator (tier 4) - Level 6 (Max Level) Saint of Life (tier 3 - Passive+) - Level 5 (Max Level) Siphon Life (tier 4) - Level 5 Nihility (tier 5) - Level 6 Soul Peering Eyes (tier 3) - Level 4 Summoner (tier 3) - Level 2 Master of Trickery (tier 3*) - Level 2 Stealth Master (tier 3 - Passive+) - Level 3 Soul Reaper (tier 5) - Level 5 The Elders'' Scrolls (tier 3 - Passive) - Level 3 Oracle (tier 4 - Passive) - Level 2 Apprentice of the Primordial Light (tier - ???) - Level ??? [Shared Skills: Execution (status: ready to use) Judge''s Domain (status: ready to use) Draining Shield (status: ready to use) Master of Craft (status: ready to use) Chaos Puppeteer (status: ready to use) Blood Curse (status: ready to use) [Combination Skills: Mana Recharge Dark Kraken Dusky Phoenix (ckout, Binding Shadows) Blood Siphon Chaotic Execution [Ultimate+ Skills: Sorcerer of Dark Magic (Demonic Tentacles, Chains of Dark, Dark Hell, mmable Void, Dark Lightning, Dark Mist, Soul Torment, Darkness Recharge, and Master of the Night.) [Resistances: Ailment Nullification, All Elemental Nullification, and Spiritual Resistance.] ¡­ Nodding at her status page, Raven had a cute grin on her face. She subconsciously felt pride taking over as she observed again and again. "What''s the smug look for?" Gaia asked with a tilted head. "Can''t you see?" Ka asked, surprised. "She created many extra Combination Skills which is pretty awesome, if I''m being honest. "You may not realize how hard creating a newbination skill really is, but I know and I agree with her smug grin!" saying that, Ka adopted a pose on Raven''s shoulder and grinned, marching her expression. "You tell her, Kay!" Raven''s grin turned into a sweet chuckle that seemed to be out of character for her, but she didn''t mind at all. "Hm, well, good job!" Gaia went with the flow and raised her two tiny thumbs for Raven in approval. "I can also see that your skills that are rted to mana control have reached really high attainments, really good, I approve!" "Of course!" Ka nodded happily. "The Mana Refinement process was quite a sess! Raven''s the boss!" "Hehe, there you go, you two should just praise me like this all the time!" Raven covered her mouth and giggled like a schoolgirl that had no concerns in life. The two of Gaia and Ka suddenly burst outughing with tears in their eyes, unable to hold back any longer. For any stranger, these three girls seemed to have no care in the world. They looked as if they were simply enjoying the morning sun and chilly dawn air. Only those who are close to them would recognize the stress hidden in their seemingly innocent smiles and cute chuckles. But in any case, life wasn''t meant to be this easy to enjoy nor was it meant to be easy on the naive! The careless atmosphere didn''tst long. After a few more minutes of chatting with the two of Ka and Gaia, Raven suddenly looked up at the cloudy sky. Narrowing her eyes, she suddenly had a horrible feeling taking over her senses. She didn''t know why or how, but she felt as though a million ants decided to take a bite of her skin all at once. Looking at her expression, Ka and Gaia tilted their heads in an inquiring manner. "What''s up?" They both asked at the same time. "Can you not feel it?" She asked, confused. "Feel¡­ what?" "Look at the sun!" She instinctively ordered while clenching her fists. Gaia and Ka looked over at the sin that was slowly rising, but to their surprise¡­ There was nothing special about it. "Raven?" Ka called in concern. "Did you hit your head? Are you seeing things?" Gaia asked while scratching her tiny head. "No, describe what you see, slowly," Raven swallowed loudly. "Err, let me see¡­" Gaia said in a teasing voice. "The sun was rising, but now it''s covered in clouds! Wow, big deal!" "Wait¡­" suddenly, Ka widened her eyes. "Wait what?" Gaia asked, suddenly having a bad feeling. It can''t be that both girls are seeing things at the same time, there must be something! "The weather today... it should be a clear sky!" Ka looked up in horror as she hugged Raven''s hair instinctively. "So what!?" Gaia who was in the dark was more angry than confused at the moment. "The sun is going to be covered, huh?" Raven ignored Gaia while saying between clenched white teeth. "Are they nning on having this dawn, this twilight, be a longsting one?" "Oh¡­" All of a sudden, Gaia felt her hair stand to an end.. She suddenly understood the two girls'' remarks. "Those are not clouds¡­ those are white feathers! The angels are here!" Chapter 267 - Feathery Skies Part 1 *Lenka - Blue Skies (REVOKE Remix) * A/N: Make sure to read the author''s note at the end... all of it! *** "It''s sure cloudy today!" One guy said to his partner as they both stood at attention, ready to kill the invaders at any time. "Yes," his partner replied calmly while tucking away a few strands of ck hair behind her ear. "But something is weird, why is the sky getting darker and darker? It''s just like winter time! But we''re not in winter¡­" "Hm, true," he replied with a shrug. "I guess the heavens are messing with us- oh, is that snow!?" Looking up, kes of white started pouring down, slowly swaying in the winds. The scene was outstanding and beautiful, it somehow made everyone rx and look up in awe. This was the case all around the and not just one particr area. The sudden appearance of snow made everyone feel inexplicably at ease. Suddenly however, everyone''s bracelets glowed as a message was transmitted directly from the person highest up in the chain ofmand: Commanding General Raven O''Bannon. The message was rather simple, and only consisted of a few words. But these words were enough to shock everyone''s hearts and raise their vignce to the extreme! Weapons were suddenly raised and auras were red. Everyone had a murderous glint in their eyes! "Protect your minds and proceed with the n!" The reason why such a simple message had such a magnificent effect on everyone was exactly because it was from Raven herself! At the moment, she is the Commanding General and under normal circumstances she does not contact those normal soldiers, but rather only speaks to Generals or their Deputy Generals if the former dies, but that''s all. However, the contents of the message exined everything! "Protect your minds!" "Psychic rankers protect everyone!" "Those are not snowkes, they are angel feathers!" "They have a strong hypnotizing effect! Protect your minds like the Commanding General has ordered!" "The angels are here!" "Proceed as nned!" ¡­ All around the globe, the same messages were sent everywhere. These few seconds of rxation brought by the hypnotizing effects of the feathers made everyone witness the horror of the angels first-hand, and the war hasn''t even started yet! That''s why everyone suddenly got cautious and extremely vignt; these b*stards can not be underestimated! However, in the grand scheme of things, the angel''s little stunt didn''t really matter much. The soldiers simply needed to follow the n. And this n¡­ it starts with their leader, with their Commanding General, with Raven! On the skyscraper, Raven had a toothy grin that was radiating with evil intent! The angels areing! The b*stard who is manipting Maya is probably with them! Soon, she will meet Maya! "Raven, remember the n," Ka reminded calmly. Inexplicable feelings surged through Raven''s veins before calming down and remembering her role. "Uhm," nodding, her expression turned stoic and extremely serious. "Bel, get ready!" Out of Raven''s shadow, a figure suddenly jumped out and took shape. Kneeling respectfully, Lord Bel, Raven''s Dark Necromancer, smiled and looked at his mistress. "I am ready, my mistress!" He confirmed happily. Of course he''s happy! Because of this n, he gets to fight together with his mistress! Even Lord Abbadon was jealous and envious of him, not to mention the others! "Good," Raven replied calmly as she looked up at the falling feathers. Transmitting another simple message to the bracelet, her words were heard all around the: "Let them burn!" All around, mmes of various colours and other attacksnded on the falling feathers that covered the skies. Although they were many, the feathers didn''tst long against the coordinated attacks of almost everyone on the! Looking up and ignoring the disgusting burning smell, up there beyond the burnt white feathers, everyone could see brilliant white figures that started toe into view. Whistle~ An EDA General whistled as he looked up, seeing the many angelsing down slowly. "Soldiers!" He called out loudly. He didn''t call rankers or citizens, no. He called soldiers, because right now, everyone was one! """Sir, yes sir!""" A torrent of excited voices yelled in reply. "They seem to think they can walk here like royalty. What do you think of that?" """F*CK them!""" Everyone yelled in unison. "No, you idiots!" The General yelled. "We have a n; remember the n! Right now, we are waiting for our Commanding General!" Hearing his words, everyone felt slightly embarrassed, but they didn''t mind. They indeed had to remember the n! Soon, Raven will give them a signal to start! "However," the General called calmly. "I like your enthusiasm! Soon, we''ll f*ck them all!" """Sir, yes sir!""" Everyone shouted once again, grinning from ear to ear. ¡­. Simr scenes spread across the as the fighting spirit was high everywhere! Raven suddenly took a deep breath and her expression became solemn. Extending her hands forward, she urged her aura to the extreme, golden energy filled her veins! She has rarely used her ''own'' original mana, however, now was the time! Applying many of her skills at once, Raven was suddenly covered in sweat, but she didn''t seem to mind. She was too focused to care. Although Ka and Gaia were standing on her shoulders, they didn''t help. It wasn''t their turn yet! After a while, the golden light seemed to be like a sun that extended throughout the entire, leaving no dark spot! Suddenly, the longsting dawn didn''t seem to be that long! Everyone who saw the spectacr sight was left speechless. After all, they all knew that their Commanding General was going to make her move first, but no one knew what that move was exactly! With that being said, no one was naive to think that was all, especially since the angels seemed to be unaffected! "Huh, what''s this?" A ranker, or rather a soldier, called out in surprise while staring at her own shadow. For a moment, it seemed as though her shadow had moved! "Ahhh! It''s moving!" Another voice yelled in surprise. But there was no fright in that voice, after all it takes no big brains to figure out that it''s their Commanding General who''s doing this! Chapter 268 - Feathery Skies Part 2 Suddenly, cheers were heard everywhere! Although no one knew what she was doing, they all had full faith in Raven! "Scott, what the heck are we waiting for?" A General sent a message to Scott via the bracelet on his wrist. "Oh, General d doesn''t trust the Commanding General?" Scott asked, amused. "I know you had some minor issues with her, but you know-" "Don''t twist my words!" General d interrupted. "It wasn''t my intent!" "Then what was your intent?" He asked. "Err, I just want to fight and kill angels you know¡­" General d seemed embarrassed about what he was about to say next. "Do you think she''ll kill them all in one go? If that happens, what the heck do we do with ourselves? We''ve been waiting here for a few days while preparing everyone, you know!" "Hahahaha!" Scott suddenly chuckled. "You don''t have to be concerned in that regard, we''ll have our own share, don''t stress about it!" With that being said, Scott himself felt that General d''s concerns were well ced. Although Raven was somewhere at the center of Canada, reports have been made about the golden light and moving shadows from ces like Russia and China. This alone is enough proof that Raven''s next move will cover the entire globe! These thoughts were circting around and soon, everyone had even more admiration for their Commanding General''s unfathomable powers! While everyone was mouring about all sorts of stuff, Raven herself was simply solidifying her spell while looking up at the sky and waiting like a hunter waiting for its naive prey to fall into the trap. Although the angels were white-feathered, there were simply too many of them and that made it so that even light could not even pass through them! Soon, the angels started getting closer and closer. And soon, the white sky turned grey. And not much after, the grey sky turned into darkness. Additionally, the closer they get, the more their aura became apparent. And to everyone''s surprise, they were way more powerful than everyone had expected! Not only that, but even their simple presence made it so that radio signals and electricity were lost all around! This made everyone thankful for the bracelets on their wrists! Also, if it wasn''t for Raven''s golden light illuminating the sky, it would be impossible to tell directions for how dark it would have gotten! Everyone was suddenly anxious. Their Commanding General hasn''t made her move yet, but no one dared move. "Hey d," An old voice suddenly sounded from General d''s bracelet. "Meng?" General d recognized the voice as being the Chinese General, General Meng! "I may be wrong but¡­" he hesitated for a few seconds before proceeding in a stressed voice. "Why does it look like every single angel is Star One?" "Oh, so it wasn''t just me¡­" General d swallowed loudly. He had first thought it was just his own illusion, but now it doesn''t seem to be the case. Simr to the two generals, many others had the same conversations. However, after a short period of stress, they all decided to wait for their Commanding General to issuemands. After all, the golden light was still present, making everyone''s hearts at ease and indicating that Raven is still here and simply waiting for the right time to make her move. And¡­ they didn''t need to wait for long, the right time came quickly! Slowly, yet somehow seemingly as quick as lightning, the golden rays of light that were forming a new horizon started to ''float'' upwards! This made the already spectacr sight even more outstanding! Everyone watched with clenched fists and tense expressions as the golden horizon submerged the invading angels. Not long after, the angels starteding through the golden blockade. Everyone felt their heart shatter for a second, thinking that Raven''s n had failed, but they quickly realized that they were too naive. After all, it was the golden light that went upwards first, meaning this is all part of the n! With that being said, after such arge and intense light appeared behind the angels, their peculiar appearance became slowly visible to the crowds. Contrary to themon belief of many humans, the angels were not some human looking creatures with beautiful white wings¡­ no! I''m fact, many of them were not even humanoids! But with that being said, the majority did indeed take on a body build that was simr to humans. However, the simrity stopped with their two arms and two feets, everything else was different! Most of the angels that were seen were entirely covered in white feathers that made them akin to doves taken on humanoid shapes. And¡­ that was rather creepy, to say the least. But the ugliness of the angels didn''t stop there; many of them didn''t even have normal human looking faces, but they looked like a mix of some weird alien heads that were also covered in white feathers. Many angels had more than simply two eyes, and they were all shining red, with no pupils or even scleras! Above all of that, they didn''t have a fixed body size amongst them. Angels seemed to differ in that department rather widely; the smallest looked as tiny as a doll, and thergest looked as huge as a small mountain. But the number of the extreme cases were the smallest across the board, making the human sized ones the most dominant! "Are those the so-called beautiful creatures of the heavens?" One soldier had an ugly and disappointed expression across her face. "I can''t believe I kept calling my cute daughter an¡­ an angel¡­ that''s just disturbing!" "Don''t me yourself," her friend pped her on the shoulder in an encouraging manner. "I used to call my wife that¡­" "Maybe those are not the real angels?" Another soldier asked, hopeful. "Soldiers, focus!" A Commander shouted as the chatter got louder. "What does it matter what they look like? They''ll end up as minced meat anyway!" Realizing this, many people cheered up. """Ma''am, yes ma''am!""" Chapter 269 - Feathery Skies Part 3 With the distracting chatter out of the way, everyone suddenly realized that the angels kept on getting closer and closer. The golden light seemed to have passed the majority of them and simply stopped somewhere behind them. And just like before, with the overflow of angels in front of the light, the skies started getting darker and darker¡­ Everyone clutched their hearts and swallowed in anticipation¡­ they instinctively felt that if their Commanding General was going to make a move, it was going to be now! Sure enough, Raven''s eyes suddenly glowed with a golden hue like two small suns as she gazed at the angels that wereing closer. With an expression that didn''t even show the slightest of the human emotions, Raven started muttering what seemed to be like a useless mix of words. Amongst those words, only some seemed to make sense. "Mana Recharge!" "Dusky Phoenix; binding shadows!" A soldier''s surprised voice was suddenly heard somewhere in Canada. "Look, the angels'' shadows! They''re moving!" "The shadows¡­ they''re scaling the buildings and jumping into the air!" Another soldier yelled. "They are going back to their owners!" "It must be our Commanding General!" Soon, simr loud shouts were heard in some ces in China, Germany, and Africa. And not long after, these words spread throughout the entire army; the Commanding General is making her move! However, soldiers could only guess. Only those strong Generals and their Deputy Generals were able to observe what was happening. All across the globe, each angel in the sky had a shadow that was stimted by the golden horizon, created by Raven. It didn''t matter where the angels were rtive to the golden light, or golden horizon; those who were under it had their shadows casted down to the ground, those who were inside the golden horizon had their shadows casted on their neighbouring angels, andstly, those who were above it had their shadows casted up at the clouds! Unfortunately, those who were above the clouds were far beyond Raven''s reach for now, and that''s why she had to specifically wait for the angels to get closer. Observing intently, the Generals could clearly see that the angels'' shadows started moving as if they had a life of their own. Slowly, those shadows returned to their respective angels as mentioned by the excited soldiers. And sure enough, not long after, it was clear enough that the angels'' movement had slowed down! Soon after, that movement hadpletely stopped! Those with sufficient strength or those with special ocr skills were able to observe clearly how each shadow spread its four limbs in order to wrap its owner in a binding embrace! "Ho~ the Commanding General is truly amazing!" A soldier called out in surprise. "Yes, hehe, I''ve always told you so!" The neighboring soldiers adjusted his sses while grinning victoriously. Simr shouts were heard all around, which actually confirmed that every angel in the sky had stopped! They can no longer advance! "General Scott, is this the Commanding General''s move?" Adrd, the German General asked via the bracelet on his wrist. "If it wasn''t her, who else could do it?" Scott asked. "This is not my point," Adrd shook his head. "What I mean is¡­ is this all she''s going to do? Has she told you anything?" "Hm, no she hasn''t told me anything in particr," Scott answered honestly. "However, what we all know is that there is going to be a signal, just trust her!" "Uhm, I guess you''re right. I was a bit hasty¡­" Adrd sighed. "Ho~ it''s rare for you to be-" "Focus!" Adrd cut off Scott and cut off the connection. "..." Scott could only sigh in response. ¡­ On the high skyscraper, Raven inhaled massive amounts of mana as she changed theplicated seals in her hands into a series that was even moreplicated. Soon, another whisper escaped her mouth. "Chaotic Execution!" Strangely enough, unlike the previous time, this whisper was heard across the globe! Everyone suddenly shuddered as they stared upwards. Only Abbadon, his mistress''s Baneful Executioner, smiled sadistically while hugging himself, barely able to contain himself. People all around him felt their spines freeze from a sudden chill, but none dared move! Using his Demon Eyes, Abbadon could clearly see his mistress''s artwork! "A simple masterpiece, truly magnificent, Lady Raven!" He mumbled to himself, a hint of reverence present in his voice. Whether it was in the skies above his head, inside the golden horizon created by his mistress, or just under the clouds at the edge of his range of sight, he could clearly see the shadows that were restraining the angels, slowly moving their upper limbs. Those upper limbs were taking the shape of a sharp de with each movement. Not long after, blood was spilled in the sky! Up, where everyone was staring, they could see a shadow inserting its ghostly de-like hand into its owner''s neck, sshing red blood widely. For a moment, everyone was silent as they watched in awe. Not long after, an angel with a sh across its neck fell down. It seemed as though the head was about to separate from the body at any moment. Soon after, the sight was repeated countless times, instantaneously, across the skies everywhere! Everyone was suddenly cheering madly! This is their Commanding General''s true move! However, soon after the cheers, they showed concern. Those angels that are falling¡­ they''re not going to kill them, right? A small pen falling from five hundred metres is enough to smash through the full length of a car. How about an angel''s body that is falling from thousands of meters high? "Quiet! The Commanding General won''t act without foresight, don''t be stupid, she must have a n to deal with the falling bodies!" The soldier with the sses convinced his neighbouring soldiers. The Commander close to their area repeated the words and soon enough, everyone realized how naive they were. Sure enough, not long after the countless angels started falling like meteors, another whisper came to everyone''s ears. "Chaos Puppeteer!" Chapter 270 - Feathery Skies Part 4 "Chaos Puppeteer!" This voice seems different from the previous melodic one of the Commanding General, but it still sounded rather young. No one would have thought it was actually one of the ancient demon lords; Lord Bel! Momentarily after the whisper spread, a dark web of wire-shaped mana appeared in the sky. The scene looked as if a giant demonic spider had casted its webs everywhere, covering the heavens! However, soldiers who were seeing this quickly realized how naive they were, thinking the n was just this simple. With wide eyes, they observed the scene where those falling angels who hit the dark web continued falling downwards for a few seconds before stopping midair. Every dead angel that passed through the dark spider web turned into a shade of dark, with no more white feathers present, and began staring upwards with hollow eyes. Seeing this, everyone shuddered once more. "This dark mana web¡­ is not actually a web?" "Those mana wires¡­ They are Puppeteer strings!" "Holy shi¡­" ¡­ Although everyone was amazed, one single Daemon was unimpressed; Abbadon! "That ipetent idiot, he couldn''t save the rest?" He muttered quietly. Although people could not fully observe and understand what was happening, he could. This seemingly wide range of mana strings was rtively pretty close to the surface of the. Such cement means that those angels who have fallen enough distance, under the pressure of condensed air, will heat up and turn into a crisp! Sure enough, after the initial wave of dark angel puppets were created and integrated into Bel''s shadow or simply the nearby shadows, with Raven''s help, many meteor-like things were observed! Soldiers could easily see dots of white glow travelling at massive speeds and hitting countless angels in the way, creating a bloodbath, before exploding or fading into thin air! Although this seemed very wasteful in Abbadon''s eyes, it was a spectacr sight in everyone else''s! After a little bit more than half an hour, the golden light slowly dissipated. Looking up, one could clearly see the original morning sunshine warming up the atmosphere. All of a sudden, cheers erupted from everywhere on the! The majority of the angels were eradicated! This was simply the result of one move from their Commanding General; Raven O''Bannon, and the other person who converted the angels into dark angel puppets. Although everyone was prepared to fight to death, they were pleasantly surprised to know that they didn''t have to! Or, that''s what they thought¡­ "All soldiers prepare for battle!" Raven''s voice spread throughout the entire. "The first wave of angels is finished, but there are more on the way. Kill!" Hearing her words, the soldiers clenched their fists and raised their weapons. """Kill!""" Shouts filled with murderous intent were heard around the globe as Everyone''s fighting spirit rose to the top once again! Having received the signal, all Generals started mobilizing their soldiers in order to eradicate what''s left of the first wave and prepare for the next. Although they didn''t speak much, everyone realized that theing waves would only be more difficult to withstand! On the high skyscraper, Raven''s aura almost faded away as she dropped to her knees, panting and barely able to breath, while using her right fist to support her weight. Gaia and Ka used their skills to ensure sufficient mana is delivered to her veins. But even so, she was barely able to keep herself conscious. Bel was slightly better since Raven has also helped him with casting the final spell. However, keeping it active was taking way too much of his own energy, let alone controlling the dark angel puppets! Seeing that, Raven gathered her strength and slowly sat up against the rusty guardrails. "Help Bel," she whispered with a lot of effort. "Ok!" Kay quickly responded. Although she wanted to argue that Raven was more important, she knew that that would only lead to Raven having to speak more. After a few minutes, Bel stood up, his face flushed with embarrassment. He is one of the five executives and he is supposed to be one of the most powerful supporters of his mistress, but right now he is making it harder for her to recover. Gritting his teeth, he stood up, took a deep breath, and pped his palms hard enough to send shockwaves around. Suddenly, six Devil Lords appeared in front of him. The six quickly kneeled towards Raven, showing loyalty and respect. Normally, they''d be kneeling for Bel, however, their Supreme Ruler always takes priority when present! Raven quietly nodded at them, with a gentle smile on her pale face. Without a second to spare, Bel started using his own spells at top gear. "Dark Angel Puppets, follow mymand!" He shouted in a cold tone. His main goal was now to transfer the Dark Angel Puppets stored inside his own shadow to those Devil Lords under him. Instantly, countless Dark Angel Puppets shot out of Bel''s own shadow and covered the sky! Looking down at the Devil Lords with dead and hollow eyes, they divided themselves equally and each group plunged into the shadows of those Devil Lords in front of them. Slowly, their shadows started getting thicker and darker as sweat oozed down their brows. Feeling that the Devil Lord has reached their maximum capacity, Bel nodded and ordered them to go provide support across the battlefield as they see fit. Kneeling onest time, the Devil Lords shot into the air and each headed towards the countries with the least amount of troops. It''s a shame that only the Devil Lord powerhouses under Bel''smand were eligible to store and control those puppets as they were personally trained by him. If that wasn''t the case, he would have borrowed the Devil Lords of other Executives and handed them a patch of Dark Angel Puppets each! With that being said, now that a lot of the pressure was carried away, he can easily control what''s left of those Dark Angel Puppets! Chapter 271 - Masters Of The War Theatre Part 1 *Crypto - Faded (feat. Constance) * In other words, it is finally time to join the battlefield himself! Bowing deeply to Raven who nodded in return, he quickly turned into a shadow and disappeared from his spot. Across the battlefield, the Bel''s six Devil Lords alternated between different battlefronts as they realized it''s the most effective and efficient method to thinning out the enemies'' numbers. Over time, the emergence of these six Devil Lord powerhouses in various countries with their own legion of Dark Angel Puppets has be amon urrence. And wherever they appeared, the enemy lines would copse! After a short two hours of recovering, Raven finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that she was now back at her peak condition. If need be, she could now use her trick one more time in order to kill and convert more angels into Dark Angel Puppets, but judging from the quantity and quality of the newly emerging angels, it would be useless. If the first patch of angels has an average rank of Star One, then the current patch has angles that are way above that! After a while of observing, it became clear that unlike before, the angels are attacking key positions or critical figures in the Terran army. The newly emerging angels are no longer simple cannon fodder, and they are even using battle tactics! Additionally, it can be seen that they are acting in groups right now, unlike before Ka, who was responsible for gathering and delivering intelligence across the vast battlefield, observed the new formations taken by the angels and spread the news through the bracelets. At the moment, the majority of the angels are gathering and acting in groups of fifty Star One ranked angels. And those fifty would work together under one Star Five angel leader. ording to the details and ssifications given by Ka, this level of grouping will be simply called a ''Squad'' for now. And as observed, in General, one to three Squads would work together and attack one country! This in itself has already made some countries suffer massively. The main reason is that the average country can only afford one General. So, even though a General is usually ranked above Star Six, it is still not an easy task fighting three Star Five ranked angels. This means that some Generals are fighting for their life! Luckily however, the precarious situation isn''t as bad as it can be since there are many support teams running around in order to create as much of a bnced battlefield as possible; forget about the demon elites and Raven''s executives, the Terran Army has The Raven''s Guards! With the help of such powerful forces, the situation can be maintained, for now at least. With that being said, one question has been keeping the high ranking officials rather concerned: what happens when a new and far stronger patch of angels joins the fray? Judging from their current behaviour, it is safe to assume that this will definitely not be thest wave of attacks! Furthermore, it can be seen that the angels are not brainless barbarians, but rather have a ''head'' behind the scenes that is making all this thinking and following a certain n. Additionally, the person behind this head is slowly revealing their cunning nature. It is almost certain that they will not stop at this level of battle formation, meaning that they will surely produce something far stronger than a Squad! Needless to say, if these formations are not taken care of, they may lead to the destruction and annihtion of entire countries! If something like this happens, it may even cause a snowball effect that ends up in the destruction of the whole! With that in mind, the Generals and even the entire army will have to adapt to the growth of the angels and perform counter attacks in order to slow or stop their advance. With that being said, the Terran Army is not a headless body without its own n, nor is it easy to bully. After all, they have their own mastermind, and that is none other than the Young Cyber Valkyrie; Ka! Although she is still presiding over the young EDA elites'' transformation, her multitasking abilities are second to none, so it is not difficult for her to observe the changes in the battlefield and ry key information to Raven and the Generals as needed! Furthermore, she is now the main strategist of the Terran Army and rying information isn''t the end of her responsibilities; she is even taking care of giving orders, assigning special missions, and simply, ying the battlefield to her advantage! Right now, she is one of the two war theatre masters who arepeting against one another, and at the moment, she and her Terran Army are dominating! ¡­ With everyone having been assigned missions of their own, Raven was no exception. The Supreme Ruler has got her own important mission; she must find the ''head'' behind the angels and... cut it off! However¡­ one question kept on hurting Raven''s head¡­ who is that head? What if that war theatre master she is trying to kill is actually the person she cares for the most? What would she do if it''s Maya herself...? Suppressing her doubts, Raven looked up at the sky above her head. Her eyes glowed with a rich golden hue as two crimson rings surrounded her void dark pupils, enabling her to see far into the depths of the space. Behind the apparent angel army that was actively attacking the, a magnificent number of white dots surrounded Earth, covering the entire sr system. Raven and Ka clearly knew that these were crowds of angels that were simply waiting for their turn. On the surface, it seemed that the Terran Army was on the winning end, but judging from the angel''s massive numbers, Ka and Raven knew better than that. "What are you stressing about?" Ka asked quietly.. She was sitting on Raven''s shoulder in a small version of her clone, next to Gaia. Chapter 272 - Masters Of The War Theatre Part 2 "What are you stressing about?" Ka asked quietly. She was sitting on Raven''s shoulder in a small version of her clone, next to Gaia. "Yeah, don''t overthink it," Gaia said with a soft smile. "They are not attacking all at once, the reason is most likely that it''s hard to fight all at once; they''d end up destroying their own ranks by their own hands!" "Uhm, I know¡­" Raven nodded while dismissing her Soul Peering Eyes, her updated version of True Sight. The skill enabled her to see through the illusions and even peer through one''s soul, as such it was rather easy to see the unbelievable scene of the angels covering manys like bees in their own hive. "But¡­ Did you see how many there are? They can upy the entire Sr System, that means that-" "Rave!" Ka jumped up and pinched Raven''s cheek between her tiny hands. "It''s okay! We''ll take care of all of them; none will leave alive! They have their massive numbers, but we have ''that'' trump card, did you forget?" "True, what she said, we''ll kick their a*ses for sure when we go all out!" Gaia encouraged. Hearing the two of Ka and Gaia trying to encourage her, Raven finally smiled while nodding gently. Both of Ka and Gaia knew it was a fake smile, yet nonemented any further. Dismissing the matter, Raven looked around her at the scenes of cruel deaths. Suddenly, her eyes regained their golden luster as she adopted a serious expression. "Wait, Rave what are you doing?" Ka asked, confused. "Eh? I want to make some stops before proceeding with my mission," Raven said with a shrug. "I''m just going to go to the Teleportation Gate connecting the two nes, is that eptable?" "Yes, you can," Ka replied urgently. "But why fly over, just use the Teleportation Seal, no forget the Seal, you could directly teleport there!" Raven could use teleportation with the help of Ka''s Cyber Particles, as such she didn''t need to fly through the battlefield. But she somehow ignored that fact! "It''s more refreshing to fly. It helps calm one''s soul, you know¡­" Without waiting for Ka to respond, Raven headed towards the direction of the portal like a hypersonic missile! While flying through the crowds, she didn''t forget to re her aura and ughter angels like a hungry beast that hasn''t seen the light in centuries. Wherever she passed, the angel soldiers would vanish into blood mist while the Terran soldiers would cheer happily! After a few minutes of continuous bloodshed, Raven was already standing in front of the Teleportation Gate. Since it was ced in a dested jungle, no angels were present. Once she got there, she had the urge to go back and soak her hands in some more angel blood, but Ka strongly disapproved leaving Raven helpless. Seeing their Supreme Ruler, the two demon guards greeted her respectfully. Nodding softly as a rxed smile filled her happy face, she jumped and disappeared into the Gate. Waiting a few seconds in order to make sure that she was truly gone, the two demon guards stared into each other''s eyes. They both had expressions of deep horror as they both shuddered. "Wasn''t her armour¡­ dark?" One guard stuttered. It was no secret that Raven''s armour was made by herself and it has always been dark ck. "Why is it red now¡­ and what was that smell¡­?" The other guard shuddered once more as he looked at his partner, slowly shaking his head, urging him to shut up and stand guard quietly. It was obviously blood! The smell of blood, the colour of blood, and the horror of soaking in blood¡­ They both knew it too well, but the surprise and shock made them doubt their own perception. What made matters even more terrifying was that their mistress'' skin was still as white as snow. Did she cover her body and a sheet of mana to protect against the sshing blood? Why didn''t she do the same for the armour? Is she trying to send a message¡­? Too scary!! The two guards wondered how could such a delicate and tiny looking body, as that of their mistress, look so ordinary and cute yet have the power to eradicate entire armies! She even smiled at them before leaving through the portal! She looked harmless to all living beings, yet¡­ they both knew that they would not have seen that rxing smile of hers if they were her enemies! Their mistress was like the spring breeze for her people, yet resembled a hurricane straight out of hell for those who choose to be on her bad side! Never have they been so thankful for being someone else''s subordinates! **** Walking through the castle''s wide and well decorated hallways made Raven feel slightly stressed. Her stress this time wasn''t a result of the battles outside, but rather from the person she wasing to meet right now- "Rave!" Just as she was thinking about it, a voice rang throughout the castle as a figure appeared at the end of the hallway. "You finally came to see me? I thought I was not on your list of important people!" Just yesterday, when she had visited Ae, Maria, and the others, she didn''t visit this person, which made her obviously upset! Looking down in embarrassment, Raven didn''t dare look the person in the eyes. However, she didn''t stop walking either! Seeing that Raven didn''t even apologize made this person''s heart almost break, but fortunately, the feeling didn''t evenst a second before Raven stopped in front of her and wrapped her between her arms quietly. "I am well aware of how useless it is to apologize¡­" Raven''s defeated voice was rather low and sounded pitiful, urging people to do their best in order to make her feel better.. Clearly, it had this effect on the person that was wrapped between her tender arms. "Even asking for forgiveness is too much, but I hope that meing now is a clear indication that I''ve never forgotten about you¡­" Chapter 273 - Mother Daughter Time Part 1 *Becky G - Shower * "Why are you acting like this?" The person on the other end was suddenly filled with fear and inexplicable sorrow. "You''re not going to fight the decisive battle yet, right? Why are you acting as if you''re here to say goodbye?" "Mom, don''t worry¡­" Raven looked up slowly while shaking her head. "It is not time for the decisive battle yet, no. I just feel bad because I didn''t visit yesterday, that''s all. I was a little tired after visiting Maria and just fell asleep¡­" Hearing her words, the mayor breathed a sigh of relief, her anger and fear fading away instantly. Her worried expression quickly turned into a rxed one as she wrapped her arms around Raven''s small body, epting her embrace. "It''s okay, I was just joking. I actually called Maria and she told me that you were asleep. "She offered to wake you up saying that you''d be more than happy toe visit me, but I didn''t agree to wake you up... "And I had a feeling that she wasn''t seriously asking either. She is a better mother than me so needless to say, she would never want to cut your sleep time!" Hearing that, Raven didn''t say a word. She simply listened quietly. The mayor however, even though she said she was joking, a small part of her didn''t actually believe that. She felt a little disappointed that her daughter didn''t visit her like she visited Maria. With that being said, she wasn''t disappointed with Raven, but rather with herself. It was solely her fault for not being close to her daughter! However, Just now, she was almost scared to death! The sole idea of having Raven fight the decisive battle against the angels made her feel helpless as she could not even help¡­ she could only watch her daughter suffer! But hearing that it wasn''t time yet, she felt somewhat relieved! She would look for a solution before the timees, or at the very least, lend her a hand! Even though she didn''t have any special abilities, she had to at least try! Ka and Gaia who heard the conversation between the mother and daughter only smiled from the sidelines, never giving a hint of Raven''s true intentions. Although it wasn''t time for the decisive battle, Raven wasn''t going to wait for it since it was simply asking the Terran Army to basically overwork to death, quite literally! They can''t possibly kill all the angels by following the standards of war tactics so they had to improvise! The Terran Army had to depend on Raven destroying the person giving the orders on the angels'' side in order to dream about winning¡­ no, surviving the battle! Only by cutting the head of the snake can they deal with its countless tails! And needless to say, this n was far more dangerous than the so-called decisive battle! In a sense, Raven was indeed here to say goodbye¡­ "Oh, little girls, it''s been a while since I''ve seen you, how are you doing?" The mayor greeted both of Ka and Gaia with a genuine smile Although she didn''t have much contact with the two of them, the mayor knew all about how those two have always been her daughter''s hands and feet. "I''m alright, Mrs. O''Bannon!" Ka answered cheerfully. "Raven is always taking care of me!" "Yes, yes, Raven is a pretty well behaved little girl!" Gaia agreed happily. "Haha!" The mayor chuckled, hearing a little fairy calling her daughter a ''little'' girl. However, she didn''t say much since she didn''t actually know much about Gaia. Although she has heard that Ka was indeed quite young, Gaia was still a mystery to many people. Not a single soul would expect that she is the Voice of the World. In other words, she is the spirituality that was born from Earth, she is Earth! Maria never thought that such a ''small'' detail was important, so she never mentioned it. Gaia apparently understood that fact and didn''t say much. If one wanted to get critical, she is the mother of all species of Earth, that is why she''s called the Mother Spirit! But right now, she was just Raven''s little friend, Gaia! Although each person had their own internal thoughts, the situation wasn''t awkward at all. Ka was a sweet talker and she had no problems with leading the conversation. Chatting like that for a little while made the mayor suddenly remember something and she quickly pulled Raven over, dragging her throughout the castle. Raven raised her eyebrows but stillplied quietly. After a few minutes of walking inside the magnificent castle, the mother daughter duo arrived at a certain room. It was actually Raven''s room! Although Raven has not spent a lot of time in the Demon Realm, whenever she did, she would sleep in this room. Urging the demon maid standing by the door to step to the side, the mayor whispered a few words in her ears, trying to avoid Raven''s detection. With Raven''s enhanced senses, that was obviously impossible unless she was significantly far away or surrounded by a special barrier. However, she herself didn''t want to overhear their conversation so she focused on chatting with Ka and Gaia. Not long after, the demon maid nodded and bowed gracefully towards Raven before leaving urgently. Raising her eyebrows, Raven watched her leave with a curious look on her face, but she didn''t ask much. Seeing that, the mayor simply smiled and dragged Raven inside her room. Inside, therge room looked like a chamber of a king who had many concubines, for howrge the bed was. Not many would believe that this massive bed was just for this little girl''s tiny body alone. It could almost fit twenty Ravens on this bed and they''d have plenty of space in between! With that being said, Ka and Gaia would usually sleep next to her sometimes, so she wouldn''t be entirely alone. But that doesn''t even make much of a difference, with their fairy-sized bodies! Chapter 274 - Mother Daughter Time Part 2 Closing the door behind, the mayor led Raven towards one side of therge bed. This side was adjacent to a wide mirrored wall that made the room look significantlyrger. Looking inside the mirror, at her daughter, the mayor smiled and nodded in approval. Her daughter is really pretty! "Mom?" Raven was confused by what was going to happen¡­ "Shush, be patient!" The mayor urged her. "Uhm," Raven could only nod in defeat and sit on the bed silently. Ka and Gaia sat on her shoulders as usual. The mayor sat beside her, looking at the door from time to time. She looked lost in thoughts, but a strange smile was stered across her face. Seeing that, Raven pouted. She had a feeling that she was walking into a trap of sorts¡­ As if remembering something all of a sudden, she looked up at the mayor again and adopted a serious expression. "Mom, how is everything in the Demon Realm?" Raven asked. As part of the war preparations, Raven and most of the strong individuals of the Demon Realm were called out for battle. As such, a leader was needed to be left in order to take charge of the situation here. And what other person would Raven entrust with such a task other than her own mother? Of course, the mayor was left in charge! Although many presidents and leaders of different countries had opposed making a mere mayor of a city the leader of an entire world, none could really make a difference. In front of Raven who was a Soul Weaver, the Supreme Ruler of the Demon Realm, and the temporary Commanding General, all country leaders and presidents were mere political clowns! And their value, to her, was even smaller than a tiny ant; ants would at least do things quietly, but those leaders wanted everyone to hear of their insignificant opinions! Not to mention that many country leaders were left on the Human ne, either by choice or by an order from Raven. Obviously, the Demon Realm can''t fit every human on the! And even the environment here is not as suitable for humans to live in for an extended period of time. Overall, the leaders of the world had to bow their head and ept Raven''s decision, whether they liked it or not! With that being said, only the minority were such pests. The majority were very understanding and they all appreciated Raven''s full support and they themselves reciprocated with good intentions! After all, they all had one goal; they all wanted to protect their people and ensure the survival of Earth! "The situation is pretty stable here," the mayor answered the question honestly. "We can''t see or feel the impact of the invasion on this side at all. But everyone is still working hard in order to produce more weapons, ammunition, medicinal pills, and other supplies for the frontlines!" "Uhm, that''s good!" Raven nodded in approval. "But please don''t let your guard down, we don''t know what methods the angels have, they might have a way of reaching the Demon Realm!" "When that happens, the situation might get very precarious. At the same time however, you don''t need to overthink it. Kay will notify me whenever something like this happens and if Liz is not ready to join the battle, I''lle in person!" "I know," the mayor replied softly, seeing how Raven was trying to reassure her. But then she adopted the serious tone of a leader: "I have already instructed everyone to be on guard. Additionally, we have guards and soldiers watching every corner of the Demon Realm. If someone shows up, we''ll hear of it and counter in a timely manner!" She dared not treat her role easily, and it wasn''t just because she was concerned about people''s lives; In a way, she was also trying to prove herself to her daughter! She wanted to say that yes, I can do it too! I can carry your burden, even if it is only a tiny portion of it! Raven obviously understood that and smiled softly. She didn''tment any further. A few minutester, a knock came from the door. "Come in!" The mayor ordered. The door gently swung open as two demon maids entered slowly. One of them was the one who was standing in front of the door before and the other was a new face. The first was carrying a big wooden chair in her two arms as she entered. Although the wooden chair looked heavy, she was carrying it with ease thanks to her demonic nature. The other maid was holding an elegant dark wooden box. "Your Grace," both maids quickly bowed their heads respectfully towards Raven as they ced whatever they had in their hands on the floor. Raven nodded gently at them. "Mrs. O''Bannon, we have everything you need!" The two maids smiled excitedly while bowing towards the mayor too. Raven was suddenly startled, not because of what the two demon maids said, but because of how they said it. ''What the heck? Why are they so restrained when they''re talking to me, but so easy going when talking to my mom?'' Ravenined to Ka quietly. ''And they even call her something normal instead of Lady or Mistress¡­ Kay, am I scary?'' ''Hehe, don''t be silly, you''re not scary¡­'' Ka reassured her with a chuckle. ''But Abbadon is!'' ''Abbadon?'' Raven was confused. ''What did he do? What does he have to do with this?'' ''Oh, you poor little thing¡­'' Ka almost burst outughing. But it''s no wonder Raven wasn''t aware of how Abbadon acted behind her back, she has always been too busy to notice. Raven was so confused, but she didn''t want to entangle with this any further. She decided to ask Abbadon about itter. "Good!" The mayor pped happily. "Please, start setting it up!" "Yes, ma''am!" The two demon maids replied quickly and started working. ''Set it up?'' Raven tilted her head in confusion, suddenly feeling cold all over her body. Chapter 275 - Mother Daughter Time Part 3 ''Set what up?'' Raven thought to herself, not daring to speak. She watched quietly as the first demon maid set the chair near the mirrored wall. The second maid ced the box on the ground near it and opened it slowly. From inside of it, she grabbed what seemed to be a small booster seat. Raven subconsciously opened her mouth wide. She looked both silly and funny, but for better or worse, no one noticed. ''What the hell is going on?'' She asked herself, confused more than ever before. The maid didn''t stop, instead, she seemed to be grabbing somethingrge from inside the wooden box. To Raven''s surprise, it was a small side table! This box isn''t ordinary, it''s enhanced with the power of space! It is very simr to the storage function of Ka''s bracelets. But then again¡­ what''s that side table for? The maid didn''t make Raven wait long. She quickly grabbed some items and ced them on the side table. Scissors, hair brush, hair dryer, hair iron¡­ Raven''s surprise only got bigger when the maid suddenly held up a cutely coloured barber cape... "Mom-" "Sit on the wooden chair," the mayor cut her off and instructed. Raven widened her eyes. "What?" "You heard me," her mother replied with a smile. "Am I going to get a hairdo?" Raven was stunned. ''Me? Getting a hairdo...?'' "Yep, now get on that chair before I have to carry you like when you were young; you never listened to my food calls when I asked you to eat your meals!" The mayor warned. "Oh¡­ I still remember how you used to wave your limbs like a monkey whenever I carried you to the seat by force. To be fair, it was extremely cute, but also-" "Mom!" Raven shouted, her face flushed in embarrassment. They two maids didn''t know how to react. The picture of their Supreme Ruler as a child who is trying to get rid of her mother''s clutches is ironically pretty hard to get rid of. "Ahahahahah!" Ka suddenly burst outughing. Gaia didn''t mind joining her. "What are you shouting for?" The mayor raised her eyebrows at her daughter. "Do I need to remind you of that time I had to rope you down into your chair so that you would stop resisting and eat some vegetables? Oh, the good old days¡­" The two maids finally lost it! Raven didn''t even have the strength to stop them. Why would her mother do this? Why would- ah! As she was deep in thoughts, she suddenly realized that her mother was holding her like a little doll, from under her arms, raising her up into the air. "Ah¡­" Raven didn''t even know how to react or say. She simply left her mouth hanging. Before being given a chance, she was put on top of the booster chair that was ced on top of the wooden chair. "You''re so light!" The mayor scolded. "Do you even eat anything when I''m not around?" "Ah-" Raven wanted to talk, but she couldn''t. She was still taken back by everything that has happened so far. "Hm, I''ll have to scold Maria, not you!" The mayor was not happy! But she quickly decided to let it slide for the time being, she didn''t want to ruin the moment, after all. "Mrs. O''Bannon, we''ll wait outside!" Ka suggested between giggles as she tried harder to look rational in front of Raven''s mother. "No, I need yours and Gaia''s opinions on what hairdos suit Rave the most!" The mayor quickly said. And even the demon maids were asked to stay. "Honey, are you ok?" The mayor asked, concerned. "Why are you not blinking? Close your mouth, a fly might think it''s an airport andnd inside!" Gaia lost it again as she startedughing hysterically. The two demon maids were hardly holding themselves, stifling every now and then. "Mrs. O''Bannon, I think Racen may be in a state of shock!" Ka replied. "But it''s not dangerous, please proceed." "Oh, I see," she replied while looking at her daughter. "We''ll proceed then!" Holding a beautiful woodenb, the mayorbed Raven''s crimson-purple hair. But to her surprise, even the smallest of herbs was useless. It appears that her daughter''s hair is simply wless! Raven''s hair was so long, reaching down under her lower thigh and above the back of her knees, when standing up. However, it was as wless as a clear waterfall. It didn''t have the slightest curl. Not even a single hair was out of ce! The mayor found it hard to believe but she was seeing the facts in her own eyes. *Sigh* "It''s a shame that we have to cut such beautiful hair short¡­" sheined with a sigh. "But it''s impossible to let her fight with her long hair! It''s too dangerous!" A sound of a deep breath was suddenly heard. Raven gave off a long sigh. "It is okay, I can regrow my hairter¡­" "Uhm, I guess that''s true," the mayor replied. She didn''tment on how Raven had just phased out a moment ago. Between Ka and Raven, the two whispered something through their Mind Link and then remained quiet. Slowly, the mayor took a long pair of scissors and started cutting Raven''s hair. A smile was painting her face. "Do you remember when you were young?" The mayor suddenly asked. "We used to spend some time together like this, every now and then." "Uhm," Raven nodded as a hint of reminiscence clouded her eyes. Although she was a boy before, her hair was so soft and shiny, making many girls jealous. Furthermore, it used to grow long pretty quickly, so her mother used to cut it very often. Raven used to like it when her hair would grow long, not because of how it looks, but rather because she would get to spend some time with her busy mother. At that time, although Draven''s life wasn''t the most luxurious, he was pretty satisfied with it. Draven''s childhood was the time when he never truly knew how dark the world really was.... Chapter 276 - Mother Daughter Time Part 4 Suddenly, many memories flooded Raven''s mind and helped her rx, almost forgetting about the bloodshed in the Human ne. Quietly, the mother daughter duo were both lost in thoughts as one worked on autopilot mode and the other kept on reliving her precious childhood memories. Noticing this, the two demon maids were about to leave, but Ka quickly shook her head at them, quietly. The mayor had requested they stay after all. Not long after, Raven''s long hair was cut very short, barely reaching the ce where the base of her neck meets her shoulders. Raven''s mother suddenly looked down at her feet with a weird expression on her face. The two demon maids were even more confused and surprised, their eyes were almost popping out of their sockets! "Honey¡­" the mayor didn''t understand what was happening. On the ground, Raven''s freshly cut hair seemed to slowly glow with a stronger hue of crimson-purple as it slowly got shorter and shorter and eventually disappeared into thin air! She was busy before, but she could clearly see it now! ''What''s happening!?'' "It is giving back to the world¡­" Raven said before realizing how abstract she was. Taking a deep breath she started exining again: "Every inch of my body, including my hair, is infused with magiculus. Err, you can think of it as extremely pure mana. "So when you cut my hair, which is akin to a magiculus strand, it simply goes back to the environment and returns as World Energy. "With that being said, as long as I don''t cut off my control, I can still control it!" Saying that, she pointed at the ground, at a bundle of her newly cut hair. Suddenly, the hair on the ground stood up and started dancing like a living creature! "Is- Is something normal? Err, is itmon in every ranker?" The mayor stuttered. "Nope, it''s something that''s special for me," Raven shrugged. "I don''t know why either, but if I had to guess, I''d say it''s because of my advanced mastery over mana maniption!" "I see," the mayor swallowed loudly. "Also, does this mean you can control the hair on your head like that?" Not only was it her who was extremely curious, even the two demon maids were quite interested. Not to mention that this is the most personal information any demon has ever gotten about their mistress! Many demon fan clubs will be overjoyed to hear something this special and personal about their Supreme Ruler and more importantly, their loved idol! "Err, I can¡­" Raven answered her mother awkwardly. "But I never choose to actively control it, it makes me look like a medusa... it''s pretty creepy!" "Ah- I see," the mayor simply said, but her face showed extreme shock. It''s like she never knew her girl, what more is she hiding? No, that''s a stupid question¡­ Needless to say, the two demon maids were surprised as well. Their mistress is pretty amazing! "Um, Rave, doesn''t that mean that you can freely control the length of your hair?" The mayor finally asked. "No!" Raven shook her head, almost instantly, in an obvious lie. Of course she could, but why would she say that? Although everyone knew what was going on through her head, nonemented. *Sigh* The mayor sighed and ced the scissors aside, not because she gave up on the hairdo, but because she was done with her first step. If her daughter lied because she wanted to spend some more time with her, why would she refuse? "Ok, one more question¡­" the mayor said slowly. "What''s up with the golden pattern on the top of your head, did you make it? I''m pretty sure it makes others envious, it''s like a permanent golden crown!" "Hehe," Raven chuckled. "Actually, it just happened naturally. I can control my hair strands, but not their colour. Not as of now, I guess¡­" "Interesting!" The mayor smiled and the two demon maids nodded fiercely. They had to admit that the crown pattern was giving them a feeling of being in the presence of a queen, even though Raven was seated on a booster chair to support her height! After the quick chat, the mayor turned her head towards Ka and Gaia. The three suddenly got closer together, yet away from Raven, and started whispering quietly. A few minutester, the two maids were asked to join them. Not long after, the four separated with satisfied smiles. "Uhm, sounds good!" The mayor nodded before turning towards the two maids. "Let''s proceed!" The two maids said no words, they simply understood what the mayor said and obeyed. ncing at the equipment, one held the beautifulb while the other held the hair iron. Seeing the mayor nod softly as she grabbed a pink hairspray bottle and a hair dryer, everyone started with doing their part. Raven simply sat there, closing her eyes, and enjoying the moment of peace. She had a faint feeling that she''d regret it if she didn''t¡­ *** Minutes turned into hours quietly as everyone enjoyed their work. After about three hours, the mayor and the two demon maids set their tools aside and looked at their masterpiece, their eyes shining! Raven''s silky crimson-purple hair was now tied in a beautiful flowery bun that was both neat and adorable. It seemed as though someone had attached a tropical rose on the crown of her head. Now that the golden pattern has been mixed into the hairdo, it gave the flower on Raven''s head a beautiful royal feeling! Additionally, her shy haircurtain has been transformed into two streams of beautiful bangs; one was curled down neatly, while the other was held up behind her ear like a shy spirit. "You look stunning!" The mayor said while hugging her. The two demon maids didn''t dare disturb the duo, but they kept on nodding fiercely. "It looks weird¡­" Raven looked embarrassed, her cheeks shing red. "Hehe, you look like a bride, if you ask me!" Ka giggled as she sat back on Raven''s shoulder. Chapter 277 - Outer Space Part 1 *TheFatRat & RIELL - Hiding In The Blue * "Hehe, you look like a bride, if you ask me!" Ka giggled as she sat back on Raven''s shoulder. "Uhm... and I think I know where the other bride is!" Gaia encouraged with a sly expression on her face. Raven''s face got even redder but she didn''t speak. Or rather, she couldn''t¡­ Too many thoughts shed through her mind, but she could not choose which one to speak out loud first! ''I am only sixteen years old! ''I can''t get married, heck I have never even had a girlfriend! ''I used to be a boy, I can''t be a bride! ''What are you talking about? ''Stop talking nonsense, we''re in a massive extinction level war! ''... ''Who is the other bride¡­?'' *Sigh* She eventually let out a deep sigh as she gave up on the idea of arguing with them. In any case, she is almost guaranteed to end up being on the losing end! However, she promised herself that she''d wash this embarrassment with angel blood! "Where do you think you''re going?" The mayor raised her eyebrows as she watched Raven stand up from her seat. "We haven''t even put the makeup on!" "Eh? Huh? What?" Raven backed away hurriedly, almost choking. "I am sorry, I can''t do that! I''ll be getting blood all over my body soon anyway, including my face, so any makeup will be useless!" Of course, her main reason was because that would be too embarrassing for her! A hairdo is the maximum she could tolerate; makeup is a big fat no! Although what she said was true about blood sshing across her face, she had used a mana barrier to reflect the blood earlier and so it wasn''t a real issue. In fact, even her Shadow Armour is so easy to clean; she simply has to dismiss it and allow blood to flow downward while doing so, then just reactivate it! She has obviously done this multiple times, including the time before she has entered the castle. Otherwise, she''d terrify everyone, including her mother. Not to mention that she''d paint the castle hallways in blood! "Hm, I get that, but still¡­" the mayor argued. "Oh, you can wear a mask, that way you won''t get blood on your face!" "No!" Raven shook her head while walking backwards. "Thank you for the hairdo, but I can''t do makeup, it''s too embarrassing- err, I mean, I have to go¡­" "Hahaha!" The mayor suddenlyughed. "It''s ok, I get it if that''s the case. You can go then, and-" she slowly approached Raven and wrapped her arms around her. "Be careful, run away if you can''t beat the enemy. You''ll try once again once you''ve recovered!" "Uhm, I know," Raven got quiet under the embrace and nodded without much thought. She simply enjoyed her mother''s warmth. "I''ll see you soon!" "Uhm, you better bring the other bride when youe back!" The mayor smiled, knowingly. Raven''s face darkened and scolded Maria in her head. It was obviously her who spread fake news. "Mom, I am sixteen, and Maya is not my bride! We are not even-" "Oh, I didn''t mention anything about Maya, but it looks like you''ve already got a goal in your mind¡­" the mayor teased while covering her mouth. "Ugh- anyhow, I''ll be leaving! I told you I''m sixteen, let''s talk about this again when I''m thirty or better yet, let''s forget it!" Raven ignored her mother while quickly running away from the castle. Ka and Gaia followed hurriedly. A momentter, she disappeared from her spot and appeared in the Human ne. The mayor was left with the two demon maids, but her expression was no longer as happy as before. She slowly dropped heavily on the bed as tears filled her eyes. "Yes, you''re only sixteen¡­" How cruel is the world? Why not let a little child enjoy their life? Why must Raven be the spearhead of an entire? Why must she be the strongest? Why must everyone depend on her for their survival? Why¡­ The two demon maids stood silently, their eyes red as well. The two have never had any close contact with Raven before, but after today, they understood her mother''s feelings; their Supreme Ruler is just a kid! Although she has unimaginable power and a matching great sense of responsibility, she is still a child that has never spent enough time with her mother, never acted her age, and never even put makeup on¡­ Her mother simply wanted to grant her the most she could in the shortest amount of time, knowing that the war is only going to get harder from here on out. *Sigh" "Pleasee back safely, Rave¡­" the mayor finally said as she slowly stood up and adopted a serious expression. After all, she is now the temporary leader of the Demon Realm. She must supervise the production of countless supplies in order to help her with the war. The more supplies are sent to the Human ne, the more help she can provide to her daughter and everyone else! *** "Hm, a mana barrier is not enough. It can surely help against theck of air pressure and prevent your blood from escaping your body, but we still need oxygen," Ka thought out loud as she slowly constructed a special Cyber Armour for Raven. "A Space Storage filled withpressed oxygen should be good. And if we attach the pumps to a mask¡­ hm, perfect!" Ka looked excited as she disyed her beautiful power of creation. Cyber Particles are simply a highly advanced version of nanotechnology. And even though Ka does not have the ability to fully control them, let fully understand what they actually are, she has superb maniption capabilities! With her powers, she built Raven a special Cyber Armour suit, which was pretty simr in appearance to her previous Shadow Armour. She didn''t only build the Cyber Armour because of the massive power boost it could provide, but rather because Ka can fix any damaged parts, adjust any details, or even improve it as needed duringbat. Chapter 278 - Outer Space Part 2 Not to mention that the Cyber Armour''s properties are the golden standards for traveling and fighting in space. This was extremely important because Raven was going to outer space! She will be fighting the angels head on, in their own headquarters, and at the heart of their forces! Standing quietly, Raven looked serious as she reviewed the n and made sure everything was ready. In her hand, a blindingly white mask was tightly held. It had two oversized eye sockets, and a creepy smile that seemed to make the air more chilly. What''s more, that smile was sewed together, as if to prevent the wearer from frowning. "What do you think, do you like my style?" Ka asked with a smirk. Hearing that, Raven looked at the sewed smile once again with aplicated expression, then back at Ka. "Err, I can tell you that you surprised me. I guess it''s true when they say that one must fear the quiet one¡­" Raising her eyebrows, showing an intrigued expression, Ka smirked and stayed quiet as if to prove Raven''s point. Smiling and reflecting at Ka''s change in personality over the time she has known her for, Raven was quite amused. Who knew that the broken system''s voice that didn''t even know how to speak properly would end up like this? In a sense, Raven felt like she had already raised a child of her own! ''Quite a strange thing¡­ life is¡­'' Shaking the distracting thoughts away, she looked down at herself. The Cyber Armour didn''t cover every inch of her body, but rather left her milky thighs and a small part of her snow-white arms exposed. Simrly, the mask was designed to only cover the front of her face, such that when she wears it, it would leave her newly done hair and slender neck ''virtually'' unprotected. However, Ka''s creation was more than what the eyes couldpletely discern. The Cyber Armour and the white mask focused on forming a protective mana barrier that is supported by Cyber Particles at all times! So, even though it doesn''t look the part, the Cyber Armour will guarantee that Raven is protected at all times. This would allow Raven''s attention and mana to be directed towards the fight without worrying about anything else. "Rave, everything ready," Ka suddenly said, her expression firm. "We can proceed with the n." Hearing that, Raven didn''t dy. She took a deep breath and adopted a serious expression. "Uhm," she nodded slowly as she put on her mask. Her bright golden irises glowed in the dark and oversized eye sockets of the mask, making it look extremely noble, yet somehow too scary to directly look at. "I will leave it to you," Gaia quickly said while hugging Raven and then Ka, with her tiny body. "I will focus on the angels here. Rest assured, I will protect everyone. "You make sure not to be distracted by weird thoughts, ok? And of course don''t get surrounded there, their numbers aren''t small after all¡­" "Uhm, I know," Raven nodded again. Although she smiled, the mask didn''t allow others to perceive much. "You take care!" Smiling at Gaia, she quickly departed to outer space. The feeling of weightlessness didn''t seem to affect her as much as she thought it would, but she knew that everything was thanks to Ka''s masterpiece! Passing through space, this time she didn''t touch any angels on her way. Instead, she activated her skills "Stealth Master" and "Master of Trickery" in order topletely hide her presence. Although she has never really cared about those two skills of hers, she knew that she needed them for the first part of her n; the first would allow her to act more stealthy, like a silent shadow passing by, and the second would make it so that everyone else would ''believe'' that they are indeed feeling nothing abnormal! Cruising through the angel army, Raven''s heart started to tighten more and more with the passing of time. ''There are so many!'' She thought quietly. ''And they are much more powerful than our Terran Army. This way, we''ll lose in both quality and quantity!'' ''Rave, don''t overthink it!'' Ka scolded. ''It is not the time for this, we already have our mission. And don''t worry, I''m keeping tabs on everything that''s going on. The Terran Army is doing great! ''However, you have to keep in mind that we mustplete our n properly if we want to have some hope of winning this war!'' Hearing this, Raven took a few breaths from herpressed oxygen and stealthily kept going. Needless to say, simply flying around was useless. The only way of actually making progress without traveling in a spaceship is using teleportation! Recently, Raven has spread countless Cyber Particles all around the nearby gxies. But this obviously was done through the strange portals, and as such she didn''t have much of a choice about where to teleport to. But Ka wasn''t idle during that time. It is fair to say that she was the one who had worked the most on the entire; she was prepared for everything! She had instructed some of her clones to travel across the sr system and spread her Cyber Particles. However, to her disappointment, the clones could not reach far. They barely crossed the distance of a few millions of kilometres before the invasion. And this would not have been even possible if it wasn''t for her special Cyber Armours that have both means of speed and withstanding theck of air pressure, amongst other factors! Ka was disappointed in herself, but she didn''t say much since she knew that the progress she made was better than what any Human Spaceship would have done! With that being said, it took Raven a few hours of aimless teleportation before finally figuring out a pattern in the angels'' movements. ''They seem to being from these¡­ portals!'' Raven silently said to Ka. ''Where do you think these portals connect to?'' Ka asked.. ''I don''t think we should act hastily, we can''t go through the portal.'' Chapter 279 - Portals In Space *Find My Way - Albert Vishi [NCS] * ''Uhm,'' Raven nodded without arguing. She knew that going in blindly would only be the end of her. ''Kay, do you think I was wrong when I thought that angels came from the edge of the Sr System?'' ''What do you mean?'' Ka asked. ''Hm, think about it; through my Soul Peering Eyes, I can clearly see countless souls covering the entire Sr System. ''Although I have previously concluded that they are angels, it may be something else. So what if the situation is not as bad as we think?'' Raven asked, hopeful. ''No, it doesn''t work that way¡­'' Ka quickly disagreed. Although she was feeling sorry for Raven, she didn''t want her to have any false hopes, so she exined herself. *Sigh* ''Let us go through it slowly, we have two possibilities to the situation we see now: first, what you just said is right, and the angels indeede from these portals and not from the edge of the Sr System. And second, is that what you said is wrong, and they do indeede from the edge or even outside the Sr System. ''Now, let''s consider the first possibility; if they do indeede from the portals alone, then the situation we have on our hands is more desperate because¡­ doesn''t that mean that we have two enemies? ''However, I don''t think this is the case because humans have always surveyed space and they''ve never found any other life in the Sr System, so why now? ''And even if you don''t consider those extra life forms you can detect and simply look at these portals¡­ don''t you think that the number of angles has suddenly be unknown? What if there are more?'' Raven''s face suddenly got paler inside the white mask. ''And how about if they do indeede from outside the Sr System, is that better?'' She quickly asked, hoping that the situation wasn''t as desperate as she was imagining. ''Let me ask you this,'' Ka said with a grim expression. ''Why haven''t we been able to teleport to the edge of the Sr System- no, let me rephrase that; why haven''t we been able to travel more than a few millions of kilometres from Earth?'' ''Because we are not fast enough¡­'' Raven could not even finish her sentence before feeling despair taking over. ''Uhm, exactly,'' Ka nodded. ''So, the most likely possible answer here is that the angels have an individual who is strong and fast enough to cross massive distances and create portals in order to transfer their army-'' Ka suddenly stopped talking as she noticed tears escaping Raven''s golden eyes, inside the mask. ''Rave, I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to¡­'' Ka was suddenly left in a tough situation. She didn''t mean to say as much as she did. It was merely her habit of being Frank with Raven at all times. "Kay¡­ I am afraid¡­" she suddenly said in a pitiful voice. Luckily, no angels were around at this time, otherwise, things would not have gone easily for them. Taking a deep breath, Ka created a clone and quickly hugged Raven, trying to make her feel better. But she knew it was useless. "Please, don''t cry, you''ll make me cry too¡­" Ka whispered. "But-" Raven didn''t know what to do. She has always been in bad situations, but none was as bad as this one. If they fail here, it simply means extinction! "Good grief¡­" A third voice sounded as a hint of crimson aura surrounded the duo. "Stop acting like this, am I not your trump card? Did you forget who I am? Trust me, no matter how powerful an angel is, they can''t defeat a monarch, and I am a monarch!" "Tu¡­ how sure are you?" Raven asked in a whisper, tears still clouding her golden eyes. "A hundred percent," he answered almost instantly. "Is that enough of a guarantee?" "Really?" She asked, sniffing like a little girl. "Yep, you just have to trust me!" Tu insisted. "There are many things that you don''t know in this world. I will naturally tell you when the timees, but what you really need to know for now is that a Monarch is unmatched in a Sr System. "In fact, in some Sr Systems, monarchs are the true rulers of everything! They are worshipped as gods and no one can challenge their rule!" "Huh, then why aren''t you ruling everything? Wouldn''t that make everything a lot easier?" Raven asked. "Little Rave, I was trapped in your body, and then decided to follow you, did you forget?" He asked, helplessly. He could feel the despair in her voice. "Wait, so that person who beat you, it was my dad, right? Is he a monarch as well?" "Hm, it''s hard to tell. I lost to your father because I had lost an important thing that without it, I can''t exert my full strength." He answered. "However, maybe you do have a point, your father might have been borrowing the power of a monarch, if he wasn''t one himself¡­ anyhow, that''s not the point. "I simply wanted you to stop crying, let me focus on my part, and I''ll join the battle whenever you''re in danger, so don''t fear anything!" "But what if another angel monarch came? Would you not lose then?" *Sigh* "Little Rave, I told you there are many things that you don''t know. One such thing is that angels don''t have monarchs amongst them, well, only the Supreme Deity is a monarch level existence. "In the Sr System where monarchs rule, the Supreme Deity is normally dead, or rather killed by the ruling monarch. "I doubt the Supreme Deity would take action in punishing a simple such as Earth, so I don''t think we have to worry about that. Right now, you have to go do your part, and when you need me, I''ll be there for you!" "Uhm, I understand," Raven said while taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Onest question¡­" Chapter 280 - A Battle In Space Part 1 *The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army * "Uhm, I understand," Raven said while taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Onest question¡­" "Go ahead," Tu replied tiredly. "Wouldn''t not exerting your full power affect your performance when fighting?" She asked. "Normally yes, but not in this case," Tu answered as if he had already expected the question. "The power I can exert now is about twenty to thirty percent of my powers, which is more than enough to destroy any Seraph¡­ "Well, that would be the case if they don''t team up on me. But then again, Earth doesn''t require the attention of so many powerful entities. If we''re lucky, it would only be Maya, which would make everything so much easier!" "Okay!" Raven finally felt slightly better. Shaking her head, she thanked Tu before proceeding with her n. Along the way, Ka would release some clones every so often. After about a day of travelling space, a total of fifteen clones were released. ¡­ At a certain moment, Raven felt as though something that had been crushing down on her chest had been finally removed. She instantly widened her eyes, ''it worked!'' Her breathing suddenly got heavier, she was feeling extremely stressed right now, but it wasn''t like before. The stress didn''te from worrying about Earth or its future, but rather came from the expectations to meet someone strong! ''I felt it too,'' Ka answered in a grim voice. ''It is frightening that even Tu wasn''t aware of it¡­'' ''No, it''s not,'' Raven quickly said. ''Tu has been hiding and can''t use his powers unless it''s time for him to make a move, otherwise it will spook the person taking the shots!'' The person taking the shots¡­ indeed, someone extremely powerful already had their eyes on Raven! Previously, she was feeling despair and fear. Although Ka and Tu thought it was justified, Raven herself didn''t! Even facing death, she would try her best to use her full power in order to survive, and she''d never have the urge to give up. Seeing the number of the angel warriors would never make her so afraid or desperate; someone was definitely influencing her emotions! Now that she has released many clones, it appears that this strong person has lost their tracks, which is why Raven finally felt that the weight that was crushing her down has been removed. ''What do we do now?'' Ka was alert this time. Someone with an unknown level of power represented an extremely dangerous hunter, and in this case, they were the prey! Although they have seeded in distracting that person for the time being, they didn''t have much time! "Hehe," Raven chuckled out loud, not caring about anyone around her. The closest angel Squad was about two kilometres away from her, and hearing her made every angel soldier extremely alert. "Now, we obviously proceed as nned, bring out the Krakens!" Under normal circumstances, there would be no sound in space, but under the influence of the angels'' mana fields, that wasn''t the case. That''s why Raven and Ka have been trying to stay quiet all this time, otherwise, they would not have cared in the slightest! ording to Ka''s analysis, these mana fields ensured that each Squad was connected, not only to each other, but also to the various leaders in nearby areas. Overall, it formed a sort of a massivework of connections! In a way, it was simr to a very weak, but tangible, version of Raven''s Mind Link in terms of ensuringmunication with subordinates. At Raven''s signal, the fifteen clones and even herself, glowed with the golden colour of her mana. But the glow quickly disappeared, reced by a blinding darkness that was filled with inexplicable horror. Suddenly, weird sounds that were a mix of strange, yet extremely terrifying, howls and roars were heard by the countless angel Squads that were surrounding Earth. A momentter after being deafened by the sounds, many angels mysteriously disappeared into thin air! Or at least that''s what most of theirpanions have thought. But in fact, only the leaders of those Squads, and consequently the casters of the mana fields, were aware that a massive and terrifying creature had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and it was devouring their subordinates! The same scene happened in fifteen various ces, and countless casualties were sustained in an instant. As many as eight Squads, together with their leaders, werepletely caught off guard and devoured by Raven''s Krakens. The few lucky or extremely alert ones were spared, but not without any injuries. Although Raven and the clones were discovered at the moment of using the skill Dark Kraken, they quickly disappeared after the fifteen Krakens were out. It''s not like the leaders had any time or capabilities to spare in order to investigate them; they were busy fending off for their lives! Previously, this skill was not sufficient to take care of strong opponents, and could only be used against weak butrge numbers of enemies. However, now that almost every skill in Raven''s arsenal has leveled up, the skillsbined to perform Dark Kraken have also leveled up, which means that the skill has gained a massive increase in firepower! Although Raven was only a Star Three, she had Gaia''s Blessing, and it wasn''t hard to ''borrow'' her aura and mana whenever needed! With that being the case, the Krakens were not satisfied with only one Squad each, they started attacking nearby angels. And even those Five Star Leaders were left helpless against them! After all, these massive creatures were not only almost invisible, but they were fueled by Raven''s most powerful skills, such as Nihility; her upgraded version of Shadow Maniption, and even Dark Hell; the skill that was gained from her Ultimate+ skill! *** "Hm, it appears that I''ve been careless¡­" a feminine voice sounded disappointed. "You sound extremelyfortable regardless of the casualties caused by your mistake¡­" another voice sounded besides the former. Chapter 281 - A Battle In Space Part 2 "Why would I be ufortable?" The first voice asked in response. "Only some puppets have died, do you care that much about them, Raphael?" "Obviously not," Raphael shrugged, causing her plushy silver-white short hair to bounce with her move. She really didn''t care how many of her angel soldiers die, they''re expendable after all. "But we now have an enemy in our ranks, you''ve basically increased our workload¡­" "That''s okay, I''ve already sent someone to take care of her, just sit tight." The other voice answered, obviously knowing exactly who the intruder was. "No, don''t tell them to ''take care of her'', tell them to capture her." "Oh, why is that?" "Uriel, do I need to remind you that this is my mission? You tagged along just because you begged the Supreme One¡­ I didn''t forget that," Raphael didn''t sound happy. "But did you forget that I am the one in charge here? You do as I say." "Ugh, whatever, I''ll go kill the intruder!" Uriel didn''t seem to want to hear her at all. "Uriel!" Raphael frowned. "Why do you sound desperate to kill this intruder?" Intentionally or not, a suspicious gaze left Raphael''s bright eyes. "Don''t be ridiculous!" Uriel quickly tried to refute. "This is just a human nobody who intruded this far. I simply wish to eliminate any danger she may cause, that''s all. I''ll go!" "No!" Raphael said firmly. She could not help but feel that something was amiss with Uriel. *Sigh" Shaking her head with a sigh, Raphael looked at Uriel one more time. "Forget it, she''s just a human intruder as you said. Just let that person you sent take care of her properly, it''s not worth arguing about." "That''s what I said!" Uriel smiled from ear to ear and quietly sat down near Raphael. *** Meanwhile, the shadowy Dark Krakens kept on traversing the void with the sole goal of eradicating angel soldiers. It''s worth mentioning that their numbers have not decreased since the start of the attack, even though some of them have been forcefully dispelled by angel attacks. Instead, Raven and her clones kept on summoning them rapidly. Right now, more than fifty Dark Krakens are sweeping the void and swallowing angel soldiers! "Damn it, they don''t stoping!" Ravenined with a frown. She has caused the deaths of more than ten thousand angel soldiers, yet their numbers didn''t seem to be affected at all! With that being said, many countries on Earth have reported that the pressure has substantially decreased on their front lines. Although they didn''t know what exactly happened, they reported to Ka that the angel support seems to have been cut off. After hearing from her that this was their Commanding General''s move, they seemed excited. Some people seemed to be able to see the end of the invasion already. On the contrary, the Generals who received Ka''s warning were on high alert. They were instructed to prepare for an increase in the angel soldiers'' numbers and ranks! To cover up and not shatter the people''s hope, the Generals were informed to tell everyone that their Commanding General''s means to only act as a scout and she will not engage in unneeded fights. In other words, they should expect the pressure to return soon! Hearing that, many people would only sigh helplessly, but none lost their hope. Instead, everyone appreciated the short break granted to them by their Commanding General. *** "Rave!" Ka said suddenly, sounding grim. "Uhm, I feel it too¡­" Raven answered quietly. An extremely powerful aura was getting closer to them, and it didn''t appear to be friendly! Not half a secondter, a figure ghostly appeared in front of Raven who suddenly felt cold all over. The feeling was extremely weird and ufortable. "Hm, a mere human dares to infiltrate our ranks?" A cold voice left the figure''s mouth as two radiant white wings spread behind his muscr back. An angel! Unlike the rest of what the Terran Army was facing, this angel seemed to be what humans would think of when someone mentioned an angel; a handsome human figure, with two beautiful white wings. However, strangely enough, this angel did not quickly attack nor did he spread his powerful aura to threaten Raven. With that being said, the passive feeling from being in his presence made her skin tighten and her blood run amok inside her veins. She instinctively knew that she would instantly die if this person breathed hard enough! ''What a disgusting feeling¡­'' Raven thought to herself. She couldn''t help but hate herself for being weak. "Who are you?" She asked in a calm manner, contrary to her state of heart. "I am Lady Uriel''s loyal servant," the figure said before adopting an unexpectedly inappropriate expression. "And I am here by her order to ''take good care of you''!" Saying that, he nced up and down at Raven''s delicate body, in a perverted manner. Although she was wearing Ka''s Cyber Armour, she strangely felt so¡­ exposed. She didn''t like this feeling. No, it''s better to say that she despised this feeling! "Oh, is that so?" Suddenly, Raven''s aura got chilly as her face turned indifferent, contrary to what one might think. "Ho~ you don''t seem upset," Uriel''s angel contemted, seeing Raven''s indifferent expression. "My Lady told me that you are into this stuff and encouraged me to ''improvise''. It seems that I need to work harder. Otherwise, I would be unsessful in getting your blood pumping, huh?" Raven suddenly raised her eyebrows, feeling that this angel had suddenly revealed something important. "It seems that your Lady is knowledgeable¡­" Raven was extremely suspicious. Although Raven was by no means into whatever he was mentioning, she did indeed have a dark past. Back then, it was all Lady Luck''s fault. When she was Draven, she was kidnapped and ''mistreated'' by everyone at her brothel. But this doesn''t exin how this ''Lady Uriel'' knew about this. "Of course, Lady Uriel is the most knowledgeable of the Seraphim!" He sounded extremely proud. Chapter 282 - Strong With No Brains "Oh, you must be pretty knowledgeable yourself, to be a subordinate of such a person," Raven went with the flow. Seeing the angel, who was sent to ''take care of her'', in front of her suddenly rx made her think how unfair life is. She has worked extremely hard to level up, yet this idiot was at least ten times stronger than herself; this is certainly unfair! "I am!" He answered with a smug expression, seemingly forgetting his purpose foring here. "Hm¡­ well, not muchpared to Lady Uriel¡­" "That''s okay, she is of course the most knowledgeable," Raven said slowly as the angel in front of her started nodding like a clock bird. "With that being said, you must have heard something about what your Lady thinks of me, right?" Raven was pretty interested in who this Uriel was. Someone who knew about her past was someone she needed to learn about. "Hm¡­" the angel rubbed his head like a brainless fool trying to solve the hardest mathematical equation. "Oh, oh, I know!" "Uhm, please say!" Raven nodded, sounding pleased. "But you must not tell anyone, this will be a secret before I ''take good care of you''!" He emphasized, his aura suddenly soaring. Raven instantly felt her vision blur and her bones almost crack. "Yes!" She intended to shout, yet she was barely able to whisper. "Good!" The terrifyingly powerful, yet extremely stupid, angel nodded happily. He seemed like a kid that was receiving his favourite candy. Raven didn''t understand how smart and cunning this Lady Uriel had to be in order to let such an idiot learn the meaning of ''take good care of''! "Listen closely," he whispered. "I learned from Lady Uriel that she is responsible for preparing the Life Cycles for the other Lady and Lords. "She creates or uses bodies on differents, and inserts a portion of their consciousness into those bodies. That is how they perform their tests; they live a different life, and judge the creatures on differents! "I recently heard from my Lady that she was in deep love with Lady Raphael!" Saying that, he suddenly stopped and stared at Raven with narrowed eyes that gave her the chills. "You must never tell anyone, this is my Lady''s ultimate secret, do you understand?!" "Yes, yes, now continue!" She quickly answered. She finally had some insights into what was going on and she wasn''t willing to abandon further knowledge. "Well, Lady Uriel wanted her beloved Lady Raphael to always stay by her side, so she created harder trials for her," he said slowly. "Poor Lady Uriel wished that Lady Raphael would never ask to go into Life Cycles again, and instead, spend most of her time with her!" ''What a f*cking maniac!'' Ravenmented. She didn''t know this Uriel in person but she realized that she had an issue with her brain! "This n was perfect and was able to bear some fruits," the angel continued with a sorrowful voice that got gradually angrier. "However, some creature in Lady Raphael''sst cycle ''messed with her head'' and made it so that her original personality became less prominent, thus changing her traits! "When Lady Raphael woke upst time, she acted strangely. Lady Uriel said that she acted like herst personality, that was called Maya. And guess what, that Maya was in love with that creature that messed with her head!" Raven felt her brains hurt from his exnation, yet she tried her best not to interrupt. "So in the end," he continued. "Lady Raphael didn''t have any thoughts about Lady Uriel, but instead kept thinking about that creature, the human; needless to say, my Lady was extremely furious and asked me toe and ''y with you'', because you are that human!" His expression suddenly became savage. Raven nevermented about how he had never guessed her true identity as a Soul Weaver. However, after hearing him say ''y with you'' she could not hold herself. "Oh sh*t, he just used a new metaphor or whatever," she subconsciously said loudly. However, seeing the angel about to re his aura, she quickly raised her hands to stop him. "Wait, wait!" "What?" He asked, thinking that he''s done something wrong. "You didn''t answer my question," Raven answered. Although technically, everything has be clear in Raven''s mind, it didn''t change the fact that this idiot didn''t directly mention that Uriel has some, if not all, of the knowledge about what Raven and Maya had to endure. "Hm, oh¡­" the angel seemed lost. "You idiot, ah, um, what was your question again?" "Umm¡­ how strong are you, that was my question," Raven thought and asked quickly. "Like, do you have any ranks or-" "Oh, ranks!" The angel interrupted. "Hm¡­ I heard that in our Sr System, creatures are ranked ording to stars¡­ if I am not mistaken, I have the rank of Star One Hundred Twenty!" "!!!" Raven almost choked. "What the f*CK?! Why?" ''A whopping One Hundred and Twenty?!!!'' "Huh?" He seemed confused. "Ahem, ahem, I mean, why are you so powerful?" Raven quickly asked. "And is there anyone else as strong as you?" "Um, ah¡­" he seemed to be deep in thought and Raven didn''t interrupt. "Oh, I was born like this! And, ah¡­ I am ranked as a servant only¡­" He sounded sad. "But," he continued. "Lady Uriel has as many as fifty servants! And although she has the smallest number of servants, she has got the most guards; she has fifteen guards!" "Guards?" Raven swallowed loudly, she had a bad feeling about this. "Yes, you idiot!" The angelughed at how naive this girl seemed to be. She knew nothing about his Lady! "A guard normally has the rank of Star Three Hundred, butdy Uriel has some guards with the rank of Star Five Hundred Fifty! "You know, since Lady Uriel is always working on the creation of Life Cycles, she doesn''t have much time to practice, so she is the weakest. But that''s why she has the most guards.. Hey, are you listening?" He suddenly asked while looking at Raven who seemed soulless. Chapter 283 - Hard Decisions Part 1 *Awake and Alive - Skillet * "Ten guards each¡­" Raven muttered weakly, her golden eyes seemed somewhat dimmer. "And some that reach the level of Star Five Hundred¡­" "Yes, I''ve already mentioned this, are you deaf?!" The angel in front of herughed once more. Raven held her head between her gloved hands and tried her best to regain her strength as she focused back on her situation. *Sigh* "Tell me," she said after a deep sigh. "What rank are the Seraphim at, do you know?" "Oh, you mean my Lady¡­" he seemed to be deep in thought once more. But this time he only slowly shook his head. "It doesn''t matter. My Lady is the supreme, I follow hermand!" "That wasn''t my question¡­" Raven sounded disappointed. But she wasn''t that disheartened, this idiot has been answering in a chaotic way since the start, but she had learned from him too many secrets! "Enough!" The angel seemed angry this time. "I have answered all of your questions, now it''s time for me to ''have some fun'' with you, are you ready?!" "Oh, um¡­ wait, I am not ready!" Raven quickly raised her hands to stop him once more. "Ugh, what is it this time¡­ oh wait, Lady Uriel said that I have to rough with you, I remember! She said that you''re used to it and I-" "No, wait!" Raven shouted, interrupting him. "It''s thest question, I promise!" "Ugh, what is it?" The angel asked with a growl. "My question is¡­ out of everyone, your idiotdy sent you, a brainless fool?" Raven seemed to be genuinely confused as she slowly asked. "Does she underestimate me too much, or did she send you here to mislead me? Is the information you''ve given me urate? "... But then again, you have the strength to shatter my head within a few parts of a second, so¡­ your Lady is underestimating me, like for real? "Well, isn''t that sweet¡­" she seemed rather amused. This time, the angel heard his supreme Lady being called an idiot in front of him, so he quickly lost whatever little rationality he had and jumped at Raven with a pose that indicated that he''s going to smash her face in one blow! Raven could not even see his move for how fast it was. However, before the extremely destructive punchnded, a crimson aura surrounded Raven, protecting her body and soul. As the punchnded on Raven''s figure¡­ nothing happened. "Huh?" The angel seemed to be extremely confused. But before he could even think about what happened, a few dark chains surrounded him as he was quickly restrained. Even his mouth was tightly shut. Over his forehead, a crimson dragon eye tattoo was left ghostly. It all happened so quickly that Raven seemed to be watching a dream; it''s difficult to think that this is reality! ''Why is everyone so damn strong and I''m so damn weak?'' she couldn''t help butin internally before looking at the crimson dragon eye tattoo. "A forced contract, huh¡­" Raven appreciated the swiftness of Tu''s move as she wondered out loud. She clearly recognized Tu''s move. "You''re indeed as powerful as you say you are¡­" "Only because he''s extremely weak," Tu answered as he slowly pulled the restrained angel towards a crimson portal that had appeared in front of Raven at some unknown moment. "If it was that strong Star Five Hundred guard, I would have had to disy my body in order to subdue it. It would have made a mess!" *Sigh* "Because he''s extremely weak, you say¡­ But isn''t he a damn Star One Hundred Twenty¡­" Raven repeated with a weak sigh. "And you can subdue a ''Star Five Hundred whatever'' ranked angel guard?" She was just a Star Three¡­ Is she defined as an ant in front of such titans? Or is she even at the level of a single-celled organism? Tu felt embarrassed for what he said earlier and didn''t reply to her question. It''s not that he didn''t want to, it''s just that he didn''t know what to say. *Sigh* "Life isn''t fair¡­" sheined with a sigh once again. "By the way, I''m assuming you know what rank the Seraphim are at?" "Uhm, I may know..." Tu nodded slowly. He wasn''t sure whether he wanted to share what he knew or save Raven the headache. "Oh, and?" Raven raised her eyebrows as she saw him getting rather suspiciously quiet. "Can you perhaps share?" "They¡­ they are above Star Nine Hundred¡­" Tu hesitated before answering in what seemed to be a whisper. Raven suddenly lost the colour on her face as blood stopped circting. Although she was hiding behind a mask, her golden eyes visibly shook. "Star... Nine... Hundred¡­" a faint whisper escaped her lips involuntarily. As she finished, her mouth was subconsciously left slightly open as if she was in deep shock. Despite that, Tu still felt a slight relief that he hadn''t exined just how powerful their level was. After all, the Seraphim were the most elite of angels that have lived for countless years. In some of the Sr Systems he''s been to, Tu was sure that some Seraphim were above the level of Star One Thousand! At that point, they would be the heirs of the Supreme Deity of that particr Sr System and would be treated and trained in the best conditions so that their strength may rise even further... A few minutester, Raven regained her rational thoughts and slowly closed her open mouth behind the mask. However, a grave expression filled her face. "Tu, bepletely honest, can we win? If not, I''ll order everyone to evacuate, f*ck fighting! The dead can''t fight!" *Sigh* "To be honest, I myself didn''t expect that the angels would have such a powerful force, it seems that this Sr System is not an easy one, and the fate of Earth may not be optimistic¡­" Tu said seriously, after some thought.. "With my current strength, I may be able to kill many of the angels, including some of the Seraphim, if I act stealthily that is." Chapter 284 - Hard Decisions Part 2 "However," Tu continued. "Earth can be easily shattered if a single angel who is ranked Star Twenty or above slips my grasp. No, forget Star Twenty, even Star Fifteen would be more than enough to massacre everyone. "The reason why everyone is actually so weak on Earth is because of the itself; Gaia is only a rank Star Nine at the moment. This means that no person can naturally rank up beyond Star Nine, by relying on the World Energy. "You are lucky enough to be able to borrow much of her powers. However, even when you do that, you lose a lot of it. If I am not mistaken, you used tobine your Star Three with her Star Nine and get a total of Star Eleven instead of Star Twelve, correct? "With this in mind, now that we are in space, so far away from Gaia, the loss rate will certainly be higher; you may not be able to reach Star Ten-" "Tu," Raven interrupted after taking a deep breath. "Please stop dodging my question, are our efforts futile? Do we run away¡­ or do we fight?" *Sigh* "Little Raven," Tu sighed with a painful expression. "You already have the answer in your heart, why do you ask me? I just told you some facts, do you think we have a chance?" Raven stayed silent for a long time before supporting her head with her right hand. "Kay, tell everyone that we''re evacuating." "Uhm," Ka quickly nodded without arguing. "Kay, let them do it quietly and stealthily, don''t alert the angels," Raven added and Ka quickly ryed her orders. "Also, send them in patches to differents. Avoid giving the angels a chance to finish us off!" As the orders were ryed, the trio of Raven, Ka, and Tu were all left silent. Objectively speaking, once those few weak waves of angels get annihted, it would be time for the Seraphim, supposedly Lady Uriel and Lady Raphael, to summon their true forces! This means that they may not have too much time! If one takes that into ount, just one angel that is as strong as this idiot that gave Raven all of her answers could be the end of Earth''s struggle! ''And¡­ Maya is actually that Raphael¡­?'' Raven thought quietly, feeling warm and cold at the same time. "Raven¡­" Ka hesitated before speaking. She wanted to make sure she was okay. After all, she didn''t seem like it... "Remember, we have Tu," Raven said decisively. "We have a slight change in ns, but that doesn''t mean that I''ll abandon any of Maya or Gaia¡­ "I am sorry, Kay," she sounded extremely regretful. "I wish I had the ability to let you go with everyone else-" "Rave!" Ka suddenly yelled in surprise, sounding extremely offended. But she didn''tment any further, she knew exactly what went through Raven''s head. Although she wanted to help Raven the most, she knew that her strength wasn''t enough. She could only swallow the feeling of helplessness and bear with it for now¡­ "By the way," Raven said, trying to change the subject. "How many clones are still there? What happened to the n?" "All of the fifteen clones that summoned the Dark Krakens earlier are still alive and well," Ka quickly reassured. "Additionally, they are forming a Cyberwork, together with the clones that I sent before to spread the Cyber Particles." "Excellent," Raven sounded neutral, but her face was extremely solemn under her white mask with its strange stitched smile. Previously, when Ka had sent the few clones to spread the Cyber Particles around Earth, she didn''t have any other instructions for them. Now however, since they have determined that the distance is too far to try anyway, the clones received new orders from Ka and are heading back to form a Cyberwork in order to work together. One can even call it a formation. And naturally, this formation would enable the twenty five clones to work andmunicate together more effectively as a team, rather than receiving separate orders. When the timees, this formation will be enough to erase angel Squads! Although this wasn''t a threat to the real angel force, the clones had the ability to stay hidden using Raven''s stealth skills. So, even if they were targeted by some powerful angels, at least one clone may be able to stay hidden and send information to Ka. With that being said, even if none are able to survive. Their destruction in itself can be an indication that a powerful individual is approaching. So in either case, the clones were handy! *** "Hm, how did she¡­?" A confused feminine voice sounded in the void. "Uriel, what is it?" Raphael asked with raised eyebrows. "Oh, nothing," she shrugged and acted as if nothing had happened. "Did the intruder escape?" Raphael narrowed her eyes. "But how, I was told her strength isn''t anything to fear¡­ who did you send?" If Uriel had sent any of her servants, that human girl who sneaked through their ranks would have been dead already. But now that she has managed to escape, it can only mean that Uriel had sent someone extremely useless! "Whatever," Raphael said without giving Uriel a chance to retaliate. "Sar!" At the moment her melodic voice sounded, a figure materialized out of thin air. "Your Grace!" The figure quickly greated. "Go find the intruder, and bring her to me alive and well. She is most likely still close to area number three," Raphael ordered. "Don''t let her escape, she has some weird means, be careful!" "Yes, your Grace!" The figure said before instantly disappearing back into thin air. "What the hell was that? Didn''t we say we''re going to kill her?" Uriel sounded extremely frustrated all of a sudden. "You''ve had your chance already, and you failed," Raphael shrugged. Although she seemed casual, she was extremely curious as to why Uriel acted strangely whenever this intruder was mentioned. Something was most definitely fishy! Chapter 285 - Evacuation Part 1 *Far Out - Origin * "And what if I failed once? You send one of your personal guards to capture her?" Urielined as vein marks appeared on her face. "So what? I can send whoever I want to send!" Raphael sounded carefree. But in reality, she has sent a guard to capture that girl so that she can be protected! She suspected that her friend here may not be able to sit quietly and wait patiently for her to capture the girl, so she needed someone who''s strong enough to avoid any hidden danger! "Jera!" As if to confirm Raphael''s thoughts, Uriel gritted her teeth and called at once. Instantly, a figure appeared ghostly beside her and greeted. Uriel didn''t dy, she simply gave her order: "Go find the intruder and kill her!" Raphael narrowed her eyes and raised her hand, causing her monstrous aura to escape her seemingly fragile body while causing the space itself to solidify. She did not give Uriel''s guard a chance to leave! "Uriel, don''t overstep your bounds!" Raphael''s eyes shed in a silver-white hue as her expression became extremely cold. "I am in charge here, I thought I''ve made this clear earlier; my words are the rules here! "Uriel, you''re not allowed to kill or send anyone else to kill the intruder! I want her alive and well, do you understand?" Her voice was so chilly and frightening that even Jera, Uriel''s exceptionally strong guard, was shaking in his armour. "Fine!" Uriel finally gave in and muttered between gritted teeth. She mainly didn''t want to entangle further with Raphael so as not to cause further suspicion. However, that didn''t mean she was going to let Raven live¡­ "Good that you finally understand¡­" Raphael narrowed her eyes. She immediately realized something was not right from Uriel''s behaviour. The Uriel she knew would have never been so quick to give in¡­ ''She will send someone in secret!'' she quickly realized! The duo appeared calm on the surface, but inside, wars were brewing. One wanted to warn her guard to be extremely careful and make sure the intruder is safe and sound when delivered, while the other wanted to send her guards to kill the intruder in question. But unfortunately, none could move without the other noticing. With that being said, it wasn''t really a problem for Uriel who gradually rxed while avoiding Raphael''s gaze. ''It appears that it was a smart move to let Michael keep watch on her too¡­'' She muttered in her mind as a smile surfaced across her face. *** On Earth, the ground shook, the wind blew, and the sky cried, as the blood and flesh filled everyone''s visions. Whether it was the demons of the Demon Realm, the Humans of the Human ne, or the aliens that Raven had invited, they all looked in awe as the white angels in the sky fell like snowkes! The water in the oceans and seas, the winds and the clouds in the skies, and even the very earth itself¡­ they all worked together to eliminate the angels! Water bodies boiled as they stood straight up, forming what seemed to be Ocean Titans that could swat angels like they were flies. Winds turned into tornadoes and hurricanes that collected the enemies and delivered them into those Ocean Titans for ughter, those who survive the trio anyway. The mountains exploded as they reformed into Mountain Titans that shielded the Terran Army and ensured their survival. Not only that, but they were quietly and secretly leading them towards some underground tunnels! Those who witnessed these scenes before being transferred to the underground tunnels could only sigh in reverence as one thought crossed their mind; it''s the work of a supreme being! What they saw was a battle of titans that they had no say in! Even the Generals who boasted their strength could never match! Likewise, Raven''s Executives were left speechless at the awe inspiring might! Although many weren''t aware of the identity of the person leading the titans, some individuals did! Raven''s Baneful Executioner, Abbadon, watched the angels fall with a smile on his face. "Lady Gaia is indeed extremely extraordinary!" It was Gaia! Gaia is Earth, and Earth was mad! How dare those angels attack her? How dare they hurt the creatures she nurtured for countless years? That was utterly uneptable! Now that she has heard of Raven''s ns, she has no reason to wait any longer, she could destroy anything that spills her beloved creatures'' blood! With the humans and animals leaving, she didn''t need to spare any cities and consequently, she could use all of her might! Some of the powerful Generals that have reached rank eight were all extremely surprised to realize that Earth was alive! And not just that, but it was protecting them with power that they could not imagine having! Although Gaia''s rank is a mere Star Nine, the surface Earth was her body. That simply meant that she had the geographical advantage! Now, even if a rank Star Fifteen or even a rank Star Sixteen angel decided to attack, she would have a chance to retaliate, and might even seed in heavily injuring the other party! ¡­ Those people and animals who were escorted into the underground tunnels were left speechless after realizing that they''ve been led towards a massive underground cave! Inside this cave, countless spatial portals were suspended midair yet close to the ground, which made them easily essible to everyone. "Everyone!" A beautiful dark haireddy called out loudly to the neers in a rxing voice. "Please be calm and listen to what The Raven''s Guards members tell you to do!" "The Raven''s Guards?" A soldier perked up his ears while looking at the dark haireddy. He suddenly spotted her sharp sapphire eyes. "Oh, that''s Miss Maria Bawlden, our Commanding General''s second mother!" Suddenly, everyone looked at Maria who smiled calmly in turn. Amazement was obvious in their eyes. After Raven''s rise, everyone was curious about her, and the media didn''t disappoint.. They pulled up countless facts and events that involved her. This made everyone more than familiar with her! Chapter 286 - Evacuation Part 2 As such, everyone knew that Raven had actually two mothers; the first was Mayor O''Bannon, who is now the temporary leader of the Demon Realm, and the second was Maria Bawlden who was a member of The Raven''s Guards! "Look, it''s Miss Ae!" A voice shouted. Of course, many people were aware of the identity of the Captain of The Raven''s Guards! "And that''s her brother, Zeru!" Another voice called out. Many names were yelled as the soldiers started recognizing everyone from The Raven''s Guards. Everyone looked extremely excited as they watched such legendary figures appear in front of them. "Something big must have happened, why are The Raven''s Guards here? What is happening?" Although it was one soldier who spoke, it resonates with many soldiers'' thoughts. "It might be rted to the appearance of the Titans!" One person called out. "The Titans are obviously helping us, do you think it''s our Commanding General''s doing?" Another asked in excitement. "No, I heard that the Commanding General is out on a scouting mission outside, in space!" "Oh, since when did we have such a powerful expert on our side?" A voice seemed quite surprised. Others realized and eximed too. Of course, not many people knew that it was Gaia. Only the Generals, who received a brief exnation from Ka, and Raven''s Executives were aware of that fact. "Alright, since the first wave of soldiers are here, please listen carefully," Maria continued after getting everyone''s attention. The crowds became quiet as she spoke. "The Terran Army has done a wonderful job so far-" Every soldier silently raised their chins in pride, consciously or subconsciously. "However," Maria''s expression became serious. "The angels are far stronger than we have expected." "What does this mean?" A voice called out involuntarily. "Yes, we have almost eradicated the second wave of angels!" "We''re doing awesome. The Titans are destroying them too!" "Everyone," Maria interrupted the chatter with an apologetic expression. "Some of you may be aware that Raven, or rather the Commanding General, has gone out to space on a scouting mission. Well¡­ we have received news and orders from her¡­" Seeing Maria''s expression and hearing her words, none dared interrupt. This was an order from the Commanding General after all. "The Terran Army will start evacuating!" Maria suddenly dropped a bucket of cold water on everyone''s necks. "Huh? Retreat? Evaluation?" "Aren''t we winning?" "No, you idiot, didn''t you hear that the Commanding General has gone on a scouting mission?" "Oh no¡­ what did she see? Are the angels really more powerful?" "Terran Army!" Maria called resolutely. "You will evacuate!" Everyone saw the firmness in her eyes and realized that this was no drill or training. The Commanding General must have seen something extremely terrifying if she had ordered an evacuation! "Lady Maria!" A Soldier called. "Where are we evacuating to? Are we abandoning Earth?" Many soldiers had the same thoughts, yet only one was brave enough to speak out loud. "These portals lead towards the Demon Realm," Maria stated. "From there, everyone will enter different Teleportation Gates and travel to differents. "Thoses will bepatible with your needs so you do not need to be concerned in that regard." "Leave Earth?" "Differents?" Soldiers seemed rather bitter after hearing this. But none dared defy a direct order from the Commanding General herself! "Please do not fear," Maria tried to reassure them. "The Raven''s Guards and the Executives if the Commanding General will stay behind and fight-" Although many didn''t notice, there was slight hesitation in her voice. Raven had specifically instructed that they must leave, yet they could not allow themselves to leave her behind. "Once we make sure that everything is safe, we will call everyone back!" Maria finished. The soldiers of the Terran Army could only sigh. Now at least, they had some hope ofing back... Additionally, although many people were concerned about being separated from their loved ones, they all chose to trust their Commanding General. There was obviously no time for everyone to regroup so they must go their separate ways for now. With that being said, not everyone was satisfied with this, and some tried to object, asking if they and their loved ones could stay behind. But after some thought, they quickly realize that their beloved ones are probably safer on some other than on Earth. Especially after the Commanding General has ordered a full evacuation! After giving them some time to process the information, the members of The Raven''s Guards started organizing everyone into lines as they waited patiently to cross the portals. Some timeter, every soldier in the underground cave had crossed the portals. After a few minutes of rest, The Raven''s Guards received the second wave of Terran soldiers. And then the third. After that was the fourth¡­. **** "What do you say?" A handsome boy who seemed to be no more than eighteen years old spoke in a polite voice. Raven looked normal on the surface, but her heart was beating wildly, not because of the unbelievably powerful individual in front of her, but rather because of what he had said. "You said that your Lady Raphael has ordered you to bring me to her, safely?" She repeated while trying to stay calm. "Yes," the boy repeated patiently. "Since my Lady needs you safe, it would be better if you don''t resist." "Okay!" Raven said as she exhaled slowly. She was going to meet Maya, how can she not be excited and stressed at the same time? The angel guard seemed rather surprised at Raven''s behaviour, but he didn''tment. He approached her quietly and wrapped her within his aura. "Don''t be rmed, it''s just easier to travel this way." "Okay!" Raven was so obedient. It wasn''t that shepletely trusted this fellow, it''s just that she could not do anything about him. ording to Tu, this seemingly fragile boy was ranked at Star Five Hundred, or rtively close! Additionally, if something were to happen, Tu would protect her. So she wasn''t afraid about her life! Chapter 287 - Captured *Unknown Brain - Why Do I (feat. Bri Tni) [NCS Release] * ''Are you not even slightly suspicious of him?'' Ka asked in concern. ''What if he is Uriel''s guard, and not Rapha- err, Maya''s?'' ''Well, I guess Tu would have to kill him then,'' Raven shrugged in a carefree manner before raising her eyebrows and looking down at herself, as if inspecting some changes. ''Damn, I think I like being weak!'' She suddenly thought in a cheerful manner, out of the blue. ''I feel like I can''t really affect the final oue, so I can finally just do whatever I want without worrying. I love this!'' Seeing her like this, both Ka and Tu forced a smile. Tu especially felt like he was being bullied for some reason. Disregarding her distracting thoughts and the duo''s expressions, Raven directed her attention towards the angel who was wrapping his mana around her. "You''re damn fast, you know that?" Raven raised her eyebrows. If she wasn''t mistaken, she has just crossed a red; Mars! It hasn''t been that long since they''ve started moving! The angel looked at her with an indifferent expression and didn''t offer anyments at first, but seeing Raven''s unmoving gaze, he finally smiled lightly. "Hm¡­ do you have a name?" Raven contemted before asking out loud. "... Sar," the angel said a single word. "Good name," Ravenplimented. "Lady Raphael named me," Sar said in a low voice. "Oh, Maya named you?" Raven was surprised. "Maya?" Sar asked in confusion. "Your Lady''s name¡­ err, she once called herself Maya, you should ask her about the good times she spent with me," Raven said with a smile, a hint of reminiscence clouded her eyes. "What''s your name?" Sar asked curiously. He didn''t dare have a casual talk with his Lady, but he was very interested in knowing more about her. And he knew that the key was this girl. "Raven, my name is Raven. You know, your Lady named me as well!" she said with a smile. Needless to say, Sar was extremely surprised and couldn''t help but change his expression. "Lady Raphael named you?" He asked once again in order to confirm that he had heard right. Although at his level one''s senses can''t be mistaken, he was still quite shocked. "Uhm," Raven nodded again. Back when she had first changed her body from boy to that of a girl, Maya was the one to name her Raven. Seeing her nod, Sar subconsciously changed his look and opinion towards her. He suddenly felt that a connection was born between the two of them. Although he found it extremely weird that he felt that way, thinking that they were both named by Lady Raphael, he couldn''t help but smile kindly. Noticing the subtle change, Raven smiled in return. "By the way, don''t take offense, but it seems like you have¡­ err, I guess I''d say that you have a brain!" Sar smiled as if expecting this. "We angels are unlike humans, we are not born with spirituality. This means that we are born strong, but without intelligence." Raven widened her eyes as she subconsciously got closer to Sar. She was extremely interested in angels and it seemed that they all liked to speak, so she''d absolutely not mind listening. Seeing that, Sar smiled once more, seemingly amused. Although she didn''tment, he knew that Raven wanted to hear more. "Newborn angels are averagely ranked at Star One," he said calmly. "The ones attacking your right now are such angels." Although he was talking about destroying her, he didn''t seem embarrassed in the slightest, as if it wasn''t his business. Furthermore, he somehow started thinking of Raven as his kin, rather than a normal human. "The ones attacking Earth now are¡­ newborn angels?" Raven on the other hand paled when she heard his words. "Yes," he confirmed. "Isn''t that too overwhelming?" Ravenined before shaking her head. "But¡­ this poweres at a price!" She appeared as though she had suddenly understood something quite important. Noticing that, Sar smiled. "Yes, the newborn angels have no spirituality, and as such, no intelligence. It''s more appropriate to call them puppets." *Sigh* "Ah, something finally makes a lot of sense¡­" she sighed. "But so what, how do you seem normal?" Although Sar chose to speak to her, he wasn''t stupid. From his point of view, this information isn''t a secret that the angel tries to hide. It has been a long time since hest spoke to someone, so he wasn''t going to refuse a chat. Not to mention the new connection between the two, which made it easier for him to be casual around her. Overall, he had no reason to lie or hide this information from her! "As angels get more powerful, they slowly and gradually gain spirituality," Sar continued and exined patiently. "In general, we are ranked into different groups: "Newborn Angels; usually ranked from Star One and have no spirituality. However, angels are still considered Newborn Angels until they reach the rank of Star One Hundred. "Servant Angels; ranked from Star One Hundred to Star Three Hundred. At this stage, Servants start forming spirituality." ''Oh, so that idiot was still considered a new Servant!'' Raven realised as she muttered to herself quietly. Her surprise wasn''t hidden from Sar though. "Guard Angels," he continued. "This group is ranked from Star Three Hundred to Star Six Hundred. At this point, Guards would be full of spirituality and haveplete intelligence. "Holy Angels; ranked from Star Six Hundred to Nine Hundred. And at this point, they are exceptionally powerful and are candidates for advancing to the Seraph stage. "Seraphim, those are angels who have crossed the Seraph stage; ranked from Star Nine Hundred to Star One Thousand. "From those, only the top four Seraphim arebeled as the Seraphim of the End." Hearing all of that didn''te as a huge surprise to Raven at this point, but it did help exin many things and relieve many doubts. Chapter 288 - Earths Defenders Part 1 *Feint - My Sunset * "So the current four of the Seraphim of the End are¡­?" She asked after some hesitation. "Lord Michael, Lord Gabriel, Lady Uriel, and Lady Raphael," Sar smiled. "Lady Raphael is the youngest of the Seraphim of the End." "Ah¡­ I see. And, um, currently, how many other Seraphim are there?" She asked. "Not including the top four¡­ zero." "Zero?" She was pleasantly surprised. "Zero." He confirmed. "Ok, and this may be a hard question, but what is the rank above Star One Thousand?" She asked rather decisively. "Her Majesty, the Supreme Deity!" A look of pride appeared on his face. "She is the strongest as she protects all living beings from the evil within this Sr System, and the evil within themselves!" "The Supreme Deity¡­" Raven repeated with a grim expression. "Does this answer all of your questions?" Sar asked gently. He was aware that these answers may aid Raven against his own people if she was powerful, but she wasn''t, so he didn''t care. Plus, even if Raven was named by Lady Raphael, this doesn''t mean that she would take it easy on her; she obviously won''t allow her to hurt any angels or ruin her n! *Sigh* "Yep, I''m done¡­" Raven -who didn''t know what was going on in Sar''s head- sighed heavily. "Don''t be stressed," Sar said with a smile after hearing her sigh, as if trying to reassure her. "Lady Raphael won''t harm you, or allow anyone to harm you. You don''t have to be stressed." "I know¡­ it''s not that I can retaliate anyway, you can just squash me like a watermelon and I would not be able to see iting!" Hearing that, Sar merely smiled softly and didn''t say a word. Instead, he kept looking at Raven like a country boy going out to the city for the first time. "Ugh, I guess it''s only appropriate¡­ What questions do you have?" She asked reluctantly. She was aware that this Sar was mainly answering her questions because he wanted to hear about his Lady, or rather Maya. She can also clearly see that although he was still moving quite fast, his speed has decreased rtive to when they first started moving. He wanted to hear something before arriving at their destination! "No questions in particr," Sar shook his head slowly, his smile never changing. "I just would like to hear about Lady Raphael from you, you lived for her for a short period of time, right?" "Ugh, a short period, huh?" Raven clenched her fists before rxing slowly. "Uhm, I guess it was a short period of time¡­ very short..." *** "Was that everyone?" Maria asked out loud while looking around. During the past few hours, The Raven''s Guards have worked extremely hard in order to evaluate everyone into the Demon Realm. Even with the help of Gaia''s supernatural control over everything on the, the task was by no means easy! Under normal circumstances, even with Gaia''s help, evacuating billions of people in mere hours would be impossible. However, out of the entire poption of Earth, only the minority have stayed behind in the first ce. And those who stayed were almost all soldiers with special abilities. "Um, almost everyone¡­" Ae scratched her cheek in an expression that showed helplessness as she answered the question. "What is it?" Maria narrowed her eyes, making her appear like a sapphire phoenix. "Some people didn''t want to leave¡­" Ae said. "What? Who are they?" Maria gritted her teeth. They had all been working extremely hard to evacuate everyone, and some people didn''t want to go? Not waiting for Ae to answer, Maria spread her azure aura all around her like a tide, almost covering the entire. Raven and Ka weren''t the only ones who have undergone some serious changes. Maria had also been working harder and harder in order to release the power within her veins! A long while back, when the portals first appeared. She and Maya were extremely injured by monsters, and almost died. At the time, Raven, or rather the ''real Ka'' who had taken over her body temporarily back then, had spent a lot of energy to save both their lives. Out of the two girls, Maria''s condition was without a doubt the most dangerous. However, with her methods, the real Ka had transferred Raven''s mana and blood into her, transforming her from a mere Human into a Soul Weaver in the process. The power that flows within Maria''s veins is now that of a Soul Weaver. But, she was different from Raven even though they share the same source of power; the dominant power within her wasn''t that of Raven''s father, but rather that of her mother, Avavia, unlike Raven herself. That is to say, Maria doesn''t have as much control over the shadows as Raven does. But instead, she has a different kind of power! A little bit more than a month ago in the Demon Realm, Ka had a conversation with Avavia. And at that time, Avavia had mentioned that the power Maria had inherited from her was called Soul of the Phoenix! At the time, she had also mentioned that she''d be taking care of Maria herself. Needless to say, after that conversation, during the time Raven and Ka went through the Mana Refinement process, Maria was under Avavia''s care as well! Overall, the new Maria is no weaker than Abbadon, Raven''s Baneful Executioner; both had reached the limit of this! Both are resting at the rank of Star Nine! Peering into the all sides of the, Maria could not help but show a look of disbelief. There were at least three million people that were left, and almost all of them were soldiers with abilities! They were all standing in formation, as if expecting to be called upon. "What''s the meaning of this?" Maria transmitted her voice through her aura. Her voice was sharp and reached everyone''s ears like a cold breeze. Those soldiers shuddered and quickly kneeled down. "Lady Maria, please allow us to participate in defending our home!" Chapter 289 - Earths Defenders Part 2 Amongst those people were even some EDA Generals that chose to stay behind, which really surprised Maria, but she didn''t change her cold expression. And although the strongest of the Generals had reached the rank of Star Nine as well, just like her, dared be arrogant in front of Maria''s gaze. "Your Commanding General has worked extremely hard to make sure everyone has a chance of living, yet you decided that you were staying behind? Do you not appreciate everything she''s done for you?" Hearing that, most of the soldiers looked down in embarrassment. They could all see the scenes all around them; titans of ocean bodies and massive mountings were crushing angels under their fists. Everyone knew that their existence wasn''t going to make much of a difference. Furthermore, everyone knew that what they were seeing now was only the beginning. The danger their Commanding General has warned them about was going to arrive soon! Only those who had reached the rank above Star One were qualified to join theing battle. Needless to say, out of those three million soldiers, only a handful had reached that rank. Not only that, but those handful are mostly either Generals or Raven''s direct friends, such as Cami with Kuru, and Jamie! After all, not everyone gets to experience Raven''s help in ranking up. This bes exceptionally clear once the demons arepared to the humans; demons had a remarkable number of soldiers who have reached the rank of Star One, not to mention Raven''s Executives who have reached higher ranks! "Lady Maria," a Star Nine EDA General called humbly while stroking his white beard. "Aren''t you doing the same? From my knowledge of our Commanding General, she would have wanted you to leave first, yet, you stayed. Not only that, but even our brothers, the demons, have stayed too¡­" "You¡­" Maria was left speechless. Of course she wants to help her daughter, and the demons only serve their mistress, Raven, but what about them? "Kfufufufu!" A cold, yet strangely gentle, voice came to everyone''s ears. "Lady Maria, they have got a point. Lady Raven would be furious to learn that we''re staying behind. "If it wasn''t for Lady Ka''s own suppression of her clones, Lady Raven would have already learned of our actions." Hearing that the one and only Baneful Executioner, Lord Abbado, was standing up for them, the human soldiers started nodding enthusiastically. "With that being said," Abbadon''s tone of voice suddenly changed into a grim one. "Lady Maria and Lady Raven''s friends are here for a clear reason. And we, the demons, serve Lady Raven, meaning that we live and die with her. "But above all else, we are strong, and we can make a difference in battle, instead of being a burden! Humans, you have no reason for staying behind. Your own people have been mostly transferred into the Demon Realm and are being transported into differents. "You have no business being here, you''ll only be a burden that will make everyone else''s lives harder during the next battle. "Additionally, EDA Generals, you are the leaders of the humans and you are needed to guide and lead the humans in their new and hopefully temporary homes." *Sigh* "Lord Abbadon is not incorrect," the old Star Nine General sighed. "However, although you didn''t mean for us to learn this, we already know that the nt is alive!" At that, many human soldiers got serious as they nodded. "Earth has taken care of us since even before our own birth. Our ancestors survived thanks to its constant supervision and care!" The General said with passion. Maria could only sigh in helplessness while Abbadon smiled as he looked in a certain direction. In that direction, a ripple made the air vibrate and the earth shake. A petite figure suddenly appeared. "It? Did you just say ''it''?" The figure''s cute voice sounded. Although it wasn''t loud, it strangely reached everyone''s ears. Under everyone''s eyes, what was before simple thin air has turned into a beautiful and petite girl with sparkling green hair and matching eyes. Even her skin tone appeared to be light green, like dryads, the guardians of forests in children''s fairy tales. Above her head, a majestic crown was ced, radiating warmth towards everyone''s soul. "Tsk, tsk," Gaia shook her head at the humans while clicking her tongue. The General suddenly appeared embarrassed because he had just called her ''it'' even though she was a girl. Although in his defence, he didn''t know that Earth had actually gained spirituality and wasn''t acting out of instinct. Seeing the girl and understanding her identity by mere instinct, every human kneeled down. Gaia was internally happy about their attitude, but she didn''t change her expression. "You''re all too weak to stay behind!" Gaia wasn''t merciful and said decisively. Many human soldiers appeared ashamed but didn''t dare move. "However, I like your spirits!" Seeing her grin, everyone felt inexplicably happy inside. "With that being said, you''ll probably all die here if you stay. Are you still insisting on not leaving?" Gaia narrowed her eyes. "I won''t take offense if you leave. Heck, if it was up to me, I would have kicked Raven and the rest into the portal, but she''s not even here." Hearing that, some soldiers looked dejected and sad. They wanted to help, but their strength wasn''t enough. "Do you not have families and friends to return to? Do you not have any goals to achieve? Why throw your lives away?" Gaia asked while eyeing them. None of the soldiers answered. But, none of them left. *Sigh* "Fine," Gaia shrugged, but she couldn''t help but curve her small mouth into a big smile. "If you want to stay, then I won''t prevent you. However, let me give you a small gift to express my thanks." Saying that, she took a deep breath while concentrating massive amounts of magiculus around her.. Her green eyes suddenly started shining like two small suns as she looked down at everyone present. Chapter 290 - Earths Defenders Part 3 Some soldiers could not help but give birth to a feeling of worship and reverence as they watched intently. "My children, hear me and receive my blessing," Gaia smiled warmly as she looked at everyone. "Appreciate my passion and cleanse your hearts with warmth; Passion of the Mother Spirit!" Suddenly, every soldier, even those who were demons, felt a strange power entering their bodies as a light green light radiated around each and every one of them. Unfortunately, this blessing was only applied to those who were under the rank of Star One. But with that being said, after receiving the blessings, their ranks suddenly soared, reaching that rank easily. Soldiers suddenly cheered as they looked at Gaia with wide eyes and sincere smiles. "From this day onwards, you shall be called my defenders," Gaia said. "Earth''s Defenders!" "Kfufufufu," Abbadon smiled. Although he was happy, his smile was inexplicably cold, making everyone always shudder. "Now that you have received Lady Gaia''s blessing, you have the minimum qualifications for joining the battle, but don''t think too highly of yourselves, you''ll only die faster if you''re arrogant." Soldiers everywhere nodded grimly. Abbadon was harsh, but he was serious and they realized it. Now that they have all got a hold of a higher level of power, they could tell exactly what level the real battle is going to involve. "Alright everyone," Gaia called. "All of you should have received a form of power that best matches your abilities. Take some time to get familiar with it, and be ready to act soon. The angels are not waiting for us!" """Ma''am, yes ma''am!""" Everyone, including the EDA Generals, called out. "Demons of the Demon Realm," Abbadon called out. "Recover your strength quickly, you should all be ready to attack soon!" """Yes, Lord Abbadon!""" All demons replied. Now, the humans of the Human ne, the Demons of the Demon Realm, and The Raven''s Guards all sat quietly while gathering or reconsolidating their strength while the many titans took care of the current angel wave. "Bel," Abbadon called quietly. A shadow suddenly materialized near him and turned into a real person that adopted azy expression. "How many puppets of yours have you lost?" "Hm, I could use some more, if that''s what you''re asking," Bel, the Chaos Puppeteer, replied. He understood where Abbadon was going and answered decisively. "We can go now." "Good!" Abbadon had an evil grin as he disappeared from his spot as if he had never been there. Bel merged with the ground like a shadow and followed swiftly. People who saw them could not help but admire higher strength! Only with power can one make a true difference on the battlefield! Sighing, everyone else focused on their new powers. Maybe unsurprisingly, the range of powers gained was something of nature. That is to say that each person gained some degree of control over one of the natural elements; Air, Earth, Water, and Nature. Those were the most dominant elements. However, some other people gained deviant elements such as; Thunder and Magma! A few people were extremely lucky to gain elements that they were previously well diversed in. Such as Elementalists who were able to gain better control over their respective elements, making them stronger than the average soldier! As everyone was busy, Abbadon was talking to one of Ka''s clones secretly. "Do you understand?" Ka narrowed her eyes. "Yes, Lady Ka," Abbadon answered. "So you think that the next wave of enemies would be the most we can do?" He couldn''t hide the disappointment in his voice or expression. He had worked extremely hard in order to help his mistress, but at the end of the day, he found himself to be useless! "Yes, even with the increase in power, I doubt that many will survive¡­" Ka had a sad expression on her face. Life truly isn''t fair. One single Servant Angel is enough to eradicate the entire with the back of their hand. Even Raven won''t stand a chance herself, if it wasn''t for Tu being a Monarch! "Remember," Ka repeated. "Your task is simply to buy time, try to let everyone else know this too. "I am working on a way to transfer Earth, or rather Gaia herself, into a different region. But, if it doesn''t work, you need to grab Maria and the rest and run for our lives, do you understand? "Raven would kill me if she realizes that you guys are still here!" Ka didn''t like that she was doing things behind Raven''s back, but she had no choice. Raven didn''t want to leave Gaia behind either, but her n was wed. Her fighting skills simply mean nothing next to the Seraphim or even their Servant Angels. Heck, those seemingly useless and brainless servants can erase Raven''s existence by simply breathing too hard! Additionally, from the information they have gathered so far, there are two Seraphim that are working on destroying Earth now, which is in itself not normal. With that being said, Tu can hold and fight one of them. He mentioned that he can''t take on two of the Seraphim with his current powers. However, with these two being Uriel and Raphael, or rather Maya, the group has a chance! They can simply let Tu handle Uriel while Raven handles Maya! But, this also has way too many risks; if Raven fails to awaken Maya, then she will simply die. If the other Servants or Guards touch Raven, she dies. If anything goes wrong, she''ll probably also end up dead... At the same time however, Tu has mentioned that he can eradicate the ''small fries'' before engaging with Uriel. ording to his words, anyone under the rank of Five Hundred is simply nothing to him... Ka had to admit that Tu''s strength is way stronger than she had ever imagined. After all, he had erased a Servant Angel in mere seconds in front of her eyes! And he''s in his weakest state! It''s hard to imagine him in his prime! Chapter 291 - Immortal Blood Mantra Part 1 *Shape of Lies - Eternal Eclipse * Maybe back in the day, at his prime, Tu was indeed a Monarch whose name has spread far and wide. Maybe, if there was a way for him to get his powers back, even the Supreme Deity that surpasses the rank of Star One Thousand wouldn''t be his opponent¡­ It''s too bad that he is simply missing ''something'' that truly weakened him to his current self. Although Raven had asked him to try and find it first, Tu disregarded her words simply because Raven has no knowledge whatsoever about what he has lost; it is not something that can be easily or randomly found... Not to mention that he had tried to search for it for countless years before being sealed into Raven''s body, yet he had no good luck! "Lady Ka," Abbadon called out, knocking Ka out of her trance. "Can you please give me the intelligence you have regarding theing wave of angels?" "Uhm, sorry," Ka quickly nodded and got back on track. "Theing wave will thankfully also consist of Newborn Angels only, but it is not what you think¡­" she quickly added, because the word newborn might be ''slightly'' misleading... "From what the clones have observed," Ka continued slowly. "There are at least ten million Star One ranked angels. Those will be the responsibility of those soldiers who stayed behind. "Additionally, there will be a total of one hundred Star Five angels. This will cause some troubles¡­" Ka looked stressed. They didn''t have enough manpower to take care of those strong angels. Almost all of the Generals were moved to the Demon Realm and are helping in the evacuation and guardian people in the news. "Lady Ka, don''t worry," Abbadonforted. "Although we don''t have many soldiers that are strong enough to deal with those one hundred Star Five angels on their own, our Demon Lords and Devil Lords can work together in order to take them out. "Many of them have reached the rank of Star Two or even Star Three. Not to mention that Bel can kill those angels and make them his puppets!" "Uhm," Ka suddenly cheered up. "Bel is indeed our key to victory!" "Kfufufufu, don''t worry, Lady Ka, I''ll make sure he works hard!" Abbadon chuckled as a cold glint shed in her eyes. He has already tried working together with Bel, and it is indeed quite easy to capture and conquer those Star Five angels and turn them into Dark Angel Puppets! "Anyway, Lady Ka, what about the rest?" Abbadon changed the subject. "Those are not all of them, right? There are still moreing¡­" He felt that Ka had not finished. Someone more powerful wasing! "Uhm," this time Ka nodded bitterly. "There will be twenty angels at the rank of Star Ten¡­" Abbadon inhaled a breath of cold air. Even he could not help but frown after hearing this. "Lady-" "And-" Ka continued, ignoring Abbadon, while biting her lower lip. "At least two angels at the rank of Star Fifteen¡­" Abbadon clenched his fists, a grim expression filled his face. But it didn''t stop there¡­ "And," Ka looked him in the eyes. "One angel at the rank of Star Twenty¡­" These ranks are all legendary existence on Earth and no one had the ability to fight them equally! "Lady Ka¡­" Abbadon didn''t know what to say. He wasn''t a coward, but he can quickly recognize a losing battle the moment he sees one! "The situation isn''t easy, I know..." Ka seemed rather apologetic. "That''s why, I only ask you to buy me some time, don''t fight to win, fight to survive longer. "Furthermore, if we''re lucky, the strongest angel, the one ranked at Star Twenty, will only observe without joining personally¡­" she tried being as optimistic as possible, yet her sound was cracking. That was because she knew that those angels, even though extremely terrifyingly strong, have no spirituality yet. This means that they strictly follow orders, and their orders are to destroy the! "Even if the strongest one does not join the battle, what about the two Star Fifteen?" Abbadon asked grimly. The strongest they had was only Star Nine, they can''t hope to defeat those two! Even the twenty angels that are ranked Star Ten are enough to destroy everyone! "For the two Star Fifteen, we can let Gaia deal with one, while we hope that Liz will be enough to deal with the other one on her own¡­ I''ll try to help too, of course." Ka replied. "I- I understand," Abbadon could only reply helplessly. "Lady Ka, Lord Abbadon," a voice suddenly sounded as a figure appeared ghostly. "Keith?" Abbadon looked at the newly emerging figure. "Huh?" Ka looked at him, surprise evident on her face. "Weren''t you a Star Six a few days ago? How are you a Star Eight now?" Abbadon himself has not seen Keithtely, and was extremely surprised to see that his rank has gone up by two full Stars! "I- I have unlocked some of my previous powers¡­" Keith looked apologetic for some unknown reason. "Previous powers?" Abbadon narrowed his eyes. Now that he mentions it, Abbadon could feel a new aura radiating out of Keith. For some reason, this aura was highly simr to that of Silver... "In any case," Keith quickly changed the subject. "I have been working on something, and I think I may be able to take on the new Star Twenty angel." Both Ka and Abbadon widened their eyes. Take on the angel that is ranked at Star Twenty? The strongest enemy of this wave? The one that even Gaia might bepletely destroyed if forced to fight with? "You can?" Abbadon looked at him, an unpleasant feeling suddenly came over him. "On your own?" "No, not on my own," Keith replied. "But I can, with Calcer''s help¡­" "Calcer? The little blood imp? I understand that he was Lady Raven''s first summon, but he''s a mere Devil Lord now, what can he do?" Abbadon seemed surprised that Keith had mentioned Calcer. Chapter 292 - Immortal Blood Mantra Part 2 "Please trust me, this is not the time to exin everything," Keith shook his head, trying his best not to speak more than he should. "However, I need your help. I need you to capture me some weak angels. Those one hundred Star Five and twenty Star Ten angels should do." "Weak?" Ka repeated, her eyebrows twitching. She had enough of people underestimating their enemies. Just like Tu who calls everyone weak! "Uhm, please capture them alive once they arrive, or if dead, I need them as fresh as possible!" Keith answered honestly. "Also, it is best if they don''t bleed much!" Hearing that, both Abbadon and Ka suddenly felt like they had some insights into what was going on! He quickly remembered Keith''s special powers; blood! "That''s why you''re named our Lady''s Blood Warden!" Abbadon suddenly realized. "Uhm," Keith nodded in an elegant manner. A smile was stered across his face. "In any case, that''s all I wanted to say, I''ll take my-" "Hold on," Ka stopped him. "Take me to Calcer. I want to take a look." She faintly felt that things were not as easy as she imagined at first. "Okay," Keith didn''t hesitate to wrap the duo in his mana as he swiftly disappeared in a shadow of red. Momentster, Keith, Abbadon, and Ka were looking at a creepy sea of angel red blood. It was sorge that it could cover an entire city. In fact, it was covering an entire city! This took Ka by extreme surprise. Even Abbadon was caught off guard. This city was supposedly abandoned before the war. However, it was close to another high popted area. That meant that angels were always around this ce. Needless to say, that was like food delivery for Keith, and he definitely took full advantage of it! "What is that?" Ka could not help but ask in a dreadful manner. She looked at Keith as if she was seeing him for the first time. He could not help but scratch his cheek in embarrassment. He didn''t know how to exin... Abbadon didn''tment at first, but he suddenly stared at the center of the sea of blood. A small figure that was sitting there quietly, red blood made his figure hazy, even for Abbadon''s Demon Eyes. Upon further inspection, Abbadon could not help but narrow his eyes. "That''s Calcer¡­ and he has already reached the rank of Star... Five?" Ka looked again as she widened her eyes. "What are you doing, Keith?" Ka asked seriously. *Sigh* "It''s simple really¡­" Keith said in an awkward tone before getting serious. "This is one of my old techniques, it''s called Immortal Blood Mantra." "A technique? You mean skill?" Ka asked. "Immortal Blood Mantra?" "No, it''s a technique," Keith repeated. "A technique is something that can be practiced by others, while a skill is something specific to yourself." It''s not that Ka didn''t know what a technique was, but she was simply too surprised that Keith had something like this. Seeing that, Keith continued. "To be honest, this technique is not something that I created¡­ it''s just that it was very simr to my own skills and practice that I became proficient in it so quickly." "Oh, where did you get it from? Is it safe? Can Calcer practice it without any side effects?" Ka asked one question after the other. "I¡­ *sigh* first, let me say that I''m not sure whether it''s safe or not, especially for Calcer," Keith answered with a sigh. "From my own experience, this technique can mess with a person''s personality. "However, I believe that Calcer can withstand its effect because of his natal talent with blood and the souls given by Lady Raven. "With that being said, he is even named by our mistress, so he can''t disobey her orders. Not to mention that we don''t have any other choice¡­ "Although I have started using this method on Calcer simply as an experiment, I didn''t expect him to achieve such results. "The technique is ratherplicated and it is not easy to understand. However, I can say that The Immortal Blood Mantra has three main premises. "First, one must absorb the energy stored in the blood. "Second, one needs to disregard the impurities stored in the blood. "And third andst, one needs to disregard their original body and be one with the blood!" "This seems so ominous¡­" Ka could not help butment. "Uhm, it''s considered an evil technique¡­" Keith said slowly. "We''re lucky that Calcer is a blood imp, it''s perfect for him. He can even quicken his own evolution and ranking!" "Keith," Ka ignored hisst words that seemed to be rather enthusiastic and looked him in the eyes. "Where did you obtain such a technique?" "That¡­ I- I have actually gotten it from a that I destroyed¡­" saying that, he lowered his head in shame. "You were an angel, right?" Asked Abbadon. It''s not like it is a secret anymore. The feeling he was giving off was too special to be random. Ka didn''t seem to be surprised, but her face was uncontrobly cold. Keith didn''t even dare look her in the eyes. "Uhm, I was an angel," He confirmed. "I used to be one of the four Seraphim of the End¡­" "What?" Abbadon yelled as he subconsciously got a hold of Keith''s neck. "Repeat what you just said slowly." *Sigh* "The four Seraphim of the End are responsible for judging mortals," Keith exined with a sigh. "Any creatures on any that havemitted sins, time and time again, will incur the heavenly punishment of the four. Countless years back, that''s what I believed in¡­" "Countless years ago, huh?" Abbadon looked at him strangely. Before bing Raven''s subordinate, Keith was Abbadon''s faithful servant. He thought that he knew his subordinate well, but apparently that wasn''t the case... Abbadon wanted to ask many questions, yet he held himself. It wasn''t time for this. "Go on!" He simply instructed Keith. Chapter 293 - Immortal Blood Mantra Part 3 "Go on!" Abbadon simply instructed Keith as he finally let go of his neck. Right now, he could not describe his feelings. It''s difficult to think that a previous servant of his, and a current subordinate of his mistress, had so many hidden secrets that he never even doubted. However, right now, he even suspected that Keith was many times older than himself... *Sigh* "As I mentioned before, I was one of the four Seraphim of the End," Keith sighed heavily. "The reason I found this Immortal Blood Mantra technique was because I- I took it from someone¡­" "So, the mighty Seraphim also steal?" Abbadon narrowed his eyes in disgust. "Lord Abbadon, you misunderstood¡­" Keith said as he continued. "Although I said ''took'', it¡­ it wasn''t that simple. "At that time, I was sent to destroy a certain. That happened to be a very prosperous. For example, it was about twenty more timesrger than the size of Earth, and countless creatures lived there. It was one of the most beautiful ces I''ve ever visited-" "And you destroyed it!" Abbadon gritted his teeth. However, even though he was quite angry, he didn''t lose control and his aura remained as still as the bottom of a well. "Abbadon, let him exin!" Ka had enough and suddenly spoke loudly. Abbadon quieted remarkably and closed his eyes to restore his calm. "Anyhow, while I was leading my army of angels to destroy the, something unexpected happened," Keith recalled. "A very strong aura suddenly prevailed over the. "There was no mention of it before; none of our scouts ever mentioned anything about such a powerful entity hiding on the. "However, there was no denying it. At the time, I even suspected that that person was more powerful than the Supreme Deity!" Keith showed some fear, even after so many years. The feeling was still vivid in his mind. "A Monarch!" Ka suddenly shouted. "Lady Ka?" Keith was confused. "The person you met," Ka exined. "It was most likely a Monarch! Anyway, continue!" She was even more interested now. It seemed that his mysterious technique was indeed special. "Uhm," Keith nodded while recalling more of the events that unfolded that day. "Although the aura was extremely powerful, and it felt like I could be killed in an instant if that person wanted, I was not. "Thinking that something was off, I approached the source. I followed the aura into what seemed to be a mountain range that was weirdly dyed red. "In a certain natural cave, where the source of the aura was, I found an injured person¡­ "It was a human looking girl that was no older than twenty five or so, in human age. And, this girl was surprisingly injured!" He eximed. He could still remember his surprise. A person who was way stronger that his Supreme Deity was injured! Who could injure such a person? The fear was still fresh in his mind. "Contrary to my expectations," he continued. "The girl didn''t seem hostile at all, instead she smiled happily once she saw me. I still remember her blood stained teeth as she coughed blood once she tried to greet me... "After waiting for her to regain herposure, she simply pointed at me and muttered ''Angels are supposed to uphold justice and respect fairness in the world, I entrust you with my final wish!'' "And with that, she pointed her index finger towards me and something swiftly left her and shot towards me, hitting me square in the forehead. "Strangely, I didn''t feel pain. Instead, I felt dizzy as I fell into ama of sorts. During thatma, I witnessed¡­ *gulp*" Keith swallowed loudly as he tried to continue as if nothing had happened. "I witnessed some things that are not for the weak to witness." Abbadon raised his brows. Not for the weak? But thinking about that strong girl that was supposedly a Monarch, he didn''tment. Keith was indeed weak inparison to her. "It took me a while to realize that what I witnessed was various episodes of that girl''s life," he continued. "To my surprise, although she looked in her prime, she was a very olddy who had lived countless centuries! "What''s important though, was the events she specifically chose to show me. In those memories of hers, I clearly saw my Supreme Deity being murdered by two insanely strong people, of the same level as that girl. "From her memories, I inferred that the girl had shown up at the exact moment of our Supreme Deity''s death. She tried her best to kill those two people, but s she was not sessful and instead got injured, forcing her to run away. However, she herself made sure both people were gravely injured too. "''Youngd,'' her voice mysteriously appeared in my mind. ''You saw what happened, right? Those two people intruded into your Sr System and killed the only Origin Master expert you have, you Supreme Deity. "''However, I have managed to injure both of them so you don''t have to worry about them for a while. But, you need to stop them when the timees! "''I will teach you a set of techniques that is exceptionally powerful and can help you increase your power level quickly. Since you''re already at the High-Level of Star umtion, you should be able to practice this technique and quickly level up, do you understand? "''Only by increasing your power can you stop them, otherwise, your entire will be destroyed.'' With that, a series of mysterious voices containing instructions invaded my messed up with my head. "''This is called The Immortal Blood Mantra, it is the specialty of my Blood Tribe. Practice and increase your strength, kill those two before they recover! Unfortunately, I won''t be able to help you, I need many years in order to recover, my injuries are much more severe than theirs. "''*cough* Oh, and you don''t need to bother with this, I have seen the disgusting things they do; they all deserve horrible deaths! That is why I am to feed on them and hopefully, recover faster. "''Anyway, that''s all, now get out and go hide with that little army of yours. You might get killed if you go back, your Supreme Deity is dead after all¡­ I''m sorry about that, it''s my fault.'' She sighed as she said herst words and forced me to the outside of the cave with a mere wave of her hand. "I left the like she requested and hid with my army. I tried to look for news about what happened to my Supreme Deity and other Seraphim. "Later, I learned that Michael and Gabriel had submitted to the two strong people who killed our Supreme Deity. Uriel had tried to defend then avenge the Supreme Deity whom she admired, but s it was her two seniors who needed up murdering her. "Not long after, a new Uriel was promoted. I, who had the position of Raphael, went missing and never went back. After that, a new Raphael took my position¡­ and that was Lady Maya¡­" "So the names are just like codes?" Ka asked subconsciously. "And since Raphael had joinedst, then it is true that she is the youngest of the Seraphim like Sar said¡­" she muttered to no one in particr. "So, what did you do alone? Why didn''t you incorrect your strength? Was it a side effect from that technique?" Asked Abbadon after some thought. "No," Keith shook his head. "The technique was really good, especially for my old practice that involved blood. "However, my power at the time¡­ *sigh* I was ranked at Star Nine Hundred Seventy Six, which was pretty high. But unfortunately, once my Supreme Deity was killed, my powers started to slowly fade away, making me what I am today. "I even suspect that the two people who killed my original Supreme Deity had done something to take her ce. Right now, I have lost my powers, but the others improved further! "In a sense, I was demoted from my rank as one of the Seraphim of the End, and even further denied the right of being an angel. That''s why, after a while, Ipletely turned into a Fallen Angel." Saying that, he spread three pairs of ck feathery wings. Abbadon and Ka looked at him and then at his dark wings. Although at first they doubted him, they now admired and pitied him. *Sigh* "It turns out that things are moreplicated than we first thought¡­" Ka muttered. "So the new Supreme Deity is leading the blind charge against others? You mentioned that the you were sent to destroy before was a really evil one, correct?" She asked Keith and he promptly nodded. "So, it''s almost confirmed that the Supreme Deity is not necessarily bad. It''s just that one of the murderers had taken her ce, and now simply doesn''t care. "But the question is, do the new Uriel and Raphael know of this history? Or do they believe that the Supreme Deity is justa the same one they served before being promoted to Seraphim?" Ka mused. Chapter 294 - The Angels Trap Part 1 "But the question is, do the new Uriel and Raphael know of this history? Or do they believe that the Supreme Deity is just the same one they served before being promoted to Seraphim?" Ka mused. If Uriel and Raphael didn''t actually know that their Supreme Deity is not who they think she is, then Raven may be able to avoid a big fight and gain a massive advantage! But, since they still have their powers, then it must be that they have the approval of the new Supreme Deity... *Sigh* "How did things get soplicated so quickly¡­" Ka could not help but let out a helpless sigh. "Well, let''s not mind that. For now, we have our own emergencies and there is no need to get stressed over future issues if we don''t survive this I suppose," Ka said with a shrug as she looked back at Calcer. "Do you think that he will be able to increase his rank and take on that Star Twenty angel?" "I can''t guarantee it, but as long as he''s given enough time, I''ll work together with him and defeat the Star Twenty angel!" Keith said. "Hm, ok then," Ka mused loudly. "We''ll leave it to you- oh, our guests are finally here¡­" Looking up, everyone could clearly see and feel a power that belonged to a new wave of angel army! "Everyone, into your own positions, move!" Ka''s voice sounded through the bracelets and reached the entire battlefield. **** At the same time when the Terran Army was preparing for a battle to the death and the Demon Realm was filled with people who were still in the process of evacuating, Raven had a frown over her face as she kept looking left and right. Her eyes were narrowed in a suspicious gaze. ''Are you sure,'' Raven asked Tu. ''Yes,'' Tu confirmed. ''See how Sar is looking around too, someone strong ising for sure. And whoever it is, it is definitely stronger than Sar¡­'' ''Stronger than him, huh?'' Raven mused. ''I guess Uriel did end up sending someone to intercept us¡­'' "Raven, stay behind me, never leave my side!" Sar sounded distressed as he got extremely cautious while looking around. His hand extended, covering Raven in a protective manner. Raven was surprised to see that Sar was so concerned about her own safety. ''It must be Maya''s doing¡­'' Raven''s expression softened as she thought about it. "Huhuhu, now now, if it isn''t Sar, Lady Raphael''s little guard!" A voice sounded through the void as a figure appeared ghostly. "Guru!" Sar narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "What are you doing here? Lady Raphael has ordered me to safely escort this human to her. Did Lord Michael n this trap? Does he intend to get involved and sabotage her Grace''s orders?" ''So, this newly emerging person is one of Michael''s subordinates¡­'' Raven repeated slowly as she suddenly got an idea of what was going on. ''It appears that Michael is working together with Uriel and intends to kill me?'' Although she was protected behind Sar''s mana and literally under his wing, she could still feel the imminent danger radiating from this angel. His killing intent was by no means hidden. "Trap? Sabotage?!" The angel named Guru repeated, or rather roared, disdainfully. "You may not know this, Sar, but yourdy is a traitor, and not only you two will die, but she as well! Lord Michael has tried to save her before, but she was utterly hopeless!" "Guru! Don''t you dare insult Lady Raphael!" Sar was extremely angry, hearing Maya get insulted like that. "Huhuhu, you''re going to die now anyway, there''s no need to waste my breath on you!" Guru chuckled as a dark and vicious expression appeared on his face. Just as he was about to attack, a dangerous crimson light shed through his eyes as fear gripped his eyes. Even Sar flinched as he looked at Raven in surprise. Out of her little armoured body, the crimson aura started spreading outwards as it slowly took shape. In less than a few seconds, Tu was standing beside her. "Hm, quite impressive," Tu looked at Guru up and down as his gaze was able to see through every cell of his body. "A Guard Angel who''s at the top of his own rank¡­ you''re about to break through the Holy Angel rank, huh?" Guru tensed up under these crimson eyes that seemed to prate his soul. ''He is more dangerous than Lord Michael!'' he suddenly concluded. ''I need to warn him!'' Just as he was thinking of a way to send a message to his Lord, he suddenly heard Tu''s carefree voice. "Too bad you''re not on our side¡­" Just as Tu shrugged in disappointment, he snapped his fingers. And just as he did that, dark and crimson chains covered the void and extended outwards. Guru tried his best to run away, but in his panic, he realized that he couldn''t move his body! He could strangely feel a burning mark over his forehead; it was the crimson dragon eye! Without being able to utter a single word, Guru was chained up and dragged through a portal that wasn''t there before... Tu closed his eyes and inhaled freely. He didn''t seem to inhale from the outside mana or Raven''s air, but rather¡­ it appeared as though he was breathing through dimensions! "Are you breathing that angel''s mana?" Raven asked with raised eyebrows. "Uhm," Tu nodded. "It''s part of the contract, well, forced contract¡­" "What''s the contract you made by the way?" Raven was actually quite curious. She knew that Tu''s enemies would always go through a forced contract, but she has never heard the details. "Well, I grant them protection. And they grant me their mana. That''s what you call business!" Tu said with a cheerful smile on his face. "Oh, you grant them protection¡­?" Raven was rather confused now. "From who?" "From me, of course!" Tu said with a dangerous grin as he looked over Sar who was shaking. Raven couldn''t help but be taken aback. But she simply shrugged afterwards and shifted her gaze towards Sar. "Who are you?" He asked, fully alert. "Don''t be stressed," Tu smirked, which only made Sar more vignt. "You passed the test; you didn''t harm Raven, you don''t need to fear for your life." Sar swallowed loudly but said nothing. He was simply following his Lady''smand. If it was any other time, he would not have hesitated for a moment to kill Raven! "With that being said, Sar is safe, but the same is not true for you," Tu said while looking at a ce in the void. "Are you nning on showing up, or do I need to help you with that?" Raven and Sar looked around, but they saw nothing out of the ordinary; void, space debris, and somes and stars far away from them. "Hm, you are indeed more powerful than us," a voice let out a soft sigh. Looking around in surprise, Raven and Sar were able to see a person appearing slowly, in a simr manner to Guru. "Lord Gabriel?" Sar was surprised as she suddenly asked loudly. "Hm, so this is the fourth of the Seraphim of the End, Gabriel..." Raven muttered to herself. Gabriel looked like a normal person that would not stand out in a crowd, if one was to ignore his wings... A beautifully decorated white robe was worn, like a monk, around his body. Three pairs of beautiful white wings on his back proved his identity as they radiated with supreme power. However, that power was nothing worth mentioning in the presence of someone like Tu. "Sar," Gabriel looked at Sar and nodded in acknowledgement. "You didn''t do anything wrong¡­ s, it''s too unfortunate that you were destined to die the moment you followed Raphael''smand¡­" "Lord Gabriel! What is happening?" Sar was panicking. His mistress has given a simple order and he was doing what he was told obediently. But now, not only Lord Michael''s Guard Angel meant to kill him, but even Lord Gabriel appeared in person! "You are what is called a Monarch, huh?" Gabriel looked at Tu and nodded to himself in satisfaction. "A rank that is above the Supreme Deity¡­ it is indeed more powerful and more domineering than one can imagine." Tu narrowed his eyes, feeling that something was definitely wrong here. Why was this Gabriel not panicking? Even though he is one of the four Seraphim of the End, he stands no chance against a Monarch! "s, you also seem to have been injured," Gabriel continued. "Even though your aura is extremely powerful, it shows that you are not at your peak condition." "Does it matter though? I only need to p you twice and you''d be dead," Tu narrowed his eyes while surveying the area. Something was definitely not right! He just tried to attack Gabriel quietly and stealthily, but he felt danger! He, a Monarch, felt dangering from the surroundings! What is happening? "Indeed," Gabriel nodded. "You only need to p me twice and I''d be dead¡­ but that would only be the case if I was alone and unprepared, which unfortunately for you, I am not!" Chapter 295 - The Angels Trap Part 2 *Samantha Jade - Soldier * A/N: whoops, I forgot to add this to the first part. **** "Indeed," Gabriel nodded. "You only need to p me twice and I''d be dead¡­ but that would only be the case if I was alone and unprepared, which unfortunately for you, is not the case!" As he said thest word, he waved his hand and suddenly, countless breaths of life rose through the void. Many, almost countless, angels suddenly appeared and surrounded the trio of Sar, Tu, and Raven. It didn''t take Tu a second to recognize that none of those angels were at the Seraphim stage. However, his expression didn''t rx but rather quickly darkened. ''This is the angels'' real trap! Treacherous B*stards!'' Without even thinking about it, he turned towards Raven and Sar and pushed his aura through the two of them. Within the next instant, the two quickly disappeared. Gabriel frowned before shaking his head. The two that left were a mere Guard Angel and a useless, powerless human girl. He didn''t need to worry about them, they won''t be able to affect their n in the slightest. "Start!" He shouted and every angel red their own aura and proceeded with whatever n they had in mind. *** "Kay, what was that!?" Raven almost yelled. "Why did Tu send us here? Isn''t he supposed to be extremely powerful and almost invincible within our Sr System? "He even said that unless the Supreme Deity herself or two and more of the Seraphim took action against him, he''d have no problems, right? What''s the matter?" Raven tried to hide it, but the panic was rather visible on her face. Things have developed far beyond her expectations. Now that Tu had left her, she almost felt naked. She had protection whatsoever! With her Star Three rank, she is no better than dead if caught by a Servant Angel! ''Rave, hear me out, don''t panic,'' Ka quickly tried to calm her down. ''You need to know some stuff first¡­'' Saying that, Ka took advantage of her Thought eleration and passed her all of the information regarding The Immortal Blood Mantra and the events that took ce with Keith. "No way¡­" Raven hugged herself, trying to stop her shaking body. "The Supreme Deity is dead? Two Monarchs are working against us¡­?" Suddenly, these thoughts made her feel despair. "Wait," Raven suddenly shook her head while trying to focus again. "Get out, you b*tch trying this trick again!" Raven would never allow herself to feel despair. The only exnation was that someone was manipting her! Right, this is not even the first time! "You''re that sl*t Uriel, right?" Raven''s angry voice thundered across the void. ''Rave, don''t provoke this person!'' Ka scolded while gritting her teeth. ''We know it''s definitely someone so powerful, and it''s most likely Uriel. Right now, Tu is trapped within a massive array and can''t help us! We can''t afford to be careless!'' ''Tu is trapped?'' Raven asked in concern. ''Did the angels manage to set up an array?'' ''Yes, they had prepared beforehand,'' Ka nodded with a grim expression. ''Why do you think Tu sent us away? Although Gabriel is not a threat on his own, within that array, Tu''s abilities are extremely limited! ''Plus, they have massive numbers of angels that can work together to tire him out before going for the final kill¡­ we''ve been tricked this time¡­'' Raven gritted her teeth, not knowing what to do. "Who are you calling sl*t, you insignificant b*tch!" Suddenly, a feminine voice spread. A momentter, a feminine figure appeared in front of Raven. The figure belonged to none other than Uriel, one of the Seraphim of the End! Looking at her, Raven had to admit that her looks were a killer. She had long beautiful beige hair reached down her shoulder des while her sparkling brown eyes seemed to be able to calm a person''s soul! However, right now, she was extremely angry and her expression showed disgust and hatred the moment her eyes were set on Raven. Thetter could not help but swallow loudly as she tried to prevent her body from shaking. This shaking wasn''t out of fear, but it was her body''s response to the extreme killing intent that was radiating from Uriel''s eyes! "Lady Uriel!" Sar called out. This poor Guard Angel is so close to losing his mind. Things have escted out of the blue! He had absolutely no idea about what was going on! "You shut up!" Uriel shouted while even ignoring Sar. Thetter instantly closed his mouth and didn''t even dare breathe! Uriel didn''t care about him at all, but instead, she removed Raven''s white mask with a wave of her hand and threw it away unscrupulously. Raven widened her eyes but didn''t dare say anything. Her mind was spinning at top gear with Ka, trying to find a solution. Slowly and thoroughly, Uriel looked at Raven''s snow-white face, beautifully done short crimson-purple hair, and deep golden eyes. Subconsciously, she started getting closer to her. ''Too close!'' Raven wanted to shout, but she could not. Her body won''t move, even Ka''s Cyber Armour was of no use. No protection. No teleportation. No means of fighting back. Even if she wanted to close her eyes to avoid eye contact, she could not. She felt like she finally understood the saying ''like a fish on a cutting board!'' This feeling of helplessness¡­ The feeling of not having control over her own life¡­ Disgusting¡­ utterly so... "Why are you so beautiful?" Uriel suddenly asked. At this point she was within a hair''s breadth away from Raven. "Why do I envy you? Why does my dear Raphael love you? "How did you snatch her heart? Although her memories were sealed away, she still wants to protect you¡­ why? "Answer me, damn it! Is it your body?" She asked.. Being this close, she wanted to find out why Raphael fell for this mortal human girl. Chapter 296 - Uriels Gift *Samantha Jade - Soldier * A/N: This may be slightly ufortable for some readers. *** "Answer me, damn it! Did you seduce Raphael with your mortal body?" She asked. Being this close to Raven, she wanted to find out why Raphael fell for this seemingly fragile and insignificant human girl. With that in mind, she started touching Raven''s body as if she was her own salve. From another perspective, she seemed like a person checking out every part of their new car. Raven felt extremely muddle-headed as if she had been given some sort of anesthetic. ''This feels too familiar¡­'' Raven''s past fears and dark memories suddenly surfaced again. She wanted to scream, kick, or do just about anything but stand still, yet she could not. This is not the first time that Raven felt this way¡­ She had experienced something simr when she was kidnapped by Lady Luck, and trapped in her brothel... However, that time, at least Maya was beside her. But now, she was alone. She wasn''t even aware of Ka''s panicked voice yelling at her to keep her from falling into eternal sleep. Just as Uriel got closer to Raven''s most important part, she shook her head and gritted her teeth. Slowly, she retracted it upwards. Raven didn''t know what type of thoughts went through Uriel''s mind, but she seemed to be unwilling, or rather unable, to touch her there. Which, undoubtedly, she was extremely thankful for. With that being said, Uriel did notpletely stop. But she appeared to have gotten even angrier because she was unable to achieve her goal. With a dark grin that was filled with rage and evil thoughts, she slowly closed in on Raven''s lips and kissed her like a long lost lover. The scene looked quite erotic and many people would faint by simply watching, but Raven could not help but feel even dizzier. She even felt sick because of it. "Answer me! How did you make her fall for you? Is it your blood?" Uriel asked again as she bit down on Raven''s lips like a hungry snake that hasn''t been fed for months straight. Bluntly, she sucked on the bleeding lip, swallowing the red blood down her throat. Raven felt even more pitiful as she felt her life force escaping her body involuntarily. "Answer me you deaf b*tch, why aren''t you answering?!" Uriel asked again as she yelled. "Is it your soul?" Saying that, Uriel sped her hands around Raven''s pale cheeks and pressed forward even harder. With her tongue, she went through and invaded Raven''s mouth, reaching towards thetter''s. Contrary to what one might expect, Raven didn''t have the slightest joy in such action. Instead, her eyes began to bleed as her soul was being attacked. Uriel obviously didn''t mean to shatter her soul, but she wasn''t gentle either¡­ Moments felt like years. However, thankfully, within a few seconds, Uriel pulled away. This time, a weird expression of guilt clouded her eyes. But it onlysted a moment before her harsh expression was back. Looking back at Raven''s face that was covered in her own red blood, Uriel felt herself being attracted to her hollow golden eyes that seemed to be lost somewhere far away from reality. "Or maybe it is simply your eyes that captivated her?!" Uriel shouted as a vicious smile shed across her face. Without any hesitation, she choked Raven as she tightened her right hand around her neck. Opening her left palm firmly, she held it like a cutting knife. With the same vicious smile on her face, she sliced towards Raven''s face. Precisely, towards her left eye. Without a warning, that deep golden glow suddenly vanished... "Ah-" Raven wanted to scream from pain, but she couldn''t even afford that. She can only open her mouth in a silent scream. Blood gushed out and instantly formed a waterfall across Raven''s face. In contrast to Raven''s pitiful appearance, Uriel was quite pleased with herself as she held something between her fingers, something golden... "Ahahahahahahaha! I guess your appearance looks different now, maybe it was your eyes that made her fall for you after all!" Although she was an angel, a Seraph to be exact, one of the leaders of the angels, Uriel appeared like a pure lunatic. This image was reinforced by the golden human eye she held and twirled around her fingers. "Well, I guess we''ll have to ''see'' how Raphel reacts to you without your eye!" Uriel grinned as she squished the eye and turned it into nothingness. "Can you guess why I only took one of your eyes?" she asked as she tightened her right hand even harder around Raven''s neck, prompting her to shed tears involuntarily, from one eye that is, as she coughed fiercely. "It is because I want you to see Raphael''s expression of disgust as she looks at you in this state. "No matter how beautiful she thinks you are, she will not love a one-eyed b*tch, ahahahaha!" Raven''s appearance was extremely pitiful as she was being tortured without the power to fight back. Uriel on the other hand was simplyughing hysterically while gripping the former''s throat. "Come with me, I can''t wait any longer!" Uriel said as she squeezed Raven''s neck once again. "We''ll go meet her now! I want to see what she thinks of you! "You know,st I saw her, we had a small lovers'' quarrel. But now, I can go back with a gift in hand, I think she''ll be able to forgive me quickly! Maybe she''ll even fall for me for real! So, please do me a favour and be an obedient gift!" Saying thatst part with another one of dark grins, she quickly disappeared with Raven in hand, literally. Sar was left behind, more confused and terrified than ever in his life. Seeing them disappear, he didn''t know what to do, so he simply stayed in ce looking around awkwardly. "What are you doing here?" An angry voice came into Uriel''s ears as soon as she reappeared. Chapter 297 - The Sun Behind The Clouds Part 1 "What are you doing here?" An angry shout reached Uriel''s ears as soon as she reappeared. The person who yelled was none other than Michael, the head of the Seraphim of the End and the entire angel army! Looking around her, Uriel was surprised to see Raphael and Michael in the middle of a vicious fight. Michael''s white hair looked disheveled and his clothes and armour torn in some areas. And although the same applied for Raphel, she was without a doubt looking much worse. Out of the two, Uriel only really cared about one... "Michael, what the f*ck are you doing, you b*stard," Uriel didn''t conceal her killing intent as she yelled loudly. "The n was that you hold Raphael in ce and prevent her froming to interrupt me while I bring her my gift, you said you would not hurt her!" Veins bulged and pulsed violently on Uriel''s pretty face the moment she saw milky white blood flowing down Raphael''s mouth and in many ces on her silver armour, indicating both internal and external injuries. Humans had red blood. Even most of the angels had the same blood colour. This is mostly the effect of a certain protein that is called hemoglobin that is needed for oxygen processing in the body. However, the strong angels and especially the Seraphim don''t require oxygen, but rather mana. That''s why their blood does not contain hemoglobin, but rather other types of special evolutionary proteins that are most important for the absorption of mana from the environment. And although these special proteins are not necessarily white, the blessings of the Supreme Deity upon her Seraphim grants them some extra powers. And as a side effect of the blessings, their special proteins gain their unique milky white colour. "You idiot, all you had to do was to go help Gabriel against the injured Monarch, you two should have been enough to finish him off with the help of that array!" Michael yelled back. "Why did you have to bring that useless thing with you?" ring at the hollow-eyed Raven with her pitiful expression, Michael wished he could kill her together with this stupid andpletely irrational Uriel! "What did you do to her?!" Raphael ignored the two and yelled at Uriel as loud as she could. Even though she was severely injured, an inexplicable sense of urgency and panic filled her consciousness the moment she saw the human girl in Uriel''s arms. "Why is she bleeding all over? What did you do to her you sl*t!" Uriel who was yelling at Michael almost choked. "I prepared this gift for you! Why are you mad? I knew you''d like her so I didn''t kill her, but I want you to always remember that she is MY gift to you!" "I said that no one is allowed to hurt her!" Raphael ignored her remark and yelled again as she shed across the void and appeared in front of Uriel. She pped her on the face, leaving her with a dumbfounded expression and a small injury, as she attempted to take away Raven from her arms and into hers. Usually, Raphael, as one of the four Seraphim of the End, would never bother with an inferior race like humans. However, forget that there was no one of her subordinates present to take care of this girl, even if there were any, she would not have allowed anyone to touch her. This inexplicable and unexpected feeling made her question everything. She knew that this girl was a key to some important secret that the others were trying so hard to hide and prevent her from learning! Otherwise, how would she exin that this seemingly insignificant girl was targeted by Uriel first and then Michael? How would she exin that Michael attacked her and sent his own subordinates, including many Holy Angels, to intercept this girl? If it wasn''t for her sending literally every angel soldier she had under her control to stop Michael''s forces, then this girl would have already been dead! And with her, the secret she wanted, no but rather needed, to know would have disappeared. Taking Raven into her arms, Raphael looked at her pitiful face as sparkling tears slowly left her eyes and fell down her face. It wasn''t until her tear drops hit the girl''s face and mixed with her red blood that she was aware of them. "Eh? Why am I crying?" Raphael stared intently at the girl''s face as she asked no one in particr. "Stop her! No, kill her!" Michael yelled at Uriel who was closer to Raphael. "She is no longer fit for being one of us, she must die!" "Tch," Uriel touched the injury on her face that scorchingly formed after Raphael''s hurried p. "Raphael, you owe me big time! You better fall for me when Ie back. For now, you can have your little time with her. I''ll dy the b*stard who dared to hurt you!" Although she was extremely dissatisfied with Raphael''s behaviour, she could not bring herself to p her in return or punish her in any way. Furthermore, the idea of Michael hurting her made Uriel''s blood boil! As Uriel threw herself into a surprisingly intense battle with Michael, Raphael didn''t utter a single word. She tried, but she could not¡­ She simply stared at Raven''s face as she rested between her arms. Two eyes closed. One leaked a waterfall of blood. Face covered in wounds and cuts. Choking marks on the neck. Armour looked roughed up... ''Who would dare hurt her like this?'' Raphael gritted her teeth as she held Raven''s pale hand in a supportive manner. "Ughei¡­" A soft moan escaped Ravens mouth as one eye, her right eye, opened slowly and tremblingly. Slowly, maybe even subconsciously, her golden eye fell on Raphael''s face, tear-filled bright silver eyes, and beautiful silver-white hair. Although she wasn''t particrly familiar with such features, Raven could not help but choke on her newly emerging tears. "I- *cough* I have finally *cough* found you, Maya¡­" Although she looked extremely miserable, her face showed extreme satisfaction and calmness. "You know, the *cough* the torture I endured was worth it!" Chapter 298 - The Sun Behind The Clouds Part 2 "I- *cough* I have finally *cough* found you, Maya¡­" Although she looked extremely miserable, her face showed extreme satisfaction and calmness. "You know, the *cough* the torture I endured was worth it!" Yes, she had chosen to endure most of the torture because she knew that she would get to meet Maya eventually. She had some skills she could use as ast resort, and maybe if a miracle happened, she could have escaped. However, with Uriel''s unfathomable strength, there was no way of getting closer to Maya if she had tried to run away. That''s why she endured... Slowly, Raven lifted her fragile pale palm up and touched Raphael''s face that had frozen, as if in a trance, the moment she heard the name ''Maya'' from Raven''s mouth. The moment Raven''s palm touched Raphael''s pale cheek that was covered in milky white blood, she shivered, as if a violent electric current had just passed through her. "Maya¡­ my name¡­" she muttered with some difficulty. Slowly, she could feel a thin dark veil being peeled off of her eyes. It was akin to a new feeling that she has never experienced¡­ or rather hasn''t experienced in a long while that she had almost forgotten about it. "Raven¡­ your name¡­" she continued in a surprised expression. It was as if she herself didn''t expect the wordsing out of her mouth. *Cough* "Uhm," Raven managed to nod after a cough. She tried her best to smile through bloodied lips. "Your name is Maya¡­ *cough* Mine is Raven¡­ I finally found you¡­" With each word she muttered, Raphael could feel that a barrier that was trapping her inside a dark dream, was being slowly broken to pieces and discarded. However, what gave her an extremely unpleasant feeling was the fact that the reality she was waking up to was more cruel than her dream... "Raven¡­" Raphael, no, Maya muttered as more tears poured down. Her eyes that seemed cold before suddenly warmed up and she quickly released her holy aura to support Raven. Her bright silver eyes looked like two suns that have finally been relieved of the rainy clouds. She could finally see the reality that has always been hidden from her. And although this reality was worse than a nightmare for her, after seeing the injured Raven, it was a thousand times better than being trapped in that dream without her most beloved person by her side. "I''m finally back, Rave," Maya said in between soft sobs as she hugged Raven tighter, causing her to cough once more. "I''m sorry!" She quickly apologized, but Raven shook her head with a big pure smile. She was extremely happy right now that she''d allow nothing to ruin this moment of reunion. "I missed you, *cough* you know," Raven struggled but still spoke in a clear voice. "Maria missed you too!" Maya didn''t speak, but her face showed a look of pain and guilt. How did she allow herself to forget her family? Even though it was one of Michael''s special skills that ultimately resulted in this, she could not forgive herself. However, although she was not quite aware yet, she is extremely lucky to remember any of the memories that Michael tried to erase. Under normal circumstances, his actions would havepletely erased those memories. However, back then, Maya had felt that Michael had some evil intentions. And based on her intuition, she chose to voluntarily seal those most precious memories behind a veil that she created herself. That way, she managed to salvage and protect them. Most importantly, that veil was set up in a way that it won''t activate unless she was able to see one of two people; Raven or Maria. Although that decision was solely based on trust, she never doubted that one of those two people would unlock the seal for her; that''s her family, a family that would never allow her to be lonely! Now that she thinks about it, if she had not set up that veil to protect those memories, then right now, she would not have been holding Raven between her arms like this, but instead fighting with her and causing her injuries and pain¡­ Just the thought of it made her feel extremely uneasy and troubled. She was so thankful to herself for allowing herself to follow her intuition. Additionally, she was so thankful for Raven for handing her what she cherished the most: herself! ''Uhm, I must protect her with everything I have¡­'' Maya thought to herself as she focused back at Raven. "I missed you too, Rave," Maya finally replied while trying to rpose herself and stop her tears from flowing down like rivers. Looking at Raven, her heart could not help but ache. This pain that was generated from her heart was many times more unbearable than all of Michael''s attacksbined. "Your eye¡­" Maya cried and sniffed as she became clear of Raven''s awful condition. *Cough* "It''s okay," thetter answered after a cough. A big smile appeared on her face. "One eye is enough for me to see you!" Her smile was so genuine and so happy that it didn''t help Maya''s pain, but rather made it worse. ''What did I do to ever deserve such a person working so hard just to see me?'' She asked herself. The moment that thought surfaced, she suddenly remembered Lady Luck and the nightmares she spent with her. At that time, she used to think of herself as an insignificant doll that had no emotions whatsoever, only by doing that could she survive the years under her. However, the moment a certain azure haired boy appeared there, her colourless days suddenly exploded with all sorts of beautiful colours that were filled with warmth. Although she started looking forward to being with that boy each day, he himself was not satisfied with being trapped and used like a tool. ''Sorry little girl, I am not strong enough, I can''t help you¡­'' the azure haired boy had said with a look of guilt. Chapter 299 - Retribution *E.T. - Katy Perry * ''Sorry little girl, I am not strong enough, I can''t help you¡­'' the azure haired boy had said with a look of guilt. Maya didn''t really listen to the boy as he rambled on but instead she just simply enjoyed her days with him. Just his presence brought her immeasurable joy! Amongst the dark rainy clouds, he was her only sun! But who would have thought that that powerless and seemingly fragile boy would suddenly gain enough power to destroy a whole city! It happened so unexpectedly that it was frightening. However, what warmed up Maya''s heart was that the azure haired boy never forgot about her. Once he gained that power and dealt with the people threatening their lives, he gently extended his hand towards her. ''I have enough power to save you now, let''s leave this ce!'' He had said with a soft smile on his face. His azure eyes were shining with brilliance as he finally got to achieve his promise. Amongst all the chaos of that day, his smile was like a beacon of hope that guided Maya to see the daylight! From that moment onwards, Maya''s life was turned from a disgusting hell to a delightful paradise! The nightmare was reced with a beautiful dream¡­ The cloudy storm was reced with a warm sun¡­ The one dark memory of her previous life was entirely reced with the most beautiful of memories¡­ All because of this azure haired boy! And that boy was none other than Draven who had be Raven who was now between her arms, shivering miserably, and bleeding in such a state¡­ Even though she was doing her best to spread her own warm holy aura into Raven''s body, it didn''t seem to have much of an effect, or rather it was too slow and weak to have an effect on her¡­ Normally, this would not be the case. However, right now, Maya was severely injured and her mana was barely able to keep herself awake and functioning. In a sense, she was only slightly better than Raven herself. But even with that being said, Maya didn''t give a f*ck about her own situation, inparison to how much she cared about her most beloved person in her arms. Every part of Raven was injured; her body, her life force, her soul¡­ Unable to withstand seeing her like this, Maya''s feelings started shing through her mind. Anger welled up within her heart and killing intent radiated from her silver-white eyes. She had lived countless years as Raphael, one of the Seraphim of the End; one of the leaders of angels, and spent countless Life Cycles under different names, in different forms, living different lives. And the time she spent as Maya was merely a sh inparison. However, that sh of time was more precious to her than her entire countless years of life! ''But I can''t lose myself to my emotions,'' She quickly thought to herself. ''I must help Raven heal and then kill the b*stards who harmed her!'' Calming herself down, Maya slowly opened her eyes that she had unknowingly closed at one point. Looking down in a trance, she was extremely surprised to find that her lips have been connected with Raven''s for some time now. A feeling of deep rxation and happiness spread throughout her body and soul as the two were closely connected. Maybe it was her own imagination, but she suddenly felt herself get better as her breathing improved and even her injuries started hurting less... What made her even more surprised and rather delighted was that Raven, whether because she didn''t have the ability to move herself or because she didn''t mind, did not resist the tender lips that were engulfing hers at all. One Angel and one Soul Weaver were wrapped around one another in an affectionate embrace that seemed to radiate unimaginable warmth. Sparkling silver-white silky hair caressed the short crimson-purple locks, creating a magnificent phenomenon that was akin to a captivating neb. Not only that, but also as if to add to the divine scene, red and milky white blood mixed and intertwined as the two girls forgot about the world around them. There was no coppery smell and no bitter taste, but only the smell of fresh roses and the taste of the sweetest desert known to living beings! The two girls looked rather out of ce, especially when one takes into ount the destructive attacks in the distance as two supreme beings fought restlessly. Unfortunately, not too long after, Maya could only painfully and after so much hesitation extract herself from a pleasure that she has never felt or experienced in her entire life, not even the countless Life Cycles she went through. Although she had technically kissed Raven twice, the first time didn''tpare to this one at all. If one was topare the first kiss to a short poem, then this kiss was a full out concert! Looking at Raven''s eyes, Maya saw them closed in a peaceful expression, uncaring about her injuries or the blood covering her face and body. She looked so calm and rxed that it even affected others'' moods and made them feel inexplicably at ease. The more Maya looked at her, the more she loved her and the more angry she was with herself and the world. How dare they punish such a pure hearted girl? How dare Uriel hurt her? How dare Michael target her? How dare the world turn its back against her? Well, that doesn''t matter now. She, as Maya, would stand by her side for as long as she could and never leave her side! Now, she was going to make the world pay. Retribution wasing, and it was not going to be easy to run away from! Resisting the urge to lose herself in Raven''s face that contained a newly emerging flush, Maya looked up with extreme difficulty while withstanding a pain that was akin to losing a piece of her. Chapter 300 - Stand Together Part 1 *Jax Jones - Breathe ( ft. Ina Wroldsen) * Steeling her heart against her rampant emotions and adopting a serious expression, Maya narrowed her eyes into the far distance where the two Seraphim fought restlessly. From the looks of it, Uriel didn''t stand much of a chance against Michael. In a sense, that was rather obvious. If Maya herself was not Michael''s opponent, then Uriel who almost never fought a battle before was by no means his opponent. However, Maya didn''t mean to intervene in their fight at this moment. No, it wasn''t the right time for her to act yet. She herself needed to heal her wounds as soon as possible. Otherwise, with the strength she could muster in her current state, she could not even dy Michael, let alone fight against him on equal footing. Additionally, she needed to heal Raven too. If not, those injuries of hers may leave some longsting marks, especially the ones affecting her soul. With that in mind, she closed her eyes in concentration and took in a deep breath as mana throughout the void started to move and gather around her. Although the amount was rather tiny and insufficient, it was her only option at the moment. And if she was lucky and Uriel managed to buy her enough time, she''d definitely be able to reap some significant results! With that being said, she could not depend on such uncertainties. She needed to find a more usible solution quickly! And surprisingly¡­ finding that usible solution didn''t take long; a familiar voice sounded at a spot in front of her face. It was very simr to Raven''s, yet Maya knew it wasn''t hers. The only other option was most definitely Ka''s voice! "Maya, nice to see you after so long¡­" Ka said, obviously happy that she could finally see Maya again. It was rather unfortunate that they didn''t have time to properly celebrate though. Maya, who had her eyes closed in order to focus, opened them suddenly and found an extremely tiny version of Raven, with dark purple eyes and matching long hair, standing just right above her nose. "Uhm, I''m sorry for the trouble¡­" Maya said, even though she sounded apologetic, her face showed a genuine smile the moment she saw Ka''s face. Although the two of them were never really that close to each other, they both shared one person that they could die for without any questions asked. That''s why the reunion wasn''t awkward, but rather very heartwarming to the two of them. But even so, none muttered any nonsense. "What do I need to do?" Maya asked, firmly believing that Ka would not have expended her scarce energy just to greet her. Even though she had the background of a Seraph, Maya knew better than anyone that she could never underestimate Ka. That''s why she only had one thought in mind; it must be that she has found a way to help Raven and she needs her help! "I need angels," the tiny Ka grinned at Maya''s response and replied promptly. She could tell that she had already seen through her, which made her rather satisfied. "How many?" Maya asked, rather decisively. "As many as you can afford!" Ka had a serious expression as she spoke those words. Maya grinned. She was suddenly aware that Ka had a n, and it wasn''t a simple one! Without further ado, Maya focused on her angel forces and issued hermand¡­ *** While Maya, Ka, and Raven were each busy with their own task, the surface of Earth was rumbling as its mountings were razed to the ground, its oceans sent crashing against the wind, and its skies cracked open! A magnificent battle was taking ce on that small. Instead of its usual peaceful blue and green colours, Earth was covered in white as hundreds of millions of angels attacked all at the same time. The ranks varied from rank Star One and all the way to Star Five, with the highest being extremely rare. Only one hundred such highest rank angels existed. Fortunately, although there were more powerful angels waiting in line, such as one Star Twenty leader, two Star Fifteen, and twenty Star Ten angels, none of them attacked. ording to their instructions, they were not supposed to finish everything easily. Instead, they were asked to torture and kill the Humans slowly! ording to their calctions, the leader by himself was enough to destroy this. As such, he could not attack for now. With that being said, the current number of angels was enough to trouble everyone that was fighting relentlessly. Everyone has been fighting for a long time and even standing has slowly be extremely difficult. Fighting was a thousand times more so. This applied to both Humans, Demons, and even the few aliens that chose to stay and fight alongside them. Even Gaia herself looked slightly tired. After all, the battlefield was her own body! Those mountains, those oceans, those skies¡­ everything that was affected by the attacks had inflicted sole serious pain to her. But with that being said, her origin was hidden deep inside the so there was no real risk of serious injury. "Those b*stards are nning to wait until we''re unable to fight!" a Terran soldier shouted angrily while sting an angel into pieces. His attacks were decisive and vicious. Previously, such attacks would never harm a One Star ranked angel. But after Gaia''s blessing was passed to everyone, such a thing became the norm. "Take turns, don''t let them overwhelm you!" Amander yelled loudly. The enemy was taking advantage of their small numbers andunching continuous attacks to tire them out. Basically, they were nning a battle of attrition. However, the Terran Army came up with a very simple and rather effective n; simply take turns in engaging in battle! On a small scale, this would be forming a team of two soldiers: one of them would attack and defend as the other rested. Chapter 301 - Stand Together Part 2 On arger scale, this would be forming a small battalion of twopanies: onepany would attack and defend as the other rested and so on¡­ So far in most countries, the Generals have decided to mix the two scales, making it the most effective way. Although simple, this has shown miraculous results! Amongst the crowds that were either attacking their enemies fiercely or panting heavily while trying to gather their strength back, two men, one woman, and one cat-like creature stood side by side. *Sigh* "Scott, when are we going to personally attack? Our army does not have the numbers to support this battle style¡­" an anxious voice escaped the young woman''s lips after a soft sigh. Her long jet ck hair swayed continuously with the wings, as if unable to resist. Her deep blue eyes narrowed at the bloody sky above her head and the bodies falling down the skies and crashing against the ground. As she observed, she could clearly see that the number of Terran Army soldiers falling was extremely tiny inparison to the angels. This didn''te from the soldiers'' own prowess, but rather from their bracelets that have Ka''s mark on them. Whenever a soldier is about to receive a killing blow, a blue energy curtain would engulf them and protect their entire body. This protective energy curtain has the ability to guard and protect against a Star Five blow! Although not many people know, this rtively newly added feature was a result of Ka analysing General Kai''s gift to Raven. Although she herself was in need of such a protective artifact, it ended up saving more lives than one could count! "Deputy General Cami Rogers, I told you countless times to call me General Scott¡­" Scott raised his eyebrows although his eyes were still closed as usual. "Scott¡­" Cami raised her eyebrows in return. "I am serious. Please answer the question!" "Hey, don''t make it hard on Scott, he''s not having a good time either," Jamie, with his fiery red hair, ignored Scott''s remark about his title and answered helplessly. "You know that Ka has asked us to wait for her signal, no? You should have more trust in her." "I second that," Kuru said as he suddenly jumped onto Cami''s shoulder andid there like a normal house cat. "Shut up, both of you!" Cami shouted. "You know I trust her the best amongst you, but I also know that she''s facing way more troubles than we can imagine with Raven up there¡­ maybe she''s just busy-" """All units, ready up!""" Suddenly, and as if on cue, a familiar young voice was heard from the bracelets on everyone''s wrists. Hearing that, the soldiers grinned as they prepared for receiving their signal. This voice, although seemingly belonging to a young girl, has be an unforgettable sign of excitement and hope! Whenever this girl speaks, everyone knows that their Commanding General is making a move. Although not many knew the truth behind it, it was enough to signal that a new change will happen on the battlefield. And on such a battlefield, any nned change is a wonderful one! """I repeat, all units, ready up! The preparations are ready! Signal will be received shortly!""" The Generals all around the battlefield quickly started reporting their readiness to Ka. Not too long after, Ka''s pleasant voice was heard again. """All units, get into your discussed defensive formations!""" Hearing the order, the Terran soldiers started forming defensive lines to protect against the skies, literally, as if expecting a violent blizzard! Without the Terran Army attacking, the Angel Army started getting dangerously closer. "Done!" The first General reported to Ka via bracelet. "Done!" The second General reported. The third and fourth reported shortly after. And not too long after, Ka had received a signal from each and every General on the battlefield. Even Gaia and her titans around the globe all stopped their movements and waited intently. "Uhm, Executives, get to work!" Ka transmitted her voice to Raven''s five Executives in particr. Receiving their order, even though each one of them was in a different position around the as the n stated, they quickly started their work at the same time in a synchronous manner. At a certain position in the sky above the destroyed city and the tired Terran Army soldiers, Abbadon smirked dangerously while swiftly licking his lips, a dark aura escaping his body terrifyingly. He generously spread his hands while peacefully floating in the sky, as if weing theing Angel Army into his loving arms¡­ The dark Curse aura suddenly took shape and started forming what seemed to be a throughout the sky. This scene was not limited to Abbadon; Levi, Aamon, and Maeve replicated these movements and gave off simr auras from their own respective positions. Bel, the fifth Executive, floated in the middle of the sky as sweat oozed down his brow. His hands were filled with his dark aura as many seals were formed, broken, and then reformed. The sixth andst Executive, Keith, did not participate in their n. But instead, he simply stood near the sea of blood where Calcer was submerged. As Calcer was relentlessly practicing his Immortal Blood Mantra and absorbing the vitality of the blood, allowing his aura to continuously rise, Keith had his eyes closed in deep concentration, as if waiting for something important to happen before taking action. As the Angel Army got close enough, Ka signalled the five Daemons to proceed as nned. Suddenly, webs of what seemed like spider silk that was in fact made out of dark Curse energy were formed in the sky, creating a terrifying atmosphere that caused even Generals that reached the rank of Star Nine to sweat profoundly. Many soldiers trembled as they quickly recognized that they''ve seen something simr at the start of the battle¡­ "They''re creating more Dark Angel Puppets, the Commanding General''s executives are awesome!" One soldier cheered happily. "Hehe, those angels are done for, it''s over for them!" Another called while resting on her friend''s shoulder with some difficulty. "Huh, short sighted!" Another soldier nearby called out. "Do you really think they are just nning to create more Dark Angel Puppets? If so, why make such a big move? They''re obviously nning for arger surprise!" "But didn''t they prepare in the same way before, err, I mean we had to wait and-" "Shut up already! I''m telling you it''s different!" "Hey, I think he''s right¡­ the aura was that terrifyingst time!" "Maybe they''re just doing it on arger scale?" "Ah¡­" "This soldier was merely guessing," suddenly, the General close bymented, in a neutral tone, before a big grin formed across his face. "But he''s not far off from the truth¡­ well, you may not notice the difference at first, but brace yourself for it!" """Sir, yes sir!""" Many soldiers shouted in excitement. If it''s the General who''s talking, then there''s a trick that will surely bring bad luck to those angels! Watching intently, everyone could only hold their breath as the number of angels approaching was enough to make the sky dark again. Although they have heard that there were a total of ten million Star One angels, only now did they feel the gravity of the situation. But even so, not many soldiers were concerned. After all, the orders they received were simply instructing them to defend and not attack. Needless to say, everyone had full trust in their orders since from the start of the invasion, every word spoken through their bracelets came to be, and everything waspletely controlled! While everyone was deep in thought, a change urred: the dark web started vibrating dangerously. Suddenly, a familiar whisper spread: "Chaos Puppeteer!" With those words, some strange energy was mixed into the web. However, contrary tost time, Dark Angel Puppets were created¡­ the angels kept on simply approaching... "Huh? Did I miss something?" A soldier called out involuntarily. "Yeah, why is nothing happening?" Another confused voice sounded. "Wait, you two idiots. Didn''t the General say that we may not be able to figure it out at first? Just watch quietly!" "Yes, shut up I''m trying to focus here!" As the crowds argued, a small figure suddenly appeared in the dark sky. The figure was that of a girl with long dark purple hair and matching eyes. This was none other than Ka''s clone! With her appearance, soft fluorescence particles spread in all directions and lit up the dim atmosphere. Those fluorescent particles seemed to be endless and were radiating an aura of bothplete annihtion and endless creation. Such an aura gave the soldiers a feeling of being in the presence of a deity! Even the top powerhouses were left speechless. "Kfufufufu, so that''s Lady Ka''s true powers-" Abbadon chuckled and said, but quickly shook his head. "I doubt this is even her true power. After all, even I am getting this feeling of wanting to kneel down for her¡­" Chapter 302 - Stand Together Part 3 Although it was just a hunch, Abbadon knew that Lady Ka was way more mysterious than she appears to be. And what she was showing right now was by no means her true power! Barely a few moments passed before those soft fluorescence particles erged and increased in numbers until they were akin to a seamless curtain of silver stars above the crowds. It was as though a supreme being had folded this mortal sky and allowed everyone to peer through a portal to a distant world. Many people could not resist anymore and dropped to their knees. Suddenly, a soft and gentle voice escaped Ka''s mouth as she floated in the air, with an arrogant demeanor yet expressionless face, above everyone else''s heads: "System, unleash Admin skills; Cyber Sense: Absorption and Integration!" As those words were heard, the curtain of silver stars strangely disappeared, dimming the world all of a sudden. The average soldier panicked slightly before realizing that those silver stars, that in fact were just Cyber Particles, had suddenly emerged into the web- no¡­ it was the web that got absorbed and integrated into those fluorescent particles! The dark quickly dissipated and the light of the silver stars came back many times brighter than before, forcing everyone to close their eyes. "System, heed Admin''smand; initiate the creation of the Cyber Cores!" Ka''s gentle voice was heard again. Although none really knew what those words, or rathermands, meant, it was enough to make them shudder. They all watched in awe at a spectacle being created, rather literally. Shining brightly, those star-like Cyber Particles suddenly started gathering towards random spots in the sky, bingrger andrger. Not too long after, there were hundreds ofrge silver suns in the sky. Obviously, they weren''t the size of a real sun, but they were the size of the sun as viewed from the surface of Earth. With that being said, their numbers were enough to cover the sky in blinding silver! However, the blinding light didn''tst long. Those silver suns slowly and gradually copsed into silver moons. Simrly, those silver moons copsed and became smaller and smaller until they reached the size of a small marble-sized orb. Contrary to what the soldiers expected to see, the small orbs weren''t as blinding as they expected. In other words, they were not as bright. But what was weird was that the light intensitying out of them was many, almost countless, timesrger. The soldiers looked up with squinting eyes and saw the hundreds of orbs change colour and shape all of a sudden as if they had turned from solid to liquid. Firstly, the liquid-like orb strangely turned from silver into blinding ck as the aura of death and hatred prevailed. The Terran Army soldiers were terrified at the dark aura and everyone suddenly felt that it''s safer to increase their defensive power. Secondly, the orb switched colours from ck into sensual blue that gave off the aura of immense erotic pleasure. But strangely, or rather frighteningly, the crowds seemed to feel a gaze that was always prating their flesh and subduing their souls... The soldiers paled¡­ Thirdly, the sensual blue quickly turned into orange that was apanied by an aura of not only hunger but also, strangely, safety¡­ Fourthly, the orange faded and turned into a beautiful green that gave off the aura of envy and was apanied by a chill that indicated extreme danger. Fifthly, the colour swiftly changed from green into a calm cyan. Thisst colour was giving off a feeling of rxation. But that wasn''t anything good, but rather extremely dangerous, because to the crowd, it seemed as though if they rxed their vignce in the presence of such aura, they might lose themselves! Lastly, the cyan faded away and the original silver was back, shining with calm brilliance. The soldiers, and even the EDA Generals were left gasping for air after this brief change, especially the Star Nine Generals who had a faint idea of what was going on. Uncaring about the crowd, Ka raised her hands and closed her eyes in concentration. "System, heed Admin''smand; Activate Pilot''s skill: Siphon Life!" Her faint whisper spread like a cool breeze around the Cyber Cores that were now suspended midair. Normally, Ka would not be able to actively use Raven''s skills. However, the skill she activated now is associated and rtively close to her own abilities Cyber Sense; Absorption and Integration. Instantly after she muttered hermand, massive amounts of mana escaped her body and almost caused it to disperse. But she quickly stabilized herself. Shortly after, the dangerous silver radiance around the Cyber Cores became even more dangerous as theyunched themselves into the approaching Angel Army. "Do you think this will work?" Levi, Raven''s Ghostly Assassin and one of her Executives, whispered to Maeve while approaching her. "Uhm," thetter nodded in a calm manner despite the sweat dripping off of her. "Lady Ka never does anything without detailed analysis and full calctions. Her n must work!" "Kfufufufu," Abbadon, who appeared ghostly at some point, only chuckled darkly. He was licking his lips as if already tasting blood. Thest two Executives arrived. Aamon smiled warmly while Bel''s expression remained unchanged. The soldiers looked up, filled with expectation. After all they''ve been through in the past few minutes, they were expecting a grand change in the battlefield! But to their surprise, nothing was happening; shortly after the Cyber Cores prated the Angel Army, there was simply no change... The soldiers swallowed their saliva nervously, begging for a change to ur. Right now, even though they had formed their own defensive lines, they weren''t expecting to do much again so many angels! "What are we waiting for exactly?" A soldier spoke while trembling. "Do we fight? Or-" "Shut up!" Another soldier yelled quickly. "Don''t affect our morale! If the Commanding General said that we wait, then we wait!" "Yes, the Commanding General is trustworthy! She won''t let us get hurt easily!" "Yes!" Although many soldiers were trying hard to boost their own morale, it wasn''t as easy¡­ especially while watching the massive wave of white getting closer and closer. Just as they were about to lose hope, a change urred; massive silver spheres appeared, or rather exploded, at the core of the Angel Army, exuding an extreme suction force. Under everyone''s gaze, they could see that those silver spheres would shrink rtively quickly after their explosion, reverting back to their small orb form and leaving behind¡­ nothing¡­ The soldiers were left awe inspired¡­ nothing was left of the angels within range of the explosion; no flesh, no blood, heck, not even some feathers! Seeing this, they all cheered. Some were even crying from happiness that came after some intense stress conditions. Countless explosions of silver fluorescence spread rapidly throughout the Angel Army, thinning their numbers severely. The scene continued for a few minutes, reducing the angels by about one thirds of their original numbers. This means that right now, only about six to seven million angels remain! However, to everyone''s surprise, this wasn''t the end of it. After all, their Generals have mentioned that this was not a simple move! "System, receive Admin''s orders; Activate the Cyber Cores and form the Cyber Force!" The familiar gentle whisper spread and reached everyone''s ears. Looking up expectantly after hearing Ka''smand, the soldiers could see the small silver orbs moving in a liquid-like fashion, forming human silhouettes! Surprisingly, the hundreds of silver orbs suddenly turned to human figures. And they all look simr to their Commanding General, except for their unique armour that almost looked alien! "Are those clones?" Someone asked loudly. "Yes, you idiot," another grinned. "Do you think the Commanding General has that many twins?" "Although we can''t see their faces, those people are obviously clones!" "Were those made out of the silver orbs we saw before?" "What happened to the angels that died?" "Yeah, I was wondering about that too!" ¡­ Conversations were endless within the soldiers. Only a handful knew exactly what was going on. "Scott, those are not exactly clones, are they?" One General transmitted his question through the bracelet. "Uhm," Scott nodded. "Well, they are, but each has their own consciousness, err, I think it''s better to say that each has their own thinking¡­" "You''re confusing me¡­" "Ugh, think of it as having hundreds of that little girl, that''s exactly how it is." "Uh¡­" "For **** sake, do not ask me, it''s not important for you to know!" Scott stopped replying to the General''s messages. To be fair, he was not sure of what was going to happen himself. All he knew was that Ka was working on a way to bring more help and more firepower for the Terran Army. Although she had the ability to create clones as he himself has witnessed it before, Ka had exined that she could only use a maximum of twenty to thirty clones with her current strength. Chapter 303 - Stand Together Part 4 This limitationes from the fact that for each clone, she would have to split her own consciousness and thinking. Overall, if she wanted her n to seed and actually make a difference on the battlefield, she had to ovee that limitation. And, she did! Those Cyber Cores she created contain a separate AI function that, although can connect back to the main mind, has its own thinking. In other words, each single one of those hundreds of armoured dark purple haired girls floating in the sky right now is a separate entity! Needless to say, this wasn''t something that Ka had just created out of thin air. She has worked and nned a lot in order toe up with a way to create those Cyber Cores. But it was worth it and the advantages heavily outweigh the effort put in. Right now, Ka doesn''t need to even focus on the Cyber Force members, but rather she only needs to give them amand of which they will execute in the most perfect way their AI function can think of! Additionally, Ka is able to selectively control one of them in some special circumstances if need be. And it doesn''t stop here; those Cyber Force members were created by allowing the Cyber Cores to absorb the energy from the Angel Army! Those explosions that everyone witnessed were the intense absorption power of the Cyber Cores that were executed using both Ka''s Cyber Sense: Absorption, and Raven''s Siphon Life skills! With that being said, that wasn''t even her end goal. She knew that with the limited time they have, those Cyber Force members won''t be able to empower themselves enough in order to overpower the strongest of the Angel Army. That''s why, she was only nning to use them as a step to allow one person to be able to deal with the Angels'' strongest¡­ and that one person was none other than Calcer, Raven''s first summon! "Cyber Force, proceed as nned!" Ka simply whispered as she slowly descended to the ground, tired and barely able to stand. Seeing that, Raven''s five Executives swiftly ran to her aid. But they were a little slow... By the time they arrived at her side, they realized that one of the Cyber Force members was already by her side, supporting her. It was rather funny seeing her own creation helping her, but Ka didn''tugh, she simply observed the rest. Above, the rest of the Cyber Force split into two groups. The two groups separated into tworge formations, or rather tworge arrays, and each of the groups used one of two of their skills in particr; Judge''s Domain and Chaos Puppeteer! When the Cyber Cores merged the Executive''s abilities with themselves, it was for this purpose exactly! Suddenly, blue rings of mana spread throughout the sky and trapped countless angels within. This was the work of the skill that was integrated from Maeve''s Judge''s Domain! With the angels restrained as if they were terrified of moving under the eyes of a supreme judge, the second group acted. This group''s aura suddenly welled as it gave a feeling of dangerous rxation, the same one the Terran Army was familiar with now. Suddenly, under the Cyber Force''s activation, Bel''s Chaos Puppeteer skill burst throughout the angels, swallowing them under its control. With the Cyber Force members being ranked between Star Four and Star Seven, they could easily kill those angels that are ranked below them. What''s more, they didn''t need to spill their blood, but rather simply destroy their souls... The soldiers didn''t even realize that the angels were being killed, they could only observe their colour change from white into ck. Not long after the activation of the second array that was supported by Chaos Puppeteer, many Dark Angel Puppets were created, some of which were ranked at Star Five! Without any exception, and to the soldiers'' surprise, those puppets didn''t take part in the battle. Instead, they simply flew quickly towards one destination. ¡­ Standing near the sea of blood, Keith was closing his eyes while reconsolidating his own lost strength. His three dark wings were fluttering behind him while radiating with immense power. Although he was at the middle stages of Star Nine Hundred during his peak, the most he could do now was Star Nine. However, he thought that he could do more. Right now, he''s limited in rank due to Gaia''s own limitations andck of power. This made him determine that he needed to go outside of Earth in order to absorb the energy he needs. If not, he could only be useless here. The reason why Ka''s hope was rather high for Calcer was because he had the ability to use the Immortal Blood Mantra to absorb the energy of the angel''s blood, thus gaining power within the need to absorb Gaia''s own World Energy. And although she had the Cyber Force members who could use her Absorption and Raven''s Siphon Life, they didn''t have enough time to reach higher ranks. Otherwise, they would not be struggling to support Calcer right now. This proved to Ka that her and Raven''s skills and stillcking, the Immortal Blood Mantra technique was many times better. But the down side was that only Calcer could use it with this much efficiency! Suddenly, while Keith was busy near bear the sea of blood, hundreds, or rather, thousands of figures approached hurriedly. Without a second thought, those figures all and without any exceptions jumped into the sea of blood, seemingly willingly. Those were the Dark Angel Puppets that were under the control of Chaos Puppeteer! Generally, the Dark Angel Puppets are immortal and can endlessly regenerate their bodies with the casters mana. However, in doing so, their physical bodies will be exhausted and no blood will remain, making them useless for Calcer. Additionally, even though the Terran Army needed soldiers desperately, the Cyber Force can''t afford spending their mana on something other than feeding cer''s sea of blood. One by one, Dark Angel Puppets jumped into their death, bing food for one blood demon. Minutes turned to hours as the pattern continued and the sea of blood expanded. Calcer who was at its center was continuously swallowing the mana stored in the blood. He was aware of just how important his role currently is and he had no intentions of cking off. The most important thing right now was to raise his rank! *** While the Dark Angel Puppets were used as fuel for the sea of blood, the Cyber Force members who were in the sky were being pushed back by the Angel Army that had finally arrived closer than they could ignore. If this continues, the production of more Dark Angel Puppets will certainly be slower. "Stand up!" Ka''s voice suddenly spread to everyone''s ears. "All soldiers, attack! Fight to survive and buy time, don''t fight to kill!" The Terran Army was not naive and this was definitely not their first rodeo. They have experienced countless battles so far and they knew that they needed to lend a hand. Now that their Commanding General has issued hermand, they all swiftly moved and covered the Cyber Force members. Although they didn''t necessarily know what those dark purple haired girls were doing, it was definitely not something that can be allowed to be interrupted. "Charge!!" The EDA Generals shouted while leading their troops into formations in order to avoid heavy casualties. After all, they were fighting to buy time, not to win. *** Above the clouds and beyond the boundaries of Earth, a group of extremely powerful angels knelt side by side, humbly, in front of the single strongest angel. One didn''t need to be an expert to realize that this was obviously the Star Twenty angel leader! Although standing in the void like a king, far away from the battlefield, it felt the changes in it. With a silent wave of its hand, and with its eyes closed, it signalled for twenty of its subordinates to take action. This act was devoid of spirituality, it had no sense of reason behind it. Only mere instinct! Without a single word, a wave of twenty Star Ten angels set off towards Earth. A few momentster, the angel leader raised his head and opened his eyes. Without a warning he knelt down in a swift motion. Its eyes fluttered as though it had received some orders from a superior. With another silent wave of its hand, the rest of the angels, including itself, quickly headed towards the small blue in front of them with an earth-shattering aura! From their behaviour, one could easily guess that their first orders of slow torture has been disregard and was now reced with another; kill without mercy! "!!!!" On Earth, Ka''s head suddenly snapped upwards as her avatar shook. "They''reing!" She whispered involuntarily. She suddenly had the urge to disperse her avatar and simply hide with Raven, but she knew that this can''t be done. Chapter 304 - Stand Together Part 5 Ka suddenly had the urge to disperse her avatar and simply hide within Raven''s Mind Space, but she knew that this can''t be done. She needed to defend Gaia and everyone else! Noticing her small body shivering, the five of Raven''s Executives looked at her strangely. Ka had spread the Cyber Particles in the void surrounding Earth and as such she could easily tell that the strong enemies were making their move, but the rest had no such means and simply could not feel the danger yet. With that being said, they weren''t stupid. They quickly realized the seriousness of the situation from Ka''s behaviour! ""They''reing!"" The five suddenly said at the same time as they quickly looked upwards in dreadful expressions. Although they were extremely powerful themselves, they knew that they could not ovee someone as powerful as the Star Twenty angel leader that wasing their way. Not to mention that there were two Star Fifteen and twenty Star Ten angels... "Tch," Ka clicked her tongue with a frown while shaking her head. "Be careful of their aura, it can affect the mind. Protect yourselves!" Of course, the massive difference in power was enough to make those who hold the higher ranks appear like nightmares to the lower ranks. Thus, the sheer difference of power between the two parties was enough to affect the mind and sometimes even harm the physical body. "All units, retreat into a defensive position, now!" Ka issued hermand via the bracelets. "Strong enemies are approaching, do not engage. I repeat, do not engage!" Everyone frowned and retreated readily. From her tone, it was enough for the soldiers to realize the seriousness of the situation. With a quick mental note from Ka, the hundreds of Cyber Force members above the clouds adopted a defensive formation and guided the Dark Angel Puppets they had under their control towards the front lines. They could no longer send them towards the sea of blood; they were needed here! "Keith," Ka sent Keith a private message through his bracelet. "Tell Calcer that he has to get out now; his enemy has almost arrived. We can''t dy any longer!" "Yes, Lady Ka!" Keith replied and swiftlyunched an attack at the sea of blood. With his current power, he wasn''t eligible to enter the depth that Calcer was practicing at. With the Immortal Blood Mantra practiced inside, the sea of blood was stormy and unforgiving. This was enough of a deterrence for most, but if that wasn''t, then the corrosion of those red waves was. The moment Keith''s attacknded, the sea of blood didn''t appear to have been affected at all and continued to crash around. But inside, at the deepest part, a figure slowly opened its red eyes. The pressure emanating from the figure''s gaze was akin to that of a sleeping dragon that had just been woken up abruptly;zy yet quite fierce! This figure was none other than Calcer, Raven''s first summoned demon! Raising his hands while sitting cross-legged, Calcer started manipting the sea of blood with unmatched precision, causing the waves on its surface to crash against one another even more violently. Although this move may have seemed without a purpose at first, Keith started slowly observing the shrinking size of the sea of blood. It was like a storm that wasing to an end! Blood continued to ssh around in a rather disturbing scene. Luckily, no one but Keith was around to witness such a thing. Just a few minutester, Calcer stood up slowly and extended his right hand forward. In his grip, a dark red blood sword appeared. It was long, yet thin, and looked rather normal with nothing special about it. However, under Keith''s shape gaze, he could clearly feel the dangerous glint it was emanating. Calcer finally extracted his eyes from the sword and noticed Keith who was standing just a few meters away. With a rushed move, he swiftly held the sword and pierced towards his own palm, causing Keith''s eyes to jump in surprise. But contrary to his expectations, the red blood sword prated Calcer''s hand and quickly and quietly disappeared. Having put the sword away, Calcer bowed towards Keith respectfully before ncing up with a wide grin. Seeing that Keith looked at him with aplicated expression, he didn''t think much of it and only shrugged his shoulders. "Keith, is it time yet?" He asked rhetorically as he looked up with narrowed eyes. His gaze seemed to be able to prate the sky and see the troublesome opponents that wereing his way. "Shall we go?" In general, any demon would have to call Keith as Lord Keith, but Calcer was Raven''s first summon and Keith''s close friend. The two were the first two demons to have fought together for their mistress. Thus, their close rtionship was something others didn''t have. Not to mention that Calcer is usually always smiling andughing. Etiquette is thest of his concerns. "Calcer¡­" Keith still looked at his friend with the sameplicated gaze. Although cer was one of the weakest, he now had enough power to stand at the very top. With that being said, that wasn''t the reason for Keith''s strange gaze¡­ "Uhm, what is it?" Calcer nodded while passing his hand through his fiery red hair. His red blood eyes glimmered with mana as he asked. And although he has been swimming in blood for quite a while now, his skin was still shiny white like his normal self. No, under the few sun rays that could prate the angels'' blockade, his skin was even brighter¡­ as white as porcin¡­ and as shiny as a piece of silver¡­ so shiny¡­ abnormally so¡­ maybe because he usually has his clothes on which he now didn''t... Calcer seemed rather confused at his friend''s look and didn''t know what to do other than tilt his head in a questioning manner. Keith used one hand to cover his eyes and the inexplicable look that appeared on his face while using the other to point at Calcer quietly. Calcer followed his finger and looked down at himself. Not a second after, his face turned from white to bright red, and from red to dark as his expression was filled with dread. Suddenly, a curtain of red blood exploded around Calcer and covered his body in shiny red armour. Without a single word, Calcer pointed upwards and quickly disappeared. Keith nodded and swiftly followed. During this whole rather interesting interaction, no words were spoken between the two. And although not said out loud, the two have determined that this must not be known by a third party, at all costs! *** While everyone was getting ready to defend theing Ang for the sake of survival rather than winning, Ka had her eyes closed as she was deep in thought. One second of time on the outside world was more than many hours for her inside Raven''s Mind Space, thanks to her own skill: Thought eleration. This allows her to have more than enough time for her to simte many scenarios and choose the one that would generate the best oue. As she was deep in thought, her eyes snapped open as she slowly looked down at her hands and clutched them with a determined look. "Ae," Ka sent the leader of The Raven''s Guards a voice message. "Get ready quickly, The Raven''s Guards will be taking on one of the two rank Star Fifteen angels¡­ but, if you think that you can''t do it then-" "Kay," Ae''s kind voice sounded on the other end. "Don''t worry, we got it!" "Uhm," Ka nodded, her voice shaking. She was very stressed about sending them to fight such an opponent, especially with their identity, to face someone as strong as a Star Fifteen angel, but she was out of options. Not to mention that those angels were akin to puppets, with no spirituality yet, which made them significantly weaker than those of the same rank. "Please be careful, if you feel that you can''t bear it, run away to the Demon Realm immediately." Ka continued. "Remember that everyone who stayed here has done so out of their own free will, if they die for their home then that''s on them. Don''t force yourselves!" "Haha, little Kay, don''t worry," Ae simply said. She wanted to say that she and her team also stayed out of their own free will, but she could feel the stress in Ka''s voice and she didn''t want to make her more nervous. "We''ll be careful!" "Uhm," Ka nodded before connecting her bracelet to someone else. "Um, Kay?" Maria''s voice was heard from the other end. "What''s wrong? Did something happen to Raven?" She knew that Ka would contact Ae, their leader, if she needed anything. But now that she contacted her then it is almost guaranteed to be something that is rted to Raven. "You know, Maria, we''ll be facing the biggest danger we have encountered so far, in just a few minutes from now," Ka ignored her question and spoke in a rather calm tone, contrary to her conversation with Ae. Chapter 305 - Stand Together Part 6 "You know, Maria, we''ll be facing the biggest danger we have encountered so far, in just a few minutes from now," Ka ignored her question and spoke in a rather calm tone, contrary to her conversation with Ae. She was trying her best to sound as confident as possible. A smile faintly started making its way towards her rosy face. "Uhm, I know," Maria nodded dismissively, her voice sounding rather nervous. "But please don''t change the subject, what happened to Raven? Is she okay?" "No, nothing, Raven is just fine," she denied and didn''t mention any of Uriel''s harsh torture methods and how she cried blood and even lost her left eye. "But something really good happened¡­" "Oh, what is it?" Maria seemed both relieved and excited as she asked. Ka''s smile began to appear more clearly. "We found your little Maya!" Hearing that, Maria was suddenly frozen as if she had just been struck by lightning. Tears welled up in her eyes and slowly made their way down her cheeks and dripped down her chin, hitting the dusty ground. Ka didn''t mind her silence, but rather continued talking: "Maria, you can''t die. You have to survive in order to see here home!" Without waiting for Maria to reply, she ended the transmission and went back to organizing the battlefield. After all, her time was limited. "Little girl," a voice was suddenly emitted from her bracelet. "When you mentioned that strong enemies were approaching, did you mean that the Star Twenty ranked angel was included?" The only person who would call Ka as ''little girl'' is Scott, the current Canadian EDA General. Although Ka didn''t like this, she didn''t say much. "Yes," although a simple word, it was enough to make Scott sweat profoundly. "What do we do?" He asked, nervous. "Well, did you not hear me say that all units must retreat?" She asked impatiently. "But since you decided to ask me... "Let me ask you something: You have trained with Tu for some time and you should be able to use your Cosmic Inclination, do you think you''d be able to take on one of the strong angels?" Ka asked decisively. "Um¡­ No?" Scott hesitated before answering. "I am not even at rank Star Five, what do you expect from me?" "Well, apparently I expected too much," Ka said with a shrug. "But too bad for you, I have already included you as a part of my n!" Scott almost coughed blood after hearing that. "You what?!" A mere Star Three attacks a Star Ten? That''s suicide! "Yes, as you''ve heard rigt," she didn''t repeat her point. "You will be fighting one of the twenty rank Star Ten angels. "But you would be alone so don''t worry. You''ll be fine, I promise¡­ well, fine for the most part¡­" without giving him a chance to retaliate, she ended the transmission forcefully. Taking a deep breath, she started transmitting a message to every General. "All units hear mymand," she said with a serious, and almost grim, tone. "All Generals will step forward to meet the enemy. Deputy Generals take control of the army. "Make sure to avoid direct contact and always stay on the defensive. If you estimate that the situation has be dangerous to a point of extinction, then you should take the army and leave through the Teleportation Gates. Does everyone understand?" Contrary to Ka''s expectations, no one replied. No soldier dared answer. Most of them looked down in embarrassment because they chose to ignore their Commanding General while the other part looked upwards resolutely, preparing for facing a powerful enemy. "I said, does everyone understand?!" Ka repeated with an angry tone. "Commanding General¡­ Please allow us to fight with you!" "Yes, Commanding General!" "We have to fight together!" "Yeah, we stand together for your home!" "Stand together!" "For our home!" Countless simr cries spread across the battlefield. Excitement and pride was used to mask the fear and anxiety. "Is that what you all want?" Ka finally asked while flying with the help of one of the Cyber Force members. """Yes, Commanding General!""" Everyone replied. "You will die, you don''t stand a chance against them," Ka was rather blunt. She had made her calctions already, and they were indeed going to die if they stayed. Not that she didn''t need them to attack what''s left of the Star One angels, but it''s just that those soldiers are the strongest the Terran Army has to offer; the first part of the army that left to organise the evacuation was not blessed by Gaia. And, Ka thought that it was just too wasteful to let them all die here. "Again, you will die if you stay," Ka repeated with a serious tone. """Yes, Commanding General!""" Everyone replied. "Uhm, I understand then," Ka nodded. "I have noted your determination; it''s truly admirable. We shall stand together and fight side by side then. For now however, stay in your defensive formation and wait for further instructions." """Yes, Commanding General!""" *Sigh* Even though her clone did not necessarily breath air, Ka let out a soft sigh as she looked at everyone''s faces, as if to engrave their faces and their brave, yet stupid, stand into her mind. Quickly after, she returned to her spot on the ground. Sending some transmission to the Generals, she informed them of her updated n. Right now, everything was almost ready, except for a few steps... Exchanging some thoughts with a few of her clones, Ka suddenly smiled from ear to ear. Finally, she received some good news! "After such a long wait, they''re finally ready! Talk about convenient timing, hehe," she chuckled happily while covering her mouth. "Now that the Cyber Elites are ready, we can have some leeway in terms of nning!" The Cyber Elites in her mouth were none other than the team of EDA young Elites that she selected to undergo her special transformation and evolve using her Cyber Matter. Although the matter sounded rather simple, it was by no means so, but the participants obviously were informed and agreed anyway. The process of infusing Cyber Matter into one''s Mana Core is quite dangerous and could quite well cause the destruction of the Mana Core or death. The destruction of one''s Mana Core means that they can never store mana in their bodies anymore. In a sense, this would take away their most precious skills. Some would rather die than go back to being a normal human, but some would also rather risk everything for the sake of more power, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Especially considering the situation Earth is facing. Unfortunately, out of the fifteen elites chosen by Ka, from various teams throughout the matches of the ''Tournament of the Elites'', only eleven survived, and only nine seeded. Thest two who survived but didn''t die stuffed a great bacsh, causing them to get injured and lose their powers; their Mana Cores were destroyed! Ka had quite the expectations for each one of them, and held in her heart a lot of responsibility regarding the risk of their transformation. Not only were they her hope of a new path in developing her powers and guarding Raven and her precious ones, but also most of those who were chosen were her close friends! Thus, the death of those four individuals and the crippling of the two others made her quite sad, and the feeling of guilt wasn''t easy on her. But at this time, she didn''t have time to think of these matters. Right now, as the leader of the Terran Army, she had to have a cold heart of steel¡­ *Sigh* With a sigh, Ka shook her head. "It''s sad that four have died and two have failed and lost their powers due to bacsh. "I should make sure to keep everyone in mind and reward them when this is all over. I could maybe even try to heal those with broken Mana Cores somehow. And most importantly, I have to visit andpensate the parents of those who have died¡­" Pain was clear in her eyes for a second before she shook her head one more time and disregarded those thoughts. "But what matters the most now is that there are nine who can fight and help out with our situation! "Those who have seeded can be said to be quite lucky as they have improved quite a lot!" She continued thinking to herself out loud. "The first is Erin, the leader of the Cyber Elites and the most responsible of them. He is a Sword Warrior with his Greatsword Lightning. He jumped from rank A++ to Star Eight! "The second is Jina. Erin''s precious girlfriend. Both of them used to live in Korea but they were enrolled in some EDA exchange program for the tournament. "Jina is a Mana Controller who can form force shields to protect her allies. Previously, she and Erin acted as a duo and got quite famous amongst the Korean army members for protecting their shore during the Portals Incident." Chapter 306 - Cyber Elites *Tommee Profitt - I Know Your Secrets (ft. Liv Ash) * "Jina is a warm and kind girl, truly, a good soul. She also made a huge improvement jumping from A+ to Star Seven. "The third member of the Cyber Elites is Sara. She''s a Japanese girl who is a resident of Canada and is quite kind and cute, yet gets scared and tricked awfully easily. "Luckily, she has a friend called Be who always keeps herpany and ensures no one''s making fun of her¡­ other than she herself of course. "In any case, Sara is a true genius, or rather what''s called a hidden talent. She has improved her rank from A+ to Star Nine. And her skill lies in manipting the winds, giving her a great advantage during battles! "It''s quite a shame that Be, her friend, was one of the two people who have lost their powers. With how weak her personality is, Sara was feeling rather down after learning that truth "Even though Be herself was trying her best to act normally andugh around her, even encouraging her to forget about it, it didn''t make Sara feel any better. Poor girl.. "Hm, I think that even Rave would be sad to know that Be had suffered such a fate. After all, the two have met once or twice and they had some smiles between them. I remember Rave had saved the two of them once from a giant hydro octopus or something... "Anyhow, the fourth is d. He''s a brilliant boy who did pretty well during the tournament. However, he''s pretty creepy and always angry for some reason. Well, I still chose him because he''s powerful." Ka shrugged to herself. "His power lies in Mana Control too, just like Sara. But his specialty is creating mana orbs and throwing them on his opponents, exploding them. "He can even use his mana like a long rangeser gun, or even as a thruster to propel himself and fly short distances. He''s a crafty one, I''ll give him that. "Not to mention that he showed some exceptional talent and also reached the rank of Star Nine, just like Sara. Maybe it has something to do with both being Mana Controllers, hm? Somehow this reminds me of Rave¡­ "In any case, the fifth is Shin. Shin is a very close friend of mine and from my analysis, he has a crush on me, hehe!" Ka giggled like a little girl while covering her mouth. "Well, I have Raven''s face, so¡­ *sigh* "I remember when Raven visited the Elite ssroom for the first, andst, time, he decided to y a prank on her and got punished quite hard. Maybe he fell in love with her since then, and after seeing my face it transferred? "Anyway, Shin is also a talented one. He jumped from A++ to Star Eight. And¡­ surprisingly, or maybe not, his power includes Mana Control... "His power lies in his hydro des that are quite sharp and flexible. It''s like the saying, calm water can cut everything, even mountains! But¡­" Ka''s face was suddenly filled with immeasurable sadness. "It''s such a- *sigh* his poor older brother, Alek, who was an ice-type mage, died while undergoing the transformation process. I can''t help but feel guilty because of it... "Although, Shin acted as if everything was okay when he learned of that, saying that it was his own choice, the idiot could not stop his tears from flowing down¡­ "Well, let''s go on to the seventh; and that would be Amira. Amira is one of my best friends too, such a precious girl! "Contrary to the previous elites, she''s not a fighter, but rather a healer! She once helped heal Shin after taking a blow from Rave, and she was pretty good. I can''t imagine her healing powers now that she''s a Star Six! "Speaking of Amira. When we first met her in the Elite ssroom, she had her friend that was akin to her older brother, Albedo. "Albedo was such a kind guy¡­ yes, was¡­ I can''t believe I killed two of my close friends¡­" saying that, she suddenly stopped and pped her face in order to regain her focus once again. She knew that ultimately, everyone knew what they had signed up for. But it''s a pity that she can''t forget the scene where Amira heled Albedo''s dead body and cried like there was no tomorrow... *Sigh* "Seventh is Haruki. That dude is shy, quiet and rather mysterious, but he''s so kind and as harmless as a little kitten. I still remember how he hugged Amira after Albedo''s death and tried tofort her as much as he could. "With that being said, even though he''s kind, he''s not weak. No, definitely not! "This Haruki has some strange powers that can control one''s movement! It''s like he can control the space around them, or the vectors of space, the physics of the surrounding area! "He''s pretty overpowered. And I wish I was joking¡­ this dude reached the rank of Star Thirteen!! Yes, how can that be? Even though Gaia is only a rank Star Nine. "If I had to guess, I''d say that he umted the energy from a different source. Which means that there''s something inside his body that''s helping him! "The eighth member is Jericho. She''s a passionate youngdy who''s actually twenty three years old, which is pretty old for the ss. To be fair, she''s the oldest in the ss. But age means nothing in front of power. "Unlike typical rankers, she does not attack or defend, she''s a scout; or rather, a hacker! "She''s personally my favourite elite because of her unique powers. Hehe, if everything goes well, I''ll make her my apprentice. After all, it''s like she is made to receive my upgrades! "Out of everyone, she is the mostpatible with my Cyber Matter, and she is surprisingly now ranked the highest. She has jumped all the way from her previous low rank into her Star Fifteen now!! "It''s a pity though, even though she is ranked this high; the highest on the, she doesn''t specialize in fighting. Well, it''s not like she can''t be of use; her powers are extremely valuable, and coupled with her newly added Cyber Core, hehe¡­. "Well,st on our list we have Tony. Tony is a cowardly idiot, who''s extremely afraid of being hit, that I only chose because of his terrifying ability. "Back when I fought against him during the Tournament of the Elite, he had used Casualty Maniption, which is simr to Scott''s special ability. "Although I had hoped this idiot would be a good addition, his rank only went up to Star Five. Clearly, he''s not the best. But oh well, I''ll have to use him anyway. Hm, if I match him in a duo with Sara, they could be the angels'' biggest nightmare¡­" After finishing talking to herself, Ka nodded quietly to herself as if confirming something in her mind. "I guess it''s true, it''s refreshing when you say things out loud. "What''s more, it''s useless to use Thought eleration since I don''t really need any more time; there''s nothing more for me to do¡­" Under normal circumstances, Ka would focus on saving as much as possible. But now, she doesn''t have the power to help the Terran Army. She has already given her orders and organized everything to be ready for the approaching cmity, all she''s got now is time and silence... "Oh, I wonder what I should do with my other clones. The one that was guarding the Cyber Elites during their transformation has be useless now, and I do need my energy¡­ but I guess I''ll keep it, you never know when sh*t hits the fan¡­ uh-" Suddenly, and to her surprise, a blur of red shed besides Ka. "Lady Kay!" Calcer''s voice was tender and his smile was wide. Hearing that, Ka narrowed her eyes as she analyzed him. Under her gaze, Calcer felt suddenly naked even though he had a heavy armour on. This undoubtedly made him remember a recent incident that gave him goosebumps¡­ "Lady Kay¡­" he was rather confused and could not help but mutter. "Hm, I''m just making sure you''re not corrupted with that evil power," Ka said. "Do you like blood?" "Uhm," Calcer nodded without hesitation. "But worry not, I was originally a blood imp so it is my true nature to have high affinity to blood. The technique I practiced didn''t affect my mentality in any way. I am still me, hehe!". Saying that, he smiled like the enthusiastic kid he always is, making Ka breath in relief. "That''s good, what''s your power level now?" She asked curiously. Everything depended on him being able to hold back the Star Twenty angel after all. Since Calcer is stronger than her, and as of yet has not used his mana, she could not determine his rank. "Hehe, I have be strong! I''ll finally be able to help my Mistress!" He smiled happily while disying a trace of his aura, enabling Ka to appraise his rank... "Star Eleven!" Ka was surprised, and not happily so... Her face was dark in dread, as if she was facing her biggest nightmare! Chapter 307 - Fight Together Part 1 *Thousand Foot Krutch - Courtesy Call * "Star Eleven!" Ka was surprised, and not happily so... Her face was dark in dread, as if she was facing her biggest nightmare! Seeing her expression, Calcer almost had a heart attack. "Lady Kay¡­" "Why!! Why are you so weak!!" Ka panicked for real for the first time as her eyes widened and hands iled. But she can''t be med. She was nning on having Calcer fight against the Star Twenty angel, and even made her Cyber Force prepare fresh angels for him. But what now? He''s only reached the rank of a mere Star Eleven? Even her Cyber Elites, Erin and the rest, are much stronger! Raven had instructed her to take care of everything on Earth, yet she ruined everything this time! As things are going this time, if a miracle does not happen, everyone will surely die and the will be left as dusty lifeless ruins and disgusting rivers of blood! "Damn it! Damn it!!" She yelled while stomping the ground, clenching her fists, and biting her lower lip. If she was human, she would have filled her mouth with blood. "I should not have relied on so many uncertainties! How could I be so stupid?! F********CK!!!!" Although it didn''t seem like it, Ka was not actually ming Calcer, no; she was ming herself. After all, Calcer was supposed to absorb way more blood than what he already has. The twenty angels that are at rank Star Ten were supposed to be his food and path to strengthening himself! In fact, Calcer had already performed great by actually breaking through the limits Gaia imposed on everyone on Earth. It is definitely not his fault that he has fallen short. No, that was her own bad nning. That''s why she could not me anyone but herself. When Calcer heard Ka curse, his body shook as he realized just how much he had messed up, causing his usually bright smiling face to fall into the depth of despair. He suddenly wanted to cry, apologize, or even do anything to atone for his mistake. But he knew that nothing but getting stronger would help him. Gritting his teeth, he slowly fell to the ground on his knees. His hollow eyes stared at the empty space in front of himx not daring to look at Ka directly. He wanted nothing more than to go ughter angels and absorb their blood, but he didn''t dare leave without Ka''s permission. Ka was walking back and forth hurriedly while biting on her fingernails nervously when her head suddenly snapped towards Calcer. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down while regaining her cool. Patting him with both hands on each shoulder, she squeezed a fake smile. "It''s okay, Calcer, we''ll only have to make a slight change of ns, nothing too drastic. I''m sorry for making such a fuss." Hearing that, Calcer''s tear-filled eyes suddenly lit up in surprise and relief. His naivety allowed him to believe Ka unconditionally and so, he didn''t even think about the possibility of her just spouting mere lies. "Order me anything, I promise I won''t let you down ever again!" He begged as he pped his chest subconsciously, trying to appear more reliable. "Uhm," Ka nodded while working hard to maintain her smile. "I will find a way to deal with everything else, for now, you go ughter the Star Ten angels and empower yourself. "They should be entering the Earth''s atmosphere in just a few seconds. But hey, remember to be careful and don''t get surrounded!" "Yes!" He said cheerfully before quickly disappearing in a sh of red. Watching him disappear, Ka fell on her knees. Her fake expression was suddenly reced with her true one; a look of despair was left on her face. Extending her palms forward, she noticed them shivering ever so slightly. Whether it was because of her fear, anger, or disgust, she didn''t know. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a strong foreign and domineering aura filled the entire. Gaia''s real soul shuddered, causing the entire to experience massive earthquakes and tsunamis out of the blue. Even the titans she summoned almost fell apart as they started losing parts of their bodies. But at thest second, refusing to allow her titans to fail, Gaia grit her teeth and strengthened them and allowed them to stand back up. Sighing heavily, causing the wind currents'' intensity to increase around the, Gaia clenched her shaking palms into small fists and squeezed them hard in order to assert control over her body. Many people had simr reactions, yet only a few were able to stand back up again. Out of those few were Ka. Looking up, she could only watch in awe as the powerful angels descended like deities from the sky. She has not realized before, but now that she''s merely a clone without Raven''s body, the strong violent aura of those angels appeared to have much more effect on her. "Now isn''t the time for despair!" She yelled at her bracelet, transmitting the message to everyone. She knew that it wasn''t only herself who was feeling down and desperate. "Follow the n, we will kill them all!" The Terran soldiers, most of which had already fallen to their knees the moment they caught sight of the angels, were finally able to stabilize their minds and struggle to stand up straight. They didn''t believe that they would survive, but they had to base their hopes on their Commanding General''s words. After all, they''ve survived so far thanks to her and there was no reason to doubt her at such a time. Or rather, even if they did doubt her, it''ll only make matters worse and it won''t help anyone. Ka knew this very well, and chose to spread the new n and deal with the invaders as soon as possible, in order to avoid unnecessary casualties. She didn''t want the army to give up and lose morale! Chapter 308 - Fight Together Part 2 "All Terran Army units, advance and kill those Star One angels!" Ka yelled hermand in a stern manner, not giving anyone a chance to second guess their actions. "We have already killed about half by now; that''s a full five million of them, there''s no reason to stop now. "Remember; previously, we said that we''d stand together. Now that the real battle has arrived, there''s no other choice but to fight together! Now, go and kill the rest of those b*stards, move!" ''It is true!'' The Terran soldiers suddenly thought. They''ve already killed five millions, what''s stopping them from killing another five millions? And didn''t they promise that they''d all stand together? Didn''t they have a chance to run away, but everyone has insisted on staying? Not that it''s time to prove their word, who would dare betray everyone else? No, they''ve stood together at first. And now, it''s time to fight together! With that being said, what was concerning the soldiers the most was the strong angels. Of course, fighting against a rank Star Ten or above would be mere suicide for them. But what about fighting mere Star One angels? That''s as easy as munching on a piece of cake for them! Recognizing the truth of the situation, the Terran Army soldiers cheered and advanced to attack their targets! "Gaia," Ka called out. "Use everything you have, literally every ounce of power you can muster, to capture what''s left of the Star Five angels. "There are about forty or so of them left. Capture them and send them to Calcer! Oh, and make sure you stay away from our people so as not to harm them with your titans. "Lastly and most importantly, don''t be careless! I know that on Earth, your body, you have the ability to stand against a Star Fifteen or so angel or something that''s close in rank, but be aware that if you''re exposed to the spontaneous attacks of forty Star Five angels, even with your identity, your situation will be terrible!" "Okay!" Gaia didn''t argue. It was even safe to say that she was the person who was under the most amount of pressure. Forget about the pain she is and will be feeling throughout the battle. Just the fact that everyone was working this hard to save her, it meant literally everything to her and made her heart pound with warmth. That''s why she simply redirected her titans towards her new assigned targets and moved out without uttering a word ofint. "Executives!" Watching her leave, Ka called out loudly. The five executives that had spread around the battlefield earlier suddenly appeared out of nowhere, kneeling down in submission. Abbadon, Maeve, Aamon, Levi, and Bel, all had solemn expressions on their faces after recognizing the seriousness of the situation. They didn''t say a word, but their faces were stern and determined to not fall within fighting back. They simply can''t allow that since it would be an insult to their mistress who named them and granted them their identities and powers! "Summon every capable subordinate you have, and go together to capture every one of the twenty Star Ten angels!" Ka simply ordered, appreciating their determination in her heart. "Hand all of them over Calcer for blood. He should be already taking care of some of them. "Oh, and don''t forget to take Scott, the temporary Canadian EDA General, with you! Now, move!" """Yes, Lady Ka!""" The five quickly said before disappearing from their spots. Ka took a deep breath and reminded everyone to have their battles at a safe distance from other groups. That was the best way to avoid friendly fire. Looking up while watching the strongest angel descending with its two most powerful subordinates, Ka swallowed loudly. The real hard decisions wille down to this point; who will fight those three? Two Star Fifteen, and one Star Twenty¡­. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she continued to watch the three in order to gather information. And what she saw would have stopped her heart, if she had one; the three have started attacking the Terran Army! In just a second or two, thousands of Terran soldiers died, making Ka''s expression get even worse than before. She would have skinned them alive if she had the ability to do so! "Cyber Elites!" She called out her own elites, which consisted of some of her best friends. "You will be going against one of those Star Fifteen f*ckers!" """Yes!""" Erin, the leader of the team, replied over his bracelet, and the rest followed suit. They knew how dangerous the task was, but at the same time, there were no other options. And it''s not like they weren''t expecting this. After all, they didn''t choose to go through the Cyber Transformation for nothing! "Be careful," Ka said in a low voice before sending them off. "Don''t worry, boss!" Shin grinned, a blush appeared on his face despite the difficult circumstances. It''s a pity that he wasn''t in front of Ka so she wasn''t able to see it. "Yes, don''t worry Kay, we''ll get it done quickly!" Amira said with a smile too. "Humph, don''t waste time, let''s go!" The grumpy d said while pushing Amira forward. "Uhm," Ka nodded heavily before connecting her bracelet privately to one of the team members. "Jericho, you take care of everyone. "However, remember that even though you''re a rank Star Fifteen, which matches your target''s rank, you are not its match yet; let alone that you''ve only recently achieved this rank, you''re not even a fighter, so don''t go without a proper n. "With that being said, fret not. After finishing here, I''lle to join you personally. I''ll make sure to teach you some good things!" "Uhm, I understand," Jericho said nervously before closing the connection. She was indeed the highest rank and she felt immeasurable pressure because of that. In her mind, she was now responsible for everyone''s lives. That''s why hearing Ka''s words made her feel a great sense of relief; she will be joining her soon! Chapter 309 - Fight Together Part 3 Hearing Ka''s words made Jericho feel a great sense of relief; she will be joining her soon, meaning that everything will be okay! Everyone who was part of the Tournament of the Elite knows just how powerful and cunning Ka is, and just having her by her side contained a big sense of assurance for her! "Haruki," Ka connected with another one of the team members privately. "It''s not an exaggeration to say that you''re the strongest fighting force on the team, heck even the entire, and that''s why I want you to take care of everyone. "And, remember our training: never lose yourself in the fight, and don''t forget to survey your surroundings every now and then to guard against the unexpected. "With that being said, please don''t feel pressured. The team has the ability to take care of themselves. Additionally, I may have to take you to another side of the battlefield due to the potential of your powers, depending on how everything goes, so be always ready." "Okay!" Haruki was always the shy kid, but he had a great sense of responsibility as well. Which meant that he was very concerned about his team. With that being said, if Ka decided to make him switch targets and leave his team, then he''ll have to abide. Ka was aware of everyone''s inner thoughts, not because she was a psychic, but simply because she had spent a lot of time with everyone and she knew them well. But she had no other choice; the strong individuals were scarce in this battle, and she needed to manage them properly. Haruki has reached the rank of Star Thirteen, which makes him the second strongest person on the, rank wise, as much as Ka was aware. Additionally, he has got the most fighting power. So it''s safe to say that she''s the most important piece for creating a good strategy in this battle! ... Now that one Star Fifteen was assigned to the Cyber Elites, Ka needed to find a solution for the other one. Not daring to dy for a second longer. She quickly contacted Ae and informed her of her choice; the Ravens Guard''s will be taking on the second Star Fifteen angel. "I''m sorry that I have to send you there¡­" Ka almost cried. "But if anything happens, please leave and run quickl-" "Kay!" Ae was upset. "We''re not cowards nor are we useless, we''re The Ravens Guards, watch us ughter that b*stard!" "...uhm," Ka nodded weakly. She didn''t dare speak any longer for fear of crying out loud. Not to mention that The Ravens Guards was formed by Raven''s most precious people, but they were also all her own close friends. If anything were to happen to them, Ka would not be able forgive herself. Thinking about Ae, Zeru, Axane, and Maria, who were part of The Raven''s Guards in addition to Ian and Axth, she could not help but feel restless. Taking a deep breath, she connected her bracelet to someone that she rarely ever talks to. "Ian, take Raykun along for the ride. He should be able to support you guys." Under normal circumstances, Ian and Raykun would always stay together. And even previously, when they were counting the individuals forming The Raven''s Guards, people simply counted the two as one. With that being said, that wasn''t only because they are always together, but also because Raykun was just so weak that he was negligible in any battle and his role was only to watch from a safe distance. But as of recently, Raykun''s power has skyrocketed and he now has the ability to fight on his own, even though his form is still akin to that of a human child. "Um, he mentioned that he won''t be participating in any battle before his mistress fully awakens" Ian bluntly answered. "Apparently, if he uses his powers now, his mistress'' evolution would be affected. "But don''t worry, I will take care of everyone since I''ve decided to join the battle now. Although I am not allowed to use the power of Primordial Time, I have my own abilities that can affect the course of battle, even if I''m up against the Star Fifteen angel." Hearing that, Ka gritted her teeth but didn''t reply; she simply closed the connection. If what Raykun said was true, then she also can''t rely on him right now. As for Ian''s point, Ka wasn''t sure. She didn''t even know what his abilities were or if he could indeed y a role in the battle against the Star Fifteen angel. What he said was merely words with no evidence and needless to say, Ka has stopped relying on any type of certainty because of the recent events. "Ugh, I at least hope that Liz wakes up soon, that way we''d have two new allies joining, if I count Raykun too," Ka muttered quietly. "But that''s an uncertainty that I can''t ount for, for now." Her expression suddenly got serious as she shifted her attention back to the sky above her. Now, the real problem was in front of her; the Star Twenty angel¡­ Gritting her teeth, she looked towards the Terran Army that was being massacred mercilessly. At most, they had about a quarter of what they had when they started. Although they only targeted the Star One angels, they were not left alone. For some reason, the Star Twenty focused on them rather than the other forces. Maybe it thought that they are thest patch of humans and that they must die, ording to their mission? Whatever the reason was, Ka didn''t care much at the moment. "Jakol, Cyber Force," she called out to thest two forces she had at her disposal. "Support the Terran soldiers, now!" Jakol and about fifty or sixty of the Akash people, together with Ka''s eight hundred or so Cyber Force members,unched massive attacks on the Star Twenty angel, trying to support the EDA Generals and their soldiers. But how could it be that easy? "This does not work! I need someone to stop him!" Ka was observing and losing her calm slowly. The highest rank she has was a Star Fifteen that can''t fight, following that, she has a rank Star Thirteen. Both of them are by no means a match for the Star Twenty angel, even ifbined! "And this clone''s power is almost nonexistent in front of it!" Ka shouted while looking down at her body. All of a sudden, her eyes widened as an idea came to her mind. "Cyber Force members, attack it and self-destruct!" She ordered. On this entire, no one was expendable¡­ no one but her own Cyber Force. Although they technically had their own intelligence and thinking, they were not living beings, strictly speaking, and had no sense of self. That''s why she could use them freely and order them with peace of mind to self-destruct and buy everyone some time on the battlefield, including herself. The Cyber Force members didn''t dy. They quickly and swiftly approached their target and self-destructed. With each st, the void itself shook. Even Gaia shivered, feeling pain all over her body, but she didn''t dare mutter a word. After all, she has been experiencing the attacks of the Star Twenty angel for the past few seconds and it was by no means a wonderful experience. With that being said, for some unknown reason, those explosions were giving her a deep sense of horror that was hundreds of times more intense than when that angel attacked. This was the case even though the power behind the explosions didn''tpare to the angel''s attacks. With that in mind, the explosions were not for nothing; they clearly forced the angel to back away and guard against them which was precisely what everyone needed. Now they could have a slight breather. Ka who watched that was thinking about creating more Cyber Cores and adding more members to the Cyber Force, but unfortunately, she didn''t have enough energy left for that. "Tch," she clicked her tongue just before using her skill Thought eleration. ''I need a solution for this idiot, and I need one fast! ''Do I call Haruki? But he alone isn''t enough, maybe call Jericho with him? But¡­ they would still not be the angel''s match! ''Do I use what''s left of the Cyber Force to control angels and bring them to Calcer? ''Maybe if I buy enough time and let him absorb enough blood, he would be able to stand up against it? ''But¡­ those are all uncertainties¡­ What should I do? Uncertainties are the reason we got to this point after all! ''If only I had more information about Calcer''s bodyposition, his training affinity, and the Immortal Blood Mantra technique, maybe I would have been able to construct a more urate simtion. But what now?'' Ka was panicking and she could not do anything about it. Even though she had the ability to think and construct ns hundreds of times faster than normal people, she still could not find the answer. Chapter 310 - Hero *Skillet - Hero * All of Ka''s simtions ended up in Earth''s destruction, and everyone''s death. There was absolutely nothing she could do. No matter what she tried or how many times she did, everyone ended up dying... Deactivating her skill: Thought eleration, she had an expression that was full of despair, as evident by her hollow eyes and shaking body. "Maybe the only option is escape? Maybe there is truly no way of fighting back? If that''s the case, then I have to get The Raven''s Guards out of here¡­ Also, I can''t forget Liz and the mayor who are in the Demon Realm¡­" she finally decided. "Yes, I just have to take the important people out. But... Gaia, I''m sorry..." Although she was extremely hesitant as she spoke, she was aware of the many lives being extinguished every second under the Star Twenty angel, which made her believe more in her decision to escape; no matter what, she could not let Raven''s precious people die! Thinking back to how everyone who was left here was aware of the consequences, Ka felt slightly better about leaving them behind and her determination grew stronger. "Yes, I told them to leave in the first ce, but they chose to stay¡­" Ka thought to herself, trying her best to disregard her rampant emotions. "I have to make my move now!" Just as she was about to summon The Raven''s Guards, Ka noticed a sh of light at the edge of her field of vision. In an instant, that sh crossed the skies and exploded right in the strongest angel''s face, sending it crashing against the ground. The Star Twenty angel was sent crashing against the ground!!! Everyone took a breath of cold air as they watched in surprise. Only after a few seconds did the Terran Army understand what had happened and start cheering. Looking in the air, Ka felt her body fall to the ground involuntarily as a sense of relief filled her. Although she was unsure of what had just happened, she knew that this was someone on their side. Otherwise, they would not have attacked that angel. "Ah¡­ an uncertainty that had a favourable effect, I can''t believe it¡­" Ka muttered slowly while rubbing her eyes. "Is that what a miracle is¡­?" Looking at the source of the light strike, everyone could easily spot a human figure standing on thin air, like a work of fiction. Suddenly, the soldiers'' gaze was filled with reverence and awe. The figure was wearing a heavy white armour that seemed to be made of pure light. A beautiful heavenly-looking golden cape was draped at its back like a majestic hero. ''A pdin sent from the heavens! Is it the real angel?'' the soldiers thought while watching. The battlefield was extremely quiet all of a sudden. Forget about hearing a needle drop, even the sound of the faintest breath could be heard. Looking farther up ahead, everyone watched this heroic figure getting closer and closer. Inside the white armour, a human boy had aplicated expression on his face. He didn''t express joy or happiness from being able to st the Star Twenty angel, but he looked rather sad. As he got in range for everyone to see clearly, some people started recognizing him. His bright golden hair, chestnut brown eyes, and light white skin made it easy for those who were familiar with him to remember him. "Joey Banck?" A soldier shouted in question. "Joey, the ser yer?" Another asked. "Yes, he was a famous yer in the highschool league!" "I remember him too!" "I used to watch his games against that Draven boy from the other highschool!" "Yes, me too!" "But how did he end up this strong?" "What sort of training did he undergo?" ... "Joey?" Watching the familiar figure descending slowly from the sky andnding beside her to support her, Ka''s eyes were wide and she didn''t know how to react. This person was none other than Raven''s friend who used to y ser with her, back when she was Draven. Additionally, he is a Soul Weaver who used to serve as Raven''s guard and close friend, during their childhood, when they were still living at the Royal Pce on Erembourc, the of the Soul Weavers. *Sigh* "Sorry for being thiste, many people have died, huh¡­" Joey sighed, his expression was that of regret and sorrow. He could see the corpses around the dusty grounds and the blood rivers running across the deviated surfaces. Additionally, he was even more certain that most of the bodies had disintegrated during the fight and nothing was left to prove their existence. "Howe you''re like this?" Ka ignored hisment and asked. She could not help it. "How did you get this strong? What rank are you at right now?" "I''ve barely reached the rank of Star Eighteen," Joey said "Star Eighteen¡­" Ka looked him up and down. Truly, a miracle! But how did it happen? She knew that Joey had been practicing hard since thest time they met, but how could he break through Gaia''s limits? What method did he use? Seeing her expression, Joey knew that she had a lot of questions and uncertainties, but he knew that he didn''t have time to exin at the moment. "It''s a little bitplicated, but if you''re wondering about me reaching a rank that''s higher than that of the, then it''s easy," he said with a calm smile. "I went to the moon! In outer space, there is no barrier to preserve life, which means that all types of energy are avable. "I simply absorbed what I could while strengthening my own skills using my own methods¡­ and that''s how this happened." "Didn''t the angels attack you there?" She asked in confusion. Why would the angel ignore him? "Hm, some did approach me, but I killed them," he smiled. "After all, their strength is not too much for me. And it''s not like I''ve just started practicing two days ago¡­ I''ve been there for at least a month now." "A month?" Ka widened her eyes once more. "What methods did you use? Can we replicate them?" "Unfortunately, no," Joey answered, shaking his head. "Well, you already know that I am not a Human; I am a Soul Weaver. Do you remember what I mentioned about our race before?" "The Soul Weavers are divided into thirteen ns, each of which specializes in their own special skills and techniques. "For example, the Shadow, or Royal n, is Raven''s n; they are best at Shadow and Mana Maniption. "The Azure Phoenix n is the Queen, Raven''s mother''s n; they are best known for having the secrets of the mythical Azure Phoenix. "They are proficient at manipting a special type of azure phoenix fire. And some of them are even able to use this fire to force their soul on being reborn, thus gaining some sort of immortality. "With that being said, my own n is known as the Guardian n, because we have been the guardians of the Royal family of the Shadow n since the time of our ancestors. "Our n is best known for the possession of the most unique ability; the unique system!" "Wait, I''ve heard of this before," Ka suddenly remembered a previous talk between Joey and Raven. "What type of system do you have?" "Well, the system is quite unique for every individual, but mine is called the Hero System, hehe¡­" Joey chuckled awkwardly. "It used to call itself the Warrior System, but as of recently, it underwent an upgrade, and here we are." "The Hero System, a system that can upgrade itself¡­ granting unique and strong powers to its bearer¡­" Ka''s eyes were burning with passion as she stared at Joey. Could it be that there''s something else in this universe that is simr to herself? Can she speak with the so-called Hero System? She wanted to try, but she knew that now wasn''t exactly the best timing. Shaking her head, she focused on the surroundings again and her expression got serious. "In any case, let''s forget about that," she decisively said. "You''re two ranks below it, can you defeat it?" "Uhm, if it was a normal Star Twenty ranked, then probably not. But it''s merely a puppet-like existence with no spirituality whatsoever," Joey said while observing the angel stand up slowly and look at himself with hollow eyes. "It''s not my match!" Saying that, he grinned and disappeared in a sh. The moment he reappeared, he was in the sky, with his hands high above his head. Out of thin air, a white radiant sun materialized. Everyone looked in awe, suddenly remembering that their Commanding General had once caused such a spectacle to appear just before killing an S ranked monster! However, everyone also realized that this wasn''t the same scene, something was definitely different. Before getting enough time to think about it, the small white sun started twisting between Joey''s hands like a rebellious snake! Chapter 311 - Hidden Hands Part 1 The twisting white sun shone brighter and brighter as its shape changed. After a few moments, instead of a sun, there was a long sword of light between Joey''s hands. "Radiant sh!" He yelled as he swung his light sword towards his target. The soldiers didn''t understand why he had to yell the name of his attack, but no one could deny the terrifying destructive power radiating from it. The Star Twenty angel didn''t stand idly and wait for the attack tond, it quickly dodged while responding with an attack of its own. The two attacks collided and caused the void to shudder; pain spread throughout Gaia''s core. If she had a real human body, she would have spat out blood! Luckily, it was just a clone. But nheless, even though she was able to keep the titans functioning properly, allowing them to ughter their own targets, she herself fell to the ground on her knees, unable to keep herself standing. It was even obvious that her body had somewhat turned transparent, allowing people to see through her into what lies behind her, but it onlysted for a second or two. If she hadn''t forced herself to maintain it, her body would havepletely faded. All of these effects were merely the results of the first sh between the two! Obviously, Ka noticed and could not help but grit her teeth. "Joey, take the b*stard away from here!" Ka yelled, watching Joey strike the angel again and causing Gaia severe pain, evident by her convulsing body. "Fight away from the''s atmosphere!" Joey quickly realized what was happening and led the angel away. Ka quickly went towards Gaia and checked up on her. "How is it?" "I won''t die¡­" she answered weakly. It was obvious that she had to squeeze the words between her moans of agony. "I''m sorry, I should have told him earlier-" Ka wanted to speak, but was interrupted but Gaia "No it''s not your fault," she shook her head. "I was also surprised to find out that Joey has be so strong that I didn''t even think of warning him. But that''s okay, now at least, we have a way of defeating the angels. Everything should be alright now!" "Uhm," Ka nodded while looking around. Everyone''s morale was lifted by Joey''s arrival and the battle shifted to the Terran Army''s favour. "We should have a somewhat bnced battle for now¡­" Even those teams that were attacking the Star Fifteen angels were now attacking actively, rather than simply guarding against their attacks. "I think that we do have a chance of winning now¡­" Ka''s relief could not be described in words. Especially after the despair she experienced and the choices she was set on making. ''Now that the situation isn''t half bad here, we should focus on helping Calcer in blood umtion in order to make him grow stronger,'' she thought to herself. ''It is not guaranteed that Joey can truly win against the Star Twenty. ''After all, he''s two ranks lower. But even if so, it''s also good to have more than one person to rely on! ''With this, the situation on Earth has been stabilized. Now, all that''s left is Raven and Tu¡­'' she thought while looking up at the sky instinctively. Although she was aware of Raven''s situation, where she was simply healing herself together with Maya, Tu''s situation was still a mystery for her which didn''t help her racing thoughts. Shaking her head, Ka disregarded the distracting thoughts. At the moment, she had many clones doing work for her in different ces, including the Human ne, the Demon Realm, and outer space. With that in mind, she decided to get this clone of hers to work! Looking up at one ce where the battle was at full swing, Kaunched herself into the air and arrived there rather quickly. "Jericho, I''m here!" Ka called out with a smile as she approached the girl. "This may be painful, but bear with me!" Jericho nodded while signalling for her teammates to cover her. They were all elites with a lot of training, so everyone quickly coordinated with her, allowing her to leave their attacking formation easily. Without a moment of dy, Ka got closer to Jericho and hugged her, surprising her greatly. But it didn''t stop there. Ka''s body that was normal a moment ago suddenly started shaking and changing colour. A momentter, her body became liquid-like and enveloped Jericho in a small dark purple cocoon that was covered in silver circuit-like structures. Ka''s purpose was rather simple; she wanted to merge a part of her with Jericho''s Mana Core. Needless to say, this wasn''t an easy task. However, not only did Jericho undergo her Cyber Transformation together with the Cyber Elites, but she also was the mostpatible with Ka''s Cyber nature before transforming. So right now, not only does her Mana Core contain Cyber Particles, but her own powers, skills, and mana are highlypatible with Ka. Enveloping her, Ka''s clone reverted back into its original Cyber Matter form and started strengthening and adding to Jericho''s own abilities. The cocoon started twisting and raidating with an extremely peculiar power. And with that, an evolution started! *** "So are you going to answer any of my questions or are we just going to keep staring at each other like we''re in love?" A rather rxed voice was heard from a crimson haired young man who was strangely standing in the void of space. A rather stylish pair of long ck jeans were covering his lower body while a crimson t-shirt took on his thin chest. "You know, we haven''t even dated yet¡­" the crimson haired man continued with an amused smile and a wink that contained a hidden meaning. A secondter however, he got serious, "just to be clear, I''m just joking. I''m not into men. Wait, do angels have a set gender? Hm, interesting¡­" Around the young man who was talking in an arrogant manner were thousands of extremely powerful angels, ranging from Star One Hundred to Star Seven Hundred and even one Seraph, all of whom were standing in a special formation. The formation was created not to trap, but to kill this crimson haired youth. But due to his shrewdness, it could only trap him for the time being. And by doing so, the angels operating the formation were also bound to stay with him. Thus, practically, both parties were trapped here. "Humph, what a cowardly move from a person who calls himself a Monarch!" The Seraph spoke between clenched teeth. His expression was that of anger and disgust. Hepletely ignored the youth''s words and treated them like a mere breeze. "Oh, cowardly? Based on whose evaluation? Yours? The same person who not only ambushed me in a killing array, but also attacked with massive numbers and even called for more reinforcements¡­" Tu merely smiled in an amused and rxed manner. "And are you just going to keep avoiding answering my questions? "Could it be that I''m correct in my guess? You and that f*ckwit Michael surrendered to the invaders who killed your Supreme Deity and worshiped them instead? "Not only that, but from what I heard, you also killed one of your own Seraph brethren? Oh, yes I know the story by the way you don''t really need to answer. "But what I am really curious about is what did they promise you, absolute power and control? Is that why you started destroying any that you don''t like? "Tch, whatever, you traitors are what disgust me the most. That''s why I like contracts; they''re the only thing one can really trust!" Contracts. Tu, after all, was the Monarch of Contracts. That''s specifically why he''s still alive right now; a forced contract. He made a forced contract with everyone present. A contract of mutual peace; no one is allowed to attack the other party without negotiating the terms and conditions. With that being said, although this may sound as a very effective method, it wasn''t really. The trick for this contract is that the contract is forced for everyone as a whole, quite literally. The contract is set so that anyone in the formation can''t attack him. Which means that as long as they don''t realize that, he''ll be alright. But once they realize this point and exploit it, they''ll be able to attack him without the formation. But at the same time, it''s better for him to fight them without the formation. "Hm, you''re still not going to talk? So boring," Tu sighed. "Did you kill your Supreme Deity and old Uriel with boredom like this? Because it''s effective, I have got to hand this one to you¡­" "Shut up!" Hearing Tu''s insults continuously, Gabriel finally lost his temper and yelled angrily.. If he could, he would have skinned Tu alive. "You have no idea what we had to go through! All our Supreme Deity cared about was stupid ''order and judgment'' even at our own expense!" Chapter 312 - Hidden Hands Part 2 "Even if we were tortured and killed within each Life Cycle, we were allowed no rest. The Supreme Deity would always say that the lower races are always suffering, and that we must provide judgment to relieve them of their own evil hearts. "But what was the judgment? We had to evaluate each and avoid mass destruction. We had to go through hell to ensure that we only killed the bad people. "And then guess what; we have to go through another Life Cycle to make sure there are no evil people left!! "Can you imagine the torture we had to go through? We were only allowed to destroy a if it was deemed evil after a hundred trials, a hundred!! And you think you know about-" "Oh boy, you have some serious issues up there, huh?" Tu interrupted and pointed towards his head mockingly. "Dear, dear, although I may be handsome, I am not a psychologist. With that being said, I may be able to help you with a referral if you need one. We got some good psychologists on Earth, they''ll treat you for half the price if-" "Shut up!" Gabriel yelled hysterically. His eyes almost turned white from the blood flooding them. "You dare mock me, you weak b*stard! You know what, you want to talk about betrayal? Yes, I sold my Supreme Deity for more power! "Out of all people, you must be the one seeking power the most, so you should understand me, right? You, ''pathetic Monarch''! "Hahahaha! Yes, after all, you were the pitiful person who watched his lover die between his arms. Did you think that no one would know if you tried to keep it a secret? "Wasn''t that girl forced to protect you until her own death? If you weren''t so weak, how can she, a Monarch, die like that? "She had to give up her role as a Monarch for you, did she not? Otherwise, how could you be a Monarch? "What a pathetic waste of life! She not only died for a weakling like you, but even gave you literally the thing she cherished the most. But the funniest thing ever is that you actually managed to lose it, ahahaha! "See, you powerless b*tch, even after all of her sacrifices, you don''t even understand what power truly is! You disgust me-" "Enough," Tu said in a calm voice. He looked down at his own hands before clenching them into fists tightly. A look of inexplicable emotion surged through his crimson eyes. "Uhm, this at least confirms my doubts. ''They'' were the ones helping you, huh¡­ "Uhm, there should be no one left alive who knows the story and is willing to share it but ''them''. "And what you said is true, of course. The girl ''they'' told you about was called Kiana, and yes, she was my one and only sweet lover and the true Monarch of Contracts. "Kiana indeed died because of my weakness... If I wasn''t so weak back then, she would have been able to at least defend herself against ''them'' without having to worry about me. "It is also true that she gave me her most cherished thing, but it was not what the ''b*stards'' that are helping you in the dark mentioned; Kiana gave me her heart. "That''s something you and ''them'' would never understand! "Unfortunately though, I was extremely ipetent and did indeed lose everything she gave me, including the two objects ''they'' are looking for. To be fair, I believe that ''they'' already have them¡­ "Anyhow, it doesn''t really matter even if they do have them. Because, thanks to Kiana, no one other than me has the ability to use them. "So, it''s only a matter of time before I avenge her and kill those who don''t deserve to live. "With that being said," Tu suddenly looked down, allowing his crimson hair to cover his matching eyes as they red at Gabriel, making him look like a terrifying ghost of blood. "Thanks to you mentioning that incident, I am actually very angry now. "Because of your disgusting behaviour, I, the current Monarch of contracts, have determined that you have breached the contract agreement we made. "The contract states mutual peace, yet you dared to psychologically harm me, now I need a psychologist to treat me, are you willing topensate me?" "Huh? Did you go insane?" Gabriel asked mockingly. "Me,pensate you? You can go f*ck yourself!" "Hm, vulgar and very impolite for a distinguished Seraph, I must say. But that''s okay..." Tu smiled like a devil all of a sudden as he stared at Gabriel, almost reaching his soul, causing him to shudder. "Then you shall now bear the consequences of breaching my contract!" With a wave of his hand, crimson energy escaped Tu''s ordinary looking body and crashed against the thousands of angels that were forming the killing formation around him. The crimson energy quickly, swiftly, and silently, collided into the formation and shook the angels forming it violently. Strangely, there were no screams at all, not even gasps. However,inside their seemingly ordinary bodies, their souls were cracking and breaking like fragile ss. "What *cough* what- what did you do to us?" Gabriel managed to squeeze after a lot of struggle. His face and clothing were full of milky white blood after he finished. s, he couldn''t even stay alive for a few seconds to hear Tu''s answer. On that spot of the empty space, everyone but Tu was inexplicably dead, even though their bodies were still strangely intact. "The price of breaching my contracts is never easy to pay," Tu forced a smile as his face contorted in pain. His figure seemed to be slowly dissolving into the surrounding void. "Your souls are cheap, but they will do, for now¡­" "Tch," Looking down at himself, he saw the state of his body and could not help but click his tongue in annoyance. "It seems that I have to pay the price too, huh¡­ "Little Raven, I''m sorry, but it seems that although I meant to stay with you and help you for a little longer, you will have to be on your own for the time being¡­" *** Across the void, far away from Earth, one Angel and one Soul Weaver were leaning against one another. The Angel was holding the Soul Weaver''s head in a tender embrace, fondling with her silky crimson-purple locks. The scene would have looked rather cute and sweet if¡­ if it wasn''t for the countless dead bodies floating in the space all around them, like strange space wreckage. Those bodies didn''t have any wounds and weren''t leaking any blood, but they looked wrong¡­ they looked as though they had lost their essence... Just in ordance with Ka''s n, many angels were called upon and almost each one of them was left as an empty corpse. Raven needed healing after all, and Ka wasn''t taking any chances. She brought these angels and applied the same concept she applied to the Cyber Cores; she used both of her own skill: Absorption, and Raven''s skill: Siphon Life, and the results were not unsatisfactory. Now, Raven''s power level has reached the rank of Star Seventy after absorbing the life forces of so many angels. And needless to say, her injuries have mostly healed. Of course, no matter how good her skills were, she still can''t fully regenerate organs or body parts; meaning that she was still missing her left eye. And although Ka may be able to create her a new one from Cyber Matter, it is not something that can be done casually. With that being said, Raven didn''t seem to mind at all. As she mentioned earlier, one eye was enough for her to see Maya, and that seemed to be what she cared about the most at the moment. In front of the two of Maya and Raven, there were a number of angels who were kneeling down in the void, strangely and silently. Those angels did not dare look at the two girls directly, as if it was the biggest sin they couldmit. They were thest of Maya''s forces that she didn''t sacrifice, ording to Ka''s orders of course. Sar, the angel that was responsible for escorting Raven previously, was amongst this crowd. It seemed that Ka had some rather special ns for them... "How are you feeling?" A soft voice escaped Maya''s lips as she adjusted her plushy silver-white hair. Her eyes didn''t dare leave Raven''s for even a second. "I feel way better than before; there is no pain now. Don''t worry, hehe," Raven said with a soft giggle as she tightened her grip around Maya. A part of her was still having trouble believing what had happened. Not only did she find Maya easily, but she also found out that she was one of the four Seraphim of the End; she had a terrifying power level that she could not hope of reaching! Not any time soon, at least. Chapter 313 - Spring Call *Ze Day - East of Eden * "That''s good!" Maya said in a cheerful manner after hearing Raven''s response, especially her cute and genuine giggle that she dearly missed and caused her to subconsciously blush. Remembering the rather ''sweet'' events that took ce when two met earlier, she could not help but secretly wish that she could repeat them a few more times. ''Well, there will be time for that after taking care of the current issues¡­ or maybe I don''t have to wait for that long, hehe¡­'' Maya thought while licking her lips seductively, her blush increasing. Although this may have seemed childish of her, especially considering her status and real age, she could not help it. After all, for some unknown reason, the part of her that used to act rashly, without weighing her own actions, seemed to involuntarily resurface again. With that being said, maybe that reason was her blind reliance on Raven, and now that she''s with her, she did not feel the need to worry about anything else and simply rxed... "Uhm," Raven nodded subconsciously at Maya''s answer. A frown slowly surfaced across her face. Worry and stress were clearly visible all of a sudden. "What is it?" Maya asked as she saw Raven''s expression. She involuntarily felt panic taking a hold of her. "Are you worried about fighting Michael? To be honest, I don''t think we have a chance of winning, especially with the strong people behind him. "So, why not just run away? I''ll take you, together with Maria, and leave to a ce where they can''t find us. We''ll live together and grow somewhere-mmhmhmh, hm?" Getting her mouth suddenly covered by Raven''s snow-white palm, Maya was rather confused. "Are you in pain again?" She asked in concern. "Or do you not want us to live together?" *Sigh* "None of the above¡­" Raven said with a deep sigh, her hand waving dismissively. "Maya¡­ I- I am really sorry¡­ I''ve let you down-" Saying that, Raven suddenly lost her voice, feeling her words stick at her throat, choking her. She didn''t know how to proceed. Her heart started pounding harder than when she was being tortured by Uriel. What was she trying to say? That she failed Maya and let her die, without even being by her side, alone and painfully? Or maybe that she hadn''t killed the person that caused her the suffering and instead took care of her? What if Maya didn''t have her identity as a Seraph and she died for real at that time? Would she have the same attitude? With that being said, she has caused her extreme suffering, but¡­ how or with what could she possiblypensate her for her negligence? Under the pressure of her guilty conscience, and without uttering any extra words, her right eye started tearing up and her lips quivering. Maya, who watched her silently, knew that she must be struggling with some wild thoughts, and could not help but chuckle softly. Raven was surprised as she heard the soft chuckle, but she didn''t dare move. With that being said, she didn''t need to move; Maya was nning to take the initiative. sping her hands against Raven''s flushed cheeks, Maya pulled her face closer to her own plump chest. The way Raven was leaning against Maya''s shoulder, and deeper towards her chest, made the move look rather smooth. Even though Raven didn''t say a word, she had her eyes closed as if expecting a hit to the head. But that hit never arrived. A few seconds passed before Raven had the courage to open her golden eye and look into Maya''s sparkling silver ones. The moment their gazes met however, she was surprised to see thetter smirking at her, slyly and almost in an evil way. With the way Maya was holding her, Raven could only see her face upside down, so her expression seemed even more ferocious. And, without a warning, her face started getting closer and closer, under a soft pulling force, until Maya''s lips fell on hers passionately. Raven shivered involuntarily and tried to resist. "Maya, -uhmm- what''s wrong all of a sudden? Uh, stop, there are -hmm- people watching us!" "Oh, is that your only concern?" Maya let go of her lips unwillingly. But she didn''t give up. Instead, she was left satisfied. At first, she thought that Raven would reject her like she had always done. But it didn''t seem to be the case this time. Thinking of that, her mouth moved slowly and approached Raven''s ear in an enticing manner before biting down softly and seductively. "So what if they''re watching? Are you shy? This only makes it better, hmm¡­" "Stop¡­" Raven barely squeezed the word, her face seemed like a hot red rose. Although she was resisting, she didn''t mean topletely pull away. Noticing that, Mayapletely ignored her resistance happily. "But they are-" Raven managed to say before being interrupted. "No buts," Maya said in a seductive whisper. "They''ll be dead soon, no? And although I do prefer it when your face is flushed red, there''s no reason to be shy. After all, the dead can''t deliver any news¡­" Saying that, Maya''s hands started falling down slowly from Raven''s hot cheek and down to her neck. From her neck, it went downwards towards her armour''s cor that was forced open. Feeling Maya''s touch getting closer to her chest, Raven suddenly widened her eyes in horror as she pulled away quickly. Her breath quickened and her heart raced. "I''m sorry¡­" she struggled, but still got her message clear. The reaction seemed to bepletely out of her control that even she herself was surprised. Remembering their past together, and how she looked like when Uriel delivered her, Maya''s eyes glimmered in a dangerous glint. "I should have known!" She yelled subconsciously. Raven was left startled. Did Maya just yelle because she didn''t want to stay still while she¡­ no, this can''t be¡­ Looking at Raven''s reaction, Maya quickly exined. "Sorry, I''m not angry with you. No, I can never be angry with you. But please tell me, that b*tch, when she brought you here¡­ did she-" "Uhm," Raven nodded decisively. This wasn''t something she could joke about. "But she didn''t touch me there¡­" Maya gritted her teeth madly, but she contained her aura so as not to harm Raven. "How are you feeling?" "This is one loaded question¡­" Raven forced a smile. She couldn''t describe her feelings even if she spent hours trying. Looking at her, Maya could only shake her head and get closer to her. A momentter, the two girl''s brows were touching, and their eyes were closed, in an intimate position. Raven''s racing heart slowly calmed down and her expression returned to normal. Her shaking body regained its firmness. She felt an extremely peculiar feeling. After all, she wasn''t a fan of being on the weak side and she rarely dared express any weakness in front of those precious for her. But this time, with Maya''s strength and status, it seemed to be an eptable oue. "Better?" Maya asked. "Uhm," she answered with a smile. "I''ll always be by your side," Maya said all of a sudden. "You won''t ever throw me away, right?" "Never!" Raven said firmly. As if to confirm her answer, she clenched Maya''s waist in a tight embrace. "Whew, that''s good!" Maya suddenly rxed. Her alluring expression was suddenly back, as if nothing had just happened. "Also, hehe, although a sl*t that deserves to die, Uriel had some good in her and avoided touching you there¡­" Raven didn''t reply, but her cheeks regained their red colour. Feeling embarrassed, she buried her face into Maya''s chest. Thetter smirked cunningly and pushed her head deeper. "Hm, I guess she wasn''t joking when she said that she brought you as a gift for me. I''d give her the credit if she didn''t act the way she did. After all, you''re the best gift I''ve ever received," Maya said, causing Raven''s temperature to get higher. "With that being said, let''s continue what we started, shall we, hehe?" "Huh? But-" Raven wanted to speak but Maya covered her mouth with her tender fingers. "I am not Uriel," she suddenly said in an extremely serious tone and firm expression. But her expression suddenly changed, in a strange manner. "And *cough* it was really painful to die¡­ I was tortured before I died, you know¡­" Raven''s golden eye gained a hint of red upon hearing that. She could not imagine the pain she had to go through and it didn''t help to imagine. "Hey, it''s not that I mean to make you feel bad, I''m sorry," Maya quickly apologized. "I''m used to dying after all, I''ve gone through countless Life Cycles, which was apanied by countless deaths. "But, with that being said, don''t you feel sorry for me? You know, don''t you want to repay me? It would ease my agonizing pain... *cough* *cough* "See? I can''t stop coughing. There''s still some pain left," saying that, she pointed at her heart. Her expression is obviously fake. "And¡­" Raven, although extremely restless, was not an idiot and she quickly realized her n.. Not to mention that at her level, Maya doesn''t not need to breathe, which means she can''t really cough in a natural manner. "You want me to repay you with my body?" Chapter 314 - Love Is A B*tch! *Ze Day - East of Eden * A/N: Read author''s note at the end. Important for next chapter. *** "And¡­ you want me to repay you with my body?" Raven asked, her voice but a faint whisper. As she finished, her cheeks werepletely flushed red. Even her neck and up towards her earlobe were slowly taking a hint of the same shy red. "Hehe, that would be extremely helpful and would most likely relieve my pain *cough* *cough*" Maya said with a few more coughs. "Don''t tell me you''re not willing¡­" "But you didn''t ever hear me apologize¡­" Raven tried changing the subject. "You don''t know what I did¡­ Maya, I didn''t kill the girl that killed you¡­ I haven''t avenged you. Instead, I took care of her and-" "Shush!" Maya quickly interrupted. "I don''t care about apologies! Apologies don''t ease my pain *cough*. "You know what does ease pain though? You. Rave, I want you¡­ everything about you¡­ every little part of you¡­" Raven''s face was dyed red but her gaze was unyielding. "Maya¡­ I''ve always thought of you as my-" "Don''t say it!" Maya warned in a serious tone. "I was never your sister. You made that up in your mind. Didn''t I always tell you that I loved you? "I was willing to be with you when you were Draven, and I was still willing to be. With you after you turned into Raven. Is that not enough? "Do you just think of me as the weak girl that needs your protection?" As she finished, Maya''s silver eyes were almost glowing with a white glow from the blood flowing through them. Tears were sparkling through them like beautiful stars. "Raven, throughout my entire life, I have never loved someone other than you. Can''t you give it to me? If not as Maya, then as Raphael, the fourth Seraph of the Seraphim of the End! "Maya was but an episode of my many episodes of life. But you know what, you were the anchor that made that episode my new and true self¡­" Hearing that, Raven only stared down at her feet, not daring to make eye contact. Normally, such a thing would have been impossible for her to do, but now she was inexplicably feeling weak and exposed... Previously, she had always tried her best to think of Maya as her little sister, but that was never truly the case; they don''t share blood, nor were they born in the same house. Although she has always tried to prevent herself from thinking about her in a more passionate way, deep inside her, Raven knew that the reason she never dared fall for Maya was not because she didn''t like her, but rather because of the confusion about her identity. In the past, Raven had saved Maya and be her hero and saviour. That''s why Raven had always assumed that Maya had loved her for that reason, and not for her true self. Thinking about it in that way has always made it easier for Raven to suppress her own feelings. But now that Maya has regained her memories and her countless years of experience, Raven''s excuse has clearly be invalid. That means that right now, her heart was urging her to ept! She knew that all she had to do was simply nod, and Maya would take care of everything. However, she was afraid. Or rather, she was terrified... "Are you that interested in my body?" Raven asked quietly. She understood Maya''s point and even her own. But she still could not let her guard down; it''s just the way she''s lived her life wasn''t that simple... Right now, she was struggling not to fall into Maya''s embrace. But at the same time, her fear urged her to look for an alternative or at least buy herself some time. *Sigh* "Your body?" Maya asked with a deep sigh, appearing almost heartbroken. But a momentter, she grinned in a devilish manner. "Hehe, you got it wrong. I am not just interested in your body, but rather everything about you. "Rave, I want you. All that''s part of you, including your strengths and weaknesses, your twisted personalities that you never let anyone witness, your beautiful and passionate self¡­ I want them all. Haven''t I made it clear already?" Raven was bbergasted at her response and didn''t know how to deal with her. However, her heart could not help but warm up to her words. ''Damn those hormones¡­'' "Isn''t that just being possessive?" Raven asked, trying to buy some time again, hoping that something or someone would save her not from Maya, but her own rampant emotions and fears. "So what?" Maya answered bluntly as she tilted her head in confusion. "I want you to be mine, but in return, I''ll be all yours. Isn''t that a fair deal?" "Hm, I guess so¡­ but, am I not too young for you¡­?" Raven asked without thinking much about her words. Only after finishing did she understand what she had just said and her face paled. "Courting death?" Maya ''smiled'', causing Raven to shiver and force a smile. *Sigh* "Rave, don''t oveplicate things," she suddenly got serious, her face filled with genuine concern. "Do you think I haven''t noticed how protective of your body you are? "On Earth, myself, you, and Maria, used to always be together. We even slept in the same bed, ate on the same table, and fought the same battles¡­ or that''s what I thought¡­ "Although I didn''t notice, as Maya, back then, I am very aware of everything now¡­ "Your insecurities and secrets, your cautiousness. Even when you tried to convince yourself that you loved us and trusted us unconditionally, you never really did, right?" Hearing that, Raven''s body shook. "Maya-" "Please bear with me here," she interrupted her. "Although I am aware of how harsh this sounds, it''s the truth and you know it in your heart; you''ve never truly opened yourself for us, have you? "But with that being said, I never med you, nor will I ever do. I understand the things you went through and how much you have suffered¡­ "I understand that it''s really hard to trust after being betrayed, especially when ites from someone as close to you as your own father¡­" Raven''s body shook once more, but this time she didn''t dare speak. Maya was aware of how much akin to torture this was for Raven, but she knew that she had to go through with it, for her own good. "But don''t you see, I am just like you, Rave," she continued. "I find it really hard to fully trust anyone¡­ other than you. "And now that I have my memories, it''s even harder to really love or surrender myself to anyone. But do you know why I can''t help but fall for you?" Raven slowly shook her head. She genuinely didn''t. Maya, no. Raphael who has lived countless years and experienced things that Raven can''t even imagine¡­ Why would someone so great be so good to her? Wasn''t she just someone she met on a random cycle of her many Life Cycles? "Hehe, I don''t know either." Maya grinned even though her eyes still sparkled with tears, surprising Raven. "I told you, you''re the first I have ever loved. It''s just like they say, ''love is a b*tch''! "But with that aside, I feel- I really feel that if you let me take care of you¡­ it- it''ll help both of us¡­ "I can''t really exin it, but I know it for sure¡­ Think of it as facing your fears, or a line that you need to cross..." She said in a calm tone but she appeared as though she was pleading. "Will you believe in me, Rave?" Saying that, Maya didn''t try to make another move from that point onwards. She simply waited for Raven''s response. To her, Raven was the most precious existence and she didn''t want her to feel pressured to go through something she would regretter. With that being said, not only did she really love her and wanted to be with her through everything the world could muster against them, she also genuinely felt that it would be good for the two of them if they can get together. It wasn''t only that she needed Raven, but also Raven needed her! Raven''s history made it hard for her to trust anyone. Heck, she can''t even share true feelings with her own family and friends. Maya doubted she could even share true feelings with her own self! This problem has countless hidden dangers and would most likely lead to a thorough breakdown eventually. And needless to say, that was a result Maya didn''t want to even think about! Raven, who was across from her, had aplicated expression over her face. Her body was shivering as if she was in the coldest of dark forests, in desperate need of warmth. Out of habit, she even tried asking Ka for help. But to her surprise, thetter didn''t say a single word. After some hesitation, Raven''s shaking body stopped and her face seemed determined. She has made up her mind! Getting closer to Maya, her face was burning red all the way up to her earlobes and down towards her slender neck. Approaching Maya''s ear, Raven''s quivering lips muttered a few words in a soft whisper. Hearing her soft words, even Maya''s face suddenly stiffened before burning with a bright white as blood flooded her cheeks. She was both surprised and delighted as if he had just heard the most precious melody! Her eyes brightened and her sly, yet extremely alluring, smile returned to her face. "If a barrier is what you want, then a barrier I shall give you!" With a wave of her hand, a silver barrier surrounded the two of them, preventing any prying eyes from witnessing the heavenly scene that is soon to be taking ce inside.... Chapter 315 - Endless Passion Part 1 [This is a Bonus Chapter] *Cascada - Everytime We Touch * Inside the silver barrier, it was a strange mix of the summer''s hotness and the spring''s breeze. Maya didn''t dare wait a second longer, for fear that Raven would change her mind. Licking her lips in a seductive manner, she jumped onto Raven''s small body like a meteor. Although she looked like a ferocious beast that could not wait to devour its prey, her hands, strangely enough, were moving with soft and slow motions, as if she was working on the most exquisite, yet fragile, piece of art that she didn''t dare mess up a single stroke. As her hands moved, pieces of a silver armour and another dark one were quickly separated from snow-white skin and thrown aside before they strangely dissolved, on their own, into tiny fluorescence particles that simply floated around, creating a simple yet magical scene. Not long after Maya''s hands started moving, most of her own body was uncovered and her milky skin was out on disy in front of Raven''s golden eye. She herself was still subconsciously trying to resist, covering her now visible chest with both hands. She could feel her heart pounding as if she was fighting for her life. Luckily though, pieces of her dark armour were still covering her most precious parts. Maya didn''tment on the resistance she offered, she obviously knew better than that. "Why so quick and decisive?" Raven managed to say despite her embarrassment. "Aren''t you supposed to take it slowly¡­? Wouldn''t it be better if we had our clothes on for the first time¡­?" "Take it slowly so you can change your mind?" Maya raised her eyebrows yfully. "To be honest, if it was up to me, I would have taken my sweet time and did it, with and without clothes, time and time again, but hehe¡­ "I don''t trust that you will allow it, that''s why I have to be more direct and even make some shortcuts. Don''t me me, Rave!" Hearing that, Raven tightened her grip around her chest and swallowed loudly. But as if trying to prove Maya wrong, she didn''t back away. "Hehe, that''s the spirit!" Maya smirked. "And, why are you looking away? Am I not beautiful?" As she asked, her hands danced around her delicate plumpy chest in a tempting manner. Raven endured and quickly looked away. But her cheeks betrayed her with a hint of rosy red as she blushed. Looking at her cute expression, Maya grinned. Slowly, she approached her and then all of a sudden, as swift as a hungry predator, smacked her lips against hers, quickly as not to give her the time to react, yet gently and softly so as not to inflict any pain. Raven who was taken off guard didn''t know what to do when she found herself suddenly locked in a tight and passionate kiss. However, knowing Maya, she was sure that she didn''t have to even move a muscle, and she''d still be taken care of. Additionally, this was not their first kiss so she didn''t resist as much¡­ ''Just ording to n,'' Maya thought with an internal grin. Raven, who was clueless to her schemes, forced her body to rx and focus on her feelings. Slowly, Maya''s sweet and almost heavenly taste was invading her senses, making her adrenaline rush even more exciting and pleasant. With time, and for as long as Maya didn''t move, Raven started to feel herself dissolving in the moment, solely focusing on the soft lips that were pressed against hers as if she was trying to engrave their shape and taste into her mind. Noticing that, Maya seemedpletely normal on the surface, but her mind was full of evilughs. Decisively, and suddenly, she advanced with her tongue! Raven''s body shook all of a sudden, but Maya held her by the cheeks to prevent her from backing away. Raven, who was caught off guard once more, looked intently at Maya''s eyes, as if trying to see what secrets and thoughts are going through them. But all she could see was bright silver irises that were staring right back at her in a passionate and loving gaze. The moment the two gazes met, it seemed as though, in this world, only the two of them existed! Feeling the warmth of that gaze warming up her heart, Raven''s body finally rxed. Quickly, a hazy and erotic atmosphere enveloped the two girls, allowing them to experience am unforgettable delightfulness. Seeing that everything was advancing smoothly, Maya''s hands slowly, and very gently, started sliding down Raven''s neck and further towards her cor bones. Noticing the sudden increase in Raven''s already racing heartbeat, she quickly chose to go around the smooth shoulders, instead of going down towards her chest directly. Raven quickly rxed¡­ but that was a mistake against such a hungry beast! Smirking internally, Maya''s hands caressed Raven''s shoulders and slowly went down her arms towards her elbows, and then up towards her hands. With a swift motion, Maya pried those hands open; those very same hands that were protecting two of Raven''s most precious treasures¡­ Noticing her that chest was now so suddenly put on disy, Raven''s eyes widened and she was about to pull back. But Maya obviously wouldn''t allow that to happen; she was prepared. Just as she noticed her subtle movement, she pressed her lips harder, her tongue wrapped around Raven''s passionately in an attempt to distract her. Not only that, she even pushed her own plumpy chest into hers so as to give her a fake feeling of being covered¡­ At that moment, it seemed as though tworge buns of stic, and extremely smooth, porcin jade were pressed against two rather small, but very soft and delicate, bundles of rose petals. As soon as the two touched, Maya grinned in extreme satisfaction while Raven shivered as various feelings of fear, horror, pleasure, ecstasy, and even confusion intermixed. This was her first time ever performing such an act out of her own ord -or rather rtively out of her own ord since Maya was the one taking the lead- and she didn''t know how to feel about it. However, in her vision, she could see Maya''s sparkling and alluring eyes looking at her own, fixedly and unmovingly, as if watching over some unknown precious treasure that she couldn''t let go of. Realizing that Maya was focusing on her face, and not her body, made her slightly rx and stop her futile resistance¡­ This, of course, was a big mistake! Chapter 316 - Endless Passion Part 2 [This is a Bonus Chapter] As soon as Raven rxed her vignce, Maya''s dark mind grinned, full of evil intent, and started swaying her own delicate chest left and right, and even up and down, so that it rubbed against hers. Raven widened her eyes in surprise, but this time there was no horror and no fear, only pure surprise. "Wha-uhmm umm maha!" Hearing her struggle like that, Maya twisted her lips in order to get a better angle so that she could prevent Raven''s tongue from moving, and started rubbing her chest quicker while pressing it harder and harder. Raven''s small and delicate bundles of petals didn''t stand a chance against Maya''s own full and bouncy jade buns; Maya was enjoying herself while Raven was experiencing things that she has never experienced before. Her light skin was reddish all over and her lungs were trying to supply as much air as possible. Inexplicable feelings intermixed yet once again! There was a strange feeling in her body that she had never felt before. It was as though her own ''feelings'' had taken shape and started circting her body without permission. Maya was moving her stic jade buns and rubbing faster against Raven''s petal bundles with each passing second, as if she was afraid that she''d run out of time. With each rub, she changed the position of her tongue and prevented Raven from focusing on anything in particr; it was as though she simply meant to overwhelm her senses and take over her body. And¡­ her n seeded. Raven started getting the feeling that those ''emotions'' that were circting throughout her body started slowly concentrating towards her lower body¡­ towards her most precious parts... Her feelings of ecstasy were unimaginable and so extraordinary that she almost felt herself transcending to new heights. Suddenly, the fluorescence around her looked like crowds of moons and stars that were witnessing her ascension. Maya, although focusing on moving her body, didn''t dare look away from Raven''s face. She was nning on memorizing each and every single expression she made. Those happy, delighted, fearful, horrified, ecstatic, and even lewd expressions that she saw for the first time¡­ all of them were engraved into her memory in rapid session. Raven, who was like a tiny boat in the stormy ocean storm, had no choice but to do her best to ignore her difort and focus on ''surviving''. s, she could notst as long as she thought she would. Those ''emotions'' of hers were getting rather restless and threatened to ''flood'' her senses at any moment! And not long after, her fears became reality... "Ahh- ummm- sto- stop- ah mhmm- um- maha- umhmmmmm... *pant* *pant*" Raven suddenly let out some iprehensible words, trying to conceal her involuntary moaning, as her body convulsed and shook with sudden vigor, that surprised even herself, leaving her panting for air. Breaking out their deep kiss, her hands quickly wrapped around Maya''s snake-like waist and her head was buried into herrge and smooth buns in an attempt to conceal her own convulsing body and extremely inappropriate facial expressions. Now that her mouth was free, she could better breathe! Although it wasn''t cold around her thanks to her and Maya''s mana protection, her breaths were akin to hot clouds of mist that made the atmosphere look even more dreamy and sensual. Maya returned her embrace with her evil grin while ignoring Raven''s iprehensible words and her rising and falling chest. However, she could not ignore one fact¡­ Approaching Raven''s rosy earlobe, she slowly and seductively bit down at its burning red edge: "Done already?" She managed to ask in another one of her unnaturally charming whispers. Hearing the question, Raven''s body involuntarily stiffened. Her body was still shivering as she slowly looked up at Maya with aplicated gaze. Her face was still burning red, especially that a part of it was still trapped between thetter''s stic buns... Raven didn''t dare answer her question... "It was good, wasn''t it?" Maya ignored Raven''s gaze and asked yfully while looking down at her still covered areas. Although already covered in dark armour, Raven subconsciously let her hands slide down, for extra protection. This move, however, left her small rose petal bundles exposed! "Well, now that you had your fun, it''s my turn," Maya grinned while bathing her eyes in Raven''s dazzling white skin. Unable to resist any further, she slowly disassembled everyst piece of her own silver armour, leaving her smooth skin clear of any impurities or obstructions. Raven, being Raven, didn''t dare look directly at the sparkling porcin-like white body in front of her, and instead simply looked away. ''She is fully exposed!'' she thought while feeling her blood boil, almost causing her to faint. Taking advantage of her apparent weakness, Maya approached her small petal bundles and stared intently. Raven, although aware, couldn''t do anything about it for fear of losing herst piece of armour. Grinning devilishly, Maya opened her mouth and quickly closed it in on Raven''s precious petals! Like a hungry baby, she twisted her mouth and tongue in a sucking motion. "Ah- uhmm Maya!" Raven shouted and reluctantly let out a soft moan. "Hehe, just like that, let me hear you louder!" Maya encouraged between lewd motions. Not long after, she started biting down gently on the tip of one of Raven''s petal bundles, causing her body to convulse vigorously once more¡­ "Umhmm¡­" Raven, involuntarily, let out another soft moan as she felt something leaving her body... A sweet yet almost spicy scent filled the atmosphere, causing Raven to burn red and Maya with a white glow. "Enough! *pant* Maya! *pant*" Raven, who was still struggling for air, said weakly before pushing Maya away. This obviously caused her to expose Maya''s entire body in front of her¡­ Naively, she didn''t say any more words, but rather covered her face with both hands, thinking that that would save her. But nheless, Maya took advantage of that and was about to remove Raven''sst piece of armour that consisted of her miniskirt. "Hehe, seems like you need some cleaning down there, let me help you!" As soon as Maya''s hands touched her armoured miniskirt, Raven backed away hurriedly, giving up on covering her eyes. "Maya!" "Uhm?" Maya tilted her head innocently. "What, can''t I also have fun? You had yours, twice al-" "Maya¡­ you can''t¡­ you¡­ because¡­ you... you know what, alright!" Raven gave up. "But this time, I will be the one taking the lead!" "Huh, why?" She was confused. "Am I not enough? Hehe, you''ve already d-" "Stop!" Raven interrupted, her eyes tearing up from the sensual heat. "It''s¡­ ah- it''s because¡­ yes, because I have had my fun¡­ Right? Now it''s your time to err, rx and have fun too¡­" Saying that, she looked down at her own feet. Her ears were almost smoking hot as she finished speaking. However, despite whatever nonsense she came up with, the real reason she said what she said was obviously because she wasn''t ready to go any further. But since Maya was like that, she could only make her the focus of their ''activity'', rather than allowing her to focus on herself. "Hehe, okay," Maya clearly understood Raven''s inner thoughts, but still, she didn''t argue. Why? Because this was only the first time, there will definitely be many more times toe¡­ Once that happens, she was even confident that she would be able to unlock some special postures and new facial expressions, among other exciting things¡­ "Show me what you''re capable of, Rave. Here, I''ll give you a hand¡­" Saying that, Maya opened her arms in a posture of giving a wide hug, and lifted her hips slightly upwards. That position allowed Raven to see every little part of Maya which made her dizzy and just one step away from fainting¡­ "As I said before," Maya whispered. "Every part of you is mine, and every little part of me is yours¡­e and im me, my little Raven¡­" Swallowing loudly while her cheeks burnt red, Raven approached slowly. Contrary to Maya''s beautiful, yet far-fetched, hopes and delusions, she didn''t go downwards, but rather upwards. Nheless, her fingers were small yet tender, touching and exploring. Wherever they went, Maya felt as though they were giving off gentle electric currents that spread softly throughout her entire body, causing her eyes to get hazy and her face beautifully paler in a holy-like glow. Because of her white milky angel blood, her blush was akin to a halo of white radiance around her face, which pushed her personal charm into new heights that were unreachable for mortals! And although she didn''t need to breathe air, she still did, allowing soft cloudy mist to escape her mouth and spread a moist atmosphere around her body, increasing the intensity of their activity. Raven was breathing heavily while clutching, twisting, massaging, and pinching Maya''s preciousrge, full, smooth, and tender buns of white porcin. Unable to cover her immense pleasure, or maybe because she liked to tease Raven, Maya started moaning openly and rather loudly. As if to force her to quiet down, Raven increased the pressure she was applying, but that quickly backfired as Maya expressed her joy... Remembering what she had done to her before, Raven grinned in an evil manner as she opened her mouth and bit down on the tip of one of Maya''s plumpy buns "Rave- um, umhmmm¡­" Maya struggled to speak which was actually a satisfying result. However, Raven''s smile quickly dropped after hearing the rest of her sentence. "Rave- hmmm- m- mhomm- more!" Maya demanded and even started pushing Raven''s head deeper into her stic and bouncy buns. Raven quickly gave up on trying to understand and simply went with the flow. Not long after, she got the hang of things and slowly, strands of crimson-purple and silver-white locked onto each other as two snow-white bodies intertwined, heat, warmth, delight, and endless passion, emanating from both of them. Chapter 317 - Breaking Through Her Shell Part 1 *MORTEN - Beautiful Heartbeat (Nine Lives Remix) * In the depths of the dark void, a silver-white sphere-like barrier was suspended strangely. Around it, many dead angel bodies were floating aimlessly. In front of it, many extremely powerful angels were kneeling with the utmost respect and reverence. Contrary to what they usually look like, their eyes were glowing in a sparkling purple hue as silver circuit-like structures danced within. On the outside, the sphere barrier looked quite normal. But on the inside, a forbidden scene of ultimate pleasure was taking ce... The scene was akin to a dazzling warm paradise that was too precious for any living being to witness. Thus, it was covered from the prying eyes. Forget mortals, even immortals were not allowed to see or hear the things that were taking ce inside the sphere barrier. The outside was extremely still like an ancientke while the inside was like an explosion of colourful hazy mist that carried the scent of the sweetest vour known to any and all living beings. Sometimes there would be sparks of silver-white and crimson-purple intertwining alluringly in endless passion. And, some other times, there would be radiant white feathers flying around like the spring''s fresh breeze. Weird loud voices and quiet whispers would be heard from one time to another. ... "Bite harder!" Maya demanded, with an ecstatic grin, in between misty moans. "Eh, won''t it hurt?" Raven asked genuinely in between heavy breaths, as she was truly concerned. "Hehe, no pain no gain¡­" Maya replied with a charming chuckle. "Err, ok I will-muhmm¡­" Raven obeyed like a good girl. A series of inappropriate sounds escaped along with Maya''s cloudy breaths. "No, not the wings¡­ Oi, why did you stop, I was joking; go for the wings!" "You''re confusing me¡­" Raven admitted in between hot gasps. "Just follow your heart!" Maya finally said after some difficulty. "Like this?" Raven''s voice sounded heavy as her fingers danced around the base of the mellow feathery wings. "Hehe, yes, just-umhmm¡­ just like that-ah¡­" Maya''s body suddenly convulsed as a rather ''unique'' expression surfaced across her face. Her eyes turned moist and hazy, as if she had just entered an entirely different realm of pleasure. The two continued to chat amidst the noise. Two voices, yet countless moans... "Ahem, ahem¡­dies, sorry for the interruption¡­ Can you hear me?" A third voice suddenly sounded. "Rave, no way you''re tired already... But if that''s the case¡­ hehe, let me take the lead!" Maya smirked and added, ignoring the voice. Approaching Raven, her hands suddenly started fondling and feeling around, as if never wanting to stop at one single spot of her smooth radiant body but rather wanting to feel it all; in order to mark it all as hers! "No, I said it''s your turn, leave me alone!" Ravenined while backing away hurriedly. She knew Maya''s purpose and she didn''t want to go that far. "Hm¡­ let me take a peek at least, maybe? Just a quick one, I promise!" Maya almost pleaded while looking at Raven''s armoured miniskirt that was miraculously still intact. "Dream on!" She replied almost instantly. "Ahem, hello?" The third voice sounded yet once again. "Eh? Did you hear something?" Raven asked as she finally realized that there was someone else with them, inside the barrier, which made her startled heart almost stop beating, before it resumed at a threateningly high rate. "Yeah, it sounded like Ka wanted to say something¡­ whatever, she''s probably just jealous." Maya ignored Raven''s concerns. "Ka!" Raven suddenly remembered, her hot red face suddenly lost its colour. Reflexively, she covered her smooth white chest with both hands. Luckily, her lower armoured miniskirt was still intact. But even so, that didn''t prevent her from forcing her legs closer to one another. Looking around, she could see the dark purple haired Ka looking at her with a neutral expression. The fact that she didn''t show a clear expression made Raven''s heart race even faster. Cold sweat rolled down her brow. She was suddenly aware that Ka must have witnessed the entire thing; all of it! Panicked, she felt her words stuck at her throat, almost choking her. So, she could not utter a single word! Maya, who left her milky white body out for disy uncaring for covering any part whatsoever, looked at Ka with narrowed eyes that were filled with displeasure. Raven could not stand it and quickly created a shadow cloak to cover both herself and Maya. Ka didn''t speak, but simply kept looking at them, especially Raven, which almost caused thetter to hyperventte! "Why did you ruin our quality time?!" Maya finally asked, her expression extremely serious. "We haven''t moved to third base yet, damn it!" Ignoring her remark, Ka finally moved towards Raven and stopped just before her, a soft smile appeared on her face. Raven could not look her in the face out of embarrassment, so she could only avoid making eye contact and looked down instead. "Don''t be like that," Ka said as she got closer. "Don''t!" Realizing that Ka was too close, Raven blurted out. "I¡­ I need a bath¡­" "Does not matter to me," Ka grinned and kept on getting closer, until her brow was resting against Raven''s. "You have no idea how much I was scared for you. I''m d you''re okay." "Huh? Scared for me?" Raven asked in confusion, forgetting all about the distance between her and Ka; they were so close that they were practically breathing the same air. "What do you mean?" "Not just scared, but rather terrified," Ka nodded with a smile that showed hidden concern and worry. "Didn''t you listen to what Maya said before? Your past is a bit too messed up, don''t you think? "If you had not done what you''ve done with Maya, I was afraid that you would have never done it¡­ "Remember, I live in your mind and I''m aware of everything that''s going on in there. "If there''s anyone in this world that knows you better than your own self, then that would be me. And trust me when I say, I''m really happy for you, Rave!" Chapter 318 - Breaking Through Her Shell Part 2 "Kay¡­" Raven looked at Ka with emotion as her golden eye sparkled with a lone tear. "You''ve finally opened up to someone, hehe," Ka chuckled while gently patting Raven''s head and rearranging her crimson-purple strands that were all over the ce. Hearing Ka, and the relief hidden within her every word, Raven didn''t know how to express her feelings. Everything that has been happening today has been a great surprise to her, and she still hasn''t even wrapped her head around it all. "Uhm," She finally nodded, allowing her tears to fall down her rosy cheek and towards her chin, while wrapping her arms around Ka''s tender body. "The cloak," Maya pointed out that the cloak was not covering Raven anymore. At some point, she had forgotten to hold it tightly and it had simply slid away. Realizing that, Raven blushed and quickly covered herself again. "It''s alright though, isn''t it?" Maya asked. "There are no strangers here." Saying that, she let go of her own cloak, allowing her dazzling skin to be fully exposed. Ka frowned and covered her with a thinyer of Cyber Matter. "You belong to Raven now. Wasn''t that what you said?" Hearing that, Raven also frowned and looked at Maya. Quickly, she added ayer of her own golden mana to cover her up. "What? But that doesn''t apply to you," Maya defended herself innocently. "Didn''t you witness everything? You just said that you live in Raven''s mind!" "Ugh, well, normally that would be the case," Kained. "But not this time. I quickly got out the moment you two started getting all lovey-dovey." Hearing that, Raven suddenly remembered that she had once called Ka to ask her about something, yet thetter didn''t answer her back. Now it seems that she was blocking their connection. "While you were¡­ err, doing what you were doing, I was finishing up my task," Ka continued. "Now, every angel outside can be fully controlled by me. "I''ve inserted one Cyber Core inside each one of them. Right now, excluding the Newborn and Servant angels you two used for your healing, there are twenty Guard Angels, and Seven Holy Angels waiting for you!" "You just interrupted us for this?" Maya''s veins almost popped out. Approaching Raven, she grabbed her hand and was about to drag her away to continue their ''unique'' exercise... "No¡­" Ka answered decisively while opening her palm. "Rave, support me." "Uhm," nodding, Raven heard Ka''s internal voice transmission and quickly shared her skill: Mana Elementalist with her. Grinning, Ka converted most of the air they were breathing -or rather, Raven was breathing- into arge water bubble that wasunched towards the duo. Maya was taken off guard and started sshing around, trying to resist, while Raven held her breath and took the opportunity to bathe herself thoroughly while changing into her Dark Shadow Armour. Additionally, she controlled her hair, like she controlled her mana, and restored her previous flowery hairdo. After a few quick seconds, Maya summoned arge air bubble, from the air stored within her special bracelet, and spread it around Raven so that she could breathe properly. "What was that for?" Maya asked while wiping the water away from her face and hair. Thinking about it for a moment, she stoppedining all of a sudden, and looked at Raven with an evil grin. Approaching her with her dripping-wet body, she looked dazzling and extremely alluring¡­ Even Raven, who got rather used to this scene, had trouble looking away this time as she was captivated. She had to admit that a Seraph''s figure was something humans could never hope to achieve! *m!* "Hey, what was that for!?" Maya, who was still grinning mischievously, suddenly asked while rubbing her head where she was just hit so unscrupulously. Ka massaged her knuckles while staring down at Maya like a bad street thug. "You had your fun, enough! We have to get down to business! "Didn''t you ask me the reason for interrupting you? Well, the first reason is that the battle between Uriel and Michael ising to an end, and we need to take a stand. "And the second is that with the, err, exercises you were practicing, Raven would have died of carbon dioxide poisoning if left for another ten minutes. "Didn''t you feel like she was about to faint at least a couple of times, throughout your activity?" "What? Wasn''t that because she was tired? Or err, from having too much fun?" Maya asked seriously, remembering a couple of instances where Raven felt dizzy and light headed. *Sigh* "No, that was because of theck of oxygen and the abundance of carbon dioxide¡­" Ka exined. "Anyhow, we have to move. I''ll send the angels to Earth to give everyone there a hand. Oh, I''ll probably ask Sar to go look for Tu though, he''s been missing for a while¡­" "Sounds good," Raven said, hoping to switch the subject and get serious. She could not stand the increase in her body temperature from everything that''s been going on. "Okay, let''s get moving!" Ka said, while looking at Maya specifically, with a not-so-kind smile. "Maybe put some clothes on?" "Ugh, fine! Always trying to be ethical!" Mayained, before her expression weirdly lit up as if a terrific idea popped up in her head. "Wait, you have seen my naked body," as if to emphasize, she slid her hands around, "I can''t get married now. You have to, no you must, take responsibility¡­" Ka didn''t answer. She simply looked at her with a tilted head and didn''t even conceal her surprise. Raven, on the other hand, had trouble stifling her giggles. Approaching Maya, she started tidying up her hair with a smile. "Put your armour on, I won''t help you in that regard." "Okay!" Maya instantly dismissed her previous words and said happily.. Having Raven rearranging her hair made her mood soar up the heavens and she could not conceal it even if she tried to. Chapter 319 - Breaking Through Her Shell Part 3 "Okay!" Maya instantly dismissed her previous words and said happily. Having Raven rearranging her hair made her mood soar up the heavens and she could not conceal it even if she tried to. In just a matter of seconds, she put her beautiful light silver armour on, and she was back to looking like a respected Seraph. "Oh, Kay," she suddenly called while putting her silver armour on. "How much time did we spend? I felt like it was a few mere moments, tell me it wasn''t just a minute or two¡­" "A minute or two?" Raven was extremely surprised. "It seemed like we spent at least some hours!" The duo looked at each other with narrowed eyes before looking at Ka with questioning gazes. She didn''t answer. She only raised two fingers up. "Two hours?" Raven asked, surprised. She thought it was a bit more, but that was still close to her estimation. "Wait, two minutes for real?" Maya opened her mouth. "Damn it, I knew it! I should not have taken it easy then. Rave, you better watch out for me next time, I''ll take you to fourth base as soon as we start so that we can''t miss a thing!" Raven blushed but didn''t say a word. She was used to Maya''s way of talking, even though it sounded extremely weird and almost foreign to her... *Sigh* "Do all angels have such bad time perception? And stop uttering such inappropriate words, you''re not alone anymore!" Ka didn''t know how to react, so she could only sigh in frustration. "And, well, you two spent twenty minutes¡­" ""Oh¡­"" both girls were surprised, for different reasons. Dismissing their weird gazes, Ka redirected her attention towards Raven. "By the way, Rave, you''ve ranked up. Hehe, congrats!" "Huh? What? How?" Raven asked in confusion. "I ranked up?" "Well, didn''t you feel like you were flying? Err, what is a word to describe it¡­ transcending at some point?" She asked. "Hehe, she was transcending alright!" Maya winked at her with a charming expression. Raven blushed but shook her head in disapproval. Trying to think about such events, she suddenly remembered something. "Wait? That¡­ I did feel something like that¡­ wasn''t it because of¡­ you know¡­" her blush slowly spread up towards her earlobes and down towards her slender neck. She almost resembled a burning-red rose. "Well, not quite," Ka said with a smile. "When you two ''forgot yourselves in the moment'', Maya was subconsciously releasing her mana crazily, while you were absorbing it at a simr rate. "While your Mana Core isn''t as good as it can get at the moment, the surplus energy that was released really helped widen your capacity, hence you''re standing at rank Star Ny Eight!" "Rank Star Ny Eight, hm, not bad!" Maya raised a thumbs up. "But hey, this is not nearly enough. You need to practice more." Saying that, she grinned mischievously. "Alright Kay, with all due respect, get out. Rave, armour off!" Both Raven and Ka looked at each other and then back at Maya who was still grinning. "Get a hold of yourself!" Ka shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you?" "Huh? What are you talking about, I''m absolutely perfect," Maya said. "In fact, I''ve never been so perfect in my entire life!" "Ugh, whatever!" Maya lost her patience. "But to be fair, her rank up wasn''t the best result Raven got out of this. Right?" "Same question, different context; what are you talking about?" Maya tilted her head and looked at Raven. The girl in question smiled genuinely as she approached Maya. "Thank you!" With a quick peck on the lips that surprised the receiving end, Raven suddenly took a deep breath and closed her eyes before her docile behaviour took a one-eighty degree turn. Her golden aura suddenly red and lit up the void around her. Her weak shy aura suddenly became full of confidence. Cracking her neck with a quick motion, she grinned devilishly while testing every part of her body; closing and opening fists, kicking around, manipting her golden strands of mana¡­ "What the hell happened to her?" Maya was the one truly taken off guard this time. "Hehe," Ka chuckled delightfully. "Although you technically haven''t¡­ err, haven''t taken her first time, yet I guess, you have allowed her to break through her shell. Now, Raven is not what she used to be!" "Sorry, what?" Maya tilted her head. "More information would be much appreciated, you know!" *Sigh* "Didn''t you say it yourself?" Ka asked. "Didn''t you mention before that this would be like facing her fears and crossing the line out of herfort zone? Well, you were right. "Raven had always concealed her true intentions from everyone around her and never truly trusted anyone. "Even you and Maria¡­ Although she genuinely loves you and would die for you, she had never allowed herself to show any weakness in front of you. "Although I knew everything, I technically wasn''t an outsider and so I could not help her in that regard. *Sigh* "Whenever she used to smile, her smiles would be fake. Her expressions and behaviours would almost always be fake as well. They were fake to the point that she herself believed them from time to time. "But that meant that whenever something serious happened, she had to continue storing those negative thoughts and emotions inside her mind, in a ce where she would always ignore and never acknowledge¡­ "If she had continued down that path, the best oue that could have happened was her forming a second personality and suffering from a serious disorder. And the worst oue would have been aplete breakdown of her mind which would have either killed her or made her like an emotionless robot..." "What!!? And you kept that for yourself?" Maya suddenly shouted, extremely upset. "How could you do something like that? Weren''t you supposed to be always there for her? How could you!? How hard would it have been to let one of your clones tell us about it, huh?!!" Ka didn''t reply. She just looked down at her feet in a sorrowful expression.. Pain was visible in her dark purple eyes. Chapter 320 - Breaking Through Her Shell Part 4 Ka didn''t dare reply, and could only bear with Maya''s abuse that stung her hard. She just looked down at her own feet in a sorrowful and guilty expression. Pain was rather evident in her dark purple eyes. "Maya, don''t yell at her," Raven suddenly opened her one golden right eye and said in an extremely serious tone. "I have never allowed her to do anything close to letting anyone know of my condition. "And although you may think that she should have; that is not necessarily the case. If she had told anyone about it, I would have lost my trust in her as well and then absolutely would have suffered from a serious breakdown like she mentioned." Thinking about it for a moment, Raven approached Ka and hugged her sincerely and tightly. "Sorry Kay, it must have been really hard on you. I have made you suffer. I''m so sorry¡­" Ka shivered and her eyes sparkled as she returned the hug, a soft smile that was full of relief and happiness was stered across her face."No, that''s what I''m here for, Rave¡­" she said while swallowing loudly. Maya who was watching this finally realized that Ka can''t be med and was indeed out in a tough position. With a sad smile, she went to join their hug. Noticing that, Raven kicked her away, which let her end up in tears. "You''ve really changed, *sniff* the Raven I knew would have never hurt me like this *sniff*" Raven didn''t even spare her a look, uncaring about her fake cries, and continued her warm hug with Ka. *Sigh* "I guess I need to make up for being harsh on you, Kay," Maya said with a sigh. In fact, she should have known that there must have been such a reason for Ka''s behaviour. But the moment she knew how dangerous Raven''s situation was, she hadpletely lost her reason. If it was someone other than Ka, a few harsh words would have been only the beginning. "Well, I''ll invite you to some ice-cream after this is all over, what do you say, Kay?" She finally said with an apologetic expression. "Don''t listen to her nonsense!" Raven covered Ka''s ears with a frown before whispering closer to her ear. "Don''t let her buy your forgiveness for some ice-cream!" "Eh? But I like ice-cream¡­" Ka suddenly said. "Ugh, fine, but order the most expensive ice-cream you can get!" Raven instructed. "Hehe, don''t worry about it, I''ve got this! I''ll make her pay for her abuse!" Ka chuckled. "But at the same time, I owe her a lot for freeing you from your burdens, so I can''t promise to be harsh on her¡­" "Uhm, if that''s the case, then I won''t force you," Raven smiled and patted Ka on the head onest time. "Alright, time to get serious!" Saying that, she took a deep breath and her expression turned stoic. "Uriel and Michael''s battle should being to an end pretty soon, but, as much as I hate saying this, if we want a chance for survival, then we must cooperate with her. "Maya," she said while looking at the girl in question. "We''ll be saving your lover¡­" "Ugh, don''t call her that¡­" Maya showed a look of utter disgust. "That lunatic is simply crazy, I''m innocent of whatever she ims!" "This doesn''t change the fact that she is currently fighting Michael because she is in love with you; she''s literally ready to die for you, you know¡­" Raven raised her eyebrows. "You can''t be heartless¡­" Although she said that, Raven''s tone was rather weird¡­ ''Is she trying to tease me?'' Maya thought to herself. ''Wasn''t Uriel the sl*t that not only abused her, but also took her left eye? How can I forgive her?'' "Why are you even- wait, are you jealous?" She suddenly realized and asked out loud. "Hahahaha! I should have known that! Of course! But hey, don''t worry, no other soul can enter my eyes but you!" "Jealous? Of Uriel? She''s not worthy!" Raven said seriously, even though her cheeks flushed with a hint of rosy red after she heard Maya''s words. "Plus, if I ever hear of you two getting close, then I''ll just-" saying that, she instantly pointed her index at her neck and swiped in a ''I will cut you'' motion. "Of course!" Maya nodded, heavily and repeatedly, as cold sweat rolled down her brow. For some reason, she felt like Raven was not joking; her neck was on the line! "Anyhow, let''s go save her!" Raven said. Holding Ka by the hand, she quicklyunched herself into the empty space. "By the way, Maya, I won''t be physically helping you with this. I''ll just cheer you on from the sidelines¡­" Although it seemed as though she was joking, she absolutely wasn''t; Raven possessed no power to help in thising fight. Although she has reached the rank of Star Ny Eight, she might very well be an insect in front of a Seraph like Michael. Knowing that, she hated herself for being this weak. What would she do if something bad was to happen to Maya? Would she fail her one more time? Didn''t she promise that she''ll never do so again? All of those questions roamed Raven''s mind and made a mess out of it. Quickly, her heart started racing and worry filled her veins. "Uhm, I understand," Maya replied with a knowing tone. She understood Raven''s feelings very well. "This battle is mine, you don''t have to worry about it. "We have spent so many years on Earth together, yet you never gave me your heart until I technically died. Now that you''ve finally done so, how can I die again? "Hehe, so don''t worry about a thing and just prepare yourself for whates after I kill that b*stard.. I''m expecting some good surprises from you¡­" she chuckled alluringly, yet with an extremely devilish grin. "I won''t be merciful when the timees, so I don''t want you toin¡­" Chapter 321 - Breaking Through Her Shell Part 5 "I will not have mercy when the timees, so I don''t want to hear youin- Oh wait, maybe I do want to hear youin, loudly, hehe.¡­" Maya grinned in an evil, yet rather charming, manner. Her voice sounded alluring in a way that would stir the souls of many. "Uhm, you worry about your stuff and I''ll worry about mine¡­" Raven quickly nodded and said knowingly, her cheeks burning red. She didn''t mind Maya''s thoughts at all, anything was eptable as long as they could ovee this hurdle. "When the timees, I''ll, err, I''ll make sure that you''re satisfied¡­" "Now that''s what I''m talking about!!" Maya cheered while licking her lips seductively, imagining the ''fun'' they''ll be having soon after. Her silver-white eyes were burning with hot excitement. ''I will finally be able to hit third and fourth base!'' Ka, who was holding Raven''s hand, was left speechless at their conversation. She didn''t like how she was being ignored as if she was not there. But with that being said, she was really d for the two of them. ''Hm, it iss really strange that I don''t feel any hint of jealousy towards the two¡­ howe?'' Ka suddenly asked herself. ''I have always thought that if something like this were to happen, I would die of jealousy because I want Raven to be mine alone. Hm, really weird¡­ ''With that being said, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I''ve never viewed Rave as a potential love interest before, but rather a person whom I must keep safe and err, close to me¡­ ''Maybe this has something to do with the real Ka and how she created me? Uhm, it must be. Otherwise, how would I exin my feelings? ''Err, I guess it may also be rted to how close I am with her that I have always thought of her loved ones as my own and her own interests as mine as well. In this way, there is a part of me who views Raven as an extension of my own self? ''In that sense, I can''t be jealous? Ugh, well, whatever. Nothing changes on my end. I will always be by Raven''s side, no matter what! But with that being said¡­'' "Rave," she suddenly called, her voice was almost a shy whisper. "I- err, I have a question¡­" "Huh? And since when do you need my permission to ask questions?" Raven asked, feeling a little uneasy. *Sigh* "Go for it." "Uhm," Ka nodded as she turned her head towards Raven''s bright golden eye, as if ready to determine whether her next words are genuine or not. "What- Rave, what am I to you?" Hearing her question, Raven looked at her as if she was an idiot and didn''t know how to respond. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before giving off a soft sigh. If Ka had a human body, her heart would have been shaken by that sigh. ''What? Why is she not answering? Am I not- wait, I could peek at her thoughts- but- no- why is she like? No, why am I this scared? ''I am but a simple system for Raven¡­ a skill that she uses for her advantage¡­ How dare I think that I am anything more? How stupid of me¡­'' While she was busy panicking, Ka suddenly felt one arm wrapping around her head in an affectionate embrace, while the other patted her head,forting her very soul. Focusing on the outside world again, Ka''s heart softened as she realized that Raven had a gorgeous smile surfacing across her face. Quickly however, her smile turned into a chuckle as her patting hand turned into a fist that knocked Ka on the head. Ka didn''tin, she simply closed one of her eyes as if expressing pain. "Kay, oh Kay¡­" Raven shook her head. "What a stupid question¡­ I genuinely never expected that someone as smart as you would ever ask something as dumb and obvious as this¡­ "Kay, in case you haven''t realized by now, you''re my best friend, my second soul, and my second half¡­ "Does that answer your question?" Raven asked with raised eyebrows while looking at Ka with a strange look. "Why are you looking at me like this?" Ka suddenly asked while backing away. "I obviously know this! I was just meaning to remind you, that''s all, humph!" "To remind me?" Raven tilted her head. "Oh¡­ hehehe¡­ you''re jealous of Maya, right? It must be¡­" "Jealous? Why should I be jealous?" Ka shrugged. "I''m not your lover; I''m much more. I am your second half thatpliments you, didn''t you yourself say that?" "Hm, I guess so¡­" Raven said before shrugging. On the outside, she seemed as though she didn''t care much, but in her Mind Space, her soul quickly approached Ka''s and hugged her tightly. In her Mind Space, everything felt much more sensitive and real for Ka who had her true body there. ''Don''t worry, Kay,'' she whispered into her ears. ''In this world, no one can be closer to me than yourself. You are my blessing; my gift that no one can ever top! ''No matter where I go or what happens to me, I know that you''ll always stay by my side, that''s why I trust you the most; even more than myself. ''Does that answer your true question? Hehe, you can already read my mind, but I guess you want me to say it out loud for Maya to hear, huh? What a bad cheeky girl¡­'' ''Uhm, I know¡­'' Ka returned the hug that touched her soul, quite literally. ''And I was just setting some boundaries, that''s all!'' ''Hehe¡­'' Raven giggled as she focused back on the outside world where Maya was looking at the two of her and Ka with an inexplicable expression. It seemed as though she had a lot to say, but she didn''t know where to start exactly. Chapter 322 - Dont You Dare Die Part 1 *William ck - Wasted On You (feat. Sara Skinner) * "Oi, aren''t I supposed to be your second half?" Maya finally organized her thoughts and interjected. "Why are you two hugging like this¡­ it''s giving me a bad feeling¡­" Hearing her, Raven barely spared her a nce before ignoring her, as if she had just seen an ant that didn''t know its ce. "We''ve just had our first real moment together, yet you treat me like this¡­" If there was a box of sand around, Maya would have been found ying there alone as tears dripped down. But s, she was busy wrapping the two in her mana while flying at extremely fast velocities¡­ *Sniff* "Rave, you''ve really changed¡­" she sniffed. "I swear, you used to be more kind and loving¡­ What happened to the Raven I know?" "Humph, you''re the one who wants to be with the real me, right?" Raven harrumped while raised her eyebrows. "The real me is not the kindest out there, deal with it!" Sounds of a breaking heart could be heard all over Maya''s Mana Field that was covering them. "Ugh¡­" Ravenined as she left Ka embrace and went tofort Maya. Once she reached her, she knocked her on the head, causing her speed to slow down as her silver-white eyes welled up in tears. *Sigh* "To be fair, you have also changed," Raven suddenly said seriously. "I''ve always heard you swearing and being a tough girl, back on Earth, but the difference now is much more severe¡­" Hearing her speaking seriously, Maya opened her ears and listened with a grave expression. "With that being said, I don''t mind the new you," Raven shrugged. "Since I''ve already decided to take you, I''ll take you with everything you got. How does that sound?" "Pretty good...?" Maya questioned, instead of answering. "Are we¡­ are we still doing *cough* you know, after we''re done?" "Uhm," Raven nodded while knocking on her head once again. "But why do I feel like that''s where your head has beentely? We''ve got some serious issues to take care of!" "Hehe, why would I ever care about such things? All I care about is what happens when we get back!" "But you-" "Rave," Maya interrupted with a simrly serious expression. "When I am with you, I give you full control of me; body, soul, and mind. You make decisions and create ns. "I can''tpare to you in that department so why would I care? To me, if it''s something that you can''t solve, then no one in the universe can help me¡­ does that exin why I always take it easy around you?" *Sigh* "What a dummy..." Raven let out a soft sigh while slowly and affectionately rubbing Maya''s head. "Got it. I''ll take care of everything. It''s enough to have you supporting me." "Hehe, now we''re talking!" Maya cheered, indulging in her wild imagination yet once again. ¡­ The trio were each lost in their own thoughts as they traversed the empty space. Not too long after, they came to a terrifying scene where the two Seraphim were fighting to the death. The energy was rampant and shockwaves gave a feeling of ultimate danger. "You''re finally here!" Uriel let out a cry of joy upon seeing Maya getting closer to her position. Contrary to her earlier appearance, she looked extremely miserable at the moment. One of her hands was cut off from the wrist downwards, and was bleeding a river of radiant milky blood that dyed the void white. Arge amount of blood gushed out of her stomach as she bled heavily from a wound that prated deeply. Her face was covered in the same hue as her mouth and nose were bloodied. A long wound ran up her face from the chin and all the way up to her left eye that was blinded. Throughout the battle, she had used her final form as she summoned the entirety of her four pairs of wings. However, at this moment, only one remained. The rest, seven of her wings, were plucked like dead flowers and thrown into the distance for her to watch in pain and sorrow. Everything was ruined for her. Even if she survives this by some miracle, there''s no way for her to get back to her prime, especially appearance and strength-wise. Even her entire army of angels, including the Holy Angels, were all turned to mutted corpses that were roaming the void aimlessly. At the moment, she was desperately fending off against Michael''s attacks with her injured hand, using it as a shield like she gave up on it, while using her functional hand to prevent any further bleeding from her stomach. The moment she saw Maya was as though she had seen her hope for a future. However, the moment her functional eyended on Raven, her hope quickly died out. ''Why did she bring her with her? Isn''t she supposed to be a useless gift for a one time use?'' Uriel asked herself. ''Why is she looking happy and healthy? ''What happened between them? Did I betray my beliefs and risk my own life for the two to stay together like this? What- ah!!'' As she was deep in thought, Michaelnded a terrifying blow. Coughing up a mouthful of pure white blood, Uriel looked down at her stomach, only to see that a fist had prated both her hand and her abdomen, reaching out to the other side of her body through her back. Looking up, she saw Michael looking at her with a disgusted expression on his face. Quickly, he pulled his hand back and pushed Uriel away as if she was but a random piece of trash. "Tch, this took way more time than it should have," heined. "I should not have assigned too many Holy Angels under yourmand. Well, lesson learned." Uriel, who was pushed aside, looked at Maya with herst breath.. Her functioning eye dripped with tears as she realized that she had not even given her a single nce since the moment of her arrival. Chapter 323 - Dont You Dare Die Part 2 Uriel''s functioning eye dripped with tears as she realized that Maya had not even given her a single nce since the moment of her arrival. ''Is this how I die?'' During herst moments, time seemed to be stretched out in order for her to realize her mistakes. ''I died for the one I loved, yet she didn''t love me back¡­ ''Now that I think about it, did she ever express her love for me? No, never did¡­ ''Then why have I been so adamant on getting her to love me in the first ce? Was I too naive? Was I just a stupid traitor like Michael said? ''But¡­ no, how can I say something like that now? I have loved her and I will still love her until myst breath, no matter how she treated me before... ''Ah¡­ emotions¡­ what a drag¡­ truly, they are dangerous... ''Nheless, I have always wanted to see her smile for me, even once¡­ Is that too much to ask for? Just one smile¡­'' ''Ah¡­ now that I get to reflect on my decisions I can finally realize that my life was really a failure... ''Maybe I should have been more honest with her and just stated that I love her instead of pursuing her like a maniac and scaring her away instead... ''Well, if given a second chance, I will make sure not to waste any time and just be honest with myself and others¡­ ''Farewell, disgusting world. Farewell, stupid me. And, farewell, dear Raphael¡­ if we ever meet again, please smile for me, at least one single time¡­ ''... ''... ''... ''Huh¡­ this sure is taking too long, why do I need to be tortured like this? Haven''t I suffered enough already, let me go! ''Ugh¡­ ''Ah... ''Let me go!'' Realizing that she wasn''t dying, Uriel fought a battle of intense pain and extreme suffering just to pry her eye open. At first, her field of vision was like scattered pieces of shattered ss. But slowly, through her agonizing struggle, she started making sense of what she was seeing. A beautiful snow-white face, that resembled a full moon in her distorted vision, was positioned on top of her while being surrounded with a plushy halo of crimson-purple strands. One golden eye looked at her with anger as a small mouth seemed to be shouting into her face. s, she could barely hear her own thoughts, let alone someone else''s shouts. ''This girl seems familiar¡­'' Uriel was barely able to think through her pain. After a while, she realized that a strange glow was being emitted from this girl in front of her. It seemed as though she was surrounded in mana¡­ is she using a skill? Is she trying to save her? For some reason, that didn''t make Uriel feel any better, but instead much worse. That beautiful face seemed to inexplicably irritate her. Those golden eyes that seemed to see through her very soul, she hated them¡­ ''Ah¡­ It''s you again¡­'' Uriel realized all of a sudden and tried to speak, but her voice didn''t reach her mouth. ''Are you torturing me because of what I have done to you? ''Is it not enough that you got Raphael? You want to humiliate me even more..?'' As she thought of that, sparkling tears left her eyes as moans of pain filled her head, but only a handful left her lips. ''Is it not enough that I''ve also lost my left eye? We should be even now, right?'' Now that she was able to take a look, she realized that the eye she previously injured was the girl''s left eye¡­ the same eye Michael took from her... ''Is that what''s called karma? Is the world ying jokes on me? ''Please¡­ ''I understand my lesson. I will never do it again¡­ ''... ''Please¡­ I promise¡­ ''Kill me already¡­ ''I don''t want this anymore¡­ ''Let the pain go away... ''I can''t take it¡­'' The pain continued for what seemed like a whole eternity and some more. But eventually, salvation seemed to be in sight. Slowly, the pain started numbing her senses, rendering her amp out of oil. Not long after, even the feeling of having a body started getting weaker and weaker. After another eternity of numbness and nothing but self questioning, she could finally close her eye and wish for a silent death. But that didn''t happen¡­ Suddenly, her eye was pried open by three soft fingers in a tender, yet forceful, touch. "Wake up! Don''t you dare die now!" Focusing her vision on the face covering her line of sight, she meant to shake her head, but even that didn''t happen. ''No¡­ let me go¡­ I''m sorry¡­ please¡­ let me go¡­'' Quickly, her inner thoughts were filled with her soft cries that were too heartbreaking if heard out loud. "Don''t die!" Raven''s voice sounded once again, forcing her to focus on the outside world instead of her crying self. "Don''t you love Maya, err Raphael? Don''t you want to support her forever? "If you don''t go help her now she''ll end up like you, how dare you ept such a result? "Do you hear me, don''t you dare die! Wake the f*ck up and get your sh*t together!" Hearing her words, Uriel cried even harder as warm tears intermixed with her white blood and made a mess out of her scarred face and beige unkempt locks. ''I can''t¡­'' "Do you hear me?" ''I don''t want to¡­'' "Wake the f*ck up!" ''Please, just let me go¡­'' With thosest thoughts, fortunately for her, it seemed as though she had reached her limit. Even though her eye was pried open, her vision was gradually dimming as she slowly started losing consciousness¡­ Not long after, even the feeling of being who she once was started getting weaker and weaker. Her sense of self was getting slowly lost, as if she was dissolving into the surroundings. "Damn it, she''s dying!" Raven cursed. "Kay, what do I do?" Chapter 324 - Dont You Dare Die Part 3 "Let me think," Ka quickly responded as Cyber Particles circted around her as ifs orbiting around the sun. "We absolutely can''t let her die; if she dies, it won''t be long before we follow¡­" Thinking about some ideas while running countless simtions, she quickly came up with a n. "Got it!" "Really?" Raven was surprised. "Well, kind of¡­" Ka answered awkwardly. "My calctions include a massive uncertainty, but it''s all I''ve got, there''s nothing to regret here; we either seed, or don''t live long enough to reflect on our actions¡­" "Well, screw it, let''s start," Raven said helplessly. "What is the n?" "You know, when a person dies, their soul dissipates into World Energy. However, it takes some time before that happens," after finishing her sentence, the Cyber Particles circting her finally moved and formed arge purple barrier around her, Raven, and Uriel. Silver circuit-like structures danced and sparkled around the barrier. "Now, my objective is to trap her soul in this barrier and prevent it from dissipating away. "With her body destroyed to the current extent, she is useless in fights. However, I may be able to help her recover by merging my Cyber Particles with her body!" "This would range from merging a Cyber Core with her own Mana Core to mixing Cyber Particles into her own blood," Ka continued as she worked. "After all of that is done, you''ll have to use your skill: Soul Reaper, to help merge her soul and body back together." "What? I usually use that skill for killing, I''m not sure I can manage it¡­ can''t we just try Saint of Life once again?" "You know it won''t work, right? Her soul is slowly leaving her body already. We have to use your soul skill. Your skill Dominator, which lets you fully control an area of effect, may be able to help you here if you use it properly." "Ugh, okay. But wait, what''s the use of having her alive if she''d still be too weak? Wouldn''t that be defeating the purpose?" Raven asked while marveling at the way Ka worked and moved her Cyber Particles around. "Or could it be that your Cyber Particles can get her back to her prime?" "Not at all," Ka shook her head. "As I said before, it''s a big uncertainty that may or may not pay off; our hope is to ask her about the secret of defeating Michael, if there''s such a thing¡­" ¡­ While the two were trying to desperately save Uriel''s life, Maya was facing off against Michael. "You know, I didn''t actually expect you to try to kill Uriel," Maya looked cold as four pairs of pure white coloured wings fluttered behind her. "She''s still one if the Seraph of the End, isn''t she?" "Humph, those who betray us deserve nothing but death!" He shouted angrily while defending against her attacks. Now that he has used a lot of his strength against Uriel and even suffered some severe injuries, his condition can''t exactly be described as good. And Maya didn''t let that slide, she started attacking his injuries and exploiting his bad condition. Slowly, she seemed to be gaining the advantage! "Traitor?" Maya tilted her head in a vicious expression. "What did she do? Stand in your way of killing me?" Now that she thinks about it, Maya realized that Uriel had actually sacrificed herself for her sake¡­ guilt and sadness slowly starting budding inside her heart and her expression got even colder and more dangerous. "You are a traitor as well," Michael said decisively. "You forgot your original mission and tried to rebel. Right now, tell me who exactly are you? Are you still Raphael?" "Hehe, f*ck no," she answered with a dark grin and an evil glint shed in her eyes. "Raphael is a position and a title, it was never my name. My name is Maya, remember it, because I will be the one to kill you!" Feeling the anger and sadness in her heart, Maya increased the intensity of her attacks and didn''t give Michael a chance to catch his breath. Although she hated Uriel because of what she did to Raven, she was not an ungrateful person and she would at least avenge her. *** On Earth, the battle was in full swing as everyone was determined to either kill or be killed. The Terran Army''s morale has risen massively since the moment of Joey''s appearance. With their strength and bravery, the millions of Star One angels were being cut as easily as cutting vegetables, especially under the EDA Generals and their Deputies''mands! Gaia, who was up against the group of Star Five angels, didn''t ck off either. After getting used to the battle against them and slowly leading them to an isted field, she finally used a special type of power that she''s never tried before; Gravity Magic! This wasn''t something that she had nned on using before simply because she wasn''t sure she could manage to pull it off. But after a while of trying it against her enemies, she was luckily sessful. And although Gravity Magic is not real magic, but rather her own abilities and skills, she ended up calling it that way because of its magical effects; anyone whose strength is less than her own basically can''t offer any resistance in her Gravity Fields¡­ at all! This means that every Star Five angel was being restrained while Calcer was adding them to his sea of blood, devouring their strength and spitting out their remains. With that being said, it didn''t stop there; with the five of Raven''s Executives'' help, together with Keith and Scott, all twenty angels that were ranked at Star Ten were being forced into Gaia''s gravity field which, although didn''t fully trap them, didn''t make it easy for them to resist thebined attacks and severely slowed them down. This was all so that Calcer could add some new powerful angels to his collection as well. And all if this effort was not for waste; his rank was slowly rising to new heights. Soon, he will be able to rival Joey and the Star Twenty angel.... Chapter 325 - A Clean Up To Do Part 1 *NEFFEX - SOMETHING YOU COULD NEVER OWN * The strategy Calcer used was rather simple; he either supported Gaia and the Executives, or submerged himself calmly inside his sea of blood. Right now, he was doing his role in supporting Gaia. After working together for some time, they were extremely close to bringing thest of the angels -that were ranked at Star Five- to extinction. With an extremely serious gaze, unlike his usual silly self, Calcer waved his hand towards thest group of Star Five angels. With his seemingly simple move, his blood red short sword -that was strangely flying next to him- suddenly descended from the sky like a meteor while changing its shape. From a short sword, it started twitching and expanding until it formed a giant and violent blood red python with dangerous scarlet eyes and extremely sharp fangs. Opening its massive set of jaws, the blood python approached thest of the Star Five angels that were trapped inside Gaia''s Gravity Field, like lightning, and swallowed them whole! Having had its meal, the python quickly returned to Calcer''s side and coiled around him as if it was his pet snake, even though it was countless timesrger than him, dwarfing him. "Good job!" Gaia said while flying over. "We''re finally done with those, you take your time digesting all of that. I''ll have to focus on the rest still. You should prepare for more food toe your way!" "Hehe I know, I got this!" He suddenly replied with his usual silly grin. Gaia rxed as she saw it, and with a thumbs up, she headed towards a nearby battlefield. Although she technically didn''t need to control a small clone to fight as she mostly relied on elemental Titans to help with the killing, she still depended on the small clone for normal talks and most importantly for her Gravity Magic. With her smaller body as the anchor for her skill, she can activate a rather strong and precise Gravity Field, which is exactly what everyone needs now! That''s why, although her body is the entirety of Earth, her small clones must keep roaming around. Watching her leave with a smile, Calcer snapped his fingers, urging the blood python to spit out some scattered sets of pure white bones. Urging the spatial storage inside his bracelet, he collected them into his never ending piles of angel bones. Needless to say, those bones were extremely strong and sturdy as they contained some immense power. "Haha, although these bones are of no use for me, I can gift them to Lady Ka," he suddenly muttered to himself with a chuckle. "After this is all over, I would be able to gift them to Lady Ka. "With her personality, I am pretty sure that she''ll put them to some good use. And maybe then she''ll praise me, hehe¡­ "Hm, with that being said," he quickly collected his scattered thoughts. "I need to focus on the next battle." Looking over to the Daemon Executives, Calcer smiled while watching them fighting off against the Star Ten angels. Although their ranks were inferior, their strength was not anything to scoff at. Lord Abbadon was fending off against four Star Ten angels by himself. His shadowy frightening true form was radiating with immeasurable power. Although the current Calcer himself was stronger than him, he could not help but feel a chill running down his spine each time Lord Abbadonnded an attack. It seemed like with each of his strikes, the angels would lose a portion of their strength, as though their power was getting banished into the depths of the void; of course, this was the work of Abbadon''s skill: Execution. With that being said, four Star Ten angels would have been extremely difficult for him if it wasn''t for themcking spirituality. Not to mention that Gaia was skillfully controlling her Gravity Field and in order to provide him and the rest of the Executives with some advantage over the angels and ensure they get the upper hand. Unlike Abbadon, Maeve and her legion of Devil Beats were only able to fight against three Star Ten angels. With that being said, they had full control over their battle. Under Maeve''s control -and her skill: Judge''s Domain- the angels were being held inside a massive blue mana ring. Inside this ring, it seemed as though the angels were being judged for their sins, ironically. While the angels were barely able to stay alive, the Devil Beast legion was roaming and striking freely and in a rxed manner. Simrly, the other three Executives were not messing around; Bel, with his Dark Angel Puppets, was fighting off against three angels. He was especially ying it slowly in hopes of converting at least one of his opponents into another puppet of his. Levi -whose body looked rather ghostly and ethereal, thanks to her being Raven''s Ghostly Assassin- was surrounded with countless shining weapons that were floating around her like loyal soldiers. With each wave of her hand, a sh would appear on the flesh of one of her three opponents. Aamon, unlike the rest of the Executives, seemed to be unable to handle himself: he was merely defending against the attacks of three Star Ten angels¡­ However, that was only what it ''seemed like''. In fact, he had full control over the battle; his skillset just made him a different type of fighter. With his skill, Draining Shield, he can receive attacks and use them to umte raw energy. After enough umtion, this energy would be enough for him to wipe his enemies. With that being said, the three Star Ten angels that were up against him didn''t make it easy to retaliate! Lastly, Keith, who had ovee the rank of Star Ten and reached beyond, was fighting against thest four Star Ten angels. Chains of dark red blood were surrounding his enemies, rendering their wings useless, and trapping them inside his zone of effect. Although his blood control wasn''t as good as Calcer, it was still one of his main specialties. As a matter of fact, if he wasn''t saving these angels for Calcer, he would have swallowed them himself. Scott, who was panting on the side of the battlefield, watching the Daemons fighting bravely, could not help but feel helpless. Although he was trained by Tu for a short period of time and got better at using his special pair of eyes: Cosmic Inclination, it was still far from efficient! At the moment, he is limited to a couple of uses before running out of energy. Not only that, but even those uses can''t be exaggerated. At most, he could manipte the space around one Star Ten angel for a few seconds to prevent an injury for the main fighter. Needless to say, he was not happy nor satisfied. But he could only bury this feeling of ipetence in his heart while still trying to improve himself. Seeing all of that, Calcer smiled and quickly jumped onto the blood python''s head. "Let''s go, break is over; it''s time for us to get to work!" ¡­ As that was taking ce, two other battles were going on full swing. On one side, the Cyber Elites were fighting against one Star Fifteen angel. And on the other side, the Raven''s Guards were fending off against the other. "Amira, she needs your help!" Erin, the leader of the Cyber Elites, suddenly yelled while handing a little girl his precious Jina -his girlfriend- who was injured during the fight, resulting in her losing her consciousness. "On it!" Amira, the little healer, replied quickly as her warm mana enveloped the girl that was pushed inside her arms. "Be careful, don''t get reckless!" Receiving her response with aforting nod, Erin quickly disappeared from his spot and continued attacking the Star Fifteen angel that was up against his team. With his broadsword Lightning in his hand, true lightning surging around him as if to make it clear that he had been truly angered. Slowly, his aura started climbing up to new heights. ''Jina, why did you push yourself so hard?'' Amira cried silently after Erin left her with the unconscious girl. ''You promised that you''d be more careful¡­'' Although she was an elite, she was still a young girl that could not help but feel extremely suffocated while handling her friends. ''But that''s okay¡­'' she tried tofort herself. ''You are our tanker that always gets hurt while protecting us, and I am your healer who will always fix you right up!'' With her unique and extremely sturdy mana shields, Jina was assigned as their tanker, their protector. That meant that out of everyone on the field, she was the one who was destined to get hurt the most, which always broke Amira''s heart. With that being said, Amira has always been a girl who hated seeing her friends get hurt, which contributed to her bing an extremely proficient healer. Chapter 326 - A Clean Up To Do Part 2 With a glint of determination in her eyes, Amira urged her mana further as it suddenly got warmer. Slowly, it started taking the shape of some delicate and rather colourful flowers, as if budding from mere seedlings into a full fresh garden. With a wave of her hand, the flowers surrounded Jina as if she was a colourful butterfly in her cocoon, and enveloped her in a healing aura that was aimed at not only healing her injuries, but also recovering her strength. With that, her pale face started gaining a faint hint of healthy pink. On the battlefield, the six avable members of the Cyber Elites were desperately fending off against the Star Fifteen angel. Erin was taking the lead, with his broadsword Lightning, sting and shing while moving across the skies like lightning. Normally, he would not be able to fly. However, after his Cyber Transmission, he had gained the ability to form some simple structures with the Cyber Matter. And forming some wings was not an issue! This wasn''t exclusive to him, everyone else on the team has gained such an ability, this alone gave them a massive advantage in both delivering and evading strikes. "Sara, go for it. Just like we nned!" Erin suddenly yelled while evading a close strike. Now that he had angered his opponent and caused it to lock onto himself, his task was to simply run and wait for the results. Generally, the angels didn''t have anything but basic weapons that weren''t dangerous for him. But this Star Fifteen angel had created a mana sword that was enough to cut him into pieces! With that being said, with his lightning speed, evading was not much of an issue. Hearing his cry, Sara -who unlike everyone else, was flying by relying on her anemo skills- had a determined look on her face as she waved her hands and gathered her strength. Around her, countless anemo des were spinning in a frenzied manner, as if they had their own spirituality. As she gritted her teeth, Sara released her anemo des with a thought, causing them to beunched like bullets towards the angel who was focused on Erin. With their sharpness and speed, the anemo des reached the angel in no time. However, unfortunately, the difference between rank Star Nine and Star Fifteen was just too significant. With that being said, the sharp anemo des did leave their mark; small, almost tiny, cuts were left on the angel''s white wings and steel hard skin. Seeing the results, Erin quickly delivered an attack of his own before increasing the distance between him and his opponent. "Shin, your turn! d, you''re up as well!" Receiving their signals, the two grinned. With a simple wave of their hands, oneyer of water des and anotheryer of mana beams wereunched like missiles. Within a few breaths worth of time, the two attacks hit the angel from two opposite sides. Getting hit in this way, the angel didn''t get hurt, but it was enough to slow it down, allowing Erin''s lighting to hit yet once again, scattering some feathers around. "Tch, what the hell is it made of?" dined while creating some mana orbs and throwing them at the angel, causing them to explode dangerously. "Oi, don''t attack on your own, I didn''t tell you themand!" Erin said with a serious tone. "We can''t get tired, we must y this slowly. With that being said, everyone, charge your skills! Haruki, we''re waiting on you!" d, Shin, and Sara charged their attacks from a safe distance while preparing for themand. Haruki, who was flying a little bit higher than the rest with closed eyes, seemed calm while listening to Erin''smand. "Give me a few more seconds, I''m both helping you evade the attacks and create an attack of my own¡­" "Ha ha," Erin forced a chuckle that barely left his lips. It was true after all. Currently, Haruki was controlling the space around him, helping him avoid any attacks that were too quick for him, because of Jina''s absence. And above that, he was preparing a big present for the angel! After a few breaths worth of time, Haruki opened his closed eyes while cupping his palms together. "Now!" Suddenly, the angel that was busy chasing Erin froze midair, as if some invisible force was trapping him. And that force was simply Haruki''s power of space! "Attack!" Erin yelled. As his voice sounded, the three of Sara, Shin, and d, let go of their charged up attacks. Hitting their stationary target was rather easy, and this time, the effect was more visible; from almost negligible cuts before to small wounds that showed a hint of red blood droplets now. But this wasn''t all. With a soft twist of his palm, Haruki waved his right hand downwards.. With his seemingly simple motion, the force on the angel increased, but this time, it was pulling it downwards. Quickly, a dark shadow covered its figure, as if something was blocking the sun. Instinctively, the angel looked up. On its emotionless eyes, a reflection of arge rock shed. Not a second after, this seemingly normal rock hit its face. Surprisingly, or maybe not so, the angel was sted downwards as if hit by an entire mountain... which wasn''t far off the truth! With his space maniption, and together with Gaia''s guidance and help, Haruki was able to take an entire hill andpress it into a small rock, which massively increased its mass and density. If it was the samerge size, the angel may have been hit hard, but the effect would not have been this great. Receiving the rock on its head, rather violently, the Angel started falling like a meteor and hit the ground with extreme force. With Gaia''s increased force of gravity, the angel''s speed had massively increased while falling and the blow was many times more powerful than what it would have normally been. Thus, a massive crater instantly exploded underneath it. After such a hit, even though it was ranked at Star Fifteen, the Newborn Angel''s red blood flowed out of its wounds that were covering its head. *Sigh* "I have worked so hard for only that small injury?" Haruki, who was left panting in the air after using so much energy, said with a disappointed expression. But he surprisingly didn''t seem upset, rather, a soft smile surfaced across his face, just like a grin formed on Erin''s face. "But for our purposes, it should be enough¡­" "Tony, it''s your time to shine!" Erin suddenly yelled. "On it!" A voice suddenly called out as a person flew closer to the angel; it was none other than Tony! Although Tony was not part of Ka''s group of friends at first, he was once her opponent in the Tournament of the Elite that was organized by the EDA. At the time, he had shown some incredible power that was able to control causality; Causality Maniption! Although he is not very proficient in his own powers, the effect he can disy is not something that can be scoffed at! Raising his hands forward towards the angel who was trying to quickly get up from the crater it was buried in, Tony activated his skill! Instantly, the angel froze and his movement stopped. His wounds, whether big or small, suddenly exploded and erged under the effect of the peculiar and strange power. The small paper-cut like wounds that were caused earlier were suddenly overflowing with blood while thest injury that was caused by Haruki''s attack almost ended up covering its face in red. "Come on, it''s weak, let''s start!" Erin''s familiar voice quickly sounded in the team''s ears. Everything they''ve been doing now wasn''t simply done to injure the angel, but rather it was in preparation for this moment! """Cyber Formation!""" Erin yelled, followed by the rest avable members. Suddenly, six figures formed a hexagon around the heavily wounded angel and red their aura. Although they were all tired, especially Haruki, Erin, and Tony, smiles were covering their faces. Strangely, their colourful auras suddenly changed properties and merged together. Swiftly, their collective aura became much stronger than the individual sum as a dark purple colour surfaced. Tiny silver circuit-like structures seemed to be floating inside of it. "Hehe, although this is meant to function with all nine of us, this should be good after so many injuries!" Shin said with a grin. "Don''t waste time, activate the formation properly!" d said, unsatisfied with his behaviour. "Cyber Formation, activate!" Erin yelled as he tookmand and control of the formation. Suddenly, everyone''s expression got serious as they felt their aura being depleted. "Damn it, this is really tough, huh¡­" Tonyined. "It''s something that was given by Ka, what did you expect?" d asked in a mocking tone. Yes, this was something that was taught by Ka, who used both of Raven''s skill: The Elders'' Scrolls and her own Cyber Particles in order to create! Chapter 327 - A Clean Up To Do Part 3 With Ka''s own meticulous way of thinking, she was able to merge Raven''s Elders'' Scrolls -that contained some secret and sophisticated foreign knowledge, including techniques, arrays, runes, and the such- with her own Cyber Particles. The method she used was simply an array formation that consisted of multiple levels. The first level, of which the Cyber Elites were operating, was simply responsible for trapping a single target. With that being said, it was by no means an easy task to activate and maintain it. As such, the moment it was activated, the array formation started drawing and depleting everyone''s energy. However, in return, the Cyber Particles around everyone manifested andpressed even more rapidly. Out of the hexagonal formation, each Cyber Elites member suddenly resembled a column and a source of which Cyber Particles were drawn from. Swiftly, the Cyber Particles from each column started taking shape and extending outwards towards the adjacent column, forming a solid dark purple hexagon shape. Shortly after, strands of silk-like Cyber Particles shot out towards the center of the formation and started attaching themselves onto the angel that was trapped there. Because of its inability to move due to its previous injuries, the angel was quickly bound in ce and then turned into a dark purple cocoon-like structure as small circuit-like structures danced around it. The cocoon seemed to be stuck in ce and not even the smallest vibrations could be seen or felt; the angel waspletely trapped! "Can we rest now?" Tony asked in a weak voice. He never liked to overwhelm himself, let alone harm himself because of depleting his energy. "No, we can''t!" Erin quickly and sternly replied. "But-" "No buts!" Erin interrupted his attempt at starting an argument. "We must keep it trapped here for as long as we can until cer gets here, otherwise everything we''ve done so far would be in vain. Is that what you want to see?" "Err, no¡­" Tony answered while forcing himself to focus. "But I seriously don''t think I canst-" "You!" Erin got angry quickly. "Stop talking if you''re tired; save your energy and focus on the formation!" "Uhm¡­" Tony gave a faint nod while struggling to stay awake. Realizing that, Erin felt really bad. Looking around, he quickly saw that not only Tony, but rather everyone was struggling to maintain their control and some even their consciousness. ''Damn it, what can I do?'' He asked himself. But before any ideas could pop into his mind, a beautiful flower arrived in front of his face. Simrly, many other colourful flowers surrounded the other team members. """Amira!""" Everyone realized and smiled happily. They quickly understood that Amira was trying to help them recover their mana. "You guys focus on the formation, leave the rest to me!" Amira said her mana flowers surrounded everyone. Slowly, the flowers around each individual started forming what seemed to be a flower crown. With a wave of her hand, Amira sent the crowns to everyone''s heads, and the moment she did, a change urred. "Hehe, I feel that my mana is regenerating much faster now!" Shin said happily. "Um, I feel it too!" Sara confirmed. "Tony, how are you doing?" Erin asked. "Slightly better now, I should be able to hold on for longer now," he replied. "How about you Amira?" Erin asked as he looked at Amira who had a pale face. Although she could help others, this definitely added some level of stress to her. "I''m okay!" She forced herself to smile as she said that. Erin could see her attempt and didn''tment further. Looking to the distance, he was able to see Jina who was resting with a ce face, smiling towards him. Grinning, Erin nodded towards her. He was relieved to know that her injury wasn''t going to affect her. "Guys, hold on for a bit longer," he quickly said to everyone. "I''m sure that Calcer will be here soon, once he''s here, he''ll take care of this angel!" """Yes!""" ¡­ While the Cyber Elites were trapping this Star Fifteen angel, the other was surprisingly being tossed around and toyed with by The Raven''s Guards. "Look into my eyes!" Ian''s voice sounded like a deity as his eyes showed a psychic orange hue. The angel who was caught off guard looked into those orange irises and seemed to lose itself in a different world. As it stood there, Ae and Zero approached it swiftly while holding hands together. A shadowy giant followed behind them. Ae''s face was bright as pink electric mana surged through her green eyes. Two pink lightning bolts appeared on her cheeks on each side, like a beautiful mark of absolute power. Zeru''s face on the other hand waspletely covered in a dark cyan demonic mask. Cyan phantom energy was surrounding him as if he was a ghost from the underworld. The ghostly giant behind them was none other than theirbined skill Requiem of Destion: Lightning Phantom. "Lightning Phantom, attack it with your Lightning Halberd, show no mercy!" A stern voice left Ae''s rosy lips. Hearing hermand, the giant Lightning Phantom raised both of its hands as pink lightning fell from the sky, scorching the air, and transforming into a giant domineering halberd. With a loud cry, the giant phantom announced its attack and sent its lightning halberd in a downwards arc that seemed to be able to cut air itself. Although the Lightning Halberd was made out of lightning, it seemed as solid as a real halberd, and it definitely hit a lot harder... Falling onto its head, the Star Fifteen angel didn''t see iting until thest moment. And when it broke out of Ian''s mind tricks, it didn''t even have the time to look up before a frightening strike sent it deeper into the crater under its feet. By now, the crater resembled what seemed to be an ancient smithing furnace. And, with each furnace came the fire¡­ "Phoenix Soul Fire!" A soft cry suddenly resounded as a dangerous azure me materialized in the sky. Surprisingly, although this weird fire didn''t seem to be hot at all, it looked and felt extremely dangerous to any living being. This feeling seemed to being from one''s soul... Above the azure mes, a dark haired woman stood, with unmatched confidence. Her sapphire eyes seemed to be majestic and inhuman like¡­ it''s as though they belonged to a real phoenix! With one hand extended to the front, she looked like a General giving amand to her subordinate. "Burn!" Themand was given. Suddenly, the bright azure fire that was covering the sky descended towards the smithing furnace that was created, and quickly filled it. Cries of agony suddenly filled the atmosphere. Although the Newborn Angels didn''t have a spirituality and didn''t even feel normal physical pain, they still had a soul that was still being constructed inside of them, and if that soul is hurt, then the agonizing pain would obviously be beyond what they can endure. Inside the furnace, the Star Fifteen angel was thrashing around uncontrobly, trying to find a way out at any cost. s, although Maria''s Soul Phoenix Fire is terrifyingly strong, she herself was weak and her body and soul could not fullymand it. Thus, she could not fully kill the angel. Having had a chance to flee the terrifying torture, the angel jumped out of the earth furnace and into the air. However, that was an obvious move that has already been predicted and exploited. Just as it got a hint of free air, the angel felt instinctive danger. Looking up, a terrifying bone spear was falling over its head, as if to skew it alive. Holding the spear were two Mians with two bone-chilling bone armours; Axth and Axane. Although in nature, the Mians were not a violent race, they definitely had the ability to protect themselves and kill enemies. On top of the bone spear there was a hint of a strange silver energy that radiated with danger. Feeling as though its soul was about to be destroyed yet once again, the angel tried to escape or even simply evade. But s, that didn''t happen in time. Just as it was about to move, the bone spear was already in front of its eyes. *Boooomm!!* With a loud bang, the spear prated one of its eyes and sshed red blood. Within a sh, the blinded angel was sent crashing into the earth furnace yet once again. "Lightning Phantom, attack!" Ae''s voice was heard as the giant phantom raised its Lightning Halberd and sent a powerful strike towards the angel in its earth furnace. Without a warning, the furnace was filled with scorching pink lightning. *** In the Demon Realm, countless humans, demons, and aliens were still being evacuated. The situation there was definitely rushed, but nothing was too dangerous. Although extremely careful and observant at all times, the guards were rtively at ease. *Swoosh!" Suddenly, and without a warning, a terrifying dark aura spread throughout the Demon Realm, rendering everyone powerless.. The strong shivered and the weak fainted. Chapter 328 - A Clean Up To Do Part 4 *Swoosh!* Suddenly, and without a warning, a terrifying dark aura spread throughout the Demon Realm, rendering everyone powerless. The strong shivered and the weak fainted! Those strong ones who didn''t faint felt as though countless years had simply evaporated from their lifespans. Although they knew the feeling was simply an illusion out of fear, they could not change the expressions of horror across their faces. Luckily however the feeling didn''tst long. It quickly dissipated, leaving everyone gasping for precious air. All those who could move suddenly looked towards the magnificent castle standing at the center of the Demon Country; that was the castle of their Supreme Ruler! In the castle, a figure slowly let out a breath of pure energy in a sigh of relief. The figure had fair pale skin, sparkling light pink eyes, and short locks of blinding darkness. And although not so oblivious at first sight, the figure was that of a petite girl. Currently, she is sitting cross-legged inside a special training room that was surrounded with a translucent silver barrier. However, the girl didn''t care about that much at the moment, what cared about the most was herck of clothing! Luckily, the room was especially built for her and no one else was allowed in. Otherwise, this would have been a serious issue. Taking another deep breath and looking down at herself, she found her eyesnding on a small dark tattoo in the middle of her chest, under her two cor bones. It beautifully resembled a sun that was surrounded by seven small torches. Imposingly, the dark tattoo seemed to be emitting a dark and disordered aura. With a reflexive sigh, the girl clenched her hands and manipted the special type of energy and matterposing her body, and created a in, yet beautiful, dark armour. Looking down at herself, at the seven small torches in her ck tattoo to be exact, she could not help but wonder how much power she currently holds, and just how much power that is still yet to be uncovered. "Right now, I''ve only managed to subdue a small part of the first torch. Yet, I feel like I have immeasurable power," she said to herself. "Just what is this thing inside me? And when can I fully utilize it?" While she was lost in her own thoughts, her eyes subconsciouslynded on her armour''s chest piece. The dark piece wasn''t thatrge and from her angle, she could clearly see what was lying underneath. And, she didn''t like what she was seeing... "Hm, now that I can freely control my body parts, why don''t I-" cutting herself short, she smiled at her own thoughts while manipting the peculiar energy within her body while looking down at her cherry-sized chest. Slowly, the tiny cherries started growing into apricots. Not long after, the apricots grewrger and became melons¡­ Looking at herself with a weird expression, the girl dismissed her chest piece, causing it to merge into her body and disappear, and started using her hands for testing the weight of the "newly added goods". If she was human, her face would have turned rosy red by now, however, there was no red blood in her body. Or rather, there was no blood at all in her body. After a short while of "testing", she shook her head in disappointment and let her body regain its original appearance. "Humph, it''s true what they say after all: they''re just extra weight... I don''t need them to slow me down!" With a mere thought, the dark chest piece of the armour was back to its ce, and she was now ready to leave Walking towards the doors, the girl suddenly stopped, realizing that there was a serious issue that she had not considered. And that was the barrier... The barrier was created by Raven, and although she had tried before finishing her evolution, she could not break through it. "Wait, I''m not the same as before, maybe I can break through it now?" She asked while raising her hand and preparing to break the barrier. With a swift motion, she hit the barrier, causing it to shake and almost crack! "Hehe, I''m strong now! Although I only used a fraction of my overall strength, I almost broke the barrier," She cheered. "Raven will be proud of me once she sees the results of my training!" With another hit, the barrierpletely broke. "Wait," an idea suddenly popped into her head. "How did it not break the moment I identally let go of my control and released my energy? "Huh? Is it possible that with my strength, I can''t destroy it, but rather it was that when Raven felt my strength and realized what was happening, she weakened the barrier? Hm, strange¡­" Shaking her head and getting rid of the distracting ideas, she quickly left the room. Outside, two figures were waiting: one was a man that was kneeling in respect, while the other was a young girl that was smiling happily. "Mistress!" The man said while swiftly removing his elegant fedora and cing it over his heart. His beautiful matching suit made him look like a professional office worker, or some respected organization''s leader. However, the power that was escaping his body made it clear that it was neither. "Sup, finally done, huh?" The girl said as she grinned. "You sure took your sweet time though!" The girl subconsciously nced at the man in the white suit and merely nodded, while she quickly ran towards the young girl with a big smile. "Raven! I''m done! I did it! I didn''t disappoint you, hehe!" The girl said loudly with a big smile while approaching the young one and giving her a tight hug. "Liz," the young girl said, but her expression had suddenly shifted from happy to awkward after realizing something. "Err, I am not-" "Huh?" Liz suddenly interrupted. Looking at the girl, she tilted her head as her smile froze. "Something''s not quite right¡­ "Why are your eyes dark purple and not bright golden? And same for your hair, should it not be crimson-purple? Wait, even your body¡­ Why does it feel¡­ fake? It''s as though it''s made out of some type of energy..." Saying that, Liz quickly let go of the girl between her arms as a look of vignce surfaced across her face. "Who are you?" "Um¡­ well, I- my name is Ka, you can call me Kay," Ka said awkwardly. Although she had met Liz before -many times actually- it only now urred to her that the same is not true for Liz. After all, she had always been inside Raven''s Mind Space, and she had never shown herself to Liz before. "Err, I am Raven''s close friend¡­ you can think of me as the second Raven, or her clone, in a sense¡­" Although this wasn''t necessarily the full truth, it wasn''t a lie either Hearing what she said, Liz seemed to be in doubt and she couldn''t help but look around and observe the details in Ka''s body. "Hm, it''s true that your body isn''t real, which means that you''re truly a clone, and it doesn''t need an expert to tell the unnatural simrity between you and Raven, but¡­ why have I never seen you before?" "My mistress," the man in the white suit, Raykun, called out respectfully. "This girl is indeed Raven''s friend and she is currently aiding and leading us with defending the." "Humph, you¡­ don''t you dare call me mistress!" Liz said in a disgusted voice. "Although I acknowledge your existence, it doesn''t mean I''ll allow you to follow me!" "Huh? But mistr- err¡­ I- I was created by your own powers, what am I supposed to do?" Raykun asked, confused. "No, this is not the right question¡­ what did I do to deserve this?" "Humph, didn''t you collude with my evil self and kill countless people? You even tried to kill Raven''s friends-" she quickly stopped herself while clenching her fists. Now that she thinks about it, Raykun has always been just simply following her will. Evil or not, he followed her unconditional requests. "Ugh, it''s alright, forget it," Liz said while shaking her head. "I''ve just finished training and I''m a little confused¡­" Turning her head towards Ka, she softened her expression. "Err, Kay- Ka, where is Raven right now?" "Raven went to outer space to find Maya," Ka replied with a smile. "She''s currently working on finding a way to kill the strongest of our enemies." "Maya?" Liz repeated while swallowing loudly. Stress suddenly became visible in her eyes. "Is that the girl I- the girl I- I¡­" "Uhm," Ka nodded and quickly followed withforting words. "But don''t worry about it! Raven has found Maya and they had err, a good reunion. So there should not be a problem!" "Really?" Liz asked. "But what does Maya think of me now? Did she say that she''d take revenge? I would not mind, if that''s the case¡­" Chapter 329 - A Clean Up To Do Part 5 "No, no," Ka quickly shook her head in reply. "Raven tried to exin the situation to Maya, but Maya simply said that she didn''t care at all. "After all, she didn''t truly die, but rather, a fake version of her did. Err, you can even think of what has been done as helping Raven meet the real Maya¡­" Hearing that, Liz could only sigh and shake her head. She knew that it wasn''t that easy, especially that she had done far worse things than what she could bring herself to actively recall. Not only did she kill baby Rituxi, but she almost annihted an entire city and killed countless people¡­ even if someone like Maya had forgiven her, how could she forgive herself. Seeming to see through her, Ka quickly patted her on the shoulders with aforting smile. "Don''t me yourself for something that you''ve never done. It was whoever gave you this power that caused what happened. You''re fine, okay?" ".... Uhm," Liz finally nodded after some hesitation. "In any case," Ka continued, trying to change the subject. "Right now the situation is not all that bad, and our forces are doing good in terms of strength. "Raven had instructed me before and said that you''re not allowed to take part of the fight unless desperately needed." "... I understand, if that''s the case¡­" Liz said after some hesitation. "What a kind girl she is... "Although it has not been that long since Ist saw her, I can''t help but miss her already¡­" Liz obviously knew that Raven didn''t want her to experience the act of murder if not necessary. That''s why she prevented her from joining the battle. Raven knew that if she did take part in it, Liz''s heart may not be able to withstand the gruesome scenes that would remind her of what had happened before... "What am I saying?" Liz suddenly pped herself on the face. "I can''t just watch from a distance!" "Liz, but Raven said-" "It''s okay!" Liz quickly interrupted Ka. "She does want me to kill, so I will not. With my current level of strength, I should be able to affect the enemies without killing them. Someone else will do the finishing touches!" "Hm, are you sure?" Ka asked, as if wanting her to change her mind. "I am!" She replied with a smile. In her heart, she still wanted to help others, not for them but rather for her self relief. "Check my power if you don''t believe me, you should be able to, here!" She said while releasing a trace of her energy. "Ah¡­" Ka who apprised Liz didn''t change her outer expression. But in her heart, she was extremely surprised, and pleasantly so. "You¡­ you should be at rank Star Sixty Eight! "But how? Gaia is merely ranked at Star Nine- wait¡­ I remember that Haruki had the same phenomenon after the Cyber Transformation¡­ oh..." Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. ''Back then, after the fight between her and Liz, Raven told me that thetter had a power that was simr to her own,'' Ka''s thoughts didn''t leave her mouth. ''While she has the power of Primordial Light once she uses her skill Apprentice of the Primordial Light, Liz has the power of Primordial Darkness, well at least a fragment of it¡­ ''Well, this would exin her ability to increase her strength beyond the limits of the: something inside of her body is acting as another source of energy. ''And¡­ this sounds oddly simr to Haruki''s case. Does he also have something simr? Wait, his strength is manipting vectors¡­ ''Could it be that he has a fragment of the Primordial Space? But how could that be? What is his origin and how did he get something simr? ''But now that I think about it¡­ Ian is also part of this equation; he himself holds a fragment of the Primordial Time¡­ Damn it this is gettingplicated and it''s not the right time for this!'' "Um, Ka- Kay, are you alright?" Liz asked after seeing Ka''s neutral expression that never changed. If she wasn''t a clone, there was no possibility of hiding her expression this well. "Ahem, yes I''m alright, I wasn''t just thinking about something," Ka said, trying to sound normal, which wasn''t an issue for her. "Well, with your current strength, you should be able to help us against the big targets. "We are not nning on killing them anyway, only capturing, so this should not be an issue for you. Additionally, you should not be having any hard time against them, err, they''re rather weak and fragile inparison to you¡­" "Hehe, then I''ll go give them our friends a hand!" Liz replied with a smile as she was ready tounch herself towards the Gate to the Human ne. "Wait, I''ll guide you towards Joey first. He was fighting an opponent that''s slightly stronger than himself," Ka said as she jumped onto Liz''s back. "Here, I''m ready, go!" "Hehe, we''ve got some cleaning up to do, let''s go!" Grinning happily, Liz disappeared from her spot. Raykun, her subordinate, followed closely. ''Hm, this should be good,'' Ka thought. ''Now that she''s on the move, she can help Joey take care of the Star Twenty angel. ''After that, we can help with the first of the Star Fifteen angels before moving onto the second. This way, with the Star Ten angels being dead, we''d only have the lowest ranks of angels alive and finishing them off should not be a problem¡­ this would be our win! We can finish everything very quickly! ''But, why do I have this bad feeling? It''s as though something really unexpected is going to happen¡­ I don''t like this. But, I don''t think that I''ve overlooked anything so there should not be anything of that sort, right? ''Well, whatever, we''ll deal with it when the timees. Hm, on another note, I can''t stop myself from thinking back to Haruki''s situation¡­ ''I understand that he was able to go beyond Star Nine because of his Primordial power of Space, but why is he so weak inparison to Liz? ''Why is he only a Star Thirteen whereas Liz is a Star Sixty Eight? What am I missing¡­'' ¡­ While this clone was deep in thought, another one was busy with helping Jericho with her personal matter. Jericho, before getting to know Ka and before undergoing her Cyber Transformation, had a skill that involved cyber attacks, hacking systems, and gathering information. This type of skill was the mostpatible with Ka''s Cyber Particles and her entire nature as a system. That''s why she had decided to help her and just see how far she could get. Inside the dark purple cocoon, Jericho''s Mana Core was being fully merged with Ka''s Cyber Core. If this works out, she should be able to gain more benefits than the other Cyber Elites. And at the same time, Ka would have gained some valuable insights into something that she''s been busy thinking about... ... While everyone on Earth was busy fighting against their target angels, they started noticing a rather obvious shift in the bnce of battle. At some point, a terrifying dark aura spread throughout the battlefield, almost covering the entire. This aura caused literally everyone to freeze in their spots. Luckily however, this onlysted a few breaths before the dark aura disappeared as though nothing had happened. No one understood what was happening at first, but the Terran Army quickly received a message indicating that this dark aura is on their side which caused their morale to soar even higher than before. Above the clouds, away from Earth, the unconscious Star Twenty angel was being held from the base of its white wings, as though it was a chicken that''s being prepared for ughter. Joey, who was watching this scene, could not help but scratch his head with an inexplicable expression. "Something wrong?" Liz asked while handing him the angel. A proud smile was stered across her face involuntarily. *Sigh* "No, not at all¡­" Joey could only take the angel from her hand with a sigh, and descend towards the surface. "Let''s go look for Calcer." "Okay!" Liz replied and quickly followed. A few minutester, her dark aura surrounded the yet once again. Following that, the Star Fifteen angel that was fighting against Ka''s Cyber Elites was being tossed into Erin''s hands. Looking at the angel in his hands, Erin could not help but alternate gazes between it and Liz. "This fast, how strong are you?" "Hehe," Liz only chuckled, trying to appear mysterious. "It''s not time for questions, let''s go catch the rest!" "Err, do you even need our help?" Shin asked with raised eyebrows. "Well, I- I want you to be there with me¡­" Liz''s proud attitude suddenly changed as she appeared rather embarrassed. "Do as she says," Ka''s clone that was with her said. "Liz can''t bring herself to kill, and I''d rather prevent her from witnessing Calcer''s sea of blood." Chapter 330 - A Clean Up To Do Part 6 A/N: Read Author''s note at the end. There''s a surprise for you! *** "Do as she says," Ka''s clone that was with Liz said. "Liz can''t bring herself to kill. Additionally, I''d rather prevent her from witnessing Calcer''s sea of blood. "So, you''ll still be doing the majority of the job. Not to mention that you''ll be taking care of the other angels once she deals with the second Star Fifteen angel.". "Alright then, let''s go," Joey said quickly, urging everyone to follow. Erin and the rest followed behind. Stopping suddenly in his tracks, Erin quickly dashed to Jina''s side and was about to hug her. But Amira stopped him bluntly. "Although she''s mostly fine, she''s still in pain. Just help her fly with the rest of us, it''s better if she doesn''t urge her Cyber Particles to form wings." Nodding, Erin gave Jina a light kiss on the brow before carrying her like a princess. Seeing that, Amira rolled her eyes but said nothing. She silently followed. Ka gave ast look towards Jericho who was still covered in her dark purple cocoon before focusing on her own tasks. Not long after, the group had already reached The Raven''s Guards who -to their surprise- were toying with the Star Fifteen angel. Erin and the rest could not help but marvel at the strength this group showed. "What is that azure fire? How is the angel screaming?" Shin asked, confused. "I thought they could not talk¡­" "It''s weird, it doesn''t even look hot since the scenery around it isn''t distorted," Sara analyzed. "But for some reason, the moment I set my eyes on it, I feel like I''m in grave danger¡­" "Uhm, something''s weird about this azure me," d said in a serious tone that showed both fear and respect. "And what''s up with that Ian dude, how does the angel respond to his provocations?" "He must be a psychic," Erin replied. "Everytime the angel shows a hint of resistance, his yellow-orange eyes seem to glow¡­" "Hm, the man and woman from the silver-folk seem to be pretty strong as well," Harukimented. "I feel immense power radiating from the spear they''re jointly using." "Uhm," Amira nodded. "No doubt that this group can very well annihte ours¡­ Not to mention the rest, just look at those two, I think that they are siblings." She said while pointing at Ae and Zeru. Everyone could only swallow loudly the moment their eyesnded on the giant Lightning Phantom behind them. *Sigh* "Well, I would not go as far as annihte us, but their teamwork is way better than ours, and even their individual power is more unique¡­" Erin could only sigh in emotions. "Don''t be like this," Ka said. "These people are Raven''s friends after all, they have obviously received some help from her. "And even though they can''t reach your ranks, their strength is not something that one can scoff at." "So, err, since they have the situation under control, what should we do now?" Liz asked. "Hm, well, hand this angel and the two we have to Joey so that he can deliver them to cer," Ka replied. "The Cyber Elites and The Raven''s Guards will go assist the Terran Army with their opponents. "As for you, Liz, you just sit tight and wait. There''s nothing for you to do at the moment." "Uhm," Liz nodded with a smile. "Alright, everyone else get to work!" Ka said loudly. """Yes!""" Quickly, the situation on Earth changed. The highest of the angels'' strengths were crippled, leaving only the weak ones avable for the ughter. The EDA Generals and their Deputies, the Terran Soldiers, and Jakol''s Akash team all fought hard and were not weaker than their opponents. However, the moment the Cyber Elites and The Raven''s Guards joined the battle, everything kept on changing rapidly. Not only that, but shortly after, even Gaia''s titans and Raven''s Executives joined the fray. cer, who was submerged in his coiled-python-like red Sea of Blood, was having the best time digesting the three powerful angels and raising his rank rapidly. And, in less than half a day, Earth was angel-free and the Terran Army could not wait to start celebrating! "Everyone, it''s not time to be happy yet!" Ka called out through everyone''s bracelets all of a sudden. "Look around you!" Looking around as ordered, the Terran soldiers could only sigh in emotion. "What a shame¡­" "Yeah, although we won, we paid an unimaginable price¡­" "Uhm, Earth is no longer suitable for living¡­" "What do we do now?" "We can''t just abandon our home, right?" "Wait you idiots, the Commanding General must have a way, otherwise, why would she say anything about it?" "I guess you''re right!" After giving them a while to chat with each other, Ka started transmitting her message again: "Well, everyone, since you know that Earth is uninhabitable for now, you should realize that the best option is to leave it. "Now, listen to mymand: all Terran soldiers are to gather in the Demon Realm and evacuate as per n. "Once Earth is fixed by Gaia, the Mother Spirit, everyone can be rebuilt, and we''ll bring you back!" Hearing themand, everyone felt that they''ve missed some important fact, but they didn''tment. If it was the Commanding General''s will, then it''s an order that they must execute. "Kay, what''s the matter?" Gaia whispered as she got closer to Ka. "Yes, Kay, why did you ask everyone to evacuate instead of asking for their help rebuilding everything?" Liz asked curiously. "Well, I- honestly, I feel that we''ve missed something¡­" Ka said after some hesitation. "Everything that we''ve been doing so far¡­ it''s- it strangely seems easy¡­" "Easy?" Gaia widened her eyes. The Cyber Elites, Raven''s Executives, and The Raven''s Guards were looking at Ka as though she had gone mad. "Kay, is there something that we don''t know but need to know?" Ae asked with raised eyebrows. "Is it rted to something that you and Lady Raven found in outer space?" "Uhm," Ka replied seriously. "Let me ask you this: what''s the strongest enemy that we''ve fought?" "The Star Twenty angel?" Joey asked suspiciously. "Yes," Ka replied. "And what''s Liz''s rank?" "Err, above Star Twenty?" Joey also asked in reply. "I''ve seen her handle the strong angels like they''re nothing¡­" "Uhm, I saw that too," Erin replied. "Just how strong is she now?" "Well, she''s at rank Sixty Eight right now," Ka replied, causing everyone to take a deep breath in awe. Feeling embarrassed with everyone looking at her, Liz looked down at her feet. "Wait, what you''re saying is that¡­" Ae, who suddenly understood what Ka was hinting at, could not help but lose her cool. "The rank above Star Twenty exists¡­" Maria followed her trail of thought. "So, you''re saying that there are more powerful angels?" "Uhm," Ka replied, causing some more reactions from the groups around her. "Well, to keep this short, err, Raven faced some angels that were way beyond this rank; she faced an angel that was ranked at about Star One Hundred Fifty¡­" "What!??" Maria almost lost her cool. "How is she now?" Saying that, she held Ka by the shoulders and shook her uncontrobly. "Please don''t worry," Ka managed to squeeze out of her lips. "Tu took care of it for us. With that being said, that wasn''t the strongest angel we met; we also met an angel that was ranked above Star Five Hundred." Seeing that everyone lost their colour, she quickly continued. "However, that angel was a friend!" "A friend?" Maria looked at her strangely. "Oh wait, is it Maya?!" Although not everyone was on the same page, they quickly realized that Maya was also an angel and a very powerful one at that. "No, hehe¡­" Kaughed mysteriously. "Maya is above Stra Nine Hundred!" Mouths were suddenly left wide open as everyone sucked in the air aggressively. "Hehe,"ughing once again, Ka exined the situation in outer space and everything that''s happened so far with Raven¡­ well, almost everything, she had to skip some parts after all... Giving them a while to digest, Ka started exining her point again. "So, anyhow, do you get why I feel like we''ve missed some important point? "Uhm," Erin nodded. "You''re saying that the other Seraphim had their own powerful subordinates, yet, none has yet attacked us¡­" "Exactly!" Ka replied. "It seems as though the stronger angels are not here for some unknown reason. And as if now, that reason may be one of three; "First, the stronger angels have all been killed by some unknown entity. "Second, they are currently somewhere else, doing something that we don''t know about. "Third, they are on their way¡­" Noticing everyone''s tense gazes, she continued. "Whatever one of the three it is, our best and only option is to leave as we mentioned before." "Uhm, it''s good if you guys leave, you''ve done a lot and I really appreciate everything, but that''s enough. Please take care!" Gaia tried her best to smile while urging everyone to leave. She didn''t want them to risk even more for her sake. Chapter 331 - No Leaving Behind "Uhm, it''s good if you guys leave, you''ve done a lot already and I really appreciate everything, but that''s enough. Please take care!" Gaia tried her best to smile while urging everyone to leave. She didn''t want them to risk even more for her sake. But with that being said, she could not help but feel slightly sad. ''Well, at least I won''t get to miss them since I''ll die¡­ if not, then they''lle to find me.'' Thinking like that, Gaia smiled with a ratherplex expression that was filled with conflicting emotions. "Huh? Why are you acting like this? Did I ever say that you''re noting with us?" Ka asked with raised eyebrows before answering her own question: "No, I didn''t. Do you know why? Because we''re obviously not leaving you behind, you''reing with us!" "Huh?" Gaia was surprised. "I''ming with you? Why? No, how? My body is the entirety of Earth, how do I-" "Oi take it easy!" Ka patted her on the shoulders. "Well, as for why, I have two reasons.. First, you''re one of my friends, and I don''t leave my friends behind. And second, Raven would skin me alive if I did, hehe¡­" sheughed awkwardly as she imagined just how mad Raven would be... "And as for how; you rx, just leave it to me!" Ka patted her own chest proudly. "However, I want to make sure that no one is left here. So everyone other than Gaia and I, off you go!" Gaia was left speechless after hearing Ka''s words and didn''t know what to say or how to respond. "Wait, even me? Kay, I''m leaving too?" Liz asked, breaking the silence. "Err¡­" looking at her, Ka didn''t know what to do at first, but then she came up with an answer: "Well, you won''t be able to help people in the Demon Realm nor the other side of the Teleportation Gates, so I guess you could stay. But everyone else, leave now!" "Mistress, may I stay with you?" Raykun suddenly asked. Liz didn''t answer. But she simply looked at Ka with inquiring eyes. "Ugh, sure¡­" Ka said before sending everyone away. Although not everyone was happy, especially Maria, Axane, and Ae, they knew that they could not help here and they''d only be a burden. After waiting for a while and making sure that everyone has left Earth, including the two nes, Ka started with her ns. Now, the only people that were left on the were Ka, Liz, Raykun, Jericho who was undergoing her evolution, and Calcer who was submerged in his Sea of Blood. "Alright, Raykun, since you decided to stay, do me a favour and take Jericho''s cocoon away from Earth, and keep her safe," Ka instructed. Although he wasn''t happy to receive orders from her, he had no choice but to do as told. Liz even red at him because he moved slowly at first... "Liz, you go to Calcer and- oh wait¡­ I''d rather not let you witness the Sea of Blood." Ka quickly corrected herself. "No, I''ll go, it''s okay!" Liz tried to say, but Ka merely shook her head, not allowing further negotiations "Gaia, you send a clone to visit Calcer," Ka said. "Tell him that I need every angel bone he has collected, including the ones from the strongest three!" "On it!" Quickly, Gaia''s body suddenly split into two as one moved quickly and disappeared and the other stayed. "Are you nning to make me a new body?" Gaia asked, doubt visible in her eyes. From Ka''s moves and words up until this moment, it seemed as though she was nning to create her a new body! With that being said, although it may sound simple, it was by no means so. Especially that she was a whole! "Hehe, you don''t have to doubt Kay, she''s Raven''s second half!" Liz said with a giggle. Gaia looked at her with a surprised expression and didn''t know what to say. Ka on the other hand was left speechless because of another reason. "Wait!" She finally managed to say. "You trust me because of Raven and not because of who I am?" "Uhm¡­" Liz nodded slowly. "Um, why do you sound offended? Raven is the person I trust the most on this, so, err, me associating you with her is good, no?" "Ugh, whatever. Don''t worry about it, you''re good¡­" Ka said, but she didn''t manage to convince anyone. "And, Gaia, yes I''ll be making you a new body!" Momentster, Gaia''s other clone returned with a silver bracelet in her hand. "Here!" She said expectantly. "Oh, I also told Calcer to move to outer space." "Alright, let''s start!" Ka said as she took the bracelet with a smile. "Err, there will be bones involved, Liz, are you-" "I''ll be okay!" Liz said quickly. "Okay, feel free to go to Raykun if you feel like it," Ka said as she started working. First, descending to the ground, she summoned everything that was stored inside Calcer''s bracelet: these were bones. A lot of them! A mountain of white radiant, and strangely clean, bones was suddenly present in front of the group. Looking at them, Ka''s expression changed as she alternated nces between the bone mountain and Liz. "I''m fine!" Liz said and even waved her hands at herself as if to prove it. "No, no, that''s not why I''m looking at you," Ka said quickly. "I just realized that I haven''t thought things through previously as I was so busy with finding a way to create the body that I didn''t seem to consider all of the details. But hey I''m lucky that you''re here now!" "Hehe, what do you need me to do?" Liz smiled knowingly. "Grind them!" Ka simply replied, which caused Liz to back off suddenly. "Hehe, sorry I''m okay, I was just surprised. I''ll do it¡­" Liz said as she swallowed loudly. Looking at the bone mountain, she seemed slightly lost as she didn''t know how to do it or where to start from. "Um, Liz I''ll take care of it, just support me." Ka said as she felt Liz''s internal torment. Liz nodded shyly and looked at her feet in embarrassment. "Gaia, create arge crater to hold this bone mountain inside,"Ka instructed without paying much attention to Liz, simply because she didn''t want to make her feel any worse. Gaia started working. As she did, Ka flew towards the mountain and collected some special sets of shining white bones. These were the ones that belonged to the strongest three angels, and to the twenty Star Ten angels. This meant that whatever is left belonged to Star Five angels and below. Storing them into her bracelet, she backed away and allowed Gaia to work on her own. "Liz, what level of control do you have over your Dark Matter thingy?" Ka asked in a weird way. "Huh? You mean this?" Liz asked as she opened her pale palm. Inside, a blindingly ck ball started to form. "Uhm, this thing," Ka nodded. "Say, can you condense it into a sword form? When me and Raven, err, fought against youst time, you could do that, right? Can you do it now?" "Uhm, I should be able to," Saying that, Liz started working on creating her dark sword. Ka watched silently as the two worked. A few momentster, Gaia finished her task. "Done!" "Alright, good job!" Ka praised. With a thought, a small ball of dark purple and silver Cyber Particles left her body. Slowly, it turned into a small version of herself. With a wave of her hand, the small Ka sent therger one into the crater that was filled with bones. Swiftly, therge version of Ka switched forms and turned into what seemed to be liquid Cyber Particles. Quickly, it dove down into the pile of angel bones. "Alright, I''m done too! Wait wh- ah..." Liz suddenly said before being surprised by Ka''s small body. "Hehe," the small version grinned in a rather cute manner. "Good job, Liz!" "Uhm," Liz was still confused but she nodded at the praise nheless. "Okay, Gaia, take the dark sword and start cutting these bones!" Ka instructed while throwing out the strongest sets of bones. "On it!" Gaia said enthusiastically as she held the sword and started chopping the bones. "Err, by the way, just cut them? Like, no specifics?" "Nope, just chop them up!" Ka said. Hearing that, Gaia nodded and continued. Not long after, the bones were already cut into small pieces. And although it seemed easy, it was in fact all thanks to Liz''s high rank. Otherwise, there would have been no easy way to cut the bones of a rank Star Twenty angel, especially when Gaia is only a Star Nine. "Nicely done!" Ka said with a smile. "Well, from now on, me and Gaia will be doing the work, Liz, you can leave. Thanks for your help!" Chapter 332 - A New Gaia "Uhm," nodding, Liz disappeared and only reappeared next to Raykun in outer space. "Alright, Gaia, there are many bones left by the weaker angels that have been killed around the various battlefields," Ka said. "I want you to collect them for me. Add them into the crater you made and I''ll take care of these ones from the strongest!" "Alright!" Gaia answered with a smile as she spread her consciousness around her entire body and began to work. Simrly, the smaller version of Ka got to work as she mixed every piece of the strongest set of angel bones with her Cyber Particles. Through her delicate maniption, Cyber Particles did not require much time to fully fuse with the bones. Slowly, she started moving her hand as if knitting the softest scarf out of the most precious silk. With each little one of her precise movements, the Cyber-Bone mixture started forming what seemed to be a ne human-like skeleton. Although previously white in colour, the bones now looked extremely futuristic as they donned a curtain of dark purple.. A set of silver circuit-like runes were slowly being constructed as Ka, yet once again, used Raven''s skill: The Elders'' Scrolls. As she was busy here, another part of her consciousness was busy using the Cyber Particles, that once formed her body, to wrap around and contain every angel bone left in the crater that was created by Gaia. Of course, Gaia who was collecting the rest of them from around the didn''t take long to gather and add them into the crater, which allowed Ka to finish that part more thoroughly. A short period after, Ka''s Cyber Particles were finally fully intermixed with the bones. This made it so that her own consciousness now had the ability to fully control these bones. Slowly, under her control, the cyber-bone mixture in the crater started prating the dirtyer underneath and diving deeper into the body of the. Gaia, who had some idea of what was going on, could not help but tilt her head as she lost herself in the many questions that clouded her mind. Without concern, the cyber-bone mixture continued to spread evenly throughout Earth,yer byyer, and even deeper into its core. "Gaia, grit your teeth," Ka''s voice was suddenly heard. From her tone, it was rather clear that she did not say that sentence mockingly, but rather metaphorically. "It''s gonna hurt¡­" Without giving Gaia a chance to react, she continued with her work. The moment the first bit of the cyber-bone mixture prated the core, the shook, and Gaia let out a startled agonizing scream. In a matter of seconds, the clouds above, in the skies, turned gray as if to reflect the immense pain she was feeling, rain poured down heavily in reflection of her hearty tears, and even the entirety of her titan force waspletely annihted; the wind-titans quickly and uncontrobly dispersed, the mountain-titans fell to the ground causing more earthquakes, and the ocean-titans did the same, causing tsunamis... "Bear with it!" Ka urged Gaia who had momentarily started wailing in agony before losing control of her clone, causing it to disperse back into World Energy that disappeared rather violently. Distant wails continued to be carried by the aggressive winds throughout the entire, and the shaking never stopped, but rather got more dangerous. Feeling her core being shredded apart was akin to having her soul invaded by sharp needles that continued to cut her into many pieces. Needless to say, Gaia felt more pain than she''s ever done in her entire billion years of life! The smaller version of Ka was not concerned in that matter, but instead was focused on her cyber skeleton that was now fully donned in a curtain of mysterious silver runes. Massive amounts of strange, yet very refreshing, energy radiated out of it. "Almost done, I need you to cooperate!" She suddenly said loudly, making sure her voice was louder than the violent wind. And as she promised, it didn''t take her long to back away from the cyber skeleton. Opening her hands wide in a motion that resembled hugging the entire, her eyes shine with a silver hue. Simrly, and too urate to be a coincidence, the cyber skeleton imitated her movements as its hollow eyes glowed in an identical spark. At the same time, Gaia''s screams reached new heights as the surface of the started copsing. Mountains and forests broke apart into pieces as they started floating in the air, yet strangely still close to the. ciers melted causing the water levels in the oceans and seas to rise higher. Rivers started flowing backwards, as if the world had lost its natural order and was plunged into chaos. Fog and dust filled the atmosphere, contaminating the air. Even the Ozoneyer was not spared. Suddenly, however, a thin translucent barrier started forming around Earth, as if trying to keep it in one piece and prevent it from spreading throughout space like dead space wreckage. Quickly, the barrier fully wrapped around Gaia''s massive body and contained everything inside. Surprisingly, the barrier didn''t stop there. In an instant, it started getting closer to the surface, as if attempting to thicken itself by force. This became very apparent the moment it collided with the atmosphericyers and clouds, and then hit the floating pieces ofnd and water that were away from their destination. Slowly, and very agonizingly for Gaia who felt as though she had lived countless years more than her actual age, the barrier''s thickness kept on increasing as it continued losing its size. At one point, it came into direct contact with the Earth''s surface and resembled its size. At another, it continued to shrink down while pushing Earth towards its core. As this went on, the entire seemed to get smaller and smaller. And at the same time, Gaia''s core itself was being mixed with the cyber-bone mixture, which was actually the reason for her pain. The matter of the surface was simply like a scratch that she could not reach, nothing but annoying. As time went by, Earth continued to shrink until one point it had reached the size of its moon. Of course, this would not have been possible if not for Ka''s Space Maniption, which mainly stems from the Storage ability of her bracelets. With that being said, if it wasn''t for Calcer''s timely intervention, the actual moon would have already left its orbit and disappeared into the distance. ¡­ ''Almost there!'' After many hours have passed, Ka suddenly said calmly. Right now, her clone has been mixed with the Cyber Particles inside the so she could only speak this way. ''You''ve been saying that since the beginning of all of this!'' Gaia replied, anger and pain visible in her voice. ''No, this time''s for real!'' saying that, she redirected her attention towards Earth that was now merely the size of a ser ball. In its current size, itcked its own colour and instead it adopted the colour of the silver rune-filled barrier. With a twist in space, the cyber skeleton was revealed, as lifeless as ever. Suddenly, a tiny drop of dark purple left its skeletal body and turned into a little girl. Opening her arms in a familiar hugging motion, the cyber skeleton instantly started mimicking her. With its two hands, the cyber skeleton held the ball-sized Earth and allowed itself to be moved closer to it. With its current mass to size ratio, the ball-sized Earth was akin to a miniature ck hall. Only once the mass distribution is fully controlled using Space Maniption would everything get to a normal equilibrium. As it got closer, the cyber skeleton swiftly pressed down on Earth and allowed its size to shrink even further. Of course, what was helping wasn''t the outer motion of the skeleton, but rather the increase in Space Maniption on the inside. Suddenly however, as Earth reached the size of a marble, it entered the cyber skeleton''s rib cage and rested in its empty chest, where the heart of a human would be. With an internalmand from Ka, the seemingly tiny silver marble released a deviating aura as cyber-bone mixture spread throughout the skeleton and covered its every part. With it being filled with matter, the undefined dark purple silhouette started slowly taking the shape of a human girl. Just before gaining the final ''definitive'' features of a girl, a purple screen covered the silhouette. Momentster, the screen was turned into beautiful fluorescent particles that were quickly reabsorbed. Now, after everything has finished, a beautiful girl made an elegant appearance. Her curly short dark purple locks extended to the back of her slender neck. Her snow-white face was decorated with plushy pale cheeks. And her eyes were a bright naturalistic green that inspired tenderness that was beyond human reach. Her figure wasn''t petite, but rather tall. And,bined with her slim waist and plumpy chest, she resembled a graceful princess of a rich wondend! This girl was the new Gaia! Chapter 333 - Leaving Forever This new Gaiacked the mythical dryad-like green tint that her old self had. However, as if topensate for that, the clothes she chose to create around her well-proportioned body made her look like a beautiful naturalistic flower. With a beautiful life-like light cyan hue, a green floral print short-sleeved skater dress was wrapped tightly around some parts of her new body, while it merely hung loosely around others. A tight fitting dark purple belt was strapped around her slim waist, as if to keep her dress from flying away or revealing too much of her sparkling skin. Her only piece of essory was a neat silver rune-filled bracelet that was hugging her bare wrist. "Whew, it''s finally over!" Gaia finally gained awareness in her new body and hugged herself with a whisper that was full of unimaginable relief. The pain she had experienced the past few hours was something she''d rather never experience, ever again. "How are you feeling?" Ka''s weak voice came from the side, out of her currently tiny clone, seemingly exhausted beyond reason, evident by the strain marks all around her body.. It seemed as though this clone of hers was about to fall apart. "Eh, it seems pretty difficult to move. Err, I guess I feel heavy," Gaia said, pondering, as she tried to move and stretch her body around. "It''s a funny feeling, really, having the entirety of my-sized bodypacted into this human form. "With that in mind, I have to say that the feeling is merely psychological, and it should not take long for me to get used to it. Physically, this body is hundreds of times better and more natural that any clone I''ve ever created! So, Kay, thank you so much! I owe you a bunch!" "Eh, don''t think anything of it," Ka waved her hand. "I''ve promised Rave that I''ll get you out of here, and giving you a body is just my means of doing so. "With that being said, I can''t help but think of how badass this is; right now, with every move you make, you represent the movement of an entire. So one punch from your body is ought to be deviating, hehe¡­" "Well, it''s technically twos," Ka corrected herself with a tired smile. "You have two nes in you; Human ne, and Demon Realm!" "Hehe¡­ you''re right! That''s huge! Err, both physically and metaphorically!" Gaiamented with a giggle. "By the way, you look extremely tired, will you be okay?" Saying that, she quickly supported her, allowing her to straighten herself. "Err, this is just a clone, and the power inside of it has almost been exhausted, but the real me is okay don''t worry," Kaforted. "You go see Liz, I''ll go to cer." "Huh, why not just call him over?" Gaia asked. "I have his bracelet, remember?" Ka shrugged. "Well, technically I could use Raven''s Oasis: Mind Link, but I need to go to the moon anyway. You''re not nning on leaving it behind, right?" "Uh, the moon!" Gaia nced at the moon in the distance. This very moon that had kept herpany since the beginning of time. "I''lle with you. You should be able to call Liz over since she has a bracelet, right?" "Err, I guess that''s one way to do it. Alright!" Ka agreed and headed towards the sparkling side of the moon, under the sun''s hot rays. "Oh, by the way, although you''re technically still a Star Nine, your body can now withstand the attacks of a Star Twenty. You''re pretty tough now!" Hearing that, Gaia merely grinned while giving an approving thumbs up. ¡­ Not long after, everyone was standing away from the moon while Ka had already allowed her Cyber Particles to prate its core. "This is pretty weird¡­" she muttered while narrowing her eyes. "Eh, what''s the matter?" Liz asked curiously. "Yes, Lady Ka, what''s weird?" Calcer asked. Currently, he looked normal, and the Sea of Blood that''s usually apanying him was nowhere to be found; obviously, it had been retracted to his body. "I have been training her for a while and I haven''t found anything out of the ordinary." "Hm, Calcer, didn''t you feel that the moon was giving off sole World Energy?" Ka asked. "Err, yes, is that not normal?" Calcer asked, confused. "Earth was filled with World Energy that we used to strengthen ourselves and use for our skills." "Technically, even though Earth is a, it is not a requirement for it to have World Energy," Ka exined. "The reason behind its abundant World Energy is Gaia." Saying that, she pointed at the beauty in the green floral dress. "However, the moon should be nothing but a lifeless celestial body. In a way, it is simr to the others in our Sr System," she continued. "In theory it should not have any sort of World Energy, yet it somehow does¡­ truly, strange¡­" "Huh, is that good or bad?" Gaia asked, confused. "I don''t know," Ka shrugged casually. "And honestly, I don''t care at the moment. I''ll pack it for you, then we can quickly leave. We''ve already spent so much time here and if anyone is nning to intercept us, we''re giving them too much time to catch up." Saying that, Ka extracted some dark purple rune-filled structure from her own bracelet. "Is that a bone?" Gaia asked. "I thought you used all of them already." "I mean, I''m d that I at least thought this far ahead..." Ka simply said. Gaia was taken aback as she felt somehow offended, even though she didn''t understand why. Moving her fingers as though she was ying a fragile harp, she urged her Cyber Particles to fill and intermix with the entirety of the moon. Now that she got the chance to think about it, Ka realized that this moon was surprisingly thergest in this Sr System. It was evenrger than many dwarfs in the neighboring Sr Systems. ''Truly strange,'' Ka muttered to herself this time, as if to confirm her own belief. Slowly, as she worked around with her tender fingers, the moon started to shrink in a way that was simr to Earth before. Over time, it too got to the size of a small marble. Approaching it freely, Ka extended the dark purple rune-filled structure -which was in fact a processed angel bone- towards it. Entering the center of the structure, the tiny marble-sized moon finally came to a stop. With a delicate move from Ka''s hands, the dark purple bone started moving like a viscous liquid and fully wrapped itself around the moon, forming a mixed structure. And with another twist from her, this small mixed structure started changing forms, until eventually, it resembled a beautiful white spider lily hairpin. "Here!" Ka said while handing the newly configured hairpin to Gaia. "Oh My! This is so pretty! Thank you!" Gaia said one word after the other, almost too quickly. She was just as happy as her wide smile made everyone think she was. "Let me help you!" Liz offered while extending her pale palm towards Gaia. Handing her the hairpin, Gaia turned around. Gently, she felt her short curls being twisted into a bun. Momentarily after, she felt the soft touch of the hairpin against the top of her head. "Haha, looks pretty good on you!" Ka chuckled gracefully. "It''s all thanks to you!" Gaia suddenly hugged her. Truly, Ka has done so much for her up until that moment and she subconsciously started feeling the weight of this debt. "Hehe, I told you, don''t worry about it," as if seeing through her thoughts, Ka winked at her. "Alright," she suddenly continued in a serious tone. "Since we''re done here, it''s time for you all to leave. "Gaia, you technically still have the Teleportation Gates within your body so you can teleport everyone here to one of thes that were chosen as a destination. "As for me¡­ this clone will probably disperse soon since I''ve used most of its power and what''s left now is not enough to maintain it for long. "So, I''ll stay here to monitor the situation and see what happens after you leave. It''s important for me to know if someone is actuallying, or if the angels are doing something else, which may be even worse for us¡­" "Uhm, I understand," Gaia replied with a serious nod. "We''ll get going. You tell Raven and Maya to take care. I want to see you all soon, okay?" "Aye, we''ll follow you soon!" Ka said in an attempt to reassure her and everyone else. "Wait, why will you follow us? Will we not be meeting back here?" Liz suddenly asked. "You and Raven surely have a way to restore everything to the way it was before, just like you always do, right?" "Meet back here? Restore everything to the way it was? Nope, unfortunately, that''s a no for both questions," Ka slowly shook her head. Chapter 334 - A Fake Part 1 "Meet back here? Restore everything to the way it was? Nope, unfortunately, that''s a no for both questions," Ka slowly shook her head. "Now with Gaia moving out of her orbit, I can almost be sure that, given enough time, a big change will take ce in our Sr System. "Although I really appreciate your confidence in both me and Raven, Liz, this is something that is beyond our capabilities. "However, even though we can note back here, there is a possibility of allowing Gaia to control the others we chose to live on. If that seeds, then everything will be mostly back to normal. "It''s a pity though¡­ I''m not strong enough to take our sun yet, otherwise, things would have been much easier¡­" "Wait, hold on!" Gaia started waving her hands in confusion. "What do you mean by me controlling the we choose to live on?" "Hehe, you''ll knowter," Ka chuckled while covering her mouth, trying to look mysterious. "The most important matter right now is to get you all out of here." Taking ast look at Jericho who was still covered in her dark purple cocoon, she smiled.. "Calcer, you take care of her, well, and everyone else. You''ve finally broken through the rank of Star Twenty Two, so that should not be a problem for you. "With you and Joey around, everything should be alright. Liz would not even have to move a muscle! Good, very good!" "Uhm, don''t worry, Lady Ka," Calcer smiled confidently. "I- I can also fight if things get serious," Liz said. "Oh, and Raykun has be pretty strong after my evolution. He can y a role in protecting everyone." Ka didn''t even appraise him, she simply nodded. "I can rest assured then. Well, with that being said, it should not take long for me and Raven to join. Now, just get the hell out of here!" "Okay, okay, jeez!" Gaiained while calling upon one of the Teleportation Gates inside of her body. With a wave from her hand, space itself started twisting in front of her as it took the shape of the Gate. "See you soon, err, both you and Raven, I suppose¡­" "Uhm, get out¡­" Ka smiled while practically kicking them away. "Ugh¡­" Gaia groaned as she started pushing everyone inside the Teleportation Gate. After all, she had to be thest to leave in order to collect it. "Take care, Kay," Liz said with ast hug before disappearing into the Teleportation Gate. Momentster, Gaia collected the Gate while activating it from inside of her body. "Alright, be well¡­" for some reason, she showed a sad smile before leaving. "Uhm," Ka nodded while watching her disappear from her spot. With aplicated grin, she muttered: "Shoot, she figured it out, huh¡­" Saying that, she suddenly adopted a serious expression and looked into the distance. All this while, she has been feeling her Cyber Particles being destroyed, drawing a line that would eventually lead towards her. This could only mean that an enemy will be arriving soon¡­ And sure enough, it barely took another fifteen minutes for some winged silhouettes to appear in front of her. Without asking questions, they were ready to attack Ka. However, thetter raised her hands quickly. "Wait!" She said hurriedly. "You''re all either Guard Angels or Holy Angels; you can understand me!" Hearing her, the lead Holy Angel raised his hand. His face was stern, yet it wasn''t void of spirituality, evident by the narrowing of its eyes the moment he heard Ka''s voice. "Listen, I understand that you have your orders, and they''re from the ones you hold most important-" Ka tried to exin everything. But she could clearly see the impatient expressions of the angels in front of her, which meant that she probably didn''t have a lot of time to mutter some words: so she better make them count. On that note, Ka quickly realized that the only reason the lead angel is allowing her to speak was probably because of the disappearance of Earth, meaning that they were hoping to receive some information from her. "They killed the real Supreme Deity!" Those words suddenly escaped Ka''s mouth. Noticing that the angels didn''t change their expressions in the slightest after hearing her words, she felt a little disappointed. However, she knew that she had to try. With a wave of her hand, the Cyber Particles in the air started moving all of a sudden, forming what seemed to be a translucent screen. On this screen, a recording started ying. "Traitor, who''s really the traitor, Michael?" Maya''s voice, in her Seraph form, escaped from the screen. "Weren''t you the one who killed Uriel?" Suddenly, the screen switched to scenes of Raven and Ka trying to help Uriel stay alive. "Weren''t you the one who killed our true Supreme Deity as well?" Maya''s voice continued in an angry tone. "You and Gabriel sided with the invaders and even killed the old Raphael and Uriel, hence why I and this Uriel are the newest members of the Seraphim. "Additionally, I''ve already heard a full confession from Gabriel," Maya continued. "He was fighting a clone that had my face, yet the idiot thought that it was me. After defeating it, he started bragging about how he had watched the Supreme Deity being murdered!" Watching this, the angels -who were about to attack Ka- all froze in ce with their eyes wide open as if they had identally swallowed a beehive into their stomachs. As if trying to prevent them from asking for more, Ka quickly waved her hand to dismiss the Cyber screen. Of course, these recordings were nothing but fake¡­ Ka was a person who had the ability to control the Cyber Particles. For her, faking some pictures and sounds was the easiest task¡­ With that being said, it wasn''t as though everything she said was a lie. In fact, most if not all of what is mentioned in the video is true. Well, except the part about the clone fighting Gabriel. After all, Gabriel was only fighting with Tu, no clones were involved. Additionally, Tu had not made his presence clear, nor did he try to reach out or exin what had happened, which gave Ka a bad feeling. Nheless, the fake recordings seemed to be doing its job. "What is that?" The lead Holy Asked with quivering lips. "How can Lord Michael say that he has killed the Supreme Deity? Isn''t the Supreme Deity alive in the first ce?" The other angels didn''t mutter a word, but their eyes were full of questioning gazes. "Ask yourselves, when has one of youst seen the Supreme Deity?" Ka asked. "Let me guess, never, right?" Hearing that, the lead Holy Angel''s expression changed. "No one is allowed to see the Supreme Deity but the four Seraphim!" "Are you deaf?" Ka quickly counted. "Didn''t you just hear one of your Seraphim, Raphael, saying that Michael has killed her? "If she''s a Seraph -who ording to your im can see the Supreme Deity- then what she says must be trusted. And she''s saying that the Supreme Deity is dead! "Didn''t you see for yourselves? Uriel was killed because of her knowing the secret. And now that Raphael is going to die. "Heck, even Uriel''s and many of Raphael''s forces have been murdered by Michael. Didn''t you see the white blood and feathers floating in the empty space? "Let me ask you somest questions, who of you here has lived more than the two youngest Seraphim, Uriel and Raphael?" Ka asked seriously. Hearing the question, a couple of angels changed their expressions. Apparently, they were the older ones. "Alright, for those who did live that long, what do you remember about Uriel and Raphael taking their positions? Did something major happen before? Did the Supreme Deity even appear during that time?" Withplex expressions, the angels could only grit their teeth as they began to doubt. "Before the crowning of the two youngest Seraphim, a major war did indeed break out," one Holy Angel suddenly said while looking at the angels around her. "What was strange about that incident was that only the Lords Michael and Gabriel survived, while Uriel and Raphael did not. "Additionally, even though both Lords have imed that we have seeded in defeating the enemy, the Supreme Deity made no appearance at all. "I remember when I broke through the rank of the Holy Angel, the Supreme Deity had blessed me¡­" saying that, she quickly summoned a light sword and made a small cut across her hand. Pure white blood flowed. This was proof that he had indeed been blessed. "But I am a young Holy Angel and was also blessed!" A second Holy Angel imed while doing the same. White blood droplets flowed out of his wound. "Perfect!" The first Holy Angel said. "Describe her... the Supreme Deity, how did she look, how did she feel?" Chapter 335 - A Fake Part 2 "Huh?" The second Holy Angel was confused and embarrassed, but he quickly exined what had happened when he had broken through to the Holy Angel rank and was blessed. "Well, I didn''t actually see the Supreme Deity¡­ Her Grace was hidden behind a veil of magnificent white radiance. "With that being said¡­ she¡­ her voice, I remember very clearly¡­ she was calm yet somehow seemed cold and icy¡­" "Wait what?" A third Holy Angel suddenly realized something was wrong. "The Supreme Deity was calm and warm during my blessing, like a mother seeing her child. "Back at that time, she even patted my head, disregarding the many years I''ve lived and treating me like a youngster¡­" "Yes, me too! She treated me very nicely" A fourth said. "Me as well! She was extremely warm and kind¡­" a fifth angel said. "Well, I guess you all understand now¡­" Ka interrupted as she was beginning to feel her body weaken even more. "The Supreme Deity the young Holy Angels met is not the same one the old Hole Angels have met.. "Think about it, you''re only ever allowed to have a presence with her once you hit the rank of a Holy Angel. Yet, back before the war you mentioned taking ce a long time ago, Hole Angels felt her warmth and saw her face. "However, after the war, the new Holy Angels could only hear her icy voice¡­ this only means one thing; the two are not the same! "In other words, the real has been reced by a fake! Your Lords, Michael and Gabriel, don''t want anyone to know about this, hence why they try to keep the Supreme Deity''s exposure to a minimum. "Otherwise, the old Holy Angels, some of which are here, would quickly realize that something is wrong!" Saying that, Ka looked expectantly at the few angels who had spoken earlier. The angels on the other hand, although have expected the final conclusion about their Supreme Deity by now, were left withplex and inexplicable expressions "...What do we do now?" The lead Holy Angel asked with some hesitation and difficulty. "Well, if I may make a suggestion," Ka quickly answered. "Why don''t you join me? I work for one of your lords; Lady Raphael, and we''re nning on unveiling the secrets and misdeeds the two other Lords have been concealing!" Hearing that, the angels all had a gloomy look on their faces, each deep in their own confused thoughts. "Hm, Lady Raphael has always been nice to us," one Guard Angel said after giving it some thought. "She never treated us with disdain like the other lords do." "Yes, Lady Raphael has always been nice to us," another called. "Although she looks at us coldly and doesn''t speak much, I''ve never seen her treat any of us harshly¡­" "I am quite familiar with two Holy Angels that work under her," one Holy Angel suddenly shared. "The two always boast about how kind their Lady really is inparison to the other Lords¡­" "Enough!" Suddenly, a voice filled with supreme mana interrupted everyone''s chatter. "This girl has only said a few words, yet everyone has already begun to doubt their Lords! Are you all traitors who have been imnted by her?" Hearing that, the angels who dared to speak previously all looked down in shame. Everyone had felt that something was not right. How could it be that two of their Lords have betrayed their Supreme Deity and were associated with her murder? Something definitely felt off and is still very unsettling. "Hear your own words!" The owner of that violent cry continued. "What are her ims, that the Supreme Deity has died? Didn''t you Holy Angels see her, with or without a veil, what''s the difference? "Warm or cold, what''s the difference? Who are you to doubt her Grace? Not to mention that the change had happened after the war, which means that her Grace may have suffered some injury which prevented her from being her usual self! "How are you so quick to judge betrayals or to shame the other Lords in favour of Lady Raphael? Didn''t you hear that Lord Raphael had some previous problems with our Lord, Lord Michael? What if this is all a trap prepared by her?" "Presumptuous!" A thunderous voice spread suddenly throughout the void, shaking everyone''s hearts. Well, everyone other than Ka, strangely. Looking at the few newly emerging winged figures, Ka grinned. "They are finally here¡­" With her clone being connected to her main body -and her skill: Parallel Processing- she obviously knew about Maya''s subordinates heading towards her: twenty Guard Angels and Seven Holy Angels. "Who dares to belittle our Lady!" The same Holy Angel, with the same thunderous voice, spoke again. He was evidently one of Maya''s subordinates and he was a loyal one at that. "Lady Raphael is the most benevolent, yet you dare speak ill of her?" "What about Lady Raphael?" One of the Holy Angels under Lord Michael spoke with a loud voice. "She has already decided to make enemies from Lord Michael, she is our enemy now!" "Decided to make an enemy of your Lord? Are you disregarding the fact that your Lord has had a hand in the killing of her Grace, the Supreme Deity?" Maya''s subordinate shouted in return. "How about Lady Uriel? I''ve been there; I''ve seen her state. "Lord Michael has attacked her without a valid reason and cut off seven of her eight wings. Not only that, but he also attacked her with the intention to kill! "Currently, she is fighting for her life with the help of some of our Lady''s friends. If not for them, Lady Uriel would have already lost her life!" "Exactly, didn''t I already show you the recordings?" Ka quickly added. "Why are you so persistent in the first ce? Wait¡­ did your Lord tell you about the truth about what happened back then? Are you also traitors working with him? "Hehe, I should have thought of that¡­ some of you here are already aware of everything Michael has done, isn''t that right?" Hearing that, the angels under Michael suddenly looked at each other in strange expressions that were filled with doubt. It appears as though not all of them were aware of Lord Michael''s true intentions¡­ "Alright, since you already know what the issue is, I''ll leave you to it," Ka suddenly said. "Lord Raphael''s subordinates, you''ll be the judge for their characters. Some of them will be able to help us so don''t be harsh. "With that being said, I suggest that every angel under Lord Michael''smand must undergo a test in order to make sure that they are not traitors. After all, a test in front of everyone''s eyes should be a fair way to differentiate between innocent and guilty¡­" Saying that, she sent a private whisper into one of the Holy Angels under Maya, apparently the leader. Of course, this whisper was not physical, but rather originated from the inside of the angel''s head with the help of the Cyber Particles that have been inserted into his body. At the moment, those angels under Maya''smand were not their true selves. Although they technically are still the same, they are fully under Ka''s control. Regarding this matter, although previously during her ''fun'' time with Raven, Maya thought that Ka would kill them all, this obviously didn''t happen for real. The truth, though, was that with her control over them, she could easily manipte their memories and switch the truth around as needed. So although alive, they''re Ka''s ultimate faithful subordinates now. "Do you understand?" Ka suddenly inquired, confusing those angels who didn''t belong to Maya. "Yes, Lady Ka," the lead Holy Angel, under Maya''smand, said with a bow. "Since we don''t already know who is a traitor amongst them, they will all be required to undergo the test you indicated and only those who pass will be part of us, thus giving the option to redeem themselves." She quickly exined once again out loud in an attempt to expel any suspicion. Saying that, she could not help but nce at the area around her. Around the two groups of angels, and around the position of the space that previously belonged to Earth, countless invisible Cyber Particles were floating around. Those Cyber Particles were the reason Ka had predicted the arrival of Michael''s subordinates in the first ce, followed by the arrival of Maya''s forces. And, this test Maya''s Holy Angel spoke of, of course, was nothing more than to allow some of these Cyber Particles to prate their flesh and take a hold of them. Well, for the angels themselves, this will be called an endurance test or whatever Maya''s angelse up with, but in reality, every participant in this test will pass and be Ka''s subordinate¡­ she''ll make sure of it! At that point, to her, it didn''t really matter what their origin was and whether they knew of Michael''s actions and betrayals. In fact, it may even be better for her if they did know since that information would be transferred to her after she takes full control over them... Chapter 336 - Final Battle *Our Last Night - Same Old War * "Alright, very good," Ka said with a smile. "I''ll leave you guys to it then, hehe..." Saying that with a wink towards Maya''s, or rather, her own subordinates, Ka''s eyes slowly dimmed before her clone started turning into fluorescent particles that spread around her original position. These dim fluorescent particles were nothing but Cyber Particles that have run out of energy, which lead them to a state of hibernation. They were far from dying out. Seeing that, Maya''s lead Holy Angel quickly nodded. Approaching those glowing Cyber Particles, he allowed them into his own body. Although Michael''s subordinates were confused by his actions, he didn''t bother talking about it.. Instead, he started patiently exining the ''test'' Ka has spoken of. *** At a certain ce in the empty void, a rather intense fight was going on in full swing. Two figures, one feminine and the other masculine, entangled against one another. Both figures were glowing with a white radiance that gave an illusion of beingfortable and warm to the touch, but it was nothing but that, an illusion. Four pairs of wings were fluttering behind each of two figures, radiating with immense power. At first, the fight was nothing but a measure of one''s internal energy capacity, which mostly involved special skills and mana techniques. However, as the fight progressed further, it got a lot more close and personal. As their mana dried out -after hours of continuous fighting- the two fighters resorted to the most primitive way of fighting; fists and kicks. With that being said, trickery and the use of one''s brain was still in use. That''s why, one of the figures, the feminine one, was currently slowing down her movements, as if she had already run out of oil. "Hahaha!" The masculine winged figureughed hysterically as he punched and kicked, not allowing the feminine figure a chance to retaliate. "Raphael, I''ve told you that it''s useless to go against me, yet you insisted on being such a pain! "However, it''s gratifying to see you now in this state. Only after hours of fighting did you realize your mistakes, ahahaha!" Laughing as he did, he suddenly made a surprising move and extended his hand in order to grab one of Raphael''s eight wings. For angels, their wings were an important source of energy. Or rather, they are what represents the strength of an angel; the loss of one wing is enough to cause theirbat power to drop by one eighth of their original strength. Not only that, but wings are also a great indication of an angel''s rank and status amongst the others. That''s why, the masculine figure extended his hand forward, a maniacal grin spread across his face as though he had already won the fight. As his hand was a hair''s breadth away, the feminine figure suddenly grinned mischievously. With a wink, Raphael disappeared from her spot. Appearing behind the confused masculine winged figure, she got a hold of two of his wings. "Michael, oh Michael," she shook her, but the grin forming across her face only got more sinister. "You''re truly annoying. You''re always on guard, not trusting any opening I give you¡­ "Ah, it really took hours until this finally worked, huh¡­ well, whatever¡­ the original n was taking one of those wings of yours and ying it cautiously, but now after what you''ve done, I''ll ''reward you'' by taking two in one go!" Saying that, she stepped on Michael''s neck, as if he was a small stepping stool, and then pulled as hard as she could with her two hands while kicking with her foot even harder. Her own wings started beating in order to strengthen her own pulling momentum. Inside her Mana Field, although air was not present, the mana itself worked as a resistor and a medium that allowed her wings to contribute to her movements. Michael, who seemed so frightened, was doing his best to resist while gritting his teeth. However, there was only so much he could do in his exhausted state. A few moments passed between the two as they yed tug of war with two wings and two grips. *Rip!* Suddenly, a terrifying heart-splitting ripping sound escaped from the base of the two wings involved. Immediately after, Michael''s mouth opened in a silent scream as his eyes cried tears of white, involuntarily. Subconsciously, he could not help but think back to Uriel''s ear piercing cries. Maya, in her full angel form, was left with two pure white wings in her hands as she was forced back by her own pulling force. The sinister grin on her face and the dark evil glint in her silver eyes made her look like the devil''s incarnate. "Michael oh poor Michael, look at you-" "What did you do to me!?" Michael interrupted, shouting without a sense of reason. "How dare you!? Useless scum, how dare you take my wings!? "I''ll kill you! Even if it''s thest thing I do, I will kill you! I''ll murder you nd that girl you went crazy for! That of hers will be personally destroyed by me- ah!" Suddenly, as he was yelling threats like a maniac, a fist crashed against his white teeth like a meteor falling from high orbit, shattering a couple of his teeth. "Don''t you dare threaten me, do you understand?" Raphael -no, Maya- looked at Michael with dead serious eyes as a dangerous glint shone in them. "Don''t you understand? "We got to this point simply because you didn''t understand that Raven is my girl and no one can hurt her or her loved ones. "If you had respected my wishes and didn''t mess with my memories in the first ce, you would now have all of your eight wings. But oh well, things do happen-" Saying that with another evil grin, she got a hold of another pair of his white wings. *Rip!* A simr, yet somehow more terrifying, scene took ce as Maya ripped one wing after the other. With a total of four wings left and half of his overall strength lost, Michael did not even have the time to threaten or speak loudly. All he could do was scream in his mind as his eyes leaked pure white blood. ''How could this be?'' he asked himself amidst the internal cries. ''How did I lose to the youngest Seraph? I, Michael, am the oldest and the leader of the Seraphim of the End¡­ ''She must be cheating! ''She has to be¡­ ''If it wasn''t for that b*tch Uriel, would I have won? If I hadn''t exhausted a lot of my energy on her and her subordinates¡­'' While he was deep in regret and anger, almost madness, Maya was readying herself to make onest move. After all, she didn''t want to dy. She didn''t like to toy with her victims. Not because she was merciful, but rather because she was smart enough to fear a trapped rabbit. However, unfortunately for her, the trapped rabbit in her hand was faster than she had expected. Just as she was about to deliver a punch that was filled with everyst bit of mana she had, Michael silently disappeared from his spot and reappeared a few kilometres away. Seeing that, Maya''s heart fluttered, realizing that something must have gone wrong; she never underestimated him, yet he should not be able to make such a move that made him escape her clutches. Looking around, she made sure that Raven wasn''t near before focusing back on Michael. "Raphael, I can''t believe that you''ve pushed me to go this far¡­" he shook his head in disappointment. He wasn''t disappointed in Raphael, but rather disappointed in himself. "However, as you said, I am always careful. "The moment I realized that I was at a disadvantage, even before you took a shot at my wings, I had already made preparations to win this battle." "What?!" Maya was surprised, and genuinely so. "You prepared before even being defeated? Err, what did you do?" "Do you think this is a joke?" Michael was furious seeing that she was not afraid. Although surprised, she did not seem concerned, which didn''t make any sense. "Well, whatever. I''ll kill you and everyone else just like promised-" "So, you won''t tell me what you did?" Maya interrupted. "You!!!" Michael was practically burning with anger as he looked at her, his eyes flushed white, almost making his golden eyes look nothing but a speck of dust. His white long hair was fluttering as some strange foreign mana escaped his body. "Why am I so carefree?" Maya asked with raised eyebrows. "Is that what''s making you struggle like this? Is this why you''re mad?" Gritting his teeth for being such an open book, Michael did not answer. But he was looking forward to the answer. With that being said, the foreign mana escaping his body was bing even more obvious than before. And although Maya tried to attack, he kept on avoiding swiftly. "Well, for the sake of your curiosity, I shall exin," Maya said with a shrug. "I am not afraid because I am not alone, hehe¡­" Chapter 337 - One Final Trick Part 1 "Well, for the sake of your curiosity, I shall entertain you with an exnation," Maya said with a shrug, in a casual tone. "I am not afraid... because I am not alone." "Huh?" Hearing her words, Michael started looking around, confused. "You can''t be talking about the two girls you brought with you previously, can you? "Although I did see the two of them rush to the dying Uriel, they were nothing but ants, in terms of strength. You surely don''t expect them to save you, do you?. "Wait... you''re bluffing! The two girls can''t do sh*t! In fact, unless Gabriel has betrayed me, no one can stop- no, no, what nonsense am I even spouting¡­ "Hahaha, once I am done with my final preparations, even if the two of you and Gabriel try to fight me, you won''t even stand a chance against me!" "I''m not really sure what you''re bbering about, you got it right the first time," Maya scratched her cheek awkwardly. "I''m talking about Raven and Ka. With those two backing me up, there''s nothing to fear!" Although she sounded so casual about it, Maya believed every word she said with every part of her soul. Hearing that, Michael''s expression changed a couple of times asplex emotions surged through his heart. Finally, and after many inexplicable expressions crossed his face, a hystericalugh escaped his white bloodied mouth. "You must be joking¡­" he could onlyugh and shake his head. "You must be hiding something¡­" Seeing his attitude and hearing his voice, Maya could only shrug while allowing herself to float in the void calmly. Now, after trying to stop Michael from doing whatever he was nning to do and realizing that she couldn''t possibly stop him with her current strength, she could only try to gather some of her energy back. Sitting cross-legged across from one''s mortal enemy and watching them recuperate and recover their energy peacefully was rather strange. Yet, Michael needed his time to perform hisst trick, while Maya had realized that she would only be wasting her time if she continued her meaningless attacks on him. So, even though it seemed as though the two had toe to a reasonable conclusion, it was just the convenience of the situation. *** On the other side of thisrge area of space, far away from the deadly fight, Ka and Raven were looking at a little girl in front of them. The girl uncannily looked simr to Uriel in terms of appearance. However, that was where the simrity ended, strangely. With that being said, she surprisingly looked younger, both physically and mentally. "What the heck is this thing? Is she really Uriel?" Raven asked with a surprised expression. "Wasn''t she supposed to end up back as herself?" "Well, um, not sure what went wrong there¡­?" Ka replied. Although she meant to state it as an answer, it ended up sounding as a question. "Why does she look like this? How is she younger?" "I think it''s because of theck of blood, and err, because of everything that''s happened to her," Ka answered. "Although, with the way I constructed her body, she should have at least retained her current age, I''m not sure how she turned this young now¡­" Even though the skeletal muscles and bones Ka meant to support were Uriel''s same adult form, it seemed as though something has gone amiss throughout the process, resulting in her bing a younger version of herself. "Hm, well, other than that, I''m pretty sure that I have put her soul back inside of her body without, err, missing something, I guess," Ravenn said. "So, why does not speak or interact with us? You fixed her brain, right?" "Uhm," Ka nodded. "Although some brain tissue was damaged, I have managed to reconstruct them using my Cyber Particles¡­ "However, I feel like her brain is not normal. It''s strange in a way that I can''t describe. "Additionally, something that I could not reconstruct, or rather put back in ce, was this thing-" saying that, she extended her open palm in front of Raven. A small, or better called tiny, life-like, fully transparent, and sparkling ss wing was sitting there, fluttering as though it was swaying against some invisible, yet very soft, winds. "This thing was extracted from her Mana Core, and no matter how much I tried to put it back in, it didn''t seem to work¡­" Ka exined to the stunned Raven. "You know, my intuition says that it''s something important. You should probably keep it safe." A voice said. "Uhm, I think so too," Ka said. "Yeah, sounds about right. Kay, keep it with you for now," Raven said. "It may prove useful as she said- Hold the f*ck up, Uriel, you can talk now?" Surprised and caught off guard, Raven snapped her neck towards the little Uriel. "Why wouldn''t I be able to talk?" The little girl in question asked with an innocent cutely tilted head. "Err, it''s not that. It''s just that we have tried to speak with you earlier," Raven narrowed her eyes. "But you didn''t seem to hear us. You didn''t even make any facial expressions¡­" "Well, I only just now woke up," the little girl scratched her head in embarrassment. "But, two gooddies, let me ask this: did you help save my life?" "We put your soul back in your previously broken body. I''d say that we damn did save your life- oh, wait, you don''t remember what happened before?" Raven asked seriously before looking at Ka, as if to ask for her help. "Um, no," little Uriel shook her head in response. "I- I seem to have woken up from a long, very long, ambiguous, and very ufortable dream. It''s a really weird feeling. "But unfortunately, I do not remember anything. I only feel that you two have worked hard to save my life. But it''s merely a feeling with no memories, hence I asked. "With that being said, ahem- um, apologies, but I''m only telling you this because I trust you, okay? I am trying to be as honest as possible¡­" "Uhm, sure, you can tell us anything," Raven said with one of her innocently fake smiles. Of course, for someone who practiced such a smile for a few years now, it looked rather genuine. "Okay, um, two kinddies, I am not sure why, but I-" Uriel suddenly swallowed loudly, stress highlighting her chestnut brown eyes. "I feel a little bit of difort when I look at you. I''m not sure how to describe it exactly, but it''s a rather unpleasant feeling that stems from deep within- oh, I''m sorry, I talked too much didn''t I? Maybe I shouldn''t have mentioned this after all-" "No, it''s alright, don''t worry about it," Raven interrupted with a shrug. "By the way, that feeling¡­ it''s hatred isn''t it?" Raven asked bluntly. "Uhm," the little Uriel nodded while looking down at her feet. "I''m sorry, I was just trying to help by being honest, but-" "Don''t apologize," Raven said with a shrug. "To be honest, we hate you too." Hearing her say that, both Ka and Uriel were left speechless and very surprised. But only thetter seemed to have been offended. "Hate me? You hate me?" The little girl almost started crying. "But you saved me¡­ why?" "Well, to put it bluntly," Raven said with a sigh. "We weren''t friends with you. In fact, you even took my right eye." Saying that, Raven pointed at her closed right eyelid that covered her painful injury. "I did that...?" Uriel had an unpredictable expression on her face. She looked as though surprised and disappointed in herself. "You know, your own right eye would have been gone if it wasn''t for our help, ironic, don''t you think?" Raven said. In fact, Ka only fixed Uriel''s right eye because she was working on fixing her whole body and wasn''t paying attention to the specifics. With that being said, if it wasn''t for the Cyber Particles roaming little Uriel''s every cell at this moment, this would not have been possible. Otherwise, Ka -who held Raven as the person most precious to her heart, her second soul- would have already helped her regain her right field of vision. "I am sorry¡­" Uriel apologized in a whisper. Tears started clouding her vision. "Don''t apologize. Apologies don''t heal wounds or cure illnesses," Raven shook her head as she bluntly said. She didn''t forget to adopt a harsh expression on her face. "With that being said, instead of your apology, lend us your help." "My help?" Uriel asked, expectantly. Although she had some inexplicable hatred for the two girls that stemmed from her deep within her soul, she seemed to be eager to help them and pay off her debt. "Yes, we want you to tell us everything you know about the leader of the Seraphim; Michael." "Two kinddies, I- I really want to help you, but I don''t remember anything¡­" Uriel looked pitiful as she slowly shook her head. "I don''t remember what a Seraph is, nor who Michael is¡­" Chapter 338 - One Final Trick Part 2 "Hm, that may be the case," Raven said. "However, Ka over there has a solution for you¡­" "Oh, she does?" Little Uriel asked while turning her head towards Ka expectantly. ''I do?'' Ka asked Raven internally as she was confused. ''Err, I was thinking that maybe you could manipte the Cyber Particles inside of her brain and stimte her to remember something¡­'' Raven said in a hopeful tone. ''Well, um, remember when I said that something was rather weird about her brain?'' Ka asked. ''I said that exactly because nothing of the such worked on her, previously. ''It is extremely strange. But if I had to describe it, it''s as though her memories are contained somewhere else¡­'' ''Oh, err, so what do we do now?'' Raven asked tiredly. ''We have spent so much time and effort on her, are we just going to let her be? We still need those memories of hers, otherwise, Michael may be able to overpower Maya.. I can''t let that happen¡­'' "Um, two kinddies, is everything alright?" Uriel asked while tilting her head in a rather cute posture. "I am ready to help you and repay you for saving my life!" *Sigh* "So, I may have a solution," after some hesitation, Raven said with a sigh. "However, it''ll hurt you and make your soul ache. You''ll probably regret it if you agree to it." "That''s okay!" Uriel replied happily. "I need to repay my debt after all." "Hehe, good girl," Ravenplimented while patting her head. "I wasn''t actually epting ''no'' for an answer. I need you to remember some stuff desperately." "Raven, do you really have a n?" Ka got closer and asked with a whisper. "Uhm," Raven nodded in a faint voice that wasn''t heard by Uriel. "Yes, I really do have a n. You know, when I was trying my best to pull her soul back into her body, I came to a sort of realization. "To control a person, you don''t necessarily need their brain, but rather simply their soul. Well, when I said that her soul is gonna ache, I wasn''t kidding¡­" "Alright, Uriel, I need you to focus hard with me here," Raven encouraged while holding Uriel by her two soft cheeks. "This is gonna hurt like hell-" Interrupting herself, she instantly activated her two skills: Soul Reaper and Soul Peering Eyes. At that moment, her only functional eye shone and sparkled with a bright golden glow. "Ah!" A sudden cry of pain left Uriel''s lips as her face contorted. What was left of her cry seemed to have been lost in her throat. Raven''s golden eye started slowly leaking red blood as pain clouded her own mind. This was the most pressure she has ever used on her eye. However, even though that was the case, a smile was stered across her face, indicating that she was sessful in her manoeuvre. ''What the heck is this?'' Raven muttered while looking around through Uriel''s soul. ''Wait, is this even her soul? Why does it look like an entire subspace? Oh, subspace¡­ wait, is this simr to my Mind Space?" Shaking her head in confusion, Even started observing everything around her carefully. Beneath her feet, terrifying raging ocean waves kept on crashing against one another, creating a horrifying stormy scene. At the center of this seemingly endless berserk ocean, one small indid quietly. Coincidentally, the poor-looking ind appeared to be ced at the eye of the storm. On the ind, Raven could see a feminine figure sitting there, shivering, while hugging herself. "This is Uriel- no, I guess it''s her true soul¡­" Raven tried to swallow her saliva until she realized an issue. She didn''t have any. "What the hell- holy shi- why is my body ss like now? How can I see through my own body?" Thinking about it for a few moments, and looking back and forth between herself and the Uriel on the ind, she quickly realized that both of them had simr issues. "Oh, is it because I''m in soul form too?" Raven asked rhetorically while trying to calm herself down. "It''s obviously the case¡­ right?" After a few more minutes of self doubt, she finally let her eyes and looked upwards towards the sky. Above, in the seamless and clear blue sky, her eyesnded on some strange transparent orbs. Or rather, instead of orbs, it may be more appropriate to call them bubbles. For some reason, Raven''s eyes narrowed as she felt her body subconsciously movie towards those bubbles. "Is this my objective?" She asked herself. "Hm, well, I guess I''ll check them out before going to visit that Uriel on the ind." Flying towards her goal effortlessly didn''t take but a few moments of her time. Upon reaching the transparent bubbles, a strange feeling of nostalgia enveloped her. "Why do I feel like this is not my first time in such a ce? Hm, weird¡­" she muttered to herself while shaking her head. "Whatever, I have an objective that I mustplete, quickly!" Staring at the fragile looking bubbles, Raven didn''t know what to expect, but unfortunately, no change happened. "Do something, damn it- ah!" Raven gritted her teeth before trying to let out a soft sigh, only to panic and realize that she can''t physically breathe. Barely a moment of panic passed before she held her head and shook it yet once again. "I keep forgetting that this is not physically real. It''s merely an illusory space, simr to my Mind Space. With that being said, how am I speaking?" Touching her lips, she tried to speak: "Move, ah, they are- damn it, I''m getting distracted so easily, I need to focus on- wait, howe I didn''t realize before; I have two eyes!" Suddenly, this realization came as a beautiful surprise as she started winking with one eye and then switching to the other. "Ah, so beautiful to have you back, err, for a few seconds¡­ "... "Okay, time to work. Hm, I didn''t want to touch this bubble before for fear of it popping, but now that it''s not doing anything, I have to try," saying that, Raven extended her fingers and slowly touched the surface of one of the transparent bubbles. The moment she did, to herplete surprise, her vision seemed to blur as an indescribable feeling enveloped her. In front of her eyes, pictures shed. Those pictures were nothing that she''s ever seen before. It was as though she was walking on the clouds, above the sky. What was bizzare was that above this sky was another one. However, a feeling in her heart told her that this was nothing but a fake. It was as though this was something so obvious that she didn''t need to even pay attention to. Suddenly, without her realizing, her lips moved on their own: "Raphael¡­ I did not mean to hurt you, why don''t you believe me? I only wanted to spend more time with you, is that a sin?" After muttering such foreign words, that seemed surprisingly and inexplicably familiar, from her lips, Raven''s eyes widened. Shaking her head as she held it in both hands, she could not help but feel a sense of relief as she exited that phase. "Whew! So, that was a memory from Uriel''s life, huh¡­ damn she''s really in deep love with Maya. "It''s so strange how I could feel her every emotion¡­ what a poor soul, I can still feel how sad she felt¡­ no wonder she has gone insane. "I won''t be able to imagine myself without Maya for that many years either. Although, I actually think the real torture was that the very same person she loved uncontrobly didn''t reciprocate her feelings¡­ "Hm, the b*tch took my eye and she wants to take my Maya, why am I feeling bad for her? *Sigh*" Letting out a soft sigh, Raven started to quickly formte a n. "Since those things are her memories, then why isn''t she able to remember anything? "Hm, if my guess is correct then there''s an interruption between her own memories and her mind, so that they are not connected anymore. So, my goal would be to fix that connection!" Thinking about it for a few moments, Raven tilted her head and looked at the lone ind in the middle of the strange stormy ocean underneath. What made it look extremely strange was that there were no stormy clouds, nor violent winds. It seemed as though the water in the ocean itself was acting aggressive without any external motive... Approaching the ind from above in order to avoid the crashing waves, she could clearly see the ss-like Uriel sitting and shivering by herself. "Please, leave me alone¡­" Uriel suddenly murmured with a painful expression. "I don''t want to, I don''t want to¡­ let me go¡­" Hearing those words, Raven''s golden eyes suddenly shook. "Those words¡­" She has heard those words before¡­ Back when she was trying to keep her alive, Uriel kept on muttering those words¡­ Chapter 339 - One Final Trick Part 3 Back when Raven was trying to keep her alive, Uriel kept on muttering those very same words¡­ ''No way, could it be...?'' "Uriel!" Raven gritted her teeth and yelled loudly. "Look at me! I don''t have time for your breakdowns!" Upon hearing her voice, Uriel¡­ didn''t react. Seeing that, Raven urged her skill: Soul Reaper, and pushed her control over Uriel''s soul, causing thetter to shiver even more severely. Finally, Uriel looked up as she continued to cover ss-like body. However, once her chestnut brown eyes met Raven''s golden ones, it seemed as though she had seen her most terrifying nightmare. Instinctively, she opened her mouth like she wanted to scream as loud as she could, however, nothing left her lips.. Raven herself was slightly startled. Thinking that something very terrifying had appeared behind her, she quickly spinned and observed the area around and behind her. "There is nothing but me and you¡­" she slowly concluded. "Why are you acting like this? Am I this horrifying in this form? But you look the same¡­ "Ugh, whatever. Listen, I''m not here to harm you," Raven emphasized, trying to connect with her and knock her out of her terrible state. To her words, Uriel''s expression¡­ still didn''t change. This obviously caused Raven to get impatient. "I''m not here to harm you, why are you scared of me? Did I even hurt you? You were the one who tortured me, you b*tch!" Raven finally yelled in anger. This surprisingly, or maybe not so, caused Uriel to regain her movements and start crawling backwards. "Scary! Scary! Stay away! I''m sorry! Don''t hurt me!" Disorganized and short sentences started escaping her trembling lips. "What the heck?" Raven did not understand the reason behind Uriel''s reaction which only made her lose thest bit of patience she had. "Is my soul so scary? Am I scary? Who''s scary? Ugh!" Having had enough, Raven didn''t allow Uriel who was crawling away on all four as fast as she could to get any further from her. With a thought, she pressed her skill further and heightened the pressure. Extending her hand forward, she tried to catch Uriel and force her to stop. However, just as she was about toe into contact with her, a translucent barrier suddenly surrounded Uriel''s fragile soul. On top of this barrier, a young version of herself was standing expressionlessly. Moments passed before the young Uriel blocked twice, as if regaining her awareness, and looked at Raven with wide eyes in a sign of recognition. "Oh, kinddy!" The young Uriel said with a forced smile and a grimace, as if she was in deep pain. "I know that I said I''d help, but please don''t hurt me¡­ it hurts so much¡­ I don''t think that I can bear it¡­" "Ah-" this sound was all Raven could make as understanding dawned on her. ''So, after experiencing her near-death, or rather actual death, Uriel got trapped inside this barrier which only allowed her to regain some of basic memories. ''And this new version of her who knows nothing about her old self, is this young girl. ''With that being said, it seems that the other memories are still there, unscathed, but it''s just that she has lost the connection with them¡­'' "Please?" The young Uriel interrupted Raven''s thoughts. Hearing her, Raven quickly stopped pressing her skill which caused the pressure to significantly subdue, causing the young Uriel to show an expression of relief. "I''m sorry that I wasn''t of help¡­" the young one replied. "No, you''ve actually helped me without realizing¡­" Raven shook her head. "Well, um, kind of¡­ I still need you to do me a favour." "If it''s something that I can do, then for sure!" She said enthusiastically. "Can you wake her up?" Raven asked with a serious expression. "Eh? I am not sure that I can¡­" looking at her older self, the young Uriel could only shake her head as she shivered at her horrible state. "Hm, then I''ll have to destroy you¡­" Raven said. "Excuse me¡­?" The young girl swallowed loudly. "You want to destroy me? But- I¡­ I really can''t help it. "Without destroying this translucent barrier, she won''t wake up. And, I can''t destroy it, if I do, I''ll die¡­ After all, I am this barrier..." Narrowing her eyes, Raven gritted her teeth. "Well, that doesn''t really matter to me. If you die, then you die¡­" Hearing those words, the young Uriel started to shake subtly, in fear. The moment Raven''s eyes glowed in their bright golden hue, as she started activating her Soul skill, the young girl''s expression suddenly changed into obvious horror. Somehow, she managed to adopt the same expression that had appeared on her oldest self before. Seeing the little girl looking up at her in such a fearful expression, Raven could only get her teeth and rx her aura. ''So weak, damn it!'' she scolded herself while averting her gaze away from the little Uriel. ''She is my enemy, why can''t I- wait... *Sigh* ''The little one is not really my enemy, and with that tiny face of hers, I really don''t think I can help it¡­'' "Ugh, listen little one, I won''t kill you, but you need to help me," Raven touched the girl''s head, which prompted her to almost recoil backwards out of fear. Seeing that, Raven could only shake her head and bite her lower lip. "Don''t give me that look, I''m not a monster! But I''m warning you, if you don''t help me then -although I don''t like it- I will have to kill you. Do you understand?" Hearing her, little Uriel could only look up at her weakly. The moment she did however, her eyes quickly looked back down at her feet as she hugged herself. ''Behind her¡­ is that the kinddy''s true form? So scary¡­ I can''t even make eye contact with her¡­'' Muttering to herself, she seemed to be able to see something that Raven was not able to. "I said: do you understand?" Raven emphasized. "Y- yes!" Young Uriel quickly stiffened and said. "Please let me know what you need my help with". "Uhm, I need you to look into Uriel''s memories and tell me whatever secrets you have on Michael, the head of the Four Seraphim of the End." "I- I will try," the little one said with quivering lips. In her heart, she knew that this task may damage her constitution, but if she did not do it, she was risking her ownplete destruction. Painfully, she separated a part of herself to look through the memories as ordered. And as she was immersed in this task, time slowly passed by. Throughout the passing of seconds, minutes, and hours, Raven didn''t have any obvious changes in her expression. That is until, one moment, the young Uriel found something... *** "Hm, it seems that whatever your final trick is, it''s not a bad one," Maya said to Michael who was sitting not far away from her. "I can see that your mama levels are being replenished at a fast speed¡­" "Ahahahaha, this is simply nothing to what''s going to happen soon," Michael let out a mad chuckle. "You just wait and watch, your death won''t be too far¡­" "Huh, funny you say that-" cutting herself short, Maya suddenly disappeared from her spot as she unleashed a powerful mana st that was aimed towards Michael''s face. Grinning, thetter avoided it in a ghost-like manner as he disappeared without revealing his presence, and then simply reappeared somewhere far away from the attack. To his surprise however, Maya''s attack didn''t simply miss its target, but instead followed behind with determination. "Oh, a new useless trick that won''t help you?" Michael asked as he watched the attack heading towards him yet once again. Narrowing his eyes, he calmly raised his hand and clenched his open palm into a fist. With his simple move, the mana all around him moved and hugged the iing attack tightly. Instead of a grand explosion, it seemed as though Maya''s attack simply got extinguished like a weak candle light. "Did you see what you ount for?" Michael said proudly. "Nothing-huh?" Michael was quite upied with the attack, it seems, that he hadn''t first realized how silent the ce had be. Looking around suspiciously, scanning everywhere, his grin dropped quickly as his pride turned into pure anger and hatred. "You dare deceive me!??" Yelling as loud as he could, Michael was left with a pale face as his white blood rushed through his veins. He could not believe that his opponent had just left him with a pathetic distraction and rushed away. "Whatever, although you''ve hidden your aura quite well, I know your destination!" He said angrily as he charged somewhere into the distance. Although he hasn''t fully finished his recovery, nor did he undergo the ''change'' he needed to, he could not let Maya get away from his clutches. Otherwise, it would be hard to catch her again. And that, he needed to do! Chapter 340 - One Final Trick Part 4 A far distance away from him, in the direction he was headed to, Maya was soaring through space at her top speed. ''Welp, if you can''t beat it, you run away¡­'' Maya shrugged mentally as she thought about her actions just now. ''That is what Raven has taught me.'' Just before she left, she had felt a strange feeling emanating from Michael. And that strange feeling was giving her a deep sense of danger that she could not simply ignore. That was why she had decided to give up on attempting to kill him at this time, and instead, she just ran away. ''With that being the case, I have to think of a way to run with Raven somewhere far, outside of this Sr System, otherwise that b*stard will find us¡­'' she thought, trying toe up with a n. Suddenly as she was lost in her own thoughts, she came to a full stop. Her eyes opened wide in surprise.. "No¡­ what are they doing? Why are they going in this direction?" Moments after she asked her question, three figures appeared in her field of vision. "Raven, Ka, I''m here!" Maya called out to the rushing girls. ''Who the hell is that, is it Uriel?'' Hearing her voice, Raven and Ka stopped abruptly and looked into her direction. Between Ka''s arms, the small Uriel was held tightly, appearing to be unconscious. Maya spared the unconscious girl a quick nce that was filled with confusion before looking at her most precious one. A smile subconsciously spread across her face. "Maya!" Raven practically yelled in panic as she quickly approached her and wrapped her arms around her. Tears left her golden eye in a river. "I was worried sick, you have no idea¡­" "What''s the matter? Why are you crying? What are you worried about? What happened? Why did youe this way?" Maya asked a series of questions, uncontrobly, as she returned Raven''s warm hug. Her heart was a mix of anger at whoever caused this reaction from Raven, worry about her, love towards her, andstly, warmth in her own heart. *Sigh* "Never mind," Raven shook her head with a sigh of relief. "We, err, we searched Uriel''s memories in search for a method to destroy Michael. "But instead of finding that, we found out a huge secret of his; he''s far more dangerous than we had expected. "That''s why I was worried about your safety. But it seems that I only had to have more faith in you since you''ve managed to defeat him. I''m sorry for doubting you-" "Wait up, hold on a moment," Maya suddenly said in a serious expression as she broke the hug and patted Raven on her two shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. "What''s the secret that you found out? Why is he more dangerous? I need to know." "Huh? Um, well, you know how the Supreme Deity was killed?" Raven asked Maya in a rhetorical manner. "Apparently, it was a group of Monarchs who killed her, which means that they were as powerful as Tu. "It seems that Uriel, before taking her position in the Four Seraphim of the End, had actually witnessed an event by ident. During that event, one of the Monarchs had given a special ''thing'' for Michael. "Once he reaches a certain rank, he can consume that ''thing'' in order to be a Supreme Deity. "The good news is that he''s probably still below the required rank and he can''t evolve into a Supreme Deity. Otherwise, he would have done it a long time ago. "With that being said, we feared that he might consume it prematurely and cause you trouble since it may give him a power boost or something of the sort. "Anyhow, you don''t really need to bother yourself with such details now that you''ve already defeated him."Raven said with a soft smile. "No, no, no..." Maya could only stutter with an embarrassed expression. "I- I should bother myself with this¡­ um, in short, let''s get the hell out of here, now!" Saying that, four pairs of beautiful pure white wings suddenly fluttered behind her as she wrapped everyone within her aura and started dashing at top speed yet once again. "Maya, what''s going on?" Raven asked, doubt and confusion visible in her face. "Actually, I didn''t defeat Michael," Maya said while avoiding Raven''s gaze. "I''m sorry to disappoint you, I- I really am. But I did notice that something was wrong with him. "He mentioned how he had consumed something before we even started the real fight, and ah- well, he''s getting plenty stronger now¡­ I''m afraid I can''t beat him." Hearing that, Raven bit her lower lip in worry. However, before being given a chance to speak, a hystericalugh suddenly erupted from somewhere behind her. "Ahahahaha! Finally caught up!" Michaelughed before saying in an equally crazy grin. "You''ve gotten a lot slower, Raphael. That will cost you!" Gritting her teeth, Maya suddenly felt Michael''s pressure crushing down on her. Luckily, she had wrapped everyone in her aura. Otherwise, they would have been crushed to death by the thick aura. Noticing Maya''s expression change, Raven felt her heart ache; just when it mattered the most, she could not lend her a helping hand¡­ Suddenly, and without a warning, Maya''s body shook violently. Without a change in her expression, she spat out a puff of white bloody mist. Seeing that, Raven subconsciously looked back at Michael, only to find his white bloodied face grinning at her as if he had just achieved something to be proud of. At first, she didn''t realize. But a few momentster when Maya could not help but grimace in pain, Raven looked at her back. There, in the base of one of her wings, close to her heart, arge white feather was embedded. "Feather Essence? Sacrificing one of your wings to merely injure me? I''d say that''s a pretty stupid mistake¡­" Maya said casually while ignoring the pain in her back. Hearing her words, Raven looked back at Michael, only to see that he had lost two of the wings he appeared with initially, and now he only retained two wings on his back. Raven quickly realized something was wrong. ''He came with two pairs of wings, yet he only has one pair left. He shot one wing, but what happened to the other?'' Looking closer, Raven''s eyes widened in horror. "Maya watch out, he still has one simrlyrge feather in his hand!" However, before being given a chance to heed by Raven''s warning, Maya''s body shook violently yet once more. Another puff of white blood escaped her mouth. If I was a normal attack, blood would have never rushed out of her mouth. However, with it being a Feather Essence, therge feather that got embedded into her chest has the ability to release a small internal mana explosion. This mana explosion shakes one''s core and sends the blood tumbling, hence why Maya spat out blood. With that being said, it indicated just how severe her situation was. Her Mana Core and internal organs have been damaged, which also caused her speed to drop even more rapidly. Raven could not help but look at the new feather that prated Maya''s back and spurted out of her chest. Her eyes were dull and her face was pale. Her only golden eye was glowing with a dangerous glint. While Maya was struggling to keep going, trying to ignore the pain and think if every moment she''ll get to spend with Raven after, Raven herself was looking back at Michael. Staring straight into his golden eyes with her own dull one, Raven''s body was shaking and her mind was lost in its own world. Michael who was on the receiving end, however, could not help but get a dreadful feeling while being stared down with that golden eye. It was as though the door to his soul was left open for this girl to see everything she wished to see. Shaking his head and breaking eye contact after a bit of a struggle that helped Maya get some distance between them, Michael grinned hysterically. "You know, girl, Raphael got to this point because of you. "If you''re going to get angry and me this on anyone, you can start with yourself. "Oh, you know what too, previously, she even yed the role of the strongest and thought that she didn''t need to fear me. "Just when I thought that she herself has be the most courageous in this Sr System, she disappointed me by saying that she wasn''t afraid because she had you to help her, ahahahahah!! "Do you believe this sh*t? She was confident and unfazed because of you! Ahahahaha!!" "Raven, don''t listen to his bullsh*t!" Maya interrupted his aggressiveughter after realizing that Raven had a dull look on her face. "Never me yourself. If you want to me someone, then me me for not running faster." Chapter 341 - One Final Trick Part 5 Hearing Maya''s words, Raven held her head with both hands, seemingly in pain. However, her expression slowly turned from dull into sad and worried. ''I have promised that I''ll never let her down, I can''t do that, not now, not ever¡­ I have to find a way to stop this b*stard. Kay, you''re up. Think of something. I need to help her, please¡­'' ''Do not worry Rave, I got you. I''m already preparing something to help out,'' Ka said almost instantly. ''Maya''s biggest obstacle now is her injuries, so we''ll have to deal with them first. ''However, before applying your healing skills, I need to help her with my Cyber Particles in order to cover the external wounds and prevent bleeding, so give me a few moments.'' ''Uhm,'' Raven simply nodded internally.. Of course, Maya didn''t hear a single part of their conversation, however, she could tell that Raven was back to normal. "Once we get out of here, Rave, I''ll allow you to punish me with everything you got," she said, trying to make her feel at ease. "You can have your way with me, hehe¡­" And, just like she wanted, her words seemed to be sessful at pulling Raven away from the dark side of her mind. A faint blush painted her face as a small smile spread across her face. However, it quickly disappeared as her expression turned serious after hearing Ka''s signal. Without any dys, she quickly approached Maya, surprising both her and Michael, and got extremely close to her. Moving inside Maya''s aura wasn''t extremely hard, but it wasn''tfortable either. After all, although they seemed to be static inside as they were tightly protected, they were moving at speeds that she didn''t even dare to calcte. "Don''t resist!" Raven said as soon as Maya was within reach. "Oh, I wouldn''t, believe me. Not even when you tell me to, hehe," Maya grinned. Seeing her grin, Raven started shaking her head as a sincere smile painted her face. Soon after though, her smile got a little bit stiff while avoiding Maya''s direct gaze. "You''ll change your mind soon enough." Saying that, she quickly reorientated herself so that she was on top of Maya''s back, between her surprisinglyrge and fluffy wings. Taking a deep breath, her fingers wrapped around the Feather Essence that struck the base of one of Maya''s wings. "Maya!" She yelled. "Yes?! Ah-uh!" Maya didn''t have time to even moan in pain before Raven had pulled the Feather Essence out with her right hand. Extending her left to cover the wound that has already started releasing Maya''s white blood, Raven -with Ka''s help- started creating and pumping Cyber Particles into her wound. Quickly after, she started applying her skill: Saint of Life. While doing so, she signalled for Ka to store away the Feather Essence in her right hand. "Ah, you know this wasn''t even that bad. Um, and this thing you''re doing now¡­ hehe, this feels kinda nice¡­" Maya said in a rather rxed tone, for someone who was still being chased. "Ah, soft and cool¡­" While this was happening, Michael was watching with a strange expression. It was not that he didn''t want to interrupt, it''s just that he had run out of ways to do so. Currently, he only has two wings, which means that his speed and power has gone down a few notches, inparison to his old self. Previously, he had meant to slow Raphael down and get an opportunity to finish her. As it stands right now, he can kill her if they fight. However, this didn''t go his way because of Raven who ended up helping her. With that being said, it will only take a short period of time to regain the power that he has lost, so he wasn''t really in a hurry. Between his enhanced abilities and Raven''s healing speed, he had more faith in his enhanced abilities. Additionally, the opportunity he is still waiting for maye up any moment now that Raven was distracting her¡­ ''Only a small opening¡­'' he muttered to himself while eyeing his prey. *Sigh* Raven, who didn''t bother caring about Michael for now, let out a soft sigh as her heart ached after hearing Maya''s painful moan. Having removed the first feather, she quickly moved onto the second one. "Maya," she called out while swallowing gently. "Tell me that you love me, loudly! Uhm, and focus on flying really well, don''t you dare slow down!" Hearing her, Maya grinned. For some reason, she thought that Raven was going to give her a kiss before moving onto the second Feather Essence, and hence her order. However, that was far from the truth... "Rave, I obviously love- ahugh ahhh!!!" Without giving her a chance to finish, Raven had already pulled therge Feather Essence that had prated her chest through her back, turning her amused grin into a pain-filled grimace. To Raven''s surprise, Maya''s abilities to conceal her pain so far had been perfect since she hadn''t even yelled that loud when this Feather Essence cut through her. Now however that Raven had removed it, even with her acting abilities, Maya could no longer conceal the pain. Involuntarily, her eyes welled up in tears of pain as her vision blurred and her consciousness wavered. Both Raven and Ka were taken by surprise as they hadn''t expected such a result. Gritting her teeth, Raven threw the Feather Essence away as she hugged Maya''s shivering body. With both hands on either side of her injuries, chest and back, Raven went all out to support Ka into creating more Cyber Particles to block the bleeding. As that was happening, a pair of vengeful eyes sparkled with a dangerous glint. Michael''s opportunity has arrived! Without giving them a chance, he instantly increased his speed. And within a few seconds, he had already caught up to them. Not a single word was uttered as both of hands extended forward as they radiated with power. In fact, the immense power of the attack was enough to burn Maya''s Mana Field, any other type of medium around it for that matter. This meant that this attack, although grand, waspletely silent as it traversed the void. From a distance, his attack looked like a normal mana st. But up close, it was as though hell had broken loose¡­ Raven who was helping Maya didn''t even realize until it was toote. Watching the deadly st illuminating the empty void whileing her way at terrifying speed, countless thoughts filled her mind, but none of them included a single ounce of concern for herself¡­ Time seemed to extend infinitely before her golden eye that slowly dulled. Suddenly, she felt a strange type of power igniting within her body- no, within her soul. However, before she got a chance to even guess what that power was, the st had already reached a hair''s breadth away from her. Within a blink of an eye, however, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking the terrifying strike. The figure looked surprisingly small and very young. Long hair that seemed to be colourless against the brightness of the attack¡­ Without being given a chance to observe any longer, the figure and the attack collided together, resulting in a massive shockwave that would have erased an entire had it been close to it. Raven who was facing such a shockwave didn''t dare push her luck. Quickly, she activated her skill: Apprentice of the Primordial Light, turning her mana into Brilliant Primordial Radiance. With a thought, she infused every hair of her silky crimson-purple locks with Brilliant Primordial Radiance, causing them to radiate in a simr white hue as they extended outwards to cover her own and Maya''s bodies like a protective shield. Although it looked weird, she didn''t exactly care about it at the moment. All she cared about was how to save Maya. After all, she simply could not let her down! On top of that, Ka, who had a clone outside, was already by her side, turning the clone into a Cyber Shield to save her. However, even with theseyers of protection, Raven was sent flying deep into the void as the heat of the explosion almost boiled her alive. Only now did she realize just how powerful a Seraph really is! This attack was simply the embodiment of an entire sun, or at least, she felt that way! Not to mention that this was simply the shockwave of the main attack!! ¡­ Moments passed before Raven regained her ability to even move her eye. However, from that point onwards, it didn''t take long for her to quickly regain the feeling of her body. To her surprise, she heard fighting noise as attacks collided in the distance. However, that didn''t really didn''t matter much for her at the moment. Right now, all that mattered was Maya''s condition! Focusing on her, as she was still in between her arms, Maya appeared rather peaceful¡­ which scared the living hell out of Raven. Not to mention that she wasn''t actually breathing! Chapter 342 - One Final Trick Part 6 ''Take it easy, she''s an angel, remember? She doesn''t need to breathe in the same way we do,'' Ka''s voice was suddenly heard in Raven''s mind. ''I am, or rather you are, supplementing her with the energy she needs for her survival and self recovery. ''Weird analogy, but think of it as an oxygen tube for people who can''t get enough oxygen on their own.'' ''Wait, I am supplementing her with that?'' Raven asked in confusion. ''Well, I am supplementing her with what she needs through your body¡­ from your own energy¡­'' Ka said slowly, somehow feeling as though she was a scammer for using Raven. ''After activating your skill: Apprentice of the Primordial Light, your rank has been pumped up to Star Five Hundred, so you have a lot of energy to spare at the moment. ''But don''t get arrogant since you''re still too weak to face Michael. Also, for this rank, it''s simply a type of fake advancement; your body doesn''t match your rank, so you can''t show the full potential of your current rank. Furthermore, if you excessively use your mana, you will most likely damage yourself. ''In other words, if you were to fight a person of the same rank as you in this state, you would lose horribly nine times out of ten..'' ''Uhm, I understand. And, err, although I''m curious about something; how is this enhancement enough to pump me up by about four hundred stars worth of energy? This was definitely not the case in previous cases.'' ''Well, it''s probably Aether, he doesn''t want you dead after all, you know.'' Ka shrugged internally since she wasn''t sure either. Although, she suspected that Avavia, Raven''s mother, had a hand in that as well. ''Hm, I guess you''re right,'' Raven could only say. ''Um, and that person who helped us avoid the direct attack, was it Uriel?'' ''Err, sort of,'' Ka answered awkwardly. ''Remember how her body is filled with Cyber Particles? Well, I kinda lent her a hand in controlling it since she was still out of it¡­'' ''And you''re still doing so?'' Raven asked since she was still hearing the fighting sounds in the distance. ''Aye, and since we''re talking about this, you should know that her body can barelyst for a few more minutes, no, probably even less,'' Ka insisted. ''So, we should leave as soon as possible-'' "Ugh, Raven¡­" Suddenly, Maya''s soft moan interrupted Raven and Ka''s conversation. "Maya!" Raven shouted involuntarily, her face full of concern and worry. "How are you doing?" Her heart was aching beyond control as she watched Maya''s forced and seemingly pain-filled movements. However, at the same time, she was extremely happy that she was externally unscathed. Well, save for Michael''s two attacks that were being healed by her and Ka as they spoke. Thankfully, Ka''s Cyber Particles are able to replicate and increase their own numbers by using mana. Additionally, they were small and smart enough on their own to obey Ka''s everymand. And currently, theirmand was to reconstruct Maya''s internal organs and blood vessels. Coincidentally, this would not only ensure Maya''s recovery, but also boost her strength! "I- I''m sorry, I don''t think I can, *cough* I don''t think I canst any longer..." Maya suddenly started coughing, which almost gave Raven a heart attack. However, hearing and understanding her words made her endlessly more troubled. Her body started to subconsciously shiver like a puppy trapped under the skies of a stormy night. "Hehe *cough* I have finally made you mine and thought that- *cough* I thought that we could be together," she continued in a heart wrenching tone. "Rave, would you do me a favour and- *cough* what I''m trying to say is that I- I need you to- to kiss me¡­" ''Kiss her?'' At first, Raven thought that she had heard wrong, and was listening for more. But to her surprise, Maya was slowly going for her lips. A subtle grin was hidden behind her fake pained expression. Suddenly, everything made sense! Ka''s Cyber Particles were healing her and she was getting all of the mana she needed, how did she suddenly get this bad? Of course, it was all fake! How could she even forget that an angel can''t cough!? She has been tricked... Gritting her teeth in anger, Raven pushed Maya away as she raised her hand above her head. As it shook with various emotions, she sent it down towards Maya''s face. *p!* Warm tears ran down Raven''s golden eye as it sparkled in a sad glint. She was upset, very upset. Maya, who was caught off guard, felt herself get dizzy. Although she wasn''t feeling as bad as she conveyed, she wasn''t in her best state either¡­ "I''m sorry, I just wanted to make you feel at ease, Rave," Maya said slowly, taking a few paces away from her to give her space. "I''m okay, I won''t die any time soon. Sorry for scaring you- uh!" Before she got a chance to finish her words, Maya was interrupted by Raven''s tender arms that wrapped around her tightly. *Sniff* "I''m not hugging you," Raven stated bluntly, even though she was sniffing as she silently cried. "I am just healing you. It''s faster when there''s direct contact." Hearing that, Maya had a couple of jokes that instantly popped up in her dirty mind, but she quickly dismissed those thoughts. "Uhm, I understand," she simply nodded and said. "Promise me that you''ll never do this ever again¡­" the gentle words left Raven''s lips in a hurry. "Uhm, I understand, I''m so sorry¡­" Maya said genuinely. "Okay. We need to leave soon," Raven said, changing the subject into the most urgent one. "Kay is currently controlling Uriel''s body and using it to help us dy Michael. But it won''tst for long." "Run?" Maya asked, her tone getting serious yet strangely tired. "Run where? We can''t outrun him¡­" "Yes, we can!" Raven said in a determined expression. "Kay can use the Teleportation Gates to move us away from here!" "Is that true, Kay?" Maya asked, both happy and surprised. Having been asked a question, Ka quickly created a small clone in order to facilitatemunication between her and the two other girls. Well, especially Maya. "I''m not sure¡­" she replied, startling the duo. "I''ve actually been trying to connect to the Cyber Particles inside the Teleportation Gates, however, I have not been sessful so far¡­" "What? Why?" Raven asked hurriedly. "I am not sure¡­" Ka shook her head. "Under normal circumstances, no matter how far my Cyber Particles are, I can easily connect to them. "However, at this moment, I can''t seem to feel anything beyond a certain distance. I can''t even feel the connection between me and the Cyber Particles I left throughout our journey so far¡­" "Howe? Is there no other solution to leave this ce? Kay, we may die if we stay here¡­" Raven said nervously. The feeling of helplessness was slowly eating her alive. She has been through many, way too many, incidents where she was left without hope of changing the oue. And they all happened in the past few days! "I am sorry, Rave, I''m afraid that someone has blocked the space around us..." Ka finally said. Internally, she was obviously feeling Raven''s chaotic emotions. "If I had been paying more attention to my Cyber Particles, we may have been able to avoid this-" "Don''t me yourself, you''ve been busy protecting me and Maya," Raven shook her head. "Although you can use Parallel Processing, it''s not easy to operate during emergencies." "Yes, I would have probably been already dead if not for you," Maya said with a smile. Ka heard both of their words but didn''t reply. Not because she didn''t want to, but rather because she didn''t know how to. "Do you think it''s Michael who''s blocking us here?" Raven asked out of curiosity. "I am not sure," Ka shook her head. "But if I had to guess, I''d say no." "Wait, do you mean that there''s a third party involved in this?" Raven asked with wide eyes. "It''s just a suspicion¡­" Ka said. Although she appeared calm on the surface and through her tone, she was searching through every possible simtion. ''This person who blocked the area around us could be Michael, however, the timing doesn''t match. ''Why did he choose to block it now of all times? Did he only now gain the ability to do so? If so, how can I not find a single w in the blockage? ''But if not Michael, then who? The same people who killed the Supreme Deity? If so, why are they not attacking us? Isn''t Michael on their team? ''If not them, then who is this their party? I can''t possibly think of another party who''d be interested in having us killed¡­ ugh¡­'' "So, are we fighting to the death?" Maya suddenly asked, seemingly out of nowhere. However, a weak smile was stered across her face as she slid her hand around Raven''s back. Chapter 343 - Believe In Me *NEFFEX - Believe * "So, are we fighting to the death?" Maya suddenly asked, seemingly out of nowhere. However, a weak smile was stered across her face as she slid her hand around Raven''s back. "Honestly, I don''t even mind. If we die, we die together. There should be nothing to regret." ''Uhm, I regret nothing now that I have her by my side. Yes, I regret nothing...'' she tried to convince herself, or rather feed herself lies. ''With that being said, I really feel bad, maybe only a sliver of regret, for not meeting Maria. ''Although it was only a single Life Cycle, for me, she was a mother and a guardian; I guess she has created a filial daughter out of me, making me think of her at this time¡­'' she tried to joke around, trying to make herself feel better.. ''It is a real pity that I won''t be able to hug her onest time¡­'' "Maya, stop, please," Raven spoke calmly while shaking her head. "You still haven''t seen Maria. Are you just ignoring her existence? What about the rest of our friends? "I have promised myself and everyone else that I''d get you back to them safe and sound. Not to mention that I- I can''t let you get killed¡­ not again¡­" In her mind, shbacks of losing Maya started reminding her of the pain she had experienced. The feeling of despair as she let everyone, especially her mother, down. The feeling of a vast ckness that clouded her mind, trying to trap her in a self made hell... She definitely can''t let that happen! Not only because she didn''t want to experience that again, but also because she didn''t want Maria to experience whatever awful nightmares threaten her sanity. To be fair, the person who got hurt the most was her without a doubt, after all. "Also," she continued. "What about us?" Those unexpected words suddenly shook Maya''s core, causing her to shiver, involuntarily. "Have you given up on us? Are you satisfied with only what we''ve done? I thought that you''d like it if we did more? Didn''t we agree that we would, after defeating Michael?" Raven asked, her face contained manyplex and opposing emotions. "Are you willing to let it all end here? Are you willing to die this easily? And for who, for this b*stard?" "Rave, I- *sigh* what do you suggest then?" Maya asked with a sigh, trying to mask the despair in her heart. She obviously didn''t want to miss meeting Maria and the rest, nor did she want to let her time together with Raven to simply end here¡­ But, what other choice did she have? "We can''t run and we can''t wait for death," she continued. "What do we do other than fighting to the death?" "Maya¡­ was Michael telling the truth when he mentioned that you weren''t afraid of his power because of me?" Raven asked with hidden emotions swirling inside. "Uhm¡­" Maya nodded weakly in response. It was the truth after all. "Then what happened to you? Why are you looking as though our death is already set in stone? Did you lose faith in me?" She asked as her golden eye looked into Maya''s silver ones intently. "No, it''s just that-" Maya quickly stopped, not knowing what to say or how to express herself. "No need to answer," Raven helped her, shaking her head gently. "I understand that I don''t have the power to support you, especially in this current situation. "Heck, even whenpared to you in this current weakened state, I''m nothing but an ant¡­ I really don''t me you for losing faith in me. "However, Maya, right here and now, I promise you that you will not die as long as I have the ability to draw a single breath. "No matter the cost, I will find you a way out. I''ll get us out of here, I promise!" Hearing her words, Maya''s heart started beating harder and faster as she felt a rxing warmth spread throughout her body. Just like that, the anxious panic, the dark despair, and the infinite sadness that was clouding her mind dissipated as though they were nothing but mere illusions. "Uhm, I trust you¡­ Rave, I believe in you, I''ll always do..." Maya nodded with a soft and genuine smile. "I''ll leave it to you!" Finishing her words, she subconsciously closed in on the defenceless Raven''s rosy lips. Affectionate and warm, she kissed like there was no tomorrow. With that being said, in her heart, she believed that there would be many. Although there was no evidence to support this thought, she could not refute her heart as it was everything that she needed to believe. ''This is why I love you, Rave,'' Maya said to herself as she watched Raven instantly get immersed in her thoughts after pushing her away with a blush and a smile. ''Normally, I would never entrust my life to someone else. No, it may be more appropriate to say that, as a Seraph, I can''t do that. ''But somehow, handing my life to you seems so natural and easy to do. It is even making me feel that I''ve already survived this ordeal with you¡­'' As Maya was enjoying the feeling of relying on her most precious person to save her, Raven and Ka were together formting a n to try to end this for good. ''So, Rave, what''s the n?'' Ka asked. ''Although I have gone through countless simtions, I didn''t find any reliable n. To be honest, we- err, we kinda die in each one of them¡­'' Under normal circumstances, Ka would never mention something like this to Raven. However, with their situation, she had to bepletely transparent with Raven. ''Additionally,'' she continued. ''I have even tried to break through the blockage by various means, but each one has already yielded negative results. ''What I am truly afraid of is that even if we somehow sessfully kill Michael, we''ll still end up falling into that third party''s hands¡­'' ''Hm, the situation is pretty tough, huh¡­'' Raven could only shake her head. ''Well, we must survive. I can''t let any of my loved ones down. ''And more importantly, I can''t let myself down. Me and Maya, I kinda want that to work out. I can''t bring myself to allow it to end here¡­'' After a while of thinking of a n through Ka''s skill: Thought eleration, she... came up with nothing. ''Well, I guess we do need to fight to the death like Maya said, after all, but we have to make sure that we end up on the winning side!'' she said as a question popped up in her mind. ''Say, Kay, can''t we merge Uriel''s body with Maya''s so that her strength increases? And is there a way for me to lend her my skill Apprentice of the Primordial Light?'' ''Unfortunately, Body merging would take too long and we don''t have that type of time,'' Ka answered bluntly. ''As for giving her your power, I''m not sure¡­ ''I have tried to contact the Fragment of the Primordial Dragon of Light inside your body: Aether, but he did not show any response. ''If my guess is right, then he''s probably suffering a bacsh because of your intense use of Apprentice of the Primordial Light¡­'' ''Hm, if that''s the case, then let''s go all out, Kay,'' Raven suddenly said with a serious expression. ''Please, disable the blessing: Avavia''s Affection and activate the blessing: Infinity''s Will!'' ''Rave-'' Ka tried to speak, but Raven interrupted quickly. ''It is either do or die, Kay, what do you expect me to do?'' Rave sounded stern, yet very calm and gentle. ''Previously, you never allowed me to use this because of the side effects and the possibility of corruption, but think about it; I can''t get corrupted if I''m dead¡­'' ''I- but, listen, do we not have any other ns? Didn''t you teach me to run if we can''t win? Rave, we have to find something else¡­'' ''I am truly sorry, but you know better than anyone else that there''s nothing else that we can do¡­'' ''But- Rave- what do I do if you get corrupted?'' ''If you get the time to worry about me getting corrupted, then it would mean that we have survived. At that time, I trust that you can think of a solution yourself, Kay.'' ''And what if you never-'' "Ahahahaha!!" Suddenly, a rather familiar hystericalugh sounded across the void, from the direction where two extremely powerful entities were fighting just a moment ago. ''Uriel''s body has been destroyed!'' Ka quickly reported. If she had a heart, it would be pacing like a rabbit running from a hawk¡­ "I really appreciate saving me the time and not running away," Michael said after throwing Uriel''s body away. Quickly, he started making his way towards the trio. "For that, I''ll make sure your pathetic lives end a little bit less painfully than originally nned, ahahahahaha!" "Rave!" Maya yelled as she stepped in front of Raven and Ka, ready to sacrifice her life for them. "Maya, believe in me¡­" Raven suddenly said with a solemn expression as she pulled Maya behind her and stepped forward to meet theing tyrant. Chapter 344 - A Supreme Being Part 1 *David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj & Afrojack - Hey Mama (DISTO Remix) * "Maya, believe in me¡­" Raven suddenly said as she pulled Maya behind her while stepping out to meet Michael. Her expression was extremely solemn. "Kay, if anything happens to me; if I lose my way¡­ please, take control over my body and don''t let me hurt any of my loved ones. "I give you full permission to do whatever you think is right with it. Take care of everyone, please..." "Don''t- don''t say that, Raven¡­" Ka''s clone was shivering as she said that. The situation of the one inside Raven''s Mind Space was even far worse. In a sense, this is the most terrifying existence she and Raven had ever had to fight against.. But even so, this wasn''t the reason for her fear. What made her worry the most was a rather subtle feeling in the back of her head. It was as though something was warning her that a very bad event will be taking ce soon... "Kay, do it!" Raven suddenly knocked her out of her trance with an order. Hearing her words, Ka bit her lip as her shoulders shook violently. Avoiding any eye contact with Raven, she quicklyunched herself past her and towards the clueless Maya. Without a single word, she held her tightly by the hand and dragged her away, as far as possible. Finally and reluctantly, she obeyed Raven''smand. [The Blessing: Avavia''s Affection has been deactivated by System Admin. [The Blessing: Infinity''s Will has been activated by System Admin.] Following these words that only Raven and Ka could see and hear, a majestic golden light, with strands of dark silver, suddenly enveloped the void. This light covered Raven and made her look like she had drowned in an ocean of gold. Michael, who was rushing towards the girls, suddenly had a mysterious bad feeling arising from deep within his heart. It seemed to be warning him or rather instructing him to run away from this girl, as soon as possible. However, with his status and arrogance, there was no way to back away now. As he got closer to his target, he saw the golden light slowly fading away, allowing him to notice a small figure appearing out of it. And without much of a surprise here, it was none other than Raven who appeared, standing there stalwartly. However, what did warrant some attention and worry in Michael''s mind was this expression that was on her face. Raven, who should have been scared -no, terrified- of his aura, looked at him with a golden eye that was pulsing in an evil glint. It was as though she was a wolf looking at a young calf that didn''t recognize the predator from the prey; mockingly and mercilessly. Noticing that, Michael gritted his teeth and prepared his attack while continuing to charge forward. Raven, as though she had all the time in the world, ran her hand through her crimson-purple hair before flipping it like an experienced model. Following her movements, her aura soared, creating some strange crackling sounds in the void all around her which gave the illusion of the void breaking down. Smirking sadistically, she looked Michael in the eyes. And at that moment, thetter got the feeling that he had identally knocked on death''s door. The feeling was so prominent and vivid that he didn''t dare think of it as an illusion. And although he didn''t notice, his body had already started shaking all over, causing him to abruptly stop. As that golden eye stared deep into his soul, a bloodthirsty killing intent hit it harder than he could withstand, prompting him to cough up blood, dyeing the void in white. And before he knew it, his insides were already tumbling like the waves of a stormy sea. His body, and even his thoughts, quickly slowed down as though time had been frozen. The void itself seemed to have been suddenly submerged in a metallic-scented viscous liquid that caused shivers to run down his spine as cold sweat covered his face and dripped down his long white hair. "You sounded quite confident just a moment ago, what''s the matter?" Raven asked with a surprisingly cruel grin. "Aren''t you going to attack us? Aren''t you going to torture us and let us know our ce?" Michael, who heard that, could not help but swallow loudly. Subconsciously, he tried appraising Raven''s horrifying bloodthirsty aura. "What!? Just a rank Star Five Hundred?" He involuntarily screamed in question. "Then, all of this must be an illusion!" All of a sudden, there was hope in his racing heart; this was fake, nothing but an illusion! It has to be so. Otherwise, how would he exin the fact that this low ranked girl was able to instill fear deep into his soul? If this was real, is it possible that his body is shaking and his aura is slowly dissipating? Of course not! That''s why, this must be an illusion! "I know what you''re thinking," Raven suddenly said as she touched the left side of her brow with her tender fingers, covering her injured eye. Subconsciously, she licked her lips in a sadistic manner. "But you''re not quite right¡­ "You see, a person''s rank is measured by their internal energy capacity, in most cases. However, there is little regard to one''s actual strength. "This means that although you do have more internal energy than myself, you are nothing but an ant in front of me, haha¡­" Chuckling like a viinous queen, Raven suddenly extended her hand towards Michael who was still gritting his teeth, trying to understand what the girl in front of him had just said. With a snap of her fingers, the dangerous bloodthirsty aura that was radiating out of her body suddenly moved forward in a synchronous motion towards Michael, closing in on him. Before he could even move a muscle, he found himself trapped within her monstrous aura that threatened to swallow his soul whole. Quickly, he started getting the feeling that his life force was being forcefully drained out of his body. Without noticing, he had already started showing signs of aging. For an ''immortal'' Seraph like himself, this was almost impossible to ur naturally! Realizing how critical his situation was, Michael gritted his teeth as a bitter taste clouded his mind and a regretful atmosphere covered his golden eyes. "I didn''t want to use this before, but you have forced me to do it!" He yelled angrily at Raven, who simply grinned at him, showing her white fangs. "Now although I may suffer because of this, I''ll at least make sure to kill you, your friend, and that traitor who''s hiding behind you!" At the mention of Ka and Maya, Raven''s cold eyes sparkled and her fangs gnashed against each other. Opening her palm, the pressure on Michael quickly dissipated. However, with an even faster motion, she clenched her palm into a fist. With her movement, the aura all around her seemed to roar like an angry beast as it assaulted Michael with the intention of finishing him for once and for all. However, in the face of this newly applied pressure that was crushing down on every fiber of his being, Michael grinned like a lunatic. His expression appeared quite strange thanks to his aged appearance. And although his grin seemed to be out of ce, Raven could feel something strange about him. Unknown to her, inside of his body, a fierce hungry fire seemed to have been ignited, causing him to undergo an impossible change. Within a breath worth of time, his aura soared beyond belief as a surreal image of a gxy full of glowing stars appeared behind him. Hisst two -previously white- wings suddenly gained a tint of an unknown mystic colour that further increased the might of his aura. But it didn''t stop there; Above his head, a deceivingly fragile-looking halo appeared above his head. Slowly, Raven, Ka, and Maya could see his expression brighten and his features slowly losing their aged characteristics, dispersing Raven''s previous effect and making him appear younger. "He has broken through!" Maya muttered weakly. "He is giving me the feeling of a Supreme Deity¡­ I can feel it in my blood¡­" As she said so, her body was subconsciously shaking as if she was going to kneel down at any moment. It wasn''t that she had lost her faith in Raven, it was simply an instinctive reaction that she didn''t even realize at first. However, once she did, that reaction turned from subconscious to forced suppression that pushed her even further, causing every cell of her being to be under immense pressure. However, this -needless to say- ufortable feeling quickly dissipated with a wave of Raven''s hand. Looking up at her, Maya could see her grin widen as though she was predicting some fun time... Michael, on the other hand, had a serious expression as he looked at Raven, seemingly to have realized something new after his new evolution... Chapter 345 - A Supreme Being Part 2 While Raven grinned madly, Michael adopted a serious expression. Looking at her, a glint of realization shed across his face as though he had realized something new after his evolution¡­ To Maya and Ka, he suddenly appeared like a kid who had matured up, realizing just how pathetic his previous imaginary ambitions were... "I don''t have much time to spare," Raven said in between white fangs. "Are you nning on entertaining me, or should I finish you?" "Is it toote to give up now?" Michael suddenly asked with a serious expression that surprised Raven and the other two girls.. However, along with Raven''s surprise, there was disappointment. "Tch!" She clicked her tongue. "Utterly disgusting. Do you believe that I''ll truly let you live after what you''ve done? No, forget about that. "Even if you offered yourself to be my ve, I wouldn''t ept. Not because I don''t want to, but rather because I need your blood... "You see, in my field of vision, I can see everything in you. Every weakness, every treasure hidden inside, heck, I can even feel your soul shaking in fear¡­ "And with everything I''m seeing, I''m realizing just how much I need to kill you. I need to hear your screams and drink your blood, hehe¡­ just the thought of it is making me lose my mind in ecstasy-" "Rave!" Maya suddenly interrupted with a worried, almost scared, tone. Although Raven''s mighty aura didn''t touch her, she could feel that something was not quite right. "What are you doing!? Don''t act like a creepy lunatic! If he can be a servant then that''s good, remember that he has a lot of information that we need!" Hearing her voice, Raven merely spared her a nce before looking back at Michael. However, Maya who fell into Raven''s field of vision for a split second felt her blood go stagnant for a moment as her body froze in horror. It was as though she had been fully exposed and seen through. Every secret in her body and even her soul was visible under Raven''s eyes, in that split second. Now, although she didn''t mind since it was Raven, the feeling was giving her goosebumps as she shivered. Subconsciously, she lost her will to speak. "Rave, please don''t lose yourself, you promised that you''ll never leave my side, remember?" Ka suddenly yelled. "Please, don''t kill him if you can afford to. Make him a servant and don''t let your soul be corrupted!" "What? What corruption?" Maya quickly asked, confused, as she was still in the dark about Raven''s current situation. "Kay, what happened to her?" Hearing Maya''s cries, Ka could only shake her head. She didn''t dare exin that she had agreed to this. But at the same time, she knew that she had no choice¡­ *Sigh* "Maya, Kay, don''t start acting like I can''t hear you," Raven said with a soft sigh. "I''m still me." ''Liar!'' Ka yelled in her mind. She was the Admin of the System and she could hear each and every message that was delivered to Raven. Not to mention that she could feel the torture and pain she was currently suffering from. As if she was unaware of Ka''s internal cry, Raven continued: "Kay, prepare to save me, soon. Maya, open your eyes and ears and learn from me." Saying that, she focused back on Michael who subconsciously gritted his teeth. He obviously heard what the three girls were talking about and he wasn''t getting any good feeling out of any single word this crimson-purple haired psycho has responded with so far. Although he strongly hoped that she would listen to the other two girls, he knew that it was nothing but wishful thinking. "People tend to measure their opponents'' rank quite often,"Raven started teaching. Involuntarily, her expression was getting colder and colder, yet there was a hint of excitement hidden within the way she looked at Michael. "However, almost no one realizes just how much they''re missing out." While Maya focused on listening to Raven''s every word and observing her movements, Ka was busy preparing for the aftermath. In her mind, Michael was already dead, and she was already conducting simtions to protect Raven from the corruption that is associated with the Blessing: Infinity''s Will. "To measure their opponent''s rank," Raven continued. "People need to insert a wisp of their own mana into the mana of their opponent''s. This is obviously only possible if the opponent releases their mana to start with. "With that being said, each person''s mana is special, and contains their own mana signature, however, at its base, mana is energy, and energy by its nature tends to flow from high concentrations to low concentrations. "So, if a person''s mana capacity is higher than their opponent''s, they are able to let their own mana flow into their opponent''s. "It''s simr to an ancient double-pan bnce scale, really. Once the two sides are equal, the person with the highest capacity can easily guess the opponent''s capacity based on how much mana they have released from their own reserves. "And on the same note, a person with a lower mana capacity can not measure an opponent who has a higher capacity since their own limites before their opponent''s." "I already know that¡­" Maya said with a tilted head. She was slightly confused as she thought about what Raven said. ''There is no hidden meaning behind her words, right?'' "Do you, though?" Raven asked, raising her eyebrows and easing her cold expression. "Then tell me, why can''t you measure your opponent''s mana if they don''t release it." "Well, because you have nothing to go on to. Following your analogy, I guess you would be missing one of the weights on the double-pan bnce, no?" Maya asked with narrowed eyes since the answer seemed rather obvious to her. She knew that Raven was hinting at something, yet she could not quite grasp it. "Correct. Now, tell me where does your opponent''s manae from once they release it?" Raven asked with a smile. "From their Mana Core¡­" Maya said slowly. The answers were getting simpler and easier that she started getting confused. "Correct," Raven nodded, before grinning cruelly. "Now, tell me, what happens if your own mana can invade your opponent''s Mana Core?" "Ah!" Hearing her words, Maya suddenly realized how smart and sly Raven''s teachings were. She had never thought about it herself, but if one were to follow this method and flood their opponent''s Mana Core with their own special mana, then¡­ they can easily destroy their opponent''s Mana Core! ''So that''s what she meant when she said that people don''t realize how much they''re missing out¡­'' she thought as everything suddenly became clear. Obviously, Maya wasn''t the only one who realized the meaning behind Raven''s teachings. Quickly, upon realizing Raven''s point, Michael retracted his mana into his body in an attempt to protect against this cruel method she mentioned. However, this only made Raven''s cruel grin turn into a lunatic internal chuckle that caused Ka to shiver involuntarily... "Idiot!" Raven muttered coldly, yet mockingly. ''Although this method is indeed feasible, you must have a special type of mana for it to work, otherwise, people would not be able to use mana in fights. However, with your stupidity, you have no protection against my attacks¡­'' With a wave of her hand, the world around her shook as the mana in the void roared aggressively, like a mad bloodthirsty beast. ''Ah-'' Michael could only cry internally as he realized his mistake. ''This was all a trick¡­ she intended for me to retract my mana from the very beginning¡­'' By the time he had this thought, it was already toote. The mana throughout the entire void seemed to have been directed at attacking him, and he simply took it defenceless¡­ The regret and disappointment in Michael''s mind could not be described as he watched his world break down. What he felt was ironic though, was that the moment he had first evolved and broke through, bing a Supreme Deity, he was able to see the mana all around him almost bow to the girl''s will and move under hermand. This seemed so frightening for him that he had considered giving up before the fight had even started. At that time, although he had be a Supreme Deity, he felt that he was standing in front of a real Supreme Being! It was something that was far beyond his understanding; something that he could never hope to achieve... Little did he expect, although she indeed could control the mana in the void all around him, she had a limit after all. Otherwise, why would she resort to such a dirty trick? Maybe, if he had tried, he could have had a chance¡­ Maya, who was watching from a safe distance, came to the same conclusion and could not help but feel a little restless. Although Raven had the excuse, she didn''t like the feeling of being used; after all, Raven used her and lied to her face to trick an opponent. Chapter 346 - Unexpected Changes: Shock! * xxxtentacion - Changes (Xienn Cover) * With that being said, Maya didn''t dare me her. A part of her even admired Raven''s confidence in pulling such a scheme. After all, if Raven did this, it means that it was the best solution she could think of. "Hm, I guess this is where the saying ''all is fair in love and war''es into y, huh?" Maya asked herself. Watching closely, even though she was protected against Raven''s seemingly boundless mana, she could faintly see the void cracking all around Michael as he coughed up blood, dyeing the space around him in a pure white hue. Looking at his miserable look, Maya found it rather hard to believe that this is the same person who was previously the head of the Four Seraphim of the End. And not only that, but he is also a person who has reached the rank of a Supreme Deity! "Lament!" Raven muttered with a tone that sent shivers down those who heard her. With her words, the mana all around her seemed to have be even more domineering, something which Maya and Ka didn''t think was possible.. Under hermand, her mana attack became more fierce as it prated Michael''s body like a useless piece of soft cloth. Within a few breaths worth of time -that were filled with Michael''s heart wrenching screams- Maya started hearing the sounds of terrifying skin-crawling cracks being formed. It sounded like a fragile sphere of ss that was being slowly shattered into tiny slivers... Although she couldn''t physically see it, she could almost imagine this ''ss sphere'' breaking in front of her. This, without a doubt in her mind, was Michael''s Mana Core... All of a sudden, the terrifying sounds of the spreading cracks stopped, and with them, so did Michael''s cries. Quickly, his golden eyes became dull and his beautiful halo -that he barely spent a few minutes with- lost its luster and beautiful glow. Simrly, his radiant wings that gained a mysterious mystic colour were left colourless. Just like that, Michael died¡­ Maya was left shaken after looking into his lifeless face that was still indicating just how much pain he had gone through. There were many ways to torture a person, but breaking their Mana Core was without a doubt the most cruel of all. And in most cases, the destroyed Mana Core would blow up as the internal mana would have no ce to stay. Thus, with massive amounts of mana suddenly leaving the body at the same time, a mana pressure bomb is created! For this reason and for theck of any mana explosions, Raven could not help but narrow her eyes in suspicion. "Something is not right here, this should not be-" "Raven!" Suddenly, a cry knocked Raven out of her trance. Before she could even look at the source of the voice, Ka''s face appeared in front of her, full of worry and anxiety. "Kay, why are you- *cough!*" Without getting a chance to finish her sentence, a puff of red blood mist escaped her mouth in a violent cough. ''Huh?'' she was confused as she felt the strange metallic taste in her mouth. All of a sudden, pain assaulted her body and mind. Blood dripped down her nose as her vision suddenly darkened. Without even realizing, she started having trouble maintaining her awareness. [Blessing: Avavia''s Affection has been activated by the Admin of the System. [Blessing: Infinity''s Will has been deactivated by the Admin of the System. [Emergency! [Pilot has received severe bacsh from using the blessing: Infinity''s Will. [Pilot is suffering from severe Soul Corruption¡­ [Emergency! [Pilot''s body has suffered severe bacsh from the excessive use of external mana. [Emergency! [Pilot''s Mind Space has-] Quickly, Ka deactivated the sudden stream of notifications that assaulted Raven''s mind. Meanwhile, she was also being aggressively yelled at by Avavia, Raven''s mother. Aether didn''t escape the scolding either. This time, she was truly upset! Maya, who suddenly noticed Raven''s paper pale face and red blood escaping it, could not keep her cool and quickly rushed to her side. However, Raven -who was fighting to keep her consciousness from fading away- widened her eyes all of a sudden. Her expression quickly turned from dead tiredness into terrified panic. With fast reflexes and without even blinking, she held Ka''s hand as she threw her at Maya with whatever little strength she had left, meaning to distance the two away from herself. Maya subconsciously caught Ka who was left speechless, just as much as she was. The two girls looked at Raven with worried and inquiring gazes. For a moment, they didn''t even realize what was wrong, however, after a split second or two, their vision adjusted and they could finally watch Raven cough up blood yet once more. With terrified expressions, the two could make out a red blood-covered hand that was sticking out of Raven''s abdomen. Behind her, Michael stood silently without showing any prominent expressions; no joy, no happiness, no regret¡­ nothing. Under Ka and Maya''s shocked gazes, Raven''s blood left her body like a stream of red. Only now did they realize that she hadn''t even cried in pain, nor did she let out any sound to indicate her injury¡­ Maya''s body went numb all over as her brain tried tirelessly to exin what was happening in front of her wide shaking eyes. ''Michael? He attacked Raven? Is that his hand that has prated her abdomen through her back? Wasn''t he dead? ''Why is Raven not screaming? Why isn''t she asking for help? Is she not feeling pain? Is she not aware of her injury? But¡­ that''s her blood¡­'' Looking at Ka who was standing like a statue next to her, she could see tears of dark silver leaving her eyes. She had her mouth open in a desperate, yet silent, cry. Needless to say, Maya didn''t understand why she wasn''t saying anything. For those few moments, it felt as though the void itself was silent. Nothing was making any noise. Everything was left static; nothing was moving, except for the red river leaving Raven''s wound¡­ It was as though time had frozen for everyone but Raven... With an inexplicable expression, Maya looked at Raven''s face, only to see her blood stained teeth smiling at her innocently, as if she was trying to say that everything was going to be alright... At that moment, she felt her soul shiver deep inside¡­ Tears involuntarily left her eyes¡­ ''Huh? Why am I crying?'' she asked herself. ''I am with Raven, nothing bad can ever happen. She always fixes everything¡­ ''Right, Raven? You always fix everything, so, please start now. Fix that wound of yours¡­ please¡­ Kill Michael once again, please...'' Only when a few seconds passed did she realize that something was wrong with her. ''Wait, why am I not hurrying to help her? I should kick Michael away, right? I should help her with her wound¡­ ''But¡­ Why can''t I feel her aura anymore? Why can''t I feel her breath anymore? Why can''t¡­ why can''t I feel her heart beating anymore¡­?'' Suddenly, as if time had started flowing again, Michael retracted his red bloodied hand out of Raven''s massive wound, which elerated the rate at which her blood left her body. Although his eyes appeared as dull as when his Mana Core had been first broken, they had a life-like glint in them; they looked cruel yet expressionless, as if everything in front of them was just an empty dream¡­ Nothing was real, nothing required to be worked up about. Everything was so meaningless... Without a change in his expression, and in front of the watching eyes of Maya and Ka, he held Raven''s body by the neck, and threw her to the side¡­ ""RAVEN!!!!!!"" Both girls suddenly yelled from the bottom of their hearts as tears streamed down their eyes. Suddenly, out of Raven''s wound, dark purple substance exploded, covering her in a tight cocoon. Silver circuit-like structures were dancing on its surface. "You''re not dead! No!" Ka yelled before rushing to her side. "I am still alive; you must be too!" Without thinking, her clone pumped into the cocoon. However, instead of pushing the cocoon away, the clone turned back into Cyber Particles and integrated itself into it. "Tch!" Watching that, Michael''s lifeless eyes finally looked annoyed. Clicking his tongue, he was about to destroy this cocoon. However, without realizing at first, his body was involuntarilyunched away into space. "DON''T YOU DARE!!" Maya yelled at the top of her lungs as the mana all around her roared, indicating her inextinguishable anger. "You sure can yell loud," Michael said calmly. "Don''t worry, I won''t leave any of you alive. You''ve given us a lot of trouble for mere Star umtion idiots. "If it weren''t for me being overcautious and inserting a wisp of my soul in this body, then what you''ve done would have gone unpunished." Although Maya didn''t understand what he was talking about, she knew enough to suspect that whoever talked was not Michael anymore. After all, whoever was controlling this body now was giving her a dangerous feeling that topped the one Michael gave off. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!