Chapter 110 Betrayal...



Raising his sword triumphantly, Lyrian struck a decisive blow at the Kailion's neck. Leon, who had taken a risky action, glanced up and found that his bold move had paid off.

Witnessing Lyrian's moment of glory were Alten, Hugo, and Han. Alten's excitement was palpable, while the other two seemed relatively disappointed, though they still valued their friendship with Lyrian.

Even Silas and Kang, who were still engaged in their battles, halted their actions to observe Lyrian's sword swing. It was a crucial moment.

As Lyrian's blade made contact with the Kailion's skin, it penetrated deeply, encountering something hard and substantial within – the core, Lyrian realized in his thoughts, as his sword came to a halt.

Then, unexpectedly, a loud bang echoed from behind. Before he could react, Lyrian noticed a blade suddenly materializing in front of him. Looking down, his eyes widened in shock as he realized it was thrusting straight through his neck.

Everyone's expressions turned to shock, horror, or disbelief as they saw this. Leon, Alten, Hugo, Han, Kang, Silas, Cedric. No one was expecting this to happen.

At that moment, a voice sounded from behind Lyrian, "Sorry friend... but that core was always meant to be mine." Arthur spoke, pulling Zoldith's sword out of Lyrian's neck as he kicked him down to the side.

With a malicious smile on his face, Arthur threw the sword back to where Zoldith lay, his body looking to be incinerated in some sort of explosion.

Kang looked at Zoldith in pure shock, as he suddenly heard Silas laughing. "It worked..." The young mage whispered under his breath, a smirk on his face as well as he stared at Arthur.

Leon's eyes widened more and more as he realized what was going on, his chest filling up with air. "What did you just say? It worked?" He said, his voice calm but like a volcano about to erupt.

Silas looked back at Leon, "It doesn't matter now, who cares. We won the core."

Hearing this, a tsunami of rage swelled up within Leon, his sword instantly unsheathed as a blazing fury of white burned in his eyes.

Alten too was shocked beyond belief. 'He didn't just eliminate Lyrian... but he... they planned their all along?' He thought to himself, looking to Hugo, Cedric, and Han, who looked to still be in disbelief.

As they saw Alten's furious stare, Han quickly retorted, "Alten... we had no clue." Alten quickly looked back at Arthur and Lyrian.

Pulling Lyrian's sword out, Arthur knelt to retrieve the core. Zoldith was knocked out, there was no one else who was close enough to stop Arthur, "Why get mad... it's just strategy!" He laughed, reaching his hand into the hole that Lyrian's sword left.

.

.

.

'I... I'm still here?' Lyrian suddenly questioned in his mind, 'Im still here.' He then stated to himself. Suddenly a smile stretched across his face, "I'm still here." He declared out loud, freezing Arthur on the spot, as his heart sunk into his chest and his smile turned to a horrified expression.

He quickly dug his hand further into the cavity, confused as to why Lyrian wasn't eliminated yet, but not wanting to risk losing the core.

Lyrain felt an odd feeling around his neck, 'I know I was stabbed here.' He thought to himself, feeling his neck with his hand as he noticed a slimy, sticky substance that was covering the two punctures on both sides of his neck.

'That golden essence stuff... it... held me together?' He questioned, bewildered by what he was feeling.

[The Molten Essense has acted as a replicating agent for your damaged internal neck organs]

ραndαsnοvεl.cοm [The purpose behind the Molten Essense's actions is a survival mechanism]

[If its host is killed, it either has to move to another host, or die]

'...'

[A human is not a suitable host for the Molten Essense, but it has accepted you as its host for now...]

With an astonishing burst of energy, Lyrian propelled himself back onto his feet in the blink of an eye, the sheer force of his movement sending shivers down Arthur's spine. Towering over Arthur, Lyrian's eyes burned with a mixture of determination and revelation.

"I knew you had an odd look to your eyes the moment I saw you," Lyrian declared. He reached out and firmly grasped Arthur's neck, lifting him effortlessly into the air.

Arthur's response was an enraged scream, his expression contorting into a demented and maniacal visage, a stark contrast to his typically composed demeanor. He writhed, breaking Lyrain's grasp as he clutched his neck.

Seeing Arthur in Lyrian's grasp, he quickly attempted to get over there to save him. However, before Silas could even take a step toward them, Leon, quick as lightning, stood before Silas, brandishing his sword.

"Iron Maiden," Leon whispered under his breath, and at that moment, Silas found himself trapped in a whirlwind of slashes that he couldn't evade and was inevitably eliminated.

Amidst the chaos, Lyrian's gaze never wavered from Arthur's bewildered face. There was a method to Lyrian's madness, a purpose that Arthur couldn't grasp.

"From that time you told us about the Earth Guardian, huh... the day before that?" Lyrian's words carried a hint of realization as he probed Arthur's actions, as though searching for a puzzle piece to complete the picture.

Arthur, taken aback, retorted, "Yea!? So what!?" He was genuinely perplexed by Lyrian's line of questioning, unsure of where this was leading.

Unfazed, Lyrian's laughter resonated, almost hauntingly, through the air. "Hahaha!" he chuckled, his laughter both unsettling and triumphant.

Arthur's confusion deepened, his defensive stance growing more pronounced. "What the hell are you doing!? Why are you laughing!?" he demanded, attempting to regain control of the situation.

Lyrian extended his hand as a vibrant green aura began to envelop it. The smile on his face intensified as he delivered a cutting retort, "You planned this for so long, but it all failed in the end. How pathetic. Hahaha!"

The anger that once contorted Arthur's face evaporated, replaced by a bewildered expression. He was completely at a loss, unable to comprehend Lyrian's confidence.

With an air of certainty, Lyrian calmly uttered, "Shock Fist." In an instant, he surged forward, his fist mere inches from Arthur's stomach. The force of the Enhance spell was channeled entirely into his blow, and upon the bone-crunching impact, a deep concave was etched into Arthur's abdomen.

Arthur's eyes rolled back, and a splash of blood escaped his lips. The blow had driven all the air from his lungs, propelling him several feet into the air before he landed, tumbling into a nearby body of water.