Ch.147146. Rain

# 146. Rain

The sky over Eden was still shrouded in dark energy.

The war raging beneath that sky showed no signs of ending.

Despite continuing for about a week, the heat of the battlefield had yet to cool down.

‘This is lasting longer than expected…’

I thought it would end in about a week, but reality proved otherwise.

Still, it was good that the battles had continued without the walls being breached during that time.

“Looks like they took down the dragon too. I was worried about that.”

Bodies of demons and humans were strewn across the ground.

And visible among those corpses was an enormous body.

It was none other than the corpse of a dragon.

How they managed to kill it remained a mystery, but it was certainly fortunate.

‘Fenex… Lilith… Agareus…’

I could visually confirm at least three Executioners, and the number of demons was also tremendous.

They were almost comparable to our army in size.

‘At this rate… they won’t be able to invade by the end of the year.’

A battle of this scale could be considered an early version of the massive battle expected at the end of the year.

And because of that, it would be impossible for them to launch another large-scale battle at year’s end.

“How is it?”

“It’s fascinating.”

I liked how it felt as if I were actually there on the battlefield.

It was definitely different from watching it through a video.

“It feels like I’m actually there…”

“And how is our situation?”

“It seems fine so far? We’ve taken down almost all the monsters they brought, and we’re keeping the Executioners in check…”

From what I could see, the situation was favorable for us.

However, I couldn’t feel at ease.

Human affairs are unpredictable, and above all, I had an unsettling feeling.

‘Why am I so anxious…?’

For some reason I couldn’t understand, the more I watched, the more urgent and anxious I felt.

Despite the situation being positive enough that anyone would think we had the advantage…

“But judging by your expression, you don’t seem fine at all.”

“I don’t know why… but I feel uneasy.”

I wasn’t exactly sure what expression I was making, but thanks to her words, I knew it wasn’t a cheerful one.

‘Please… I hope nothing happens…’

Just as I prayed in my heart, reinforcements from the enemy side entered my field of vision.

And leading that army was a black shadow.

The shadow was so far away it was barely visible, but for some reason, my gaze remained fixed on it.

More accurately, I couldn’t look away.

“That… could it be…”

“What? What’s wrong?”

The malevolent energy I could feel despite not being there in person.

That energy reached me just from looking at that shadow.

Energy of that magnitude.

Even among demons, those who could emit such energy were extremely rare.

At most…

‘No way…’

If it wasn’t Agareus or Lilith, it could only be the person I feared it might be.

Realizing this, I immediately put down the invention.

Then I spoke to the people who were staring at me blankly.

“We’re in big trouble.”

At that moment, a maid suddenly entered the study.

Her presence seemed to explain the current situation.

***

The long, drawn-out battle seemed about to come to an end.

People who had initially fought with murderous intent gradually lost their stamina as time passed.

Sensing the danger, they began to be more cautious.

The battle was about to end without even breaching the walls.

If not for the one who appeared afterward, that’s how it would have ended.

“Looks like we’ve won this time?”

Light smiled, sensing victory in the battle.

Even Agareus seemed to acknowledge this fact.

“You’ve honed your skills quite well… However! Next time, we will surely be victorious!”

“You sure like talking about ‘next time,’ but you’re going to die here anyway.”

The situation was so favorable that no one could refute those words.

Even Rey, who usually disliked boasting, didn’t object.

But after that exchange, a chilling energy enveloped the battlefield.

The sudden appearance of that energy seemed like a rebuttal to Light’s words.

“What is this…?”

Everyone who felt that energy.

People stopped what they were doing and turned toward the direction of the energy.

A group approaching from the distance.

And the massive shadow leading that group.

All eyes focused on that shadow, the source of the energy.

“Ah… no way…”

“How… how long has it been…?”

Light shook his head at the unpleasant thought that crossed his mind, while Agareus, for some reason, wore an ecstatic expression upon seeing that shadow.

Both men predicted the same identity for that shadow.

“His Majesty…”

“The Demon King…”

The identity of the shadow they predicted.

That being’s name was Bael.

The king of the Babylon Kingdom and also known as the strongest demon, a monster.

That monster was approaching this place.

“Why is that monster here…”

Some humans seemed to lose their fighting spirit due to the overwhelming energy he emitted, while the demons had the opposite reaction.

“His Majesty has come to the battlefield…”

“Is this for real!?”

“We’re witnessing a historic moment!”

Bael’s appearance, which even the demons hadn’t expected, reignited their morale that had been plummeting.

“Everyone, keep fighting! We… can win! We can win!”

“With His Majesty here, of course we’ll win!”

The demons were confident of victory with Bael’s arrival.

The humans, on the other hand, had the opposite reaction.

“We’re finished… we’re done for…”

“Is this real…? It’s a dream, right?”

And Lilith, a demon, also had a reaction similar to the humans.

‘Why is he here… why?’

Lilith’s plans were completely derailed by his appearance.

So Lilith spoke to the woman in front of her.

“Hey, human.”

“Huh?”

“Run away.”

“What…?”

“Run away right now…”

There was still some time before he would arrive here.

If they started running now, they could escape.

After all, Bael wasn’t particularly skilled at pursuit.

“It’s still okay, quickly take them and run.”

“Why are you saying this…”

“Shut up and hurry.”

She could say this because only Karina was nearby.

Karina was puzzled for a moment about why Lilith would say such a thing, but there was no time to ponder that now.

“Get out of here now! You stupid girl!”

Lilith’s urgent voice.

Only after hearing that voice did Karina start to move.

“Finally, you understand…”

Having come to her senses, Karina took Chris, Eve, Rachel, Reina, and Reicle and fled inside the walls.

The children being pulled by Karina’s hand were still worried about those left on the battlefield, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

“Shut up and run! These kids must survive no matter what!”

“Wait! What about the people over there!?”

“They’ll manage on their own. You just need to think about yourselves.”

Karina urged them as she turned back toward the battlefield.

“Don’t think about coming back, just go quickly.”

“Then… what about you, sis?”

“I’ll handle myself. It’s not your concern.”

“Sis! Wait…”

After saying those words, Karina immediately left.

Rachel tried to stop Karina from heading to the battlefield, but Karina was already running toward it.

“S-Sis…”

“Hey, come on quickly.”

“Are we really just going to leave like this? With all those people there?”

“Do you want to die?”

Reicle, maintaining his composure even in this situation, looked at them and said:

“If we go, we’ll just die for nothing.”

“But still…”

“But what? If you want to die here, just go. I’m going to survive.”

With those final words, Reicle turned his back on the battlefield.

They had no choice but to agree with him and follow.

So the children hurried their steps to escape from Eden.

‘Please… survive…’

Rachel looked back at the battlefield with eyes full of lingering attachment, muttering to herself.

She thought of that boy who wasn’t here now but must be somewhere in this world.

‘What would Albert have done…?’

***

Silence hung over the battlefield.

Very few people still maintained their composure in that battlefield.

“Hey, Light.”

“Huh…?”

“If I hold him off, can you all escape?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“That’s the best option.”

Even though Bael might lack pursuit skills, it would be dangerous if no one stopped him.

Moreover, it wasn’t just Bael.

There was also Fenex, who was skilled in speed, and Lilith, who could completely conceal her presence.

“Hey… are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious. Do I look like I’m joking?”

“Then what about your son? Your family…?”

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Huh…?”

The sincere tone.

Light seemed taken aback by Rey’s tone.

“Please, and Reicle will guide him well on his own.”

Saying this, Rey advanced one step at a time.

His figure, sacrificing his life for others, was sufficiently admirable.

And at the same time, pitiful.

“Tell my son I’m sorry.”

With those words, Rey activated his unique skill, [Limit Break].

Bearing everything alone, he barely supported his increasingly heavy shoulders as he moved forward.

And at that moment, a drop of water fell to the ground.

Looking at it, Rey murmured:

“Seems like it’s starting to rain…”