Chapter 54 - Take Over Part 1

Marc was leisurely sitting on his Red Throne, but this time he was a bit different than usual. A razor-sharp aura swirled around him as he gently played with Kaya's hair. The biggest difference, however, was the fierce expression on his face.

There was only one price for hurting one of his links, and it was the final one. The last one they'd ever have to pay.

He carefully eyed the forty-two flying M-Colloses and remembered their appearance and aura. His lips formed a lofty smile; they were nothing more than dead men from now on.

The Kollos Alliance’s morale was at its peak, but even so, their advance slowed down. It was normal; no matter how high their morale, they could not help but hesitate in front of the mighty formation of the (Double Layered Hex Blast). If they were hit by that, they would definitely die, no matter what.

Another hundred M-Colloses rose to the sky, creating a defensive formation around those forty-two. The main difference between a Photon Cannon and a (Hex Blast) was that the latter needed six of its users’ photons to be fully effective, which was exceedingly rare. The Double Layered one required forty-two of them... and it was a Circle Class Blast!

To create those forty-two, the Crimson Empire had definitely delved deep into human experimentation...

[<Nova>: All units, defensive stance!]

[<Mersa>: All units, defensive stance!]

In unison, all officers started relaying the orders. They were unnaturally calm, but it was all due to the massive formation of black cubes floating above their heads. All of them knew that these M-Colloses would not target them.

As soon as those forty-two bots emerged, Vorst requested both Nova and Mersa to fall back, just in case their enemies tried to direct the blast at them.

[<Nova>: Will Vorst be alright?]

The Witch couldn't help but ask Mersa via private channel. The calm before the storm was killing her. In front of her was the white sphere where the boy was located and behind it, the forty-two M-Colloses that were about to unleash their combined power.

[<Mersa>: Yeah, just leave it to Vor-chan.]

[<Nova>: Huh, Camellia-chan sure trusts her man.]

[<Mersa>: M-man. *blush* Vor-chan will not lose.]

A light from the blast once again blinded them temporarily...

There was no time left. Once those forty-two bots rose into the sky, they only had about a minute left. After asking Mersa and Nova to fall back, it was his turn to act. Vorst released Celina and was just about to leave when he felt a small tug on his soldier uniform.

Suddenly, without his arms around her, Celina felt so lonely that she reacted almost unconsciously. Her hand swiftly moved towards him and grasped a bit of the fabric.

[Celina: Ah. I'm sorry!]

Once she realized what she was doing, she promptly removed her hand and lowered her head. She was too clingy; she definitely was... Vorst immediately understood her situation and quickly reached out to her.

[Celina: I'm very sorry, so please don't ha-...]

He quickly pulled her to him before she had a chance to finish her sentence. Her insecurity troubled him greatly. He never felt at ease when one of his links was scared of him.

[Vorst: I'll stay here as long as you want.]

He tried to appeal to her, his aura desperately shifting to an ‘I'm-not-that-scary’ tone.

He could only curse at himself for being too forceful. Had he not been so domineering before, maybe Celina would have a little more confidence now... Oh, the regret!

[--Lily--: Too bad Lord Marcdrak was never good at planning his moves beforehand. Hehe, do you need a helping hand, Marc? Your servant is always at her Emperor's every beck and call.]

The demoness dropped down on one knee, perfectly imitating the usual impeccable posture of the Black Angel.

[--Lily--: Just name your wish, and your Lily will certainly obey.]

[--Marc--: ...]

Marc threw her a reproachful glare, only to receive a smile that appeared on her bewitching lips. The solemn aura she was imitating completely vanished. This was not something simple trickery could solve, and she knew it—moreover, he would never use that against his links.

Kaya, who was being "punished," had a wide grin on her face, but she chose to stay silent since his hand was still unconsciously wandering through her hair. She did not want to risk being suddenly released from this "imprisonment."

Dutiful Calla, on the other hand, was focused on guarding Mersa and Nova.

[Vorst: If you wish for it, I'll stay here.]

He reasserted that again. His gaze was completely focused on the white-haired girl next to him. If needed, he would even postpone delivering punishment to those M-Colloses. What’s more, if Celina wanted, he would be magnanimous enough to let them off the hook—he was just venting his anger after all, and Kaya did not hold a personal grudge against them... maybe just a little—for hurting Aegis.

After being suddenly surrounded by his gentle aura, Celina calmed down. However, she suddenly realized something... She had stopped him from dealing with the incoming blast.

[Celina: Wha! What about tha-?!]

A sense of dread crept over her. Did she just kill him? She was once again stopped from finishing her sentence, this time by a sudden kiss.

[Celina: Wh-ha?!]

[Vorst: It's fine. Although it will be a little more difficult to deflect it from the inside...]

The main reason for that is because Marcdrak would need to activate a Dragon Skill, and with his current power, the range of his (Draconic Scale Barrier) would not be able to extend far enough to encompass the whole white sphere they were in. It’s not that he really cared about it, but he knew that Celina really treasured it...

30s...

Every day, she would perform maintenance on it while humming happily... One must know that it was completely unnecessary. Hmm... How should he resolve this...

25s...

There was that method... But he really did not want to use it... Such a headache...

Celina raised her head with her eyes wide open. He had just contacted her via telepathy—if both parties could utilize that psychic ability, the speed of their conversation was incomparable to normal speech. Whole ideas worth hundreds of sentences could be conveyed in a heartbeat.

20s…

Then the psychic conversation came to an end...

Silence…

15s…

Nod.

She nodded.

The young man lowered his gaze to look at the small girl in his arms. (Runic Circulation) cannot be used infinitely. Vorst took most of the burden of the formation—the mental part was done by him. What's more, he also personally oversaw the feeding process so Celina's Photon Core would never be overcharged. However, no matter how small the burden was, it would build up over time, and soon she would reach her limit.

[--Vorst--: Za, I'm removing the (Transfer Array) and the (Telepathic Amplifier).]

[--Celina--: Alright.]

[--Vorst--: I... I'll need to use you.]

His voice in her mind was tinged with an apology. The White Tiger girl quickly shook her head and grasped his hand.

[--Celina--: It's fine, as long as it’s you, anything is f-fine. *blush*]

She spoke, turning crimson. Vorst couldn't help but feel helpless.

[--Vorst--: Alright, I'll try to be as gentle as possible...]

[--Celina--: Umm... Y-yes. *blush*]

He hugged her... and entered her.

[--Vorst--: (Mind Overthrow)]

A telepathic power that was completely unheard of. That’s because to take over someone's mind forcibly, one’s mental strength needs to be incredibly high.

A pain pierced through Celina's mind, as if someone had taken a needle and stabbed her forehead. However, that lasted only for a second. After that, a gentle feeling enveloped her whole self.

[--Marc--: I'm here, relax.]

The White Tiger girl took a deep breath when she heard that familiar voice and felt that familiar embrace. When she opened her eyes, they were surrounded by a white light. There was nothing there besides the two of them...