Aelina's single, damning word hung in the air like a dense fog, the silence around it echoing with an oppressive weight. Her gaze was unwavering, cold as it swept over the injured, the weary, the survivors of the Battle Maiden Sect.
"Pathetic." She repeated, the word seeming to hold even more disdain than the first time.
Her voice held no trace of warmth or sympathy, only a harsh, brutal truth that was as cutting as the sharpest blade. The disciples couldn't help but look down in shame. Yet, a few looked up, staring directly at Aelina, their puffy eyes turning bloodshot.
Aelina's eyes lingered on each woman, her gaze piercing, as if she could see right through their souls. She took a step forward, her presence dominating the entire meadow. The air around her seemed to ripple with her Qi, an invisible pressure that weighed heavily on the survivors.
