Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Killing Star Ran Away
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The Heavenly Killing Star ran away.
After Enoch left, Lione tossed and turned on the bed.
Was something bothering him?
Lately, he seemed to have a lot on his mind. When Enoch came back, she’d have to talk to him seriously.
As she drifted in and out of sleep with those scattered thoughts,
“……!”
A massive surge of power from afar jolted Lione awake.
It was so faint, blocked by some barrier, that she’d noticed it late, but this presence was no ordinary thing.
“Enoch!”
Her thoughts flew to Enoch, and she bolted out of the house in one breath.
She didn’t care about the dirt sticking to her bare feet as she raced at full speed toward the source of the power surge.
And the reality she faced was utterly brutal.
Her mind went blank white at the shocking sight, then filled with self-recrimination, and all those emotions boiled down to rage and hatred.
[Why, why you…!]
[Wait! Let me explain!]
[You pedigree-less filthy beast…! Shut your mouth…!?]
Lione’s fury made the forest tremble.
Blue mana shimmered under the moonlight, blanketing the night sky, soon turning into countless swords.
The fox shuddered at the lethal aura.
If those fell, the forest would vanish without a trace.
[He’s still alive!]
[I’ll strip your hide and dump it in the sewer, and your flesh into the fields…, what…?]
[He’s alive! If your spirit helps right now, he’ll be fine!]
At the words that Enoch was alive, Lione rushed over in a panic.
Examining the fallen Enoch closely, she saw that the thread connecting his soul and body hadn’t snapped yet.
With trembling hands, Lione stroked his cheek, gazing at his wretched state.
“Enoch….”
Plop, plop. Thick teardrops fell.
Crawling to him on dirt-caked knees, she clung close and summoned her spirit.
“Undine!”
[Yawn…, wha…. What?]
The spirit’s eyes turned icy.
In those rage-filled eyes, Lione shouted fiercely.
“Undine! Hurry!”
[What?]
“Heal him!”
Understanding the situation, Undine called forth her true form.
A colossal woman of water, vast enough to blanket the night sky, commanded her power.
[Heal him by any means necessary!]
Every river and spring in the forest, every cloud in the sky, every water spirit in the area gathered.
The world quaked at the fury of a top-tier spirit.
As if a curtain of water draped over the night sky, the legion of water surged with power for Enoch.
Saaaa……
Water infused with healing enveloped Enoch.
Torn wounds regenerated, faint life force bolstered.
As signs of life slowly returned, Lione’s strength gave out; she braced herself on her elbows, staring only at Enoch.
“Enoch….”
His form gradually restored.
Blood washed away, ruptured body mended.
Lione lamented her own incompetence, knowing only how to fight.
“I’m sorry…. I’m sorry….”
The fox approached the weakly weeping elf.
Its lush nine tails wrapped around her shoulders, but
Smack—! She swatted it away harshly.
“…You’d better run far away while you still can.”
The fox gave an awkward smile at her voice thick with killing intent.
That only deepened the murderous glint in Lione’s eyes, but the fox was truly wronged.
[No, really, it wasn’t me.]
“Then? Enoch fought alone, got hurt alone, and wrecked this place alone?”
Shockingly, that was correct.
But the fox had just enough social sense to know saying so might get it fucked.
[I startled him when he saw me. I won’t deny my mistake—I failed to fully conceal myself, so the kid pierced part of my presence.]
“Make some sense. He pierced your presence, so why pick a fight? Against a demigod, no words exchanged, fighting till he’s like this?”
Right?
Why the hell did he do that?
The fox was still wondering.
“And even if that’s true, Enoch got hurt because of you. You’re not about to say he got all these wounds by himself, are you? I want to believe not. Because if so, I might really kill you.”
No, that was exactly right.
The fox racked its brains for words that’d minimize the fallout.
[Well…, the kid used some dangerous power. Looked like he forcibly replaced his Upper Dantian with a Circle, and didn’t stop there—he unified his Three Dantians.]
“You expect me to believe that? Replace the Upper Dantian with a Circle? Countless mages proved with their lives that doing so blows your head off—don’t tell me you don’t know?”
Wow, really?
It hadn’t known that.
It knew it was dangerous, but not that dangerous.
[Hard to believe, I know, but true. And later, he even achieved Three Flowers Gather at the Crown…]
“Enough! I’ve heard plenty of your bullshit!”
Lione’s lip curled in a sneer.
“What? Keep going and you’ll say Enoch wrecked this whole place alone? I know better than anyone he hasn’t grown that far yet, no matter how fast he’s progressing.”
[No….]
The fox was going mad, hopping with frustration.
This elf clearly had no idea what kind of monster she’d raised.
Come to think of it, she was the one who called this kid sweet and cute.
Sweet and cute?
It hadn’t noticed before, but this elf’s head was clearly screwed up too.
[Hmm? Wait, didn’t you say you’d explained me to this young one?]
“Yeah, I did. See? How ridiculous your nonsense is.”
[Then fu…. Ahem! Then why the hell didn’t this kid recognize me?]
“…Just shut up already. Any more and I really can’t hold back.”
Lione scooped up the now-healed Enoch.
Only his physical wounds had mended, but his breathing was steadying—he’d surely open his eyes soon with some rest.
Yes, surely.
He had to.
Because if not, Lione didn’t know what she’d do.
*
Enoch opened his eyes about a week later, one morning.
The sunlight stabbing his eyes hurt.
He blinked his squinted eyes, and a voice like a scream rang out.
“Enoch……!!”
It was Lione’s voice.
He turned his stiff neck with effort.
His bright field of vision darkened in an instant.
Lione had pulled Enoch into a hug.
“You’re awake…! Really…. Really, thank goodness….”
“…Lione.”
Enoch hugged her tightly back.
But only for a moment—Lione pried his arms off and stepped back a few paces.
“……?”
“Enoch.”
Her eyes red and puffy, Lione hardened her expression.
A face he’d never seen before.
As Enoch panicked, words poured out, suppressed tight.
“What happened? And why did you go into the forest alone at night? Do you know how worried I was!?”
Her agitated voice made Enoch shrink.
Lione’s face twisted at his flinch, but she steeled herself and kept her stern demeanor.
“This isn’t a joke, Enoch. You nearly died this time. Do you have any idea how I felt…, how I…, ngh…, how I felt…? Sniff….”
Unable to hold back, Lione burst into tears.
Enoch floundered in panic, eyes darting everywhere.
All he knew was that Lione had worried about him—and that’s why she was this sad.
“Lione….”
“Sniff…. It’s okay…. It’s fine…, so can you tell me what happened?”
Enoch nodded.
Whatever he’d done wrong, he had no intention of hiding it from her like this.
*
“…What?”
That was Lione’s reaction midway through his story.
“No, nothing. Keep going.”
But not long after…,
“What? Wait, say that again, Enoch?”
It cut off, repeated, went through the process several times before the tale finally ended.
Enoch sneaked a peek at Lione’s face.
Frowning fiercely, straining to hold back her anger.
Even with his disastrously low social awareness, Enoch could sense something.
“…Enoch.”
“Yeah….”
“Are you insane?”
Twitch—Enoch’s brow jerked.
“What kind of madness makes you pick a fight with the forest’s master! I told you about her!”
“…Didn’t hear well.”
“No, nooo…!”
Lione shot to her feet, pacing the room frantically.
She rubbed her face, sighed, and a corner of Enoch’s heart bristled at her reactions.
“…Couldn’t help it.”
“Couldn’t help what! Enoch, why do you always try to solve everything with fighting? Huh? I told you to back off when you should!”
“Instinctively….”
“Instinct my ass! Keep that up and you’ll really die next time! Don’t you get it?”
“…….”
“And! Going out at night is fine, but why the forest? Don’t you know it’s dangerous? At least say something before leaving!”
Enoch pouted his lips.
Seeing it, Lione’s eyes flared sharply.
This habit really needed fixing.
What if something happened to him…!
“Enoch, you’re staying in this room today to reflect. No food—no, wait, you need to eat. Yeah. Anyway, don’t think about leaving this room.”
“…….”
Enoch’s eyes hardened.
Why was she suddenly like this when she usually listened to anything?
Frustrated, Lione sighed.
“…Let’s cool off first and talk later.”
Creak—thud.
The door shut.
Left alone, Enoch bit his lip.
Or tears would fall.
When fighting the fox had been so hard, what kept him going?
If she’d just hugged him tight without a word, worried for him, he’d have listened perfectly.
He resented Lione for not understanding.
…No, not resent—hurt.
After a long time calming his breath and thinking, Enoch bolted from the bed.
Dizziness hit, body swaying, but he didn’t stop.
His mercenary tag caught his eye; he grabbed it and opened the door.
Creak—
As soon as he stepped out, Lione’s eyes blazed.
“Enoch. I said stay inside.”
“…….”
Ignoring her, Enoch walked on.
He opened the front door to the yard, where insensitive sunlight stabbed his eyes.
“Enoch!”
“…Don’t care.”
“Enoch, you’re really doing this?”
Enoch whipped around fiercely to glare at Lione.
There stood Lione with upturned eyes, an unfamiliar look.
“…Dummy. I hate you.”
With that, Enoch unleashed lightning from his toes.
KABOOM───────!!!
His body shot skyward.
From the rapidly shrinking house, Lione’s faint voice called.
- Enoch! Enoch…!
A desperate cry.
He wavered for a moment, but Enoch steadied his resolve.
Hmph.
Worry about me for once.
And so, Enoch ran away from home.