Chapter 185: Trouble Again (4)
Mistress Vexia froze mid-cast. The crimson lights beneath her hood flickered.
"Your attacks are all for show," Riku continued, his tone conversational. "The only spells with any real power are the ones meant to bind me. Why are you holding back? Are you afraid?"
The hooded woman tilted her head. "I do not understand what you mean," she said, her voice a low, raspy whisper.
"Don’t you?" Riku taunted. "Or are your orders simply to capture me, not to harm me?" He smiled, a sharp, predatory expression. "Unleash your full power. Let’s see what the Head Mage of House Falco is truly capable of."
Vexia did not answer. Instead, the crimson points of her eyes shifted, her gaze flicking back towards Lord Falco. She was waiting for an order.
Lord Falco squinted his eyes, his expression unreadable. He stared at Riku for a long, tense moment. Then, his eyes moved just slightly, a subtle gesture that Vexia understood instantly.
A new wave of power, far greater than before, began to gather around her.
The oppressive fog around Mistress Vexia swirled faster. It condensed, forming into a dozen sharp, obsidian-like shards of pure shadow that hovered in the air around her. The crimson light from her hood intensified, casting an eerie glow on the swirling mist.
"So, you’ve chosen defiance," Vexia’s voice rasped, no longer a whisper but a low, dangerous hiss. "A foolish choice."
She thrust her hands forward. The shadow shards shot towards Riku with incredible speed. They didn’t dissolve this time. They were solid, real, and humming with lethal energy.
Riku didn’t move. He simply raised a hand.
Barrier. Tier 3. [-50 Goodwill Points]