"I knew we would meet Augustus, so I was not worried when they announced your absence." Valentine held her jaw, clicking her tongue, "I am here to claim these lands for my use. You will not stop me, prince."
The fiery chains that had wrapped around Valentine were shattered, and Melissa who observed everything from a distance — Augustus hoped — waited for the right moment to use them again, as «Burning Apprehension» more mana for stronger targets.
'So, that's her reason or is it a lie?' Augustus frowned, straightening his stance. A calm gleam flashed in his eyes as he turned to the side, "She doesn't know your name. You'll not get caught Lily, but something is strange about her… ignorance."
Lily released a loud sigh of relief, her inflated chest collapsing. She cleared her throat, glaring at the woman then at Augustus's back, "That means she's low ranked in the family and not enough information gets to her. Nothing to worry about."
"Low ranked and you couldn't beat her? You're an embarrassment." Augustus entered a battle stance, shaking his head as Valentine scoffed. Lily grumbling incoherently, but he could care less, dashing forward and shattering the ground beneath his feet.
Before he could reach Valentine, his pupils narrowed to needle point. A second later, a coldness wrapped around his heart, and Augustus felt a strong crippling pressure collapse upon his body, slamming him down on the ground, creating a massive crater.
"Fuck." Augustus cursed, raising his head to see Valentine smiling with her hand held out. He had witnessed this before, and understood exactly what was happening, so he was not shocked, "You didn't have to act so petty, Lily. It was just a joke."
Of all the area of effect skills he'd faced, «Terrain Manipulation» was one of the most annoying. This skill was strong, but it was far from overpowered. «Terrain Manipulation» had a second delay before it came in effect— a single crucial second.
Landing a hit in that time frame could disrupt the entire skill's cast and leave her in a bad position. For weakling like Lily and Augustus, their average speed could never cover a requirement like that, unless they enhanced themselves with a skill of their own.
'That was «1 Second Skip». If I needed two seconds to reach Valentine, then with that skill, it'd take only a second!' Augustus sighed, 'Just now, Lily held back the skill and I got caught mid-air in the attack. Ugh, I should have saved that line for later.'
"Are you scared?" Valentine asked, lifting her hands, then swinging them around in a frantic motion. Augustus who stood directly in range, had all his hairs stand on ends as a shiver ran down his spine, "Are you shivering in your boots?"
Augustus darted back, watching the ground he stood on get utterly devastated. As the dust rose into the air then settled down in the massive hole dug from the attacks, he stood his ground and prepared to attack, 'Lily will need three seconds for her skill's cool down.'
"Nothing is more frightening than—" Augustus dashed forward, changing into blur of movement mid-way, his sword held in one hand and his fist flying with the other, "—Not knowing when to shut your damned mouth."
There was a cracking sound, and in an explosion of sound, Valentine was sent flying back until she slammed into the cave walls. Sliding down to the ground, her body grown limp from the attack, unable to defend itself from the fiery chains that grabbed it.
Augustus did not waste time, rushing into the cave as Lily ran after him. The second the duo crossed the cave's entrance, their countenance fell. Augustus instantly drew his blade, while Lily tightened her grip around her daggers, their gaze sharpening.
"Why are you letting her escape, Augustus?" Lily stared at the makeshift torches on the walls, frowning as she observed the structure, "You could have just killed her. There would be one less threat to worry about that way, you know?"
"There walls look hollowed out by some massive creature…" Augustus muttered, but hearing Lily's question caused him to raise a brow, "How are we going to steal resources with most supply routes cut off? Let them bring it to us, of course."
"What nonsense are you blabbering now? If she lives, then she'll come back stronger than ever! She'd definitely be prepared for our trick." Lily nagged, rolling her eyes, "You should have burst her in into a rock, carve out her chest and burned her heart."
"The incoming supp— I mean forces for war would then have a reason to be enhanced. We are in a bad position as is, and I doubt we could handle the moon palaces' wrath." The calculative light in Augustus's eyes grew, "We can think about that after we're stronger." "Help! Help!"
Augustus turned from Lily, staring into the cave to see a familiar face coming towards him. He narrowed his eyes, waiting calmly until Arlene collapsed on the ground, her body filled with bruises and burn marks, "Where is Aaron?"
"He's with Aurora, and they are in bad shape. You have to come help us!" Arlene tried to stand, but she fell to her knees a moment later, unable to summon any strength into her trembling legs, "Dammit. I-I can't move anymore."
"Lily, stay here with Arlene." Augustus turned to her, and she nodded. He gave Arlene one more glance, then rushed into the cave with his blade held tight, 'I guess that there's no way I can enjoy a smooth and easy rise to the top without killing a few pests.'
Just seconds after he'd rushed in, Augustus was overwhelmed. He blinked to Aaron in a struggle against countless goblins, unable to move a muscle, 'He's in a bad shape. I do not have a choice, I guess… Evolve «Two-Hit Critical» into «One-Hit Critical»!'
At that moment, Aaron used the last bit of strength in him to cast «Light Euphony» as the goblins all jumped him. His blade transformed into a devastating attack that shredded through the goblins, reducing all of them in the range of the attack to minced meat.