Note: Sorry for the delay in updates, I had covid thus had no strength to write. 

As we walk through the meat, Liam notices my hair and questions it. 

"It's the result of my training," I say. 

"Oh...?"

"Anyways, I found some flying carriages ahead. We can use these to travel safely."

The section ahead is the noble section where influential and wealthy people roam, although they are now a pulp of meat. 

There are close to seven functioning flying carriages. We take the fuel of the ones not used. Afterwards, Jon gets on a carriage himself and calls for Kin, I get on another carriage with the kids, and Liam gets on a third carriage with Lily and Liz. 

"Oh yeah, Liam, what happened to Guida(The tavern owner) and her husband?" 

Liam refuses to answer. 

"I see..." 

And the flying carriages lift off and zoom into the sky. 

================================== 

20 hours later... 

================================== 

Jon managed to meet up with Kin and his group. All of them are geared with clothes covering every skin, preventing the worm from infecting them. They joined Rena's crusade to eliminate the source of the insects. 

As they approach the source, the amount of infected increasingly becomes aggressive and large in numbers as if someone is controlling them. The infected act as the "bodyguards" of the source. 

Without a choice, Rena and her army have to kill their way through until they reach a mysterious building. 

The red beam of light launches from within a church but it is not The Church of Axis. It's occult. 

Similar eye symbol drawings are carved around the white mouldy church. 

*BAM!* 

Rena kicks the front door down. Inside the church is row after row of cultists wearing a red-brown robe with an eye symbol grovelling to the old bishop. 

"Oh wise and benevolent, please pardon me for my sins."

"Please cleanse my blasphemous soul and body." 

The devoted cultists chant different lines repeatedly. 

"Oh?" The bishop notices Rena. "I don't expect-"

Rena leaps across the room and decapitates the bishop. 

!!!!!

"AHHH!!" 

"NOOOOOO!!" 

The cultist panics and runs to the bishop's body. 

"H-Help! I don't want to turn into this thing!!" One cultist begs Rena. 

Rena can only glare at her. "You reap what you sow."

Suddenly, the cultists grasp their heads in pain as they succumb to something. 

"N-No...Why...? My sins were cleansed..." 

"ARGHHH!!" 

Some roll on the floor, some lean against the wall, and after a while the cultists jump at Rena aggressively. A single aura slash kills every cultist in the room. 

At the end of the church is a large hole, and the red light towers from it. 

An eerie aura emits from the hole. The army trembles at the pressure. 

"Hah..." Rena sighs and asks her subordinates to stay behind. Then, she and those unaffected jumps into the crack. 

*Thud!* 

It was a long drop yet Rena lands with a soft thud. The others had to use Mana to cushion their fall, Kin and Jon simply takes the fall impact unscathed. 

What's before them is a large and majestic crimson-red pyramid erected above the rock. The tip shoots out the red beam. 

A man behind Rena dashes forward and attempts to cut the mysterious pyramid. 

!

"Wait!" Rena exclaims. 

Something zaps past the man, sending his head flying. A woman wearing a mask and wielding a peculiar weapon with two blades attached at the end like scissors. 

Rena wastes no time and leaps forward, a smooth, thin, and potent aura engulfs the blade. 

Her sword attacks the masked woman, who reacts by swinging her weapon. One blade blocks Rena's slash and the other counterattack. Rena suddenly flashes and appears behind the masked woman. 

The lady smiles. 

*BAM!* 

Someone crashes into Rena and forces her into the wall. It's Kin. Rena failed to notice there are more than one hostile and those following her also had someone to fight. 

Several blazing fireballs hurl at Rena and Kin and Jon swoops in and dissipates the attack. 

The masked lady uses that opportunity to send her weapon flying at the three of them. 

Rena's arms glow and she swipes her hand up. A wall of mana erects to deflect the weapon away as it boomerangs back to the masked lady. 

"Huff huff..."

"Give up." The masked lady says. "The apocalypse has already begun. Only the mastermind can stop this and he is not here." 

"What?" Rena mumbles. 

Unknown to Rena, the mastermind Haren is nowhere near the source. 

The capital of Rodgof is the large city of Hira. Hira's infrastructure spreads to the horizon and never seems to end. in the neverending city, much unrest erupts when news of the infection was leaked to the public. Some wanted the government to conduct a large-scale execution while the other corner wants a cure for the infected. With an already existing revolution growing in the shadows, the government faced an unprecedented workload. 

The King, an old man with a long grey beard extending to the sideburns, sighs as he sits on the throne chair. He is King Lucas. King Lucas single-handedly brought Rodgof to its current power and safety against The Demon Lord. but now, his power within the political world dwindles as his children's eyes on the throne. His nobles and supporters have shifted to his children stating that Lucas has done enough for the kingdom. 

In reality, they are simply unsatisfied with Lucas' governance. 

King Lucas clenches his fist in anger, silently cursing in his head. 

*BAM!* 

Suddenly, the door to the throne room swings open. A young man wearing a long black coat walks in, pulling a body with him. His hands are soaked in blood. 

King Lucas' jaws drop. 

"Y-You...How are you still...Guards!"  King Lucas says. 

Haren smiles at the king's expression. "They are all dead. Don't bother." 

...

"Do you still hold a grudge for what happened 50 years ago? I already told you, I had no choice!" 

Haren listens and nods as he continues his stroll to the king. 

"I see I see...Unfortunately, I don't care. I will destroy this country. I will destroy the very thing you built with blood, sweat, and tears." 

When close enough, Haren's shadow covers King Lucas. 

"Your death will be the first step."  Haren raises his hand. 

"Haren!"  

Suddenly a voice echoes from the entrance of the room. 

??

Haren looks back to see me standing at the door. Without warning, Haren sends a crushing wave of mana at me. The colourful glass windows in the room shatter, pillars crack and break, and the large doors tremble. 

*BOOOM!!* 

The large doors burst into many pieces leaving behind only smoke. However, even after all that, I stood unscathed.  

Haren squeezes his eyes. "What?" 

He noticed the mana going through my body rather than hitting it.