Raven wrestled with herself for a moment, the blade in her hand trembling. Her eyes were dark and hollow—something reminiscent of the same ruthless, precise, and lethal Raven from the Dark Continent.
But in just three months, Raven had changed from that person. More so in the past few days spent with Northern, she had grown to find someone she couldn’t defeat—someone she couldn’t reform, someone far stronger than that.
And Raven, in all honesty, was happy with that. She felt truly at peace with herself.
Perhaps that was why she hesitated. Even though the Origin had exploited the self-doubt in her heart to issue a command she must follow—and Raven was bound to that command—she still hesitated somehow.
Terence, struggling from behind, saw this and winced painfully. Her resistance surged, and Ul’s hand refused to move an inch forward.
The Origin snarled.
"You vermin! What are you doing? Submit yourself this instant!"
"No! I will not let you kill my friends! I don’t care if you can strip away my will, crush my body, do anything you want because I am a priestess for your purpose—but you will not touch my friends! I will revolt!"
It was strange—same voice, same mouth, same person, arguing with herself. But the voice was different, and in that moment, it jolted Raven awake.
She drove the blade into the ground, quickly touching her neck to wipe away a line of blood.
Raven stared down, horrified.
’I was completely out of it for a moment. And then... the voice that speaks whenever I slay monsters or advance in soul rank commanded me to...’
Raven raised her eyes, realization dawning.
Ul still trembled, unable to move because Terence resisted her with an iron will.
Raven suddenly understood.
"We must do something to—"
"HOW DARE YOU?!"
Raven’s eyes widened. She threw herself aside as Jeci, with her scream and her spear, descended like a hurricane.
Her spear whirled through the air, transforming into several strikes embedded in one. But Lynus intercepted, extending his wing and driving it into the ground to block the attack, shielding himself and Ul.
Jeci landed and spun her spear, resting it on her shoulder and fixing Lynus with a grim stare.
"What are you doing?"
"Are you a fool? If you attack her, you’ll destroy the human!"
Jeci tilted her head, that same grimness intact.
"Do I look like I care?"
Lynus frowned.
"You might not, but he does. They are part of the reason he’s fighting so hard now. If you kill her, do you think you’ll get a ’well done’ from him? Or will you simply fall from his grace?"
Jeci looked down for a moment, muttering slowly.
"I do not wish to... fall from grace."
Lynus sighed, then glanced back at Ul.
"Then we have to separate Ul from the woman. At least that would guarantee her safety."
Jeci looked at Lynus, then at Ul behind him. She drove her spear into the ground, leaving it standing.
Meanwhile, Thalen, who was holding Eli in place, looked at him, hoping the Paragon had also snapped out of it.
Eli had been still since he’d restrained him—no movement whatsoever—but somehow he was having a bad premonition.
Raven looked around. The landscape was barren, night had fallen, and the winds were growing colder. As a Paragon, she held a degree of resistance to the cold.
But she had seen how savage the weather conditions of the Dark Continent could be. Moreover, in the next few hours, it would be the last day of the year.
She hadn’t expected to spend the year’s end warding off invaders.
It was an unfortunate event... for them all and for this world.
But things seemed to have progressed. Everyone had regained a sense of self. All they needed to do was knock Terence unconscious so they could focus less on her and find a way to help Northern.
The constant rumbling from afar and the subtle trembling of the land made her uneasy and worried about Northern.
However, in a moment, she sighed.
’What position am I in to be worrying about him?’
Northern didn’t need her useless worry right now. What he needed was whatever contribution she could make.
She straightened and yanked her sword from the ground, fixing Terence with a stern look.
"We have to knock her out."
Lynus and Jeci turned to the priestess, Raven’s words cutting through the chaos.
Meanwhile, Ul, still wrestling with Terence’s iron will, began to sweat from one side of her face.
She was visibly panicking. The humans she faced—especially the black-haired girl—were unusual. Then there was the lady with short hair and dark eyes. She looked unhinged.
Ul was confused. Confused as to why her command wasn’t working on those two. What made them so special?
Her voice, the guidance Drifters had heard since the day they awakened, had become ingrained in their thoughts. She doubted anyone in this cubicle of a world could disobey her.
Because her voice had *become* their thoughts. What she commanded felt like their own convictions.
She could guess why the black-haired girl resisted. Aside from being a defect, the priestess’s resistance seemed to be stirring something emotional.
Humans were irritating—they responded fiercely to sentimentalism and emotions. Ul could never understand it. But she wouldn’t underestimate it.
She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Then there was the elf.
She clicked her teeth in annoyance, realizing this was the worst combination of people she could encounter. She despised struggling this much against humans who were like parasitic bugs.
Her younger brother would be laughing if he could see her now.
’That scornful Eki... I need to turn the tides.’
Ul turned her head and saw Thalen still restraining Eli. Then she realized something.
’That one is a Paragon. He’s the only normal one of them all! The closer you are to the peak, the harder it is to resist my voice. This girl leaves a bad taste in my mouth—despite being a Paragon, she resisted. But this one is normal. If I focus on him alone, it should be possible.’
Ul whirled back.
"Child! Sacrifice yourself, save your world. Give me your core!"
Thalen trembled as he felt fierce resistance from Eli. He glared at Ul.
"You are a shameless woman. You are the vermin among us all!"
He shouted before Eli slammed his legs into the ground, generating a shockwave that sent Thalen hurtling through the air.
Eli drove his sharp talons toward his belly, but before they could pierce, his forearm went flying into the air—Raven appearing before him.
His eyes darkened with fury, a rod materializing in his hand.
’When did he...’
Raven had no time to recover when the rod slammed down. She redirected her sword and blocked the strike.
But the ground suffered. A shockwave erupted outward, webbed cracks shattering the stones instantly.
Eli’s amber eyes blazed with cold malice as he whirled the black rod through the air, bringing it down on her again immediately.