Silent Crown

Chapter 178 Demon

The sound of a wall collapsing came from afar. In the darkness, the dome trembled. Dim candlelight flickered from the faint shaking causing dust to fall. It stung slightly when it fell on one’s face.

The terrified crowd inside the sealed sanctuary let out restrained cries of shock. A sharp wail sounded faintly. Through the thick dirt, one could sense them approaching and pacing in the ruins of the village. They had come.

In the silence, even the sounds of breathing became harsh and terrifying. The refugees tried to hold their breath as thuds sounded continuously overhead. The entire village was shrouded in the sudden disaster.

"Oh god…" In the claustrophobic atmosphere, the priest prayed hopelessly. The survivors curled up in the darkness and closed their eyes.

-

This was the frontier of humanity, the place with the dimmest light. Tonight was destined to be the darkest moment of this small village. Death, disaster and chaos had come. Waves of demons and beasts had arrived without any warning, and the traps outside the village could not stop them. The high walls and garrison were weak as thin paper.

The alarm rung. That was the one fortunate event of all the misfortunes. The alarm rang seventeen times, shocking the sleeping villagers awake. They opened their eyes and saw the burning village and the demons on the streets. In the end, only a few dozen people had the chance to hide in the church’s sanctuary. The others, the remaining ones…had all become the demon’s food.

"They’re finished…" someone murmured.

The survivors sat on the ground in exhaustion. They stared at the fear in each other’s eyes and tried to restrain their breathing. Through the heavy gates, there was the sound of something approaching.

It was the sound of the demons’ rampage in the village. They followed the scent of blood to find their prey. The roars of beasts and painful cries of men sounded continuously.

"Mommy, I’m scared." A child’s restrained crying sounded in the darkness but his mouth was quickly covered by his mother. Teardrops fell on his cheeks.

"Don’t be scared, don’t be scared…the demons are all gone. Don’t be scared?"

Had they really gone?

Everyone’s eyes were filled with deep terror because the sounds were still above their heads. The demons were still pacing on the ground above the thick dirt and layers of stone tiles. They had feasted on fresh blood but were still not satiated. There were still remaining breaths lingering above the ruins, leading them to patrol lazily for the existence of any living person, even if it meant digging six feet deep.

Boom! The looming clock tower suddenly collapsed and fell to the ground, raising a thud and a cloud of dust. Deep underground, restrained cries sounded among the people in the sanctuary. They shook. Someone was pushed to the ground and let out a muffled cry. She curled up in pain and could not stand up.

"You—are you okay?" The panicked man was at a loss. The woman froze before squeezing out a ghost of a smile. There was something magical about the smile, mesmerizing the man.

"What are you looking at? B*tch!" A bloated woman sneered and dragged her man back. When she looked at the other woman, her expression was full of disgust, as if she were looking at something dirty.

The woman on the ground was taken aback. Sensing that she was not welcomed, she curled up in the corner and hung her head. Fiery red hair tumbled down her shoulders. Like dim flames, they revealed a strange beauty under the candlelight.

The men could not help but look over. Even in such a dangerous time, they were still seduced, and their eyes were lustful.

"Shouldn’t have let her in." The bloated woman glared at the pitiful woman, her eyes full of jealousy. That b*tch was still flirting…

The red-haired woman heard her words and carefully curled up in the corner. She worked hard to squeeze a favorable smile onto her face. Unclear sounds came from her mouth. "Uh…uh…" She was mute.

The bloated woman froze. But when she saw the raised stomach, the disgusted expression intensified. She spat, "Wh*re…"

The red-haired woman was taken aback. Her pale face darkened and she breathed quietly in pain.

"Don’t be scared, my child." The priest wrapped his rosary beads around her hand, his expression sympathetic. "God will protect you."

Her body trembled, but she lowered her head and grasped the beads as if God really would protect her.

-

This woman had come last winter. She had not come with a merchant group or from the road. She had come from the direction of the Dark World.

That afternoon, a hunter saw her in the swamp. She was wearing ragged white clothing and walking barefoot in the swamp. She was on her last breath. Everyone thought that the red hair was like dying flames and was beautiful, as if it were a gift from the demons.

"She must be cursed," was what everyone thought when they saw her.

No one knew how she came out of the unknown darkness. She was mute and could not talk. She could not write either, but no one here knew how to write. It was obvious that she had wandered for a long time. In the end, she stayed in the village.

The village "selflessly" accepted her. As long as she was willing to sell her body, she could receive precious food. Was this not common sense? She had no money or any skills. If she wanted to survive, she had to pay something.

In the beginning, she protested, but then she stopped. Maybe she had accepted her fate.

"She does it willingly," was what everyone said.

Later, her stomach grew bigger day by day. No one knew whose child it was. Every man had fallen for her beauty and loved this wh*re, forgetting their crude and bloated wives…She was so beautiful.

The young priest snuck a glance at her side profile and gulped. Even restrained by his vow, he could not help but thirst and lust.

"Don’t be scared. God will protect you…" He reached out to caress her cheeks. But a rumbling forced that thought away.

-

The earth began to shake. Another wall had fallen with a crash. The roars of beasts echoed in the darkness, as well as faint cries. In the sanctuary, everyone’s face was deathly white.

This was all in their mind, right? No sound should be able to get past the heavy gate. But the sound was there, resounding in their hearts. Their fear caused them to hold their breaths.

Had a demon’s voice gotten closer? They were attracted by something. Was it the smell of fear? Or was it the pained whimpers? Because of the wails of grief?

Everyone was stunned. They looked behind them at the woman curled up on the ground, whimpering in pain. Her face was white and she covered her mouth, trying to suppress her pain, but she could not stop moaning. Redness spread over her lower body and dyed the ragged dress…It was blood.

"She’s giving birth?" Everyone finally realized it. F*ck, her water had broken from the fall and now she was going to give birth soon! That d*mned baby just had to come out at this time!

Pain ripped through her body and she shook, using all her might to stop herself from crying out. Tears rolled down her pale face.

The cries of demons neared.

"That’s her voice…" someone murmured in horror.

"Shut up!" The bloated woman’s expression changed abruptly. "Shut up, do you want to kill us all?"

"Stop crying!"

"Are we going to let her give birth here?"

"Strangle her…" someone yelled quietly, "Don’t let this b*tch endanger us all."

Instantly, all sound vanished. Everyone froze. In the long silence, the crowd stared at her, but the fear in their eyes had been ignited and turned into a beastly glint. That was all they could do…right?

Someone stepped forward subconsciously.

The red-haired woman froze. She watched as the people crowded around her. Their expressions became fierce and vicious as if they were going to do something.

"I’m sorry." A woman holding a child looked at her. Her eyes were blank but filled with cruelty. "My son is only two years old…I’m sorry, but he can’t die yet."

"Uh, uh…" She finally realized what would happen next. She screamed and shook her head with force, edging back until her back was to the heavy gate. There was nowhere to run.

The cold eyes fell on her with malice. They murmured, "Shouldn’t have let her in here!"

"It’s all your fault for wanting to have the kid."

"Don’t blame us. If that d*mn b*stard wasn’t born…"

Tears fell from the red-haired woman’s eyes. She tugged at a man’s pant cuff and knelt before him, begging, "Uh…uh…"

"D-don’t touch me." The man stumbled back as if he had seen a ghost. The terror in his eyes was tinged with menace. "B*tch, you want to get me killed?!"

She was kicked away. The rosary beads in her hand broke and tumbled onto the ground, rolling to the priest’s feet. He looked at her fiery red hair and his eyes moved once. Twice. He felt that he should do something and save this poor woman, representing God, but he could not move under those cruel gazes. He could not find the weak lambs who prayed. When lambs went crazy, they were more terrifying than wild beasts.

"W-wait!" he forced out. But the gazes cast upon him scared him. Those gazes were like nightmares.

"She’ll kill all of us." The woman holding a child stared at him coldly and said in a hoarse voice, "Can’t you hear it? Those beasts are going to be led here because of her!"

"There’s another way. I have a way…" He blocked them, his face pale and hesitant. He looked back at the hopeless woman on the ground, his expression twitching. "Don’t be scared. God will protect you."

After hesitating, he took off the holy emblem from his neck. It reflected the light and illuminated his pale face and dark eyes. "Just abort the child. Without it, you’ll be pure…" the priest murmured. He stared at her, mesmerized by the red hair.

She froze and tried to crawl back, scared of getting close to him.

"Don’t be scared. I’ll help you." The priest forced a look of benevolence onto his twitching features and placed the holy emblem before her. "Come, kiss it and God will forgive you. You won’t feel pain anymore. God will protect you."

She shook her head fiercely, hiding from the emblem. Its light illuminated her tears and fear.

"What are you doing? I’m helping you…" The benevolence in the priest’s face stiffened and gradually broke down, becoming eerie and terrifying. He clenched the woman’s chin and forced the emblem to her lips. "Kiss it!"

Crack! The holy emblem fell to the ground. Its light extinguished as it tumbled. The priest froze in the darkness. He gaped at the woman before him, stared at her hand and felt the stinging pain on his face.

She…hit him? She dared to…

"Of all the men here, I’m the only one that didn’t f*ck you! Only me! I’m the only one who truly cares for you! But why won’t you look at me…you—you b*tch!" The priest wrapped his fingers around her neck, strangling her as his expression twisted. "I was trying to save you! You asked for this…you asked for this!"

The woman choked, unclear moans coming from her throat. Gradually, she stopped moving. Her eyes went blank, reflecting the priest’s twisted features. Maybe she had given up. Or maybe…

"She’s dead?" The priest stumbled back and looked at his two hands. She was dead…he killed her. He turned back at the dazed crowd and his face paled when he saw their eyes.

"You were the ones who killed her. Why are you looking at me?! I—I didn’t want to…" he mumbled, running out of words. "I did this for her own good, to save everyone!"

That was what he told them and what he told himself. He weakly knelt on the ground, not daring to look at the woman in the corner and her dull hair. He did not dare.

In the stillness, there was only silence. The demon’s voices disappeared and the footsteps faded in the distance. The people exchanged glances, pleasant surprise in their eyes.

"They left?"

"We’re saved," the woman with the child said in surprise. "We’re saved."

"We’re still alive. Oh my god, we’re still alive…"

"Hurrah! The demons finally left!"

The people began cheering and danced, celebrating the end of this long night. They forgot about the red-haired woman on the ground behind them. They also did not see that the metal door behind them was gradually melting like a candle. When a crack appeared, there was darkness and red eyes.

The demons who had returned licked their lips and took in the smell of life. They cracked open their mouths as if they were laughing. As if they were celebrating with them.

Among the crowd, the child in his mom’s arms looked back and saw the menacing creatures. He froze and began crying, howling in fear.

The dim candles went out without a sound. Cries of despair and terror came from the darkness, as well as the sounds of carefree munching. One could vaguely hear the holy emblem clattering to the ground and a wail coming from a ripped throat.

"Oh God…"

There was only darkness.

-

In the darkness, the blood-curdling screams and wails gradually disappeared. The gluttonous feast was about to end. But suddenly, a chilling roar sounded from the darkness outside the sanctuary.

A deafening roar, a rumble, a tremor, a flash and burning firelight swept through, turning the earth to scorched dirt. Horrible cracks appeared on the ground. The ceiling of the sanctuary shook. It was as if a giant was walking in a human’s world. There was thunderous wrath and destruction fell upon the earth.

The destruction was mighty. It lifted waves of air, ignited flames and spread lightning and frost. The deafening sounds approached the sanctuary. A burly figure ripped the metal door apart and entered the darkness.

His upper body was bare and he wore a horse mask on his head. His large body shone with layers of detailed runes. Blood vapor hovered around him, transforming into faces that sang hysterically. Two burning bone saws were in his hands. The sticky blood of demons evaporated, sizzling.

The demons whinnied and roared wildly. It was as if they had seen a truly strange creature.

Under the music of deafening roars, the giant creature swung his bone saw and massacred what was left in the sanctuary. The demons in his path were halved, shattered, shriveled and slaughtered completely. Finally, the stillness returned.

The flames on the bone saw were extinguished. The burly creature took off his mask and revealed his exhausted face. "Commander, we were late."

Behind him, the frail middle-aged musician gazed around. The prosthetic arm lit up a ball of fire and shone in the heavy darkness. The firelight illuminated his long-whitened hair and dark eyes. "Keep looking," he murmured. "Keep looking. There must be someone still…" The cries of an infant interrupted him.

Stunned, he looked at the corner in confusion. There, an infant cried with difficulty in a puddle of blood. His voice was weak and his skin had turned blue from the cold. The umbilical cord was still wrapped around his body, and he was embraced by his dying mother, lying in hair red as dying embers.

This was the cursed child. He was born in the massacre of demons, born in death and sin.

"Still alive?" The one-armed musician cried in joy. "Someone’s still alive! Doctor, where’s the doctor? Miss, please hold on. The doctor will come soon…" But his voice died off because of the woman’s mournful yet relieved eyes. She lowered her head and kissed the infant’s cheek. The terror and despair in her eyes were gone, as if she had received the most precious treasure on earth.

The infant opened his eyes and stared at her. He raised a hand, touching her cheek. She smiled and quietly hummed a lullaby. Her voice was full of content and unwillingness to part. Cold blood flowed under her dress. It was extreme blood loss. The wild refugees did not kill her; the wild demons did not destroy her. But now, she was going to die.

How nice it was that the misfortune and darkness was all going to disappear. The long life of misery and torture was finally going to end. There would no longer be redemption and pain waiting for her…

She used all of her strength to lift up the child, and gave him to the dazed musician. Her eyes were grave and pleading. The cold prosthetic arms scooped up the child clumsily. The middle aged man carefully took him, stiffly yet gently, as if he was holding the weight of the world.

She could not help but laugh seeing the musician’s awkwardness. Her expression was one of relief and peace. Finally, she reached out a hand. Her finger brushed against the infant’s cheek and slowly gestured using sign language, one word at a time.

She said, "Please tell him that I am happy."

The musician froze, and then slowly nodded.

And so, she closed her eyes. She died.

In the stillness, only the infant touched her dropping cheek. When he did not feel any warmth, he began wailing, as if he knew what he had lost.

After a long time, the musician lifted the infant and turned to leave this giant tomb. After a few steps, he could not help but look back at the dead woman. She was curled in the corner, her red hair as beautiful as dying flames. All pain had left her—she was so lonely and so serene. The steel door slowly fell and darkness swallowed her content smile. All was still.