Master Of Astral Summoner

Chapter 223: Spark of hope

As Shaan sprinted through the cathedral corridor, unease gripped his mind. He still couldn’t believe the truth that Sir Walter had actually been part of the resistance. Sir Walter. The old traitor. He was secretly feeding the rebels valuable information while everyone trusted him. He betrayed the Sanctum for nothing more than his own selfish ambitions.

’That old man is even more selfish than I thought.’ Shaan clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. ’But... can those two really hold Sir Walter back?’

"...Shaan, we need to find Elsie as quickly as possible," Nalira said, glancing over her shoulder. "I’m sure Miss Khaya and Theo can handle Sir Walter."

"Yeah, you’re right." Shaan nodded. "I’m sure Chelsie should still be—"He stopped mid-sentence. "Oh no... That’s Chelsie!" His expression froze as his eyes landed on a group of Resistance soldiers closing in on a purple-haired girl farther down the corridor. "We have to—"

"...Leave this to me."

The moment one of the resistance members was about to swing his sword, ready to finish off Chelsie, Nalira fired several fireballs all at once. The fireballs shot out at high speed, striking all the resistance members and knocking them all unconscious.

"Chelsie!"

Shaan rushed to her side and quickly checked her for injuries. "Thank goodness." He let out a long breath of relief. "Nalira stopped those Resistance soldiers just in time. At least we weren’t too late."

"...."

"Elsie?" Nalira frowned when Chelsie gave no response. "Are you okay?"

"I... I failed, Lira." Tears streamed endlessly down Chelsie’s cheeks."My father..." Her voice trembled. "He’s changed, and I couldn’t bring him back."

"Chelsie..." Shaan’s expression softened. "What do you mean?"

"I... I tried to remind him of one of our happiest memories together." She struggled to hold back another sob. "For a moment... he stopped. He looked like he remembered." A faint smile appeared on her face before fading just as quickly. "But I was wrong." She wiped away the tears clinging to her cheeks. "After I finished... He just stood there." Her voice grew quieter. "Then he told me those tricks wouldn’t work on him anymore." Chelsie lowered her head. "Right after that... he ordered the Resistance to kill me."

"That’s... strange." Shaan rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "It doesn’t make sense."

"I should’ve listened to you from the beginning." Chelsie let out a shaky sigh. "My father..." She lowered her eyes."...It’s like he doesn’t even know who I am anymore."

"...No, Elsie." Nalira shook her head. "You’re wrong." She looked straight into Chelsie’s eyes. "After hearing everything you told us, I’m convinced your father still remembers you."

Her voice remained calm. "And I think your suspicion was right. Something is controlling him."

"Think about what he said." Nalira folded her arms. "If no one controlled him, why would he say, ’That trick won’t work on me a second time’?" She held Chelsie’s gaze. "Those words don’t make sense unless he remembered your first attempt."

"Uhm..."

"She’s right." Shaan nodded without hesitation. "And there’s something else." He paused for a moment. "If your father truly didn’t recognize you, he would’ve stopped listening the moment you started talking."

"...I agree."

Chelsie fell silent. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked at Nalira with hopeful eyes. "S-So...You really think my father still has a chance to become the man I remember?"

Nalira stayed quiet for a brief moment before answering. "I can’t promise that, but..." She gave a small nod. "I believe there’s still hope. As long as hope remains, we can’t give up."

Chelsie let out a long, trembling breath. Relief washed over her face. "Thank goodness..."Without another word, she wrapped her arms around Nalira in a tight embrace. "I’m so happy to hear that."

A flicker of surprise crossed Nalira’s face when Chelsie suddenly hugged her. "...Elsie." A gentle smile appeared on Nalira’s lips as she noticed the light returning to Chelsie’s eyes. "I’m glad to see you smiling again."

"All right," Shaan said, breaking the moment. "We need to move." He looked farther down the corridor. "We might still catch up to Chelsie’s father."

"Uhm... I understand."

The three of them immediately broke into a run. They raced through the cathedral corridor until they finally reached its end. Beyond the exit stretched a vast open courtyard. Without slowing down, they dashed outside.

"...Whoa." Shaan came to an abrupt stop. "This place... It’s incredible."

Three colossal buildings dominated the courtyard. Their dark towers pierced the night sky. Ancient stained-glass windows reflected the moonlight. Massive statues watched over the silent plaza like forgotten gods.

At first glance, they shared the same grayish-black stone and similar overall design. However, the building at the center towered above the other two. Sharp spires pierced the sky, while elaborate Gothic architecture gave the massive structure an awe-inspiring presence.

"Oh no!" Chelsie pointed straight ahead. "There they are!"

The Resistance leader and his followers marched toward the largest building without slowing down. "We have to catch them!" She tightened her grip on her staff. "We can’t let them reach that building!"

Just as they rushed after the Resistance leader’s group, a long knife suddenly shot toward Chelsie at blinding speed. Chelsie never noticed the attack. Fortunately, Shaan ran at the back of the group. The instant he caught the flash of steel, he lunged forward.

"Chelsie, watch out!"

’CLANG!’

His short sword smashed the knife aside before it could reach her. The blade spun through the air and clattered onto the stone floor. The sharp metallic sound made Chelsie whirl around. She froze. Her face instantly turned pale when she saw the long knife lying only a few steps away. It hadn’t been there a second ago.

"Chelsie, are you okay?"

"I-I..." Chelsie tightened her grip on her staff, but her trembling hands betrayed her fear. "Y-Yeah... W-What just—"

’Clap! Clap! Clap!’

"Impressive" A woman’s voice echoed through the courtyard. "You actually blocked my attack." A woman slowly stepped out from behind one of the massive stone pillars. "I really thought that girl would die."

’Damn it... It’s her again.’ Shaan gripped both of his short swords and shot the woman a cold glare. "Hey. What do you want?"

The woman calmly raised another knife and pointed its tip at Chelsie. "The Commander ordered me to kill that girl." A playful laugh escaped her lips. "So, of course... I have to follow his orders."

Shaan immediately stepped in front of Chelsie and crossed his twin short swords. "Damn it. I won’t let you kill Chelsie."

"...Neither will I." Nalira fixed the woman with a sharp, unwavering stare. "I’ll make you regret every word you just said." Mana surged through her body and flowed into her sword. Crimson light spread across the blade as flames slowly wrapped around its edge.

"Hmm... interesting." The woman folded her arms and lifted her chin with an amused smile. "Then let’s see whether the two of you can survive what’s coming."

’Clap. Clap.’

The moment she clapped her hands, several creatures of darkness emerged from behind the stone pillars. One after another, they stepped into the courtyard and glared at Shaan’s group with bloodthirsty eyes.

’Damn it...’ Shaan tightened his grip on his weapons. ’She controls monsters?!’ Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. ’Damn. There are too many of them. This is bad.’

"Well then..." The woman laughed and snapped her fingers toward the group. "Let’s begin." She pointed at them with a single finger. "Kill every last one of them and don’t let a single one survive."