Marek’s eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, gaze locked on Naria.
"You’re awfully confident," he sneered, voice low and taunting. "Thinking about someone else’s safety in the middle of all this? Bold."
Before anyone could respond, Marek lunged, his dagger flashing under the fading light. Fast. Unnaturally fast.
"Get ready!" Lucia shouted, stepping forward and raising her hand.
A surge of cold burst from her palm as she cast [Frost], the ground beneath Marek icing over in an instant, slowing his approach.
Behind her, Elien stayed focused, drawing his bow with one hand, the other channeling a steady healing aura, ready to support. Naria moved up beside Lucia, her fists clenched tightly.
She activated [Soul Energy]. Her muscles tensed, veins glowing faintly with power as she prepared to block the incoming blow head-on.
But then, A flare of blue fire erupted from the side.
It came out of nowhere, melting Lucia’s frost instantly with a violent hiss.
"Elien, watch out!" Naria shouted.
From behind the wall of flames stepped a man with crazed eyes and wild energy radiating from his body. Igor. The bastard moved like a berserker possessed, the flames licking up his arms.
Lucia cursed under her breath. "Damn it..."
Marek struck again, but Naria didn’t flinch. She met his blade with her reinforced fist, steel against raw power and the dagger shattered on impact.
Behind them, Elien didn’t miss a beat. He released an arrow straight toward Marek’s chest.
The shot was dead-on.
Thud!
But as it hit, Marek’s body flickered and disappeared.
"What the—?!" Lucia stepped back, eyes wide. "That wasn’t him... was that—?"
A voice chuckled behind them.
"Aww, busted already?"
They turned sharply.
A new figure stood atop a crumbled barricade, lazily waving, his face twisted in mischief.
Marlo. The [Doppelgänger] user.
He smirked, clearly enjoying himself. "I was hoping to spook you a little longer."
Lucia gritted her teeth. "We’ve got more than one problem..."
Naria narrowed her eyes as she ducked beneath a swipe of wind. "Is this formation even working?" she muttered, frustrated. "We’re up against enemies who completely counter our abilities."
Lucia didn’t flinch. Her voice was calm but firm. "I accounted for that. Just stick to the plan."
Marek, standing several meters away with a sinister grin, let out a mocking chuckle. "All your efforts are pointless," he sneered. "In the end, all of you will kneel before the new kingdom."
Without waiting for a response, he raised his hand, and behind him, swirling wind and corrupted energy began to surge. At the same time, Marlo grinned and spoke lazily, "Guess I’ll join the fun."
In an instant, four identical clones burst out from him, scattering in different directions.
Then, with an unhinged roar, Igor hurled himself forward, his blue flames trailing like a comet, aimed straight for them.
Lucia reacted quickly, forming an icy barrier and sharp ice shards to intercept Marek’s charged blast. Naria, meanwhile, met the four Marlos head-on.
She didn’t hold back.
With a furious growl, she punched one clone into the dirt and spun to kick another away, but just as she landed a blow, all four Marlos simultaneously pulled out throwing knives.
The blades sliced through the air.
Naria’s eyes widened. "Even the weapons are cloned?!"
The knives struck, small cuts across her arm and shoulder. Nothing lethal, but enough to slow her down. Naria growled. "Damn it..."
From behind her, a warm, glowing light began to patch her wounds.
She glanced back. Elien, his bow lowered for a moment, was completely focused on healing her, his eyes locked onto her wounds, determination etched into his face.
"Thanks..." she muttered under her breath.
Meanwhile, Lucia’s barrier had held, but just barely. The blue flames from Igor quickly began melting her ice, creeping closer like a wildfire.
She gritted her teeth. "These flames... They’re too volatile."
But Elien was already moving. He loosed a glowing arrow straight at Igor—
Boom!
The arrow exploded on contact, knocking Igor back a few steps, but the man didn’t stop. Like a mad beast, he pushed forward, smashing through what was left of Lucia’s icy wall with flaming fists.
Then, Marek joined the chaos again, energy crackling wildly in his hands. He hurled another wave toward them, and Lucia stumbled back, shielding herself with another layer of frost.
"How is he generating this much power?!" she shouted.
Elien, still firing supportive arrows from the rear, narrowed his eyes. "Marek must’ve marked the fallen soldiers earlier... He’s feeding off their energy using [Predator Mark]."
Lucia’s expression hardened. "Of course he did..."
The battle showed no sign of slowing. With a swift call, Lucia shouted, "Naria, switch! Cover Igor!"
"On it!" Naria leapt into action, intercepting Igor mid-swing with a brutal punch that sent him flying back several meters.
Then, the four Marlos charged in again, but Lucia was ready this time.
Frost erupted around her.
She froze the ground beneath their feet, locking them in place, and in a flash, she summoned four deadly ice spears that pierced through each clone with ruthless precision.
But before the last one faded, Marek lunged forward, a wave of energy shielding Marlo just in time to keep him from shattering completely.
The two regrouped, Marek’s cloak billowing, his eyes glowing with raw aggression.
At the northern gate, the atmosphere was tense, but Emma cracked a grin, her eyes already glowing faintly with heat.
"Alright, I’m turning up the heat. Step back if you don’t wanna get roasted!" she said with a fiery grin.
Flames burst from her arms as she activated her skill [Pyrokinesis] intense, red-hot flames licking the ground around her as the temperature spiked.
Melinda stepped forward calmly beside her.
"I’ll go with you," she said.
Emma turned, surprised. "Wait, aren’t you the medic?"
Melinda glanced at her with a soft smile. "I am a medic, but my skill set goes beyond that. There’s no way Major Lucia would assign us here with only one attacker."
Emma’s grin widened. "Well then, let’s go beat the hell out of them... and bring Aya’s little brother back to his senses."
Aya silently nodded, eyes sharpening with resolve. She readied her weapon, steady and calm, unlike the fiery Emma or the composed Melinda.
Not far off, Liam, leaning against the remnants of a broken transport vehicle, raised his brow as he watched the three women preparing for battle.
"Well, well... Are we seriously going up against three women?" he scoffed, voice laced with arrogance. "Tsk... I won’t be holding back."
Beside him, Gareth, calmer, colder, replied, "We’re here to subdue them, not kill them... if possible."
Liam chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "Easier said than done. Especially when we’ve got that thing to worry about."
He glanced over his shoulder.
Claus stood a short distance away, unmoving, his once dark hair now completely white, like freshly fallen snow. A chilling aura surrounded him, visible frost forming at his feet. His blank eyes stared forward, empty, inhuman.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.
Bang!
A bullet sped through the air toward Liam, but it bounced off his skin with a sharp clang.
Liam let out a wild grin. His body shimmered briefly with a metallic hue.
"Nice greeting!" he laughed. "Let’s have some fun!"
With a burst of force, Liam shot forward, his feet cracking the ground beneath as he charged.
Melinda’s eyes narrowed. "Incoming!"
Without hesitation, Melinda activated her skill: [Soul Drainer]. Her eyes glowed faintly as dark-purple energy pulsed around her, and with a flick of her wrist, a glowing whip formed, crackling with draining force.
Meanwhile, Aya fired her rifle repeatedly at Liam.
The bullets hit, but they barely scratched him.
"Huh?... No effect?" Aya muttered.
Liam just grinned as he charged forward again, but Emma intercepted him mid-dash. Flame burst around her fists as she blocked his strike head-on. Their clash sent a shockwave through the air.
Right beside them, a gust of wind cut through the battlefield.
Gareth, his eyes focused and cold, activated his [Wind Walk], his body becoming a blur as he zipped in and smashed into Emma, sending her tumbling to the side.
But Melinda reacted instantly. With a sharp swing, her whip lashed out and struck Gareth across the back, crackling with draining force.
Aya didn’t let the moment go to waste, she loaded a charged bullet, and with a sharp bang, fired it at Liam’s side. The impact sent him skidding back a few steps.
Liam raised an eyebrow. "What the hell was that? That’s new."
Gareth narrowed his eyes, "That’s the weapon the general wants for research. We need it intact, do not damage it."
At that moment, Claus began to move.
Silent, eerie, and emotionless, he lifted his hand, and from the cold air around him, dozens of frozen arrows materialized in the air. With a flick, they launched toward the squad like a hailstorm.
Emma jumped back into action, flames surged from her arms as she conjured a fiery shield, incinerating the icy projectiles mid-air. Steam hissed loudly as fire and ice collided.
Before she could breathe, Liam rushed again, fists swinging.
Melinda anticipated him. With practiced precision, she cracked her whip forward, snaring Liam’s leg, locking him mid-charge.
"Now!" she yelled.
Emma didn’t hesitate, her flaming fists landed a heavy blow to Liam’s chest. But Gareth was already on the move, wind swirling as he launched another gale burst to knock Emma back.
But Aya was ready.
Bang!
A blast of bullet energy forced Gareth to dodge sharply mid-air, retreating to avoid getting hit.
"Take out the support first," Gareth muttered. He narrowed his eyes at Aya and darted toward her like a bullet.
Melinda saw it.
Without thinking, she stepped in front of Aya and raised her medic shield, glowing faint green. Gareth’s strike slammed into the barrier, but it held firm.
Aya, calm and focused, raised her rifle again.
Boom!
The bullet landed square into Gareth’s chest, knocking him back several meters.
Liam scowled. "Tch. Reckless idiot..."
He lunged at Emma with a sudden hook, but this time, Emma was more than ready.
She caught his wrist mid-air, smirking.
"Oh? Didn’t expect that?" Liam said, surprised.
Emma’s grin turned wild. "That’s thanks to my beloved boyfriend, he taught me a few things."
She let loose a blast of pure heat, straight from her palm.
BOOM!
Liam was thrown back, flames still clinging to his armor as he crashed against the frozen earth.