Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 169: Death Awaits (1)

Chapter 169: Death Awaits (1)

Seraphina, Amelia, Sophia, and A’Mila sprinted through the corridors of the Church, worried about Adrian’s safety as Fenris rushed ahead. The original plan was for Adrian to distract the paladins and for A’Mila and Seraphina to deal with them.

However, one of Seraphina’s traps triggered, and she realised a group of low-ranking paladins was heading towards the cellar. They had sensed trouble brewing and feared the worst.

The girls had no choice but to deal with the mess. The paladins were rushing to the cellar, a clear sign that they had learned Adrian’s identity and were now rushing to deal with the intruder.

Unfortunately, it took them longer than expected, and Amelia got injured, which made things a bit worse. They were late but were rushing to help Adrian, praying it wasn’t too late.

However, as they rounded the corner, they were relieved to see Adrian standing tall atop two fallen Paladins. He was expressionless... but not in a good way.

Seraphina had encountered many dangerous situations in her career as a Zodiac and knew what that vacant expression meant. It was a look someone had right before they lost their mind.

Whatever had happened to Adrian must have troubled him deeply. Seraphina knew she had to act fast, or else the Zodiac’s trump card would be ruined even before they could use him.

"Adrian!" Seraphina called out, rushing to his side along with the others. "Are you alright?"

Adrian nodded, his gaze shifting from the corpses to the girls. But he didn’t say anything and turned to unlock the gate leading to Vesper.

At that moment, Seraphina wanted to ask him about the paladins to engage him in a conversation and stop his mental breakdown. But Adrian cut her off even before she could speak a word.

"Don’t think about coming in if you’re weak," he softly murmured before entering the chamber. "You won’t be able to handle it."

Despite his warning, everyone entered, but soon they realised why he had warned them and dealt with the paladins by himself despite the risk.

The room reeked of rotten blood and flesh, and the presence of rodents and insects didn’t help either. Sophia couldn’t help but puke. It was the same with Amelia, while the rest held on to their emotions.

However, what terrified them was A’Mila’s shriek when she saw Vesper dangling helplessly.

Nexaria’s famed assassin had become a shadow of her former self, and even Seraphina couldn’t help but shed a tear upon seeing her in such a state.

A’Mila swiftly severed the chains that bound Vesper to the ceiling. With a soft thud, Vesper landed in her arms. She weakly opened her eyes, still believing it was a dream. After all, A’Mila logically couldn’t be there.

Vesper lay limp in A’Mila’s arms, her body battered and broken from the torture she had endured all this time. Her mind drifted in a haze of pain and confusion, unable to distinguish between reality and the dreams that had plagued her since her capture.

"It’s... good to... see you... sister. Even if this... is a dream..." Vesper mumbled, raising her arm to touch A’Mila’s face, expecting it to pass through her as it always had.

Yet, to her shock, her trembling fingers touched something real—A’Mila’s wet cheeks, stained with tears. Vesper recoiled instinctively, expecting it to be another cruel trick of her captors. But with time, it became apparent... A’Mila was there with her.

"A’Mila... is it really... you?" Vesper weakly murmured, her voice strained as tears welled up in her eyes.

A’Mila’s eyes glowed with relief as she nodded, her voice trembling with emotion, "Of course it’s me!"

Vesper looked around and saw Seraphina, Sophia, and Amelia looking at her; they all had tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces.

At that moment, Vesper knew she was safe, rescued from the clutches of her tormentors. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she buried her face in A’Mila’s shoulder, her body shaking with sobs, and she mumbled incoherently, letting all her sorrows away.

Adrian had conveniently placed himself out of Vesper’s immediate sight. He knew no one blamed him for what happened to Vesper, but he did, and to an extent, he was right, and that guilt didn’t allow him to face her. Not yet.

While everyone was focused on Vesper, Sophia noticed and approached him, wrapping him in a comforting embrace.

"It’s okay, Adrian," she murmured, her voice soothing his troubled soul. "You did everything you could to save her, and she’s safe now, thanks to you."

Adrian buried his face in Sophia’s shoulder. His defences crumbled as he allowed himself to release the weight of the burden he had been holding on to.

He had been strong all this while and thought he could allow himself a moment of vulnerability. Fenris also noticed her master’s emotional state and leapt on his lap, licking his face.

However, Adrian knew they weren’t out of danger yet. Despite their happy reunion, they had to leave the Church and Nexaria.

Holding on to Sophia’s hand, Adrian whispered, "Take her away. There’s a Veil crack a couple of miles to the north. A couple of Zodiacs are waiting for us there. They’ll help us leave."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sophia asked, thinking the worst.

"I have a few things to wrap up here," Adrian replied, letting go of her hand. "I’ll be there as soon as I’m done dealing with things here."

Sophia sighed. Usually, she would have stopped Adrian from doing anything reckless, but this time she didn’t.

He wasn’t the man she needed to protect anymore. Adrian had repeatedly proved it, and Sophia realised he didn’t need her babying him. But there was something she needed to do.

Without warning, Sophia closed the distance between them, her lips meeting Adrian’s in a tender, heartfelt kiss. Adrian was slightly surprised, but then a memory flashed in his mind.

It was the memory of the first kiss they shared years ago. The kiss still felt strange but not as odd as before, and Adrian went along with it.

Time seemed to stand still for the moment as they lost themselves in the warmth of each other’s embrace.

When they finally pulled away, their lips lingering in the memory of the kiss, Adrian felt a sense of peace wash over him—a sense of belonging that he had never known before or thought he hadn’t.

"Don’t make me wait long to do it again," Sophia whispered before taking Fenris with her. "And... try not to be reckless, will you?"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.