Lili's blade dripped with silence.
It's over… I'm free.
Her thoughts steadied. I have to go back to the village.
With a flash, she surged through the skies, her speed cutting across the horizon.
Then we saw.
Arvaris's hand closed tightly around Sara's throat. Her legs kicked weakly, her tears streaming as she clawed at his grip. Zack lay sprawled in the dirt, unconscious. Sheron was pinned to the ground, an enormous ice crystal jutting from his back, blood staining the frozen spike. The chief lay motionless, breaths shallow.
Around them, Grok and the goblins were scattered across the field, their bodies slumped in defeat.
Arvaris's crimson eyes narrowed. "Where is Leo? Where is that witch?"
Sara only choked, silent, her lips trembling but refusing to speak.
Arvaris sighed, his fingers tightening. "Tch. I didn't want this… but I have no other choice but to kill you."
Her vision blurred, the world fading as his hand clenched harder. Death's shadow crept close.
Then—
Arvaris froze. His eyes widened as the air rippled with power. Above, countless dark magic circles ignited at once, forming a storm of shadows.
"...What?" he muttered.
The sky rained with shadow spheres, hundreds of them crashing down. Arvaris hurled Sara aside and twisted through the air, his body weaving between explosions of black fire. The ground split, smoke rising.
As the storm faded, he landed on one knee, breathing low. His gaze flicked to the spot where Sara should have fallen.
"Hmph… maybe she's dead by now."
But his words died.
Sara wasn't there.
Instead, a voice cut through the smoke, sharp and furious.
"So you were looking for me… bastard."
Arvaris's head snapped upward.
High above, Lili floated against the burning sky, her form blazing with spiritual light. In her arms, Sara trembled, alive but held tightly.
Lili slowly descended, her feet touching the ground with grace. She gently laid Sara down and spoke firmly, her tone carrying both command and comfort.
"Sara, leave everything to me."
Sara coughed, her hand trembling as it pressed against her bruised throat. Her voice was weak, but her spirit hadn't broken.
"...Okay. I'll do it. But… what about the others?"
Lili's sharp gaze swept across the battlefield. Grok and his goblins lay scattered, unconscious. Zack had fallen with them, his chest rising faintly with shallow breaths. Sheron, however, was pinned to the ground by a massive spear of ice lodged deep into his back, and the old chief Balzock lay unmoving, his face pale.
"Grok and Zack are only unconscious," Lili said grimly. "But Sheron and Balzock… their injuries are far too deep. I can't save them."
Sara clenched her teeth, frustration swelling inside her. Then a thought struck her.
"Wait… what about Leo? You already defeated those Holy Empire knights. Weren't they the ones who blocked our link with him?"
At that, Lili's expression soured. Her voice lowered, edged with irritation.
"I thought the same. But when I tried to reach Leo, the connection was still blocked. That means someone else was hiding all along… and that person is still here."
She turned her gaze back to Arvaris, whose eyes narrowed with a mocking grin.
"You'll be the one to find him," Lili continued. "Search for that hidden bastard. I'll keep this monster busy. If I manage to wake Zack or Grok, I'll send them to help you."
Sara's legs shook beneath her, her body crying out for rest. Yet she forced herself upright, her fists clenching at her side. With a hoarse voice, she answered:
"Alright then… best of luck. I'll find him."
Sara turned and broke into a sprint, her boots splashing against the mud as she vanished into the shadows of the forest. Her breathing was ragged, but her determination drove her.
"I can't stop right now because If i did then I would only be burden on others."
Sara ran into the forest, her figure swallowed by the trees until only the sound of her footsteps faded into silence.
Lili's gaze shifted back toward Arvaris. He tilted his head slightly, his voice carrying a cold curiosity.
"So… are you finally taking interest in me?"
A small laugh slipped from Lili's lips, sharp and mocking. "Interest? Don't flatter yourself." She stepped forward, her crimson eyes glinting. "If this was your grand plan, then it's pathetic. Almost everyone in your alliance is already dead. And soon enough, Sara will track down the coward still hiding and blocking our link with Leo. Once Leo learns the truth…"
She stopped, letting her words hang in the air before closing the distance by a step, her voice colder than steel.
"You're as good as dead."
Arvaris's jaw tightened, his expression twisting with anger. The mocking calm in her tone cut deeper than any blade.
Lili tilted her head slightly, studying him. "And I'm certain the attack on Leo's village wasn't your only objective. There's something more important hidden behind all this, isn't there?"
Her words struck him harder than he expected. His teeth ground together, fury darkening his face.
"Hmph… just as I thought." His voice grew heavier, dripping with killing intent. "You really are dangerous. That's why… I'll erase you here and now."
The ground trembled as a thick, brown aura erupted from his body, raw and violent like the earth itself splitting apart.
Lili only smirked. From her body poured a deep purple aura, swirling and crackling, filling the air with an oppressive pressure that made the forest itself groan.
The two auras clashed in the space between them, colliding like unseen storms. Dust and leaves lifted from the ground, caught in the violent currents of their power.
Both stood their ground, eyes locked, their killing intent bleeding into the air—two predators just to kill each other.
Got it — I'll rewrite everything from the moment their fight was about to start, right up until Arvaris's reply to King Agrest, keeping it flowing in the style you want:
As their auras roared against each other, the battlefield trembled, the air splitting with pressure. Purple flames swirled around Lili, wild and untamed, while the earth itself cracked beneath Arvaris's brown aura. Both were moments away from colliding, the forest holding its breath.
But even as Arvaris raised his hand to strike, his thoughts stuck on her words.
She's right… absolutely right…
His jaw tightened, anger mixing with grim resolve. With a sudden burst, he shot into the air, his aura blasting the ground apart in a violent shockwave.
Lili didn't hesitate. She stepped forward, eyes glowing with cold amusement, as purple magic spiraled around her fingers like serpents ready to strike.
Arvaris roared down at her, voice echoing through the battlefield.
"And that's why I have to kill you! Only then… can we trap Leo!"
Their powers met in midair, a colossal collision of earth and void. Purple arcs and brown shockwaves tore through the forest, uprooting trees and cracking stone, the explosion so fierce it seemed to swallow the world.
For a moment, nothing but light and thunder remained.
Then silence.
The battlefield blurred, the destruction fading into shadows. Arvaris's mind was being pulled elsewhere—backward, into memory.
The forest was gone. In its place rose towering marble pillars, walls draped with golden banners, and a throne room that gleamed with divine grandeur.
At the center, a throne of white and gold, its presence overwhelming.
From it descended a king clad in regal robes, his crown catching the light. His eyes burned with authority, calm but unshakably commanding.
"So… you're here at last, Arvaris," the king's voice cut through the vast chamber, each word deliberate. "I was waiting for you."
Arvaris stood firm in the middle of the hall, his usual smirk tugging at his lips, but his tone remained steady.
"Yeah… I'm here, Agrest."