Chapter 55 - 54: West
As some of the angels exploded in a burst of light, Seth squinted. The light radiating from the three-winged angel expanded, wiping out the shadow swords in an instant. Discover exclusive tales on m,v l’e|m-p| y r
Then, in a sudden motion, the angel moved towards Seth, obliterating half of his human form. As the darkness crumbled under the light’s power, Seth quickly restored his form and evaded the light.
The darkness disintegrated into dust under the light, and Seth’s eyes widened. Then, firing a Dark Ray, he obliterated a third of the angels in the sky.
No matter how many angels Seth killed, ten more seemed to take their place. Seth was already suffering from mana exhaustion. His mana dwindled quickly, and his gaze remained fixed on the three-winged angel, floating motionless like a stone in the air.
"When is that guy going to act?" Seth’s eyes narrowed, trembling—not from fear, but from excitement. Even though he doubted he could fight the angel, he still wanted to try his luck.
"Stop."
The cold voice of the three-winged angel echoed as all the angels froze, as if they were beings without will. The mana radiating from the three-winged angel increased further, forcing Seth to retreat.
The angel raised its sword, which gleamed with holy light as divine power filled it. With a graceful hum, the divine power kept increasing, causing everyone to try to flee.
Strangely, the three-winged angel’s attention wasn’t on Seth, but on the dragon. The dead dragon sensed this and tried to flee, but it was too late.
As the divine power rapidly increased, the angel’s sword fell calmly towards the dragon. When the white pillar struck the ground, all of Gwyndor trembled once more.
"Graaa!!"
The dragon’s body began to disintegrate again. This time, its body didn’t regenerate; it turned to dust and was completely destroyed.
As the dust rose, the only thing left behind was the dragon’s residual mana. But everyone was too busy fleeing in terror to notice it.
"Destroy them."
The angel’s voice echoed once more. The angels became aggressive again, splitting into three groups to attack from all sides.
Their targets were Frank, Seth, and the fleeing humans.
"Grandfather!" Emily screamed in fear as she saw the angels’ swords pierce Frank. Their swords hummed as they pierced his stomach and arms, causing Frank to groan in pain, though his resolve remained unbroken.
"You think I’ll die this easily?!" Frank’s eyes narrowed in anger as his sword glowed green. With one slash, he destroyed an angel, then grabbed another by the head with his free hand and crushed it with raw strength.
Even Seth was impressed by the amount of mana Frank gathered as his body surged with power. His fists repeatedly destroyed angels while his sword claimed the lives of dozens more.
"George, Emily, Simon!" Frank shouted breathlessly as he found an opening. "Run! Don’t look back!"
"But Grandfather!" Emily wanted to rush forward and help, but George grabbed her arm, stopping her. She turned quickly and slapped George hard.
George ignored it, holding her arms firmly. His eyes were serious and filled with sorrow. "We have to go. We can’t help him!"
Emily trembled with anger, glaring at George as if betrayed. "How can you just stand there?! My grandfather is dying!"
"My grandfather can take care of himself! There’s nothing we can do!" George’s harsh words made Emily’s eyes well with tears. Saddened, George continued, "If we stay, despite his sacrifice, we’ll all die. The entire village will be wiped out, and his sacrifice will be meaningless..."
Emily cried as tears streamed down her beautiful face, but George didn’t wait any longer. He pulled Emily along. She didn’t resist, allowing him to drag her away.
Meanwhile, Seth was deciding what to do. It seemed like Frank was going to die, and Seth felt bad about letting that happen.
After all, he wouldn’t find such a knowledgeable NPC again...
"What should I do?"
Seth’s thoughts kept drifting back to the angels following him from above. He could flee, but what if the others were captured? He would have to start all over again.
"I have to save the others!"
Seth’s wings flapped powerfully, giving him an incredible burst of speed. Shadow tendrils shot from his back, quickly grabbing Emily, Simon, and George.
Before anyone knew what was happening, they were suddenly speeding away. The angels tried to pursue, but stopped at the command of the three-winged angel, redirecting their attention to Frank.
"Haa!!" Frank roared, destroying another angel with a punch. His sword glowed as it slashed through the angels.
As the angels were torn apart, Frank collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. The symbol in his eyes flickered, and as his strength faded, he sensed the others’ mana disappearing into the distance, allowing him to relax.
"Good, you escaped." Frank’s eyes softened with rare warmth and happiness, and a faint smile touched his lips. His grip on his sword loosened.
"Druid, your perseverance is commendable. The Goddess favors your kind," the three-winged angel descended slowly, its calm and elegant voice echoing. The tone was androgynous, with no clear gender.
The angel’s voice rang out steadily. "A special place of punishment awaits you in Heaven. For your betrayal of the Goddess, we will gouge out your eyes."
Despite the harsh sentence, a smile spread across Frank’s lips. "Betray the Goddess? I never worshipped her, never felt love or gratitude towards her. How could I have betrayed her?"
The angel glowed for a brief moment, seemingly angered by Frank’s sarcastic tone, but soon calmed, its aura steady once more. "You will be punished for blasphemy, immorality, and betrayal. Do you have any last words?"
"Go to hell!" With one final roar, Frank lunged forward, his mana surging higher than ever as it burned through his life force. His sword flew forward at incredible speed.
The angel moved its sword, calmly blocking Frank’s strike. For a moment, Frank’s mana pressured the angel’s hands, but with a swift motion, the three-winged angel disarmed him.
As Frank fell to the ground, the angel’s armored hands covered his eyes, then gouged them out. Frank endured the pain, remaining still.
After a while, the angel took Frank’s druidic eyes and crushed them. As blood dripped from its hand, the calm voice of the three-winged angel echoed once more.
"The Goddess has favorable thoughts towards you. If you join us, we will heal you," the angel announced calmly. "However, the Goddess will punish you for worshipping a dark god. Your sentence will be 200 years of crucifixion."
Frank remained calm as blood flowed from his empty eye sockets. Then, his mouth opened one last time. "My loyalty to the Dark God is eternal. You won’t convince me."
"We shall see..."
The angel’s only response was calm and emotionless. Suddenly, chains of light bound Frank, and his body was pulled into the portal that opened behind him.
Without another glance, the angel vanished with the rest of the angels, returning to Heaven.
******
"Is everyone ready?" Simon asked, trying to sound firm. He had retrieved his sword after Seth had left his behind. His eyes trembled as he tried to stutter.
A somber mood hung over the villagers. Some were crying, while Freya clung to George, sobbing. Frank’s death had cast a heavy emotional toll on everyone.
Despite the bright and sunny day, the devastation around them and the many events, like Frank’s death, had left everyone in shock.
Emily’s eyes were dull, as if resigned, her under-eyes bruised from crying. George had lost his cheerful spirit.
"Let’s go then." Simon sighed when no one responded, and as everyone moved to the wagon, their goal was to leave the Kingdom.
They were headed west, to the place of the three great Kingdoms. This journey would take at least 1-2 months. Simon took the reins of the wagon, guiding them towards the Dragon Kingdom.
As Simon drove the wagon, a month passed quickly.
In New Camelot, the Temple Knights were on the move. In a sudden decision by the Council of Nobles, the case had been transferred from the Hall of Justice to the Inquisition Courts.
Over a hundred Temple Knights surrounded Morrigan’s manor, while she watched everything unfold from the window.
"My Lady, do you need assistance?" Thomas asked with a smile, though there was a faint murderous intent in his voice. His eyes were cold and grim.
Morrigan shook her head, refusing. Her eyes were emotionless. "No need. Stirring up more trouble will only fuel their anger."
"But-" Maria was about to intervene, but upon seeing Morrigan’s expression, she shrank back and fell silent. Morrigan’s eyes remained fixed on the bright-armored Knights outside.
"I’ll give them what they want. It no longer matters." Morrigan’s cold words sent a shiver through Maria, who trembled with worry for her.
Then, under the gaze of Thomas and Maria, Morrigan slowly descended. All the servants had been given the day off.
While the King and the Duke of Thornvile continued their feud, there had been little news from Duke Alfred. The word was that he planned to return with his army.
With the entire Kingdom’s attention focused on the trial, Morrigan finally reached the ground floor. The sound of her heels echoed as she calmly opened the door.
"Morrigan Thornvile, extend your hands and do not cause trouble. You have no right to speak; you are now in the presence of the Goddess," said High Priest Alaric in a stern voice. At his command, two Temple Knights advanced, grabbing Morrigan’s arms. They then bound her hands, and a glowing chain of white runes wrapped around her neck, legs, and arms.
As the chains seared her flesh, burn marks appeared.
Maria lunged forward in protest but was restrained by a Temple Knight. With slight worry and anger, she shouted, "You can’t do this! You have no right!"
Trying to push away the Temple Knights, Maria felt Alaric’s gaze and faltered, though she tried to muster her courage. Alaric spoke sharply, "Do you question the Goddess’s justice? If you persist, we will not hesitate to judge you as well."
Hearing this, Maria recoiled, while Thomas’s murderous intent slightly increased. Morrigan sighed, then turned to Maria. "Maria, stay back. This doesn’t concern you."
Alaric sneered and looked at Morrigan mockingly. "It seems you’re already ready to confess. Good. Take the witch away."
The Temple Knights harshly dragged Morrigan into a heavily armored wagon. As she was taken away, Maria watched her with concern.
"As I said, you have no right to speak. Sit and behave," Alaric said with a tone almost dripping with mockery and disgust. Without taking his eyes off Morrigan, he ordered the Temple Knights, "Let’s go."