CHAPTER 317: 317

The quietness of the night had been broken by a sudden fight shaking away the dust and debris.

Then they came—four women from the Crimson Choir, their eyes wild, their movements jerky like broken dolls, each holding long, black chains that pulsed with a sickening red glow. Without a word, they lunged, taking the flank of attack.

Seeing this the main forces acted.

Seraphina took one, with her sword slashing the woman.

Vic locked blades with another, her shield up. Gare, Barret, and Chris were forced to team up against one woman who fought like a rabid animal, screaming as she swung her chain like a whip.

Farther down the path, Ariana danced around her opponent, her movements smooth and graceful like a wind spirit. She slashed through the air, blades clashing, sparks flying.

Vic held her ground, blocking strike after strike from her opponent’s chain. She grunted, pushed forward with her shield, and slammed it into the woman’s face with raw force.

Gare, Barret, and Chris moved like a unit—one attacking, the others defending. Their opponent was fast, feral, biting and snarling like a beast. Chris got scratched, blood trickling down his cheek, but they didn’t let up. They had to survive.

The forest path became a war zone—flashes of power lighting up the night, screams echoing in the air.

The other remaining guards of Veydrin Knights and from Barony fought with a group of devoured.

SIZZLE!CRACKEL!

BANG!

Attacks met one another and struck with a mighty sword attack.

Blades clashed one another lifting up the darkness of the night

Seraphina faced the fourth.

The woman’s hair was tangled, her lips smeared with red like paint.

Her voice was soft, almost playful, but twisted. "Why don’t you just give in, pretty girl?" she whispered as her chain slithered toward Seraphina like a living snake. "Let the Choir cleanse your soul."

Seraphina stepped back and swung her sword. The blade cut through the chain, or so she thought—but instead of breaking, the chain wrapped around the sword and absorbed the energy from it.

A pale light flickered in Seraphina’s eyes as her strength drained. She cursed under her breath and let go of the sword, flipping backward to regain distance. The woman laughed, a high-pitched, broken sound. "Oh, yes... I want more. Give me more. The taste of fear... it’s beautiful."

The woman rushed again, chain whirling like a storm. Seraphina ducked one swing, rolled to the side to avoid the second, and leaped back from a third that sliced clean through a tree trunk.

She tried to summon her aura, but it flickered. The chain’s energy-sapping effect was worse than she’d expected.

The battlefield echoed with screams and roars, blood mixing with mud under the dark canopy of night.

The forest around the path shook with each clash of metal and bursts of power. Amid it all, Seraphina stood locked in a deadly duel with one of the Crimson Choir’s madwomen.

The twisted woman cackled as she lashed her cursed chain again and again, its dark links humming with power that devoured the energy of anything it touched.

Seraphina ducked low, the chain slicing just inches above her head. She swung her sword in return, aiming for the woman’s exposed side—but the moment her blade met the chain, the light on it dimmed, and she felt her strength drain.

Her eyes flickered in pain, and she quickly jumped back, breathing hard.

The woman licked her lips with a grin, her voice smooth and unsettling. "Come now, sweet girl... Don’t run. Embrace it. Let your energy melt into the Choir. You’ll feel divine."

Seraphina didn’t respond. Her eyes stayed locked on the chain, calculating, reading every twitch of the woman’s muscles. Another whip cracked toward her—she dodged left, then right, her movements precise. But the woman was fast and rabid, shrieking with laughter as she struck wildly.

...

By the carriage, Jess held onto Emilia, her voice shaking. "My Lady... Lady Seraphina’s in trouble. She’s getting pushed back hard!"

Emilia’s eyes followed the clash in the distance, her brows furrowed. She didn’t speak immediately, her gaze cold.

"She’s not done yet," Emilia muttered at last.

"You really think someone who made it to the Continental List would go down so easily?"

The fight continued. The woman’s chain danced through the air like a predator. Every swing was wild, unpredictable. Seraphina ducked, twisted, and dodged. But each movement was draining her, and her breathing grew heavier.

The woman moved closer, licking her lips, eyes burning with madness. "Join us... Embrace the Choir. It’s all music now. No pain, no guilt... just singing in the dark."

Seraphina gritted her teeth, barely dodging another swipe. The chain grazed her shoulder, and she felt her energy leave her body in a rush. She stumbled, her vision blurring. The woman giggled again and skipped forward like a little girl playing. "Aren’t you tired of fighting? Come dance with me."

The air grew still.

Then something changed.

Seraphina’s aura sparked faintly. A flicker of electricity crackled around her fingers.

The woman noticed it too late. "What... what is this?" she asked, her face twisting in confusion.

Seraphina vanished.

One second she was there—barely standing. The next, she was gone.

The woman spun around, panic gripping her face. "Where did you go? Where are you?!"

She looked left, right then froze. Every hair on her body stood up. A chill crawled up her spine.

She turned around only to get smacked.

BOOM!

A lightning-coated kick landed squarely in her gut. The force exploded through the air, shaking the bushes and trees around them. The woman’s eyes bulged. A scream tore out of her mouth as she flew back, crashing through a tree, rolling across the ground like a ragdoll.

Back in the thick of it, the woman shrieked louder, fury boiling. "Gaaaah! What’s going on?! Why can’t I hit you?!"

She coughed violently, trying to get up. Her limbs trembled. She spat blood.

Another blur.

BAM!

She was slammed again.

Seraphina walked toward her slowly, step by step. Her eyes glowed with cold light. Sparks danced across her skin. Her once calm face now looked deadly.

"Do you know why I didn’t kill you earlier?" she said softly.

The woman’s body shook uncontrollably. She tried to crawl away but her legs wouldn’t move.

She lashed her chains again, the ground ripping wherever they struck—but none touched Seraphina.

"You bitch! What the hell are you doing?! What technique is this?!"

Seraphina’s lips curled into a cold sneer. "You don’t even know who you’re facing... and you scream all that nonsense?"

The woman faltered just for a second.

Seraphina’s voice dropped into a cold tone. "Do you know what our blessing is?"

At that moment, sparks crackled around Seraphina’s body. Blue-white lightning danced across her arms and shoulders, her armor gleaming under the night sky. Her hair flowed as if caught in a storm. Her once calm expression turned sharp and dangerous, eyes glowing like twin blades of frost.

Then she vanished again.

The woman froze, eyes darting everywhere. "Where did she go?!"

The bushes rustled, but it was no use. Fear crawled up the woman’s spine.

Suddenly, her body locked—instinct screamed at her, and she turned around, but—

BOOOOOOM!

The impact shook the earth. A blinding flash, and then a shockwave blasted outward.

"GYAAAHHHH!"

The woman’s body twisted in the air, her mouth wide in agony. Saliva flew out, her face warped from the force. She slammed into a thick tree, the wood cracking, and then skidded across the ground in a spray of dirt and leaves.

Coughing violently, she tried to push herself up, blood running from her mouth. Her legs shook like leaves.

But then—

Bang!

Another hit. She flew again, barely able to scream.

Seraphina’s voice rang out, low and terrifying. "Do you know why I didn’t kill you the first time I had the chance?"

The woman gasped, her whole body trembling. Her eyes widened in horror as she looked up—and there stood Seraphina. Right in front of her. Her face was emotionless, but her eyes burned with power.

"Because people like you..." Seraphina whispered, leaning down, "...getting killed so easily is mercy."

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Punch after punch landed, each one heavier than the last. The ground cracked under the force. The woman’s screams turned to gurgles. Her body twisted, her eyes rolled back. The rest of the battlefield paused for a moment, hearing the sounds of her torment.

Each strike cracked through the forest air, each one shaking the ground beneath them. The woman’s screams were now hoarse and broken, her body crushed and crumpled under Seraphina’s unrelenting assault.

The bushes around them rustled from the shockwaves. Even the other fighters turned to glance for a moment, hearing the destruction in that small corner of the battlefield.

Jess shivered and whispered to Emilia, "She’s not normal..."

Emilia didn’t answer. She was still watching. Eyes narrow, lips firm.

Seraphina didn’t even breathe hard. She stepped back, the woman’s broken body twitching faintly in the dirt.

Then she turned, the lightning fading from her limbs as the woman was pummeled on the ground with devastating brutality.