Chapter 507
Chapter 507: 507
Two figures sat on lotus-shaped platforms.
A soft but majestic light shimmered from their bodies and spread across the chamber. The air was thick, and every breath felt heavy. Threads of energy moved around them like slow rivers of light, entering their bodies and flowing out again. Their faces were calm, but veins stood out on their foreheads. Their brows twitched from time to time. Sweat rolled down their temples, yet their backs stayed straight.
The space around them trembled slightly, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
They were going through an epiphany.
Memories, insights, and laws of the world brushed past their minds like flashes of lightning. Their auras rose and fell, sometimes gentle and sometimes violent. The ground beneath the platforms had cracked long ago, unable to bear the pressure.
A little distance away sat a woman holding a huge sword across her knees.
Unlike others, she did not look refined. Her arms were thick with muscle, her chest broad, and her shoulders wide. Her palms were covered in scars. She sat there like a wall, unmoving, her eyes fixed on the two figures.
She was Selene De Luther.
"You can do it. You can do it," she said under her breath, her fingers tightening on the sword hilt.
Then—
The ground rumbled.
A faint shockwave passed through the cave, and dust fell from the ceiling.
Selene’s head snapped up.
"What’s going on?"
A deep line formed between her brows. She rose at once and rushed out of the chamber.
What she saw froze her steps.
Bodies.
Heizen soldiers were piled on the ground. Some were broken. Some were twisted in unnatural ways. Blood soaked the stones.
At the center stood a cloaked man.
He smiled.
"I apologize for this," he said lightly. "I asked them to move aside, but they insisted on blocking the way."
Selene’s face turned cold. She lifted her sword and pointed it at him.
"Who are you, and why are you intruding on the ground under Heizen’s protection?"
The cloaked man looked at her, then laughed softly.
"Kekeke... Believe me, we really did not want to do this. But you forced us."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
But she did not wait.
Her foot slammed into the ground, and she shot forward. Her sword cut through the air with a heavy sound.
The cloaked figure was split in half.
Selene’s eyes changed at once.
There was splitting of blood, not any resistance.
"An Afterimage."
"How rude," his voice came from behind her. "But I like your tactics."
Selene spun around, raising her sword just in time.
CLANG!
The impact blasted her backward. Her boots carved deep lines into the stone as she slid. Her arms shook from the force.
The man walked toward her slowly, as if taking a stroll.
He raised a hand, and an invisible force pressed down. Selene’s knees bent, but she forced herself upright. Veins bulged on her arms.
He moved again.
His strikes were clean and simple, but each carried terrifying weight. Selene blocked again and again. Sparks flew. Her sword trembled. Her shoulders went numb.
She swung with full strength, roaring as her blade tore through the air.
He leaned slightly.
Her sword missed.
His knee slammed into her stomach.
She flew back and crashed into the cave wall. The stone broke and blood spilled from her lips.
But she stood again.
Her breathing was heavy. One eye was swelling. Blood ran down her arm.
Still, she stepped in front of the cave entrance and planted her sword into the ground.
"I can’t let you go inside," she growled.
The cloaked man tilted his head.
"Ma’am, you see... that’s the exact reason I came."
He looked past her, toward the cave.
"If those two break through to the Demi-God realm, the balance of power will shift. And we cannot allow that to happen."
Selene coughed blood. Her eyes were red, but her grip did not loosen.
"Who are you to decide that?"
The man laughed, and the sound echoed strangely.
"It’s simple," he said softly. "I am just strong enough, so I can decide what I want."
His aura rose, cold and cruel.
Selene roared and charged again, her broken body moving by will alone.
Inside the cave, a blast erupted, and a figure was flung inward in a miserable state along with brittle rocks.
BAHHH!
Selena hit the ground hard and vomited blood. Her right arm was broken and twisted beyond normal human limits. Bone pressed against the skin at a wrong angle, and her fingers trembled without control. Dust settled over her body, but her eyes were still sharp.
The cloaked man stepped in and looked ahead at the two figures sitting on the lotus platforms, both still wrapped in deep aura. He smirked faintly as if he was watching a joke.
Just then, one of the figures’ eyes opened for a brief second, and his concentration shook.
It was Edward.
"Selenaaaaaa..."
His voice was weak and full of shock and fear.
"So this is where you two had been hiding," the cloaked man said calmly. "Sorry, but I have to stop you from achieving that goal."
He stepped forward casually, as if nothing could stop him.
A hand grabbed his boot.
"... "
The man paused and looked down.
Selena lay on the ground, her face pale and covered in blood, but her left hand was gripping his leg tightly. Even with a broken arm and crushed ribs, she did not look afraid. Instead, there was a mocking smile on her lips.
The man frowned and shouted, "Bitch, don’t you know when to quit?"
Selena coughed blood, then smirked wider. "You talk too much for someone who sneaks around caves."
Her voice was hoarse, but proud and sharp.
He raised his hand, ready to smash her head.
But Selena suddenly twisted her body, ignoring the pain, and lunged upward. She wrapped both arms around his waist and locked herself to him like iron chains.
"Edward... focus on your breakthrough. I will hold him," she said through clenched teeth.
Her body shook, but her grip was firm.
"What are you doing?" the man spat as he tried to pull away. For the first time, there was irritation in his voice.
Before Edward could understand, he saw Selena’s body begin to glow. Light leaked from her skin through blood and wounds.
Edward’s mind went blank and he screamed,"No... stop it..."