Chapter 44
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One person was in green, the other was in white.
They arrived one after another.
The young girl in green, still looking innocent and fresh–faced, came forward with her sword in hand.
A subtle fragrance was lingering in the air as she landed right in front of Craig and Rafael.
Without a second thought, she stepped forward to shield them.
Her face was tense, her expression serious.
Craig’s voice trembled as he called out, “Laura.”
Craig was on the verge of tears.
Laura was the first to arrive.
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She tossed her heavy sword forward and dashed after it. The other sword, the Trial of Conscience, just landed when Linda followed.
“That’s Linda, Craig thought.
A member of the Blood Rainbow, Nelson Greene, stared at the two of them.
Laura was impossible to read, which meant that she was clearly way above his level. The other, though, was just at the mana- Stoking Phase.
Nelson thought, ‘Who’s ever heard of someone at the mana–Stoking Phase flying?
‘What kind of sick joke is this?‘
But when their gazes swept over him, Nelson’s hair stood on end. Years of living on the edge had sharpened his instincts, and he knew something was off.
“Something’s wrong,” Nelson muttered.
Nelson called out to Emerson and the other man. The three of them made a break for it. But Linda and Laura sprang into action at the same moment.
Laura never bothered with fancy moves. She just drew her massive sword and swung it in a wide, brutal arc.
The surge of force behind her strike slammed all three of them Hard.
She dashed after them, eyes locked onto Nelson, the toughest of the bunch.
Emerson and Bert Bailey, realizing just how outmatched they were, bolted while they had the chance.
Linda let out a low laugh. “You hurt my friend and think you can just leave like that?”
She raised her hand, fingers flashing through a series of seals, and an Enchantment shot out, instantly blanketing the whole
area.
Nelson shouted, “Run!”
Bert tried to break through, but the power of the Enchantment slammed him back. His face went pale. “An Enchantment
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Chapter 44
master!”
“Smart,” Linda remarked.
In an instant, Linda appeared right before him.
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Bert’s face went pale. He struck out with his palm, hoping to catch Linda off guard and seriously injure her before she could
react.
But his attack passed straight through her.
It was just an afterimage.
“Bert, behind you!” Emerson shouted a warning.
Bert whipped around and saw Linda shrouded in mist. Her eyes were icy and merciless, and the sword she held seemed like an ordinary blade.
There was barely a flicker of power from her. She seemed to be the weakest mage of the mana–Stoking Phase in the world.
But when the sword tore through his body, Bert couldn’t understand how it happened. The Trial of Conscience was buried deep in his heart.
He seemed to hear a voice asking him, “What’s the biggest regret of your life?”
Bert started to speak. “My biggest regret is…”
His biggest regret was never reaching the Astral Sovereign Form and being able to tell his parents that he’d be the one to protect the whole family.
Bert collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
The noise snapped Emerson and Nelson to attention. Their eyes blazed red as Emerson whipped out his bow and roared, “Die!”
But he wasn’t targeting Linda.
His sights were set on Craig.
He knew exactly who was the weak link in this fight.
Linda flicked her wrist, and the Trial of Conscience split into a hundred blades, weaving into a circular sword net that blocked the blood arrows Emerson shot out with his mana.
Linda strode right up to Emerson, her presence pressing in. When his sneak attack failed, Emerson turned his sights on her instead.
One blood arrow split into eight as it flew through the air.
Each one zeroed in on a vital point on Linda’s body.
But Linda’s hand was like an impenetrable shield. With a swift motion, she snatched all eight blood arrows out of the air, cool and unflinching.
Then, with a casual squeeze, she crushed them effortlessly.
Emerson’s pupils contracted in fear.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
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Chapter 44
Linda looked at him and said, “The one who’s here to kill you.”
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Panic surged through Emerson as he unleashed a barrage of blood arrows. He didn’t have time to reach for his spirit bow. He just drew on every drop of blood in his body, forming a deadly attack.
Drawing on the power of the Gilded Phase, he unleashed his strongest move yet.
This was a move that could mess up even someone at the Late Stage of the Gilded Phase.
Emerson yelled, “This is my ultimate move, Dragon Rising. Let’s see if you can dodge this attack.”
He burned his blood as a sacrifice, unleashing his most unique technique, determined to drag Linda down with him. Emerson’s face twisted into a crazed, triumphant grin.
His smile widened when the blood orbs swirled together and formed a beastly shadow.
A massive blood dragon shot up into the sky, its roar shaking the air with the pressure of a mage at the Late Stage of the Gilded Phase.
The whole forest shook with fear.
Emerson couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.
This was the ultimate move he’d created as a genius of the Blood Rainbow. Even his mentor had been shocked by his skill and praised it constantly.
Right now, in this Veil, surrounded by all these prodigies, Emerson believed he was going to make a name for himself. If he could win this fight, he would be famous across the world.
He stared at Linda and wanted to see awe, panic, or even a hint of fear in her eyes, but there was nothing.
Linda watched the blood dragon swirling overhead, as if she was asking, “That’s it?”
‘s grin slowly faded.
Craig scratched his head and muttered, “What’s the big deal?”
Emerson remained silent.
“Seriously, with all that flash, does it even pack any punch?” Craig added.
Emerson snapped at Craig, “What do you know?”
Linda replied coolly, “Just empty bluster.”
mana streamed from her fingers, slowly weaving into a sigil that glinted in the sunlight.
It was tiny compared to the blood dragon overhead, but it drew every eye.
The blood dragon spat out a barrage of arrows, but Linda’s defensive sigil blocked every last one without even a ripple. She seemed cool as ever.
She stood there, totally unfazed.
She looked like a goddess, looking down on everyone as if none of it mattered.
Nelson completely lost it. “Who the hell are you?”
Linda lifted her gaze, her voice cool and detached. “Linda Barber of the First Unity Coven.”
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Linda? That name sounds so familiar. Where have I heard it before?‘ Emerson thought.
Then, his face went pale. “Are you Linda Barber from the High Sanctum of Archmagi’s Azure Spire?
“Are you Coleman Ferrell’s youngest student? The one who reached the Gilded Phase at fifteen?”
“Bro, it was sixteen.” Nelson blurted out.
Emerson’s voice trembled. “No, the sixteen–year–old was someone else. She was the first to do it.”
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Even though Marietta hinted to people that she was the one who reached the Gilded Phase at fifteen, all the elites knew that the real prodigy was Linda.
“But wait, weren’t you…” Nelson stammered.
He thought, ‘Isn’t she supposed to be dead?
‘How the hell did she end up with the First Unity Coven?‘
Nelson wanted to ask, but the words stuck in his throat.
Linda just shot him a frown. “You guys sure do ask a lot of questions.”
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She flicked her wrist, sending the blood arrows flying right back into Emerson. They punched straight through his chest. Linda wasn’t about to let Nelson slip away after that.
Nelson yelled, “We can keep this quiet. No one has to know.”
But Linda didn’t even hesitate.
As the blood arrows consumed Emerson and Nelson, their presence vanished into the forest. Linda’s voice rang out, calm and detached. “Only the dead can keep secrets.”
She hadn’t really bothered thinking about keeping things quiet. After all, they’d hurt Craig.
Nelson’s eyes remained wide open, haunted and unblinking, even in death.
Linda, meanwhile, turned and strode off in another direction.
Laura and Craig called out anxiously, “Where are you going?”
Linda pointed ahead. “There are still two left. I’ll take care of them.”
Only then did Laura and Craig finally relax. For a moment, they’d worried Linda might just disappear and never come back. But she was back before they knew it.
She came back hauling two more bodies, setting them down next to Nelson and the others.
Then, as if she just remembered something, Linda turned to the group and asked, “Do you guys know how to bury a body?”
Craig paused, then said, “Nope, but I can learn.”
Laura nodded vigorously.
Laura thought, ‘Yes, I can learn!‘
