Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four Extinction

“Little Hill…”

The girl before me was filled with grief, her expression tugging at one’s heartstrings.

I fell into Alia’s arms, lightly hugging her waist, and gave her a somewhat weak smile.

“I’m fine… How did you all return? It’s dangerous… Cough, cough…”

Spatters of blood dotted Alia’s chest. She raised her trembling right hand, trying to wipe away the blood on my face with her sleeve, but it wouldn’t come off no matter how hard she tried. The tension she had been holding onto gradually crumbled. She opened her mouth and cried until she lost her voice, unable to speak anymore, just holding me tightly as if fearing I would disappear at any moment.

“How can you… still worry about others…?”

Her voice came in broken phrases.

Please don’t… It’s so unfamiliar… I really am fine.

“Alia, don’t hold her like that, put her down on the ground first!”

Barry’s voice trembled as he seemed to be suppressing some emotion ready to erupt.

“Uh… Okay…”

Alia responded, but dared not move for fear of causing more damage, appearing flustered.

“Let me check. Barry, help by supporting her shoulders, Alia support her waist and legs, gently lay her down… Yes, just like that. Little Sister Hill, can you hear me?”

Ellen, after all, came from a hunting family and had experience with such matters.

“Cough, cough, I can. I’m really… fine…”

These words were not meant to comfort them; I truly knew I would be fine. No one understood better than I did the powerful recovery capabilities of this body. With proper rest for a few days, these injuries would heal quickly. Even if I wanted to, I could go into the forest and devour the life force of countless animals… This idea was best left alone; it’s best not to do it unless absolutely necessary.

But understanding it was one thing.

Seeing the blood spattering from my mouth and hearing the soft words I spoke had no convincing power over Alia and the others.

“…There’s a dent in her head, a fracture in her right lower leg, extensive abrasions on her body, symptoms of excessive bleeding have already appeared… The most severe injury is on her chest, several ribs may be broken… From her appearance, it seems something might have pierced her lung…”

Ellen’s voice grew increasingly somber.

Such serious injuries, in a world where even contracting typhoid could be fatal, meant death was only a matter of time.

This was a truth everyone understood.

“Woah—”

Alia finally broke down and wept uncontrollably.

“Brother Ellen, there must be a way, right? Please save her…”

Barry’s eyes were red, staring at the silent Ellen, his chest feeling crushed by a boulder, suffocating him.

“…Perhaps, the Bishop of the Holy Church might have a solution…”

“But where can we find the Bishop…?”

“Even if we could really bring the Bishop here, there wouldn’t be enough time…”

“Cough, cough, you all don’t need to. I just need to… sleep…”

Before the words were finished, they were interrupted by Alia’s heart-wrenching cries.

“Don’t sleep, Little Hill, please, don’t fall asleep!! Ah—”

Seeing Alia open her mouth wide and cry, large tears falling on me, I suddenly felt like laughing.

“Hehe, okay, I won’t sleep. Help me, take me over there, White…”

I turned my head to see how White was doing, but there was no movement for a long time, and I began to worry.

In the next moment, the smile on my face vanished.

I saw the monster move.

Before I could discern whether it was an illusion, the devil’s whisper echoed again.

“[Abyssal Language]… Cut, kill.”

The situation changed in an instant, black smoke sweeping in.

“Boom—”

“Crack, crack, crack—!!”

“Ahh—!!”

With a hoarse shout, ice columns, ice spears, ice walls, black flames… all the powers I could muster were thrown forward, attempting to block the approaching deathly black smoke.

It tricked me! That guy tricked me! How did it do it?

No wonder its resistance was so weak back then; it had to land somewhere inhabited.

At this moment, I understood the monster’s trick.

Even when facing imminent death, the emotion called despair slowly crept into my heart.

I almost jumped up, using my body to shield Alia, then pulling Barry behind me with all the strength I had left, forcing a gap in the black smoke.

“Ellen, hide behind me…”

The words remained unfinished as Alia suddenly turned around, spreading her arms to shield me.

The girl’s figure was as frail as ever, appearing especially thin amidst the overwhelming black smoke.

A moment of shock.

“Ally—”

“Huh—”

The impact of the black smoke came in an instant and ended just as quickly.

The smoke dissipated.

Ellen’s body rose in a white mist.

“I…”

He looked at his hands in confusion, lifting his head to say something, but never got the chance.

His body turned to ashes.

“Ellen…”

Alia softly spoke, lifting her foot to walk toward Ellen’s direction.

Then she collapsed to the ground.

“Ally—!!”

The moment she fell, I held her soft, warm body.

Very light.

“Little Hill, what happened to Ellen…?”

Alia was puzzled, her small head unable to comprehend what had happened.

“Alia, hold on, you’re fine, everything’s fine…”

Water droplets fell on her face, deepening Alia’s confusion.

“What’s wrong with me? Uh… Ah… It hurts…”

Her body began to tremble violently.

“Alia, I can save you… You’re fine…”

“Sister!! What’s wrong!! Sister!!”

Barry finally seemed to snap out of his daze, completely hiding behind me, unscathed by the black smoke.

He saw Xil, covered in blood, hugging her sister, his face showing an unprecedented sorrow.

“It’s nothing… she’s fine… she won’t be hurt…”

My eyes were vacant, muttering to myself.

Alya, most of her body already charred, the Abyss was devouring her withering body like a virus.

“Aaah… it hurts… little Xil… what should I do… it hurts so much…”

Her body started convulsing.

“Alya… sleep, sleep. Sleep and you won’t feel pain…”

I gently patted Alya’s head as if soothing a crying infant.

“It hurts… hah… it hurts… uh… grandma…”

The girl in my arms gradually fell silent.

She had fallen asleep.

Behind me, Barry’s lips trembled, his face devoid of any color.

I stood there, frozen, holding her lifeless body.

Until the ashes obscured my vision.

A faint blue light drifted away from the embrace.

I wanted to reach out and grab her, but touched only emptiness.

She slowly floated towards the sky, along with over a dozen other light smokes, flowing towards the monster struggling to its feet not far away.

“Hissss—”

The monster absorbed all the blue light, its body trembling uncontrollably.

It seemed to be experiencing immense joy.

“Roaaaaar—!!!”

The monster roared excitedly to the sky.

I stared at it blankly, my mind a blank slate.

This scene lingered in my consciousness for a long time.

The black smoke killed Alya and the nearby villagers.

Suddenly, the reality of it all crashed down on me.

“Barry, move away.”

“Sister where are you?!”

“Move. I have to kill it.”

I pushed Barry back several meters, tears streaming down my cheeks.

My delicate face revealed a ferocious expression.

I had to kill it.

Kill it, kill it, kill it, kill it, kill it, kill it, kill it…

“Ahahahahaaa—”

The black smoke whipped up a violent hurricane, entwining around me like an apocalyptic tornado.

It obscured my tiny body.

“Boom—!!!”

In the next moment, a green arm stretched out, smashing violently into the ground.

“Crack—!”

The immense force shattered the ground, countless fireballs burning with black flames shot up into the sky, rushing toward the monster from all directions.

“Boom boom boom boom—!!!”

“Roaaar—” The monster let out a painful roar.

Although the absorption had no effect, the intense explosions still injured it.

“Snap.”

I leaped quickly, pressing the monster’s dog head down with a massive hand, exerting downward pressure.

“Boom—!!!”

The monster’s head was pressed straight into the ground, causing cracks to spread. Then, I swiftly moved my hand down, pinning it at the neck.

The black smoke’s tornado extended another green arm.

Punching, striking downwards.

“Boom—”

The dog head was driven deep into the ground.

Another punch.

“Boom—”

“Boom—”, “Boom—”, “Boom—”

One punch after another, the ground beneath me was smashed into a pitch-black hole.

“[Abyssal Language] We are of the same kind, why must we slaughter each other?”

The monster’s tone remained calm.

I stared at its eyes, oozing black mucus, and spoke word by word.

“You and I. Are not, of the same kind.”

Another punch landed.

“Boom—!”

“…Enough, little one, stop.”

An unfamiliar voice sounded.

“Who?!”

I looked up fiercely.

The bearded swordsman in silver armor stood aside, Barry shivering within his cloak.

“…Leave this to me,” he said to me.

Hearing these words, a complex feeling welled up in my heart.

Sorrow, pain, grief, resentment.

“…Leave it to you?”

I laughed.

“You, say that again? Leave it to you?! Why, didn’t you, do something sooner! Ugh… my sister, is dead! Killed by this, damned monster… I am also, damned, monster… Ugh, damned… monster… aren’t you, going to kill me… ugh… then, kill me!”

A frail voice, yet a desperate cry.

Carlos watched the girl before him, who seemed like a demon yet wore a look of sorrow.

Many days ago, he believed she was a terrifying monster.

But now, her words pierced his heart like a sharp blade.

He had gone to communicate with the church’s high officials about the girl, because only he understood that she wasn’t just a simple monster.

Carlos tried his utmost to save her, hoping the Pope would agree to his proposed solution.

He succeeded.

But none of this could serve as an excuse. This situation was due to his negligence. If he had been here, things might not have turned out this way.

Why did it turn out this way?

“Crack, crack crack—”

The air suddenly turned cold.

He saw a pale blue blade appear in the girl’s hand.

The blade darkened as the temperature dropped.

“Roaaar—”

The monster struggled, sensing something, but couldn’t escape the grip of the green giant hand.

The girl manipulated the giant hand, driving the blade into the monster’s head.

“Pfft—”

The dark blue blade pierced through the monster’s skull, pinning it to the ground.

After a violent convulsion, the monster’s massive body disintegrated, turning into countless tiny dust particles that scattered.

A blood-red light smoke entered the girl’s body.

“Boom—”

Black radiance surged around the girl, followed by the green arm rapidly retracting into her body.

“Plop.”

Her body fell to the ground.