CHAPTER 464: A DUET BETWEEN ETHEREALS

In a Realm far away from Earth’s, a robed figure knelt on a wooden plank. Nothing existed inside this Realm other than giant, interconnected ropes and strings, which went on into infinity.

The robed, genderless person stared into the dark abyss below the plank. Their right hand stretched out, while Their glassy eyes stared into the nothingness.

They held a wooden marionettist cross, which’s endless see-through strings connected into something far below.

The giant ropes made creaking noises as they settled, but otherwise the entire Realm stayed deathly silent, as if afraid of disturbing the robed figure’s concentration.

Suddenly, a tired sigh shook reality as the robed figure’s eyes focused on the dissolving wooden cross.

"That’s a shame. She couldn’t fight off so many Transcended. I thought I’d made a strong enough Puppet, but those irregulars were too powerful..."

They climbed back to their feet and walked off the plank. Their bare feet were about to step onto empty air when the giant ropes began moving and connecting. It formed a path before the robed figure, leading wherever They desired.

"At least I confirmed the Last Angel’s location... Earth’s Realm... Who would’ve thought such a useless, backwater Realm would produce such a fated, deadly person..."

The robed figure continued walking as Their Realm’s reality altered around Them. The giant ropes snaked around, creating a perfect pathway, while smaller, normal-sized ropes hung down, with bodies attached to their limbs, like sleeping marionettes.

The strange person walked for a while longer, Their eyes browsing between the hanging Puppets.

Eventually, They stopped before a Puppet with white feathered wings... An Angel’s wings...

"I guess you’ll do. But the barrier needs to weaken a bit more before I can send you there... Hmm... I’ll need to wait a few more centuries, it seems..."

With that, the Puppeteer’s eyes became glassy again, as They knelt on another wooden plank and created a different marionettist cross, which controlled billions of Puppets in every Realm!

...

The fight across the night sky and inside the storm came to its end. Not a single Antarctican or European soldier lost their lives, while the same couldn’t be said about the Asian forces.

They successfully changed the timeline, turning a clear defeat into an overwhelming victory.

However, high in the night sky, above the storm, a large raven flew, its black eyes focused on the cold plains below.

"Strange. They’ve won even without the Princess’s help. I expected a bit more struggle, something similar to the previous outcome, but it seems I failed to account for many things..."

The raven imitated a deep man’s voice to perfection, while its dark eyes scanned the ground for someone specific. Even from above the clouds, he could discern every face without issue.

"Those cuts the Princess gave the Asian soldiers stayed after the timeline change. They also probably kept the memories of their deaths. That’s why so many more deserted..."

"Without them occupying most of the Last Angel’s old group by putting the Antarctican city-states under siege, they could assist their Stellars and eliminate the Asian ones... But where are the Princess and the Prince in all this mess. I can’t find them..."

A few seconds of searching later, the raven stopped its flight. He changed forms, back into a tall, gloomy human with a monocle, metal cane and long coat made of raven feathers.

Victor’s eyes focused on the silver-white haired woman leading a group of Transcended. A step behind her walked a man wearing a blood-red robe... His own skin turned inside out...

A small grin grew on Victor’s face as he spotted the scar on Xinya’s left cheek. He shook his head while laughing in self-deprecation.

"How could I miss something so obvious?! They’ll never find the Princess’s hiding place... Not while my traitorous apprentice is leading them!"

His dark eyes closed while one of his cloak’s feathers turned into a raven. It flew straight towards Slayer, carrying a message from Victor.

The Ethereal’s eyes then turned away from his past apprentice towards the enemy Transcended and Stellars. They conversed with each other unsuspectingly, trying to figure out their next steps.

"I guess the dirty job falls on my shoulders... Well, I could also leave them alive. It’s of no importance to my goal... Ah, whatever. I already killed them once, might as well do it a second time!"

With that, he flew downward. His cloak flapped in the heavy winds, and soon the dark feathers began detaching from the fabric. They turned into large black ravens with beady dark eyes.

They screeched together while flying behind their master. Hundreds, thousands, millions of ravens flew, blocking out the stars above.

Sera’s old group and the Antarctican Evolved noticed the approaching army of birds. The Stellars formed a defensive line, but they doubted their combined power could stop an Ethereal’s attack.

The ravens encroached on the defensive line, but just before they could’ve reached and killed their enemies, a beautiful singing voice halted their movement.

Something enormous passed through the storm clouds further away. The singing voice originated from there, and after a few seconds, the approaching object’s tip pierced the dark clouds.

A long metal pole pushed through the storm. At the pole’s very end, a giant woman stood, wearing an old captain’s uniform.

With one hand held to her chest and the other to the side, her throat vibrated as the melody left her mouth, filling the air with elevating purity and tranquility.

Behind her, the rest of the massive vessel appeared. First the upper deck came into view, where Vicky, Henry, Will, Sarah and General Bryce stood. On the lower deck behind them, about a hundred Evolved lined up, prepared to fight to the death.

The Old Dawn floated through the air, disrupting the storm’s presence. Lightnings tried striking its surface, but the defensive barrier surrounding the ship stopped any natural outside interference.

Victor’s eyes widened as the singing reached his ears and saw the giant woman standing with a straight back. Her lips rested in a comfortable smile, while her dark blue eyes stayed closed, yet he felt Valerie’s undivided attention.

The Ethereal’s voice echoed through the battlefield. While the song gave the same feeling of elevation, it also gained a strange undertone of joyfulness.

Everybody felt strangely calm, while all the floating ravens began having seizures. The millions of dark birds spasmed for a few seconds, then they all exploded into brightly colored confetti.

The wind made the confetti dance and glimmer under the bright stars. They fell onto the battlefield, as if celebrating the end of the fighting.

Valerie’s singing continued, but her tone changed again, taking on a faster pace. Everyone gazed upon the giant standing on the metal pole when she vanished.

A moment later she appeared near Victor, standing in thin air. Her song ended, but she kept humming the uplifting tune, since that’s what kept the Old Dawn floating.

Victor watched the massive woman with wary eyes, yet he showed no sign of discomfort. While Valerie was powerful, he could probably win against her.

However, the odds weren’t good enough to try. Also, it didn’t matter if she lived or died. If everything went well, even losing the war here in Antarctica would set his plans in motion.

"Hello Valerie. Didn’t expect seeing you here. Weren’t you supposed to be trapped in another Realm?"

The giant woman just shrugged, her smile widening. Her answer soon came in her beautiful voice, which made every word sound like its own melody.

"Fuck you, Victor! How long ago did you Evolve in Ethereal? Why were you hiding it?... Okay, okay. Stupid question. It’s obviously because you’re power hungry and a bastard in general. Your mother would be very disappointed if you hadn’t killed her!"

Victor scoffed, but didn’t refute any of Valerie’s words. He agreed with most of them, but that didn’t mean he regretted any of his decisions.

He stayed silent with a frown on his face while staring into Valerie’s dark blue eyes, prompting her to sigh and continue talking.

"I liked you a lot more before you and that despicable father of yours killed Gabi. Well, she wasn’t the best of mothers either... Your entire family is pretty fucked, except your younger sister. She somehow escaped the insanity in your bloodline!"

The raven-cloaked man’s dark eyes narrowed, but again, he didn’t refute her words. However, he disliked hearing it out loud.

"You don’t need to tell me how you got back to Earth. It’s quite obvious that the Princess brought you back—"

Before Victor could’ve continued, a wide grin appeared on Valerie’s face as she proudly interrupted his words.

"Ah, you mean my future daughter-in-law! She’s pretty amazing! To be honest, I didn’t think Henry would get such a good wife, but I really like Vicky! And I hear her mothers are great too! I can’t wait to meet them!"

Victor couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head. It seems Valerie’s abrupt, overbearing and rude personality hadn’t changed in the past years... She was even weirder than before...

Their verbal banter continued while down below the fighting came to its end. However, before everything could’ve reached its conclusion, Henry needed to accomplish something on his own.

The Ethereals hadn’t fought each other. There was no actual point, since an all-out fight would’ve destroyed Antarctica, which neither wanted.

There also wouldn’t be any winner, since most fights on such high Rank end in a draw. Usually, someone either runs away, or they both disengage.

Evolved fights change after Evolving above Transcended. Anyone below Stellars fights for a few seconds or even minutes, but by the end, someone will end up dead, except in rare cases, when both sides are perfectly balanced.

Stellar fights aren’t the same. They’re determined by each fighter’s essence count, and could last for hours, but in the end it’ll always be a battle of attrition.

Ethereals though... They could fight however long they desired. Their essence won’t run out, and without an enormous advantage, killing the opponent is nigh impossible.

With this reasoning, both Victor and Valerie stayed in the sky, watching as Henry leapt from the Old Dawn, right towards Xinya’s position... He needed to avenge someone close to his heart...