Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner-Chapter 141: Lila on the loose

Noah’s breathing was still ragged, his body aching from the relentless fight, but none of that mattered now. Not with her standing there.

Lila stood at the center of the chaos, a vision of unsettling beauty, her wide eyes glimmering with something far too excited for the situation.

She turned to the year 3s, still frozen mid-motion, their fists locked in the air, their snarls trapped in time itself. Noah could barely believe what he was seeing.

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’What the hell did she do?’

It wasn’t just her usual telekinesis. The way the leaves in the air were suspended—no slight movement, no wavering—it was unnatural. Too precise.

Then it hit him.

She wasn’t just holding them in place. She was reversing time.

His throat went dry. "Lila..." His voice came out hoarse, uncertain. "How are you doing this?"

She turned to him, that wicked smile stretching across her lips. "Perks of being a second generation, darling," she cooed, tapping a delicate finger against her temple. "My sub-power? Chronokinesis."

Noah barely had time to process the weight of her words before she sighed dramatically and turned back to the frozen bastards who had dared lay hands on him.

"Unfortunately," she pouted, "I really can’t waste that much energy on you guys."

With a flick of her wrist, the world resumed.

The frozen leaves above trembled, then resumed their descent as she released her hold on time. Noah barely had time to process what had just happened before she tilted her head and smiled at the group of masked Year 3s.

"You...bitch!! Get her before she freezes us again!!" The leader yelled at his subordinates.

"Ah, ah, ah, boys…" she wagged a finger, voice dripping with amusement. "I never said you could move."

The moment she uttered those words, half the group suddenly seized up, their limbs locking into place mid-motion. Their muffled grunts of confusion filled the air, muscles twitching against an invisible force that held them rigid like puppets with severed strings.

"I can’t control time forever, that’s too much effort," Lila admitted with a soft sigh, her violet eyes gleaming. "But you? I can control just fine."

The remaining fighters, the ones she hadn’t restrained, took that as their cue to attack.

Noah barely moved before the guy with the makeshift rock gauntlets lunged forward, his arms coated in hardened earth. The ground cracked under his step as he swung a devastating right hook at Lila’s face—only for his entire arm to stop inches from her cheek.

Her hand hadn’t moved. She hadn’t even flinched.

Yet his punch hung frozen in midair, veins bulging in his neck as he struggled.

"Tsk. I was hoping for a warm-up," Lila muttered. Then, with a flick of her fingers, the stone surrounding his arm crunched, fractures spiderwebbing across the gauntlet. The guy screamed as the pressure around his forearm collapsed, shattering the stone and sending him stumbling backward, clutching his wrist in agony.

That was when the rest of them attacked.

A burst of air howled through the garden as another fighter with wind abilities sent a gale-force blast in her direction. Lila’s long blonde hair whipped wildly, but she stood firm, heels clicking once more as she braced against the force.

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"Oh? Someone brought a fan," she mused.

Noah narrowed his eyes. ’She can’t stop something she can’t grip…’

Lila lifted her hand, and the iron bench from the side of the path suddenly ripped from its bolts. With a casual wave, she swung it like a massive fly swatter straight into the wind-user’s gut. The impact sent him soaring across the field, crashing into the hedges with a dull thud.

Another one came at her from the side—this one moving at enhanced speed. He zigzagged erratically, kicking up dust as he rushed in, clearly trying to disorient her before landing a hit.

Noah frowned. ’Lila’s telekinesis is strong, but she needs to focus on a target to hold them. If he moves fast enough, she might not be able to catch him. Maybe I should use void blink to interc_’

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Lila did something that sent a shiver down his spine.

Instead of trying to stop the speedster directly, she grabbed the ground.

The very dirt beneath the fighter’s feet suddenly lurched, a section of stone tiles and grass yanking upwards. With a strangled yelp, the guy’s sprint turned into a face-first collision with the uneven ground.

"Oops," Lila chuckled. "Watch your step."

The guy groaned, barely pushing himself up before she flicked her wrist again—this time sending a nearby metal sign hurtling at him like a thrown spear. It struck his side with a sickening crack, sending him skidding across the field.

Noah exhaled. ’She’s not just using telekinesis to attack them directly—she’s using the environment itself. She doesn’t have to stop them if she can just make them stop themselves.’

But the remaining fighters weren’t giving up.

A guy with reinforced strength leapt at her from behind, fists glowing faintly as his ability activated. Lila reacted just in time, spinning to face him and yanking up a section of hedge as a makeshift shield. The punch shattered the bush instantly, sending leaves flying, but it had absorbed just enough force to spare Lila from taking the full brunt.

That said, it still sent her stumbling.

Noah saw it. That tiny misstep. The moment of vulnerability.

And so did the remaining fighters.

The ones she had frozen earlier broke free. Whether by sheer resistance or a lapse in Lila’s concentration, they regained movement, immediately rushing in with everything they had. They all ignored Noah like he was a small fry, choosing instead to go after her.

A fist caught Lila in the stomach, sending her skidding backward.

Another grabbed her arm, trying to restrain her.

For a moment, it looked like they might turn the tide.

Then Lila laughed.

Low, throaty, and utterly delighted.

"Oh… now this is fun."

With a pulse of sheer force, the guy holding her arm flew backward, his shoulder dislocating with a pop. The strong guy who had punched her got the worst of it—Lila grabbed him by the leg with her mind and swung him like a human bat into two of his teammates.

The last one, the earth-user, had reformed his stone gauntlets, launching a boulder at her like a cannonball.

Lila twisted her fingers, and the boulder stopped midair.

Not redirected. Not thrown back. Just… held there.

The sheer force of it vibrated in place, as if testing the limits of reality, before Lila calmly closed her hand into a fist.

The boulder imploded.

Chunks of rock rained around her, dust settling in the aftermath.

The whole place was silent.

Blood stained the dirt where her victims lay groaning, barely conscious. She had left them all broken, bruised, and utterly defeated.

All except one.

Noah caught the movement out of the corner of his eye—their leader.

The last standing Year 3, a broad-shouldered guy with an authoritative presence, had taken a single step backward. Then another. His fingers twitched at his side, as if debating whether to lunge or flee.

Then his pride shattered, and he bolted.

He spun on his heel, sprinting for the nearest exit with a desperation that left his comrades behind.

Lila sighed dramatically, lifting a hand as if considering stopping him.

Then she let it drop.

"I’ll let him run," she murmured, almost disappointed. "Someone needs to spread the word, after all."

Lila exhaled through her nose, her earlier excitement settling into something softer.

Then, she turned to Noah.

The look in her eyes made his stomach twist.

"You’re hurt."

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

She reached out, fingers brushing over his cheek where blood trailed from a small cut. The touch was oddly gentle, her earlier bloodlust nowhere to be found.

Noah swallowed. ’Is this… really the same girl from back in the cave?’

A chill ran down his spine as she smiled.

Because that smile?

It wasn’t soft.

It was possessive.

And utterly unhinged.

Noah took an instinctive step back.

Lila noticed.

Her demeanor shifted instantly, melting from the battle-hardened predator into something almost… needy. Her shoulders slumped, her lips pressing together as if she were struggling to find the right words. When she finally spoke, her voice was softer, uncertain.

"What did I do?"

Noah frowned.

"I knew I was late, but I didn’t think it would get this bad. And besides…" Her gaze flickered away, hands wringing together as if she were trying to explain herself to an unforgiving parent. "I knew you’d hate knowing I was following you."

Noah blinked.

’Huh?’

Just last week, she had denied this.

When he confronted her—about stalking his girlfriend, about trailing after Lucas, the damn Number One of the academy—she had laughed it off.

"You think I care that much? God, Noah, get your ego checked."

She made him feel crazy for even suggesting it.

Yet here she was. Admitting to it.

"How else was I supposed to keep my promise?" she whispered, gaze flicking back to him. "To protect you from all and any evil? I can’t do that if I’m far away."

His jaw tightened.

"I don’t need protection," Noah said flatly. "I had everything under control."

Lila nodded, but her fingers fidgeted at her sides. "I know you did… but I wanted to feel helpful."

She took a step forward.

Then another.

Noah didn’t move away this time, but his muscles tensed.

Lila’s face shifted again, something unreadable flickering across it as her arms lifted—slowly, deliberately—looping around his neck.

"You were injured before," she murmured, tilting her head. Her fingers ghosted over his jaw, then his cheek, her gaze locked on where his nose had been bleeding minutes ago. "But now… I can’t see the cut."

Noah kept his expression blank.

She didn’t know.

Didn’t know about his healing.

Didn’t know how quickly his wounds sealed themselves, how even he wasn’t fully sure of the limits of his body’s recovery.

So he said nothing.

Lila’s brows pinched. "Are you mad at me?"

Noah let out a slow breath.

"Lila… I don’t have time for this. For you. For your antics."

He reached up, gripping her wrists, intending to pull her arms away.

And that was when he realized—

She wasn’t letting go.

Noah stilled.

Her fingers didn’t tighten. They didn’t constrict or squeeze.

They simply held.

Immovable.

Her expression shifted again. Her eyes—whatever color they were—had darkened slightly, unreadable and steady.

Noah felt something cold slither down his spine.

Because for all the chaos and madness he had just witnessed, for all the devastation she had rained down on those Year 3s like a force of nature—

This?

This silent, unyielding grip?

It was the first time he truly felt like she could snap him in half.