STM 158

When Doctor Kim’s consciousness returned, the first thing she felt was the sensation of her body shaking. She realized a bit late that someone was running while holding her.

But it was hard to open her eyes, and it was hard to breathe too. Her whole body plummeted into her fading consciousness again, but she heard someone’s firm voice faintly.

‘Keep her alive. Make her live no matter what.’

Huh? It sounds like Lu. He sounded very angry, but also very desperate. She wanted to answer that voice.

Of course, I should live. I have so much work to do.

However, her consciousness was as thin as a thread, so it was hard to even move her lips. But she wasn’t afraid to return to the darkness again. It felt like she was falling endlessly into an invisible place. That was because she knew she’d wake up in the end.

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“She’s starting to breathe properly!”

The people surrounding the Adeye matriarch sighed in relief in unison. The head butler especially shed tears as she thanked God.

Even Solongo, who must have been the most surprised, had tears welling up in her eyes, but she stood up, her expression hardened. It was time to assess the situation. The casualties were too numerous.

But there was something she had to handle first. As she left the infirmary, a murderous aura emanating from her, she asked the captain guard who approached her.

“Where’s Priest Sidro?”

“We chased and caught him while he tried to run.”

“What about the person who came this evening?”

Yes, the guard captain nodded and repeated the report he’d given when Lu was there.

“The assistant priest who brought the brazier himself couldn’t even think of running, so we caught him.”

Solongo gritted her teeth and checked again.

“Tell me that person’s name again.”

“He said it’s Ariona.”

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“Adeye Lu, what do you think you’re doing?!”

Kilu wrapped his arm around Hoiga’s shoulder to protect him and yelled at me.

“Drag this person out right now! How dare he attack Salvation.”

“Salvation? Oh, Salvation who just knows a few things about the future?”

I sneered and took a step forward.

“If you planned to burn all of Adeye with the Eternal Flame, you should’ve used your head better so you wouldn’t get caught. Don’t use your subordinates so stupidly.”

Hoiga covered his face with his hands like he was in pain, then he raised his eyebrows.

“What are you talking about? My subordinates?”

“Ariona. The person who smuggled the temple’s treasure, the Eternal Flame, into Adeye.”

He didn’t give another reply, but the shock in his eyes showed he was quite surprised. He probably didn’t know Ariona was involved in this. That’s probably why Hoiga turned to Kilu right away.

“Why did Ariona….”

“Salvation, you shouldn’t let Adeye Lu’s words surprise you just because he mentioned a name you know. That person is shaking your heart with false information to frame you right now.”

The voice was soft, but Kilu’s eyes as they met Hoiga’s were overbearing.

“Think about it. Aren’t you and Ariona just acquaintances?”

Hoiga probably noticed Kilu’s warning because he looked around with an awkward expression. He must’ve belatedly realized that many people were watching us.

“Lu, I don’t know what you’re talking about. The Eternal Flame burned all of Adeye? Did some accident happen?”

Hoiga’s voice trembled even though he tried to act like nothing was wrong.

“You said you’re Salvation? You know the future, so you tell me. What happened in the Adeye family just now?”

“God didn’t give me my foresight to look at trivial things.”

God? laughed. Hoiga’s eyes filled with venom at my mockery.

“I wonder if you can keep laughing after I tell you what I know.”

“Tell me. Laughing isn’t hard.”

“Grand Duke Kun, you probably don’t know about his situation. That’s why you broke in here looking like that. If you knew the truth, you shouldn’t have come here. You should’ve run to where Grand Duke Kun is first.”

I stared without saying a word, so Hoiga glared at me accusingly.

“Grand Duke Kun must be fighting the monsters emerging from the Crystal Lake right now. I mean the countless monsters that human strength can’t stop!”

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As many people as possible waited around Crystal Lake just like Tairok’s instructions. It was only half a day until the sun set and darkness covered the world, but the people holding their weapons felt like they’d waited for years.

Reinforcements continued to come in, and the sound of wagons shaking the ground and horses’ neighs rang out, but no human voices were heard.

Everyone remained silent, as though they had agreed on this beforehand. Would monsters jump out from the fog? Would this fog even disappear? How many monsters would appear?

Only this fog would provide the answers to the questions. Then, at some point, an omen flowed from the ground.

Rumble!

A loud sound rang out like thunder inside the earth, and it started to shake.

“The fog is disappearing!”someone shouted, and the fog that blocked their vision instantly dissipate. They gazes turned downwards.

The lake had dried up without a single drop of water left, and it had become a terrain that was hollowed out like a huge crater. Because of this, even in the dim moonlight, they were able to see the situation on the floor of the lake.

The ground cracked like a desert’s surface parched by drought, and monsters started to jump out from the gaps. The number was so high that people were overwhelmed by fear.

We can’t win. We can’t stop the monsters.

However, someone’s shout reached the ears of those who wanted to run.

“It’s Grand Duke Kun!”

He was there in the middle of the lake’s floor. He jumped as if he were flying with a sword in his hand. Then, a familiar shape of aura emanated from his sword’s tip and cut the monsters’ bodies.

The people who were frozen with fear drew their swords one by one and started to move forward. Many people ran at the same time and spread a huge vibration across the earth.

The swirling dust blocked their vision, but nothing could stop their advance. That’s how the battle with the monsters that would remain in history began at Crystal Lake.

However many they cut and knocked down, the monsters continued to pour out. Without time to scream, they continued to hold and swing their swords, even if they were injured.

As time passed, the soldiers were drained of their strength, and the speed of exterminating the monsters slowed down. On the other hand, monsters crawled out from the floor constantly and increased in number.

For those who fought, despair over human frailty grew stronger than fear of dying. These monsters are too strong for humans to defeat.

The hopeless situation dragged everyone up to the cliff of grief. It felt like Borhumi would become a land of death tonight. The soldiers really thought so.

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“Crystal Lake? Do you mean monsters are attacking Borhumi’s land? At that lake again?”

One of the people watching was the one who reacted to Hoiga’s words. Hoiga turned his eyes slightly and nodded his head heavily.

The people around him gasped in surprise at his answer and started lamenting. Soon, another person asked.

“But you said there are countless monsters that humans can’t stop? Is that true too?”

There was blame mixed in the question. Why didn’t you tell people even though you predicted that? If such a disaster struck, it wasn’t time to hold a party leisurely. The one who came up with an excuse was Kilu.

“It’s all true. But the Kun family is the one who occupies Borhumi Castle right now. Grand Duke Kun filled the Crystal Lake’s surroundings with his own soldiers and kicked out all the other divine beast families’ soldiers.”

He told shameless lies and deceived the people.

“I heard Salvation’s prophecy and naturally told Grand Duke Kun this fact first. I also shared that I would help by sending soldiers. But Grand Duke Kun refused.”

He looked around at the people and sighed as if he felt sorry.

“He probably misunderstood my intention as a plan to steal Borhumi.”

He sure talked a lot of trash. Kilu was definitely talking nonsense because he was sure Tairok would’ve died while he fought the monsters.

The people who believed his words gave me accusatory looks since I’d now become Kun’s person. I couldn’t help but laugh because it was so ridiculous.

“Lu, Grand Duke Kun won’t be able to handle the monsters, and he’ll lose his life in the end. No, he might’ve passed away already. But you still feel like laughing after you hear this?”

I couldn’t stop smiling even at Hoiga’s rebuke.

“Do you think I survived the fire by luck?”

I took a half-step forward and smiled even more.

“Prophecy? Alright, I’ll try it too. Grand Duke Kun will take care of the monsters within tonight. After that, no more monsters will come out of Crystal Lake. That’s because I’ll seal the rift where the monsters came from.”

“With what power?”

“I don’t have the power. But the divine beast does.”

The blue snake that was wrapped around my wrist raised its head high as if it agreed with my words.