Chapter 209: Light

"Waaa!"

The baby in Megose's stomach cried. It squirmed, wanting to come into

this world in a bid to help its mother escape from her predicament.

The black, cold, and smooth threads appeared to suffer a shock as they

seemed to be suppressed by an invisible power which led to their retreat

backward.

"Waaa!"

Dunn and Klein became dizzy at the same time. They felt their throats

contract involuntarily as their contracting air passages instantly

stifled them.

Crimson liquid flowed from their nostrils, their eyes, and their ears.

All of their capillaries seemed to have ruptured.

If it wasn't for the fact that Klein had undergone the torture of

hearing the mutterings and ravings every time he headed to the world

above the gray fog, as well as Dunn holding onto the ashes of Saint

Selena, they definitely would've fainted on the spot, just like Leonard

Mitchell.

Megose's headless body turned over and looked at Klein who saw her

charred skin and flesh peeling to the ground, and the holy, yet evil

white bone blade.

Having escaped its influence thanks to his rich experience, Klein

immediately felt his scalp tingle and forgot about the pain in his right

chest. He seemed to witness his enemy charge towards him maniacally, not

giving him any time to recite the incantation, infuse spirituality, and

throw out the Flaring Sun Charm.

Just as he was about to dodge the attack, Klein saw Megose suddenly

pause. He saw Dunn Smith's black trench coat fluttering, and the Captain

diagonally across him had buried his head. There were multiple thick

twitching objects on his back as if they were venomous snakes or

tentacles---or monsters!

Dunn was using his abilities as a Nightmare to forcefully impede

Megose's movements.

Bam! Bam! Bam! With a mere struggle from Megose, the thick

tentacle-like objects that protruded from Dunn's back exploded at the

same time!

A large amount of blood splattered out, covering every corner of the

room like rain.

Dunn wasn't disappointed at the result, for the blood had been absorbed

by the black threads created by Saint Selena's ashes.

They had been absorbed!

The countless cold, smooth, tentacle-like threads entered a frenzy. They

swarmed forward and bound Megose tightly, wrapping themselves around her

bulging, squirming stomach.

An opportunity!

Klein was as nervous as he was excited. He prepared to shout the ancient

Hermes word for "Light."

"Waaa! Waaa! Waaa!"

The cries of a baby could be heard once again, more frequent, and more

incessant this time around!

The countless black threads suddenly came to a pause, retreating and

trembling again as if they had all been struck by lightning.

Dunn's expression changed when he realized that Megose was about to free

herself. Without hesitation, he retracted his right palm, formed a claw,

and stabbed it into his own chest---his left chest!

He quickly pulled out his right hand, his fingers holding a bloody heart

tightly. It was a still-beating heart that brought with it the

sereneness of the night and a dream.

Captain... Klein watched helplessly as Dunn Smith stuffed the

heart into the urn containing Saint Selena's ashes. His vision quickly

blurred.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Crying that sounded like a late-night nightmare resounded. The countless

cold and serene threads once again resumed their efforts as they wrapped

themselves tightly around Megose!

This time, they didn't loosen their bindings despite the cries coming

from the baby in Megose's stomach. In fact, they even sealed the

terrifying sounds within the body!

Klein's tears fell together with his blood. He uttered a simple Hermes

term in a deep voice, "Light!"

*The light that illuminates the darkness! The light that brings

warmth!*

He infused almost all of his remaining spirituality into the thin gold

piece etched with mysterious symbols, causing his mind to immediately

turn blank and dizzy.

Having mustered the last of his strength, Klein tossed out the Flaring

Sun Charm at Megose, who was still bound by the countless black threads.

The black threads didn't retract this time, having not followed their

instincts, as if they were being willed by someone.

Thump! Thump!

Dunn's fresh heart was still beating within the box containing Saint

Selena's ashes.

The sunlight once again shone in from the hole in the ceiling, shining

through all three stories, right into the Blackthorn Security Company,

as if it were a corporeal pillar.

It was guided here by the Flaring Sun Charm, and it was focused on

Megose.

The sunlight fused with the top of the headless monster, and then

exploded like the sun!

Rumble!

In the burning white splendor, Klein closed his eyes. This last scene

was etched deep into his mind.

Megose's body lost its left arm, head, and multiple pieces of flesh. Its

charred body crumbled instantly. The half-illusory, terrifying creature

within her body no longer had the support of a physical body and

couldn't complete the last stage of its transformation. It turned into a

furious ball of black gas, dissolving amidst the light and flames.

Rumble!

The entire building shook violently, but this was only due to the

released energy of the Flaring Sun Charm.

The charm was different from a normal bomb. Its powers were

concentrated, yet restrained!

Klein fought to stabilize his body. He opened his eyes and looked ahead

a few seconds later.

He saw that the walls had crumbled. He saw a charred circle where Megose

once stood. Surprisingly, the floor had only melted slightly.

He saw a burned, bloody placenta on the ground. He saw Dunn Smith

standing on the spot, still wearing his black trench coat. He saw the

heart in the box of Saint Selena's ashes still beating slowly. He saw

Leonard Mitchell lying on the opposite side; his outcome was unknown.

The exhausted Klein felt elated and felt that he could still use

ritualistic magic to save the Captain. He felt that Megose and her baby

were truly finished. No---it was more accurate to say that the latter

had suffered an interruption and was exorcised.

At that moment, Dunn Smith turned to look at Klein. His pale face had a

warm and relaxed expression, and his voice still as mellow as it usually

was.

"We saved Tingen."

After saying this, it was as if he had returned to the time when he was

twenty. He no longer appeared stern and serious as he winked at Klein

with his left eye.

Klein's expression froze. He saw the heart in the box of Saint's

Selena's ashes stop beating. It turned into a resplendent ball of light

before scattering into the surroundings. He saw the captain fall

backward, his arms losing their strength.

It felt like the scene was made up of a series of paintings, but Klein

could do nothing to stop it.

Thump!

The box of Saint Selena's ashes fell onto the ground, just like Klein's

heart.

Thud! Thud! Even though the box wasn't covered, the darkness

within the box sealed the opening, preventing the resplendent sand-like

ashes from falling out. The box rolled a distance away towards Klein.

Dunn Smith fell to the wrecked floor, his deep gray eyes having lost all

their luster. He was looking at the hole in the ceiling, the sunlight

pouring down on his face.

Captain! Klein's vision blurred once again. He wanted to

shout, but that word and the subsequent words were stuck in his throat.

We miss you too...

At that moment, the box containing Saint Selena's ashes had rolled to

his feet.

Suddenly, Klein felt a pain in his chest, his pupils violently

constricted as he froze in place.

He looked down to see a slightly pale palm, drenched in blood, coming

out the left side of his chest.

*Megose isn't dead... No, a new enemy... The mastermind behind the

scenes... Am I going to die?*

Klein quickly lost his consciousness, his eyes almost losing focus. His

body slumped to the side.

His breathing gradually slowed and, he finally felt the palm pull back

quickly. He saw a pair of brand new leather boots, and a hand reaching

downward---a slightly pale hand.

It grabbed the urn of Saint Selena's ashes.

Klein's vision went black, and he lost all consciousness.

Burned and shattered objects were scattered around in the now destroyed

Blackthorn Security Company, but there wasn't a single sound; it was

just like a cemetery.

A few minutes later, Leonard Mitchell's body moved, his eyes opening

slowly.

He propped himself up with difficulty and surveyed the surroundings. He

saw Dunn Smith on the ground. He also saw Klein who had his eyes staring

wide as a look of shock was plastered across his face. Dunn and Klein

both had visible wounds on the left sides of their chests.

No... Leonard squeezed out the word from his throat as he

staggered towards Klein's corpse, that wasn't far away from Dunn.

He kept checking them, going between the two repeatedly, but all he

could do was accept this irreversible truth.

Leonard's knees buckled as his knees plopped to the ground. His green

eyes were filled with pain as tears streamed down his cheeks, washing

away the blood and dust.

He turned his head and listened for two seconds and suddenly sprawled

forward. He let out an angry roar and clenched his palms into fists, and

heavily pounded the floor.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Leonard kept tearing up as he pounded the floor. Amidst his sorrow was a

feeling of clear hatred and a clear sense of self-abhorrence.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Leonard looked up when he heard the sounds

of hurried footsteps and saw the members of the Mandated Punishers and

the Machinery Hivemind that had just arrived at the scene through his

blurred vision.