The Outergod's Avatar-Chapter 61: Traitor (5)

At the top of the hill, just before the steps to the front door, Sophia knelt ceremoniously with her wolf crouched down behind her.

Her eyes shut and her face void of all emotions, she listened to the night.

"You know you can’t get past me like that, right?"

Then she opened her eyes, staring straight ahead at the path down the hill—and as if stepping out of an invisible veil, Raynoel appeared.

"And pass up this opportunity? I wouldn’t even dream of it," he grinned as he unsheathed his two blades.

"No wonder my uncle allowed me to come this far. It’s because you were here..." he chuckled. "Wait, does that mean he believes you can stop me?" He laughed, genuinely amused.

Sophia slowly rose to her feet.

"That man has too much faith in you, and I’ve always wondered why," Raynoel continued. "When he chose me as first captain over Gallad, it made sense—even if Gallad had completed one trial and had a very destructive blessing, there was no way he would beat me one on one. He’s far too slow, and my blessing would be a bad matchup for his."

He paced a little as he spoke, casually rolling his shoulders.

"But then he chose you as second captain. That one surprised me."

Sophia blinked, her lashes staying lowered just a second longer than usual. "You say I don’t deserve my position, but here you are, about to kill an innocent child. Maybe it’s you who doesn’t deserve to be a Saint of the Lunar Moon."

"I never said you didn’t deserve it. You’re strong, I’ll give you that. But I never understood why my uncle always compared me to you."

He turned both blades slowly in his hands, silver flashing under the moonlight.

"Your blessing isn’t even that strong. My Silver Veil is special, even amongst the Saints of my family. And to think your stupid dog would make a difference shows just how much you still have to learn."

Sophia didn’t flinch at the insult. Her hand only tightened on her spear.

"You don’t have to tell me. After fighting beside you for all these years, I know just how special your blessing is. But you seem to think being able to turn invisible makes you untouchable. Today, we shall test if that is indeed the case."

"I guess we shall," he grinned, his expression sharpening into something colder.

He dug his feet into the earth and charged at her, swinging his right blade downwards the moment he got into range.

She raised her spear to block it, but when the blade got halfway—it disappeared.

Raynoel struck instead from the side with his second blade. It too was invisible, but Sophia’s experience let her read his hands, anticipate the shift, and step back just in time to avoid a fatal hit. Even so, the edge still caught her side, tearing a sharp line across her ribs.

His blessing was indeed a dangerous one. It wasn’t like the usual enchanted silver items gifted to the Argenthex. It was a Silver Veil made from his soul energy, capable of turning anything he held completely invisible—even his blades.

"Grrrr," Nyx growled low as Raynoel attempted to press the attack.

The wolf lunged at him, but Raynoel vanished again before impact, appearing a few paces away with a slight limp—small, but noticeable.

"Get your annoying dog under control. I’m trying to save time here."

Sophia cast a quick glance at the bleeding cut on her side. It stung, but she had endured worse.

She firmed her grip on the spear and locked eyes with Raynoel.

Trying to follow his movements would be useless. He could disappear at any moment. She’d learned that much already. So she had only one choice—and that was to stop following him with her eyes.

All he was doing was deceiving her sight. When he wore the veil, he was still there—just invisible. But he couldn’t silence everything. She could still hear him. His breathing. The shifting of his boots in the soil. The whisper of his blade slicing the air. Her ears picked up even the faintest of sounds, because her ability to share senses with Nyx was stronger when the wolf was around.

All she had to do was trust her hearing. That way, she could take away his greatest advantage.

In fact, if she timed things just right, she could take away more than his advantage.

Once again, Raynoel vanished from view.

"Well, it doesn’t matter if your dog helps you out. Nothing can save you regardless."

His voice echoed faintly—close. From the angle of his footsteps and the subtle drag of his heel, she could tell he wasn’t coming at her in a straight line. Still, she refused to react just yet.

She waited. Perfectly still. Calm.

She needed him to believe she’d lost track of his position. Needed him confident—cocky enough to strike.

’I need to attack him at a critical position so I can end this fight... but if I strike first, he’ll read it and dodge. It’s better to counter. Wait for the perfect opening’

Then she heard it—the sound of a blade splitting air, fast, aimed for her midsection.

One sharp turn. That’s all it took.

She spun, letting the attack slide past her, and with the flow of the motion, swung her spear low and wide—aimed for where his legs should be.

Raynoel dodged by jumping backwards—the only way to avoid the sweep.

But that was exactly what Sophia wanted.

In that instant, Nyx leapt from the shadows, intercepting Raynoel mid-air. The massive wolf’s jaws clamped around his neck, dragging him down. Raynoel became visible again, exposed. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

He struggled fiercely, the light of panic flickering in his eyes. Nyx snarled, locking his powerful jaws and pinning Raynoel’s arms. His blades clattered to the ground.

Sophia approached quickly, spear raised to end it.

But just before she could strike, Raynoel twisted hard, managing to shake the wolf off, and vanished again in a blink—leaving a trail of blood behind.

Sophia didn’t chase him. She didn’t have to. Blood dripped from Nyx’s teeth. That bite wasn’t that deep but it had drawn blood.

She watched the shadows, calm once again.

"I told you," she said softly. "Just because you’re good at hiding doesn’t make you invincible."