13 Mink Street

Ophelia’s mouth widened slightly. At this moment, her heart was filled with an utterly absurd feeling. This again?

Whether it had been Darkmoon mottling away to reveal the true self at the beginning, or the curtains drawn open under Darkmoon’s guidance, or now, the mountain collapsing before her eyes, the manifestation of faith, the decree of fate, each arrived one after another as if by appointment. Beneath that incredible tacit harmony, they formed the most lethal and beautiful romance.

Ophelia had never denied that she had feelings for Karon, nor had she deliberately hidden them. But after failing to receive a true response from him, she had several times prepared to use reason to sever this feeling that could not possibly lead anywhere.

The road of life was very long. Matters of the heart were like the brim of a hat above one’s head. If one kept looking upward, one would only see the color of the brim, then mistakenly believe that this patch of brim within one’s sight was the entirety of life. In truth, the scenery on both sides of the road was aplenty and rich. After maturing, most people would not place their entire lives upon matters of love. It was not that they could not afford to, but that they felt it was not worth it.

Yet events never seemed to unfold as expected. Ophelia felt that if time were stretched far enough, she could already picture her older self seated beside a pond, a blanket over her knees, her thoughts drifting back to this very moment. She already had so many scenes worth remembering. Perhaps, in old age, each of them would naturally become a smile at the corner of her lips.

And yet, she had not even been in love before.

On Karon’s side, there was mostly helplessness. Although the captain was not here, the captain’s effect had been exerting itself with precision all along.

If it had been anyone else, Karon probably would not have believed it. But since it was the captain, it somehow felt only natural to him. The captain was exactly the sort of person who could be this cooperative, and this perfectly suited to the moment.

However, after that brief emotional fluctuation, the two quickly calmed down. Because the place where they sat was rising rapidly, and by an enormous degree.

Karon knew that all of this had been caused by Torathos being successfully awakened by the captain, but Karon was even clearer that if it were merely a giant turtle sleeping underground waking and breaking out through the earth, the ground beneath him could not possibly have lifted to this extent.

The only explanation was... had he and Ophelia chosen to sit on some part of Torathos?

For example, the giant turtle’s head?

Ophelia unfurled a scroll. A miniature teleportation array appeared, and Ophelia pulled out her great purple sword. The place where the two were now standing was indeed far too high, and they could easily slide off. By instinct, Ophelia raised the purple greatsword, intending to find a fixed point with it.

Seeing the girl prepare to stab down here, Karon was startled. If what lay beneath them was Torathos’s head, then this sword strike might completely ignite the fury of Torathos, who already seemed to have awakened in a bad mood.

Karon immediately reached out, grabbed Ophelia by the shoulder, and exerted force backward.

She was slightly surprised, but out of instinctive trust, she released the hand gripping the cliff wall and followed Karon’s body backward. The two slid down through the air together.

Karon’s body transformed into a mass of black mist, wrapping Ophelia along with him. Their descent slowed, and they curved aside in another direction.

At that moment, a dazzling green light struck toward them, as though everything around them had been dyed green.

This was because Karon had carried Ophelia right in front of Torathos’s eyes. One of its eyes alone was almost the size of a shopfront on the streets of York City.

Before its enormous body, Karon felt like a tiny insect. Hopefully, it would ignore the two of them as insects.

And indeed, that was what happened.

Torathos did not pay attention to the black mist flying before it. Its massive head was raised high, and beneath that head hung long whiskers, entangled with many vines and even great trees.

More than a hundred years of slumber had long since fused its body tightly with the surrounding environment.

When its turtle shell was revealed, the pool appeared like a gemstone set upon its back, as if it were the most natural ornament on its body.

Stories were always prone to exaggeration, especially when mythic elements were involved. The degree of exaggeration would grow even greater. It was said that more than a hundred years ago, Phileas and his one thousand followers had ridden Torathos to Darkmoon Island. Looking at this colossal being before them, and its mountain-like shell, carrying a thousand people would simply have been far too simple.

As the process of its awakening accelerated, its body began to reveal itself continuously, and its four limbs reached the ground.

Above its head, a mass of dark clouds was gathering. Around it, a blue mist of water began condensing. Its eyes, which had originally emitted green light, gradually turned pure white.

It was a divine beast of Light, but it did not exist within mythical narration, because it had been converted by Phileas and turned its heart toward Light.

When it had first awakened, what it revealed was a natural instinct. When it fully awakened and its consciousness spread, its aspect touched by Light naturally began to appear as well.

Looking at it now, one would not feel fear because of its immense body. Instead, one would feel peace and serenity. A child might even dare take the initiative to seek it out and play with it.

The dark clouds overhead gradually turned white as well. Though it was already evening, it seemed as if rosy light were pouring down from above.

It was beautiful. Extremely beautiful. A pure beauty that had shed the constraints of flesh and could only be sensed by the soul.

Ophelia could not help saying, “It’s so beautiful.”

If she could choose, Ophelia truly wanted to stop and observe it up close, even touch it. But Karon, who had wrapped her in black mist, did not pause at all and continued flying swiftly outward.

Finally, after passing through that blue mist of water, Karon stopped and landed.

Under normal circumstances, the Art of black mist stealth only supported short-distance movement. If one carried another person, the burden did not merely double, but increased severalfold. After flying such a long distance just now, even with Karon’s strength, he now felt a wave of fatigue.

He braced both hands on his knees, bent over, and began panting, trying to recover as much strength as possible while he had the chance.

Ahead of them, the giant turtle Torathos stood like a sacred wonder, enough to make one marvel.

But Karon knew this was only temporary. The wildness it had shown just after awakening, then the spirituality touched by Light that appeared afterward, would very soon... sort through its memories and recall the betrayal and tragedy from more than a hundred years ago. It would reveal what it should reveal at this moment: its true nature.

No one would tell it what had happened here more than a hundred years ago, but the streams would tell it, the wind would tell it, and the clouds would tell it.

Before the corpse pit on Snake Island, Phileas had once laid a curse upon Darkmoon Island. His hatred had twisted Light in that moment. The original Curse Insects should have had another effect. When they had first been bred, it was to add another industry to Darkmoon Island, but because of Phileas’s curse, those insects became the nightmare of the Darkmoon clan.

Torathos, this follower converted by Phileas, should also be able to sense that curse.

As expected, the sacred and pristine aura began to twist at this moment. In Torathos’s eyes, the originally clean pure white gradually became filled with blood vessels, until in the end, its eyes turned completely crimson.

It raised its head once more and released a roar filled with sorrow. Roar!!!

The rosy light in the sky began to dissipate. Dark clouds gathered once more, and within the clouds, lightning even began flashing in crisscrossing streaks.

The layer of blue mist surrounding it turned blood-red. Karon saw a squad of guards below who had originally been stationed at the Ancient Marshpool. They had intended to move away as well, but when they passed through that blood mist, it quickly seeped into their bodies and lifted them one by one.

The guards’ bodies began to twist, then tear apart. The armor they wore seemed to lose all defensive ability at this moment. Finally, their bodies could only burst apart, forming a new blood mist that merged with it.

A terrifying divine sense swept toward the area where Karon and Ophelia were. This was the true feeling of being targeted by a monstrous beast.

Fortunately, Karon had pulled away far enough early on and left the mist behind. Torathos did not turn its body toward Karon, or more precisely, toward Ophelia. Instead, it began advancing forward.

That direction led toward the towns of Darkmoon Island, toward the densely populated area.

The giant turtle moved very slowly, but considering its enormous body, the relative distance it covered was still terrifying. Wherever it passed, trees, flowers, grass, and the animals fleeing chaotically through the forest were instantly crushed and drained dry the moment they touched the blood mist around it.

It was furious.

It wanted vengeance.

Betrayers had to pay the price!

Ophelia closed her eyes in pain. In truth, after returning from the snake island that night, she had rarely mentioned Ancestor Bernard anymore. As a member of the direct line, and as someone who had been cultivated since childhood as a successor because of her uncle’s support, she could understand Ancestor Bernard’s choice.

But Bernard had packaged his image far too well. Generation after generation had grown up listening to his great deeds and love story. When that image collapsed, it was truly difficult to accept all at once.

Even so, Ophelia drew in a deep breath, her gaze firm. “We cannot let it reach the town.”

Karon nodded, but said nothing. Deep down, he actually had no particular inclination. Bernard had betrayed Phileas back then, killed almost all of Phileas’s followers, and buried his wife alive. That empty coffin should have been prepared for Phileas himself, but something unexpected must have happened that night that had allowed Phileas to escape. This hatred, this blood debt, repaid more than a hundred years later upon Bernard’s descendants by the awakened giant beast Torathos, was only natural.

Karon had always possessed his own moral compass, but his moral compass had always been flexible.

However, he was not worried that a true tragedy would occur next. But seeing the anxiety on Ophelia’s face, Karon could only speak to comfort her, “Don’t worry. It won’t reach the town.”

To stop a maddened monstrous beast would be difficult. Exceedingly difficult. Especially since Darkmoon Island’s main military force was its offshore fleet. If the fleet could be mobilized, it should be able to defeat Torathos, but obviously, Darkmoon Island could not do what the Church of Order had done during its previous expedition and directly open teleportation gates onto the fleet.

The fleet would not arrive in time. Relying solely on Darkmoon Island’s local forces to stop Torathos in time was somewhat unrealistic.

However, right now on Darkmoon Island, two orthodox churches were holding a meeting.

The Church of Reincarnation could choose to watch from the sidelines and ignore it, but the Church of Order could not, because Darkmoon Island had a cooperative relationship with the Church of Order. On the surface, it was a cooperative relationship, but both sides knew that, in reality, Darkmoon Island had submitted to Order.

The Church of Order could not watch its subordinate’s home base be flattened by a monstrous beast like this. If it were beyond reach, that would be one thing, but now, it was happening directly under their eyes.

Cardinal Claude, who was specifically responsible for war affairs within the Church of Order, was personally present, as were a number of Archbishops from various regions. Leaving aside the fact that many bishops had risen through the civilian administrative route, a great number still possessed the strength a bishop ought to have.

Not to mention that beside each bishop was an elite Whip of Order squad from their respective regions. During the negotiations, they were only used as ceremonial guards, but no one could ignore their strength.

This force was powerful enough that, if Claude were willing, he could completely stage a coup on Darkmoon Island, since the offshore fleet could not possibly return in time to reinforce it.

Hearing Karon’s reassurance, Ophelia nodded. Her expression eased greatly. Her position was naturally to protect the people of Darkmoon Island. There was no doubt about that.

She let out an emotional sigh. “Fortunately, it happened while the two great churches were holding their meeting on the island.”

Karon very much wanted to tell her that if the two great churches had not chosen to hold their meeting here, Torathos... would not have awakened. Because the captain, that madman, would not have had the chance to come to Darkmoon Island and cause mayhem.

***

The commotion caused by Torathos immediately shocked more than half the island, because the strange phenomenon in the sky was far too conspicuous.

The people of the two great churches were also alarmed and drawn over by the disturbance.

A soft flying carpet rose. Gatekeeper Romira sat atop it, holding a cup of black tea and drinking silently.

Before her sat two men, both very young.

One was named Cedrin. He was the handsome man who had served as the Church of Reincarnation’s spokesperson on the first day of the meeting. His performance that day had been very foolish. He had said many useless and laughable things.

Of course, that was not his fault, because under those circumstances, as the defeated side, the Church of Reincarnation had no elegant stage for him to perform on.

The other man was named Peld. He was Romira’s grandnephew, and his family name was also Simons.

That day, when Karon had learned from the gallery that Romira was from the Simons family, he had specifically wondered whether Talina, whom he had killed, might be related to her.

That was indeed the case. Talina had been Romira’s grandniece.

In pursuit of the realm of Reincarnation, Romira had never married, and naturally had no children, but while the Simons family might lack Gatekeepers, it would never lack a continuous stream of descendants.

Now, because of the defeat, the internal forces of the Church of Reincarnation had undergone a great reshuffling. The old church families had once again taken power. The fact that a member of the Simons family, known as the royal family of the Church of Reincarnation, had once more taken a Gatekeeper position was the clearest proof of this change in power.

In times of crisis, most within the church still subconsciously chose to believe that those old families with histories nearly as long as the church itself could lead the church out of the mire created by defeat.

Cedrin looked at the giant beast advancing in the distance and sighed. “Its body is truly enormous.”

Peld said, “A deep-sea giant turtle, a Bursac variant species. In records from the previous epoch, their kind appear in the great seas, but they have always been extremely difficult to find. First, because their numbers are very few. Second, because those who occasionally saw them could not return alive to describe what they had seen.”

Cedrin immediately said, “So that is the case. Thank you.”

Peld continued drinking his tea without any visible change in expression.

“Peld, you truly have matured a great deal. When I originally brought you here with me, I was still worried you might lose control of your temper.”

“Because of Talina?” Peld smiled. “The Church of Order killed my younger sister. I hate the Church of Order, but hatred should not be expressed in that way.”

“For you to say such words, it seems you have truly become clear-headed.”

Peld lowered his head. “I am very sorry. The past me disappointed you.”

“It is all right. Everyone is absurd when young.”

Because of his deep love of a girl, he had continuously searched for women who resembled that girl, and then poured her memories into them to repeatedly create the illusion of being with her. His desire to enjoy the sweetness of love never included even the slightest concern that the women who those memories were injected into quickly developed problems and died. He had simply continued to replace them with the next vessel.

Indeed, even such behavior, in the eyes of someone of Romira’s class, was merely “the absurdity of youth.”

“The Church of Order’s people should stop it, yes?” Cedrin asked.

Romira nodded slightly. “Of course. How could a master watch his own dog’s kennel be knocked down?”

***

Tafmann chose not to continue pursuing the captain. Now that Torathos had awakened, what needed to be done was to stop the giant beast from entering the town.

The captain’s figure appeared upon a hillside. From there, he could look out at Torathos as it advanced in this direction, while the town lay behind him.

Nio slowly spread his arms and leaned forward, feeling the faint chill of the evening wind brush across his face. He seemed entranced. No, he was already intoxicated.

His left hand snapped its fingers while his right hand lifted and grasped emptiness, as though holding an invisible conductor’s baton. His body also began to turn in small motions. The rumble in the distance that accompanied the giant beast’s advance was the finest background accompaniment at this moment.

The rhythm grew faster and faster.

The snake-head mask on Nio’s face slipped off and fell to the ground.

Then the ring on his finger flashed faintly, and his face also disappeared, leaving only a blood-colored visage behind.

The whole scene appeared peaceful and strange. Moonlight fell upon him, flowing with a warm softness, yet what emanated from him was a near-mad tremor.

When the piece ended, Nio turned and faced the town. The town was now filled with panicked crowds fleeing everywhere, but with the giant beast about to arrive, there was simply no time to evacuate.

Nio lowered his right arm, swept his left arm back, bent at the waist, and bowed. “My apologies. The sky has already darkened, so the Light can no longer be seen.”