Chapter 181: Catch Her And Bring Her To Me 2!

Chapter 181: Catch Her And Bring Her To Me 2!

Tessa moved like a shadow, weaving effortlessly through the chaotic attempts of the guards. She wasn't in any hurry—this was nothing more than a game to her. Each time they lunged or swung, she sidestepped or ducked, causing them to crash into one another in their frantic efforts to seize her.

She held back deliberately, her movements measured and controlled. She didn't want to reveal her full strength—not yet. After all, she didn't need to. These men were hopelessly outmatched, their clumsy tactics no match for her fluid precision.

Though the guards couldn't detect or see her Kaelrian Joules—her overwhelming energy level—they weren't entirely oblivious. The signs were all there. This kind of thing isn't rocket science, Tessa thought dryly, watching as one guard staggered back, clutching his wrist after failing to land a blow. Once you exert your power to its highest limits and still get rebuffed with force, it's obvious you're up against someone stronger.

The realization had clearly begun to dawn on them. Their movements grew more hesitant, their attacks less coordinated. Even without seeing her energy level, the guards could feel it—an oppressive, unyielding force radiating from her every motion. The harder they pushed, the stronger her resistance became, like trying to hold back a storm with bare hands.

One particularly bold guard rushed forward, his baton raised high. Tessa barely glanced at him before shifting to the side, her foot catching his ankle in a smooth, almost lazy motion. He toppled forward with a yelp, crashing into the guard ahead of him and sending them both sprawling.

Tessa sighed, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face as she watched the scene unfold. "You lot should really reconsider your life choices," she murmured, her voice carrying a hint of amusement. "This is getting embarrassing."

The guards exchanged uncertain glances, their confidence waning as they realized just how far out of their depth they were.

At the back of the chamber, seated on his ornate throne, Prince Kuril was losing his patience. His guards' incompetence was grating on his nerves. From his perspective, it seemed they were playing a ridiculous game of hide and seek with Tessa rather than apprehending her.

His frustration boiled over, and with a sharp intake of breath, he stood abruptly, his cloak billowing behind him. The crown prince of Base 137 couldn't take it anymore.

He contemplated punishing each of them-perhaps severing a limb or two to drive home his point and remind them about just how fearsome he was. But first, he needed to deal with the insolent "rat" standing before them.

"You can't even catch one girl" Kuril muttered bitterly under his breath, striding toward the scene where his guards had encircled Tessa. She appeared alarmingly relaxed, her casual demeanor only adding fuel to his fury.

'Why didn't you catch her the first time?'

'You were tossed aside like a sack of potatoes! And now you're pretending like this failure isn't your fault.'

These unspoken grievances swirled in the guards' minds, but none dared to voice them.

"I have to do everything myself," Kuril growled, his voice low and venomous, as he lunged at Tessa.

This time, there would be no mistakes. Last time, she had taken him by surprise, but now he was ready. He would crush her with the full, overwhelming strength of a prince. At least, that's what he believed.

But reality had a way of betraying him. To everyone else present, it was painfully obvious—Kuril was nothing more than a delusional fool, oblivious to his own inadequacies.

With a guttural cry, Prince Kuril unleashed a surge of energy, tendrils of crackling crimson light shooting toward Tessa. His face twisted with exertion, veins bulging as his skin flushed a deep red.

Caught off guard, Tessa hesitated, her body momentarily stiff. The guards' eyes widened in anticipation, their grim hopes rising. They had seen Kuril's power tear through countless foes before in this manner, reducing them to nothing but memories. Surely, this time, Tessa fate would be sealed in a similar manner or at least, she would not escape unscathed or so they thought.

They waited for the inevitable—the gruesome sight of Tessa falling, crippled or worse.

But reality, as it often did, defied expectations.

A bright white ball of energy suddenly formed, materializing as if on instinct, it then burst forth from Tessa's abdomen, glowing with an almost divine brilliance.

The light seemed alive, pulsating with an unearthly rhythm, as if something—or someone—within her was responding to the threat in her stead.

The energy surged forward, colliding with Kuril's crimson power tendrils. The impact was immediate and catastrophic—for Kuril. His attack disintegrated in an instant, the tendrils melting away like frost under the sun. The white energy continued forward, relentless, unyielding, and unstoppable.

"What…?" Kuril's voice was barely audible, swallowed by the deafening hum of raw power that overwhelmed him. In that instant—fractions of a second stretched into eternity—his life truly flashed before his eyes.

It was said, and widely believed, that before death claimed someone, they would relive the sum of their existence in fleeting glimpses. For the first time, Prince Kuril wondered if that old saying held truth. Was this what it felt like? Was this the end?

The memories came in disjointed fragments—his coronation, victories that once seemed glorious, the faces of those he had crushed, and the moments of pride that had shaped his delusion of invincibility. But amidst it all, one chilling thought echoed louder than the rest: How had it come to this?

The guards froze, their expressions shifting from smug anticipation to utter disbelief. Kuril, the crown prince of Base 137, the self proclaimed strongest in the Base, stood no chance.

The glowing orb of energy struck him square in the chest, it then spread to cover him whole, and for a moment, time seemed to pause. A blinding flash of light engulfed the room, followed by a deafening silence. When the brilliance faded, there was nothing left of Kuril. Not a shred of flesh, not a whisper of his once-arrogant presence. He had been utterly vaporized, reduced to nothing in the blink of an eye.

The air hung heavy with the weight of what had just transpired. The guards stared at the spot where their prince had stood moments ago, mouths agape, unable to process what they had just witnessed.

Even in his final moments, Kuril had failed to comprehend the reality of his demise. His arrogance, so deeply rooted, had left no room for the truth to settle.

All that remained now was the soft hum of dissipating energy, fading into the void. Tessa stood at the center of it all, her posture steady and seemingly unshaken. Yet, her eyes betrayed a complex storm—triumph mingled with confusion and doubt.

As she exhaled slowly, her mind raced to process what had just unfolded. The power that had surged from within her, unbidden and overwhelming, was not her own. It was the work of the life growing inside her, a force she neither fully understood nor controlled.

What are you making me do? she wondered, a chill running down her spine even as she held her ground.