Trying to understand what the man was screaming about, Annabelle looked around her after the purple mist dispersed.

".…."

Such destruction!

She saw it. All around her, buildings were smashed to nothing but gravel and dust. Even the alleyway she was previously in was now in an unrecognisable state.

Annabelle shook her head in resignation. Scattered bones, blood mixed with sand, flesh and organ spilt on the ground as though they were made from dust, but the crimson blood flowing from beneath the walls of the fallen building and several other destroyed homes told her all she needed to know.

Instantly, she unsummoned Mother Andiara and let her return to the veil. She floated down as the winds aided her support, and when her feet touched the ground, she sighed in defeat.

"CAN YOU SEE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?" The man with a red aura around him, shooting deeper into the sky screamed with malice and pain in his voice.

Of course, she can, however, ordinary people will always become casualties during battles between ascendants.

And even if she wanted, it wasn't as though she could tell her assailants to hold for a while until they were in a safer uninhabitable environment.

Looking at the faces of the assassins each standing atop a different building, she knew that it was either she got fought back or got captured because she didn't want to cause any casualty to the people around her and thus, willingly surrender herself.

Fortunately, she didn't. And although she felt sorry for the poor souls that have departed this world into the next, she didn't regret her actions and had only chosen to stop because of the interference of the arrival of the new ascendant who seems stronger than her current opponents.

She didn't want to become the target of such raw emotion as it was easy to become one in her previous state. Now, she only wanted to know if the man was either a friend or a foe.

"ALL OF YOU, IDENTIFY YOURSEL….."

Her guard was down. A surge of magical energy spiked behind her. She wanted to move, but her body reacted faster than she could think, twisting her body to the side to avoid the surprise attack, however, it was too late.

She was fast, but the one that attacked her was faster!

Yet, instantly she felt a hand snaking around her throat and locking her neck in a swift motion, and..... a huge arc of red light divided the winds and headed straight towards her position.

Before she could move, the one behind her was already high up in the air, taking her along with him.

Suddenly, the man adorned in black armour appeared beside her with several after images behind him. An axe kick connected, impaling the neck of the person behind her.

"BANGG!!"

Air departed from his lungs, and a familiar voice wheezed, instinctively trying to get back control of his body as he was sent flying by the momentum through several concretes and buildings like a needle puncturing through paper.

... And she?

A hard metal surface wrapped around her body, safely bringing her down as they landed on the snowy stony ground.

"ARE YOU PEOPLE DEAF?" He extended his right hand, making several cuts in the air. A smaller red arc of light shot out from multiple afterimages of his sword, and instantly shot forward, blasting the rest of the four assassins who appeared from nowhere into the air, and slammed their bodies against the broken concretes behind them.

"ASSASSINS OF THE FALLEN SLOYWOTH KINGDOM. STAND BACK AND RETREAT, I WILL BE COMING TO YOUR CITY TO COLLECT COMPENSATION FOR THE DESTRUCTION YOU HAVE CAUSED IN MINE" He spoke, and stabbed his sword into the snow. He channelled his red aura through it and instantly, a burst of wind blew from the tip of his sword, sending the snow flying backwards in retreat, and at the same time, sending a clearing message to the assassins in front of him.

"And if you don't, I will sanctify your dead bodies".

The assassins frowned as blood romanticised their lips, before dripping down and staining the snow below them.

"RETREAT!!"

A loud voice echoed into their ears. They all nodded their heads in understanding, and without hesitation, they fell into the shadows behind them and retreated.

Not sensing any more magical energy around them, they confirmed that the assassins have all left.

Annabelle exhaled in tiredness as she relieved her body from the stress of the sudden battle. Feeling the tension fleeing away, she turned around to speak with the man in black armour, which made him easily seen because of the whitish ground beneath their feet.

She opened her mouth and said "Wh - -" However her voice was cut off by the feeling of the cold object placed on her neck.

"Who are you?" He questioned, completing the sentence for her.

…..........

I questioned the woman in front of me. Clearly, I had seen her unsummoning the spirit when I arrived, and even if I could guess that she may have been pushed to do so by the vile hands of the Sloywoth assassins, that still didn't mean that I was pleased with the amount of destruction she had caused.

Seeing her narrowing her eyes at me, I pressed my sword deeper, allowing my blade to graze her skin and form a scratch on its surface.

Even though I wasn't the kind to make enemies, that didn't mean that I didn't know when and where to raise my sword.

"I am sure that there are other ascendants, racing towards this location as we speak. So if you don't want to answer them and their methods of extracting whatever answers they want from you, I would suggest you answer the question, and tell me who you are?" I asked, knowing that the ascendants of the Auziloth kingdom will be here in a few minutes.

"My name is Annabelle…" She answered.

"Which kingdom are you from?"

She shook her head. Her lips transformed into a wry smile. She replied "I am not a part of any kingdom".

My brow rose a bit. I had already guessed that she was an ascendant from one of the fallen kingdoms, so the fact that she wasn't perplexed me.

I probed her with my eyes, trying to see if she was lying, but, I couldn't find anything that said otherwise. Her voice was firm, while her eyes sharply stared at mine, trying to catch all of my movements.

Even with a sword like mine hanging above her neck, she wasn't scared but was instead... taunting me.

Whether she is lying or not, I am curious. I want to know what gives her the courage to behave like this especially after experiencing a power like mine.

My left arm stretched into the air, leaving multiple afterimages behind, as it crushed the frozen spikes that were aimed at my guts to bits and fragmented pieces

"Don't try that again" I warned, and coated my sword with my red aura, desiring to let her know that my threats were not empty.

"So, if you aren't from any fallen kingdoms or the Vrymath Kingdom, where are you from?" I asked.

Her eyes stubbornly held my gaze. Until it moved and stared in the direction of the iron gates that led to the outside with her outstretched arm pointing towards it.

"Outside?"

She shook her head with a mischievous smile appearing on her lips. For the first time, I saw her face brightening up, as she opened her mouth and spoke "I am a part of the Crimson Black eye crew".

Instantly, my face darkened. "You mean?".

"Yes" She nodded her head in confirmation "Captain Crimson eye is my captain. And I am an ascendant serving under him".

My hands moved swiftly, in a fluid motion far faster than her surveying eyes could pick up, I sheathed my broadsword beside my waist.

Although my actions were without a doubt insincere to the kind of person I am, I had enough problems to deal with and didn't want to risk another one by going against the pirate that held all within the Cryptic Sea hostage within his grasp by suddenly attacking an ascendant under him.

Haahh!!

So this was where she got her courage from?

I wanted to ask more questions, but her lips were faster than mine as she instantly asked "Since I have already told you mine, who are you?"

"I am Boris Olenor -the de facto ruler of Litile City" I responded.

Her eyes widened in surprise. She scrunched her brows and asked "You are part of the fallen kingdoms?".

I nodded. Her lips opened, wanting to ask another question, however, I snapped my head to the side, feeling the sudden spike of magical energy heading towards our way.

Glancing at the woman in front of me, I mused internally, seeing that she also felt the same thing.

'She's sharp' I thought.

"It's the other de facto rulers of this city heading this way. I am sure that they are also coming to investigate the carnage caused by your spirit" I said, indirectly cautioning her so that she doesn't do anything brazen.

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