NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 198: The City Transforms
Delta's story further solidified the impact of the Great Eruption in Kiana's mind, but one word in particular caught her attention.
"Obsidian Concord? You've interacted with them?"
"Yeah. First, there was this guy with green hair. He popped out of a seashell! Scared me half to death. He said he was like me, that he could make a trade, lend me power. I thought he was joking. But then… when those bad guys took my sister, I agreed."
"It felt… weird. Like I was being controlled. But I suddenly became really strong, like… like now." Delta's voice dropped, her expression darkening as she recalled the events.
"After helping me, he disappeared. Later, my sisters told me that weirdo was killed by someone really powerful. I thought that was the end of it, but… they still found me."
Kiana frowned, recalling the Obsidian Concord's ruthless methods. "They took you by force?"
Delta shook her head. "No. They were going to take me away, but then this… monster appeared. It almost tore me in half. I thought I was going to die, but… my sister made a deal with them. She traded her life for mine."
"They took me to this secret place and trained me. I thought my sister was dead, so I fought with everything I had."
"The training was so hard. I was exhausted every day. Then, one day, my teacher told me it was enough. And they sent me here."
"They separated you from your sister. Do you hate them?"
"At first, the training was awful. I wanted to run away. But then… I got used to it. And that red-haired lady… she was strict, but she was a good teacher. She taught me so much. Sometimes, she'd tell me stories about herself, but I always pretended I wasn't listening."
A wistful expression softened Delta's features as she recalled those dark days. She didn't notice the sudden shift in Kiana's expression.
"When I find my sister, I'm going to be even stronger than her! I'll beat her so bad…"
A red-haired woman, part of the Obsidian Concord… such a distinctive characteristic. It could only be her.
Kiana's vision swam, the world around her fading as she was transported back to that fog-shrouded ruin, the feeling of her blade piercing the woman's chest.
She looked down at her hands, the phantom sensation of warm, crimson blood staining her fingers.
You're nothing but a heartless monster!
The woman's dying curse echoed in her mind, a chilling wave washing over her.
"Kiana? You look pale. Are you feeling okay?"
Sora's voice pulled her back to reality, the warmth of the sun chasing away the shadows. Kiana looked at Delta, her voice raspy.
"I'm sorry."
…
What was the Obsidian Concord?
Mad? Fanatical? The image of that woman, consumed by vengeance, willing to do anything to retaliate against humanity, was burned into Kiana's memory.
It was the first time she had experienced such raw, unadulterated malice. And this malice, coalescing, formed the Obsidian Concord—an organization that hated the world, yearning for its destruction.
Yet, for Delta, the Obsidian Concord had been her salvation. That woman had been her teacher, guiding her, helping her mature.
Could an organization capable of offering hope be truly evil?
Doubt, a flicker of uncertainty, crept into Kiana's resolve.
Were her actions truly righteous?
There was no one to answer her. She had spent four months wandering, battling her self-loathing, another month finding her place in the world. Now, she needed more time, time to find a purpose, something to anchor her, to guide her forward.
…
As they talked, a subtle shift occurred in Nagazora's western sector.
A Honkai beast, wandering aimlessly through the ruins, suddenly stopped, its head raised, as if sensing something. It roared, a sound of pure, primal fear, and fled towards the eastern sector.
As Otto prepared the Thousand Worlds Gate experiment, the city's Honkai energy fluctuated erratically, increasing Honkai beast activity.
The already agitated beasts, sensing the presence of the Judgment-class Honkai beast that had landed in the western sector, panicked, fleeing en masse.
Simultaneously, the seawater flooding the eastern sector began to rise, the Honkai energy concentration in the air increasing exponentially.
"What's happening?" Delta's expression changed. She leaped onto her usual perch atop the utility pole, surveying the changing landscape.
Rising water, surging Honkai energy… in the lowest parts of the city, the concentration had reached critical levels. New Honkai beasts were emerging.
If the Nest weren't situated on higher ground, it would have already been attacked.
"Sora, have you ever seen this before?"
Sora's lips trembled as she recalled the overwhelming wave of Honkai beasts, their relentless roars, and their teacher's exhaustion. "The last time this happened… was four months ago…"
The Great Eruption.
Kiana instinctively checked her own body. The Herrscher of the Void showed no signs of awakening. But this phenomenon… it suggested a Honkai event of similar magnitude was imminent.
Was this Schicksal's experiment, the one Ren had mentioned?
But it wasn't scheduled yet.
Within minutes, Honkai beasts began appearing on Nagazora's outer wall, the barrier separating the eastern and western sectors.
The sight of the swarming beasts rekindled the children's primal fear of the Honkai.
"That's… way more than a normal Honkai outbreak."
Worse, the numbers continued to grow, the wave of beasts steadily advancing towards the Nest.
The children huddled together, their voices trembling. "It's… it's okay. They won't cross Teacher's safety line…"
But as they spoke, a flying Honkai beast soared over the safety line, heading straight for them.
Its shadow loomed large, the children's eyes wide with terror.
An older boy reacted instantly, pushing the younger children to safety. But by the time he turned to flee, it was too late.
Bang.
The beast, diving like a feathered projectile, slammed into an invisible barrier, its body twisting grotesquely before shattering into fragments.
The boy looked up, seeing Kiana standing before him.
"Get inside. Now."