LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 311: Ambush
(Half an hour earlier)
"Tzzz…"
The grating static from her comm unit made Raven frown, unease flickering in her crimson eyes.
While Night Owl explored the ruined urban district, Raven followed close behind, her Seven Thunders of Retribution held tight.
Though not far from Chen Tianwu, the blizzard's interference was worse than anticipated. The complex terrain and blinding snow hampered communication, preventing Raven from finding a suitable sniping position.
With the signal disrupted, providing timely support was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Chen Tianwu, hold up. Something feels off." Prioritizing safety, Raven tried to tell Chen Tianwu to wait, but only static responded. He likely hadn't heard her.
"*Jackal is so unreliable. Of all times for this to happen.*"
As World Serpent's chief scientist, Jackal was responsible for most of their equipment.
Before the mission, Jackal had sworn the comms wouldn't be affected, even in a Herrscher's presence. Yet, before even locating the Herrscher, their comms were already failing.
As Raven tried to contact Chen Tianwu again, a flash of white caught her eye.
She froze, immediately dropping to the ground, raising her Seven Thunders of Retribution.
Through the scope, she barely made out a figure in the swirling snow.
"The Herrscher of the Void? What's she doing here? Is she the Herrscher on Coral Island?" A puff of white mist escaped Raven's lips as her breath hitched.
Surprise and confusion warred within her. Kiana's presence was completely unexpected, especially this close.
While this extreme cold wasn't likely the Herrscher of the Void's doing, Kiana's presence meant World Serpent's intel was flawed, regardless of whether she was the Herrscher on Coral Island.
With only Raven and Night Owl deployed, facing two Herrschers was a suicide mission.
"Chen Tianwu, watch out!" Urgency overriding protocol, Raven shouted, even if he likely couldn't hear her over the static.
Through the scope, Kiana seemed to be searching for something, moving towards the ruined district. Raven's heart tightened.
Kiana was no ordinary, newly awakened Herrscher. After the Pacific incident, World Serpent had reassessed her threat level. If Chen Tianwu encountered her, even with the Staff of the Underworld, his safety was uncertain.
Though her loyalty to World Serpent was tenuous, Night Owl was a colleague, a comrade on this mission. She couldn't abandon him.
Her finger rested on the trigger, aiming at the unsuspecting Kiana.
Seventeen years ago, the Herrscher of the Void had destroyed Raven's world, leaving her brother and her past buried in Siberia. After years of painstakingly saving, she'd finally built an island for the children she cared for, only to have it destroyed by the Herrscher of the Void on its completion day.
Her hatred for Kiana ran deep.
Yet, in ARC City, Raven, meant to protect the children, had failed. It was Kiana, her enemy, who had shielded them, even saving Raven from Moth's betrayal.
Conflict raged within her as she watched the girl through the scope.
Shaking her head, she banished the conflicting thoughts. Her gaze hardened.
Regardless of appearances, Kiana was a Herrscher, and a Herrscher was a threat. Inaction was not an option.
She removed the lethal rounds from her Seven Thunders of Retribution, replacing them with a Staff of the Underworld as a specialized attachment.
Suppression, at the very least, was necessary.
The Divine Key sniper rifle fired without a sound. As Kiana moved past a ruined building, her line of sight momentarily blocked, Raven squeezed the trigger.
The Staff of the Underworld's energy surged into the rifle, forming a golden energy bullet.
The raging blizzard provided the perfect cover. In a blink, the golden bullet traversed the hundreds of meters, hurtling towards Kiana.
Focused on finding the Herrscher of Ice, Kiana was completely unprepared. She didn't sense the sniper's aim until the last moment.
Only when the bullet left the barrel did she feel the danger, but weakened from her fight with the Herrscher of Ice, she could only raise her arm to block.
The Staff's energy bullet didn't cause physical harm. Upon impact, golden light erupted, weaving a net of disrupted Imaginary Space around Kiana before surging into her, severing the connection between her core and the Imaginary Space.
Reacting swiftly, Kiana retreated behind cover.
"What was that?"
Checking her arm, she found no blood, barely any pain. But she knew she'd been hit.
"Someone else is here besides the Herrscher of Ice?"
Gripping her makeshift greatsword formed from Flamescion, she didn't peek out, instead using the ice-covered surfaces to locate her attacker.
The blizzard obscured her vision. Raven, a seasoned sniper, remained hidden.
After ten seconds of silence, Kiana grew impatient.
"I can't wait. The Herrscher of Ice is recovering. It'll be trouble if she fully awakens." She tried to activate her Void powers to teleport.
Nothing happened. The spatial portal failed to open. She tried to sense the surrounding space, but the Imaginary Space, usually easily traversed by her Void powers, felt thick and viscous, like wading through glue.
"Spatial instability?" Confusion gave way to realization. "No, my connection to the Imaginary Space is disrupted. That bullet…"
With her teleportation blocked and her Honkai energy control hampered, Kiana's heart sank.
She tossed her coat out as a decoy.
Less than a tenth of a second later, a hole appeared in the fabric.
Worse, she hadn't heard a gunshot. The bullet, hidden in the snow, made pinpointing the sniper's location impossible.
The Staff of the Underworld's effects lingered. Though not causing direct damage, it disrupted Kiana's Gem of Serenity. Unable to heal, the injuries from her fight with the Herrscher of Ice worsened, compounded by the biting cold. Dizziness washed over her.
Her greatsword dissolved back into Flamescion, receding into her body. Like a leaf in the blizzard, she slowly collapsed.
As she fell, her gaze swept across Raven's hidden position.
"She's down already? Was she injured?" Watching through her scope, Raven frowned, remaining hidden, wary of a trap.
But as time ticked by, and the Staff of the Underworld's effects waned, Raven grew increasingly anxious.