Chapter 14: Rebirth of The Warrior Queen [Part II]
"Ha... where... am I?"
Crusch thought to herself, her vision fuzzy as her eyes slowly opened, only to be faced with something strange, if not completely out of the norm.
Her vision was met with an endless roof and an unfathomable depth that stretches upwards without end. Its height was truly limitless. Above her, however, were millions, if not billions, of floating shelves full of books, all floating in an undeding motion, towering over one after another.
The image was indeed breathtaking, and it made even the shadow garden seem insignificant in comparison.
What was actually terrifying was not the floating shelves, but the fact that even on the ground before her. There was a massive series of giant book shelves that towered over her and were comparable to a skyscraper. And these shelves seem to stretch on indefinitely into the distance, as the room around them and the shelves around Crusch appear to be limitless in size, given that she couldn't identify the end. She felt like an ant swimming in a vast sea with no conclusion in sight.
To summarize the entire situation, Crusch had landed in the largest library she had ever seen in her entire life. The floors were made of black and white checkerboard tiles. while the light above was like a brilliant sun that shined forever on the library she was in.
Crusch immediately began to question to herself, "How the hell did she get here in the first place?" And it's only then that she remembers what happened.
"Ah, that's right, Natsuki offered me that fruit... then... then... I took a bite." According to what he stated, if I ate it, I would be able to regain my memories. That's exactly "All of which is Crusch Karsten." That phrase lured me, and I bit into the fruit to obtain access to the forbidden knowledge. And the next thing I knew, I had lost consciousness, and I awoke to find myself in here. But what exactly is here to begin with?"
As Crusch stood up to look around, she was perplexed and mystified as to what she was expected to do here. Was this some kind of test from Pleiades or something, she wondered? She was taken aback, however, when she heard a strange sound of laughter coming from nowhere as a giant golden butterfly approached her and landed on her finger.
"A but~~terfly."
"What is a butterfly doing inside a place like this?"
Crusch hears the mischievous laughter emmiting from all directions once more, causing Crusch to gaze about, rotating and watching aimlessly as she says.
"*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*, KYHAHAH~~HAHAHA kyhahaHAHA!!! hihihihihhhiiiihihihihihiii!!!"
"Whhhhhat the hell is that laughing sound?"
"Is~~ is... anyone there!?"
Crusch yelled, anxious about her surroundings.
However, what happened next astonished her because she could hear a woman's spitful voice; her voice had obligation in it, so much so that it subtiled itself into reality as she spoke, and the subtiles manifested in the color red.
"Crrrusch Karstennn~~ is at the epicenter of "The Hall of Stories." Oh, and she is wearing a bunny girl suit, because why the hell not? It is a fanfic after all, as such anything can be factual hihihihihhhahahaha!!!"
Crusch blinks once as those words are spoken, and she finds herself in a different place than she was before. At a very different location than where she first appeared.
"Haaa! EHHHHHHHHH!!!, ww-What the hell is this, and how did I find myself here?... Whats going on?"
Crusch expressed morbid astonishment and uncertainty, saying that one minute she was god knows where and the next minute she was still god knows where, but this god knows where is not the result of her own choice.
But she was taken aback when she noticed a brilliant light in front of her, so she raised her head. And as a result of doing this, she became surprised to see something she had not expected to see.
"Whattt... is... this?"
Crusch inquired, her countenance befuddled, as she beheld a massive white crystal floating in the midst of a black pedistal. But it wasn't the crystal itself that stunned Crusch; it was what was inside the crystal that did.
A young, naked girl balled up in a fetal posture, embracing her legs, was within the enormous crystal, which was two of hers in overall height and one wide. Her skin was pale and white, and her drill hair was blond. Her eyes were closed, and her body was trapped inside, but the strangest thing was that many books were floating around the crystal as they slowly sank inside, almost as if the tiny and cute being from within was devouring the books in the same way that the Tree of Knowledge devoured many universe fragments.
This, however, was much more wrong; for some reason, it felt as if the child inside was dead but not dead, or, better still, in a state of suspense. The crystal itself resembled an unhatched egg. Crusch could sense it in her spirit. This child—no, this thing—was by far the most dangerous person she had encountered thus far; her instinct was telling her to run or bend the knee, so much so that she would even go as far as to say she was even more catastrophic than the likes of even Pleiades. She was terrified just looking at her; it was as if she were looking at an incomplete goddess in the making. A fetus that has not yet reached full development.
Crusch could only say one thing with horror in her eyes at that moment. She knew right away if this thing was going to be released into the world after it was born. It will be the end of everything.
"Pleiades~~ what exactly... are you creating?"
Crusch observed the drill-haired loli, who had been sleeping within the crystal for god knows how long, and consuming the books that were whirling around the crystal. And the more she devoured, the more books appeared from other sections of the library to replace the devoured ones.
Crusch, on the other hand, was taken aback when she heard a familiar voice surrounding her.
"Haihihhihi! *cackle*cackle*cackle* its magnificant, isn't it; be honored witch canidate, hihhhi... KYHAAhaha! What you are gazing at is the Nexus core. Or the heart of the Nexus-3 apparatus's And when you think about it, it's rather remarkable what one man can accomplish when he's discontent with a world that constantly takes from him. His original sins are envy and greed. My teacher, The Sage of Sin, is responsible for the entity you see before your eyes; you could say it was his last remaining family in this world, whose time was coming to an end. In despair, he disobeyed the law of nature and played God, sacrificing everything that was his humanity to keep her alive. Her name is like mine, Beatrice. But to avoid confusion, we guardians call her "Nexus Beatrice." "The Lady of the Black Quill." And the one destined to devour all stories within creation upon her rebirth."
"In a way, Nexus Beatrice is the true form of my teacher's ambition, and when she is resurrected, my teacher will also ascend with her, as they will transcend the narrative stack of all stories within our universe."
"This has been my teacher's desire since I've known him. However, he is missing the one ingredient needed to complete her. That was to claim the universe OD, or the soul of creation, for himself and fuse it with Nexus Beatrice, who is being groomed to withstand the powers of creation. However, the only way to get there was to take the sword saint's soul, yet every sword saint that is born is strong enough to defy him. The world adapts to his growth and produces an antithesis in his name to keep the law of balance in check. That is, until he met you, witch canidate, you were the turning point teacher has been waiting for."
Crusch immediately turned around when she heard the voice speak in a nasty and energetic tone. And then it happened: a swarm of beautiful golden butterflies began to flock together until a figure could be seen.
And there she was, in all her glory.
A woman dressed in Western attire with golden blonde hair and blue eyes. She had lovely, smooth skin and a big chest that bounced with the slightest movement. She has a rose-adorned bow in her hair, a choker, a ball gown-like garment, and a ring on her left middle finger.
She reclined with a sardonic expression on her face and held up her right hand with her left. She also held a long wood and gold pipe, slightly slanted, still smoking as the fragrance of tobacco met Crusch's nostrils with full force.
Crusch looks at the woman with caution and fascination, especially given the woman's sadistic tendencies up to this point.
"Who are you?"
Crusch inquired, and the woman chuckled, her face amused, as she began to introduce herself.
"*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*, Hihhihihhahahaha... aghhhh... my~~my where is my manners. My name is Beatrice, witch canidate, Beatrice the Golden Witch, and overseer of the "Hall of Stories." Welcome, honored guest, to The Tree of Knowledge's inner world, where "The Lady of the Black Quills" slumbers and devours all stories within herself."
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