Chapter 2481: A Petty Little System

Xarvenya planted a hand against the ground, her fingers digging into the shattered earth as she forced herself onto one knee. Crimson energy continued to leak from her arm, the backlash having torn apart several of the channels she had used to concentrate her attack. However, the damage itself meant very little compared to the humiliation of what had just happened.

Someone had interfered with her power, and she hadn’t even managed to sense how.

"Sorry, sorry! My apologies for that. I might have been a little too rough." The voice carried an almost cheerful air, without the slightest hint of genuine regret. "You see, I’ve taken quite an interest in these two young sword geniuses, and it would be a terrible waste to allow you to kill them here. I hope you’ll forgive me for interfering."

Xarvenya’s crimson eyes narrowed. Whoever this was, his casual tone did nothing to hide the fact that he had just reached across an unknown distance and overwhelmed her control of her own attack.

"Now, as for these two little treasures, I suppose I’ll have to take them with me. I have quite a few ideas for how to nurture such promising talents."

"No."

Tomoe’s response came without hesitation. Her injuries had left her struggling to remain upright, but her blood-red eyes retained their sharpness as she looked toward the empty space the voice came from.

Cassarae was even less accommodating.

"Go fuck yourself."

For a moment, the plains fell silent before the mysterious man released a light chuckle.

"Oh? Such spirited young ladies. I suppose I should have expected as much."

"You know what I hate most about people like you?" Cassarae’s expression darkened. "It’s that you pretend to be some kind of benevolent old bastard while doing whatever the fuck you want. If you want to be an asshole, then be an asshole. Who the hell do you think you’re fooling with all your chuckles and hehe’s?"

The voice seemed to find her words even more amusing, but Cassarae wasn’t finished.

"And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you didn’t kill her. You’re clearly strong enough to interfere, but if you could actually kill Xarvenya, why bother throwing her away? You probably can’t do it, can you? So stop acting like some magnanimous senior showing mercy and go fuck yourself."

"Hahaha! What a mouth you have on you! But that’s fine, that’s fine. Geniuses should have a little fire in them. If you don’t have the courage to challenge those above you, how could you ever expect to reach the pinnacle?"

Cassarae’s lip curled in disgust. She would have preferred it if the bastard had lost his temper. At least then she could have understood what sort of person she was dealing with. Instead, he took every insult as though she were a child throwing a tantrum, and somehow that made the entire situation even more irritating.

Before she could respond, though, a series of golden Runes began appearing beneath her feet.

Tomoe reacted at almost the same instant. Her ruby sword flashed forward, slicing through several of the symbols before they could finish forming, while Cassarae gathered her own Sword Will and struck toward the opposite side.

The Runes split beneath their attacks, only to reform before the swords could complete their movements.

"Oh, very good. Your foundations are even better than I thought. Unfortunately, you’re still a little too young to understand what you’re cutting."

The formation continued expanding, golden lines connecting above and below them until an intricate sphere began taking shape. Every time Cassarae struck one portion, another section absorbed the force, while Tomoe’s increasingly violent attacks only caused the formation to shift its structure.

Cassarae grit her teeth. The bastard wasn’t even here, and yet his formation could respond to their attacks faster than they could change them.

"Though I must say, the Rune Mastery protecting this planet isn’t too bad at all. Quite impressive, in fact. It’s unfortunate that its creator isn’t here, or perhaps I wouldn’t have been able to do this." The voice sighed. "A shame, really. I would have enjoyed meeting such an interesting fellow."

Cassarae’s expression turned colder.

Xarvenya chose that moment to move.

She had already risen to her feet, and the instant the formation began closing around Cassarae, she drove her uninjured hand toward it. A dense concentration of crimson energy formed around her palm, but before she could make contact, the space in front of her contracted.

BANG!

Xarvenya’s body shot backward once more, crashing through several broken ridges before she caught herself against the ground.

"Oh, please don’t make this difficult. I truly have no desire to hurt you."

The Demon slowly raised her head, her crimson eyes staring toward the formation.

She had spent far too long restraining herself, keeping her power beneath the limits this world could tolerate. Even now, the mysterious man was taking advantage of those restrictions, using methods that wouldn’t have been nearly so effective if she could unleash her strength without concern.

But continuing like this would accomplish nothing.

Xarvenya stood, her expression losing the last traces of agitation as a deeper crimson light began gathering within her pupils.

Her True Blood awakened.

The change was immediate. Crimson tendrils bloomed across her body, spreading from her chest and wrapping around her arms before extending into the surrounding space. The earth beneath her feet began to crumble, and even the air seemed to struggle beneath the pressure she released.

Then she vanished.

BOOM!

Xarvenya appeared beside Cassarae before the formation could respond, her crimson tendrils piercing through the golden Runes and ripping apart the connections holding them together.

The formation shattered.

Cassarae barely had time to react before Xarvenya caught her by the arm and pulled her away, crossing an enormous distance in an instant.

For the first time since the mysterious man had begun speaking, there was no immediate response.

Xarvenya didn’t mistake the silence for victory. She could already feel the pressure of the world’s restrictions gathering around her, but she had no intention of allowing them to force her hand again.

When the voice returned, its previous enthusiasm had faded.

"It seems I’ve underestimated you." There was a pause, followed by a much flatter tone. "Unfortunately, I can’t use much of my strength here either. However, it would be a trivial matter for me to make this world’s protective formation collapse. And once that happens, do you believe you’ll still be able to hide from its petty little System?"

Xarvenya’s eyes narrowed.

The threat was clear. She could resist him, but doing so would mean exposing herself to the very restrictions she had spent so much effort avoiding. Worse, if he collapsed the protections around the planet, there was no telling what consequences would follow.

Cassarae looked up at Xarvenya, then toward the golden formation that had already begun gathering around Tomoe once more.

"It’s fine."

Xarvenya’s grip tightened. "Don’t be foolish."

"I’m not." Cassarae pulled at her arm. "Let me go."

"No."

Cassarae’s brows rose, and despite the circumstances, a familiar stubbornness returned to her expression. "Last I checked, I’m the main wife, aren’t I?"

Xarvenya froze.

"Then you have to listen to me." Cassarae’s gaze sharpened. "I’m not letting you expose yourself and put everyone else in danger just because some bastard decided to come here and cause trouble. Sylas will handle it."

Before Xarvenya could answer, a figure rushed forward from the distance.

"Rae!"

Geraldene hurried toward her daughter, with Paul following close behind. Her face had lost all color, but there wasn’t the slightest hesitation in her steps.

"If you’re taking my daughter, then you’re taking me too!"

"Mom?!" Cassarae’s expression changed. "What the hell are you doing?! Get back!"

Geraldene ignored her, grabbing Paul’s hand as they continued forward.

"We’re her parents. Wherever you’re taking her, we’re going too!"

Cassarae opened her mouth, but the mysterious voice spoke before she could get another word out.

"Oh? How touching! A mother’s love truly is a wonderful thing."

His cheerful tone returned as though the confrontation with Xarvenya had never happened.

"A trivial matter. Of course I can do this for a worried mother."

Golden light descended, gathering around Cassarae, Tomoe, Geraldene, and Paul before any of them could move again.

The Runes closed into a complete formation, and with a gentle flash, all four vanished from the plains.