CHAPTER 84: SHE WHO NO LONGER RUNS

"Ground Magic: Soldier's Parade!"

Jimmy smirked coldly. His palm slammed into the cracked ground.

In an instant, the earth rumbled and groaned. Stone and rock shifted unnaturally as ten hulking figures emerged—soldiers formed from hardened earth, mud, and ancient stone. Each held a crude stone staff topped with a sharpened needle-like point, clearly designed to pierce flesh with brutal force.

The ground soldiers let out guttural, earthen groans—and charged.

Ari didn't flinch.

She gripped her sword tightly, her knuckles white with focus, blood still dripping from her wound. Her eyes, radiant with light magic, locked on to the enemies ahead.

And she ran.

The first soldier lunged with brutal speed, but Ari slipped under the thrust and, with a smooth, elegant slash, her blade—radiating with light—cut clean through the stone body. The creature fell apart as if made of brittle paper.

She dropped to one knee, sliding beneath another attack, and with a lightning-fast spin, she brought her sword around—severing the legs of another golem in one fluid motion. It crumbled before it hit the ground.

One after another, she danced through them—slashing, slicing, spinning, dodging.

She wasn't just fighting—she was performing.

Her movements were graceful, yet precise. Light magic trailed behind every strike, illuminating the battlefield like a symphony of divine fury. She moved as though the battlefield were her stage and her blade the instrument of justice.

Even Jack and Ezren—still recovering nearby—watched in awe.

Even Jimmy.

He took a step back, eyes wide.

"Who… is she?" he muttered, stunned. "It's like… she's a goddess."

Within moments, all ten stone soldiers were nothing more than rubble scattered across the broken floor. Ari stood at the center, breathing heavily, her aura still glowing.

She slid her hand along her blade.

"Light Magic: Eternal Blade."

Her sword stopped emitting the usual aura of light magic.

Jimmy blinked in confusion. "What?"

Ari took a deep breath… and calmly swung her sword to the right.

A low vmmm—SHHHK! sound echoed.

The wall to her right split cleanly in two. The roof above shifted slightly, and a beam of sunlight pierced through the crack—shining directly down onto her.

Jimmy's heart skipped a beat.

"What… how is this possible?" he whispered, his voice trembling.

"How did she become this strong…? How can the gap between us be this wide…?"

But Ari didn't even acknowledge him.

She slowly dragged the tip of her sword along the floor—

SHHHHHK.

The ground cracked and shattered as she walked. The roof caved in, the walls collapsed outward—until nearly the entire chamber was open to the sky.

Jimmy, panicking, raised his hand.

"Ground Magic: Rock Fall!"

All the debris around them began to swirl upward—combining into a massive boulder the size of a house. With a yell, he hurled it downward at Ari.

The ball of rock came crashing down with violent force.

Ari didn't even blink.

She calmly swung her sword upward—once.

CRRRRAACKK!

Before the massive rock could even reach her, it split perfectly in half—clean, as though cut by divine judgment. The two halves fell to either side, missing her completely.

Jimmy's eyes widened in horror.

He turned to run—throwing up four stone walls around himself as a barricade.

But he felt it.

She was already behind him.

He spun—throwing all the walls to his back.

But too late.

A glowing beam of light struck him squarely between the shoulder blades.

BOOM!

Jimmy crashed to the ground, groaning. His vision blurred. He struggled to lift himself, but his strength was gone.

The battle was over.

Ari slowly approached, breathing heavily. She sheathed her sword, then winced, clutching her wounded belly. Blood still dripped, but her magic gently glowed as she placed her hand over it—starting the healing process.

Her eyes turned toward the prison cells.

Her parents.

She walked—limping, but determined—until she reached the locked doors. Without hesitation, she shattered them with a pulse of light magic.

Inside, her mother and father lay unconscious—bruised, battered, but alive.

Tears welled up in Ari's eyes. She dropped to her knees and embraced them.

"Mom… Dad… I'm here," she whispered, voice cracking.

Jack stepped forward. "We need to get them to HQ. That was the plan. They'll be safe and treated there."

Ari nodded silently.

Jack placed a glowing hand on both her parents—then teleported them instantly to safety.

Ari turned next to Ezren, who was slumped against a broken pillar, bleeding heavily.

Without hesitation, she knelt and pressed her glowing hand to his wounds.

In just seconds, the bleeding stopped, and his skin began to close.

Ezren blinked in surprise. "You… healed me completely."

Ari gave a weak smile. "Of course. I'm not letting anyone else fall today."

But then—her smile faded.

She looked down at herself. Her own wounds were barely closing, still burning with pain.

"Why can't I heal myself… the way I heal others?" she whispered, frustrated.

But before she could think further—

A sudden chill filled the air.

Two massive magic signatures appeared above them.

Ari and Ezren both snapped to attention—looking up at the second floor, where the roof was already mostly gone.

There, standing tall, were two Vice Generals.

One of them stepped forward with a cruel smile. "Looks like we see some familiar faces, huh?"

The other sneered. "Isn't that… former Captain Ezren? What are you doing here?"

Ezren stood slowly. "Ari, leave. Now. I'll hold them off. You have to get out—"

Ari didn't move.

She just stood there, her sword still at her side.

Running. That word echoed in her head.

She had been running ever since that day.

When her grandfather was murdered.

When her parents were captured.

When her guard gave his life to protect her.

And now—Ezren was ready to do the same.

Again.

"I… I can't," she whispered.

She looked down, trembling. "I can't carry the weight of more people dying for me… Why does someone always have to sacrifice for me to live?"

Tears welled in her eyes.

Her body trembled.

And then—her magic surged.

A wave of radiant light exploded from her skin, flooding the room.

Her sword lit up once more—brighter than ever.

She remembered.

These two Vice Generals… she'd seen them before.

They had been there.

With her uncle.

During the night her grandfather was killed.

They helped capture her parents.

The ones who took everything from her.

She clenched her teeth, and her voice rang out—filled with fury, pain, and purpose.

"Light Drive!"

A brilliant storm of light engulfed her.

The second round was about to begin.