Chapter 114: Light and Dark (11)
At the back of the church, what used to be a bustling street now lay deserted. In the center, a collapsed hole released tendrils of black mist from below, accompanied by a faint “rumble” sound rising from the depths.
In the next instant, a petite figure clad in a nun’s outfit shot out of the hole, trailing icy blue mist and soaring to a height of six or seven meters in a flash. The young woman spun mid-air a few times before landing back on the street, anxiously scanning her surroundings.
Where is she…
I can’t find her…
The ground continued to tremble slightly, and suddenly, several loud crashes erupted from the gaping hole nearby. The black mist dispersed, and dust rushed up towards me as I covered my nose and stepped back a few paces. My gaze darted around the buildings, and I shouted, “Iliush—”
“Come out!”
“If you’re hungry, I have snacks at home!”
“They’re super sweet! Really! Big sister wants to eat with you—”
My voice echoed through the empty street, but even the echoes seemed to have fled.
This damned ability…
If she’s resolutely hiding from me, I won’t be able to find her at all. Even that abyssal aura would just vanish.
Iliush seemed to have broken through the roof with brute force, but did she even know how to fly? I hope she doesn’t…
Otherwise, finding her would be even more troublesome…
What should I do…
She said she wanted to eat the people outside, but with such an ability, how can I stop her…? If her target is the civilians in the church…
I turned my head to look back at the majestic church standing a few dozen meters away. Its grand rear hall loomed behind a row of street houses.
I need to get back quickly…
With a snap decision, I bent my knees and suddenly, “boom!” A sharp ice pillar shot up from beneath my feet, launching me up several meters into the air. As the wind howled past my ears, I formed an ice platform beneath me, stepping on it to fly another ten meters, clearing the houses and landing on the roof of the rear hall with a “thud.”
“Caw—”
A caw echoed from above. I looked up to see a raven spiraling in the overcast sky.
Goat cheese…
It seemed to have made contact with the dead smoke earlier, but it looks completely fine…
The raven showed no signs of coming down, and at that moment, I had no mind to pay it any heed. Shaking my head to clear my jumbled thoughts, I gazed down at the main hall.
The massive hall was abuzz as the civilians appeared to have heard the commotion and were now craning their necks to get a look at the rear hall, the scene turning chaotic. Some people were pointing and shouting at me, their mouths moving, but the cacophony made it impossible to catch what they were actually saying, though I could feel their underlying panic.
Clearly, they were scared, but they seemed alright for now. Iliush hasn’t done anything yet… It’s too late for them to escape; I can only look for Margaret—
“Whoa—”
The commotion below suddenly escalated.
At the same time, a blinding beam of golden light flashed from about five meters away on the roof.
Buzz buzz buzz…
!
My nerves on high alert, I instinctively conjured ice-blue light in my right hand.
“Silvya…”
Amidst the golden light, a melodious female voice called my name. Soon after, Margaret stepped out from the radiance, donning her sacred nun outfit.
I felt a slight relief and quickly retracted the focused Power of Order.
Is the healing over…?
“Victoria, how’s she doing?!”
“What happened?”
We both exclaimed at the same time before answering simultaneously.
“She’s fine now.”
“There’s a new abyss that has appeared!”
Hearing her say Victoria was okay, the boulder that had been trapped in my chest plummeted to the ground, and for a moment I felt my legs go weak, an indescribable joy bursting forth from my heart, only to be swiftly contained.
As long as she’s okay, that’s the most important thing…
I slapped my cheeks to steady myself.
“Margaret, hurry and evacuate the crowd! I’ll—”
“Where is it?”
Margaret interrupted me. Her delicate face remained calm, her gaze serious as she locked eyes with me.
“It ran away.”
Why can she stay so composed…
Did she already know? Or has she prepared a countermeasure?
“Where did you see it?” Margaret asked again.
“Underneath the altar, in the tunnel. She’s hiding there.”
“Did you communicate with her?”
“Yeah.”
“How did it feel?”
“Not great…”
I shook my head but quickly added, “But we can still communicate.”
“What did you talk about?”
“She couldn’t resist, she wants to eat people…”
In our rapid exchange, I heightened my senses and fixed my gaze on the crowd below while stepping toward Margaret.
“It’s already unsafe here. Margaret, you need to—”
Just as I was about to finish my sentence, I suddenly froze.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Margaret quickly step back two paces as I approached, raising her hands to her chest, gentle golden light blossoming around her.
She’s guarding against me…
Realizing this, I looked up in disbelief, meeting the vigilant gaze of the Saint.
“You…”
My thoughts went haywire, and I found myself at a loss for words.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment before Margaret spoke again.
“Miss Silvya, the bishop is missing.”
“……”
“Do you know anything about this?”
The Saint’s gentle question felt like a sharp silver needle piercing my heart.
After a moment of panic, I opened my mouth.
Dammit, at this critical moment…
“I…”
“Do you know where he is?” Margaret swiftly interrupted, her gaze cold and sharp, her pupils boring into my eyes. “How do you feel right now?”
I took a deep breath.
I wanted to step back. But I lifted my chin, fixedly staring at the cautious face of the Saint.
“I’m fine.”
“Is the bishop… still alive?”
“…he’s dead.”
Margaret’s eyes told me she had essentially accepted that grim reality, knowing the bishop had been swallowed by the abyss.
The traces around the room didn’t lie. The charred wooden table, the ice shards and remnants of cold air, and that frozen cleric… I didn’t try to hide anything because it wasn’t my fault. But now, with such blatant evidence right before us, Margaret feigned ignorance.
Is this… a test for me?
Once I understood this, I felt a twinge of sadness.
“It was me, I killed him.”
Margaret didn’t show surprise at my answer; instead, her gaze dimmed.
“Why?”
“I heard him. That man wanted to reveal Victoria’s location. He sent a cleric. You saw him, right?”
Such an answer clearly caught Margaret off guard, and she momentarily froze.
“Margaret, now isn’t the time for this. The abyss is about to…”
“Then it shouldn’t be you judging him.”
“…Margaret!”
Anger mixed with anxiety erupted from my heart as I gasped and glared at her.
Does she not understand what situation we’re in?!
This is utterly unreasonable!!!
“Miss Silvya, you understand, I must ensure…”
“Ensure what! The abyss has appeared! She wants to k*ll!”
“How can I trust what you’re saying is true?”
“……”
“Wasn’t it only you who killed?”
I froze.
…She doesn’t trust me!
No wonder the Saint appeared so unbothered; she probably thought the abyss wouldn’t show up here. She believes I’m lying.
This is just…
Too ridiculous.
