CHAPTER 121: HE... SAW HER AGAIN... YET SHE WAS NO LONGER HIS.

"Caught you!!"

Leo’s eyes widened in shock. Lifting up, he saw... Ophis!

Her hands trembled with strain, but her teeth clenched hard as she pulled him up with raw strength. Leo’s body lifted, scraping against the stone edge before collapsing down beside her.

Thud!

Leo gasped, sucking in the air as if his lungs had been starved, chest heaving in painful rhythm.

Ophis stood over him, staring down into the darkness of the hole. Her eyes narrowed as she saw her father’s silhouette clawing his way upward.

Just as she raised her hand, sharp claws and ready to sever the rope—

Dracula’s eyes glowed like burning embers. "Help... me... Daughter." His voice shook, soft yet piercing, a strange blend of pain and something else.

Something Ophis had never known from him... Affection?

A sound that resembled love... a love she had never once received from him in her entire life.

Ophis froze. Her eyes widened, staring blankly at the man she once called father.

Leo, panting heavily on the ground, felt his stomach twist. He gulped hard. "O-Ophis?" he croaked, noticing her hesitation, his heart pounding in dread.

But she didn’t answer.

"P-Please..." Dracula’s gaze pleaded, crimson eyes shimmering, the faintest echo of a father’s desperation.

"...." Ophis’s face darkened. Her trembling lips tightened into a snarl and,

"I don’t have a father anymore!" she screamed, swinging her arm. Her nails slashed downward in one swift motion, snapping the rope apart with a violent rip.

Snap!!

Ophis’s chest heaved as her gaze followed... Dracula tumbling down, his body twisting, vanishing into the abyss along with the rope.

For one fleeting second, her body twitched, as if her instincts screamed to dive down, to help him, to reach out one last time. But she didn’t move. Her legs stayed rooted, her face stone cold as she watched him fall into the endless underground.

Leo slumped back, breath ragged, a wave of relief crashing through him. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if she had saved her father, claiming it was her duty, or some bullshit like that.

Ophis’s head turned sharply... Leo froze.

"O-Ophis?" he whispered, his voice cracking, his body instinctively recoiling.

She gave no reply. Instead, she stepped closer, slow and deliberate, her face lowering until it hovered inches from his. Her lips parted, fangs gleaming under the moonlight.

Leo’s throat went dry. He gulped, muttering under his breath. ’Holy shit—’

Flick~

"Ouch!"

Leo groaned when Ophis flicked his nose with an annoyed expression, "I cannot believe you came to save me! What the heck is wrong with you? Didn’t I say don’t be a hero!! Look at you... y-your body..." Her fists clenched as her gaze traced over him, his body riddled with wounds, his clothes scorched and burned.

Though she might not have known the full extent of what had happened, she could see it—Leo must have suffered through hell.

Leo weakly smiled, blood still on his lips, but softly said, "I cannot leave you... can I?" His trembling hand rose and gently brushed away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

Ophis’s chest tightened. She leaned in and hugged him fiercely. "Y-You idiot!" she muttered, her voice breaking as her arms tightened around his battered frame.

Leo smiled softly, his fingers finding their way through her hair, ruffling it gently despite his pain. "Welcome back..."

A tear rolled down Ophis’s cheek.

"I-Idiot..." she whispered again, her voice trembling, hugging him even tighter. And yet—there was a small, fragile smile forming on her face.

For a moment, no one moved. Then—

"Shall we leave this place now?"

Ophis flinched, her head snapping up as she noticed a cloaked figure behind Leo, moving at last.

"You alright?" Leo asked, loosening the clothes binding them as he looked over.

The cloaked figure nodded weakly. "Kind of... anyway, let’s leave this place," she murmured, slowly pushing herself to stand.

Leo immediately reached out, catching her arm. "I can carry you."

The cloaked figure glanced down at his legs... legs shaking, barely able to support his own body.

Yet... he says he supports?

She was already pissed off by his actions... the only reason she was not lashing out was that he was alive.

She snorted, straightening by herself despite the pain, refusing to lean on him. Leo didn’t argue. With Ophis’s steadying hand, he managed to push himself upright.

They turned as one, giving one last look at the hole where Dracula had fallen.

Then, together, they began to walk away—

Or so they thought.

The cloaked figure suddenly froze, her body trembling with unease. Her golden eyes blazed as they darted to the side.

Something stirred in the distance, the air thick with dread.

And then—

From deep within the forest, a massive surge of crimson light erupted, shooting toward them with violent speed.

A humongous red beam tore across the horizon, splitting the night with fury.

"LIE DOWN!!"

The cloaked figure roared, shoving Leo and Ophis down with all her might as she threw herself over them.

BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!

The explosion ripped through the ground, the force alone enough to send Leo and the others sliding across the stone floor. The sheer pressure of the impact made their bodies rattle, their lungs crushed by the air itself.

For a moment, everything was swallowed in red light, blinding, suffocating, like standing inside the heart of a furnace.

Then, just as suddenly, it began to fade.... The beam thinned, dissolving into smoke and heat.

Leo coughed, blinking through the haze. With shaking arms, he pushed himself up and looked ahead. His breath caught in his throat.

The castle...

The castle was cut clean in half!!

Like a monstrous sword had carved through it as if it were nothing more than a soft cake. Stone, towers, and walls—all sliced, collapsing, caving in with a roar.

The night itself trembled with the sound of destruction.

It wasn’t only the castle that had been destroyed... but the forest too. There was a massive cut carved straight through it, like a path of pure destruction ripped into the earth itself.

Out of that scar, a dark figure stepped forward.

Step...

Step...

Step...

Everyone’s breath halted. Not a single sound escaped, not even the faintest breath, as their eyes locked on the sight.

A short-haired, platinum-haired figure emerged from the smoke, her movements slow, deliberate. She was dressed in deep black clothes darker than the void of night itself, and in her hand she carried a glowing red sword that radiated raw, searing power.[Imgincmt]

Her black armour shimmered faintly under the moonlight, etched with intricate symbols that twisted and pulsed like living runes.

Each step echoed steadily and sharply, loud as thunder in the silence.

She walked like a Queen who carved her own path into existence... one who feared nothing, who commanded everything!

Behind her staggered two men, their bodies battered, wounded heavily. Their blackened forms flickered faintly as though breaking apart, their faces pale with both fear and exhaustion. Their eyes, however, were glued nervously to the woman walking ahead of them.

Ophis’s eyes widened, her voice barely a whisper. "Gluttony?" She froze as her gaze fell on one of the men... her champion.

The cloaked figure immediately reacted, pulling Leo and Ophis aside with sudden force. She pressed them down, hiding them from sight, her body trembling in horror. Her breath hitched sharply, her chest tight with dread.

’W-What are these things?’ her mind screamed. Terror strangled her.

Leo, however, couldn’t take his eyes away. He sat frozen, blankly staring at the black-armored woman.

’I-Is it... her?’ His chest pounded violently, his mind spinning with numerous thoughts.

The group advanced over the broken remains of the castle as though the massive beam had carved them a direct path to the underground. They stopped at the edge of the broken ground, the massive hole beneath them. Without hesitation, they leapt down into the depths... descending toward the broken remains of Dracula.

The vampire lord lay half-buried, his body twitching weakly, barely alive.

"Oh my goodness... he’s barely breathing," Camazotz muttered with a twisted smile, crouching by the unconscious Dracula. His eyes sparkled with cruel amusement as he pinched Dracula’s cheek mockingly. "Never thought I’d live to see the day he ended up like this."

"Let’s take him." Camazotz’s grin sharpened. "The book is connected to him. If we need the book, then we need him alive." He hoisted Dracula’s limp body into his arms before glancing back.

The black-armored woman simply stared at him, cold and silent. Then, with a slow nod, she turned.

As quickly as they had arrived, they turned, preparing to leave with Dracula in tow.

"No—wait!" Leo staggered forward, running towards them from a hiding spot.

"What the hell!" the cloaked figure hissed, nearly shouting as she tried to grab him back.

The group halted their motion... Camazotz and Nergal turned in unison, their eyes narrowing, as they recognised him.

This man... here? Was he the one who had done this to Dracula?

Impossible!!

Surprise rippled through them.

But Leo didn’t even notice them. His gaze was fixed solely on the woman. His lips trembled as a single word slipped out.

"C-Caelindra?"

The woman’s head turned, her face was cracked, like a fractured skin that was leaking with red shimmering particles.

Pure crimson eyes glowed dangerously, piercing into him, stripping him bare with a single look. She scanned him up and down in silence.

Leo’s chest tightened. His voice cracked, desperate, hopeful. "Caelindra... it’s me! It’s Leo!"

He stepped forward, reaching toward her as though closing the impossible distance could bring her back.

But she moved first. The black-armored woman raised her sword, crimson light gleaming off its blade. Its glow shone so brightly it threatened to blind him—yet in the next instant, it flickered strangely, shattering into green sparks that drifted into the air.

She frowned, staring briefly at the blade as though something about it unsettled her. She exhaled a low hum, then turned away without a word.

"W-Wait! Are we really going to leave him like that?" Camazotz asked, unease creeping into his tone as his eyes darted back to Leo, "That man... he’s too dangerous. If he really brought down Dracula..." His voice faltered.

However—

"Our purpose here is fulfilled"

The black-armored woman walked away without even glancing back. Camazotz and Nergal gritted their teeth, but they obeyed, falling in behind her with Dracula’s limp body in hand.

"CAELINDRA!!! I NEED TO SPEAK WITH YOU!!!"

Leo’s voice thundered through the broken castle ruins with desperation. He lunged forward, but the cloaked figure wrapped her arms around him, restraining him with everything she had.

His voice cracked into the night.

"Caelindra!"

But she did not look back.

The shadows swallowed them as they disappeared into the forest.

He had seen her again.

He had seen his pride again.

But... she wasn’t his anymore.

_____

Important Notice⬇️