1154 Devil
The name of her race was forgotten by the common people after they nearly went extinct in the previous war. Now, some call them shadow people, and others refer to them as ghosts.
But they liked to call themselves reapers—the ones who came without notice and permission and took your life away.
Of the three rank 4s present, neither the veteran Prime Minister who lived for more than four centuries nor the fierce and sharp Great Admiral known for his talent detected Akira when she appeared behind Varian.
They couldn't see her, much less sense her.
The bald man who was at the peak of rank 4 naturally had stronger senses and only he got a hint of her arrival. But he made no movements and didn't alert anyone.
"I…" Varian raised his sword to strike the bald slave again but his scalp went numb and his spirit shuddered. His body's instincts didn't indicate anything was wrong but his soul screamed at him.
His instincts never clashed but when it first happened. Usually, Varian would've preferred his body's instincts. But he just returned from the edge of death and learned a bitter lesson.
So, he took a safer path even if it'd mean temporarily giving up his offensive.
With a swift kick to the ground, he jumped away and landed on the translucent barrier under which the Duke and Lord fought.
Varian looked around with vigilance. His body remained completely normal and indicated no danger. But his mind continued to warn him.
It was creepy to search for the invisible enemy. He felt like a child searching for a ghost. He'd be damned if he didn't find it but he'd also be damned if he did.
'Only Akira is missing. She's the Chief of Intelligence. This ghost is her.' Varian's eyes narrowed and he held his breath.
All his senses failed to discover any trace of presence around him. But who knew if that woman was just behind him, grinning widely, ready to stab him any moment?
…He did guess a bit too accurately.
Akira stood right behind him, her long nails inches away from his neck. She was waiting for him to drop his guard so that she could deal him a full blow, instantly killing him and eliminating the only variable on this battlefield.
But to Akira's frustration, Varian's patience was abnormally high. Anyone who had been through such incidents could tell that you couldn't remain ultra-alert for too long. Even if your physique supports it, it's just too taxing on your spirit.
Even with decades of experience in the field, Akira couldn't remain that alert for long.
'Is he very old? But the life strand in him sensed that he was young, incredibly young, not even a hundred years. But that's just absurd. A rank 3 who isn't three digits yet? Even for a big duchy, that's a tough achievement.'
As Akira's mind swirled with thoughts, Varian's tense nerves inevitably relaxed. The grip on his sword loosened just a tad and his shoulders drooped almost unnoticeably.
'Now!'
Akira's sharp nails enveloped by the aura glowed as if they were surrounded by ghostly fires and reached the back of Varian's neck.
'You're dead.'
As her nails cut through Varian's skin and droplets of blood splashed out in Akira's heightened perception of time, she finally smiled.
'It's done.'
Her shoulders dropped slightly, her gaze dropped lightly, her muscles relaxed a bit and her tense mind finally sighed in relief.
It was exactly the same 'moment of relief' that she aimed Varian at.
Ssssss!
The wind whistled and a red blade sliced through Varian's chest and stabbed Akira right in the heart.
A sharp wound opened up on Varian's chest and blood spilled out like a fountain. But behind him, Akira gazed at the sword lodging in her heart with shock.
Her nails were halfway through slicing Varian's neck and were already drenched in his flesh and blood. She had reached his throat bones. Just a bit more and she'd tear his skull off his torso.
But the sword in her heart turned that simple step into a moat she could never cross.
Like a demonic child suckling a mother to its death, the demon sword drank blood right from her heart.
Even a destroyed heart couldn't easily kill a rank 4 Adept or Forcender. But when their vitality was sucked out, they'd fall just like everyone else.
"You…what the hell are you…" Akira collapsed onto her knees as her body shriveled like a dried-up fruit.
The blood from Varian's sharp wound splashed on her face. Even with her failing vision, she could see the risk he took by driving that sword through himself to strike her. The wound tore open right next to his heart.
His move was reckless and bold. Clever and cunning.
"You wanted me to drop my guard and I waited for you to drop yours." Varian turned around and touched his wound before wincing and immediately withdrawing. "That fucking hurts, you know? Even though the sword was obedient enough to not drink my blood, I can't heal the wound fast enough."
Akira bit her lip and stared at him with venomous eyes. Who was he kidding when that wound was closing so fast?
"A-All spoils belong to the victors, that includes my respect." Akira laughed bitterly as tears swirled in her eyes.
Varian bent down in front of her and cupped her cheek like a good old man. "Respect, what respect do you expect when you drugged me to do your bidding and planned to kill me when my role is finished?"
Akira's eyes shook fiercely and she gnashed her teeth. She regretted it badly.
If she hadn't brought this man, maybe he couldn't have even entered the palace bypassing the defense formations.
But she brought him, helped mask his identity all the way, and then had to watch helplessly as he destroyed her dream of revenge bit by bit.
"It's not fair!" Akira lowered her head as she felt her body grow heavy and her mind hazy. "W-Why do the evil always win? Why can't I get my revenge? My just and deserved revenge! That old dog of a sinner shouldn't be rescued."
"Fairness, heh," Varian muttered and his gaze turned to the treasury. "It only exists in crazy minds that dream of an impossible world."
The fierce shockwaves coming even after the treasury's formations blocked most of them already gathered enough attention. But no one had the leisure to check out that situation. But Varian knew that the battle must be drawing close.
Crimson Specter thought he could win easily once he activated his racial talent. But the one facing him was a monster. Even if she's going to lose, she wouldn't lose so soon.
'Three more minutes.' Varian estimated and turned his gaze to the battlefield.
The bald slave was dead, his body butchered into pieces and scattered.
Prime Minister and Great Admiral had now teamed up with Duke Cassius to fight Lord Jorand.
The corrosive poisonous green clouds fired by Lord Jorand were blown away by the planet-shattering attacks of the trio.
The Duke hadn't exhausted his racial talent's strengthening and was stronger than ever. Now, with two supports added, his side gained an unimaginable advantage.
"Why? Why do you win? Why should you win? You don't deserve to live!" Lord Jorand was heavily injured and in a very difficult situation.
One mistake and he'd die. Any sane person would've fled the scene. But he didn't. He kept fighting but with his sanity on the edge.
All the injustices he suffered, all the humiliation he had to face, all the hardships he braved through—everything, every drop of sweat, blood and tear was for this very day.
But he failed.
He couldn't stomach it. He did everything he could, spent everything he had and perfectly executed his plan. Yet, an unknown man shows up and wrecks his plan.
He staked his entire life on this and he's going to lose because of bad luck? Fuck luck! Fuck fate!
Lord Jorand couldn't accept his ending. But more than that, he couldn't accept that someone as despicable as Duke Cassius could still go on living.
So, even at the risk of his own life, he attacked Cassius fiercely. But facing three alone, he couldn't even do that.
For a split second, Lord Jorand's eyes met with kneeling Akira and their eyes screamed the same emotion.
Unwillingness.
They're willing to die, but unwilling to die before their enemies.
But that's it. Emotions meant nothing in front of absolute strength.
As Lord Jorand prepared to spend his last minute, Varian slowly walked into the barrier.
The Duke's side relaxed and smiled wider while the despair on Lord Jorand's face deepened.
Unexpectedly, Varian faced off the Duchy powerhouses and said. "Taking into account you weren't very good and honorable people, I'll support Barix."
"?"
"!"
"What?!"
Not just the three duchy rank 4s that were gaping at his words and not just the dying Akira that looked at him with widened eyes, the entire crowd froze at his words.
Varian grunted lightly at their reaction and raised his hands. "Alright, I'll be honest. I don't care who wins or loses, you're both evil. I guess I'm evil too. But I just want to fight. I gotta fight."
"You're crazy, Constantine! Do you hear yourself?" Duke Cassius stepped forward and growled at him with thick killing intent.
All the gratitude in Prime Minister's and Great Admiral's hearts vanished and was replaced with endless fury.
"This isn't a joke! They're the fucking evil behind the mafia that destroyed this duchy and ruined billions of lives."
"Forget their deeds, you can't win hope to win against the three of us."
"Mafia? Ruined lives? They're indeed evil but what about you who watched chaos unfold just and destroy the lives of your own citizens just because you don't want to take any risks? Forget all that, did you even give a shit and at least try to improve the situation? No, people are treated worse than animals. You have no moral high ground to speak of." Varian drew out his sword and a red light began to glow from its blade.
"Let's just you do and you are the good guys here, but my conscience wouldn't hurt the slightest if I killed you. I sold it to the devil when I exterminated an entire fucking race."
A chilling silence spread over the battlefield.
An entire race? How many lives did that amount to? Ten billion? Hundred billion? Even higher? A man, a single man killed an entire race? Who the fuck were they dealing with?
Varian turned to Lord Jorand and said with the smile of a devil. "If you inflict enough damage on them, I can kill them before you breathe your last."
