CHAPTER 583: UNBOUND DETERMINATION

Sera breathed a sigh of relief as Lilith fell out of the cocoon created by Bea and Faith. The seal made of shadows and roots floated between a few tree above a giant crater.

The Conquered Army Lucifer summoned while unconscious destroyed most of the arena. They tried breaking through the cocoon and killing Lilith, but they couldn’t destroy or even harm it.

The spectating crowd cheered and roared their approval of the victor. Only the demons glanced around in confusion. With their leader lost, they felt uncertain about their future.

Lilith walked away briskly, using roots to reach the nearest elevator platform. She waved to the crowd a few times, a brittle smile stretching across her face.

However, while one issue was solved, something more disturbing and worrisome happened during Lilith’s duel.

While waiting for Lilith’s arrival, she kept checking her watch. Through an application, she watched the feed of each room inside the Colosseum. But she always returned to one specific empty room... Purity’s room...

Yesterday, after the ’fight’ between Sera and Purity, she kept true to his request. While still in the elevator, Faith appeared beside him and led Purity to a different room, where Castiel couldn’t find him.

Afterward, she sent Wukong since he specifically wanted to deliver the message to the Monkey. Sera felt anxious about the meeting, but Amaterasu calmed her by revealing that Purity and Wukong had been friends in the past.

While this somewhat calmed Sera, she didn’t trust either. She sent Faith after them, which they definitely noticed, but at least it prevented any secret talks between the two.

Purity, true to his word, gave away all of Castiel’s secrets, then chatted with Wukong a bit longer, before sending him back. Wukong also delivered the message, ignoring the fact that Faith would also tell her everything.

For the next day, nothing happened. James and Faith kept monitoring Purity’s room, but the primordial angel didn’t leave it even once. Wukong also remained in the lounge area, where multiple people watched him constantly.

It was going perfectly until Lilith left and the match began. James needed to work on the audio, while Faith went to help Lilith’s fight.

For a few seconds, or maybe half a minute, nobody watched over either Wukong or Purity... They used the small window of confusion and slipped away without a trace...

Now, neither could be found. Even Amaterasu found this behavior weird and suspicious from Wukong. However, she also knew his eccentric and unpredictable personality, so it wasn’t that surprising.

"What I found strange is the timing," said Amaterasu, sitting beside Sera. "He often disappeared, but if he were truly unpredictable, he would’ve left whenever he desired... It’s suspicious that right when nobody was looking he disappeared simultaneously with Purity..."

Amaterasu bounced her legs anxiously. She supposedly didn’t care about anyone after losing her family, but she looked quite worried about Wukong. There was also a hint of betrayal growing on her sun-kissed face, but she tried her best to hide those feelings.

As for Sera, she never truly trusted Wukong, so the betrayal hurt little. Instead, the suffocating uneasiness continued growing inside her heart. It screamed inside her mind, warning her about tomorrow.

While drowning in these thoughts, the lounge room door burst open and Lilith stepped inside. She looked exhausted and pale. The young woman walked with slumped shoulders and dragged her feet towards the nearest couch.

Adam quickly caught her before she toppled over and passed out. It seemed, while dreaming was just as tiring as staying awake and that Evolution didn’t heal mental fatigue.

A few people chuckled inside the room while commenting on how cute Lilith looked while sleeping. Adam soon took her wife away into a nearby bedroom, where he stayed until Lilith awoke a few hours later.

During these hours, Sera sat in an armchair in the lounge room’s corner. She didn’t make a single sound as her eyes motionlessly stared down at the floor.

Bea sat on the armrest, her thigh gently brushing against Sera’s right arm. A bit of worry glinted in her greenish-gold eyes, yet she stayed quiet, leaving Sera alone with her thoughts.

Deep down, anger burned inside the World Tree. She wasn’t quick to hate individuals, yet betrayal was always a sore subject, which brought out her worst side.

Many people betrayed her in the past, most of whom she loved dearly. Nightmare, then later Sera herself, whom she forgave. After Sera, Bea tried finding solace with Otto... That didn’t end well either...

Luckily, Wukong wasn’t close to her heart, and she never trusted him, so the betrayal caused hatred remained controllable.

It was near midnight by the time Lilith and Adam returned. They chatted with everyone for a bit, but soon Sera’s tired sigh pierced through every conversation inside the room.

She rose to her feet. Her golden petal dress gently swayed with each step until she stopped in the room’s center. Bea stood a few steps behind her, watching and awaiting Sera’s next words.

The Angel stayed silent for a few more seconds, collecting her thoughts. Eventually, she sighed again and began explaining their current situation.

"I’m sure you’ve all realized how stressed I’ve been in the past few days... I’m also certain most of you know the cause of my anxiety..."

"It’s my brother, isn’t it? Victor’s planning something..." said Sarah while averting her gaze from her friends’ sympathetic eyes.

Sera nodded, and after a momentary silence continued...

"Indeed... By our latest knowledge, he kidnapped both Odin and Tyr. Purity also might’ve been working for him and now..." she became silent for a second, turning her gaze towards Amaterasu. "Now, Wukong has also betrayed us!"

A few shocked gasps echoed, but most already knew something was awry. Especially after Sera told them to pay close attention to his demeanor, and suddenly, at one point he disappeared.

Many suspicious eyes turned towards Amaterasu, but the stoic primordial goddess paid them no mind. Instead, she stared at Sera and asked curiously, "If you don’t trust me, then why am I here for this meeting?"

"When did I say I didn’t trust you?" asked Sera with a small smirk. "I might not have honor, but you... You came here even after getting tricked. You always kept your word, and judging by how hurt you’re because of Wukong’s betrayal, I’m certain you aren’t working with him!"

Amaterasu scoffed with annoyance, but she couldn’t seem to hide the tiny smile appearing on her face.

"I’m certain you’ll keep your word, so listening to the plan is a must... Now, back to the topic!"

She became silent yet again, but after a deep breath she revealed the plan that had been brewing in her mind for the past hours.

"We currently have four powerful Ethereals. However, three of you’re weakened by the Contracts. Also, none of us can hurt someone who doesn’t have a Contract, so tonight you’ll all surrender to me. This will liberate the restriction provided by the Contracts, but..."

Before Sera could’ve finished her sentence, Melinda cut in...

"But that would make us slaves until you win the tournament, and if you lose... We’ll be at Castiel’s mercy..."

Uncertainty appeared in many of Sera’s gathered friends, but after a few seconds of murmuring, Leslie’s booming voice echoed through the room.

"It’s certainly a gamble," he said, silencing everyone. "Sadly, our options are limited, and we’ve no way to guess Victor’s plan. I trust Sera’s ability to kill Castiel, and I’m sure you all agree!"

A few people nodded, while most simply stared at Leslie with raised eyebrows.

"Wow, when did you grow a brain?" asked Lucy, inappropriate as always.

"Shut the fuck up!" said Leslie, causing most to chuckle or giggle.

Their bickering brought a smile even to Sera’s uneasy face. However, soon she continued the explanation, which snuffed out the lightheartedness from the room.

"Tomorrow, you won’t be watching the match from this room. I want everyone in the bleachers, so you can react to any threat immediately..."

Everyone nodded in agreement, while Sera’s anxiety grew. Behind her, Bea stepped forward and grasped her hand gently.

She saw into the Angel’s mind and knew her fears exactly. Through touch, she gave Sera her silent support, which prompted her to continue.

"Now, let’s discuss what happens if Victor kills me," she began, while glancing towards Hestia, who stood nearby wearing her usual maid outfit. "I want you to watch over Nick and Jo. They’ll be in the bleachers too... I don’t want a repeat of the Peacemaking Celebration!"

Hestia nodded with perfect decorum, while Sera’s gaze moved towards Xinya, Yvonne and Vicky.

"I also want Lin, Thea and Lydia to watch over them too. Lin can teleport them away in the worst-case scenario. But if you disagree, they can stay behind at Luzia’s mansion."

"That’s not possible," said Yvonne, and Xinya nodded in agreement. "They’re already attending the last duel. If I ask them to stay behind, they’ll sneak in. We’ll bring them up to speed. I’m sure they’ll love some real responsibility!"

Sera nodded, then glanced towards her daughter and her fiancé. Their eyes reflected their thoughts perfectly, causing a smirk to grow on Sera’s face.

"You already know your jobs. Get everyone to safety and turn back time if necessary."

Vicky smiled at Sera, then leaned against Henry. Her thin arms hugged the tall boy’s own, hiding the slight tremble moving through her hands.

The discussion continued for another hour, then eventually they all went up onto the empty arena. There, hidden from the limelight of cameras, everyone surrendered to Sera, giving her full power over their will.

They then spent the time until dawn in silence. The next day’s suspense and uncertainty made everyone jumpy. The only one who remained perfectly calm was Sera.

She sat with closed eyes, taking deep breaths, focusing on her upcoming match. It was no use worrying about Victor now. They made sufficient preparations, which brought tranquility to Sera’s mind.

Eventually, when the time for the last duel arrived, those golden-green spheres snapped open, revealing a woman with unbound determination!