TL: xLordFifthPR: Yul, Gort
*****
Gemini didn’t smile. She was always giggling, always with a smile attached to her lips, but not in this situation. Even Gemini couldn’t find a reason to smile now.
She slightly lowered her gaze and pouted, rubbing her interlocked fingers together as if to blatantly reveal the anxiety about what was to come.
Gemini’s expression was comparatively better. Chen and Kuhn, on the other hand, shivered with pale, terrified faces.
Geniella, who sat upon a rock, said nothing.
The full moon she had conjured had not yet set. Under the small full moon overhead, Geniella looked at her kin with an expressionless face.
Beside her laid the stiff corpse of the Sword Saint with a broken neck. No one dared to speak. In that cold silence, only Prescan was set apart.
Prescan sat off to the side, sobbing quietly, worried that even his crying might annoy Geniella.The fact that he couldn’t even cry freely after losing his beloved, the only daughter he had, made it all the more sorrowful.
“…I’m… sorry…”
The unending silence was broken. Kuhn, not knowing what else to do, hesitantly spoke up. It seemed he was driven by fear to muster the courage to speak. Yet, Kuhn didn’t finish.
Whoosh!
A whip of red mana burst forth, smashing Kuhn’s head.
“Stand up.”
Without looking at Kuhn’s crumbling form, Geniella spoke coldly. Kuhn, whose head had been regenerated, staggered to his feet.
Geniella wasn’t the only one receiving the power of the full moon. She sighed deeply upon seeing Kuhn stand.
“I debated whether to kill you or not.”
Geniella muttered, resting her chin on the back of her hand.
“Still, it’s too wasteful to kill you over something like this. Chen, Kuhn. I treasure you a lot. I vividly remember when I first made you my kin. It’s too heavy a history shared between us, to kill you over… Well, not a trivial matter, but nonetheless, it seems petty to kill you for venting.”
“Th… thank you….”
“Yet, I am still angry.”
A faint smile appeared on Geniella’s lips at her own words, causing Chen and Kuhn to tremble vigorously.
They were Geniella’s third and fourth kin, utterly submissive to her.
That’s why they couldn’t help but shiver in this situation. Geniella had ordered them to protect Aine.
Chen and Kuhn failed to carry out that command.
“I am angry. It can’t be helped. Just as it was unavoidable for you to fail my command, my anger is unavoidable because I trusted you greatly.”
Chen and Kuhn remained silent. Geniella clicked her tongue as she looked at the two, her gaze then shifting to Gemini.
“Gemini.”
“Yes, Queen.”
“Was it unavoidable for you too?”
“I never lie to the Queen.”
“But you do play tricks.”
“It’s just pranks. I couldn’t help it either. Doesn’t the Queen trust me?”
“I do trust you, Gemini. My lovely sister. I know well that you half-wish to kill me, but I love you. I know that even though you want to kill me, you love me too.”
Geniella chuckled lightly, causing the corners of Gemini’s mouth to twitch upwards.
“It’s understandable that you hate me. I forced my fangs into you without consent, making you my kin by force.”
“I know the Queen did it out of love.”
“Yes, I did it because I love you. I wanted to possess you completely, now that you’re a vampire. And you feel the same, don’t you? Because you love me, you don’t actually try to kill me.”
Geniella asked with a smile, to which Gemini didn’t respond. Instead, Gemini watched Geniella with a grin curving her eyes.
“So, it’s a love-hate relationship. I can understand the pranks you pull. Including sending the Silent Flash Baek Sogo to the Ghost Spear. And even your gossiping about me to them.”
“Because those pranks don’t pose a threat to you, Queen.”
“That’s right.”
Geniella did not deny it.
“Handing over the Silent Flash doesn’t threaten me. Even if the Ghost Spear learns about my Demon Eyes, nothing changes. Those are things beyond their control anyway. But Gemini, this time was different. We could not afford to lose Aine.”
“…I said it was unavoidable. I didn’t intend to hand her over. I never thought the Ghost Spear would go that far.”
“Yes, I believe you. Because I love you.”
Thud.
Geniella descended from the rock. She took a glance at the splayed body of the Sword Saint.
“What a pity. I wanted to feed it something good.”
“Should we take care of it?”
“No.”
Geniella extended her hand toward the Sword Saint’s body. The body creaked as it shriveled up like a mummy.
Red mist flowed out of the Sword Saint’s pores. Geniella opened her mouth and swallowed the red mist that gathered in her hand.
“It was said to be a negotiation, right?”
After drinking all of the Sword Saint’s blood, Geniella glanced at Gemini and asked.
“Yeah. That’s what was said.”
“It seems you have no intention of killing Aine.”
“What are you going to do? Will you go looking for her? Or will you abandon her?”
“Too much effort has been invested to abandon her now. A negotiation… a negotiation, that is.”
Geniella repeated the word, laughing with a snicker.
“He’s probably in the Forest of the Fairies.”
“Or maybe he fled.”
“If he wants to fight me, he wouldn’t give up the Forest of the Fairies.”
“Maybe he really wants to negotiate?”
“That might be the case, but I will refuse.”
Geniella was very angry.
Gemini could feel it. Despite talking with a smile, Geniella’s insides were not smiling at all.
Gemini inwardly clicked his tongue, thinking of Lee Sungmin. Despite the expectations and everything he had learned and taken care of. He did not anticipate provoking Geniella this way.
“It seems I’ve been too lenient.”
With those words, Geniella turned and began walking down the mountain silently.
Gemini followed her, and Chen and Kuhn hesitantly moved as well. Prescan, who had been wailing, also slowly got to his feet.
“Let’s go see Juwon.”
Geniella said.
“And then, we shall trample the Forest of the Fairies.”
* * *
[It’s obviously better to use the aid of the Fairy Queen if you can. The Vampire Queen is a monster beyond your current capabilities.]
Lee Sungmin knew this very well. Abducting Aine had bought him some time, but the problem was gathering enough strength to confront Geniella within that time.
Simply put.
Juwon would fight the Spear King, Nero would fight the Black Dragon, Chen would fight Baek Sogo, and Kun would fight Yana.
Lloyd and Scarlet would handle the liches and dark wizards. If it comes to the undead, Teresa’s divine power could counter them.
That leaves Lee Sungmin to face Geniella alone.
The odds were slim. Even with Osla’s support, he was not confident in defeating Geniella under the full moon.
Moreover, it’s possible that Geniella might bring more force than anticipated. There’s also mentioned of a werebear named Brock, said to be as strong as Nero.
[You’re very worried. Why? Are you regretting it now?]
“A little.”
Lee Sungmin said with a bitter smile. Just as Wijihoyeon is not made of iron, Lee Sungmin is not made of iron either.
No matter how much he tried to disguise it, he was merely a human struggling to escape his inevitable fate.
He has not attained power that the world would intervene to check, like the Lord of the Same Order or Heoju.
He has almost achieved nothing on his own. Most of what he has was received from others. He does not think his efforts were lacking, but he is also unsure if they’re exceptional.”Why me?”
Lee Sungmin looked up at the sky.
“I would have preferred anyone… I had said. In the end, I’m here by chance, well, not entirely by chance. I fit certain criteria and had the misfortune of ending up here… This is the result. It’s too much for me to handle.”
[Is that a complaint?]
Heoju chuckled. Seongmin nodded.
“Sometimes, I just want to complain. There’s no one else… suitable to complain to.”
That was true. Too much was placed on Lee Sungmin’s shoulders.
The words he had spoken to despairing Baek Sogo.
The words he had spoken to Wijihoyeon, who was trapped in space, wallowing in self-pity.
The words of trust he had uttered.
Despite saying all that, Lee Sungmin couldn’t bring himself to trust his own capabilities. He lacked the conviction that he most certainly, undoubtedly could succeed.
[You have done well.]
Heoju said.
[For someone like you, you’ve managed quite remarkably. Even though fate’s favor was with you, the loss and pain you experienced were real. The training you underwent had meaning. The relationships you were involved in were the same. That’s why you’re here now.]
Heoju chuckled as he remembered their first meeting.
[Back then, you were emotionally incomplete. Slightly out of your mind.]
“Because I had just come out from the spirit realm.”
[Even your physique was abnormal. Like a ticking time bomb, especially since you were emotionally unstable. But you’ve managed to keep yourself together quite logically despite those challenges. The encounters and events you went through stabilized your mind.]
“Not exactly.”
[Parting is inevitable. I won’t tell you not to feel sad, but you can’t drown in sorrow forever either. What this old man wants to say is, all those things have led to who you are now. You are not a meaningless existence.]
Afraid of failure? Heoju asked.
“Of course, I’m afraid. If I fail…”
[It’s over. Although there’s the variable called Wijihoyeon, hmm… I’m not so sure. And for you, failure means death. Even if the world doesn’t end with your death, at least your world would. Are you afraid of that?]
“Yes.”
[Then, will you run away?]
“Where could I possibly run to?”
[I guess, for now, you could stop this futile attempt to prevent the apocalypse and flee. The world might not end anytime soon, so how about enjoying some pleasures for a change? Escape to some glamorous city, and indulge in all sorts of entertainment. Drinking, embracing women, and with plenty of money, trying all the things you’ve never experienced before.]
“I can’t do that.”
[I thought as much. Because you have to prevent the apocalypse. Even out of a sense of responsibility for those who have died before you, you can’t run away. You’re that kind of person. Sometimes selfish, but at times like this, not a trace of selfishness can be found. You’re quite a decent person.]
At those words, Lee Sungmin smiled faintly.
[If you fail, it can’t be helped. I don’t know where you’ll end up after death, but it surely won’t be a bad place. After all, who knows if there’s even an afterlife?]
“I don’t want to die.”
[What do you want me to do? If you don’t want to run away, then you just have to struggle to not die. Don’t worry too much. When you die, this old man will be there with you.]
Not that I’ll die with you, though. Heoju laughed heartily.
“What are you thinking about?”
Baek Sogo asked. Lee Sungmin lifted his head he had been holding down to look at Baek Sogo. Baek Sogo looked at Lee Sungmin with a slightly worried expression and asked.
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
“No… I’m fine.”
“Are you maybe too tense?”
Scarlett, who was sitting nearby checking her gloves with a serious expression, looked up.
“Or are you worried? Worried if what’s happening here could threaten the Little Heavenly Demon in another space?”
“That’s not it.”
“Good. We’ve already confirmed it multiple times. No matter how much we dig up and scout the spatial coordinates here, we couldn’t find any connection to other spaces. It’s doubtful whether your encounter with the Little Heavenly Demon here was even real.” (TN: Little Heavenly Demon = Wijihoyeon’s title)
“I have no reason to lie.”
“That is true. Anyway, there’s no chance that what happens here will reach the Little Heavenly Demon. Lloyd and I have personally confirmed that.”
Scarlet said with confidence. More importantly, Scarlett squinted her eyes and looked up at the sky.
“When is the Queen of Spirits supposed to show up?”
They were in the Sleeping Forest.
*****
TL’s note:
Hi everyone!
xLordFifth here, taking over for Yul as he faces the challenges of life, heartbreaks, and school.
With the help of Yul and Gort, we present you Chapter 380!
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Possessing Nothing