Chapter 89: New Life |
Kyle’s congealed soul climbed the staircase once more, advancing toward an even higher place.
Beneath the clouds, the ghost ship floated silently upon the sea, its hull gently rising and falling with the waves.
He was still recalling everything that had just happened.
Hundreds of millions of years ago, he had witnessed the opening of the path of rebirth many times, and had also seen countless extraordinarily gifted individuals.
Some possessed wills that transcended the mortal world and reached sanctity; some refined their spirit and physique to the ultimate sublimation… but a “reborn one” like Kyle had forcibly shattered the boundary between life and death—
He had never seen such a thing before!
Silently, he engraved everything he had just witnessed deep into his soul.
Perhaps these memories would become important evidence or discoveries at some point in the future.
Its “gaze” turned upward once more—toward that continuously ascending figure. He had already drawn close to the edge of the world of rebirth.
Coral Thorn City, located by the coast.
After their full-force outburst just now, Alvaro and Kyle’s subordinates were all somewhat exhausted.
But they were extremely happy, because they could feel that their connection to their Lord had become even closer.
Even if their Lord was in a place no living being could ever reach, they could still vaguely sense His existence.
However, their completely unrestrained outburst had undoubtedly brought an undeserved disaster upon the survivors of Coral Thorn City, leaving them with nowhere to escape.
Because so many powerful individuals released all of their spiritual energy at the same time, the immense pressure far exceeded the limits ordinary people could endure.
Large numbers of civilians “happily” fainted before they even had time to react.
From a certain perspective, this might even have been fortunate for them. At the very least, it temporarily spared them from facing the fear and chaos outside, and from anxiously waiting for fate’s judgment.
By the time they awoke from unconsciousness, all the “disasters” might already have passed.
Even O’Brien seemed to agree with this.
Because although he was currently rescuing people, he did not wake these unconscious ordinary civilians; he merely quietly moved them to safe locations.
Even while treating their injuries, he suppressed the Holy Light so that it would not affect their unconscious minds.
Clearly, before the situation became clear, allowing these people to rest temporarily was the better choice.
While O’Brien took action, many professionals still on active duty also formed groups of two or three and began assisting in the rescue effort.
After witnessing all of this, Gann Cole became reinvigorated and joined the effort to help the injured.
Under his leadership, the president of Coral Thorn City’s Adventurers’ Guild also quickly rallied everyone and took action.
“We need stretchers here!” an adventurer shouted loudly.
“Medics! There’s a wound here that needs emergency treatment!”
“Lift him carefully, his ribs might be broken!”
The adventurers divided the work among themselves. Some carried the wounded on their backs, some busied themselves bandaging and treating injuries, some jumped into the sea to rescue people, while the bards played soft and soothing melodies, dispersing the nightmares of the unconscious while gradually easing the tense emotions of the other adventurers.
At the same time, the members of the Artisans’ Association, who had been hiding all this time, also emerged from their shelters under Mario’s leadership and appeared throughout the streets and alleys.
“Clear the main roads! Prioritize keeping rescue routes open!”
“Go to the nearest hospitals, see if there are any doctors, grab every kind of emergency medicine, and bring them here immediately!”
“Gather all healers, alchemists, and doctors at the central plaza for triage!”
Standing at a high place, Mario rapidly issued orders.
Shouts and hurried footsteps echoed throughout Coral Thorn City.
Suddenly, this chaotic city seemed to regain its vitality once more.
The rescue teams, composed of low-level professionals and ordinary civilians, flowed like blood through the wounded “body” of Coral Thorn City, beginning to “repair” the scarred city.
Everything gradually began to fall into order.
***
On the vast sea far away from Coral Thorn City, ‘The Spray’ gently swayed with the waves.
Holding the baby he had just lulled to sleep, Dean stood alone by the ship’s rail, gazing in the direction of Coral Thorn City.
The sky there seemed slightly brighter than elsewhere, with a faint and strange halo rotating within it.
Silently, he prayed in his heart:
“Teacher, you must return safely…”
At present, the ship was packed to capacity. The deck, the cabins, and even the places originally used for storing miscellaneous items were all crowded with people.
Fortunately, more than half of them were ignorant ones or infants; otherwise, ‘The Spray’ would probably not have spread to so many people.
Zack, the members of his adventurer team, and the sailors were also desperately trying to calm the frightened or sick babies.
“Hey, kid, be gentler! You’re not scrubbing the deck!”
Old Owen fed the baby in his arms goat milk from a clean beer pouch while unable to resist lightly scolding his clumsy subordinate. His wrinkled face was filled with worry.
“I wonder how Coral Thorn City is doing right now…”
Carefully placing the baby he had just coaxed to sleep back onto the mat, Zack wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up. His face showed both exhaustion and confidence.
“Don’t worry, Old Owen! With that lord there, Coral Thorn City will definitely be fine!”
As the only person here who knew O’Brien’s true identity—uh, or rather, one of the only two people who knew O’Brien’s true identity—his trust in the Holy Knight had long since reached the level of blind worship.
Old Owen raised an eyebrow, sensing that something was off.
“You’ve still got information you haven’t told me, don’t you?”
Zack’s movements paused for a moment, only to immediately get sprayed in the face by the baby in his arms. He hurriedly changed the child’s diaper, wiped his face, and then said:
“So what if I do? I’m not telling you!”
Zack’s smug expression made Old Owen want nothing more than to kick him in the face.
“Heh heh, even if you don’t tell me, do you think I can’t guess?”
Old Owen’s expression also changed. A crafty smile appeared on his wrinkled old face, revealing several large yellow teeth that looked nauseating.
“Heh heh, if you don’t say anything, how can I guess? I’ve drifted across the seas for so many years—I’ve still got some judgment…”
He deliberately dragged out his words, trying to trick Zack.
However, he leaned too close. That weathered old face, now carrying a trace of “lecherous” laughter, accidentally looked directly into the eyes of the baby in his arms.
“Waaah! Waaah! Waaah——!!!”
The baby was startled by the sight before it and let out a loud cry. It was as though a signal had been sent, instantly igniting the entire deck.
Immediately afterward, as though infected, the surrounding children—who had only just fallen asleep and had already been somewhat restless—began crying loudly one after another.
“Oh, my little ancestors! Don’t cry, don’t cry!” Old Owen instantly panicked, awkwardly rocking the baby in his arms.
“Quick, see if it’s hungry!”
“Or if the diaper’s wet?”
“Help, I can’t take this anymore!”
‘The Spray’ instantly descended into chaos once again…