They ran over there, Rako prepared to Lock on to Zayn, who was moving so fast that Rako's Lock-on didn't work. He also didn't have much mana left; using it just to inflict minor wounds on Zayn was pointless.
"Know your place!"
Zayn plunged his sword into the ground, creating a large explosion in pitch black layered with transparent white light, which Glok immediately avoided while carrying Teena away, making sure his body completely shielded her with his large frame and both arms now covering her. Teena saw Glok's face, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, and touched his cheek, worried about her lover.
"I'm fine, I can still fight him," Glok said, giving her a gentle smile despite the cracks on both his arms widening. It didn't take long before Glok no longer had hands due to the consumption of his skill. However, besides him right now, no one could face Zayn. The elders were busy dealing with the other knights, while Elder Leynar had disappeared somewhere. Teena said not to worry because he was doing something that would help them, but if it took too long, Glok feared they would lose before he returned.
Zayn clicked his tongue in annoyance, seeing Glok move so nimbly despite his large body. He pulled out his sword, preparing the next attack which he immediately swung sideways, towards Ailord. He didn't know how the man could still stand after receiving Death's Touch, but he was determined to send him to death for real now.
Ailord threw Rako and Tuko, who turned out to be heavier than expected, towards Glok, then shattered the energy of the sword like glass, something that had never happened before, making Zayn's eyes widen as if they would pop out. His grip on the sword hilt tightened, wondering how many more surprises this man had.
"I don't know how you escaped Death's Touch, but don't think—"
Ailord threw a motorcycle at him and used the opportunity to get closer, landing a hard punch to his face that unfortunately got caught after splitting Homa in two. Zayn winced in pain, feeling the bone in his left hand crack, not knowing what had happened that his mana-reinforced bone could crack like a fragile object.
"You think I have time to talk to you?"
Ailord channeled more energy, successfully knocking Zayn's left hand backward, causing him to roar in pain. Zayn was thrown back, then received a powerful kick that sent him flying back into the forest, disappearing behind a cloud of dust.
The same sound was heard again, making Ailord reflexively turn, spotting the same girl running towards Zayn with a worried expression. Their eyes met, no longer sharing the same warmth as before, with Ailord's gaze turning sharp and bitter, causing her to bite her lip and run even faster towards her brother.
Ailord watched her for a few seconds, observing how she left without saying anything after what happened in the room. He knew it was nothing, but what they felt at that moment, he was sure he wasn't the only one who felt it.
Ailord's hands clenched tightly, realizing that they were enemies and perhaps she was just playing with him. The wound he thought had healed reopened widely. Ailord glanced back, promising not to trust her a second time after what happened, and hurried to meet Glok and the others who were waiting for him not far ahead.
She kept running and running, trying to get away from that figure, the figure that had made her heart beat so fast the first day she saw him in the forest. A figure that seemed so different from the men who always tried to get her attention. Somehow, when she saw him, especially when she was with him as in the room, it made her heart, which always felt cold, turn warm in an instant. She didn't expect anything when she was about to meet him, just wanted to make sure the feelings she felt were not fleeting.
And when she found him pretending to be a statue, it brought a smile that only appeared when she was with Zayn, and it felt even wider and warmer. When she touched his soft cheek where their eyes met, she realized her feelings were not wrong.
But seeing him now with that betrayed look made her heart ache so much more than any pain she received in battle. Yet she couldn't be angry with him, remembering that Zayn himself gave the deadly Death's Touch. She was lucky he didn't die and could still stand, which made her feel relieved.
'I should have realized, we are enemies. We don't even know each other. I have to choose a side and of course, I choose Copperhaven,' she said to herself, strengthening her resolve so that if they met again, she wouldn't hesitate to take his life.
As she arrived at the large crack that had split the ground into several big pieces, she called Zayn's name, hoping her brother was still alright.
Rustling sounds could be heard, and her smile widened, realizing Zayn was still alive. She quickly went over to help him stand. However, when she saw his face, she realized that Ailord's attack was equally deadly.
Blood was visible, flowing from his nose, mouth, and ears, dripping slowly to the ground with a small puddle already forming where her brother had been lying. A wide smile was on his face, making her even more worried that Zayn had a concussion.
"Interesting, he is really interesting!" he exclaimed, then laughed loudly.
"Z-Zayn? Are you okay?" she asked to make sure.
"What do you mean? Of course, I'm fine. You think this can kill me?" Zayn snorted, then took a deep breath. "If I hadn't quickly channeled mana to my head to strengthen my internal organs, I might have died," he said, then chuckled, prompting his sister to pinch his waist until Zayn yelped in pain. "Are you crazy!? Your brother almost died, and you hurt him?"
"You were the one who made me worry. I thought you were dead, you know," she retorted sharply.
Zayn laughed again. "Die? It would take more than this to send me to the god of death." He turned to his sister and stroked her head, something he often did when she felt uneasy. "Besides, I still have you. I can't just die like that, right? At least not until I find someone who can take good care of you. If only he wasn't our enemy, maybe I would accept him."
His words made his sister's eyes widen with hope, which quickly turned into sadness.
Before he could ask what had happened, she lifted her head again, her expression turning serious as she grabbed a small tablet, similar to a smartphone, with the message 'Immediately stop Grako's child, they have entered the kingdom' displayed on the blue screen.
She looked at Zayn, who was grinning with enthusiasm again, forgetting his still-unhealed condition. "They are smarter than we thought. I knew this would be an interesting task. Let's go."
However, someone suddenly landed in front of them, kicking up dust so they had to shield their eyes with the backs of their hands. Amidst it all, Elder Leynar appeared, with electricity sparking more intensely from his body. In his hands, he held two large, bright white disks, shaped like crescents, with electricity sparking from them and spreading across the ground.
Zayn immediately stood in front of his sister, saying, "Go stop them with the others. I'll handle this one first."
She glanced at Elder Leynar and then at her brother, wanting to say something but stopping when Zayn shook his head seriously, signaling that nothing she said would change his decision.
With a heavy heart, she ran past Elder Leynar, who only glanced at her as she went before returning his gaze to Zayn. "Don't you want to ask why I let her go?"
"Do the dead deserve questions?" Zayn replied coldly.
Hearing that, Elder Leynar also became serious and got ready. "It seems you care for her deeply."
They stared at each other for a few moments before a massive battle erupted, shaking the ground violently. Lightning struck, making her want to go back and help her brother. However, she kept running away, only able to hope that Zayn would still be alive when all this was over, while clutching the small tablet tightly to her chest.