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Turning Chapter 943
🕑 Added 2024-02-28 12:49:01 +0000 UTCChapter 943
Yuder, filled with tension, observed the eyes of his fellow Cavalry members and thought to himself,
‘...I'm sure in situations like this, they were taught to prioritize their own safety.’
No one pointed out that Yuder had failed to detect the anomaly and the monster faster than Steiber, nor did anyone urge him to retreat. They all seemed eager to assist Yuder, with no one appearing to have the intention of fleeing from there.
What is this? It was truly strange.
He didn't recall ever teaching them this.
The light from the bracelet faded completely, and darkness returned. Yuder slowly closed and then opened his eyes, which seemed to harbor darkness deeper than the surrounding shadows. He then scanned the orbiting bracelets, grasped them in one hand, and, mustering his strength, hurled them downward.
Thud.
A bracelet exploded underwater, emitting a burst of light.
Yuder reexamined the anomaly he had spotted earlier. There were a total of six massive cracks on the seabed.
Thud, thud, thud.
Several bracelets exploded one after another deeper below, illuminating the area.
Yuder focused intently on the transparent tentacles crouched within the cracks. They didn't resemble the smooth limbs of a cephalopod, but rather appeared as tangled, elongated ropes. His eye, shining golden, intensified their glow, rapidly expanding his field of vision. Despite the sensation of his eyes almost popping out and a sudden wave of dizziness, Yuder persevered, furrowing his brows slightly and causing another bracelet to explode.
Thud.
He began to understand why the tentacles resembled ropes.
Thud.
Inside them, there was a multitude of things. Long hair. Squishy mucus. Protrusions resembling bones. Clumps of something indiscernible as scales or skin. An indescribable mishmash of garbage, if combined like clay, could form such a shape...
Thud.
Although colorless, they were all alive, writhing independently as if they could move on their own volition if severed.
A chill ran down his spine as they dissolved into the water, becoming completely transparent and retreating back into the cracks. Simultaneously, something of a similar form in another crack began to stir. It was similar in shape but much larger than the tentacle he had just observed. Despite its vigorous wriggling, it was too large to escape the confines of the crack.
Yuder speculated with certainty that more such entities might be lurking within the cracks. Perhaps the tentacle wasn't originally in that form, but had become entangled and hardened, resulting in its current state, much like dough made from forcibly combined disparate materials.
They writhed intensely, then receded, only to struggle again to break free. Each time they thrashed, the dark cracks trembled faintly as if they were about to tear, akin to someone failing to escape through a narrow door and pushing against it violently. The vibrations mingled with the waves, resonating against the skin before fading. They were much weaker than the tremor that had almost blasted them all away earlier, yet strong enough to generate currents comparable to the ones they had felt during their descent.
‘...’
Thud...
Finally, the explosion of the last bracelet released by Yuder came to an end.
In the light emitted by it, the creatures lurking within the vast cracks maintained a momentary silence.
Then, suddenly,
Rumble...! Roar...!
An immense rumble, incomparable to any previous vibration, began. Initially, it was just enough to shake a finger, but soon it escalated to shake a person, then a house, and rapidly grew to a force capable of toppling an entire mountain range, feeling as though it screamed ominously.
Some of the guild members' eyes rolled back in shock at the irrational expansion that happened in the blink of an eye. The entities trying to escape from the cracks began to collide fiercely, not even minding if their bodies tore apart.
The entire sea screamed under the tremendous impact.
A soundless roar.
No further confirmation was needed. This was the very place that had been generating the strange thunderous sounds from the sea and simultaneously, where the Southern earthquake would begin.
—
Rumble…
"Ah!"
"Everyone, brace yourselves!"
Another tremendous vibration began from beyond the surface. Unlike the previous ominous rumble, this was certainly different. Some lost their balance momentarily and fell, while the rest clenched their teeth and used their abilities to protect their surroundings.
Kishiar stood unmoved in the midst of this chaos. Not even his robe fluttered, making it seem as if nothing was happening around him. Only Nathan Zuckerman, standing behind him, asked in a low voice,
"Duke, Your Highness, are you alright?"
"As you can see, I am quite fine. It's those below that worry me."
Muttering, the man turned his gaze towards the distant sea.
'Has it begun?'
Yuder's face, who had intended to stop the earthquake before it started if possible, came to mind. Wherever he was now, he would be using his strength closest to the source of this vibration for that goal.
Even now, just a mere aftermath was enough to knock people over here, far more dangerous at the front lines.
'One can only hope he's alright.'
But that was something he couldn't confirm at the moment. The man knew better than anyone that his duty now was to attend to matters at hand rather than worry.
He turned his gaze away from the sea and spoke.
"How about the breakwater? Are the buildings safe?"
"Yes! They're intact!"
"We've received word that the evacuation sites are also safe!"
The Cavalry members had deployed their abilities at key points throughout the city. They were trained to signal each other immediately if any problems arose. Thanks to this, the scattered members across the city were able to ascertain each other's status in just a few minutes.
Kishiar, reassured that no issues had arisen, lightly exerted his power. Those who couldn't stand properly due to the vibrations now stood as if supported by something.
"Oh... Whoa."
Kishiar had not yet fully revealed the nature of his Awakener's power to the outside world. Still, the members who knew the Commander had used his power bowed and greeted him with uplifted faces.
"Be careful."
"Thank you!"
Kishiar passed by them and walked on. His destination was a forest not too far from the breakwater.
Originally, there were hardly any proper trees there, let alone a forest. The peculiar geography, close to the sea yet near the desert, always resulted in a scarcity of green vegetation in the south.
However, just a few days ago, near the port of Charloin, an astonishing number of trees began to grow. Initially small, these trees had now reached several meters in height, forming what looked like a giant green wall when viewed from a distance.
The one who created this unbelievable scene was, of course, Marin, who had received a special mission directly from Yuder.
"Marin. Have the trees fully grown now?"
"Ah, have you arrived?"
Startled, Marin, who had been perched atop a tall tree, jumped down. After a slightly awkward greeting, she began her report.
"As you can see... Yes, they have grown well. They may not be fully mature yet, but I think they are big enough to serve the purpose you have in mind."
"And the trees in other areas?"
"I finished checking them all yesterday. There are far more there than here, so they should last about a week."
"That's fortunate. Good to have everything ready in time. You've done well. It must have been tough."
"Oh, no. Actually, I'm still not sure if this will really be useful, but seeing how the people of the south are so happy just to have trees around... Um, that made me think it was worth doing."
Marin's statement about doubting the usefulness was somewhat overly candid, but she didn't bother to hide her thoughts in front of Kishiar. The Commander of the Cavalry she knew was a rare breed who engaged more honestly with his subordinates of commoner origin, and was not the kind to assert his authority or get upset over disagreeable opinions.
And true to her judgment, Kishiar was not at all displeased. Smiling with his lips curving into a crescent, he spoke.
"My assistant said that your ability is one that could be tremendously helpful to the world. This is just the beginning."
Comments
Lele_Dod
I honestly don't how Kishiar is able to do anything while Yuder is under the sea... I would die of heart attack from stress and anxiety 😵
Chibiyeon
Saving lives rather than killing!
Nightwindz
She made a grove of trees this time instead of a grove of poison thorns. ❤️
