The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic - Chapter 437
Chapter 437: 437
“Hey, you… come here with me.”
“Huh!”
Before anyone could react, Kael grabbed Ariana by the wrist and pulled her aside.
Everyone stared in shock as he pinned her with a sharp, piercing gaze that made her freeze in place.
Alina looked at Emilia with a piercing gaze.
“What happened?Why are you looking at me like that?”Emilia asked with a frown.
“Your boy…He is a playboy throughly.”
“….”
….
“Tell me. What do you know?” Kael demanded.
“That…” Ariana bit her lip, her voice trembling as she looked away.
Seeing her hesitation, Kael sighed and softened his tone slightly. “You don’t need to think so much. I know you have some secrets. I’m not trying to dig into things you don’t want to say.”
He leaned closer, his eyes steady. “Just tell me what you know.”
Ariana hesitated again. She had never been this nervous in front of anyone. But Kael’s steady gaze pressed on her, and after a moment she exhaled shakily.
“This is just the beginning of the destruction,” she said quietly. “By this time, Nightstar might have already started raiding the borders.”
Kael frowned. “Raiding the borders?”
Ariana nodded. “The upper SSS ranks will be trapped here by the Abyssal Cult. And after that, the SSS ranks from Nightstar will appear through the portal.”
Kael’s expression turned completely solemn. His thoughts raced.
‘Now this is some next level shit.’
”Even if I want to do something… what can I do alone against powers like that?’
His jaw tightened.
‘Unless I use the divinity to cater an attack.’
His mind shifted again.
‘But… if things go that bad, there will be a lot of corpses to absorb power from.’
Ariana’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
“When both sides fall into a stalemate…” She swallowed hard. “There will be a summon.”
“And then they will summon an angel.”
“….”
“Wait.” Kael stopped her, rubbing his temples as if his brain short circuited. “What did you just say?” His voice rose. “A summon? What summon?”
“This is a joke, right?”
Ariana shook her head slowly, biting her lip again.
Kael stepped back and dragged his hand down his face. “Damn. Now that’s some serious shit.”
He didn’t even know what to say after that. They both stood silently for a moment, then walked back toward the group.
Emilia was the first to speak, her voice flat as she stared at them. “Have you finished your sweet talk?”
Everyone turned their eyes toward Kael and Ariana, curiosity filling the air.
“What exactly do you mean by serious talk?” Kael asked again.
“Mind telling me? Also, who told you this stupid nonsense?” Kael gritted his teeth and twisted his fist slightly, annoyed by her tone.
“I think we should get out of the city first,” Alina said, drawing everyone’s attention toward her instead.
“Yes. Let’s go,” Kael muttered.
They moved quickly, blending into the chaotic crowd as knights ushered thousands of citizens out of the collapsing city. Screams echoed everywhere, and the ground trembled with every distant explosion.
Knights shouted as they guided people toward the safe routes. Some carried children in their arms while others supported the injured. Hundreds of terrified citizens rushed past, tripping, falling, crying, and trying desperately to run.
“Keep moving!”
“Don’t stop!”
“Stay together!”
The Black Lion Knights surrounded Kael’s group, keeping them in the middle for protection. They didn’t engage in any combat unless required. Their main role was to get them out alive.
But their formation broke suddenly when a horrifying shriek ripped through the sky. Everyone looked up just in time to see a monstrous figure crawling out from the alley ahead.
A man screamed, “It’s a nefarious monster! Run!”
“Hey,don’t panic.”
“Stop..”
The Imperial Knights found it hard to contain the situation as the people started panicking and running amok.
The monster that appeared was like a smaller version of Cthulhu.
The creature’s body twisted and swelled until tentacles burst out from its back and sides. Its skin pulsed like rotting flesh, and its eyes glowed a sickening green. Then it lunged forward.
“He—help! Someone help!”
“Get away from it!”
“No! No, no—!”
People ran in every direction, pushing and shoving as the monster whipped its tentacles out like blades. A young man got grabbed first, screaming as he was flung into the air.
Another tentacle slammed into the ground, ripping through stone and sending debris everywhere. A woman cried as she tripped, her daughter pulling her desperately.
The nefarious ripped through a group of fleeing men. Their screams filled the entire street as they tried to fight back or escape.
“Keep formation!” a knight shouted desperately.
“Don’t let it near the crowd!”
“Push it back!”
Painful roars and terrified cries filled the air as the battle began. Knights clashed with the tentacles, lightning spells and steel blades exploding against the creature’s thick hide.
Kael’s eyes widened when a sudden wave of energy erupted nearby.
“Move!” he shouted.
The wave slammed into a building to their right. The entire structure exploded into dust and debris. Stones crashed down like rain, people shrieked and scattered, and the shockwave nearly knocked them off their feet.
Kael gritted his teeth and raised his arm. “Gare, Handle, Vic!” he shouted over the chaos. “Take charge of the civilians! Move them now!”
“Yes, Commander!” They responded together.
“Black Lion…Just listen to me this time.”Kael spoke coldly.
Thankfully they obliged.
The Black Lions instantly rushed forward. They spread out, creating a path for the people while pushing back the panicked crowd. Their movements were swift and steady, as they protected citizens without engaging the monster directly.
“Stay close!”
“This way!”
“Don’t look back!”
Kael kept glancing at the nefarious while guiding Ariana, Emilia, and Alina through the chaos. Every second felt like the world was collapsing around them.
A deafening crack echoed across the sky as another shockwave rippled outward. Kael shielded Ariana and the others with his arm as dust swept past them. The streets were shaking like they were about to split open.
“Keep moving!” Gare shouted from ahead. His shield was dented, and his breathing was heavy, but he kept pushing through the crowd. “We need to get them out before another one of those monsters appears!”
Handle swung his spear backward, clearing a path as he yelled, “Stay together! Don’t push! You’ll get trampled!”
Vic guided a sobbing child forward, shouting at the civilians. “Don’t scatter! Follow the Black Lions’ formation!”
The chaos didn’t stop. Bodies pushed against each other, screams echoed, and smoke rose like black fog from the collapsing buildings. The sky above flashed with streaks of light and explosions as the SSS ranks fought far overhead.
Kael kept glancing upward. Every explosion sent chills down his spine. The power they were releasing was enough to flatten the entire capital if they weren’t careful.
Ariana tugged his sleeve. “Kael… look.”
In the distance, the ground began to bulge upwards, cracking like a shell. Red veins pulsed beneath the surface.
“What now?” Emilia whispered anxiously.
The bulging ground ruptured with a burst of steam. A large nefarious creature crawled out. It was twice the size of the last one, its body covered in thick, pulsating tentacles. Each tentacle was tipped with a jagged blade-like edge. Its face was a distorted mix of human and beast, its mouth stretching too wide to be natural.
“Oh god…” Alina stepped back in horror.
“Another one.”
People screamed instantly.
“Run!”
“Get away!”
“It’s coming this way!”
Knights rushed forward, trying to intercept it, but the monster roared and swung its tentacles, knocking three knights flying into the rubble.
Kael clenched his jaw. “Gare! Handle! Vic! Keep everyone moving! Don’t stop for anything!”
“Yes, sir!”
A tentacle slammed down where Kael had been standing a moment earlier.
Kael and Ariana’s image blurred as they dodged the attack causing the ground to crack under the force of the strike.
“Kael!” Emilia cried.
“I’m fine! Keep going!”
The nefarious creature let out another roar and slammed its body forward. Buildings shattered under the shock. The streets shook violently.
Kael summoned his aura and let it surge under his skin; he blasted it. Crimson sparks flickered around his hands, and the air cracked from the pressure.
‘Shit… if this keeps going, the whole district will fall apart.’
‘Should I use a bit of divinity?’
He stopped himself.
‘No. Not yet. If I use it recklessly, I’ll bring more attention than help.’
Instead, he pulled out his sword and slashed forward, sending a wave of energy at the creature to stall it.
It shrieked, its tentacles flailing.
Ariana, who had been observing the battle, shouted toward the knights. “Push them through the eastern exit! That route is still stable!”
The crowd shifted direction, though chaos continued. Mothers grabbed their children, elderly stumbled forward with trembling legs, and knights supported the injured as best they could.
A stone tower in the distance crumbled and fell sideways. The thunderous crash made everyone flinch. Dust washed over the area like a sandstorm.
Ariana covered her mouth. “How much longer can the city hold?”
“Not long,” Kael muttered. “At this rate… it might collapse tonight.”
Their group finally reached the curve of the eastern street, where the crowd was being guided into the open plains outside the capital.
Just when Kael thought they might have a short break, a knight ran up to them with blood on his face.
“Lord Kael!” he gasped. “Another wave of monster has appeared near the southern gate! The knights there are requesting backup!”
Kael’s face darkened. “The southern gate too?”
“Yes, sir! They’re pushing in from every direction!”
A new explosion erupted behind them. The sky flashed red for a moment, then a wave of fire shot upward, twisting into a giant flaming spiral.
The entire sky was lit up by a blast of light shaking through the heavens.
“That came from the Colosseum,” Alina whispered.
Kael looked up, squinting as more streaks of light danced across the sky.
‘I hope the Dukes can still hold on… because if one of them falls, we’re dead.’
Just then, the ground shook again—this time more violently. A beam of light shot through the sky, splitting clouds apart. The SSS ranks above had unleashed another full-power clash.
…
Far away, on top of a shattered stone wall, a woman stood silently.
Her long cloak fluttered in the hot wind. Her eyes were dark, reflecting the explosions erupting across the capital. The faint glow in her pupils flickered with amusement and chilling calm.
“So,” she murmured, her lips curling slightly. “It’s finally beginning.”