Finally, Alice stepped back, licking her lips with a slow, satisfied motion. Her eyes gleamed with heat as she stared at Maruti, like a predator who had just found something she didn't want to let go of.
"I've taken a liking to you," she said with a confident smirk. "Be mine."
Maruti stood frozen, blinking fast. Her heart skipped a beat, not out of affection — but complete confusion. This wasn't the same Alice she remembered. The coward , weak girl from before… was now acting like a bold flirt who had completely lost her mind.
But then—
BAM!!
Maruti's fist flew straight into Alice's face.
The impact was so strong that Alice's body flew back several meters, tumbling across the ground like a ragdoll. Dust kicked up all around her.
Still, Alice flipped in the air and landed on her feet like a cat, sliding back with a small grunt.
Maruti cracked her knuckles, glaring. "The hell is wrong with you?! You could've asked for a kiss, idiot! I hate when people force themselves on me!" she snapped, clearly annoyed. Her voice was sharp, but her cheeks were slightly red.
Alice spat to the side, wiping a bit of blood from her lip. She stared back at Maruti, her gaze full of fire. "I wasn't asking for your permission," she said coldly. "You belong to me now—"
But she couldn't even finish her sentence.
Suddenly—
Wooshhhhhhhhhhhhhh...
A violent gust of wind passed by, and in the blink of an eye, a hand appeared in front of Alice's face. Even Alice, who was known for her speed, couldn't react fast enough.
The hand stopped just inches from her skin — but the pressure behind it was terrifying.
"The fuck did you just say?"
The voice was low. Cold. Sharp enough to send chills down everyone's spine. And yet… it sounded familiar.
"K-Kaelith?" Maruti muttered, her eyes wide as she stared at the girl who had appeared out of nowhere.
Kaelith's silver hair shimmered like moonlight, her silver eyes glowing with fury. Without another word, she grabbed Alice's face and slammed it straight into the ground.
BAM!!!
The earth cracked beneath the force. A crater formed instantly.
But Kaelith didn't stop.
Without turning her head or saying a single word, she dragged Alice's face across the ground like a mop while dashing forward at a frightening speed. Sparks and dirt flew everywhere as Alice's body scraped through stone and soil.
Maruti gulped.
A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. Her legs felt weak just watching it. "O-Oh shit… she's really mad…i guess that's what happens when you have toxic followers..."
She glanced awkwardly at Esdeath and the others, who were also trying to process what just happened.
"I… I don't think I can even fight that crazy lizard if I wanted to," Maruti thought nervously. "Alice is so screwed…"
She slowly turned her head away, pretending to be completely uninvolved in the chaos.
"Welp, not my problem anymore."
By that time Esdeath finally reached Maruti, her face was full of anger.
"Why can't you do a single thing right?" she snapped, her voice sharp and annoyed. "I told you to kill that Alice, not turn her into your girlfriend! And how the hell did that even happen?!"
Maruti looked completely confused and frustrated.
"Wait… she's Alice? But you said she looked gloomy and introverted, like Diana!" she argued.
"You—"
Esdeath was just about to explode at her again, but Elara's clone had enough of just watching from the side.
"You've survived long enough," he said with a cold voice, stepping forward to attack.
With Alice now out of the way, he had fewer enemies to deal with. That made things easier for him.
"Time ripple," he said, flicking his fingers.
Small, invisible waves started spreading through the air like the ripples on a quiet lake. Everything around them began to feel distorted and off.
Esdeath turned serious.
"This isn't the time for arguments. We have to move! We can't dodge this!" she said quickly.
Without hesitation, she dashed forward. Ethan and Maruti didn't waste a second and followed right after her.
Time-based powers like this were nearly impossible to resist unless you had strong defenses or another time skill. But none of them had that. Their only option was to escape.
"Reverse speed," Elara's clone said.
A strange wave of energy rushed out. Elara didn't actually move faster. Instead, everyone else around him suddenly slowed down. The pressure was heavy, as if time itself had turned against them. It was like Esdeath's skill, two different things but kind of similar effect.
Bam!
Elara kicked Ethan straight into the ground.
The next second, he was already standing in front of Maruti.
Bam.
Then again.
Bam.
And again.
Bam.
They exchanged a few fast strikes, but Elara was clearly in control. His movements were sharper, faster, and stronger. Maruti was barely holding on.
"He's just too strong... we can't win against him!" Ethan groaned as he slowly pushed himself off the ground. "Focus on running!"
Elara's clone didn't care about Ethan or Maruti anymore. His eyes locked onto Esdeath. His expression twisted with hate. There was something personal in the way he looked at her—like he wanted her to suffer more than anyone else.
"It's your turn," he said coldly.
He pulled out his sword and rushed toward her, swinging with full force, aiming straight for her head.
Esdeath tried to dodge, but her foot suddenly slipped on a small rock.
She tripped.
Her balance broke, and she fell backwards.
Her eyes widened in shock. Her face turned pale. There was no space to dodge.
"Even luck isn't on your side," Elara said with a cruel smirk. He raised his sword high to finish her.
But suddenly, Esdeath's frightened expression turned into a sly grin.
"Gotcha," she whispered.
A small glow appeared around her body.
Swishhh...
The air shifted. Time itself began to slow.
Elara's eyes opened wide. He understood what was happening.
"A time-based thing..."
But it was already too late.
A huge cannon started forming on Esdeath's shoulder, glowing with energy.
"Killer move... Oblivion Nova."
A bright white light burst out of the cannon.
It was blinding.
The beam hit Elara with full force. He flew back like a broken doll, tumbling over fifty meters away. His body was burned, parts of him broken and scorched. He hit the ground hard, smoke rising from his body.
Esdeath's body was slightly trembling, breathing heavily.
"Pant... pant... I have no mana left..." she whispered, as the massive cannon disappeared into thin air turning back to ZK-20.
Esdeath had already used her killer move, Oblivion Nova, more than once. She had been controlling her ZK-20 weapon for quite some time, while also dealing with other things.
She only had B-grade aptitude, so it was natural that she'd run out of energy eventually.
Ethan wasn't in good shape either, though at least he still had a little mana left. The only one who had plenty of mana remaining was Maruti.
--- --------
"Did we kill him?" Ethan asked, rushing over to Esdeath.
"I don't think it's that easy. Besides, my mana's gone. Just run ahead! Backup should be here soon—if we make it to them, we're safe," Esdeath said, walking quickly in the opposite direction.
"Predictor, give me a speed boost and come with me. I don't think the academy is safe anymore. We also have to bring her with us," Esdeath added, glancing at Maruti.
By "her," she clearly meant Selene. Esdeath had left Selene in the dorm room under Corin's protection—who was now a wolfman—and told Selene not to come out unless Esdeath herself came to get her.
At this point, everything seemed like it might be okay. The rain and thunder had stopped ever since Ethan broke Elara's refinement process.
But then, Elara's clone let out a loud, furious roar.
"You're not going anywhere!" he shouted as he stood up, his body half-burned and smoking.
He ran straight at Esdeath with eyes full of rage. His body started healing, though it looked like it was some strange power helping him recover. Still, he coughed up blood.
Even though he could heal his body, Esdeath's attack had damaged his soul, which was something not so easy to recover from. The hit had done serious harm.
But it still wasn't enough to kill him.
He charged at Esdeath.
For some reason, she didn't notice him coming. Maybe she was too tired. With no mana left, she was no stronger than a normal person now.
"ESDEATH!" Ethan shouted with all his strength, trying to warn her.
But it was already too late.
Elara swung his sword upward and stabbed.
Blood splashed through the air as Esdeath suddenly turned around, her eyes wide with shock and confusion.
But strangely… she wasn't hurt at all. Not even a scratch.
Why?
Because the one who took the stab—was Ethan.
The blade had gone straight through his stomach, and it wasn't just any ordinary sword. It was filled with dangerous energy, tearing apart his insides and spreading destruction through his body.
"Cough... cough…" Ethan coughed out a mouthful of blood. His face twisted in pain as he slowly looked back at Esdeath.
"Even though you're really annoying… and kinda evil looking... you haven't really done anything too bad. I just couldn't watch someone die in front of me like that," he said with a weak, bitter smile.
"Ethan… you…" Esdeath stood frozen, stunned by what he had done. Her eyes softened, just a little.
"Ha… no need to thank me. Just—"
Before he could finish…
"You're such an idiot, aren't you?" Esdeath suddenly grinned. But her eyes weren't soft anymore—they were sharp and wicked.
Shock.
Ethan's eyes widened in horror. Just by looking at her face, he realized something. Something terrible.
Jrrppp…....
Elara's clone pulled his sword out with a squelching sound, and Ethan's body dropped to the ground with a dull thud.
"Damn it… I got tricked again…" Ethan whispered.
There was a huge hole in his belly. He wasn't moving anymore.
And Esdeath… she just stared down at his motionless body, showing no emotion at all.
Why should she? This was all part of her plan.
She had lied about having no mana left—even though she had just a little remaining. She also didn't try to dodge Elara's attack on purpose.
Why?
Because she knew Ethan would protect her.
Even if he didn't like her… even if he found her annoying… he was still a good person. A naïve, soft-hearted boy who couldn't watch someone die in front of him.
But what if he hadn't saved her?
Well, Esdeath would've just used her Echo of Restoration skill with the little mana she had. She had a backup plan. But that wasn't needed anymore.
The result?
Ethan ended up taking a hit he couldn't survive—from someone far stronger than him.
Still, Esdeath didn't feel thankful. She didn't feel guilty.
She just scoffed and said coldly, "You should be thankful to me… I gave you a speedrun."
-----------------
Meanwhile, not too far away from where Ethan and Esdeath stood, a brutal and intense battle was still raging between the members of the Third Division and the real Elara himself.
The problem? Elara wasn't alone.
He had summoned some Rank A awakened warriors to fight for him—strong, dangerous people. They were the same ones he had used to keep Lortell busy.(Before turning back of time)
Now, with their help, Elara was clearly winning. The battlefield was covered in damage, blood, and fallen warriors.
Other than Verdes and Meldia, all the other Third Division members were already down. Elara's side wasn't untouched either—two of his five summoned allies had been killed—but he still had the upper hand.
"I guess I'm dying here…" Verdes muttered to himself, smiling even as he stood surrounded. He wasn't afraid. In fact, he looked almost excited—he'd always dreamed of fighting until his last breath.
But then—
A loud voice suddenly echoed through the entire battlefield, deep and powerful like thunder. It carried hope in its words.
"All those who are still alive, gather at the academy grounds! The Royal Army has arrived to protect you! The execution of the traitor Elara shall now begin!"
Everyone looked up in shock and surprise.
Floating above them, surrounded by a glowing aura, was a man with a strong and regal presence.
"It's the Arch-Duke…" someone gasped.
"We're saved!" another shouted.
"The reinforcements are finally here!"
The survivors didn't wait. "Let's go! Head toward the academy garden!" they yelled as they started retreating.
---
Meanwhile, Arthur, the Arch-Duke, floated in the sky with his cape fluttering behind him. His eyes locked onto Elara, who stood on the ruined battlefield below.
Elara clicked his tongue and gave a mocking laugh. "A dying man… and a lazy army of royals who only eat and drink all day. Do you really think you can stop me?" he scoffed.
But deep inside, Elara wasn't as calm as he looked.
He could see it now—hundreds of royal soldiers were approaching. Their armor shined, their weapons ready. It was clear he was outnumbered.
"She'll come too…" Elara thought, his face tightening. "If she comes, I'm finished. It's better to leave and start everything from the beginning."
He wasn't wrong. Most of his plans were already ruined. His resources, his soldiers, his refinement process—all wasted.
But he was an elf. He had a long lifespan. He could rebuild it all. Running away now was the smart move.
However—Arthur, as if reading his thoughts, spoke out.
"Don't even think about running," Arthur said, his voice filled with resolve. "Even if I'm dying… I'll take you down with me!"
He raised his hands, Hundreds or close to thousand essence stone activated at once and his body began to glow. The air shook with pressure.
A silver light started to wrap around his body, shining brighter and brighter with every second.
Elara's eyes widened. "No… that's…"
Arthur's voice roared like a storm.
"Behold—my strongest transformation!"
He spread his arms wide.
"Silver Dragon!"
[author]
I'mmmmm backkk..., Finally the long break has passed, Actually I calculated wrongly a bit, There's still one exam left on 21 but my body was itching to write so yeah we are gonna start from now on and i might take a break tommorow to study for the last exam or might not, Who knows ...
As for whom are being bored by this long fight so, No worries, just few chapters and it'll end, The glorious queen lortell is coming...
[/author]