Vol 3. Chapter 67: Karina’s Tears
At the same time, inside the heavily guarded imperial prison,
the crimson fireball was still blazing fiercely. Although the imperial scientists led by Gafei had been working day and night, trying to understand Flame Prison's physiology and find a way to kill this terrifying Demon King-class Abyss Demon, they had discovered almost nothing so far.
The only gains they had made were so-called 'clues' that Flame Prison had deliberately bestowed upon them to mislead them.
While Gafei and the others, utterly exhausted, were studying the specific procedures for their next experiment, a certain young lady inside the fireball was looking exceptionally relaxed and carefree.
...
Inside the enormous fireball, within a house constructed entirely from flames,
our gorgeous and well-behaved Miss Karina was currently wrapped in a sleeping robe, sitting elegantly and gracefully upon a bed shaped from flames, casually reading a book she had obtained from who knew where. With such a leisurely appearance, how could she possibly look like a prisoner?
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she had come here on vacation.
Moreover, although the furniture around Karina was made from flames, her clothes, books, and other belongings were wrapped in her crimson Shadow of Silence Power, preventing them from being devoured by the fire.
'Hm, this chapter is pretty good~. Once I get out of here, I should give the author a little tip.'
Karina thought this after reaching an interesting chapter.
Just as Karina was immersed in the world of the book, the communication magic stone beside her suddenly emitted a pale blue glow. Immediately afterward, a familiar voice sounded beside Karina's ear:
"Lady Karina, you should get ready. Lady Yumo will be arriving soon..."
?!!
Hm?!
M-Mother?!
The instant she heard those words, Karina abruptly snapped the book shut and stared at the communication magic stone beside her in astonishment. Although Karina knew Mother would be coming to visit her tonight, this was still somewhat unexpected.
Wasn't she supposed to meet that bastard Xue Tianao first?
'What happened? Why so early?'
Karina was somewhat puzzled.
But she also knew that now wasn't the time to dwell on such questions.
The next moment,
a crimson light flashed through Karina's orange-red eyes. The book in her hands, the nearby furniture, food, and everything else that could expose the truth of her prison life was instantly swallowed by a sea of crimson flames and reduced to nothingness, leaving behind not a single shred of incriminating evidence.
Then,
Karina raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Several thick, rust-covered chains and a set of prison clothes obtained from who knew where were immediately dragged forward by Shadow of Silence Power and floated before Karina.
Of course, there was something else as well—a longsword emitting an intense bloody aura and a faint golden glow.
It was none other than the sword Xue Tianao had once used but had since discarded.
'Phew~'
Taking a deep breath, Karina immediately revealed a resolute expression. She directly controlled the longsword, completely removed all defenses from her true body, gritted her teeth, and mercilessly drove the sword into her own chest...
At the same time,
the terrifying fireball surrounding Karina instantly collapsed, transforming into countless crimson motes of light that dispersed throughout the imperial prison. The fiery barrier that had caused Gafei and the researchers endless trouble finally vanished at this moment.
Unfortunately, they had no opportunity to witness this scene, much less see Flame Prison's true body.
Because at some unknown point, several masked women dressed in black had already appeared inside the laboratory.
As for Gafei and the other researchers, after a flurry of flashing blades and sword-light, they were lying on the floor foaming at the mouth and convulsing nonstop.
Clearly, their minds wouldn't be waking up anytime soon...
--
Once everything was ready, Saiboke led Yumo through the barriers Xue Tianao had deliberately arranged around the outer perimeter of the prison and entered the oppressive imperial dungeon.
After kicking aside two guards who had already been 'dealt with' by the 'Nightingale' Organization, Saiboke respectfully said,
"Lady Yumo, please come this way."
"Mm..."
Lady Yumo softly responded, then followed Saiboke through the enormous, labyrinth-like imperial prison.
Feeling the damp, sinister, oppressive atmosphere permeating the dungeon, Lady Yumo couldn't help frowning.
Karina...
Had she been locked up in a place like this?
Just thinking about her daughter's terrible surroundings made Lady Yumo's heart ache.
At that moment,
as the two passed through the next barrier, Yumo suddenly detected a trace of blood in the air. Although it was faint, Yumo still caught it with perfect accuracy.
In an instant, the girl's crimson eyes abruptly contracted, and the blood-red butterflies floating around her began to grow restless.
Noticing the change in the atmosphere surrounding Yumo, Saiboke deliberately looked back at the black-haired girl in confusion.
"Lady Yumo? What's wrong?"
"..."
Yumo didn't answer Saiboke. Instead, she stared fixedly into the dark, deep passageway ahead.
This smell of blood...
'Is... Is it that child's?'
The next moment,
under Saiboke's 'shocked' gaze, Yumo was instantly surrounded by blood butterflies and transformed into a streak of crimson light, shooting violently into the deep passageway ahead!
Seeing this, several Black Rose Knights, including Saiboke, hurriedly chased after her.
"Lady Yumo! Wait for us!..."
...
Even though she was concealing her strength and her aura was being suppressed by the 'Veil of Deception,' Lady Yumo could still rely on her extraordinarily sharp senses to track the scent of blood and rush toward its source.
'It's here...'
The next instant,
upon arriving before an enormous black-iron door twenty meters tall and twenty meters wide, Lady Yumo abruptly swung her fist.
"Boom!"
Accompanied by an earth-shaking explosion, the supposedly 'indestructible' black-iron door that Xue Tianao had specially constructed to imprison Flame Prison was blasted open by Lady Yumo with a single punch!
The scene behind the door was instantly exposed before Lady Yumo's eyes.
And when she saw it, Yumo's entire body trembled. Her teeth even bit through her soft pink lips.
"Karina..."
At that moment,
in the center of the enormous prison, a red-haired woman dressed in thin, tattered prison clothes was kneeling weakly on the ground. She looked 'utterly feeble,' her entire body covered in wounds, possessing a pitiful, tragic beauty.
The woman's limbs, waist, and neck were firmly restrained by thick chains covered in rust and all kinds of magical runes. The other ends of those chains were connected to the surrounding walls.
Judging by the types of magical runes engraved upon them, it seemed that the moment the restrained woman resisted, she would immediately be subjected to electric torture...
But what enraged Yumo most of all
was the golden longsword embedded in the red-haired woman's chest.
The remnants of divine power on the longsword continuously corroded the woman's delicate body, preventing her wound from healing and causing fresh blood to constantly pour out.
The blood had completely dyed her originally white prison robe crimson, while the amount of blood accumulated on the floor was horrifying...
Upon hearing Yumo's call, the red-haired woman—the seemingly 'dying' Karina—slowly raised her head and stared forward in astonishment.
The moment her crimson eyes saw Yumo's figure, the 'despair' and 'pain' within them immediately disappeared, replaced by intense joy and hope.
"M-Mother... Have... Have you finally come to save me?..."
Her voice
was filled with the joy of someone who had finally found salvation after falling into absolute despair.
Her daughter's pleading gaze and weak voice further stabbed at Yumo's heart.
Karina's condition
was far worse than what Saiboke had previously described to her...
Heart aching unbearably, the girl flashed forward and instantly appeared before Karina, directly pulling her into her arms without caring in the slightest about the blood staining Karina's body.
Stroking Karina's pale, weakened face, Yumo hurriedly took the Tear of Nature from her spatial ring and brought it to Karina's mouth.
"Quickly, little Karina, don't speak. Drink this first..."
As the healing effects of the 'Tear of Nature' took effect, Karina's pale complexion improved somewhat, but it quickly weakened again because of the golden light emanating from the longsword.
The intense pain stimulated Karina's mind, causing even this Demon King-class existence to involuntarily let out faint moans.
And each of those moans was like a serrated blade repeatedly sawing through Yumo's heart, making her feel as though her heart itself were being cut apart.
The girl instinctively raised her hand, intending to pull the blade from her daughter's chest.
But at that moment, Saiboke, who had finally managed to catch up, hurriedly stopped her.
"Lady Yumo, you mustn't pull that sword out! The sword contains an enormous amount of divine power. Aside from Xue Tianao, if anyone else pulls it out, the divine power inside will be released. Lady Karina will be in terrible danger!"
"..."
Saiboke's words stopped Yumo's hand.
She suddenly remembered Xizhi's previous warning.
With immensely complicated emotions, she looked at the golden longsword piercing Karina's chest. Feeling Xue Tianao's intense aura upon it, as well as the terrifying divine power contained within, Lady Yumo couldn't help clenching both fists.
'Xue Tianao... That bastard again...'
The culprit who had hurt her daughter...
Yet at the same time, he was also the Child of Destiny she had waited so long for, someone she needed to protect during the early stages of the trial...
At that moment, Yumo's heart was filled with conflict.
Just then, seemingly noticing the conflicted expression on Yumo's face from the corner of her eye, Karina's gaze subtly changed.
Then, ripples spread through the woman's orange-red eyes.
The next moment, under Lady Yumo's heartbroken gaze, tears began sliding down Karina's cheeks like pearls from a broken string.
Held in Yumo's embrace, Karina began to sob.
Her aggrieved words entered Lady Yumo's ears.
"Wuuuuuu... M-Mother... It... It hurts so much... Wuuuuuu, that... that Child of Destiny bullied me, wuuuuuu..."
"L-Little Karina..."
Among all her children,
Karina was the one who almost never cried.
In Yumo's memory, this child had always been calm, composed, decisive, and strong.
And yet now, such a strong child was actually sobbing in her arms. The grievance in Karina's tearful voice completely ignited the fury within Yumo's heart, and that fury began spreading through the girl's heart like wildfire...
Karina normally didn't cry
precisely so she could cry at the critical moment.
And the facts proved that Karina's judgment was absolutely correct.
After taking a deep breath, Yumo slowly turned her gaze toward Saiboke behind her.
"Little Sai."
"Yes, Lady Yumo."
"Tell Xiao that I agree to his plan."
"Hm? Lady Yumo? Are you really going to do this? But if you do..."
"Do it."
Hearing the black-haired girl's unwavering, resolute words, Saiboke stopped trying to persuade her.
After revealing an extremely 'regretful' expression, he respectfully lowered his head.
"Yes. Understood, Lady Yumo."