Crownless Reincarnation: New World? Nah I'd win-Chapter 73: Apostle Zaina [7]

’Where am I?’

Zaina wondered as she looked around her.

The world that surrounded her was nothing but pitch black.

She looked around, trying to find anything, even herself, in the darkness.

’Right, I was close to that statue and then I lost consciousness.’

She thought grimly, taking a few steps forward nervously.

’Huh?’

But one more step and she was falling down into the abyss.

She couldn’t see it, but she felt like reaching a depth of her consciousness.

’W-What is happening!?’

Panic began to catch in her throat as she jerked her hand around.

She blinked and a blinding light assaulted her.

"Huff...Huff..."

It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden light.

She looked around, finding herself inside a broken throne room.

"Ah, this dream again."

A voice echoed in the place, making her flinch.

Zaina quickly turned around to look at the throne where a woman sat.

"I never thought I would see you again."

The figure walked out of the shadows.

Zaina’s breath caught in her throat as she looked at her... no, herself.

The woman who walked towards her looked just like her.

The same lavender hair along with amber eyes.

But this version of her stood taller, straighter, and had more mature features.

Zaina quickly noticed the dark circles under her eyes.

She swallowed hard. "W-who are you?"

"I am you." The woman replied. "One of the future ’you’."

Zaina blinked and observed the woman who was completely different in personality.

Her lips trembled. "What are you?"

The woman tilted her head before she walked past her.

"The queen of humanity." She said. "Or so they say."

Zaina hesitated before she began to follow her.

"Why am I here?" She asked quietly.

"To awaken your power." The woman said softly. "That accursed power of Morana."

Zaina frowned. "W-what do you mean?"

"Oh, you don’t know yet." She said, turning around to look at her. "We are the apostle of goddess Morana."

"W-what?"

"You will get used to it." She said, resuming her walk. "When the church comes knocking and when they take away your right to live."

"That can’t be right," she whispered, shaking her head. "I’m not... I’m not anyone’s apostle."

The older version of her... this regal, broken queen, smiled faintly.

"That’s what I said too, but they don’t care."

Zaina wrapped her arms around herself. "No... I didn’t ask for this. I was just— I just wanted to stop those voices. I followed Asher, that’s all."

At his name, the queen Zaina stopped in her tracks.

She coldly looked back at her. "Are you not with Arthur?"

Zaina shook her head.

"Weird." She mumbled. "How is your case different."

"C-can I go back?"

She didn’t reply; instead, she walked out of the broken throne room into the howling winds.

Zaina shielded her eyes as she found herself at the cliff of a hill.

Queen Zaina stopped at the edge of the cliff and she followed closely behind.

"You will be back soon." She said, glancing at her.

Zaina nodded as she looked down the cliff... only to freeze in place.

There were endless numbers of soldiers crawled below like ants.

Everywhere she looked, all she saw were the army tents.

Her trembling eyes looked back at queen Zaina. "W-what is happening?"

"We are at war." Queen Zaina said. "Against the world."

"W-why?"

"To get the broken piece of all-knowing ’Seraphic Tablet’," she replied. "The only thing that can cure our curse."

Zaina frowned. "I am not cursed."

Queen Zaina didn’t reply, instead she looked down the cliff.

"You know, I saw a completely different future when I awakened." She said softly.

"Where I was nothing but a housewife living in a cozy house on a lakeside."

’A housewife?’

Zaina stared at her future self in stunned silence.

"That woman whom I thought was my future self gave me some advice." She mumbled, barely containing her anger.

"To love Asher no matter how weird things get."

Zaina’s hands clenched at her sides; she could feel it now... the anger of her future self.

"And I tried to follow her advice." She whispered, turning to look at Zaina. "And look what happened to me."

"...."

Zaina opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Now, let me give you a piece of advice." She spoke, staring dead into her eyes.

"Kill Asher. Do it like I did... strangle him to death."

"....."

Zaina’s body began to glow softly, but her future self didn’t let her go.

She grabbed her hand tightly.

"Whatever misery you have in your life and will have is because of him." She said, tears trickled down her eyes.

"You are doing yourself a favour by killing him."

Zaina’s hand vanished, but her eyes remained on her.

"Kill him!"

She screamed.

"KILL HIM!!"

---

Zaina woke up back in the enormous chamber.

There was no sense of self in her eyes but vague voidness.

The last dominant thought echoed in her mind as she looked at Akamir.

She raised her hand and a mask latched to her face.

An arch blade formed in her hand.

"Zaina—?"

’Kill him.’

She threw the blade at him.

**

"Fuck."

Akamir grumbled as he rolled out of the path of the blade’s trajectory.

Using the enormous body of the snake as a shield, he glared at Nayomi.

"Couldn’t you warn me beforehand!?" He snapped, glaring at her.

Nayomi didn’t reply as she stared at Zaina. "She is coming."

"Tch."

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he took out his black sword from his ring.

Zaina floated and rushed towards him with two daggers, which swung outward in a broad arc at his throat.

Akamir swiveled on his heel, parrying her blows with a strike to her hands before he was forced back.

’Huh?’ he frowned inwardly. ’How did she get this strong?’

"Apostles get a burst of power in their active state." Nayomi explained lazily, floating close by. "Don’t worry, she will empty her mana soon."

Akamir glared at her as he parried another strike.

Using the brief window as she brought her daggers back up, he lunged at her side. novelbuddy.cσ๓

She spun like a blade, gaining the momentum to block his sword with her left dagger.

Sparks flew across them as her weapon made of mana broke.

Akamir didn’t give her another chance as he rushed closer.

She made another short sword and thrust it in a straight line.

But Zaina changed the weapon into a long staff midway and slapped it onto his face.

Akamir ducked, feeling the weapon whistle over him.

He got up and rushed at her once again, and her staff now turned into a war hammer.

Zaina swung the war hammer down like a falling star.

Akamir sidestepped just in time.

The hammer crashed into the stone floor, sending a small shockwave through the chamber.

She spun the hammer in a full circle and charged again.

"Shit," Akamir muttered, raising his sword just in time to block.

The impact nearly knocked the blade from his hands.

He skidded back and came to a halt.

Akamir jerked his hand free of the pain as sparks of purple lightning began to crackle around him.

His speed increased as he rushed at her in a blurry moment.

Her hammer shifted mid-swing into a scythe, cutting the air with a vicious whistle.

Akamir sidestepped and jumped at the head of the scythe.

Zaina sensed it a second too late as she dematerialised it.

’Have some sleep, girl.’

Akamir jumped up at her, turning his blade sideways to knock her out.

CLANG!!!

But she made a barrier that blocked his strike midway.

"Tch—!"

He twisted in the air, flipping back to land on his feet.

Zaina hovered above the ground, her eyes blank, the eerie mask still clinging to her face.

Her scythe multiplied and she was holding one in each hand.

’Is this her instinct?’

Akamir wondered as he lowered his stance.

Purple lightning burst from his body, crackling like fire.

She launched at him again and he met her halfway, their weapons clashing.

Akamir feinted left and drove his elbow into her gut.

She wheezed, just a little, and he seized the opening, slamming the hilt of his sword into her mask.

As she remained disoriented from the sudden attack, Akamir grabbed her and pulled her down.

"Urgh!"

She couldn’t fight as he wrapped his hand around her.

He wrapped his legs around her waist and slammed his back on the ground.

Akamir began choking the breath out of her lungs.

Zaina writhed and thrashed, but he didn’t let her go.

Finally, the glowing markings on her body began to fade away.

Zaina slowly began to regain consciousness, and her hand weakly tapped onto his arms.

"A...Asher?"

She spoke weakly.

"Let...go."

"Promise you won’t attack me." He said, lifting his head.

"...I promise."

Akamir let her go and she coughed violently.

She rubbed her neck as she weakly lay over his body.

Reasoning began to return to her while Akamir drew in deep breaths.

"I am sorry." She whispered softly. "I didn’t mean to—."

"It’s fine." Akamir mumbled, closing his eyes. "Don’t worry about it."

There was a silence between them for a long while.

Zaina didn’t move as she lay over his body.

"Hey." She mumbled softly. "Are you really Asher?"

Akamir lifted his head once again to look at her.

"No." He said. "I am Akamir."

Zaina closed her eyes with a soft chuckle. "Then I will call you that."

’I wasn’t joking though.’

Akamir thought but didn’t correct her.

Zaina spoke again. "Hey."

"What?"

"I said, I won’t attack you." She grumbled. "Can you stop poking my back with your knife."

Akamir frowned. "I don’t have a knife."

"..."

"..."

There was a long awkward silence as Zaina sat back up.