Rise of the Rejected Deity from Chaos-Chapter 62 - 61: Their First Step into the World

As they moved farther from the ruins of the facility, they paused to feel the cool breeze brushing gently against their skin.

"Finally, I can smell freedom!" one of them exclaimed, arms wide to embrace the breeze.

"It does smell quite delicious," another agreed, a smile creeping across their faces.

For a brief moment, they reveled in their newfound sense of liberation, but their joy quickly faded when the harsh realization hit them—they had nowhere to go. No home, no shelter for the night.

They exchanged knowing glances, and in unison, let out a heavy sigh.

"Given the time, the police are definitely out there patrolling. We can’t risk drawing their attention," the bulky senior remarked.

In that moment, they understood they needed to think quickly, improvise, plan their next steps, and find a place to stay for the night. With several children in their care, they had to be extra cautious.

"First things first—we need a place to rest tonight. Even if we plan to search for a river, we can’t drag the kids with us. They’re far too exhausted," Hayne suggested, and the seniors nodded in agreement.

"Especially her. She overexerted herself today," one of the second-floor members remarked, pointing to the young girl he was carrying—no older than six. Her tiny frame was limp from fatigue.

"Yeah… To think someone so young could push herself this far," another mused. "Healing the others after their trackers were removed… She needs rest."

While they dug out their trackers, with no healer available, they had to rely solely on the young girl whose healing abilities, despite being limited, eased the other young children’s pain. The older ones endured the pain of removal without aid.

"We need to set our priorities straight. We can’t risk the children’s safety," a third-floor senior said.

"Exactly!" Hayne agreed. "Our first priority is finding shelter, perhaps an abandoned building for now. From there, we can head to an internet café to gather information about the kids and their families—those who’ve forgotten and lost track of their family, that is. We can simply ask the rest about their families and ensure we reunite them safely."

"That’s a solid plan," the bulky senior agreed with a nod.

Together, they numbered about 18, seven of whom were children aged between four and six. The rest were teenagers or young adults, ranging from 15 to 20.

With the deaths of multiple ones over the years, they’ve been reduced by a lot.

"Once we find a place to spend the night, we can leave the kids and some of the older ones behind while the rest of us take Eiro and the injured to the hospital," Hayne suggested.

"That way, we can also leave the kids and a few of you older ones while the rest go in search of a river to lay Suhei to rest," the bulky senior added.

"That is, if we manage to find an abandoned building," another interjected. "All while avoiding the police," The senior muttered, a touch of skepticism in their voice.

Riena, who had remained silent up until now, watching and listening intently as they discussed their plans and options, turned to face them. "Rather than wandering aimlessly, why don’t we first look for the river to lay Suhei to rest together?" she suggested softly.

Her gaze lowered, her brown hair swaying slightly in the breeze. "Suhei deserves at least that much respect from all of us," she added, then continued her walk.

The others exchanged glances, uncertainty clouding their faces. "How do we find a river at this time of the night when we have no idea where we even are?" one of them asked.

"At least we know we’re in Japan," one of them joked.

"We’ll just keep walking, as we originally planned when we thought out our escape," another said with a thumbs-up, deciding to overlook the weight of their situation.

"We could follow the wind," another added. "Move in the direction where it feels the coolest."

"Though I doubt we’ll get anywhere with the police out there. Look at us—bloodied and battered. We’ll have our God to thank If we don’t get locked up in jail after just escaping."

They let out a collective sigh before following Riena.

At the rear of the group, Seiya walked in silence, accompanied by the elite who now work under him. They kept their distance, trailing several paces behind the others.

Seiya’s staff floated beside him, his clothes tattered and blood soaked. Thick smears of red clung to his skin, especially across his chest and stomach, where deep wounds gaped. The night breeze grazed his injuries, but he remained unfazed.

{Sei...} Ibyu’s voice stirred in his mind, weary.

"Mn?" Seiya murmured, drawing a curious glance from the elite beside him, who mistakenly thought Seiya was addressing him.

{Why don’t you use your eyes to scan the area for a river so we get this done with? You know, that spatial awareness of yours,} Ibyu suggested.

"…" Seiya said nothing in response, outright ignoring Ibyu.

{Are you even listening?! It’s not like you have to go out of your way to activate it. Your eyes already see everything this way,} Ibyu snapped, frustration lacing its words.

Still, there was no response from Seiya.

Seiya didn’t see the point in wasting energy on something so trivial. Searching for the river felt like a meaningless errand, one that had nothing to do with him. He was only following this group because he had no other choice—nowhere else to go.

{Hmph! Fine! Don’t do it, then. Waste time roaming aimlessly about, searching with them. It’s your loss, not mine!} Ibyu scoffed.

At that, Seiya suddenly stopped.

The elite beside him halted as well, tilting his head in silent question. Though he said nothing, his eyes conveyed his curiosity—why had Seiya stopped so abruptly?

For a while, Seiya remained still, his expression unreadable. Up ahead, the others soon noticed his absence and called out to him. When neither he nor the elite made any move to follow, Hayne took it upon himself to return.

"Seiya, what’s wrong?" he asked, stopping in front of him.

Seiya’s gaze swept the surroundings as if in search for something unseen.

The rest of the group hesitated before reluctantly retracing their steps. Though they kept a fair distance, wary of Seiya, they couldn’t simply leave one of their own behind.

"What’s wrong?" they asked, directing their question to Hayne, unwilling to address Seiya directly.

But Hayne had no answer. Seiya was yet to say a word.

Then, after a lingering pause, Seiya finally turned to Hayne.

"This way," he said, his voice calm yet certain, as he pointed toward the left.

He moved to walk ahead, but before he could take a step, Riena surged forward, blocking his path.

"Huh? That’s it? You just say ’this way’ and expect us to follow you without an explanation?!" she snapped, her voice laced with frustration.

The others tensed. They had long since learned to tread carefully around Seiya, but Riena had no such reservations. Though her confrontational approach unsettled them, they couldn’t deny that she had a point.

"Wait, Sei," Hayne interjected gently, stepping past Riena to face Seiya directly.

"That way," he said, gesturing in the direction Seiya had indicated. "Are you saying we’ll find a river there?"

"Mn," Seiya affirmed with a curt nod.

His curt response only deepened the confusion among the others. How could he be so certain? Had he been here before? Did he know more than he let on? The thought unsettled them, yet none dared to voice their suspicions aloud. They could only speculate since they had no idea how Seiya’s eyes worked.

Riena, however, was not one to hold back.

"So, just because you say there’s a river, we’re supposed to blindly trust you and follow?" she scoffed, eyes narrowing. "And why should we trust you at all?"

Her words grew sharper, each syllable dripping with accusation.

"For all we know, you could be another elite planted among us—a spy. What if you’re leading us straight into a trap? Luring us to get rid of us. You even got one of them to ’work’ under you," she added, curling her fingers into exaggerated air quotes.

She towered over Seiya, her height and age giving her a natural advantage, and she used it without hesitation. Her gaze bore down on Seiya, clouded by a mixture of disdain and irritation—eyes that had once been the very ones with which the world viewed Seiya.

Though he had forgotten much of it due to his fading memory, his body reacted instinctively, his patience beginning to fray.

With the eyes she regarded him, it was as if she was irritated by his mere existence.

Then, in the midst of the thickening tension, Seiya’s cold voice cut through the air.

"Second time."

Riena blinked, momentarily thrown off. "Huh?"

Visit fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm for the best novel reading experi𝒆nce.

Slowly, Seiya lifted his gaze to meet hers. His eyes, already unreadable, darkened further, their eerie glow standing out even in the dim light.

"This is the second time you’re getting on my nerves."