The atmosphere inside Delphi Outpost's medical bay was so heavy it threatened to crush every soul within. The silence that followed Kiana's final scream as Leo's lifeless body was covered with a white cloth was colder and more biting than any chill. Some Spark Faction members began to file in, their faces somber, offering condolences, but most remained stunned, as if their spirits had been wrenched from their bodies, unable to process the tragedy that had just unfolded.
Kiana collapsed beside the bed, her body wracked with violent tremors. Her tears had dried, leaving only fiery eyes that now looked burnt out and empty. The fiery power that had erupted so fiercely moments ago had now subsided as if frozen, but the heat still radiating around her bespoke the storm of emotions still raging within. "I... I have to go..." Her voice was hoarse and broken. "I have to go back there... now!"
"Kiana!" Ryu grabbed her arm. Though his face was as impassive as a stone mask, his fingertips touching her arm were as cold as ice. "Going now... is no different from walking into death."
"Then what am I supposed to wait for!" Kiana violently shook off his arm, her once-empty eyes blazing again with the flames of fury. "Wait for them to come and kill all of us like they did to Leo, to everyone in the village!"
Bacchus and Taurus flanked Kiana, their muscular bodies tensed. "We'll go with you," Bacchus growled, his eyes bloodshot. Taurus merely nodded, but a steely determination shone in his eyes.
Da Vinci watched the scene with a heavy heart, his hands clenched and trembling. He stepped forward, trying to reason with them as calmly as he could. "We don't even know what we're facing. The number of enemies, their power, or even the true identity of who's behind this. Rushing in now will only put us all in mortal danger, and our deaths won't help anyone."
"Then did Leo's death help anything!" Kiana retorted, her voice filled with pain. "Did the deaths of everyone in the village help anything!"
"I know you're in pain, Kiana. We all are," Da Vinci tried to suppress his emotions. "But rage alone cannot defeat an unseen enemy. We need information. We need a plan."
"A plan!" Bacchus scoffed. "While we wait for your plan, the rest might all be killed!"
Kairo, who had been listening silently to the conversation, stepped in, his expression grim. "I understand your feelings well. But Da Vinci-dono is right. Sending people out without sufficient information is sending them to their deaths. I've lost enough comrades." He paused, looking at Da Vinci's group with a complex gaze. "However, I won't stop you if you truly decide to go. But know this, the Spark Faction cannot provide significant support right now. We also need to prepare. But I will order two of our most skilled scouts to follow you from a distance, to assess the situation and report back. That's all I can do."
Kairo's words did not diminish the determination of Kiana, Ryu, Bacchus, and Taurus in the slightest. They exchanged glances – a decision from which there was no turning back.
"Thank you, Kairo-dono," Kiana said flatly, before turning to Da Vinci. "Are you coming with us or not?"
Da Vinci closed his eyes for a moment. The image of Leo's hopeful face and the final image filled with pain overlapped in his mind. Guilt gnawed at his heart. He was not a hero. He was not a warrior. But he could not abandon these comrades. The golden brush tucked at his waist suddenly vibrated gently, and the faint blackish light that had appeared earlier seemed to intensify slightly, as if responding to the conflict in his heart.
"I'll go," he opened his eyes, his gaze holding a cold determination. "But at the very least, we must prepare necessary provisions and equipment. Don't be reckless."
Though rushed, the preparations were swift. They gathered weapons, provisions, medicine, and a few small devices Da Vinci could quickly improvise. Raven, who had been watching the situation from a distance with an unreadable expression, quietly approached them.
"I'm going too," she said simply, without further explanation.
The departure from Delphi Outpost was quiet and hurried. The group of six (Da Vinci, Kiana, Ryu, Bacchus, Taurus, and Raven) headed through the darkness of the underground tunnels used by the Spark Faction as secret routes, before emerging into the familiar desolate wilderness once more. Their destination was Ashwind Post, the place that was once home, and now... might become a tomb.
The atmosphere during the journey was as heavy as if a giant stone pressed upon everyone's chest. No one spoke more than necessary. Only the sound of footsteps on dry leaves, heavy breathing, and hearts pounding with tension and anxiety. Kiana led the way, her steps firm yet tinged with restlessness, her eyes darting around, as if trying to see through the darkness ahead. She thought of the laughter of the children in the village, the image of Eldrin telling stories. Every beautiful memory now became a knife twisting deep in her heart. Ryu followed closely, his face still impassive, but the katana gripped in his hand trembled slightly. The killing intent emanating from him began to condense and grow colder. Bacchus and Taurus flanked them, with Da Vinci and Raven bringing up the rear, watching their backs.
The closer they got to Ashwind Post, the more evident the signs of abnormality became. Some large trees along the path had long scorch marks, as if attacked by high-heat energy. The corpses of small wild animals lay in horrifying states in the bushes, some torn to pieces, some burned to skeletons. Da Vinci noticed a dark, viscous liquid dripping from leaves and the ground periodically. When he prodded it with a stick, it emitted a pungent, nose-stinging odor.
"This is..." Da Vinci murmured, trying to analyze what he saw. "Definitely not the work of ordinary mechanical beasts. This kind of destruction... it seems to have a clear 'intent'."
Suddenly, Ryu raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop. He tilted his head, listening intently, his nostrils flaring slightly. "The smell of blood... and burning... very strong from the east."
Everyone's heart pounded harder. They knew well that to the east lay Ashwind Post.
The group quickened their pace, pushing through the last stretch of dense forest. And then... the sight before them made everyone freeze as if turned to stone.
Ashwind Post... the place once filled with life, laughter, and the small hopes of refugees... was now nothing but charred ruins. Thick black smoke still billowed into the unusually somber, reddish-purple sky. The huts, once painstakingly built from scrap metal and stones, had collapsed into massive piles of debris. Flames still licked at the remaining wooden structures, crackling softly, intermittently breaking the horrifying silence.
The once-barren but still somewhat vegetated ground was now dark and soaked with some liquid that shimmered in the firelight. The smell of burnt flesh, blood, and the musty odor of ashes hung heavy in the air, almost suffocating.
Bodies... The bodies of villagers they knew lay scattered everywhere. Some were burned beyond recognition, others brutally mutilated, their organs torn out. Their wide eyes stared blankly at the sky, filled with terror, as if they had seen the most horrifying thing in their lives before their last breath.
Kiana sank to her knees on the damp ground, her fiery eyes wide as she stared at the scene of devastation in disbelief. Tears that had dried now flowed again, but this time it wasn't just sorrow, but pain, rage, and despair that overwhelmed her, threatening to tear her apart. "No... no... this... this isn't real..." she whispered, her voice trembling, her hands clutching the earth so tightly her nails dug into her flesh.
Ryu stood rigidly beside Kiana, his body as stiff as a statue. The sword in his hand trembled so violently it made a soft, grating sound. His sharp eyes swept across the area, burning every detail of the cruelty into his memory. The once-cold killing intent now began to radiate a faint heat, like ice about to melt into flames.
Bacchus let out a deafening roar, filled with pain and fury. He slammed his fist into a large tree beside the path, making it tremble violently. Taurus slumped down, exhausted, his bloodshot eyes staring blankly at the ruins of what was once Eldrin's hut.
Raven stood silently behind the group, her eyes narrowed slightly as she observed the devastation, her expression unreadable, but her fingertips gripping her pistols were pale.
Da Vinci staggered into the ruined village as if sleepwalking. Every step felt heavy, as if carrying the weight of the world. Images of the villagers who had smiled at him, the children who had played around him, Eldrin who had given him advice... they overlapped with the lifeless bodies lying before him. Guilt, regret, and rage churned in his chest, almost to the point of explosion. The golden brush tucked at his waist began to emit a distinct black light. A faint black energy started to form around him, like a demonic shadow ready to devour its prey.
No sound escaped their lips, only Kiana's soft sobs and the heavy breathing of the others. The silence that enveloped the ruined village was more terrifying than any scream. It was the silence of death... the silence of despair...
And then... amidst the still-smoldering fires and the horrifying silence...
"Hee... hee... hee..."
A soft giggle echoed from somewhere within the ruins!
A giggle that sounded like a beautiful glass bell, yet it sent a chilling stab through their ears. It was a giggle filled with amusement, satisfaction, and utter mockery, as if the one laughing was admiring a masterpiece of their own creation... a masterpiece born from death and devastation.
Everyone, lost in their own emotions, suddenly froze!
The overwhelming sorrow and fury were instantly replaced by shock, confusion, and suspicion!
Kiana looked up from the ground, her red, swollen eyes widening as she frantically looked around. "That... what was that sound!?"
Ryu gently stroked the hilt of his katana, his assassin's instinct fully alert. "Someone else is here..." he said flatly, but his voice was filled with extreme tension.
Bacchus and Taurus immediately sprang to their feet, assuming combat stances, every muscle in their bodies tensed like steel.
Raven shifted slightly, her hand naturally moving to the twin pistols at her waist, her sharp eyes darting through the shadows of the collapsed buildings.
Da Vinci whirled towards the source of the sound. The black light emanating from his golden brush intensified. The black energy began to take a faintly visible form around him, like a demonic shadow ready to pounce. His sharp intellect was processing rapidly. This laughter... it wasn't the voice of an ordinary Nebula Empire soldier he had heard before. There was something "different"... a horrifying difference.
"Heeheehee... Oh my... it seems some uninvited guests have wandered into my little party..."
The voice sounded again, clearer this time, and a little closer. It was a woman's voice... sweet but laced with perversion and deadly danger.
The thick smoke that had filled the area began to thin slightly, revealing the remains of what was once the village square... and on a pile of still-smoldering wooden debris...
A figure stood...
But before anyone could see the figure clearly...
The laughter sounded again... echoing throughout the silent, ruined village...
Laughter that sent a chill down everyone's spine...
Laughter that underscored their defeat and loss...
Laughter that announced the arrival of true "Death"...
"Ha... ha... ha... ha... HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Then everything fell silent again... leaving only a tension that had reached its absolute peak... and a heart-stopping terror...
Kiana's eyes widened, flames beginning to ignite in them again, but this time it wasn't just anger... it was a madness ready to consume everything!
Ryu's hand gripped his sword hilt so tightly it trembled. He was ready to draw his blade at any moment!
The black light around Da Vinci began to swirl violently!
What exactly awaited them behind that smoky veil!?
[End of Chapter 41]