"Aurorise was taken down by a single individual who is known as Lirien, a vampire and she is here. She uses a skill I don't quite comprehend however seeing it action, it would seem that what she does is devour the souls of her prey sending them in a comatose state."
"It also seems that she gains invincibility when her figure is bathed in complete light. Be it mana attacks, poison physical or any other all fail too leave a dent to her."
"And now she is here in Quillara, ready to take it down. I suspect that she may have had a hand in Rien as well." Zarina finished off as multiple eyes landed on her figure.
"But something isn't right. In Rien, the victims weren't in a comatose state, they were ripped to shreds which explains their death." Arabella pointed out as she took a small sip of her tea.
The same way Aurorise and Rien fell were completely different however Zarina felt that Lirien somehow had a hand in both scenes but she lacked evidence for Rien however with her disclosing Lirien, at the very least Quillara could take some precautionary steps against her.
"The last time I faced her, she was on the fifth tier thus it would be safe to assume that she is at the very least on the sixth tier." Zenia fell into deep thought as she heard this.
Even she had never heard of such a skill however Lirien seemed to gain such a heaven defying skill possibly from Ashley. "It would seem that we have to inform the queen about this."
Vesper mused as her mind fell into thought as well. Dealing with a tier six expert was something that the queen herself had the highest chance of defeating however it was known that she wasn't that skilled when it came to combat.
*Knock-Knock-Knock*
They heard a knock which made the entire room fall silent. "I'll get it." Arabella volunteered as she saw that no one was ready to make a move. Zarina watched her figure disappear before it reappeared once more.
However this time, she wasn't alone as another figure was with her. Ensnaring looks that would leave men delving deep into their own fantasies, a sharp and cold presence hanging around her. It was naturally Lirien.
The rest of the entire room was rather shocked as they saw her as they immediately thought that it was Lirien however Arabella's next words shocked them.
"I'd like to introduce you all to Luma, a friend I happened to run into in Aurorise." She said warmly Zarina's expressions were anything but calm. Her sharp eyes landing on her and it was clear that she wasn't going to have it.
What shocked her was that Miss Arabella was related to her in some way. 'Does that mean that Lirien had planned this encounter?' "It is a pleasure to greet you all." Luma mused as she saw the family right in front of her, her demeanor melting into a softer tone.
Zenia was just as apprehensive as Zarina. "It is very nice to meet you, Miss Luma." She welcomed her as the two took their seat across from them and next to Zarina.
"Princess Zarina, I didn't think that I would ever get the chance to meet you in person after what I heard what had happened at Aurorise." Zarina felt as if the entire world was playing some sick joke on her.
'How did she know that I was here? Is Arabella a mole planted here as she had deduced that I would want to meet the queen Zenia? Now that I think about it...'
A small fact that she had overlooked this entire time that had been staring her right in the face and she brushed it off. 'Earlier, I wasn't able to deduce Lirien's tier and in a similar fashion I can't seem to get a reading on Arabella'
'It's as if they lack mana disc cores all together.' She knew that that was unlikely and that they were concealing it with artifacts however what made the two come off as skeptical was how both gave off the same pressure.
A docile and calm attitude around them however she knew that that wasn't the case. "Its you! Lirien!" She did not plan on going covertly with it this time as she called her out.
"What?" "That's Lirien?!" Sounds of shock could be heard coming from both Vesper and Elexa however Zenia was dead silent as she heard this. She was on the fourth array, completely outclassed should she be locked in a confrontation with Lirien.
"Zarina. I thought you had already left like the coward you were." Lirien chuckled as she heard this. "Wait, you're Lirien?" Arabella voiced her shock however the two knew that it was merely a front.
"There is no point of running your antics, it is clear that you two know each other." Zarina pointed out as she rose to her feet. Arabella had a small smile on her face as she heard this.
"Oh well, so what? You've already bought your trinkets so you might as well run off once more into the wilderness and get stronger, right?" Zarina was no longer shocked as she knew that at this point, her movements were being monitored.
'This isn't good. If they can monitor me so hidden and I can't even pick their senses, they would kill me in an instant the moment I'm too far off out into the wild.'
'Meaning that I'm trapped. Be it here or out there.' Once more the helplessness gnawed into her mind as she realized this. 'Am I destined to be weak all my life, running and hiding like a coward?'
"Lirien and Arabella. It is apparent that you two are behind the fall of the two kingdoms which is punishable by treason." Zenia started off however the two remained unfazed as they heard this.
*Click*
Hearing the door open once more, all eyes landed on the figure that introduced themselves. A look of disgust washed over Elexa and Vesper as they realized who it was.
Lirien was aloof as her cold demeanor was stagnant however Arabella was slightly fearful. The image was none other than Hedon who welcomed himself in. "I'm so sorry I'm later as I had other matters to attend to but now I'm here to cater to your needs."
Lirien was already informed of how Hedon looked thus she was surprised as she saw him. 'He is just like Andrew however there is a more chaotic presence around him.'
A subconscious tinge of fear slowly started to creep into her own heart the more she was exposed to his presence. He comfortably sat on one of the comfortable seats as he glanced around the room.
All eyes were on him to which a small chuckle escaped his lips. "Ladies, please one at a time." Zarina felt absolute dread as she saw him. 'No! I'm leaving right now!'
She had other plans of postponing it to some other time however with Hedon, she had already made up her mind that she was leaving that instant. "Zarina, I'll order these two beautiful ladies to not chase you immediately, how about a week's start."
Zarina was shocked as she heard this. "So you're the one pulling the strings, huh?" "So what if I am, oh and here. I was able to recharge your little trinket!" He mused as he handed over a small emblem to Zarina.
'That's my token, but how did he take it from me and not only that, he recharged it?' During her escape as she was carried by the phoenix, it seemed to lose it's energy thus she opted to walk after she had made a considerable distance away from Aurorise.
Given that it was a beast closely related to her own core talent, it's diet could be the same as a regular beast as she had tried to feed it all kinds of prey however it refused them all, opting to die of starvation.
It wasn't till much later that she realized that it needed to feast on mana disc cores to regain its energy, the higher, the better however with her tier four ranking, she couldn't hunt any outstanding beasts.
Her options limited to tier three beasts and below. She was in the wilderness and she wasn't one to push her luck as she knew that danger lurked at every corner thus she could only hunt creatures that she wouldn't spend a huge ordeal of energy and time on.
But seeing that not only he had revitalized it back to its peak condition but also stolen it from her, it was clear that he possessed the greatest threat in the room. As for how, she was skeptical upon using it.
"Don't worry, its not laced with anything which will hinder your travels. Not poisoned or anything of the sort." As if reading her mind, he added on which made her all the more wary of her.
"Now run along, I have other matters to attend to." His eyes landed back to Zenia as a devilish smile flashed on his face. Zarina did not hesitate as her figure was bathed in an otherworldly golden fire, her figure flashing through the balcony and out of the kingdom.
"As for you Lirien, how about some leeway."
*Snap*
[{The time limit on the mission for hunting Zarina has been nullified}]
Lirien was baffled that he could access her system in such a manner. The more she stayed in his presence, the more she understood why Arabella was wary of her.
"I'd rather deal with Andrew than deal with Hedon." Arabella had mused on their way here and now, she could see it. Hedon was less restrained than Andrew and she could feel it.
*Whoosh*
Both Arabella's and Lirien's figures disappeared simultaneously from the room leaving Hedon with the three ladies. Hedon looked outside the balcony as he chuckled.
"So much for help from Zarina. But don't worry, I won't have this kingdom ruined as well but rather consider yourselves heroines for what is about to ensue."
Vesper tried to leave as well however she found that she had no form of control over her body, similar to the other two ladies. Zenia's figure rose as she poured a cup of tea for Hedon.
"Thank you. Don't you think that it rather rude to leave while you have a guest?" He added and against their will, the two ladies sat back to the couch opposite to Hedon.
He drank the tea lightly as his eyes scanned the three.
*Snap*
"You might as well talk while I have my tea." A sip followed right after. Zenia was the first to take the initiative. She was aware of what he had mused back at Rien.
At the time it seemed like wishful thinking of a madman however that wish seemed to grow more and more into a reality. "Please, just let my daughters go. I'll serve you as you wish."
He placed his cup down as he seemed content with the tea. "Why have one when three's better? At first falling Quillara was on my agenda however I'll give you an offer, if I have only you then Quillara will fall in a similar fashion to Rien."
"I'm aware that there are some people from Rien settling here but to think that all of your husbands effort was for naught. Maybe this time you will have a clearer visual with what had happened in Rien."
"Or you can offer yourself along with your daughters and I'll refrain from taking this kingdom into the ground." Zenia fell silent as she heard this. Her situation wasn't ideal in the slightest.
'If I take the former then not only the people from Rien but also Quillara will fall however taking the latter saves both. However I can't guarantee that he won't go back on his words.'
"You're a piece of shit!" Elexa didn't bother hiding her anger and frustration as she heard this. She had never thought that fate would be so cruel and unforgiving to her.
Unlike her mother, she didn't care about this kingdom or those from Rien as for Vesper, she knew that there was no way out. Given that he was issuing orders to those two and even she couldn't get a reading off them.