Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 584: He rejoiced

Chapter 584: He rejoiced

Despite their best efforts in a hard-fought battle, Nadia’s group failed to perfect one aspect of their almost flawless ambush, and that was compartmentalizing it.

Boom

The explosion that occurred caught Charles by surprise, forcing him to push back to protect himself from the terrifying force.

The source of it all was Frederick, who, in a bid to ensure the safety of his brethren, willingly gave up his humanity, quoting a most profound scripture in his final moments.

"My God, into your hands I commit my spirit."

His armor dissolved, same with his flesh, leaving behind a body of light that gave off faint traces of radiation.

Its radiance caused degradation at a cellular level, ensuring that no one was safe.

As Nadia’s group sought for cover, The Keepers took the opportunity to flee, steeling their nerves as they knew that they would never set eyes on their captain again.

"We need to leave now!" Lucia exclaimed as she struggled to protect them from the radiation Frederick’s form was giving off with a blood curtain.

Nadia whispered in deviltongue and in response, their environment dissolved, being replaced with a domain engulfed by mist.

Charles frowned. "This..."

"Is Xistora’s floor. I doubt Vessina would be happy if I took you guys there and since Xistora doesn’t care, I thought this place a better option." Nadia calmly explained.

"Understandable, but we can’t stay here for long," Robert muttered as he glanced down at his hand, finding it slightly smoother than he recalled.

"By the time we head back, the Keepers will be gone." Lucia pointed out as she turned to regard Nadia.

Charles intoned. "The Veteran’s suicidal act was unexpected but it doesn’t deviate much from what we intended. We will keep to the plan."

"I agree. I believe we should proceed to the next phase. With your presence, there is no way the Archbishop won’t make a move." Nadia said with Robert shaking his head.

"As a Daemon, you cannot underestimate him in the art of waging war. He should know that we are planning something after he learns of our presence."

"But he would have no choice but to come. At that time, it would depend on who survives the longest." Charles remarked.

Taking a deep breath, Nadia spoke up. "Let’s head back."

Once again, she whispered, and as the first instance, the environment changed, but instead of the cathedral, they appeared outside the city only to be met with a most terrifying sight.

The entire city of Florence was replaced instead by buildings that had surely experienced an earth-shattering explosion.

The sight reminded Nadia of Bonehaven after the attack of the Evil Eye Brotherhood.

With a complicated look on her face, she inquired. "Are they..."

"Dead?... Most likely." Robert replied.

Both Saints seemed apathetic to the scene, but that was hardly the case with Lucia, perhaps the only one unaffected by what she saw.

"Come, we should get going," Charles remarked with Robert agreeing with his decision.

Together, they left the scene, leaving behind the smoldering remains of what was once the city of Florence.

***

The next two weeks at sea for Athena were quite peaceful, especially after the problem of who would captain it was resolved.

After learning about the domains Ulysses’ family ancestor ruled over, it made sense that he knew instinctively how to sail a ship.

It would be the same if he was on a train or an airship.

As long as it was within the concept of travel, he would have no issues managing his way around such vehicles.

Same with how he knew the cultures and traditions of the Oceanic Enclave.

As long as his family had already explored the corresponding region, Ulysses, as a successor of the Nester family ancestor, would be aware of the knowledge as well.

Having learned of such convenient skills, Alex had spent the last couple of days ensuring that Humphrey understood what that meant for his quest to retrieve the Branches.

He not only had a walking encyclopedia but also a personal driver for all vehicles and a translator as well.

Such a person was too good of a deal to pass up on though Alex had to admit that Ulysses was not completely safe.

The fact that he had unconsciously completed a Trial meant that he could do the same for the subsequent Trials which meant he had to make a decision.

Trying and failing to stop Ulysses from advancing or helping Ulysses get a better grip on himself.

Given the options, it was a no-brainer which he would choose.

Meanwhile, the passengers aboard Athena, both the rich and poor, continued with their lives on the ship, oblivious to the drastic changes that had taken place, a state that Humphrey was responsible for as he transmuted the portion of their minds responsible for human alertness, effectively dumbing them down temporarily so they wouldn’t cause any problems for the rest of the journey which, according to Ulysses estimates would take a few weeks at their current speed.

A bit slow but with no other choice, Alex decided to focus on other things to get his mind off the long wait, one of which was...

"Are you serious?" Ulysses inquired as he sat across from Alex in the dining area.

With Ana having spent days watching him steer the ship, Alex asked her to helm the steel behemoth while he discussed with Ulysses what he had decided.

Taking a bite from the smoked fish on his table, Alex replied. "Yes."

***

It was in a crimson space brimming with the essence of destruction.

A dilapidated wooden ship floated about without direction, a testament to the fact that it was devoid of passengers while the bones of the deceased popped up from the tumultuous crimson sea occasionally.

Just then, there was a dull thud on the side of the ship, followed by another and then several others before finally, Sinbad climbed onto the deck of the Night Rose, drenched in crimson water.

Taking deep breaths, his body trembled incessantly, but it wasn’t out of fear or cold; no, instead, it was born out of joy.

With a brilliant smile on his lips, he rejoiced.