‘When I have forgotten what it’s like to be loved, what it’s like to have someone care for you… you are there. Just like my father, you have helped me, given me hope, and told me not to give up. That’s why we have to regroup and tackle this competition together.’
Numerous pictures appeared in her mind. It started from her smiling face as her father hugged her and encouraged her, then turned to the dark, lonely night she had to spend in the mansion after he was gone.
And in that suffocating room, there was a man stretching his hand to her.
He kept playing with his words, giving one argument after another that made her unable to reject his help.
That kindness of his somehow restored the feeling that she had long forsaken, the smile she had lost, and the warmth she had forgotten.
At the same time, she didn’t like the fact that her debt continued increasing. She wanted to repay him, so when the battle royale came, she thought it would be a good idea to work together again.
Just like what happened in Tevlan Forest, they would dominate the battle royale this time. Nathan’s name would become famous, and he wouldn’t disappoint his teacher.
It wasn’t enough, but this was the best she could do to repay him.
This was Selena’s thought as she crossed the forest, only to find the person who had given her hope ended up half-dead.
There was a woman swinging her blade at him.
She knew that dying here meant nothing, since they would just return to reality.
However, her heart sank because it reminded her of her father. What if Noelle killed Nathan, but he would never come back? Would she lose him like she lost her father?
When that thought appeared in her mind, all the bright pictures in her mind shattered into pieces like broken glasses.
What if Noelle actually took Nathan away from her forever?
No. She didn’t want that.
That horrifying feeling was suffocating… She didn’t want to experience it again… not on her watch.
She shot a sphere with chaotic Ena flow toward her, not realizing that this was the first time she used the ability this fast.
Noelle noticed at the last moment, blocking her attack with her sword. However, the overwhelming turbulent flow caused a powerful force that knocked her back. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
‘You want to hurt him? You want to take him away from me? I’ll kill you. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill!’ Selena’s killing intent became uncontrollable as it was leaking out of her eyes.
Even Risa and Sasha were startled by such a powerful reaction from Selena. The Selena they knew was calmer and devoid of emotion. At the same time, this was the exact reason Risa could trust Nathan back in Tevlan Forest.
Since Selena was raring to go, Risa chose to put everything she had in this battle. For the sake of her future, they had to defeat Noelle.
Seeing Risa’s reaction, Sasha’s expression turned solemn.
Nathan was a strong individual, but his opponent was much more powerful to be able to crush him so easily. They might die, but even if they had to sacrifice their lives, they had to win.
Noelle examined them. She didn’t understand the hostility, so she treated them like another random student. “So you are another opponent? It doesn’t really matter. No matter how many people are coming, I’ll stick to my duty, which is to stop all the students passing here.”
Selena released her Ena, which was much more enormous than Nathan. Risa raised her stance, blood swirling on top of her palms. Sasha cracked her fingers as if she wanted to slice Noelle into pieces with her talon-like hands.
Noelle also noticed that Fenrir and Anubis joined the fight. With this development, she couldn’t really say Nathan was out yet.
Anubis summoned the bandages while Fenrir covered his paw with Ena.
‘Getting surrounded, huh? I guess five versus one is still possible in this condition. I just have to pay more attention to those two beasts, since the bet is still on because of this development.
‘And I have to create an opening to kill him. One more strike will be enough to defeat him.’ Noelle thought.
Like what happened previously, she was so distracted by Selena that she only realized the incoming Ena at the last second.
She tried to tilt her body, but it was too late.
Four bullets were fired. She managed to avoid the one coming for her head, but the other three bullets hit her right ankle, her left arm, and her left thigh respectively.
“!!!” Both Selena and Noelle sucked a cold breath, seeing Nathan standing as if nothing was wrong.
“You…” Noelle shuddered in fear as she realized what was happening in the first place. “Were you faking your injury?”
“They were not fake. It was painful, but I’ve recovered.”
“So you were buying time to recover!”
Nathan replied with a smirk.
Noelle realized that the situation might be much worse than this if Selena didn’t come. If he had recovered at that last second, Anubis could still use his bandage to stall her swing for a second.
She had lowered her guard when she misunderstood his confidence. If he actually shot her at that time, while she had confidence she wouldn’t die, she would still be severely injured.
The broken bone had been healed, the dislocated fingers had returned to normal, and his body functioned normally.
What Nathan wanted to create was a situation where he was about to be defeated. It was impossible for him to defeat Noelle, who was on guard even if she had given him enough handicap. The gap between them was simply too big.
That was why he tried to lower her guard by injuring himself.
Fenrir grinned his teeth as if knowing what Nathan was saying in his mind. It was her fault for misunderstanding. Anubis gasped because everything actually worked like Fenrir had taught him previously. Nathan had this situation in mind from the beginning.
While inserting his left hand into the pocket and making a gun signal, he said, “I told you earlier that I’d win.”