Chapter 182: East Anekta Crisis (21)

Sylvia was desperately calling for her master.

Eden couldn’t hear her.

He could barely hear anything at all.

A high-pitched ringing filled his ears, drowning out every other sound. It was so intense that it almost seemed to vibrate inside his skull, accompanied by a dull, throbbing pressure that made it difficult to distinguish between his own heartbeat and the distant rumbling of the collapsing building.

[Master! Can you hear me?!]

Sylvia’s voice reached him through their mental connection, but it was little more than a faint disturbance. He couldn’t make out the words. Couldn’t even tell whether it was her or someone else trying to reach him.

He tried to respond.

Nothing came.

His body was in terrible condition. Nine broken bones, at the very least. Several of his ribs had been crushed, and the pain radiating from his chest made every breath feel like he was inhaling shards of glass. His left leg barely supported his weight, while his right arm hung loosely at his side.

Even Ferocious Evolution was struggling to keep up.

The crimson energy surrounding him flickered intermittently, crawling over his body in thin, unstable streams. It was repairing what it could, but there was simply too much damage. Every second spent healing was another second draining the little Essence he had left.

Still, the skill continued working.

Bone slowly reconnected. Torn muscles tightened. Blood vessels sealed themselves.

It wasn’t enough to restore him completely, but it was enough.

Enough to stand.

Eden planted his hand against a nearby wall and pushed himself upright. His knees nearly buckled immediately, forcing him to lean against the wall for support. He remained there for several seconds, his head hanging low, trying to convince his body to cooperate.

Then he took a step.

His leg trembled violently.

Another step.

He almost fell.

"Haah..."

He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been this exhausted.

His vision was blurred, and the ringing in his ears refused to subside. He wiped the blood running down his forehead, leaving a dark red streak across his cheek, before finally lifting his head.

Only then did he notice the people.

Dozens of them.

They were scattered throughout what appeared to be a large conference floor, many huddled together behind overturned furniture and whatever other objects they could find. Some were injured. Others were simply sitting on the floor, staring into nothing, too terrified to move.

A woman was holding two children against her chest. Both were crying, while their mother repeatedly whispered something to them, desperately trying to reassure them.

A few meters away, an elderly man was clutching his wife’s hand. Several others were praying.

They were civilians.

People who had come to East Anekta for the auction. People who had expected an evening of expensive purchases, business negotiations, and entertainment.

Instead, they had found themselves trapped in the middle of a massacre.

Eden stared at them for a moment.

He couldn’t hear their crying.

Couldn’t hear their prayers.

Couldn’t hear anything.

But he understood.

They were afraid.

And judging by the direction they were looking, they had already seen what was coming.

The floor trembled.

Eden frowned.

At first, he assumed another section of the building had collapsed. However, the vibrations continued, growing stronger with every passing second. Dust fell from the ceiling. Cracks spread across the walls, and several windows shattered simultaneously.

The woman holding her children tightened her embrace.

Someone screamed.

Eden slowly turned his head.

The entire skyscraper was shaking.

No.

Not the skyscraper.

The entire island.

A massive tremor rippled through East Anekta, causing buildings to sway and the ground beneath them to fracture. Far below, the ocean churned violently as enormous waves crashed against the coastline.

And then Eden saw it.

The Hydra.

It hovered in the sky above the island, its enormous wings spread wide. All three of its heads were lowered toward the skyscraper, their jaws opening as an incomprehensible amount of Essence gathered between their teeth.

Green flames spiraled around the left head.

Purple lightning crackled around the right.

And from the middle head, a dense mass of pitch-black Essence began to form, growing larger with every passing second.

The three energies distorted the surrounding space.

The atmosphere itself seemed to bend beneath their pressure.

Eden could feel it even from this distance.

The Hydra wasn’t merely preparing an attack.

It was gathering enough power to erase everything in its path.

And it was aiming directly at him.

Eden took another step forward.

His body swayed.

He knew what was coming. He knew that there was no way he could withstand an attack of that magnitude. Even if his body were completely healed, he wouldn’t have the strength to stop it.

But he didn’t move away.

He couldn’t.

There were people behind him.

"Eden!"

Someone grabbed his arm.

He turned his head.

Lucy.

Her brown hair was disheveled, her clothes covered in dust, and her eyes were already glistening with tears. She looked at him as though she had just witnessed something she couldn’t possibly accept.

"Eden, what happend here?!"

She tugged at his arm.

He couldn’t hear her.

Her mouth moved rapidly, and her expression grew increasingly desperate. She pointed toward the Hydra, then toward the stairwell, before grabbing his arm with both hands.

"We have to leave! Do you understand?! We have to get out of here!"

Nothing.

The ringing in Eden’s ears swallowed her voice completely.

Lucy shook him.

"Eden!"

He looked at her.

For a brief moment, he could see her lips trembling.

She was crying.

Not because she was frightened of the Hydra.

Because she had found him like this.

Covered in blood, barely standing, with his body so badly damaged that even his healing abilities couldn’t keep up.

Lucy had seen him fight countless times. She knew better than most how difficult it was to make him retreat.

But this was different.

This wasn’t Eden being reckless because he believed he could win.

This was Eden standing in front of something that was about to kill him.

"Please..."

She pulled harder.

"Just come with me!"

Eden looked at her for another moment.

Then he gently pulled his arm free.

"Go."

He didn’t know whether she heard him.

He didn’t even know whether he had spoken loudly enough.

He simply turned away and took one final step forward.

Lucy froze.

"Eden...?"

He stopped.

The crimson energy surrounding his body flickered once.

Then it vanished.

Ferocious Evolution stopped healing him.

Every bit of Essence that had been sustaining his regeneration was redirected inward, gathering around the skill he had relied on more than any other.

[Devour]

His remaining Essence reserves were pitiful. He had spent almost everything fighting the Hydra, and what little remained was barely enough to keep his body functioning.

But it would have to do.

Eden raised his right hand.

A vicious mass of crimson Essence erupted from his palm.

It twisted and writhed like something alive, spreading outward in countless jagged tendrils. The energy rapidly expanded, forming a gigantic, gaping maw aimed directly at the Hydra.

The Hydra’s three heads opened simultaneously.

And unleashed their fury.

A tremendous shockwave erupted across the island, tearing through the surrounding buildings and sending debris flying in every direction. Windows shattered across entire districts. Vehicles were thrown into the air, while the ocean beneath the island was pushed outward by the sheer force of the impact.

Inside the skyscraper, the shockwave struck like an invisible wall.

Lucy and Obsidian were thrown backward.

Lucy crashed against the floor, sliding several meters before Obsidian managed to catch her. The Black Knight’s body slammed into a support pillar, cracking its surface.

The civilians screamed.

Furniture was ripped from the floor. Several walls collapsed, and the ceiling above them began to crumble.

Yet Eden remained standing.

Barely.

His feet dug into the floor as the two attacks collided above him. Crimson Essence surged from his arm, forming an enormous vortex that swallowed the incoming energy.

The Hydra’s attack met Devour.

And for a moment, it held.

Eden’s eyes widened.

He could actually do it.

The crimson maw consumed the outer layers of the Hydra’s attack, devouring the poisonous flames and lightning as they collided with its expanding mass. Even the black Essence beam was being dragged into the vortex.

But the amount of energy was absurd.

Every second, the Hydra poured more power into its attack. The three heads were working together, their combined output far exceeding anything Eden could produce.

His arm began to tremble.

His shoulder felt as though it were being torn apart.

"Ugghhh!!"

Eden screamed.

He forced more Essence into Devour, pushing the skill beyond what his body could safely handle.

The crimson vortex expanded.

For a brief moment, it pushed the Hydra’s attack backward.

But the advantage didn’t last.

The three energies began to overwhelm it, slowly forcing the crimson mass toward the skyscraper.

Eden’s feet slid backward.

The floor beneath him cracked.

His vision darkened around the edges.

He could feel his Essence reserves approaching zero.

’Not yet—’

He gritted his teeth.

’Just a little longer!’

The attack pushed closer.

’I said not yet!’

His body was already falling apart. His bones were barely held together, and his muscles were tearing under the strain. Every instinct screamed at him to stop.

But he couldn’t.

Not while those people were behind him.

Not while Lucy was still there.

"Eden!"

Lucy tried to stand.

The moment she lifted her upper body, the pressure forced her back down. Her arms trembled as she struggled against the invisible weight pressing her into the floor.

Obsidian attempted to move as well, but even his enhanced body couldn’t withstand the pressure. His fingers dug into the floor, leaving deep grooves in the surface.

Neither of them could reach Eden.

Neither could help him.

The collision had created a zone of overwhelming pressure around the building, and anyone who approached would be crushed before getting anywhere near him.

Lucy stared at Eden’s back.

He was still standing.

She could barely recognize the figure in front of her. His clothes were torn, his body covered in blood, and the crimson energy surrounding his arm was beginning to break apart.

Yet he refused to move.

"Please..."

Her voice trembled.

"Don’t..."

Eden couldn’t hear her.

He couldn’t hear anyone.

All he could hear was the ringing.

And then, beneath it, something else.

A voice.

[God’s...]

[I can’t take this anymore.]