Wicked Reincarnation

Chapter 168: Attack 9

In the sky, Nana flew away with Lia. But things weren't so easy. Underneath them was an army full of exorcists. Letting anyone of the hidden families get away would mean failing their missions. And failing meant voluntarily laying their lives down before the Ghost King.

"What are you doing?" Leo saw the sword formed in Timo's hand and walked over to him. Leo wanted to help Lia but he couldn't turn into a traitor. It would only be a disadvantage for Lia. If Leo retaliated here, then his plan would be in vain.

Leo needed to get one of the hidden families to tell them the way to escape. Only a single person was enough. Leo didn't know what exactly Lia's goal was but Min definitely had something to do with it.

"We aren't letting them get away," Timo's dead eyes wandered to Leo, but his sword he charged with his life force only grew bigger, "Isn't that obvious?"

Leo raised his hand but Eri, one of the captains, admired as the icy beauty, stepped forward, "Don't waste any time. Hurry, we can get them later."

Timo gave Eri a crooked smile, "Sadly, I need to punish my student," with that he sent the sword flying towards Nana.

They were almost out of their range. Almost. The sword cut through one of Nana's wings and she couldn't balance in the air anymore.

"Nana!" Lia was barely able to dodge the sword that flew past her head.

"I'm fin-" yet the sword came back like a boomerang and with its sharp edge cleanly stabbed through Nana's chest.

The force the sword held flung her back to the ground, but the course was pointed straight towards Timo. He was able to control his sword. At this rate, Nana would fall into his trap.

Lia needed to do something. Her heart raced uncontrollably, Nana was hurt. They were straight falling towards the private army. Lia was still in Nana's arm. If she could just-

But before Lia found a roof to pull Nana to, Nana pushed Lia away into the opposite direction. Lia's wide eyes met Nana's and said, "I can heal myself, Lia be safe!"

Both of them fell to the ground. Far away from each other. In different directions.

Nana to the left, back to Timo as the sword in her chest dug deeper and accelerated its space, while Lia to the right, away from the grasps of the captains, straight into a pile of corpses.

In order to get Lia away, Nana decided to sacrifice herself.

Bang.

Lia collided with the corpses on the ground. The hard skulls and sticky flesh met her pained body.

Back. Back to them.

Lia hurried towards the battlefield when she stopped. There was a reason why they desperately tried to have Lia escape, she couldn't let this be in nought. The quicker she got to Min, the faster this would come to an end.

If what Susa said was right, then the headquarter was Lia's best bet to get inside the palace. Lia returned to the place she landed and from there on, walked down the streets. From the second layer to the headquarter was the safest route. Away from the soldiers, away from the cursed first layer.

Now that all the soldiers have withdrawn from the second layer, hopefully, it was much quieter and Lia didn't need to worry about being ambushed. Walking on the ground was still slower compared to jumping from roof to roof but Lia couldn't risk being seen. Now that Lia had time to inspect the second layer more closely, she suddenly realised that there really wasn't a single ghost.

Neither harmless ones nor vengeful. The normal ghosts might have hidden themselves but did Min really send most of the ghosts to the Mortal World?

Wasn't it supposed to be only the artificial ones? Then where were the vengeful ghosts that haven't been modified? No trace, no clue, absolutely nothing.

More than anything, Lia burned to know just what exactly Min was doing, what he planned in this situation.

Lia was so lost in her thoughts she didn't properly pay attention to where she was. Quickly regaining her sense of direction, her steps were light as a feather sweeping across the ground, careful to not make any sounds and be quiet as possible.

Even though it seemed not necessary, it was still reasonable to exert caution. If Lia didn't, she wouldn't have realised the faint beeping each time she walked into a new street.

This faint beeping only appeared two times once she was on a different street. At the beginning and at the end. Lia had a bad feeling.

She had just taken a turn and walked into a different alley. The distinctive, high pitched sound was faint and could easily be overheard if one didn't pay attention.

In order to hear it, it must be absolutely quiet, even breathing could mask it. Lia hurried back to the beginning of the alley and walked out and back again, but only when she left the alley, it beeped once.

There was no way. Lia had a vague assumption about what it could be. The beeping came from the right. Lia crouched down and checked the wall of a house.

Up and down, to the left and right her eyes wandered before she found a small black box with a green light that was blinking incessantly.

If it was what Lia thought it'd be, then no wonder the army could find them easily.

These sensors were tracking their path. Each time they entered or left a new street, it'd register and probably send the location to the captains.

When did they have time to install this? After the hidden families attacked or...?

Lia ripped the sensor out and crushed it underneath her feet. No, if the whole capital, probably even the whole core was wired with these damned trackers, Min must've started to implement these without the public knowledge since the beginning of his reign.

Was it to find the hidden families? Track the public? With so many immortals, what was the purpose? How could he distinguish who was where? Or was it really meant for a situation like this? Did Min know a battle, a war like this would erupt?

Millions of questions swamped Lia's mind as she made her way to the headquarter while each time she came across a sensor, she instantly destroyed it. All the answers she wanted from Min, he had to spit them out. Every single one had blood as the price.

***

Meanwhile, Nana couldn't get the sword out of her chest. Touching it with her hands burnt off her flesh, and having it stuck in her body slowly corroded her.

She withdrew her only wing left and focused on regenerating and healing her hand because as long as the sword was inside of her, it was impossible to heal the gaping hole.

Wounds inflicted by an exorcist's life force were impossible for an immortal to heal as usual. That was why immortals could die despite being immortal. Instead, healers like her were necessary to purge the strange life force and then heal.

Nana couldn't do anything but slowly guide Timo's life force out of her but no matter how much she purged, even more poured into her. Then with a loud THUD, she fell on the ground before Timo.

The bones in her body and head shattered and Nana coughed blood. Heal. She needed to heal quickly or else Timo could instantly kill her.

However, against her expectations Timo pulled the sword out and towered over Nana who was covered in a faint light, "Take your time healing. Once you're finished we'll continue our lessons."

Nana closed her eyes as more blood gurgled up. This was bad. Timo was angry and he was toying with her. Now that he found out his student actually belonged to the hidden families, he wouldn't let her off painlessly.

Nan had to brace herself. Her glasses were already broken and the pieces stabbed into her cheeks. It was ok. All Nana needed to do was to draw out as much time as possible, so Lia could reach the Ghost King.

"Are you letting her off?" Eri stared at the girl on the ground while Timo did nothing.

"She's my student, as her teacher I've to bring her on the right path."

"So, no," Eri's aloof face and her short black hair that flowed in the night breeze gave her the image of a winter fairy, delicate, icy and yet magical, "Then you take care of her. Zayn, are you done yet? Let's hurry."

Zayn, a small guy with glasses, nodded his head, "We can begin."

Nana heard what they were saying but had no strength to stop them. They would have to fight against the captains here.

From the window, inside the house, Susa, Mika and Noel saw the ordeal.

"We head out now?" Noel narrowed his eyes.

"Yes," Susa briefly answered.

"Let's go down," Mika followed them and then gave one last look to the place where Lia disappeared.

It was finally beginning and there was no turning back anymore.

The beginning of the end.

For them.