Chapter 87: Surrounded

Vespera rose faster, already pulling herself to her feet despite the visible strain in her movement. A thin streak of blood trailed from the side of her temple, but she ignored it entirely.

Her focus remained outward, sharp, and alert. “They’re adapting,” She muttered under her breath.

Lucrezia’s stomach dropped.

Another distortion flickered in the air ahead, followed by another, and another, until they weren’t hiding anymore.

They were appearing. One by one, shadowy figures began to form around them, flickering and unstable, their hollow eyes dimly lit as they took shape from nothing.

Lucrezia’s breath caught. She’d underestimated the count because there were far too many, appearing as they’d arrived for eternity’s final war.

“They’re… manifesting beyond control,” She whispered, panic creeping into her voice.

Vespera didn’t respond immediately. Or she didn’t allow herself to react the same way. Her hands ignited again, this time brighter and stronger, the violet flames roaring to life with more force than before. It illuminated over her features, light catching the minor injuries—cuts and bruises—she’d suffered. “I need you to take cover,”

Lucrezia froze, almost uncertain she didn’t hear clearly. There was no way she would be leaving her on her own.

“Now!”

She scrambled with all the strength she could muster, forcing her unsteady legs to move as she staggered toward the nearest cover. Splintered wood and broken beams littered the ground, and she nearly tripped twice before slipping behind the remains of a collapsed stall.

Her breath came in short, uneven bursts as she pressed herself against the cold surface, fingers digging into the rough edges to steady herself. She obtained cuts on her ankles and bruises too large to be ignored.

Her back hurt terribly, sharp pain cutting into her flesh. Lucrezia grunted as she dragged herself into an awkward position to lessen the pain.

But she didn’t stay hidden. She couldn’t. She blew out a breath and peered out, her heart pounding as her gaze snapped back to Vespera.

The violet flames had grown brighter—wilder—casting sharp light across the fractured ground. They curled around her hands like something alive, pulsing with a force that made the air around her tremble.

The shadows responded to it as they shifted and gathered, as though they were drawn to her. For a moment, all it took was a careful silent step and the sound of shimmering violet light, until one of the figures lunged fast.

Vespera met it head-on. Her flame struck through its form, tearing it apart in a burst of dim light and sound. The creature shrieked before dissolving into nothing… but two more replaced it instantly.

Lucrezia felt dizzy. To make matters worse, her fingers curled tighter against the broken wood when her ears burned again.

The noise surged back louder and harsher, pressing against her skull. She winced, but forced herself to listen. To focus. It was the least she could do to help.

Lucrezia blanked out the unnecessary noises, but it took quite some time to do so, visualizing another image from the tremor. “There—!” she gasped. “Behind—closer!”

Vespera moved instantly, spinning as her flame lashed outward. It struck true, tearing through a forming shadow before it could fully take shape. But another replaced it. Faster, too fast any ordinary eyes could barely catch.

Vespera controlled another ball of violet flame, a bigger one this time. Her eyes focused on their surroundings, taking note of the numbers multiplying, and the ones reforming.

Another shadow lunged, and she released the flame. It struck hard, tearing through two at once… but the victory was brief. The air warped again, and more persistent shapes pushed through.

Lucrezia’s breath quickened. This wasn’t slowing down. It was escalating. Her grip tightened against the broken wood as she forced herself to listen again, ignoring the pain screaming through her body.

If Vespera had control over the creatures, the least she could do was render a service that was within her capacity. The noise crashed into her all at once, louder than before. It was thicker, heavier, almost suffocating.

“Ah,” Lucrezia hissed, a sharp headache following suit. She paused and blew out a breath, blood and sweat trickling around her temples. Her heart raced faster, making her dizzy. Her body screamed, her mind begged, but her will was stronger.

Something liquid trickled down her nostrils, and she reached up instinctively, only to freeze at the sight of crimson staining her fingers.

Lucrezia’s eyes widened.

“Shit!”

Her attention snapped back towards Vespera who struggled to keep up with the numbers. Almost surrounding her, they reformed, taking shape out of nothing.

Shadow curled their form, eyes hollow, arms stretched out as they attacked. The ground tore open violently, but Vespera was quick to counter them all at once.

Lucrezia’s breath shuddered. Without thinking, she pushed herself up further from her cover, ignoring the sharp protest of her body.

She had to help.

She had to.

“No… focus…” She whispered to herself, forcing her eyes shut. The noise crashed into her again, louder, closer, and heavier. But beneath it, there was something different, almost like that same unnatural pulse.

She clung to it, followed, visualized, and tracked it.

It took her a good five minutes before she could successfully get hold of the sound. By then, her breathing had turned uneven, her chest rising and falling too quickly as the pressure in her head threatened to split her focus apart.

But she held on.

The pulse felt different from the others. It was deeper, steadier, like something intentional, not scattered like the rest.

Her brows furrowed. It took her another moment to realize the pattern, and her eyes snapped open.

“Vespera!” she called, louder this time. “There’s something else—something controlling them!”

Vespera didn’t turn, but her flames flared brighter at the warning. “Where?” she demanded sharply, striking another shadow out of existence.

Lucrezia swallowed hard, forcing herself to follow the sound again. It shifted, weaving between the chaos, hiding behind the constant noise. “Far… no—wait…” She tilted her head slightly, straining. “It’s moving, but not like them. This one is staying back… controlling them,” A chill ran down her spine.

Vespera’s jaw tightened, absorbing every scattered piece of information with precise attentiveness. “Can you figure out its location?”

Lucrezia tried again, focusing on the sound, but this one was difficult. It was as though something powerful hindered her, occasionally clustering the noises with distractive ones. And the longer she attempted, the weaker her muscles and mind became.

Her chest felt heavy, tears gliding down smoothly against her cheeks. She can’t… she couldn’t… but she forced herself to try.

Cold sweat broke out from her forehead as she concentrated deeper into the world of her mind. There, like always, she held tightly to the one different, met by a persistent power slamming her shut.

Lucrezia was too focused, ignorant of the creature that had begun to take form beside her. A faint ripple appeared first, before it emerged, releasing a violent strike that tore the ground open, cracking swiftly towards her direction.

The effect caused a substantial tremor on Earth. But before Lucrezia realized, it was far too late.

“Anastasia! Before you!”

At the warning, Lucrezia’s eyes snapped open. She gasped, eyes widened in alarm, but her body remained rooted to the spot, disabled by fear and panic.

Out of instinct, her arms flew above her head, embracing herself for the impact. Her pulse thrummed wildly against her chest, threatening to fly on its own accord as she held her breath for what never came.

Vespera turned swiftly, releasing a concentrated burst of flame that tore through it before it could reach her, but the effort was beginning to show. Her movements, though precise, had slowed by the slightest margin.

Lucrezia didn’t realize her eyes were closed the entire time, until a force threw her sideways, swiftly dodging the collision in the direction she once was.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep