Chapter 110: Darcey

Chapter 110: Darcey

Darcey stroked his upper moustache and finished by twirling it upward into a curl. His hair had already turned grey–yet despite that–the moustache had a dark viscous liquid stained within that gave it a wet sheen.

A severed head that held an expression of abrupt horror looked as if it was frozen in time. It seemed fresh as liquid oozed from the bottom and onto the wooden table. The smell of copper overpowered any other smells that may or may not be within the dining room.

He gazed outside to the turbulent sea waves. They were endless and there wasn’t a landmark that could be used for guidance for thousands of miles. Not that he cared either way. His life belonged to the Great Ocean.

He trailed his finger along the jagged, wet, long table in front of him. Scratches, or knife markings had marred the once fine wood into a chaotic sprawling of madness.

“Why are you looking like that Haider?” Darcey said.

Haider stood to the side with his arms beside his hips, they refused to move. He hesitated for a moment as he struggled to pry his eyes away from the still warm head. But, his inner worry proved too great to simply stand by and do nothing.

“Your son...” Haider said as his lip quivered.

“He was a necessary sacrifice.” Darcey chuckled without care. “What else?”

Haider took an anxious breath. “Lord Sinwen won’t sit back this time,” Haider continued. “It has been too long since he acted. He won’t let this opportunity go to waste. The Spearhead will make sure to display the might of his house in one fell swoop, it’s only a matter of time before his scouts find us.”

“The Spearhead...” Darcey mumbled, a savage grin displayed his pinkish-red teeth. “It has been far too long since Rebirth has controlled the oceans.”

Then, a sudden change evolved within his eye as a trembling anger took over him in a split-second. He smashed his fist into the table. The force impacted against the wood, sending it splintering down into the floor.

He snarled. ”Even Noah–despite her strength that I desperately want–has submitted to the damned Deplorers!”

Haider watched as the sudden intense anger was washed away like a cold shower.

Darcey calmly placed his hands on his thighs. “Well, it won’t be long until he is erased from this world, along with all the other Deplorers on Rebirth.”

“Y–you can’t mean that?” Haider stuttered.

“And why not?”

“Even if you manage to kill him,” Haider continued. “Who would possibly be able to deal with the Leviathan? It would be uncontested, free to roam as it pleases. I’m not even sure if Noah can–”

“Stop.” Darcey interrupted. He stroked his moustache once more with the wet blood of the severed head, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Do you really think I would act without a plan?” Darcey said. “That I would willingly sacrifice my only son for no reason?”

Darcey reached down and grabbed the severed head that had fallen to the floor, along with the rest of the table. He grabbed it by the hair and hovered it in front of his face.

“No, that was just the second step of my plan,” Darcey continued, “isn’t that right, Archbishop?”

The shadows within the room trembled at the words.

“So beautiful,” Leena said. “Is that the eye you received during the mission?”

Astrid smirked. She raised her hand as a raw boulder of Voidbent armour raised from the ground.

“How about this?” Astrid continued. “If you beat me, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Let’s go then,” Leena said in excitement.

Leena formed her metal armour while the umbrella within her hands turned into a vicious, pointed lance that was ready for war.

Without warning, she charged forward like a manic bull. The point of her lance moved in line with Astrid’s head. Wherever Astrid moved her head around, the tip was already pointed at her brain.

Astrid felt a heat bubble up within her. The adrenaline within her body coursed at the sign of battle. It was a feeling she could never escape from, nor did she want to. It was the life she wished to live. A life with her life constantly on the border between life and death–and nothing could come close to the thrill it brought.

Astrid could see that same feeling within Leena’s eyes. Despite the threat of injury, a wicked smile tugged at the corner of her battle-maids lips.

They were a kindred spirit. They had a need for battle.

But, this training wasn’t only for Astrid. She had given it a lot of thought ever since she had found the Voidbent metal during the most recent mission.

If Leena had control over metal, then she could do the same thing Astrid did with Psych Warp. She could meld the metal to whatever she wanted. However, from Astrid’s experience with researching other classes during her studies, learning how to control different metals required ongoing experimentation and practice. All metals held different elements, just like living creatures. If that was the case, practising with the real metal would be an exorbitant expense as Voidbent metal was now a prized possession for any military. It was one that Astrid couldn’t afford.

And now with the sudden thought of sparring within Mind Domain, she wondered if Leena could practise the same way in the Mind Domain as the original metal.

But first, she wanted to win. She was aware it wasn’t fair, given her strength boosts within the Mind Domain, but she didn’t want to think less of Leena. Astrid would fight at full strength. Besides, if anyone else had a mind attack like hers, she wanted Leena to be prepared.

Astrid’s hair raised as the metal battle-maid approached her at a staggering pace. A thought entered her mind, but it wasn’t her own. Astrid realised another power of the Mind Domain. If she could read their thoughts, then that was also the same for their attacks.

At the last second Leena dodged to the side with a sudden blast of movement. However, Astrid with the knowledge of her thoughts had already prepared her defences in that direction.

Leena struck the lance at Astrid’s head without hesitation. As the Lance approached, Leena’s body emitted a blast of razor sharp needles that pierced at her in a wide cone of effect. The strike was true, yet it bounced off of Astrid’s empowered Mind Barrier. Yet Leena didn’t stop there.

Just like before when they had tested the strength of Astrid’s Mind Barrier, Leena’s calf grew by double the size as metal swelled around both legs. They stamped into the ground like roots from an ancient tree as they made her body into an immovable wall. The lance in her hand spun like an automatic industrial drill, the speed was so fast that it buzzed within Astrid’s ear.

The lance’s rotating tip pressed up against her Mind Domain as sparks sprinkled off the translucent shield like a shower-head spraying a magical light of blue and white.

Astrid clearly remembered her mind struggling against the strength of the drill-like lance. She was only able to last for a few seconds under the might of Leena’s metal powers. Yet now, it was hardly a challenge at all. Her mana was being sapped away, but that was it. There was no strenuous effort on her part to resist it.

She calculated that she would be able to last around almost four minutes from the constant attack, which was a staggering difference from before. And she was sure it would be longer, but she felt the attack become stronger the longer that it was undergoing. Not only that, she was suspicious that it also held armour penetration.

Astrid smirked as she released her barrier without warning. She [Crashed] the matter in front of Leena as her body was sent back like a cannonball.

It was her turn to attack.