The Against All Odds

CH 14 - Aura Matilda

The atmosphere became gripping as Aura was still bowed, laughing in a terrifying tone. His laughing voice sounded like a 'chaos' that echoed throughout the corner of the room. Then, with a sudden and frightening movement, Aura raised her head, and what was seen gave everyone goosebumps.

The aura had fiery red eyes that stared deep into the soul of Belladona who was standing in front of him. But even more surprising was the jet black color that filled the surroundings of his eyeball. Its piercing glare made it look more like an entity from the darkness than an ordinary human. He grinned with fangs tucked between his neat rows of teeth. The grin seemed threatening, creating a very frightening picture in an already tense room. Leo felt as if he was in the face of a power far greater and more terrifying than he had ever imagined.

"Aura, you...?" Belladona is still dumbfounded.

The girl named Aura tilted her face. "aura?" while continuing to smile cynically, "Call me, Matilda. The aura that was gone."

Matilda's sudden words surprised Belladona and Leo. They did not have time to respond further when Matilda launched a surprise attack. Matilda moved at an incredible speed, so Belladona felt like she had been deceived by an illusion. Thin smoke was the only trace left of Matilda's suddenly vanished presence, and Belladona knew she had to be vigilant.

Suddenly, a heavy gurgling sound was heard from above, and some pebbles fell to the floor near Belladona. He looked up and suddenly, in a corner of darkness, he saw Matilda's two burning red eyeballs. Without hesitation, Matilda darted from the darkness towards Belladona, exerting a terrifying strength in this surprise attack.

As Matilda approached at a terrifying speed, Belladona felt a growing panic within her. He knew he had to act fast. With a trembling voice, he began to chant a long spell, summoning a strong protection for himself.

"With my magic power endowed by the Great God Talos, I summoned invincible self-protection, and I became unshakable before my enemies. LEVEL 5 SHIELD!"

As the spell echoed through the air, it was as if a flash of red light was enveloping Belladona. A protective shield that looked like a gigantic shield suddenly appeared, surrounding his body with a layer of powerful magical energy. Matilda lunged at full speed, but the moment her body touched this shield, she was stopped violently, like hitting an unshakable stone wall. Her body was pushed back a few steps, and Matilda looked surprised.

"Is that all you're capable of?" belladona's taunts, though his heart was still beating. He tried to keep looking strong in front of the creepy Matilda.

Matilda simply smiled even wider before launching her next attack. His speed was incredible, and Belladona barely had time to react. He immediately moved his shield, trying to resist Matilda's attack.

Meanwhile, Leo is still focused on Menhir Bastion. He felt an enormous energy pressure from the menhir. Both of his hands were firmly attached to the stone, and his eyes continued to monitor every tremor of the increasingly ferocious Menhir Bastion. In his mind, he knew that this power was very important, and he could not let any interference stop him. However, he also felt anxious for Alisha, who was still lying in the middle of the fight.

"Damn it, I didn't think the process would be this long." Leo bit his lip.

"Volaire!"

The scream was heard, followed by a reddish-yellow reflection of light emerging from Menhir in front of Leo. That reflection of light bounced off and formed a flash that resembled fire. Spontaneous Leo rounded his eyes and with a quick movement, he turned his head back. Surely a fireball that had just been thrown by Belladona was darting towards him. He felt the heat of the fire almost touch him.

However, shortly after, the yellow flash of light split into a series of tiny rays of light that split through the air. This was the result of Matilda's quick movements instantly protecting Leo from the impact of the fireball. Leo was relieved and thanked Matilda. He had no idea what was going on around Belladona and Matilda in that fierce fight. But somehow, Leo felt like he had a connection with Matilda. Maybe because Matilda just saved Alisha and herself. Leo is still trying to understand what the connection means he is feeling right now.

"Stay on, Mr Leo Demhian! I'll keep buying time!" Matilda shouted in the middle of the raging fight.

"Master?" Matilda's shout just now, made Leo finally realize that Matilda was now on his side. It turned out that this was the intent of the connection Leo felt, in his mind he felt that Matilda was from the same faction, the Nythorian faction. He felt himself beginning to take over the Nythorian power from within the Menhir, perhaps Matilda had also noticed it.

Now Leo feels calmer in completing his duties at Menhir Bastion. This was a turning point in the fight and cooperation between Leo and Matilda, which brought new hope in the previously precarious situation.

"Lord Leo Demhian," Matilda spoke between her attacks, "I'm here to ensure your safety as well as Alisha's. The rest I'll explain later, the most important thing now is we have to move quickly and end this. Trust me."

Leo nodded in agreement, "Thank you, Matilda. Let's finish this task together. I believe you."