Chapter 726 It Ends For You
"Everyone, be careful..." Asher mumbled to the others in a low voice, making them realize something must be off for him to warn them like this.
The moment the world resumed its natural rhythm, Anna didn't hesitate. She lunged forward again, her body a blur, her feet barely touching the ground as she shot towards Hellbringer and his cult members, her movements sharp, fluid, and deadly. But this time, something was different.
Asher, Rebecca, and the others all braced themselves for the onslaught, their eyes narrowing with determination. But as Anna moved, they watched, stunned, as every attack they tried to land seemed to miss by mere inches.
Asher swung his ring blade with precision, but Anna was already gone before the blade even reached its mark. Grace released another volley of vermillion flames, only for Anna to twist and slip through them as if the flames weren't even there.
Each strike, each spell, each move the cult made, Anna countered it with an eerie perfection. She didn't just dodge or block; she seemed to know what they were going to do before they even made the move. It was as if she was predicting their every action in real-time, responding before they even had the chance to execute their attacks.
Asher's mind raced. Is this what Rebecca meant? The thought hit him with sudden clarity. Her ability to predict moves before they happen...
The realization struck him like a lightning bolt, and his frown deepened. It wasn't just speed that Anna had mastered—it was her Mindforce, her ability to read and understand their intentions before they could act. Her every move was calculated, as though she had seen the future and knew exactly how to counter them.
Was this the true power of an Unseen?
But his flames suddenly died out as flesh and skin began to rapidly grow back on his body, "No, fuck!" Asher grunted in frustration as he ran out of mana and realized Anna must have purposefully given him multiple chances to attack her to make him waste his mana. He underestimated the danger of her mindforce abilities.
Anna felt relieved to see that Hellbringer had run out of mana, but she had to keep fighting the others.
As she fought, she was already formulating her strategy. She had fought against many, but this group... This group was different. They were obviously stronger than her when together, more skilled, and working as a coordinated team.
She knew she couldn't take them down head-on. Not yet. She had to break their formation first.
Her eyes flicked briefly to the two healers behind the Huntress. They were the weakest links, the easiest targets in this battle. Take one down, and the rest will falter.
With a burst of speed, she darted towards one of them, her eyes locked onto the healer. Yui gasped in fear upon seeing the Thundering Reaper aiming to attack her.
But before she could strike, Grace's sharp, panicked voice cut through the air.
"No!"
Grace, her body already straining from the earlier attacks, surged forward with what little strength she had left, positioning herself between Anna and Yui. Her silver staff swung down, flames erupting from the vermillion crystal as she attempted to force Anna back.
Anna's frustration flared. She had to end this quickly; she had to take down the Huntress before she could fully intervene.
"Engh!" With a grunt, she retaliated, moving in a blur of speed and power. She struck with a force that was beyond human, her fist connecting with Grace's staff and shattering it.
The silver staff snapped in two, the vermillion crystal shattering into sparks of light that flickered and died.
Grace staggered back, coughing blood, but Anna didn't give her a moment to recover and was ready for a follow-up attack.
Just moments before, Rebecca, who was panting in exhaustion, had her eyes widened upon seeing Grace about to get attacked by Anna and pointed her staff towards Anna, "Don't you dare!" Rebecca lashed out as a beam of blood-red ice shot towards Anna, consuming whatever mana she had left.
Anna's other hand shot out, claws gleaming with dark yellow lightning, aimed directly at the Huntress' chest. It would have been a fatal blow.
But before Anna could strike, she found herself getting slowed down by a layer of blood-red ice.
Yet little did she know that it was not really true. It was as if all those feelings she had suppressed just came flooding back.
Her heart clenched, the guilt and regret threatening to drown her. But there was no turning back now.
Asher stood rooted to the spot, his gaze locked on Emiko's lifeless body. His jaw was clenched so tightly that his teeth ground together, his knuckles white from the sheer force of his fists.
Slowly, he turned his gaze towards Anna, his expression darkening with a quiet, terrifying rage.
"You..." His voice was low, filled with a guttural anger, but it was steady. "You will pay for this."
Anna's attention snapped back to Hellbringer, realizing she couldn't stop now after coming this far and that Cila's life was hanging in the balance.
Her figure blurred again, the dark yellow lightning crackling as she dashed forward, her movements faster than the blink of an eye.
She appeared in front of him, her grip seizing his collar in a single, swift motion. She looked into his eyes, her voice cold as ice as she spoke, "I am sorry. But this ends now."
"No," Asher growled, his cold smile never faltering, "It ends for you. Did you forget the warning I gave you?"
*Booom!*
Before Anna could react, she heard it—a sharp, ear-piercing sound, like air being torn apart. A deafening sonic boom followed, and the ground trembled beneath her feet. The very air itself seemed to split as a figure descended from the sky, landing with the force of a thunderclap. His white cape billowed in the darkened night, his golden armor gleaming as he came to a halt in front of her.
Anna's eyes widened in shock as she looked at him. The realization hit her like a wave. Arthur?
Arthur's face was set in a grim, tense expression as he faced her, his voice filled with unwavering authority, "Let him go right now." Arthur was filled with worry upon seeing Ash in the Thundering Reaper's clutches, making him wonder how he ended up facing her and why the Coven of the Damned cult members were here.
Why was the Huntress with Yui and Emiko? Those two were Amelia and Rachel's friends.
But upon closer look, what shocked him was seeing Emiko's corpse being hugged by Yui.
Did the Thundering Reaper kill Emiko?? It made him clench his fists as he realized another life was lost because he was too late...again!
Anna's heart skipped a beat as she looked at—Arthur—standing between her and Hellbringer, the man she had just been about to take off with.
The weight of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. No... She had not expected him to arrive here, not like this.
She had only a moment to process his words before her body betrayed her. Her hands, trembling, lost their strength, and she unconsciously released Hellbringer's collar. Her figure blurred again, turning into a streak of dark yellow lightning as she disappeared into the night, leaving nothing but the aftermath of destruction in her wake.
"Quick, Arthur!" Asher's voice rang out, his words filled with urgency and anger, "Go after her, and don't let her escape this time! Remember what I taught you."
Arthur didn't hesitate. With a clenched jaw, he shot into the sky, faster than a bolt of lightning, chasing after Anna with every ounce of his strength. This time, he swore to himself to not let her escape.
Asher's gaze returned to the lifeless body of Emiko. His chest tightened, a pain far deeper than any physical wound blooming in his heart. He had seen death countless times, but this... this—this hit him in a different way.
The wound in Emiko's chest was mirrored in his own heart, a chasm of loss he didn't see coming.
He stood there for a long moment, staring at the girl who had given everything for them, her lifeless form a haunting reminder of what was lost.
And with that, the battlefield fell silent again, save for the distant roar of Anna's escape.