Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 645: Proxy

Chapter 645: Proxy

Elena was driven solely by the instinct to fix her mistakes and free Arwen of the entity seeking to usurp her place in reality.

For that reason, she was willing to go the extra mile, even if it meant igniting her very essence, drawing upon a power that brought her close to the threshold of a proxy.

Of course, she didn’t know what a proxy actually meant and only did it intending to grow her capabilities in a short period.

Only with Arwen, or rather, Riona’s hints did she understand what it meant to be a proxy.

It was similar to the concept of an Apostle.

Just as deities created Apostles, people that would serve as the deity’s mouthpiece, it was possible for a person to become a conduit of power for a Branch.

Because the Branches of the Absolute One appeared to be the apex of supernatural capabilities, common sense dictated that what one would be capable of as a proxy would be more significant than one who took on the role of an Apostle.

But just as Compatibility, as well as Authority, Source, and Skills, played a combat role, Experience was also an important factor in determining if one would emerge victorious in combat.

Hence, the reason why even as Elena had a subtle advantage in Compatibility, Arwen, or rather, Riona, trumped her completely in Experience.

She didn’t even get a chance to fight back as Riona completely engulfed the battlefield in green flames, causing a devastating explosion that fractured space and caused the Wailing Peaks, a mountain that had persisted for thousands of years, to show signs of collapse.

By the time the flames died down, a third of the Wailing Peaks was gone, leaving behind a gaping reminder that even as she was currently subdued, Arwen had the power to cause devastation to a terrifying degree.

Meanwhile, Elena barely managed to survive the destruction; the golden glow she once had gone in as quick a fashion as it appeared, leaving her weakened and defenseless.

Her breathing was heavy; Elena watched as Arwen approached, her form shifting from the terrifying skeletal figure to her familiar human form.

"Quite unfortunate." Arwen intoned softly. "I expected more."

"... You have to fight it, Arwen. Don’t let it take control." Elena muttered, hopeful that her words would reach Arwen.

Unfortunately, it didn’t as Arwen’s lips curled into a twisted smile as she leaned in and grabbed her by the throat.

"As much as I’d like to kill you, your current state makes it that you cannot die... of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t be erased. I do wonder how you persist with only Soma and Avatar. Tell me, do you consider yourself human?"

"Arwen, please." Elena pleaded, with Arwen chuckling.

"Don’t waste your breath, she won’t be able to do anything."

"That’s a lie," Elena remarked. "I know Arwen, she won’t give up so easily."

"And who said she gave up?... No, my dear, I subdued her without mercy. She is nothing but my prisoner now."

"... You won’t win."

Riona scoffed as she shoved her back into the ground before turning her back to her.

"You are too unique a specimen to be destroyed. As the end draws near, it’s only right that I seek ways to increase my power. With your capabilities, I and the Dark Lord won’t just be limited to Eventide."

Turning to face Elena, she intoned in a slightly crazed manner. "We would be able to erase death from all dimensions. Truly a dream come true."

"You are insane."

"No," Arwen said. "I am merely a visionary. Now then, rest, for now; your services will be called upon soon enough."

Elena tried to act, to at least make an escape, but in her current state, she was drained, and it felt like something was stopping her from regenerating her strength.

Hence, the reason she was powerless to stop what came next as several skeletal hands emerged from the ground and grabbed hold of her until every part of her body was covered, and then, she was pulled into the ground.

Satisfied with this, Arwen made her way back into the Wailing Peaks with an added skip to her step.

***

The terrifying clash between Arwen and Elena resulted in the death of several banshee who were too slow to react to the collapse of a third of the Wailing Peaks.

And so, the banshees mourned, singing deathly songs while taking the bodies of the dead to be melted in the river of tar that flowed in a circle around the mountain.

Their songs seemed to echo in the aether, after which, for a brief period... There was silence.

***

"What happened?" Alex asked as Arwen came to visit.

"I met with an old friend and we fought." Arwen calmly replied.

"An old friend?"

"Indeed, you should know her."

Alex furrowed his brows. "Arwen..."

"Don’t worry, I didn’t kill her. She’s too valuable to die."

"What did you do?"

"I sealed her away."

"... You did what?"

Arwen smiled. "I’m not here to talk about that, dear husband."

"Then why are you here?"

"To tell you that the ritual is slated to be held tomorrow. With the Silent Curtain, we will become arbiters of death, creating a world free from its clutches."

"I see," Alex muttered, taking the time to scrutinize Arwen before he entered. "I’ve been thinking..."

"About?"

"... Have you considered the possibility that what you plan to do would destroy the balance of this world?" Alex asked, before waiting patiently for Arwen to respond.

As it was, Alex, after a bit of introspection, understood that the concept of balance was important to the framework of what made up Eventide.

And since life as well as death were meant to be a pair of balanced concepts where one cannot exist without the other, what, dare he ask, would happen should one be destroyed and the other left alone?

Arwen stayed silent, causing Alex to wonder if she already knew the answer or if she was thinking about his question.

In any case, he had a feeling that something was not right with Riona’s seemingly grand scheme to eradicate death.