Turning Chapter 832

Chapter 832

"Ever! Yuder!"

"We're here!"

Soon after, the Eldore siblings joined the fray.

“...Huh? Is it all over already?”

“Not yet, but it seems it will be soon.”

The ones who responded were not Yuder and Ever, but Sunz and Emon, who were busy collecting and isolating the fallen enemies from afar.

“Yuder seemed to struggle against the brainwashed non-Awakeners for a moment, but as soon as Deputy Commander Ever appeared, the tide turned in an instant. Once we take down the remaining ones, only the so-called sage will be left.”

"Oh..."

“Thank goodness... Ever did it.”

The siblings' faces, usually playful, brightened upon hearing this.

“Where's the Commander?”

“He was nearby a while ago... but moved further away when a southerner joined the enemies. After Deputy Commander Ever arrived, Mr. Gakane and Mr. Kurga joined him there.”

Sunz glanced vaguely behind the large temple building. The increasingly heavy sleet and grey clouds made the surroundings nearly as dark as night, complicating the assessment of their scattered allies.

Sunz, with his vision ability, could discern people behind the building, but others would find it difficult.

“That so. Then we'll go help Ever and Yuder first!"

“Thanks for the info!”

“Uh... Yeah, sure.”

Before Sunz finished, the two were already moving away, their footsteps thundering on the ground.

Sunz watched their retreating figures, then spoke.

“...It's all well, but why did they come in such a form? I forgot to ask.”

The Eldore siblings, unlike usual, had bulked up. This being their first close encounter in such a state, Sunz and Emon were deeply impressed, a testament to their time spent with the Cavalry.

“So what, they look well-suited for exerting strength. That must be an ability, too.”

As Emon spoke, he busily tied up a brainwashed enemy defeated by Ever.

“I heard those two have short-range teleportation abilities... If they have two abilities, that's really impressive. But isn't that large form too big, making it hard to dodge attacks? Is it safe for them to fight like that?"

“Hey, Captain Sunz? This isn't the time to worry about others. Our numbers are growing, but who knows when more suspicious characters will appear, and this sleet feels ominous. Let's not let our guard down and focus on our tasks.”

Sunz, still unaccustomed to his title, pursed his lips in shy annoyance.

“No need to tell me, I'm managing just fine. But what's this about the sleet feeling ominous? Is some Awakener manipulating the weather to cause this?”

That would be impossible even for Yuder Aile, renowned for manipulating natural elements at will. As Sunz said this, Emon looked up at the sky.

“No, just as I said, the feeling is increasingly unsettling. Sunz, have you ever seen such weather in the south?”

“Sleet is common, but if it's getting dark, isn't that just the weather now?”

“In my view, this is different from normal sleet. Usually in the southern winter, even if it's cold, it soon turns to rain... Look. This sleet is getting bigger and harder over time, instead of melting.”

Emon reached out and showed Sunz the sleet that had accumulated on his shoulder.

As he said, the sleet, which initially boasted a consistency somewhere between rain and snow, had now become so firm in texture when grasped, that it almost resembled hail.

Sunz, who had been busily darting about in his duties, was surprised to realize how the weather had changed without his notice.

“When did it become like this?"

“Until last night, the sky was relatively clear. I didn’t check thoroughly, but it didn’t seem like the kind of cloud formation that would produce something like this. The sudden onset of this weather is strange, and it’s only getting stronger.”

Frowning, Emon discarded the compressed sleet in his hand. Sunz gazed at his friend's darkened face in silence before gently replying.

“Hmm. You have a point. But even so, we can’t stop this weather, can we?”

"..."

“I get that you're not happy because this weather doesn’t suit your abilities, but calm down and focus on your tasks.”

“Damn, you noticed.”

Emon muttered lightly and looked up at the cloud-filled sky one last time.

“I wish this lousy weather that doesn’t even let a spark fly would clear up already…”

—

'It will be over soon.'

Yuder, watching Ever fiercely battling from behind, coldly assessed the struggling sage.

The sage's weapon was humans.

But without these weapons, he would be just another powerless human like other mental-type Awakeners.

Ever's new technique had been devastatingly effective against the sage's brainwashed minions. With Yuder focusing solely on rear support, their impact was amplified.

The sage, of course, didn’t just succumb easily. But those affected by Ever's technique could hardly move again, even if the sage poured more brainwashing into them.

This meant the sage's ability to relentlessly revive his minions, even if they were battered and worn, was now severely crippled.

Although there were stubborn brainwashed Awakeners who had much more stamina and ability compared to brainwashed non-Awakeners, his concern was alleviated with the recent arrival of the Eldore siblings.

“Here we go!”

“More persistent than leeches. Ever! Quick, hit this side!”

The bulked-up Eldore siblings appeared, brushing off physical attacks as if merely tickled. Their mere presence, threatening and attention-grabbing, was a great help to Ever, who was exhausted from repeatedly using her new techniques.

Initially, Yuder thought they might resent being told to just take hits and support Ever. But the siblings, surprisingly, followed his orders without complaint, probably feeling responsible for allowing Hosanna to escape. However, Yuder couldn't guess that far yet.

‘If Ever has grown this much, maybe those two could too.'

So, with the Eldore siblings drawing attention and fending off attacks, Yuder securing the rear, and Ever regaining her focus to accurately land her new techniques, their coordination was flawless.

It was hard to believe this was their first time combining their efforts in such a way.

And finally.

“Argh…ugh…”

Riding Yuder's wind, Ever leaped high into the air, spun around, and precisely hit the last remaining non-Awakener with her technique.

As if struck by lightning, the figure trembled violently before slowly collapsing onto the sleet-covered ground. The fall seemed to happen in slow motion.

“No... No! Get up! Get up, I say! Rise, quickly!”

Despite the sage's screams, no one attempted to rise again.

The Eldore siblings and Ever slowly approached him.

“So, it’s just you left now?”

“Do you know how long we’ve waited for this day?”

“We're acquainted, aren't we?"

All three, especially Ever, were greatly drained of energy. Yet, her mind, unlike her body, was still caught in a state of extreme focus and excitement, oblivious to her exhaustion.

She couldn’t remember how long she had waited for this day.

To prepare a technique to confront the sage when they met again, she had secretly relied a lot on the Eldore siblings and other allies.

There had been doubts about how useful this technique would be.

But when the time came, her efforts did not betray her, yielding far greater results than expected.

This was possible because of the support from her comrades who allowed Ever to use her abilities to the fullest, and most importantly, because of Yuder. He could have cleared this place alone if he wanted, but Yuder chose to step back and thoroughly support her. This alignment with Yuder's wishes felt like an immense recognition to Ever.

For the first time since becoming an Awakener, Ever fought to her limits, her hands and feet trembling with fatigue, yet her mind became clearer and more serene.

It was like embracing something new and unknown, yet always present within her.

A sense of unrestrained joy enveloped her.

“Do not come any closer.”

As they approached, the sage retreated, shaking his head. His condition looked even more strained than Ever's. Limping, yet still desperately looking for an escape, he reminded her of their encounter in the capital, yet starkly different.

“If you come any closer, I will have no choice but to use my powers in self-defense. No, I will use them. I will proclaim to the world that the Cavalry and Nahan attacked me and innocent people first. Soon, those who will rescue me will come...!"

“Who will?”

The one who asked, Yuder, had not moved towards the sage but remained still where he stood.

“Who’s coming to save you?”

"...Well......!"

The Sage, his beard trembling as he tried to continue, suddenly hesitated.

The young Awakeners who had been loyal enough to follow him to the capital.

The three bases he had diligently expanded and filled with the Star of Nagran’s Awakeners.

Nahan, unsettling but always exceptional in ability.

And even Diemon, who had last expressed a wish to help the sage.

None of them were by his side anymore.

He only then fully realized that those who had always been by his side for years were now gone.