Chapter 284: Act 51 – The King of the Underground (Part 2)
The sound of dripping water echoed in the darkness.
Brendel’s eyelids fluttered, and he finally awakened from a pitch-black environment where he couldn’t see his hand in front of him. He felt a deep silence surrounding him, as if he had returned to a time before the world was formed.
After letting out a groan, his consciousness gradually cleared. He subconsciously opened his attribute panel—when the faint green light screen appeared out of thin air in the darkness, Brendel felt a slight sense of relief.
His status showed that he hadn’t suffered any fractures or internal injuries and didn’t have any significant wounds, just some abrasions and impacts.
It dawned on him that he had worried too much; indeed, after entering the Golden Realm, his physical resilience was remarkable.
However, it was still pitch black all around, and even with heightened perception, he couldn’t see anything in complete darkness. He tried to take out a fluorescent gem but immediately realized that a large mass of heavy dirt and stones was pinning him down, rendering him immobile—only then did Brendel remember the moment he was struck head-on by the collapsing rocks, which was the primary cause of his unconsciousness.
Yet he couldn’t help but feel fortunate; if it had been an ordinary person, they might have narrowly escaped but would struggle to avoid suffocation and death at this moment.
On the other hand, if he were just an ordinary person, he probably would have died in Buche by now.
Taking a deep breath, Brendel expanded his arms outward, and the power exceeding a hundred levels immediately shook the dirt and stones, causing them to roll and fall. He tried again, adding a burst of power, and finally broke free from the debris that had been pressing down on him.
Once he freed himself, Brendel hurriedly brushed off the dirt and stood up, but he instinctively wiped his forehead and found his hand covered in a cold, sticky substance. Stunned, he quickly took out the fluorescent gem, and under its pale light, he saw that his hand was covered in blood.
“Damn.”
Brendel cursed under his breath and turned to look around—his surroundings relaxed him a bit; the collapsed tunnel hadn’t completely blocked the way, at least leaving him with an escape route.
The passage was at the other end of the tunnel; the torches on the rock walls had long since extinguished, leading into an unknown abyss. The environment around him had drastically changed, so much so that even Brendel couldn’t tell north from south.
He was about to raise the gem to shine towards that direction when he suddenly heard a groan from behind him.
Brendel froze for a moment, remembering everything that happened before the quake.
Turning around, he indeed saw the girl from the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group peacefully lying among the rubble. Xi had her eyes tightly shut, her pointy face looking almost paper-white under the dim light, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, yet she embodied a rare beauty of stillness and softness.
But at that moment, the young man had no intention of appreciating that beauty; instead, he noticed the trickle of blood flowing down from her forehead. This was somewhat abnormal because the physical resilience of a divine envoy should far exceed that of a human, and under normal circumstances, Xi shouldn’t be suffering such superficial injuries.
Suddenly, he had an unsettling thought and slowly approached her, crouching down beside her and reaching out to feel her forehead.
It was burning hot.
Brendel’s heart skipped a beat; he retracted his hand and saw that beneath the glowing halo, a layer of dark patterns was faintly concealed under her pale forehead, creeping down her cheek.
This indicated that Xi’s will was battling against the divine blood within her, and each time she fell unconscious, it was a severe test for her.
After contemplating briefly, he took out his water pouch and poured some water into his palm, then retrieved the crystal that had once been infused with divine blood, placing it on her forehead.
“Xi?”
“Wake up!”
After calling her twice, he finally felt relieved when the girl’s eyelids moved slightly in the light, and then she opened her eyes. At first, the pupils in her eyes seemed to be shrouded in a terrifying blend of black and red, but after a moment, they returned to normal.
They transformed into a pair of amber eyes burning with vibrant flames.
The fierce flames symbolized the power of life, representing a strong will.
“Xi?”
Xi initially looked a bit dazed before she finally registered her surroundings. She gazed at Brendel with a confused expression and weakly asked, “Captain… Aike…?”
“It’s me.” Brendel put away the crystal and replied.
The red-haired girl hesitated for a moment, “Lord…?” Then she quietly closed her eyes again, vaguely recalling a nightmare she had before.
In the dream, she saw herself buried beneath a blood-red tree, its roots sinking into her body, the crimson tendrils entwining her as they continuously drained her blood, yet she couldn’t move an inch.
This wasn’t the first time she had such a dream, but this time it felt particularly vivid, and a vague sense of unease crept into her heart, instinctively linking the nightmare to the divine blood within her.
“Is everything alright?” Brendel asked, noticing Xi had closed her eyes, his worry deepening.
The red-haired girl stirred slightly, letting out a soft ‘hiss’ of pain. She felt an injury on her leg, and when she looked down, she saw a long wound, blood seeping through her battle attire and staining the ground.
Her heart tightened slightly; logically speaking, while rocks could be sharp, they shouldn’t be able to harm someone of their power level—let alone the fact that she was a divine envoy, whose resilience, resistance, and recovery ability exceeded even Brendel’s.
This wasn’t normal.
The unease in Xi’s heart intensified, and she instinctively tried to sit up, but the intense pain caused her to gasp and lie back down. She lay on the ground, panting heavily, her forehead slick with cold sweat, yet at that moment, she hardly felt any pain; instead, another thought occupied her mind:
Where is my power?
She distinctly remembered that due to becoming a divine envoy, she had gained Golden Power, and didn’t Lord Brendel say the same?
Yet just now, she felt completely powerless; that sensation was one she hadn’t experienced in many years, weak and feeble, like an ordinary person devoid of strength.
Her power had vanished—
The girl lay on the ground, her eyes unfocused, suddenly feeling lost and at a loss.
When Makarolo disbanded the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group, she had once experienced something similar—everything she had relied upon and trusted, all her hopes and goals, seemed to lose all significance, as if a giant despair had constricted her throat.
Unable to breathe—
It was Brendel who brought her out of that bleak predicament; the young lord gathered most of the former members of the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group, giving her a reason to continue persevering.
She had finally managed to step out from under that shadow and adapt to her new life—even growing to a bit enjoy this life! At least in the past, the captain only regarded Aike and Juliette as the best, while she was merely an inconsequential member.
But here, regardless of whether it was because of the Golden Power she had gained from the divine blood, she could at least feel Brendel’s attention.
Her existence was not insignificant; she was one of the vital forces in Lord Brendel’s group.
Moreover, she could continue to fight alongside the original members of the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group.
This alone made Xi feel satisfied, even if it could be very short-lived.
She had anticipated that one day she would become a divine envoy and lose everything she currently had. But she hadn’t expected Lady Martha to seem to play a trick on her, just when she had just begun to acclimate to this environment—only to discover that all her strength had completely vanished.
Now, she was no different from an ordinary person, even feeling weaker.
Yet Xi knew that a noble didn’t need a retainer without any capabilities; although Antinna was merely an ordinary person, the girl felt she was not as smart or knowledgeable as her.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but shiver.
“What’s wrong?” Brendel noticed Xi’s pale face and her silence, unable to refrain from asking again.
“Lord…” Xi said quietly, “I… I have no strength left.”
Brendel was taken aback, thinking that feeling weak due to excessive blood loss was normal. However, he found it strange; logically, the resilience of a divine envoy shouldn’t be so easily harmed.
But what was even stranger was Xi’s strange statement—this girl lay on the ground, pale and weak, saying to him: Lord, I have no strength left.
What did this mean? Was he supposed to help her?
If it were Little Romain in this state, Brendel could understand, but in his impression, Xi was a girl with reserved emotions; not to mention acting spoiled, she was practically always serious like Flour.
Something was off.
Brendel carefully observed whether Xi had been turned into a divine envoy and was now putting on such an act to ambush him, but he was well aware of some obvious signs of a divine envoy, and she didn’t look like someone under the control of divine blood.
So he showed an expression of confusion, “Hmm?”
But Xi’s mind was in disarray, completely oblivious to Brendel’s puzzlement. Her thoughts were filled with images of Makarolo, whom she had once regarded as both father and mentor, resolutely indifferent, and she couldn’t suppress her confusion as she repeated:
“Lord, I no longer possess my original strength; I’m afraid I can’t keep up with you…”
Brendel was again taken aback, wondering what was going on. However, he suddenly understood and asked tentatively, “You’ve lost your golden power?”
Xi’s face paled, and she nodded slowly.
“I see.” Brendel nodded in realization.
This time, it was Xi who was taken aback.
The girl had imagined Brendel’s reaction more than once, fearing a repeat of that previous scene. But she hadn’t expected Brendel to respond like this—looking as if he had suddenly understood!
“Never mind,” he then shook his head; he knew that everything happening to Xi right now was a bad omen, signaling that the conflict of divine blood was intensifying, and when she regained her powers, she would become a true divine envoy.
That wouldn’t take too long—at most a few days, at least a couple of hours—when that time came, the girl’s strength would reach new heights, but it would no longer belong to her original self.
Yet he certainly couldn’t say this directly; instead, he comforted her, “It’s alright, can you not stand?”
Xi was completely dazed and nodded in confusion.
Brendel extended his hand to her, “Let me help you.”
When Brendel said this, his voice wasn’t high, and it even carried a bit of gentleness out of sympathy for the poor girl. Yet to Xi, it felt as if his words pierced through all defenses and struck her heart.
Tears streamed down her face.
…
(PS. These two chapters are flowing smoothly; is this love?)(To be continued. For more chapters, please log in, support the author, and read legally!)
