Chapter 748: A bone chilling hatred [2]

Chapter 748: A bone chilling hatred [2]

The silence that followed after her words was heavy.

I lingered by the balcony, my gaze fixed on Delilah as the faint glow of moonlight outlined her figure against the dark.

Staring at her cold… eyes.

For a moment, I felt completely breathless. I didn’t know how to reply or what to think. All the gods? They need to die…?

No, but most importantly…

“You think that by reaching the Zenith you will have a chance to beat them?”

“…..”

Delilah remained silent.

She turned her head slowly, her eyes tracing the pale moon hanging above. My gaze followed her profile, her hand tightening faintly on the marble handrail.

“…Yes.”

Delilah’s gaze flickered in the dark.

“No god is unkillable. The moment I reach the Zenith will be the moment that I will have enough power to kill them.”

“That’s…” I paused, hesitating for a moment. Could she really kill a god once she reached the Zenith? I thought about the current state of most of the gods and realized that it was possible. Besides Sithrus, she could easily kill me, Noel, and Panthea.

Regarding the other three…

I wasn’t too sure. However, I was also certain that they had their own circumstances. None of the gods at the moment was at the prime of their powers. If Delilah really did try to kill them, then I didn’t doubt that she might succeed.

But that wasn’t what I cared about.

Why did she want to kill them?

‘Is it because of what happened to her in the past? Regarding the thing that I learned from Panthea…? But as far as I’m aware, the only one that was involved was Toren. Could there have been more gods involved?’

I quietly pursed my lips while staring at Delilah.

Just one look at her was enough to tell me that the coldness in her gaze wasn’t something that could be quelled easily.

Her hatred…

It was a bone-chilling hatred.

I swallowed quietly.

In the end, I mustered up the courage to speak.

“…I don’t think you should do this. As far as I’m aware, you aren’t strong enough to defeat Sithrus. He’s not only reached the Zenith, but he’s also gotten access to a higher power. He—”

“I know.”

Delilah quietly answered, her gaze lifting to the moon. For a fleeting moment, the hardness in her expression eased, yet the silence that followed felt heavier than her words.

“I know all of it. About his powers and his strength.”

Delilah’s eyes turned a pitch darker.

She clenched the marble handrail with such force that it trembled faintly, and the darkness in her eyes spread until it felt as though the whole balcony teetered on the verge of breaking.

“However, this is something that I have to do.”

“Why?”

I asked her.

However—

All Delilah offered me was a smile.

A thin yet sad smile.

“Even if I wish to say, I can’t say them.”

“But—”

“…You are poison to me.”

So she said as she looked at the ring on my finger.

“I’ve heard that there’s a good blacksmith in one of the Empires. Most likely the Verdant Empire, but I’m not too certain. If you look for them, they might be able to help you fix the ring. If you have time, you should go there to fix it.”

Seeing Delilah suddenly change the topic of conversation, I frowned. Her attempt was blatant and obvious.

‘No, I can’t let the conversation end here. There’s still so much that I need to figure out and talk to her about.’

And yet, before I even had the chance to do that, Delilah pressed her finger over her lips as she smiled once again.

“…It’s a beautiful day today. I wouldn’t want to waste it on this conversation any longer. Let’s leave it at this.”

“No, but—”

“Please.”

I quietly clenched my teeth while staring at her.

I really didn’t want to end the conversation here. I wanted to better understand the situation, and most importantly, I wanted to come clean to her. So long as I told her the truth, then—

“…I understand that you want me to stop, but this isn’t something that can be stopped. This isn’t about my hatred for them. This is… about my own survival.”

The words that were about to leave my mouth paused.

What…?

What did she just say?

‘Survival? What could she mean by that? Is she saying that she has to do this in order to survive? But why? Why can’t she tell me? This is…’

Not much different from what I was doing.

The realization hit me like a truck, and my lips pressed so tightly that they started to hurt.

Delilah merely smiled again, not offering up any more explanation. Staring at her and seeing the expression that she was making, I understood that regardless of what I said, it wouldn’t be possible for me to get any words out.

And yet…

Her last words made my heart sink lower and lower.

“Here.”

Delilah extended her hand in my direction as her gaze returned to how it normally was. Staring at her gaze and seeing her hand, I hesitated for a moment before reaching for it and grasping it tightly.

Her hand was soft, but it was also cold.

Holding it tightly, neither of us said a word.

We just quietly stared at the night above.

***

The memories would come back to her from time to time.

The lights were unbearably bright, washing out her vision until everything stung. The place was wide and empty, echoing with faint metallic sounds, as if the walls themselves were listening. She remembered the weight of things fastened to her body, cold straps pressing down, and the sting of foreign fluids flooding her veins while faceless figures in white coats loomed above. She was small, restrained, helpless.

…It was hard to recall everything. Some fragments had already decayed, buried deep by her mind’s desperate need to forget.

But a few remained sharp. The fear. The pain. The way both of them merged into one until she couldn’t tell where the fear ended and the pain began.

‘Stop moving.’

‘There’s no point resisting. Just be obedient. We’re all doing this for the sake of humanity. Understand that our purpose isn’t a light one. You’re going to be a hero.’

Voices she hadn’t heard in a long time whispered in her mind.

Her gaze was unfocused.

The lights above continued to shine brightly.

Her head ached.

She cried out, but no voice came out.

‘How long has she been like this…?’

‘We’re almost done, here. She doesn’t look like she’s breathing. See if you can revive her. If not, toss her away. I’ve got others to test the blood on. Make sure to record everything while you’re at it.’

‘The blood is fusing.’

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

Even now, Delilah could hear the cries of her younger self. She shivered whenever she recalled such memories. Despite all her attempts to bury them, the memories clung to her like a shadow stitched to her soul.

…and among them, one detail always stood out. The clover-shaped insignia burned into the arms of those who worked on her.

The same mark carried by the people who had stripped her bare of everything.

Her emotions.

Her freedom.

Her…

Life.

“…..”

Delilah’s eyes opened slowly, and the memories dissolved. A modestly decorated room greeted her sight, its furnishings kept to the essentials.

A broad bed draped in plain sheets, a sturdy desk, and a tall wardrobe set against the wall. The faint scent of polished wood hung in the air, subtle yet steady, as if it had long seeped into the room itself.

Julien was gone. Only the darkness remained with her.

She didn’t dislike the darkness.

The darkness was kind. It was silent. Comforting. Unlike those lights, the darkness did not pierce her. It did not burn.

She turned toward the window, the moonlight trickling gently into the room with its pale and soft glow. Stepping closer, Delilah reached for the door, then froze, catching sight of her reflection.

Her eyes…

They were pitch black.

“…..”

Her hand hesitated before rising, fingers brushing near her face.

‘Did he see me like this…?’

She hated them. These eyes. These hideous, dark eyes… She prayed Julien hadn’t noticed. Yet in her heart, she felt he most likely had. The closer she drew toward the Zenith, the more the corruption within her grew, pressing outward, eroding her piece by piece.

The thing inside her was eating her alive.

The room grew still. So still that it felt suffocating. Just like the silence that blanketed the air, even heavier than before. As Delilah closed her eyes, she felt it. The presence of someone behind her.

Opening them again, she caught sight of a shadow rising in the reflection. It was tall and its form was bending forward as it slowly hunched over her.

Her head snapped around.

Nothing.

“…..”

Her gaze darted across the room, every corner seemingly hiding something. When it returned to her reflection, the shadow was gone.

…and so was the darkness in her eyes.

But Delilah did not let herself linger in shock. She had seen them before, many times. These shadows were not strangers. They were with her always, whispering in the cracks of her mind.

They were her blood’s true inheritance, the original voices lurking in her mind.

The very entities the gods hunted ceaselessly.

The very same entities that told her to kill the gods.

“…..”

The voices gnawed at her thoughts, the stronger she became.

‘…If you wish for freedom, kill them. Make them pay for what they did to you. Take their powers from them and you’ll be free.’

Delilah stood before the window, moonlight brushing against her pale skin. She shut her eyes, sinking into the rhythm of the whispers.

She had long known what her purpose was.

What her end would be…

She had long been aware.

Quietly biding her time and waiting for the right moment to strike, as the gods quietly monitored her every movement.

But the moment would come.

Soon, the chains would fall.

And when that day arrived—

“…..”

Delilah opened her eyes and stared into the distance.

When the time came…

She was prepared to kill them.