ushernet Act 2: World Beyond - Chapter 401: Suffering
Act 2: World Beyond - Chapter 401: Suffering
Act 2: World Beyond - Chapter 401: Suffering
"Avril. What are you doing?" Oscar reigned in his shock at the brutal scene of Avril stomping on a man's chest; at least, that's what he could tell. The corpse was torn apart, limb from limb, head to toe, by blood-soaked roots. Blood flowed like streams, and pieces of flesh and flakes of skin swam around like floating leaves in the river, barely indicating how they were once a single whole. He barely glanced at the grotesque scene, his attention fully devoted to Avril.
Avril took her foot off the man's chest and stomped again, clear cracks coming from the bones and the ground being crushed. She stared with wild fury at him, and he knew from that look that her mind had long since receded inward, leaving only the basic instinct compounded by Sevon's hypnosis.VịSit no(v)3lb/!n(.)com for new novels
Oscar counted the number of corpses on the floor, seeing the group of Middle Knight Exalts he sent to accompany her. They had all died, suffering gracious wounds. Avril had not done this to them; these were not her handiwork. "I don't know what you saw that forced you to leave, but it's over. If it's the deaths of our allies that enraged you further, I will say it's not your fault. I sent them to you, and they died under my orders."
Avril screamed, a piercing cry over the red sky and blood-drenched floor. She pounced on Oscar, wielding the staff he crafted for her and using the Reis taught by Sevon. His advanced Prinstcyt caught her movements. He sidestepped her careless charge easily, rotated to her back, and lifted his elbow, targeting her neck.
'I regretted how I couldn't do this before, but right now, I have no choice.' His hesitation from before vanished. Oscar dropped his elbow onto her neck, hoping this would be enough to knock her unconscious. Unbelievably, her neck felt too soft, like it was liquid. Like a slippery snake, she bent her head and countered with a powerful spinning kick.
This kick contained all the Reis from his elbow attack. A mix of alarm and admiration jumbled up his thoughts, and he smiled awkwardly. He never imagined she had come so far. Her Flowing Mountain was far more advanced than his, and her strange body softening was something he had never had.
Still, Oscar did not falter. While she had the talent for the softer forms of Reis, he embodied the harsh and hard. His hands, clad in Edureisclad, blocked her kick, resounding with an unnatural sound of stones pounding. Gripping her foot, Oscar stared deeply at her, his anger increasing more each second as he saw the vicious scars on her face.
He let her go, and Avril continued her reckless barrage, coughing out blood and wasting her Ein with waves of roots to catch him. Wiping the sweat of his exertion as her attacks never ceased, Oscar stepped in and landed a clean blow on her stomach. Despite how limp she could make her body, his power surpassed hers.
A choked yelp escaped her throat, and her bloodshot eyes shook from the recoil. It wasn't enough to put her to sleep, but the damage stopped her for a moment, a moment Oscar seized to grapple her and make her immobile. She screamed angrily and tried to free herself, but Oscar clung to her tightly. He had to hold on until she calmed down. As her Ein expanded out and invoked more spells, Erden blasted them down and away, letting Oscar carry on without interruptions.
Seeing Avril's back, Oscar felt pity for her and her unknown circumstances and leaned in by her ear to let his words be heard clearly. It didn't work before, but maybe it can now. He slowed his breathing to speak to her soothingly even as she thrashed and struggled in his hold. He laughed and started to speak. "Lectures from Gol-4, How to be an Alchemist, lesson one...a simple heal elixir. Gather the blood of a creature known for its healing properties, grade-one poisonous herbs, and...."
Oscar ignored Adam and went into the back. He went through the network of stairs until he found a suitable room with a soft bed on luxurious, sculpted frames. He placed Avril on the bed and sat in the wide, golden, velvet-cushioned chair. All this luxury he had not had in a while didn't stir a thing in him. He only brushed Erden's fur, waiting for Avril to wake up.
The door creaked, and Adam stepped inside with a still face, serious, lacking the usual smile.
"She seems peaceful now. I'm sorry about the Elder's actions. He has no social skills despite what his butler clothes may suggest." Adam pulled up a chair and sat with Oscar.
"Who said you can come in? You never cared from the start, only seeing us as tools for your plan. Don't come in with some hack sympathy. I'm only in this so I can go home." Oscar cracked the armrests of his chair with his fierce grip.
"You're right. It does look bad for us. After what the Elder did to her. And how I withheld it from you. But! We do care. We're not so heartless as the enemy. Both of you matter to us. The Elder is happier than ever to have a new disciple and to meet another free user of Reis." Adam rubbed his hair, letting it down naturally.
"And yet, we're the ones who suffer the most. No, she's the one who gets hurt more." Oscar snapped. "There better be a good reason for all of this. A good reason for the war, our training, all those deaths, everything."
"I can answer that," Sevon's voice reached both Oscar and Adam. Oscar saw the middle-aged man with an eagle's eyes standing near Avril. Sevon lifted his hand and sent some Ein into her. "I realize that using that spell was a mistake. I have lifted it, and now she should be back to normal." Sevon turned to Oscar and bowed without hesitation. "Forgive this old failure for putting such burdens on you and for the trickery on Avril."
"What an idiotic thing it was to do...." Oscar murmured, slumping in his chair. He had nothing to say after seeing a mighty Greater Marshal Exalt bow in apology to him. "Just tell me everything. Those Reis users I saw earlier were peculiar. They also spoke of their leader. What are they?"
Sevon became silent, brooding as he closed his eyes and sighed. "A mistake that I should have never left alone in the past. It was my fault that they started hunting Reis users." Sevon's face slowly twisted in anger. "I should have killed him a long time ago. All of this, our war against the enemy, the strikes on the Burning Valley, are because of my mistake."