"Is it true? Are you really telling the truth?" Surshana, the God of Death, asked excitedly.
He stared fixedly at EeDechi, the soul fire in his eye sockets blazing wildly, like a drowning man clutching his last lifeline and refusing to let go even in death.
"Of course it's true. I have no reason to lie to you. Antilene hasn't been buried yet, has she? We can go check for ourselves," EeDechi replied in a grave tone.
Surshana acted at once. Antilene's coffin was still on its way to the capital.
He teleported there instantly and, right in front of everyone, opened the coffin to inspect it.
The coffin lid, etched with sacred patterns, slowly slid open, revealing Antilene's gentle and serene face.
She lay on her back amid the snow-white brocade, her expression peaceful, her eyelashes long, as though she were simply asleep.
"Heloise!" Surshana cried out involuntarily.
But the sleeping figure before him was certainly not Heloise Shelley.
Heloise's hair had been pure white as snow, while only half of Antilene's hair was white—the other half as dark as Surshana's bones.
Surshana extended his hand, and a warm magical barrier slowly bloomed, enveloping Antilene within it.
He was casting high-tier preservation magic to keep her body from deteriorating.
EeDechi stood silently to the side, watching the reunion of these two figures separated by time.
"I will do everything in my power to revive her—to resurrect Antilene, no matter the cost!" Surshana declared as he personally closed the stone lid of the coffin.
In the days that followed, Antilene's body was transported back to the capital and carefully stored in the place Surshana had chosen.
Reviving Antilene, however, was easier said than done. As a level 90 warrior, the higher one's level, the greater the cost of resurrection. Surshana said he would search for a way.
Meanwhile, Surshana pulled himself together. No longer despondent, he even took the initiative to discuss with EeDechi how they could work together to defeat Ainz Ooal Gown.
Now that there was someone in this world he cared about, Surshana was unwilling to hand his fate over to others—even if he didn't know whether Antilene would come to love him after being revived.
EeDechi noticed that Surshana's Justice Value stood at 100, a fairly high figure. It was no wonder that, despite being undead, he was willing to aid humans and protect the Slane Theocracy.
This showed that even an evil race like the undead could stand on the side of justice when their Justice Value was sufficiently high.
...
After parting ways with the God of Death, EeDechi set out again. This time, she wasn't traveling alone—she had a little tagalong, a young girl named Kilua who called herself a seer.
EeDechi thought the girl's walking speed was too slow, so she simply hoisted her onto her back and ran.
Since EeDechi had a terrible sense of direction and didn't know the roads, she simply used her compass to choose a direction and ran in a straight line.
Along the way, she crossed mountains, vaulted ridges, leaped over swamps, and whenever she came to a river, she ran straight across its surface.
In less than a day, thanks to EeDechi's immense speed and stamina, she had already crossed two entire provinces of the Slane Theocracy.
The soldiers of the Sorcerer Kingdom were stationed at the major checkpoints, inspecting all passing travelers. EeDechi blasted straight through. They never even caught a glimpse of her—only a black whirlwind sweeping past their faces.
This long-distance sprint gave Kilua an even deeper appreciation of EeDechi's strength.
"EeDechi, have you ever been to the Eight Greed Kings Desert?" Kilua asked cautiously.
"Yes, I have," EeDechi replied offhandedly.
"I heard there are lots of amazing treasures in the Eight Greed Kings Desert. Did you find anything there?"
"I found an Aetherial Secret Coffer, and the small skyship 'Apocalyptic Mourning Bell'..." EeDechi suddenly grew wary. "Why are you asking whether I've been to the Eight Greed Kings Desert?"
"Well... I smelled the scent of the desert on you," Kilua said sheepishly.
"Is that so?" EeDechi glanced at Kilua, sensing that this little girl was craftier than she looked.
"Um... can I take a look at the Aetherial Secret Coffer?" Kilua asked tentatively.
"Sure." EeDechi stopped in her tracks and called out, "Aetherial Secret Coffer, come!"
By now dusk had fallen, the twilight deep and heavy. From the distant sky came the sound of something tearing through the air. A lavishly decorated large chest flew toward them at high speed and landed steadily at EeDechi's feet.
"This is the Aetherial Secret Coffer. Its internal capacity is countless times greater than that of a spatial ring, so it can hold all kinds of things," EeDechi explained.
The little girl Kilua tilted her pure, innocent face upward, staring at EeDechi with eager eyes. "Is it really that amazing?! I want to see what's inside. Can I?"
EeDechi glanced at Kilua's Justice Value—still 162—and nodded. She ordered the Aetherial Secret Coffer to open its lid. "Go ahead and look."
Kilua climbed onto the edge of the Aetherial Secret Coffer and craned her neck to peer inside.
Her eyes suddenly lit up as she stared at the Dragon Progenitor's body within. Drool began to trickle from the corner of her mouth. "Ah! I want it so badly!"
Kilua tried to climb into the box and nearly fell in. EeDechi quickly grabbed her by the back of her collar and yanked her out.
"What did you see that made you so excited?" EeDechi asked suspiciously, staring at the little girl in her grasp.
"Well..." Kilua fidgeted uncomfortably. "Can you give me the Dragon Progenitor's body?"
"No!" EeDechi refused without the slightest hesitation. "You're just a little girl. What would you do with a dragon's corpse? Do you even know who this dragon is? It's the Dragon Progenitor, one of the ancient dragon gods. The Wild Magic power contained within it isn't something your small body could handle."
"Actually, I'm a descendant of the Dragon Progenitor!" Kilua said firmly, her small face tightening as she waved her little fists. "The Dragon Progenitor's body can strengthen my magic power! Once I get stronger, I can help you beat up the bad guys!"
EeDechi slowly shook her head, unmoved, and closed the lid of the Aetherial Secret Coffer.
Then the little girl Kilua resorted to the usual bratty tricks—throwing herself around in a tantrum, rolling on the ground, or shamelessly acting cute and pitiful.
EeDechi didn't fall for it in the slightest. She simply picked Kilua up, tucked her under her arm like a briefcase, and kept walking forward.
"Stop making a fuss. The most important thing right now is to find your parents. They've got to be worried sick since you went missing. You can't stay with me forever, can you?"
Kilua let out a resentful sigh and stopped pestering EeDechi for the Dragon Progenitor's body.
The night grew darker. Up ahead was a small town, and EeDechi decided to find an inn or somewhere similar to rest for the night.
Although EeDechi possessed superhuman stamina and never felt tired, she still disliked traveling at night. She preferred sleeping soundly in a warm bed.
As a level 100 powerhouse, EeDechi's senses were naturally razor-sharp. Her hearing was so powerful it was almost frightening—she could even tell whether a mosquito flapping its wings twenty kilometers away was male or female.
When they reached the entrance to the town, EeDechi suddenly stopped and listened intently.
Amidst the chirping of insects, the cawing of crows at dusk, the rumble of carriage wheels, the clatter of loom gears, the shouts of vendors, and the chatter of townsfolk, EeDechi picked out two familiar voices she hadn't heard in a long time.
"...Barrett, why do you think the Captain would come here..."
"If I were directionally challenged... and wanted to avoid getting lost, I'd follow the compass and walk in a straight line..."
"...The Captain is going to the Eight Greed Kings Desert, so she'd probably head due south. She most likely can't tell southeast from southwest..."
"Captain would probably stay at an inn... She doesn't like sleeping outdoors..."
"...Then we'll check every inn later..."
"...Be careful... Don't let the Sorcerer Kingdom notice anything unusual..."
EeDechi was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She grabbed the little girl Kilua and sprinted toward the source of the voices.
Sure enough, on a stone bridge spanning a winding river, EeDechi saw the two people she had longed to meet most—Barrett and Franco!
At the same time, Barrett spotted EeDechi.
"Captain!" Barrett shouted excitedly, waving his hand.
Franco turned his head and recognized EeDechi's figure. He jumped up in delight. "Whoa! The Captain finally showed up!"
EeDechi let go of Kilua's wrist and rushed toward Barrett and Franco like a gust of wind.
The sun was setting, its afterglow gilding the clouds with golden edges. The fiery red twilight was vivid and brilliant. On the stone bridge, the three of them came together in a tight embrace!
The joy of their long-awaited reunion made EeDechi beam with happiness. A brilliant smile spread across her face, her delight unmistakable.
"I finally found you!" She said.
"No, we found you," Barrett said with a gentle smile, lightly patting EeDechi's back.
"Meow~~~"
A soft, sweet meow rang out. A round, sky-blue cat head poked out from Barrett's backpack.
Cheeko's round obsidian-like eyes widened. It leaped out of the backpack, sprang off Barrett's shoulder, and bumped straight into EeDechi's face like a sky-blue ball.
"Cheeko, did you miss me?"
EeDechi smiled as she held the cat in her arms, affectionately stroking its head. Cheeko kept meowing and nuzzling against her, expressing her own longing.
With her teammates finally reunited, EeDechi felt her confidence swell.
"The Last Defender of the Way adventurer party is finally complete!"
EeDechi shouted with bold energy, "Let's set out again! To the City Alliance!"