The cube made of six mirrors created by Rias, while having strong defensive capabilities, was only a temporary measure. The more damage it withstood, the faster her energy drained.
Although in a short fight, the gap between level ninety and level ninety-two resulted in a tie, the total energy reserve of someone at level ninety-two was three times that of someone at level ninety. So if things dragged on, she would lose due to energy exhaustion.
"Raphael, can you still fight? If I give you a clone, can you use it to cancel their combined ultimate technique? I haven't locked onto a target for teleportation yet, I need you to buy me a little more time."
Rias was breathing heavily, the wounds on her body growing worse by the minute. Her eyes were still sharp, but it looked like she was reaching her limit. Maintaining skills like this consumed more than she could currently handle.
"Isn't the defensive method enough to buy time?"
Seeing his wife in such a miserable state, Raphael bit his lip. His eyes were filled with fury and incomprehension when he thought about the mastermind behind this incident. That despicable father of his was the one pushing the entire family to their deaths.
The Demiurgos bloodline was originally one of the oldest, holding an extremely high position within The Great Sun Temple and across the entire continent. Elio's Sun clan were direct descendants of the Sun God, and the Demiurgos bloodline could be considered close relatives to them.
Raphael himself was the heir of the Demiurgos family. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, chosen to stand above millions. His life, from birth up to over a month ago, was all rosy.
It wasn't that he didn't put in effort. He worked hard, just as much as anyone, and the results he achieved could be considered the most perfect.
He was the first human in tens of thousands of years to reach level ninety at exactly forty years old. Of course, this achievement was significant numerically, but it didn't mean the gap between him and others was huge. His father reached level ninety just two days slower, and Elio, competing with him, lost by only one day.
Rias came from a common background but possessed exceptional talent, having been nurtured by The Great Sun Temple since she was twelve. The two of them met through this and eventually became husband and wife.
Raphael's life was once incredibly perfect. Both husband and wife were demigods, holding a status second only to a few on the continent, possessing extraordinary power, holding world records, and a few months ago, they had a son.
Clearly, he was someone at the very peak, yet suddenly he lost everything. His status and position were stripped away, and he and his wife became criminals wanted across the continent.
Elio, Glacior, and Ignivar, who were once very close to him and Rias, had now turned into enemies. The three of them had been relentlessly hunting the couple for the past month.
For this entire month, he and his wife hadn't had time to sleep even one hour a day, their nerves constantly on edge. Those three weren't in much better shape either, it's just that they were slightly less injured since it was three against two.
All of this was because of Gabriel, his father. No one knew what got into that old man, but he went and stole Sun God's divine artifact at the most sensitive time in tens of thousands of years. That old bastard disappeared overnight without a word, bringing disaster upon the entire family.
And the most confusing issue was that if Sun God wasn't using that divine artifact, it was as useless as a stone bow. Even if Gabriel kept it, there was no way for him to use it. Besides, was it worth getting the whole bloodline exterminated over this?
"No, my body has reached its limit. Their energy reserves are too large, and there are more of them. We've lost, someone will definitely have to die."
"You…"
Raphael immediately caught the intention to give up in her voice. She was probably figuring out a way for him and their son to escape, but she would definitely die.
His eyes at this moment were bloodshot. He hated his father, hated the bastard who destroyed his perfect life, hated the damned fool who was about to bring his whole little family to the afterlife together.
"Can you do it or not? Stop with the blubbering."
Rias wasn't the weak type either. She was a demigod, the pinnacle of humanity on the continent. Someone who had been through so many battles wouldn't look as fragile as a hothouse flower.
"I can only go all out. How can I be sure?"
Raphael was strong, but none of those three were weak either. Plus their physical conditions were all better than his, so it was hard to say for sure.
"If this doesn't work, I'm ready to use an ultimate technique. When that happens, you support me with your fourth technique and immediately escape with Leo.
The next teleportation point is near a river with a very fast current. Grab a log and jump in, and you'll have a chance to survive. If you make it, remember our son's name is Leo, and you're forbidden from changing it. Throw away that damned surname for me. My son has a first name and no last name."
Clearly knowing she didn't have much time left, her voice remained calm. Of course, there was also her rage toward Gabriel mixed in. From what she remembered, that old man was very gentle.
But somehow his brain short-circuited and he went looking for death like this. The old man himself hadn't died because his strength was high, but the whole bloodline was dead, and now only their family remained.
Raphael was about to cry. Meeting her was the greatest happiness in his life, and now they were about to be parted… Though it wasn't certain they'd be parted, because there was no guarantee he'd even survive to escape.
"I told you, don't cry. Fight seriously for me. Otherwise, all three of us will die together."
Rias glared, and Raphael immediately choked back his tears. His demeanor instantly shifted, Celestial Sword gripped tightly in his hand as he prepared to go all out against the enemy.