Chapter 1303  Limitations

The explosion tore the palace apart, with the side facing Diana"s take being obliterated, while the other was slashed in half. As for the two women, it was too soon to tell, as the dust blinded their vision. The walls crumbled around them as the upper floors fell to the ground.

Alaric witnessed everything, but he needed to take cover inside the ice dome Diana had created for him to stay alive. The destruction was so great that he could hear the screams of those on the upper floors as they fell, their bodies. .h.i.tting the ground. An awakener would survive, but a normal human would die.

Once everything settled, Alaric rushed out to look for Diana. He scanned the battlefield for her figure but found no one. He rushed over the rubble and the moaning people. Essences scattered on the ground from the hall above, making the place a chaotic mess.

It took the pirate a few minutes, but he managed to locate Diana, who was standing a little further away. Behind her was a long gash in the walls spreading through the entire palace, which barely had its basic structure retained. Alaric was happy to see her alive but alarmed when he saw a wound on her flank.

"Miss!" shouted Alaric as he came running down the hill, tripping in the process, before rising again to rush toward her. Diana stood there panting, her face pale, as blood leaked down her blue dress. Her wings flickered out like flames losing their fuel as she collapsed to the ground, supporting herself with half a sword.

"I am fine," she replied, looking toward the distance. "I can"t say the same about her, but Deluge has already intervened to save her," she said with a frown. "Look for Valeria Storm before they manage to find her."

"Your well-being takes priority, Miss," said Alaric with alarm as he saw how deep the wound on her flank was. Diana waved him away, refusing to let him approach, as ice covered her wound.

"My Iceheart can heal me, but we cannot lose Valeria. She is the only reason that we are in Sourna," said Diana with a pale face as she tried to rise. "I will stop Deluge as you look for her. If things turn bad, take her and run toward the uncharted lands. You will be safe once you find Arthur."

"I refuse to leave you here, Miss Diana," said Alaric with a shake of his head. "I might not be as strong as you are, but I am still someone from a higher realm. Please have some faith in me."

"I don"t doubt your capabilities, only the limit of your authority," said Diana with a smile as she raised her sword, which began to reform. "As far as I know about higher beings, the world places restrictions on them, right? You cannot do much without facing a backlash."

Alaric was silent as she managed to see through his situation. Even as a player from a higher world, the game did not allow him to intervene much. If he changed the fate of certain people or the world itself, he might be punished or even eliminated from the game.

His silence did not discourage Diana, only making her more resolute to keep fighting. "Go and find Valeria for me. I won"t die from this kind of wound."

In the end, Alaric had to relent to her demands and run to find Valeria in the chaos. Guards were everywhere, as confused as officials and maids. They were on the higher floors when the entire ground collapsed, causing mayhem to ensue. Alaric just hoped that the Pirate Queen was not buried under some giant boulder.

Diana stood her ground, recovering as fast as she could as a figure stood in the distance. Once the dust settled down, Diana saw the silver-haired man standing beside a kneeling Jian Ba, who suffered frostbite and burns at the same time. She was panting on the ground but far from defeated.

"Are you still going to embarra.s.s me like this?" asked Deluge with a cold expression that proved his lack of concern toward his crew. Jian Ba shook as she heard his words and then rose despite her injuries, raising her sword again against Diana.

"No, master," said Jian Ba as her body trembled under the freezing temperature. "I will win this even if it kills me."

"And you even lost sight of Valeria," said Deluge with disappointment as he looked around. "You have utterly failed this, Jian Ba. Prepare yourself for punishment once we return to the ship."

"…thank you, master," said Jian Ba as she pressed her lips together and glared at Diana. The swordswoman was far from defeated, and her aura sharpened again, signaling her desire to keep fighting.

Diana felt bad for her, even though she was an enemy. Port Marlin proved that Deluge had the ability to hypnotize people and affect their minds, so it would be no wonder if this was the case for Jian Ba. Although sympathizing with an enemy was not her style, Diana had to admit that she felt Jian Ba deserved better than being a property of the Sin of l.u.s.t.

"You are not going to win this fight," said Diana toward the pair as she waved her ice sword, letting it frost the surroundings. "The moment you failed to kill me, you lost. Deluge might have saved your life, but I can tell that he is not really here, either."

"A smart pirate never gets cornered," said Deluge with a smile. "If I was indeed here, this fight would have been meaningless. I would have made you a toy of mine as well, Diana Freya. And I would have broken the King of Wrath by breaking your body."

"Arthur"s time is too valuable to waste on small fry like you. Those words that you just uttered will be carved into your soul once I am done with you," said Diana, releasing her spiritual energy again. However, Jian Ba stood strong against her aura, proving that she was no ordinary opponent. "I never wished to use this art before I kill that man, but it seems necessary now. In order to protect the man that I love, I am willing… to show this side of me."