Chapter 169: Steely Resolve

*Thud*

Lirien's figure collapsed off the Felir between her legs as she saw her objective bit far from where she was. The sun was barely up as the orange and yellow horizon provided an eye catching sight.

Despite it's magnificence, Lirien didn't seem bothered by it as her forehead was covered with beads of sweat which seemed to come off in buckets.

She collapsed on the ground with her gaze hazy, barely seeing Rien as a small speck but regardless, a small smile crept up on her face.

The crest on her palm seemed to grow darker and darker losing it's once crimson rosy color. She could barely walk however thanks to her mana, she was able to lift herself up onto the Felir.

She surveyed her surroundings and not for long, she was able to find an inhabited cave. A tier three beast which was made quick work by the Felirs.

She could feel that her situation was getting less and less ideal for her. More sweats dripped down her forehead as she felt more and more hazy.

But thanks to the strategic advantage she had, she was able to look at Rien with minimal ease.

She brought out several potions and vials that she had and drank them all however none of them seemed to work.

'At this rate, it feels like I'll pass away before I reach Rien.' She sighed as she assessed her situation. 'But luckily taking over Rien shouldn't be a problem with these creatures.'

All she had to do was guide them to Rien and they would do the rest as they would go absolutely ballistic on the people present. However in her current state, controlling one was already a problem.

"Hmmm..." She contemplated as she had an idea. She went deeper into the cave as she put down all kinds of traps and spells which would be extremely detrimental to both creatures and humans alike.

With the spare mana that she had, she was able to make a comfortable place to rest. She was forced to reduce her clothing as she felt her body burning up which was strange as she was an undead.

Not only did she not have a heartbeat but also she didn't need to breathe thus certain physiological processes that were common to humans lacked in her body.

Thus when her body started to overheat, she grew more worried if her current state. After making sure that the cave was perfectly safe, she closed her eyes as she tried to control one of the Felirs.

Once again the uncontained hungry coursed through her being as she guided it towards Rien. With its fast movement and failure to give off any mana patterns, she was able to traverse with stealth.

The Felir appeared right in front of one of the camps present. Looking around, she was startled as she saw the state of the kingdom. 'Were they expecting my arrival?'

She mused as she stayed deep in the shadows. All kinds of troops could be seen scouting the premises, it was clear that they were anticipating a war to happen at any time.

Regardless she had to keep on going as she scouted the entire kingdom. 'It seems that there are no possible entrances for me to sneak through. I have to make a scene for this to happen.'

She gave up as she went towards a side that seemed to have less guards patrolling. Most of them were on the third tier however with their number, they could prove to be extremely troublesome even for a tier four expert.

Before making any advances, she could sense all kinds of formations put up however with the state of the Felir, they wouldn't be triggered in the slightest.

However with the gaze if the guards, it would no doubt attract attention. 'I don't have much time before I lose control over this beast.' Knowing that's she couldn't hide anymore, she decided to make her move.

Her movements were quick and for tier three experts, they could barely discern the creature. With a quick leap, she charged at one of the guards which seemed oblivious to the situation had multiple tentacles wrapping around his body.

"Argghh!!!!" His screams were shortly lived before his soul was devoured by the Felir. It was no doubt that such a scene would attract attention from the guards.

"We have a breach on the fifth sector!!!" A voice boomed followed by the loud sirens. Lirien however kept on attacking, making sure that she devoured more souls as she went on.

With her agility and her near invincibility, the guards were having a difficulty dealing with her. "Cast the barrier! We have a demonic breach!"

Alarms and blares reigned through the night as more and more knights seemed to pour to her location. She could sense the dome being cast as new mages came out. They were dressed in white robes.

'Affiliates of the church no doubt.' She concluded as she saw this. She was slightly on edge as she saw them. Sure they hadn't been affected by mana or physical attacks, but light was something she hadn't tested yet.

*Whoosh*

Streaks of light shot in her direction but with her unrealistic agility, she was able to dodge most of them.

"Address the king that we are being attacked!!" A voice rang out to which a squad if soldiers seemed to make their way off the battlefield.

...

"My king, we are-" Before the soldier could finish his sentence, Solaris raised his hand casually. He knew what he was about to say. They two made their way towards his horse which was already prepping ahead of time.

"How many casualties?" He asked as his horse galloper through the night. "We have about five dead. It doesn't seem however to be a demon as it does not give off any unholy aura around it."

"It seems that we do not know what race or beast it is to begin with but it is extremely agile and any form of attacks on it fail to connect."

"Be it physical or with mana." His subordinate spoke as the two drew nearer and nearer to the scene of the action.

Lirien who had made quick work of more soldiers could sense the high spike of Solaris's presence which stuck out like a black painting in broad daylight. She however didn't seem to anticipate for his arrival as she decided to make her escape.

"Quick!! It is trying to escape!" Several priests surrounded her as they cast chains which radiated with splendor and purity which tried to wrap around the Felir however similar to everything else, it failed to contain her as they phased through her body.

Solaris within the fraction of a second appeared in front of the Felir as he had already charged up an attack. His palm was coated in a pure radiant light.

*BAM*

A huge explosion covered the area which turned the dark sky into a bright and shimmering spectacle. Solaris who was in the middle of the blast was sent flying as he crashed hard into the walls of the kingdom.

He gritted his teeth as he struggled to locate his target however it seemed that Lirien had already made her escape. The Felir was no longer in sight however he deemed himself lucky with that exchange.

'What was that presence? It was more tainted and unruly.' He had his fair share of encountering and fighting demons earning him a name amongst the people of his kingdom along with the rest of the kingdoms as well however what he felt at the moment was something that he had never felt.

'I must inform all the other kingdoms about such a creature. To think that those pair could be behind the birth of such a godforsaken creature!'

He mused in his head as he recalled what had happened during the encounter. Wasting no time he rejuvenated his entire body healing himself of any wounds he would have gotten.

As a tier five expert, the hard crash against the castle walls was something not too dire considering that there were more lethal ways to go out. Sure the attack would have been lethal to a tier one and pose a threat to a tier two expert but for someone like him, it was no big deal.

Without saying anything else, he made his way back to his castle in a flash as his figure was coated in a white radiant light.

...

The Felir during the clash between the two attempted to devour Solaris however he was able to react in time and withdraw. As he thought that he was safe, the Felir turned around and smacked him with its tail sending him flying.

Thanks to the flash, the Felir was able to make its escape out of the kingdom walls. In a matter of moments, it returned back to Lirien who was nestled deep in her cave.

She gave a slight smile as she was proud with her work. She knew that taking out Solaris wasn't something she could do in her current state. Not to mention how stacked the castle was, it was clear that she would need more Felirs.

The Felir she had used to hunt drew closer to her face as it opened up its mouth. Multiple nightmarish tentacles seemed to stretch out in her direction however none of them seemed to attack her.

A medium sized bead manifested itself which landed gracefully in her palm before it was assimilated into her mark. The lines on her forehead seemed to relax as her eyes closed shut.

"Hah!" She gave off a sigh of relief as she felt the euphoric bliss course through her body. But even then, there was a slight pang of pain that assaulted her mind.

'I seems that I can only delay the effects of devouring that corrupted soul not completely stop it.' She sighed as she realized this. Countless thoughts ran through her head as she contemplated on a cure.

'Maybe devouring the soul of a tier six expert will fully neutralize the effects?' She mused however she realized that it could only remain in theory. Rien after all only had a tier five king with no high profile individuals.

'But even then, there are no tier six experts in Rien and not to mention it will take a while before I reach Sablestone. As for a mass assimilation, Rien has most of its' inhabitants vacant making it less ideal.'

She had sensed the little amount of souls that were present in Rien. Most of them were either soldiers or some few civilians that couldn't afford to leave the city. Given that they would most likely be mortal, it would barely make a difference for her.

'Will I actually die?' She thought sadly as she looked deeper into her options. In her current state, she couldn't waltz into Tien considering that they were anticipating a war and her presence would no doubt raise suspicion.

And even if she was able to sneak in, the souls present weren't enough to fully satiate and repel the effects of the demonic soul, only buying time for her.

'In my current state, I doubt that I will be able to gain entry into Rien. But I can lead these creatures close to the kingdom and leave the rest of the work to them.' Her face was ashen as she let them roam free into the night.

One remained providing security for her however they didn't go for Rien but rather they scouted around her as they traversed far to search for other creatures to devour.

...

Three Felirs crawled back into the cave, their bodies had a greater contrast in comparison in the night. Each however had a bead in their respective mouths as they dutifully surrounded the body of a lady who seemed weak and fragile.

Her frame seemed to get weaker and weaker however her will and mind were strong as steel. Her resolve was resolute as she devoured the beads that she was brought by the Felirs.

Her mind was now clear and refreshed. She had sent them to hunt for souls and return to her by sunrise. A small smile crept on her face which masked the storm of doubt and worry that lay beneath it.

'It seems that the time has finally come.' She mused as she closed her eyes and gained full control of the three Felirs. The trio offered some resistance before succumbing to her whim.

'It seems that those souls of those creatures was crucial for me to control all three of these creatures. However I can barely control them. I have to lead them towards Rien.'

The three Felirs charged quickly out of her cave in a stealthy manner as they rushed towards Rien, eager for their anticipated feast waiting for them.