Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil
chapter-1868

With a sinking feeling in her heart, Aria knew that she couldn't keep up the fight much longer.

Thorn's stamina far outmatched her own, and if the battle continued, he would emerge victorious by default. She realized that perhaps that might be what he was counting on– to outlast her in the battle.

Gritting her teeth, Aria made a split-second decision. With a surge of determination, she unleashed her most powerful wind-element Skills, pouring every ounce of her remaining strength into one final, desperate assault.

The desert air crackled with elemental energy as Aria and Thorn clashed once more, their Skills colliding in a dazzling display of power and prowess.

But as the dust settled and the echoes of battle faded away, it was Thorn who stood triumphant, his broadsword raised high in victory.

After the intense battle between Aria and Thorn concluded, both practitioners were left standing on the sandy terrain, their forms bloodied and battered from the relentless exchange of blows.

Aria's once pristine Elemental Attire was now torn, bearing the marks of Thorn's powerful water-based attacks. Her Autumn Cicada Wings, once fluttering gracefully, were now frayed and damaged, the intricate mechanisms strained from the strain of augmenting her elemental abilities.

Thorn, too, bore the scars of battle, his sturdy warrior's armor now dented and cracked from Aria's fierce wind-element assaults. His broadsword, a symbol of his prowess as a warrior, was chipped and worn from the countless clashes with Aria's elemental clones.

The alkali-infused water slashes he had unleashed had taken a toll on his weapon, leaving it in need of repair.

Despite the damage to their artifacts and the toll on their physical forms, both Aria and Thorn stood tall, their eyes ablaze with determination and pride.

Though the battle had left them bruised and weary, they had proven themselves worthy of their titles as floor bosses in the Shaynak Tower. This was what it meant to be the floor bosses of the Shaynak tower.

Though Aria had fought valiantly, it was Thorn's unwavering endurance that ultimately secured his place as the victor of the battle. As he surveyed the aftermath of the confrontation, a sense of satisfaction washed over him, knowing that he had emerged victorious against one of Shaynak Tower's most formidable opponents.

"Well fought, Aria Polak," Thorn commented with a dignified expression as he looked at Aria's form. He wiped the sweat off his brow and steadied his breath before taking out a palm-sized, silver-like token with the number 49th written on it. This token represented Thorn's authority over the 49th floor.

Thorn, as the floor boss of the 49th floor, had challenged Aria Polak, who held the position of floor boss on the 47th floor. After emerging victorious in the battle, Thorn would have the opportunity to exchange his authority rights with Aria, granting her access to the 49th floor while he assumed control over her floor.

Upon taking over the 47th floor, Aria would have a week to prepare herself. However, after this buffer period, her floor could be challenged by outsiders and other floor bosses who ranked below her. Defending her position as a floor boss would prove to be nearly impossible after the week elapsed. Consequently, Aria would be ousted from the tower, making way for a more deserving successor to claim the role of floor boss on the 49th floor.

While Thorn could choose to maintain authority over both floors simultaneously and immediately banish Aria from the tower, such a decision would not be advantageous for him. Assuming control over two floors would entail engaging in battles to assert ownership over both territories. No sensible floor boss would opt for this course of action, regardless of the allure of increased power and influence.

Defending a floor was no easy task. Both Aria and Thorn had invested heavily in this battle for their survival. From the artifacts they wore to the limited-time Skills they had unleashed using borrowed might, they had expended their accumulated wealth just to endure in the tower. All of this effort was aimed at accumulating more and progressing further in their respective Paths. However, the question remained: how could they sustain such expenditures and the tremendous effort required to defend more than one floor? It seemed next to impossible.

"I hope you manage to survive after the week's buffer period ends," Thorn said to Aria before raising his left hand. He had opted for the safe option, choosing to exchange floor rights with her.

As Thorn raised his hand, a similar floor authority token was summoned from Aria's Inventory on its own. This was the special privilege of the victor in the official match between the two floor bosses. The victor didn't even need to say anything to the defeated party; they could simply seize the authority of the vanquished floor boss or expel them outright.

Aria bit her lip in frustration as she watched her floor authority token being summoned before her by Thorn's will. She was clearly displeased with the outcome of the match, but she was powerless to change it. All she could do was watch as the token flew from her grasp. It was on the verge of landing in Thorn's outstretched hand when something unexpected occurred: another floor boss appeared on the scene.

Lian had taken advantage of the buffer time given to Aria to intervene in the battle between the two floor bosses. Though he couldn't alter the outcome of the battle, nor could he harm the floor bosses under the constant vigilance of the Shaynak tower, he could certainly dissuade Thorn from taking the final step.

Lian was certain that if he allowed Thorn to swap his floor rights with Aria, the Elemental woman would inevitably be ousted from the tower in the subsequent battles. Having already paid a steep price in her clash with Thorn, there was no way she could be physically fit or financially capable of surviving her next battle to retain her status as a floor boss.

Lian hoped that both Thorn and Aria could remain in the Shaynak tower for as long as he was there. If either of them were to leave, his plan to farm Origin Force Points through them would be severely hindered, if not completely derailed.

***

"Thorn, my friend, how about you listen to my proposal before exchanging floor rights with Miss Aria?" Lian interjected, appearing suddenly between Thorn and Aria. He nodded in a friendly manner at Aria before fixing his gaze on Thorn.

"Ah, Lian North, floor boss of the 43rd floor. What brings you here?" Thorn's expression turned solemn as he recognized Lian's presence. He didn't dare act arrogantly in front of a rising star of the Shaynak tower like Lian North. Just as his surname suggested, Lian only knew how to ascend.

Thorn didn't believe Lian had come to challenge him or Aria. After all, he held higher floor rights than both of them. There was practically nothing for him to gain by challenging them.

Although the numerical difference between the 43rd, 47th, and 49th floors was minor, it represented a significant disparity in the talents of their respective floor bosses. Improving one's rank within a decade was considered a monumental achievement. Thorn's victory over Aria, who held the rights to the 47th floor, was indeed a substantial feat.

Neither Thorn nor Aria made any hasty moves. They quickly surmised that Lian had observed their battles by participating as an ordinary viewer on the floor. Otherwise, given his current rank, the tower would have alerted them in advance to the presence of someone of Lian's caliber watching their battle.

"What proposal?" Thorn inquired cautiously, clutching onto his floor authority token. With a wave of his hand, he directed his flying sword to descend, and he followed suit. Seeing this, the other two floor bosses also descended.

By now, the live feed of the battle had ceased, as both floor bosses decided to halt their streams. It was apparent that Lian had something important to convey, and they both wished to hear him out before making any judgments.

"Lian's proposal is simple: ally with me so that all three of us can ascend to the top 10 of the Shaynak Top 100 list," Lian explained, his tone resolute as the trio gathered together. Aria and Thorn exchanged puzzled glances before directing their attention back to Lian. "What do you mean?" they inquired simultaneously.

"It means we'll support each other and pool our resources to elevate all three of us to higher floor rights," Lian elaborated patiently.

"Our initial goal will be to break into the Shaynak Top 30 list. I know it might sound crazy, and perhaps it is, but hear me out for a moment," he continued.

AN: The 11th volume of VEH, titled Beyond the Veil, is nearing its conclusion, with only 3 or 4 chapters remaining. Or we might just wrap things up by releasing one big chapter.

Excitingly, the 12th volume, titled "Sage of the Seven Paths," is set to begin next month. (I hope you catch my drift ;))

Tbh, the process of writing this volume has been quite draining. However, we're looking forward to a more enjoyable experience with the upcoming 12th volume, given the exciting events we have planned within the story.

I may take a day or two off to recharge my batteries over the weekend. As such, new chapters of VEH will either be posted on the 31st of this month or at the beginning of the next month.

In the meantime, I invite you to explore my new book, "A Farmer's Journey to Immortality". It's an Eastern Fantasy novel that may not cater to everyone's tastes, but I encourage you to read the free chapters before forming an opinion.

That's all for now. Wishing you a blessed Friday. Also, Happy Easter in advance :)