Chapter 585 (1/2)

The Drowned Man gurgled unpleasantly, tossing the mush that was Father Foster’s body and Thea’s remnants on the ground. The Obsidian Duke and the Undying Hero gathered around, peering down at the remains. Although he wasn’t a Nemesis like the rest of them, Thea believed that the Undying Hero deserved the moniker, from all he had heard about his antics.

“Dispel the illusion,” Thea said. She hated how thin and weak her voice sounded, but she had truly brushed death today. Randidly… he had been aiming to kill her. And if it wasn’t for the last minute intercession of the Undying Hero, she might really have perished.

The remains shimmered for a second, and then Thea’s broken body became a pile of flesh that was all that remained from Father Foster. As for Thea herself, her left arm had been obliterated by the force of the strike. Her internal organs were largely ruptured. Even with her Endurance vastly improved as a Nemesis, the shockwave of Randidly’s blow had brought her to the brink of death.

She attempted to stand and toppled over. Chrysanthemum, who had taken a blow directly, wasn’t much better. She had collapsed by a large rock and leaned against it with a groan.

“Well,” Thea finally said to break the silence. “This will certainly set our schedule back. It will take some time to recover. But I’ll talk to Yystrix, and I’m sure we can-”

“Ah, yes, the Foreigner,” The Drowned Man interrupted. His voice was strangely vibrational, perhaps due to the tentacles from his mouth. “I must make this clear. I agreed to assist, as you are a fellow Nemesis. But if you insist on working under such a thing, I will not work with you.”

Thea blinked. “What?”

“She was in my Zone for a short time, and did little but cause minor mischief.” The Drowned Man said dismissively. “Her goals are not my own. You might not understand, as I am led to believe you were originally from this Zone. But for the rest of us, we must cause constant damage. It is the only way to gather Aether for our Homeworlds.”

The Obsidian Duke rumbled his agreement, crossing his arms. Thea blinked up at them both.

“But with Yystrix’s information-”

“With her information, we almost got killed.” The Obsidian Duke growled. “Who the fuck was that, Spectral Rider? He handled all of us while holding back a fucking lake. I agree with the Drowned Man. We would be most effective if we were alone.”

“The very strength of the Nemesai stems from the fact we can group up in any Zone. If we toss that aside…” Thea’s lips worked soundlessly for several seconds. They wanted to leave? It wasn’t particularly important to her, but Yystrix had some concrete goals that she expected to accomplish. On her own, Thea wasn’t sure if she could accomplish them. Her growth now was much more strange and difficult than it had been before. Doing everything, while injured… it was impossible.

“Again, you don’t understand us,” The Drowned Man said with a shake of his head. Then he turned and walked away.

The Obsidian Duke sighed, looking at her awkwardly. “Look, you are right… but we don’t have to win, Spectral Rider. We come down in pairs, yes? The Jade Prince is my opposite, but he is from the same homeworld as I. Although we do not like each other, no matter which triumphs, my world will receive the Aether. There is no reasons to take risks, not when… not when that man is out there.”

And so they walked away, leaving Thea standing with the strange creature they called the Undying Hero. His name was Roy, Thea believed, and he was smiling widely at her, despite what just occurred.

“Is something funny?” Thea snapped, glaring at him.

Roy only chuckled. “No, no. I was just… lost in thought. It was shocking, right? That man? Just wow. Reminds me of a younger, less handsome version of myself, eh? Well anyways, don’t sweat this too much; it always happens to a hero. You split the party to accomplish smaller tasks. Only at the last moment do we all come back together. It’s honestly hack.”