Chapter 138: Demi-god (1) (2/2)
Zehn immediately paled. She understood now why Drei was so pissed.
Deciding that further comments would only make the situation worse, she immediately turned around and began to leave.
”You think I am going to let you go?”
Sol, refusing to let her escape like this, rushed toward the fleeing Zehn.
He didn't understand what was happening, but he knew that the situation was turning to their advantage.
At least, now that he had Milia's support, it shouldn't be a problem to keep those people alive.
At the same time, this made him understand something.
He had always fancied himself as a selfish prince which, admittedly, he was in a way.
He thought that abandoning some people to protect people close to him was a sign of this selfishness which, once again, was the truth.
But he was wrong on one thing.
True selfishness wasn't just giving up on something to keep something else.
No, true selfishness was--wishing to have the best of both worlds even though you understood that it was completely and utterly unreasonable.
Some people would call it naivety, while others would call it idiocy.
But Sol understood that no one could be more selfish than someone naive.
Naivety was the expression of selfishness. The expression of greed.
But naivety alone could only take you so far. You also needed the power to back it up.
As such, only someone who had the necessary power could obtain everything he wanted.
This was the simple truth of the matter. Something simple and yet so difficult to achieve.
He could now understand Lilith's words.
The difference between a naive fool and a hero of justice was their strength — the strength to back up their words.
Sol didn't want to be a hero. Heroes were heroes because they sacrificed themselves for some greater good, which was something he rejected from his very being.
Even now, if his life had really been threatened, if he had really been in a hopeless situation, he would have simply said fuck it and fled without even caring about those hostage.
After all, he didn't know them.
Sure their death might affect negatively the kingdom, but better them than him.
He still had so much to learn. So much to experience.
The path before him was still very long and he had to take one step at a time in order to become a man he could be proud of.
No matter how callous it was, there was simply no way he would sacrifice himself for some stranger.
But, if he had been strong enough from the start, would he even need to make a choice?
Thinking about all of this, Sol felt something click in him.
He knew that he was now only one step away from unlocking his own zone. He just missed a little something.
But now wasn't the time,
”Milia! We will discuss why you followed me later. For now though, Protect them.”
”...Understood.”
<<Zone:Melancholia >>
A dreadful atmosphere filled the room as the shadow under Milia expanded and covered all the nobles in the surroundings.
Malicious bloodshot eyes opened and bestial growls could be heard.
Milia's zone was a pure offensive one in theory.
If she didn't focus, all those people surrounded and bound by her shadow would immediately be devoured like snacks.
Seeing this zone, both Drei and Zehn got the confirmation that Milia was indeed at the level of a Duke.
”I will remember you. The next time we meet — I will kill you.”
Leaving those words, she then grew bat-like wings and flew upward.
'Do you think you are the team rocket?'
Scoffing inwardly, Sol gathered all his mana toward his mouth and fired a pure beam of mana toward her.
Earlier during his fight against Drei and Zehn, he had not used any large-scale attacks because of the hostages.
But now, he did not need to worry anymore.
<<Dragon roar>>
A great blast of energy, even more powerful than the one he had used against Setsuna, rushed toward the flying Zehn but,
”Haha, sorry little prince, not on my watch.”
<<Bone cage>> <<Corpse explosion>>
*BOOM*
The result of the collision blasted everything in its wake, and even Zehn, who was slower because of her wounds and the holy territory barely managed to escape, though, with her back scorched.
Still, thanks to his perfect timing, Drei managed to redirect most of the damage that would have most likely brought down the defenseless Zehn.
Of course, the crumbling walls and roof were the proof of how powerful this attack had been.
”You!”
Sol's anger skyrocketed as he turned toward the man that had to keep bothering him with all those spells since the start of this fight.
He was then startled to see the body slowly break down, as blood poured down from the crack,
”Sigh, this body is seriously trash.”He jokingly complained.
”Even if you escape, your companion will not.”
Milia, who was still binding and protecting the nobles in case anything happened, murmured on the side.
She had already understood that this man was most likely a necromancer and that the body in front of them was just a fake.
Sol added on the side, ”Indeed. Now that Camelia activated the holy territory, it should mean that everything is about to end.”
Even though he didn't know what was happening, with the roof and a part of the wall blasted open, the golden dome covering the city visible was enough explanation.
”Ah~! Hahaha~! I admit that we really got done in this operation. The prince was stronger than we thought. The witch had escaped the confinement. The saint did not fall. The maid hides quite deeply and the queen was a fucking beast.”
Drei continued to laugh out loud, ”This was without a doubt a near-complete fiasco.”
Sol narrowed his eyes, ”As I thought, your main goal was never to capture or kill me, right?”
”Heh, do you think I am the kind of stupid villain that will expose all our plans and allows you to make more preparation for the future?”
”...”
”Cat got your tongue, huh? Well, it doesn't matter.”
Then he raised his head and looked above,
”At the end of the day, we are nothing more than chess pieces moving under the playful gazes of some bitches. Seven hundred years ago, while my sister and I were dying after being branded as heretics, I swore that I would destroy this world with my own hands sooner or later.”
His eyes were filled with madness as he stretched his arms wide, ”Now! Let's welcome the one that will sooner or later usher a new order! Nihil!”
At that very moment, an ominous sound resonated high in the sky.
*Crack*
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(AN: Sol should understand now, that talk is easy, while actions aren't. He still doesn't have the breadth of experience necessary to sacrifice people for his own being. Is it a good or a bad thing? Frankly, it's hard to say. The discussion with Lilith about naivety and heroism happened in CH 45. Anyways this volume is basically ⅔ done. Just need to finish some little things, do some little revelation, and develop Lilith's story a little more and this will be it for Vol 5 as well as Book 1: Lustburg. Book 2 title is a mystery for now, but I can tell you that Vol 6 is called Phoenix. Perhaps I will take a one-week pause after the end of Book 1. Depends on my schedule.)