Chapter: 62. Recovered Fragments (4k2) (25/46
The development of events was somewhat beyond Nagine’s original expectations.
She had initially thought that the wisp of “black flame” sealed within the syringe, floating lightly like a silk thread, would only allow the injected person to gain the extraordinary abilities and magic contained within for a short period of time due to its side effects.
However, when she personally injected the “elixir” carried by the hunters into her body, that wisp of seemingly “biological” black flame exhibited extraordinary activity.
The black flame, as if it had consciousness, quickly eroded and fused with her cellular tissue, and then further penetrated and spread, seamlessly delving deep—ultimately reaching the depths of her already shattered soul.
The fire, initially faint like silk, seemed to morph in an instant into a raging tide of flames, flowing directly into the cracks of her soul, the black flame weaving along the edges of every fissure, filling the gaps within.
The hellish soul agony that Nagine had anticipated did not arrive as expected.
Clearly, during her last use of the “Phoenix’s” regenerative flames, the excruciating pain that tore through her marrow had nearly driven her to madness.
But this time, Nagine could only feel a sense of nourished saturation rising quietly from the depths of her soul.
It was not pleasure, nor comfort, but the satisfying feeling of being filled was so clear and real.
It was as if her broken soul was at that moment being pieced together bit by bit by some mysterious “adhesive” formed of the black flame.
It was precisely this unexpected effect that allowed Nagine to finally vaguely realize something—her inexplicable “longing” that surged from the depths of her heart after being resurrected was not merely an emotional dependency.
…That longing came from her very soul.
It seemed that some obsession still lingered deep within her soul, a yearning for a “complete state”—a memory etched into her being at the moment she was pierced by the life-ending blade and her soul was torn apart by the black flames.
And her now incomplete and shattered soul seemed to carry a “wound” that had not healed since that moment, constantly demanding a response from that final “instant.”
The black flame.
Initially the culprit that tore her soul apart, now it gave her an indescribable sense of closeness.
She could faintly feel the emotions belonging solely to Kanade residing within the black flames, filled with unimaginable sorrow and endless warmth of “love” for herself, making Nagine feel as if Kanade was silently accompanying her, watching over and protecting her.
—As long as she was with him, it felt like she could do anything.
……
The realm of ice quietly unfolded, rapidly enveloping the fragmented island.
She did not know if this was merely a coincidence or a gift from her “deal.”
At this moment, on the entire island, only those 7 x-level extraordinary individuals retained a clear consciousness; everyone else, whether it was D-D, Kanade, Maria, Shiro, or the members of the Star Society, had fallen into a coma due to Manai’s confrontation with the false god Bai Ling.
This allowed Nagine to proceed with her next actions without worrying about revealing her identity in front of them.
However, for safety’s sake, Nagine still pulled the 4 x-level extraordinary individuals near D-D into her domain.
Nagine had neither the mood nor the time to engage them further.
An instinct was silently ringing alarm bells in her mind—some greater danger was approaching this battlefield.
She needed to resolve the situation quickly and then leave with the survivors from the island.
The enemy before her was the pinnacle of the extraordinary system—x-level.
An exception that had not appeared in the original game “Star Pull 2,” transcending the original plot design, and according to public reactions, it was an incredibly powerful and dangerous entity.
To Nagine, their strength remained an unknown.
But she had vaguely outlined a silhouette from the previous reactions and vigilance exhibited by Shiro, D-D, and Maria when faced with x-level extraordinary beings.
—Even the most conservative estimate suggested that x-level extraordinary individuals should possess the combat capability to easily suppress ace-level, possibly even able to combat those possessing dual authority without falling behind.
Perhaps for ordinary extraordinary individuals, x-level beings represented an insurmountable peak.
However—
If the opponent were an “elemental master”…
……
As countless ice columns were swept towards them.
One particularly quick-reacting x-level extraordinary individual suddenly unleashed their powers, enveloping themselves and their companions in a purple-black magical glow, transforming into an afterimage soaring into the sky, creating distance from the icy ground and escaping the impact range of the ice pillars.
He skillfully maneuvered the others through several ice columns erupting from the ground, narrowly avoiding the first wave of attacks, yet before he could catch his breath—
Suddenly, immense pain struck.
First at his brow, followed immediately by his left shoulder, left side of the abdomen, and right knee. Different parts of his body were hit by intense shocks in almost a second.
This x-level extraordinary individual, standing at the pinnacle of extraordinary beings, did not even have time to utter a painful groan before his entire body spiraled through the air like a kite with a severed string, plummeting towards the icy ground below—his back crashed onto the crystalline surface of the ice, producing a heavy thud, and silver-white snow dust was violently stirred up, swirling in the air.
One of the x-level extraordinary beings who had swiftly soared upwards and evaded several ice column attacks had yet to catch a breath when their body—first at the forehead, then the left shoulder, left side of the abdomen, and right knee—was struck with intense shocks in rapid succession.
This scene left the other suspended x-level extraordinary individuals astonished.
They all held their breath.
They couldn’t see what had attacked him.
Whether it was the source, nature of the attack, or the manner it was executed, they were completely unaware.
In other words, if the opponent had aimed this attack at themselves—then their fate would only be identical to the teammate who lay fallen on the ice.
The fallen x-level extraordinary individual seemed to have lost consciousness, blood slowly seeping from the cracks in the ice.
Just one strike—was enough to render an x-level extraordinary individual incapacitated.
Something was wrong.
This thought emerged almost simultaneously in the minds of all the x-level extraordinary individuals, as if some instinctive alarm had been triggered.
The purple-black starlight flickered weakly in their terrified eyes; even their breathing had become sluggish.
This was not normal at all.
Because each one of them was a battle-hardened extraordinary individual, having traversed countless bloody battlefields, calm even in the face of death.
Even when truly confronted with unimaginable foes, they should remain composed.
But at this moment, all felt a “sense of awe” emanating from the depths of their souls.
And an ancient response, genetically engraved “instinct”—”fear.”
Every cell seemed to scream—danger.
As the immense ice pillar that penetrated heaven and earth seemed poised to tear through space dissipated, the once clear sky suddenly cracked like a mirror with a sharp sound, large portions of the sky collapsing and distorting like draped fabric.
What followed were circles of golden-blue thunder rings appearing in the heavens.
Then, without warning,
Everyone present felt as if a sound resembling a “battle horn” erupted in their ears.
In a deafening roar—
Thirty-three pillars of lightning descended from the shattered sky.
The intertwining electricity illuminated the entire ice field as brightly as day.
The team leader’s pupils constricted at the sight.
He recognized this scene, or rather, it was impossible to forget.
This was one of the powers of the “elemental master”—”Indra.”
Heavenly Thunder Military Might.
“…No.”
His voice was hoarse, as if his throat had frozen from the cold.
Something was wrong!
The leader instinctively raised his hands, releasing all his magical energy to summon his fantasy weapon.
Purple-black starlight surged like flames in the void, and an ancient, menacing long spear manifested in his hands, its blade trembling as if sensing some form of fear.
Something was wrong!
They absolutely could not engage this enemy at this moment!
Flee…
Must escape this place immediately!
Even if it meant wagering his life—
The double “fear” from his soul and body crushed the last remnant of the leader’s reason.
He unleashed an extreme desire to survive.
“Ahhhhh!!!”
He roared, raising the long spear high, gathering all his magical power, and hurled it towards the distant ice mountain—he wanted to tear apart the domain before him using powerful magic, seeking a glimmer of hope.
The purple-black starlight exploded, as if a black hole devoured light, instantly engulfing the entire space, as if the light of heaven and earth was drawn into it, plunging everything into darkness.
The spear transformed into a stream of black-purple light, piercing forward with devastating power.
However—
At the very moment the spear was about to leave his hand.
The magical energy, augmented by the purple-black starlight, was suddenly stripped away by an invisible force, as if directly “denied” by a being of higher order.
The spear, poised for launch and wrapped in a breath of destruction, unexpectedly slipped from his fingertips without warning, losing all its power and weight, plummeting like scrap metal and hitting the ice below with a crisp sound.
“…How… could this happen…”
The man, witnessing everything unfold, trembled uncontrollably.
The star power residing in his soul was no longer under his control.
The only reason this could happen was—
The enemy was the End?
No, but he had injected the “vaccine,” possessing the “black flames” that countered the End within his body.
Even if the End itself had come, it should not be able to directly control the fragments within him.
“I think you know—”
A cold voice suddenly whispered close to his ear like a blade.
He turned suddenly but did not have time to see the speaker’s face before feeling an overwhelming magical power rapidly approaching—
“——!”
Two streaks of purple-black light whistled past him on either side at astonishing speed, the air searing into distortion, as if his soul was being cleaved by that radiance.
“Ugh…!”
Almost simultaneously, the two suspended x-level extraordinary individuals beside him burst open at their chests, blood raining down like icy rain, their figures plummeting towards the ice below without a whimper, crashing heavily into the thick ice layer and kicking up a storm of snow dust.
The leader stood frozen in mid-air, his face pale.
This attack method and wave of magic… was his own earlier unleashed strike.
The strike poured out with all his might was now effortlessly executed by the opponent, even restoring the “star power” contained within.
The opponent’s figure gradually emerged from the blizzard—a black-haired girl in a white uniform.
“—You cannot leave alive.”
At this moment.
He finally understood who his opponent was.
The End?
Fake Light?
No, none of that…
What he was facing at this moment was…
The true—elemental master.
The silver-white lightning that suddenly descended from the heights shot down straight like a spear of judgment—
The silver lightning wrapped in terrifying energy crashed down upon him like a meteor, shattering the ice layer as if it were paper, layer after layer—
Boom!
The entire ice field caved in under this strike, a massive shockwave spreading out, whipping up clouds of fragmented ice and snow mist.
It pierced through the ice above and deep into the frozen ground, breaking through the rock layers, all the way to the depths of the crust, erupting into a blazing white pillar shooting high into the air.
……
Meanwhile.
The remaining 3 x-level extraordinary individuals on the island had all been drawn into another domain.
These extraordinary individuals possessing “End fragments” in their souls found their internal magic being suppressed.
Above the heavens in the domain, deep unfathomable rifts opened one after another.
From the rifts, the gates to the underworld slowly descended.
Those were passages between reality and the underworld, filled with death and forbidden air.
Each door seemed to be woven from remains and bones, framed with black iron rings, and within the shadows, the starlight flickered and dark currents rolled in a sea of void, as if even light could not penetrate its depths.
The power from the contracted beast “Cerberus.”
Normally, these underworld beings, whose threat levels only ran about a level 6 and relied heavily on numbers, could not pose any threat to x-level extraordinary individuals.
But under the backlash from the “End fragments.”
They couldn’t even summon their fantasy weapons right now, let alone mobilize their internal magic to activate their powers.
To x-level extraordinary individuals.
Nagine might indeed be the toughest opponent.
She could veto these x-level extraordinary beings relying on the “End fragments” to amplify their magic, as an absolute superior.
Even if they had already injected a “vaccine” against the “End,” these could not affect Nagine, merely preventing the “star authority” from resonating with their deeper souls.
But these “fragments” originally stemmed from Nagine’s “soul.”
Thus, they would unconditionally feel a sense of “awe” towards the real Nagine who revealed herself.
As the claws and fangs of the underworld beings tore apart the last x-level extraordinary individual’s body.
The threats on the island were temporarily eliminated.
Another unexpected aspect for Nagine was—
These fragments, which should reside within the souls of the x-level extraordinary individuals, seemed to transfer to other souls upon the “host’s” death, just like in the original “Star Pull” series.
This was why, in the original game of “Star Pull,” the heroines, who had banded together with the protagonist to defeat the “End,” ended up acquiring the “End fragments.”
Due to the previous urgency and her desire to save others, Nagine had nearly forgotten this point.
At this very moment.
The 7 fragments manifesting due to the host’s death—
Would return to Nagine’s soul.
But before Nagine could react to retrieve these “fragments.”
A sudden chill swept down from the heavens, prompting Nagine to instinctively look up.
In the night sky where silver-white stars hung high.
Another star suddenly appeared, radiating brilliant light.
That was the space-based orbital weapon controlled by the Alpha system.
The long-prepared “elemental fusion” was aimed at the island with world-destroying momentum.
Without time to think further.
Nagine raised her hands to counter with “elemental fusion”—
