229 A coincidence or not?
Chapter 229
She passed by the Abyssal dome.
Oliver heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the woman approach a broken statue.
She stared at the statue, locking eyes with it as if talking to it.
Here’s Chapter 229 with the added sentences in bold to indicate where changes were made:
Chapter 229
She passed by the Abyssal dome.
Oliver heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the woman approach a broken statue.
The statue depicted a foul-looking demon of fury and dread, its two raging eyes staring at him with a wicked fury. It had a broad mouth with spiky protrusions inside. The craftsmanship was incredibly lifelike, as if the sculptor were a master with centuries of experience.
Scars and cracks covered nearly every inch of it now, disfiguring the already grotesque features. He had no desire to find out what kind of violent history had led to its current state.
Oliver wondered who this demon was. It was most likely dead by now, but he couldn’t help feeling intimidated just by its statue—and imagining how it had died.
Whoever or whatever had the power to defeat such a creature must have been terrifying beyond measure.
He watched as the demon inquisitor reached the statue and stared at it for some time.
She extended her hand, tracing her fingers along the dusty exterior of the broken statue, her touch lingering on one of the more heinous scars on the statue’s chest.
Oliver noticed her long nails painted with purple polish as she remained engrossed in the statue.
Suddenly, she spoke, her voice as sweet as honey. “You’ve been quite the nuisance, you know?”
Oliver’s breath caught as he instinctively tensed his muscles.
How? When?
When did she find out?
She didn’t turn around, and her back remained facing Oliver, who was frozen in place.
He had already prepared his strongest counter, ready to escape if necessary.
The woman spoke again. “Isn’t that right, uncle?”
She stared at the statue, locking eyes with it as if talking to it.
‘What is this?’ Oliver’s mind raced. ‘Is she talking to the statue? Or… me?’
He couldn’t shake the feeling that this might be some kind of trick. Was she baiting him, waiting for him to reveal his location by reacting? Or was she truly lost in her own thoughts?’
His mind raced with possibilities. There was a chance the inquisitor already knew about him but, upon realizing he was about to counter and escape, decided to pretend she was talking to the statue.
There was also the possibility that she was reliving a memory from when the demon depicted by the statue was still alive. They probably had some sort of connection.
“You used to be revered by the masses for your might, yet in the end, you died so miserably at the hands of the Witch of Death…” she whispered quietly, but in the silent surroundings, her voice was heard clearly.
That name again.
‘Ophelia,’ Oliver thought, blinking. Of course, it had to be her.
‘Umm…’ Oliver was speechless. If he wasn’t mistaken, the terrifying person who had killed this heinous and dangerous-looking demon was none other than Ophelia.
‘Well.’ Oliver had a blank expression on his face. Even in the demon lands, her name was famous, at least. The Witch of Death was a title she held in the novel that represented her. And from the words of this demonic woman, the demon depicted by the statue had died miserably.
“Ah, the Witch of Death—the person I admire and the person I want to kill the most…”
The inquisitor spoke lazily, as if lost in thought.
Admire and want to kill? This woman had issues. Serious ones.
Crunch!
Her hand, which had been gently grazing the statue’s scars, suddenly crushed part of the statue, creating more cracks in the already crumbling figure.
“….”
She turned and stared directly at where Oliver was standing, making his heart skip a beat. He hadn’t felt this nervous in a long time. It was a chilling experience.
His breath caught in his throat as a cold sweat broke out across his brow. All the inquisitors were terrifyingly strong, and the woman before him was no exception.
But why was she staring directly at his hiding place?
‘This is bad… really bad…’
The demonic woman wore a subtle frown as she looked ahead.
‘Why do I feel like I’m being watched?’
The woman thought to herself. This feeling had started the moment she entered the temple, and it had persisted the entire time. She felt as though someone was observing her, and it made her feel uneasy.
Something was odd, something she never felt before.
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