Rise of the Eromancer

Chapter 290 Consequences

"...Hero?"

Malenia truly just wanted to check on Rhys, as the look on his face when he was heading back to Ippo's truck was something she had never seen Rhys be. She felt it — that he was hurt, disappointed, angry, but most importantly, sorrowful at the same time.

She wanted to ask him what happened as soon as he finished saying his farewells. But what she saw completely shook her to the core — she could not even say anything as Rhs was right in front of her… and Rhys also did not say anything and just went around the truck and retrieved Ippo's corpse from the driver's seat.

Malenia remained completely petrified, watching as Rhys just carried Ippo and disappeared into the forest near the shore. It took several minutes for him to get back, but he was now alone… and Malenia was still frozen in place.

Rhys did not really say anything to her as he approached the truck. He just glanced at her for a few seconds before lifting the truck and then carrying it toward the ocean.

"High Priestess, is something wrong?" And as Ranni finally noticed that Malenia had been stuck in her place for more than several minutes now, she could not help but approach her to see how she was doing, "Why… is the Hero throwing the magic carriage to the ocean? Wait… can it also go into the water!?"

"Ranni…"

"What is it?" Ranni slightly turned her head to Malenia while still focusing on the van, watching it float back up in anticipation when Rhys threw it into the ocean.

"When you whispered that heroes are not good people…" Malenia looked at Rhys's back, "...Does that mean that they have to be bad people?"

"I suppose not," Ranni shrugged, "But although the reason is not as important as the result, it still matters. Why? Is there something that bothers you, High Priestess?"

"No, it is just that—no, I suppose it truly does not matter," Malenia then shook her head as she finally moved.

As for Rhys, he was really just waiting for Malenia and the other gorgons to approach him before he started walking toward Ayesha.

"...Is it done?" Ayesha looked at Rhys's eyes for a few seconds before also proceeding to move.

"It is," Rhys whispered.

"I offered to do it," Ayesha could really only sigh as she heard the hesitation in Rhys's voice, "I had no connection to the man, it wouldn't have even troubled me for even a single bit."

"It's fine, Ayesha," Rhys patted Ayesha on the shoulders, "It needed to be done. Now, where are Kat and the others?"

"First, I need to explain something while we walk," Ayesha then gestured Rhys to follow her across the shore, moving toward the side of a cliff, "Can… your new groupies crawl here?"

Rhys looked back to check on Malenia and the others, and Malenia only smiled at her — the rocks did not seem to be a problem for them at all as they just slithered across the easiest path.

"They're fine," Rhys nodded as he lightly hopped over a large rock, "...What did you want to explain?"

"...You have all of your limbs?" Ayesha finally noticed Rhys's wooden limbs, "...I guess you can tell me all about that later. Right… everything was going well when we arrived in the Underworld Corps of Russea.

There really wasn't much to do there since it was only a resting point until we found out more about what the heck was going on with the nymphs — before we could actually do any research, the nymphs started moving again… and as you might have guessed, they ended up just below Nihon's land area."

"...And where are they now?"

"Still down there," Ayesha pointed her thumbs down, "And judging by your reaction, you truly have no idea what's happening. I thought your nymph guided you — she should have felt it."

"Felt what?"

"Right now, as we speak… the Nihons and the nymphs are practically eating each others' balls down there — it's a siege," Ayesha shook her head, "These people don't even know that their country is on the verge of being wiped from the face of the planet. Once the nymphs win, and trust me, they will… they will go up here and kill everyone. They went crazy."

"No, they didn't," Rhys shook his head, "The Nihons are currently holding a nymph, and from what Aengela was saying, they are hurting her."

"...What?" Ayesha's eyes turned wide as she looked at Rhys, "What the—why? No. Forget I asked, I forgot the Nihons are a violent and war-mongering race with all the cat ears and teddy bears. Whatever the reason is that they're doing this…

…the Doc got hurt because of it."

"..."

"You know how she is, right? She's stupid," Ayesha closed her eyes and sighed before looking up at the walls of the cliff — or more specifically, an entrance to a cave hanging high up on the walls of the cliff, "When she realized people were dying, she could not help but just go out there and tend to them — doctor's doctrine, she said.

Well, she snuck out one time from the camp and helped the Nihons, but as soon as they saw she was a foreigner…

…they all started attacking her."

"What…?" Rhys's eyebrows began to lower.

"Of course, that knocked some sense into the Doc and she started fighting back and killing them, or so she told us," Ayesha breathed out, "But it was probably true, since when Commander Olga rescued her, she apparently saw a lot of dead Nihons laying everywhere before she carried the Doc out of the battlefield."

"Is… she going to be okay?"

"Well…" Ayesha once again looked at the cave, "...See for yourself. We had to find a place nearby when as soon as we dug our way to the Surface — so, I just tore a cave on the walls of the cliff with the help of some Elemental—And there he goes."

And before Ayesha could finish her words, Rhys moved behind her and disappeared into her shadow… and just emerged right inside the cave that Ayesha made — and it was spacious; with several tents laid everywhere.

"Rhys!" And as soon as he appeared, Agatha quickly jumped into her arms before just pulling him deeper into the cave, "Everyone, it's the Blackie. He's back!"

"Fuhrer, I knew you weren't dead," Talia smirked as she saw Agatha dragging Rhys into the cave.

"Bro… you made me lose a bet." As for Dominique, she just shook her head and smiled.

Agatha seemed to also want to say something, but she just stepped to the side and looked at one of the tents.

"Rhys…" Agatha then continued to drag Rhys toward the tent before just stopping short of entering inside, "... Every one of us has been waiting for you, but I think you need to see her first."

"Is she…" Rhys wanted to ask, but he stopped himself as he just glanced at Agatha and the others before nodding and just stepping inside the tent; taking in a very deep breath as he did so, "...Kat?"

Rhys looked at the bed first, but Katarina was not really lying there at all. And instead, she was standing in front of a table.

"Rhys…!?" And as soon as she heard Rhys's voice, she quickly turned around — but she did not, however, leap into her arms like Agatha.

"Kat…" Rhys could really only slowly approach Katarina; his eyes, slightly trembling as he stared at Katarina's dismembered right arm.

"Oh… this?" Katarina raised her severed arm before letting out a small chuckle, "We're… the same now. And you don't have to worry — Agatha said that she would get me a new arm after—"

And before Katarina could finish her words, she felt Rhys wrap his arms around her.

"Wait…" Katarina let out a small confused hum, "...You have both arms?"

Like Ayesha, Katarina also did not realize at first that Rhys had a wooden arm — but not because she just didn't notice, but because she did not see at all…

…because her eyes were completely covered with bandages.

"Kat…" Rhys let out an almost trembling whisper as he rested his chin on Katarina's head, "...I'm sorry."

"My eyes… well…" Katarina stuttered; trying her best not to let out even a single whimper or a tear, "...You also don't have to worry about that. If Maria happens to find Dr. Dhani Raj, I think he might be able to… he might be able…"

Katarina could not really finish her words as her emotions just started rushing out of her — she was a doctor who had the ability to heal, she knew she was lying to herself. Dr. Dhani Raj could recover even lost limbs… but only if the wound was fresh.

Unless a miracle happens, her eyesight will never return again. The only thing Katarina could really do was just cry on Rhys's chest until there was nothing left and she just fell asleep in his arms. Rhys very gently placed Katarina on the bed before just quietly stepping out of the tent.

"The Nihons who did this…"

No one really spoke or approached Rhys; how could they, when he looked the way he looked?

"...We are killing them all."