"Why do you nuisances keep trying to waste my time?"
Aleron spoke, his tone laced with sheer disappointment rather than his usual indifference towards his subordinates
His aura surged wildly as he watched Rin and Asterx shield Elicia behind them
His prey had been taken away
'I could have had a good time'
Tch
Aleron clicked his tongue
"Can you two worms go bother someone else?"
"I got business with the lady"
"...…"
Asterx and Rin both stared at Aleron, their faces turning pale
'Oh boy'
Elicia thought to herself
Whoosh!
The ground cracked beneath their feet as Rin and Asterx's killing intent clashed with Aleron's.
The air itself seemed to give way, leaving behind nothing but thick miasma.
Step
Elicia stepped back silently.
The pressure alone from those three was enough to tear apart the surrounding streets.
Not wanting to be caught in the clash, Elicia dug her feet into the ground and steadied herself.
A faint crack formed beneath her as she resisted the crushing pressure.
The standoff continued for several minutes, neither side willing to give the other an advantage.
'Interesting'
Aleron thought to himself
"...…."
Letting the tension die down, Rin and Asterx spoke in unison
"Huh?"
Their expressions darkened.
Veins bulged across their foreheads.
Their eyes sharpened into razor-like blades as they stared directly at Aleron without a trace of fear.
"I won't repeat myself"
Aleron spoke calmly
"Hey, commoner"
"It's Rin, your highness"
"Whatever"
Asterx shifted slightly, only for Aleron to wave him off dismissively.
"I hate you"
But—
Aleron's gaze drifted toward Asterx.
"I want to kill him more"
"What of you?"
Rin stared at Asterx coldly before a smirk slowly appeared on his face.
"Guess we do agree on something"
Elicia slowly rose to her feet, staring at the two apathetically
It did not matter to her
Not in the slightest
'If they want to die, let them'
'Not like I knew them'
She could leave
Save herself
Avoid whatever was about to happen
But—
She couldn't
Not with that thing chasing her
Leaving now would certainly create even more troublesome events in the future
"Hah"
Elicia scoffed to herself
'This is the worst possible scenario, isn't it'
"What is the matter?"
Rin and Asterx answered simultaneously.
"Kuh"
The moment they realized they had spoken in sync, both immediately looked at each other in disgust.
"Nothing"
Elicia shook her head.
"I was going to ask what our strategy is?"
Rin and Asterx looked at her as though she had just asked the dumbest question imaginable.
"You got to be kidding me?"
Both turned away in embarrassment
Sigh
'Why are these idiots paired up with me'
Elicia's eyes drifted towards Aleron
'He has not moved from that spot'
'Is there a problem?'
A ticking time bomb standing still is a recipe for disaster
Yet Aleron remained where he was.
Calm.
Motionless.
Why?
"Um..."
Rin's voice snapped her out of her thoughts
Shifting her gaze towards Rin, she listened
"I don't kn-"
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted.
The street vanished beneath a violent shockwave.
Buildings collapsed as though they had never existed.
The ground cracked beneath their feet.
As the dust slowly settled, a massive bone-like structure came into view.
"Wow."
"Aren't you kids fast?"
Aleron sounded genuinely impressed.
Standing at the opposite end were Elicia, Asterx and Rin
Elicia emerged completely unscathed
Rin and Asterx, however, were not so fortunate.
'I was careless'
'I should have not taken my eyes off him'
Elicia's gaze shifted toward the two
They were in a worse condition
Although neither had suffered serious injuries, numerous cuts covered their bodies.
Fortunately, none of them appeared life-threatening.
"Are you guys alright?"
Elicia asked.
Rin wiped a streak of blood from his cheek and smirked.
"I wouldn't say... but I'm alive, Elicia."
Rin replied with a sly smirk
"Is that so?"
Elicia replied flatly.
"What of you?"
"Yeah"
Asterx replied in a cold tone
Swish!
A flash of light cut through the air.
Whoosh
The light cut through the air disintegrating everything that dared to stay in its path.
"Hold On"
Asterx said cautioning Elicia and Rin
"Ok"
Both replied
Boom!
The dust settled.
The flash of light which disintegrated everything in its path slowly shimmered away
"Very intriguing kids"
A sly smirk came across his face
"Let the game of cat and mouse begin"