5-52 Devoured

5-52 Devoured

“Good attempt.”

A voice soft as silk but every bit as lethal as a viper’s venom. The threatening chill in the tone was palpable but the danger was every bit real.

“What is this?” Amyra gasped. She was sure her flaming blade would split the wretched woman apart but somehow, it didn’t happen the way she expected. She missed, or so the situation would suggest. Her gigantic sword crashed into the ground beside Eliza instead of the person herself.

“You’re confused but it’s understandable. After all, even your dear lady had difficulties figuring out my ability.”

“You talk too much,” Amyra said and swung her sword at Eliza, the flames roaring as the blade flew.

Eliza laughed and flowed out of the blade’s path.

From behind, Nivia sprang at Eliza.

The raven-haired chortled and spun around with a kick, parrying the Elf’s blow without making contact with the blades.

Amyra lurched forward but Eliza reacted immediately and countered the Augur’s attack with a wide cut. Amyra caught the blow and led the sharp point away from her neck.

While Eliza was engaged with Amyra, Nivia came at her once more but she responded to the Elf’s furtive attempt with a high cut that forced Nivia to roll out of the way.

Then, an arrow streaked towards her head but she twirled gracefully and cut the arrow down, before immediately positioning herself between Amyra and Nivia, leaving no part of her vulnerable to an attack.

“Short-flow Clairvoyance,” Amyra surmised.

Eliza chuckled. “Took you long enough.”

“But that’s not all, is it? I fought plenty of people with this Arcane Art but none moved with as much grace and precision as you do.”

“Oh, now you want to chatter?” Eliza scoffed. “You don’t get to stall,” she said and lunged with her polearm spinning.

Siv sprang out of nowhere, landed in between Amyra and Eliza, and deflected the latter’s blow with her double-bladed sword.

“A Wolf Beast-kin? Certainly a band of misfits.”

Siv did not retort to Eliza’s remark and simply pressed on with her attack.

Eliza accepted Siv’s attacks with grace and neutralised them all with a mocking grin. “You’re not enough. None of you are. I see every move you make before you make them. I know your thoughts before you yourself even do.”

Siv remained composed and pushed forth with her assault.

“The silent type, are ya?” Eliza snorted. “How boring.”

“Allow me to entertain you!” Nivia cried and joined the assault.

Eliza received Nivia’s attacks without leaving herself open to Siv or Amyra, who seized the opportunity to join the fray. Eliza bellowed with a battle cry and laughter as she juggled between the attacks from Nivia, Amyra, and Siv, and also the arrows from Lyra once in a short while.

“Disappointing!” Eliza mocked, without losing her grounds in the exchange of blows. “Very disappointing. I sympathise with your dear lady. It must be such a burden to carry the deadweight of you four.”

“You’re wrong!” Nivia snapped back and tossed herself at Eliza with winds swirling around her.

“Am I?” Eliza retorted calmly and prepared for whatever move Nivia was going to make.

“There’s five of us,” Nivia said.

Dashed with momentary confusion, the vines protruding from the ground managed to wrap themselves around Eliza’s feet. She looked down the moment she felt her movements rooted.

Nivia blasted Eliza with a large volume of condensed air and Amyra threw a fireball in tandem.

Aura covered Eliza’s polearm as she wound her swing. However, she was forced to fend off against a flurry of arrows. Furthermore, Siv’s daring assault kept her engaged, leaving her no window to deal with the firestorm approaching her.

The fire and wind melded together and crashed into Eliza. An explosion ensued. It nearly swallowed Siv along but she moved fast and leapt away to safety. The explosion consumed only Eliza and the radiating shockwave launched her yards across the withered forest, through long-charred trees, stopping only when she hit the foot of a steep slope.

“There’s six of us, actually,” said Lilian as she appeared from behind a tree that was just large enough to conceal her figure. “Isn’t that right, little one?”

“Kyu!” Ruri squealed in agreement. She was resting in the deep and impressive valley of the Dryad’s bosom with only her head poking out.

“Fucking hell,” Lyra sighed, walking out from behind a boulder. “Just who is this bitch?”

“Just one of the many idiots that are chasing after the bounty on Erin’s head,” said Nivia.

Amyra grunted as lowered her sword. “Idiot or not, the bitch’s tough. Whatever her Divine Gift is, it is amplifying her Short-flow Clairvoyant.”

“Careful now, everyone,” Siv cautioned. “This battle is not over.”

“Can she survive something like that?” Lyra asked.

“Very possible,” said Amyra. “She’s an Apostle after all.”

“Well, we just need to do our best and do better, right?” Lilian asked—

—but no one answered.

Noticing the odd silence, Lilian turned to look at them. To her surprising horror, everyone had stopped moving. They were frozen stiff but not of ice or any sort of cold. They were just… still and unmoving as if time had ceased to flow.

“What’s happening?”

“Kyu…” Ruri growled warily.

“Do you know what’s happening, little one?”

Ruri nodded and pointed with her head.

Lilian followed the Kirin’s direction and her gaze stumbled on Eliza, who was walking towards them in a tattered state. Most of her garments were torn and destroyed by the explosion and she herself wasn’t spared of damages. Half of her body was seared and cooked, red with steam oozing off. Blood trickled from the pores of her body that had been severely enlarged by the extreme heat.

“I’ll see you all dead,” Eliza snarled. Gone was all her snark and flippant attitude. She was clutching her arm with the other. She was barely hanging on to her polearm.

“You’re an Apostle of Chronos.” Lilian realised. “Huh… What are the odds? Or did the two of you plan this together?”

“Two of us?” Eliza spat. “Ah, I see. You met Amelia.”

“We have. Well, not me. My companions did. They say she can stop time. I didn’t doubt them but it is hard to believe. Though, not anymore. You stopped the flow of time.”

“And I will stop all of your hearts too, but not before I make you all suffer.”

Lilian feigned a hurt look. “Don’t take it so personally. This is war. This is a battle. There are bound to be casualties. How did the saying go? If you are prepared to hurt, then be prepared to be hurt. Or was it kill?”

“Cease your prattling, Fae,” Eliza scoffed. “It’s fortunate that you have that strange creature with you. Or else you would be frozen in time like your companions.”

“Lucky me, I guess.” Lilian giggled and stroked Ruri’s head. “Thank you, little one.”

“Kyu,” Ruri squeaked in delight.

“But it’s also fortunate for me as you are the one who remained moving. I might be in trouble if it was the Augur or anyone else but you.”

“I’m hurt. Do you presume I’m nothing more than a helpless damsel who’s only capable of tricks and schemes from a distance?”

“Are you not?” Eliza challenged. “Regardless, I shall make a quick but painful death of you.”

Lilian tittered. “You are most welcome to try.”

Eliza let out a battle cry that sounded more like a bug screeching as she lunged with her polearm brandished.

Lilian sighed with not an ounce of urgency. She uttered a short chant and flourished her hands as if she were conducting a symphony.

Barbed roots burst out of the ground and threatened to crush Eliza in the midst of their rampant growth. Each strand was half as thick as her body and the barbs looked sharper than the blade of her polearm. Left with no other choice, she stopped her charge and leapt upwards. As the roots were gigantic, there was plenty of room between the barbs. She safely landed on the roots but before she could take a breather, the roots glowed and saplings began to sprout from them.

“I’m not one to toot my own horn, not that I have one, but I’m confident that my experience in combat is only second to Amyra or even equal to hers.”

The saplings grew as fast as the roots and just as rampant. They grew into fine plants but the flowery heads were akin to the heads of vicious beasts.

“Feed, my children,”

“Damn you!” Eliza snarled and began hacking away at the carnivorous and beastly plants.

The plants proved to be more fragile than their gnarly appearance would suggest. A single swing from Eliza was able to fell three plants. However, six more rushed at her in retaliation. The blooming plants weren’t the only threats. The barbs of the roots grew, turning into large spikes that could easily skewer a person.

“Nature is dangerous and above all, volatile. Have you seen how even weeds could swallow a house if left untouched for a long time? The weakest of plants could manage such a feat. Now, imagine what a Mana-infused plant would be capable of.”

“Shut up!” Eliza bellowed, slicing through eight more plants that surrounded her on all sides. She was relentless in cutting down the plants. Her wounds were serious and grave but she did not succumb to the pain.

However, there were far too many for her and they became more ferocious the more she killed. “Scheming bitch!” she roared and cut her way through the onslaught of plants. She dashed towards Lilian, ignoring the plants that chipped away at her flesh, cutting down only the ones in her path.

“Oh, that’s a poor move.”

“Silence, you fucking forest-dweller!” Eventually, Eliza cut her way through all the nasty plants and came before Lilian. With an anger-wrought grimace, she cut the Dryad into half— or so she thought.

Lilian blurred and disappeared into thin air.

“W-what!? What in hell’s name is this!?”

“An illusion. Do you assume that my plants are all just…. beastly gladiators?”

“Where are you!? Show yourself!”

“In front of you,” Lilian said.

Eliza looked to the front. There was no one there but as she looked at it longer, Lilian slowly blurred into view.

“Can you see me now?” Lilian smiled, mockingly.

“Daughter of a bastard!” Eliza yelled and charged at her.

But before she could swing at the Dryad, her body quivered and her grip lost its strength. Not only that, she could no longer move her body except for her eyes, which went wide in shock and realisation. She glared at Lilian. Her lips parted. Her face spelled her intention to say something but nothing was said. Her glare intensified.

“Some plants are poisonous, are you aware? In my case, all my plants are poisonous to a certain degree. If your level had been higher, you would have been saved from the effects.”

Eliza shook. The realisation struck a nerve.

“Well, you are aware of that now, but it’s too late.”

“Y-you… will… pay…”

“It’s alright. You tried your best. If it’s any consolation, I would not have been the victor if you weren’t so wounded. And thankfully, you didn’t know any fire spells. Now, that would be a disaster for me.”

“You…”

“Shhh… Everything’s fine now. You just rest… forever, alright?” Lilian said and approached the paralysed Eliza with a dagger drawn from her hip. “You don’t need to see this, little one.” Lilian covered Ruri's eyes and slit Eliza’s throat deeply before plunging the dagger into her heart. She pulled it out and plunged it back in. “I apologise if this is agonising but I like being thorough,” she said and retracted her dagger, before kicking her to her plants, which quickly tore her apart.

Then, time resumed.

“Be careful, everyone! She’s an Apostle of Chronos!” Lyra shouted. “We must— uh?” She was stumped, looking at the plants devouring what was left of Eliza. “What the fuck happened?”

Lilian shrugged. “Nature being nature, I suppose.”