---Chapter 79---

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The ginormous crystal body of the Colossus broke into thousands of glowing fragments before collapsing into blue dust.

Dean stood there breathing heavily while Rend pulsed in his hand with absorbed flux energy.

Beside him, Leona landed quietly and looked around the collapsing chamber.

"Is it over?" Dean asked. Looking up as cracks spread rapidly across the ceiling.

Without the core crystal, the entire Flux Zone was destabilizing. The centre of its balance had been detached. And as such its demise was rapid.

This was how a Flux zone could be closed if considered too dangerous as this case may be.

On the other hand , conquering the guardian and securing a space just like this, was how it could be controlled for further use.

"We need to leave," he said immediately. Noticing the instability was growing by the second.

Leona nodded once. Taking a mental note of what happened here.

"Let’s go.."

Grabbing his arm, a web of flames sprawled around them, intertwining to form a protective barrier.

And off they went. Leona flew fast like a rocket, pulling Dean along.

This was a situation that Dean didn’t necessarily like... but he wouldn’t dare disagree to. Not in the slightest.

He gripped hard on the sheathed Rend and released Ash’s summoning even while a ton of system notifications were in his face.

But he looked past all of them, his calling at this point was on the sexy red lingerie that Leona was wearing.

Being dragged behind her allowed a front row seat to what laid behind her ripped dress.

With his curious eyes sneaking a few glances. Dean acted like things weren’t falling apart.

He acted like the chamber that collapsed behind him wasn’t a problem, the tunnels that were caving in mere seconds after they went through weren’t dangerous.

Swoosh!

They flew through the darkness and it was at the moment where his eyes lost visibility and his mind learned how to turn off auto-pilot.

With the cavern vibrating like a nuclear timer was hidden somewhere within its depths.

Dean had to watch carefully for stray debris but much to his relief, the barrier that Leona had shrouded them with, was powerful enough to deflect the stray debri falling from the ceiling.

This was good, the warmth of the barrier was good but nothing in this world beat the light he saw at the end of this literal tunnel.

After a few minutes of Zig-zagging past tight tunnels, stray shadows rats and bats running and flying for their dear lives.

The entrance or in this case, the exit finally came into view. But something was wrong with it.

’is it shrinking or have I been in the dark for too long?’

His eyes narrowed and though they were tired and threatening to close out of exhaustion any time soon.

There was certainty in what he saw. The opening was definitely shrinking and it was doing it at an alarming pace.

Having noticed the much smaller gateway, Leona cranked up her speed and just in the nick of time.

They burst through...

It was finally fresh air and daylight again as they came down from the heights.

Behind them, the gate groaned in somewhat contempt as the shrinking opening, grew smaller until it completely closed up.

Sealing away the whole habitat they just explored from ever interacting with humanity again.

Touching the cobblestone road seemed like the worse thing Dean could have done.

His vision blurred immediately, his face flushed and his body finally gave out.

But not before a new system notification appeared..

Ding!

[ Do you wish to store Rend: The Sage of Severance away?]

[Yes / No ]

Without time to actually think about it. He simply chose yes.

And another notification appeared.

[ Rend has been stored in the sys...]

Dean couldn’t even finish reading when his eyelids gave out and he finally allowed exhaustion to win this round.

***

Slummed on the floor, Dean’s body was completely still and Harlequin was the first to reach him.

She knelt beside his collapsed body and pressed two fingers against his neck gently.

"He’s alive," she whispered, feeling his pulse, it was slow but definitely steady.

Leona hovered over him, her eyes red and calm as she dissipated the last lingering flames from her hands.

The horn like protrusion on her head had retracted as quickly as her draconic claws and scales.

Cracking her neck slightly, she landed with a thud and the guilds surrounded her like flies to carcass.

They totaled two guilds in her presence, both guilds represented by at least two members.

But amongst them.

The silver haired woman led the charge, her eyes burning with intent. "You sure took your sweet time, in there.. oh mighty Saint."

That dry mockery. That disgustingly slutty tone. Leona couldn’t miss it even across worlds. Cersei was as annoying as ever.

Standing in front of Leona, Cersei looked at her and then at the slummed Dean who was unresponsive on the ground.

"Or were two of you fucking in there?"

Tilting her head sensually, Leona squared her shoulder in confidence."And that’s your business...why?"

Cersei clicked her tongue before she waved her hair slowly. "Just give me the core crystal."

"You?" A raven haired man wearing a red leather armour, with a hovering sword beside him raised an eyebrow.

"Of course..me!" Cersei barked, her eyes glowing menacingly. "I’ve been here for five fucking hours."

Harlequin nodded in agreement. "She’s right. The Valkyries have been here longer."

"And so fucking what... They didn’t clear it," The raven haired man snapped back. "We are here now. It’s only rig–."

"Fuck that–" Cersei intercepted.

Leona watched them go at it for a second and was about to turn away when Cersei shot her a glance.

"Where the fuck do you think you are going."

"Was going to get a good seat to watch the show," Leona shrugged.

Cersei didn’t care, she simply stretched her hand. "So... where is it?"

"It was destroyed," Leona said flatly.

Everybody there except Harlequin was shocked. Some with mouths opened, others with eyes widened.

The silence swelled continuously until Cersei answered the call and shattered it.

She yelled. "What do you mean by destroyed."

"It was destroyed," Leona repeated again, even more casually this time.

"You destroyed something worth millions?" Cersei voiced stabbed at Leona. "I don’t believe you," she finished.

Her gaze began searching Leona’s body but there was no flux device on her.

Leona bent down, looking at Dean who was still unconscious. "The zone was in the sky, in the commercial district. There was no other option."

"Even still...," Cersei’s voice turned cold. "It wasn’t your call to make."

Picking Dean up, Leona had him over her shoulders while keeping a calm expression. "It was my choice."

The raven haired man chipped him quickly, after all, he wanted the loot too. "This isn’t your jurisdiction, Saint. It’s ours."

"Then respond faster next time."

Cersei scoffed sneaking a glance at the raven-haired man. "As useless as he may be. He is right."

Leona turned away from the mob of loot seeking wrenches. "That’s in the past now."

"Excuse me?" Cersei moved faster than the average eye could follow and appeared in front of Leona.

Looking directly into Leona’s eyes as the air grew thicker. "This shouldn’t repeat itself Saint."

Leona tilted her head, her eyes still calm and cold. "I’ll protect the people of Zhrea, with or without your approval."

"Big talk about protection and yet you brought a kid in there."

"That’s exactly right...You were reckless saint." The raven haired man said after Cersei.

"Or the kid was brave..."

"That’s not the poi–" Cersei said.

"It is exactly the point," Leona retorted.

Turning away from Cersei, Leona’s eyes swept across all the guild members present.

"A first year surviving a blue zone, fighting high-ascended students and living to tell the tale is worth more than one new core crystal."

"Of course.. you would defend your recklessness with your boy toy." Cersei rolled her eyes.

Even though she agreed with Leona and would definitely be keeping a close eye on this kid from now on.

The tension was slowly building. It wasn’t necessarily threatening to go over board but Harlequin knew better than to let it fester.

"Mmhmmm.." the beautiful chubby woman stepped between them. "What’s done is done. The gate has been neutralised."

She paused and looked at Cersei and then the raven haired man. "There is no need for all this..."

"You coward... you are staying neutral on this?"

"The W.S.A doesn’t sully ourselves in guild politics," Harlequin said casually. Her tone was more bored than anything else. "You have a complaint against a Herald? Go ahead...I’ll make sure to file it."

"You know damn well that won’t go anywhere," Cersei snorted.

Harlequin shrugged. "Then I guess we’re done here."

Cersei expression darkened as she glanced at Leona, the unconscious Dean and then Harlequin. "Fucking bastards."

"Slut..." Leona mouthed inaudibly as she watched Cersei march away.

It didn’t take long for the guilds to gear up and began dispersing reluctantly. Muttering between themselves.

Harlequin watched them go. She understood their plight. A blue flux zone was like hitting the jackpot of flux cores.

It was easily the size of a city and the second largest type of flux zone outside red.

So missing the chance to grab loot from one or maybe even controlling one was quite the loss.

Taking a deep breath, she turned towards Leona. "You’ll have to fill a report."

"Am aware.."

"Please reach out to us, soon."

"After he wakes up," Leona gestured to Dean and whistled toward the baby wyverns.

"How long?" Harlequin asked. Knowing the W.S.A had no authority over Leona, after all, she was military.

The carriage moved towards Leona, her hand tightened around Dean as she hovered towards the carriage.

"Be patient Quin...Visit me at Franseint and I will give you a report," she winked.

---End of Chapter--