"Who are you?" Nox growled, his voice edged with anger as his black eyes burned with annoyance. His HP and Stamina were dangerously low, making it nearly impossible to stay on his feet. His body screamed for rest, but his mind refused to relent, not with a potential enemy in sight.
He staggered slightly, eyeing the red-skinned girl warily. This was the first time he had seen someone with such an appearance, but he wasn't surprised—this was a fantasy world with countless races.
'She's not from the alliance,' Nox thought, narrowing his eyes as a cold glint flashed. He knew the faces of everyone in the alliance, and someone with red skin would certainly stand out. It could only mean one thing... 'Is she here for the crystal as well?'
The red-skinned girl met Nox's gaze, her crimson eyes seeming to pierce through him. Her mouth parted slightly.
"Who am I?" she repeated, her voice smooth but with an underlying edge. "I could ask you the same, boy. But it seems you're in no condition to answer anything... so why don't you follow me quietly, or the hard way?"
Nox frowned, but before he could even respond, the girl's hand shot out with lightning speed, grabbing the hilt of the wrapped blade on her back. In an instant, he felt a sharp pain pierce his chest. He gasped as his strength drained and his HP plummeted rapidly.
Nox stared down in disbelief.
The wrapped sword had punctured his chest, but as he looked at the blade, confusion clouded his mind. There was no blood, no tearing of flesh—just an intense, soul-crushing pain radiating from the point of contact. The girl's blade wasn't physically harming him but seemed to be draining his very essence.
[-20HP]
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"You'll be dead in three minutes," the girl said coldly, drawing out her sword. Blood gushed from Nox's chest, and his vision blurred immediately.
"Let him go!"
An angry voice roared, and a sword flashed behind the red-skinned girl, inches from her neck. But with a simple twirl of her foot, the blade only sliced through the air. Regaining her balance, the red-skinned girl glared at her attacker.
It was a white-haired girl.
A very familiar one.
One she thought she had killed.
"It seems I didn't complete the job the first time, well, I'll just finish it this time." The red-skinned girl sneered and charged forward. Both girls clashed, blades flashing through the air. They moved with bursts of energy, but it was clear the white-haired girl was on the losing end. The red-skinned girl was just too skillful... as if she had been training since birth.
What was even more alarming was that her sword was still wrapped in cloth... she was basically fighting with a handicapped weapon, yet still dominating the fight.
"Wendy?" Nox muttered faintly. To his side, Thirteen and Fluffington rushed out of the frozen cave but halted upon seeing Nox's condition. On the other side, the alliance was also rushing over.
The crystal was just a few inches away from him.
No! He had come too far to let all his hard work go to waste. Though the pain was blinding and made it difficult for him to think, the attention-splitting training with Eve proved useful. "Asta, now!" Nox shouted in his mind.
Immediately, the air rippled as long tentacles burst forth. One wrapped around Nox, another around the shiny blue crystal, and another around Thirteen and Fluffington.
"Foolish girl, you should have stayed hidden. Now you'll die again... this time for good." Before the red-skinned girl could strike Wendy down, one of Astralux's tentacles wrapped around her waist and flung her into the distance, grabbing Wendy.
The tentacles moved with incredible speed, scooping up Nox, Wendy, Thirteen, Fluffington, and the elemental crystal. Astralux, who had been hidden in the sky, had acted just in time.
This was Nox's initial plan from the start!
The red-skinned girl, thrown far into the distance, tumbled across the frozen ground but quickly recovered, her crimson eyes blazing with fury. She was about to give chase but stopped. S~eaʀᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Because the other Awakened had also arrived!
"Where is little bro going? Isn't that the elemental crystal?" Brenda commented, her black eyes confused.
"Can't you see he's escaping with the elemental crystal?" Hex sneered at Brenda's ignorance.
"B-but..." Brenda was at a loss for words. She hadn't expected this from Brutus.
"Hey, isn't he a member of your guild?" Brolly shouted, turning to Reyes. "Is this part of the plan?"
"He is hired," Cormach replied in a daze, struggling to believe they had been deceived. Was his name even Brutus?
"T-this..." Captain Bofan felt a mix of gratitude and betrayal as he stared at the yellow tentacles in the sky. Gratitude for being saved, but now he wondered if the kid had deliberately waited for him to be devoured by the volcano before rescuing him.
Under the glare of the Awakened, the giant creature flew away. Some fired attacks hoping to bring it down, but it was futile as Astralux was high in the air.
"Damn it!" Jack cursed as he watched Nox slowly disappear. His eyes were filled with longing. Among everyone, he believed the elemental crystal was crucial because... his life was on the line.
Failing to return with the crystal meant certain death. How could he return knowing he had failed the mission and would be killed? Jack had been certain he would secure the crystal.
The reason?
It was simple. He planned to use his trump card when everyone fought fiercely for the crystal. However, who would have thought the youngest among them had been scheming all along?
Reyes' fists trembled slightly as realization dawned. 'That wall? The strange distance... this kid.'
He knew there was something suspicious about the wall's length and the distance Nox had mentioned from the start. He had thought the kid was preparing to use destructive skills, not wanting the other members of the alliance to get injured.
'So he was buying time to escape with the crystal?'
Reyes suspected the kid was after the elemental crystals, something he planned to deal with after securing the crystal for his guild.
But...
'He was one step ahead of me.' A flicker of admiration appeared in Reyes' eyes. Yes, he was still angry, but he couldn't help but acknowledge the boy's guts. If they knew the boy was much younger but appeared older due to constant use of Shadow Oblivion, they'd be even more shocked.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the various factions exchanged bittersweet smiles. Their eyes were ablaze with anger, and tension crackled in the air. The first to speak was Brolly.
your-NovelFire-story
The muscular stud glanced at everyone. His usual impulsive demeanor was gone. He spoke with a defeated tone: "Now what?"
This was the question on everyone's mind. With the elemental crystal stolen right under their noses, there was no point in continuing the fight.
"Let me clarify something," the leader of the Silvermist Guild said, staring at the sky. Though Astralux had long vanished, her gaze lingered, her eyes gleaming with obsession. "The kid never stole the elemental crystal. He deserved it... he fought for it. It's just unfortunate that we were pawns in his victory."
Slowly, everyone departed from the ruined landscape that had once been a beautiful frozen forest.
When everyone had left, Brandon emerged from behind a large rock and looked towards the distance where Astralux had flown. He had witnessed everything and recognized the white-haired girl whom Ren had claimed was dead.
From the concern in Wendy's eyes, it was easy for Brandon to deduce her connection to the boy. Those eyes showed too much familiarity, as if the boy was someone very close to her. Brandon had always been adept at spotting when people were hiding something.
"The panda and the cat are his allies?" Brandon muttered to himself, his voice low and calculating. He tucked his hands into his pockets, his green hair swaying in the breeze as he turned his gaze towards the direction where Astralux had flown. "And they're from the Vermilion Kingdom… very good. It seems I have the perfect excuse for the principal."
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