Chapter 720 The Woman Behind The Mask

Irina appeared instantly before Eldric.

One moment, she stood on the other side of the shattered force field, and the next, she was close enough to see the fear that had begun to creep into his eyes. Her transformed hand remained enormous, covered in dark fur and tipped with deadly claws, while her glowing brown eyes stared directly into his face. Yet, despite the terrifying appearance she had taken on, there was a soft smile on her lips, and the irritation and fury that had previously consumed her expression had completely disappeared.

She looked almost pleasant.

That was what made the situation so frightening.

Eldric had seen her angry. He had witnessed her cold determination when she refused to return Mira, and he had felt the murderous pressure she released when she discovered what had been done to Liam. But this was different. Irina no longer looked like someone struggling to contain her anger. She looked like someone who had finally found the opportunity to do exactly what she wanted.

And Eldric was standing directly in front of her.

Since Irina was taller than him, she leaned forward slightly, lowering her face until their eyes were nearly level. Her smile widened as she studied his expression, almost as though she were genuinely curious about something he had said earlier. "You were saying something about how you were untouchable, weren’t you?" she asked softly. "I believe you also mentioned that you would always be one step ahead."

Eldric’s lips tightened.

Irina tilted her head, pretending to consider his words. "Well, here I am. Your barrier is gone, your little underground pet has retreated, and I am standing right in front of you. So, tell me, Eldric. What exactly are you going to do now?"

He took two steps backward.

Irina followed him immediately, matching each movement without allowing him to create any meaningful distance between them. The sound of her footsteps echoed through the chamber, accompanied by the faint scraping of her claws against the stone. She made no attempt to attack him yet. There was no need. After everything he had done, she wanted him to understand precisely how helpless he was before she ended his life.

Her gaze briefly shifted toward Liam.

He was still lying where she had left him, his body frighteningly thin and his face almost colorless. Even from this distance, she could see that his chest was rising only faintly. The sight brought a familiar pressure into her chest, and her smile lost some of its warmth.

She had already wasted too much time.

Every second she spent dealing with Eldric was another second Liam remained in danger. She needed to get him out of this place, find a way to stabilize his condition, and make certain the creature had not taken something from him that could never be recovered. She could interrogate Eldric later, provided there was anything left of him after she finished.

For now, she only needed to get close enough to grab him.

Then Eldric smiled.

It was a small movement, barely more than the subtle lifting of the corners of his mouth, but Irina noticed it immediately. Her expression did not change, yet her attention sharpened. She had been watching him closely since she crossed the broken barrier, studying his shoulders, his hands, his breathing, and every shift in his posture. She had expected desperation, perhaps a final attempt to bargain for his life, but she had not expected that smile.

It was the wrong expression for a man who had been cornered.

Irina stopped moving.

Eldric stopped as well.

For several seconds, neither of them said anything. His eyes remained fixed on hers, and his smile slowly widened, revealing none of the panic she had expected to find. Instead, there was a strange satisfaction in his expression, as though he were watching a performance that had unfolded exactly as he had anticipated.

Irina’s instincts stirred.

What else could he possibly have prepared?

She had destroyed his barrier through sheer physical strength, crossed the distance between them, and taken away the advantage he had relied upon to keep her at bay. His creature had been driven underground by her ice, and the man himself had no apparent ability to withstand her in direct combat. Even if he possessed another trick, she could not imagine what would allow him to reverse the situation so easily.

But she had already learned that Eldric was a man who survived by hiding things.

She studied his face more carefully, searching for the smallest indication of an impending attack. Her transformed fingers flexed, and the claws on her right hand shifted slightly as she prepared to move. She was ready to strike the moment he tried anything.

Eldric did not move.

Neither did Irina.

The silence stretched between them until even the faint sounds of the underground creature moving beneath the stone seemed to disappear. Irina’s attention remained entirely focused on Eldric. She watched his eyes, the position of his hands, and the subtle tension around his jaw. Every part of her was prepared to respond.

Then it happened.

A sharp, piercing sound cut through the chamber.

Irina’s eyes widened.

For one incomprehensible moment, she did not understand what had happened. She felt a sudden, brutal pressure in her stomach, followed by an unfamiliar sensation of cold metal pushing through her body. Her breath caught in her throat, and her enormous hand instinctively moved toward her abdomen.

Something had pierced her.

She looked down.

The tip of a sword had emerged from her stomach.

Blood began to flow around the blade, staining her clothes and running down her abdomen in dark, spreading streaks. Her mind struggled to process what she was seeing. She had been watching Eldric so closely that she had not even noticed the attack approaching, yet the weapon had somehow passed through her body from behind.

Someone had stabbed her in the back.

The realization came with a wave of disbelief so powerful that, for a moment, she barely registered the pain. She had expected an attack from Eldric, and she had been ready for him to make a desperate move. She had not expected anyone else to approach her, much less someone who had been standing on her side only moments earlier.

Then the sword’s true effect began to take hold.

Her vision clouded.

The chamber blurred at the edges, and the figures standing before her seemed to shift in and out of focus. A wave of dizziness rolled through her head, making it difficult to keep her balance. The pain spread outward from the wound, sharp and unnatural, as though the blade had left something poisonous inside her. She tried to draw upon her strength, but the effort brought another violent wave of agony that forced a strangled breath from her throat.

This was no ordinary sword.

Whatever it had been designed to do, it was interfering with her ability to respond. Her body, usually so obedient to her will, suddenly felt heavy and unsteady. The ice gathering around her feet began to melt, and the glow in her eyes flickered as she struggled to remain standing.

Irina slowly turned her head.

She needed to see who had done this.

She needed to understand.

When she finally looked over her shoulder, the answer was waiting behind her.

Mira.

For a moment, Irina could only stare.

The woman she had rescued stood directly behind her, both hands wrapped around the sword’s hilt. The frightened expression that had once seemed permanently carved into Mira’s face was gone. There were no trembling lips, no fearful glances, and no desperate attempts to hide behind someone stronger. Instead, Mira wore a smile.

It was a small, satisfied smile, utterly at odds with the helpless woman Irina thought she knew.

Irina’s mind went blank.

Mira?

No. That was impossible.

She had seen the bruises covering Mira’s body. She had witnessed the scars, the way she flinched at sudden movements, and the terror that had filled her eyes whenever Eldric was mentioned. She had personally removed her from that miserable house, carried her through the village, and made certain she was clean, fed, and safe. She had believed every tear, every frightened gesture, every desperate plea.

And now Mira was standing behind her with a sword buried in her stomach.

The woman’s smile widened as she pulled the weapon free.

A wet, sickening sound filled the chamber.

Irina’s knees buckled.

Her enormous hands struck the ground as she collapsed, and the impact sent a fresh burst of pain through her abdomen. She tried to catch herself, but her arms trembled beneath her weight. The transformed claws scraped uselessly against the stone while blood continued to spill from the wound, forming a dark pool beneath her.

Her breathing became ragged.

She wanted to stand. She wanted to turn around and tear Mira apart with her own hands. She wanted to reach Eldric and make him regret every second he had spent believing himself cleverer than everyone else.

But her body refused to obey.

The dizziness intensified, and the chamber seemed to tilt around her. She clenched her teeth, trying to force herself to remain conscious, but the strange effect of the sword was spreading through her faster than she could fight it.

Then she saw Voss.

He was lying several meters away, collapsed on the floor and surrounded by a pool of blood. His Cryovail Veil concealed much of his body, but it could do nothing to hide the dark liquid spreading beneath him. His limbs were motionless, and his masked face was turned slightly toward the ground.

Irina stared at him in horror.

She could not tell whether he was alive or dead.

Mira had done this to him too.

The realization struck Irina with almost as much force as the sword had struck her. Voss had helped her find Liam. He had guided her to the hidden entrance, accompanied her into the underground tunnel, and risked his life to help rescue the man she loved. He had trusted Mira enough to bring her along.

And she had repaid that trust by attacking them both.