Chapter 262: Serie's Death and Future
At the top of the Magic Association tower, all was quiet except for the clear moonlight shining through the arched windows onto the carpet.
The two people in the room were fast asleep, but one of them seemed to be sleeping very restlessly. Kurtz's brow furrowed tightly, his breathing rapid, as if he were caught in a nightmare, trapped and unable to breathe by an invisible force.
Beside his bed was the divine sword Orger, which he had brought from the forest. It should have been placed still on the sword stand, but now it was unusually suspended in the air, not far from the ground.
The silver blade emitted a faint light, and the ancient magical runes on it were slowly circulating. A passive magical energy was forcefully intruding into the depths of its current master's dream through this holy sword that had once slain gods.
The dream was fragmented, yet it carried a suffocating atmosphere.
The first thing Kurtz saw was the desolate wilderness of the far north. The familiar Demon King's Castle stood tall, its scale far surpassing its former self. Even the area surrounding the Demon King's Castle was no longer filled with overwhelming demonic energy. Still, it had transformed into a thick, viscous, constantly writhing and churning black mud, almost engulfing the entire world.
On the throne, Annalise's figure was somewhat blurred. Her power seemed to have completely merged with the filth originating from the land of fallen gods, emanating a malice that sent chills down one's spine. She didn't look at Kurtz, but at the boundless demon army below.
The image suddenly tore apart and then reformed.
Before him lay a plain engulfed in flames of war. Everywhere there were human corpses and flames from magical explosions. He saw the banner of the Southern Unified Empire, as well as the emblem of the Kingdom of El and the symbols of other human nations.
It's not a fight against demons, but humans killing each other!
The scale was unprecedented, and almost the entire human nation on the continent was involved, resulting in extreme devastation! Kurtz's heart sank into an abyss.
Civil war! Civil war among humans!
Before he could even process this terrifying scene, the core of the premonition dream had already appeared, the scene he least wanted to see finally unfolded.
Kurtz felt as if he were standing in a hazy vision. An unprecedented palpitation compelled him to turn around abruptly.
Serie was standing there.
Miss Elf was still as beautiful as ever, her long golden hair flowing with a soft sheen. Kurtz loved to comb her hair and change her hairstyle. Although Serie always found it troublesome, she never refused and let the man "do whatever he wanted" on her head.
However, in her dream, her usually aloof face was now shrouded in an overwhelming sadness. Her golden eyes were misty with tears, and filled with a deep sense of farewell.
What concerned Kurtz even more was that one of her hands was gently stroking her abdomen. Her movements were very careful, as if she were afraid of hurting something. At that very moment, a gentle, even maternal smile bloomed on her face.
She slightly raised her head, as if she wanted to say something to Kurtz. Her pale lips parted slowly.
However--
A sword light, faster than the limit, appeared out of thin air!
There was no sound, no warning, not even the prelude of magical fluctuations, like the merciless blade wielded by fate itself.
In those golden pupils, the tenderness that had just risen and the words that had not yet been spoken instantly froze, turning into eternal silence and a spinning, earth-shattering stillness.
Her body slumped backward, as if it were a feather, weightless.
"NOO!!!"
Kurtz suddenly sat up in bed, breathing heavily. His heart was pounding, and cold sweat had already soaked through his pajamas, clinging to his skin and bringing a touch of the night's chill.
Was it a dream...?
Kurtz was breathing heavily, trying to grasp at a sliver of reason. But the Holy Sword Orger, slowly descending beside the bed, its runes gradually dimming, coldly proclaimed that this was no simple dream.
Predict the future!
It was Orger's power that was passively triggered, revealing fragmented visions of the future!
Kurtz gasped for breath, trying to suppress the panic and rage that threatened to burst from his body. The Demon King's increased power and the civil war in the human world weighed heavily on his mind, but they did not cause him to lose his composure completely.
Only the final part, about Serie's fate, was like an incredibly sharp dagger, piercing his heart in the most cruel way, instantly dragging him into an abyss of boundless fear and rage.
Why?! Why did this happen?!
He suddenly reached out and dug his fingers into his hair, tearing at it with all his might. His nails almost scraped his scalp, and he ripped out several strands of hair.
Kurtz tried to use the physical pain to suppress the fear and madness that was almost completely devouring his sanity.
He frantically searched his mind, looking for anything in the world that could pose a deadly threat to Serie.
Flamme?
No! Absolutely impossible!
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he crushed it instantly. He understood Flamme; her obsession might be extreme, and it might lead her to make impulsive challenges, but it would never lead to the possibility of killing her master.
After all, Flamme was a good disciple. Although her presence made the master and apprentice less close than in history, and they even had a slight disagreement over vying for a man, but Kurtz believed in the bond between them.
Is it Annalise?
Has she mastered some unknown, terrifying technique capable of instantly breaking through all of Serie's defenses? Or has a demon with assassin-like talent appeared under her command?
This is highly likely.
A murderous intent, almost tangible, instantly flashed in Kurtz's eyes! Almost instinctively, he reached out and grabbed Org, who had just fallen back to the ground, tightly once again.
As the cold hilt touched his hand, the vast magical power within Kurtz erupted like a boiling volcano. The violent energy fluctuations distorted the air in the entire room, creating visible ripples of force.
Now! Let's get going right now! Let's go north! Find her! Kill her!
Even if it means the complete destruction of this body, even if it means the damage to his soul, even if it means using all the power of the Holy Sword, even if it means using himself as an eternal prison, he must completely erase Annalise and her damned conspiracy from this world before that hopeless future becomes a reality!
Serie absolutely cannot get hurt!
Absolutely not!
Kurtz could not imagine a world without her.
This terrifying killing intent, almost materializing, and the out-of-control magic finally roused the sleeping elf beside him.
Serie's long eyelashes trembled violently a few times before she suddenly opened her eyes. Her golden eyes were still hazy from just waking up. She turned her head in confusion and saw Kurtz beside her.
He was breathing heavily, pale-faced, with a terrifying look in his eyes. The holy sword Orger was gripped tightly in his hand, and the air around him crackled with barely contained power.
"Kurtz?" she asked worriedly, her voice cutting through the chaos. "What's wrong with your magic? It's so chaotic. Did you have a nightmare?"
She rarely saw Kurtz in such an out-of-control, even ferocious, state; the violent magic made her feel a little scared. She sat up slowly, her concern evident despite her grogginess.
Hearing Serie's familiar and real voice, Kurtz was jolted back to reality from his frenzied killing aura. He took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the murderous intent that was about to burst out of his body.
But the hand holding the Orger was still white from gripping it too tightly. His knuckles had gone pale, the sword vibrating with residual fury barely contained beneath his skin.
He turned to look at Serie, his gaze gradually focusing on her face...alive, present, unharmed. Slowly, his breathing began to steady.
[End of Chapter]
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