Chapter 179
“Yes, Lady Lariella. Enjoy it firsthand.”
“Son of a bitch…” Alice muttered a curse at Hasis’s amused voice.
But the Empress had already taken the sword from Hasis and was approaching her.
Click, click—
Was it the tension of the impending blade? Unlike before, Alice now heard the Empress’s footsteps ringing unusually loud.
The moment she swallowed dryly, a pair of deep purple shoes stopped right in front of her.
The Empress kicked Alice, who was lying on her side, forcing her to lie flat on her back.
“Ugh.”
Alice groaned as the kick landed squarely on her ribs, but she had no time to gather her wits.
The Empress had yanked on the ropes binding her body.
Then she dragged Alice like a sack of goods, pulling her onto the magic circle.
Thud. When the Empress released the rope, Alice, with her limbs bound, tumbled forward.
Not onto the floor, but onto the ancient magic circle.
The journey here had been utterly degrading, but she had finally reached the ancient magic circle.
No sooner had Alice exhaled a short breath at the cold touch of the floor against her forehead than her head was jerked back.
The Empress had grabbed her hair once again.
“Ha…”
‘Before you kill me, I’ll make sure every strand of your hair is ripped out first.’
Just as Alice was making this silent vow, the Empress applied more force, pulling her upper body completely upright.
After forcing Alice to kneel on the magic circle, the Empress now pushed her tilted-back head forcefully downward.
The Empress bent down, bringing her face close to Alice’s ear and spoke.
“You dared call it filthy. See clearly with your own eyes how terrifying my master truly is.”
“What are you talking about—”
“Look inside the magic circle, I said.”
Before Alice could finish speaking, the Empress pushed her head down even further.
This brought the magic circle uncomfortably close to Alice’s eyes.
But still, there was only a black smoke-like substance swirling about; the interior of the magic circle the Empress spoke of remained invisible.
Moreover, Alice’s neck was in agony from the pressure on her head.
At this rate, her neck would break before it could even be cut.
‘I can’t take this anymore.’
Just as she was about to struggle, a flash of red light gleamed from beneath the black smoke.
‘That’s… no way.’
As Alice froze, the black smoke gradually dissipated, revealing a bottomless abyss-like space beneath the magic circle.
And there, a pair of crimson eyes gleamed clearly.
The Dark Wraith.
Alice met the Wraith’s blood-red eyes directly.
Simultaneously, the chilling aura emanating from those red eyes made every hair on her body stand on end.
Even with the protective barrier of the ancient magic circle, the presence inside was terrifyingly eerie.
The Empress slowly lifted Alice’s head and observed her rigid expression.
With a satisfied smile, the Empress said:
“You’ve seen him. My great master.”
“…”
“Yes, this expression suits you well.”
The Empress removed her hand from Alice’s head and grabbed her chin, turning it to face her.
“You called me a puppet? Don’t make me laugh. I was chosen by the great one. I will be the ruler of the new world he creates.”
The golden eyes that had been unfocused gradually sharpened.
Seeing Alice now looking directly at her, the Empress emphasized:
“I am on an entirely different level from you, who just struts around with that pathetic holy power.”
Then she pressed a dagger against Alice’s throat.
When the cold blade touched her neck without the slightest gap, Alice’s body instinctively flinched, regardless of her will.
“You seem afraid. Well, with death so close, it would be a lie to say you weren’t afraid.”
The Empress mocked Alice upon seeing her trembling body.
“For someone supposedly a hero, even mentioned in prophecies, isn’t it rather pitiful to fear death so much?”
The Empress slightly withdrew the blade, then tapped Alice’s chin with the back of the dagger.
“Don’t just tremble in fear; do something. Use your holy power, or call upon the master who made you a hero.”
‘Go on, do it now.’
“…”
The Empress taunted her again, pressing the blade firmly against her throat, but Alice neither spoke nor moved.
It wasn’t out of fear.
The paralyzing effect of the eerie aura had already worn off the moment she heard the Empress’s mockery.
Then the Empress smiled deeply and said:
“Ah, perhaps your master cannot manifest in this world right now? Is that why you can do nothing?”
‘You’ve completely fallen for it, just as I expected.’
‘Time to end this charade.’
She deliberately pressed her neck harder against the blade.
“Ugh…”
The pain of the blade cutting into her neck was sharp and clear. Alice’s action caused the corner of the Empress’s mouth to stiffen.
Alice looked directly at the Empress and said:
“The one facing a pathetic death isn’t me, but you. You’ll be annihilated soul and all, alongside your filthy master.”
“You!”
With those final words, Alice drew her neck across the blade that was cutting into her skin.
Caught off guard by Alice’s unexpected action, the Empress’s eyes widened as Alice’s blood splattered onto the ancient magic circle.
“Ah…”
A groan escaped her lips from the unstoppable blood flow and excruciating pain. But she couldn’t gauge how deeply her neck had been cut.
Because the ancient magic circle, now infused with blood carrying holy power, began to vibrate.
Boom— Boom—
The vibration was so powerful it shook the underground floor.
But what startled Alice wasn’t the vibration, but the magic circle itself, which was changing shape.
The barrier lines of the magic circle, which had formed a star shape radiating from a large sun at the center, were now moving in all directions, separating from the sun.
“Finally…”
Just as she found herself unwittingly captivated by this mystical sight, the Empress’s trembling voice reached her ears.
The Empress, initially shocked by Alice’s action, was now overwhelmed with emotion at the breaking seal of the magic circle.
So much so that she had dropped the dagger she was holding.
Hasis was the same.
But Alice’s attention quickly returned from the mystical sight to reality, as the blood from her neck continued to flow.
While both of their gazes were fixed on the magic circle, Alice crawled on her knees and barely managed to grab the dagger the Empress had dropped.
She cut the ropes binding her hands first. Though this process injured her hands further, her neck was her primary concern.
Alice hurriedly pressed her hands against her neck to stop the bleeding.
‘Lord Helios, please come quickly.’
Just as Alice was desperately calling for her deity, the Empress, who had been completely absorbed in the ancient magic circle, grabbed her garment forcefully and dragged her outside the circle.
“My great master.”
As if Alice didn’t matter at all, the Empress prostrated herself on the ground, calling to the Dark Wraith.
At that moment, a column of black energy shot up from the magic circle, as if it had been waiting.
ROAAAAARRR!!!
A bizarre voice, like a beast’s roar.
The deafening sound and the chilling cold that filled the underground made Alice momentarily forget the pain in her neck as she trembled.
Soon, the pillar of black energy that had risen from the magic circle disappeared.
In its place stood something massive.
A figure easily over two meters tall, with dark blue skin from head to toe, and two enormous horns rising from its head.
Though humanoid in shape, it could never be called human—this strange being was closing its eyes and taking a deep breath.
As if savoring its freedom.
‘So that’s… the Wraith’s true form…’
‘It’s like a terrible monster.’
Yes, it looked exactly like an ogre straight out of a monster encyclopedia.
But she had no time for observations; Alice pressed harder on her neck wound and surveyed the area around the ancient magic circle.
No matter where she looked, all she could see on the magic circle was the repulsive Dark Wraith.
‘Where is the deity?’
Indeed. The deity who was supposed to appear alongside the Dark Wraith was nowhere to be seen.
But she couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
Because the Dark Wraith had opened its eyes.
Bulging, massive red eyes.
When those grotesque eyes turned directly toward her, Alice’s entire body froze.
As if time had stopped, she couldn’t close her eyes or look away.
An overwhelming killing intent, on a completely different level from the creepiness she had felt beneath the magic circle.
The Wraith stepped off the magic circle with its enormous feet.
Thud— Thud— Thud—
In just three steps, the Dark Wraith stood before her.
It lowered its head toward the frozen Alice.
And then, sniff—sniff—
Like a beast, it smelled her, then frowned and opened its mouth.
“The stench of holy power is overwhelming. A disgusting smell that makes me want to tear you apart right now.”
A raspy voice like a scraped vocal cord, and from its mouth, an indescribable, terrible stench.
Strangely enough, in this tense, threatening situation, Alice’s rigid body relaxed because of the Wraith’s breath.
A mouth odor so bad it overpowered even fear.
Just as Alice bowed her head, trying to suppress the rising nausea, the Wraith continued:
“I’d love to tear you apart and devour you without a trace right now, but didn’t you say it? That my filthy soul would be annihilated.”
“…”
The Wraith grabbed Alice’s small, bowed head and yanked it backward.
The wound reopened, and blood gushed out.
“After hearing such words from a worthless human, I can’t give you an easy death.”
The Dark Wraith grinned, baring its rotten teeth.
“I’ll show you myself whether your master can annihilate me or not.”
“…”
“Before Helios manifests on this land, I’ll destroy this world for all to see. And on the ruined earth, I’ll tear your body to shreds and spread you as fertilizer.”
The Dark Wraith chuckled, then released Alice’s head as if throwing it. Then it said quietly:
“I should wet my throat before beginning the great work.”
Slurp—
As the sound of the Wraith licking its lips echoed, Lariella, who had been prostrate all this time, raised her head.
“I knew you would say that, so I prepared something to wet your throat. Please, eat that.”
‘That…?’
A chill ran down Alice’s spine at those ominous words, and in the next instant, the hairy legs in front of her vanished.
The Dark Wraith had moved instantaneously. Toward Hasis, the “that” the Empress had pointed to.
“Gack!”
A dying scream rang out, followed by the crunching sounds of bones being chewed, echoing throughout the underground chamber.
And blood spreading across the floor—none other than Hasis’s blood.
The Empress had offered Hasis, her own subordinate, as a snack to the Dark Wraith.
‘How could she do that to her own person…’
Alice couldn’t suppress her nausea at the sight of the spreading blood and the revolting sounds.
“Ugh!!”
“Collapsing at merely this? This bodes well for what’s to come. When you see me properly trampling this world, you’ll be crawling on the ground.”
The Wraith, having devoured Hasis in an instant, mocked Alice who had vomited up even her stomach fluid.
But only one thought occupied Alice’s mind:
‘I must stop it.’
That horrific being absolutely could not be allowed to leave this place.
But her physical condition was at its worst for such a task. Continued bleeding and now vomiting—her body had begun to tremble uncontrollably.
Then came the terrible conversation:
“Now that I’ve wet my throat, I need to properly fill my stomach, Lariella.”
“Yes, master. Let us go quickly. Outside this basement, food is scattered everywhere.”
Alice exhaled roughly as she untied the rope binding her legs with one hand. Then, forcing strength into her trembling body, she stood up.
“Oh? Are you planning to stop me? With that body on the verge of death?”
The Dark Wraith wore a sneer upon seeing her, but Alice truly intended to stop it.
Whatever the problem was, her deity was delayed.
So now she had to stop the Dark Wraith with everything she had, prepared to die.
If the Wraith left the underground now, her precious people would be cruelly devoured like Hasis.
‘That… absolutely cannot happen.’
‘The deity will surely come. So I need to buy time until then.’
“That’s right. You are not leaving this place.”
Alice abandoned her lifelong motto of “long and steady” and prepared for death.
Just as white light began to spread from her body, an immense light burst forth from the previously silent magic circle.
