Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 171: A New Threat

Lianna’s footsteps echoed down the familiar corridors of the Watchful guild headquarters, her mind heavy with the weight of recent events.

The images of the fallen players lingered vividly in her thoughts.

[Doing that to others... There had to have been a reason, right?]

Miss Taylor’s office door stood before her.

With a determined breath, Lianna knocked and entered, finding Miss Taylor engrossed in paperwork, her expression a blend of professionalism and concern.

"Come in, Lianna," Miss Taylor greeted warmly, setting aside her work to focus on her guild member. "What’s on your mind?"

Lianna wasted no time, relaying the grim discovery from their recent mission.

She recounted the scene, the bodies, and the unsettling realization that their fellow Watchful members hadn’t fallen to Fiends but to other humans.

Miss Taylor listened intently, her brow furrowing in contemplation.

"Ah," she sighed, "another case..."

"Another case?" Lianna echoed, her surprise evident in her tone. "What do you mean?"

Miss Taylor leaned back in her chair, her gaze distant for a moment as she gathered her thoughts.

"Lianna, there have been several incidents recently. Attacks on Watchful members, some of whom barely escaped with their lives. A lot of whom did not. It’s not just isolated incidents anymore. It’s starting to look like a pattern."

Lianna’s concern deepened, her mind racing with the implications.

Someone, or some group, was targeting the Watchful.

"Well, w-we can’t just ignore this," Lianna insisted, her determination flaring. "We need to do something."

Miss Taylor nodded in agreement, her expression grave yet resolute.

"I assure you, Lianna, we are not sitting idly by. Investigations are already underway, but we need all the information we can gather."

Lianna straightened, her resolve hardening.

"In that case, I’ll keep an eye out, talk to people, see if there’s any chatter or rumors. Anything that might give us a lead."

"Good," Miss Taylor affirmed, a flicker of pride in her eyes. "Stay vigilant, but don’t take unnecessary risks. We’ll get to the bottom of this. Thank you for letting me know, Lianna. Take care of yourself."

With a nod of understanding, Lianna turned to leave, her mind buzzing with newfound purpose.

[Okay, okay, think. There has to be someone out there who can help out... We need to gather information.]

Lianna paused to consider the matter.

2 individuals quickly came to mind.

The first was Xi.

Lianna dialed her number.

"Xi, it’s Lianna. I need your help with something urgent," Lianna spoke as soon as the call connected.

Xi’s calm voice responded on the other end.

"Urgent? Alright, what do you need?"

Lianna explained the recent attacks on Watchful members and the suspicions surrounding human assailants.

"Can you, uh, ask around, maybe? See if anyone you know has anyone to say about these attacks?"

There was a brief pause before Xi replied.

"I’ll do my best. Give me some time to dig deeper. I’ll get back to you as soon as I find anything substantial."

Lianna thanked her profusely before ending the call.

The second person she called was Layla, the member of the Shields of Saren who’d invited Lianna and Enverna to the gala a few months ago.

[Having another guild on the case too is probably a good idea... Unless they’re in on it. But, I don’t think that’s what’s happening. I mean, why?]

With that being said, Lianna called her and asked the same of her, pleading for Layla to use her connections to see if any rumors have sprouted about this matter.

Once the call was done, Lianna slipped her phone back into her Inventory.

This was all she could do for now.

---

{Xi}

Xi had just finished a phone call, her expression focused as she processed the information gleaned from her contact.

The streets were quiet, the occasional rustle of leaves breaking the silence. As she walked, her footsteps echoed softly, lost in her thoughts.

A cluster of figures emerged from the shadows ahead, catching Xi’s attention.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, recognizing the signs of trouble before the confrontation even began.

The group approached, their malicious intent palpable in the air.

With a calm demeanor, Xi paused, assessing the situation as the group encroached.

"I assume we aren’t here for a friendly chat," she stated evenly, her voice carrying a tinge of warning. "If you came here, looking for trouble with me, then I take it you’re aware most of you won’t be leaving alive, right?"

It was meant to serve as a warning.

Instead, that statement seemed to push them to act.

The assailants wasted no time, launching themselves at Xi with hostile intent.

Xi’s training kicked in instinctively.

Sparks of lightning crackled around her forearms as she swiftly retaliated, movements precise and controlled.

The first assailant lunged forward, their movements clumsy compared to Xi’s grace.

With a swift sidestep, Xi dodged the blow and countered with a lightning-charged palm strike to the attacker’s chest.

Xi’s hand went straight through it.

The next opponent hesitated for a fraction of a second, recognizing the danger in Xi’s eyes. It was all the time Xi needed.

She pivoted smoothly, her lightning-infused hand meeting the assailant’s midsection with unforgiving force. That attacker was bisected, split in half right in front of his allies.

Each swing of her arms crackled with controlled lightning, slicing flesh and tearing bodies apart.

Her attacks were not chaotic; they were deliberate, aimed at vital points with surgical accuracy.

As the skirmish unfolded, Xi remained calm, her focus unwavering.

She deflected incoming strikes with agile footwork and quick moves. Her attackers, initially brimming with overconfidence, soon realized they faced a foe of exceptional skill and power.

With precision honed through countless battles, Xi incapacitated her adversaries one by one, their forms littering the dimly lit street.

Until only one enemy remained.

Amidst the flurry of combat, one figure stood out. A young girl, defiant despite the chaos around her.

The final enemy had short, white hair and purple eyes, eyes that peered back at Xi with quiet rage.

[A child of mana?]

With a flicker of curiosity amidst the tension, Xi regarded the girl.

"You seem different from the rest. Who are you, and what’s your quarrel with me?" Xi’s tone remained composed, although her guard was heightened, ready for any sudden moves from her adversary.

Then, the girl ran forward.

She did something then, however, that caught Xi off-guard.

Suddenly, her arms were coated in lightning.

[What?]

As the girl’s lightning-coated hands lunged towards her, Xi’s eyes widened in shock.

[My Instinct!?]

Caught off-guard by this unexpected turn, Xi’s defenses momentarily faltered, allowing the girl to exploit the opening with ruthless efficiency.

The crackling energy surged as their hands clashed, sending sparks scattering into the night air.

The intensity of the clash was palpable, each strike resonating with lethal intent. For a brief moment, the street became a battlefield of elemental forces, an intricate dance of power and skill.

Xi fought with all the discipline and skill ingrained through years of training, but the girl’s ferocity matched her own.

She pressed the advantage relentlessly, her attacks unrelenting and precise. Xi realized she was facing a combatant who, somehow, had borrowed not just her ability, but her skill as well.

The realization came too late.

In a lightning-quick maneuver, the girl exploited a split-second opening in Xi’s defense.

She twisted gracefully, her movements fluid and controlled, channeling the crackling energy of her lightning-coated hands into a devastating strike.

The side of her charged hand surged forward with blinding speed, piercing through Xi’s defenses with alarming accuracy.

Time seemed to slow for Xi as she felt the searing pain of her own technique turned against her.

The girl’s strike found its mark, driving through Xi’s neck.

Shock and disbelief flashed across Xi’s face as the world dimmed around her.

In that final moment of consciousness, Xi’s thoughts raced.

A whirlwind of regret and realization.

The last thing she saw was a subtle smirk on the girl’s face.

A look of triumph before Xi’s world went black.