Episode 51.10 (1/2)

The always calm and collected Commander of Peacekeeping Knights, Zakwald Kirin had his eyes wide open, mouth trembling. His face was deadly pale.

The Northern Tower lay before his eyes.

Its once beautiful spire had collapsed, the <Northern Ladyship Room> in the southern side of the fifth floor had been destroyed too. The elegant white wall from the first to third floor were still intact, but everything above that was unseemly cracked with unending smoke rising.

It was Zakwald himself who ordered the shooting of Ritual Magic

. However, it wasn't supposed to end like this. They just needed to weaken the barrier covering the Northern Tower through the magic, and then save the <Maiden of Solace> inside. And yet just one shot of the ritual magic broke apart the upper half of the tower. They have launched an offensive on <Maiden of Solace> for all intents and purposes.

'This wasn't how you said would happen', Zakwald was about to protest to Viscount Waido. But Viscount Datensta Waido put out another decree before he could.

”Commander Zakwald. Order the mage unit to attack the base of the tower. The magic barrier has yet broken down entirely. This is a direct order from Geitglein Shadrest-sama.”

Zakwald swallowed back the words he was about to utter. A direct order from the head of Southern House, Geitglein-sama. That is absolute. He must see it done.

Just when he was about to gave the order to the mage unit, someone spoke out.

”Something's flying in this direction! From Mt. Yufu's direction!”

Zakwald looked up into the sky reflexively. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Something black zoomed right above his head at high speed, creating a loud booming sound as it crash landed.

Broken splinters of stone pavements scattered about, raising a cloud of dust in the air.

”Was that a meteorite?”

Someone muttered.

(No.)

(That's no meteorite.)

(That black figure I glimpsed.)

(Had the shape of a human.)

The cloud of dust receded.

There's a huge crater on the ground.

It may have fallen somewhere unmanned, but 80% of all Peacekeeping Knights are currently present here. A small deviation could have resulted in a disastrous scene. Zakwald would like to know what's going on.

Something moved inside the crater.

(A humanoid, monster?)

But there's no way any monster could withstand that impact. Doesn't matter if the thing flying in is a human or a monster, it couldn't have survived.

Zakwald involuntarily retreated when he sensed an ominous aura.

Something is coming out of the crater.

The thing standing in the cloud of dust was black.

It's shaped like a human.

It's wearing something resembling an overcoat, but the torn edges give it eerie looks. There are burn marks too. As if it has spent a long time getting smoldered in infernal flames.

(A Vengeful Spirit?)

(No, could it be a Carrion King?)

But this pressure is simply overbearing.

It's completely filling the air like a downpour, even moving his limbs is difficult.

That something's eye flung open.

One eye.