Faeloria could tell that Selene was sowhere nearby, yet she couldn't pinpoint her exact location. It was like searching for a pin lost in a haystack, subrged in a pitch-black void where even her sharp elven sight was rendered useless.
The darkness around her felt almost alive, suffocating and pressing in from all sides, as if it were trying to swallow her whole.
'I can't rely on my eyes in this situation,' she realized, shutting them and allowing her other senses to take over, forcing her instincts to guide her.
The vines Faeloria had summoned were already hard at work, thrashing and coiling against the sentient shadows that encroached from every direction, holding the darkness at bay. With her vision shut off, the world opened up in new ways.
Her ears caught the faint rustle of movent, the sound of sothing slicing through the thick air. Her skin prickled with awareness, sensing a gaze that was fixed intently on her, piercing through the surrounding gloom. And then, her sixth sense humd with certainty—Selene was right there, just beyond her reach.
"...!"
Trusting her instincts, Faeloria moved without hesitation, stepping forward and extending her hand into what seed like empty space. To her astonishnt, she didn't grasp air, but the solid form of a wrist. It was Selene. The shock on her face was palpable; Faeloria had found her!
"Now!" Faeloria wasted no ti. As soon as Selene was exposed, the vines obeyed her ntal command, swarming toward her half-sister like ravenous creatures unleashed.
"SCHIED!"
Selene snapped out of her shock, her body reacting with the speed of a seasoned warrior. With a fluid motion, she called upon the power of the Shadow Spirit King, its dark, ethereal form flickering into existence, blocking Faeloria's attack and rendering her vines montarily useless.
"Ugh!" Faeloria grimaced but didn't loosen her grip. Her fingers clamped down tighter, like an alligator's bite, refusing to let Selene break free.
Realizing that escape was futile, Selene countered with a swift, playful chop aid at Faeloria's neck. Though the attack seed harmless, Faeloria sensed the deadly, refined Shadow Elental energy cloaking Selene's palm, turning the gesture into a potentially lethal strike.
*THUD!*
Faeloria reacted instinctively, raising her arm to block the blow before it could land. Her hand caught Selene's chop with a powerful grip, and the two stood locked in place, their arms crossed, neither giving an inch.
*CRACKLE!* *CRACKLE!*
Sparks of energy erupted between them, the sheer force of their clashing powers electrifying the air. Though they were locked in a silent struggle, both knew the real battle had just begun.
Selene wasted no ti, casting spells with lightning speed, channeling the Shadow Spirit King to do her bidding. Each spell was quick and deadly, of the 6th rank or higher, capable of dealing fatal damage if any of them hit their mark.
*BOOM!* *BABABABAM!*
Faeloria responded in kind, her defenses kicking in automatically. She mirrored Selene's spells with precision, countering each one with her own, but with a little more power behind them. The resulting collisions exploded in brilliant bursts, the violent blasts shaking the air as they neutralized each other.
Your journey continues with empire
Explosions rippled through the void, accompanied by wild waves of unstable mana. The sheer force of the blasts should have thrown them apart, yet neither Faeloria nor Selene could afford to move.
It appeared to be a stalemate, but Faeloria knew she held the advantage. Her vines were nearly finished silencing the shadowy mouths that plagued the area. Once free, they would swarm Selene with renewed fury.
Faeloria didn't dare blink, her eyes sharp as she tracked every minute movent Selene made. She could feel victory within reach. And yet, the battle ended in an unexpected twist.
"...!"
In an instant, Faeloria's strength vanished, draining from her body as if the very source of her power had been cut off. It happened so suddenly that she froze, unable to comprehend what was going on.
*BAM!*
Before she could react, Selene capitalized on the mont, her foot driving into Faeloria's stomach with devastating force. The impact sent Faeloria flying, her body crashing into a floating rock hundreds of ters away. Blood spilled from her lips as she fought to stay conscious, her internal injuries severe.
Her vision blurred, though her will remained unbroken. But in the back of her mind, a question burned.
'Could it be?!'
She pieced together what had likely happened, though it seed too impossible to believe. 'Did they destroy the World Tree's Offshoot?!'
The World Tree was supposed to be indestructible, its bark harder than the strongest tals. To damage it was one thing, but to destroy it completely? The thought seed absurd.
"Ehehe~! I'm back~!" A light, teasing voice interrupted her thoughts, and a figure descended from the void. "And I brought a little souvenir~!" the voice chid, holding up a glowing golden apple.
Faeloria's already pale face turned ghostly white. That was Idun's Golden Apple, a fruit only found on Yggdrasil's highest peak. Its presence confird her worst fear—it was she who had severed Faeloria's connection to the World Tree's power!
A frown appeared on Faeloria's face, her already blurry vision growing worse as despair slowly took root in her heart. The crushing weight of defeat settled over her like a suffocating fog.
"You thought you were winning?" Selene's cold voice sliced through the silence, mocking her.
A short while later, Selene approached the downed Faeloria, towering over her with that sa detached, insensitive gaze.
"Too bad, I was a step ahead of you the entire ti," she jeered, grabbing Faeloria by the cuff of her golden armor and hoisting her up effortlessly.
Faeloria barely resisted, her body limp and unresponsive. Her gaze fell on her half-sister's face, a face she hadn't seen in so long, and yet here it was, closer than she'd ever expected. The emotions she had buried deep within her heart began to stir, bubbling up to the surface as hope faded from her soul.
"Awww, is it over on this side too? How disappointing…" A voice chid in from behind Selene, playful and brimming with sadistic glee. Solara, the half-elental woman, peeked from behind, her fiery eyes twinkling with mischief. "I was hoping to make her suffer until she cried tears of blood and ended up dried out like a mummy~!"
Selene barely spared Solara a glance, replying nonchalantly, "There are still two more after her. You can have your fun with them." Her voice dropped, turning deadly serious as she focused on Faeloria again. "But this one… I will take her life myself."
The glint in Selene's eyes had changed—colder, darker, and burning with a deep-rooted loathing. There was no rcy in her gaze, only raw hatred that had been simring for years.
Without uttering a word, Selene raised her hand and conjured a spear made from writhing shadows, a powerful 6th-tier spell. She didn't launch it toward Faeloria, though. Instead, she grasped the spear tightly in her hand, ready to personally deliver the killing blow. She aid the spear directly at Faeloria's heart, her eyes flickering with cold intent.
Faeloria, utterly defeated, didn't move. She couldn't even muster the will to dodge. But as the final mont lood closer, a flicker of doubt crept into her mind. Why wasn't she fighting back? Even in this weakened state, couldn't she at least bring down one of them?
Her gaze shifted, her mind racing for answers. Her eyes landed on Chronalisa, the mysterious figure who hadn't moved a muscle since the battle began. Chronalisa's haunting blue eyes, with their red star-shaped pupils, stared unblinkingly at Faeloria, sending a cold shiver down her spine.
'I was under mind control?!'
The realization hit her hard. She had fallen victim to manipulation, and now it was too late. Selene's spear was only milliseconds away from piercing her heart.
"My minions..."
"...!"
A voice, cold and commanding, echoed through the void, interrupting the fatal mont. Blood-red bats sward toward Selene, rushing at her like a flood of angry insects.
Selene, focused entirely on ending Faeloria's life, was caught off guard. She hesitated for a split second, intending to ignore the interruption, but realized the danger too late. A wall of crimson blood erupted between them, forcing her to retreat as it created an impenetrable barrier.
For the first ti, Selene's cold deanor faltered. Her expression twisted with seething rage. "Who the fuck interrupted ?!" she scread, her voice trembling with fury. "You're asking for death!"
High above them, a figure hovered, cloaked in revealing red garnts that shimred like fresh blood. Her pose was regal, yet her body was battered and bloodied from a recent battle, a deep wound running across her cheek. Despite her injuries, her presence radiated power and authority.
"That should be my line," the newcor, Vanessa Ross, scoffed, her voice dripping with contempt. "How dare you try to kill her? She's my man's side girl—you don't get to take her life without my permission."
"..."
Though Faeloria was grateful for the unexpected rescue, Vanessa's words left her speechless, her exhaustion briefly forgotten. She couldn't help but want to retort, her mind swirling with a mix of disbelief and exasperation.
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