Chapter 68 - All That is Left [4]
The Cardinal Sky.
Mass extinction events that wreaked havoc worldwide, killing billions of humans and animals alike, returning Earth to its primal state.
As a result, 50% of the land became uninhabitable.
The 1st Cardinal Sky turned Demiurge into a chaotic landscape, causing panic in the surrounding countries.
They feared that if such an event were to occur again on an even larger scale, humanity would face extinction.
In response, people built bunkers—or rather, underground cities—most notably in Trestkania, the world’s most technologically advanced country.
However, despite their efforts, these bunkers ultimately backfired, becoming cages where occupants were trapped and slaughtered like lost lambs by the Eldians.
It was a one-way ticket to hell and provided an opportunity for Morzen Cultists to conduct inhumane experiments.
“You two… live down here?” I asked Luna and Ray, trying to be considerate.
Living in a bunker during a nuclear apocalypse is one thing, but the situation here was even more dire than I could have imagined.
To put it plainly, the whole region was dead—literally gray, with all life stripped away until it was desolate.
Hence, the simple name: the Dead Zone.
Though there were no radioactive substances like those typically found in a nuclear apocalypse, creatures that normal humans cannot harm roamed freely, ready to feast on flesh.
In the worst-case scenario, the Eldians could absorb me, turning my last remaining days into a living hell until someone finally relieved me of my suffering.
Then there's Protocol Stray, a fate worse than death if I entered a Pylon’s domain with barely any mental resistance.
I would become a husk of my former self, forever roaming a purgatory.
“Yes… Though the monsters that came by are all gone now...” Ray tilted his head, appearing nervous.
—Clank!
The four of us hopped out of the car and approached the structure that didn’t stand out at all.
Since we were in a Dead Zone, I could also see a giant barrier from a distance.
It was a Domain, growing larger by the day that would consume this underground bunker within a few days.
—Tap Tap...
We arrived at a heavily reinforced door blocking our entry.
—Knock Knock!
I knocked on the door, made of refined steel and thick enough that I couldn’t pinpoint how many layers it had.
“How did you open this door?” I asked the two kids behind me.
They both shook their heads, as the person who had led them out of the bunker was not present.
“We were never taught how to go outside… Uncle knows how, but…” Luna hesitated, reluctant to say more.
Understanding what she meant, I scratched my head and pondered other ways to get past this door.
Tch, I guess it can’t be helped.
“Everyone, stand back.” I stretched my arms and took Libera from my holster, already having two of them prepared in advance.
Just as I was about to shoot the door with an <Overcharged Bullet>, Scarlett stepped in waved her hand.
“Lady Aria, let me handle this.”
—Sheathe...!
Without hesitation, Scarlett unsheathed her heavy weapon, ready to slash through.
However, I interrupted her, knowing that if I left the situation to her, things could take a turn for the worse.
“Hold your horses for a moment. Scarlett, promise me you won’t go overboard like last time?”
"..."
There was a pause as I looked at Scarlett with concern.
She glanced away, taking my words to heart.
I knew it that she was going to do something rash again, heaven's sake.
“…I’ll do my best to meet your expectations,” Scarlett replied, nodding her head as she assumed her stance.
“Hmm, good.” I decided to withdraw and trust her, feeling that this outcome was better as long as she followed through correctly.
If we made any loud noises, it could lead to severe consequences, like revealing our position.
Libera was a last resort because it'll make too much noise.
So Scarlett's confidence in her ability to slice through a reinforced steel door without making any noise is... intriguing, to say at least.
Just how strong is she?
I’d have to shoot two or three times to penetrate this door with Libera.
—Voom...!
“Fooo…” Scarlett took a deep breath as mana swirled within her fingertips.
Instead of the violent and overlapping mana she used for <Explosion>, she used a gentler force—a clean slash intended to be as precise as possible.
Before we get caught in the crossfire, I created a small wall of Ichor and hid the kids beside me.
—Zing…!
Scarlett channelled a tremendous amount of mana into her blade, radiating energy that were beyond my understanding.
Her sword gleamed a gentle red, flowing like a waterfall in constant motion.
With a clean and pristine cut—
"Haaah!!!"
—SWING...!
Scarlett effortlessly sliced through the door, creating an entrance for us.
—BLAM!
To finish the job, she kicked the reinforced steel door, sending it crashing into the unknown depths beyond.
‘…Looks like I still have a long way to go,’ I scoffed, surprised by her remarkable control over mana.
The only thing I could boast about was myself was my mana control.
Scarlett matched, if not exceeded, my abilities in comparison.
She used her magic art, <Explosion>, to compress it to become gentle compared to its chaotic nature.
Her roundhouse kick was a bit loud, but it was undoubtedly better than Scarlett unleashing a tactical nuke or me firing off a rail cannon.
Recognizing her impressive feat, I approached Scarlett to commend her.
“Nice job, Scarle-”
"S-So cool!!!" The children interrupted, pushing me aside, their eyes sparkling with excitement.
"How did you do that?! You’re so strong, Auntie!" Luna exclaimed, jumping up and down and pointing at the broken door.
"A-Auntie..." Scarlett, who had been filled with pride prior to this, suddenly felt disheartened by the title, which made her reconsider everything.
"P-Pfft…!" I struggled to contain my laughter and looked away.
Scarlett, unable to glare at me twice in a row without seeming rude, glanced down, her cheeks tinged with red.
"Auntie! Can you do that again?" Ray chimed in, also calling her auntie and leaving her no time to gather her thoughts.
“I… uh,” Scarlett stammered, her usual confidence failing her as she scrambled for words.
For someone who attempted to watch me take a leak, she gets flustered over the little things.
“Alright, that’s enough, you two. Let's get going before we’re too late,” I said, gently pushing them away from Scarlett.
Seeing how uncomfortable she was, their curiosity faded, and they backed off for now.
“Fine… but you have to show us again after this, okay?” Luna asked Scarlett with a bright smile.
“I promise,” Scarlett said, nodding her head in agreement.
When I helped her out of that awkward situation, Scarlett looked at me, silently conveying her thanks.
After that little ordeal, we moved toward the entrance that Scarlett had created for us.
It was a bottomless pit, filled with darkness that seemed to stretch infinitely.
The only thing I could make out was a ladder, barely visible, leading to the place these kids called home.
—Kachick!
I pulled out a flashlight to see where the ladder led.
I was about to ask how terrible the entrance was when I realized late that the ladder led to an elevator.
“I’ll go down first. Scarlett, you go last,” I instructed, moving ahead.
The formation prioritized the safety of the kids above all else.
—Tap… Tap… Tap…
The four of us climbed down to the elevator, where the light was barely visible.
—Tring…!
To make it safer, I created a headband that held our flashlights above our heads, allowing us to see better while keeping my other hand free.
“Hmm, let’s see… this button.” I shuffled around the control panel and flipped a lever.
—Thonk! Brring…!
The elevator whirred to life, and mechanical rattles echoed beneath our feet.
It was a tense situation, as this descent could unveil a bitter truth, a harsh reality.
—Rattle Rattle!
We descended into an underground city, a marvellous disaster designed to be a utopia.
“…” I glanced back, and we remained silent.
Luna and Ray were hiding behind me, trembling in fear.
If the man they had trusted for years had turned mad and harmed their loved ones, I would be devastated too.
I... truly hope we aren't too late yet.
—Kachick Kachick!
I brightened the flashlight when I noticed a flickering light in the distance.
It was at its brightest that it could muster, but it still wasn’t enough in this overwhelming darkness.
“What happened…?” Ray moved closer to the railing and squinted to get a better look.
From what I could tell, I'm sure such vast expanse wasn't supposed to be this dark at this time of day.
Just before Ray accidentally stumbled forward, Scarlett grabbed him by the back of his collar to prevent any risk.
“Ray, please be careful,” Scarlett said in a monotone voice.
“A-Alright... sorry.” Ray acknowledged what he had almost done, stepped back, and waited for the lift to descend completely.
—Vrrr…! Bonk…
After a while, we reached the bottom, but it was still too dark to see anything.
“Dammit, where is the power?” I clicked my tongue in frustration.
We ventured into the darkness to find their parents and get this over with.
…
…
…
But it’s quiet.
It's too quiet for comfort.
Scarlett and I exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing.
We were either being extremely cautious or marching toward danger.
—Drip...!
"...Hmm?" I looked behind, hearing droplets fall.
There was something that I overlooked.
A decision I should have made from the beginning.
—I shouldn't have come here in the first place.
“Ah… Ah… Aaah…!” Ray’s voice turned erratic, filled with shock at what he had seen.
Tears streamed down his face, and his hands shook with immense fear.
The two of them couldn't form complete sentences, only to utter words that broke me.
“Mom… Dad…?”
—Splat…!
…
…
Ah.
It’s a severed head.
“Oh… oh god.” I shook my head in denial.
It was a sight that nearly made me vomit; in fact, I was on the verge of hurling my insides out at that very moment.
The floor, walls, and rails were painted in red, fresh and damp, as if the events had occurred recently.
Blood was spilled in quantities as limbs and cut-off heads were half-devoured, mutilated beyond recognition.
There were no intact bodies left, only small remnants of what these individuals used to be.
If I had known how cruel and vicious this would be…
I would have left the kids outside.
“Aaaah… AAAAAAAAHHH NO, NO, NO!!!” Luna collapsed on the ground and screamed.
“No… this has to be a dream… this can’t be happening…” Ray pulled at his hair in desperation.
The family they had left behind were all dead.
Friends and classmates were all dead.
Neighbours and familiar faces were all dead.
Their tiny hands, made to be loved, were now stained in blood, a permanent scar that would never fade away.
They either had to bear witness to this tragedy.
Or end it all there.
—Thud!
“Ah…"
Scarlett struck Luna and Ray on the necks, knocking them out.
But the kids weren’t the only ones who felt nauseous.
“S-Scarlett, I can’t… hmmfgh! Bluergh…!”
I vomited; the stench of hundreds of corpses permeated my nose.
No matter what I tried to stop thinking about it, I couldn’t help but vividly imagine what happened to the people down here.
How they met their end, how their limbs were ripped off one by one and how they screamed for help, only for no one to come.
All the negative emotions within me surged, completely overwhelmed by fear.
If only I had arrived a little earlier… if only—
“—Lady Aria.” Her voice whispered in my ear.
Trembling, I turned my head towards Scarlett, the sound snapping me back to reality.
“This is not your fault, so please... calm down,” she said, her tone steady and unwavering.
She didn’t feel disgust or fear.
In fact, she felt pity for the unfortunate who faced such a cruel end.
However, beneath that compassion radiated pure, relentless—
—Uncontrollable hatred.
—Shiiing…!
A chilling gaze descended once more from her red eyes—the same look she had given me when she thought I was a cultist.
But this time… her rage felt gentle, seeking to protect me from this tragedy.
“From here on out, I, Scarlett Penelope, will fulfill my duty as a knight of the Historia family.”
—Wooosh!
Her sword shone brighter than anything, revealing the entire underground city’s infrastructure.
“My mission to eliminate and kill Morze Cultists…”
Like an unyielding flame, she stood her ground, determined to do one thing:
“Shall commence once more.”
To remain true to herself as the ruthless executor who culls great sinners;
The Ashen Witch.
