Chương 159: Indecision

Lilia shot several bolts of ice towards one of the Aspirant assailants. The first bolt was scarcely deflected, striking another mundane assailant in the chest. The second bit into the female Aspirant's leg, but before the third, fourth, and fifth could strike her dead, another Aspirant kicked their ally to the side, narrowly avoiding the fatal bolts. Lilia was beginning to doubt her travel plan.

Inch by inch, she and the posse that followed her made it closer to the center, but to their misfortune, the perpetrators invading the parterre party seemed to have made similar plans. The closer they got to the center, the harsher and more plentiful the forces they met became. Lilia considered turning back, but the closer they got to the center, the harder the choice of turning back became.

Few of the posse were lost during their journey; some had already left of their own accord, but the few who chose to fight, or to trust in Lilia, were nearly there. But, in all honesty, they had little choice; the further they went toward the middle, the greater their hopes grew, and yet their despair grew too, as it was becoming increasingly difficult to constantly sneak around threats, especially with the sudden horde near the center.

Lilia swiftly closed the distance and delivered a swift slash, biting into the first Aspirant's neck, then flourished her free hand before sending another bolt of ice into the fallen Aspirant's skull. Lilia quickly scanned the area and shot another ice bolt into the dusty murk, and after a few moments of silence, the sound of a skull being pierced reached her ears.

Some of her posse recoiled at the sudden deaths of her opponents; the attacking Aspirants didn't even get the opportunity to show off the skills they spent their lives honing before expiring abruptly. Despite their reactions, Lilia knew how to nip a threat in the bud from Mortimer's teachings, ingrained in her from her youth. A mundane might pull off the unexpected. An Aspirant could pull off the unexpected. A Dreamer would pull off the unexpected.

No matter which of the three she may go against, Mortimer provided her with a simple fix to all three problems. Kill them before they could fight back. A coward would have the opportunity to live, and shame has no place on a battlefield. Again, another group of attackers came at her, and again she killed them mercilessly; her sword was dyed red, dripping a thin trail behind her.

The posse had long grown quiet — the kind of silence that came from watching someone kill, and kill with growing efficiency, enough times that fear curdled into something closer to reverence. Though she didn't care much for their opinions of her in trying times such as this, she found the parallel between her and June's time as the Lord of Light amusing. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The center wasn't far now, but the path forward had narrowed considerably, funneling through a hedge maze, partially burned and fallen debris from blown-apart buildings blocking some paths. She could feel it in the way the dust thinned ahead; the air had changed, wandering threats were replaced by patrols. The chaos here was culled, and in its place were organized threats. Organized enough for her to tell that someone was still thinking clearly enough to give orders.

"Tch" She clicked her tongue and looked down at herself. She was drenched in blood; her dress was ruined with cuts and scrapes — scratches, bruises, and superficial wounds covered her body. She felt utterly filthy. Looking ahead, a single passable stretch presented itself; all side routes were plausibly blocked at a glance, and going to check was an unnecessary risk. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the deep, murky veil, and winced.

'Shit…' Three figures stood in a loose triangle, the funneling road led to them, and they blocked the only clear route forward. Even at a distance, something about them gave her goosebumps, and frustratingly, she couldn't tell why. Perhaps instinct? She squinted her eyes; she didn't see any ambient glow, nor feel any Dreamer aura from them. Lilia wasn't enjoying the fact that her only viable option in the moment was to approach them out in the open.

'Going around might be riskier, but a direct fight…' Swiping a hand down her face, she tried to glean any details about them from afar; the remnant debris in the air did her no favors. She could see three; one had a hand resting on an undrawn blade.

'That could be a Force user? Maybe even a magic swordsman? I don't feel anything from this distance, sister… do you?'

'We share senses; if you don't feel it, I won't either.' She shifted her gaze to the next one. The next one clearly carried a wand, likely some type of mage… and the final had no weapon.

'Perhaps a pugilist, perhaps a force user, maybe even a Qi user?' Lilia had killed Aspirants tonight without slowing down; she could have killed these three the same way, probably, if she stopped thinking about approaching them from an advantageous standpoint and ending the fight before they had a chance to retort. That was the problem. She flexed her free hand, and a thin lattice of frost crept across her knuckles.

Her control had never been the issue when the goal was simple — hit hard, hit first, never miss, but the issue today was that the battlefield was packed with bystanders, weak ones. Her Dreamer aura could kill them if she got too entranced in a fight, but at the same time she wasn't in a position to leave them momentarily when fighting. Holding back while balancing on the tightrope of life and death was a difficult ordeal. She had enough power to end this in a heartbeat…

however, there would be casualties on both sides. Lilia clenched her fist, drawing a bit of blood, and held her knuckle to her head with a pained look; no matter what, the decision would hurt either way. End it now, or end it later; people would die either way. Three Aspirants might have a bit of trouble with people to defend, but a decision must be made… Before someone else decides for her.