'Shit!' Zian exclaimed, as he hadn't even sensed the woman.
Before he could react, she disappeared, and Zian's instincts screamed danger. He drew his sword and swung to the left, anticipating an attack there.
Clink!
Sword met scythe as Zian was thrown back from the unexpected power behind that blow.
He gracefully landed on his feet only to find that Mira had disappeared.
'Fuck! Why'd this woman attack me?! We haven't met before, have we?' Zian complained but still spread out his Soul Sense in an attempt to find her, which turned out to be easier than he thought.
However, Mira was already on top of him, in the midst of swinging her scythe.
He raised his sword to block, creating a barrier around himself with his Sword Manifestation.
Clink! Clink! Clank!
He barely deflected her attacks as she repeatedly struck his sword, but he was slowly being pushed back.
Suddenly, a golden flash came from the side and smashed into his ribcage, sending him flying, but not before a few hairs sneaked into his clothes and pulled something out.
"Ugh!" Zian grunted, feeling his organs shifting about.
Standing up, albeit with a bit of pain, he turned to Mira and shouted, "Crazy woman! Why are you attacking me?! I don't think I've offended you, have I?!"
Mira glanced at him as a hint of surprise flashed through her eyes. She didn't expect him to still be fine after taking a direct hit from her golden tail.
'So the other Sect's disciples aren't entirely useless, huh.' Mira thought with a nod. 'I guess if Aelina was able to raise people like Nova, Seraphina, Eden, Everly, and Rayna, then the other Sects would be able to do the same. After this, I should probably start paying more attention to them.'
She stared at the man more intensely, but he immediately became defensive seeing that look. Mira shook her head indifferently and put her scythe away.
"I was just bored, and you looked pretty strong." She answered with a shrug before glancing in Cai Ying's direction. "As for you… Just stay there. I would rather not have to waste my time hunting you down."
The two of them shivered under Mira's gaze as they felt the weight of an uncountable number of deaths within her voice.
However, Zian gritted his teeth in anger. He had already dealt with enough annoying situations throughout the entirety of this Realm, and now this?
Meanwhile, Cai Ying seemed to recede further into the shadows, the chill in Mira's voice rendering her temporarily docile.
"So, you're saying you attacked me just because you were bored?" He couldn't believe the audacity of this woman.
"Pretty much." Mira shrugged, already losing interest in the conversation and scanning the surroundings, perhaps considering her next move. She had already stolen his tokens, which were probably more than enough to catapult her to the top of the rankings.
The spiraling clouds above them seemed like a natural barrier. Considering that all of the strongest and most talented humans and beasts had made it here, it certainly wouldn't be easy to cross.
"Do you really think I'm such an easy target?" Zian muttered under his breath, feeling the urge to retaliate. His hands instinctively tightened around his sword.
But Mira was already walking away, disappearing into the shadows of the mountain. Just as Zian prepared to charge, a voice stopped him.
"I wouldn't do that."
The voice belonged to none other than Aelina, who seemed to materialize out of thin air beside Mira, her eyes flicking over to regard Zian with a quiet, assessing gaze.
Zian's muscles tensed. He was aware of the formidable prowess of this woman, the notorious sect master of Battle Maiden Sect. Engaging her in combat would be equivalent to knocking on death's door.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't care about your life or your Master, but if you attack now, Mira will definitely kill you. I'd rather not have to deal with such a headache." Aelina said exasperatedly.
Now, she was beginning to understand why nobody liked Mira and why she had so many enemies. In fact, Aelina felt like she was witnessing a rather calm version of Mira compared to how she usually was.
If it were Mira in the past, Zian and Cai Ying would've definitely died today. For what reason? Simply because there was only kill or be killed in Mira's mind. There was no in-between.
The fact that they were alive showed Aelina that maybe she was slowly changing and wasn't quite so psychopathic.
'Hmph! I won't allow you idiots to ruin Mira's progress! Don't make her regret her decision!' Aelina thought, figuring now was the time to act as a proper Sect Master for her.
Zian gritted his teeth, the taste of humiliation bitter on his tongue. However, he was no fool. Understanding the unspoken threat in Aelina's words, he reluctantly sheathed his sword, shooting Mira a glare.
"I'll remember this," Zian murmured before turning away, but not before a Divine pressure enveloped him, forcing him into the ground. He coughed up blood as he felt like all of his bones and organs were being smooshed together.
"I think it'd be wiser if you forgot," Aelina whispered into his ears before she disappeared along with Mira.
Zian, feeling the pressure around him disperse, fell to his hands and knees, breathing heavily. However, there he saw a few Mystical-Grade Pills. One was clearly some type of healing pill, while the others… He wasn't quite sure.
Quickly storing them, he took out a few healing pills of his own before muttering, "...I guess I can let it slide… this time."
He spent a few minutes returning to his peak condition before he turned to the clouds above him. Now that there were no more distractions, he could finally be on his way!
***
"Why are you still following me? You must really enjoy being a stalker. Maybe you should change professions." Mira said as she continued walking up the steep slope.
Suddenly, Aelina popped out of the 'void' next to her with her usual casual smile. "How can you say such mean things to your Sect Master~? You'll hurt my feelings~"
Mira shot her a disgusted look. She would've tried to punch her, but Aelina was too strong, so there was no point.
"Fufu~ Don't give me that look. Let's just say that being around you is more enjoyable than hanging out with those fogies. All they want to do is talk about power and taking over the Ancient Beast Mountain Range! So boring~! I would much rather talk about something more interesting, like going to war with the Unorthodox Faction or… going to war with the Orthodox Sects!" Aelina chuckled and gave Mira a look that said, 'You understand me, right?'
What made Mira sigh was the fact that she actually did! War was the fastest way for her to get stronger, after all! It didn't matter who she was against. Beasts, humans, demons, or freaking aliens. As long as they were alive, they were nothing but nutrients for her cultivation.
"See? Hahaha! That's why you're so much more fun!" Aelina giggled, while Mira could only sigh in resignation. Not that she minded Aelina's company. It made the trip up that much easier.
The two of them trotted along for a while, slowly climbing the mountain that seemed to stretch out endlessly.
The more they walked, the further away the peak seemed to be. It was to the point where Aelina tried to teleport them further up the mountain, but her range was locked at a specific distance that wasn't much faster than walking. Flying for extended periods wasn't allowed either unless one was a native to the Realm.
These conditions only got worse the further up one went.
So, they, as well as everyone else, were forced to physically climb the mountain.
The duo continued their ascent, their steps echoing off the jagged rocks, with Aelina continuing to chatter away. Occasionally, the mournful cries of some unknown creature would pierce the night, but the two paid no mind to it.
They walked for several days, with the mountain only growing taller and longer with every step, but the journey was rather smooth.
With Aelina around, Mira didn't have to worry about random attacks, and since the other Sect Masters were ahead of them, they took the attention away from all the strong beings on the mountain.
However, that wasn't always the case. Sometimes, a Rank 10 beast would sense Aelina and shoot after them, but she'd just grab Mira and hop through the void while concealing her aura before continuing on their journey.
Surprisingly, Mira's time with the Sect Master actually helped to calm down some of her internal conflicts. Whether it was Maria's possible death, the Soul Transformation Realm bottleneck, Abyssal Torment Steps trauma, or just her chaotic emotions in general, everything seemed to settle down a bit as the 'old lady' blabbered away.
It was like she found a kindred spirit or a true friend that she could just chill next. The best part was she wouldn't have to worry about Aelina dying from something random. She was strong enough to where only a few individuals in this world could actually kill her.
That knowledge was oddly comforting.
Just like that, the two continued until, eventually, they saw a few familiar faces.
