Chapter 154
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 154
A sharp bolt of lightning streaked across half of Asdal's face, his pink hair whipping in the discharge. The attack from Jenath went awry because of it.
Though he barely dodged, Asdal let out a pained groan as the lightning's intense heat seared his face with burns.
"Ugh!"
Yet he didn't lose his composure. He aimed his crossbow at Jenath and pulled the trigger.
Whoosh.
'I can easily evade this much....'
Jenath twisted his body to dodge the incoming crossbow bolt.
The problem was that at that crucial moment, his body began moving of its own accord. He thought he'd turned his body to the left, but in reality, he moved to the right.
'Damn it.'
Kaiden's body was beginning to resist Jenath.
He barely dodged the first arrow, but couldn't evade the second one flying toward him. Jenath was struck by Asdal's arrow and slammed into the wooden wall of the cabin.
Asdal, drenched in blood, exhaled a labored, trembling breath. Blood dripped steadily from a long wound that split his forehead down to his eye.
"Listen, Half-Emperor. You need to watch your back."
Asdal rebuked Enoch with a nonchalant expression, then coughed up blood again.
"Damn it, Asdal!"
Enoch hurriedly checked his condition. Asdal, having lost one eye, looked up at Enoch with difficulty.
Asdal had heard the commotion in the cabin's front yard, recognized the gravity of the situation, and ultimately broke through the barrier to enter before Anata could fully neutralize it.
So losing one eye was entirely his own doing. Though he had to endure the agony of his entire body being torn to shreds, in the end, he was able to help Enoch—wasn't that fortunate?
"What reckless nonsense is this!"
"And what about this insane thing you're doing? Is it not dangerous?"
Asdal smiled. He even had the composure to pat Enoch's shoulder while joking.
"Still, we all survived, didn't we? We were fairly close friends who spent time together back at the Academy. Since we're friends, I'm helping."
Enoch noticed that despite Asdal's composed demeanor, his hand was trembling. He gritted his teeth and helped Asdal to his feet.
Of course, their composure didn't last long. Jenath emerged from the dust cloud, rubbing his neck as if it ached, and walked toward them.
Jenath pulled the arrow embedded in his shoulder and furrowed his brow. He tried to attack the two men again, but once more his body refused to obey his will.
"You're not listening. Our descendant. You still haven't let go of your attachment."
Now that he thought about it, at first this one had resisted with all manner of curses, but at some point he had become docile and quietly surrendered his body.
'That was strange.'
The old him would have suspected something, but his mistake was being too absorbed in conversation with Margaret to pay attention.
Crash! Boom!
Then, something massive burst through the cabin's roof and shot high into the sky.
It was the Anaconda, boasting a colossal size. The creature that appeared so dramatically opened its maw wide toward the heavens and spewed fire. Soon, a fierce pillar of flames swept across the sky, radiating scorching heat.
It was a shocking entrance that overwhelmed all living creatures on the ground.
A small figure sat atop the Anaconda's massive head.
It was none other than Margaret.
"Enoch!"
Margaret waved at them as she called out.
At the same moment, the colossal Anaconda crushed the cabin and shattered the barrier surrounding it.
Clang!
The barrier shattered like glass, crumbling without resistance.
The moment the barrier vanished, a blue magical circle unfurled around the cabin. Anata, who had been in the process of neutralizing the barrier with magic, quickly assessed the situation and altered her incantation accordingly.
Anata cast protective magic on everyone within her line of sight, save for Jenath.
All of this unfolded in an instant, courtesy of Margaret's unexpected arrival.
Even Jenath stared in bewilderment at the towering Anaconda and Margaret, his expression dumbfounded.
'What on earth is this woman?'
He couldn't fathom how she'd escaped the Room of Rest, nor how she'd orchestrated that cursed monster's evolution.
She shattered not only his expectations but the very framework of his reasoning. This was a scenario he'd never once conceived of.
Then Diego rushed forward with his blade drawn, joining forces with Enoch and Asdal to confront Jenath. Jenath clicked his tongue in irritation and turned to face them.
'How tedious.'
* * *
The battle raged in the distance while Anata and Yuanna supported Rujeep, surveying their surroundings.
"We should keep the entrance open to facilitate our escape."
Yuanna nodded at Anata's suggestion.
However, the Anaconda's emergence had caused the cabin to collapse, blocking the path to the underground. Clearing away the cabin's debris and reopening the passage below was paramount.
Anata and Yuanna rolled up their sleeves and began removing the wreckage of the cabin.
"I... I'll help as well."
Seeing the two women move, Rujeep coughed softly and slowly pushed himself to his feet.
"Your recovery is your contribution, Bishop. We're truly fine."
At Yuanna's objection, Rujeep's face darkened considerably. He gazed at her with a pallid expression.
"I'm truly capable. Please, allow me to help."
With that, he quietly began lifting and moving the heavy wooden planks. Anata, straining against the considerable weight of the timber, took a deep breath before turning to Rujeep.
"You said you sealed the monster's progenitor within your body?"
At Anata's question, Rujeep flinched in surprise and looked up at her. He glanced cautiously at Yuanna before responding in a measured tone.
"More precisely, they are vengeful spirits—souls with deep grievances regarding this experiment. During my slumber, I conversed extensively with the spirits sealed within me. Each carried a tragic tale."
"I see."
Anata fell silent at Rujeep's answer. She regarded him with an awkward expression before ultimately averting her gaze. Perhaps because the source of those spirits' tragic circumstances was none other than her and Jenath.
Rujeep observed her retreating figure quietly before asking.
"Why do you help us?"
Yuanna, too, seemed curious about Anata's response, glancing at her briefly.
"Do you know what happens to a person after living for a thousand years?"
At Anata's question, Yuanna and Rujeep shook their heads. She laughed weakly and continued.
"You begin to feel as though you've become a god. Especially watching the test subjects die one after another on this Alea Island, that feeling only intensifies."
Rujeep thought that perhaps this was what Jenath had become.
"But it was the first time a member of the Rohade Family bloodline had set foot on this island."
"Are you referring to Rodban?"
Yuanna asked for clarification, and Anata nodded.
"Learning that he was a descendant whose blood mixed with mine stirred something strange within me. If he hadn't been chosen as a sacrifice, what would his future have held? I found myself deeply curious about that."
Anata murmured absently.
"...That's all. Truly, that's all..."
"So your conclusion is that only your bloodline matters. How selective of your compassion. We've benefited from your help, but what crime did all those people commit while they were dying?"
Rujeep's response came in an uncharacteristic, irritable tone. His face showed anger being forcefully suppressed, held back with visible effort.
Yuanna watched the two of them in silence, and Anata offered no rebuttal to his words.
"...I'm sorry."
Yet Anata's apology failed to reach Rujeep at all.
* * *
Jenath was struggling more than expected against Enoch's group.
Beyond the annoying protective magic that clung to them, his body refused to obey him at every critical moment of attack.
"So you were willing to surrender your body, yet you're playing these cute little tricks."
[Now you understand?]
The one who answered Jenath's muttering with a voice in his mind was none other than Kaiden. Jenath let out a hollow laugh and ran his hand roughly through his hair.
"The seal broke? Nothing ever goes right."
[If I can't die alone, then we die together. I have no intention of dying by myself, ever.]
Ha. Jenath exhaled an exasperated sigh.
It seemed Kaiden believed that sharing a body with him made it easier to restrict his movements. His strategy was actually working.
Perhaps I should have simply observed the Experiment until the very end. Direct intervention didn't seem to be such a good approach after all.
'How tiresome.'
At that moment, the massive Anaconda unleashed fire toward Jenath.
Jenath unfurled a magic circle and effortlessly absorbed the flames. But dealing with Enoch's group launching consecutive attacks was nothing short of tedious.
"Silver Earthworm, be careful! It's Kaiden!"
Margaret cried out from atop the Anaconda's head.
Upon hearing that cry, Jenath realized he held their weakness in his grasp. Kaiden's body was important to him, but it seemed equally important to them. A smile crossed Jenath's lips.
"Ah. Now things are becoming much easier. Unless you wish for this body's owner to die, I suggest you all stay put."
In that instant, Enoch's group, who had been unleashing attacks upon him, froze.
Jenath watched as even Asdal and Diego moved to stand alongside Enoch, protecting Margaret, and he scanned his surroundings once more.
'But where did Anata go?'
Anata was nowhere to be seen, nor were Yuanna and Rujeep. The thought came belatedly that they might have gone to find an escape route.
'Anata won't know why I gave the Holy Maiden that master key.'
Because I never explained it to her.
'It hasn't even been a year since you all came to this Island. What happens when you forcibly open a locked door before the cycle completes?'
Margaret, who stood before his eyes, was the one who should have heard what Anata and Yuanna needed to know.
As Jenath's thoughts reached that point, he could no longer suppress the laughter that burst forth.
Yes. Since Anata had betrayed him, he should certainly have one final card to play. There was no need to worry about that. Once all the Test Subjects were dead, he merely had to seize the amplified magical power.
If he gathered only the magical power of the last Test Subjects before him, he could finally open the Dimension.
Almost there. Almost.
Once the Dimensional gate opened, he would break the pendant's seal. With that power, he could obtain the perfect strength to dominate and seize authority across all Dimensions.
[You think I'll quietly watch what you're doing?]
Kaiden's voice echoed in his mind, but Jenath ignored it. Knowing that Kaiden wouldn't stay quiet, he intended to handle matters as quickly as possible. After that, he would consume Kaiden's very consciousness.
Jenath lightly rolled his foot across the ground, creating a magic circle.
What began as merely a small circle expanded to completely encompass the ruins of the shattered Cabin, growing larger and larger with each passing moment.
Seeing this, Enoch and his companions rushed forward to stop Jenath, but they were blocked by the barrier he had erected with his magic circle and couldn't get close.
Soon, a colossal magic circle large enough to engulf the entire Island was completed.
The final magic circle—overwhelming in scale beyond anything I had ever witnessed, emanating an eerie aura—began to glow and exert its power.
With brilliant light, earth and soil surged upward from the ground into the sky. It was as if the world itself was crumbling. There was nothing we could do.
"No!"
Seized by the overwhelming sense of danger that threatened to consume Enoch and his entire group, Margaret rushed toward Jenath alongside Anaconda.
But Jenath didn't even blink. With magic, he conjured ropes and bound the charging Anaconda tightly. When Anaconda collapsed, Margaret—who had been perched on its head—fell helplessly to the ground.
"Damn Jenath!"
Margaret cursed his name in fury. Even now, she was an interesting woman.
Then, suddenly,
'Is she saying she'll kill me?'
'You can never adapt to that world without me. Think about it carefully. You need me.'
Her words flashed rapidly through my mind.
It was strange. Even knowing she hadn't meant it that way, I felt as though I couldn't exist without her—as if I'd been brainwashed by Margaret.
If she fell from there, Margaret would die instantly.
As she fell helplessly like a descending petal, her face was etched with unmistakable terror. The moment I saw that expression, my heart plummeted with her.
Just before Margaret collided with the ground,
Jenath abruptly dissolved the massive magic formula he had been activating and caught the falling Margaret with his own hands.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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