Chapter 14: Chapter 13 - You're All Monsters...

CHAPTER 13

You're All Monsters...

It didn’t take long before Yuriel successfully brought Lee Jihoon and Tie Li up to the riverbank, one at a time.

The two twitched on the ground, weak and dying from pain. Edward quickly activated Faithful Prayer, freeing them from the suffering.

Meanwhile, Yuriel was back to Celosia’s side. She took out a black robe and covered the girl with it. Then she knelt on the ground, pressing her fingers on the wrist of the ‘patient’, checking her condition. Yuriel glanced at Lee Jihoon and Tie Li, who had at some time fallen unconscious, then at Edward—who had finished helping the two.

“Pray again for your ex.” she said. “I’m continuing the treatment.”

Edward’s mouth twitched at the words ‘your ex’. But he still nodded. He closed his eyes, Faithful Prayer activated once again.

Yuriel brought Celosia to lean against a nearby nock, then mouthed,

Don’t say anything.

Celosia was confused, but didn’t say anything and nodded.

“Hold these...” Yuriel took out three small white vials.

Then, using her nails, she cut her left wrist. Blood immediately gushed out. Celosia looked at her, but Yuriel just smiled and gestured her to be silent.

She let her blood drip into a vial. In just a few seconds, however, the wound closed. So she cut it again. And again. Until all three vials were full. She then sealed the vials with golden corks and put them in her spatial storage.

After that, she took out a bowl. Handing it to Celosia, she once again cut her wrist and filled the bowl to the brim.

“Drink it.” she said smilingly, face slightly pale.

Celosia’s expression was a bit peculiar. Although she had more than once drunk human blood before, it was her first time being offered a fresh bowl—by a stranger, even. Moreover, she had watched as this stranger continuously cut her wrist to fill the bowl. And she offered it with a smile so warm Celosia might had suspected the dark liquid in the bowl was poison.

“Hurry, before it looses effect.” Yuriel urged her.

In the end, Celosia decided that it would be rude of her to let this stranger’s blood go to waste. She finished the bowl in one go.

Warmth blossomed within her, soaking her every cell in comfort. Her muscles subconsciously relaxed, all the pain and fatigue melting away. Within the next few seconds, she could also feel the cracks in her veins closing rapidly, and a mysterious force strengthened all her internal organs. She let out a long breath she didn’t know she had been holding, eyelids drooping.

“Don’t sleep.” Yuriel chided, then said to Edward behind her, “Edward, protect her internal organs.”

Edward nodded with his eyes still closed. Instantly, Celosia’s whole body shone with a brilliant pale-gold sacred light. And almost at the same time, Yuriel winced in pain. She glanced at Edward, annoyed yet amused.

“And, uh... Just focus on praying over her internal organs—don’t pray for anything else.” she said—she had to, or else her power would become out of control and possibly break the seal, which would be a disaster.

She took a deep, ragged breath and returned her attention to Celosia—and found the girl staring at her. Yuriel avoided her eyes awkwardly.

“I’ll use my power to take out some of the Phlegethon’s power that you can’t bear.” she told her as she sat cross-legged by her side.

Celosia faintly nodded, indicating that she was ready.

Yuriel took her hand, then placed her palm against hers. Once again, purple-gold energy surged, entering Celosia’s body through her palm. Yuriel guided her power to circulate through Celosia’s glowing meridians, coating them with a layer of purple-gold. Then, she circulated her power again. As her power of cosmos coursed slowly, it helped integrate the fierce energy of the Phlegethon with Celosia’s fiery natural energy.

However, in the end, Celosia could only integrate forty percent of the Phlegethon’s power in her body. So, Yuriel circulated her power yet again—this time, the power of cosmos gathered the rest of the Phlegethon energy.

It didn’t take long before the rest of the Phlegethon’s power was brought along by Yuriel’s cosmic power. Carefully, Yuriel willed her power—carrying the Phlegethon energy—back into her own body.

The instant it returned, Yuriel’s heart did one harsh thump. It was really too much—the Phlegethon’s power in itself was already too violent for an ordinary person to bear, and Yuriel already had a part of the domineering power of cosmos in her body to begin with.

But this was also a chance. A chance for her to break through.

Yes—after her awakening, her cultivation had shot up to the peak of the Grandmaster rank. And now, she only needed one little push to break through to the King rank. After that, she will officially enter the ranks of real experts!

But she couldn’t possibly try to break through there—surely, the ancient beings down there would sense her growing power and be allerted.

Opening her eyes, she found Celosia staring at her. With an unsettling gaze. Well. Maybe it was because she was from the Hades Ancient Clan.

“Why did you help me? Who are you?” the girl blurted out.

“I owe you.” Yuriel shrugged.

“But who are you?” Celosia asked again, confused.

“My name’s Yuriel—a Star of Cosmos.” Yuriel said, then patted her shoulder, “Now rest well. You’ve been through a lot.”

She got up, with Celosia’s unsettling eyes still trained on her. Feeling a bit awkward, she quickly approached Edward, who was slumping against a rock—eyes dull and breathing weak. Not much different from when he helped Yuriel awaken her cosmic power. This time he didn’t fall unconscious, though.

“Hey.” Yuriel lightly pushed his shoulder with a finger.

The guy fell to his side and just laid there, not budging an inch. Yuriel chuckled—but the chuckle quickly turned into muffled coughs. The purple-gold energy swirling around her flickered unstably, and for a moment, one could see a faint crown-shaped rune in the center of her forehead—the seal.

“Are you alright?” Edward glanced at her.

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“I’m fine.” Yuriel shook her head, then said, “You should properly recuperate—you have a fierce battle waiting for you in a few hours.”

“What battle?” Edward frowned, quickly bringing himself to sit straight.

“It’s already the last day of the year,” Yuriel shrugged. “In a few hours, you’ll be having a New Year’s Eve party with your relatives—you know better than me what kind of battle might happen.”

Edward fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Who will win?”

“It was supposed to be you, but now... Who knows?” Yuriel smiled. “That’s why you need to properly recuperate and prepare yourself.”

Taking a deep breath, Edward glanced at Celosia, who was looking at him. The girl quickly averted her gaze. Edward revealed a small smile.

“Nothing will change—I will win.” he said, brimming with confidence.

“That’s the spirit.” Yuriel smirked, then handed him a small white vial. “Here, take this—just drink it and secure your throne, future Crown Prince.”

Edward took the vial and inspected it—but the Yuriel’s last few words echoed continuously in his head.

‘Future Crown Prince...’

A determined light flashed in his golden eyes. He looked at Yuriel, nodding firmly. Not wasting any more time, he uncorked the vial and swallowed its content in one gulp.

A peculiar flavor filled his mouth and throat, but before he could think about it further, he was dumbstruck—in just a few seconds, his burnt and shriveled skin and flesh smoothened, all scorched wounds disappearing magically. The miraculous effect didn’t stop there. Every inch of his body—his skin, flesh, blood, and internal organs—all transformed. They became much stronger, so strong that Edward had a feeling he could now crush a boulder with his bare hands without getting injured.

“What’s this?” he asked in awe.

Yuriel just smiled, not answering. She instead pointed at the center of Edward’s forehead, sending a beam of purple-gold light.

“Now replenish your mental power.” she said.

Even if Edward wanted to refuse, he simply couldn’t—the purple-gold energy barged into his spiritual sea unceremoniously, instantly refilling his previously-depleted mental power reservoir. He closed his eyes, silently feeling all the changes, quickly entering a deep meditative state.

Yuriel’s heart thumped painfully yet again, protesting under the pressure of the two different powers—the Crown of Cosmos and the Phlegethon’s. She inwardly sighed—she really needed to strengthen her physique as soon as she could, so that she could safely bear this power that she wasn’t supposed to have yet.

She glanced at Lee Jihoon and Tie Li nearby. They were still lying on the ground, pretty much unconscious from all the pain and fatigue. She sighed. How could she possibly ignore them...?

She took a deep breath to stabilize her chaotic power and went to the two’s side. With a flash, the other two small vials she had filled with her blood previously appeared in her hands. She uncorked them, then let the content trickle down the two guys’ throats. In just a few breaths’ time, their scorched, wrinkly skin smoothened, healing with a speed visible to the naked eye.

Yuriel then put the vials away and raised her arms, sending two beams of purple-gold energy, each at a person’s forehead. It took no time before they woke up, feeling relaxed and refreshed.

Lee Jihoon glanced around, taking in the surroundings dazedly.

“What happened?” Tie Li frowned, confused.

“Why’s your hair... and eyes...” Lee Jihoon’s voice trailed away.

“Oh, don’t mind me—the purple-gold is caused by my cosmic power.” Yuriel grinned. “As for what happened... You two failed to save Edward. Though your courage was commendable.”

Lee Jihoon rolled his eyes. “So, you’re not as heartless as we thought—you still saved us all, in the end.”

Yuriel laughed, then said, “Watch over the others—I’ll be leaving first.”

“Where are you going?” Lee Jihoon quickly asked.

“I...” Yuriel blinked, suddenly thinking of an idea, “Hey, can I lend your cultivation chamber later? I need a save place to break through.”

“What the hell, Yuriel?! Breakthrough? You just had a breakthrough like—a week ago!” thinking about this, Lee Jihoon shivered.

“Yeah, but now I’ve reached the very peak of the Grandmaster rank.” Yuriel shrugged. “So, can I lend the cultivation chamber or not?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just use it.” Lee Jihoon waved off-handedly, still shaken by the news of Yuriel’s upcoming breakthrough to the King rank.

“Then can I use the sparring chamber? I also need a place to break through.” Tie Li suddenly said.

Lee Jihoon instantly froze, rooted on the spot. He glanced at Edward, who was glowing brightly, overflowing with mighty power, and at Celosia, who was also sitting cross-legged in deep meditation and overflowing with power. Then he looked at Yuriel and Tie Li, the word ‘breakthrough’ printed boldly on their faces.

“Monsters,” he muttered. “You’re all monsters...”

“Aren’t you also one, Mr. Hermes?” Tie Li rolled his eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes!” Lee Jihoon grumbled.

“Didn’t I get this habit from you?” Tie Li raised his eyebrows.

“Fine, fine!”

“Yeah, Master of Technology. Don’t belittle yourself.” Yuriel smiled. “Anyway, I need to meditate for a while. You two can watch after the others—and Jihoon... you can also look for your gadgets in the meantime.”

She gestured at some place on the faraway riverbanks. Then her figure turned into a purple-gold line which zipped away, disappearing behind some rocky hills. The others blinked. Her speed was surely... incredible.

“Oh, and I forgot to mention—you do not want to fly above the Phlegethon.” her voice echoed from the distance.

“And what if I do?” Lee Jihoon grinned.

Tie Li stared at him. “Just so you know, brother—being friends with you has been one of the greatest blessings in my life.”

Lee Jihoon rolled his eyes, grumbling something in his mothertongue.

***

Not far away, Yuriel disappeared within a gust of grey fog.

The moment she regained her senses, she was back within Hades’ Palace. The Lord of the Underworld sat on his throne, as gloomy as always.

“Why did you bring me here?” Yuriel’s voice was somewhat strained.

Hades studied her face for a moment.

“You should look at yourself.” he said.

A small mirror appeared in Yuriel’s grip, showing her her reflection. Her purple-gold pupils contracted. The crown rune on her forehead was glowing.

“The seal on my power...” she muttered.

“What were you thinking, Yuriel...” Hades sighed emotionlessly. “You cannot break through in your friend’s place—you simply cannot wait any longer. You must break through right now, or the seal will break.”

“But then they will sense it.”

“Someone is willing to help you.” as he spoke, the space between his throne and Yuriel rippled fiercely—as if an invisible fire was burning there.

“Crown of Cosmos, we meet again...” a melodious voice echoed faintly.

“You are...” Yuriel frowned—the voice was so familiar that it triggered waves of déjà vu, stirring the sealed memories of her future self.

The cosmic power within her roared, and the seal on her power shook violently, threathening to break at any time. Purple-gold majestic energy surged within her, further weakening her internal organs which couldn’t yet bear the power. Under the pressure, Yuriel’s blood almost couldn’t flow. Her heart thumped painfully, strenuously trying to keep pumping blood.

“Come, Crown of Cosmos...” the mysterious voice sounded again.

“Who are you?” Yuriel said in a low voice, frowning in pain.

“My title is Zhuque, and I will help you... And your parents...”

Yuriel’s eyes widened.

Zhuque (Vermilion Bird)? Zhuque as in the Vermilion Bird General? One of the Four Generals?!

A layer of crystal-clear sheen flooded her sparkling purple-gold eyes. In the original timeline, she was supposed to fail to find one of the Four Generals in time, and thus her parents would forever be in a coma, before ultimately dying by the hands of the enemies. But now...

She smiled.

“Please inform my friends. Tell them they can go back without me.” she said to Hades. “And you know... Thank you.”

Her figure rippled like a mirage.

And then, she vanished from view.