Chapter 688 Too Persistent For Your Own Good
A few minutes earlier, the wind swirled around the rocky outcrop, carrying a tension that could slice the air itself. Rebecca stood tall, her posture exuding confidence as she slowly pulled back her hood, revealing her striking black mask that covered the upper half of her face. Only her dark red eyes, cold and chilling, glinted through the slits of the mask, capturing the world around her with a chilling gaze.
Her armor was a dark and seductive masterpiece, tight and spiked, aggressively accentuating her voluptuous curves. The deep cleavage that her armor revealed inspired both desire and fear in equal measure. She looked like a creature born from the shadows—dangerous, elegant, and dark.
With a casual flick of her wrist, a staff materialized in her hand, as dark as the void of space itself. The icy blue gem set into its top gleamed menacingly, reflecting the lethal intent in her eyes.
"Let's finish what we started," Rebecca said with a cold smile, her voice dripping with malice as she pointed the staff toward Anna.
Anna, standing a few paces away, remained eerily calm. Her posture was relaxed, but her eyes were locked on the Bloodice Mistress with an unsettling intensity.
For a brief moment, she seemed lost in thought, her gaze almost distant, as if calculating something.
Rebecca's frown deepened as an eerie sense of danger crawled down her spine, causing her to grip her staff tighter, "What are you doing? Stop staring and come at me, bitch," she hissed, her voice growing impatient.
That was the last thing she said before Anna's eyes flashed with a dangerous, electric light. In an instant, Anna's form blurred, turning into a streak of dark yellow lightning. She zoomed toward the Bloodice Mistress, moving faster than a heartbeat.
Rebecca's instincts kicked in, and she spun her staff in a wide arc, summoning a barrier of darkness laced with shards of ice to block the incoming attack. But it was already too late. The Thundering Reaper's speed was beyond anything Rebecca had faced before.
Anna appeared at her side, her hand crackling with the raw power of lightning. She slammed it into Rebecca's ribs, sending a pulse of energy surging through her armor. Rebecca's barrier shattered like glass, and the force of the blow sent her skidding back several feet.
Rebecca gritted her teeth, anger flaring in her eyes as she steadied herself. Blood magic coursed through her veins, and she retaliated with a flurry of sharp, blood-red spikes erupting from the ground, aiming to ensnare the Thundering Reaper.
But Anna wasn't there anymore—she had vanished again, her form a blur of yellow light zipping around the battlefield.
"Damn you!" Rebecca snarled, summoning tendrils of shadow and frost to bind the air, trying to catch Anna's movements. Her mind raced, trying to adapt to the situation. Every time she anticipated the Thundering Reaper's next move, the lightning blur changed direction, making it impossible to pin her down.
Anna's voice echoed from all directions, taunting and emotionless, "You're predictable."
"You're too persistent for your own good" Anna muttered under her breath, impressed yet irritated by her adversary's stubbornness. Her hand crackled with dark yellow lightning as she raised it, ready to deal the final blow, ensuring she wouldn't get up again.
But just as Anna prepared to strike, her eyes narrowed, her senses flaring. She felt something—a disturbance in the sky above her. Instinctively, she turned and looked up. Her sharp eyes caught the speeding figure of a man in gleaming golden armor, draped in a white cape that fluttered behind him like a banner of light. He was shooting toward her with alarming speed, his aura radiating power and authority.
Arthur?
Anna's heart thudded against her chest, her breath catching for a moment. Of all people, she hadn't expected him to show up here. She'd kept her presence hidden for so long, and yet, here he was, drawn to the commotion of her battle like a beacon. Why here? Why now?
But there was no time to linger on those thoughts. She couldn't afford to face him. Not now. With a brief glance at the Bloodice Mistress' collapsed form, she shot off into the horizon, her body disappearing into a blur of dark yellow lightning.
Just a few moments before, Arthur had been scanning the desert from high above, his eyes wide with shock when he recognized the figures below. The Thundering Reaper? His mind raced, trying to make sense of it. And there, not far from where the battle had taken place, was the infamous Bloodice Mistress, collapsed on the ground. Why would Hellbringer's lackey be engaged in a fight with the Thundering Reaper in the middle of nowhere and near where he was? he wondered, his confusion growing with each second.
But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Thundering Reaper—the very enemy responsible for countless deaths—fleeing at incredible speed. A moment of hesitation gripped him. Capturing the Bloodice Mistress would be easy in her current state, but letting the Thundering Reaper escape... No. The decision formed in his mind like a flash of light as he knew he had to go after the more dangerous and evil one.
With a determined expression, Arthur activated Lightweaver's Ascension. His entire body began to glow in a radiant white, the powerful aura of light surrounding him as his speed increased rapidly. Shockwaves rippled through the air behind him as he shot forward, hot on Anna's trail.
Anna was speeding across the land at a speed that defied description, covering hundreds of miles in mere seconds. Her heart pounded not from the exertion but from something far more unsettling—fear. The fear she had never wanted to acknowledge, the fear of being chased by someone she couldn't face. Arthur.
She could feel his powerful aura in the distance, growing closer. Despite the vast distance she had put between them, he wasn't losing her trail. In fact, he seemed to be somehow still on her.
How...? Anna's thoughts raced. She'd never felt such pressure before. How could he be tracking her so relentlessly? Had he followed her like this during her battle with Hellbringer and his cult? Was this how he had managed to hunt her down so quickly?
There was no time for answers. She knew she couldn't afford to fight him. She had to disappear.
Without any other choice, Anna steered her lightning-fast trajectory toward Germany. The sprawling city skyline appeared in the distance, and in the blink of an eye, she darted into its heart. She moved with the precision of lightning, weaving through buildings and streets before finally slipping into the bustling anonymity of the city.
Arthur's eyes narrowed as he followed the disturbances in the air left behind by the Thundering Reaper's flight. His heart sank when he realized where he was heading. The city below him—Germany, the very place where his Anna was living.
He hovered above the skyline, his eyes scanning the streets. What is she planning? His thoughts raced with worry. The Thundering Reaper had been responsible for thousands of deaths.
Was she here to kill again?