"Finally, some goddamn water!!" Phina exclaimed as she spotted an oasis a small distance away. She's already spent 2 days without food or water. While she could survive without them, it was a very uncomfortable process to sustain your body using Life Energy.
As she arrived, she saw a figure near the water. It was an old Elf man with a bunch of camels. He turned to look at Phina. He raised an eyebrow as Phina dropped to her knees to drink. He slowly looked at Phina drink her fill before asking, "Aren't you Seraphina Ender?"
"Yeah. How do you know my name?" Phina smiled.
"..." the Elven man was flabbergasted. This girl looked like she hasn't even seen blood yet, yet she was being hunted by all Monarchs! Her innocent smile tore at his heart as he sighed. "I have no one left to live for, or protect. I will probably die before anyone finds you. Everyone tried to stab me in the back, so I shall do the same."
"W-What?" Phina looked confused.
"You are currently being hunted, Seraphina. Six Law-rankers are currently scouring the entire Killers' Arena to find you." the old man said seriously. "You have to find a chance to disappear. Change how you look, hide your changed look, use an alias, anything. Just make sure that Seraphina Ender is no more, while you are in here."
Phina felt a chill go down her spine. She had forgotten she would be hunted!! How disastrous would it have been if this old man was a Law-ranker!?
"T-Thank you." Phina thanked the man. "I will take caution."
"Good." the old man smiled as he started to lead his camels away.
'Why did he help me though?' Phina thought to herself as she looked at her reflection in the water. Her hair had grown longer during her time as a Cadet, which currently reached the middle of her back. 'I guess the old man had no chance at my bounty, so he decided that no one else should have it?'
"Shame I'll have to cut my hair...longer hair just felt right." Phina sighed as she unsheathed her dagger with her right hand. She loved her long hair. It kind of felt like shorter hair just wasn't her style. While she didn't want to cut her hair, six Law-rankers were on the hunt for her. If they discovered her, she had very little hope of escaping, even with the Ender State.
It was even worse when she decided to use Flashing Steps to move through the dessert. She couldn't use her best Skills without being in the Ender State!! She couldn't use the incomplete Bow before the Lord, Flashing Steps, Hidden Movement, Quick Gale, the incomplete Death's Edge, nor Holy Devastation! She was limited to her Advanced and below ranked Skills.
Phina looked at her dagger then looked at her reflection in the water. "...should I just..."
She lifted her dagger up to her face and slashed over her cheek.
Slash.
A little bit of blood fell from the wound. "There. That should justify something if I had a mask or something. I'd look a little different."
As the thought of a bunch of Law-rankers surrounding her started to grip her mind, she quickly took the dagger to her head as she shaved off all her hair.
"What's a little hair when compared to keeping my life?" Phina smiled awkwardly at her bald reflection that had a cut across its cheek. She then took off her uniform's outer shirt. She used the shirt as a bandanna. Her black inner tank top was the only thing covering her from the scorching sun. She couldn't waste her World Energy on staying cool when Law-rankers could attack her at any moment.
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Phina continued walking for a few more days. She was mindlessly walking in this dessert when she heard a small booming sound. She kept walking towards the sound, hoping to find someone who can help her find civilization or something.
The booming sounds kept getting stronger and stronger. Phina thought nothing of it until she started to...feel the sounds. It shook her entire body.
After a few more minutes of walking, the sounds turned into shockwaves. Phina found it a little difficult to move forward, just from the pressure alone.
Her curiosity took the better of her when she directed her World Energy into her eyes.
Piercing Sight!
Her vision expanded as she saw three figures fighting in the air.
"Is that an Angel, a Demon and a Demibeast?" Phina questioned as she looked. She was no longer uneducated about the world. The Loading World had nine prominent races: Humans, Elves, Demibeasts, Orcs, Demons, Angels, Beasts, Orderborne, and Chaosborne.
Angels, Demons, Orderborne and Chaosborne. Those four were exceedingly rare to see. The Demon and Angel before her appeared to have quite a bit of strength too.
"A Founder-rank...no. An Apex-rank?! I need to get out of here!" Phina started to panic as she rushed into another direction.
Her Piercing Sight Skill gave her more range than even Apex-rankers!
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"Back off, Angel!" the demon spat as he surrounded the Angel man along with his Demibeast companion. Both men smiled as they surrounded the poor Angel.
"The Monarch won't let you off lightly!!" the Angel threatened with rage. His Monarch had instructed him to find Seraphina Ender, no matter the cost. These two bastards were blocking his path! Claiming that the Dull Dessert was Orc territory!!
"Tell that washed up bitch to bring it!" the two Apex-rankers laughed. They had no need to fear the enemy Monarchs. They had Monarchs of their own!! If the Angel Monarch truly came here alone, she would be putting her life in danger. If she died, the Human-Elf-Angel faction would quite literally crumble without a capable Successor!
The Angel grit his teeth as he retreated. He was heavily injured, he couldn't just throw his life away here! His Monarch barely had any Apex-rankers left!
'Damn...you...' the Apex-ranker slowly lost consciousness as he flew.
BOOM!!
He fell into the ground next to a figure.
'I actually managed to aim my fall.' he smiled. He looked to the blurry figure and asked, "C-Can you please spare some Life Energy? I will f-fully repay you."
"O-Of course." Phina smiled to the collapsed Angel. His wings were a deep red from his blood.
'HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT!!' Phina thought to herself. 'Wasn't this guy fighting those two Apex-rankers?!?!!'
She gave him some of her Life Energy as she covered her face with her impromptu mask.
He quickly healed himself with the Life Energy. He turned to Phina, still quite tired. "Thank you, my friend. I am Henderson, the Angel Monarch's third aid. May I know your name?"
"..." Phina had a lot to think about in these few days that she was walking in the dessert for. She realized one thing as she started to recall her journey. 'I almost forgot.'
She had almost forgotten why she even joined the Exodia. She was so infatuated with getting powerful and learning and knowing more that she had forgotten that she joined to look for the so called Core!! There was one thing...one thing from everything she knew that she didn't want to forget. "Shira...my name is Shira."