Chapter 184: Attack 25

A few hours prior. The last fight between Susa and Eri began. As Eri kicked Susa through the houses, Susa landed on the other side of the second layer. Several walls have been broken and Susa groaned, trying to force her body to stand up from the ruins of the destruction.

Eri had a slender figure, that she was able to pack so much punch with one single kick to send Susa flying through buildings, was beyond Susa's comprehension. It was after all true. The captains were insanely strong and Susa with her clairvoyance ability was helpless in face of such brute physical power. How was she going to fight a monster like this?

Her white robe imprinted with blue snowflakes, Eri truly looked like an ice queen. Her short black hair complimented her pale skin where the only colours were her blue eyes and red lips. With her lifeforce wrapped around her like a scarf, Eri descended in front of Susa.

Compared to Susa's messy appearance, Eri was impeccable. The sharp glint in her eyes was like a white forest in a winter wonderland, sturdy yet bare of anything.

Susa continued to yank her robe out of the ruins and threw her blonde hair back that fell over her gentle face. Susa could be described as a flower that bloomed on a sole hill silently giving it life but unfortunately, Eri's freezing breath petrified this flower and stomped it into bits.

Susa licked her chapped lips. Dry and rough with a hint of bitterness from the dust. There wasn't much Susa could do, she had no weapons or an active power that let her attack a person. Her ability could help her to understand Eri as a person but was it really necessary to try to lure Eri with words of her past or her worries? It'd only infuriate her more.

Susa needed only to lead her life force to her eyes and she could instantly see Eri's intention. The reason why she was fighting and the reason why Eri wouldn't be swayed by Susa.

It was futile. Susa has come so far yet in the end, she was wary of everything she had to give up but in the first place what was there to give up for Susa?

Her parents? Her casual life? Her new life? Lia? The others? The fun and exciting adventure they were on, riddled with suffering and gruesome responsibility she wasn't willing to take but had to? Was all of that not worth anything? Or worth anything at all?

Susa's eyes followed Eri's movement. How Eri came closer, with a wave of her elegant hand her scarf-like lifeforce flung out and attacked Susa. At the last second, Susa dodged and blocked the long, thin veil with a wooden piece of the broken houses. Then Susa threw it at Eri who defended herself with the scarf.

So, Eri could use the lifeforce to either attack or defend. If Susa was able to touch Eri briefly, then Susa could be able to figure out what weakness Eri had. And then?

Come up with a plan to stop Eri? Was Susa capable of that? Out of everyone's power, Susa knew hers were the least powerful in a fight, completely useless, that was why she tried to train more than anyone else.

But without anyone's proper guidance Susa couldn't hone her abilities the way she wanted to. Being able to look into the future for a brief second, to assess the opponent's next move, Susa was still not able to achieve it.

That was why she focused on building up her physical strength. Truth be told, Susa was a bit jealous of Nana getting the opportunity to train at the academy. But if Susa went in her stead, would the results be any different?

"I thought the hidden families would be stronger than this," Eri's haughty voice was layered with a sense of aloofness which ironically made her seem less arrogant. Her crystal-like eyes stared down at Susa who was in a defensive stance.

"Let's finish this quickly. I really can't be bothered to waste too much time helping that-'' at this Eri's teeth gnashed and her icy expression made a brief way for an angry expression. It was as if the winter snow-covered land had caught fire, a burning vivid, rampaging fire that was instantly frozen by the lashing wind.

When Eri looked at Susa, she felt pity. But this pity wasn't any greater, no it was nowhere near the pity Eri felt for herself. Having to be subject to being a captain for Min's army while continuously being forced to dance in his palm, Eri had no remorse to feel for anyone but herself.

It was simple what she had to do. Follow Min's order perfectly and do anything she could to not allow a single mistake. Through this way, Eri could clear the danger from herself and her family that was looming over them like a ticking bomb.

There was absolutely no room for mistakes. No tolerance for lenience and zero patience. The quicker Eri did what was asked of her, the sooner she could go home and stop worrying about Min for a brief while. Min could threaten her all he wanted but if she didn't feel his expectations, then his threats became empty air for Eri to spit on.

Was it luck or curse that Eri was born into a family of the council? If she wasn't, she wouldn't have to go through this, but she was and so did avoid the bad ending all the innocent immortals went through.

"I understand why you want to end this as soon as possible," Susa had no choice.

If the chance of persuading Eri with words was even 1%, then Susa would take it. Without even blinking her eyes, she had on the spot swore her loyalty to Lia and treated her as a friend and a master simultaneously. She wasn't going back on her promise.

Despite Susa not knowing Lia as well as the others Susa felt a connection with Lia. There was no other way to describe it. It was all based on some whimsy feeling that could end or vanish any minute. Logic had no play in here.

The only reason Susa could list was because she was part of the hidden families and it was her duty to serve the Immortal king. Her parents couldn't do it, so she took on the role. Also, did she need any other reason to fight than to protect everyone dear to her? She cared about every single one of them and knew they also did for her.

After all, Susa could do it and this was proof enough.

"Trying to appease me won't work," Eri simply stated as her scarf grew longer and lashed out at Susa who barely dodged it again.

"Also don't pretend to know anything about me."

The dark sky and gloomy surroundings highlighted Eri's face now in a creepy light. Shadows danced across as anger was visible again. What Eri hated were people who always pretend to know of someone's hardship, despite not having experienced it themselves.

So what if they understood? Could their empathy get rid of the problem? Could their words provide a solution? Could their pitying stares and earnest feelings lift the heavy burden she had to take?

No.

All it did was sprouting empty words that formed around her like a lullaby hoping she'd fall asleep and escape reality for a while before it came crashing down on her again.

It was like a drug, promising but completely useless, not solving anything but only complicated everything. Did Eri need words of comfort? Empathy? No. What she needed was someone to free her from this nightmare.

Yes, if she let the hidden families get to Min then probably they could kill him but the real question was. Could they? Seeing how weak Susa was, seeing how the hidden families failed again and again, how could Eri take the risk of letting them go when in the end they couldn't harm Min and instead Min would punish her letting them get away?

The possibility of it was practical 0. And anything that wasn't 100%, Eri wouldn't take it. The percentage of Eri winning against Susa was 100%. This route was safer.

"But I know," Susa's words were grating against Eri's eardrums. Eri's face became even more displeased and her hand swung in the air as if it was directing an orchestra. The two ends of her scarf doubled the size and relentlessly attacked Susa.

"Don't say things you have no idea about," Eri hissed as she watched how Susa continued to defend herself using the pieces of the ruins.

"I'm not lying," in between her fits of evading, Susa managed to choke out, "My ability's clairvoyance."

But this didn't seem to faze Eri, "Clairvoyance? I've got no idea what this is."

Eri had heard of it but if she had to list what the power could do, she was clueless. All these fancy names were annoying.

"You don't?'' Susa bit her lip. Of course, this was a word the mortal's attached to her power. It wasn't unusual for some not to know about it.

"It's the power of-" but Susa didn't get far as the scarf flew past the stone Susa blocked herself with and slapped her in the face, feeling the pain, Susa grit her teeth.

But this development wasn't too bad. Eri's power couldn't harm her as long as it didn't cut through her, touching it wasn't hurting badly.

Susa quickly grabbed the end of the scarf and with a ruck pulled Eri to her. In Eri's surprise, Susa managed to land a hit on Eri.