Chapter 265
Chapter 265
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 265
>Chapter Title: Exceptionally Bright Starlight
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The spirit losing its name tilted its focus toward the voice of unknown origin.
[Power? Give, power?]
That was definitely what it had said.
But what did it want in return?
[Immortality? Immortality?]
The situation had come out of nowhere, but grasping its meaning wasn't all that hard.
In other words, the voice was saying this:
Give up immortality, and I'll grant you power.
But the spirit losing its name shook its head vigorously.
[Don't need, power. Me, no need power.]
What good was power?
It had trembled in helplessness, but power wasn't what it needed right now. More than that...
The spirit losing its name gazed at its friend.
[Me, must save. Friend.]
Time was running out.
The contract's thread was on the verge of snapping. The body's form was already growing faint.
Amid all that.
- Give up immortality.
- I'll grant you power.
The voice of unknown origin rang out once more.
‘Me, don't know, that stuff. Busy.’
The spirit losing its name poured its spirit power into its friend. Faint as it was, it hoped it could save them. No, even more than that...
Its very existence.
‘Friend, save.’
It knew it was a pointless method. But all it could do was pray for a miracle.
‘Friend, bad. Promise, not keep.’
Breaking the promise again? It hadn't even given the moonlight stones—two in the morning, one at night—like it said it would, and now this?
As its existence drained away.
‘Frien……d. Save……’
Awareness grew hazy.
Memories faded along with its hazy awareness. As memories faded, language lost its form.
‘……. …….’
At some point, the nameless spirit conveyed its will solely through faint flickers of light, having lost even language.
And so.
Everything grew faint.
What it was doing. Who this dying being was. Why it was pouring its existence into this being.
But whatever had once been a spirit didn't wonder any further. It simply wanted to.
However.
The wish of whatever had once been a spirit came to naught.
Tszzzzz—
Faint existence scattering into the empty air. Aster's condition showed no improvement.
It was only natural, perhaps.
Spirit power held no ability to restore flesh.
At that moment.
The voice echoed once more into its barely conscious mind.
- Give up immortality.
- I'll grant you power.
Naturally, the spirit that had lost language couldn't comprehend the words. So it couldn't even respond.
......Only.
Flutter, flutter.
The faintly wavering light spoke for its desperate heart.
And so, the faint flame finally guttered out. It vanished with the scattering existence, leaving no trace behind.
Nothing remained.
......Just the dying human.
And the mere fact that whatever had once been a spirit had existed.
That was all.
It was then.
- Wind confirmed.
The voice echoed without a target.
Change came right after.
Whirrrrrrr—
A gale began to whip through the empty air.
The scattered existence coalesced once more. At the same time, Aster's blood, splattered everywhere, rose and began forming a round shape.
It wasn't long before a single Fire Mark blazed brightly from his chest, floating lightly in the air.
Psssh.
Then, the Fire Mark seeped into the blood.
- Define the existence.
At that voice... whatever had once been a spirit thought.
‘Me, who?’
It didn't know. It didn't know, but... one familiar word surfaced in its mind.
- Me, Wyvern!
Its own voice? Probably. Then, was it a wyvern?
The voice came once more.
- Define the existence.
Whatever had once been a spirit replied.
‘Me, Wy…….’
But then.
‘No. Wyvern, no.’
Whatever had once been a spirit urgently withdrew its will as a certain fact flashed to mind.
Because.
The wyvern it had been was far too powerless.
Memories were faint—what had caused that sense of powerlessness didn't come to mind—but the searing emotion remained vivid.
No more powerlessness. It didn't know why, but... it didn't want to be powerless.
Then, what must it be to avoid powerlessness?
Into the mind of the wyvern floated the face of a boy. Platinum hair, eyes of different colors.
The boy was chatting happily with someone, then turned and asked it.
- When a wyvern evolves... it becomes that, right?
That was when it reached that thought.
- Define the existence.
The voice rang out again.
Whatever had once been a spirit gathered its thoughts at the voice. And it etched the word the boy in its memory had murmured into its mind.
......After that, no more voices came.
Only the transformations continued.
* * *
The Decullan forces were climbing the mountainside.
“Fan out and search!”
“Move!”
Impatience colored their voices.
The battle was clearly over, yet there was no word from the Seven Mages.
Something had gone wrong.
“......Mm.”
The mage leading the reinforcements quelled a sudden surge of unease as he watched the searching soldiers with a grim expression.
‘No, it’s fine. It has to be.’
These were the Seven Mages, after all.
The pinnacle of all Decullan mages—seven of them.
Two had moved together—could something have happened? And hadn’t two mage squads gone with them!
True, those squads weren’t Crimson Jade or Azure Ice caliber, but they were no meager force.
How long did the search continue?
Whooo......
A wind blew from somewhere.
“......Tch.”
The commander frowned at the dirt kicked up by the fierce gust.
He deployed a barrier to block the wind. Or tried to.
If only the barrier hadn’t scattered.
Crackle, crackle......
‘......?’
The barrier dispersed the moment it formed.
The commander tilted his head, staring at his hands. He tried deploying it again.
But why?
Psssh, psssh—
No illusion.
The barrier crackled and scattered once more.
“What?”
As he puzzled over it, a shrill scream pierced the air from midway up the distant slope.
“U, uwaaaah—!”
“Mon, monster......!”
Panicked cries from soldiers. Some of those who’d gone ahead were fleeing down the slope in terror when the communication orb vibrated.
“What is it?”
[......You need to see this yoursel…… U, uwaaah!]
The line cut with a dying scream.
“Moving.”
Sensing something gravely wrong, the commander hurried up the slope.
A few mages followed.
Soon, signs of battle appeared.
The mountainside lay in ruins from the ferocity.
Blood stained the ground here and there, and soldiers fled in panic down the slope.
‘Useless vermin.’
He itched to cleave their heads off.
But grasping the situation came first.
How far had they climbed?
“Maintain formation!”
“Get it together!”
The commander pushed through scattered brush.
And when he finally reached the scene.
His eyes went wide.
“......W-What.”
Mages and knights in a circular formation.
Corpses littered the center, but they didn’t catch the commander’s eye.
At the formation’s heart.
[......]
A single being intimidating the mages and knights.
At a glance, it resembled a monster. Slit pupils like a reptile’s. Sturdy scales encasing its body. Claws gripping the earth.
The spitting image of a drake.
But if it were merely a drake, the commander wouldn’t have lost his composure.
So why?
‘......Dangerous.’
Instinct screamed the warning the moment they locked eyes.
That thing wasn’t some mere monster.
Massive wings folded atop its back, cloaked in golden scales, proved it.
A monster?
Impossible.
Then what of the mana rippling with its breath? And this absurd presence his senses picked up...?
The commander had reached that thought when.
[Get, back.]
A low voice reverberated through the air.
The mana in the atmosphere churned right then.
Fwoooosh—!
An immense shock swept through the space alongside the mana!
“Urgh!”
As mages and knights staggered from the impact, the flap of wings soon reached their ears.
When the shockwave faded.
“What in the......”
The commander looked up at the sky in horrified wonder.
The sky, dyed red by sunset.
The unidentified being was crossing it. Golden scales glimmered, reflecting the dying light.
‘Dra......gon?’
The commander only guessed its identity long after the being vanished beyond the horizon.
* * *
Whatever had once been a spirit flapped its wings, crossing the red sky.
How far did it go?
Fwoomp, whoosh—
It alighted atop a tall mountain peak.
Animals, plants, and monsters dwelling there fled at the unknown entity’s arrival. An instinctual response.
The entire mountain erupted in sudden chaos, but whatever had once been a spirit ignored it, carefully setting down what it clutched in its forepaw.
It was a single boy.
Barely clinging to life.
[......]
Whatever had once been a spirit gazed at the boy with complex eyes, then lowered its head, bringing its muzzle close.
Soon.
Sssssss......
Mana flowed from its maw.
The smoke-like mana swirled, seeping into the boy’s body. Right after, the boy hacked up, “Cough!”
He spewed blood, then stirred. His face looked far more at peace than before.
But the marvel didn’t end there.
Ssssk, ssss......
The chest wound began to knit. Color returned to his deathly pale face.
Yet for some reason.
Whatever had once been a spirit began to lose its vitality.
Its once-radiant golden scales crumbled and withered. Dullness clouded its overwhelming eyes. The dominating presence withered pathetically, fading.
It was undoubtedly losing its life force, but whatever had once been a spirit knew this and didn’t hesitate.
......To begin with.
It knew this form couldn’t last long.
So what was there to hesitate over?
A life’s light doomed to flicker out soon.
Still, it felt grateful.
Had it not become this, it couldn’t have saved its friend.
[Friend, lives.]
Whatever had once been a spirit heaved ragged breaths, continuing to pour in its life force.
Without end, without end.
Though it lacked even the strength to lift its head, it didn’t stop sharing its life with the boy. And when the light of life in its eyes finally went out completely.
[Frien……d. Li……ves.]
Its body scattered into the air on the blowing wind. Like fully spent ash.
A while later.
The sun set, and night fell.
Beneath that night sky.
Only a single boy remained.
And atop him lay a thick layer of golden ash. As if to protect him.
......A night when the starlight shone exceptionally bright.