Chapter 142: Givia’s “Bedside Manner”
“I merely suspected you,” Givia said, keeping a safe distance from the elder, her dagger, its blade glowing with Dou Qi flames, held firmly in her hand. She was ready for a fight. “After learning about the Lord of Nightmares’ human followers, I’ve been wary of everyone. You were overly enthusiastic when welcoming us into the town, constantly trying to ingratiate yourself. If you were truly loyal to the Restoration Army, you would have focused on our soldiers, not on flattering me. And your flattery was too excessive, too insincere.”
“Hmm… Perhaps I was a bit overzealous. But wouldn’t you assume I was simply seeking your favor, hoping for a promotion?” the elder asked, a sly smile on his face. He didn’t seem eager to fight, as if everything were under his control.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I would never promote a sycophant. Those who curry favor with their superiors inevitably exploit those beneath them. What would happen to my people if I rewarded such behavior?” Givia scoffed. “Even if you weren’t a follower of the Lord of Nightmares, I would still be wary of you.”
“Hahaha, what a wise and noble leader. The Ossi Kingdom would surely prosper under your rule,” the elder said, his smile widening, his eyes taking on a manic gleam. “But things are different now. The future of mortals is meaningless. I serve the great Lord of Nightmares. He will grant all mortals their true destiny—eternal slumber, free from worries, free from conflict, only peace.”
“You cultists are so difficult to understand,” Givia said, her eyes narrowed, watching his every move, her voice laced with sarcasm. “The future of mortals might be meaningless. Even the most glorious life ends in dust. But shouldn’t we focus on living our lives to the fullest? Why are you so eager to embrace oblivion? Just because your god demands it?”
“You understand nothing! Nothing! Nothing!” The elder, enraged by her words, charged towards her, his shovel raised.
He was incredibly fast, his movements fluid, but there were no Dou Qi flames around him. It wasn’t Dou Qi enhancing his speed, but something that had altered his body, enhancing his physical capabilities.
Givia knew she couldn’t reason with him, this man driven mad by the Lord of Nightmares’ influence. But she had achieved her goal—she had provoked him.
She quickly retreated, jumping off the bed and kicking it towards him.
The heavy bed, made of iron and hardwood, flew towards the elder, propelled by her Dou Qi-enhanced strength.
The elder didn’t dodge. He thrust his shovel towards the approaching bed, and a meter-wide hole appeared in its center. He ducked, passing through the hole effortlessly. The bed crashed against the wall behind him, shattering the plaster, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
The hole in the bed had appeared instantly, without any visible damage, as if the shovel had simply erased a portion of it. This must be the power of his artifact, Givia thought.
But her movements didn’t falter. As the elder was dealing with the bed, she activated a ring on her finger, its hidden compartment releasing a small, crystal-clear pill.
She crushed the pill between her teeth, a spicy liquid flooding her mouth, its vapors traveling down her throat and into her lungs. Within two breaths, a surge of magical energy coursed through her body.
The world seemed to slow down, but it wasn’t truly slower. It was simply that she could now perceive the flow of time with greater clarity. This was the potion Rebecca had given her, its effects activating upon inhalation. It enhanced her reaction speed tenfold, the maximum potency achievable without causing harm—if Rebecca had been more reckless, she could have amplified it even further, but at a cost to Givia’s health.
“Oh, I see. That potion from Miss Ray,” the elder said, his voice mocking, as he pointed his shovel at her. “It seems your four heroic friends aren’t here to protect you. They left you with this to defend yourself? Don’t bother. Even with that potion, you’re no match for me. You’re trapped within Master’s Divine Realm. There’s no escape.”
“Enough talk. One of us will die tonight,” Givia said, her voice calm and steady, her gaze unwavering. She wasn’t afraid, nor was she concerned about Abyss’s absence. “You think I can’t defeat you without my companions? Ossi warriors don’t surrender so easily!”
“Hmph!” the elder snorted, charging towards her. The room was small. He reached her in an instant.
But with her enhanced reaction speed, she had ample time to react. She didn’t try to block his shovel with her dagger. Instead, she sidestepped, her foot slamming against the wooden floor, propelling her away. The floor cracked beneath her foot. The elder’s attack missed, his shovel striking the wall behind her, creating a meter-wide hole that revealed the darkness beyond.
Givia’s momentum carried her downwards, her dagger, like a striking viper, aimed at the elder’s heart!
The elder smiled, his reaction speed almost matching hers. He leaped backward, his movements defying gravity.
He was too fast. Her attack missed, her dagger slicing through empty air.
His smile widened. Givia was still too inexperienced. Didn’t she know that recovering from a fall took time? He would finish her with his next attack, pleasing his Master, replacing that incompetent Apos, becoming the new bishop!
“Die…”
Bang!
Before he could finish his sentence, the bed, which Givia had kicked across the room earlier, flew towards him, slamming into his back. The hole in the bed was only a meter wide, located in its center. He hadn’t anticipated an attack from behind. The impact threw him off balance, sending him headfirst towards the hole he had created in the wall.
He didn’t even scream. His head vanished the moment it touched the darkness beyond. His headless body twitched, collapsing to the floor, blood spurting from his severed neck.
Givia, having used her low vantage point to her advantage, had rolled under the bed, narrowly avoiding the impact.
She sat on the floor, catching her breath, looking at the elder’s corpse, then at her hand. A ring on her finger contained a portion of Abyss’s mana, a protective charm he had given her, capable of amplifying her magic.
She had used a simple Telekinesis spell, its power enhanced by Abyss’s mana, to hurl the bed at the elder.
“Abyss isn’t here because I can handle scum like you…” she muttered, still catching her breath. “He has more important things to do…”
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