Chapter 1129 (2/2)

But now Cail’s temper had been ignited. When he jabbed his finger at Vualla, she couldn’t help but grunt as some of his formidable power leaked out and smashed against her. “ I know your life! You stupid cunt, everything you are, everything you could be… All these souls are in the palm of your hand! And you are wasting it! If you know about the path to power, what are you waiting for?”

Cail’s lip curled upward. His aura began to rumble ominously and Vualla was forced to grit her teeth. Her Fate spasmed once more. “Are you going to tell me it’s love? That you fell in love with this foolish Earthling and suddenly you are willing to waste all of your potential? To throw away every bit of your dreams? What fickle creatures are women! How flighty and emotional. Don’t mind me, then, if I squash you like a bug so I don’t have the distinct displeasure of staring at the disappointment of your existence any longer.”

“You’ll regret killing me,” Vualla said softly.

“Heh, if I don’t know you, there is no way you can know me. I already regret making you,” Cail muttered as he raised his hand. “A very rare mistake, indeed. I suppose it was always a risky gamble…”

All the palpable energy of Cail’s aura concentrated on his hand. Her instincts immediately began to hum, warning her away from that hand. Yet for a split second, Vualla considered remaining silent in the face of her imminent death.

She was so tired. All her life had been building toward a reunion that could no longer happen. Her father was dead. All her strength ended up being useless. It was likely due to the damage to her Fate, but for the last few days, Vualla also couldn’t seem to muster up much of a will for revenge. This was a war where the lines might shift but tragedy was inescapable. Hating the enemy that only fought because of its obvious hatred toward the forces of Aether left Vualla numb and tingling.

And yet…

And yet, as Cail Tweocs’ had his hand raised high above his hairless head, some part of Vualla stirred. When her Fate trembled, it was that same warm itching of a healing wound. And she saw Randidly’s solemn eyes.

If I can be wounded, then I can heal. I cannot just give up.

No.

Not now.

This life is finally mine. That Path Cail Tweocs wants me to take… he can’t force me to choose it.

I can live how I want. I can live without sacrificing everything for strength.

Yet to get Cail to stop… only one method came to Vualla’s mind. To prove him wrong. If she could just prove she was right about one thing, Cail would withdraw and reconsider. And with that chance…

Well, Vualla wasn’t sure what would change. But she was absolutely sure that something would. All she needed was the opportunity. A secret floated to the surface of her mind in that long, drawn-out moment as Vualla looked at the execution hanging over her. A secret of Randidly’s. One that wasn’t hers to share.

And as she opened her mouth, she hesitated. If I say this, and people learn about this, Randidly-

There was a warm hand suddenly on her back. Her Fate began twitching rapidly. Vualla could hear Randidly’s voice in her ear.

If the situations were reversed, and there was a secret about you that I could share to survive, would you want me to say it?

Vualla’s jaw clenched. Obviously, but would you do it? Would you betray my trust?

The warm handprint on her back intensified. Wouldn’t you want me to? Is that desire less important than our individual pride?

Vualla closed her eyes.

Just before Cail was about to strike, Vualla spoke softly into the air, freezing the man who was much, much more powerful than she was even though she didn’t open her eyes. “Do you know why Randidly is so strong? And why he won’t die?”

Cail paused. He slowly raised his hand back toward its starting position and looked toward the battlefield with a serious expression. For a second, the duo considered the form of Randidly Ghosthound, easily ripping through the three and four-star Nether Beasts. Then a wicked smile that stretched from ear to ear emerged on Cail’s face. “Yes… yes I do. That boy has a secret so powerful that even someone like me was tempted. His body is an entire world. He-”

“You’re wrong.” Chuckling, Vualla shook her head. Then she shrugged as her eyes opened and she faced Cail with a clear gaze. “Well, perhaps you are not. But I think you are missing the point. Look at how the power flows through him. He is entirely connected with his subordinates. With his body, with his images. Everything he does is slippery smooth. When he fights, he doesn’t have several independent images, they are all woven together.”

“...what is your point?” Cail said quietly. But Vualla knew that he saw it now. Slowly, his hand began to drift downward toward his side.

“I don’t know much about the Xyrt Brigade, but I bet you have a lot of strategic grade intel on the fight against the Nether,” Vualla said casually. “Like the greatest strength of the Nether… the connections between its forces. That they can move their entire force across the entire Nether empire in a split second because of that powerful interconnective infrastructure. If you unfocus your gaze… can’t you see the same qualities present in Randidly?”

Finally, Cail Tweocs fell silent.

“You don’t know us, Cail,” Vualla said quietly. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and straightened. “Maybe you are very, very good at predicting. Maybe you can see our pasts with perfect clarity. But the past isn’t the future. It has to pass through the present first and this present… it's a magical thing.”

Cail spat to the side.

“Now, if you will excuse me…” Vualla flashed a bright smile at Cail. “I need to go offer my congratulations. We won this battle. And the war is a much bigger thing than the two of us… but I think that one victory in this battle is exactly how we want to start.”