Captain – Chapter 558 – Disturbance

That wasn’t the real Roy.

Though from her being and her eyes, Caine could sense some glimmer of what was called “humanity,” what dominated was still the nobility of one who reigned from the distant heavens.

She represented the majesty of the devil’s lineage and part of the girl’s own will. She wanted him to live, so he shouldn’t die like this.

It was almost like… a miracle.

As the light grew ever brighter, about to engulf them both, Caine felt the terrible pain receding, those broken bones seemingly reassembling miraculously.

He stared blankly at those eyes so close before him, watching the blazing yet non-blinding light within them, feeling the great power that flowed into his body through some medium, “rejoicing” as it did so. Suddenly he understood that earlier scene.

That dark, lightless sea was… the great dream the captain had always spoken of. So her breaking through that dark veil naturally meant…

The devil had awakened.

So that was it.

This was the young man’s final thought. The next moment, Roy’s figure had already vanished from his sight, leaving only pure light, like another kind of night.

After a long while, the light gradually faded.

As perception returned, Caine suddenly opened his eyes. Though the scene before him was still quite dim, it was no longer pure black but had some faint light and starlike gleams.

The faint light came from fragments of the “sky.”

That ghostly bridge-like canopy had long since shattered completely. What remained either stretched across overhead or was embedded among collapsed rocks, emanating limited illumination.

The starlike gleams were the characters that had appeared inexplicably on stone walls and ground even before the world turned upside down—the mourning script that proclaimed fate. But for some reason…

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Now, he could no longer understand them.

“Welcome to hell.”

Though he had lost the ability to decipher them, Caine still couldn’t forget their meaning. He spoke to himself in a slightly hoarse voice, then smiled with bitter humor.

Leaning against the damp rock wall, he slowly sat up and briefly examined his condition.

Strangely, yet not unexpectedly, his body was nearly intact except for some lingering bruises, showing no signs of broken bones whatsoever.

On the contrary, his body and spirit were excellent now. He could even sense…

Looking at his own hands, the young man couldn’t help but frown, because he clearly discovered that although he wasn’t using any medium, he could already freely manipulate great power.

What… was this situation?

After thinking silently for a long time without any clue, Caine could only attribute this to the girl, feeling that his condition must be thanks to her awakening.

As the captain transformed from mortal to devil, his own authority as a follower naturally grew stronger too.

That should be the reason.

At this thought, he remembered something else and couldn’t help but reach into his coat to retrieve the pocket watch.

Sure enough, having pushed the girl in that realm of death had exhausted all its divine power. Now not only was its surface completely shattered, even the hands were twisted.

The pocket watch was no longer a medium, but as a blessing in disguise, he seemed to no longer need it.

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Looking at that old photograph, Caine narrowed his eyes slightly. In the end, he still closed the pocket watch and put it away, though he didn’t notice that the expression he had just worn—with traces of indifference and scrutiny—was nearly identical to the person in the photograph.

After confirming his body was fine and that the small shield from their arrival was still firmly fastened to his left hand, the young man supported himself against the wall to stand and began observing his surroundings.

Earlier, in that lightless world, he had thought countless times that he should be dead. Even if he wasn’t struck by falling rocks and fragments, he surely couldn’t escape the surging tide.

But looking now, luck had still stood on his side.

He hadn’t become a casualty of that apocalypse. Those deadly objects falling toward him were either blocked by diagonally standing peaks or, competing with each other, had ultimately stacked into an umbrella shape, carving out a living space for him.

Where Caine now found himself was like a naturally formed, half-collapsed cave.

Moreover, the area it enclosed was quite large—no smaller than the grand theater in the Auran capital—providing ample space for movement.

As for the seawater pouring down, it flowed along the cave’s outer edge into that abyss.

Following the illumination from fragments and starlight, Caine cautiously stopped at the cave’s edge, watching the pitch-black seawater continuously pouring into that bottomless chasm.

The Putrid Abyss was a corridor to hell and could never be filled with seawater. Moreover, this mountain valley was large enough that he didn’t need to worry about air for the time being.

Light flickering in the depths of his eyes, the young man’s thoughts raced as he contemplated escape methods, even considering using that small shield, but ultimately sighed helplessly.

No matter how clever he had become, it was impossible to find a way out of this desperate situation.

After all, he was now in the deep sea. Above was water pressure terrifyingly great, below was an endless chasm filled with the aura of decay—both directions led to death. Even if he sprouted wings, he couldn’t get through.

As for that shield… at least he couldn’t see anything special about it, let alone how to use it.

Thinking of the word “wings,” Caine couldn’t help but remember the young dragon that had been struck by fragments along with him but had fallen into the abyss. His blue eyes dimmed slightly.

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Even now there was still no sign of life. If I had known this would happen, you really shouldn’t have come to save me.

After standing before the abyss for a long time, knowing that no matter how long he watched, that little creature couldn’t possibly return, the young man sighed softly and turned back into the cave’s interior.

He casually chose a spot, sat against the wall, and looked up at the cave ceiling. Through the semi-transparent fragment embedded there, he watched the swiftly flowing seawater, wondering how long this temporary “shelter” could hold.

Or perhaps, before it collapsed, he would die first from lack of food and water?

That would truly be a pitiful way to die.

Smiling self-mockingly, the young man slowly closed his eyes and, with the help of the magic power within him, reduced his life force to its limit, becoming almost like a stone statue.

This way, he should be able to last longer in this sunless cave.

He had thought he could face fate calmly, not minding the approaching shadow of death, able to let go and leave. But now, he suddenly changed his mind.

Not because of the inhuman pain he had suffered, nor because fear had made him abandon dignity and pride, but only because, in that dark world, he had seen her once.

Thus reluctance, thus attachment, thus he realized he had never been able to let go.

He was no different from her.

Captain…

In the silence, Caine murmured soundlessly, his fists at his sides gently clenching.

Time passed second by second, but the young man’s situation remained unchanged.

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Just in a different environment, awaiting the arrival of death—different process, same result. Waiting was torment, especially when even time became blurred.

The same monotonous darkness met his eyes, the same monotonous sound of water filled his ears. Just when Caine thought this meaningless vigil would continue until the end of his life, his steady eyelashes suddenly trembled.

Slowly opening his eyes without any other movement, he maintained his upward gaze.

Only the confusion in his eyes and his slightly furrowed brow proved his mood was not calm, because just now, he was certain he had clearly heard…

Wind.

Though distant, in this incredibly monotonous world, it was piercingly loud.

Like thunder striking right by his ear.

The confusion faded from his eyes, returning to calm. The young man didn’t move at all, ensuring he wouldn’t create any noise while listening intently with complete concentration.

Before long, he heard that strange sound again!

It was the sound of wind stirring and dancing wildly, as if something had disturbed the airflow in this limited area. Besides that, he also caught another sound.

Somewhat sharp and grating, like some sharp object being forcibly embedded into stone walls. Whether the wind sound or the sharp noise, both were getting closer with time.

Increasingly clear and terrifying, as if a warning bell was being constantly struck.

Reminding the sole living being in this deathly silent world…

Something was coming.