Chapter 714 (2/2)

“Jaime, no!” Ryal’s voice was horrified as he turned to find one of his best friends ripped into pieces next to him. Alta had an ‘aha!’ moment as she finally was able to match the name that Ryal threw around all the time with the face.

Through this all, Alta hadn’t moved, so she was still only two steps from Halgr. She stayed very still, unwilling to attract his attention if she did not need to. Three of her bridesmaids were occupied fighting the Earth Golems crowding into the room, but one hurried back over to join the group facing Halgr. In addition to her bridesmaids, two of the groomsmen had overcome their fear and were standing with Ryal. Honestly, Alta was somewhat impressed.

With a deadly sort of finality, Halgr turned, aiming his spear toward Ryal’s chest.

“Alta,” Ryal said in a low voice. “When he attacks, there is a moment where he will be caught up in the fight. I know it’s going to be hard, but I need you to use that moment to get away from him. After that, just run. I’ll be fine here. I know I don’t look like it, but I’ve received a lot of training from my grandfather. I doubt there is someone as demanding as he is in all of the Land.

“And no matter what,” Ryal said, never taking his eyes off the spear, “Know that I will always love you. If you make it out, I will find-”

Chrip!

“Ah, excuse me,” Alta interrupted, holding up a hand. “I am receiving a call.”

Everyone immediately paused. Ryal’s eyes when wide and he turned to look at her, somewhat confused by her rather mundane reaction. Heedless, Alta picked up the short range communicator and answered it.

“Yes? This is Alta speaking.”

“Finished up here. Messier than I thought. I don’t think we will be able to avoid the press.” Creta said bluntly. Alta almost chuckled. The other woman always took such great pains to remain low key. Not that Alta didn’t understand the benefits, but the lengths Creta went to…

“And…?” Alta said, her voice playful.

Even through the tinny echo of Creta’s voice, Alta could hear her vicious smile. “You were right. Immediately after the wedding started, several accidents happened to your majority shareholders. Often, those shareholders had inheritors who had recently become involved in seedy agreements. The Chairman of the Board, Bonsil Car, had a Soulless Behemoth inexplicably appear in his mansion. Since I happened to be there… I caught the operative who released it.”

“So the game is over?” Alta asked. Then she sighed with relief as Creta answered in the affirmative. This was beginning to become tiresome. As she used a thread of her will, the resonator in her chest began to hum.

“Uh, Alta-” Ryal said, but that was the moment that Halgr moved. His spear ripped through Ryal’s stomach, and her fiance spat up blood. Immediately, his face went pale, even as the other defenders launched their own attacks on Halgr.

Alta didn’t move, but her heart did flicker, a tiny bit. She allowed herself a sad smile. She needed a bait of the sort that the Council of Fates would go for. A time where she would be seen as on top of the world, so that band of fuckers would see it as poetic justice to strike then.

She hadn’t expected to like the man she chose for the role, but it had some benefits associated with it, notwithstanding the sex. Now, what she appreciated was the spark of fury she felt when Ryal died before her very eyes. It was very rare that something moved her, so sometimes she needed a little kick to activate the resonator.

Creta had designed it with one very powerful Great Skill in mind. Although Alta turned out to be rather hopeless at martial arts, she did have a vicious sort of vindictiveness in her heart that manifested in a fiery way. And that, it turned out, was exactly the key that one needed in this world to become an incarnate of Ash.

“Burn,” Alta whispered.

The mountain around her exploded.