Chapter 1272 (1/2)

As the fighting had intensified outside of the box, Nathan had rushed to Mariah’s side and used his Rejuvenation Circle to address the head trauma that she had clearly suffered in whatever altercation knocked her out. Luckily, the wound was minor; It only took three seconds underneath the careful flow of his Mana for Mariah’s eyes to flutter and open.

She has such pretty eyes, Nathan thought as he suddenly became too aware of how close he was to her side.

For a second she was shocked and sat straight up to peer around. Then she winced and brought a hand to touch the rapidly healing wound along her scalp. Her eyes quickly scanned the figures of Nathan, the head of the Order Valorem, the two remaining men from the Order Valorem, and then the chaotic mess of bodies and food that littered the ground in the suite.

“I… are you healing me?” Mariah asked surprised. She smiled at Nathan and his body jolted like someone had pressed a taser against his spine. “Thank you, Nathan! Ha, it really was lucky that you happened to be here, huh? I had no idea you were a healer...”

“I… err, I’m just-”

Nathan was saved from having to reply further by the door being once more kicked down. Two individuals rushed into the room, the first one wearing a robe with the sigil of the Order Valorem and the second one Nathan recognized as the Quarterback for the Stallions that had gotten summarily crushed in the first half of the game.

The first figure carefully scanned the bodies and then his gaze alighted on Nathan. His eyes narrowed. The quarterback seemed to freeze up as he saw all the bleeding bodies on the ground. Nathan’s own attention focused as he looked at the vaguely familiar first figure who had entered the room.

I’m not sure who he is, but… This man is strong.

But again, another distraction kept the interaction from continuing just as Nathan was hesitating. Mariah jumped backward and pointed to the two bodies that Nathan had earlier subdued with Psychic Surgery. “Shit… How are they still alive…!?”

And honestly, Nathan also believed their continued movement was quite bizarre. The two figures who now had severed spines but still managed to struggle back to their feet. Blood dripped from their hands and formed long, crimson daggers. Their eyes were dull and covered with a thin film of rotting blood.

The head of the Order Valorem acted decisively. He stepped back and offered Mariah a hand, quickly causing Nathan to dislike the man, even if he agreed with him in principle. “Quick, there is a secret exit to this suite. If we cannot incapacitate them, it’s best-”

Nathan’s fists clenched as he activated Psychic Surgery for the second time. Once more, he easily bypassed their nonexistent spiritual defenses and entered into the bodies of the two. He could immediately feel how the bodies weren’t relying on human anatomy to move but rather were being propped up by their very blood to keep themselves standing.

Nathan found the source of the blood manipulation and blasted the mental connection to smithereens. Once more, the two figures twitched and slumped to the ground. With an officious sneer, Nathan glanced sideways at the leader of the Order Valorem. “No need to panic, they should be finished for good now.”

“Oh wow,” Mariah said as she looked at Nathan with round and admiring eyes.

The leader of the Order Valorem looked nervously around as the stadium shook once again due to the combat happening out on the field. “...even if the immediate threat is dealt with, we should still leave via the passage. As long as the fighting continues, we will be in danger.”

The powerful man wearing the Order Valorem symbol walked up to the leader and whispered in his ear. Suddenly, the man’s focus completely switched from escape to the point that he started glaring at the man. “What? How can you-”

The two stepped off to the side and entered into a quiet conversation that they pitched low enough that not even Nathan could hear what they were saying. The quarterback of the Stallions who had entered the room slowly walked to the window and looked down toward the field with a solemn expression. There was a strange cracking noise outside, but Nathan turned to check on Mariah’s condition once again.

When she really seemed none the worse for wear, Nathan released a sigh of relief. He was about to strike up a conversation with her when the man looking out the window spoke in a low voice, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

“Is that… Randidly Ghosthound?”

*****

The Grim Chimera scanned the chaotic field below, measuring the strength of the different sides. The Nemesai were strong, but the people of Earth were no slouch either. He paused for a brief instant as he noticed drops of blood drifting through the air, gradually gathering in front of the giant stone wheel that the Winged Serpent produced with its image.

It was curious, but the Grim Chimera didn’t pursue the matter further. Because he remembered the orders of the main body: just kill the duplicate.

The Grim Chimera’s frown deepened as he considered the relatively mediocre images of the Nemesai. His eyes landed on Straud. Better go wild while I have the chance though.

“You dare….” Straud’s face was slowly being suffused with an embarrassed flush. Even his image trembled with rage as he stared upward at the Grim Chimera.“You… you know not who you offend-”