Chapter: 170. Your Final Stage with Me
When Nagin’s consciousness fell back to reality from the Kaola Box surrounded by stars, she, as a “third party,” glimpsed the possibilities in other timelines and finally understood the source of the discomfort she felt before.
Since the Special Circle SEMA now regarded itself as the end, the Otherworlders sent to eliminate her must meet two conditions.
First, there should be no Beastmasters in the combat team for this mission, because the end, which holds dominion over stars, can freely plunder the contracted beasts of other Contractors. The presence of Beastmasters would only provide power to the end.
Second, Otherworlders who previously participated in the “Battle of the Altar” cannot take part in this mission. Nagin’s death back then caused the end to inject fragments into the bodies of all present Contractors. These fragments, buried deep within their souls, could likely be controlled and utilized by the end.
Thus, the Otherworlders before her were all fresh faces, and the majority were very young, evidently new blood that hadn’t experienced the “bloody battle” of the old era. To them, the so-called end was merely a legendary existence.
However, among them was someone who should not have appeared—
“End, is it true that it’s all your doing?” Nagin thought to herself.
Her silver-white starry eyes reflected Adam’s gaze, which emanated a shade of purple-black light.
Adam Solgrim Yalhaide, an Otherworlder who once participated in the “Battle of the Altar,” was one of those directly involved in the siege against the “Elemental Monarch” and the “end.” Even though he now served as a high-ranking official in the Special Circle SEMA, he shouldn’t have been assigned by the Special Circle SEMA to participate in a special operation targeting the “suspected end.”
Without a doubt, fragments of the end existed deep within his soul.
In other words, he was extremely susceptible to the end’s corruption and control—
If Adam were the overall commander of this special operation, could the initiation of all commands truly stem from his will?
Was this operation truly undertaken by the Special Circle SEMA?
The purple-black light flickering at the center of Adam’s gaze silently answered this question.
The end had infiltrated the Special Circle SEMA. Most of the Otherworlders who once participated in the “Battle of the Altar” now held high positions within the Special Circle SEMA and the three major academies. They, with fragments still lingering in their souls, served as excellent puppets for the end.
There was no doubt that the end’s plan from back then was not merely to allow “light” to evade the “world’s gaze,” but also to prepare for a day when the Special Circle SEMA and the three major academies could become obstacles and threats.
Although it was still unclear to what extent the end had seized control of the Special Circle SEMA and the three major academies, everything happening now was undeniably within the end’s grasp.
Whether it was herself, the fantasy beasts, or the Special Circle SEMA, to him, they were all mere pieces on a chessboard, all aimed at completing his winning move—turning this highly unstable factor into his power to destroy the world.
The plan that she and Garuda and the other contracted beasts had spent their entire lives formulating and implementing was being twisted by the end into something malevolent.
—So this is what it feels like to face the path of evil…?
Nagin felt a familiar sensation from the end’s plans and arrangements; it was the malevolent play she had once been incredibly passionate about.
—Truly, I learned nothing good, but all the bad things.
Realizing this, Nagin sighed helplessly in her heart, but she quickly revealed a twisted and fierce smile—
—But you still haven’t learned enough, end. Let’s see what a true player of the dark path looks like!
Nagin slowly raised her head, her silver-white starry eyes scanning each person present with a nearly icy glare, including the bewildered Mana beside her and Renji not far away, as well as Kanade, who looked at her in shock.
She knew that the expression she was showing was not one befitting the pure and kind girl, Star Palace Nagin.
But so what?
Since this world views you as the end—then let this world feel what it means to be the end!
“This is the best way for a generation of dark players to meet their end, isn’t it? Garuda?”
Nagin slowly lifted her right arm and raised her fingers in front of her.
Her eyes inadvertently locked with the confused Kanade—
“Kanade, if it were the gentle you, you definitely wouldn’t accept all of this happening, would you?”
Nagin believed in the boy before her.
Thus, her lips curled up into a grim smile that was entirely inconsistent with the character of “Star Palace Nagin”—
“Ah, it seems I can’t hide it anymore?”
The instinct of a beast made Kanade acutely aware of the bone-deep killing intent.
“Little Nagin… what do you want—” Kanade instinctively tried to rush towards Nagin.
But this time, Nagin had no time left to allow him to stop her.
Snap.
Nagin snapped her fingers crisply.
In the next moment, her and Kanade’s vision was dyed red.
The ground erupted, and countless sharp ice spikes suddenly shot up from the earth, the hard ice piercing through the bodies of everyone present except her and Kanade. Even Mana beside her and Renji beside Kanade were caught in it. Had it not been for Kanade reflexively dodging, his fate would have been the same as the others.
Blood blossomed in the frigid air, resembling blooming red roses.
The screams of the Special Circle SEMA Otherworlders were swallowed by the frozen air, even the echoes appearing fragmented and despairing.
Blood flowed down the smooth ice surface, flesh slid slowly along the ice spikes, dripping onto the cold ground, shattering into tiny red ice crystals.
The true power of the Elemental Monarch was revealed vividly at this moment. With the resonance of her starry eyes, her magic power doubled, instantly robbing the furious elite Otherworlders of the Special Circle SEMA of their combat ability with her unexpected strike.
“Is this all you can do?” Nagin suppressed the pain surging in her heart and mocked with a sneer.
Her silver-white starry eyes flickered madly.
She resonated with her own soul.
She once thought that completing her current actions would not be difficult for the one once known as the “Elemental Monarch” since her past self could kill any obstacles in her path without changing her expression or showing a hint of disturbance.
So she chose to maximize her strength to reflect the so-called “blackened triple strength” effect.
But at this moment, even just acting, the idea of attacking innocent people made Nagin feel almost nauseated.
In this instant, she realized she had changed; she was no longer the “Elemental Monarch” of the past.
However, this time, she did not intend to cover and numb her heart with the resonance of the starry eyes.
The surge of guilt and pain from within was a price she had to bear herself.
—Come on, Kanade, at this moment, you only have one thing left to do.
—Retrace, again and again, until… you kill me with your own hands.
You are the hero who saves the world, while I am merely the monster that destroys it.
You are the protagonist of the righteous path, while I am just the boss of the dark path.
We are childhood friends.
We are lovers.
We are each other’s existence that should not coexist.
In this cruel world, we are destined to be unable to be together.
This world cannot accommodate me, an outsider.
But if it’s you, you can surely guide this world toward a better and happier future, right?
This is the future you are destined to embrace, your rightful place.
Please remember the name you should despise—The End, stop him…
And please… fulfill my last words, those of a girl named Star Palace Nagin, and save this beautiful world.
I’m sorry, Kanade; it seems I will ultimately become the bad woman who hurts you—
But you promised me… that even so, you would forgive me, right?
Ah, what a selfish bad woman I am… Clearly, I have done something absolutely unforgivable to you… yet I want to whimsically seek your forgiveness.
But aside from you, I have—
……
……
The blood-red snow swirled in the air.
The sudden descent of hell made Kanade’s pupils shrink.
“Little Nagin… what is this power… why? Why must—” Kanade looked at Nagin standing in this bloody chill in disbelief.
The latter did not give him the chance to finish that sentence.
Nagin’s slender arm waved lightly, the coldness surged from her fingertips, instantly condensing into several curved ice blades and striking out with a loud crash.
The sharp ice blades tore through the air, carrying a penetrating killing intent, sweeping forward. Wherever they passed, the ground froze instantly, the ice layer spread and cracked, and the air was sliced with a piercing scream; even light and shadow seemed to be distorted by this terrifying power.
Nagin predicted all of Kanade’s possible dodging directions and attacked every feasible position.
Kanade, instinctively aware of this through the beast’s intuition, gathered magic power in his right hand, summoned a silver-white blade, and blocked it in front of his chest, with black flames entangling his entire body, climbing up the silver blade.
However, the crystal-clear ice blades, contrary to expectations, shattered upon contact with the black flame blade, suddenly expanding as if they had swallowed the pitch-black flames.
The blade only managed to block for an instant before being silently sliced through, the sharp ice blade ruthlessly penetrating forward.
Blood mist erupted again, resembling yet another blooming scarlet flower.
“What—!?”
Kanade looked at the broken blade in his vision, unable to suppress his surprising voice.
It was the first time he failed to block an attack with the black flames.
Just now, Nagin’s seemingly casual strike was far stronger than any attack he had ever encountered.
The ice blade plunged fiercely into Kanade’s chest.
In that moment, the world seemed to quiet for half a second.
Then, blood gushed wildly, spraying onto the cold ground from the ruptured wound, splattering small crimson ice crystals.
Kanade’s body was violently thrown back, the fierce impact knocking him back several meters, leaving deep marks underfoot, ultimately falling heavily to his knees.
The coldness corroded along the wound, and the blood gradually solidified under the frost’s invasion.
“W-Why…”
At this moment, feelings of shock still occupied Kanade’s thoughts. He struggled to look up at Nagin, who was slowly approaching him with a half-smiling expression—one he had never seen on her face before, as if some other existence occupied her body.
His internal temperature and magic power were swiftly draining, his consciousness began to blur—
“▍▍▍”
Nagin’s lips moved, as if she were saying something, but Kanade’s muddled consciousness couldn’t make it out.
Finally—
Silence and darkness enveloped Kanade.
…..
…..
[Shall we try again?]
