Roxy's screams haunted the area as Heaven Realm cultivators surrounded the woman in the frog hoodie. The atmospheric pressure suffocated everyone, crushing them like gravity. It was an intense situation.
"Fools," the cute woman scoffed in disdain. "[Eclipse]."
Upon hearing the voice, Major Reed immediately regretted standing up to the woman—but it was too late.
Paralysis gripped her body, and an unnatural blackness slowly moved from the right side of her vision to the left, blinding her. It wasn't the yellowish darkness one gets when they close their eyes—it was true darkness, like stepping into a limitless void.
An icy python of anxiety slithered around Major Reed, gripping every part of her body and squeezing as her sight disappeared, assimilating with the endless beyond. The blonde felt as though she would disappear completely, ceasing to exist in the world and others' memories.
She tried to speak and fight back, but it was futile. Whatever had gripped her had stolen her voice, movement, and confidence. It was terrifying and controlling, complete in its ability to crush a person's spirit and leave them helpless, waiting for total darkness to swallow them forever.
The most haunting aspect was that it didn't steal her hearing, so she could still hear Roxy's screams as the woman used her mysterious technique on her. Major Reed hoped the shrieks would fade once the technique stole her vision completely—but it was to no avail. Full blackout ascended on the woman, but the bone-chilling screams remained.
An eternity passed in that space, seemingly lasting forever. The blonde was left with only the sound of her old friend dying and the remembrance of the hoodie-clad cultivator's voice.
Crux.
That was Crux Panthera Pyron's parlance and pressure.
There was no question about it. No one could mimic the woman's voice and manner of speaking; she was too prominent and peculiar. Too unique.
Major Reed couldn't forget that voice. It was a voice that shaped her life and constantly pushed her forward, chasing after her. It was carved into her memory forever.
As she thought about it, the sound of screaming disappeared, but she didn't notice. She only broke out of her haze when searing sunlight hit the fully-dilated pupil in her right eye, blinding her with white light. It was excruciating, and she couldn't shut her eyes—she was paralyzed!
Therefore, the blonde had to wait with teary eyes for her vision to correct. She wasn't looking forward to it. After all, she would be forced to watch her friend getting—
"What?" Major Reed muttered in a haze, unaware that her voice had returned. "What's going on?"
It was slow, but the green wisps around Roxy's stomach started closing. Blood and skin slowly patched together, mending in real-time. While the pace frustrated the hoodie-clad cultivator, one couldn't overstate the relief on the pixie's face, showcasing that her pain was gone.
"Is that a healing technique?" she asked in a haze. "Then it's not Crux—"
"Cease your flippant prattle!" Crux growled. "Would anyone dare to use my name in imitation? Such foolishness doesn't exist on any plane."
"S-So it was you!" Major Reed cried, feeling like someone had punched her in the gut. "You were the person who betrayed—"
"Silence!" the Pantheran princess scoffed, thrusting her empty palm to the woman and gripping. The major took her lungs for granted until an invisible force strangled her neck. After that, her profound anxiety turned to primal horror, fighting to breathe.
pǎпdǎ Й?νê1,сòМ "I require concentration to save this imbecile's life and lack it due to your peaceful subjugation," Crux explained chillingly. "Be grateful this boy has ordered your survival, as I would have killed you for your mindless recalcitrance."
Major Reed gasped for breath when the force disappeared, allowing her to see clearly again. Partial vision had returned to her left eye, allowing her to see the other Heaven Realm cultivators surrounded by Immortals, aiming Guided Arrows at them. After glancing right, she saw the same scene playing out around her, as dozens had surrounded her.
"Thank you," Roxy gasped when the Panthera had finished healing her back. "I'm appreciative."
"You protected this foolish boy; for that reason, you alone deserve to live," Crux replied coldly, standing from her haunches after examining the woman's body. "Everyone else should be grateful for his benevolence, as I would have killed them before they made it to campus."
Major Reed drew a sharp breath, feeling anticipatory dread pulsing through her.
The Pantheran princess circled the area, scrutinizing the cultivators. "If any of you show any emotion other than gratitude or defeat, I will strike you down without a second thought."
After her chilling words, she released Eclipse, restoring the petrified cultivators' sight. However, it brought them no relief as hundreds of Guided Arrows met their gaze.
"What happens now?" Major Reed asked, trying to be proactive.
"Your fate depends on how this boy judges your foolish actions," Crux replied coldly.
═─┈─═
—20 Minutes Ago | East of the Battlegrounds—
Time seemed to stand still as the Heaven Realm cultivators gazed up at the Immortals on the watchtower. There was no contest over who would win in a fight; however, the cultivators were hesitant to fire. They weren't fools.
Their enemy was formidable, and they didn't want to get hunted down for killing the leader's people. The cultivators weren't soldiers—just scouts—so they knew better than to initiate a battle they couldn't win. So when their arrows didn't bring down the tower, they felt their stomachs sink, forced to consider killing the enemy in self-defense.
Blink.
BOOM!
"AGHhhHHhHHhH!" The Immortals screamed in panic as a wind scythe struck the tower, causing it to collapse. They jumped off at the last moment, rolling on the ground to avoid the debris.
"This scene proves it!" Major Reed roared. "I'm not sure how, but these people have fortified these sand castles into proper Sky Plane equivalents. We're out of our league, so don't you dare break protocol because of emotions!
Move in, hit every building in sight, and then break away. Do not kill anyone; only injure if you must attack. That witch can improvise her way through anything - so place faith in her strategy and skills, soldiers!"
"Yes, ma'am!" they replied in unison.
Roxy's intuition proved to be life-saving. Before they even reached the new wall separating the battle training grounds from the campus, hundreds of Sky Realm cultivators poured out, with many filing on top.
"What the fuck is this!?" Major Reed roared, looking at the mass of people. "They were expecting us already! Only Grace and Taylor knew our plan!"
The blonde flew up to see over the wall and saw thousands of Sky Realm cultivators pointing their Guided Arrows at them.
"That witch could hold out for days—let alone hours!" she seethed. "That bitch betrayed us!"
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