[The Outer Periter — The Forest Edge]
"So this is the location Princess Ellen sent to us?" Casey asked. She hovered effortlessly in the air, high above the dense canopy, her arms crossed firmly over her chest. Her eyes, sharp and predatory, scanned the seemingly tranquil forest below.
Precious and Regina hovered beside her. They stared down at the sprawling, ancient forest that concealed the Ghosts’ headquarters, and slowly nodded their heads. The mana signature of the area felt wrong—thick, stagnant, and slling of death.
"Ok then... I don’t have ti to search all this forest, so we should draw them out." Casey stretched forth her right hand, her palm glowing with concentrated, volatile energy, preparing to raze the woodland to the ground.
"YOU BASTARDS!!!"
"Huh?"
The three won frowned simultaneously. From the dark depths of the forest, a swarm of razor-sharp dark feathers erupted, shooting towards them with incredible, suicidal speed.
"Oh... Seems we don’t have to trouble ourselves," Casey said, lowering her hand with a disappointed smirk. The prey had co to them.
"Annoying."
Regina didn’t even blink. She casually waved her hand. An invisible, telekinetic force smashed into the swarm of feathers like a solid wall of steel, throwing them violently backward.
WHOOSH!
The scattered feathers spiraled through the air, rging rapidly until they ford the battered figure of Angelina.
PIFFF!!
She spurted out a mouthful of dark blood, her internal organs bruised from the sheer kinetic impact of Regina’s simple hand gesture. But the pain didn’t stop her; her eyes were bloodshot with pure, unadulterated hatred.
"Co out!! Raging Bull!!!" she scread, her voice tearing through her throat.
A brilliant, high-tier Golden Card materialized before her, vibrating with summoned energy.
"Now!"
BOOOOM!
The card shattered into a blinding light, rapidly expanding to form a colossal, muscular bull with four wicked, jagged horns on its head. The beast was twenty ters tall, its massive hooves instantly crushing the ancient trees below into splinters as it bellowed its arrival.
"I will have my revenge!!" Angelina scread, completely losing herself to the bloodlust.
In rapid succession, five more Golden Cards appeared, followed by a terrifying array of twenty Purple Cards, and dozens of lower-grade cards, forming a halo of summoned potential around her.
BOOOOM!
The entire deck shattered simultaneously into bursts of blinding light, forming a chaotic army of countless Summons of all sizes and shapes. Spectral wolves, armored giants, and venomous serpents filled the sky and the crushed forest floor.
"Wow, she is going all out," Precious said with a light, almost bored smile. She hovered slightly behind the other two, her hands resting on her hips, not even planning on lending a hand against such a pathetic display.
"Seems we should also get serious." Regina stretched her hand forward. The space rippled, and a long, exquisitely crafted sword appeared in her grip. The scabbard was obsidian black, while the hilt was wrapped in deep purple leather.
The next mont, a suffocating wave of pure bloodlust and killing intent spread in all directions from the sheathed weapon. The air grew freezing cold.
"This...?" Angelina moved her gaze around frantically. The sheer density of the bloodlust was paralyzing; even her mindless, newly summoned beasts were whining and trembling in instinctive fear.
"Who are you?!!!" she yelled at them, panic finally piercing through her grief.
"Oh! Now you’re asking questions... Sorry dear, that ti has passed." Regina raised her right hand and slowly, deliberately, gripped the handle of the sheathed sword. Her eyes went dead, void of any human warmth.
’Gosh! She is going to use that attack... Need to back up,’ Casey thought, her eyes widening slightly. She imdiately flew backward, putting a safe distance between herself and Regina, taking up a position behind Precious.
"What are you going to do??!" Angelina asked, her teeth gritted as she tried to force her terrified beasts to attack.
"This is the move taught to by My Savior and God... Till this day, no one has survived it." Regina smirked, but there was no joy in it. As her fingers tightened around the hilt, dark, frozen mories flashed vividly in her mind.
____
[Seven years Ago]
[First Realm - The Winter Slums, 10 PM]
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound was hollow against the freezing wind.
CRACK!
The heavy wooden door slowly groaned open, and a middle-aged man stuck his head out from the small opening. He moved his gaze warily around the dark, snowing street, checking for thieves or gang mbers, then finally lowered his eyes.
Standing before him was a sixteen-year-old girl with matted, dull red hair. Her face was deathly pale, her lips blue, and her emaciated body was shivering violently.
He lowered his gaze to the thin, filthy rags she was wearing—barely enough to cover her, let alone protect her from the lethal winter—and narrowed his eyes.
"What is it, kid?! You know it’s dangerous at night!" the man whispered harshly, casting another paranoid glance at the empty, snow-choked street.
"Please... please sir. Can I get sothing to eat? Even if it’s leftovers," she pleaded, her voice a raspy whisper. She stared up at him, her hollow cheeks stained with soot and dirt, her eyes begging for a shred of humanity.
The man stared at her for a long mont, his face hardening. He slowly shook his head.
"Sorry kid, there is nothing. We are starving too. Ask soone else," he said coldly, and forcefully closed the door in her face.
"But..." She sighed, a sad, broken sound escaping her lips as another violent shiver racked her small fra.
"But you are the last person," she murmured under her breath. There was nowhere else to go.
She turned to walk away, but paused. The warm, yellow light from the house’s window drew her gaze. She peered through the frosty glass, seeing a well-dressed woman sitting comfortably in a brightly lit dining room.
"Who was it?" the woman asked, casually using a silver fork to place a large piece of roasted at onto her overflowing plate of steaming rice.
"It’s just so beggar... Just looking for free food," the man said, walking into view and sitting down heavily in his chair. He reached out and took a fresh banana from a silver tray overflowing with fruits before him.
"You did good, honey. These people nowadays... they just refuse to work," the woman said, shaking her head with visible disgust.
"Co on, let’s eat," she added, gesturing broadly to the feast spread all over the table.
As Regina watched through the freezing glass, the woman picked up a plump, juicy chicken wing, took a small bite, decided she didn’t want it, and casually threw the rest onto the floor for the fat dog sitting beside her chair.
Regina swallowed hard, her dry throat clicking as she stared at the discarded food. Her small, frostbitten hands clenched into fists at her sides, squeezing so tightly her knuckles turned a stark, bone-white. She slowly lowered her gaze from the warm window to the freezing ground, staring blankly at a snow-covered stone by her bare, bruised feet.
Seconds passed like hours as she stared at that stone, countless dark, intrusive thoughts moving through her young head. The injustice. The cruelty. The sheer apathy of the world.
After thirty agonizing seconds, she exhaled a shuddering sigh, wrapped her thin arms around her shivering shoulders, and continued walking down the dark, snow-filled street into the abyss of the slums.
"All will be fine. All will be fine. I won’t die. All will be fine. All will be fine. I won’t die," she kept murmuring rhythmically as she walked. Her legs were numb from the biting snow, covered in old bruises and fresh frostbite.
"I won’t die."
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