Chapter 229: Cursemancer, Absolute Monster
Vale Rae POV
The battle had been raging for what felt like hours.
Vale’s chest rose and fell heavily.
His body was marked with deep cuts and bruises, and several of them carried a faint green shimmer where poison had entered his bloodstream.
The venom was slowing his movements, and though his regeneration fought against it, it wasn’t enough to completely clear it away.
He tightened his grip on his sword and swung hard.
The clash of metal echoed across the broken battlefield, and the force of it made Catherine’s feet skid back across the stone.
She slid several paces before steadying herself.
"Stop hiding! Fight with your real body!" Vale shouted.
His eyes darted around.
He couldn’t understand how Catherine was keeping up with him.
The gulf between them should have been insurmountable.
He was an Apex-rank species, his stats higher by a margin that couldn’t simply be bridged by skill alone.
But somehow, she wasn’t being overwhelmed.
Was she an Apex too?
The thought crawled into his head, and he quickly shut it down.
It was impossible.
Apex rank species were barely alive anymore. Catherine couldn’t be one.
Yet the evidence in front of him made it harder and harder to believe.
That’s not all.
Vale was a Cursemancer.
His strength came from weaving destructive curses into his attacks, poisoning the battlefield, and overwhelming opponents by spreading inevitable doom.
Catherine was an assassin.
Their battle type was skewed.
He was at a disadvantage because she didn’t meet him head-on.
She struck from the shadows, cut into his openings, then vanished before he could counter.
Every time he tried to pin her down, she slipped away like smoke.
It was frustrating.
And it was dangerous.
A sudden sound broke through his thoughts.
Something sharp lashed through the air.
A whip-like blade snapped out of nowhere and wrapped tightly around his neck.
Vale’s eyes widened as the corded steel dug into his flesh.
He grabbed at it instinctively, but the sharp edges bit into his palms.
His vision blurred as the poison in his veins pulsed harder, combining with the strangling force around his throat.
He snarled, summoning a curse into his blade.
The weapon flared with sickly light, ready to carve apart whatever bound him.
But before he could swing, another dagger sliced through the air, catching his wrist and forcing his arm back.
Catherine’s voice whispered too close near his ear.
"You rely too much on curses, Vale."
The words scraped against his pride as much as the whip cut into his neck.
...
Eleanor (Sword Empress/ Vice Headmaster of Sanctum of Masters) POV
Eleanor stood at the cross-section of the roads.
Her hand rested on the hilt of her blade.
The Sword Empress carried herself with calm authority, but her eyes were sharp as they studied the crowd before her.
Opposite her stood representatives from three guilds: Black Wing, Crimson Vault, and Radiant Dawn.
All three were among the top four guilds in strength, and they had fought alongside her against the serpent earlier.
Their members were battered, some with bandages, others still clutching half-healed wounds.
They should have been resting, but an emergency signal had changed that.
The Titan Edge Guild was under attack.
"We need to pass," the Black Wing representative said firmly.
His arm was wrapped in bloody cloth, but his voice was steady. "Our guild received a direct call for aid. If you stand in our way, Sword Empress, it will not end well."
Beside him, the Crimson Vault captain added, "We don’t want conflict with the Sanctum of Masters, but you know as well as I do that alliances require trust. Blocking us here will be seen as a declaration."
The Radiant Dawn leader said nothing, but her narrowed eyes spoke enough.
She gripped her staff tightly, waiting.
Eleanor’s stood firm.
Behind her, Sanctum of Masters guards lined up.
They had drawn their weapons, and their presence made it clear that the order had already been given.
No one was going through.
"You are not permitted to leave," Eleanor said plainly.
The words caused an uproar.
The Black Wing representative stepped forward.
His aura flared.
But Eleanor’s hand moved slightly, and the faint edge of her killing intent leaked into the air.
It was sharp enough to make the pressure dissipate.
"Explain yourself," the Crimson Vault captain demanded. "If the Titan Edge Guild is under attack, why are you stopping us? What could you possibly gain by letting them fall?"
Eleanor did not answer his question.
She met their gazes one by one. Her expression was calm and unyielding.
"The explanation will be given in the morning meeting. Until then, no one is allowed to leave their station. If you wish to go against my orders, be prepared for the consequences."
The silence after that was heavy.
The three guild leaders exchanged looks.
Anger, suspicion, and doubt flashed across their faces, but none of them moved immediately.
They knew who she was.
Sword Empress Eleanor wasn’t someone they could push aside without consequences.
Inside her mind, Eleanor turned over the words of the message she had received earlier.
Hold them back. Don’t let the guilds interfere.
Catherine had explained Isaac’s plan to her before she fought Vale.
Isaac’s plan was reckless.
Titan Edge was strong.
Picking a fight with them directly, in their own stronghold, was the kind of move that could end in disaster.
But Eleanor understood why Catherine let him do that.
The Governor’s forces were due back tomorrow.
And with them would come three SSS-rank awakeners.
If Vale Rae wasn’t captured and interrogated before then, the chance would dimmish greatly.
The Governor’s forces would bury any attempt to uncover the truth.
Today was the only window they had.
’I will stop them here, so don’t lose out there.’
Eleanor hoped her one and only disciple would be safe.
...
Liara’s POV
"Cough! Cough!"
Liara wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand.
The air stung when she breathed in.
Half the guild building had been blown to tatters, and the rest of it groaned as if ready to collapse at any moment.
"Keep attacking!" she shouted, forcing her voice to carry even though her throat burned.
Her unit moved forward, blades and spells cutting across the ruined hall.
It was getting harder to breathe. Not just because of the smoke and dust. The golden flames that spread across the battlefield made the air heavy and hostile.
Every time she inhaled, her lungs felt like they were on fire.
The heat pressed on her chest, draining her strength.
Mana and stamina both bled away far quicker than normal.
"What a monster..." someone muttered behind her.
Liara didn’t know who said it, but she couldn’t disagree.
Her eyes lifted toward the woman at the center of the chaos.
She stood tall. Her entire body was wrapped in golden flames. She looked like a goddess.
But the giant hammer she carried gleamed like a weapon forged to crush armies, and her face... her face was cold, untouched by the fire that raged around her.
The icy expression didn’t match the heat radiating from her at all.
"Vice leader! The mages are running out of steam!" one of her officers shouted. "They can’t cover us for much longer! We need to move back or we’ll be burned alive!"
Liara clenched her jaw and gave a sharp nod. "Got it! Fall back a little. Don’t get caught in her flames."
Her people obeyed, but their grim faces told the story clearly enough.
They were strong. Everyone here had proven themselves countless times. But this woman—Alice—was on another level entirely.
They slashed, burned, and poisoned her over and over again.
And every time, she just healed.
Even curses and crippling debuffs slipped away from her body like water off stone.
What an absolute monster.