Distant V

Giori's expression remained stoic as she looked at him, her wand then pointed in his direction. To her, Leriat was like a little brother. But now, everything has changed for good.

Leriat's fists clenched at his sides, his anger boiling over. "Sister .... You killed an innocent woman!!! You betrayed me and everyone else who ever trusted you!! How could you live with yourself?!"

Giori's eyes narrowed. His words left a protruding pain in her chest. But her face was unchanging. To her, words would not be able to bring the dead back. The atrocity she did was beyond forgiving.

Leriat was left standing there, his world shattered. Clutching his hand tightly, he knew that everything would never be the same again.

'I never expected things to turn out like this. This is bad.'

Anthony gritted his teeth, feeling the situation spiraling out of his control.

"It's three versus two now, Anthony," Aron snickered. He then grabbed Teres in the neck and raised him up. "And it'll be two versus two."

A glowing dark-red Venevisium blade formed in Aron's hand. Not long after, a horrific memory etched into Leriat's mind.

Teres' blood dripped from his chest to the ground. He was no longer capable of uttering a single word, not even a scream.

Leriat's heart was in turmoil, caught in an emotional windstorm. He wanted to do something, anything, to help his friend, but he could only just clenched his hands in a whirlpool of complete powerlessness.

Aron's eyes glinted with an insane delight as he gazed at the limp Teres. His lips twisted into a twisted smirk before he threw back his head and let out a chilling, maniacal laugh that echoed throughout the forest. The sound was filled with triumph and sadistic pleasure as he saw Leriat in desperation.

Anthony's hand firmly rested on Leriat's shoulder as he spoke, "Come on, buddy. We can't give up now." As a seasoned bodyguard, Anthony was no stranger to combat, but seeing the devastation in Leriat's eyes stirred a deep sense of empathy within him.

He knew they had to stay strong and push forward, no matter how dire the situation seemed.

"Leriat, please. What we have now is your grandma's wish. We can't fail here now."

"Anthony ...." Leriat sobbed. His bodyguard's words sparked a little light in his heart. Like an escape rope to this hell.

"Cruel world isn't it?" Aron cackled. He threw aside Teres' body. "If only you had listened to your father, Young Master."

"ENOUGH!" Leriat shouted. "I won't be a pawn in his wrongdoings."

"Then let's have enough of this and get you home already." Aron started running towards them with the dark-red Visblades in his hands.

Anthony quickly responded and later clashed swords with Aron. He realized that they couldn't take them down. "We have to run!" he shouted to Leriat, who nodded in agreement.

Without hesitation, Leriat took the opportunity to dart past them, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew they couldn't afford to stay and fight, not when they were so out-powered.

Aron attempted to reach Leriat, but Anthony would not move away from him. "Giori, don't just stand there and let him run away!" Aron yelled, his frustration evident in his voice.

That woman with an eyeglass clicked her tongue. It was obvious, and she knew what to do. She had remained calm to concentrate on her Venevisium. Later, Giori swung her wand in the boy's direction.

A sudden rush of water later burst forth and rapidly caught up to Leriat. Within seconds, the water had enveloped him in a sphere, completely encasing his body. He tried to dive through it, but Giori could adjust the water sphere position with a little swing of her wand.

At the same time, Aron, who had transformed into a cheetah, finally was able to pin down Anthony on the ground.

'Darn, is this all we can do ....' Anthony muttered. Desperation creeping into his heart as he saw Leriat gasping for air inside the water bubble.

'My resolve and dignity ... all for nothing?'

'No, no .... It can't end like this!'

Anthony had never felt any emotional attachment towards Leriat's family beyond his role as a personal bodyguard. But remembering how he watched the boy grow as he held the righteous belief, it sparked a sense of a selfless deed in his heart.

"To protect what is right!"

His word was the same thing that Claire had said before they embarked on this journey.

Inside his Venevisium system, Anthony breached his Vis pool. Releasing its content like a giant wave that crushed a dam. This sudden burst of Venevisium did not need to be channeled as they were flowing freely. But if he did not use it, much of the Venevisium would be wasted.

Anthony's eyes glowed with a bright light. Under the command of his Vis of Terra, he bent the earth to cover his body and pushed Aron with another clump.

Aron—in Visbeast form—swiftly rebounded, but Anthony just ignored him and sent another batch of Vis towards Giori. Powerful earth shockwave that crumbled the ground traveled towards her.

With sharp eyes, Giori—having the same Aspect of Terra as Anthony—countered the attack with her Vis. Once her Vis were in contact, she repressed the earth shockwave as she kept the water bubble intact. She undoubtedly had a higher Vis level than him.

Seeing his attempt failed, Anthony then flew towards Leriat by moving his earth armor, crashed the water bubble, and grabbed the boy out.

But since his earth armor now was in contact with Giori's water bubble, her Vis now was also inside Anthony's earth armor. Knowing this, Giori quickly regained control of the earth armor movement.

Anthony was stalled mid-air, as he was also fighting for the Vis control of Terra from Giori.

"Run! I'll hold them!"

"B-but, you—"

To their surprise, Aron flew swiftly with his eagle wings and was aiming to grab Leriat. He was stopped since Leriat was able to conjure a barrier from the Vis of Praesidium around him.

"No need to worry about me. I'll be right behind you!"