Chapter 962

C962

“Kuk, nooo…!! Ahh!”

Elona screamed in agony, clutching the laurel wreath hovering above her head.

Barely more than ten seconds had passed, but memories stretching back 2500 years slammed into her mind like nails.

1559 – the number of times Elona had undergone experimentation at the hands of the Zipple since her capture by Reginald.

Reginald’s original purpose was revenge.

But as the experiments continued, Reginald hesitated each time he tried to kill Elona, as she increasingly reminded him of Vichelin. His twisted longing and rage for his sister gradually drove Reginald mad.

In the end, Reginald in his final years decided to turn Elona into a “human” to replace Vichelin. He even gave her the name Elona, one of Vichelin’s aliases.

“The experiments have been ongoing for over a thousand years. Even after the death of the fourth patriarch, Reginald Zipple, his successors continued their quest to make you human……”

Years passed, and the way Elona was treated by the subsequent patriarchs kept changing.

Some tried to honor Reginald and fulfill his wishes, while others neglected Elona for fear of the potential chaos she caused due to the experiments. And others sought to harness Elona’s boundless power.

All that blind obedience, fear, and desire culminated finally in the creation of the current Elona Zipple. And the information and technology gained through experiments on Elona became the basis of the Zipple’s current mental manipulation.

“Do you understand now? Ancestor. You were the embodiment of destruction and massacre from the moment you were born. Ancestor, you were never truly human. You were a divine being born to destroy the world, but in the end, you became a weapon of war resembling a human, thanks to us Zipple.”

The pressure from the laurel wreath intensified with each passing moment. Elona felt her consciousness fading further with every second.

Everything she had recognized as “human” just moments ago—her affection and concern for Beradin, the insights and meanings gained through Jin—all of it was being erased.

But she couldn’t remove or destroy the laurel wreath.

“The laurel wreath you wear now is made from the tree that stood in the Holy Land at that time. Therefore, you cannot resist. It can be considered the last safety measure for when the weapon’s ego becomes too overwhelming.”

“No… No, I won’t accept it! Nooo!”

“A thousand years ago, my inept ancestors lost control of that laurel wreath for various reasons, and they couldn’t contain you properly. But such a thing will not happen again now. Just endure a little longer; you will soon be relieved.”

Strength was draining from Elona’s grip on the laurel wreath.

Just as Kelliark said, Elona felt the intense emotions that had surged within her like an inextinguishable fire rapidly diminishing.

<Experiment 985: Test subject’s resistance to external stimulation increased.>

<Experiment 1417: Test subject exhibited overload. Test subject is presumed to have not accepted the fact that the tree was damaged once more.>

<Experiment 1430: Test subject still reacts violently to the tree’s damage.>

<Experiment 1501: Test subject has finally acknowledged the possibility of changing the tree’s form. It is now believed that a powerful control device can be created through the tree.>

<Experiment 1539: ‘Sacred Crown’ completed.>

<Experiment 1567: Test subject can now be partially controlled without the Sacred Crown. Part of the test subject’s power has been transferred to the Sacred Crown. What have we overlooked?>

<Experiment 1568: The reason for the transfer of the test subject’s power to the Sacred Crown is unknown. It was confirmed that the test subject still possessed the combat power of a Genesis Knight even after her power was dispersed.>

<Experiment 1570: A large amount of information was injected into the test subject to form memories. No resistance was observed. The test subject is expected to become a member of the clan soon.>

<Experiment 1599: Experiment concluded. ‘Elona Zipple’ completed. Researchers eliminated… Experiment records from the 1st to the 1599th experiment transferred to the Sacred Crown.>

The records of the experiments flowed into Elona’s mind from the Sacred Crown.

Soon, Elona felt her vision darkening. She could no longer hear Kelliark’s voice or the deafening sounds emanating from the fire of destruction.

The face of Beradin, whom she had so longed to see, and the faces of Jin and Murakan, who had just fought alongside her, were fading from her consciousness.

Elona felt a profound sadness and helplessness at this fact, but as Kelliark had said, it was only temporary.

“I am commencing self-restoration. Estimated completion time; 30 seconds. The Sacred Crown’s recipient, please protect me during this period. I am commencing self-restoration. Estimated completion time, 23 seconds. The Sacred Crown’s recipient, please protect me during this period. I am commencing self-restoration…”

A smile played on Kelliark’s lips.

Now, if about 20 seconds passed without further variables, Elona would revert to being a loyal weapon of the Zipple.

It would be impossible for Jin and Murakan to cut through the raging flames engulfing the entire Hell and come to rescue Elona.

They had already been pushed far beyond the Poisonous Demon Castle and were preventing the fire of destruction from spreading.

But Kelliark still felt anxiety. He remembered how the “power of existence” could create incomprehensible variables at crucial moments like this.

15, 14, 13, 12…

With each passing second, Kelliark heightened his senses to roughly determine Jin and Murakan’s locations. The brief time seemed to pass incredibly slowly.

The 30 seconds had passed.

Kelliark said that while looking into the eyes of Elona Zipple, whose self-restoration had just finished. Her galaxy-like eyes now shone even brighter than before. A brighter glow flowed from her hair as well.

Elona briefly surveyed her surroundings, then cast a protective shield around herself and Kelliark. Then she knelt before Kelliark.

“You reach Genesis Knight, and the world is helping you… but this time, victory will be mine, Jin Runcandel.”

“It is you who awakened me. My life now belongs to you, and I will do anything for you. Please tell me your name.”

Elona had completely lost all the thoughts, memories, and emotions she had gained when she awakened from the seal. Now she could only act according to the settings inputted into the Sacred Crown, much like how the brainwashed demons under Zito did.

“Kelliark Zipple. The current patriarch of Zipple, the sole fruit of my inept ancestors.”

“This place is dangerous. The fire of destruction seems to have been executed by you, but there are two powerful enemies. They are preventing the fire of destruction from spreading… Do you wish to kill them?”

“Yes, if possible.”

Elona briefly read the two men’s energy and shook her head.

“It’s impossible for now. Looking at the remaining records in the Sacred Crown, the last time this was used on me was a thousand years ago. I need some time to adjust so I can use my abilities properly. It might be a different story if there was only one enemy.”

“Indeed, that’s true. It’s regrettable, but there’s nothing that can be done.”

“I would advise you to escape, Kelliark Zipple. If the enemies attack you instead of preventing the fire of destruction from spreading, you will suffer significant injuries. My adjustments aren’t complete yet. Of course, it’s not that your combat power is insufficient; it’s just that both you and I will inevitably injure each other. Depending on the circumstances, we might even die.”

Kelliark nodded in agreement with Elona’s assessment. With the Sacred Crown on her head, she possessed an unparalleled sense of calm and precision.

Elona had no weaknesses now. She was the epitome of a perfect weapon with the Sacred Crown on her head.

“Understood.”

“Which way should we escape? This place isn’t recorded in the Sacred Crown’s data. Please indicate the path.”

Kelliark pointed his finger beyond the flames.

“Ah, I see. This is the underworld. First, let’s go there and take care of my friend.”

“Friend?”

“A demon named Ragal. He’s a useful ally. And Ragal is pursuing some people. And you have to capture the red-haired woman alive.”

“Ragal… Somehow I feel irritated after hearing that name. Alright, let’s go immediately.”

The protective shield surrounding Elona and Kelliark began to levitate. The shield moved like a flying vessel and advanced rapidly while cutting through the fire.

Its acceleration was unmatched by any dragon or warship. Kelliark adjusted the fire of destruction to clear a path towards Ragal.

By then, Jin and Murakan sensed an ominous change.

‘This… is Lady Elona’s energy.’

However, the familiar presence they had fought alongside was now clouded and directed towards Valeria.

[Kid! I’ll try to cover your part for now, so go towards the Immortal!]

Murakan shouted and used his breath. Jin already trusted Murakan and was clearing a path towards Valeria.

Jin brushed aside the stubborn fire and found Valeria. Fortunately, Jin was able to get there before Elona.

“Valeria, Bale!”

“Jin!”

Bale was protecting his companions from the fire of destruction and Ragal’s miasma. Valeria, Beradin, and Betty looked at Jin within Bale’s golden power.

If Jin hadn’t arrived in time, Bale would have suffered a fatal wound from Elona’s attack.

Chiiing!

A sharp ray of light pierced Ragal and headed towards Bale. A sword energy blocked Elona’s attack just as it was about to penetrate the shield.

“What did you do to Lady Elona, Kelliark?”

“I merely made her realize who she is.”

Elona didn’t close the distance between herself and Jin and looked at Kelliark.

“Ugh, cough, cough!”

Elona firmly grasped the back of Ragal’s neck. Ragal felt as if his neck was about to be crushed by her formidable grip.

“Kelliark, my friend, what-what is this? Let me go. I… I can’t breathe…”

Elona ignored Ragal’s struggles and focused on her enemies.

“Kelliark, it’s a failure. We can’t capture her alive, and fighting is too dangerous. We escape with this.”

“Lady Elona…!”

It was Beradin’s voice. Elona’s hostile and unfamiliar attitude was confusing him and Jin.

Elona felt no emotion even after seeing Beradin’s distorted face. She was only curious why Beradin, who appeared to be a pure-blooded Zipple, was being protected by the enemies.

Kelliark reluctantly accepted Elona’s decision and shrugged.

“Understood. We return to the clan.”

Jin couldn’t stop Kelliark and Elona from leaving. Engaging them in battle would mean the end of his comrades’ lives and the True Demon World.

“Lady Elona! Don’t forget, I will find the way back to you!”

Beradin shouted. It was the only thing he could do right now.

Elona created an escape route by adding her mana to the fire of destruction surrounding Jin and his companions.

“Don’t forget! Don’t forget! Don’t…”

Beradin’s voice gradually faded into the fire.