Chapter 96 Having Fun

Words : 959 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

*** {Outside The Projection} The moment the projection froze, the hall exploded into noise. "What the fuck was that?!" "No, seriously, what the fuck was that?!" "His head, man. His fucking head rolled off like a—like a—" "Like a Goddamn melon!" "Shit, shit!—That was fucked." "...What the fuck did we just watch?" "Ya'll never heard of him before?" An older man asked, shaking his head. "You from the upper district or somethin'?" "No, I—" "That statue." A rough voice cut through the noise. It was a middle-aged man with a thick beard, his scowl deep, standing not so far from Safira. His green robes marked him as someone from one of the three main religious militias, Nasir Al-Sultan. "That fucking statue... is one of the Twelve Great Ones." The murmuring stilled. Heads turned. "You sure?" Someone asked cautiously. The man gritted his teeth, practically snarling his next words: "Yes... but it's corrupted. Defiled. This is no relic to honor. This is a blight that should have been erased." A ripple went through the group. A few sucked in sharp breaths. Others just nodded, grim-faced. "Fuck yeah, it's corrupted." "It doesn't matter how strong you are; that thing could never be killed for good." "The way it looked at him—" "The way it smiled." "The way he just—just blinked and suddenly—" No one finished the thought. Silence stretched, oppressive. "Everyone... please." And then, all eyes turned to Safira. She hadn't moved since the title drop, not even during the explosions and fix job. Safira just stared at the projection, the space where Malik's final moment infinitely played out in her mind. "...My Lady?" One of her subordinates hesitantly called out. She took a moment before answering: "Will you allow me a few minutes of silence?" "Y-Yes, my lady." No one uttered a word after that. *** {Inside The Projection} Malik gasped, his body jerking like he'd been ripped from the jaws of death itself. His lungs burned, his pulse thundered in his ears, and for a moment—just a single, terrifying moment—he wasn't sure if he was really alive. Then a voice hit him... the same man he last killed. Cassim. "Don't resist, kid; we don't wanna rough you up too much." Those words rang like a bell in his skull, grounding him in the present... in life. And just like that—he knew. He was back. Not in the cavern. Not with him... that cursed thing. She pointed at the two below the projection, Huda and Crimson, trembling in pain. "Or you'll end up like them." Safira's eyes widened a slight bit, only now noticing them. The guilt. It wasn't just hers. It belonged to them too. But that didn't make it any easier to bear. *** {Inside The Projection} The officers exchanged glances before one of them nodded. "Hmph. Least you got some manners, bastard. Knowin' when to not resist." Malik smirked a humorless one but said nothing, not caring enough to respond. As they walked, closing in on the boundary too far along Safira's right, he decided to ask: "How do you get them to back off?" Cassim glanced at him, deciding to humor him after a blink. "We've got a Holy Relic, it messes up with their senses." "Hmmm... can it malfunction? Or rather, not work." "Well, yes, but it's highly unlikely. They need to be really mad for that to happen. Mad enough to block all other vibrations and focus on their target's only." "So a suicidal charge, huh..." Malik nodded and a thought popped up in his head. 'Then them sticking close to me confused the worms? I doubt they're any less mad now... Wait, doesn't that mean I could cause another stampede if I manage to get away for a second?... Though is that even worth it? If I could kill the worms there's no chance they wouldn't be able to... Yeah. Escape is impossible. I—' Cutting off his unending thoughts was Cassim's comment: "You know, you're pretty lucky to have caused all that mess and only have juveniles chase after you." Malik paused. "...Juveniles? Them?" He nodded, pulling him forward by the chains. "Yeah, juvies. The adults sleep this season. The elders though... they ain't here. They're upstairs, further south." A chuckle sounded behind them. "What? Surprised those were kids?" Malik shrugged his shoulders. "I am... I've got another question. Have any of you ever been to the second layer?" "...What?" The same man scoffed. "You got a death wish or somethin'? Ain't nobody below Jinn goin' down there and makin' it back." Malik raised a brow. "That bad, huh?" "Worse. In this Nafas, the first thing down there's a trap. Killed thousands of people." "Nafas, as in Zephyr's Ascension? A trap?" "Yeah for both. The Weeping Angels push you into some big-ass room, and inside it? A giant." His younger colleague chuckled nervously and added: "I only heard stories, but they say that thing is terrifying. And undying. Even if you destroy it, it comes back after three days." Malik nodded, lost in thought. "I see." After that, the rest of the journey passed in relative silence. They reached the town, heading directly to Zephyr's Ascension, skipping the queue. Once there, the checkpoint guards barely spared them a glance—except for one who sneered at their prisoner. "Trash like you shouldn't even be allowed up here." Malik tilted his head, many thoughts going through his mind. '...Let's have some fun.' And that was what it all culminated in. "Hey mate, can you get me out? I thought we had a deal."

Chapter 96 Having Fun

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