Reincarnated in the Astral World

"SHHHHIT!!!" Marcus shouts, attempting to punch Eliza's smiling face, but his fist is blocked once again by the magical barrier.

Blood drips from his knuckles onto the barrier, while green acid from the lizard's attack sizzles on the other side. Inside, Tobias helps Preston with the wound on his leg while Eliza taunts Marcus with a smile. "It's no use, fool. This barrier was made by someone whose power far surpasses anything we can comprehend."

Marcus signals his lizard to stop attacking and takes a step back. "It doesn't matter. I just need to wait until its mana runs out while my men convince Arthur to join us. Then we can resume from where we left off."

Eliza frowns slightly, her eyes wandering toward the distant shadows of the forest. Instead of letting her concern cloud her mind, she refocuses on Marcus.

"Do you really think his mother will let you hurt her little boy?" Eliza shakes her head and begins to laugh. "She'll rip your bones out and feed them to that filthy lizard of yours…"

Marcus's lips tremble, and he bites down on them while clenching his fists. "The Whittlees are the real enemies here. Arthur already has ties to our family, and…" He sneers at Preston, "Your brother there hates Arthur more than anyone. You're destined to be enemies."

Eliza glances at Preston, who returns her look with resentment and jealousy. But she remains unfazed. "You won't sow discord between us. I won't allow it."

"Oh?" Marcus grins maliciously. "You've already fallen for the boy, haven't you? Or maybe it's his mother you're obsessed with. A Master Mage who could make a weakling like you wet as a bitch…"

"YOU!!" Eliza points her scepter at Marcus, but she has no control over the barrier and is forced to restrain her desire to attack.

Marcus's grin turns more sinister, his words dripping with venom. "You can't hide your desire to be her apprentice. And, of course, having Arthur screw you while you learn from her is just a bonus, right? You'd even turn against your family for it… That's the Whittlee way, isn't it?"

"Bastard!!!" Tobias yells at Marcus, his eyes red with fury. "You'll get what's coming to you! Our father won't let this go unpunished!!"

"Your father? Hahahaha!!" Marcus bursts into laughter, joined by his men. "He didn't even bother to come personally to bury that idiot son of his… He doesn't care about you lot—failures."

"..." Eliza remains silent, unable to refute Marcus's taunt. She knows, as do her brothers, that Emilio wasn't a good son, but he was still a Whittlee. Their father didn't leave his business in the capital to bury his own son or seek justice for his death.

Now, the siblings are left with a bitter taste in their mouths, realizing that their current situation is the result of their arrogance in believing no one could pose a threat to them in a place like Lakeview.

As silence fills the air, it's suddenly shattered by a loud scream, "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

The agonizing cry echoes from the forest's darkness, drawing everyone's attention. The voice is clearly not Arthur's deep and seductive tone, causing Eliza's lips to curve into a hopeful smile while Marcus grips his crossbow tightly.

"He's coming back for me," Eliza says, a bright gleam in her eyes. "You're running out of men, Marcus. You're finished."

"He can't—" Marcus begins, but then he notices something shocking: cracks are forming on the previously flawless surface of the barrier surrounding the Whittlee siblings, even though it isn't being attacked.

Eliza is the most shocked of all, understanding how such barriers work. "That's impossible…" She touches the barrier from inside and feels the incredibly powerful energy dissolving into the air.

Eliza immediately scans her surroundings, especially the sky, but sees nothing. *'Is it her? But why?'* she wonders, her mind racing.

"Prepare yourselves, men!" Marcus wastes no time questioning the reason for the barrier's collapse; his focus is solely on his targets—the three siblings, now vulnerable and surrounded by his mercenaries.

The mercenaries grip their weapons tightly, and the remaining mages in Marcus's group begin chanting spells. Marcus readies a black dart, asking his lizard to spit venom onto its tip before pointing it directly at Eliza.

"You two, get ready!" Eliza orders her brothers, who shakily prepare their swords. They are exhausted and injured from battling Marcus's forces, but she tries to give them hope. "We just need to hold on until Arthur comes back."

"The boy can't save us! He can't even save himself…" Preston mutters, his voice full of resentment and envy.

"We'll hope for the best and resist!" Tobias tries to remain optimistic, following his sister's lead.

"Mm," Eliza nods and turns her attention back to Marcus, chanting her own spell as the barrier continues to break apart, piece by piece.

The brothers huddle around her, with their Astral Beasts—large gray birds—forming the first line of defense.

The air grows thick with tension, all eyes on the barrier. The moment the majority of it dissipates into the air, Marcus gives the signal, "NOW!!!" At his command, the mercenaries unleash a barrage of arrows and magic upon the Whittlee siblings, with the lizard's attack being the most ferocious.

"Hold on!!" Eliza quickly casts an ice barrier to shield her group, but it only lasts a few seconds before crumbling under the relentless assault.

The gray birds valiantly try to defend their masters, but their bodies are pierced by arrows and the lizard's corrosive acid. With their defeat, they are forced back into their Nexus.

The only advantage the siblings have is that Marcus's Champions are still pursuing Arthur, leaving them to face only the Elite Warriors. But even these are enough to overwhelm the weary Whittlee siblings, while Marcus easily wounds them with his venom-tipped darts.

Tobias is the first to fall, his body succumbing to multiple injuries and the venom coursing through his veins. Preston collapses to his knees soon after, managing to kill several mercenaries who got too close before he is overwhelmed.

"I won't—" Eliza tries to continue the fight, but she, too, is gravely injured. When she sees Preston fall, Marcus shoots an arrow that scratches her face, leaving a shallow cut.

"You—" She attempts to cast a spell at Marcus, but he swiftly closes the distance between them and grabs Eliza by the throat. Her scepter clatters to the ground, leaving her completely defenseless.

"It's over," Marcus says in a harsh tone, tightening his grip on her neck. His eyes, however, reveal a mix of doubt and malice.

"Boss…" The eerie silence among the mercenaries is broken by a female voice from the shadows. All eyes turn to see a small, hooded figure staggering forward.

"Nimerina???" One of Marcus's men recognizes her by her clothing and rushes toward her, but she appears gravely wounded and collapses to her knees, blood dripping from her mouth.

"I'll help you!" the man says, grabbing her hand and pulling a potion from his pocket, trying to administer it. But the woman pushes his hand away, struggling to lift her head toward Marcus.

"Boss, the boy… he went to…" She attempts to speak but begins coughing up blood.

"Where? Where did he go?" Marcus releases Eliza and quickly moves toward the woman, signaling his men to back off. "Let her speak!"

"He… is…" The woman allows Marcus to lift her face, but the moment he looks into her eyes, something stirs deep within his heart.

Those two glowing yellow pearls, with an intense and mesmerizing radiance, draw any man into a hypnotic trance. "What…" Marcus, despite his experience and sharp mind, cannot resist the allure of those eyes so close to him. "...are you?"

The woman—Nyx, of course—remains silent. But her distraction creates the perfect moment for Arthur to strike from the shadows with extreme speed.

*Whoosh*

Marcus barely registers the sound of the air being sliced behind him. He attempts to react, but Arthur is too fast, his sword descending on Master Drummond, the blade glowing with his dark, deadly intent.

*Bam*

The power behind Arthur's strike, infused with sword intent, is strong enough to cleave even a mighty Champion in two. But something happens before the blow lands—Arthur's blade meets an incredible surge of energy.

*FLASH-BOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

A dark green energy erupts from Marcus's body, detonating with an immense wave of magical destruction that sends everyone and everything around him flying.

"DAMN!!" Arthur is hurled back dozens of meters, crashing into several trees, while Nyx's body is obliterated by the force, forcing her to retreat into his Nexus.

Many of Marcus's men, caught in the explosion's radius, are killed instantly, their bodies reduced to pools of blood and bone dust.

Tobias and Preston survive thanks to their Champion rank resilience, though barely. But even a mage like Eliza would not be able to withstand such an explosion.

Yet, a small, translucent barrier appears before her, shielding her from harm and preventing even a strand of her hair from being touched by the destructive force.

Meanwhile, in the center of the explosion, Marcus stands with a furious expression. "It was a gift from my mother… And now, I'll have to punish you for this… ARTHUR!!!" he roars, his voice dripping with rage.