Episodes 167. Three Power

I came out from the coffin I had used to hide. My hands were still cold and trembling from the absence of Anitya within me. Although I had declared my resolve earlier, thinking it over again, venturing out without Anitya was undeniably dangerous. I could die at any moment from a stray bullet.

When my eyes looked out into the world, I was shocked by what I saw. I could hardly believe I was still in the same place.

Oi! Oi! ... Where is this? Don't tell me this is the mayor's office!

My eyes kept scanning the surroundings, and my feet moved little by little in the vast expanse. This place had become like a field turned into a dumping ground for construction materials. Building debris was scattered haphazardly everywhere.

My steps came to a sudden halt when I saw a large artillery piece atop a hill. It stood tall, blocking the moonlight.

So he's here? I clicked my tongue.

According to the story Nazrul had told me earlier, only one person could make such a terrifying thing.

Governor Halim Perdana Kusuma.

That name instantly crossed my mind.

Around the giant artillery, slightly to the west, I saw many lights flickering.

There's a battle going on in the southern part of the hill.

The current situation was truly chaotic; I wasn't even sure if removing Anitya was really the best choice now.

.......

Wush! Jdar!

A figure resembling an angel suddenly landed in front of me, a being with eight wings, each wing representing an element of Anitya.

She didn't waste any time, did she? Upon seeing me, she immediately tried to finish me off.

We both stared at each other, our eyes equally sharp, knowing we were both in good condition to fight.

"Found you, Rasyid! Where have you been?" She asked, jokingly.

"Just hiding..." I said calmly, activating my Pageblug.

When my Pageblug activated, Nova was surprised and immediately smiled. She knew where I had been just by seeing the Pageblug I was using.

"That coffin, isn't that your brother's? So that's where you were? No wonder I couldn't find you."

The Pageblug I was using now wasn't my usual sword but my brother's coffin. I used it to make it easier for me to use my magic. I didn't want to suddenly get exhausted and be unable to use my magic in the middle of a fight. The consequences would be fatal.

Without wasting any more time, I jumped backward at the speed of light. While in the air, I opened the coffin and summoned a water horse that I hadn't shown in a long time.

The horse galloped towards the old woman as if in a horse race.

Nova swung her ice wings and struck the horse, freezing it solid.

This situation was as I expected; my horse wouldn't stop just like that.

"Charge, Water 'Red Hare'!" I shouted as I landed on my feet.

Note: Calling Red Hare blue is kinda dumb after some time of thinking, I change it to water instead.

My frozen horse moved again and tried to ram into Nova once more.

Realizing she was in trouble with the horse in her blind spot, Nova activated her magic staff and forced to use CODE magic manually.

"CODE NAME: HRSFMLR, REMOVE CORE!" She tried to forcibly shut down the horse.

But...

"What?!"

*Brak!

The code magic had no effect on the horse, and it kept charging, eventually trampling the young old woman.

Nova lay on the ground after being trampled by the ice horse I summoned.

"Now I know what you've done, Rasyid!" She tried to stand, though staggering, laughing sarcastically, her eyes narrowing as if showing she was even more interested in the fight. "You removed your Anitya?! What a reckless move!"

Without wasting time, she spread her eight wings and flew into the sky. Up above, she displayed her dominance in the night sky, appearing like a second moon.

"I'll end this soon!"

Eight elemental orbs formed on each of her wings. The orbs grew larger over time, and if my guess was correct, if I got hit by this attack, I wouldn't just die, there wouldn't be even a trace of my existence left.

While contemplating whether to attack her and disrupt her energy gathering or find a way to defend, something distracted my thoughts. Something was approaching, flying towards here.

Nova didn't seem to hear the sound of the approaching figure due to the loud noise of her energy gathering.

Another intruder!

Uncertain of which side they were on, I quickly concluded that this person was just another troublemaker.

The energy gathering was about to finish, but I hadn't done anything because my thoughts were distracted.

This is bad!

I slammed the ground with my coffin, summoning an earth turtle that emerged and positioned its shell to protect me.

"Goodbye, Rasyid Lon-!"

*THUD!

*BROOK!

As she was about to say her farewell, I heard someone attacking the young old woman with immense physical strength.

She was thrown to the hard rubble-strewn ground.

"Hah?"

Curiosity overpowered my concern for safety, and I daringly peeked out from behind the turtle's shell to see what was happening.

"You....!"

My face showed shock upon seeing a woman floating in the sky. Her long black hair fluttered in the wind. Her red eyes glowed in the dark sky.

"Madu Haran..." I muttered again.

The person I thought had died in the abandoned school ruins was now right in front of me.

Something crossed my mind.

If Nova was the Prince with a light element, I could conclude that the woman who had just knocked her down represented the darkness that would destroy purity.

"Kghhh!"

Nova tried to stand once more. Her gaze now was different from before. If earlier she had smiled sarcastically at me, now she looked annoyed because of the intruder's arrival.

"Nova Sana!" She shouted in the air, her loud voice echoing in the rubble. "How many times have I tried to stop you?! It always ends in failure..." As she said 'failure,' she glanced at me.

She marked me as the obstacle in all her plans.

"But look now..." She stretched out her arms as if she were the ruler of the battle. "... You've thrown everything away, and now you're alone!"

"Shut up, bitch!" Nova clenched her fists, her lips thinning as if tasting the bitterness of the woman's taunt.

But, all of Nova's bitterness and anger instantly turned into disappointment and disbelief.

"Why can't I?! Why are you immune to the Prince's power?!"

From her words, I realized that Nova had tried to kill Haran directly by using CODE magic, but failed.

As I hid behind the turtle, caught between them, I could only watch in confusion at what was happening to the woman.

Several questions now filled my head.

How strong is Haran now?

Will Haran attack both of us or just Nova?

What exactly is happening out there?!