Chapter 314 Heart Of Yggrisial [10]
Chapter 314 Heart Of Yggrisial [10]
Chapter 314 Heart Of Yggrisial [10]
'This doesn't make sense.'
I grimaced as I slowly walked through the silent corridor.
Attacking the Royal Palace with a demigod guarding it is a death wish.
'Have they really lost their minds?'
Wondering, I threw the bloodstained sword out of the window, careful not to startle the others.
I will try to make sure not to use mana for as long as possible.
Using it will only have adverse effects on me, and I don't want to become a liability.
But I am not sure how long my body can last.
I quickly reached the room closest to mine.
Maybe it was coincidence, but it was her room.
Knock! Knock!
I rapped my hand on the door while I kept my gaze around.
I can sense a lot of them.
They are all over the place.
Knock. Kno—
The door flew open.
A hand shot out, grabbing my collar and yanking me inside the dark room.
Siersha pinned me against the wall and placed her pointy nails against my throat.
"Are you trying to announce to everyone that you're visiting my room?" she hissed, glaring at me with her crimson eyes.
Not much was visible, but I could clearly see anger on her face.
"Listen to me—"
"I know, you want my life energy," she cut into my words, unhanding me. "What else do you want from me?"
"Wait—were you expecting me?" I asked, straightening my collar as she turned her back.
"No," she replied, her tone quite firm.
....A little too much.
"Well, let's get this over wi—"
"We're under attack," I interrupted, reaching for the light switch. "Probably the Dark Trinity—"
"Wait!"
I flicked the lights on, only to freeze the next second.
"..."
Siersha darted toward her bed, her face flushing red.
She was in a short black lace nightdress, its sleeveless design and deep neckline was quite alluring.
Everything below her thighs was barely covered.
"Turn around!" she snapped, grabbing a blanket to cover herself.
I quickly turned around. "Wear something decent next time."
"Shut up!"
She exclaimed, and I heard the sounds of her quickly wearing something.
'Black panties.'
[<Eww, Shame on you.>]
'It wasn't my fault; I couldn't help but notice those sexy—.'
[<I don't want to hear your perverted thoughts.>]
She cut into my rebuke.
I sighed, trying to remove images of her from my mind.
'.....'
I can't.
Fuck.
"Alright, turn around," she said, her voice filled with annoyance.
After checking her out for a brief moment, I opened the door. "We should meet with Pasithea."
I stepped into the corridor, only to halt abruptly.
"What happened?" Siersha asked, trailing behind, only to freeze as well.
Elijah looked at us with his mouth agape.
He blinked, then slowly turned and began walking away.
"Elijah!" I called after him, striding forward.
He turned around with a surprised expression. "When did you arrive, Himmel? I didn't see you."
"What's going on?" I asked seriously.
"I heard weird sounds, so I came out to look," he said, equally serious. "We are surrounded."
"They're after Pasithea," I said, already moving. "She's in danger."
Elijah trailed behind me, while Siersha stood in place.
"I will wake up the others," she said, looking at me.
I nodded in response.
"Caelestis," Elijah said as we hurried toward Pasithea's room.
"Heir of the Uzume Highbloods—his minions warned me once to stay away from Siersha."
"...I see," I replied, nodding my head.
Him, huh?
Never thought I would hear about him from Elijah.
[<Do you know him?>]
'Yeah, from the game.'
And I hate him as much as I hate Killian.
Both of them share the same title.
[Villainess Maker]
"Stop."
At my words, both of us came to a halt.
Six guards blocked our path, their weapons pointed toward us.
"This is a restricted area—"
"Take those two out," I said, looking at Elijah.
He nodded, taking his sword out of his bracelet.
He rushed forward, and I did the same.
One of them jabbed his sword at me.
I sidestepped, simultaneously grabbing his wrist.
Using his hand, I parried the other guard's sword before twisting his wrist in my hand.
"Arghh!"
He groaned, folding.
His sword fell down, and I grabbed it.
Pivoting a little back, I raised his hand up, using it as a shield as the other guard made a short arc with his sword.
His arm was cut clean, dismembering from his body.
I threw the severed hand at the other guard without much force.
He flinched slightly, distracted.
I raised my foot, placed it over his kneecap, and stomped.
Ligaments tore open as his kneecap shifted.
He fell to his knees, dropping his sword.
And before he could cry, my knee met his chin, knocking him out.
The other two let out a roar and rushed at me together.
Lowering my body, I let them come close.
And just as they were in range—
I spun, and my blade opened a gaping wound across the nape of one guard's neck.
His wound sprayed blood across my face, and his body fell onto the other guard.
The other guard growled, trying to drop his partner and bring up his sword at me.
I reversed the blade for a backstrike as I drove it through his open mouth and out the back of his head.
Their bodies fell down as I released my grip on the sword.
My gaze quickly shifted toward Elijah, who had already taken care of the other two.
'Shit.'
I missed his sword style. I should have been more attentive.
"Let's go," I said, as I kicked the body aside.
Elijah followed behind me, muttering, "You didn't use mana?"
"Nope," I replied, darting through the corridor. "I can't properly use it for now."
"I see." He nodded, his voice thoughtful. "Left from here."
"How do you know?"
"Heather's room is close..." His voice trailed off.
I looked away from him.
Not my place to interfere, but...
'Amaury.'
I hope he doesn't do anything stupid.
We turned left as we cautiously walked toward her room.
"Where did Lady Mariam go?" Elijah asked, making me look back at him.
"I heard they have a meeting with the guardian of Yggdrasil," I replied softly. "Maybe she isn't available."
"And Dark Trinity attacked at the exact moment?" he asked, the question that's been bothering me.
"Seems like it," I mumbled, removing the bloodstain from my face.
The corridor remained oddly silent as we quickly arrived at Pasithea's room.
Knock! Knock!
I knocked on the door before stepping back a little.
No reply.
"Pasithea!"
I rapped my knuckles again.
Still nothing.
The door to the adjacent room creaked open, and Heather emerged, her expression tense as she walked toward us.
"Move," Elijah said, and I stepped aside.
With a sharp breath, he drew the blade downward in an arc—not sawing, just pressing it through the door as though it were soft cheese.
The door cut open with ease.
Elijah walked in, and I followed suit.
"Hey, what's going on?"
Heather also walked inside the room, looking at both of us.
But we both had grim expressions.
Heather's eyes darted around the room, her brows knitted together as she asked,
"Where is Pasithea?"
********
"Did you find the Princess?"
"Not yet."
"Hmm."
"We've lost nine members," Awan murmured, his voice low as he stood at the edge of the Royal Palace rooftop.
He glanced to his side.
Marvis leaned casually against the stone wall, gazing down at the dimly lit palace below, lost in thought.
His deep brown hair fluttered around with the wind as he touched his ear.
"We lost another," Awan continued with a weary sigh. "That leaves us with ninety."
"How many has Heir Himmel killed?" Marvis asked, his gaze still fixed on the palace.
"Seven."
"His way of killing?" Marvis pressed, tilting his head slightly toward Awan. "Anything worth noting?"
"Excellent swordsmanship," Awan replied, shaking his head. "Apart from that, he hasn't used anything special."
"Hmmmm." Marvis hummed softly, a smile playing on his lips. "Does he only amount to this much?"
Like most of the executives, Marvis harbored a particular fascination with Himmel.
After all, one of their three superior deities had issued a direct order to avoid harming him.
And Marvis couldn't help but become quite curious about him.
"Are you planning to capture him, too?" Awan asked, casting a sidelong glance at his leader. "It might be possibl—"
"We don't do things that we weren't ordered to," Marvis replied firmly, glancing at him. "Don't mess with him."
"But he is killing our men—"
"Then let him," Marvis interrupted coldly. "If he becomes a problem, I'll handle him myself."
Awan sighed, giving him a curt nod.
He returned to his job using his owl-spirit, which flew over the palace.
Through its eyes, Awan could monitor the movements of his marked men.
"Hmm?"
Awan stiffened as he felt something amiss.
"What is it?" Marvis asked, finally peeling his gaze away from the view.
"We lost ten men," Awan said grimly, his voice tensed. "...All in a split second."
Marvis chuckled. "Are you saying someone strong enough to do that is still here?"
"...I believe so," Awan replied, his eyes darting towards the world tree. "Say, leader. How long do we have before they return?"
"I don't know," Marvis shrugged off his query. "They might be coming back as we speak."
Awan flinched as he swallowed hard.
His imagination ran wild as he thought of different ways a single demigod could kill them.
Closing his eyes, Awan started to work even more seriously.
Marvis, however, leaned forward, peering down at the palace with a grin. "Where are you hiding, Princess?"
Awan's tense features suddenly relaxed as a report came through his spirit.
Opening his eyes, he looked at Marvis. "We found her."
Marvis walked forward with a smile. "Let's greet her properly."
He jumped down.
*****
Hayes softly walked through the inner corridors of the Royal Palace.
Dim light shone softly on the figures that walked along with him.
Hayes' every step remained filled with caution while he kept his eyes around.
"How did you know this would happen?" Ries, who walked lazily beside him, asked. "The demigod being unavailable, this is."
"You don't need to know, barbarian," Hayes snapped, casting an irritated glance at him. "And who asked you to tag along?"
"Come on," Ries said with a sly grin. "What if you ditch me and steal Aetheria? I'm not about to become your scapegoat."
"Just don't get in my way," Hayes muttered, dismissing him.
Ries smiled.
Hayes quickly walked past an intersection.
The fifteen soldiers he brought flanked him, equally alert.
Following an arch at the ceiling, Hayes took a left.
"How do you even know where Aetheria is?" Ries asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
"Everything belonging to the First Child of Mana was locked away in a secure vault within the palace," Hayes explained curtly.
"And how do you know that?" Ries pressed further, looking at him.
"E.C.T.O.," Hayes replied curtly. "There's no information they can't provide—for the right price."
"Must be nice."
Ries mumbled, envious of the abundant wealth of the Solace Kingdom.
He knew how much it cost to buy information from them.
E.C.T.O. isn't called the wealthiest in Lumina for nothing.
"Do you have any personal connection with their leader?" Ries asked, rubbing his hand. "Might intro—"
"No one knows who leads them," Hayes grumbled, rubbing his temples. "Nobody even knows if the leader is male or female."
"Tch." Ries clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Hayes also started to ignore him as they swiftly yet cautiously kept on moving.
After a few minutes of tense silence, they arrived in front of a massive steel locker.
The towering structure loomed before them, its surface engraved with intricate runes that glowed faintly in the dim light.
It was reinforced with layers of runes, an impenetrable barrier to anyone who lacked the key.
Ries whistled, impressed. "So, how do we open it?"
Hayes stepped closer, analyzing the patterns. "I think I can diffuse it... but it'll take an hour."
A light tap on Hayes's shoulder made him turn around sharply.
One of his guards, clad in distinct bluish armor, stepped forward without a word.
Hayes stepped aside without protest.
The guard raised his open palm.
A translucent, radiant energy began to emerge, spreading out like liquid light and engulfing the massive locker in its glow.
Then, the guard turned his open hand into a fist.
CRACK!
The steel locker groaned under immense, invisible pressure before collapsing in on itself.
The intricate runes shattered like glass.
The guard lowered his hand and stepped back, letting Hayes take control.
Hayes cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ahem. Let's move."
They quickly walked inside the room.
The first thing to catch their eyes was a large family portrait of the first Head of the Segyal Highbloods, hanging on the far wall.
Hayes ignored it, his focus narrowing on the glass case at the center of the room.
"There it is," he whispered, his voice tinged with delight.
He approached the glass case, but his excitement quickly gave way to confusion, then dread.
"No way..." Hayes whispered, his expression crumbling. "No, this can't be happening!"
The Aetheria they were so desperate for....
....was incomplete.