Chapter 85. A Sin’s Retaliation

Chapter 85: 85. A Sin’s Retaliation

The white light of Heaven-Cleaving Arc still lingered in the air when the red Oni’s two severed halves finished falling.

Black blood steamed from the dead split demon across the ground.

The sudden silence that followed the demon’s death rolled outward like a physical wave.

Lust’s pink eyes narrowed.

She had watched the entire exchange from the edge of the circle, and the final slash still did not make sense.

’A D-minus ranker just cut down a C-plus. That technique was not something a D ranker human should be capable of doing. Hmm, it seems he’s hiding more that he shows! Interesting.’

Across the wider field Lily and Lina both felt the same shock.

The flash of pure white force had drawn their attention for only a second, yet that second was enough to register what Kael had done.

The horned general and the scarred warlord used the brief distraction to press harder.

Lily’s staff spun, water lances reforming.

Lina’s spear crackled with mana.

’We need to finish these two quickly,’ Lily thought, eyes sharp.

’If Kael can kill a C-plus while still D-minus, the balance of this battle just changed.’

Lina’s expression was fiercer.

’No more holding back. We have to end it fast or we will lose the advantage of this battle.’

Kael remained on one knee, the mulberry sword tip resting against the dirt.

Every muscle in his arms and shoulders trembled in pain and exhaustion.

The Heaven-Cleaving Arc had taken almost everything he had.

His vision blurred at the edges for a moment before he forced it steady again.

Soft footsteps approached from behind.

Eira reached him.

The residual ashen-violet and midnight-purple still streaked through her hair, though the split of pure white and pure black was already reclaiming most of the length.

She dropped to her knees and wrapped both arms around his neck in a tight, unhesitating hug.

Her body pressed fully against his, soft curves and warm skin molding to him without any of the usual timid restraint.

She kissed his cheek once, lips lingering.

"Dad, what was that move! You were so cool with that sword move."

Her mismatched eyes flicked sideways toward Seraphine, a clear, challenging look that carried none of the shyness old Eira showed.

Seraphine’s grip on her dagger tightened.

The blood she had taken still thrummed under her skin, but the sight of this version of her sister clinging to Kael set her teeth on edge.

"Who are you?" Seraphine demanded, voice sharp.

"My sister Eira is a weak-willed, timid girl who jumps at shadows and barely has any mana of her own. You’re not her. Who the hell are you?"

The girl in Kael’s arms did not let go.

If anything she pressed closer, one thigh sliding deliberately between his as she settled more firmly against him.

The soft grind of her body sent a clear, intentional friction against the front of his trousers.

Kael’s drained body still reacted.

Heat gathered low and fast despite the complete lack of mana left in his channels.

She rested her chin on his shoulder and answered without looking away from Seraphine.

"My name is Aira. Eira is my twin sister which makes us sister. That’s all you need to know, for now."

Kael’s hand rose almost automatically to steady her waist.

The thin fabric of her clothes did nothing to hide the warm, pliant feel of her body.

Every small shift she made rubbed soft breasts and the gentle curve of her lower stomach against him in a way that was far too bold for the Eira he knew.

His cock stirred and began to harden under the deliberate pressure, and Aira clearly felt it.

A small, satisfied sound left her throat as she adjusted her hips again, grinding once more in a slow, purposeful motion.

Seraphine’s crimson eyes narrowed further.

"Get off him, now."

Aira only smiled, the expression carrying the same quiet authority that had radiated from her while the six wings were still present.

"Nope."

----

Deep in the tangled jungle that bordered the western edge of the battlefield, fire and dark light clashed between the trees.

Amber’s blood-red gown was torn at the shoulder, one stocking shredded, a thin line of blood running from the old scar beneath her right eye.

Envy floated several meters away, black battle dress still immaculate, silver and diamond accents catching the scattered light that filtered through the canopy.

A ring of tall, free-standing mirrors surrounded them, each surface reflecting Mira’s body parts where some were distorted.

Envy’s dark eyes narrowed with open irritation.

"You cannot win this fight. Surrender now. I have no interest in putting another scar on that already-marked face of yours."

Amber wiped blood from her cheek with the back of her hand and grinned, sharp and unbothered.

"A scar is just a memory for a warrior.

I’ll be more honored defeating you while carrying the mark of this battle than walking away clean."

She shifted her stance.

The red mana around her fists flared hotter.

’Mira’s body is still locked in those mirrors. I need to free her from the influence of her technique before this goes any longer.’

Amber ignored Envy completely and poured mana into both arms.

Fire and pure force gathered around her knuckles in dense, swirling layers.

Thousand Fists of Sun!

Her hands became a blur.

A continuous barrage of blazing fists exploded outward in every direction, each strike carrying concentrated solar-heat mana.

The air filled with the rapid, overlapping impacts of knuckle against glass.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

Crack!

Crack-crack-crack!

For two full seconds the mirrors were hammered without pause.

Hairline fractures raced across every reflective surface.

On the third second the entire ring shattered at once in a cascading rain of glittering shards.

The moment the last mirror broke, Mira staggered forward from the center of the broken circle.

Blood streaked one temple and the side of her neck, but her hands were already flexing, the stillness effect from the mirror already gone.

The humiliating itch that had tormented her nipples and the sensitive skin between her ass cheeks vanished as if it had never existed.

Power returned to her limbs in a clean, steady rush.

Mira’s brown eyes locked toward the distance.

The usual soft, mature warmth was gone, replaced by cold focus.

She broke into a run, bare feet kicking up leaf litter, mana already gathering around her fists as she closed the distance to join Amber.

Envy’s expression tightened.

The easy arrogance she had carried while the mirrors stood intact thinned into something sharper and more serious.

Amber rolled one shoulder, fire still licking along her knuckles, and settled into place beside the approaching Mira without a word.

The jungle fight had only just begun in earnest.

Envy’s gaze swept over the glittering shards scattered across the leaf litter.

The last of her playful disdain drained away, replaced by cold anger.

"Okay. Enough playing around. You two bitches succeeded in angering me. I guess I should teach you both some lessons to remember not to destroy someone else’s toy."

She raised one index finger.

A black shard of concentrated mana formed at the tip, dense and sharp enough to cut the air itself.

The shard shot forward with a high, thin whistle.

Amber stepped in to meet it, right fist already coated in golden-red fire.

The black shard touched her knuckles and instantly flattened, spreading into a perfect, freestanding mirror no larger than a shield.

Envy’s body blurred and vanished.

In the same instant she stepped out of the newly formed mirror behind Amber and drove a vicious kick into her back.

The impact landed with a heavy thud.

Amber’s heavier frame was lifted clean off the ground and sent tumbling across the jungle floor like a broken doll.

She bounced once, twice, then rolled to a stop against the roots of a thick tree, breath knocked out of her in a sharp gasp.

Pain flared up her spine.

The force behind that single kick told her everything she needed to know.

’She’s stronger than we thought. A lot stronger. We might not be able to beat her head-on.’

While still on the ground Amber’s fingers slipped into the torn edge of her cleavage and pressed a small, hidden device.

The click was soft enough that Envy, already closing in for a follow-up stomp aimed at Amber’s stomach, never noticed.

Mira arrived in that same breath.

She spun the heavy axe in both hands, the blade gathering a tight spiral of wind with every rotation.

Gale Spiral!

A clean, high-pressure wave of wind exploded outward, slicing through underbrush and nullifying the residual mana still clinging to the air around Envy.

The attack was meant to force the Sin backward and give Amber room to recover.

Envy simply raised one hand.

Mirror of Reflection?|

A heavy, freestanding mirror of black glass erupted from the ground directly in the path of the wind.

The Gale Spiral struck the surface and reversed instantly, doubled in power and momentum.

The returning blast slammed into Mira like a solid wall.

She crossed her axe in front of her body just in time, but the force still lifted her off her feet and hurled her backward through a stand of thin trees.

Branches snapped and leaves exploded outward.

Mira hit the ground hard and skidded several meters before stopping.

Amber had already pushed herself up during the exchange.

She came in from Envy’s blind side, both fists blazing.

Golden Fist!

The strike landed against another summoned mirror that Envy raised at the last instant.

The black glass cracked under the impact with a sharp, spider-webbing sound, forcing Envy to take a single, reluctant step backward.

For the first time a flicker of real annoyance crossed the Sin’s face.

Amber’s breathing was already labored.

The continuous output of fire and mana was draining her reserves faster than she could recover.

Sweat mixed with the blood on her cheek. Her arms felt heavy.

Envy, by contrast, still stood with almost casual posture, only the slight scrunch of her brows showing irritation.

She looked at the two women the way a teacher might look at students who had managed to scuff her shoes.

The lesson, it seemed, was only beginning.