Chapter 556: Jealousy is My Power (56)
Chapter 556: Jealousy is My Power (56)
“We are all alone in this world without families, the three of us. So we have no choice but to call the bond where we rely on one another ‘family’… though that might be nothing more than a play on words.”
I remained silent, unsure of how to respond.
It had been a long time since the Great Witch had uttered such sentimental words. As I pondered her intent, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
The Great Witch was still concerned about having scolded Senior Elsie.
That was why she had forced out such embarrassing words—to offer some form of comfort. Even a glance at her slightly flushed cheeks made it clear that she was feeling quite bashful.
It seemed Senior Elsie wasn't oblivious to this, either.
Though she maintained a blunt expression, she pointedly looked away, trying to hide her own embarrassment.
The words she finally managed to squeeze out were a manifestation of anxiety disguised as a mutter.
“……Hmph, easy for you to say. Won’t you just forget again after a few hundred years pass?”
“How could I ever forget you two?”
The Great Witch spoke with a faint smile.
The girl’s smile, framed by the moonlight at her back, was beautiful. It made me privately think that the master and disciple were strangely alike.
From their lack of honesty to the way their smiles were exceptionally lovely.
No matter what anyone said, the Great Witch and Senior Elsie truly shared a master-disciple relationship.
“By nature, family should be able to recognize one another whenever and wherever they meet… Moreover, you two are disciples I taught personally. As your master, how could I fail to recognize you?”
“……Really?”
Despite her words, a trace of lingering anxiety remained in Elsie's voice.
Having endured an unfortunate upbringing, Senior Elsie often showed a strong obsession with family-like bonds. While she might have scoffed at the idea outwardly, she likely yearned for it deep down.
A relationship where they supported each other without secrets.
Saviors to one another who would never dream of betrayal.
Thus, the Great Witch declared with confidence.
“Of course! When has your master ever lied to you?”
I couldn't hide a bitter smile at those words.
In truth, she had lied quite often.
For instance, like the time she secretly ate the pudding I’d bought for Senior Elsie in the city and then played innocent.
But I couldn't be tactless enough to bring that up now.
I simply hoped.
That the bond between the three of us, our new family, would last forever.
It was a truly vain dream.
The era was descending into hell, to the point where even such a common wish became an act of excessive greed.
Love was the most extravagant emotion one could afford on a battlefield.
‘Elsie’ opened her eyes to a splitting headache.
It felt as though she had been dreaming of the distant past. Not of this era, but memories of the world that held her own cherished past.
And she felt as if she had seen a girl huddled in a corner somewhere.
Before she knew it, the boundaries of the world were crumbling.
Jumbled spaces created a scene reminiscent of an avant-garde art piece. The landscape, a chaotic blend of time, space, and turbid reminiscence, evoked an atmosphere that was both mysterious and terrifying.
It was, quite literally, the end of the world.
The small world created by the barrier was collapsing. No matter how small the scale, there was no way an ordinary human could withstand the shock of an entire world disintegrating.
Just look at her now.
Elsie’s body was already in tatters. This was the result of being caught for only a brief moment in a rift of the collapsing space.
At this rate, she would die.
She had already experienced death once. Even so, she had no desire to go through it again.
In fact, it was terrifying.
This body did not belong to ‘Elsie.’ It was the physical form of a girl who had been living peacefully in this world.
Rationally, she should never have chosen such a dangerous path.
And yet, why had Elsie thrown herself into danger at the risk of her life?
It was instinct.
A primal desire to protect someone precious.
It was an extension of a past where she had spent days and nights wounding herself with regret and self-reproach, eventually swearing never to repeat the same mistake.
Was that not why she had obsessed over power and lived while hiding her weak inner self?
Elsie gasped for breath as she staggered to her feet. Her gaze was sharp as she scanned the ruins of the broken world.
Where was she?
The answer wasn't far. A faint groan reached the girl’s ears.
“Ugh, agh… huff…….”
It was the sound of someone barely suppressing their pain.
Elsie located the source immediately. Though the space was distorted into a mess, there was no mistaking that dark blue hair.
It was the ‘Great Witch.’
Hurrying her steps, Elsie saw the Great Witch collapsed on the ground.
Her body was covered in minor wounds. Furthermore, the way she clutched her head while groaning revealed the sheer magnitude of the headache she was suffering.
“Me, memories… ugh… my memories……!”
Elsie had no luxury to interpret those mutterings.
Squeezing out her last bit of strength, Elsie supported the Great Witch’s body. The girl’s voice, as she tried to steady her ragged breathing, bordered on desperate.
“Hey, old hag! Are—are you okay? I’ll, I’ll do something……!”
“You… stupid girl……!”
However, the response to her kindness was this cold reproach.
Elsie was left utterly dumbfounded.
Regardless, the Great Witch merely glared at Elsie with smoldering eyes.
“If you get caught in the collapse of a Spatial Rift, your life isn't guaranteed; you could become a stray in the dimensional world…! Did you think you could escape that place with your skills? Did I teach you to throw your life away like a dog because you couldn't gauge your own abilities?!”
“What… what are you talking about……?”
“Leave now, even if you have to go alone!”
Elsie was confused, but the Great Witch was firm.
The Great Witch seemed completely unaware of her own abnormal state. Since she was likely out of her mind due to the headache, it was only natural.
In that growling voice, not a single trace of a lie could be found.
“It might already be too late, but if you find a path, you might be able to escape. Fortunately, this barrier is based on the Five Elements, so as long as the caster remains in this space……!”
It was then.
A loud crack, like a heavy pole snapping, echoed through the air.
It was the sound of the pillars maintaining the barrier shattering.
Cracks began to appear all at once in the space that had been supporting the sky. The scale of it was growing out of control, to the point where one wouldn't even dare to try and fix it.
Witnessing this, the Great Witch’s face turned pale.
“……It’s too late.”
Elsie didn't add any particular sentiment to that.
She was in total agreement.
With a thunderous roar, the sky began to collapse.
Every time a shard broke off and slammed into the ground, the earth surged like a wave accompanied by an unimaginable explosion. Giant trees swayed like duckweed before being uprooted entirely.
It’s over.
Swallowing hard, Elsie felt that intuition take hold.
No one could overturn this situation. Even the legendary Masters, said to pulverize mountains and cleave the sky, would find no way out of a collapsing world.
The only hope was the Great Witch.
Emotions unbefitting the face of an absolute being who had lived for centuries flickered like fragments. Agony, hesitation, and finally, resolve.
Blood seeped from the Great Witch’s lips as she gritted her teeth. Had nothing unusual happened, the Great Witch might have made a certain decision.
Yes, if nothing unusual had happened.
‘Milky Way.’
It was then that a Milky Way suddenly appeared in the sky.
In a mere instant, a silver wave swept over the world like a tsunami, forming a majestic river.
“Ah…….”
It was a sight so beautiful that an exclamation escaped her lips involuntarily.
A silver mist spread out, cleaving the sky in half. The starlight embedded within it created a dreamlike scenery, carving a long trajectory through the center of the collapsing world.
Wrooooooom!
The world shrieked, twisting its body. As if sensing some danger, the trembling space let out a harsh scream in a final act of defiance.
It was a futile struggle.
Crunch.
The cracks that had formed in the barrier widened even further. No, this couldn't even be called a crack anymore.
It was a cross-section.
Countless sword scars were deconstructing the world in its entirety. The fragments of the barrier, reduced to dust so fine they caused no damage even as they fell, scattered like starlight.
It happened in an instant, before she could even voice her admiration.
The jumbled scenery of the surroundings was erased one by one. Replacing it was the familiar landscape of the forest.
The Academy forest, located outside the barrier.
Elsie felt as if she had been bewitched by a ghost. As mentioned, an entire world had been collapsing.
Yet, for that world to be shattered into pieces in just a few seconds.
The idea of turning a collapsing space into dust was beyond novel—it was insane. Just how much skill was required to realize such a simple yet brutal solution?
Could it be a Master?
Elsie’s eyes blankly turned toward the Great Witch. However, the Great Witch looked just as shocked.
It meant that, at the very least, the person wasn't among the candidates the Great Witch knew.
Then, who on earth?
With that question in her eyes, Elsie spotted a familiar back.
In the distance, the back of a man silently gazing at the sky.
Why was it?
The moment she saw that lonely shadow, Elsie felt her heart leap into her throat.
“……Ian.”
She didn't even remember what happened after that.
Elsie practically threw the Great Witch back onto the ground and ran desperately after the man. He was just about to kick off the ground and vanish.
The girl’s voice grew even more urgent.
“Ian, Ian, Ian……!”
Her precariously staggering body looked as if it would tumble to the ground at any moment. It meant she was pushing herself far too hard, but Elsie didn't even realize her body was screaming in protest.
The man’s golden eyes glanced back over his shoulder. No emotion could be read from his dry gaze.
An attitude so cold it was chilling.
Whether Elsie was running toward him or not, the man seemed intent on leaving. His posture as he bent his knees signaled an imminent leap.
But right then.
Zap!
A spark of electricity rose from the ground.
It was only powerful enough to make the man freeze for a split second. Such was the futility of the means she had managed to squeeze out of a brain barely receiving oxygen.
The result would not change.
The man moved to complete his leap.
If only he hadn't heard the sound of a heavy tumble.
The man’s startled gaze turned back once more. Elsie, who had finally tripped and rolled across the ground, had tumbled several times until she reached his immediate vicinity.
Even then, she crawled a couple more steps.
The girl’s dirt-stained hand grabbed the hem of the man’s trousers.
“Huff, huff… Ian, it’s you..”
Along with her ragged breathing.
The eyes of the man and the woman finally met in the empty air.