Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 100: Mana Ties, Part Twelve

Lianna, Enverna, and Zura moved in tandem, facing the formidable opponent.

Their inexperience showed immediately. Desmond maintained a completely calm expression as he watched them try to fight back, stepping between them and fighting them all at once.

Athene continued to engage Nareem in the background, as Lianna could hear their powerful strikes bouncing off each other in the spacious, vacant building. It was now a battleground where skills clashed, and every move carried a sense of desperation.

"You can just give me the artifact, you know," Desmond stated. "Then, I won’t have to take it from your corpse."

Admittedly, Desmond’s true prowess was a sight to behold. The years of experience he carried were tangible in every move he made.

Lianna felt like none of her arrows were coming even close. Enverna and Zura tried to flank him, tried to pin him down, but the man would slither away from their grasp in an instant.

[Archery 31, Blade 40,] Lianna noted, looking at his Status again. [That’s crazy. Even though we can technically keep up stats-wise, Enverna in particular, the gap between our ability to use our weapons is just too much.]

Undeterred, Lianna kept defending herself, sending an arrow flying toward Desmond. He dodged effortlessly, his movements calculated and precise. Enverna lunged forward with her spear, aiming for Desmond’s midsection, but he deftly sidestepped the attack. Zura swung her mace with great force, but Desmond danced backward, narrowly avoiding the impact.

The dance continued, a flurry of attacks and evasions. Lianna fired arrows in quick succession, each aimed at exploiting any opening she could find.

Precisely during these moments, Desmond would go on the offensive, looking to make use of his Unassuming trait. He parried Enverna’s spear with practiced ease and ducked under Zura’s swing without even fully seeing them, showcasing his battle instincts.

Despite their coordinated efforts, the trio found it challenging to land a solid hit on the guy.

He moved with fluidity, a dance of evasion and retaliation.

Enverna, fueled by determination, executed a series of acrobatic maneuvers, aiming to catch Desmond off guard. Her speed and agility, boosted by her proximity to Lianna, allowed her to keep up with this man who’d probably been in more real fights than Enverna had training sessions.

For a moment, seeing this, Lianna thought back to what that evaluator had said when she and Enverna first joined the Watchful. This buff was almost scary to see.

However, Desmond anticipated her attacks, smoothly countering each one.

Zura’s mace swung with force, but Desmond effortlessly sidestepped, leaving her weapon whirling through the air.

Lianna adjusted her strategy, activating {Lover’s Intuition}.

"Enverna, jump over him and attack him from behind!"

Her fiance responded instantly, having grown used to the directions Lianna gave.

She called out plays, directing Enverna and Zura to attack from different angles. The tactical adjustments allowed them to keep pace with Desmond momentarily, yet the seasoned warrior adapted swiftly.

It was the first time Lianna had seen {Lover’s Intuition} be countered like this. The plays Lianna called were the optimal moves, and yet Desmond was still quick and skilled enough to react.

[... I guess this is what being seriously outmatched feels like. Even my best tricks aren’t working.]

In the midst of the chaotic dance, Nareem, initially locked in combat with Athene, suddenly redirected his aggression toward Desmond.

Both Desmond and Lianna were shocked as he suddenly turned away from Athene to strike him.

He suddenly went for an overhead strike that would have seen his dagger buried in Desmond’s skull, but Desmond blocked it at the last moment.

Athene went to capitalize on this moment, but Nareem went right back to fighting her.

[What was that?]

Lianna considered this event as Desmond traded blows with Enverna and Zura again.

Something became immediately apparent to Lianna as she analyzed Nareem’s movements while he fought Athene.

Two things, actually.

1. He was confident he was going to beat the Judicator’s Follower, so much so that his eyes were mostly kept on Lianna.

2. He at least partially believed that it was a matter of time before Desmond defeated Lianna and her friends, if the panic sneaking past his arrogant mask was anything to go by.

[Huh...]

Lianna saw an opportunity here.

In an instant, she brought the artifact out from her Inventory.

"Hey!" She called out, drawing the eyes of everyone there. "This is what you want, right?"

And, with that question lingering in the air, she turned and ran.

The abandoned building echoed with the rhythmic sounds of pursuit. Lianna’s heartbeat resonated in tandem with her steps.

Both Nareem and Desmond, chased her desperately, leaving Athene, Zura, and Enverna behind. The trio weaved through the dilapidated structure, with Lianna tactically navigating the terrain to maintain a distance between her and the persistent pursuers.

As Lianna reached a partially collapsed corridor, Nareem and Desmond closed in, their predatory determination evident in their expressions.

Lianna, clutching the artifact tightly, could feel her heart pounding in her ears.

Nareem, fueled by an unyielding desire to possess the artifact, surged ahead, closing the distance with alarming speed.

[Shit!]

Just as his fingers grazed the artifact, Desmond intervened.

The two adversaries engaged in a momentary struggle, their blades bouncing off each other briefly.

Lianna, exploiting the distraction, made a swift retreat, darting through a crumbling archway and into a dimly lit chamber. She could hear the clashing of steel and the faint echoes of their pursuit.

This cat-and-mouse chase continued, evolving with each passing moment.

[Ah, this is getting too cramped. I have to get out of here.]

In the confined space of the decaying building, Lianna utilized the remnants of the structure to create barriers, momentarily blocking her pursuers and gaining precious seconds of reprieve.

As Lianna approached a collapsed section of the building, she sensed an opportunity. With calculated precision, she vaulted over the debris, her momentum carrying her through the narrow gaps. Nareem and Desmond both went to do the same but got distracted by each other, attacking one another once more.

Seizing the fleeting advantage, Lianna continued her elusive escape, now changing her course and trying to leave the building.

The rhythmic echoes of footsteps reverberated through the chamber, creating a haunting symphony of pursuit. Each twist and turn intensified the adrenaline-fueled pursuit, amplifying the stakes of this clandestine race.

Lianna, driven by the urgency of the moment, guided her steps toward the building’s exit. The encroaching sunlight cast a warm glow on the fractured walls as she emerged from the dilapidated structure. The open air offered a brief respite, but she knew the chase was far from over.

The pursuit spilled into the barren streets of Telvan. There were only a few civilians around and no law enforcement.

A message suddenly appeared.

One that was fairly important.

- Remain where you are.

[What?] Lianna stopped in her tracks. [Why!?]

She figured if the Lover was expending the power needed to send her this message, she could spend some to explain herself.

And, she did.

- The artifact you hold was an unknown factor. The other Constellations never saw it and had not seen it in this timeline.

- It was my ace in the hole. A true blind spot for all of them. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

- All Constellations are urging their Followers to drop everything and come here now.

- Some will, some will not.

The situation was far more desperate than Lianna initially believed.

[And you want me to stay here!? Shouldn’t I be running away!?]

- Yes. I want you to stay because you carry a weapon, Lianna. A weapon that is far sharper and more dangerous than anything around you.

- Your words. Part of why I chose you is your tongue.

- Thus, I want you to remain where you are. When they arrive, make your case.

- Some will fight alongside you. Some will declare you their enemy. But, it needs to happen, so that all of the players in this chess match can be revealed.

- This is important, Lianna.

- Make your case well.

As Desmond and Nareem emerged from the dilapidated building, Lianna found herself caught in the crossfire of their relentless pursuit.

She had one question on her mind, as she turned her attention back to her opponents.

[What am I even supposed to say!? I can’t tell everyone that the world’s going to end!]

Dodging their coordinated attacks with panicked, cornered rat-like quickness, she narrowly evaded the lethal strikes, the stakes escalating with each passing moment.

The situation grew dire, and Lianna’s breaths came in ragged gasps as she fought for survival.

In the nick of time, a timely intervention unfolded. Enverna, Zura, and Athene rushed to Lianna’s aid, their weapons clashing with the adversaries and forcing them back.

"You really thought they were just going to let you leave?" Enverna asked with a hiss.

"I was hoping so, kinda."

The sudden shift in dynamics momentarily diverted the focus from Lianna, allowing her a moment of reprieve.

Finally, it was at this moment that it happened.

"Hm... What do we have here?" A familiar voice asked. Lianna turned and saw Xi, walking toward them.

Along with her, the other figures appeared. Each of the other Constellations’ followers.

The chessboard of destinies was set, and Lianna stood at its center.