Chapter 268: Fight The World (3)

While Kamille and Rise were on their way to subdue their noble’s army, the war was entering an intense stage.

Over a week since they left, the other side seemed to be getting impatient already. It was just expected, as the commander was unstable, and so it was inevitable that they would immediately go into a final decisive battle.

"Is there still no news from Rise?" Niftan’s exhausted voice rang inside the makeshift meeting room. It was a rare time when he was not fighting on the front lines.

Just a day ago, the other side began their aggressive offensive as though enraged by something. Halwyn had pointed out that Rise and Kamille’s actions might have been noticed by the other party.

Anyone in this room was aware of their plan.

Zarilan gently shook his head; his appearance was no different from others. In just a few days, he seemed to have aged by a decade. It was not only due to exhaustion but also because of constantly exceeding his limit.

Niftan already knew the answer and sighed. He could only look outside at the increasing tension in the camp.

"I hope they return soon." There were unspoken words that were in everyone’s minds. Return before they could not handle it anymore...

This was not an exaggeration. Only an hour later, the sky visibly darkened, and the oppressive malice enveloped the whole world. The next great offensive fully arrived.

The devastating scene, which had countless casualties and corpses, barely recovered and was pushed aside. Some were even ravaged by the subsequent fights; flesh and blood stained the ground.

The aura of death and despair lingered in the air, magnifying the malice that wanted to swallow this ruined world.

The battlefield, which had only started at the periphery of the space fissure, had now expanded to almost every part of the world, leading to the Lionheart Clan City at the center.

It was the only part not ravished by the war. Yet, no one knew how long it would last. The ruined world, which was not far from destruction to begin with, had life in its last breath once more.

As far as anyone could see, there was fighting to the death. Against the frenzied army and the despair, the inhabitants of this world also had no choice but to fight under the influence of the world.

Not far from Lionheart City, a familiar individual had almost entered its vicinity if not for Thalia’s interception.

"You’re here." Thalia’s unfamiliar, cold voice rang, obviously not welcoming the uninvited guests. Her whole demeanor had already changed, and traces of continuous fighting were evident in her form.

Still, her whole aura remained unfathomable and even had a greater edge. The vines and plants around her had shed their usual gentle nature and appeared poisonous and monstrous.

Their thorns had grazed human flesh and were bathed in blood far more than they could count.

Thalia dangerously narrowed her eyes.

"Don’t you think I’ll hold back because of our past acquaintance? This time, if you don’t stop your delusion... I’ll kill you, Mitchel."

The man before her did not even blink or smile, completely different from the Mitchel she knew. His usual gentle and mischievous smile disappeared, and the dark circles under his eyes deepened.

An uncomfortable aura enveloped him, making Thalia frown harder. She vaguely knew that talking with him was not an option at the moment.

While his gaze seemed not the same from the frenzied crowd, it did not look normal either. Thalia braced herself for a critical fight.

"Where’s he?"

After a while, Mitchel only said these two words. Thalia did not answer. She only raised her hand, and the vines became active, swirling around her as the other plants enclosed the vicinity.

Her answer was clear. Mitchel could not pass unless he defeated or killed her. It did not matter what Micthel’s intention was. Thalia was determined to stop him here.

Mitchel’s face visibly twitched, and his eyes quickly turned red from rage. His murderous intent surged, enough to make Thalia uncomfortable.

"So be it. I’ll kill you first and find Rise."

Thalia huffed. "Delusional."

This triggered Mitchel’s nerves again, which were unstable to begin with under influence and also by his own mind. Failure to contain Rise and the rage within himself made the current Mitchel.

Thalia did not wait for him; thorny vines decisively attacked Mitchel. Some came from in front of her while others appeared from the ground behind Mitchel.

They let out a hiss and screech, intending to chain Mitchel’s body. The other was not waiting for death either. His ability, which was more suited to combat, was fully unleashed.

Visible ice flakes materialized in the air before they expanded into ice cubes. With every wave of Mitchel’s hand, ice shards were created, stabbing towards Thalia’s direction.

Thalia instantly created a shield around her, positioning herself inside while continuing her attacks to pressure Mitchel. The environment they were in was difficult for Thalia to completely harness her abilities, but it was harder for Mitchel.

Since there were no bodies of water around, Mitchel could only manipulate the atmosphere to solidify ice, increasing his mana consumption. While it was not usually a problem, against espers, who would get exhausted first and lose.

Still, both were S-class espers and almost on par. Thalia swallowed slightly, eyes glinting against Mitchel, wishing she could skin him alive.

This traitor...

"Do you think what you’re doing will make Rise feel grateful to you? Heh," Thalia smirked, her tone filled with disdain. "No. I’ll tell you what he feels towards you."

Thalia noticed Mitchel’s actions paused slightly. She did not miss it and easily exploited that mistake. Her vines attacked his vulnerable point. Though Mitchel managed to dodge, his left shoulder was still grazed, leaving a wound.

If she could not win through sheer power alone, Thalia would use any means to do so. And between them, the unstable Mitchel had an obvious weak point she could manipulate.

Thalia stared at those detestable, raging pupils.

"He felt disgusted. Rise... loathes you, Mitchel."

Thalia’s tone turned darker, her face showed sincerity. Whether it was truly what Rise felt towards Mitchel was unknown, but at least it was her real feelings.

Whenever she remembered that Rise was almost in danger because of this bastard, she could hardly contain her rage. If not for her remembering in time, she did not know what would have happened.

"You’re lying." Mitchel gritted his teeth and refused to agree with her.

Thalia laughed deviously. The plants around her paused, but only the ground showed signs of activity.

"You know it too. You betrayed him. You deserved to die... Mitchel." Thalia’s words fell as the vines sprouted from around Mitchel, easily enclosing his area.

Of course, trapping him was not easy. But as Thalia assumed, Mitchel was truly unstable, and even the manipulations of that being failed to fully control him. Otherwise, Thalia would not be able to target him psychologically. He would be similar to others, with only one command in his mind.

In a way, it was a blessing in disguise.