Chapter 24

Lesley is currently by the cliff, taking her time keeping her rifle at its best condition. Whilst doing so, she heard light footsteps from behind.

"What brought the princess of the Baroques in this kind of place?" she asks without glancing at the newcomer.

Guinevere sat underneath the shade of the tree, she leaned back and rested her head on the solid trunk. Lesley is just above her, sitting by the tree branch as her foot dangles freely.

"He cancelled our engagement and is nowhere to be found," Guinevere stated, shutting her eyes to suppress the tears that is provoking to fall. She had cried enough for the past few days that the sides of her eyes puffed up and sending stinging sensation.

Lesley stopped and as she moves her head to peek at the young lady just below her, she saw a glistening tear escaped her eye.

Though Lesley could not feel how pained she is to be left by the man whom she loved wholeheartedly and offered all what she got, she knew that it is no joke. She kept her rifle behind her and swings her way down. She landed on the ground with an almost inaudible crunch in front of Guinevere.

The Baroque princess opened her eyes but did not face her for she felt embarrassed for being such a pathetic crybaby. She folded her knees and burrowed her face on her arms as her shoulders quiver and her sobs start to take over her.

Lesley stretched out her hand and is about to caress her hair but stopped midway, is it okay? That is what she asked herself but after fighting against herself, she combed Guinevere's hair with her hand. Slowly, Lesley draws near and just like how Mrs. Vance had always comforted her, she wrapped her arms around Guinevere and caressed her back.

She let her cry her heart out, hoping that after this, she would feel much better.

"I hate you," Guinevere said in between her sobs, her face still burrowed on her arms. "I hate you."

The edge of Lesley's lips slowly curves up, forming a small smile as she tightens her hug around the heartbroken woman.

"I know even if you won't tell me," she responded in a rather small voice.

After a while, Lesley kept her distance as Guinevere lifted her head and showed her damp face.

"I was expecting an ugly face," Lesley jested with a smirk plastered on her face which earned her a scoff from the princess who wiped off the tears from her face.

"Even if I live along the streets and have dirt around my face, I would still be prettier than you," she responded, flipping her brown and curly hair behind her back. She sniffed as she lowers head and eyed the slender hands of the sniper. Her once clenched fists slowly loosened and held both of her hands, lifting her head once more and stared at the eyes of the sniper who is no longer wearing her eye patch.

No matter how many times she looked at them, her two-colored eyes never failed to astonish her with their beauty.

"Lesley," she said with a low tone of voice. Though, it hurts her to do this but if it means giving Gusion the freedom and happiness he had longed for, she would not regret it.

"You know how desperate I was to show my love for him but still, those ardent feelings did not reach him."

Saying those words made Guinevere tighten her grip on Lesley's hand to gather her leftover courage. Lesley stared at her, she could see how difficult this was for her but she didn't know how to respond.

"I have been looking at him and though it truly aches, I have seen how he looks at you. Though he has not been vocal about it, I could see how he feels towards you through his eyes," she added with a bittersweet smile slowly forming on her lips.

"Guinevere, I don't like where this is going," Lesley commented as she attempts to retrieve her hands from her grip but Guinevere did not let her do so.

"I could still remember what you said before about defending one's love in public and then, correct her in private. I agree with you in that aspect but this time, I want you to stop Gusion and lead him back to the right path."

Guinevere still continued to speak what she has in mind even though she could see the discomfort of Lesley. She heaved out a sigh and with a heavy heart, she finally enunciated what she wanted to happen.

"I believe that only you have the capability to stop him. Do it for his sake, Lesley, and for yours as well."

Looking through her sniperscope, Lesley targets those demons that her allies failed to notice. As the memory of her talk with Guinevere continues to linger in her mind, her heart beats faster as if there is yet another doom to dawn on them. There is not much evidence such trouble would come but her instinct tells her that she must prepare for the worst.

Her forehead creases, confusion washing over her as Johnson revs up yet not towards Magical City but towards the sea of demons as if he had been summoned or something of that sort.

She locks her sight on him and when she looks far beyond, a large, almost half a kilometer, and a dark portal opens. But instead of another wave of demons, Layla, Saber, Rafaela and Cyclops appear.

"This is bad," she mumbles to herself before jumping off from the high tower and activates her camouflage. She jumps from roof to roof, shooting demons after demons as she makes her way towards Princess Odette and Guinevere who are fighting alongside each other.

But before she could even get near them, a formidable opponent faces her. His body is almost glowing in epidote green just like his sword trimmed with black material. His dark wings flapping behind him and with a hoarse voice, he speaks.

"You've killed quite enough," he states and with a growl, he charges towards her.

Lesley swiftly activates her tactical grenade, bursting in front of Argus and separating them to opposite ends. She places her finger on the trigger and shot him.

"Useless," Argus comments, the bullet simply clanks against his hard skin and helplessly falls on the ground.

"Such a bummer," Lesley mumbles to herself despite the doom looming over her.

Before Argus could go for the offense, an unexpected forceful kick from behind sends him flying away.

"Now, that is something you have to pay in the future," Guinevere says, flipping her hair behind her. A contented smirk plastered on her face for she has saved her rival, feeling better in terms of combat compared to her.

"The SABER squad has come," Lesley tells her, "All of them."

Princess Odette, who just arrived, immediately faces the direction where Nero Ton is. She narrows her sight at him as he chillingly sits by the borders as if he is just in a vacation and watching some action movie.

"The VENOM squad is going after them. Let them fight against each other, focus on the defense and safety of the people," the princess demands, earning nods of agreement from the two ladies.

Guinevere looks at Lesley, her eyebrow slowly raises.

"What are you doing?" she asks her. Lesley puts her bullets back to her small bullet bag and brings out another different set, changing them from silver to gold.

"Upgrading," she simply replies. "I found them in Harley's laboratory, might as well test them."

"Lesley, I want you to go back to your post. Keep your eye on the VENOM squad, something is up," the princess adds, a little distracted by the two colors of the sniper's eyes. Not only that it is her first time to see Lesley not wearing her eye patch but their beauty could push her into a trance.

Lesley gladly obliges as she makes her way back to the highest tower but unlucky for her, Argus has come back. His right wing seems misplaced, and half of his mask got broken. From his nose down to his chin, his bare, pale skin is revealed.

"Looks like half of your life got drained," Lesley snickers, raising her rifle and immediately shoots one bullet.

With his sword, Argus swings it upward and cuts the bullet in half. Not only did it cut it but a powerful force came from his weapon that Lesley failed to dodge, causing her to be thrown away backwards, hitting everything that is behind her.

It could have been safer for her but she hits her head on a hard block of wall. She opens her eyes, feeling dizzy and vision blurry.

She groans in pain as she tries to stand back, her head throbbing in pain. She could still see the blurry figure of Argus walking towards her with his sword screeching against the ground, causing further sharp sound that Lesley could hear, adding irritating sound. She shuts her eyes as the pain worsened.

The hoarse laugh of her enemy becomes clearer as he draws closer. Lesley tightens her grip on her rifle and clips her hand on the trigger. But the pain in her head stops her from moving further.

Argus raises his sword, its sharp tip directed at Lesley's chest as he aims to plunge it right into her heart.

"Not a chance!" Guinevere comes in sight, jumping over their enemy and with her magic orbs, she has him tossed in midair and suppresses him in moving and even summoning his power.

Lesley, who has gone a bit better, kneels to support her arm before aiming at Argus and pulls the trigger. The golden bullet leaves a golden tail as it made its way right on Argus' abdomen, passing right through him and creating a rather big hole in his body.

"Ahhhhh!"

Argus bellows that it almost deafened the two ladies who cover their ears tight with their hands. The body of Argus become distorted, his hands being folded into four, his head tilts backwards and his feet fold until it become parallel with his body. With one last scream of pain, he bursts like a popped balloon. His blood showering all over the place and painting both Lesley and Guinevere in red.

"That was quite a good sight," Lesley smirks, feeling contented how the bullet worked. Still seated at the ground, she looks up and meets the gaze of her lifesaver. "Thank you."

Guinevere immediately looks away, her cheeks turning red. She flips her brown, curly hair before responding.

"You owe me your life, pinky," she states and before she walks away from her to give assistance with the other warriors, she leaves a remark. "Don't die on me."

Though she said those words in a low tone of voice, Lesley smiles upon hearing it. She gets back to her feet when her dizziness finally subsides as well as the pain at the back of her head. She activates her camouflage again before climbing up and jumps from roof to roof as she heads back to her position.

"I guess she isn't the vixen who shall paint the town red," Esmeralda comments who is watching how the war unfolds. She is currently in the Paxley mansion, inside the attic where she is kept in. Her eyes focusing on the orb where she could oversee everything that is happening both in Magical City and Moniyan Empire.