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Episode 144: Last-Ditch Effort (III)
Chi-i-i-i-i-i-i!
At that moment, a piece of black magic that pierced through the air from afar reached right in front of Gerard’s nose.
“

!!!”
Gerard had no choice but to fly high, avoiding Sislin’s strike.
In the sky next to the encroached Acra, Gerard looked down at the land that had been stricken with satisfaction.
His private soldiers, who had been brutally trained and raised, ran madly at the imperial troops led by Sislin.
Ahhhhh!
Shouts of fighting spirit mixed with cries of desperation of death.
“Ah
 It really is
”
Gerard’s eyes widened gently. The eyes filled with joy were not covered by the eyelids.
“
Such beautiful harmony.”
As if in ecstasy.
He reached out his hand and pointed.
“There too.”
Then, with an elegant touch, the index and middle fingers spread wide and pointed to a distant place.
There, was the last line of defense to block the demonic monsters from streaming into the capital.
<Winston’s Shield> was the last shield that existed so that ‘humans’ and ‘monsters’ could be divided, the defensive lines built around the place where the private houses were located.
“
And there too.”
‘I can see everything from this high place.’
Gerard raised the corners of his lips and let out a big laugh.
The heavens rumbled.
“Everyone looks happy. Having fun! If I had known it would be this much fun, I would have done it sooner
!”
Gerard, with a black snake pattern on his neck, was completely Venénum itself.
He touched the corner of his mouth, blinking the eyes that had nothing but life and joy left.
As if he had no idea what to do with the heat of this body and this overwhelming joy.
“It’s a shame that I’ve waited all this time.”
“Is this fun?”
Below, Annette, who had her feet firmly on the ground where people were screaming, opened her mouth, muttering quietly.
“Is it fun for people to get hurt, attack each other, and panic?”
“

.”
“What are you doing this for?”
Gerard’s red eyes looked down at her expressionlessly.
“Of course it’s all for the throne. This is for me to ascend to the highest and most noble place.”
As he spoke of his goal, a simmering heat began to rise inside him.
When did he start setting goals?
It was a very long time ago. Sislin, Annette
 the both of them could never guess how unthinkably old his aspirations were.
They didn’t know his desperation.
Sislin was born with everything, abilities and a noble bloodline, and Annette was no different.
But he himself, born from a lowly drunken night, could not be noble if he did not do this.
—Isn’t this unfair, no?
Some people were born noble and able to live to their heart’s content, while others were born lowly like garbage.
‘Do those born to nobility know what suffering is?’
“This is all because of you, bitch.”
“

!”
“If, in the first place, you cooperated with me 10 years ago by giving me ‘amplification’, the essence of the power of Exordium
”
He trembled, clenching his fists.
“This wouldn’t have happened today. Everyone would have naturally led their daily lives to welcome the new emperor. So, all this catastrophe is because of you.”
Poking and digging into the opponent’s heart, he spat out fang-like words.
“The reason these people are suffering and dying today is because of you!!!”
So suffer, that kind and weak heart, and fall into a sense of shame to the fullest, little girl.
“

.”
Gerard declared war on the still Annette.
“I have to take what’s mine today.”
That was then. Annette, who had been swallowing silence, belatedly uttered.
With hard, unshakable, pale green eyes, she spoke through clenched lips.
“It’s really pathetic.”
“

!”
Gerard’s eyebrows rose crookedly.
‘I’m pathetic?’
“A life that sacrifices the happiness and well-being of others for only your own dirty desires.”
“

!”
“Your ugly desires will never be rewarded, Gerard.”
“You’ll see.”
Swaeaeaeaek—
That was then. Sislin cut through Gerard’s soldiers that were blocking him with a single strike.
He rushed at Gerard in a form that surpassed the limits of a human being, piercing the dense, rushing, rain-like attacks.
Then he signaled right away.
“Annette, now.”
“

!!!!”
It was then that the eyes of Gerard, who had been careless, shook.
Annette fired an attack, her hands reaching out towards the Acra in the air.
“Sordi.”
Suuu-woo-woo!
A bamboo spear of light was fired vigorously, accurately penetrating the black Acra.
“
No!!!”
Gerard stretched out one of his hands.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
Kuung—
The limp green beast was crawling with a stupid face.
Kuung, kuung—
Its slow strides felt a little more impatient than before.
Probably because it swallowed something strange.
“
Guweeeek.”
Right when the green beast screamed and twisted its body.
Ji– Kikikikkik.
A dagger protruded through the thick flesh.
Soon, a young man came out of the beast’s stomach. It was a terrifying sight for others to see. As it was like the birth of a demon wearing a beast’s shell.
Of course, the devil’s face was very neat. Just like a docile stag.
In addition, the appearance of holding a small girl in his arms seemed sacred.
“Are you okay?”
“Thank you
 T-Thank you.”
The girl answered Kyle’s question.
Fortunately, there were private houses around, and when he knocked on the locked house, a young couple came out from inside.
The couple was a little wary at first, but after they figured out the situation, they were happy to take care of the girl. Kyle said,
“It’s dangerous outside, so you must not go out. Lock the door like you did earlier and come out when it is quiet.”
“
Yes!”
The woman agreed, hugging the girl tightly. The woman’s belly was round. There were other beings to protect besides me, she said so with a desperate face.
“If I wait inside, things will get better, right? 
It’s not going to get any worse, is it?”
“

.”
Kyle’s eyes gently folded as he smiled.
“Of course.”
The house where the pregnant woman, the young father, and the girl were staying was locked again.
Kyle’s eyes sharpened as he turned around.
‘I must protect all these people.’
Kyle looked around, wiping away the slimy beast’s body fluids. First of all, figuring out his location was important.
“
Looks like I’ve moved quite a bit, but the line of defense has already been pushed this much
”
<Winston’s Shield> was fighting not far away.
Gradually pushed by the demonic beasts, the defense line was getting more narrow.
The black object that bizarrely dominated the sky was also quite close.
As if the final destination of the demonic beasts was there.
At this point, he was worried about someone.
“Annette.”
‘Are you safe by now?’
Kuung

The instant Kyle clenched his fists and stepped towards the Acra.
Dun!
Dun, kuung!
Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate violently.
It was the sound of the world turning upside down.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
Ji– kikikikk!
Sordi’s power pierced the Acra with precision.
Gerrard said in disappointment.
“Unbelievable
”
He lowered his head, putting his hands on his forehead and whispered.
“This
”
His body was trembling more and more. Then, soon after, he started laughing out loud.
“Hahahahaha! It’s really fun!”
“

!”
The black celestial body of the Acra moved in unison, like a single organism, blocking the pierced hole by itself.
“Hahahahaha! What a trivial attack!”
Annette clenched her fist.
‘I must have been lacking, my strength.’
Suddenly, veins spurted on the manically smiling Gerard’s forehead. He twisted his lips, blood-red eyes shining.
“Now that you’ve done your tricks, it’s time to punish you.”
“

!”
“I’ll let you taste a bigger disappointment.”
Immediately, a stem stretched out from the Acra in the sky and connected to Gerard.
Gerard’s red eyes flipped over and the whole thing turned black. His entire eyes were filled with black. There was not a single bit of white.
“VenĂ©num. Stand up!”
Dun!
Dun! Kuung!
Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate violently. As if the world was turning upside down.
It was from then. People who were lying on the floor with serious injuries got up.
Like frightened zombies, they rushed towards their opponents, unaware of the pain in their bodies.
‘The type of mind control has changed.’
Now, it’s even worse.
Even if a limb was lost, people were still killing each other with hostility.
In this hell, Annette called only one person with a pale face.
“Sislin
!”
Sislin was an undefeated warrior, but it was not easy for him to survive and attack his opponent like a zombie.
Annette helped Sislin by blocking some attacks with Um’s power, but it seemed unlikely to be resolved.
That was then.
Kieeeeek!
A beast that was taller than a building, ran towards them with its eyes flashing.
A soldier from the imperial army cried out with a face of utter desperation.
“The last line of defense has been broken!”
“

!!!”
“Oh, it can’t be. Oh God
! Have pity on us!”
It seemed that humans were not the only ones affected by mind manipulation. Demonic beasts were pouring into the area, attacking people indiscriminately as if they had forgotten their pain.
“Annette!”
At that time, Kyle stepped out, putting a bullet in the beast’s head.
“Kyle!”
Uwoong!
However, a huge beast swung its arm towards Kyle, who had come through countless numbers of beasts.
Puck! Kyle slammed into the wall with a bang.
“

!”
Sislin was struggling, bloodied.
Annette’s eyes went blank.
‘It’s said to have the power to protect.’
The power of the source.
‘If I inherited Exordium, wouldn’t it be possible to protect them?’
‘If so, give me strength.’
‘Exordium or any God is good, so give me the power to protect these people.’
‘Lest everyone die in despair.’
‘Please.’
‘
No.’
Annette, who had always prayed to God, realized that the subject was wrong.
This wasn’t time to beg God.
She only had herself.
‘I hope I can save them.’
At that moment, her mind lit up. It’s like the moment when she first inherited the power of ‘Exordium’.
A beam of light flashed before her eyes, and vivid letters were engraved in her mind.
She cried unconsciously.
“Flowering.”
Almost instantly, something amazing happened.
Ame: my heart was pounding like crazy from the start to the end!! How am I to sleep tonight!?!?!!
Tassie: It feels like we were going like 20 and now we are speeding ahead at 100!!!