Chapter 146: Fresh Bruise
A head of black hair and the gleam floating above it.
The moment Shiron saw Latera, he crashed to the floor on his knees. It was as if a tightly pulled string had snapped, and all the strength had drained from his body.
It was because the walk following the beam of light had been too long.
Despite his nature, which required him to see things through once he decided on them, he had thought several times about stopping while following the white beam of light.
I thought I was losing my mind.
What if there was nothing there? Or, how should he react if something completely unexpected was there?
This place really is hellish.
Walking in a space where no sound could be heard and nothing existed felt like torture.
Seira, that damned woman. He wished she had regained her senses and at least kept him company.
Sorry. I came too late.
So, he murmured, not just in his thoughts. There was no way to close his eyes and check if he was being properly heard, but he just wanted to murmur.
I should have come earlier.
Shiron lifted his head from the floor. There, Latera was smiling broadly as if truly happy.
Its okay. You came earlier than I thought, hero.
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I really thought the hero wouldnt come until he became a grandfather. So, Im very happy.
Well, thats good then.
Shiron sighed deeply and sprawled out. Whether it was due to physical fatigue or mental fatigue, his whole body was so heavy that he felt the urge to just fall asleep then and there. As he closed his eyes for a moment, he felt the sensation of a small hand stroking his cheek.
Are you really the hero?
Did you forget my face?
Its not that You just look younger than the last time I saw you.
Latera continued, touching here and there on his face.
Its strange because you look the same, but somehow, you feel different. The scar under your eye is gone, and you seem a bit more resilient?
Shiron slowly got up to face Latera.
Why do you think that is?
How should I know?
Shiron grimaced, suppressing the fatigue that weighed down his body.
Im not even sure if this place is the same one I came to last time.
Hmm, this is indeed the heros abode. Why would you think that?
Last time I came here, there was no beam of light to be found.
Shiron looked at Latera more closely. Then, he noticed wounds he hadnt seen before.
Its not just that. The fact that I wasnt naked when I fell here, and that I didnt enter through a chant, is different. And you, who always greeted me first, werent here. I thought Seira teleported me to some weird space.
No, I wont cry. Because Im the heros guardian angel. The one who protects the hero from the sidelines cannot show weakness.
Latera managed a smile and vigorously wiped her eyes.
Its not over yet.
Right.
Shiron stood up, resting his hands on his knees. He no longer felt like staying in this white space. Yet, there was something else that troubled him.
Brahham, the city, will probably dry up and die.
This was the conversation he had with Asad before entering this place.
All he had to do was quietly take Latera and leave, but he couldnt fathom why such a statement had been made.
Shiron stared intensely into the glass tube. Kyries corpse, just as when he first saw it, was covered in wounds and had limbs charred black. Above it, a beam of light stretched into the sky.
But what is this?
Shiron pointed at the beam of light. From afar, it appeared to be merely a light stretching out, but being so close made it impossible to overlook.
Shiron felt a tremendous amount of divine power emanating from the beam of light.
Perhaps what youre thinking is correct.
Shiron couldnt believe what he was seeing. No matter how much he gripped the holy sword, the divine power Shiron could muster barely reached the ceiling of the Alhyeon Room. But divine power stretching endlessly into the sky The diameter aside, the sheer volume of divine power being emitted was unimaginable, especially considering Kyries divine power.
But it wasnt like this from the start.
While Shiron was marveling, Latera sighed and swept her hand over the tube.
What do you mean?
Theres no way this much divine power could be emanating from her. Think about it. Shes not even alive, so how could this much divine power continue to be released? Even a living person couldnt emit this much divine power.
Lateras face shadowed as she fidgeted with her fingers.
Until a few hundred years ago, the beam of light wasnt this thick.
Now it had a diameter as big as a house, but as far as she knew, a few hundred years ago, it barely had the thickness of a palm stretching into the sky.
But at some point, the amount of divine power pouring into the sky began to gradually increase. Initially, it went unnoticed, but when the width became as thick as a body, she finally realized and reacted.
Not only had the amount of divine power spewing upwards changed.
Kyries corpse was more charred than before. It was as if the damaged parts of the corpse were expanding, burning itself like straw feeding its flames.
Do you remember? I mentioned that there are people trying to enter this place.
Latera sighed deeply, her head bowed.
Yeah.
Shiron looked at the back of Lateras hand. The fresh bruise that had been bothering him made him increasingly concerned.
The city of Brahham will probably dry up and die.
So, I hope you refrain from any inconvenient actions while youre here.
If you all remain silent, you can maintain tens of thousands of lives.
Shiron thought about what he had to do before leaving.
