Veilbreaker! Oops I Bleed Again
Chapter 33: Riftwater Layer 3

Chapter 33: Riftwater Layer 3

As the dust settled, the battlefield remained eerily quiet.

Draven took one shaky step forward.

Then another.

And then, his body gave out.

The exhaustion, the pain, the toll of the battle finally caught up to him.

His vision blurred. His legs buckled.

He collapsed.

—

A moment passed.

Then another.

Draven’s eyes opened.

The cold, suffocating battlefield was gone.

Instead, he was surrounded by a vast, endless expanse of white again.

It was familiar.

Without looking, he spoke.

"So... who was that man? Or should I say... is he a god too?"

Draven stood up, rubbing his head, his thoughts still trying to process everything.

A smooth, knowing voice answered from behind him.

"Hmm... There is only one God."

Then Draven noticed that his surroundings weren’t empty.

A short distance away sat an ornate sofa, impossibly soft-looking, like it was made in clouds

Draven blinked.

He flopped onto it without hesitation, sinking into its impossibly light embrace.

"...Shit. This is relaxing."

Then, something else hit him.

His wounds were gone.

The pain, the bruises, the torn muscles, completely healed.

He shifted his gaze to Mr. Goodness, who stood before him with his usual unreadable expression.

Draven leaned forward.

"So you’re the only god?"

Mr. Goodness shook his head.

"No. My role is only to maintain the balance of this world."

He paused, then spoke again.

"The Terra, Azure, Crimson, Verdant, and Luminous."

"You ignored my first question."

Draven voice was firm this time.

"Who was the one that attacked us using Second’s body?"

Mr. Goodness let out a slow breath before answering.

"He is the Lord Azure."

Draven frowned.

"As in Azure I.D.?"

Mr. Goodness nodded

"You’re saying each I.D. has a Lord?"

His thoughts raced. If Azure had a Lord, then...

"Shit... If that’s the case, where is the Lord of the Verdant? Why isn’t he doing his job?"

"I knew that you would ask me that." Goodness sighed.

"He died."

Suddenly, Draven’s head throbbed.

A sharp pulse of pain shot through his skull, pulling him away from this place.

He gritted his teeth.

"Tch—this pain again?"

The pain that he is going to wake up soon.

Goodness grinned.

"After two months... once you use Veilbreaker again... Azure will come for you."

Draven’s eyes widened.

"What?"

"Be prepared."

Then, after a brief pause, Goodness added.

"And I don’t know if we’ll meet again. I’ll be busy. By the way, you unlocked a new skill again."

Then he grinned.

A slow, knowing grin. One that sent a deep, uncomfortable feeling into Draven’s gut.

Draven’s eye twitched.

"Shit, I don’t like that smile."

He knew that look. It meant something was about to go terribly wrong.

"And additional skill? What is it? Would I bleed again?"

Before he could demand an answer, a blinding light engulfed him.

"Wait!"

The force behind it yanked him away, his vision overwhelmed by white as his body lurched forward.

Instinctively, he shut his eyes.

And then everything disappeared.

Draven’s eyes slowly fluttered open.

A familiar scent. Earth, cloth, and faint traces of medicine.

He was inside a tent.

Then he noticed something.

Naisha.

She sat on the ground beside him, her head resting on her knees, one wrapped tightly around her and the other hand holding his hand.

She was sleeping.

Draven exhaled softly.

But just as he did, Naisha suddenly stirred.

She lifted her head slightly.

Draven’s instincts kicked in instantly. He snapped his eyes shut again.

’It looks like I just want to sleep all day like this again.’

He felt Naisha’s grip tighten.

But he made no response.

A few minutes passed.

Draven, unable to resist, carefully cracked one eye open.

He wants the sight of Naisha in front of him.

But he froze.

Naisha was staring directly at him.

Glaring.

And worse, a dagger was already mid-thrust.

"OI—!"

Draven’s reflexes barely kicked in as he caught her hand with both hands.

He gritted his teeth.

"Good morning, babe," he grinned.

"I knew it. You’re already okay since you’re getting perverted again."

"Wait! I’m still injured!"

Naisha’s grip on the dagger didn’t waver.

"Really? You’re injured?"

Draven gulped.

Outside the tent, the sound of laughter and celebration filled the air.

But inside?

It was a battlefield.

The tent was torn as Naisha kept attacking.

"Don’t waste the tent!"

Draven barely dodged, rolling out of the way as her blade sliced through the air, missing him by inches.

"Oi! Calm down, babe! Why are you so mad? Did you miss me that much?" he whined, evading another slash.

His words only angered her more.

Draven noticed something.

Her speed.

’She was faster than before.’

Even compared to their last fight, her movements were sharper and more precise.

Some of the villagers saw them and laughed as they watched.

An old man who was watching the scene for a moment suddenly smiled.

"What a lovely couple."

Draven’s ears twitched as he heard it. His face lit up with amusement, and he immediately bowed with a charming grin.

"Thank you so much!" he said proudly.

Naisha froze mid-attack.

Her gaze snapped to the villager, then back at Draven, who looked way too pleased with himself.

Her eyes twitched. Then, through gritted teeth, she hissed.

"We are NOT a couple, you pervert!"

The villager chuckled, unfazed.

Draven’s smirk faded slightly as a thought crossed his mind.

He glanced at the elder, who had just spoken.

His brows furrowed.

He did not know him.

"By the way... who are you, old man?"

The elder simply chuckled but didn’t answer.

Draven frowned and looked around.

That’s when he finally noticed it.

The place was different.

Not just the people, though he saw many faces he didn’t recognize.

The land itself had changed.

The once-dense forest?

Gone.

In its place stretched a vast, open plain.

The ground was rich and green, rolling into the horizon.

A long, clear river snaked through the land, reflecting the sky like a perfect mirror.

Birds fluttered across the open air.

Butterflies fly around the flowers.

It was... peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Draven blinked.

"Where are we? Are we in the Riftwater?"

Naisha’s voice answered from beside him.

"It’s been ten days since you collapsed."

Draven froze.

"Ten... days?"

His mind struggled to catch up.

So much had happened in what felt like minutes.

And yet he had been unconscious for over a week?

His gaze snapped back to Naisha.

His smirk returned.

"So that’s why you were holding my hand. You were worried, huh?"

Naisha stiffened.

Her brows furrowed.

"No! My hand just... fell onto yours!"

She turned with a sharp huff and walked away.

Draven just chuckled, shaking his head.

"Heh... sure, babe. Whatever you say."

—

In the meeting area tent, Draven, Naisha, Mother Venice, Gil, Felix, Hans, and Deka were sitting around a round table.

"So tell me, what happened after I collapsed?" Draven asked, curious.