Chapter 301 301: A second death [pt2]
Chapter 301 301: A second death [pt2]
The creature wearing Layla's clothes gave a ferocious roar before its eyes locked on all the people in the room and it left. The servants had no time to get away from it before it came for them.
Those who did try to get away caused mass panic and even those who were calm before began to panic.
In a matter of minutes, the hallway where Layla had been turned into a sea of red and bodied littered the hallway.
"What the hell is going on here? Is that Layla? I recognize that dress and that half-broken hairpiece. Hump, I knew you would cause me trouble sooner or later."
The head maid entered the hallway as well. The servants who were still alive looked relieved to see her standing in the door of the hallway. There was no one as strong as the head maid in their raster.
Layla's eyes turned toward the head maid as well, but there was not a single flash of recognition in them. Instead of looking scared or taking a step back, Layla roared and attacked the headmaid.
"Head maid, look out. It's a monster…"
One of the servants yelled to warn the head maid. But apparently, there was no need for anyone to warn the head maid.
Before anyone could say anything, the head maid had a sword in her hand and she got into the basic pose of attacking. Just as Layla reached her, the head maid struck and her strike killed Layla in a single second.
The watching servants gasped out in wonder at the display of skills they had just seen. They knew that the head maid was powerful, but they did not know she was this powerful. Those who saw her today vowed not to get on her bad side.
"Everyone, are you alright? I hope I did not scare you and came in time to help you out."
The head maid asked and those who were still alive shut their mouths. They had nothing to complain about since the head maid looked strict.
"Those who can help the others stand up, hurry and do so. I shall go ahead and check for more survivors."
From that day on, the head maid became an icon among the servants and someone they looked up to.
.......
"Something is burning in the building. Am pretty sure that a fire has broken out in here as well."
Sakura admitted as she felt her senses tingle. Her first instinct was to head toward the fire and help there.
But Charlie Suzuki stopped Sakura with a shake of her head.
"Leave the fire to someone else. Our first concern is to bloom the parasite and take care of it. Otherwise, our opponents would just keep on increasing."
Sakura bit her lip as she forced herself to go against her instincts. It was a physical need for her to take care of the fire. But her brain said that Charlie Suzuki's words made sense as well.
So, both females quickly moved through the corridor and toward the side where Charlie had felt the blood parasite coming from. They both were wearing filter masks to not get affected by the bloom.
On the way to their destination, Sakura saw a lot of people collapsing and fighting for their lives. A lot of their servants had been contaminated already and would not live past today.
"Don't look at the people who are suffering. It would lessen your resolve to do what is needed to be done."
Charlie Suzuki advised and Sakura bit her lips. She wanted to help her servants out but it was already too late for most of the infected people.
So, with a heavy heart, Sakura fanned her hand and flames covered the suffering people. Their pain-filled expression was the last thing Sakura saw before they all went up in smoke.
'Don't think about the servants and their pain-filled expression. Focus on the mission in front of you for now.'
Sakura's brain kept on flashing the images of the people she had just killed. It did not help that these people included those who had helped Sakura out a lot in the past.
"Calm down and empty your brain. The more you try not to think, the more you will think about this situation. For now, just focus on me and my voice. Make it your center point and concentrate on it."
Charlie Suzuki covered Sakura's eyes with her hand and pulled her back to lean into her body. Sakura suddenly felt herself breathing again as she focused on Charlie's voice and her body smell.
It felt…. oddly pleasant and the human contact grounded Sakura a lot. But she would die before she would admit it to anyone else.
"Are you feeling better? I am sure your body is appreciating this small resting period."
Sakura did not want to admit it, but she did feel better than before. She opened her mouth and closed it again, not wanting to confirm or deny anything for Charlie Suzuki.
Luckily, she did not have to do anything because the calamity causing all this decided to seek her out during that time. It successfully distracted Sakura as well as Charlie's attention away from what was happening in front of them.
Sakura recognized that disfigured face covered with veins and leaves anytime. She had spent a lot of time looking at her with an empty glance. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire
"Oh, look at who it is. Elios Tsurugi, you finally decided to fall victim to your schemes, huh? It was about time this would happen to you."
Sakura felt a lump form inside her throat as she looked at her mother. She couldn't associate this lump of wood and flesh with her powerful and vibrant mother who tormented Sakura her whole life.
Now she looked so…pathetic and lifeless with the control beast. Sakura had never seen her mother like this.
"Sakura, snap out of it. Do you want to die? Or worse, join your mother in whatever she had become? If not, then hurry up and pay attention."
Charlie yelled and blocked an attack meant for Sakura. It startled Sakura since she had not even seen that attack coming.
Sakura looked at her mother again, but the entity looked as if it did not recognize Sakura at all. That thing, whatever it was, was not her mother.
'I guess there is no saving her now. Mother went too far and got infected by a dangerous disease. I have no right to keep her alive.'
Sakura's insides were a mess. She knew in her brain that she needed to lay her mother to rest and she was ready to do it as well. Heck, her heart was ready for it as well…or so she thought.
But Sakura felt her hands shake and her eyes water up as she stood in front of her mother. Her emotions were all twisted up and her desire to be with her mother surged.
No matter what happened between Sakura and Elios, their bond was still one of family and Sakura wanted to try saving her mother once.
"Keke…kekeke…die…"
The voice that came out of Elios's mouth was hardly human. It was a mix of screeches and humanoid-sounding voices. She even tried to pierce Sakura's body but even that was not enough to help Sakura make up her mind.
'All this time I thought I managed to break free of her clutches. But it turns out that I am still no match for my mother. Yoko, what shall I do now?'
Sakura asked as she raised her hand only to defend herself. Her body refused to attack her mother because of the tight hold she had on her psyche.
Charlie tried to interfere between her and her mother, but that did not feel right to Sakura. So, she ended up forming a ring of flame between Charlie and her place. That made only Sakura stand in front of her mother.
"Mother, can you hear me? Are you still in there?"
Sakura asked, trying to look for any sign of her heard-headed mother, but there was no recognition. If anything, the contaminated person let out a loud cry before attacking Sakura once more.
She burned her mother's arm to try and keep her down, but even that was not enough to stop Elios Tsurugi from staying back. Her mother had a stubborn steak and even being contaminated would not stop her from doing what she wanted to.
Elios pushed through the fire and Sakura had no other choice but to increase the intensity of her flames. She did not want her mother to harm her or even reach her like this.
But just as Sakura was sure that she had achieved what she wanted to and successfully formed a barrier between herself and her mother, a hand reached out toward her through the flames and grabbed her neck.
That caused Sakura to lose concentration and her powers faded.
"Sakura, what happened? Do you need me to help?"
Charlie Suzuki asked as she got ready to kill Elios but Sakura stopped her. She gathered all the air in her lungs and yelled, "Don't you dare" before she started coughing.
She had not given up yet. Sakura would overcome this in her way. But this was her trial, something she had to do.
Elios Tsurugi had suffered enough and Sakura needed to put a rest to her tired self.
"E-Elios! What are you doing? Is that Sakura in your grasp? Hurry up and let go of her. Let go of her this instant! Elios, are you listening?"
Sakura gasped as she looked up at her father's desperate eyes.