Chapter 214: She’s So Excited
“Wow, I didn’t expect a fireworks show, how wonderful.”
Lena, holding her swollen cheek, smiled at Angel.
“Aren’t you going to come and see? I heard rain and fireworks are a perfect match~”
Although she had been slapped, she had deserved it.
Angel hadn’t hit her that hard, and she had regretted it immediately. “Does it hurt…?”
She came to Lena’s side, her fingers gently touching the red, swollen spot, her voice filled with sympathy. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have hit you, but you didn’t even try to dodge…”
“A slap is a sign of affection, a scolding a sign of love, what’s a little pain?”
Lena looked at the dazzling sky, the rain-soaked path beneath her feet, a temporary shelter, yet unable to escape fate’s cruel joke.
The once-bustling circus was now a ruin, a desolate wasteland, the silence suffocating.
“Don’t you think the weather is strange today?” Lena held out her hand, tasting the rain, frowning. “A familiar taste, this rain is not normal.”
Angel paused, then realized. “You mean, someone deliberately caused this storm…”
“A Weather Mage.”
Lena said a profession Angel had never heard of.
“Only a Weather Mage can change the climate of an entire region.”
Lena had tasted the magic in the rain, she was certain.
“But why?” Angel didn’t understand. “What would he gain from a rainstorm?”
“In ancient times, timing, location, and people were the three crucial elements for success. Timing was the most important, the power of nature beyond human control.”
Vanessa emerged from beside Angel, standing at the entrance of the pipe.
“A storm can obscure vision, wash away bloodstains, and hinder military movements… if this were a battlefield, the importance of rain would be self-evident.”
Her analysis was insightful.
Lena marveled at Vanessa’s knowledge.
“But who is the target?”
“Heh, isn’t it obvious? The circus is hiding someone the empire wants dead.”
Vanessa sneered.
“The rain is a delaying tactic, and this is the edge of the Imperial City, a convenient escape route. If it were me, I would also choose to retreat under the cover of the storm.”
“Great minds think alike~”
Lena shook her head, a soft smile on her face. “But the ‘fireworks’ are getting closer…”
They all looked up, the small fireballs now the size of water tanks, hurtling towards them.
Their crimson bodies radiated intense heat, a single touch fatal, probably vaporizing them instantly.
Angel gripped Lena’s cold hand. “Run, Lena, we can’t just wait here!”
Lena comforted her softly, “Don’t worry, I’m here. If someone is using the storm to hide, they must have left an escape route.”
And with Vanessa here, teleporting a few people was a simple task.
“Don’t take any risks, I won’t let you,” Angel said anxiously.
She seemed to know what Lena was planning.
“This isn’t something you can handle! Listen to me, don’t do anything rash, come home with me!” Her voice was choked with tears, and she clung to Lena’s sleeve, refusing to let go.
Angel looked at Vanessa with pleading eyes. “Take us home, please… sister…”
She didn’t want Lena to be in danger, it was too risky.
And Lena might not be able to solve this…
“I promise.”
Vanessa’s expression was unusually serious.
Every second, lives were being lost, they couldn’t delay any longer.
Vanessa felt the threat of death from the approaching fireballs. “I’m preparing the spatial magic now, don’t move too far away.”
“Alright.”
Lena was about to agree, but her gaze fell on Snow, who was watching intently, and an idea came to her. “Come here, what are you waiting for?”
Snow was already dressed, her hand on her blade.
She remained motionless, her expression as cold as ever, but Lena saw the farewell in her eyes. “…Don’t do anything foolish.”
“Doing the right thing, you taught me that.”
Snow replied calmly, her voice clear and melodious.
“Doing what makes you happy, I’m the hero…”
Her words silenced Lena’s protests.
She was the hero, the one who would save the world.
The hero couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
The hero wouldn’t run away like a coward.
Someone had to save them…
“I’m staying.”
Snow gripped her blade.
“Are you sure?” Lena asked one last time, a final plea. “With your current strength, you won’t be able to save many, forgive my bluntness, but that’s the truth. And you might even be caught in the bombardment…”
“Hey, are you done talking?!”
Vanessa’s spatial magic was ready.
She turned impatiently, seeing Snow still standing there. She snapped, “You’ll die if you stay here!”
“Yes, come with us, it’ll be too late if we wait any longer!”
Angel also urged.
They couldn’t save the civilians, but they could at least save themselves.
And Vanessa couldn’t understand Snow’s self-righteousness. “Fighting alone again, you’re always like this! Fine! Die here for all I care!!”
Without another word, she activated her spatial magic.
A complex magic circle appeared beneath their feet, inscribed with runes Lena didn’t recognize.
The space around them warped, as if their souls were being torn from their bodies.
A spatial rift opened.
Vanessa stepped through without hesitation, extending a hand to Angel. “Be careful, don’t look down after you enter, and don’t move, if you fall into the rift, no one can save you.”
Her words were harsh, but her actions were gentle, like an older sister.
“Mm.”
As Angel entered the rift, her heart skipped a beat, then she looked around, searching for Lena. “Lena, didn’t Lena come in?!”
“Ah…”
Vanessa also panicked, looking around the dark space. “I think… she’s still outside, I thought she was right behind you…”
It wasn’t her fault, Lena hadn’t followed.
“Lena! Lena!!”
Angel shouted desperately.
The rift was small, only enough for one person at a time, but Lena was nowhere to be seen.
As the rift closed, she could only watch as the giant fireball crashed into the ground, melting the rock into lava, a beautiful, orange lotus flower blooming, radiating an endless light.
…
The explosion was deafening, the earth trembling.
A gray magic shield appeared, blocking the attack.
But there was more than one fireball, a swarm of them, like locusts, rained down from the sky.
A downpour on one side, black smoke on the other, the wind spreading the choking fumes.
“Cover your mouths and noses.”
Lena’s voice was surprisingly calm amidst the chaos.
She helped Snow up, looking at her soot-stained face, tearing a piece of her skirt and covering Snow’s nose. “We need to find another place to talk, at least get out of here.”
Snow nodded silently.
Another fireball fell from the sky.
Snow casually swung her blade, deflecting it, the fireball exploding in a shower of sparks, a rain of fire.
The scene reminded Lena of the day the Falmouths had fallen.
The same rain, the same fiery sky.
The same…
Lena looked at Snow with a complex expression… no, it was different now.
She took a deep breath. “What are you going to do, save everyone? Or stop the empire’s advance?”
Either way, it seemed impossible.
In such a dense bombardment, even an ant would struggle to survive.
You want to save people?
You’re lucky to be alive!
“I should have just left.”
Lena sighed, holding Snow’s waist, and leaped into the air.
They moved through the smoke, searching for a safe place, but the ground was littered with debris, no building left intact.
Screams of agony, rivers of blood, Snow’s eyes widened, her expression unchanged, but her fists clenched…
Finally,
Lena found a hidden cellar, its entrance concealed by rubble, far from the bombardment.
“Let’s take shelter here.”
Lena took Snow’s hand, approaching the cellar entrance.
Before they could enter, angry voices came from below.
“Don’t come down, it’s full!”
“Go away, don’t bring the disaster here!”
“Waaah! Mama!!”
So many rejections, Snow froze.
“These are the people you want to save.” Lena crossed her arms, shaking her head. “I don’t think you need to take this responsibility, it’s not your fault, nor theirs, you should understand who caused all this…”
“Mm.”
Snow lowered her head, her voice soft.
She was sad.
Feeling helpless because of her lack of power, ashamed because of their distrust, and lost because of her own people’s rejection.
“It’s okay, I’ll always be with you, you’re troubled right now, aren’t you, you don’t know what to do, hmm, I have an idea, want to try it?”
Lena, seeing her opportunity, gently stroked Snow’s head.
“Find the people the empire is looking for, then bring their heads to the commander of this operation, that’s the only way to stop this disaster… remember, the only way.”
“Of course, I’ll help you, we’re friends, and friends should help each other.”
Lena smiled.
Her smile was bright, a stark contrast to the desolate landscape.
Snow’s heart almost stopped.
She looked at Lena.
Lena looked back at her.
“Some things we can do, and some things have already happened, all we can do is minimize the damage, reduce the losses. You have to learn to endure sacrifice and pain, to get used to that gut-wrenching feeling, it will make you stronger, more independent.”
Snow’s performance today had been too naive.
She was like a fledgling, flapping her wings blindly, not knowing how to fly…
It wasn’t her fault, everyone had their moments of confusion.
She needed guidance.
Lena would guide Snow onto the right path, Snow just needed a push, and with her protagonist’s halo and exceptional learning ability, she would soon reach an unimaginable height, even surpassing Lena…
“You have a way to track the people the empire is looking for, right?”
“Yes.”
Snow, having accepted the situation, now trusted Lena unconditionally.
“Then let me see the hero’s power.”
Lena’s smile deepened, a hint of mystery in her eyes.
She had always known the hero possessed a terrifyingly accurate tracking ability, or rather, a sixth sense.
The hero’s intuition was incredibly powerful, and she could consciously think of the most absurd things.
Like where a lost hairpin from ten years ago was, or where a certain young lady’s personal belongings were hidden by a mischievous maid. Finding objects was just a basic function of her intuition, finding people was slightly more difficult, but not by much…
“Found them?”
Lena asked.
Snow nodded firmly, her answer serious. “They’re nearby.”
“Any characteristics? Height, appearance, male or female?”
Lena’s question was exactly what Snow was about to say, as if Lena had read her mind.
“Female, twenty years old, not tall, very thin, not as beautiful as you.”
“Oh ho~ what an inappropriate compliment, but I’ll accept it.”
The lighthearted banter eased the tension.
Lena put her arm around Snow’s shoulder, their bodies close.
“Have you noticed the bombardment has weakened? It might be a signal.”
“Hmm?”
Snow’s eyes were filled with confusion.
Lena smiled. “The real battle has just begun, we have to hurry.”
She stomped her foot, the cellar just beneath them.
If another wave of magic attacks came, this temporary shelter might become a living hell.
So, time was of the essence.
And life was in Snow’s hands.
“I understand.”
Snow’s expression was solemn.
She closed her eyes.
Countless points of light gathered from all directions, converging in her hand, then pressing onto the hilt of [Dark Plum Blossom].
Lena was familiar with this process.
Too familiar.
In her past life, she had been defeated by Snow’s super-fast slashes countless times, a technique that defied logic, as if appearing from another dimension.
Yes.
Next, she would twist her wrist, her body leaning forward…
That’s it! My sister! Just like that!!
Lena had suffered so much from this move, always being cut to pieces, running for her life.
Every time she regrouped and counterattacked, she would still be defeated by the hero’s terrifying power.
She had almost become numb to it, the number of undead she had lost, astronomical…
And there was no theoretical way to counter it, like invincibility frames in a game, literally invincible.
“What’s next?”
Lena looked forward to seeing this long-lost technique.
Awakening the dusty memories, the past of being constantly pursued by the hero…
She was so excited.
