After the cold words, a threatening silence fell over the cave.
A wave of murderous intent enveloped the space. Delia tensed jerkily, grabbing the sword lying near the cocoon.
Sharissa, however, remained in place, her pink eyes gleaming, the corners of her lips curling into a smirk.
— Well, this is unexpected, — she said lazily, tilting her head slightly. — Who decided to interrupt our little chat?
— The one who will kill you, — a man barely stepped out of the tunnel, immediately noticing Sharissa's attire, and lunged at her, drawing a black sabre. — I will avenge my brother.
— Ha-ha, we'll see about that, — she laughed. — Don't get involved.
Their auras collided and mingled, creating a pressure in the air.
{That bastard Lin Tian was Rank 7 just a few days ago—how did he become Rank 9?}
Watching the confrontation between her newly found sister and the black-sabre boy, Delia was stunned by the boy's jerkily surge in power.
She wasn't sure she could influence the battle at all.
The fight itself was fairly even.
Despite being unarmed, Sharissa deftly deflected another strike from the black sabre.
Her protrusions emitted a sinister glow, withstanding an assault that cracked the stone floor beneath their feet.
Angry youth stepped back, his eyes shining with cold determination.
The dark sabre began to tremble, shrouded in black mist. Then Lin Tian swung his weapon, and a wave of destructive energy tore from the blade.
— "Thunder-Splitting Blade!"
The wave surged toward Sharissa, slicing through the air with a whistle so sharp it seemed the cave itself would shatter.
Sharissa leaned slightly forward, then crossed her arms to meet the attack. The energy struck her, throwing her back with force, but her protrusions absorbed most of the blow.
— You try hard, boy, — With her lips curled, she swayed on her feet, — but is that all?
With those words, her body trembled, and two of her exact copies appeared beside her.
Lin Tian froze, his glance flicking from one copy to the other. He sensed that this was not merely an illusion — their auras were identical.
At least, he could not tell them apart.
Each of them seemed as dangerous as the original.
Sharissa's copies smiled in unison.
Without warning, all three lunged forward simultaneously, their movements perfectly synchronized.
Lin Tian raised his sabre, creating a protective whirlwind of energy around himself.
— "Barrier!" — he shouted, and a shield of dark energy formed around him.
The first copy collided with the barrier, then vanished in a cloud of smoke. The second immediately followed, attacking as she broke apart.
At that moment, the real Sharissa, hidden behind her copy, used his brief confusion.
Her black claws struck the shield, rebounding off it, and as Lin Tian prepared to counterattack, four spear-like protrusions unexpectedly shot out from her back.
They extended at lightning speed: two struck the shield to distract, and the third aimed for a vulnerable spot—Lin Tian's side.
His eyes widened as he felt the cold blade slice through his clothing and skin.
Blood dripped onto the stone floor, mixing with dust.
The young man clutched his side, his breath growing heavier, yet his glare remained cold and focused.
— Surprised, — he spat, wiping blood from his lips. — But now it's my turn.
The sabre in his hands trembled again; dark energy swirled around the blade, sparking violently.
He stepped forward, ignoring the pain, and unleashed a series of attacks with a single motion of the sabre.
— "Dark Lightning Strike!"
Lightning surged forward, aiming at pink-eyed girl.
She skillfully dodged, her pink eyes flashing with amusement.
Abruptly, she sensed deadly danger as a black object shot toward her, hidden within the dark lightning. She barely managed to evade it in time.
— Nice try, — she commented, watching the young man weaken, — but you missed.
— Are you sure about that?
— Delia!!! — an unexpected shout from Du Fei made Shari pale.
She turned sharply toward the cry.
Lin Tian, however, had no intention of letting her do as she pleased when a wave of weakness overwhelmed him.
A system message forced him to stop completely and retreat.
[System Message: You have been dispatched. It is recommended to cease combat and begin healing.]
Gritting his teeth until they bled, he cast one last glance at the girls and disappeared into the dark tunnel.
Sharissa returned to Du Fei and Delia's side.
She saw that Delia was lying limply in Du Fei's arms.
A wound covered in black blood marred her armor. Dark veins spread across her incredibly pale face, resembling centipedes.
Her eyes were dull and lifeless. But she was still alive and conscious, though her breathing was weak.
Delia, summoning her last strength, whispered:
— Find Anna. — Then she lost consciousness.
— She… protected me, — Du Fei said painfully, almost in a whisper.
— Damn it, it's poison, — Sharissa growled, then said to the stunned Du Fei, — it's a strong poison, and she won't last long. That's why I need your help. I'll help her resist it, but you must carry her out.
Without waiting for the girl's reply, Shari, under Du Fei's incredulous gaze, transformed into a large black spider. The spider out of the blue shrank to the size of a fist and skillfully latched onto Delia's wrist like a bracelet.
— Hurry!!! — spider-girl's sharp, impatient cry rang out.
Grabbing Delia, Du Fei hoisted her onto her back and sprinted at maximum speed along the route pink-eyed had indicated earlier.
Along the way, she passed other people but paid them no attention. In less than a minute, the girl reached the descent through which Lin Tian and the others had entered the cave.
Looking up at the sky, she finally saw the stars she had longed to see.
The black veil was gone.
It had disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.