Chapter 198

Chapter 170: Blue Fire Burning the Moon, Blood Staining the Royal City, Part Four

I stumbled toward the direction of the blood pool.

The sight before me was nothing but raging karma flames, like venomous snakes spitting out their tongues, wildly dancing around in the small room.

The air seemed to be boiling.

Charles had already lost his voice and was motionless.

The flames burning on him were emitting black smoke, gradually spreading to the ground beneath him, igniting a corner of Elly’s dress. I quickly rushed over, grabbing Elly and another little boy by their feet, pulling them out from under Charles. With my right hand, I sprayed frost mist to extinguish the flames on Elly, then carried both of them, hurrying backward.

The flames crackled fiercely, completely engulfing Charles’s body and continuously spreading deeper into the room.

Black smoke filled the air, consuming the remaining oxygen.

“I’m sorry…”

I looked at the shadowy, charred figures in the light of the flames nearby, my voice choked with emotion.

No one responded.

I lowered my head, looking at Elly’s grimy face.

She was held sideways under my arm, her head drooping as she stared at me unblinkingly. Her originally lively eyes had lost their luster and trembled with fear.

I blinked hard, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

“Don’t be afraid, Elly… I’m here.”

I must take the two children away.

But…

I glanced around the room.

The green brick walls were starting to turn red from the intense heat… The fire was too fierce; even the vertebrae in the blood pool had caught fire, turning darker and cracking with a “snap.”

I had retreated to the edge of the wall where I had been hit. The flames hadn’t reached this area yet, but it was only a matter of time.

…Charge out.

Thinking this, I slowly put the two down again, picked up Captain Gray who lay quietly beside my feet, and, with trembling fingers stained with blood, pulled the trigger at the end of the handle.

Click, click, click.

Captain Gray split apart once more, transforming into the shape of a kusarigama. I wrapped the chain twice around my shoulders, securing Captain Gray tightly to my body, the sharp blade hanging across my chest. Then, I squatted again, picking up the two frail bodies and holding them close.

Perhaps due to their young age and poor nutrition, the two children felt light, almost as if they weighed less than Captain Gray.

Even so, carrying over three hundred pounds made me feel slightly strained.

I took a deep breath, fixing my gaze on the increasingly intense flames ahead.

My mind raced.

If it were just me, getting out would be simple.

As long as I used cold frost mist to protect myself and used moonstep to charge through, these flames would be no problem. But now, I had two weak children with me; they couldn’t withstand the temperature of the frost mist or the powerful impact of the moonstep.

What should I do…

I could only take a gamble.

I focused intently, slowly condensing a thin mist around me.

“Elly, don’t be afraid…”

I tried to make the mist thin enough so that it wouldn’t freeze them… This was difficult, as it was hard to control the temperature with feeling. Since I didn’t feel “cold,” I only felt “cool.”

I released the frost mist while nervously observing Elly’s face and listening to her breathing.

She seemed fine… It could be a bit colder… Good, that should do for now.

This level of cold should be enough to protect the two children from the flames.

…Go.

I flexed my ankles, lowering my body to run towards the exit. After a few steps, I stepped into the flames.

A wave of uncomfortable heat surged through me… The flames on the ground, though only reaching my waist, were much hotter than I expected. Fortunately, the room wasn’t large, and with my speed, I broke free from the flames in less than two seconds, reaching the exit.

Outside, it was also a sea of flames.

The brick walls glowed red from the heat.

The colored light was gradually melting, and the ground beneath our feet began to tremble. Soon… this place would collapse.

“Cough, cough.”

The air, already anxious, became even more suffocating. I looked at Eli’s increasingly pale face and felt more and more anxious.

There was no time left…

I kept running forward, stepping again into the burning flames. My small body wrapped in frost mist raced through the cellar, illuminated by the fire.

Fortunately, there weren’t many flammable objects here.

Although the sin-fire was hot enough to melt rocks, the flames were not very intense, and the smoke produced wasn’t particularly thick… For me, this was enough.

I did my best to maintain the right amount of frost mist output, running down the corridor into the hall, past the charred corpses, past the unrecognizable Tenes, past the fallen statue, and into the narrow passage.

By now, the fire had weakened considerably, only rising about twenty centimeters from the ground… roughly like that. However, the air remained scorching, oxygen levels decreasing, making breathing difficult.

I could only keep running forward…

Suddenly, I felt Eli, whom I was holding, give a slight twitch. My heart sank as I quickly turned to look at her, only to see her face terrifyingly pale, her hair and eyebrows covered with frost, and white vapor constantly escaping from her mouth… she was frozen.

The little boy on the other side was also the same. But…

But this frost mist was already the minimum I could manage.

“Eli!”

I called out to her in panic, feeling at a loss.

“We’re almost there! Eli, just hold on a bit longer. Please, just a little more…”

No, given her condition, even if she managed to hold on… it might leave lasting consequences.

Why…

Even though my power was so great, why couldn’t I do such a simple thing as saving someone… Why…

“Eli…”

No, I can do it.

I am strong, I… can do anything.

Just like Carlos.

“I will definitely cough, get you out…”

I took a deep breath.

Maintaining my running speed, I suddenly exerted strength from my waist and abdomen, lifting my trembling arms high above my head to carry the two children.

My strength is great.

These scattered little flames… I’m not afraid of them at all.

In the next moment, the frost mist enveloping my body dissipated.

The flames licked up, instantly engulfing my feet and calves.

Crackling… hissing…

It doesn’t hurt.

This is nothing.

“Guh…”

I bit my lip, blood dripping down my chin and dissolving into the flames below my feet.

I don’t feel pain…

Not at all…

“Ugh… Ahhh—!”

What am I shouting for… Really.

I… I am the abyss that everyone fears… I am… an incredibly powerful monster… a mere sin-fire… I’ll heal tomorrow.

In the narrow passage, a girl with tattered dress raised her arms high, supporting two thin children, opened her mouth wide to let out a hoarse shout, and stepped into the heat wave, running on the red-hot flames.

Her boots were burned, sparks dancing on her skirt. The leg armor, resembling stockings, was scorched red by the flames, sticking to her calves and emitting wisps of smoke.

Yet, she didn’t stop for a moment.

The exit should be close.

There’s nothing to fear… Sylvie… keep going…

“Cough! Ugh… Guh…”

Run faster.

Faster.

Faster… or else…

“Huh—, huh—, ugh… ”

…I can’t take it anymore.

I can’t stand it, can’t stand it, can’t stand it…

So painful, so painful!!!

Plip.

Water droplets fell onto my face.

…Eli?

Are you crying… Are you still awake… It’s fine, thank goodness.

“Don’t cry, Eli… Guh… I’m here… You’ll be okay…”

We’re almost at the exit.

—

Note: The translation is provided as requested, but the content seems to contain themes and situations that may not be suitable for all audiences.