Chapter 269: Refine

On the enemy’s side, a much larger space slit appeared. The mana fluctuations it exuded created a storm in the surroundings, giving off an ominous pressure.

It caused the frenzied crowd to suddenly howl and screech, both from pain and pleasure. Their eyes burned fiercely, and the mana within them reached further heights.

They were evolving, becoming harder for the opposite side to fend off. And if that was not a problem already, figures came out of the passage one after the other.

The unique mana around them was too familiar for everyone to be mistaken. It was the nobles. The real nightmare had just begun.

Amidst this, the darkened sky expanded greatly, seemingly planning to swallow the whole sky of this ruined world. The malice gripped everyone’s hearts.

"We’re going all out, huh?" A voice rang, emerging from the passage. His expression was solemn despite the carefree demeanor he otherwise exuded.

[Kill Rise... Kill him...]

A frown quickly appeared on his handsome face. The voice in his ears was annoying. However, he could not stop listening to its orders either.

Tsk. Epsilon’s purple pupils swept around him. The nobles surrounding him had already thinned out, having received orders to fight and hunt Rise.

His eyes drifted off the frenzied crowd for a few fractions of a second before he looked up. In fact, he also knew. He was no better off than them.

The only difference was... he could still think. Epsilon did not know if his situation was better.

Rise... huh? Epsilon thought of that person’s face... which inevitably made him think of another person.

Epsilon’s jaw tightened.

More than Rise, he wanted to kill him even more.

Kamille Han... How dare you humiliate me? You are just like me. We’re all puppets of our destiny. So... why can the two of you resist this, and I can’t?

The hatred in his heart, which seemed only artificially created from the moment he was born, raged. Epsilon finally and truly wanted to kill Rise and Kamille.

On the other side, despair seeped into everyone’s soul. The moment the nobles entered the fray, they knew their chances of winning were nonexistent.

And yet, none ran. It was not like they could. The grasp of the rules within them made them continue fighting with fear in their hearts.

In the moments when everyone thought they would be slaughtered by the nobles, a new space slit appeared. This time, it was on their side.

No one had the time to notice this, but everyone felt it a few minutes later.

Huh? This word flashed in everyone’s mind. The burden of the noble’s appearance in the battlefield seemed to lessen significantly.

No, it was not just seem. It truly was.

Unknowingly, reinforcements arrived.

"Nobles..."

Nobles against nobles. What kind of ridiculous situation was this? And yet they could not think too much as tears flooded the battlefield. No matter what was happening, they could see some hope!

Zarilan was also looking at this scene with a dumbfounded expression, and he almost could not comprehend what was happening, making him dazed.

As a commander, he stood just at the rear, but he was already preparing to enter the battle for the final battle, only to be stopped by the noble’s emergence.

"Are you shocked?"

Zarilan flinched, startled by the sudden voice. He breathed and calmly glanced to his side. A familiar figure suddenly stood beside him.

"Master..." Zarilan’s voice, hoarse from various emotions and exhaustion.

It was Rise who finally came back.

There was a small smile on his lips, but Zarilan could not see the same mischievous expression he usually had. If anything, there was a faint resolve emanating throughout his whole being.

Zarilan found himself unable to speak further.

"Did you regret placing your hopes on me? It still led to this," Rise suddenly asked out of nowhere. His gaze was firmly fixed on the battlefield from every corner of the vicinity.

Zarilan calmed down somewhat for whatever reason. Perhaps Rise’s presence brought it, or that question. Either way, he could finally find his words.

"We’ll still find ourselves in the same situation."

Zarilan knew their reality. Even without Rise or Kamille disrupting the order in their world, it would eventually die out. A slight chuckle erupted before it became louder.

He never felt regret.

A slight chuckle erupted before it became louder. Rise laughed at his answer, and the smile on his lips became a tad more genuine.

"Don’t worry. We’ll win."

Whether both of them believed that words were only known to themselves.

Rise said nothing more as he gazed towards the distance, as though waiting for something. Zarilan had no choice but to do the same thing.

Blood poured, and casualties reached a new peak from either side. However, Rise’s attention was not on that. This was an inevitable sacrifice.

His gaze firmly locked on something else.

The tension rose, but nothing happened for a few minutes. Until a shrill shout echoed in everyone’s mind and through their soul. The battlefield paused for a second; various pained expressions dominated those who had heard it.

Zarilan’s expression twisted as he vomited blood, clutching his head from that terrifying scream that wanted to tear through his soul.

Everyone’s reaction was the same as his, except for the person beside him. Only Rise, who could still smile despite the blood trickling down his lips.

His eyes shone with excitement.

It’s here... Kamille started.

[HOW DARE YOU...]

[GET OUT! STOP!]

The scream continued; it was like music in Rise’s ears. His grin widened, waiting for its next move. Rise had expected something, though. And sure enough, the massive vortex in the sky intensified, but the malice weakened significantly.

Finally, that gaze left. He knew where it went, but he had no intention of stopping it. Rise had a job of his own.

"Go, join the fight, Zarilan," Rise said without looking at him. His figure then flickered and left.

He was off for his own fight.

Rise’s figure then appeared not far from the Zarilan’s mansion. He stood just at the gate, blocking the person wanting to enter.

"We meet again, Epsilon."

Rise’s voice carried an unprecedented calmness. It was different from his usual reaction when he thought of Epsilon, or the last time they met.

The same was true of the person before him. Epsilon, the protagonist... the child of destiny of this world. The two stood on opposite sides, staring at each other.

They were practically strangers, but their enmity against each other was too deep, encompassing countless lives.

The final confrontation was upon them.