Chapter 230: Found Out
Rafe remained at the edge of the battlefield. His presence slipped between the chaos like a shadow that refused to be noticed.
He stayed low behind the fractured remains of a collapsed structure. His body pressed close to the jagged surface while his eyes moved constantly, looking at everything around him.
Explosions of Ether lit the battlefield in flashes, steel clashed against steel, and screams echoed in every direction. But somehow he had avoided being pulled into any direct confrontation.
That alone spoke of his awareness, his ability to read the flow of battle and position himself just outside the reach of danger.
A crooked smile slowly formed across his face.
His gaze shifted from one clash to another, studying the pattern beneath the chaos rather than the chaos itself. He watched the way both forces continued to grind against each other, how bodies died from both sides, and how the battlefield consumed them equally despite the imbalance in numbers.
"Hehehe. This chaos just keeps growing. Nice..."
His eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned his head back against the cold surface behind him, still observing.
"Both sides are dying at the same rate, even if Michael’s side looks worse."
That difference was clear. Michael’s forces were collapsing faster. Their structure had already broken, their numbers thinning more visibly with every passing moment. And yet, they hadn’t been completely overwhelmed.
Rafe’s gaze shifted again, this time locking onto Myles’s group.
"That group is the only thing holding this together." His smile deepened slightly, something sharper forming behind it. "Which means all I need is a little more push in their direction. Just a little more chaos... and everything will fall apart."
His fingers flexed slightly at his side as his thoughts sharpened.
Then his attention was drawn toward the most violent point in the entire battlefield.
The clash between Myles and Red.
Even from where he stood, the difference in that fight was unmistakable.
The air around them churned with unstable force. Their movements tear through the ground as if the battlefield couldn’t contain them. Every collision sent waves, scattering dust, blood, and Ether into the air.
But what caught his attention wasn’t just the destruction but the blood.
A thick unnatural mist spread through the air around them, swirling with heat.
It moved strangely, lingering longer than it should and mixing with the energy that exploded from each clash.
And above the battlefield there was a dome that was formed from something he couldn’t fully understand.
Mysterious sigils rotated slowly across its surface, faint lines of energy weaving together in patterns that felt deliberately woven with a purpose but entirely foreign to him.
Rafe’s smile faltered slightly."Hmm... I wonder what that is?"
A tension crept into his chest as his eyes lingered on the structure. His instincts were tightening in response to something he couldn’t properly define.
That just doesn’t feel right. Uncertainty brushed against his thoughts. But only for a moment.
His expression steadied again. He pushed the unease aside.
"Doesn’t matter." His gaze lowered back to the battlefield. "What matters is breaking them first."
If both armies destroyed each other then everything that followed would fall into place.
And if he could kill Red afterward that power would become his.
Without another moment of hesitation, Rafe pushed himself away from the wall and began to move. His steps were light and deliberate as he slipped back into the chaos, ready to act.
Suddenly a presence appeared in front of him.
Rafe stopped.
Darius stood there.
His figure blocked the path completely. His posture firm, his gaze sharp and locked directly onto Rafe as if he had accused him of something.
"What are you doing?" Rafe asked casually, his tone light despite the tension that had formed instantly.
Darius didn’t respond right away. His eyes didn’t leave Rafe for even a second.
"I’m the one who should be asking that," Darius said, his voice low and steady.
The air between them tightened.
Rafe opened his mouth slightly, as if about to answer, but Darius moved first.
His arm snapped forward without warning. His fist moved with direct and brutal force.
It connected squarely with Rafe’s face.
The impact cracked sharply as Rafe’s head snapped to the side. His body fell from the sudden blow before he could react.
The force of the punch still rang through his skull as the world tilted violently for a moment. Pain flared across his face, forcing his senses back into focus as the lingering calm he had maintained shattered completely.
He pushed himself up quickly. His head lifted, and his eyes locked onto Darius with clear shock before irritation surged forward to replace it.
"What the fuck was that for?!" he snapped.
Tension coiled within Darius’s body made it clear that the strike had not been impulsive. His jaw clenched tightly, the muscles along his face twitching as his breathing deepened. His eyes burned with a raw intensity.
The anger in him had already crossed the line.
Then he moved.
His foot drove into the ground with force as his body surged forward in a straight line, closing the distance between them in an instant. His killing intent was no longer concealed in any way.
"How dare you still ask that, you shameless bastard?!" Darius roared, his voice tearing through the chaos as his anger spilled out without restraint. "After you killed our own men!"
The accusation landed with weight, heavier than the blow that had sent Rafe to the ground.
Rafe’s expression stilled as realization surfaced, his eyes narrowing slightly as the situation became clear in an instant.
"So... he saw it."
The surprise faded quickly, replaced by colder and controlled expression as the last trace of pretense slipped from his face.
The hesitation that might have lingered disappeared entirely. In its place, that familiar crooked smile returned.
There was no longer any reason to pretend.
Rafe pushed himself fully upright in one smooth motion, his posture settling as his body shifted naturally into readiness.
His hands moved without pause, slipping into position as twin daggers appeared within his grip. Their edges caught the flickering light of the battlefield as his fingers tightened around them with practiced ease.
"Heh... so that’s it," he muttered. "Guess I got careless."
Darius didn’t slow down.
He closed the remaining distance in a single burst, his arm already moving as he swung again. The attack was driven by pure rage as his fist moved with brutal force aimed directly at Rafe’s head.
This time, Rafe reacted, and their battle ensued.
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