Chapter 174 (2/2)

Despite the increasing aood My first instinct would’ve been to escape into an open space where I could at least escape fro the thousand or so soldiers trapped here I was teround cha the building above us I would not shed innocent blood, especially that of s Much of what I could make out was obscured by the mist but the earth told me how many were at least on their feet and how many lay either dead or incapacitated In this short time, more than a fourth had already fallen

You are reading on ReadReadNovelFullonlineco so immediately after when an airy chuckle resounded beside nable ?” Aya whispered behind roup of soldiers in a defensive position was firing out spells before each began dropping to the ground, clutching their necks

I won’t be able to protect anyone at this rate, I thought just before a stampede of horned wyrnored the illusions Instead, I willed three of the rifts on the ground to erupt Three blasts of molten lava coalesced into a fiery collision where I had sensed Aya’s mana fluctuation

My spell hit

“As expected Can’t letinto view Aya was clutching her burned arm

Meanwhile, screams of horror and shock echoed frouish betas real and ere her sick illusions

“Your illusions are as sadistic as always, Aya,” I spat in disgust “That sick habit of torturing your victist your own people”

“I saw that lovely statue youfrom view “If you ask s than be slowly burned to death in a molten toave hiains”

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“Is that the saic that led you to betray Dicathen?” Her tone was sharp, which was rare for Aya

“You elves have never understood the hardshi+ps that our people go through Even after your ith the humans, dwarves are still treated as lower class Just because our people would rather hone our ical abilities to create rather than to destroy, we are belittled and taken advantage of I trust the decision Lord Rahdeas chose toarms with the Vritra and their Alacryan army”

“Do you think the Vritra would care for Rahdeas and your people? The Vritras and all the other asuras call us lessers because we’re nothing to them!” She hissed with more emotion than I’d ever seen her display “You’ve read the report ere given, weren’t you? How the Vritra experimented with the Alacryans in order to enhance their arainst the other asura clans! They want to do the same here, to your—to our people Dwarves, humans and elves alike!”

Now!

I siphoned asblast of fire and stone around me

The illusory mist dissipated to reveal the elven lance

She tilted her head “Did you give up on protecting the Alacyrans?”

“The ones left are dead The others have escaped through the tunnels I created while you were so busy lecturing me,” I answered

Aya still wore her ht twitch in her brow that she had miscalculated

Without hesitation, I rushed toward her Aya retaliated, dashi+ng back back while hurling crescents of coer in a situation where I had others to protect

Slabs of lava fro aroundme to form a protective suit of molten arical araps

The ma lances I had summoned all dashed toward the elven lance, their weapons ablaze, but Aya was too fast Even without theher olems and reduce them to pebbles at the saht I couldn’t match her speed, but she couldn’t overcome my defenses

“It seeenerated another crack in my arh her defensive aura, but she was still relatively unwounded

“Well, if this duel goes on for another hour or so, you ht actually have the upper hand,” she said with a cheery smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes

“Like I said before Another Vritra is co soon It’s not too late for you to run away”

She replied by hurling a barrage of air blades froe to ed lance

I struck at Aya while siround beneath and wall behind her

For a ht that my attack had landed successfully, until her body faded into wisps of air

Curse her illusions

The battle continued but it seerew less confident It seeso she’d get in closer range

She took the bait, flickering right above me with a ind of air concentrated into a spear-like point around her ar it and nearly piercing throughher in place The elf’s eyes widened in horror as I pierced her with a mana-infused hand

Aya tried to talk but only stuttered gasps came out as I twisted my bloodied ar and resourceful, Aya, but patience was never your strong suit If it is of any consolation, I never wished for it to coed back e

That’s when I saw it—the thin, hair-like strands of mana attached all over my suit

I immediately tried to sever the thin strands of h theht,” Ayas voice whispered beside me This time, it was really her “I am rather resourceful”

She had , but to think she was able to do this

The strands of s convulse I was still breathing only because she willed it I now realized that throughout our fight, she had been carefully biding time for this moment

“Surprised?” she said “I needed a way for the ever-vigilant Olfred to weaken his defenses, and the only way you’d do that is when you think you have the upper hand It also helped that your huge suit of rock kept your senses dull”

The thin strands of lowed once more and a sharp pain pierced my chest

However, rather than killin her victory “I reardless of race, everyone’s body has a natural protection against foreign es can’t just drain a hues can’t just manipulate the iron in soe is aware of that basic premise, but to be able to establish a link to directlymana… how?”

“It doesn’t s shuddered as I forced out one last deep breath Despiteallowed by so

I raised my hands in subentle eyes were sharp—the saaze that my fate is sealed And it would be unreasonable for me to ask you to have mercy on Lord Rahdeas, but please spare Mica She had no part in this I had to drug her in case she somehow found her way here”

Aya’s broitched ever-so-slightly in thought before answering, “I’ll keep it in mind but that’s not up to me to decide”

I replied with a nod That was the best answer I could hope to get “Despite our disagreeht I saw a sliver of remorse in those cold eyes, but I would never be able to confirs My vision darkened as I felt the cold grasp of Mother Earth pull me back into her embrace