Meera drew a deep breath. The cold air filled her lungs, sending a shiver up her spine. She took stock of her prey. There were quite a number of them, and with Aksha herself, it would not be easy to take them all down. If she hadn't become an Ascendant, she would have run.

Oh, these sorceresses just don't want to leave me alone. First things first, I must scatter them, then I'll hunt.

With a small smile, she activated a skill she hadn't used since she took down Tearsfell Prison. With the blizzard raging about them, she wouldn't need long to gather the clouds.

A daughter stepped forward. She had a smug look on her face. "No matter how strong you've grown after your treachery, you cannot face so many of us."

"Want to bet on it?" Meera asked. "But if you're dead, how will I collect?"

The daughter gritted her teeth. "You treacherous brat—"

She never got to finish her sentence as the first lightning bolt fell between them, cracking the ground and singeing it black. The thunder was deafening and rolled over the land, causing almost everyone to flinch. Meera smiled at the daughters' confusion, as almost as one, they all looked up, even Aksha. After all, lightning doesn't fall during a snowstorm.

Then another fell, and a moment later, two more, and finally, Heaven's Wrath descended on the Sorceresses of Rebirth. Lightning bolt after lightning bolt struck so hard and fast that the earth rumbled, and the air was filled with the sound of thunder. So much so that Meera's eardrums burst before she could take off her Gem of Echoes. Blood trickled out of her ears, and she didn't heal her ears as she didn't need them yet.

The daughters dropped the witch and scattered, as Meera expected. She teleported to the witch and handed her the Hoard Belt. Kalrina said something, but Meera couldn't hear her. She pointed to her bleeding ears. Kalrina said something else, and all she got in response was a blank stare. The witch shoved her hand in her Belt and produced a Health potion, but Meera refused.

"You need it more than me," she said. "I can always heal myself whenever I want. I'll do it once I stop the lightning."

The witch's eyes widened. She said something that Meera could mostly make out by reading her lips.

"Yes, this is my skill." Meera grinned.

Kalrina pointed behind Meera with alarm, but she didn't need to. A daughter had thrown a poison whip at her. She took off her regular chakram and flung it at her without even looking back. The chakram flew straight and true like an arrow launched from a great bow. It sliced the whip in half as it flew through it to embed itself in the daughter's hand, which the chakram cut through just as easily as the whip. The daughter screamed, or that's what it looked like, as the chakram traveled up her arm, slicing it in two. She didn't have to suffer long, as a lightning bolt from the sky promptly ended her suffering.

Kalrina shook her head slowly and said something. Now, Meera got frustrated and decided to heal her ears. It took a moment for her eardrums to snap back together, and the world was loud again.

"What?" She shouted over the thunder.

"I said…" Then she just shook her head and stood. "Never mind. Can you control who the lightning strikes?"

Meera flinched from the thunder of a lightning bolt that struck close by. "No, just the general vicinity of the storm, but the lightning won't fall anywhere near me. So, you should be safe."

She didn't mention that it also took a lot of Mana to initiate the storm, but once it was going, it was okay, and not having enough Mana was no longer a concern of hers. She could let Heaven's Wrath take care of all the daughters so they could focus on Aksha, but she feared all this lightning would draw the attention of an Archdragon.

"While the daughters are busy, we need to take care of Aksha," Meera said. "I'll distract her, and you come in the back and slit her throat."

"No, she does not get to go this easily," Kalrina seethed.

"Listen, witch, we don't have much time. All this lightning must've drawn the attention of the dragons. We need to—"

"Then shut it off, and let's do this together, you and I. Together, we've done the impossible. We escaped the sorceresses, the cultists, and the dragons. We survived the trip to the Light Bringer mountains and back. Convinced an archdragon who hates humans to help us. The sorceresses are no more. Akhessai is no more. We did all that when we worked together. I see my mistake in doing this alone. I'm not strong enough to do this alone. I admit that. I need you." She held out a hand. "Let's do this together and put the final nail in the sorceress' coffin."

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Meera stopped Heaven's Wrath and clasped her hand. "Let's do this."

The lightning bolts came to an abrupt stop. The land where the lightning had struck was pockmarked and cracked. Wisps of smoke rose in several areas but didn't last long, as the snow promptly covered them all.

The remaining daughters looked up at the sky with fear in their eyes. Only half their numbers remained, and not all were unscathed. Some had limbs that were blackened and withered. One was lying on the ground, breathing her last, but seeing that the danger from the sky had passed, she sighed in relief. One of her sisters went to her to help, but Meera cut off her head with one of her chakrams.

Meera shrugged at the dying daughter. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, but once again couldn't do anything as a large, serrated, round mirror disc zipped past Meera and embedded itself in her skull—a final gift from Kalrina.

The others did not take this lightly. They uttered a chant under their breath. Meera felt like she had seen this before. The daughter split into two. Seeing the second daughter step out of the first was rather freaky. It was as if they were stuck together by a poisonous glue.

"Creepy," Meera commented.

Kalrina said nothing and blasted shards in every direction. Her eyes were fixed on the real Aksha, who stood with her arms crossed and an expressionless face. The real Aksha was watching the show as her daughters whittled them down. Then, she would make her move and finish them off.

Meera was not going to let that happen.

"Hey witch, I think the real Aksha is too afraid of taking us on herself," Meera said, spinning a level 2 chakram on her finger.

"Right you are, dearie," Kalrina replied. "Maybe I would've gutted her by now if she hadn't created all these fakes."

"Veridiana told me that Aksha was so lonely that she started creating more of herself." Meera laughed. "She literally couldn't get anyone to be friends with her, so she made all these forgeries."

Kalrina laughed a hearty laugh. "Now, that is indeed funny. But I don't blame her. If I were a power-hungry, sadistic, evil cunt, no one would want to be friends with me either."

"Shut up," Aksha said. "You know nothing about me."

"Call me a liar then," Meera retorted. "Say that it wasn't so. Say that your mother was a liar, and what she told me was a lie."

Aksha breathed heavily, clenching her fists. The daughters, having sensed their mother's anger, stepped back, and Meera let them. Their time would come. For now, she had bigger fish to fry.

Meera nodded to Kalrina, and they both vanished. Meera appeared behind Aksha and activated the Ice Ball skill. An ice ball the size of a bowling ball materialized in her hand, and she chucked it at her. A poison wave rose from the ground.

The ice ball crashed against the poison wave, freezing it in place. A few daughters cheered, but their cheers died when Kalrina shot a Mirror Shard Fury at Aksha's head. This seemed faster, and the shards were bigger and more deadly.

One of the daughters jumped in the way to save her mother. The shard bombarded her body. She didn't fall until Kalrina shut off her attack and used Mirror Wing on the shard embedded in her body. The witch, in her rage, ripped the daughter to pieces literally.

Everyone was stunned, even Meera. This was beyond gruesome. Meera had seen death, and she had killed in many gruesome ways, but this was something else. But she didn't have time to think on it for long as Aksha growled and thrust her hand forward, and a black poison whip shot out towards Kalrina, who teleported away.

The whip changed directions, and as it did, it formed a serpent's head. She was using the same move as before, but Meera wouldn't let her. She was forgetting about Meera, which was a grave mistake. She shot a Frigid Wave at her back.

Aksha jumped aside in time, and the wave passed by her harmlessly. This made Meera wonder if she could see through her daughter's eyes; if so, they were in a lot of trouble. To test out her theory, she shot a Mirror Shard Fury at her back, and once again, the sorceress dodged without turning towards Meera.

Well, well, well, look who has eyes behind her back.

"She can see through her daughter's eyes," Meera called to the witch.

"I see. Then we must shut them," Kalrina said.

"I've had it with you two," Aksha drawled.

She pointed at Kalrina, and she flinched. Then she turned and did the same to Meera, and a sudden pain ignited in her heart. It was like someone had pierced her heart with an invisible knife. The pain subsided to a dull ache but didn't go away.

"What did you do to us?" Kalrina seethed.

"Attack me and find out," she said with a smile.

Aksha's smile unnerved Meera. This was a woman with no emotions. If she was smiling, it meant that she was assured of her victory. The daughters had self-assured grins, and they made no motion to attack. No one did, not even Aksha. Then something clicked.

Oh no, please tell me you didn't use that skill.

Before she could tell the witch to stop, Kalrina formed a spear. Before her spear had even fully formed, she screamed and fell to a knee, clutching her heart.

"W-What is this p-pain?" Kalrina stammered, and despite the cold, she was sweating and shaking.

Meera used Mirror Step, and immediately, the poison struck like a hidden viper coiled around her heart. It was like someone had cleaved her heart in two. She nearly doubled over from the pain. Her Health points took a massive dive of nearly a thousand points.

"Y-You too?" Kalrina asked.

"It's a skill called Corrupting Hex," Meera spoke through the blinding pain. "She sacrificed a shit ton of Mana to implant a poison in us. Every time we use a Focus-based skill, the poison will strike."

"Look, who knows about Mother's secret weapon," laughed one of the daughters.

Kalrina's eyes widened. "T-then how will we beat her like this?"

"I have only one skill that doesn't require Mana, but it won't be enough to beat her."

"And I have none."

Druvis Might used Stamina, not Focus, but if she couldn't get close to Aksha, then that skill was practically useless at this time. Not to mention, they were surrounded.

"My daughters, I think we've given them enough time to realize they are doomed," Aksha said. "It's time we finish them. You can have the Champion's sister, but the traitor is mine." Her eyes turned cold. "I'm going to butcher you like I butchered that dog you loved, but unlike him, you will be alive to feel the pain."

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