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Bermuda Chapter 199
🕑 Added 2024-07-16 08:26:54 +0000 UTCChapter 199
From within the portal where light refracted and rippled, Delua ran out looking in only one direction. It took quite a while to reach the exit, as if there was some problem with the designated coordinates.
Usually, this phenomenon occurred when the terrain of the corresponding coordinates had changed, making it impossible to specify the exact location.
Because of this, Delua hurriedly stepped out of the portal, embracing all sorts of worries and pain. She hoped that this ominous feeling within her was just her own needless concern.
Tadak-
As soon as she came out, her forcefully extended step faltered for a moment. This was because a pungent smell first brushed her nose.
A chilling smell wafted, incomparable to the scent of her own blood that she had just been covered in.
As she stared ahead with a dazed expression, her focus, which had been scattered due to dizziness, sharpened clearly. The dazzling sunset flowed over the wide plains, and the black-dyed flag of the 6th Battalion fluttered in tatters.
Broken swords and bent spears. Collapsed tents and scattered protective gear. Small flames burning on dry grass occasionally spat out sparks, slowly spreading sideways.
This place, which had clearly been flat ground, now had sunken pits and hills, and on the gentle slopes lay scorched earth and navy blue figures strewn about haphazardly.
The color gradually drained from Delua's face.
Her eyes, unable to accept reality, rolled busily in all directions. Her two hands, which had been exhaling irregular breaths, slowly rose to grasp her head.
Soon, what poured out from between her twisted lips was a terrible and desperate scream.
"Uwaaaaa-!"
Her legs, having lost their destination and unable to find their bearings, suddenly dashed off somewhere. Roughly pulling at her members half-buried in the dirt, Delua checked their faces one by one.
Her legs had given out at the cruel sights four or five times already, but still, to find survivors, she grabbed the shoulders of every figure she saw and turned them over without hesitation. But each time, what she faced were the clouded eyes of corpses, and after passing by dead comrades several times, she found herself heading towards the top of the hill.
Swallowing the metallic taste that had risen to her chin, Delua took her last step towards the summit.
And so, when she finally reached the peak, what she saw looking down was by no means the sight she had hoped for.
"..."
The navy blue shadows that had been sparsely visible were now piled up in layers, rolling on the ground.
Groans struggling with death mumbled pitifully, begging to be saved.
Blood had not just seeped into the ground but pooled, forming gory puddles. However, Delua couldn't look at that miserable scene for long.
This was because a huge and hideous shadow slowly cast over her head from behind.
A monster with a massive body flapping its heavy wings. It approached leisurely, raising hot winds as if to announce its presence.
Because of this, the sunlight that had been shining down disappeared, and Delua's body was placed in the middle of a dark shadow.
Meanwhile, she felt as if the hot blood flowing down the back of her neck was rushing to her head. Her eyes shone fiercely. Soon, as a magic circle spread at her feet, a huge golem rose from the ground.
"Uwaaaa!"
Clenching her fists, she leaped onto the golem's shoulder in one bound. Then, turning around, she thrust her fist without hesitation towards the monster that would be there.
Following her movement and angry shout, the golem's arm rotated 180 degrees and flew towards the mother body's head. There was no fear at all in that gesture. It was filled only with the desire to tear the monster apart.
But suddenly, monsters that had gathered at an unknown time clustered in front of the queen, forming a solid shield. The golem's fist landed dully in the middle of the instantly entangled monster bodies. The bodies of the creatures stacked like a tower burst from the pressure, but even with acidic liquid splattering in all directions, the enraged Delua did not stop.
Kiaaak-
Amidst the monsters' screams as they scattered, Delua sublimated the pain that felt like a knife being stabbed into her into a shout. At the same time, she mercilessly swept away and kicked the foolish monsters rushing towards her.
"Die, you monsters!"
Each time the solid rock mass cut through the air with a "bwoong-" sound, the small fry blocking her view fell away in droves. The heavy footsteps of the golem, echoing "kung, kung," advanced nimbly, breaking through indiscriminate attacks.
And so, as she struck down the last creature rushing towards her, just before the golem's fist could reach the mother body.
An ominous beam flashed between the creature's wings, which were shriveled like a demon's hands.
"..."
Delua, sensing the hot energy, instinctively threw herself sideways. But the ultra-high-speed destructive beam that had already been fired instantly penetrated the golem's core.
Kwaaang-!
Her ears went numb at the sudden burst of impact. Delua's body floated up and was pushed back, falling over the hill with a short scream.
Rolling down the slope along with scattered rock fragments, she ended up half-buried among the groaning members.
"Ughk-"
Pain as if her flesh was being torn spread from her abdomen throughout her entire body. Heavy breaths were exhaled from her mouth, and blood vessels stood out from her neck to her entire face.
Delua struggled with all her might, wriggling her body to turn her upper body over so her stomach wouldn't be pressed. Covering the blood that occasionally gushed out with both hands, she gripped her abdomen, trying her hardest not to fall into shock.
At that moment, a familiar figure entered Delua's eyes as she crawled on the ground.
"...Battalion Commander."
A pale face looking this way with half-closed eyes, head buried in the dirt. It was Marlen.
"...Marlen!"
As soon as she discovered her, Delua called out her name with a voice that seemed about to break and crawled over. Then, embracing Marlen, who was covered in blood and moving weakly, she examined her condition with trembling eyes.
"Marlen, where are you hurt? ...What's wrong?"
Her body, so soaked in blood that it was impossible to tell exactly where she was injured, looked terribly heavy. Unable to properly control her arms, legs, and neck, she was barely moving her lips while her body was limp.
'...I'm... sorry.'
In between, a metallic sound that seemed inhuman, cracked and intermittent, flowed out.
"I... shouldn't... have... talked... about... the dream."
At those words, which contained so much, Delua's face looking down at Marlen twisted terribly. Eventually, barely raising her upper body halfway, she embraced the other's head with trembling arms. Her shoulders, sunk in despair, shook with small sobs.
Marlen, held in Delua's arms, tried to open her eyes, grasping at her consciousness that seemed about to fade. However, contrary to her will, her eyelids grew heavier, and she felt as if sleep was overtaking her.
She wanted to raise her arm to comfort the crying Battalion Commander, but her body didn't move as easily as her heart wished. Until a black shadow fell over her head, she couldn't give any signal other than lightly grasping the collar.
Feeling her elbow being pulled, Delua, who had buried her face near Marlen's neck, raised her head with a startled look.
When she reflexively turned around, the mother body, leading the monsters, had already approached within arm's reach.
They just looked down at the two people quietly, as if watching human emotions pushed to the extreme. Amidst those terrible and cruel gazes, Delua felt her strength draining, contrary to her boiling fighting spirit.
Barely exhaling anxious breaths, she put all her strength into her arms with the sole intention of protecting the body she held in her arms. She bent her legs to kneel on the ground, and though staggering, tried her best to maintain her balance.
And at that moment, a sudden chill swept over Delua's flushed face. At the same time, a man's voice, both kind and cold, flowed into her ears.
"Delua, stand up."
The cold air stimulated her sensitive eyes, and Delua reflexively closed and opened them. Then she saw three figures that had appeared in the blink of an eye, blocking her front and aiming weapons forward.
The dark blue hair that was always neatly arranged was now disheveled and swaying in the wind.
With the Commander standing in the center as a reference, Meterion was on the left and Isabella on the right.
Their appearances, having struggled through fierce battles and explosions, were all torn and cut without a single intact spot. But even at the risk of death, to fulfill their duty, they held onto their fading consciousness and once again stood before the monster.
Meterion, glaring at the mother body with a face that looked like it might collapse, glanced back at Delua behind him. Then he sharply rebuked her, who was still sitting down, as if telling her to come to her senses.
"Stand up-!"
Delua's shoulders jerked greatly at that voice. But only for a moment, she gently laid down Marlen's head that she had been holding. Then, though staggering precariously with trembling arms and legs bracing against the ground, she finally stood up.
As the four with their miserable appearances tried to confront it, relying only on their tenacious lifelines, destructive beams boiled on the mother body's wings, as if appreciating their admirable will.
"Foolish ones."
Though knowing better than anyone how terrifying that power was, Hugo, standing in the center, merely extended the broad side of his greatsword to spread a barrier, not avoiding it.
For a moment, strangely regretful memories passed through his tired mind, but he shook off the negative thoughts by slowly blinking his eyes. Then, very strangely, in the last memory among the scattered thoughts, Leonardo's face smiling brightly at him came to mind.
It was odd that this came to mind suddenly, pushing aside the comrades he had spent a long time with, and Hugo, while finding himself ridiculous, carefully recalled that face in his heart.
Eventually, a thought that didn't fit the situation of wanting to eliminate the creature as soon as possible and go check on his condition circled in his mind.
And at that moment.
As if responding to Hugo's heart, a chilling thrill ran through his skin and bones.
His blue eyes, reflexively wide open, turned towards a single point in the far southwest for a moment.
Kwaaang-!
Pajijijik-
Suddenly, a huge pillar of light that rose over the ridge pierced the sky, bursting with golden sparks. The thick diagonal line that extended from the ground to the sky like a thunderbolt displayed a threatening presence, spreading savage sparks and wind pressure.
The powerful shockwave spreading terrifyingly from that point instantly engulfed the southern part of the peninsula. The destructive gale that came with vast clouds of dust collapsed all the weak ground and overturned even the plains.
In an instant, not only the monsters but also the standing humans were helplessly pushed back. Even Hugo, who had planted his feet firmly, staggered for a moment and took two steps back.
At the intense and familiar energy felt within, Hugo lowered his arm shielding his eyes and looked into the distance again. His lips, slightly parted as if in disbelief, moved to utter that name he couldn't quite speak.
'Leonardo?'
Pushing back the hair tickling his eyebrows, Hugo faced the phenomenon of the whole world being dyed golden. Lightning flashed fiercely at the center of the clouds retreating in a circle, expanding its influence.
Rising higher than even the majestic mountains, it emitted energy of a different dimension that had never been felt before.
'No, this is...'
Meterion, Isabella, and Delua, who had spread barriers and lowered their upper bodies, also involuntarily raised their heads at the overwhelming mana that made their skin tingle. The thunderous rupturing sound, intertwined with the pounding of their hearts, cut through the air at a speed that seemed to pierce their stifling chests.
The body of that mana bursting with sharp sparks soon revealed itself in the dazzling light of the scattering sunset.
A mystical shadow enveloped in blazing golden flames.
Recognizing that strange yet familiar existence, Hugo, looking at him placed in the sky, unconsciously muttered.
"The Sun."
Comments
Ren2233@
Our King Leo
Jesse Gibson
ššššš I had really hoped that not a lot of them would die but fack.. just so many ugh. Leo boo, I know you will be ok cause this is still the beginning of the story but Iām so nervous šš©
Mkslushi
Delua omg. The devastation she just experienced. I know people have been dying but that pov was heartbreaking š
