Chapter 143: An inescapable fate

They had delayed too long above.

By the time Peleti jumped, Bruce and Elisa had already shrunk to tiny black dots in her vision—visible, yet weighing on her like a mountain.

She stepped against the cliff wall and kicked off hard, accelerating her fall.

Suddenly—

A broken sword grazed past her cheek, leaving behind a streak of bright red blood.

Without a doubt, it was Bruce’s blade.

Peleti’s mind raced frantically.

Falling from such height, the only way she could think of to land safely… was to add resistance during the descent.

But they were falling too fast.

She had to slow Bruce down first.

Bruce’s figure grew larger in her vision. One arm held Elisa tightly, while the other tried to grasp the cliff face.

Too fast—

The moment his hand touched the rock, it was torn open by the violent friction, flesh ripping apart.

“Bruce! Grab my hand!”

She screamed with everything she had—but her voice was shredded by the raging wind, even she couldn’t hear herself clearly, let alone Bruce ahead of her.

The wind howled louder and louder. The ground below was already clearly visible—

Even the buffalo roaming the wasteland could be seen, their bell-sized eyes staring indifferently at the figures falling from the sky.

Peleti gritted her teeth hard enough to crack.

“…Tch.”

If shouting didn’t work—then brute force it was.

With a flick of her wrist, dark-golden chains appeared out of thin air, shooting forward like venomous snakes, wrapping precisely around Bruce’s arm.

Bruce’s body jolted. He looked up sharply—his gaze locking with hers through the chaotic airflow.

In that instant—

He understood.

As if they had fought side by side for years.

Without hesitation, Bruce wrapped the chain around his wrist three times, letting it dig into his flesh. He held Elisa even tighter, then nodded firmly at Peleti.

A cold glint flashed in Peleti’s eyes.

She gathered all her light-element power and condensed a massive greatsword taller than herself. The hilt locked tightly with the chain.

With a low shout—

She drove the blade into the cliff wall.

The hard rock split open with a vicious crack, debris raining down.

The chain yanked Bruce’s arm violently. Agonizing pain spread through his bones to every part of his body—

Yet instead of crying out, he let out an excited roar.

“It’s slowing down!”

But before he could celebrate—

Crack—!

His arm—

Snapped.

Did the plan fail?

No.

It worked.

Peleti had achieved her goal—Bruce’s falling speed was now less than half of what it had been before.

That was enough.

More than enough.

Peleti cast another spell. Dozens of light barriers appeared along Bruce’s descent path.

Each barrier was weak—easily shattered upon impact.

But that was precisely why she created so many.

One barrier could only absorb a small portion of the force—

But dozens, even hundreds—

Would reduce the impact enough for a safe landing.

Only after ensuring their safety did Peleti think of herself.

Countless light elements surged toward her from all directions, gently lifting her.

They moved fast—

But she was falling even faster.

To catch up with Bruce, she had been accelerating her descent nonstop—

Even overtaking him, falling ahead.

Too late.

Just as despair crept in—

A black shadow suddenly engulfed her entire world.

Her vision went completely dark.

She felt herself—

Falling.

Falling…

“…Sister?”

Sister?

SISTER!!!

Familiar voices echoed in her ears.

The darkness shattered.

Before her appeared a pair of beautiful violet eyes.

“…Feiye?”

She tried to push herself up—but every bone in her body felt shattered. She couldn’t even lift a finger. A piercing weakness crawled up her spine, making her vision blur.

“Sister, your condition is very bad. Don’t move.”

Feiye’s small hand pressed gently against her, continuously healing her injuries.

The damage from falling wasn’t just from the impact—

The immense pressure during the fall had already exceeded what Peleti’s body could endure.

That was why Feiye had to step in.

“Elisa! And Bruce—how are they?!”

Peleti ignored Feiye’s words, her eyes frantically scanning the surroundings.

Finally—

Under a tree—

She saw Elisa, leaning against it, seemingly unharmed.

Bruce lay beside her.

Motionless.

“…Thank goodness… they’re okay…”

Peleti struggled to her feet, still clutching her lantern.

Knowing her personality, Feiye didn’t stop her—only supported her from the side.

“Bruce… Bruce… your arm…”

But the closer she got—

The more something felt wrong.

Elisa hadn’t woken up—her body was weak, that made sense.

But Bruce?

He was a beastman.

Why wasn’t he reacting at all?

A terrible possibility surfaced—

One she didn’t dare believe.

Her body trembled uncontrollably.

She reached out, touching Elisa’s hand—

Cold.

Ice-cold.

Like touching a block of frozen ice, freezing her blood in an instant.

She stumbled to Bruce’s side, trembling as she checked his breathing—

Nothing.

Silence.

“…Sis…ter?”

Feiye gently held Peleti’s icy hand, worry flashing across her eyes.

“…Dead…? Why… why are they dead…?”

“No… that’s not right… I protected them so much… they shouldn’t have died… it shouldn’t be like this…”

Her legs gave out.

She collapsed to her knees, tears spilling uncontrollably.

“Sister…” Feiye spoke softly.

Her calm tone—

Hit like an explosion in Peleti’s mind.

“The little girl’s heart was shattered. The other one—his entire muscular structure was destroyed, along with severe blood loss.”

“These two… were destined to die here.”

“Even if they survived with your help, they would eventually die in this desert through some other accident.”

“This is Elisa’s fate. She cannot escape it.”

“…Fate?”

Peleti repeated the word softly—

As if hearing the greatest joke in the world.

The next moment—

A violent fury erupted from deep within her.

She clenched her fists so tightly her nails pierced her palms, drawing blood.

“What kind of bullshit fate is that?!”

She lifted her head, eyes bloodshot, her voice hoarse with rage.

“Are you telling me that everything I say and do in this world is already decided by fate?!”

“Then what’s the point of living like that?!”

“A world where everything—your life, your achievements, even your death—is dictated by this so-called ‘fate’—what kind of twisted, unjust nonsense is that?!”