Chapter 146: Cataclysm
A series of deep brown fireballs erupted, kicking up dust and trailing long tails, resembling fiery meteors, hurtling from the rooftops and casting a crimson glow across half the night sky.
They were upon me in an instant.
“AAAHHH—!”
The first one to rush at me was screeching at the top of his lungs, and I couldn’t even tell if that noise was something a human was capable of making. I thought about raising my hand to unleash ice shards, freezing him and the poor soul right behind him, but in the blink of an eye, I sensed something odd about the figure engulfed in infernal flames.
It was a fat guy…wait, he was growing! Something was about to blow!
A sharp premonition kicked in, and I instinctively pulled back my attack, using Moon Step to leap back over ten meters just in time. The next moment, the figure exploded.
BOOM—!
He detonated like a horrifying human bomb, sending chunks of flesh flying everywhere with a deafening bang. A scorching wave rushed towards me, lifting flames over five meters high, quickly followed by a violent shockwave.
Dust filled the air, and the nearby dogs began howling.
What the heck… a s*icide attack?
I stumbled back a couple of steps, barely managing to steady myself, and peered towards the explosion’s epicenter, squinting through the haze. I caught glimpses of charred bits of meat stuck to the ground, some definitely belonging to that fried heretic, and quite possibly those three men too.
That image lingered only briefly before the second and third figures burst through the smoke towards me, starting to swell up when they were about seven or eight meters away.
“May the God of Truth protect—”
“AHH!!!”
My heart dropped; I needed to use Moon Step to escape again, but as soon as I moved, a jolt of intense pain shot through my head.
It hurt so much I could barely breathe.
“Ugh…”
I let out a muffled groan as my body went limp, darkness closing in around me. I knew I was in trouble, and as a brilliant blue light burst from me, a massive ice wall rose up in front of me, and I hunched over, clutching my head.
The next instant, two deafening explosions rang out in my ears.
Booming, rumbling, buzzing—!!!
My eardrums practically screamed in agony.
Aside from the buzzing in my ears, I could hear nothing.
Searing waves of heat surged past the ice wall on either side, crashing into my feet and knocking me to the ground. Ash swirled up again, and I began to hear the hissing sound of moisture evaporating.
Beyond the ice wall, the heat was unbearable. Infernal flames surged high, but they could never breach the massive barrier standing before me.
Then, slowly, my hearing began to return to normal.
Many of the candle lights in nearby houses were extinguished. I could dimly hear frantic shouting and screams, along with the chaotic footsteps of residents desperately trying to escape.
There seemed to be a few heretics left… and there were civilians nearby; I had to take them out quickly…
Clenching my teeth, I struggled to rise, but the throbbing in my head kept me from doing anything at all.
I felt like I was going to d*e.
It hurts… it hurts… it hurts! It really hurts!!!
As if my head was about to split open.
My body, which had only felt slightly chilly before, now felt like it had plunged into an ice cavern. It was so cold I had to huddle into a tight ball—yet even that didn’t help.
This isn’t normal… who has such a heavy period… this is definitely not normal…
What to do… what to do… was anyone burned… I need to save them… I need to take out the heretics… my head hurts so much… I’m so cold… I can’t see anything clearly… what am I even doing…
My ability to think was fading away.
What… is happening to me…?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow wreathed in flames approaching me.
The flames were thick, like bl**d, carrying a faint scent of iron as it advanced. The figure within was grotesquely swollen, with eyes bulging, nearly popping out of their sockets. He fixed his gaze on me, grinning maniacally as he hissed, “I am! The faithful servant of the God of Truth—!”
“AHHH—!!”
Thud.
With a heavy, squishy sound of flesh exploding, my body was thrust into the air.
Whoosh, whoosh—
That was the sound of the wind brushing against my clothes.
It’s not that loud for such a close explosion…
Incredibly, the first thought that crossed my mind was that. Then it struck me… I didn’t feel the kind of excruciating pain I had imagined.
…?
Did I block it?
Or had the headache finally driven me mad…
Before I could ponder further, my body collided with something solid, followed by a clattering sound. Something had definitely been broken… it felt like wood… did I crash into someone’s house?
Thud!
Crash bang boom—
…so noisy.
Where am I?
…It’s so dark. Did I get blown to bits…? No, I didn’t. I could still feel my hands and feet… my head’s still here. That explosion didn’t hurt me; I couldn’t feel a thing. Not one bit. I felt fine… huh, I seemed to not be cold anymore… and the headache was much lighter.
I actually felt… pretty good.
Can I stand up? …Yeah, I can move… alright, let’s do this—up I go!
“Hmm~”
I let out a sticky groan as if just waking up, stretching my arms wide.
Ah, this feels nice~
My mind was clearer now.
Thinking back, that terrible headache—I feel like I’ve been here before… where was it… oh right!
It was when I had just crawled out of the Abyss’s muck; I had absorbed a significant amount of Church Knight’s… yes, that was the moment! That unforgettable headache.
See? It’s not just a silly period… there’s no way that could take me down! I am… Hil… Pe… wait, who am I again?
Whatever, it’s not important.
Time to get out.
I pushed aside the broken beams in front of me and stepped toward the bright light filtering through the gaps.
Voices drifted in from outside.
“…Is she dead?”
“Probably. Even a Pope Knight couldn’t survive an explosion like that.”
“Did we go overboard? This wasn’t quite what the commissioner was talking about…”
“Something feels off.”
I raised my hand and punched the wall blocking my path.
BAM!
Crackling and clattering…
As bricks and stones flew everywhere, the thick wall of the house was smashed open, leaving a nearly two-meter-wide hole.
The bright flames lit up the area, and I glanced down at my hands… yep, still perfectly fine, still looking good.
Just a bit dirty.
After squeezing through the hole, I tilted my head back, letting my gaze drift to the night sky illuminated by fire.
The misty moon shone brightly, and the morning stars twinkled.
Such an extraordinarily beautiful sight, it’s been… a while since I’ve seen something like this.
If only it were snowing…
“You… how are you…?”
The remaining heretics stood not far away—one, two… four left in total.
They stared at me, their expressions a mix of fear and disbelief… quite amusing.
A bit too noisy, though.
With that thought, I lightly tapped the ground, my figure appeared before the one who spoke, and I put my finger to my lips to shush him.
“Shh! Can you not talk?”
“Uh—”
I noticed him swallow hard… honestly, they were all just hurling themselves at me a moment ago—now they were scared?
In a rather reassuring manner, I flashed him a sweet smile, then in the next moment, my arm shot up high—
Pfft.
A strange noise.
His head burst open.
Filthy stuff splattered all over me and my face.
