chapter14
Floor 1 Unusual Ominous Power
Enlil: Enkidu! You...You lied to me!...I should’ve known that you all Eldus are the same...I was careless...I underestimated your cunning...but I won’t lose this time...I’ll make you regret!
Inside the grand hall of the Eldus’s base, Enlil yelled at Enkidu and Cang Bi. Holding the knife on her neck, she pulled it out at once——
Slash! The blood spilled out like a fountain, staining Enlil’s clothes and the white carpet into maroon. Although she was gasping painfully, she cracked a smile.
Enlil: This isn’t enough to have me trapped!
Enlil, surrounded by a dark and wicked aura, remained alive in spite of the fatal wound on her neck.
Cang Bi: “There’s something wrong about this folk...The power she’s oozing is different than before...It’s aggressive and mad...like a desire to destroy everything.”
Enkidu: “Is she something Saint has mentioned...Not good!”
But it was too late for Enkidu to figure it out. In the meantime, elements vibrated due to the power surged by Enlil, gathering under her feet as if bowing before her. Next second, the elements turned into ragged limbs and smacked the encirclement set by Enkidu.
Clank! The encirclement shattered like a broken glass. Freed, Enlil fled the scene through the side door.
Enkidu: “She must be seeking reinforcement...Can’t let her escape!”
Enkidu reacted immediately to pursue with Cang Bi. The pursuit led them to the hallway outside the side door.
Earlier the day, Enlil ordered all earthlings and Eldus to search for Elpis, which explained the emptiness of the hallway. Only Enlil’s gasp and the footsteps were echoing over the area.
???: Wah wah…
Weak baby cry sounded suddenly, making everyone look over to the sound source. On the diverged path, they saw Elpis with the baby in her arms.
At this moment, Enlil smiled. Unlike the old sweet subtle smile, it was a grin that resembled an open wound across the face, a grin that crept Enkidu out.
Enlil: “Ha. Looks like the odds are in my favour too. I will put you in despair, Enkidu. This is the price you’ll pay for deceiving me!”
Floor 2 Price for Liberation
With a sudden change in direction, Enlil surged that ominous power again. The meaty tentacles grew out immediately, striking at Elpis off guard——
Enkidu: COUGH——!
Elpis: En-Enkidu...No...NO——!
There was no other option for Enkidu to stop Enlil’s sucker punch at Elpis. At that crucial moment, he traded Elpis’s life with his——the right half of his body was crushed by the tentacles. It was a pure miracle for him to remain standing.
Enkidu: “Looks like...I’m done here...But before I return to the galaxy of history...I still have a promise to deliver…”
Enkidu: Cang Bi! Break the ground!
Cang Bi followed Enkidu’s order in spite of the perplexion, for he believed in him and the last request in his life.
Gathering the whole strength, Cang Bi let out a ground-shattering howl, revealing the hidden dungeon where Leonard and the other earthlings were kept.
Enkidu: Great. I didn’t get the location wrong...Earth...No, humans, the creatures of infinite possibilities. Be freed from the unknown fear.
Enlil: You filth...You won’t get what you want!
Enlil’s attack was intercepted by someone else——Elpis with her broadsword. Even though tears were sliding down her cheek, she held back the grief for the battle.
Elpis: I need to protect Enkidu! I won’t let you hurt him!
Enkidu: “...She never changed a bit...I’m always her top priority...I’m so blessed…”
At the last moment of his life, Enkidu was more satisfied than ever. With the blood of Enlil he had retrieved earlier, he spent the last bit of his strength to mumble the spell, freeing the earthlings from fear.
Mana, as known as elements in this realm, responded his call by falling onto him, activating the shiny spell. At this moment, the exhausted Elpis was embraced by a familiar warmth.
Elpis: “That’s Enkidu’s heat...The warmth that I can never get enough of…”
Empowered by that warmth, Elpis gained the upper hand while Enlil was at a disadvantage due to her injury. Soon, Enlil got blasted away by Elpis, lying on the broken rocks unconscious.
As the battle ended, Elpis could finally focus on Enkidu, who was covered in blood. With a tremendous heartache, she went over to pull him into her arms.
Elpis: Enkidu!
Enkidu: ...Elpis...You always say that you’d protect me. It’s my turn...to protect you. It’s great that...both you and our baby...are safe...Cough!
Elpis: Yes, it’s your turn to protect us. You’ll be our protector from now on, so you’ll be alright!
Enkidu: I never knew...what love was...until I met you...You’ve changed me...Thank you for being a part of my life…
Elpis: Don’t fall asleep. I forbid you to leave me. Please, don’t leave me…
Enkidu: Don’t be sad...I’m sinned...for I didn’t stop the crimes committed by Shamash and Enlil...I deserved this...I’d be at peace as long as you live freely…
Elpis: I need you to be in my freedom! I still have a lot to tell you...No! Don’t!
Enkidu’s warmth as well as his voice gradually faded. The hand that held Elpis’s began to loosen, and his breath stopped after taking the one last look at her face.
Elpis: ENKIDU——!
Enkidu had occupied a large portion of Elpis’s life, and everything in her life was related to him, so indispensable like breathing. She had no idea about the world without him, as if she couldn’t imagine how to live without breathing.
As the last hope died, Elpis broke down and trembled. All the physical wounds were nothing compared to heart-wrenching pain. The baby in her embrace burst into tears too, as if he felt the grief of his mother...
Floor 3 The Monster We Raised
When Enkidu activated the spell, the halos shone on all the earthlings imprisoned in the dungeon, liberating them from the bottomless fear. At this moment, the male earthling sitting at a corner woke up…
Leonard: Hmm…
Cang Bi: Leonard! You’re awake!
Cang Bi sneaked into the dungeon to check on the imprisoned earthlings as he didn’t want to disturb Elpis’s farewell with Enkidu.
Leonard: Cang Bi! Why are you here? What happened to the other earthlings? Are they alright——
Cang Bi: Wait! I can’t answer all these questions when you throw them at me at once!
Leonard: Oh...sorry.
Cang Bi: It’s alright. I came here with Enkidu the Eldus, who just lifted the fear-controlling spell programmed inside you all——Whoa!
Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden fierce quake. Meanwhile, the ceiling began to crumble and the floor began to crack.
Cang Bi: I must have wrecked the structure of this place when I broke the ground earlier! This place is dangerous! We need to evacuate everyone first!
Urged by Cang Bi and Leonard, the earthlings fled from the collapsing base to the outer world, including Elpis with her baby and the wounded Zack.
Baby: Boohoo…
Elpis: Don’t be scared. Mommy will protect you.
Cang Bi: Is the baby throwing a tantrum? Let me hold him...Huh? What...What’s this?
Elpis’s baby was wrapped by a dark haze. Although he’s still breathing, the darkness was slowly engulfing him. Cang Bi and Leonard were shocked by what they had seen, while Zack who had witnessed the whole incident remained silent.
Leonard: This child...is corrupted by an unknown power. This will kill him sooner or later!
Elpis: No. I’ll save my child. I’ll save the child I have with Enkidu even if it costs my life.
Cang Bi: “Is there anything I can do to protect the baby...Protect...The power of runedragon...Maybe it’ll work…”
Cang Bi: Elpis, I might have a solution, but it’s not a guaranteed success. Will you take the risk?
Elpis looked at her baby, who was breathing hard as if he was trying his best to survive.
Elpis: ...Cang Bi, I trust you.
Elpis handed the baby over to Cang Bi, who put him on a rock. Holding his arm above the baby, he cut his wrist open to drop blood onto the baby’s chest. At the moment of contact, his chest illuminated a nimbus.
Leonard: What are you doing!
Cang Bi: We the runedragons excel at the protective strength. Spreading dragon blood on his wound might work.
Leonard: But you’re losing blood…
Cang Bi: Just a little. I’ll be fine.
Cang Bi: “Please...This has to work. Please save this child…”
The baby began to glow a soothing light as if fate had picked up Cang Bi’s prayer. Not only the darkness stopped spreading, but it started shrinking.
Elpis: This...This is great…
Floor 4 Dawn of Enoch
Cang Bi managed to contain the corruption with his dragon blood, but fate wouldn’t spare them that easily. Nightmares just happened one after another.
Enlil: Elpis, my dear earthling. Can you hear me?
Leonard: This voice...It’s Enlil!
Zack: ...The sound was transmitted through a spell.
Cang Bi: That Eldus...How come she’s still alive with all the fatal injuries she has had!
Enlil: Elpis, your precious baby possesses something important to me. May I have it back? It’s okay if you don’t. I’ll kill some time with your brothers and sisters. Here, say hello to them.
Astrid: D-Don’t come back...I’m alright...AH——!
Enlil: Such a bad girl. I’ll take your left eye as a punishment. And it depends on your brothers and sisters whether the body part you’ll lose next.
As the speech stopped, the ambience turned into a deadly silence until she spoke.
Elpis: ...Let’s go back.
Elpis: “Enkidu freed us with his life, and I can’t let his effort go into vain...I must save all my fellows.”
Leonard: Right. It’s our responsibility. We raised that monster.
Zack: Yes. We can’t sit back and let Astrid die.
Elpis: Cang Bi, I’ll entrust my baby to you.
Cang Bi: Sure. I’ll bring back a lively baby to you!
With a smile on her face, Elpis joined Leonard and the other earthlings to go back to the Eldus’s base, where they had been kept. As for Cang Bi, he stayed and continued curing the baby with his blood.
Cang Bi: Mmm...Feeling light-headed. Guess I’m losing too much blood...No. I’m so close. I gotta hang in there.
That ominous darkness was successfully suppressed by Cang Bi’s persistence.
Cang Bi: This...This worked! The baby is alright now. Gotta catch up with Leonard and the others!
Cang Bi shifted back to its dragon form, put the baby at a safe seat and soared into the sky. Despite the motion, a star-shaped black mark could still be seen on the baby’s chest…
Summoner: I have the same mark as that baby...Mmm...Something’s popping up in my head…
A lot of people and images flashed across Summoner’s mind. The flashback eventually stopped at a pair of young couples.
???: Your future might be full of sufferings, but please don’t lose hope, my child. Enoch, I’ll always protect you…
???: ...My baby Enoch, even if the world is destroyed, mommy will always love you the most.
Laughing genuinely, the young mother rubbed her face against her baby. At this moment, Summoner felt that aromatic warmth as if it was happening now. An epiphany was lighted up in his head——It was the memory that had been locked up, the moment when he was born.
Tears of intense joy and sorrow rolled down Summoner’s eyes, who whispered to that divine halo.
Summoner: I...I’m that baby. I’m the child of Enkidu the eldus and Elpis the earthling…
???: You finally remembered, Enoch.
Enoch: That was ancient history. What happened? Why am I here now…
???: You’re the child of destiny, and the miracle to save this world...The past fate hadn’t ended yet. Come witness the finale of this journey…
