Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power Chapter 440: Ashes and dust and smoke

Rea and Kaden gazed upon a landscape shrouded in ashes. Hissing smoke and swirling dust spat and howled without end.

Their thoughts grew numb, utterly stunned, with faces pale like the desolate environment nearby.

That was all that lingered in the vicinity.

A sense of wrongness gripped them, as though reality had been torn from their familiar grasp and thrust into an entirely unfamiliar one.

A realm devoid of any innate awareness to survive or explore it, much like an infant discovering the world for the very first time.

The jolt from their abrupt shift in location hadn't faded when movements started stirring nearby.

Ashes and dust lifted toward the heavens, accompanied by piercing shrieks and wails that echoed everywhere, shaking the bones and hearts within their bodies.

The ashes twisted and spun into form, birthing grotesque monsters from their midst. These creatures had distorted shapes, with maws protruding jagged, spear-like fangs.

In their gazes, it seemed a tempest of grit raged—insane, furious, and profoundly tormented.

A chill seeped into their very marrow.

"Rea!!" Kaden's cry of alarm just barely pulled Rea from her stupor.

She drew in a sharp, agonizing gasp—only to instantly regret it when the dust invaded her lungs, triggering a fit of coughs that felt fatal.

Turning to face Kaden, she sensed the entire world crumbling around her.

Kaden stood on the verge of being encased, his True Soul Core transformation only just commencing.

Her ruby gaze locked with the crimson, star-flecked eyes of her betrothed, revealing his terror and anguish at abandoning her in this alien realm.

"I am sorry!" Kaden yelled, his head the sole part still visible, "Please, hold on! It will—!"

His words cut off unfinished as the cocoon sealed shut. With the process underway, halting it was impossible.

Rea came to understand her solitude now, bereft of both Einar and her fiancé, in a domain where death's cold grasp truly tugged at her heels.

The terror that overtook the God-Touched in that instant was beyond most people's grasp. So intense and instinctual, that for anyone other than Rea...

...they might have stood paralyzed, shattered even before the danger struck.

Yet Rea carried blessings from Fear, Sorrow, and Pain. A divine presence dwelled inside her. Regardless of the drawbacks that came with it, the benefits proved irrefutable.

Thus, she positioned herself before Kaden, her form growing stronger through surges of fear, eyes fixed on the bizarre creatures closing in.

"Sorrow bless me," Rea whispered, her pulse thundering in her ears, "This is when I'll require your help, useless goddess."

Her tone trembled. She awaited a reply from the Woeful One, yet none came to Rea.

Oddly enough, the goddess appeared to withdraw further into her consciousness, as though eager to avoid this realm of ash and dust.

This only amplified her dread, leaving her no choice but to battle, beseech the heavens, and wish for Kaden's metamorphosis to end swiftly.

In a flash, Rea's focus snapped back to the peril at hand, as the beasts charged with savage velocity.

Her jaw tightened firmly, assuming a combat ready pose,

"Sorrow’s breath." She swore, her figure then enveloped in an explosive, wailing, desolate gray radiance.

...

"Ouah!! Who are you?" Loup bellowed at full volume, staring at the youthful lad perched on a decayed seat before him.

His lupine stare held confusion, vaguely recalling that a woman had guarded his slumber; not some male figure.

Then who was this individual with such an eerily captivating grin?

"You wound me, Loup." White replied, his grin unwavering, "I figured you weren't the type to judge by looks."

"This voice, this manner of talk..." Loup murmured, his eyes gradually expanding, "Could you truly be...?"

"Naturally, I'm your rescuer." White declared with zeal, "Or would you rather see my female form? Simply ask, I've got a vial of a pure maiden's blood ready."

"Virgin what?" Loup questioned, then shook his head right away, "No, I don't care to learn. Keep it to yourself."

"Wise decision. Revelations aren't always gifts."

"You seem far too youthful for words like that."

"Silliness lies in thinking age alone grants insight." White smirked, his pale eyes shimmering oddly, "True wisdom comes from experiencing profound moments and drawing lessons from them, not merely aging into bitterness and irritability."

"What experiences have you had, then?" Loup shot back defiantly, now viewing White as a competitor of sorts, "I've gone through plenty myself!"

"You haven't gleaned much from yours, that's clear."

"You—!"

"Chatter ends here, Loup." White interjected, pressing a finger to his perpetual smile.

Loup had never witnessed White sans that smile. Nor had anyone else, for that matter.

No one. At least, none who still drew breath.

"My duty was to enlist you." White went on, "That's accomplished. But I vowed to grant your vengeance first. I'll aid you accordingly. That said, dawdling isn't an option."

He shuddered slightly, "By the Harvester’s bloody grin, I dare not have The Seer breathing down my neck."

"Who's The Seer?"

"You'll meet her upon our return to base. Just know this: nothing's more idiotic than defying the Crimson Seer."

White's smile grew rigid, "Well, by the Harvester’s breath, mind if I bring along a chatty chronicler?"

"You're baffling me." Loup muttered, scanning his shabby, barren dwelling.

Suddenly, his eyes bulged as a memory surfaced. He sprang upright, grabbing his garments and donning them hurriedly.

White eyed him curiously, "Got a plan for what's next, Newbie?"

"Why call me newbie?"

"You lack a proper moniker yet. Only the Seer and Harvester bestow those. Until then, Newbie it is."

Loup merely grumbled, then added, "My grandmother mentioned she'd ordered a weapon made for me. One suited to my awakening."

His words wavered briefly, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on,

"I need to claim it. It's the final memento from her."

White gave a curt nod, indifferent at heart, "So where's this weapon located?"

"In the forges belonging to The Second Queen, Daggy Fenrir."

—End of Chapter 430—