The jungle felt oppressively alive, each rustle of leaves and distant growl a reminder that they were far from safe. Gerard tightened his grip on his sword, his muscles taut. He studied the woman before him—the smug glint in her eyes barely masking a sharper intent. Her presence sent waves of malevolence rippling through the dense foliage, and the beasts surrounding her seemed to move in unison with her will.
Enel clung to Leca's side, the wyvern trembling as it struggled against the renewed mental assault. The air was heavy with tension, Gerard's every nerve on edge as the woman's smirk deepened.
"You're persistent," Gerard said, his voice low but unwavering. "I'll give you that."
She tilted her head slightly, her expression one of feigned amusement. "And you're protective," she replied, the mockery in her tone undeniable. Her gaze flicked to Enel again, and for a moment, her smirk faltered. "But I wonder... do you even know why you're so desperate to keep him alive?"
Gerard's stance stiffened, but he didn't rise to her taunt. "It's not your concern. I know enough," he said sharply, his voice cutting through the jungle's noise.
The woman raised an eyebrow but said nothing, her fingers twitching as if readying another attack. The beasts around her tensed, their glowing eyes locked onto Gerard and Enel. The oppressive energy pressed against Gerard's mind like a vice, but he gritted his teeth and channeled more aether into Leca. The wyvern growled low, its strength returning as Gerard whispered, "Hold on, old friend."
And then she moved.
She was fast—faster than Gerard anticipated—and the beasts surged forward with her, a tide of claws and fangs tearing through the underbrush. Gerard sidestepped the first strike, his sword flashing as he cleaved through one of the beasts. The air filled with the sickening crunch of bone and the tang of blood, but there was no time to linger. More of them charged, their movements unnaturally coordinated.
"Leca, take him and go!" Gerard yelled over the chaos, but the wyvern hesitated, its body still trembling under the weight of the mental pressure.
The woman's laughter rang out, sharp and cold. "You think I'd make it that easy?"
With a flick of her wrist, vines erupted from the ground, their thorned tendrils lashing out toward Leca and Enel. Gerard's blade flashed again, slicing through the first wave, but the vines kept coming. One wrapped around his leg, pulling him off balance. He hit the ground hard, his sword clattering to the side.
"Gerard!" Enel's voice was panicked, his small frame scrambling to move closer.
"Stay back!" Gerard shouted, his hand closing around his sword's hilt just as another beast lunged for him. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding its snapping jaws, and slashed upward, the blade biting deep into its neck. The beast collapsed with a pained howl, but there was no time to rest. The woman stood just beyond the fray, her expression unreadable as her beasts encircled them.
"Such loyalty," she murmured, almost to herself. Her gaze locked onto Enel, and her smirk returned. "I can see it now... why you're so important."
Enel froze, his chest heaving as he stared at her. There was something in her tone—something knowing—that made his blood run cold. He didn't understand why these people were after him, why they were so determined to capture him. But in that moment, the weight of their pursuit pressed down on him like never before.
"You won't have him," Gerard growled, his voice filled with defiance. He pulled himself upright, his blade steady despite the blood dripping from his arm.
The woman chuckled softly. "We'll see."
Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Lisa stared down her enemies, her breaths coming sharp and steady. Her body ached from the countless skirmishes, but she refused to show weakness. She wiped the blood from her temple with the back of her hand, her gaze locked on the leader.
"You're resilient," she admitted, her voice tinged with frustration. "But how long can you keep this up?"
Lisa smirked, her confidence undiminished despite the odds. "Longer than you can imagine."
She flexed her fingers, her chain humming with aether as it coiled around her arm. The leader signaled her troops, and they advanced in unison, their weapons glowing with charged aether. The ground beneath Lisa trembled as the energy in the air built to a crescendo. She braced herself, her mind already calculating her next move.
And then the storm broke.
Lisa surged forward, her chain slicing through the air with blinding speed. She targeted a soldier in the front line, intending to exploit a gap in their defense. Her chain struck true, but the soldier parried, surprising her with his strength and speed. He retaliated, his fist aimed squarely at her face. Lisa dodged, her movements sharp and precise, and countered with a powerful kick to his rib cage, sending him hurtling with a pained yelp.
"You guys are impressive—holding your own against me as the village head," she said, almost admiringly.
She moved toward her next target when a sharp, twisting pain shot through her left arm. She froze, realizing too late what was happening. "Blood manipulation," she muttered under her breath before severing her arm with a single, decisive strike. Blood dripped onto the ground as she glared at the enemy leader, her eyes blazing with defiance.
"You're outmatched and surrounded by powerful foes. Give up and hand over the boy," the leader said, her tone cold and oppressive.
Lisa tilted her head, her voice calm despite the blood streaming from her wound. "One question—how were you able to mobilize such a force without the king catching on?"
"That is of no concern to you," the leader dismissed, her expression indifferent. Then, turning to her soldiers, she barked, "Destroy her."
Lisa scoffed. "Ganging up on the village head? How shallow." Her chain crackled with renewed energy, the ground trembling beneath her feet as explosions erupted all around her. She sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a devastating blow as one soldier leapt toward her, his kick shattering the bone in her right arm. She gritted her teeth against the pain, forced to rely on her legs as her arm hung useless at her side.
"You must feel good about yourself," Lisa said, her voice laced with venom, "but you've only beaten the *weakened* village head."
Her eyes glinted with realization. Someone had poisoned the aether entering her body. She staggered backward, her thoughts racing. "You have no titles," she spat, her tone cutting. "Whereas I have three."
The leader smirked. "We're well aware of your titles. But you can't use them, can you? None of the conditions have been met."
Lisa raised an eyebrow, a dangerous smile tugging at her lips. *I see you did your homework,* she thought. "What makes you think I haven't already met some of the conditions?" she replied.
Gerard was cutting through beasts. "Have there always been this many aether beasts in the forest?" he muttered. He looked back to see his wyvern barely under control while Enel was hiding behind a tree. Refocusing on the battle, Gerard gritted his teeth as beasts unleashed waves of attacks on him, all while the woman's insidious mind assault clawed at his thoughts.
"This did not go according to plan," Gerard muttered under his breath.
"This is quite fun. Such a pity that you've already lost," the woman said with a smirk.
"Lost? You've only been using these beasts to prevent me from reaching you. If this is the best you can do, sorry to burst your bubble, but you're only delaying the inevitable," Gerard shot back.
She laughed loudly, placing her palm on her face. "Delaying the inevitable?" she echoed, her voice suddenly devoid of emotion. "He is a spawn of darkness and one of the key pieces to unraveling the underworld. Master Ley will have him. Did you actually think that just because he escaped from our facility, we wouldn't get him back? You people are only a small hurdle preventing us from our mission, you're the ones delaying the inevitable."
Lisa was bleeding profusely from where her arms were supposed to be, her movements growing sloppy as she dodged another explosion. "Again with the explosions? Is that the only technique you know?" she taunted, coughing up blood. "Shit," she muttered, struggling to focus.
"Ah, the great Lisa," the leader jeered. "How are you feeling? Is the poison too severe? I would hate for it to kill you before I get the chance to take the spawn myself to Master Ley."
Lisa spat out another mouthful of blood, smirking arrogantly despite her faltering stance. "You should take your own advice. I'd hate to kill a misguided girl."
"I expected nothing less from you," the leader said with venom. She signaled her troops to step back, drew her sword, and pointed it at Lisa. A massive surge of visible aether exploded upward, illuminating the sky. At the same time, Gerard and his opponent saw the light. The woman smirked. "I guess it's time to get serious," she muttered as her body contorted, transforming into a hideous beast.