Chapter 12 Swallowing the stone

More than half of the people who are trapped inside the dome perish and the other half was not doing any better as they try hard to avoid the roots that wiggle around.

The roots are glowing in a faint purple light as if being strengthens by some sort of otherworldly energy.

Cutting the roots expands a lot of energy and efforts and the injured people could only try their best to avoid being entangled with the hideous roots.

Zahia could cope a little better than the others as she can still cut the roots more or less. She after all already discerns a faint law. The gap between those who master law and those who don't is like the difference between heaven and earth. However, the energy that strengthen and transform the Moonlit Orchid also contains a faint fragmented law such that neither she nor the uncanny purple energy can have an upper hand.

After all, she hasn't perfected or mastered the law she discern and took path of yet.

The other problem is that her energy is depleting fast due to the blood runes which was sucking their energy en masse as well as the boy whom she faintly promise her disciple to look out after for her.

"Don't strays away from me, I won't bother protecting you if you get out of my range, I didn't owe you anything anyway"

Austin understands her implied word.

The apothecary protects him only because of her disciple, Yuna.

Austin smile bitterly, he is afraid that he won't get to see his mother and the kind Yuna again.

'I'm still so weak'

And the thing that he fears happened again—Helplessness and weakness of being unable to do anything. Once again, Austin feels just how weak he was. Since he get another chance in life and that he can start over, he thought he have time but in the face of disaster, there is never too much time.

"…This is taking longer than necessary, I still have to harvest the blood of those in the Huin Town"

Louis said in faint displeasure, looking apathetically at the live stocks that were giving their all to survive.

Louis shakes his head and tries to transmit more energy at the Moonlit orchid to hasten the harvest, before he did so, an enraged voice question him.

"WHAT DO YOU PLAN ON THE PEOPLE OF HUIN TOWN!!??"

"Hmm….?" Louis looks down and caught a sight of a boy who was being protected by Zahia.

The boy menacing eyes carry a huge killing intent.

'Live stock always has so many questions at the end of their life'

Louis thought coldly, still, he has patience to the live stock who; are at death door. A basic respect to those lives he is going to make use of.

"Just like what happened now"

Louis answered, shugging, his face beamed at the boy making his already hideous left face all the more terrible.

Austin body shook with anger.

He dare!

He raise his sword and run out of the protective circle of Zahia and went straight ahead to take the head of the man who have the intention of harming his most two precious person.

Austin deftly avoids the fast and dexterous roots and even used the roots as a leverage to jump at the peak where the man stands— His momentum reaching its' peaks.

It's a pity his opponent is far stronger such that he could not even lay a hair on him.

"My my… such a promising lad, too bad your life will be forfeit here" Louis said without an ounce of remorse.

Louis lightly blasts the purple energy at Austin and watch impassively at the boy who was falling and was caught and entangled with the roots. He has seen many who display an outburst of energy as if giving their one last shot to take down the enemy. Those last pumps of adrenaline are admirable, however, seeing too much lead to Louis being bored of such last shot scene.

Regarding to the genius Zahia, Louis cast a thoughtful look at the old looking lady who just impassively looks on from the sideline as the roots entangled with the person she protect a moment ago.

She is as cold-hearted as ever.

Louis also knows that he cannot push the genius who started to master a faint law at such a young age into desperation, although he would want nothing more than to do so. He cannot gamble on the end result if she decides to self-destruct. The destruction will be beyond what he can withstand so, he will leave after dealing with all the life inside the dome aside from her.

It will not be a problem if he injured her severely though, Louis thought caressing the purple stone necklace.

As the roots were about to drill the kid inside, Louis hear the sound of the teleportation array being activated and turn his head around.

"Didn't I say not to come—"

He stops abruptly because the person who came is not his people.

The person is small, probably a child but he or she is covered tightly in clothes such that he cannot make out the gender.

Before he could react, the child hands flew straight at his neck and pull off the purple diamond necklace that provide him with power as well as the Moonlit orchid.

The power was suddenly cut off and the Moonlit orchid hideous roots ceases its movement.

Louis kneels down as the power that sustains his strength was suddenly taken away.

"Ugh...Dimension stone…. Give it back…."

Louis strained voice demand weakly, his face shows clear sign of panicked. All his strength that he indulge in receded like a tide, cold sweat sliding down his spine.

The child shakes her head.

"Without a medium… it will explode and take all the life….including you as well as Huin town people"

Louis threatens although his word is not a mere threat as it was the truth.

Yuna who instinctively dive for the stone stood trembling on her spot. She just go for it because this kind of shiny thing always seem to be the cause of disaster that villain used and the main character strive to snatch away from the villain.

The stone at her hand started to heat up.

Yuna too has an inkling that the stone is going to explode.

'What to do… what to do?... Why hand!' Yuna wants to slap her hand in chagrin.

Yuna fret, she cannot give it back to the man but also she cannot let it explode and take the life of others either.

"....Ah"

Yuna sigh…

"Universe….you bitch"

Yuna swear and with a stupid idea swallows the small stone down her throat.

"Kevin….we are stupid together"

Yuna jokingly said to alleviate her fearful heart, remembering Kevin from the minions who swallow the huge rocket as it was about to explode.

"This is so stupid, I am stupid! Now, am I the dues ex machine of the main character?"

"Heugh…."

Yuna clutch her chest and look with a horrified gaze as her hand started to scatter and disintegrate into small particles, comparable to the movie Lucy whose cells disintegrate inside the plane.

Now she clearly understands Lucy mentality who will be scared stiff.

"YOU—"

It was the sharp exclamation of the man with a hideous face but he seems to not be able to move without support or maybe even suffering a backlash from a power being suddenly taken away from him.

His eyes open wide in disbelief seeing the child swallowing the dimension stone.

WHOOSH

Yuna look up and saw her master that approached her.

Another hand emerge from the cliff, it was Austin who climb the peak.

Yuna bit her lips under the cover.

Her master Zahia walks closer and try to pull off the clothes that cover her face which she used to at least stealth herself from being seen by the enemy.

Yuna back away with tattering step.

She didn't want them to see herself being disintegrated into particles, she want to be in a place where no one is there. She want time to stand still and let everything stop….

Everything started to seem confusing.

'Please…..'

Yuna beg desperately seeing her master making another attempt to remove the clothes.

The stone which was inside her body seems to listen to her plea as she vanishes from her place.