Some time ago, before Sythris looked at the notebook, in the outskirts of Drudar where the Queen of Abomination disappeared, there were emerald motes of light.
It was indicating the fall of Great Commander Clayren. The air was sparkling as though the souls returned to eternity. All those souls that were killed and trapped as puppets were finally released.
The incandescence of the sun was running fast to Drudar. But even then, it seemed Drudar was enshrouded in darkness. It still was dark. That's why it felt so surreal. The massive walls were destroyed. Everywhere was devastation. The transformation of shura essence brought havoc that could never heal a person.
The person who was kneeling there.
Rylagh's eyes seemed lost as Sylwen said from behind, "Lord ...."
He didn't respond. Myrieth came from behind in tears. She was covered in dirt. The mighty princess of Mythria spread her hands around her father as she kneeled. She hugged her father as she made him stand up.
"It's not your fault, Father..." she said in tears.
Rylagh gazed at the place where Clayren disappeared as he muttered, looking up, "How pathetic can I be..."
"Father, please... you had to because of Mythria.." Myrieth sobbed.
"What Mythria... first my other daughter... Lythria... I already sensed she was near death several times."
Myrieth became silent as she heard about her sister, who was in Drudar's capital.
Rylagh said faintly, "What's the use of that picture now..."
"Even if we find it..."
He looked up as he said, "I... failed her..."
Vryger and others, along with Velithra, came back. Sylwen stated, "Lord, there was no way we could have predicted that. That armored knight had a Veil of Night...."
"Hahh... Veil of Night... hahah haha...."
"How could I forget that.... Hahah."
He suddenly threw Myrieth's arm away as he shouted, "I lost her. I REALLY LOST HER..."
"I lost my brother... back then..."
"Now because of my own... my own overestimation... I lost her...."
"Father...."
"Leader!"
The others also arrived.
Suddenly, Rylagh shivered. "What is this?"
He started running somewhere. As he was running, multiple spirits came into existence, and he disappeared, as though engulfed by the void.
Myrieth tried to stop him, but everything happened in the blink of an eye.
"Father...."
....
Some moments ago, on the stairs of the castle, Eleana had her sword at the tip of Caria's neck. Caria bit her lips as only her face she could move.
Behind Eleana, the castle burned, and nothing could be approached. They could not see what was going on down the castle at the foot of the palace.
It was still dark, albeit the horizon was clearing a bit in the east.
Two beauties faced each other as one was tied in glowing threads of moonlight, having a sword tip at her neck.
Caria said slowly, "Eleana, untie me now.."
Kerin muttered, "What a sick joke..."
Caria said slowly, ignoring the pain and blood, "I am rather feeling ironic also."
Looking at Eleana, she said, "Oh, Commander of the great Drudar... You led the armies yesterday as Commander Clayren was absent. Then you almost lost. No, you lost Laren. He died because of you guys."
"You guys had no way out until John saved your ass. But then what you all did was give birth to an abomination that killed knights and made them its army."
"Oh, then what happened? You actually got stabbed and were saved by that sorry ass's medicine."
Caria looked at Kerin, telling the events like a story as though she was enjoying it.
"Now the great Commander is trying to kill me. You're not righteous, Eleana. You are pretentious. That's all."
The sword pushed further as Kerin shouted, "Eleana never did it out of her own will. It was war. Tell me, Caria. Why... Why did you do this?"
Caria looked at Eleana. Eleana's face didn't have any hint of emotion as Kerin said again, "These many people, knights, and all of the palace's residents... you...."
Caria moved her gaze to Kerin. Kerin suddenly felt something in those eyes, something lost. But he could not understand what. Caria closed her eyes as she said slowly, "Whatever I do, I cannot escape this.."
Eleana kept her gaze on Caria. "You mean? Tell me quickly, where are Eryssa, the King, and the others?"
Caria shook her head as she said, "Do whatever you want."
She laughed a bit. Kerin's expression was incomparably ugly.
"I did harass Lythria. That girl that followed that idiot Veer."
"I did steal Kerin's sacred rune bag..." She looked at Kerin again.
"I did cover myself as the lady you call...?"
"Shranaut?" Eleana asked.
Caria nodded as though applauding.
"And probably almost killed that Veer several times already."
"...So kill me... you can do that... right? Eleana? For Veer? For your revenge?"
Caria looked at Eleana. The sword pressed harder as blood flowed.
Eleana gazed at Caria, gritting her teeth. Suddenly, Eleana kept the sword away as she muttered, "No, you don't deserve death. It will be a relief for you..."
The flames at the top surged as though expressing the opinions of the deceased hundreds of people.
Kerin suddenly said, looking down behind them, "It seems that strange cross is dwindling continuously.."
"What is happening?"
Eleana also looked there.
They heard shouts and fighting noises briefly, and it continued.
Eleana said, "We need to go down.."
Kerin nodded as he said, "It's becoming morning, but still the night hasn't faded. I can't see clearly.."
Caria laughed, which made both of them look at her.
"Hah.. you guys are late... pretty late..."
"Only if that Veer guy hadn't lost his..."
Kerin suddenly kicked Caria as Eleana was stunned.
She wanted to follow up on why Kerin kicked Caria. Before they could do anything, suddenly all of them froze.
As though everything around them became white.
Ash-like white.
Thump....
Thump....
Thump....
....
In a region near the boundaries of Drudar, two mysterious forces were fighting. A small boy opened his small arms as he said, "Come, Master, let us be one..."
"Don't you love me anymore?"
"He he he.."
In response, in the air, a baby howled as starlight emerged like specks of dust scattering all around.
"What has become of you, Master!!"
"He he he.."
The small boy bubbled up like crazy as he muttered, "Wo, wo..... this Pontiff today will win the race... Haha.... I will be the one."
"Last time I couldn't.."
The small baby in the air howled.
Multiple explosions of starlight happened all around. It seemed dreamy and abstract, as though someone was dyeing a canvas with paints.
The small boy suddenly muttered, "What was I doing again?"
Another explosion of colors.
"Haha... Master, this time I am prepared."
"I will never forget again.."
He completely gobbled up the star-emitting baby.
"Done..."
But suddenly it was floating outside again.
The small boy shouted, "Damn it... today you can't save yourself even if stars fall.."
This continued as suddenly the baby's arms flew off. There was no blood. They disappeared like motes of light.
It continued for some time.
"Finally got you...." a childish voice exclaimed.
As the starlight baby disappeared into colors, it opened its eyes for the last time to see a person standing not far from this canvas of colors.
It was none other than Rylagh.
Rylagh saw the devastating, horrible scene as though he froze.
Rylagh said in a sad voice, "Brother....."
"You were..."
Before he could even feel anger, Rylagh suddenly felt pressure.
A tremendous pressure.
He didn't freeze but moved his body to look somewhere.
Thump
Thump
Thump
....
At the foothills area near the chaotic fight happening, Marvis slowly headed to where Noelle was. She was still crazily attacking others. Rio gritted his teeth as he and a few other Black Knights were barely restraining her.
Noelle said in a frenzy, "Die, all die... I need to go to my dear..."
"He is waiting..."
"For me.."
Her ethereal arms seemed to be invisible and visible at the same time, making it hard for the Black Knights to counter.
Nyelle shouted as she fought, "Get the creep out of it, Noelle, it's enough.."
"No, no, it's just the start," Noelle replied.
Rio gave a shout as his spear enlarged several times. It became golden as his feet sank into the ground. His body's armor burst forth as he muttered, "Spear Drill."
The spear rotated crazily as it went towards Noelle.
Noelle also laughed. "Haha... that's what I want... Ethereal Swapblades."
Her arms multiplied as they collided with the incoming impact.
Marvis's blades also went backward. He got into a strange pose. Suddenly there was a blur.
He became a spinning sword as he clashed into Noelle. Two of his swords crashed like a cannonball.
It was a blur, and three forces collided.
Three forces split apart as Noelle's many arms were torn through.
Her body was mutilated to the core.
She could barely move. The combined attack of Marvis and Rio did wonders as Noelle finally dropped and became unconscious.
Rio barely stood up. Nyelle also stood up.
Rio extended his hand, and Marvis got up.
Then they looked somewhere as Rio muttered, "Do you know her... she can keep up that haughty..."
Marvis nodded. "She should be Kerin's mother."
Rio was puzzled as Marvis said, "Small details don't matter. Let's get out of here."
Some distance away, elsewhere, Sebastian and the strange woman also fought.
Sebastian was just jumping around, and she could not catch him.
Sebastian said with a smile, "Matriarch, why are you also playing around?"
The woman's expression was ugly.
Suddenly, Sebastian acted like he slipped and said, "Oops." A blue light severed his stick. He said to the lady, astonished, "You really snapped it..."
"Whatever... the show is reaching its end..."
"That Noelle also got beaten black and blue."
He pressed on his hat. He disappeared. The Matriarch's eyes wandered as she looked at the top of the fake giant cross, which imitated the Headless Church's weapon.
The Princess of Breavan looked towards the burning castle as she sighed.
"So that's what it was..."
"I... what have I done...?"
Far behind, Sethsi felt something. She was there with the few surviving knights. She was healing the injured. Whatever she could. Something was wrong. Rhaelle was with her.
As she looked at Rhaelle, her eyes became teary. "I will not hesitate anymore... but only if we survive.."
Suddenly everyone became frozen. Their hearts were gripped by the enlargement of fear. For it was fear unlike anything they had ever felt.
It felt like the world became a sheet of paper. It was empty. It felt like something was about to be painted on the sheet of paper.
Sethsi's eyes were smiling as though realizing how ironic it was.
Then they heard it.
Heartbeat.
Thump
Thump
Thump
...
Just moments ago, near the place where Veer had teleported in the forest, another figure arrived. It was the red-clothed lady. She was covered in wounds. Her body was shriveled. But her beauty didn't fade.
If Veer was here, he would have recognized her.
It was the same lady that fought the Grey Knight Myrell in the depths of Drudar.
From the old man's stories, he had come to know her name was Riessa. She was his maid long before, when the Stareweaver clan existed.
Her hand now held a katana as she uttered, "Junior Brother... Where are you ... ?"
She roamed like a lost woman as she cried, "Grandfather, he died...."
"That bitch really killed him."
She lamented, "Do... do we have no chance of uniting...?"
Suddenly she stopped.
Thump
Thump
Thump
.....
Elsewhere, suddenly an explosion occurred. The area became devastated.
A figure came out as she crouched.
"Damn that old geezer... he almost had this lady...."
"That brat and that lass... fuck.... it..."
She had a purple dress that was disheveled. Her body had wounds that were too much of an impact on onlookers. But wherever one could see her skin, just that was enough to tempt the minds of men.
As she moved, her body seemed to have been woven by threads. It was an incomprehensible state. No one knew how she was alive.
"Soulweaving... It was such a pain to counter..."
There was something in her hands.
She looked at it as she said, "So, old man, now what? You are already dead."
Veer and Riessa would have fainted if they saw what was in her hands.
"Hahahha..."
"I can finally weave...."
"I will be the first..."
Suddenly she stopped laughing.
She looked elsewhere, towards the majestic castle of Drudar far to the west.
"This.... hahaa... that mad man actually succeeded..."
Thump
Thump
Thump...
...
In the depths of Drudar, the walls were beating like skin. Red blood flowed like water everywhere. At the place where Myrell and the red lady fought, something came into existence.
Thousands of dead bodies were there. The color of the walls changed.
From black, they became blue-red. They came to life. Tentacles started growing rapidly.
The whole area under Drudar was hollow, stretching endlessly. But something was forming.
The tentacles covered the whole way, creating a huge structure the length of Drudar.
There was a giant heart in the middle. The walls were roaring. The corpses below raised their heads as they looked at the heart at the top.
The heart was huge. It became larger and larger as the walls undulated.
Suddenly the heart started beating.
It felt like the entirety of Drudar's depths had become a living womb.
To give birth to something.
Thump..
Thump..
Thump...