Note : You guys may or may not have noticed, but some of the sentences use a font style that doesn't originally come from Webnovel, so when the text is translated into other languages, those sentences won't change and will stay in English...
I hope it won't bother readers from other countries too much, because I really can't bring myself to edit any more >.<
And if you find any typos or wrong words, just leave a comment on that paragraph and I'll edit it right away
***
"Useless!"
A furious man's thunderous voice rang out, echoing off the towering dark stone walls around him.
He was a tall, slender man with the pale violet skin typical of the Dark Elves, long straight black hair, and dark red eyes without clear pupils.
He wore a black-and-crimson robe with sharp metal accents at the shoulders and a simple crown of spiked iron, giving him a stern and menacing look.
A ruler, or more precisely, the king of the Nightaris Kingdom, Aurelion Nightaris.
The king wore a gloomy expression.
The throne room where he stood felt utterly devoid of warmth.
Its walls were adorned with carvings of dead roots coiling around pillars of black stone, and the only light came from purple-flamed torches lined along the hall, casting long shadows that swayed like living creatures.
Beyond the narrow, dark-glazed windows, there was only a starless gray sky, typical of a land rarely touched by sunlight.
The Nightaris Kingdom.
It was one of the Dark Elf kingdoms among the many Elf kingdoms. It was also a kingdom that bore deep enmity toward the Tharorien Kingdom.
That was only natural... because the Tharorien Kingdom was one of the main culprits behind the death of the Nightaris queen, in other words, King Aurelion's wife.
Before, the Nightaris Kingdom could do nothing against the Tharorien Kingdom, given the vast difference in their strength.
But after the Tharorien Kingdom lost the protection of a certain Transcendent being, King Aurelion finally dared to act.
Of course, he would not act recklessly.
Just as humanity had the World Organization to maintain balance, the Elf race had something similar, although it was not a formal organization.
So he used only a cunning method: hiring the Chainbinders, a slave-trading group quite famous for capturing races other than humans.
By ordering them to capture Sylara van Tharorien, the last heir to the throne, he was certain the Tharorien Kingdom's downfall was only a matter of time.
But he had just received word that the capture had failed!
How could this not enrage him?!
He immediately swept every document and object off the table.
Several parchment scrolls fell scattered across the stone floor, and one of them briefly caught fire from a spark from a nearby torch before going out again.
"Fuck! I paid so much and this is what I get?!"
The man roared savagely.
Watching this, Caelenor Eryndor, the sole general of the Nightaris Kingdom, merely observed in silence near the entrance, his hand resting casually on the hilt of the black sword on his back.
Although he was a Dark Elf with the typical pointed ears, he was a muscular man with blackish-gray skin, a scar running across his face, and short white hair.
He wore heavy black armor with sharp plating, and a black sword was always sheathed on his back.
In terms of strength... he could be called one of the five strongest Dark Elves.
"Your Majesty."
"WHAT?!"
King Aurelion stared at Caelenor Eryndor with a terrifying red gaze that could make anyone shudder.
Knowing he would be in trouble if he was slow to speak, Caelenor Eryndor opened his mouth at once.
"I have other news. It concerns the ancient ruins... Those slave traders, the Chainbinders, have found a way to enter them."
"..." King Aurelion was stunned for a moment. "...Are you serious?"
"Yes. Furthermore..." As he was about to continue, his tone grew heavy. "The Transcendent being, Mordravex... He has also begun to take an interest."
"..." Only then did the anger vanish from King Aurelion's expression.
Except for the Tharorien Kingdom, every other Elf kingdom, whether ordinary Elves or Dark Elves, had a particular Transcendent being they worshiped.
Why did they do that? Besides receiving protection, they sometimes also received certain blessings.
And what about the Nightaris Kingdom?
Of course, they had one too. The problem was that the Transcendent being they worshiped was fundamentally akin to a demon.
To keep that being from abandoning them, they had to sacrifice some Dark Elf citizens to it.
Moreover, if they wanted that Transcendent being to take action, they had to sacrifice at least three Rank S soldiers.
And given the Dark Elves' current population, that was why King Aurelion had never considered making use of the Transcendent being his kingdom worshiped.
But now... that Transcendent being actually wanted to get involved?
King Aurelion did not know whether this was a good omen or a bad one.
Still, if he could get that terrifying being to move without sacrificing anyone... why not?
"Bring the Chainbinder leader to meet me. As for Mordravex..."
King Aurelion gritted his teeth, his clenched fist leaving nail marks on the surface of the stone table before him.
"We will meet him later."
***
"How have you been, Chen Ye?"
A warm voice sounded.
In a certain garden, a somewhat neglected corner of the World Organization compound, where wild grass wound around old stone benches and the water in a small pond had begun to turn murky, a petite girl radiated a gentle smile that seemed never to fade.
She had long snow-white hair with a strand of sea-blue on its left side. Pure white clothes wrapped her small frame gracefully.
Of course, the most captivating part was her eyes... Pink irises with a sakura-petal pattern that seemed to radiate mysterious power.
Although the right side of her body was overgrown with tree branches bearing sakura blossoms, people were not bothered by it at all. In fact, it had become the girl's distinguishing trait.
Strangely, ever since she sat down on one of the benches, a few thin sakura petals had begun to fall gently around her, even though not a single sakura tree grew in the garden.
Even those who spoke with her felt as if they were being healed.
Yes... the members of the World Organization.
Normally they were all wary of the head of the Yozakura family, but unfortunately they could not maintain that wariness, especially since the girl took the initiative to speak with them without any hostility.
It felt like... meeting a second Takamiya Mayuri.
Several Rank S members assigned to guard Yozakura Tsubomi also had no objection and let her visit some of the poorly maintained gardens, though they still kept a few meters away, pretending to be busy watching the gate.
But when they saw a young man with glossy blue-black hair and blue eyes approach Yozakura Tsubomi... they narrowed their eyes.
Chen Ye.
A young man from a kingdom in the east who was somehow connected to the Yozakura Family.
Honestly, the World Organization had at first only thought him rather unfortunate for nearly losing his life. But once they learned about his Talents, they could not hide their shock.
After all, the two Talents the young man possessed were so extraordinary that they had carried him all the way to Hunter Rank SS!
The World Organization had once offered him a place among them, but unfortunately the young man flatly refused, because his sword would not be drawn for any particular organization.
Under normal circumstances they might have been angry, but this time they merely looked at him for a moment and made no further attempt to recruit him.
Although his potential was considerable, the World Organization was not so lowly that it had to beg him to join. They even had several Hunters of Rank SS+ and Rank SSS, though hard to control, so it was not as if they were weak.
Especially after the earlier incident, they did not have much time to devote resources to nurturing a Rank A youth up to Rank SS...
The only ones still trying to recruit him were a few kingdoms whose combat strength topped out at Rank S+...
So, seeing the young man approach Yozakura Tsubomi, several parties frowned. Some even began contacting their superiors, whispering into the small communication devices fitted in their ears...
Honestly, they still did not know the details of how Chen Ye had become connected to Yozakura Tsubomi.
One thing was certain... Chen Ye seemed to care deeply about this girl?
Several guesses crossed their minds, and the corners of their mouths twitched. Damn... it couldn't be, could it?
Two Rank S Hunters exchanged glances, then fell silent.
Hearing Yozakura Tsubomi's question, the young man, Chen Ye, looked a little embarrassed. In an awkward tone, he answered.
"I-I'm fine! See, I'm perfectly healthy andโow, ow!"
Chen Ye tried to look strong, but immediately winced and clutched at the pain in his chest, his hand instinctively gripping his chest through his clothes.
From the outside he looked fully recovered, but in truth the impact of the Demon Dragon Lord's attack was not so trivial.
Fortunately...
The pain the young man felt gradually eased, because Yozakura Tsubomi had begun slowly healing his body.
A soft, pale pink light enveloped her outstretched hand, warm like the afternoon sun filtering through flower petals.
"T-thank you..."
"It's nothing." Yozakura Tsubomi shook her head gently. "My power hasn't fully recovered yet either, so your recovery isn't at its best."
"It's fine! I felt better the moment I saw you!"
"..." Yozakura Tsubomi blinked, then her smile grew even softer. "Thank you."
"..."
For some reason... his face turned bright red.
Without realizing it... he opened his mouth with a tremble and asked quietly.
"...What will you do after this?"
"..." Yozakura Tsubomi was slightly surprised to hear that, but answered without hesitation.
"Good question... After Master Swordsman City, the Yozakura Family can be said to have no place to live. But for something like this, I think the World Organization has already prepared a solution for us," said Yozakura Tsubomi in a tone that put anyone at ease.
Then she looked at Chen Ye, her warm gaze meeting his eyes directly. "And what about you, Chen Ye? What do you want to do?"
"..."
At that moment, Chen Ye did not answer right away.
In truth... from the bottom of his heart, he wanted to stay with the Yozakura Family, or more precisely, by the side of the girl before him.
The reason, of course, was that the image of her dying because of his own actions was so terrifying that it had left him traumatized.
But at the same time, he knew... if he gave in to this fleeting wish, he felt he would no longer be 'himself', no longer the Chen Ye who was confident he could surpass the Sword King.
So...
"I'm going to look for opportunities."
"Opportunities?"
"Yes." Chen Ye nodded firmly. "My master says I have extraordinary luck, so I'll train myself by visiting various places, and maybe I'll find some rare things..."
"Ah, I see..." Yozakura Tsubomi understood, then spoke in an encouraging tone.
"In that case, I hope you can find and fulfill your wish. If you ever feel lost, please come visit us. The Yozakura Family will always welcome you. Even if the others are unhappy about it, don't worry..."
Her gaze seemed to give him courage.
"...I will always welcome you."
"..."
Seeing that smile, Chen Ye was left a little dazed.
๐๐๐๐๐!
This time his heart beat so hard that he felt his head overloading.
His face flushed again and he felt dizzy.
"Chen Ye?" Yozakura Tsubomi was a little confused as to why he had suddenly fallen silent.
"If..."
"???"
"If one day I manage to reach an undeniable level of strength... will you grant me one request?"
"..." Yozakura Tsubomi blinked, then simply nodded gently. "Of course... If you become strong enough, I don't mind granting a request that isn't too difficult."
"Don't worry, I won't ask for anything excessive," said Chen Ye firmly.
Honestly, at first he had wanted to ask about the Frost Assassin and the relationship between the two of them...
But now he no longer needed that.
Whether they were a couple or not... he only had to become strong enough that he no longer cared about any of it.
And even if they truly had a romantic relationship, he would only have to prove that he was worthier than that teenager with the embarrassing title.
In terms of Talent and raw strength, he was confident he was superior to the Frost Assassin.
He also had one thing he could be proud of.
He had 'Blooming', which was literally a blessing from Yozakura Tsubomi.
He was one hundred percent sure the Frost Assassin did not have the same thing.
And as for why he was so sure, it was purely because his Talent, Emperor of Sword, had said so.
'Just wait... I will definitely become stronger than him.'
Chen Ye's gaze was full of determination, his eyes looking far off toward the evening sky, which was beginning to turn orange above the garden.
Behind the necklace Chen Ye wore, the Sword King watched all of this helplessly, but also felt rather proud.
In truth, he would have preferred that Chen Ye stay with the Yozakura Family, because it was safer there, considering that Cecilus Segmunt and Ji Xuanyuan were present, who could be regarded as god-killing weapons in human form.
Besides, wherever Chen Ye was, his extraordinary luck would not be affected in any way.
Moreover, being with the Yozakura Family meant Chen Ye could learn much more from them.
Still, traveling far was not necessarily bad because there might be many wonderful opportunities they could find along the way.
'As expected of the disciple I trained...'
The Sword King smiled faintly and shook his head.
As for the problem of powerful enemies? That no longer mattered much since Yozakura Tsubomi had restored most of his power as a Transcendent being. By modern standards, the Sword King was equivalent to Rank SS.
But considering the recent events, the Sword King also knew that relying on the strength of his soul alone was not enough. He needed a body and had to restore one hundred percent of his abilities.
And he had already found a suitable companion for that.
'Time to return to the sect...'
***
Goddess of Life.
As her name suggested, she was a goddess, a Transcendent being who represented most of life itself.
Thanks to that title, her life energy would never run dry. She was also able to create super-powerful beings with nearly limitless vitality.
With such abundant life energy within her and her status as a Transcendent being, it was not wrong to consider her immortal. Her immortality was so strong and hard to break that it stood out even among other Transcendent beings.
But even as the Goddess of Life, when she faced the God of Eternity, an Archon whose very existence was devoted to attaining immortality, her immortality was pierced as if it were nothing.
Of course, that was also because the Goddess of Life had never been a close-combat fighter. Although she was immortal and her life energy was inexhaustible, she had no lethal attacks, like leveling an entire region in a single blow.
Even in terms of raw power, the Goddess of Life could be considered one of the weakest Transcendent beings.
That was why she could only lie dying and helpless when she received a slash from Raiden Shogun that could cut through space and time.
So the question was... Did the Goddess of Life die?
No. She did not die.
People only knew that her condition was critical, but they did not know where she was.
The World Organization and some Transcendent beings knew that the Goddess of Life was recovering on the human continent, but they did not know her exact location.
That was why the World Organization was trying to find a way to locate her.
And what about the Goddess of Life herself?
She had not died, but the news that she was dying... was true.
And in fact, if it were not for a human... she would surely be gone.
Yes... a human.
...
...
...
...
The Goddess of Life opened her eyes and found a cloaked youth sitting not far from her, grilling fish over a small campfire. Thin smoke drifted into the night air, carrying the scent of grilled fish mixed with the smell of burning damp wood.
In a forest like this, that would normally attract Magical Beasts and people with ill intent. The sounds of night insects answered one another in the darkness, occasionally interrupted by the rustle of leaves blown by wind from an uncertain direction.
But the cloaked youth did not seem to think much about that, or more precisely... did not care.
Strangely, a hot light was emanating from the fingers of his hands, which were covered by fingerless gloves, gray with softly glowing orange accents.
That light ignited several pieces of firewood without any difficulty.
That youth, who was able to produce light from his hands, was the one who had saved the Goddess of Life.
His name wasโ
"You're awake?" That voice, unfamiliar to the Goddess of Life, cut off her reverie.
"[๐ฌ๐ฒ๐... ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐...]" The Goddess of Life looked curiously at the fish he was grilling.
The youth pursed his lips, then said in a flat tone...
"This is all I could get in a place like this. You don't mind, do you, oh goddess?"
His tone sounded somewhat disdainful, but the Goddess of Life did not think much of it.
She was quite used to the youth's arrogant personality.
Yes, arrogant and haughty.
At first, the Goddess of Life had been very wary and suspicious about why this youth had saved her. She might be kind-hearted, but that did not mean she was foolish.
Being helped suddenly for no reason, especially when they met in a place hard for others to reach, the Goddess of Life, had she been in prime condition, would surely have tried something to draw out his true purpose.
But that suspicion faded along with the care the youth gave her.
Setting aside his arrogant personality, the youth was in fact very sincere in looking after her.
And in the Goddess of Life's opinion, it was only natural for this youth to feel proud, because he was very intelligent and his power was great as well.
Yes... intelligent.
Why did she say that? Because the youth could read the books in a library quickly, perform complex calculations, and memorize their contents in less than five minutes!
In human eyes, this youth might be on par with the figure they called Albert Einstein or other famous scientists!
But what interested the Goddess of Life most about this youth was... his power.
It seemed the youth had a Talent related to the element of light. And as far as she remembered... it was very rare for a human to have such a Talent.
Normally, light-element power would heal as well as destroy, but the light this youth emitted... was purely for destruction.
Honestly... the first time she saw the youth's light attack, the Goddess of Life was greatly shocked.
Because the purity of that light seemed directly connected to sunlight or the stars.
Normally, no individual in this worldโeven Transcendent beingsโcould harness natural light like sunlight to strengthen themselves.
But this youth could use sunlight as fuel to strengthen his power and unleash devastating attacks.
If it were not for her status as the Goddess of Life, able to distinguish races, she would have suspected this youth was the illegitimate child of some Archangel or Fallen Angel...
After all, even though his light could not heal, its purity was too high, making it seem impossible for an ordinary human to possess...
She had even briefly thought this youth was an experiment of a hidden Goddess of Light.
But that seemed unlikely. If this human were truly the product of the Goddess of Light, considering that goddess's personality, she would never have let him roam free.
But it did not take long for all her doubts to be answered.
It turned out that the youth was indeed a being from another world who had somehow appeared in this place.
So his original reason for helping the Goddess of Life was that he thought she knew how to return to his world of origin.
Unfortunately, until now, no one knew a way for outsiders in this world to return to their original world.
Strangely, though, the youth was not very disappointed. He was only a little annoyed, then tried to find a way back on his own.
His method, of course, was to travel around and read countless books in libraries.
As for the Goddess of Life herself? She simply followed his journey out of curiosity. Besides, her wounds still had not healed.
Moreover, for some reason... this human youth seemed to have quite extraordinary luck.
For example, in several earlier events, they had often found rare item๐โeven though the youth himself did not know what they were.
They simply sold them to passing merchants to get money.
To avoid being recognized and to prevent unnecessary attention, the Goddess of Life concealed her appearance with a clean, bright green cloak.
But speaking of appearances...
The Goddess of Life looked calmly at the human youth in front of her, the firelight reflecting softly on the surface of his cloak.
Until now... she had never seen his face fully.
The youth seemed to dislike having anyone see his appearance. For whatever reason, it seemed he was avoiding someone.
The only thing the Goddess of Life knew about him was that he wore some kind of transparent yellow-orange glasses or visor, which made his eyes glow golden even with the hood of his cloak covering his head.
Besides that... he also wore a white cap whose brim pointed forward and tilted slightly to the right...
"What are you looking at?"
The youth seemed to notice her gaze, and his tone was a little irritated.
"[๐ก๐ผ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด...]" The Goddess of Life shook her head lightly. "[๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด... ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป?]"
Hearing the word 'our', he looked at the Goddess of Life, slightly speechless, but answered anyway.
"Our next destination..." The youth suddenly took out a worn sheet of paper, probably a map, spread it out on the ground, and pointed to a certain spot.
But the Goddess of Life was a little surprised by the direction his finger pointed. "[๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐?]"
"Yes. In some of the books I read, I heard that this world has what's called a God of Wisdom, right?"
"[๐ฌ๐ฒ๐... ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ.]"
God of Wisdom. The goddess agreed. But in truth, she herself had never met him.
"Then it's decided." The youth stood up. "We'll go meet him. With a title like God of Wisdom, he must know how I can go home."
"[๐๐'๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ...]"
"Huh?"
"[๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป'๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐น๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐. ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐, ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐ด๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐.]"
"Heh, of course I'm not that stupid. But..." He looked at the Goddess of Life. "Isn't that exactly why you're here with me?"
"[...]"
The Goddess of Life blinked in surprise. If anyone else heard the youth using the venerable goddess like that, they would surely have cursed him.
Yet strangely... the Goddess of Life did not feel angry. The goddess simply laughed softly without realizing it and said gently.
"[๐ฉ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น. ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐...]"
"..."
The youth raised an eyebrow but did not say much. He simply handed the grilled fish to the Goddess of Life.
Of course, she did not refuse. She accepted it and took a slow bite.
"[๐๐บ๐บ... ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐.]"
"Naturally. I studied the tutorial in a book I read earlier."
The Goddess of Life glanced unconsciously at several books stacked beside the youth, their covers worn, a few pages marked with pieces of dried leaves as bookmarks.
"[๐ค๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด... ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ป'๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐บ๐๐ฐ๐ต. ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐...]"
"..." The youth fell silent for a moment, then said quietly in a flat tone. "Wrong. Originally, I'm not very focused on reading books. This is just an effect of my current form. Not the original one."
"[...]" The Goddess of Life paused for a moment and repeated the word without thinking. "[...๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น?]"
But the youth did not seem to intend to discuss it any further. He stood calmly and walked away from the Goddess of Life, toward the faint sound of trickling water behind the trees.
"Get some rest. I'm going to wash my face."
"[...๐ฌ๐ฒ๐.]"
The Goddess of Life watched him leave in silence.
***
Standing right in front of the lake, the youth saw his reflection on the almost motionless surface of the water, lit by moonlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves above.
This time, he removed the hood of his cloak, revealing a face he had never shown the Goddess of Life.
Looking at the face reflected back at him, the youth murmured softly...
"Hm... so young..."
Among all his templates, this one was perhaps the youngest, around 14 years old. Then again, even Inaba Tsukuyo was 15.
Yes... It was Lux, with a rather special template.
His face truly looked like that of a boy who had just entered adolescence.
He wore a white cap with gold ornaments and a bright orange transparent visor, which gave off a 'smart' impression.
The most striking feature was the golden compass rose emblem at the front of his cap.
Honestly... overall, the clothes this template wore were rather 'luxurious', since most of them had orange-and-gold geometric line patterns that often glittered.
That was precisely why Lux covered them with a cloak.
So why did Lux consider this template special?
Because the template he was wearing now was a figure who could be considered a Son of Destiny in his original world.
Before this, Kirisame Marisa had been the Son of Destiny-type template he obtained, since that 'ordinary' magician girl was literally one of the protagonists in his original world, specifically in the fiction called Touhou Project.
But he never expected to obtain yet another Son of Destiny-type template, although, well... this was not the perfect version.
The template he was wearing now was merely an alternate version of the original figure. The context was the same as the Herrscher of the Void, who was the evil version of Kiana Kaslana.
Even so, after wearing this template in this world, his luck had somehow become extremely high.
It felt as though... some special being was watching him, or more precisely, watching the special 'template' he was wearing now.
Kirisame Marisa had sensed something similar before, but this time... the observation felt far clearer.
And that suspicion was not wrong.
"๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐น๐... ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐."
Several voices spoke at once.
The voices came from every direction.
But... Lux's body froze when he heard them.
It was not out of fear, nor surprise or any other feeling... it was only a response from the depths of his soul, which seemed to command him to submit.
Yes, it was the same feeling as when he had faced True Cthulhu in person, a Rank Unknown being.
But what stood before him now was clearly not Rank Unknown, but...
๐ง๐๐ ๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐๐.
๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐.
The air around the lake stopped moving. The ripples froze mid-wave, as if time itself were holding its breath.
Even the sound of night insects, which had been so lively moments ago, vanished completely, replaced by a silence heavier than any sound.
A woman... stood only a few steps from Lux...
As if all dimensions were holding their breath, then from light gathering with no clear source...
She did not step in, but was ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ, as if the world itself had decided to have a face.
She was transparent. More precisely, she looked not solid.
Her hair flowed long down to her feet, a silver-gold that changed with the light... sometimes like dawn... sometimes like a river of stars.
Her skin glowed softly, without a single flaw, as if carved from a perfection that had never known time...
Her eyes were clear and deep, sometimes shifting to green, then blue, then brown, like a blend of forest, earth, and sea.
In the depths of her gaze was something too vast to comprehendโnot warmth, not coldness, but the silence of the entire world...
In short... she was beautiful.
Even among all of Lux's templates, only someone like the Witch of Vainglory possessed an inhuman charm that could rival hers.
Add to that the fact that the woman wore nothing at all, like a newborn baby, which would be enough to make any man lose his mind.
But... Lux did not have any such wild thoughts.
"Who..." The eyes behind his orange visor glowed uncontrollably. His lips felt dry as he continued. "...are you?"
Lux unconsciously stepped back, his shoes nearly touching the edge of the lake. In his form as Lux Frost, he probably would not have been affected, thanks to Divine Ice Emperor.
But in this boy template with elemental power... it was very hard for him to remain calm.
His heart beat faster than usual, and cold sweat soaked his body.
Even so... Lux forced himself to look calm.
But the woman seemed to notice the pressure she was giving off, so she did not try to come closer.
"๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ, ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ. ๐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐."
"..."
Lux narrowed his eyes. The voice was undeniably pleasant to hear, but at the same time... deeply unsettling.
It felt like hearing the voices of a child, a teenager, a grown woman, and an old grandmother all at once. Like thousands of voices speaking at the same time.
But one thing was certain... this being most likely did not know about him as 'Lux Frost'.
She only saw his outward appearance. Otherwise, she should have died the moment she appeared.
Besides, Lux could already guess who the being before him was...
And sure enough...
"๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐, ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ. ๐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ. ๐ข๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐บ๐ฒ... ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ."
"Impressive... so what does a being like you want from me?"
The womanโ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑโlooked at him calmly, her beautiful face showing no change in emotion, then calmly opened her mouth.
"๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ '๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ', ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐น๐... '๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ' ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ. ๐ข๐ฟ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐น๐... ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ '๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ' ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ."
"...What do you mean?"
"..." ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ tilted her face, as if realizing the human before her knew nothing, so she changed the subject.
"๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ด๐ผ ๐ต๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ?"
"Isn't that obvious? This world isn't even my world."
"๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ... ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐..." ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ looked at him indifferently. "๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐."
"...What?"
"๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ."
"I heard you clearly." Lux's voice turned cold. His eyes behind the visor narrowed and began to glow even more uncontrollably.
"You don't want me to leave... why?"
"๐ฆ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ." Her beautiful gaze looked straight into Lux's eyes. "๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐ผ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ '๐บ๐ฒ' ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ..."
"...๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐."
Unfortunately... although these children loved by fate often caused damage to the 'world', ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ could not act against them directly, because of the strict protection of 'fate'.
Children loved by fate often tried to save the world, yet the problems they caused often had the potential to destroy it...
The only ones who could deal with those children of fate were Rank Unknown beings or fellow children loved by fate.
Unfortunately for ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ... Rank Unknown beings were fundamentally calamities to the 'world'. And as for finding an independent child of fateโnone of them qualified, because all of them had problematic personalities.
"๐๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐..." ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ pointed at Lux.
"๐ฌ๐ผ๐."
"..."
"๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐น๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐... ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐, ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป'๐ ๐๐ผ๐? ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ป๐... ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ..." ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ'๐ ๐ดaze glowed strangely, yet a little shock flickered across it.
"๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐... ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ฒ๐?" ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ'๐ gaze slowly changed.
"..."
The surroundings fell silent, but it felt deadly. Even the lake's ripples, which had been still all this time, seemed to freeze even more rigidly, like thin glass ready to crack at any moment.
Lux's premonition suddenly worsened, especially seeing the gaze of ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ, which gradually grew more focused as she tried to grasp a 'glimpse' of his fate...
Until finally, ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ opened her mouth.
"๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐... ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ..."
It was just an ordinary sentence, but Lux began to feel that something was wrong, especially because ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ'๐ tone, which had been flat like a robot's, began to change.
"๐๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป. ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ..."
๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ'๐ gaze glowed slowly... but surely... Something called 'desire' appeared there...
Will of the World had seen many kinds of children loved by fate.
Some had saved the 'world', but she paid them no heed at all. She only gave them a small 'reward' and then forgot them, because in her view... saving the ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑโ or 'herself'โonce or twice was not something worth long attention.
So... when she saw a child loved by fateโyet at the same time less cared for by fateโwho had traveled across galaxies to save planets, which could also be regarded as herself... ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ felt a small pulse within her.
Something called '๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ' appeared within her.
Lux's bad premonition grew even stronger.
Sure enough, ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ revealed her wish.
"๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ... ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ."
Right at that momentโ
"<<๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐๐ค>>!!"
โA golden solar eclipse symbol appeared, then fired a lethal beam of pure light!
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐...!!!
The beam passed through everything in its path. In the middle of the night like this, that bright golden light looked spectacular, like a second sun had risen!
Traces of that terrifying light attack remained, even continuing to pierce through for kilometers with successive explosions of light energy.
But to ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ... an attack like that could not even scratch her.
Just as Lux was about to use the moment to escape, he was already too late.
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐!
"UGH?!"
Before Lux could realize it, his vision swam with dizziness. When he came to his senses again, his collar had already been seized by that terrifying woman.
Moreover, his cloak was also gone, he did not know since when. Most likely burned away when he released his solar energy.
But clearly... Lux could no longer hide his appearance.
Seeing this, ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ had not expected the figure who traveled across galaxies to save planets one by one to be this young.
But precisely because of that, ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ'๐ heart beat faster and she found it hard to think clearly.
A jacket with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, white on the arms and gray on the shoulders with gold lines, with four folds in the jacket.
He also wore a gray turtleneck. His trousers were orange and gray with white and gold lines along the sides.
His updated gloves were gray and orange, without fingers on the ring and little fingers, with a sun-and-star symbol on the top of the left glove.
Every geometric pattern on his clothes, including his cap, gave off a warm orange glow, and his glowing eyes behind the visor looked utterly captivating.
Add to that his explosive energyโto the point that the light of every star seemed to support himโfull of pure cleanliness originating from a mere human bodyโand ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ felt that even the Goddess of Light was not this pure.
"๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ '๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ' ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ '๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ' ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ."
"You..."
Lux tried to break free. But all his efforts failed.
It seemed ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ had misunderstood the origin of this template.
๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ seemed to think his home world also had a consciousness of its own and had given him something special.
In reality, although his current identity was indeed that of someone who had traveled across galaxies and saved several planets, that did not mean each planet had a consciousness of its own.
Lux even doubted whether his home world had any entity on the level of ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ at all.
"๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ '๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ'. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ '๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ'. ๐๐ณ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป..." ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ'๐ gaze glowed with obsession. "...๐๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ '๐บ๐ฒ'."
โ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ. Lux had not expected this entity to have the potential to become a crazy woman in his templates.
"๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฑ... ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป..."
This was neither a metaphor nor empty praise. Literally, Lux's body at this moment could be said to be like a vessel storing the energy of stars, like the sun.
So, much as sunlight gives warmth and nutrients to planet Earth... Will of the World felt something similar whenever she was near Lux.
That was also why Lux could not use his power to heal the Goddess of Life's wounds. Where had anyone ever heard of sunlight healing wounds?
So, compared to the Goddess of Light... Lux's current identity was more like the God of Sun.
Slowly, ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ began to bring her face closer.
She tried to understand the source of the energy in Lux's body, then... glanced at the wristwatch on his right wrist.
Like the symbol on his cap, the wristwatch also bore an emblem of a sun mixed with a star.
๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ narrowed her eyes.
How strange... She felt as though the existence of the human before her was housed within that wristwatch. It felt like... that wristwatch was this human's 'heart'.
Just as ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ tried to investigate further, the entire area was suddenly filled with life.
๐๐๐๐๐๐!!!
An immense burst of life energy shot out from nowhere, rushing toward ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ!
๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ had thought it was aimed at her, but when she realized the energy was not heading toward her, but toward the human she was holding... her expression changed.
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐!!!
For a moment, there was a clash capable of making anyone's soul tremble.
But although ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ'๐ expression did not change much, people could tell her mood was not good, because the youth was no longer in her grasp.
"๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ... ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐น๐ฑ..."
๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ looked at the woman before her with deadly silence.
"[๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ด๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ.]"
"๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐. ๐๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐น ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ, ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐."
"[๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐. ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ.]"
"..."
๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ looked at her without emotion, but the Goddess of Life knew the consciousness of the world seemed to be weighing her words.
In truth, the Goddess of Life herself was also very shocked. Who would have thought ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ, who usually only stayed silent, would be so interested in a human from another world, even willing to take a form she hated, the human form.
But...
"[๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ... ๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ผ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด.]" The Goddess of Life's tone sounded very disapproving of ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ'๐ appearance.
Although ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ was very beautiful, that entity truly did not care about the concept of 'nakedness' in this world, and it bothered the Goddess of Life quite a bit.
๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ fell silent for a moment. She glanced at Lux, who was now sitting on the ground, panting.
"๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ, ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐๐น๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป."
"[๐'๐บ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐, ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ.]"
"..."
๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ said nothing, but the Goddess of Life felt as though 'death' itself were looking at her.
The Goddess of Life was indeed a Transcendent being, but that did not mean she was strong enough to fight ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ.
After all, ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ was like the law of this world. Her words were like rules. Besides, by herself alone, she could suppress most Transcendent beings from acting recklessly within her 'body'.
If she wanted to kill a particular Transcendent being, it was not impossible. It would even be quite easy for her.
Moreover, with the wounds the Goddess of Life had received earlier still there, she might not survive and would instead be processed into nutrients for this world.
Just as the Goddess of Life's life energy began to gather... ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ suddenly tilted her head and looked in a certain direction.
"๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐น๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐, ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ. ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ..." Will of the World looked at Lux. "๐ช๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ... ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐."
๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ floated back a little from them. Her beautiful figure gradually became more transparent, as if she were starting to become invisible.
And finally, she vanished completely.
Once her presence had completely disappeared, the sound of night insects around the lake returned, as if the world had just exhaled a breath it had been holding.
"[๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐... ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐...]"
"From Greek, it means 'the beloved'." The youth stood up as he explained. "This world... I never expected you to have something like that."
"[๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ...]" The Goddess of Life looked at him with curiosity.
"Hah... is that a problem for you?"
"..."
"What?" He frowned, looking somewhat uncomfortable under the goddess's gaze.
"[...๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ?]"
"?!" His eyes widened, then he retorted in a forced tone. "Don't get it wrong... Iโ"
"[๐๐'๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐. ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป, ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐. ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐, ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐, ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฆ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐, ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ.]"
"..."
He looked at the goddess in silence, then adjusted the position of his cap, covering his visor.
"...Let's goโ"
His words stopped for a moment, because the Goddess of Life had touched his hand.
And the hand that had at first trembled incessantly gradually grew calm, thanks to the Goddess of Life's effort to soothe it.
"[๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ, ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ. ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด. ๐๐'๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐... ๐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ.]"
"..." He looked at the goddess without saying anything for a moment, but the Goddess of Life blinked because the grip of the human's hand tightened.
The Goddess of Life's expression was slightly dazed, but she hid it well.
"Stop talking so much. We need to go to the City of Wisdom soon."
"[...๐ฌ๐ฒ๐.]" The Goddess of Life smiled gently, brushing aside her momentary daze.
"Also, stop calling me 'human child'. Call me by the name I told you."
"[๐๐ต...]" The Goddess of Life realized at once. The woman nodded, then spoke the youth's name... the name that had become the source of his power all along.
"[๐ฉ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น... ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ.]"
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