Turning Chapter 852

Chapter 852

From the quietly fallen Nahan, a tremendous power burst forth, overwhelming Duke Herne. The terrifying aspect of mental abilities lies in their near impossibility to be blocked. An invisible, formless power is difficult to counter, even for fellow Awakeners, let alone for those without any power.

Struck squarely by the abilities emanating from Nahan, Duke Herne froze as if struck by lightning.

His eyes wide open. A dreadful silence pierced through for a moment.

Shortly after, the Duke's body stiffened like a log, trembling uncontrollably. His grey eyes rolled back, and a groan, barely resembling speech, escaped his lips.

"G-g-g..."

Then, an explosion.

Kanna Wand momentarily fainted from the overwhelming burst of information emanating from Duke Herne.

By the time her companions, who had rushed to her calling her name, managed to revive her, everything was already over...

"It felt like reading a person's entire life in an instant, no. It was like centuries of time compressed and unleashed in a single moment. And those centuries were filled with nothing but pain and fear... Do you understand?"

After her explanation, Kanna, pale-faced, struggled to describe the sensations she had last felt. It was an abstract description, but Yuder immediately understood its meaning.

"I know what it is. I've seen that attack before."

He had felt a similar sensation when Nahan last attacked him. A blink of an eye stretched into an eternity, and in that eternity, he experienced all the pain he had ever felt, infinitely.

Yuder endured it, but Duke Herne did not.

As a result, the Duke, as if having swallowed a bomb, was covered in clots of blood, dying instantly, turning into a pool of blood. His death, though brief from an outsider's perspective, must have felt like an endless repetition of centuries of accumulated fear and pain, just as Kanna described.

It was the most terrifying revenge that only Nahan could execute.

Yuder turned his gaze toward where Nahan had been, over the unrecognizable pile of blood. The faint, eerie energy that had been emanating from there was no longer visible.

A lifeless body.

"..."

Yuder remained silent for a moment before turning his eyes back to Kanna. She was covered in blood splattered from Duke Herne's death, but the reflection in her blue eyes made her look even more battered.

"...It's not your fault. We need to clean up first. You should..."

Boom.

Suddenly, the air vibrated intensely again.

This vibration was similar yet different from the immense power felt during Duke Herne's death. It originated from above, precisely from the cracks in the sky.

Instincts, like those of a small animal in the presence of a great predator, warned of danger. People, staggering with the thrill running from head to toe, raised their heads to discover three expanding cracks in the sky, resembling the eyes of a massive demon, and something indescribable writhing within like worms.

"What is that, what?!"

"Oh God..."

Those still shocked by the recent events screamed reflexively. Panic ensued, with people clutching their heads, running away, or falling into a state of breathlessness from the overwhelming fear.

Yuder bit his lip hard as he observed the scene. It hadn't been long since he had expressed his hope to Kishiar that things could be resolved just as they were, yet now, the cracks were opening.

'Damn that Duke Herne...'

Though dead, Yuder felt an overwhelming urge to beat him once more and then bury him with his own hands. What was the reasoning of a man who valued his life so dearly that he wouldn't even venture into the capital, to come crawling to his own deathbed?

Shouldn't one at least try to preserve one's life?

Even if it was a dying Awakener, an Awakener was still an Awakener. They possess a power and danger incomparable to the non-Awakeners. It had been a long time since Yuder had felt so acutely that the people of this era truly understood neither the significance of this power nor its implications. The world before his eyes, which had just calmed with the help of divine power, swirled dizzily once again.

'First... no monsters have emerged yet. If we can find a way to close the cracks in this state, and then...'

Boom!

Suddenly, there was the sound of the air settling. The crack widened a bit more, and hail began to pound heavily on his shoulders and back.

'What? Nahan and Duke Herne are dead, and yet the cracks are opening again...?'

"Yuder. Behind!"

A man's voice, unmistakable from anywhere, reached Yuder's ears as he stared at the cracks. Swiftly turning his head, Yuder glimpsed a shadow hunched like a tomb amidst the cascading avalanche of ice, and he hesitated for a moment.

"..."

A twisted figure, shrouded in an ominous aura, weeping blood-stained tears with sunken eyes. The last being Yuder had hoped would not appear in this situation, Hosanna, was there.

"Ah..."

Hosanna's hollow, sunken eyes gazed deeply at the pool of blood spreading wide and Nahan's body lying submerged in it. His trembling body blurred and flickered, disappearing and reappearing continuously.

Seeing the Cavalry members approaching from a distance, Yuder instinctively realized that Hosanna had used his powers to get here.

'Damn it.'

It was the worst-case scenario. Nahan had killed Duke Herne, and now, of all times, Hosanna had discovered the scene.

"Ahahah..."

The ongoing cries rapidly intensified. A strong premonition of an imminent rampage sent shivers through his skin.

Like a lantern flickering on and off, the eerie and unstable aura instinctively made his skin crawl.

"Ah... Ahahah... Ahahahaha!!"

The agonizing, heart-wrenching screams unnaturally amplified, turning the falling hail into explosive bombs. Yuder reflexively gathered his strength to create a protective barrier of wind around him.

"Ugh..."

Puff-puff-puff. Numerous chunks of ice bombarded the shield, followed by a tremendous shock. Yuder forcibly swallowed the blood welling up inside him. The whirlwind of hail spinning wildly near Hosanna was so powerful that even a single touch could severely injure a non-Awakener.

"Yuder!"

"Don't come to me... evacuate quickly!"

Under normal circumstances, it might have been different, but in this situation, it was uncertain how perfectly he could maintain the shield. He gestured to Kanna, who was approaching to help, to stay away and pointed towards Myra, who was still sitting dazedly, prompting Kanna to clench her teeth and back away.

"...Your Highness!"

Yuder frowned at the impact of the hail battering the shield as he watched Kanna move away. Defending against the hail was already taxing, and he couldn't properly focus on the increasingly thunderous pressure and the cracks overhead.

'Damn it.'

To make matters worse, a hailstone the size of a fist struck his forehead, eliciting a curse as he staggered. Then, a large hand reached out, enveloping Yuder's shoulder and head.

"Are you alright?"

Kishiar asked emotionlessly, wiping the blood from Yuder's forehead. His own face and body were also battered and scratched due to the intensifying hail. Yuder felt a surge of warmth inside him, seeing Kishiar, unattended to his own injuries, solely focused on him.

Yuder swallowed hard before replying.

"...Yes. I'm fine."

"How much longer can you hold it?"

"Actually, rather than holding it... I think it would be better to quickly kill that one over there..."

Before he could finish his sentence, another onslaught of hail from Hosanna's direction battered the shield, swirling madly. Even as Yuder waved his hand roughly to reinforce the shield, it appeared precarious. Grinding his teeth, attempting to muster more strength, Kishiar grasped his hand.

Immediately, an invisible force enveloped Yuder's power, reinforcing the wind barrier. It felt as though a stronger wall was pushing back the internal turmoil from the outside.

Only then did Yuder exhale. His body felt relieved, but his heart grew heavier. It meant that as much as he was eased, Kishiar was being strained further.

"I'm fine. You should head towards the cracks; They’re opening."

"...I'm still okay. Nathan is there."

Kishiar answered coldly. His gaze wasn't on Yuder but on the wind barrier, watching Hosanna crawling on the ground amidst the hailstones.