Raising Legends in Roger’s Shadow

Chapter 315 315: Waiting for the Banana Mace

The silence was absolute, colder and emptier than anything Jerma had ever seen among the altered humans a void that seemed stripped of all emotion. Mechanically and devoutly, she prayed for the very people who oppressed her, who treated her as a sacrificial offering. On her face was a near-religious, deeply ingrained sense of duty, a "mission" she believed was her natural right.

Prosperity.

A river of molten anger roared through Reid's chest, as if it could shatter the dam of his reason. The surrounding blood mist briefly surged uncontrollably, only to be restrained by his immense willpower.

He did not act immediately.

Because in Witt's eyes, he saw not a spark of will to survive.

What use was there in saving someone who no longer wished to live?

Reid stood motionless. Behind his mask, no joy or sorrow flickered across his face. Only his crimson eyes burned with an anger strong enough to annihilate this hypocritical nation.

He was waiting.

Perhaps she was waiting for an opportunity, perhaps for a reason to want to live.

Reid: still waiting for the banana mace? Let's get this over with.

He reined in all his aura and silently followed the girl known as the "Goddess."

She had finished her long and agonizing ritual of prayer. Under the watchful eyes of two expressionless, uniformed guards, she dragged her heavy chains step by step toward a low building at the edge of the plaza, a structure at odds with the glittering towers surrounding it.

It looked more like a clean cage. The door silently closed behind her, cutting off the outside world and her freedom.

The numb girl approached a small mat at the center of the room, apparently preparing to resume her endless cycle of prayer or penance.

Then, without a sound, Reid appeared before her.

The sudden presence made her shiver from head to toe. She didn't even see his face clearly, instinctively curling up and covering her head, her voice trembling with fear:

"I'm sorry! I've been praying devoutly! I haven't been lazy! Please, don't cut off my food…"

Her plea abruptly stopped.

She had not received the expected scolding or punishment. Shivering, she cautiously lifted her head and met a pair of eyes.

What eyes they were! Deep red, swirling with emotions she had never seen not indifference, not arrogance, not false pity but a fire so intense it seemed capable of burning her, and… pain?

She froze, forgetting fear, staring blankly at this man in strange, foreign clothing, exuding an utterly alien presence.

Reid watched her instinctive reaction. Listening to her skilled, anguished pleas, the fury he had been restraining exploded anew with a roar!

A cold, murderous intent spread uncontrollably.

The girl trembled violently, terrorized by the palpable killing intent, yet years of conditioning kept her from fleeing. She could only stammer, mechanically repeating the doctrines instilled in her:

"This… this is what I should do… this is my mission… sacrificing myself for Piruka is my honor… I, I…"

"Silence!"

Reid stepped forward, towering over the small girl.

She immediately went still, closing her eyes tightly, bracing for the punishment she expected.

But the pain never came.

Two crisp, sharp cracks echoed. The cold, heavy custom shackles that had bound her for years were shattered and crushed by the blood mist surrounding Reid!

Suddenly, her ankles felt weightless. The strange sensation of freedom made her blink in disbelief.

Reid looked at her confused face, a faint flash of alarm crossing his own, and his anger crystallized into a decisive, unyielding declaration:

"From today on, your mission is over. Everything from here on is your choice."

He extended his hand:

"Come with me."

Reid saw the deep numbness hidden behind her panic. Even with his "Divine Seal" momentarily inactive, the murderous intent around him had not faded; if anything, it grew stronger. His voice was icy:

"If you do not come with me, I will kill you right now."

The girl trembled, the threat of death piercing through the shell of her ingrained sense of duty.

"No… I cannot die… my mission isn't complete… I still have tasks to do…"

"Come with me. You cannot resist anyway." Reid cut her off, no longer willing to listen to her words. He grasped her delicate wrist cold to the touch and without another word pulled her out the door.

She stumbled forward, her mind blank. The freedom of escaping the chains, the threat of death, the dominance of a stranger all collided violently with her long-imprisoned psyche, leaving her no choice but to follow passively.

Bang!

The blood mist smashed open the cage door.

Light poured in, immediately drawing the attention of the people in the street. When they saw the "Goddess" being dragged out, and the man beside her radiating an ominous aura in bizarre attire, their brief shock quickly gave way to a cacophony of voices:

"Look! It's the Goddess!"

She… how dare she come out? And with a man, no less?

"Her chains are gone! She has betrayed us!"

A man with magnificent wings pointed at them, his face twisted with disgust and contempt. "I knew it! She's already colluding with those trash from the Blue Sea, wielding magic! She is unworthy to be our Goddess! Spit!"

Reid's stride never faltered, not even slowing. He tilted his head slightly, crimson eyes sweeping over the man who had spoken in mockery.

The next moment,

"Ah!"

The nobleman's mockery was cut off, replaced by a sharp, piercing scream as his entire body dissolved into blood mist.

The once-noisy street fell silent.

All words of ridicule and curses were forcibly suppressed, leaving only the ragged sound of fear.

Reid's gaze swept across the crowd. They were now silent as winter insects.

"Obstruct, die."

"Those who mock shall die."

His voice was not loud, yet his murderous intent carried clarity, entering every ear. The immense aura was like a tangible tsunami, suffocating, forcing people to recoil and clear a wide path for him.

He strode boldly down the center of the street, dragging the numb girl with him. Everywhere he went, silent fear spread like wildfire.

Reid already knew, at least for now, he had yet to encounter anyone stronger than himself. In this era a hundred years before the Blank Century power structures were still in their infancy.

The girl stumbled forward, her wrist firmly grasped. She looked at the terrified expressions of the people around her, saw those who had just cursed now lying dead, and the man beside her casually taking lives as if crushing ants… Her mind went blank, leaving only complete numbness and confusion. This was the power of a demon.

She did not know where they were going or what would happen, only instinctively following a force so overwhelming that resistance was hopeless.