area51novel Chapter 196: Carnage
Chapter 196: Carnage
Knull had never known peace.
Its skies had always churned like a wound that refused to close. Black rivers flowed uphill.
Mountains crawled across the horizon over centuries, dragging entire forests of bone with them.
Countless creatures hunted and devoured one another beneath a ceiling of living darkness.
That was normal.
The screams were normal.
The blood was normal.
The endless hunger was normal.
But today, something was wrong.
A massive creature which could easily shatter cities and flatten human towns, staggered through a valley of shattered skulls. Half its body had been ripped away during a territorial battle days ago.
It should have regenerated.
It didn’t.
The wound remained open.
The creature collapsed, clawing at the ground as panic overtook its instincts.
For the first time in its existence, it felt death approaching.
The absolute end.
Not the familiar cycle.
Not the temporary end that would drag it back into existence days later.
The creature shrieked.
Across Knull, countless others were doing the same.
The resurrection pits stood silent.
The flesh lakes no longer birthed new monsters from their depths.
The two resources have stopped responding, their survival instincts overwhelming their natural role.
And the affect wasn’t on what was living or moving.
Eggs larger than houses cracked open only to reveal stillborn horrors that never moved.
Entire breeding colonies descended into madness.
The cycle had stopped.
Death had abandoned her duties.
And Knull was breaking apart.
A colossal beast crashed through a mountain range as its body rotted while it still lived. Chunks of flesh fell from its bones with every step.
It howled toward the sky.
No mercy was allowed.
In the distance, armies that had been ambushing the other side one after another for centuries ceased their movements.
The dead remained dead.
The survivors stared at the corpses scattered around them.
Then they began dragging the bodies away.
Some attempted to feed them to the spawning pits.
Nothing happened.
Others threw them into rivers of corruption.
Nothing happened.
Time went by.
The corpses piled higher.
The stench spread.
Fear followed.
Some clawed at the earth itself, desperately trying to reach the roots of the realm where new life was supposed to emerge.
There was nothing there.
Only emptiness.
Kings surrounded themselves with armies.
Tyrants built fortresses.
Monsters that once laughed while charging into battle now counted every wound.
Every lost limb.
Every drop of blood.
Because every injury might be permanent.
The realization spread faster than plague.
Death was angry.
And she was no longer balancing the three realms.
She was here to end one.
The dark clouds spread even farther, swallowing land after land and turning them into eternal graveyards.
Nothing was spared today.
Just then,
[Tharos?]
The clouds trembled.
The one controlling them, the woman cloaked in darkness, suddenly froze.
[Tharos? Can you hear me?]
She had shut herself away from every voice, every prayer, every plea.
Yet she could not ignore this one.
[If you’re there and not responding to me, then I’m going to be pretty mad.]
"K-Kyle?"
The residents of Knull heard it.
A trembling voice.
No...
The voice of a nervous girl.
[Where are you? Why do you sound different? Did you get into a fight with someone? The system told me you picked a fight with people. Well, I can barely imagine you fighting anyone. My cute Tharos isn’t like that, is she?]
[The other viewers in the chat have been blocked.]
The system notified her, but Tharos could still see what they were saying.
Panic gripped her.
He couldn’t find out.
He couldn’t know what she had done.
Millions were dead.
No.
Kyle must never know.
"Kyle... I’m a little nervous."
[Then talk to me. Tell me what’s bothering you, and as always, I’ll find a solution.]
At that moment, Tharos received a personal message from Odin, who had finally managed to establish a mental connection with her.
’The situation has been taken care of. Just stop now.’
She frowned.
’If you’re lying...’
’You can see it yourself. Fate answers to you before any of us. That’s why you arrived here before the rest of us.’
His reasoning was sound.
She could already see the threads of fate shifting before her eyes.
That’s why, "I will stop now."
...
Kyle exhaled a sigh, "She sounds calmer now."
He didn’t fully understand the situation, but he knew she had been furious.
A long time back something similar happened. At that time she had barely spoken at all. It had taken hours of him talking to her before she finally calmed down.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem nearly as upset this time.
[Kyle... what if someone tries to hurt those close to your heart?]
Kyle didn’t need long to think.
"I’d just remove them from my life or walk away."
[This message has been blocked.]
Tharos: [Hmm? Did the system block your voice, Kyle? You said something, right?]
Kyle tilted his head.
This had happened before, but he had assumed it was a problem with the microphone.
But now?
Tharos: [Just as I thought, this system needs to be replaced.]
[Host, save me!]
Kyle chuckled.
"Don’t be too harsh on the system, Tharos. Anyway, as I was saying, if something is bothering you, stop giving it your attention. I once had a bully who used to call me a giant, an oaf, and all sorts of things. I had two options: beat him up or ignore him."
Tharos: [You ignored him, Kyle?]
"Yeah."
A grin tugged at his lips.
"But only after beating him up."
He gave a playful wink.
"You know, some people need to be reminded of their place every now and then."
Tharos: [That’s what I did. So... did I do well, Kyle?]
Kyle smiled faintly.
"If it made you feel better, then yeah. You did well."
His voice softened.
"My good Tharos."
Tharos: [Kyle... I love you.]
Kyle chuckled.
"I love you t..."
His words died midway.
The door suddenly burst open, and two women stumbled through it, crashing into the room before collapsing on top of each other.
Kyle let out a long sigh.
Without hesitation, he ended the stream before turning his attention toward the pair.
Resting his chin on his palm, he looked at them for a moment.
"My house. My room. Yet somehow, I have no privacy."
Veronica and Amanda slowly untangled themselves and got to their feet.
One looked embarrassed.
The other looked ready for an argument.
Before Amanda could open her mouth, Kyle raised a hand.
"Before you ask who I was saying those words to, let me explain."
He leaned back slightly.
"There’s a kid on my livestream, and she was having a rough time. I was just trying to cheer her up a little."
Amanda’s raised finger slowly lowered, whatever argument she had prepared dying before it could even begin.
Shaking his head, Kyle said, "Well, I should still apologize for leaving you two alone like that. I mean, I’m supposed to be taking care of you both, and I..."
"It’s not a big deal, Kyle," Veronica assured him. "We enjoyed each other’s company."
Kyle’s eyebrows rose slightly as he turned toward Amanda.
The raven-haired girl nodded.
"You were right about a few things..." she admitted. "And I’m glad you invited her over."
A smile appeared on Kyle’s face.
"That’s good to hear."
He stretched lightly before asking,
"Now then, do either of you mind some ice cream? I’m suddenly craving something sweet."
[Host... high-calorie intake...]
’Zip it. I just saved the world, didn’t I?’
The reply came instantly, carrying more amusement than anything.
Ignoring the system’s protest, Kyle got up and joined the two women.
Haah...
What a day.
°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.