Meera followed the cultists like a good little girl through the forest. She even passed them smiles when she caught them stealing glances at her. After all, there was no reason not to. They were buddies now, or so she let them think. If the Cult helped her get out of this infernal forest, she would let them think she was going to sleep with all of them in turn.

  Oh, my God, the witch is rubbing off on me.

  That was another person she would have to leave behind as she went off to Ealisto. They had been practically tied at the hip ever since she landed in Drurith. They had done much together, but now the end was in sight. Soon, they would have to go their own ways, but somehow, it made her sad. Their paths diverged here, but before that, they had to pull off one last trick together.

  She glanced at Kalrina, who walked casually, but their gaze met briefly, and she passed her a knowing smile. The world shook from the clash between the archdragon and the Sovereign. Even this far into the woods, the signs of their clash could be seen. There were pieces of broken branches, splintered trees, and worst of all, there were small animals, squirrels, rats, and even some monkeys who had simply dropped dead. Poor creature's hearts must've seized when the archdragon unleashed his mighty roars.

  Thankfully, they didn't have to walk far for Meera to realize why they were trekking in the woods and were not on the road back to Drurith. In front of them lay, hidden among a thicket of leaves, a Gateway Mirror.

  "Is that…" Kalrina stepped forward and squinted to get a better look. "A Gateway Mirror?"

  "Yes," Sidrian smiled. "That is the Gateway Mirror of Akhessai. We moved it here before the dragons attacked."

  Meera turned on the witch. "Wait, there was a Gateway Mirror to the Sorceresses of Akhessai, and you never told me?"

  "It should be obvious, love," Kalrina replied. "Of course, there would be a Gateway Mirror. Besides, even if I told you, you couldn't have traveled to this place as you haven't touched that mirror, and secondly, coming to this place wasn't our goal back then, remember? We were going to our senile Cosmarian friend."

  Meera nodded. "Okay, that makes sense, but why didn't you bring me to it when I asked you to take me to Drurith?"

  "Because the mirror was supposed to be right where we exited when we escaped. I figured my dear sisters had moved the mirror inside the dragon keep for safekeeping."

  "They didn't move it. We did," said a cultist to Sidrian's right. He was about twenty years old, with lots of freckles. "Had to kill that green-haired exploding bitch. Gods, she was an annoyance. Nearly cost me an eye."

  All emotion vanished from Kalrina's face. "Your name, young man?"

  "Ithon."

  "Tell me, Ithon, was it you that cut off her head?" Kalrina asked.

  "Aye."

  Kalrina turned to Meera. "He's mine."

  "Understood," Meera replied.

  Then, without looking back, her hand flashed toward the lad, and four mirror daggers launched toward him. Ithon didn't even have time to react as the two daggers got implanted in his shoulders and two in his palms. He screamed as he flew through the air and got staked to a tree.

  "C'mon witch," Meera groaned. "At least, give me a proper signal."

  "Sorry, couldn't help it."

  "What is the meaning of this?" Sidrian barked.

  "Well, you were going to betray us sooner or later, so we're doing to you what you were planning to do to us," Meera replied.

  Sidrian gritted his teeth. "You're going to regret that."

  "Doubtful."

  Meera activated Spectral Dominion, brought forth four shadow warriors, and did something she had only done in her training with Veridiana. She activated Shadow Coating and covered their Shadowsteel weapons with shadows, strengthening them further. She sent the shadow warriors to do what they did best—wreak havoc through the enemy's ranks.

  Mirrors blasted mirrors out of her armor, littering the area around her, giving her and the witch more than enough jump points for Mirror Step. She followed it up by activating Mirror Phantom, creating a dozen copies of herself, and the witch did the same.

  All copies of the witch looked at a different copy of Meera. "Great minds think alike, after all."

  Meera was about to use Dusk Veil and fill the area with shadows, but if she did that, the witch would be useless, so she held that off for now and went for the snake's head.

  She pulled off a level 2 chakram and chucked it at the Elder, hoping to cut off his head. He swayed to the side, and the chakram sailed on by harmlessly.

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  Sidrian snorted. "You're not very good at it."

  "Am I?" Using Mirror Wing, she turned the chakram around and would have cut off his head if not for one of his lackeys.

  "Elder, watch out!" A Cultist woman cried.

  He turned around, formed a thick layer of ice around his hands, and caught her chakram. The layer of ice traveled up his arms to engulf him fully in ice armor. He turned around, smirking.

  "A divine weapon, huh," he said, examining her chakram. "It is no wonder the Lady of Mirrors would give the Champion's sister such a weapon."

  "You're touching my weapon," Meera said. "The only time I let others touch my weapon is when I'm slicing them with it." She recalled her weapon, and it came flying back.

  She couldn't waste time with him as there were many of them to take care of, and her shadow warriors couldn't take care of them all while she played around with this Elder. Using Mirror Wing, she pulled off ten of them, and they hovered all around her.

  "Let me show you what they can really do."

  She roared, and her chakrams exploded outwards. They must've cut half a dozen cultists in half, and another half dozen lost their limbs. She recalled all her chakrams, and they flew through so many of her phantoms to the bewildered looks of the cultists.

  She gave Sidrian an evil grin. "That is what they can do, and I can do even more."

  She used Mirror Step and teleported away to the fall on the back of a woman who had lost her hand. She had frozen her stump but was wincing in pain still.

  "Allow me to ease your pain," Meera said as she cut off her head. "That's seven, witch."

  "Oh, we're keeping score, are we?" Kalrina and her phantoms grinned.

  "We are now, but I wonder if I should even bother since I'm so far ahead." One of Meera's phantoms replied, confusing the enemy.

  "There's plenty for the both of us," Kalrina's phantoms said. "May the best woman win."

  Meera sent a command to her shadow warriors to go into overdrive. Two of the shadow warriors were dueling ice sword-wielding cultists. Her shadow warriors' speed increased to manic levels as they hacked at their opponents without care for their own safety.

  One of the cultists was quite the swordsman. He kept up quite well with her shadow warrior, holding the sword in his right hand and shooting ice pellets and shards with his other. The shadow warrior faded with each attack. Some of the others cheered on this fellow.

  Time for you to go.

  She teleported behind and activated Nightstalker Bindings. Three dark chains shot out of her hand and ensnared him fully. One curled around his sword arm like a snake, another coiled around his legs, and the last around his neck. A red aura emanated from the chains as they began to drink his Health and transfer it to Meera. She didn't need any Health as it was full, but she couldn't stop this effect, and it would fill all those who watched with dread.

  "What are you doing to me?" He squealed.

  "Oh, I'm drinking your Health points," Meera replied. "Thanks for that. What's your name?"

  "Screw you."

  "Well, Screw you, last chance to say goodbye to your friends." Meera deliberately looked at Sidrian, whose expression was hard to read under his ice helmet.

  Neither Sidrian nor Screw you uttered a word. Meera nodded to her warrior, who cut off the cultist's head. There were more than a few gasps, which meant this person was important to them.

  "Mahon…" Sidrian's voice quivered as he beheld the headless body of his comrade. Not just him, but many of the cultists had stopped.

  "He must've been important to you," Meera said. "I'm sorry, but I must ask who else is important to you."

  "He was like a son to me, you bitch!" Sidrian seethed.

  "Uh oh," Kalrina said, shaking her head.

  Meera pulled off two level 2 chakrams. "It's time to cut off the head of the snake, after all."

  She had originally planned to sow enough chaos and leave her shadow warriors and phantoms to keep the cultists busy while she and the witch used the Gateway Mirror to slip to Drurith and from there to Ealisto, but now that plan would have to wait.

  Sidrian thrust both hands towards Meera and shot two ice spikes towards her that she didn't even have to dodge, as they embedded themselves in the ground on either side of her. Ice expanded outwards from them at an alarming rate and formed a cage that encased her in seconds.

  She used Mirror Step to escape. Sidrian, however, was not surprised and was ready. He shot ice balls the size of small boulders at her, but once again, she was too quick for him. She teleported across the battlefield, and to confuse him further, she had some of her phantoms run for him.

  His head turned from side to side, trying to discern who the real Meera was. When the phantoms were closing in, he punched the ground, and spikes smashed outwards from him. Several of his phantoms vanished as their mirror core was destroyed.

  Meera teleported behind him and punched him with her level 2 chakram. He flew forward into one of his spikes, and she also left her chakram embedded in his ice armor. She teleported before him using Mirror Step as he pushed himself off his spike.

  She extended a hand towards him. "Return."

  She saw him frown for just a moment before her chakram did its horrifying work. It spun like a buzzsaw, cutting through his armor in a second, and then the Elder screamed. But not for long. A couple of seconds later, her chakram ripped through him and lay in her hand, dripping blood and grime. Sidrian's lifeless body fell to the ground, leaking blood onto the icy ground in droves.

  "Oh my," Kalrina's closest phantom said. "Remind me never to call you the B word."

  The cultists' reaction was as expected. It was utter shock. Most stood mid-attack with mouths agape. Some looked at her with horror. Deep down, a part of her felt that too. But this was not the first time she had used this particular attack. As much as she hated to be their villain, they were hers. So, evil they would have to do to each other.

  "This is your last chance," Meera called out. "Run now, or this is the fate that awaits you."

  "I would take her offer if I were you," said a voice that sent a chill down Meera's back.

  Aksha stepped out of the wood, followed by another to her right, then another from the opposite side, and then another until they were surrounded by them. When Meera used Identify, she breathed a sigh of relief, for they were not the real Aksha but her daughters. Then, from behind the Gateway Mirror stepped out a final Aksha, who wore an acidic yellow dress in contrast to the others' green, purple, or violet dresses. There was only one Aksha who wore a yellow dress.

  Meera's hand shook as she used Identity on her.

  [Sorceress of Rebirth – Level ???]