"F**k you, bitch," Amber hurled an insult as she sent Maria flying with a powerful punch.
"And you..." Her kick struck the assassin's jaw.
"Stay down where you belong."
BOOM!
Amber's thoughts raced. "That whore! How dare she betray us?"
As a peak C-ranked ability user, Amber possessed exceptionally keen senses. While her perception range might not rival a B-ranked user with developed spectral senses, it was extensive enough to cover the entire battlefield.
She cast a wary eye on the cocoon shielding Damien. She couldn't forget his last words to Lisa.
"Sorry, I would have loved to keep you guys company a bit more, but I have to go now."
In a typical progression of events, he would return to his body, causing the cocoon to shatter. Yet, nothing was happening now. Did something go awry? Or... was he biding his time, awaiting the perfect moment to strike her down?
Amber's mind raced with these thoughts, overanalyzing the situation, heightening her vigilance, and wearing herself down. She remained hyper-focused on an opponent who hadn't even given her a second thought.
_____________
[THE GOD OF LIGHT GLANCES AT YOU]
[RETAINING COCOON]
[Again!]
'I was about to say the same thing.'
[THE GOD OF LIGHT SQUINTS HIS EYES AT THE GOD OF DARKNESS]
[THE GOD OF LIGHT HESITATES]
'3...2....1'
[Action.]
[THE GOD OF LIGHT GRANTS YOU HIS BLESSING.]
'I expected that.'
'Same here. I won't be surprised if another god interrupts again.'
[BLESSING OF THE GOD OF LIGHT:
1. ALL LIGHT-RELATED SKILLS FOR YOU AND YOUR TRUE SUBORDINATES ARE EMPOWERED BY 30%.
2. WHEN FIGHTING IN THE PRESENCE OF LIGHT, YOUR STATS AND SKILL EFFECTIVENESS ARE BOOSTED BY 30%.
3. ALL CREATURES OF LIGHT WOULD BE LESS HOSTILE TO YOU.
4. ALL ARMOR OR WEAPONS USED BY YOU WOULD BE EMPOWERED BY LIGHT.]
'I just had an idea.'
'Hmm, let's hear it.'
'Since your suit's codename is Nephilim, why don't we make it more than that?'
'I see, the blessings, right?'
'Yes.'
'Ha, I guess the two newbie recruits back at the base have some use in this mission after all,' Damien sighed.
'Do it.'
[Modifying...]
[Modification complete. Nano armor LDA-Nephilim is being deployed.]
[No gods have expressed any interest.]
[RELEASING PROTECTIVE COCOON]
{A/N: I kind of forgot to explain the text in the [] brackets written fully in uppercase are from the system itself while the others are from Luna.}
__________
"Haha! Die!" Amber shouted with bloodshot eyes, unleashing a flurry of attacks on Maria, all the while keeping a wary eye on Damien's cocoon. Maria dodged just as quickly, seemingly boosted in power. The assassin girl also joined in the fray, forcing Amber to split her focus among three opponents.
Maria and the assassin girl attacked with even more fervor, launching multiple large vines, wind blades, and other attacks that gradually pushed Amber away from Damien's location. Slowly, she began to forget about Damien and redirected her focus to eliminating the immediate threats in front of her. Just when she had decided to ignore Damien...
"I trust you girls have been having fun," Damien's voice rang out, followed by a muffled groan as he dropped a bound Lewis to the ground.
______
A/N:
I've been a bit busy, hence the short and delayed chapter. I'm also preparing for exams, so I might need to release short chapters or not release any at all. Please bear with me.