Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

In a hidden chamber deep within the Ancient Beast Mountain Range, Cyrus and Dorian sat, separated by a table covered with maps and documents.

Cyrus explained the situation, detailing Sue Ming's actions and how she had used the Toxic Blade Sect's poison against Mira and the Battle Maiden Sect. He also went on to explain a little about Mira, her exploits, her known powers, and so on.

Lastly, he described how Aelina had declared war on the Crimson Slayer Sect and that he had just lost the first battle, despite using their poison.

Dorian's expression shifted from disbelief to deep contemplation.

'That Sue Ming bitch really had to go and muddy the waters.' Dorian grumbled.

He obviously knew much of this information, but most came in reportsâ€"he lacked any personal connection to the stories. Not to mention, Mira and the Battle Maiden Sect had nothing to do with him.

If they wanted to tear down the Crimson Slayer Sect, he would find it a pity that he had just lost a customer but wouldn't think much of it, instead going back to his research.

Now, however, with someone close to Mira getting poisoned and knowing more about the girl, her talents, and her personality, he could discern that he would soon get dragged into this mess despite not getting involved.

'Haaa... Then, there's Aelina.' Dorian inwardly sighed.

He didn't even know where to begin with Aelina. Like the Battle Maiden Sect, he and the Toxic Blade Sect generally kept to themselves.

Thus, he didn't interact much with the woman, but from the stories he had heard, she was a highly intelligent woman who cared about her Sect.

'I doubt she'll let me go knowing that the poisons my Sect makes could affect the scale of the war.' At least, that was the intelligent thing to do.

As the saying goes, "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know."

By dragging him and his Sect into the spotlight, she can better prepare for the future while considering all "unknown" variables.

After taking everything in, Dorian sighed, "Alright, Cyrus, what do you propose?"

Cyrus leaned forward, a wicked smile on his face. "We form an alliance and use the strengths of our sects to set Aelina and Sue Ming against each other."

Dorian motioned for Cyrus to continue, "And? How would we do that? Those two aren't exactly people we can manipulate just because we want to."

"First off, we need to direct Aelina's attention away from us and onto Sue Ming while directing Sue Ming's attention away from Mira and onto the Battle Maiden Sect as a whole," Cyrus explained.

While what he said was indeed correct, it didn't mean shit if there wasn't a plan.

"Get to the point, old man. How are we supposed to direct Aelina's attention away from us?"

Cyrus' smile widened as he explained, "I know Sue Ming doesn't care about us, or anyone in this world for that matter. But what about her subordinates? What if... something were to happen to one of them? With her 'overbearing' personality, what do you think she would do should something like that happen?"

"..."

Dorian fell silent for a moment, mulling over the implications of his words, and then his eyes suddenly widened with realization. As his gaze locked onto Cyrus', he no longer saw an elderly man but rather a shrewd puppet master, skillfully manipulating events from the shadows.

"...You cunning bastard. You're playing a dangerous game, you know? If something does wrong..." Dorian trailed off there at the end, but Cyrus knew what he wanted to say.

Cyrus chuckled, shaking his head with a smile, "It's a matter of survival, my friend. If I don't do this, I lose everything, but if I do... Well, the sky is the limit, or so they say."

Dorian considered Cyrus' words for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I'll form an alliance with you. But I have certain conditions that you must agree to."

Cyrus waved his hand dismissively, "Name your terms, and we'll work something out."

***

Meanwhile, Mira, feeling the newfound strength coursing through her veins, walked through the Sect to find Rhydian, with Seraphina following close behind her.

Nova and the others quickly discovered Mira and were shocked that she was perfectly fine. They all knew how terrible poisons can be to treat, especially unknown ones.

Yet, Mira only needed a few hours to recover?! What kind of nonsense was that?!

They all sent a glance toward Seraphina, wondering if maybe she had a breakthrough in her healing techniques, but the woman just shook her head and sent them a Sound Transmission via Soul Sense.

'It wasn't me. I'll tell you about what happened later.'

The group exchanged puzzled looks but decided to leave it for now since Mira recovering so quickly was a good thing.

"Mira! I'm glad to see you're okay!" Nova exclaimed, walking over to her and patting her on the shoulder.

"Thank you for saving us back there. If we were caught in that poison, we might've joined the other corpses on the battlefield." Nova smiled and said sincerely. She hoped that she got her intentions across as she was truly thankful to Mira for saving their lives.

"That's right!" Eden chimed in, "I know that you must've experienced hell, enduring that poison, but I'm glad that you and everyone else were able to live. I'd hate to see my sisters die by such underhanded means."

"If you need anything, Mira, just let me know. I won't hesitate to drop everything and help you," Everly said, wanting to convey her gratitude through actions instead of words.

Rayna just nodded, her expression remaining neutral, but Mira could see she felt the same as Nova and Everly.

Mira felt a bit awkward receiving their thanks, as it was usually the opposite. Hardly a day went by when someone wasn't cursing at her for being a demon spawn or a monster who only knew how to cause death and destruction.

Unsure of how to respond, she merely nodded and said, "...If I need anything, I'll call for you."

The others could only smile wryly at her behavior, but they were used to it by now.

"Ahem!" Nova cleared her throat, wanting to change the subject, "Everything's moving along smoothly here. The disciples are taking care of all the corpses, and Elder Leona is bottling up the poison for us to study."

"Since you've recovered, we can head back to the main Sect soon and hand over our report and the recording to Sect Master Aelina. I'm sure she'll handle everything from there."

Mira was surprised to hear that. "So soon? Don't you think they might attack again, thinking we're exhausted?" She said.

However, Nova shook her head.

"They might, but our job is over. We dominated the first battle and obtained a recording of our victory. That was all we came here to do. Now, it's time for us to leave."

"Though, if the Sect Master tells us to come back and defend this branch Sect, then we will do so."

Mira nodded, accepting that explanation; it's not like she planned to stay here anyways.

"Alright, let's get to work," Mira announced.

The next hour was filled with focused activity as the members of the Battle Maiden Sect diligently cleaned up the battlefield and collected all the leftover resources. They worked together seamlessly, their camaraderie evident in the way they communicated and supported each other.

Once everything was in order, they began preparing to return to the main Sect.

As they were about to depart, Elder Leona approached them, her robes fluttering in the wind. She held a few vials of the deadly poison and handed them to Nova, who was already seated on Rhydian's back.

"Please, deliver these to Sect Master Aelina. I hope she and the other Elders can develop an antidote before the next attack," Leona implored, her voice tinged with worry.

Nova's eyes narrowed as she studied the vials, their contents an ominous reminder of the death she almost faced. With a firm nod, she stored them safely away and replied, "I will make sure your message reaches the Sect Master."

Leona seemed relieved and offered a grateful smile. Rhydian, sensing that it was time to leave, began to flap her wings, stirring up a gust of wind around them. Before they took off, however, Leona addressed the girls one last time.

"Thank you all for your assistance. Without your help, many of my disciples would have perished in today's battle. On behalf of everyone, I offer my deepest gratitude." With that, she gave them a respectful bow.

Nova waved away the formality with a warm smile. "There's no need for that, Elder Leona. We were simply doing our duty. If you wish to express your thanks, please direct it towards Sect Master Aelina, for she sent us here in the first place."

Leona nodded, her eyes filled with appreciation. "I will make sure to do so the next time we meet."

With their farewells exchanged, Rhydian lifted off into the sky, her powerful wings carrying Mira, Nova, and the rest of the team. The wind whipped around them, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment as they left the battlefield behind. The branch Sect grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared entirely from view.