Chap 152: Goodbye, My Darling

Beyond the confines of Zod’s energy orb, Legion’s form had transformed into an eerie amalgamation. Its upper section resembled a skeletal centipede, crowned with an elongated, monstrous skull adorned with fiery, malevolent eyes. Its lower extremities formed an intricate array of sharp, dagger-like limbs, bristling with the potential for devastation.

Fueled by irritation, Legion launched a powerful assault, ramming its skull into the encasing orb that enveloped the mortal. The impact reverberated through the vast expanse, cleaving through massive, sturdy beams with a resounding crash.

Zod, trapped within his energy prison, remained helpless under the relentless torment. Each agonizing collision against the orb’s interior triggered a cascade of memories, his life flashing before his eyes like fragments of a fractured mirror. His hands, which had been clutching his aching waist, fell limply to his sides, incapable of stemming the pain.

Gradually, the agony radiating from his waist spread to other parts of his body. As the minutes wore on, the walls of his protective cocoon became increasingly stained with his own blood.

Through a series of rapid, minuscule vortex portals, Riven maneuvered deftly, leaving no discernible trace of its presence. Its task was to locate the other Sentinels and forestall any potential ambush. The memory of the moment it had let slip—the chance to possess the mortal while she was still and vulnerable—lingered heavily in its thoughts.

To be a Harbinger was to carry the inexorable aim of witnessing the world’s apocalyptic end. Yet amid that looming fate, Riven wrestled with a stark truth. It was destined to perish regardless. So what, then, was the source of its conflict?

Ah yes—the Ultramana energy contained within the Sentinels. A lethal force capable of inflicting a painfully drawn-out demise, paired with the certainty that possession was impossible. The odds were slim, the path treacherous.

Despite Kie’s agony, the essence of a true leader prevailed, placing the team’s well-being above his own suffering. It was a fleeting realization, but not one he would waste. Sometimes, leadership meant knowing when to step aside and let another take the lead. Saeda was in a far better position to fight, and he would have to trust her.

Miko’s earlier warning about the Harbingers still echoed in his mind, carrying an undercurrent of alarm.

Kie coordinated his movements with Saeda, carefully sliding Tee’s other arm from around his shoulder and gathering her fully into his arms. As Kie carried Tee, Saeda summoned two swords and moved ahead to lead the way.

“Sorry,” Saeda said.

Kie frowned. “For what?”

“For any stupidness I’m about to do if a Harbinger does show up.”

“Be brave. I believe in you,” he told her.

His one good eye lingered on her for a moment before shifting toward the path ahead.

Saeda’s two swords gleamed with focused intensity as she conjured them. Unlike Kie’s, they were not wreathed in blue flames, yet her resolve was no less formidable.

With a determined stride, she hastened forward, Kie following close behind.

Their path led them to the mouth of a vast expanse, framed by gargantuan ebony beams that loomed like ancient monoliths. The sheer scale of the space rendered them small and insignificant by comparison. The landscape stretched endlessly both above and below, a panorama of seemingly limitless proportions. Frigid air crystallized their breath into mist, further amplifying the moment’s grandeur.

With no towering beams immediately flanking the opening, Kie and Saeda exchanged a nod—a silent agreement forged without words. Poised at the precipice, Saeda dismissed one sword and used her free hand to secure Tee against Kie’s back, while his other hand steadied her from the opposite side.

With synchronized precision, they leapt into the void.

The impact of their landing only heightened their sense of smallness, the feeling compounded by their arrival atop a single massive black beam. Saeda reacted instantly, repositioning Tee back into Kie’s arms. He secured her and looked down at Tee with deep sadness, yet hope remained. He knew she would wake again, as she always did.

The sight weighed heavily on Saeda’s conscience, strengthening her resolve. She surged ahead, both swords drawn, her vigilant gaze sweeping the surroundings for any sign of danger.

They moved from beam to beam, Saeda leading the way. The stillness of the environment was suddenly shattered by an ominous howling—an auditory warning that preceded a flurry of movement encircling them. The abrupt disturbance unsettled them both.

Black vines erupted from all directions, forcing an immediate defense. Saeda’s swords sliced through the air, severing the vines that lunged for her, but she was powerless to shield Kie and Tee trailing behind.

Mid-leap between beams, several sinister vines coiled around Tee’s legs, wrenching her violently from Kie’s grasp. His aching hands faltered, unable to stop the attack in time, as tendrils of darkness seized his legs and Tee’s weight was torn away.

They landed hard on their intended beam and spun back to free Tee from the vines’ grip. Saeda’s sword carved a deadly arc, slicing through the tendrils binding Tee. As Tee began to fall, a sinister presence rose from the depths below her—a shape wreathed in black smoke, eyes blazing with a malevolent crimson glow.

A single word echoed with ominous weight.

“Harbinger.”

Driven by an unseen force, Saeda’s sword flared with intensified brilliance, launching a spinning blade of blue flame straight into the black smoke. The agonizing shriek that echoed as her radiant blade tore through it sent chills down their spines.

As her flaming sword vanished into the distant gloom, Saeda took it as a sign. “Get Tee!” she shouted through the chaos, urging Kie to secure her.

He didn’t hesitate. He leaped.

Without pause, Saeda followed, committing to a leap of faith into the abyssal void. With a resounding whip of her newly empowered flaming sword, she aimed to burn the darkness to nothing.

In a fleeting instant, the ominous fog twisted into the pale face of the Harbingers’ leader, eyes drowned in inky blackness. Regret slammed into Saeda’s chest, curses flooding her thoughts. Legion—or perhaps the sorcerer? The truth struck hard.

Lilith.

Lilith raised her palm, crimson light blazing to mirror the fire of Saeda’s sword. There was no stopping it—their collision driven by momentum too fierce to halt. 

Saeda summoned every ounce of her strength and poured it into a single, devastating strike aimed at Lilith.

Kie launched himself from a nearby beam, racing to reach Tee. But his effort was caught in the violent surge created by Saeda and Lilith’s clash. A torrent of power slammed into him, reigniting his pain and hurling both him and Tee away. Their uncontrolled descent tore through grasping vines, colossal beams parting as though ushering them into the abyss.

Facing their deadly trajectory, Kie’s thoughts raced. Instinct took over, guiding him toward a moving beam—their only chance. He tightened his hold on Tee as their combined weight drove them faster.

As the beam rushed past, Kie summoned a sword and drove it into the structure just before it slipped beyond reach. The impact jolted him, but the hilt tore free from his grasp. A violent crash followed as they tumbled and rolled onto another beam below.

Kie clutched Tee tightly as a harsh cough wracked his body, spraying blood into the air. The searing pain locked him in place.

The ferocious collision between Saeda and Lilith sent a powerful recoil through both combatants, hurling them backward. 

Lilith, still in her human form, defied gravity as she balanced along the edge of a beam. From her outstretched hand, she conjured a sinuous silver blade, its metallic length gleaming ominously.

In a sudden epiphany, Saeda grasped the consequences of her own actions, realizing she had locked herself into Lilith’s unyielding gaze. 

Time seemed to halt as a sweeping torrent of fire erupted from the tip of Lilith’s sword, unfurling like a massive lash. Saeda’s reflexes screamed, driving her into the most powerful leap she could muster—a desperate attempt to evade the inferno.

Her airborne arc barely carried her above the searing path of the flames. A violent impact jolted her skull, like the crushing blow of an elbow, and sent her plummeting downward. Her anguished screams were swallowed by the scorching rush of fire.

Salvation arrived for a fleeting instant as a premature energy orb snapped around Saeda, forming a pulsing cocoon against the assault. Even so, the residual heat tore through her senses, carving into her like a tortured melody. Her screams sharpened, echoing the sensation of her skin being ripped apart, especially across her face.

The thunderous impact of her back striking an unyielding surface reverberated through her body, each fracture sounding like a grim symphony. In the suspended aftermath, calm and clarity briefly converged.

Regret settled heavily in her thoughts, an indelible stain. The mantle of leadership she had claimed earlier—once a source of strength—felt like a harbinger of consequence, a price she was already beginning to pay.

Positioned beneath a distant, colossal beam, Lilith defied gravity, poised to unleash another whip of fire. Her intentions shifted abruptly, however, as a flurry of luminous swords materialized, spinning toward her in a relentless assault. 

Reacting with agility, Lilith sprinted along the beam, driving the swords to pierce its surface rather than her own form.

Miko, her once long hair now cropped short, let her tresses fall over her glowing eyes, a futile attempt to mask their ominous radiance. Her recent assault on Lilith had left her gaze following the thwarted attack, landing on Saeda’s form on a lower beam—ominously motionless. 

Alarm widened her eyes as black smoke coiled around Saeda’s body, sending a shiver down Miko’s spine. Unbeknownst to her, Lilith’s attention had shifted as well, guided by the sinuous movement of the surrounding vines. 

Irritation flickered across Lilith’s features upon realizing that her pursuer was none other than the enigmatic teleporting mortal. Engaging that mortal demanded an increase in speed, even as the other injured mortal began to stir.

Lilith believed the preceding male mortal was connected to the vessel, a notion that fit within her larger agenda. While her primary goal wasn’t merely the pursuit of stones, the elimination of the Sentinels carried significant weight in her grand design. That moment presented an opportune chance to strike at one of them.

Indeed, Lilith had appeared, and Kie heard nothing further from Zod or Miko. Summoning every ounce of will, he hauled himself to his knees, a bout of blood-soaked vomiting staining the space between his boots. The remnants of his energy seemed to have deserted him, forcing him to slump back against the ground.

But his thoughts sharpened. Saeda was facing Lilith alone if he didn’t intervene. They finally had an Elite within reach, and though it wasn’t one Harbinger against five Sentinels, he couldn’t let the opportunity slip. If only Tee had been awake.

The thought of leaving Tee clenched his gut, but he could not fight while carrying her. He had to leave her behind, and a bitter memory gnawed at him—was that why his father had left? What could be so important or dangerous that his father abandoned him, his mother, and his brother without a word?

He blinked through the pain, then gently rested Tee on the coarse surface and rose. He summoned two swords, and in his mind, he whispered to her, “Goodbye, my darling.”