Divine Heritage: Only I Can Judge The gods-Chapter 50: Gate

A five year old child was pointing at an ice cream truck from underneath an umbrella.

"Mummy, I want!"

Her mother followed the girl’s finger and smiled at the man selling the ice cream, bending down to look her daughter in the face.

She had her umbrella in one hand and the delicate hand of her child in the other.

"Princess, it’s raining now, let’s wait until the rain lets up. I don’t want you to catch a cold."

Tears began to well up in the girl’s eyes, causing the woman to panic a little, as she began trying her best to soothe her child with promises.

"No! I want! I want! I want!"

"Princess..."

"Wahhhhhhhh!"

The child made sure to increase the tone of her voice, throwing a tantrum. Already passersby were giving the woman strange looks.

She sighed as she rose to her feet and walked over to the ice cream man.

"One ice cream please."

The man smiled. He picked up a cone and scooped up a rather generous amount of ice cream before handing it to the very satisfied child.

"That will be two Lorins."

"Alright, give me a second."

The woman looked into her purse, pushing aside some papers to get to the cash. But when she looked up, she stumbled back and the umbrella fell from her hands.

Right in front of her, the ice cream man had been skewered in half, he was moaning in pain as what looked like a giant ant and was feasting on his abdomen.

"No..."

She grabbed her child and turned to run but she collided against something hard.

In front of her was another ant, this one stood on two feet like a bear, towering above her.

Her child let out a loud scream, a flood of tears rolling down her eyes.

"Please, no!" The woman begged, pushing her child behind her. "Princess listen to mommy okay? Run into that building over there."

"Mommy let’s go together," the child said, tugging on her mother’s sleeves.

"Mommy will be with you soon, don’t worry. Now go!" She had her hands forward, trying to shield her child from the beast.

Even at the cost of her life, she would keep her child alive.

The girl shook her head, her eyes red with tears.

"Princess Run! Get out of here!"

But the girl only cried harder.

The ant stared at them, its white eyes locked on her, and then it lunged, plunging its claws into her chest.

The woman died instantly, her lifeless body was easily lifted into the air by the ant and tossed to the side.

"Mommy!!"

The ant started at the child next, saliva dripping down its maw, as her petite figure reflected in its white pupils.

***

"Move!"

Silver grabbed onto Ark’s shoulder and pulled him back from above the gate just as a large beast tore through the gate at the other side.

The beast was just like an unnaturally large ant, the length of a car. Its mandibles bore wicked fangs and in place of the antenna were two long horns.

Its black exoskeleton had a metallic sheen that gleamed softly, and on its abdomen were runic patterns.

Ark stared at the beast completely shocked. It was the first time he was in such close proximity to a gate...

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!"

Ark heard a feminine scream and turned just to see a woman way too far from him, trying to keep an ant back with her umbrella.

Her clothes were muddy from trying to run away from the ant and yet the damn thing was just too persistent.

The ant batted the umbrella to the side and pushed the woman to the floor, she let out a scream just before the ant took her head in its jaws.

The horrifying sound of crushed bones filling his ears moments later.

All around him was the stench of death, people were dying every second and yet he had no idea what to do.

His mind went into overdrive, thinking about the best possible solution, the most ideal way to save as much people as possible and yet he came up with nothing...

Who would help first? And even if he was to save them from one, who would protect them when he went to save someone else?

The ants kept trooping out of the portal with each passing second, their exoskeletons making horrifying sounds as they charged.

Suddenly, a delicate hand came flying in the air, colliding with Ark’s cheeks.

All his thoughts suddenly flooded out of his head and with the light ringing in his ears came clarity.

Ark had the tendency to overthink things. Overthinking on its own was not bad, it was due to his overly thought out plan that he was able to pass the trial after all.

But there were times when there was no time to think, only to act.

Times like these—

He realised what he had to do...

"Thank you, I needed that."

He had to do everything he could.

Golden sparks surrounded him as he blazed through the street, weaving himself past a number of people until he got to his target.

Clang!

There was a spark as Ark’s axe made contact with the claws of a standing ant.

Behind him, a child was crying next to the body of a woman.

Ark gritted his teeth as he pushed the ant backward, he let out a scream, angry at his own weakness and disgusted by his insufficiencies.

Boom!

His axe collided with the ant’s skull but the exoskeleton held, his axe only managing to push it back.

Just then, Ark heard a voice in his head:

"They are horned ants, immoral class beasts with tough shells. You’re going to have to put in more effort."

The ant was already upon him, its limbs outstretched. Using his body to shield the girl, Ark rammed his shoulder into the abdomen of the ant, knocking it back.

Then he ran forward, tightening his grip on his axe as he let out a scream of rage.

He swung the axe with more force than normal, aiming to completely decimate the beast.

Boom!

Untainted valor collided with the ant’s skull, the force of the blow pushing its head to the wet ground. The blade dug into its skull and then exploded out the other side, spreading a white substance on the floor.

[You have Slain an Immoral infernal horned ant]

Its limbs continued twitching but it was undoubtedly dead.

"Everyone!" Ark screamed at the top of his voice. "Take cover in the buildings!"

Despite the child’s resistance, Ark grabbed the child’s hand and ran towards the nearest one, handing her to the terrified shopkeeper.

Ark then dashed forward once more, embedding himself in the madness that was now the streets of Lorsine.