Chapter 1124: Waking Up Late
On the contrary, Evelyn should've expected them to attempt something like that.
It was her negligence that she got stuck in that position.
Just then, she saw a twitch in Kyran's expression as he was for a fleeting moment, stunned.
"Flunra and I dealt with them, so it shouldn't be a problem anymore," Evelyn added.
Upon hearing this, Kyran averted his gaze back to Evelyn's eyes before a smile blossomed on his face, "Oh, is that so? King Jorik must've been very shocked to see those newly awakened Dark Elves tried to do that. Anyway, you're fine right?"
"Not a scratch, don't worry," Evelyn replied, returning the smile as assured as possible.
Nodding his head, Kyran then turned his face to the side.
"What about those Dark Elves that attacked you?"
"Hmm...? What do you mean?"
"I mean, Flunra could be quite rough. Are they also fine?"
"Flunra held back enough and gave them a warning, but the main perpetrator is punished"
"Good... that's good."
Evelyn found it rather surprising that Kyran managed to sense that—as she was only grazed lightly on her cheek by those Dark Elves. However, upon reflection—she recalled that Flunra did come almost instantly after she was grazed.
However, he was near the vicinity, so it was not that surprising.
Kyran, on the other hand, was quite far away from the Dark Elves, and is also in slumber.
Then again, that only shows how powerful Kyran's senses were.
'Guess despite Calidora taking some of my Luna Energy, I'm still the Luna of the pack'
Her influence was definitely reduced, but not in this department.
Just like always, the other pack members were extremely protective of her.
Even back during the fight, Kyran was ready to sacrifice himself for her, without hesitation.
On the other hand, Adhara who was standing on the side looked at Kyran weirdly.
She could see that, Kyran wasn't feeling anything in particular at the moment—his emotional aura was ashen, suggesting passivity. Initially, Adhara assumed this, but she noticed several blinks of the color red that flashed a couple of times.
It made her frown, but she deemed that it was the anger from the earlier fight.
Rubbing her forehead, she decided to ignore it.
Meanwhile, after declaring his decision, Rex went to check on Calidora before departing.
He saw her in his periphery earlier and decided to approach her.
Amidst a gathering of Vampire guards, Calidora stood with her back to Rex, her gaze fixed on her father, now mummified due to his severe wounds and being carried back to the castle for immediate recovery.
Of course, his recovery would take a long time considering that it was the Fourthborn's fault.
Calidora was worried, evident in the anxious pinch of her fingers at the edge of her sleeves.
But as Rex drew closer, there was this weird urge inside—beckoning him to comfort Calidora.
More than that, her appeal seemed to be even stronger than before.
What is this feeling, really? It almost felt like the natural urge I had to Evelyn, a Luna.
Rex knew that for some reason, Calidora also had the luna energy—yet he could tell that this pull was different compared to the pull of the luna energy. It was more natural, but no matter how much he tried to decipher it, he couldn't think of anything.
Fighting back the urge enough, he stood beside Calidora, also looking at Solomon.
He then reached out his hand and pat Calidora on the head.
"Seems like you were right, your mad plan worked—the curse also affected me," Rex said.
Upon hearing this, Calidora inhaled deeply in response.
It was Calidora's original idea that when he was in dire peril—with survival seeming unlikely— she would act swiftly, to end his life herself before any impending threat could claim him. She made that plan, back when Rex was crushed by the combined attack from the Lunirich Gods in the Endless Field of Hyacinth.
Of course, initially, Rex wasn't willing to do that as it was too risky to do.
Had the curse not worked in reverse, he would permanently die—but that was not the case.
Seems like the Eternal Curse's effect worked both ways.
Back then, he also had the Invincible item so it was not a helpless situation.
However, during the sudden attack from the Fourthborn earlier, Rex didn't have anything to use to avoid that attack. Naturally, he has the Invincible item but that attack caught him off guard so he had no time to use the Invincible item.
Due to that reason, Calidora's plan was worth the shot, and it paid off extremely well.
Not only did he survived, but he also didn't retain any damage.
Calidora replied with a light hum, still having her eyes fixed on Solomon.
As Calidora's focus remained fixated on her father, Rex sighed and folded his arms. "If you're so concerned about your father," he began, "then why did you do it? Why did you help me? I knew, that you knew your father would step in the way if the Fourthborn struck you—so why bother saving me?"
Since Solomon was right by Calidora, she must've known what he would do.
His instinct would naturally be to protect Calidora.
It was his duty to protect her as her father, so if she helped Rex and attracted the Fourthborn—then Solomon would definitely come, and help her. Considering the enemy, Calidora should know that the chance of him dying would be great.
But even knowing that, she didn't hesitate to exact the plan and save Rex.
"You could've let me die there, and the Fourthborn would disappear regardless," He added.
This question made Calidora tilted her head down in silence.
From her expression alone, there seemed to be something she wanted to say.
Eventually, she raised her gaze again and muttered whisperingly, "It's because I chose you,"
Upon hearing this, Rex had his eyes widened for a brief second.
He was not expecting that answer as he didn't think their relationship had developed that far.
Despite having a lot of questions in his mind, Rex decided to keep them all in.
More than anything, he needed to rest now instead of searching for answers from Calidora.
Just like that, the battle that determined the entire era was over with Rex as the clear victor.
...
Raahh!
Graah!!
Rex stood transfixed at the portal gate, his heart pounding in his chest.
He gazed into the swirling chaos realm beyond, a sea of purple that stretched endlessly into nothingness, devoid of any discernible landmarks save for the chaos unfolding within. A few distance away was a figure, trapped amidst the writhing mass of monstrous entities.
It was Edward, the traitor who turned out to be the most loyal friend in Rex's life.
Despite having his wrongs, Rex already forgave him.
Countless creatures descended upon Edward, like a swirling tide, their grotesque forms were tearing at him with relentless ferocity. Each swipe, each tear, ripped at Rex's soul as he could only helplessly watch as his friend was being mangled.
Flesh and bones were rendered, only to be healed in the next second.
Amidst the chaos, a colossal slithering creature coiled itself around the perimeter.
Its malevolent grin was directed at Rex, a silent mockery of his powerlessness.
But amidst the unsavory carnage, Edward's gaze met Rex's—and a wry smile played upon his lips. It was a silent reassurance, perhaps accompanied by words too soft to hear that despite the torment he endured, he would be fine.
As the portal began to close, sealing Edward's fate within the abyss, Rex gritted his teeth.
He tried to stop the portal from closing and stretched his hand forward.
"EDWARD!!" Rex screamed, trying to save his precious friend.
Upon seeing this, Edward also tried to stretch his hand, but the vicious chaos monsters were quick to encroach on him—grabbing every part of his body and pulling him back. Despite the fact that Rex almost reached Edward, he was quickly pulled away.
Rex could only see chaos swallowing Edward whole as the portal closed shut.
Swoosh!
It was only then that Rex opened his eyes gently, finding himself inside a spacious bedroom.
He was sitting with his back against the bed's headboard.
For a fleeting moment, he gazed at the wall on the other side with an expressionless face.
Despite the room being enveloped in absolute silence, broken only by the steady rhythm, of breaths, Rex's mind was far from quiet. Deep within his consciousness, flashes of the battle and the violence he had wrought circled relentlessly, leaving him restless even in the center of apparent tranquility.
Noises that he couldn't get rid of, making it hard for him to find joy in the moment.
Rex's mind was always active, attuned to any dangers.
But the noises inside his head were gradually muffled by another noise coming from the side.
To his side was the opened window that welcomed the streaks of dawn—with the sound of people waking up—and doing their daily activities seeping into his ears. A smile crept to his face as it was the sound of peace.
Not a single problem came to his doorstep, the moment for once, was peaceful.
After going through so much, he managed to reach a sliver of true peace.
Looking down at the bed, Rex found Evelyn lying on his right, Adhara on the left, and Gistella on his legs. From the decisive fight, it had been a week or so, but Rex hadn't got even a wink of sleep whatsoever.
Gaining solace from his past, and moving on from his anger, another new nightmare struck.
Despite having most of his problems solved, he still couldn't sleep.
Just knowing that Edward was inside that realm, tortured, is enough to keep him awake.
Today, Gistella attempted to ensnare him in a slumbering spell, but Rex feigned sleep. But, as he finally yielded to the soft embrace of the dream world—a nightmare besieged him within a mere minute.
Gazing at his own hands, he found that they were trembling uncontrollably.
Rex clenched them tightly and gazed forward again with a sigh.
Come on, System. I need you here, I need to get stronger as quickly as possible.
A week passed, but the System's upgrade hasn't finished yet.
Knowing roughly that there were still more realms above him, Rex was restless and impatient.
He wanted to quickly make progress, but he decided to hide it.
Out of anything, Rex didn't want the others to worry about him again as soon as their victory.
Moreover, there were still some internal necessities that needed to be done.
As he was dwelling inside his mind, Rex could feel something touching his bare stomach that bore a vicious mortal scar—crossing his abs diagonally. He soon realized that it was Evelyn's hand, she noticed that he was staring into space, "Still can't sleep?"
"Hmm..." Rex replied, leaning his head on the headboard.
Unlike Rex who couldn't get any sleep, Evelyn got the best sleep she had in a while.
And from the looks of it, Adhara and Gistella were the same.
Inhaling deeply, she rubbed her eyes and held herself up with one hand—causing the blanket that was covering her tantalizing naked torso to slip down. Leaning in—she half-asleep, half-awake, wrapped her arms around Rex's neck and gave him a light kiss on the neck.
"What time is it...?" She murmured inaudibly.
Rex glanced at the window before he replied, "Half past 5, I believe,"
"Hmm..." Evelyn hummed and nodded, but in the next second, her eyes shot open and looked at Rex who was already giving her a wry smile. "Coronation! It's your coronation day, and you haven't wake us up yet?!"
"All of you are sleeping soundly, what do you expect me to do?" Rex replied innocently.
However, this made Evelyn groan in annoyance and immediately sprung up from the bed.