CHAPTER 140: | AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF DESPAIR
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The scenery unfolding before their eyes was nothing short of a massacre. The spear of Theodore were masterfully wielded, cutting through the Seventh Scriptured Armor of the private soldiers in full, sweeping arcs.
Shhhk!
To Hera, who understood better than anyone how durable those armors were, the sight was mind-numbing, the very plates renowned for their unmatched defense-armors that should have withstood a siege-were carved through like softened butter in a single, effortless stroke
The situation felt completely hopeless to Hera, more so when her dear husband was the first to be bisected by his spear she trembled even more.
She remembered the terror visible in his eyes as Theodore’s spear tore through his Ninth Scripture Armor, an armor so heavily fortified it possessed the durability of a grand protection formation, capable of fending off a beast wave of 'Stage 3 Sovereigns' like they were nothing.
To be cut so carelessly meant that Theodore had the capability to wipe their ranks in an instant, yet, he did not do so immediately.
instead, he danced across the ground, his spear thinning their numbers with every passing second, while his eyes were locked with hers, Hera felt fear extreme fear for the first time in her life.
Her instincts wanted nothing more than to flee from this hell, but she knew Theodore wouldn't allow it, those cold crimson eyes that stared through her soul saw nothing more than a war trophy waiting to be claimed.
Hera felt creeping goosebumps rise on her skin, she clenched her teeth and shouted, rage, fear, and desperation all fighting for dominance in her expression.
"Y-you! Do you not fear the wrath of the one true Lord of the South? Do you not fear the son of the True Emperor of this lake, Theodore?! I am Hera, the one and true Queen of the western part of the South! I am under His Excellency Ziegfr..."
Her shouts were admirable to those who could hear them, to have the courage to be this haughty in the face of death was a feat in itself, but there was no one left to hear her, her soldiers had been wiped out before she could even realize it.
Her words choked off, the sentence unfinished, as Theodore’s claw seized her neck and lifted her into the air, then he stared straight into her eyes, smiling softly as he muttered in a bone-chilling voice.
"Would His Excellency Ziegfry really care about some incompetent subordinate’s death when I, the mightiest of the Crab Expanse, swear my allegiance to him?"
Theodore studied her expression for a while before continuing.
"Threatening me with someone stronger won't work here, Hera. If I simply swear my allegiance, he, the logical and practical son of the Bearer of Pride, would let bygones be bygones. After all, why would he care for the dead?"
Hera gulped, her attempts to threaten him had gone down the drain, she didn't expect that he wasn't stupid as he seemed she clenched her jaw harder, upon this realization and reflected at this oversight.
She sighed then stared right through him without any fear, she wasn't wasting this chance to live, just because she believed that she's above him, since she knows that the world didn't revolve around her will just because she willed it.
So instead of weeping, Hera steeled her resolve with the resolve to die, upon her observations to Theodore she knows that hes missing something that she knows, she clenched her teeth nervous, then shouted.
"I-I know the method for you to form the Nascent Soul, Theodore!"
Theodore frowned, loosening his grip slightly.
Hera breathed a sigh of relief and smirked, she now knew that Theodore lacked the critical information to fully form his Nascent Soul. But before she could negotiate further, Theodore grabbed her by the hips and lifted her gently from the ground.
Step...
He took a single step, and they've vanished from sight, leaving behind, the Athens and Thallasians stationed at the borders trembling with fearful eye's, having witnessed the impossible.
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"H-he's the Devil!"
"This... this is impossible!"
"That man is the Devil! How is it possible that he destroyed the elite forces of the Western Duke to oblivion?! He's not just a devil... No, he is the Demon God himself!"
The panicked screams echoed throughout the barracks, some called him a devil, others a god, but all fell silent when a commander, a woman with a familiar appearance, stepped forward and shouted with rage.
"Stop babbling like damn kids, you bastards! We are on the battlefield in the presence of His Grace Theodore! Stop dawdling like a bunch of fools and take down that whale before it escapes with the spoils of war!"
The Athens and Thallasians scrambled at her words, swimming through the waters with renewed ferocity, they charged straight for the whale, eyeing the floating Seventh and Ninth Scriptured Armors with evident avarice visible in their eyes.
Beside the shouting commander, a Seraph appeared her attire indicated she was clearly lower in rank spoke with anger visible in her voice.
"Sister Aira, is it necessary for those fools to have the privilege to live?! I question the decision of Big Brother Theodore... since when did he become soft enough to let these infidels survive?"
Aira shook her head softly and turned her back, walking toward her tent, she stopped for a moment then glanced at her sister following behind.
"I understand your displeasure too well, Laura. But Big Brother Theodore knows what he is doing. Though we don’t know his specific reasons, except perhaps herding a farm of Athens and Thallasians right now, I know he has a purpose for this, rather than simply feeding them all to Mother."
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~ ? ~ Western Continent — Under the Lake of Dreadnought — In the Castle of the Crab Expanse ~ ? ~
Hours later, Theodore arrived at the Crab Expanse with Hera in his arms.
Steps! Steps! Steps!
His siblings abandoned their posts to greet him. While some expressed concern regarding the existence of Hera, the Duchess of the West, Theodore reassured them she posed no threat.
His siblings were reluctant to yield in their brother stubbornness since they've known how foolish he was, but upon his willfull gaze all of them unwillingly nodded and returned to their duties.
Step...
In the next second, Theodore vanished from the hallways and appeared in his office, glancing at the woman behind the desk
"I greet Mother."
Astria, drowning in documents, paused, she was shocked that his unfeeling son, was now carrying a woman that she didn't recognize, she smiled with a strange, gleam in her eyes.
"My, it seems my Theodore has finally grown up! So, Theodore, how many grandchildren will it be?"
Hera looked confused at Astria's comment, tilting her head. Before she could process the words, Theodore gently placed her on the ground.
"I plan on giving you three, Mother. I ask you to mark this woman first, then we can proceed in talks about our expansion."
Hera’s confusion deepened into horror, this wasn't the deal that she had thrown herself into, what she wanted was to be spared, but the situation escalated uncontrollably upon arriving in this place, she didn't want to become another war trophy like her brother had treated her. Tears threatened to burst from her reddened eyes, but she resolved herself, shouting, unable to restrain her indignation.
"Y-you! You damned bastard, I didn't agree to be your wife! I only told you that I know the method to form your Nascent Soul, not to... to bear your children!"
Hera sobbed uncontrollably in an attempt to garner pity, Astria clicked her tongue, upon witnessing this scenery, it was too familiar, too fucking similar. It mirrored the moment that man told her she was spared, only to kill her children and force himself upon her while she was pregnant with Theodore, Astria clenched her fist with rage directed at her son.
"You... you filthy bastard! I told you thousands of times, don't ever follow that demon of a father of yours! You damned son of mine! I-I endured the humiliation... I knelt to him when that bastard killed my children and then... when he took me as he pleased! Get out! Don't ever show your face to me, you dirty... dirty..."
Pain, it was the pain that Astria had tried to hide for a decade, a nightmare she never wanted to relive even a moment of it, she sobbed uncontrollably at her desk, wanting him to leave this instant, but her son ignored her commands.
Step...
He reached out, grabbed her chin, and lifted her face, then he stared right through her teary eyes, a genuine pain visible in his own gaze.
'Astria couldn't believe it, the monster she created could feel emotion? She couldn't believe there was still hope, hope that her son could live normally, that he could be different from his father.'
She smiled through her tears, caressing his face with tender motherly love.
"I see... so you are different from that monster of a man... my... my lovely child. Forgive this mother of yours for saying those hurtful words. It is just... I cannot help but be overwhelmed by the emotions I felt when I met that man. The overwhelming sense of despair, that no matter what I did, it wouldn't be enough to kill him. Even now, when I sent the strongest Radiant Leviathan at him... I still worry that he will survive."
Theodore, realizing the depth of what his mother had experienced, clenched his fist harder, then he murmured softly.
"Worry not, Mother. I am a different person than him. Do not fear his return, for I am strong enough to suppress him. But this matter right now is different. Though it is dreadful, there is no better method for me than to plant my seed within this woman. It ensures she cannot play any tricks while sharing the information. Forgive this transgression."
Though unwilling, Astria steeled herself, she stood from her desk then walked over to Hera, who was still sobbing. While walking Astria bit the skin of her finger, then stopped at Hera as she drawed a bloody inscription on Hera's forehead.
This ritual would convert her into kin, one of Astria's children, without the need to kill and devour her, to create a newer, perfect version of Hera. Astria closed her eyes as she activated the inscription, whispering apologetically in her own hypocrisy.
"Forgive me..."
