Chapter 158: “She”
As Bai defeated the Abyssal Lord phantom and heard the mysterious voices, a massive change was occurring on Solor.
The Abyssal Demon Realm legions, stationed throughout the continent, began a simultaneous retreat, even the Vampire legion.
“Was it worth it, to delay me for a mere fifteen minutes?” Queen Shaya asked, her arms crossed, her gaze cold as she looked at the beautiful woman before her.
Behind her, the Vampire legion was in an orderly retreat.
The beautiful woman smiled faintly, the pointed ears a clear indication of her race. Around her lay the bodies of many fallen elves.
She herself was weak, on the verge of collapse.
“It was,” Nimora, the Elven High Priestess, said. “You see, I succeeded.”
She had met Bai in the capital and, at the cost of a sacred artifact, had glimpsed a future for the elves, a future she had now secured.
Even though it had cost her nearly a third of her forces, she had succeeded.
“I despise those of you who can see the future,” Shaya frowned, but she didn’t attack. Even if it would only take her fifteen minutes to kill Nimora, she didn’t have the time.
Because “she” was returning.
News had come from the heart of the Abyss. The seal was broken. The “Day of the Divine Advent,” which had wiped out countless demon races, including the Ice Demons, was upon them. The stronger one was, the more they could feel it.
And Shaya felt it most acutely, the familiar aura of destruction spreading throughout the Abyss, even reaching Solor.
The Abyss had to act now. They had to perform the sealing ritual.
Centuries ago, they had sacrificed countless demon races and made a deal with the human Neily, who had once encountered a terrifying entity, to perform a powerful, irreversible sealing ritual, putting the Abyssal Lord into an eternal slumber.
But now, she was awakening, and they had no more sacrifices to offer.
Thankfully, the ritual itself was still intact; they didn’t need Neily to reconstruct it.
What they needed was the immense power to fuel it. So, the oldest generation of demons had decided to sacrifice themselves, to seal the Abyssal Lord once more.
But…
Shaya looked up at the endless sky, a flicker of worry in her eyes.
“Bai…”
She had sensed Bai’s predicament and had used the contingency she had placed on her, the crimson rune, and the ring she had obtained from Rolof.
But now, she had lost contact with her.
“I wonder if she found Ara…”
Just then, her second-in-command approached, a tall Vampire woman in crimson armor.
“Your Majesty, the legion has completed its withdrawal.”
“I see,” Shaya said, her thoughts elsewhere.
“…Is something on Your Majesty’s mind?”
“No,” Shaya said, her expression hardening. “Let’s go. Back to the Abyss.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the commander saluted, falling in step behind her.
The Abyssal Demon Realm’s advance on Solor had finally come to a halt.
…
Meanwhile, the Legendary Knights had returned to the North Empire.
Erlya, who had been waiting at the Clock Tower Cathedral, rushed to Lilia’s side, as did Ares, who had just regained consciousness.
A flash of light, and the Legendary Knights and Lilia appeared, along with a pile of device fragments and research data from Vikarn.
The Legendary Knights were all seriously injured, most of them collapsing upon their return.
“Your Highness!” Erlya cried out, rushing to Lilia, but she was surprised to find her unharmed.
“I… I’m fine,” Lilia said, embarrassed. While the Legendary Knights had been fighting, she had been safe in the Dawn Laboratory.
“You’re back, you’re back…” Ares said, his face aged, tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked at the healthy Lilia.
He had thought they would never return from Vikarn. To see his daughter again was a miracle.
He looked at the scepter in her hand, its light warm and bright.
“…It seems my daughter has grown up. She’s ready to bear the burden,” he smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening. In the youth-obsessed North Empire, it was time for him to step down.
Just then, Lin Yan, who had been knocked unconscious by Leticia, awoke, her voice filled with panic.
“Auntie Shiya? Where’s Bai?”
“Lady Leticia, she—” Lilia started, but another flash of light appeared, and Leticia, in a simple white dress, materialized, a look of profound loss on her face.
“Auntie Shiya!” Lin Yan rushed to her, but saw no one else. “Bai? Where’s Bai?”
“She… has made a different choice,” Leticia said, shaking her head. She had wanted to bring Bai back, but she had failed.
It wasn’t because of Shaya, but because of Bai’s own decision.
“Bai…” Lilia looked up at the sky, a strange, destructive aura swirling in the clouds.
She suddenly remembered the Zero’s Observation Diary from the Dawn Laboratory, the book that held so many secrets about Bai.
“The Little Sister Bai of the past, the Little Sister Bai of now… what kind of being is she…?”
…
“She is the most terrifying of all beings, a calamity of destruction.”
In the heart of the Abyss, Atwood, the head of the council, said, his voice low, as he addressed the assembled ancient demons.
“The Place of Divine Advent is still a mystery. The only one to have ever successfully entered was Neily of the Xia Empire. But all evidence suggests that a higher civilization, far beyond the Abyss and Solor, once existed there.”
“But after her arrival, everything was destroyed. Even the void fears to touch it.”
“So, what we must do now is ensure that the Abyss does not become a second Place of Divine Advent.”
