Chapter 384: The Deciding Night [Part 7]
She knew the fight from the beginning was not supposed to be what it was now.
Her anger, however justified, led her right into a trap, not to speak of the fact that she was not seeing Northern right now.
Had all that she had come to do here be to die? Should she just give up like that?
They were outnumbered, outgunned, and now divided.
Victory, which had seemed so close mere moments ago, was slipping away like sand through her fingers.
But as she looked up at the balcony where Braham and Zephyr stood, smugness radiating from every pore, something hardened inside her.
'Nah, I can't let it end like this... I can't'
"What? Finally feeling like giving up," Shade said to Annette as he walked around her.
Silence locked her lips, after a few seconds, Annette opened her mouth.
"I have no words for you. Quite disappointing though, you know, the only reason I stayed ten years as a Master was not because I hit a wall. In fact, I had a very great foundation, I could become an academy instructor if I wanted. But after discovering the cruelty of the powers Ul has given me, I wanted to fight what was supposedly to be my fate."
She looked up, her expression carrying regret.
'I don't know if Rughsbourgh knew and used Gilbert to push me in here too... I wonder just how many birds that bastard killed with one stone.'
She sighed and brought her head down.
"Young man Shade, say your last prayers and come at me. I will take you seriously from now on."
Shade frowned slightly.
Noticing his expression, Annette raised her brows, "Oh, you didn't know? I have been fighting you by augmenting my body with soul essence, I intend to use my abilities right now."
Shade narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
Annette raised her head up, determination radiating in her eye, she removed the eyepatch on the other hand.
Instantly, a single plume of flame ignited from its hollow depth and began to subtly dance. Whoosh!
An outrageous release of inferno roared to life, a maelstrom of crimson and gold that devoured everything in its path.
Shade's eyes widened in shock as the wall of flames surged towards him, the very air shimmering with heat.
He leapt backward, narrowly avoiding the initial blast.
The drifters around them weren't so lucky.
Their screams were cut short as they were reduced to ash in an instant, their armor melting like candle wax.
Annette stood at the center of the firestorm, her vermillion eyes glowing with an otherworldly light.
The flames danced around her, caressing her skin and peeling it but she didn't seem to care about it.
She took a step forward, and the ground beneath her feet cracked and bubbled.
"This," she said, her voice carrying over the roar of the fire, "is what I've been holding back." She paused and continued, "And it's not because I was keeping a trump card... It hurts me as much as it hurts everyone around, I just have a little tolerance."
She looked at her body, "I do have scars to show for it."
Shade gritted his teeth, purple energy crackling around his fists.
"Doesn't matter, I'm just gonna destroy you either way."
He charged forward, hoping to close the distance before Annette could unleash another blast.
But Annette was ready for him. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a whip of fire lashing out.
Shade ducked under it, feeling the heat singe his hair. He rolled to the side, only to find another tendril of flame waiting for him.
It was like fighting a hydra made of fire.
Every time he dodged one attack, two more were there to take its place.
The air grew thick with smoke and ash, making it hard to breathe, hard to see.
From the balcony, Zephyr watched with growing concern.
This wasn't part of the plan. He turned to Braham, his voice tight with urgency. "Did you know about her ability? I thought you said all she could do was control an invisible force."
"I swear, that was exactly what it was, throughout all our raids together, that's what I saw," Braham stuttered.
"Shut up please. There's a high chance, all she has been using all those times is spiritual release."
Braham knitted his brows,
"Spiritual release is just like a bluff of power. It's a pretense to cut..."
"That has been what its purpose served. But it wouldn't be strange if she had somehow managed to master that bluff and come to an epiphany of how to manifest true spiritual release. And for a mage class, it would be very doable."
He frowned and hit the balcony.
"Dammit."
Zephyr turned his eyes to Braham.
"You better go down there to find a way to deal with this."
Braham looked at him with wavering eyes, "What do you mean? I can't go down there. Aside from the fact that she is a rank higher than me, she is the worst match-up against my abilities. Vines and branches are definitely not going to win against flames. Or do you want me to die before I can prove to be the asset I am to you guys?"
Zephyr inhaled deeply and exhaled then keenly overwatched the battlefield.
"Then you better pray that just three people don't decimate an army of three hundred and fifty people. Else, proving an asset will be the least of your worries."
Braham paused, eyes drifting to the battlefield.
"Wait, I am going to go down. I might not be able to deal with Annette but I can deal with either of the remaining two, prove to you that I am no slouch. Most especially since your comrade looks like she needs the help."
Braham was right, even though the lady had ganged up on Jeci with several other drifters
around, she looked like she was struggling.
Zephyr looked at their side of the battle before he said,
"Kill the boy first."
Braham grinned, "Easy peasy."
He leaped over the balcony and landed with a catlike grace, then darted forward, vines growing rapidly out of the ground and twisting together as he approached Ellis from behind.