Chapter 190: Path Of No Return
"No..." Queen Eli murmured, her smile gone in an instant.
"What is he doing?" Victoria asked breathlessly.
Outside, the snowstorm seemed to pause. Even the wind was listening.
Frown stepped forward, his massive frame casting a long shadow over the two girls.
He raised his arms mockingly, loud enough that even the mountains echoed with his voice.
"Enough games."
"You see these two?" he gestured lazily to the bound girls. "We found them wandering the forests. Of course, this was before my army came. You will be surprised how capable scouts can be if you know how to use them right. But don’t worry. I took good care of them. Fed them. Let them cry. I even let one threaten me all she want..." His eyes gave a weird confidence, "You know, just to let her burn some steam."
A silence heavier than steel followed.
Frown’s voice deepened as he chuckled behind the frowning white mask.
"Bring down the array... or they die."
"That’s it. Simple."
He tilted his head, gazing toward the cave as if Queen Eli herself stood just in front of him.
"Got you now, don’t I?"
The two girls began to squirm, sensing what was coming. One whimpered. The other shook her head violently, her tail lashing weakly against the snow.
Inside the cave, hearts cracked like glass.
Shade hissed in fury. "How... How did they?" She was speechless for words. She had warned the children nkt to leave the cave at such a time as when Eros left. However, they was bound to be disobedient children in the cave.
Victoria gritted her teeth, her hands hovering over the array crystal. "I—I can’t drop it. I won’t. But..."
Queen Eli said nothing for a long time. Her hands were clenched so tightly her nails bit into her palm. Her breath was slow, but uneven.
"He’s not playing anymore," she said softly.
"He knows this array won’t fall by force. So now... he’s switching to sacrifice."
Victoria stared at her. "What do we do?"
The sound of crackling soul energy began to build outside.
Frown had raised a hand again—this time not for soldiers.
But for executioners.
However, all eyes were turned to one person. Even Penny and Caren looked at her.
Queen Eli knew it. All eyes were on her. She was queen here. This was her choice to make.
Sacrifice the two naga girls outside or bring down the array for the soldiers to invade the home.
It was not hot, but she could feel cold sweat run down her spine.
This situation was not as easy as anyone thought it was.
The only other person that understood her was probably Shade, who was Princess.
The reason was because the two outside were not medusas.
The Nagas and Medusas were not always friends, and it was only because of Eros that their old hated relationship had been mended.
Even now, they were still those that harboured malicious intent within the United society.
Where Eros had done a good job of eliminating a great potion of it, this Enmity had been going on for a long time. It woukd take some time to truly mend that crack.
Besides, as a sign of trust, Amanda had left the Nagas in her hands. If she messed up here, their relationship would only become strained more, or even collapse again.
However sacrificing two lives for the sake of the many in the cave was just stupid.
But if she did not do it, the nagas under her command might rebel.
In her experience as Queen, she had come to understand that people never thought logically, but rather emotionally.
No one saw the big picture but her. Heavy is the head that wore the crown.
The tension was suffocating.
The light from the array’s core shimmered faintly around Victoria as she stood at its heart, her fingers frozen above the control glyphs as her eyes remained focused on Queen Eli.
Queen Eli stood beside her, silent and unreadable. The fate of the two captured girls—and perhaps the entire mountain stronghold—rested in the next breath.
Then, heavy footsteps echoed behind them.
Caren stepped forward.
She was clad in her signature black leather and soul energy enchanted steel armor, polished despite the chaos. Her long dark hair was tied back into a tight braid, and her wide broadsword hung at her hip like a promise of violence.
She stopped just in front of the Queen, pulling her gloves tighter with crisp precision. And then—voice sharp and ringing like a bell—she said:
"Do it."
The cave fell deathly silent again.
Even the spirit crystals holding up the array seemed to flicker in surprise.
Victoria blinked. "What...?"
"Do it," Caren repeated firmly, eyes piercing into Victoria. "Open the path. Save those girls."
Victoria stammered, "Wait—do you realize what you’re saying? If we bring down the array—if even a portion of it falls—those soldiers will rush in. We might save the girls... but everyone else in here could—"
"I don’t care," Caren interrupted coldly. "I don’t know why you hesitate."
She turned slightly now, addressing the Queen directly.
"They are your people, aren’t they?"
Queen Eli nodded slowly, almost ashamed.
Caren’s voice softened, but only slightly.
"If it were Eros–my husband–in here... he would tear this whole mountain down to rescue two children."
"He wouldn’t care about the array. He wouldn’t ask permission. He would go."
The words slammed into the hearts of all who listened.
From the side, Penny, Eros’s granddaughter, bit her lip—then stood up beside Caren.
"She’s right," Penny whispered. "Granddad wouldn’t let them die. Even if it meant charging into death itself."
From behind her, Shade stood next, her voice hissing with righteous fury.
"If we let this happen... we’re no better than them."
One by one, the women around them rose in agreement.
Medusas. Nagas. Warriors. Mothers. Sisters.
Victoria groaned, dragging a palm across her face.
"This is idiotic," she muttered. "Suicidal. Reckless. Romantic."
She sighed again.
"Fine."
And then finally—Queen Eli smiled.
"Good," she said warmly, yet with a bite of danger beneath. "We’ll save them. But if we’re going to do this..."
She turned and tapped one of the walls near her, revealing a secret panel.
"...we’re going to do it right."
The wall slid aside, and a glowing blueprint of the mountain lit up in red.
"Luckily, I planned for the day Eros’s insanity rubbed off on me. Let’s win this. I’ve got a back-up plan."
———
Outside the Mountain
Snowflakes drifted slowly in the cold breeze.
Frown, hands behind his back, was watching the two bound naga girls squirm in the snow, ready to give the signal.
He raised a hand—
But then he paused.
The array shimmered.
A single line of light, no wider than a doorframe, peeled open along the mountainside like a glowing wound. Mist poured from it. Magic surged from deep inside.
A path.
Not just any path.
His eyes narrowed behind the white, downturned mask.
He could see it clearly—a straight corridor leading into the very center of the mountain, to the beating heart of the array.
The Red Anchor Stone of Destruction.
Frown’s lips curled beneath his mask.
"Heh..."
"Well now. This... changes everything."