Infinite Classes in the Apocalypse

Chapter 185: Return Back to the Phoenix Territory

"You..." Yoru’s voice broke the silence of the room. "What have you done?"

Damon didn’t respond.

Instead, his gaze looked around the familiar chamber, then looked somewhere far beyond the open view of the balcony.

He remained silent for a long, unnerving moment before he finally spoke.

"Let’s go," he said, neither replying to Yoru’s question nor specifying where exactly he wanted to go.

Yoru lingered for a moment, the frown eased, though it still remained on her face. "You did it? You found out how to break the bond?"

Damon turned to face her for the first time since his return. There was a coldness in his gaze which made Yoru’s skin crawl.

In truth, he did not come up with an exact plan for how to break the bond. But with how fast his mind processed information right now, and after not only evolving an ability which previously looked impossible to modify but also creating a brand new class in a being that wasn’t him, he found the matter rather simple.

"That’s right," he replied, his tone even. "The bond will not be a problem."

Yoru’s gaze widened slightly.

She searched his face for hesitation, for a hint of doubt, but all she saw was an expression of someone who had already concluded the matter.

Not finding any reason to doubt that confidence, Yoru slowly rose to her feet. Her gaze remained on Damon in a way it did on threats rather than allies.

"You should be thankful," she said, trying to break the tension. "The three days had passed hours ago, but I thought to be generous."

"Thank you," Damon replied without turning, already moving toward the exit.

Unlike last time when Yoru had to lead the way, this time Damon walked in front.

Yoru didn’t question it, nor did she comment on his sudden change of behaviour.

Instead, she kept her gaze on him the entire time, her mind spiralling at what he could’ve done in such a short time to change his entire presence to that extent.

Nothing in his expression changed as the Dragon Clan territory gave way to the territory of the Phoenix Clan.

His gaze swept the desolate space as he walked. He took turns he had no reason to know, moved without hesitation toward a destination he had never been shown before.

Soon enough, the Phoenix Clan estate came into view.

It was large, sitting in size-wise somewhere between the Kitsune Clan estate and just a hint smaller than the towering buildings of the Dragon Clan.

Just like the territory around it, the estate looked desolate from a distance, which Damon immediately noted and Yoru caught.

"The war hadn’t gone well for them," she began to explain. "In truth, if it wasn’t for the resurrection technique, the Phoenix Clan would’ve been wiped out long before the war even began."

Damon nodded.

He had seen firsthand how prideful the Phoenix Clan leader was. There was no way she would’ve chosen a human as her champion if there was any other option. No matter how talented Ivy was.

Suddenly, Yoru came to a sudden halt.

"There is no point going any further," she said. "Phoenixes... just like foxes have keen senses. She most definitely had taken notice of us. She will be here shortly."

Just as she finished saying it, a voice called to them from their right.

"I don’t remember inviting any guests. Especially not the ones that stink like dragons."

Damon turned to see the Phoenix Clan Leader standing with her usual calm, her lips curved with faint amusement.

His gaze, however, only brushed past her as he looked further beyond where she was standing.

"Oh? Looking for your human friend? I’m sorry to say, but she is long gone."

Damon frowned.

Not only because of her words, but because of the lack of human presence.

According to his mana sense, which was superior to any of his other instincts, there was one more presence in the estate, and it was almost identical to the Phoenix Clan Leader before him.

"You’ll die today, Tsukiko," Yoru said.

"You sound as though death is such a bad thing. Sometimes I die simply to remember the feeling."

Suddenly, Damon’s gaze locked back onto Tsukiko. "You won’t be coming back this time."

The certainty and the coldness in his voice caught the Phoenix Clan Leader off guard.

"Is that so?" she asked with a forced composure. "And how do you plan to do that?"

Damon held her gaze for a moment longer before his gaze shifted toward the figure approaching from behind Tsukiko.

"It’s simple, really..." he said, his eyes locked onto Ivy. "We’re going to take away your champion."

She looked different.

Her crimson hair had shifted to a deep, burning orange, as though it were alive. Leaving fiery embers in its path that drifted slowly through the still air. Her eyes also seemed different now, burning with a newfound fire and distance that wasn’t there before.

"Oh, you poor thing..." Tsukiko suddenly murmured, just as Ivy arrived at her side. The phoenix clan leader brushed Ivy’s hair as though she were a pet rather than an independent being. "She doesn’t want to be taken away," she said, staring straight into Damon’s eyes, before turning to Ivy. "Do you, dear?"

Ivy said nothing.

Her gaze settled on Damon with the same distant burning that had replaced whatever expression she used to carry. There was no recognition or hesitation in her eyes. Just the quiet certainty of someone who had already decided, or rather, had already been decided for.

Tsukiko smiled at the silence,

"You see?" she said, turning back to Damon. "She’s happy where she is."

Damon looked at Ivy for a long moment.

He had seen that look before. Not on her, but somewhere deep in his memories, and he recognised immediately what it meant. Something had been done to her. Something that could most certainly be undone.

"Let’s find out," he said.