The Kingmaker System

Chapter 734: 733. Dance Of Fire And Shadows (5)

Alys stared at the creature. It neither attacked nor moved from its spot. The thing remained crouched beyond the rubble, its red eyes fixed on her as though it had forgotten everything else in the arena.

Frowning, Alys raised her hand and launched several fireballs at it. The creature reacted immediately, twisting away from the attacks with unnerving agility. The flames burst against the stone floor, leaving scorched marks behind, but the creature never once attempted to retaliate.

Beside her, Lysanne loosed a volley of arrows. Once again, the creature simply stepped away. It retreated farther into the arena, slinking across the ground like a wary animal, yet its gaze never left Alys.

A murmur spread through the spectators.

Moments ago, the creature had been hurling itself at the barrier with relentless ferocity. Now it seemed almost reluctant to approach it.

Alys felt her unease growing with every passing second.

Then a scream echoed through the arena.

Her head snapped toward the sound just in time to see one of the mages collapse to the ground. Someone had attacked him, driving him to his knees. A sickening crack followed and the man let out another scream as his shoulder dislocated beneath the pressure.

The formation maintaining the barrier wavered only for an instant, but within that instant a gap appeared.

Alys’s breath hitched as the creature moved.

The hesitation that had baffled everyone vanished in a heartbeat as it lunged toward the opening with explosive speed. Before it could reach the gap, however, golden mana flared through the arena. Marquis Fairisles reacted instantly, sealing the breach moments before the creature arrived.

The impact rattled the barrier as the creature slammed into it, sending ripples through the formation.

Alys released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, but then she noticed someone standing in the arena.

Her eyes widened.

A girl was slowly rising to her feet near the center of the field. The movement looked wrong from the very beginning. Her limbs jerked awkwardly, her arms lifting in stiff motions as though unseen strings were pulling them into place. Every step looked forced, unnatural.

What truly made Alys’s stomach twist, however, was the expression on the girl’s face.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, her face was strained tight with terror.

The girl’s lips trembled as though she was desperately trying to speak. A faint grunt escaped her throat, followed by a ragged gasp, but no words came. It was as if something was choking them before they could leave her mouth.

Alys recognized her immediately.

It was the same girl who had approached her earlier. The same girl who had warned her about the creature.

"What happened to her...?"

The girl looked directly at Alys.

The fear in her eyes was unmistakable.

Slowly, Alys turned her gaze toward the creature.

It was staring back at her from the far side of the arena, a grotesque grin stretched across its face. The corners of its mouth kept pulling farther and farther apart until it looked as though the grin might split its head in two.

A cold chill ran down Alys’s spine.

Alys didn’t have time to make sense of what was happening as a shrill screech tore through the arena as Keira suddenly lunged at her.

The moment she moved, an arrow streaked through the air and buried itself deep into Keira’s arm. The impact made the girl scream in agony, but it did nothing to stop her momentum. She continued forward as though she couldn’t feel the injury at all.

Alys threw herself to the side and Keira missed her by inches before twisting unnaturally fast. A dagger flashed in her hand as she slashed at Alys’s throat.

Alys jumped back at the last possible moment and the blade sliced through empty air where her neck had been a heartbeat earlier.

Another arrow came flying and Keira sprang away, narrowly avoiding the shot. The first arrow remained lodged in her arm, blood dripping steadily from the wound and staining her sleeve crimson. Tears continued to stream down her face, her expression frozen between terror and despair.

"What’s going on?" Silas muttered, his face darkening as he watched the girl.

"Oh no... what do we do?" Ernie blurted out.

The mages who had been tending to Keira crowded along the balcony railing, staring helplessly at the scene unfolding below.

Marquis Fairisles remained silent as his eyes followed Keira’s movements carefully.

When she had been brought to them earlier, he had noticed the long, jagged wounds running across her back. At the time, the injuries had seemed insignificant compared to the chaos caused by the Chimera.

Now, however, he remembered something else, the wounds had been coated in a strange black residue.

His gaze narrowed.

At the time he had dismissed it as some byproduct of the creature’s attack. But watching Keira now- watching her body move against her own will while tears streamed down her face- he could no longer ignore the possibility.

Somehow, through those wounds, the creature had gained control of the girl’s body. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Another arrow whistled past Keira’s shoulder. Alys quickly stepped back and raised her hand, causing a wall of fire to erupt between them. The flames roared upward, creating a blazing barrier that should have forced anyone to retreat.

Keira didn’t stop as she leapt straight through the flames.

Alys’s eyes widened. Through the curtain of fire, she caught sight of Keira’s bloodshot eyes and the desperate expression on her face. The sight made her hesitate for a split second before she instinctively dispersed the flames.

Keira burst through and immediately resumed her attack. The dagger in her hand flashed repeatedly as she launched a rapid flurry of strikes, forcing Alys to retreat. Yet the faster Keira moved, the more obvious it became that her body was paying the price. Blood continued to drip from the arrow lodged in her arm, and her complexion had become unnaturally pale. Every movement seemed to push her further beyond her limits.

Another arrow suddenly entered Alys’s vision. Reacting immediately, she launched a fireball that intercepted it mid-flight. The arrow burned to ash before it could reach its target.

"Don’t attack her!" Alys shouted as she narrowly avoided another slash.

Across the arena, Lysanne froze. She had been moving between balconies in search of a better angle on both Keira and the creature. Her fingers tightened around the arrow already mounted on her bow.

"She’s not the enemy!" Alys called out. "The creature is controlling her body!"

Lysanne gritted her teeth, her expression twisting with frustration.

"What do we do then?!" She shouted back.

A harsh guffaw echoed from the other side of the arena.

The creature crouched beyond the barrier, watching the struggle unfold with obvious amusement. Alys grimaced as she dodged another series of attacks while the monster laughed.

Lysanne’s gaze flickered between Keira and the creature. The longer she watched, the more certain she became that Alys was right.

Then she made her decision, instead of aiming at Keira, she turned and fired at the Chimera.

The arrow struck its deteriorating body and the creature staggered backward. Its laughter died instantly as it lifted its head and glared at Lysanne.

A low growl rumbled from its throat and the Chimera swiped a claw through the air.

At the same moment, Keira’s body twisted violently. Alys barely avoided the next strike as Keira suddenly moved with even greater ferocity than before. It was as though invisible strings had tightened around her limbs, forcing her body to move faster than it naturally could.

The creature’s gaze swept around the arena and an arrow struck its back and the Chimera screeched.

Almost immediately, Keira stumbled. Her attack faltered and she collapsed onto the ground with a pained groan.

For a brief moment, the entire arena fell silent.

Then the Chimera sneered and began waving both arms. Keira’s body jerked before she slowly pushed herself back to her feet.

Lysanne’s eyes widened, she had seen enough, the connection was undeniable.

"Get me more arrows!" She barked at her brothers before turning toward the nearby knights. "And get every archer you can find! If we keep hitting that monster, we can weaken its control over her!"

The nearest knight immediately nodded and sprinted away to carry out the order while the rest of the arena erupted into motion.

Nyx finally released a sigh of relief. After what felt like an endless effort of guiding frightened people through the corridors, the commoners and lower nobles had finally been gathered inside the waiting rooms. The atmosphere inside was tense and uneasy, filled with anxious whispers and frightened glances, but it was still far better than leaving them exposed to whatever was happening in the arena.

"Are these all of them?" She asked the nearby knight while surveying the crowded room.

"Yes, My Lady."

Nyx nodded. Many of the people still looked shaken, especially the children who clung to their parents and the servants who kept glancing toward the distant sounds echoing through the stone halls. Fear was evident on every face, but for now they were safe.

"Please stay in here, everyone."

The crowd quickly agreed. Some nodded while others murmured their thanks as she made her way toward the entrance. Layers of protective barriers covered the doorway, their mana forming a reassuring presence around the room. Standing guard beside it were two young mages whose expressions immediately straightened when they noticed her approaching.

"Please ensure their safety," Nyx said.

"We will, My Lady."

Satisfied, she stepped outside. There was little point remaining here if the evacuation had already been completed. If the situation in the arena required additional assistance, she needed to know.

By the time she returned to one of the balconies, the battle below had changed considerably.