True God In Another World (Tensura x Tbate)

Chapter 111 - His Return

Lilia Helstea POV

The cavern felt suffocating in a way that had nothing to do with the stone walls or musty air. It was the tense, gloomy atmosphere that settled after blood had been spilled—and I wasn't just talking about the enemy's blood. It mixed with the dirt and dust, changing the weight of the air, made it heavier, harder to breathe.

I stood beside Tess, watching the organized chaos of the aftermath unfold. Teams regrouping, the injured transported carefully, the deceased handled with what respect circumstances allowed. It was grim work, but necessary. A month of repetitive excursions searching for mutants that never showed up had left us complacent. Dull. Sloppy. And boredom was dangerous. It made you careless.

And today, it had nearly cost us everything.

God, what would Ri say about this? The thought crept in unbidden, and heat crept up my neck. Just thinking of him made my face betray me—flushed cheeks, a stupid jump in my heart. Focus, Lilia. Now's not the time.

But I couldn't help it. I kept thinking about what he'd say. How he'd handle this. How he always did it better.

Augmenters scattered around the cavern sharpened their blades with methodical precision, the sound of stone on metal creating a rhythmic background noise. The conjurers—James and Elisa among them—sat in cross-legged meditation, eyes closed as they worked to replenish their magical reserves. They looked peaceful, almost serene, but the tension in their shoulders gave them away. The adrenaline hadn't faded yet.

Tess stared out at the battlefield with the vacant, zombie-like expression she'd perfected over the past few months. I recognized it instantly because I caught myself doing the same thing constantly. It was the look of someone present but mentally elsewhere.

Thank you for that, Ri, I thought dryly. His influence was written all over this.

He'd drilled that habit into us during training—always alert, always watching, always analyzing. He'd said it sharpened our senses, made us the kind of warriors who survived. Part of me thought he just wanted to make our lives miserable. He had this way of pushing us harder than anyone else would, of demanding more from us than we thought we could give, and it was infuriating at the time.

But as much as I'd complained then—as much as everyone had complained, constantly—I couldn't deny that his training had saved us today. Those habits he'd drilled into us, the constant awareness, the quick thinking, the way he'd taught us to stay calm under pressure... all of it had made the difference between life and death in that moment.

Which meant I really needed to stop thinking about him so much. Easier said than done.

A month had passed. A full month since I'd seen him. A lot changed in that time. Our original groups were split up, now in pairs with new people added. Ri explained it was to create strong squads spread across multiple locations instead of three groups in one place. It made sense from a strategic standpoint, I guess. But that didn't mean I had to like it.

Half of us had been moved to the Wall, while the other half remained here in the dungeons. Loid had ended up on my team, which was good because at least I had one familiar face. Tess's team included Lina, which had upset Anna, who had been sent to the wall with the others. The separation had caused some drama, which I understood—they'd been together since they were kids, practically a family unit—but orders were orders.

My team also included James and Elisa, both conjurers, which meant I'd been forced to fight in the front lines alongside Loid. It made sense from a tactical perspective. We needed the magical support in the back, and we needed strong augmenters up front. James and Elisa had known each other previously, as they were childhood friends, which made it easy for all of us to bond.