Chapter 126: Ego Unleashed

E.G.O. + Escape + Top 10

The battlefield seemed to quiet around Emily.

The fighting had not stopped. Bloodkin still moved through the ruined streets, Abnormalities crawled through the broken buildings, and the remaining Collectors and Silent Night members continued searching for an opening.

Yet for a brief moment, Reinhard could only see Emily.

A crimson crown slowly formed above her head, while several black-grey stars appeared around her weapon. Crimson light flowed through her body, and the Mana surrounding her changed with it. It was not simply stronger than before. It felt more complete, as though everything inside her had finally found a single direction.

[Target Value Increased.]

[Emily Ashcroft: C → C+]

The Bloodkin closest to her hesitated.

Rhea noticed first, followed by Lily and then Maki from across the battlefield. Even the members of Silent Night paused as they watched the change.

Emily opened her eyes.

She did not announce her power or make a dramatic declaration. Her gaze simply moved toward Rhea and Lily before she disappeared.

A Bloodkin tore toward Rhea, its claws descending toward her back, but Emily appeared beside her at the last possible moment and caught the attack with her weapon. The impact sent the Bloodkin crashing through the remains of a stone wall.

Rhea stared at her. "Emily?"

Emily did not answer. She was already moving again.

The black-grey stars surrounding her weapon shifted, and several black needles erupted from them, striking the ground around the surrounding Bloodkin and pinning them in place. A clear corridor suddenly opened between the creatures.

Rhea immediately understood. "She’s making us a path."

Lily grabbed her arm. "Then move."

They ran.

Emily shifted through space again, reaching Maki and Seraphine just as another section of distorted space folded across their route. Maki had already mapped the battlefield, but the route she had identified was changing faster than she could follow.

"The path is gone," Maki said.

Emily raised her hand and the distortion stopped. For several seconds, the space ahead remained completely still instead of folding over itself. Maki’s eyes sharpened as she studied the opening.

"That’s our route," she said.

Seraphine looked over the frozen distortion and immediately confirmed it. "Take it."

Maki moved first, with Seraphine following close behind. Emily released the distortion only after they had crossed.

A burst of Blood Mana struck from the side, forcing Rika to turn and block it. Three Bloodkin surrounded her, but she held her ground and cut through the first before another attacked from behind.

Emily appeared beside her.

Rika glanced over. "You came."

"Of course," Emily said.

The two moved together, Emily bending space to create openings while Rika took advantage of each one. Within seconds, the Bloodkin surrounding them were forced backward.

Rika looked at Emily. "Your timing improved."

Emily smiled faintly. "So did yours."

They separated without another word.

Across the battlefield, Yuna and Mara were still trying to gather the scattered survivors. They had managed to keep several groups moving, but every route seemed to close as quickly as they found it.

Emily spread her hand, and a massive spatial corridor opened through the battlefield, connecting several isolated sections at once.

For the first time since the battlefield had collapsed, the scattered members of the team could see one another.

Mara understood immediately. "Everyone, move toward Emily."

Yuna raised her voice. "You heard her. Formation Delta, protect the center."

The survivors began moving.

Maki called from ahead, "Left side is safe for six seconds."

Seraphine immediately answered, "Confirmed."

Yuna pointed toward the opening. "Move."

Mara redirected the injured toward the center while Rika took the front. Rhea and Lily protected the rear, and for several precious seconds nobody waited for Reinhard to tell them what to do.

They simply moved.

Reinhard watched them from the middle of the battlefield, following the formation as it came together. Then he flexed his fingers and felt the strength running through his muscles. His physical power had reached a level that felt close to A-Rank.

He looked at Heavenpiercer and smiled. "Well, you’ve been waiting for this too, haven’t you?"

He threw it.

Heavenpiercer shot across the battlefield before splitting apart. Five additional golden spears appeared around the original, each following its own trajectory before descending toward different targets.

The first spear struck.

Fire and lightning erupted together.

The others followed, and five more explosions tore through the battlefield, blasting Bloodkin and Abnormalities away from the evacuation route.

Reinhard stared for a moment. "Oh."

Another Heavenpiercer returned to his hand.

He threw it again, and five more spears appeared.

"That’s convenient."

He smiled as he watched the explosions spread across the battlefield. "Then pierce through."

The next barrage crashed down.

Reinhard moved with it.

For once, he did not need Space Tear or Spatial Step to cross the battlefield. He simply ran.

His body crossed the ruined streets with terrifying speed, golden light trailing behind him as he reached Rhea, then Lily, then Yuna and Mara. Heavenpiercer flew ahead of him while the five additional spears created openings around the team.

Emily filled those openings with spatial corridors.

Together, they finally began turning the impossible battlefield into something that could be crossed.

Maki called out, "Next route is shifting."

Seraphine answered, "Wait two seconds."

Emily held the distortion in place while Maki raised her hand and sealed the unstable section.

"Now," Maki said.

Yuna immediately ordered, "Move."

Rika rushed ahead and cleared the first wave of enemies. Rhea and Lily covered the rear while Kael and Adrian carried one of the rescued children between them.

The child looked toward the collapsing town with wide eyes. "Are we going to get out?"

Kael glanced toward the distant boundary. "Yes."

Adrian looked at him. "You sound confident."

Kael adjusted his grip. "I am."

They continued forward.

For several seconds, everything worked.

Then Maki stopped.

"Wait."

The spatial corridor ahead of them suddenly twisted.

The opening that Emily had created began narrowing from both sides.

Seraphine’s expression changed as she studied it. "The boundary is being pulled inward."

Emily pushed more Mana into the corridor, but the space continued collapsing.

"I can hold it," she said.

A tremor ran through her crimson crown.

Mara immediately understood. "How long?"

"Not long."

Reinhard looked ahead.

The route was disappearing.

At the same time, movement appeared on both sides of the battlefield.

The Collectors were advancing from the east.

Silent Night was closing in from the west.

Neither group rushed toward them. They didn’t need to. They were simply cutting off the remaining routes, forcing the exhausted teams toward the center of the collapsing battlefield.

Rhea looked over her shoulder. "They’re coming."

Yuna tightened her grip on her weapon. "Keep moving."

Maki looked at the shrinking corridor. "If this closes, we’re trapped."

Reinhard looked toward the Singularity.

Archon was still inside.

The thought barely formed before the entire battlefield suddenly changed. A massive Mana spike erupted from the Singularity.

Everyone froze.

Reinhard’s eyes widened. "That..."

The pressure rolled across the battlefield. Even the Bloodkin hesitated. Even the Collectors stopped. Even Silent Night looked toward the source and then Reinhard saw something impossible.

A thin line appeared across reality.

It wasn’t a crack in the Singularity.

It was a slash.

The line stretched across the air, cutting through the space surrounding the Singularity itself.

Reinhard stared as the slash widened and then reality shattered. The Singularity broke apart from the inside, its distorted space exploding outward like a massive glass sphere being struck from within.

A figure stepped through the broken remains, it was none other than Archon. She emerged from the shattered Singularity with her sword in hand.

For a moment, she stood completely still. Blood ran down one side of her face, and her clothes were damaged from the battle inside the dimensional prison, but she was standing.

Her crimson eyes immediately turned toward Silent Night and the Collectors.

Neither group moved.

The Collector leader stared at the destroyed Singularity.

Silent Night’s leader remained silent for several seconds before quietly muttering, "She actually brute-forced it."

The Collector leader looked at Archon.

"Through a Singularity?"

He shook his head slightly.

"She actually brute-forced it?"

Archon’s expression did not change. She simply continued staring at them.

The Collector leader finally made his decision. "We’re leaving."

Silent Night’s leader gave the same order almost immediately. "Retreat."

Both groups began withdrawing.

They had no interest in fighting Archon after watching her tear her way out of a dimensional prison.

Reinhard watched them leave before looking toward the battlefield ahead. The Bloodkin and Abnormalities were still there and there were still far too many of them.

"All right," Reinhard said as Heavenpiercer appeared in his hand. "Let’s get everyone out."

He threw the spear.

Heavenpiercer tore across the battlefield in a streak of golden light before striking the largest cluster of enemies. Fire and lightning erupted together. The explosion blasted Bloodkin and Abnormalities away from the path.

"Move!" Reinhard shouted.

Yuna immediately understood. "Everyone through!"

Archon stepped beside them and she raised her sword. The first swing erased the front of the wave. The second removed everything that tried to replace it. The third opened a clear path through the battlefield.

Reinhard threw Heavenpiercer again.

The golden spear tore through the opening Archon had created before exploding farther ahead, forcing another section of the wave apart.

"Keep going!" Reinhard shouted.

Archon continued forward, each swing clearing another section of the battlefield while Reinhard’s Heavenpiercers destroyed anything that tried to close the path again. For the first time since the battlefield had collapsed, the team finally had a clear route.

Mara immediately understood. "How long?"

"Not long."

Reinhard looked ahead as the route continued collapsing around them. Heavenpiercer appeared in his hand again.

"I’ll make it wider."

He threw the spear.

The weapon struck the collapsing corridor and exploded with fire and lightning, forcing the distorted space apart for a few precious seconds.

Maki immediately moved forward. "Now."

Seraphine followed. "The route is stable."

Yuna raised her voice. "Everyone through."

Someone collapsed onto their knees. Yuna lowered her head and breathed out slowly while Maki sat down where she stood. Mara closed her eyes, and Emily looked around the group.

Everyone was there.

Rhea suddenly started laughing and then Lily looked at her before laughing as well. It was not because anything was funny.

They were simply alive.

Association personnel rushed toward them, and one evaluator stared at the exhausted group before looking down at the mission report.

"You completed the rescue objective?"

Mara nodded. "Yes."

"Mana contamination was prevented?"

Yuna nodded. "Yes."

The evaluator looked over the report again before raising his eyes. "And the team?"

Mara looked toward Reinhard, Emily, and the Nephilim.

"Everyone came back."

The evaluator was silent for a moment before checking the ranking display.

The team’s current position appeared.

#18.

The number changed.

#17.

Then it moved again.

#14.

The group watched.

#12.

Rhea stopped laughing.

The number changed once more.

Number 9.

Silence filled the area.

Then the Association display updated.

[TOP 10 ACHIEVED.]

Rhea immediately grabbed Lily. "We made Top 10!"

Lily nearly lost her balance. "Rhea."

Mara smiled.

Seraphine turned toward Maki. "You mapped the battlefield."

Maki shook her head. "You found the safe route."

"You recognized it."

Maki smiled.

Rika approached Emily and held out her hand.

Emily looked at it before taking it.

"Good work," Rika said.

"You too."

Adrian looked toward Kael. "Top ten."

Kael nodded. "Good."

Adrian waited.

"That’s all?"

Kael considered the question. "Very good."

Lily laughed, and Rhea laughed harder.

Even Mara could not hide her smile.

[Fame Increased!]

[173, 245 —> 196, 234]

[Current Fame: 196, 234 / 1,000,000]

[Description: Many fans are rejoicing that Emily not only bounced back but she reached the top 10 at the same time. Now all the haters have fallen silent. Good luck trying to eat at places, as many people will recognize Emily and try to talk to her.]

A short distance away, Reinhard looked toward Emily. His eyes moved to the crimson crown still hovering above her.

"You really went all out," he said.

Emily looked at his golden crown and cape. "You did too."

Reinhard touched the edge of his cape. "I think mine is better."

Emily looked at him for a moment. "Of course you do."

...

Later, after the others had begun recovering, Reinhard stood slightly away from the group.

Emily was talking with Rika, while Maki and Seraphine were discussing the route they had taken. Rhea was bothering Lily again, and Yuna and Mara were already discussing the mission report. Kael and Adrian remained near the rescued child.

Reinhard watched them quietly while Archon stood beside him.

She looked toward the group. "They’re yours now."

Reinhard glanced at her. "I collected them?"

"You collected them."

Reinhard looked back at the others and thought about the meals, the arguments, the missions, the injuries, the Bloodkin, the failed expedition, and all the times they had returned for one another.

Nobody had ever announced that the two teams had become one.

It had simply happened.

Reinhard smiled. "That’s quite a collection."

Archon looked at him. "You’re responsible for them."

Reinhard looked toward the group again and his smile remained. "I know."

A familiar notification appeared before his eyes.

[Investment Objective Completed.]

[S-Grade Investment Successful.]

[Calculating Investment Returns...]