Chapter 96

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 96

Chapter Title: Ameris's Salvation

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Brushing her hand aside, I said,

"No need."

"There's no time! I'm about to die, and this barrier will shatter. If we don't do this, you're definitely going to die."

Dead again, huh.

What to do in a situation like this? A flick on the forehead?

No. She still hasn't come to her senses.

I smacked Ameris right on the head.

"Gah! You! What are you doing to a patient?! Do you even know whose head you're hitting?!"

"Stop acting all grown-up for no reason."

"What nonsense is that? I've lived for thousands of years..."

"People who live without meeting others stay kids no matter how old they get. Just act your age. Selus."

Ameris spat back at me in anger.

"You're telling me to live while you plan to die?!"

"Be honest. If you want to live, say you want to live. And carry on Seluna's will."

A brief silence followed my words.

Then Seluna asked in an anxious voice,

"Can... I really live?"

"That's not for me to decide."

"But I...!"

"Once you've taken the name Ameris, it's not for you to decide either. Don't feel sorry toward Seluna. Be grateful instead. The Seluna I saw would have wanted exactly that."

"But what about you? What are you going to do?"

I pressed my wrist to her and said,

"I told you. I keep my oaths. Aren't you the progenitor? Don't whine over a hole in your chest. Hang in there. I'll smack that narcissistic bastard from behind and save you too."

Ameris fell silent at my words before responding,

"I'll endure. You win this."

With that, she offered me her neck.

"What's this?"

"Bite my neck. And drink my blood."

Did her carotid get blocked earlier and cause brain damage?

Even as a clone, it affects her?

"I'm not a vampire. Biting with my teeth will just hurt, and that's it."

"Idiot! It's the progenitor's oath."

"Progenitor's oath?"

Ameris sighed in exasperation at my question.

"The progenitor's oath. A progenitor can share their power with others. If control over that power is lacking, you lose your reason... but that's not a concern for me. I've practiced for thousands of years."

"I'm the one sucking your blood, not the other way around?"

She pointed to the gaping hole in her chest.

"Normally, I'd just share my blood, and that would be it. But that would make you my kin. In my current state, taking your power would mean nothing."

"So, you'd become my kin? Is that even possible?"

"The method doesn't matter. What counts is the progenitor's will. I become your kin. As long as I don't die, I can be your strength. If you die, I die too—it's a one-sided oath. From now on, I'll live in your shadow, unable to do anything without your permission."

"You're okay with making that kind of oath?"

Ameris laughed.

"Even a progenitor can't live without a heart. So I'm abandoning my body to parasitize yours. And when I've gathered enough power... I'll reappear. It's all my selfishness."

"Selfishness?"

Ameris looked at me and continued,

"You pulled me out from the night I was trapped in. Didn't you tell me to live? To live on as Ameris?"

She grabbed my arm and pressed on.

"I have to live. For Seluna's sake, at least. I want to live now. You were right about everything. It was so lonely, so full of longing. For thousands of years, I've missed someone. You brought me out of the night. Now I'm curious. What is this 'day' you speak of?"

I smiled and replied to her words.

"How many times do I have to say it? I keep my oaths."

With that, I bit into her neck.

The sweet scent of her flesh.

But even more astonishing was the sweetness of her blood.

My whole body heated up.

"Whew... Refreshing."

"Don't talk about my blood like it's a beverage."

Ameris let out a shallow sigh, met my eyes, and said,

"Now I'm your kin and your companion on this unknown path. I'm bound to you, and you are me."

Companion, huh.

Not a bad ring to it.

"I've already lost my heart, so I won't give you much power. But it should be enough for you to steady yourself."

"That's plenty."

At that moment, a blue light began to emanate before my eyes.

'This is the color of a skillbook.'

But the source was Ameris's body.

The tutorial I'd thought was torn appeared before me.

'Save Ameris...?'

'Progenitor'? Never seen a skill like this.

Never heard of its uses or existence.

But at a glance, it's clear: an A-rank passive skill.

Every ability screams overpowered.

'Doesn't seem like Ameris planned this when she gave me her blood.'

Must be the growth-type skillbook's power.

Honestly, not sure if this lets me beat Lee Seong-hyeon.

But I have to win.

Ameris touched my cheek and said,

"You, remember this: I'm solely yours, and my power is solely yours."

"Don't worry. Just patch up that hole in your chest."

"Got it, you. When I open my eyes again, I won't be able to help directly. But I'll surely help as part of you."

"Don't worry. I'll pull you out soon enough."

As her words faded, color returned to the world around us.

Stopped time resumed, along with the halted pain.

Apparently, [Progenitor]'s recovery isn't that generous.

My body didn't heal instantly or block the pain.

I just felt my bones knitting back together amid the agony.

"Urgh..."

It's definitely better.

Still at a disadvantage, but a sliver of possibility opened up.

Time itself seems slower.

I could see Lee Seong-hyeon stomping down on my head from above.

He's off guard.

Thinks I'm completely done.

The blade grazed Lee Seong-hyeon's ankle.

"Gaaah!"

At the scream, Baek A-rin and Erina turned toward us.

"Kim Si-woo!"

"Si-woo! You're alive?!"

Ridiculous.

These are the brightest expressions I've seen lately.

"Erina! Operation name A."

"Got it!"

My whole body heated up.

Like every buff in existence forcibly applied all over me.

Senses sharpened even further.

"Gaaah! You worm bit me?! You think trash like you can stand against me?!"

Lee Seong-hyeon's every word, even the scenery around us, moved in slow motion.

Ameris's gift?

[Progenitor]'s effect?

Or the adrenaline surging through me?

Lee Seong-hyeon swung his sword wildly at the ground in blind rage.

I barely grazed past it with Bunny Hop to dodge.

"Ugh!"

Unable to withstand the force, my body tumbled, skin tearing as I rolled.

But it's fine.

I immediately regained my stance and reached toward Lee Seong-hyeon.

The golden-eyed Lee Seong-hyeon was arrogant.

He still looked down on my skills.

Believed I couldn't do a thing.

Illusory chains that were mere phantoms extended toward Lee Seong-hyeon.

"Wh-what?!"

Illusion or not, that's enough.

'Just one moment is all I need.'

Come on, Kim Si-woo.

Bluff your way through.

Right now, you're on Lee Seong-hyeon's level—or higher.

You can't win with skill differences alone.

But Lee Seong-hyeon is heated right now.

He's lost his reason after being bitten by a filthy worm.

Lee Seong-hyeon is hot-headed, yet he doesn't go all out. That's why he's even more arrogant with all the chances he's had.

Even against me, he thinks it's his turn alone.

That's why I can beat Lee Seong-hyeon.

The sensation of veins bursting in my eyes.

Blood rushed to my head.

Hot. Hotter than Lee Seong-hyeon.

Only one chance, so make it the hottest, most valuable one.

But I can't get excited.

Darkness began to dye the surroundings.

"Hiding like a worm, huh?! I'll gouge out your eyes and those bitches' too, play with them, then kill you! Come out!"

Rationally.

Rationally.

Coldly.

Coldly.

Judge, Kim Si-woo.

I took a deep breath.

"Hoo."

I'd already used [Bunny Hop] once, so maybe two more at most.

That was the limit I'd set for myself.

"Ameris, watch closely. 'Ameris's Night' gets rewritten here."

The way to kill a monster is simple.

Keep killing it until it's dead.

Universal truth.

Same with killing Lee Seong-hyeon.

Keep killing until he's dead.

Surpassing limits.

Not the limits I set.

Something beyond them.

I gripped daggers in reverse grip with both hands.

Head cool.

Blades cooler.

- Flash Strike 6-Chain.