Clarissa and Emma moved swiftly, their footsteps barely making a sound across the dusty ground.
"We're almost there," Emma said, her voice low but firm.
But just as the words left her lips—
Whoosh!
An attack came from behind.
Dark energy sliced through the air toward them.
Suddenly, a pulse of shadowy energy erupted around the two girls, absorbing the blow. Julian's protective skill had activated, his shadow barrier. The wave of force dissipated in the air like smoke.
A click of someone's tongue echoed behind them.
"Tch. The shadow blocked it," said a female voice laced with arrogance.
From the shadows stepped a figure, Veronica. Her narrowed eyes glinted with irritation.
"You're too hasty," came another voice. A man with calm eyes and a soft demeanor emerged beside her.
"Shut it, Gary," Veronica snapped, not even glancing his way.
Gary scratched the back of his head and gave a sheepish smile. "Right, right…"
Clarissa and Emma had already taken battle stances, their instincts kicking in.
Emma narrowed her eyes. "We let our guard down…"
Gary held up both hands in a peaceful gesture. "Before this gets ugly, can I ask… how's Julian doing?"
Clarissa tilted her head slightly, her tone cautious but gentle. "You know Julian?"
But Veronica cut in with a scoff. "Amazing you're still alive after being bitten by zombies, little miss miracle."
Gary sighed again. "Veronica, can you not—"
"Don't tell me what to do," she snapped, turning her glare back on the two girls.
Clarissa and Emma exchanged a look.
"This feels like a trap," Clarissa murmured.
Veronica smirked. "Smart. But not smart enough. You two really were stupid enough to come here, and leave Julian all alone."
Emma frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Veronica's grin widened. "Julian's facing off against three skill users as we speak."
"Three?!" Clarissa and Emma exclaimed at once, eyes wide in shock.
"Ah, that's the look I wanted," Veronica chuckled. "He's probably dead by now."
Clarissa's eyes burned with defiance. "No. Julian won't die that easily."
Emma nodded. "Right. We trust him, and now, we're going to shut you two down."
Flames burst to life around Emma as her Pyrokinesis ignited, casting an orange glow across her determined face. Clarissa's eyes shimmered, and objects around her trembled in the air as her Telekinesis surged to life.
"Let's go," Clarissa muttered, her voice steady.
Veronica growled, clearly irritated by their confidence. "Tch. Gary, deal with these two pests."
Gary sighed once more, stepping forward. "Yeah, yeah… I'm on it."
Behind him, a glowing arc of energy formed, his Energy arrow materializing from thin air.
The fight was about to begin.
------×------
Ryan's rage boiled over.
With a furious scream, his dark tentacles shot toward Julian like whips of chaos, thrashing through the air.
Julian moved swiftly, cradling Aya in his arms as he stepped into the shadows and vanished, reappearing a few meters away, effortlessly dodging the assault. The movement was smooth, practiced… almost casual.
Aya gasped softly, startled by the sudden motion and even more by their proximity. Her face flushed, and a strange, flustered noise escaped her lips, but she said nothing, just gripped Julian's clothes tightly, her heart pounding.
"Stop dodging and fight me, damn you!" Ryan bellowed.
Julian didn't reply. His eyes narrowed slightly as he exhaled, calm and focused.
Another tentacle shot toward him, this time faster.
Julian sidestepped, his blade slicing upward in one clean motion. Slash! One of the tentacles fell, twitching on the ground.
Without wasting time, his shadow surged forward like a black wave, slicing through several more of Ryan's writhing limbs.
Ryan screamed in pain, stumbling back. "You—!"
Clutching his shoulder, he snarled and turned to Aya. "You useless girl! Get over here and make me a weapon!"
But Aya stayed silent, trembling in Julian's arms. She couldn't bring herself to meet Ryan's eyes.
Ryan's face twisted with fury. "Tch! Worthless!"
He roared, summoning another barrage of tentacles, each one crackling with raw, unstable power.
Julian shifted his weight, his tone analytical. "Your skill… it's sloppy. Overwhelming, yes, but every time those tentacles get injured, you feel it too."
Ryan's eyes widened slightly.
Julian continued coldly, "You're not just unstable… you're vulnerable."
Julian raised his blade, shadows coiling around his arm. "Let's end this."
He dashed forward, his sword enveloped in swirling darkness. Just as he brought down his final strike—
Clang!
A heavy force collided with his blade, stopping it mid-air.
Julian's eyes flicked up.
A new figure had stepped between them.
Erwin.
"Well, well… it's been a while, Julian," he said with a smirk. "You've grown strong."
Julian's expression darkened. "Erwin."
Without warning, Erwin drove his fist into Julian's chest. The impact sent Julian flying backward into a stone wall, the shockwave cracking the surface. He shielded Aya with his shadow mid-air, cushioning her from the blow.
Julian grunted as he hit the ground but quickly rose to his feet, his breathing heavy.
This wasn't good.
His mind raced. I'm outnumbered…This situation is bad.
Erwin stepped forward casually, eyes gleaming. "I bet you're wondering why I'm here, aren't you?"
Julian said nothing.
"Well, your little plan… didn't go as secretly as you hoped. I knew everything from the start."
Erwin chuckled and continued, "Right now, my two best skill users are hunting your girls. I'm sure you're starting to worry."
Suddenly, Julian's shadow pulsed unnaturally, Then recoiled.
No… he realized. The connection... it's disrupted.
He had miscalculated.
Erwin gave a dramatic sigh. "So, Julian... how about it? Give up and Join me. With your power and mine, this world could be ours."
Julian spat blood and looked up coldly. "I'd rather die."
Erwin's smile widened into a grin. "Shame. Then I suppose I'll have my fun with your women while you watch helplessly."
Julian's gaze sharpened, his aura darkening like a storm.
"You're already dead, Erwin."
Erwin laughed. "Try me."
-------×-------
Energy bolts tore through the air as Clarissa and Emma dove to the side, barely avoiding Gary's sudden ranged attack. The crackling arcs slammed into the ground behind them, leaving smoldering impact craters.
Both girls stood up quickly, back-to-back, eyes sharp.
"He's stronger than he looks," Emma muttered, flames already flickering around her hands.
Clarissa nodded, her eyes darting between the two enemies. "We don't know the full extent of their skills yet. Stay sharp."
Across the field, Veronica flipped her hair dramatically and gave them a smirk full of mockery.
"What's the matter?" she taunted. "Afraid to attack? Or are you just waiting to be beaten?"
She raised her hand, golden runes glowing along her arms as her body pulsed with light.
"Fine, I'll go first then. Let's begin the fun."
[Skill Activated: Enchanters]
Her body surged with magical buffs, speed, strength, reflexes, stacking in glowing layers. The air around her shimmered with power.
Gary, who had been watching warily, frowned. "Veronica… don't lose focus. They're not weak."
"Mind your own business," she snapped. "Just support me like you're supposed to."
Gary sighed, already forming another energy arrow. "Tch… arrogant as always."
But this time, as he aimed, he muttered under his breath, "My skill needs recharging... either one of them better lie soon."
[Skill: Lie Eater]
Gary's true power fed off lies, when someone told a lie near him, it became fuel for his attacks. But without deception, he was nothing more than a basic energy archer.
Veronica glanced back with irritation. "Your skill's annoying. Just eat one of their lies already."
"Then provoke one," he said.
Veronica grinned. "Gladly."
She darted forward toward Clarissa and Emma in a blur of buffed speed, feinting a punch but twisting midair. "So tell me… are you two really strong enough to protect Julian?"
Clarissa narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Emma, however, snapped back, "Of course we are! He trusts us!"
A faint glow shimmered near Gary's hand.
He grinned. That's a lie.
More energy flooded into his weapon as the arrow doubled in size and brightness.
He fired.
Clarissa jumped in front of Emma, activating her Telekinetic Barrier just in time. The energy arrow crashed against the shimmering blue wall, but even then, it cracked violently, forcing Clarissa back a few steps.
"You okay?" she asked Emma quickly.
Emma nodded, more embarrassed than hurt. "Yeah. Sorry…"
"They're baiting us," Clarissa whispered. "His arrows are powered by lies. Every time we say something untrue, he gets stronger."
Emma's eyes widened in realization. "That's how he recharged so fast…"
"Exactly. From now on, say nothing unless you're sure. Follow my lead."
The tide turned.
Clarissa, now analyzing their enemy's patterns, began using her telekinesis not only for defense but to manipulate Veronica's footing, throwing loose rocks, shifting terrain, distorting angles. At the same time, Emma used smaller controlled bursts of flame to push Veronica's movement and force her into Clarissa's traps.
Gary tried to help, but with no new lies to fuel his power, his arrows weakened.
Finally, Clarissa used a shadow feint, distracting Veronica for just a second, enough time for Emma to unleash a high-speed spiral of fire that struck directly into her opponent's side.
Veronica screamed as the fire exploded and sent her flying into a nearby wall.
Gary stepped forward to protect her, but Clarissa had already calculated his movement. A piece of rubble launched by her telekinesis struck his knee, staggering him. Emma's flames followed instantly, knocking him down beside Veronica.
The fight was over.
Veronica lay panting, her pride shattered. "This… this isn't over…"
Her body began to glow ominously, red symbols appeared across her skin, pulsing violently.
Clarissa gasped. "She's activating something—!"
"Self-destruction spell!" Gary shouted, his eyes wide. "She's going to take all of us down with her!"
Emma tried to intervene, but it was too late, energy was already surging out of Veronica's core.
Gary looked at her, a flicker of sadness in his eyes.
"Damn it, Veronica… you never change."
He stepped forward, placing his hand on her shoulder.
[Skill Activated: Lie Eater – Final Consumption]
A sphere of dark energy formed between them, absorbing the unstable magic. But Gary's body began to crack as if made of glass. His veins glowed, and pain etched across his face.
"Gary, what are you doing?!" Clarissa shouted.
He looked back at them, his voice strained but calm.
"…Tell Julian I'm sorry. And if he's planning revenge… make him wait."
He grinned faintly, blood trickling from his lips.
"Tell him… I'll be waiting in hell."
A final pulse of energy rippled outward—
And then silence.
Gary collapsed to the ground, his body lifeless.
The deadly aura vanished. The explosion had been averted.
Clarissa and Emma stood frozen, breathing heavily, stunned by the sacrifice.