Chapter 550 - 551: Return of Consciousness [Fixed]
Chapter 550 - 551: Return of Consciousness [Fixed]
Apologies for not updating over the past two days. I needed some time to organize the chapters for [Fallen Chronicles]. Rest assured, I’ll be releasing four chapters today, and the bonuses for the golden ticket will be released tomorrow
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A few moments earlier, after turning into a crimson meteor and entering the domain of the Red Moon Tower, Kalina’s brows furrowed deeply. Her amber eyes were filled with worry.
What caused such an expression on Kalina’s face, the Flame Demon King Inferno wasn’t the presence of the Soul Devouring Demon’s aura in the air, nor the divine power contained within. Instead, it was the overwhelming force of Shadows that seemed to engulf everything.
The power of her mother Yumo had always brought Kalina a feeling of comfort and assurance. However, this power now made her heart race with unease. The energy was unmistakably from the realm she knew, but its concentration and the chilling coldness it carried made it feel foreign to her.
Feeling the lingering nauseating divine power in the air and looking at the scorched earth below, scarred from a great battle, a bold speculation began to form in Kalina’s mind.
"Sister Youlan, could it be..."
Thinking this, Kalina further unleashed the power within her. The overwhelming strength symbolizing the Flame Demon King surged from the sky. With this formidable propulsion, Kalina quickly arrived at the center of the battlefield, right in front of the towering crimson structure.
The moment she approached Red Moon Tower, with her heightened senses, Kalina quickly detected two faint presences on the ground below. Her amber eyes looked downward. Reflected in her gaze were two somewhat familiar figures lying amidst the ruins.
These two were Anfrere, the left guardian of Red Moon Tower, and Ophelia, the heavenly apostle of Asumos Church. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say Ophelia was the right guardian of Red Moon Tower. These two renowned level 8 powerhouses were now severely injured, drenched in blood, with their magic and holy energy nearly depleted, lying barely alive amidst the ruins. Half of Anfrere’s body was a bloody mess, while Ophelia had lost her lower body...
The fact that they were still alive was a testament to the formidable vitality of level 8 beings. Any ordinary person with such injuries would have met their end.
Shock flashed across Kalina’s eyes.
Of course, her astonishment wasn’t about how these two level 8 could be so badly injured. It was about how they were still alive. However, Kalina quickly found the answer.
"Is that... the Aken Stone?"
Noticing the colorful magical barriers lingering around the two guardians, Kalina’s eyes flashed with realization. It seemed that the ’Aken Stone’, a top-tier one-time protective artifact, had played its role, safeguarding their souls and vital parts.
Furthermore, they probably hadn’t directly attacked her mother earlier and didn’t fall under the ’to-be-killed’ category...
Kalina quickly made a judgment in her heart.
In the past, when faced with two Level 8, Kalina would not have missed an opportunity to deal with them. Almost every human or any other race posed a threat to the abyssal demons, especially to her beloved Mother. It was a given to swiftly eliminate such threats. If two Level 8 appeared before her, critically wounded, Kalina would not foolishly adhere to her inner knight’s code. Instead, she would kill them without hesitation.
However, this time, after casting a complex glance at Ophelia and Anfrere, Kalina looked at the massive crack in the middle of Red Moon Tower. She felt the terrifying aura of her beloved Mother seeping out.
The redhead held her breath, turned into a streak of red light, and rushed into the tower.
In an instant, thanks to her perceptual speculation, Kalina had a clear understanding of the situation. At this moment, she frowned.
"I can’t sense Sister Youlan’s presence..."
Despite her confusion, Kalina understood that there was no time for hesitation. As the weight of the crimson shadow in the air grew heavier, her worry intensified.
’If Mother had indeed been driven to this state by Sister Youlan, swift action is needed to soothe Mom, and restore her to her normal self’
’Otherwise, as Mother’s inner power continued to be released, it would become harder and harder for me to return her to the familiar kind, and gentle self’
With these apprehensive feelings, Kalina rushed into the central ritual hall of Red Moon Tower. Upon seeing a black-haired girl with butterfly wings and a cold emotionless eye, a shiver ran down Kalina’s spine. She realized her suspicions were correct. Her beloved Mother had indeed entered this cold and unfamiliar state.
For abyssal demons, being under the control of ’shadow’ and displaying a brutal and ruthless demeanor is their true nature. However, Kalina clearly disliked this. Rather than a powerful and terrifying Mother, what she wanted was a gentle and silly, adorable Yumo!
With that in mind, Kalina stepped in front of Yumo, casting a cautionary look toward the mages of Red Moon Tower behind her, urging them to fall back swiftly. While she bore no particular affection for humans, the knowledge that these people were loyal to her Sister Youlan made her hesitant to see them fall victim to her Mother’s onslaught.
In the same vein, she held a similar attitude towards the two guardians outside Red Moon Tower.
After all, the more she killed, the more it would arouse the bloodlust of the ’Bloody Butterflies’.
Taking a deep breath, Kalina released the Shadow power within her, dispersing the surrounding human magic and aura. With a playful and cute pose, she rushed forward, wrapping her arms around her mother’s arm. With an adorable tone, she sweetly said,
"Mommy, Little Na wants a hug~"
This was a phrase that Kalina often used when she was a child to seek affection from her dear Mother and, at the same time, to divert her attention away from her elder brother.
Upon hearing these words, Yumo, with her emotionless gaze, was slightly taken aback.
Kalina’s own face turned slightly red.
You see,
As she grew up and became a tall and beautiful young lady, in order to maintain her mature and reliable image in her dear Mother’s heart, as well as the image of a stable older sister in the hearts of her younger sisters, Kalina suppressed her desire to act cute deep within her heart.
Therefore,
After a century, when Kalina acted cute toward her dear Mother once more, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of embarrassment from within. Fortunately, her younger sisters were not around at this moment, or Kalina might have felt the urge to dig a hole and crawl inside out of sheer embarrassment.
Of course,
While being cute, Kalina didn’t forget to shoot a warning glance at the mages of the Red Moon Tower behind her, who hadn’t yet retreated. The ferocity and coldness in her eyes seemed to say...
-"Speak of this, and I’ll roast you!"-
After giving the warning, Kalina shifted all her attention to the black-haired girl. The fierce look in her eyes disappeared, leaving only innocence and cuteness, which made the black-haired girl slightly startled. The dark shadows formed by the red butterflies around the black-haired girl suddenly dispersed.
"Mommy, can you give little Na a hug ~"
Kalina continued with her sweet voice, rubbing her face against Yumo’s soft cheek.
A tall, sexy, and hot beauty hugging a relatively petite and cute black-haired girl, and calling her ’Mommy’ made the atmosphere a bit delicate.
The affectionate calls, the familiar scent, and the warmth close at hand kept stimulating Yumo’s senses.
...
...
Under Kalina’s persistent cute acts, the cold aura surrounding Yumo gradually weakened, and the raging red butterflies slowly calmed down.
Yumo’s half-closed, cold, and lifeless crimson eyes, slowly regained their brightness amidst the affectionate calls of ’Mommy’.
’?!’
’Huh?’
"Little... Na? How... how are you here?!"
...
...
’Was that...?’
’Kalina’s voice from when she was a child?’
As this familiar voice reached her ears, Yumo, whose consciousness was blocked by darkness, shuddered. Deep within her soul, memories of the past began to play, like a slideshow. She seemed to see that adorable little girl, who used to perch on the beams of the Demon Temple, constantly acting cute.
"Little Na..."
Lost in a haze, Yumo instinctively responded, her voice filled with deep yearning. She remembered the lovely times she had cared for and raised Kalina. After all, ever since Little Na grew up into a mature girl, Yumo had not heard that childishly cute voice again.
In the past,
Whenever Kalina acted cute, Yumo would lovingly transform her Shadow power into an energy hand and gently stroke the girl’s head or play with her.
....
....
Slowly opening her eyes, she saw the beautiful red-haired child, who had seemingly appeared in front of her out of nowhere. Yumo couldn’t help but show a loving smile. Meeting the child’s expectant gaze, she gently stroked her head with one hand while pulling her into an embrace with the other.
"Good girl~"
With Yumo’s words, the surrounding dark mist began to dissipate, and everything started to feel more normal. The little girl in her arms gradually transformed into a mature and beautiful lady. The haze and daze in Yumo’s crimson eyes faded, and her vision became clear.
Huh?!
’Wait... What...?’
"Little Na...?"
Seeing Kalina, her third Child, who was still acting cute and clingy, Yumo exclaimed in surprise after snapping back to reality. Hearing this familiar call, Kalina paused for a moment.
At that moment,
Kalina realized that her beloved mother had truly returned.
Given that,
There was no need for her to keep up her cute act.
And so,
Reluctantly, Kalina released the black-haired girl from her embrace. Her lively and innocent smile was hidden, and her usual serious face returned. In the blink of an eye, Kalina transformed from a cute little girl back to the dignified, valiant red-haired knight she used to be.
Facing her mother, who had regained her consciousness,
Kalina lifted her battle skirt elegantly and gave a courteous bow to Yumo:
"Good morning, Mommy."