Chapter 98: Aftermath
The battlefield became mostly silent save for the sound of burning debris and the occasional rumble of the manor’s crumbling foundation.
The air was thick with the scent of blood, hot sand, and lingering death energy, and even though the battle had seemingly ended, tension still gripped the air tightly.
Kaizer stood amidst the wreckage, his breathing controlled but labored, his ribs protesting with every inhale. The damage was manageable, but the fact that he’d been pushed this far was what gnawed at him the most.
He glanced to the side to see his team approaching, each carrying some slight residue from their own battles. Rina reached him first, her eyes still alight with that abyssal glow, her presence an oppressive weight on the environment.
"Kaizer, are you alright?" she asked, her voice echoing on itself like some demonic entity, a mixture of emotive and deadpan.
Kaizer nodded. "I’ll live. Thanks for the help, Rina... and Anir."
The lingering death energy hovering behind Rina shifted slightly, and a familiar deadpan voice emerged. "You look like shit."
"That I do," Kaizer admitted, straightening as best he could.
Sadistic Flame, Crystal Ice, and Sophia soon rushed over next.
Maria’s battle armor was slightly singed, but she was grinning, her helmet made slightly translucent to show her features to only those in front of her.
"Two B-class espers down. Easy work, but I would have liked to try some bigger prey," she bragged, then complained arrogantly.