Chapter 265: Intensity

"Haah….what a pressure…." Darcel, Aniela and Masami simultaneously leaked a heavy breath. 

All three of them are certainly no stranger to high Killing Intent; despite their young ages, they're all are quite used to it.

Darcel and Aniela spent most of their years growing up in an inhumane organization where life was treated as essentially nothing but little experiments. While Masami dealt with the constant overbearing pressure of her whole Sect.

But, when stacking up against Kassidy's swirl of emotions, Darcel, Aniela and Masami felt a clutching lump in their throat. Without even sensing her state, the trio could just feel her intense emotions crash down on them.

Furthermore, their Darkness Soul links were all increasingly surging, which tremendously amplified Kassidy's intense emotions on to them. 

The only thing that was confusing to the trio was Kassidy's slightly odd gaze that contradicts her intense emotions.

"Tch…." Kassidy, for her part, couldn't help but continually click her teeth. 

Her gaze towards the trio was all a surprising mix of chaotic sensations. She would typically be a calm, tranquil youth, barely reacting intensely to any kind of situation.

When she was under Darcel's command, her personality shifted to a more sweet and caring young woman who retained firm calmness. 

And now, after all that time, facing Darcel's group again, Kassidy mainly felt negative emotions. Within her eyes, there was a swirling frantic mix of hatred, resentment, and of course, cold Killing Intent. 

Not only did Masami crushed on her pride, completely humiliating her like she was an ant. But she was also forcefully made into a Darkness Servant for the three of them! She was literally forced to their biddings, treating a proud genius like her as if she was nothing special.

Though Kassidy doesn't have overflowing arrogance like her genuine peers within the Ice Nine Tail Sect, she does have bottom lines that absolutely can't be crossed. 

When her eyes pierced into Masami's severe gaze, she felt a small spike of genuine Killing Intent for her but had quickly pushed that feeling down. No matter the hatred she held towards her, killing Masami was impossible.

However, when Kassidy's sights were set on Aniela, her Killing Intent didn't stop surging. Though she actually had never touched her, she was still an accomplice to this whole scenario, plus she was forced to call her Mistress while taking her orders.

And finally, the only person left, Darcel. The sole reason why she had fallen into that hopeless situation. 

For all intents and purposes, Kassidy's gaze should've held the highest amount of hatred towards him. He had gone even further beyond Aniela and Masami by invading her soulscape space and essentially coercing her soul's core. 

The very essence that made up Kassidy's thoughts and feelings, Darcel forcefully changed all of that.

At least, that's what Kassidy kept repeating to herself in her mind. 

However, when her gaze had landed on Darcel, the hatred, the resentment, everything all turned into a stormy mix.

Kassidy's gaze naturally fell longer on Darcel, and he had actually taken slight notice of this. Within all of her negative feelings, another sensation was trying to bubble up from within Kassidy's very soul.

As she looked into Darcel's profound, abyss-like black eyes, a rush of memories attempted to wrack her mind. Memories that weren't unpleasant at all. Along with these memories, the bubbling sensation was only getting stronger.

This sensation was providing Kassidy with a sense of familiar warmth that genuinely felt amazing to bask in. For a moment, Kassidy nearly lost her focus because of this warm sensation.

But almost immediately, Kassidy forced herself to remember why she held so much hatred. 

"No….no more distractions!"

Her ice-cold voice boomed from her voice as her Heavenly Aura suddenly became even stronger!

Powerful Heavenly Qi wildly sprayed, causing fierce winds to rush past their area, kicking up snow everywhere and even slicing into tree branches. 

The calm aura Kassidy would previously have was nowhere to be seen at this moment.

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami sensed the danger only explosively rise, inscribing them with even more dread. Their nails began to dig into their palms as they tried to come up with an escape plan.

However, the longer they stayed under Kassidy's overwhelming power, the more they're starting to realize that there may be no roads to escape to. 

"Nng! Just who the hell is this terrifying woman?!" Fruna couldn't hold in her shocking exclaim as she formed a Heavenly Qi barrier around herself and her squadron members. 

All of them were fiercely gritting their teeth, reinforcing their bodies with Heavenly Qi just to not get blown away by the aftershocks of Kassidy's chaotic aura.

The only reason they all could just barely hold on was because of Fruna's Heavenly Qi barrier. 

"I don't get it! What's with those three?!" One of the Silver Bloody Hammer group members roared out his frustration.

Frustration that was shared by his squadron members and even a bit with Fruna. However, Fruna was more upset with her own lack of prowess than the trio's prowess. 

She was more confused on why Darcel's group prowess is so….weak!

From her Spirit Sense, she picked up on each of them using that familiar power she felt numerous times when they were to fight. This familiar power would always insanely enhance their strength to unimaginable degrees!

But in front of Kassidy, such power was absolutely nothing to her. 

Fruna couldn't help but wonder just what the hell happened to Darcel's group that made them so weak.

Furthermore, she also had the desire to help Darcel's group since it appeared as this new fox maiden holds deep grudges with them. Despite having the desire to help, all Fruna could do was grit her teeth.

In front of a seventh-level Heavenly King, there wasn't much she could feasibly do. 

As Kassidy's Heavenly Aura chaotically increased, the flickers of Darkness energy from her body also increased.

Initially, the flickers of Darkness energy were a bit difficult to notice. But now they were more prominent; Darcel, Aniela, and Masami felt legitimate shock creep into their veins.

That Darkness energy….could it be from her Darkness Soul link? This was the only possible explanation that made sense to the trio. 

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami couldn't focus on this tidbit at all since they needed to keep their minds focused on searching for a way out.

But before the trio could speak or think upon their next moves, Kassidy's icy voice spoke again. Now, there wasn't any apparent confusion mixed within her gaze, and her tone was unwaveringly filled with hatred.

"I don't understand it. What is the matter? I am your Darkness Servant, right? Yet, here I am, suppressing you three without much effort on my part. I wonder….where's all that overwhelming prowess from before?"

The evident mocking in her words only caused Darcel and Aniela to knit their eyebrows. They were far more used to being looked down and jeered upon, so whatever Kassidy said couldn't affect them.

"You…." 

Although for Masami, her rage suddenly spiked! Her two foxtails puffed up in extreme enragement as her once severe gaze now turned into a hostile glare. 

Even though Masami knows she should be calm while in this situation, the fact that Kassidy, someone from her Sect, is mocking her once again struck a deep sore spot within her.

She practically spat out to Kassidy, "Don't get so damn cocky, Kassidy. Honestly, do you really think we still don't have the means to beat someone  like you?"

Kassidy slowly ran her eyes over Masami's increasingly enraged face. As she did so, her mind began to vividly recall that brutal beatdown she gave her without even a hint of remorse.

A certain dark feeling of wanting to pay back all of that pain rose to the surface of Kassidy's mind. 

"Is that so, Masami? Alright then….let's see it. Do you really have the means to survive this?"

Suddenly then a faint blue flaming glow wrapped around Kassidy's entire body, and her Heavenly Aura tremendously grew! Her Heavenly Aura was utterly chaotic, creating an unbearable suffocation for everyone there.

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami's eyes dangerously narrowed, only feeling more sluggish than anything. No matter how much Kassidy increased her power, it still couldn't suppress their bodies.

Kassidy wasn't perturbed at all seeing the trio still standing within her chaotic Heavenly Aura. A vicious light burst within her eyes as she swiftly gathered Heavenly Qi within three of her foxtails.

And then, without any warnings, Kassidy soared these three Heavenly Qi-filled foxtails straight at Darcel, Aniela, and Masami's chests! 

The trio couldn't accurately spot the speed of Kassidy's foxtails at all. All they could do was clenched their fists and prepare to tank yet another powerful Heavenly King attack that will surely destroy them. 

But, right before Kassidy's three foxtails made it within six feet from Darcel's group, a figure had suddenly appeared.

'Bang!' 

Instead of the sound of flesh being ripped into, there was only the tremendous impact of metal-like sound crashing out. There wasn't any force of Heavenly Qi being sprayed out, as if something had negated Kassidy's attack.

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami blinked their eyes as the figure that came were far too fast for their eyes to spot at first. 

Looking ahead again, their sights came upon a three Ice Qi barrier only just three feet in front of each of them. These Ice Qi barriers were the reason why Kassidy's foxtails weren't tearing a hole within them. 

Beyond these Ice Qi barries, the trio sights landed on the tall back of a woman that looked extremely familiar.

Before they could identify who this was, this woman began to speak. 

"Now, now. I know we have some differences to settle, but wasn't that attack just a bit too cruel?"

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami went utterly rigid. That lazy tone, causal words….they could recognize who this was from a mile away. 

Out of everyone that could come and save them, that lazy beauty Bella had come to their critical aid!