“I... how could I...”
Yuta’s voice gradually became fragmented, and his hideous face began to disintegrate in the intense light. First his scales, then his muscles, and finally even his bones turned to ash.
The core finally shattered with a bang, dissipating into the air as countless specks of light.
The storm gradually subsided, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing on the battlefield. The black-haired youth’s figure fell limply from mid-air, only to be caught by You in a single stride.
“Starlight!”
Moen’s cry was thick with tears as she stumbled across the wreckage-strewn battlefield. When she saw the figure in You’s arms, her legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed to her knees.
Residual ice crystals still clung to Starlight’s eyelashes, and the bloodstains on the corners of his mouth were stark against his deathly pale face.
“Let me see... quickly, let me see him!”
She propped herself up by her knees, forcing her body upright. Her hand trembled as she reached out toward Starlight’s face, but an inexplicable fear caused her hand to hover in mid-air.
“Calm down, little girl!” You’s soft call restored a bit of Moen’s composure. “He hasn’t sustained any fatal injuries. He can still be saved!”
These words acted like a switch. Moen immediately threw herself at Starlight’s side and began her examination.
Only when she felt a weak but steady pulse did her frantic heart finally begin to settle.
Just as You had said, Starlight had indeed been seriously injured by Yuta’s final death-throe struggle, but it was by no means fatal.
In that life-or-death moment, he had successfully pulled his vitals into a parallel space, thereby avoiding the final impact. Otherwise, the shockwaves from the combined attack of You and the other two would have been enough to shatter him several times over.
Even so, he had still been knocked unconscious by the shockwave.
In his daze, Starlight felt a coolness on his face. Was it... raining?
He slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Moen, her eyes brimming with tears. One by one, droplets fell like broken pearls onto his face.
“Moen... why are you crying? I thought... it was raining...”
“It’s all because of you, you idiot...” Moen choked out a curse, but the healing magic in her hands grew even gentler. “Don’t push yourself like that next time...”
“Heh, maybe I’ve spent too much time with Po Kong. Even I’m starting to get hot-blooded.”
Starlight’s lips quirked into a weak smile as he teased her softly.
“Then tell him not to be like that either... I’ll tell my sister on you!” Moen wiped her eyes, her tears turning into a smile.
While Moen was treating Starlight, Xia Duo arrived at the spot where the battle had just taken place, silently surveying the surrounding wreckage.
Suddenly, she reached back and drew her short blade from her waist, throwing it toward a large, relatively intact rock.
Boom!
The short blade, infused with flame battle qi, streaked like a crimson rainbow and pierced deep into the rock as if it were cutting through tofu.
Just as everyone looked at Xia Duo in confusion, a sharp scream suddenly erupted from the pierced rock.
“Agh! Impossible! How could you—”
In the dust, a translucent humanoid silhouette twisted in agony.
That soul body, so thin it was nearly dissipated, was the very last shred of Yuta’s soul. He had tried to hide within the rock, never expecting to be seen through by Xia Duo.
“Please don’t forget—everything I learned, you taught me.”
Xia Duo spoke tonelessly, her voice devoid of emotion as she walked slowly toward the struggling Yuta.
“You taught me that a proper hunter must always confirm that the prey is thoroughly dead.”
Yuta watched as Xia Duo approached step by step. The sound of her boots crushing the scorched earth rang in his ears like a funeral knell. At this moment, Yuta no longer had his former arrogance or composure; instead, he turned to plead with Xia Duo.
“Number Sixteen... please... I beg you...” Yuta’s soul phantom writhed among the rubble, his voice filled with unprecedented terror. “For the sake of me having once taught you...”
“Let me go! It was my mistake! I was bewitched by those two damned dragons, Salenzo and Cantia! Number Sixteen!”
Facing his pleas, Xia Duo’s footsteps did not falter in the slightest.
She came to a stop before the shattered rock and looked down at the mentor who had once been so high and mighty.
“You did indeed teach me a lot,” Xia Duo said calmly, her voice as light as a whisper to herself. “How to track, how to lie in wait, and... how to deliver a fatal blow.”
Yuta’s soul could no longer bear the atmosphere and began to tremble violently. “No! I can teach you everything I’ve learned in my life! Those lost assassination techniques—”
“But you forgot the most important point yourself.” Xia Duo interrupted him, reaching out to grip the hilt of the short blade. “...And that is that one should never betray their own race.”
As the final word fell, Xia Duo gripped the hilt tightly. Her battle qi erupted like a volcano, instantly piercing through Yuta’s soul.
The heart-wrenching howl lasted only a few seconds before that already incredibly thin soul body completely evaporated in the raging flames.
“It’s over.”
Xia Duo stood quietly where she was, speaking softly as she watched the last wisp of black smoke dissipate in the wind.
It was unclear whether she was telling her companions or herself.
...
Under Moen’s treatment, the color gradually returned to Starlight’s pale face. Although he wasn't back to his peak, he finally had the strength to fight.
“That’s enough for now. I still have to go help Idra.” Moen lightly clapped her hands, and the green light in her palms gradually faded.
She stood up briskly, took an exquisite pale blue crystal bottle from her storage space, and handed it to Starlight.
“Also, drink this.”
“Alright, thanks.”
Starlight took the bottle, feeling a slight chill when his fingertips touched the glass. He uncorked it without hesitation and tilted his head back to drain the potion.
Immediately, a coolness mixed with floral fragrance and sweetness slid down his throat, rapidly spreading to his limbs and bones.
Nourished by this gentle power, his damaged body immediately relaxed like parched earth receiving rain.
“Is this... a new formula?”
Starlight moved his arm in surprise, finding that even the most minute flow of mana had become much smoother.
The corner of Moen’s mouth quirked up. “That’s right. I added Ice Essence Flower extract to the previous potion. I don't have much left, but it seems to work well.”
As a Nature Priest, Moen’s expertise in alchemy was actually quite profound.
It was precisely because her own healing magic was already so powerful that she usually had no need for this type of auxiliary potion.
Idra’s injuries weren't actually particularly severe. Aside from the obvious fracture in its front claw and the laceration on its chest, most of its pain came from being thrown by Yuta.
That terrible blow had knocked several of its bones out of place, which was why it hadn't been able to help at all during the recent fight.
To address this, Moen had to call for the Rift Dragon King’s help, as she couldn't perform bone setting on such a large creature herself.
“Lord Yserazor,” Moen called out, pointing to the twisted joint of Idra’s front claw. “Could you please help with the bone setting?”
The Rift Dragon King curled his lip but still snapped his fingers efficiently. Under the precise control of spatial power, the displaced bones began to return to their original positions with a series of tooth-aching clicks.
Idra hissed in pain from this crude method but kept its mouth shut.
Yserazor then used translucent spatial barriers to create several fixed splints, perfectly immobilizing the injured areas.
Just as Moen began to treat the wound on Idra’s chest, an abnormal tremor suddenly surged through the ground beneath them.
It started as a subtle vibration but turned into a violent shaking in the blink of an eye, causing the surrounding rubble to dance restlessly.
Rumble...
Moen’s healing spell was forced to stop. she quickly grabbed one of Idra’s claws to steady herself.
Idra’s eyes widened, and it let out an uneasy low growl. Its azure scales stood on end, clearly sensing the presence of something terrifying.
“What’s this?” Starlight, who had just stood up, stumbled and instinctively deployed a mana shield. “Is it Salenzo?!”
As if in response to his guess, the ground a hundred meters away suddenly exploded, revealing a massive rift. A black aura reached out from within like a tentacle.
Rate on N.U.
