Chapter 115 : I can't hold back anymore

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Kara controlled dozens of clones, each taking on different forms—Dark Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and even Werewolves. Crafted from pure Life Force, these clones should have easily been spotted, but her mastery was so high that no trace of Life Force leaked from their bodies.

Adding to the chaos, she sent her clones across the battlefield, harvesting lives and assisting in more battles than anyone else on the human side. Although her [Soul Link] connected only to Sora, she focused on protecting their allies. 

She ensured that no human player fell, distributing [Life Shields], trapping enemies, and even subtly manipulating time when needed. Her [Time Dragon] was famous, and she hoped people would associate the time effects to him only.

Anyone aware of her impact on the battlefield would be stunned to realize she was the most valuable player after Clémence and Emily. Focusing on the battle, which was going more smoothly than expected, she soon felt a disturbance through her Soul Link with Sora.

Glancing in his direction, she was shocked to see him holding his head with a hand, as if in pain, frozen in the middle of the battlefield. She sent a message through their link, but received no response. Without hesitation, she dashed toward him.

As she approached, she saw his phoenix familiar fighting three opponents, struggling to protect his master. The phoenix was covered in injuries, missing a talon, and bleeding from multiple wounds. 

One of the three attackers—a dwarf mounted on a massive turtle that escaped Netsu’s range—was closing in on Sora, ready to strike, when a cage of energy appeared, restraining him. Ignoring the dwarf’s frustrated attempts to free himself, Kara reached Sora, pulling him back and encasing him in a Life Cage to protect him from enemy attacks.

Unable to locate the player responsible for Sora’s condition, Kara created a [Soul Link] with Emily, sending her a message for help.

Emily responded swiftly.‘It must be a player from the Spirit race, they are masters in mental attacks… Ralph must be caught in an illusion. Protect him, I’ll find the culprit’

Kara looked up, noticing Emily locked in combat with four of the enemy’s strongest players. Yet Emily wasn’t surrounded—they were. 

Dozens of her clones encircled them, each moving with lethal precision. Her [Nine-Tailed Fox] familiar, now level 150, had changed as well, now possessing eight tails that flowed power as it battled many familiars, overpowering them with ease.

Moments later, two other allies were trapped in illusions or fell victim to mental attacks. Their teammates quickly dragged them over to Kara, who shielded them alongside Sora.

With three unconscious allies now under her care, Kara changed her focus from harassing enemies to defending the humans nearby, intercepting all types of attacks with life shields she cast on her allies. Forced to defend, Kara’s surroundings now served as a safe zone for the human faction, while Emily and few other powerhouses and their familiars hunted down the hidden threats.

Emily extracted ten blood drops from her main body, each vanishing from sight as it was wrapped in mana for the sole purpose of erasing any tracks, rendering them invisible. The invisible drops quickly flew, positioning themselves behind the unsuspecting Spirits.

Emily concentrated, absorbing all the power from her remaining clones, causing them to melt away upon contact with the enemies, catching them off guard. As she channeled this energy into the ten hidden drops, each transformed into a clone of herself. In an instant, the new clones launched coordinated attacks, striking the unsuspecting Spirits simultaneously.

—-------------

After being backstabbed by Rachel once more, Sora found himself suddenly ejected from the tower. He was shocked to realize he couldn’t choose a reward, and left Nara in a hurry, desperate to vent.

‘Did that bitch betray me again? And that time-element attack... Don’t tell me it was... No! Impossible. The contract didn’t activate. It must have been someone else. Kara would never...’

Reaching a nearby mountain, he swung his hammer relentlessly, each strike filled with anger and frustration, Rachel’s face haunting his every move. The memory of her expression fueled him, his blows smashing through high-level monsters with brutal force.

Then, he heard a cracking sound. Looking up, he saw fractures in the sky, like shattered glass spreading across the heavens. The forest and mountain around him began to dissolve, and he watched in horror as his own hands started to melt away.

Powerless, he felt a sudden pull, like an invisible rope drawing him back through layers of illusion. Rachel’s face blurred into the haze, her image fading, as his surroundings shifted back into familiar territory. With a jolt, he snapped back to the battlefield.

‘What just happened?’ In shock, Sora looked around, searching for someone familiar. Before he could focus, he noticed himself encased in a Life Cage. He flinched, half-expecting the worst.

Seeing two other human figures waking up in similar cages nearby, he realized something unusual was going on, getting a clue. Checking his [Soul Link], he felt it was still active and sent a message to Kara, whose back was turned to him. ‘What is going on, Kara?’

Kara turned around, her face lighting up with a relieved smile. ‘Thank God! Emily succeeded in eliminating the Spirits. You were caught in a mental attack from one of their players.’

Feeling a flush of embarrassment, Sora replied, ‘No way… That was all an illusion? When did I even fall for it?’

Sora’s gaze fell on Rachel, who was moving at lightning speed, cutting down lower-level enemies like they were nothing. A pang tightened his chest. ‘You’re so strong… When did you learn to fight like this? And why use that strength on your friends ?’

The memories from the illusion lingered, still painful, and he struggled to adjust. It had felt too real, leaving him tortured, wondering how he could now fight alongside the very person who had “killed” him. His thoughts were a mess, and he questioned if he could truly fight beside his own betrayer.

Just then, Netsu flew to his side, screeching in happiness. ‘Welcome back, Master,’ the phoenix greeted him through their telepathic link, filling him with a small, much-needed sense of relief.

Feeling his familiar's warmth, a faint smile appeared on Sora's lips. He activated his mental defenses, pushing [Peak Meditate] to the limit as he took a few moments to silence the tempting thoughts of doubting the world and isolation that lingered from the illusion. With a clearer mind, he assessed the battlefield to understand what had truly happened.

Of the original 35 human players, 13 remained, including the three who had just awoken. On the enemy’s side, only 22 were left. The situation was quite good considering how outnumbered they originally were. Sora circulated [Crystallized] mana through his body, pushing his strength to its peak to help his side secure victory. Frustrated over the time he’d lost, he fought fiercely until the last 10 enemies finally decided to retreat.

A cheer was heard among the humans as the enemies fled, and they allowed themselves a moment to breathe. But just as the group began to regroup, Pedro’s voice cut through the calm, shouting, “More enemies are coming! Run! Split up and head in all directions except north!”

Everyone’s hearts dropped at the warning, knowing Pedro’s ability to sense approaching enemies. Sora quickly exchanged a look with Kara and Emily, each understanding the urgency without a word. Kim had fallen during the previous battle and was likely elsewhere on the island, and Rachel had already begun to flee. With no time to waste, Sora, Kara, and Emily grouped up and flew west as fast as they could, sending their familiars back to the [Beast Space].

They didn’t dare relax, and with Pedro’s absence, they were left without any clear sense of where the enemies were. Just as they changed course to avoid another skirmish ahead, they found themselves face-to-face with a group of 20 Dark Elves. Sora’s eyes widened as he recognized two of the figures among them, a chill running down his spine.

“We’re dead if we fight these guys!” Sora warned Kara and Emily. “They’re monsters.”

The Dark Elves had spotted them and began advancing. The trio couldn’t outrun them—Kara’s speed couldn’t keep up with Sora and Emily’s. Sora moved to grab her, intending to help her escape faster, but Kara stopped him, letting out a sigh.

‘We can’t keep on running forever, Sora… This tower is incredible, and I want to reach the top. I’ve already died twice on this floor. I can’t hold back anymore. Today, I’m going all out. Let’s… do that.”

Sora’s eyes widened as he realized her plan. “You’re thinking of revealing… that?” he asked, needing confirmation. She nodded, determination in her eyes.

Kara activated a time bubble, freezing the world around them in an eerie stillness.

Emily, witnessing the strange phenomenon, broke into a smile. She had already suspected Kara’s abilities when she saw the dragon in action. “Your power… It’s incredible,” she said, awe in her voice.

Kara didn’t respond. Instead, she flew closer to Sora and extended her hand. He took it gently, drawing out the condensed mana stored in his body and channeling it to her. Kara’s expression tightened in pain as she absorbed the immense energy, storing it until she could hold no more.

Sora, whose mana storage was hundreds of times greater than Kara’s, felt a strange energy flow through his hand, slowly enveloping his body. This unfamiliar wave of power, like a barrier, formed around both of them. Kara pulled her hand back, her eyes opening with an intense, almost trance-like look.

The strange wave of energy, similar to a barrier, slowly covered both of their bodies. Kara slowly retracted her hand and opened her eyes, which now had a strange feeling to them, as if she was in trance.

Emily, uncertain of what was unfolding, watched as the undulating energy formed a shimmering film around Sora and Kara, wrapping tightly around their bodies.

“Let’s wrap this up,” Kara said confidently to the group before releasing the time bubble.

The world resumed around them as the Dark Elves, who had been frozen in place a moment ago, began to move again. The Dark Elf who had killed Sora near the shore opened his mouth to speak—only to stop as another group appeared on the horizon.

Twenty Dragonborn closed in from the distance. Sora assessed the situation with a sigh. “You handle the Dark Elves. I’ll take care of the Dragonborn chasing us.”

A sword appeared in Kara’s hand as she gave a single nod.

They both vanished from their enemies' view.

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