Chapter 91: Barrier Spell

Chapter 91: Barrier Spell
Cretheus stopped mid-step, his golden eyes narrowing. "Kasumi, we don't have time. This place is coming down."
"I don't care!" I snapped, pushing past the pain that still lingered in my chest. "They used me. They bled me. They tried to sacrifice me like I was nothing but a cursed heir." My voice cracked. "They need to answer for what they did—not just to me, but to my father." The hatred I felt for them had been simmering for so long. I could no longer stop myself. "They're within my reach. They're the ones who made my father suffer. I don't want to let go of them, or else I would never see them again. I would never forgive them," I said darkly.
I looked at my three mates, wanting to deliver what my heart wanted. But this was my last chance. 
They're still here. I knew it.
Despite the chaos happening, with all the mixed scents from the people lingering here, I could still smell their scents from not so far away.
Thaddeus, Theodore, and Cretheus looked into each other. There was a silent debate going on about whether they would fulfill my wish or not listen to me.
Theodore's expression softened with understanding, but his voice remained firm. "Then we'll help you. But if you fall into their hands again, it'll all be for nothing."
"I'm not leaving this place without justice," I whispered. I was close to having them. They were going to be within my reach.
A flicker of approval crossed Thaddeus's face. "Then we move fast. Find the elders. Get out."
They flanked me immediately, weapons drawn, as we moved swiftly through the smoke-hazed corridors. Bodies littered the floor—some guards, some innocents. The scent of blood was thick and cloying, but I pushed past it.
I felt sorry for being dragged into this meaningless war. They had done this for the sake of the four clans, to satisfy and serve them. 
The elders must be in the upper sanctum. In deducting the situation here, I had listened to every part of the mansion, not only that, but I also relied on the scents of the elders. I was certain they were there.
We managed to find a hidden staircase behind one of the broken tapestries, ascending two levels. My brows furrowed as we arrived at a heavy wooden door etched with glowing sigils. When I reached for the doorknob, my hand was stopped by an unseen barrier.
I drew in a sharp breath. "This isn't good. They must've had a divine cleric place an enchantment on it." I pounded my fist against the door, frustration boiling over.
"Rachelle mentioned you have the ability to nullify a cleric's enchantment, Kasumi," Thaddeus said.
I turned toward him, blinking in surprise. "Really?"
He gave a firm nod. "You and the other daughters of the Moon Goddess can."
"Oh." Surprised, my jaw dropped, trying to process his words.
I glanced back at the door. The glowing sigils pulsed faintly, as though mocking me. I lifted my hand again, slower this time, feeling the invisible magic vibrate beneath my fingertips. It wasn't just blocking us. It was alive.
I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply. Somewhere deep inside, something stirred. An old warmth I had only felt during the sacred rites with my father, something that had lain dormant for years. I focused on that warmth, letting it spread through my chest, my arm, down to my palm.
"I, Kiena, the Goddess of Gallant and Retribution, am the 8th daughter of the Moon Goddess. By my blood and divine right, I break the enchantment that binds this door."
The air shifted.
Light shimmered across the barrier like ripples on water, and the sigils flickered.
"Kasumi..." Theodore warned behind me, but I didn't answer.
I pressed my palm against the enchanted again, this time channeling every ounce of that celestial energy now coursing through me. A soft hum echoed through the corridor, and the sigils began to unravel, thread by glowing thread.
Crack.
The barrier fractured like glass struck by a hammer. One more push—
A burst of light shot outward, and the door creaked open with a groan that echoed through the stairwell.
Silence. Just pure silence that only a single needle could break it.
Then, the scent hit me.
I staggered.
It was them.
Every cell in my body recognized it like the taste of metal in your mouth before a storm, like the haunting memory of pain that never healed. My heart pounded, rage and fear tangling into one.
They were here.
"They're here," I repeated the words I chanted in my head, voice low, trembling. "Just beyond this door."
Cretheus moved beside me. "Then we finish this."
Thaddeus nodded. "Together."
With blades in hand, we stepped into the sanctum.
The room was dim, lit only by the eerie glow of the cleric's remnants. Towering bookshelves surrounded a circular hall, with an altar at its center. And behind that, five figures in cloaks, standing still, as if they had been expecting us.
Great Grandma Hinata. Pops. Uncle Haruto. Uncle Akio. And last but not least, the one who tormented my father the most, Uncle Hajime.
I couldn't be mistaken by their scents. It was really them. 
They were the five elders of the Azai Clan. Without them, the clan and the pack would be in fall, as they claimed.
They were the devilish creatures that brought downfall to Father and to me. They were the ones who had hell and made sure that I would suffer enough. It was thanks to them that I was sought for their death, one I wouldn't want to miss.
Their heads turned in eerie unison, and when Uncle Hajime's eyes locked with mine, the corners of his mouth lifted into a slow, serpentine grin.
"Elders of the Azai Clan," Theodore said, his voice like frost biting at the edges of the room, "you're surrounded by Alpha King Azarius' troops. There's no tunnel, no spell, no shadow deep enough to hide you. This ends here."
Uncle Hajime took a leisurely step forward, that same smug grin glued to his face. "Surely... you wouldn't let them hurt us, would you, dear niece?" he cooed, his tone dripping with syrupy mockery. His eyes sparkled with feigned innocence. "Forgive us. How could we have known you were a deity all along?"
His voice slithered through the air and wrapped around me, cold and venomous. A chill crawled down my spine.