Chapter 565: A Great Ball of Light

Sara collapsed forward into the water with a gleeful, utterly spent expression.

Her strong body went limp with satisfaction, limbs loose and heavy, her face wearing a look of pure, unguarded bliss as she sank slightly beneath the surface, still trembling faintly.

Benjamin’s head swung back. His jaw hung slack. His chest rose and fell in deep, ragged heaves as the last aftershocks worked through him.

Izra and Renard in particular looked as though they could not comprehend how the act had been concealed so completely and precisely under their noses for so long.

"Were... the both of you having sex just now?" The light had disappeared from Renard’s eyes, his gaze turning cold and hollow, his expression shifting from frustration to something darker and more dangerous. "While I was saying something important, trying to address a serious matter? While I had to leave my throne and come here to personally speak to you?"

Benjamin swiftly swung his head back up to explain his way out of the situation, his mouth opening to form words of defense and justification.

His mind was racing for an excuse that would defuse the tension... but his eyes caught on something that made him pause, his gaze fixing on a particular detail that distracted him completely from the accusation and the danger.

"Renard... is that all the size?" Benjamin’s voice was laced with deep pity as he stared at Renard’s crotch, his expression one of genuine sympathy and condescension.

He tilted his head with concern, his brows furrowing. "Just cut it off and you’d be no different from a cute girl. I’m unimpressed."

The entire area immediately lit up as if it was day, not night, the darkness banished in an instant by a brilliant radiance that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

A big ball of hot light appeared above Renard’s raised hand, some meters above the basin, big enough to fit inside a small house, pulsing with destructive energy that made the air itself tremble and the water ripple.

The light was so bright that it hurt to look at.

"Die for your disrespect, vermin!" His voice was dual sounding, resonating in the area like an earthquake, two tones layered over each other in a way that seemed to shake the very stones of the mountain.

Benjamin flinched upon seeing the ball of light, his body recoiling instinctively, recognizing it wasn’t just magic or energy but something far more fundamental.

"C’mon, you wouldn’t... you wouldn’t actually use that here, would you? Think about what you’re doing!" Benjamin protested.

If the ball touches the ground, it would devastate the entire mountain, shattering rock and stone into rubble.

It’d possibly cause widespread damage to Thaad below, destroying the city and everyone within it, and killing countless innocents who had nothing to do with this conflict.

Renard ignored Benjamin’s protests about safety and swung his hand towards him, the big ball surging towards him in blinding speed, a comet of annihilation hurtling through the air with terrifying velocity, leaving a trail of crackling energy in its wake.

POOF!

At impact, the ball dispersed like a burst bubble releasing motes of lights, sparkling particles that drifted gently downward like falling stars.

The deadly energy dissipated into harmless beauty, and the threat vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

The area became pindrop silent, the only sound the gentle lapping of water and the soft breathing of those present.

Erica’s heart was about to jump out of her chest, her pulse hammering against her ribs with frantic intensity.

Her brain had been trying to reconcile the fact that Benjamin was somehow having sex in the same water as she was in.

But suddenly, there was a great ball of destruction aimed at Benjamin, however, one that would likely destroy everything on the mountain alike, including her, ending her life in an instant if it had connected.

Heka was looking depressed, somehow beside Benjamin, her expression one of profound disappointment.

Her shoulders were slumped, and she was wondering why in the world the ball of light had ceased its destruction.

Sara was still in cloud nine, floating face down in the water, unaware of the near-death experience that had just occurred.

Her body was limp and content, her expression one of peaceful satisfaction.

Izra and Seraphina had their eyes closed, enjoying the bath serenely, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all.

"Heh. What...? You thought I couldn’t defend against such a measly—" as Benjamin started talking, his voice carrying a note of bravado and triumph, Seraphina opened her blue eyes and glanced at him.

Her gaze was calm and knowing, as if finding what Benjamin was about to say fascinating..

He immediately snapped his head towards the blonde woman, his expression shifting to one of gratitude and humility, "Thank you for helping me, Miss Seraphina! It would have been a mess if it connected, a complete catastrophe for everyone here."

Seraphina only giggled at his silliness, her laughter light and musical, her eyes sparkling with amusement, as Renard nagged at her with obvious displeasure, his voice rising with indignation.

"Why did you stop it?! I wanted to kill him, to end his insufferable existence right here and now!" He whined, his voice sounding a note of petulant frustration, his fists clenched with anger.

"Behave yourself, your Majesty, composure and dignity are expected of a king in all situations," Seraphina calmly stated, her voice steady and soothing. "We have to finish this little side quest here because you have another meeting with the primordial one; not to mention, our other arrangement in the monster realm."

"Tsk." Renard huffed, his expression one of reluctant acceptance, and he relaxed for a bit, settling back into the water.

He glanced at Benjamin who was pulling Sara’s face from being submerged, checking if she could breathe properly. "Benjamin, let us make yet another deal, an agreement that you will actually honor this time."

"I promise to not disappoint you this time around!" Benjamin swore, his hand raised as if taking an oath, his eyes meeting Renard’s with something resembling sincerity.

"We both know you’re lying," Renard shook his head, his voice carrying a note of exhausted acceptance. "But if you fail this time around, I’ll drag you out of Thaad myself and personally remove you from this city, whether you like it or not."

The deal was as follow;

There WAS a rat in that region that has been terrorizing Thaad for months now, an unknown entity, spreading fear and uncertainty throughout the city.

And even Renard did not know what their agenda was, what they truly want, or what their ultimate goal might be.

That was a big deal because it would mean this entity can hide from Seraphina as well, evading her perception and detection.

This automatically made them most likely an outlier: a high level individual of extraordinary power.

Someone who operates beyond the normal rules of this world.