Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Blind
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Purposeless revenge was descending the ice cliff.
She was climbing down a crude ladder made of iron mixed with ice unique to this Hatam region, but thanks to Iveldra's wings clinging to her skin, she didn't slip off. The canyon winds she hadn't felt from the mountaintop, however, were the real problem. She could drop from the ladder right now, activate her circuits, and descend much faster-but those fierce gusts made it impossible.
"One by one, following the canyon's vein."
That left her no choice but to recite the map's path in her mind and inch downward bit by bit.
From here on, she planned to move faster. The time it took to die and respawn back to this point had grown longer than the progress she made each attempt. It was like telling herself this wasn't the time to grow numb to death and wield it as a weapon, like in her past tries.
"Is that it?"
How much further had she come? The ladder's end was still shrouded in snow mist, but in the canyon's center ahead, a massive head pierced through the haze and caught her eye. Reaching it with Madness might be a stretch, but from this distance, flying over its head with her circuits seemed quicker than descending and climbing back up.
"Alright then..."
Elis raised her palm to check the shimmering circuit pattern. It looked almost like living ice crystals, poised to activate the moment she willed power into it.
Elis clenched her fist tight once more, released her other hand from the ladder, and leaped.
"Ngh!"
But Elis had overlooked one thing.
Wind hitting a stationary body was worlds apart from wind battering a moving one. Spreading her arms was a struggle, but worse still was keeping her eyes open.
"Damn it!"
She'd half-expected this, but at this rate, she wouldn't advance toward the golem-she'd be shredded by the wind and flung about wildly. No way was she crashing to her death like an idiot.
Use the wind's direction.
Mid-fall, Elis finally unleashed Revenge. The bone-chilling cold slicing her flesh became her power, erupting like crimson lightning. She thrust both arms downward. In an instant, red energy seeped into the circuits, forming pitch-black crystals that spun and spat icy gusts. Compared to the canyon-spanning gale, it was a mere breeze-but enough to ride the airflow.
Elis dove low toward the canyon wall and clung to it.
"Got it!"
But Elis had overlooked something else.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, the wind whipping along the cliff surged upward with ferocious speed. Overpowered, she could barely keep her eyes open as her eyeballs began to freeze. Elis immediately halted both Revenge and her circuits, shielding her eyes with her hands.
She had to endure until this upward blast paused where it always broke. Forget landing on the golem's head-at least ride it out, reset her bearings, and descend with circuits.
"Hah!"
When the ascent halted, Elis realized she'd risen to a height below the peak but high enough to see the entire Hatam range.
And turning back, she saw...
"Ahh..."
Through the veiled sky, light pierced the clouds in faint rays, snowflakes cradling that glow scattering like jewels. They drifted on the range's myriad winds, sometimes settling gently, sometimes swirling wildly. But they never reached the ground.
Because dark, frozen legions were massing across the mountains. The immortals of the iced earth. Their eerie darkness flowed from afar. And the one place that darkness could never breach: the human city of Promnain, ringed by mountains and rivers.
"If that's the humans' city, then that?"
Beside it, a black swamp-like blotch swarmed with immortals marked the map's final golem from the Night Hag Queen.
It'stood out starkly amid the blackness, a lone blue glow. She had to reach it. The harpy eye and her sword would be there.
As she scanned the path there, the wind lifting her ebbed, and her body began to slip into freefall. She whipped her gaze downward, hunting the nearest golem. Crashing like this would pulverize her into a bloody smear.
"No choice."
She'd burn through her remaining reserves, but circuits could brake her speed. She couldn't afford death now. If she positioned the golem atop the easiest canyon overhang-like when she'd flown from the peak-that counted as hitting her goal.
First, recall the sensation of moving it, learn to command via Madness without direct contact. Then, with growing golems, she could blitz through the immortals' corpse swamp to the final one faster.
Repel that horde with five golems, reclaim her sword, finish canyon business, and head straight to Promnain.
Thus, Elis set her course anew.
"Let's go!"
She activated her circuits without hesitation, conquering the wind. But her fall accelerated beyond her estimate. Bracing for broken bones-ready to mend with Revenge-she plummeted like red tears from the weeping sky.
By the time the golem's head reappeared through snow mist beyond the canyon, her circuits' chill had run dry.
"Tch!"
She tucked and rolled, slamming onto the golem's head.
Thud!
"Gah!"
She'd started to land on her feet, but momentum shattered them anyway, sending her tumbling several more rolls. Her arms held, scraping the surface to keep her aboard, but even with Revenge active, neither arms nor legs would move. Apparently, Revenge didn't instantly repay damage to foes-it had limits otherwise.
"Still... f-fine."
With direction set, she'd reach the end, goal or not. She'd grasp why she'd revived, fulfill what only she could. Keep going, ever onward.
"That's... enough..."
Elis dragged her barely ambulatory body to the golem's head center. Forehead pressed down, she summoned Madness. Hands would be ideal, but with bones protruding, she could only prop her torso with core strength.
Feel the Madness within, like with Revenge, and rouse it. Spread it through the golem like wrapping circuits. Sense it flow. It reaches the chest core. Eyes closed, deeper: the core pumps Madness like blood from a heart, permeating every depth-as if she were the golem.
Elis opened her eyes. The golem opened its.
Groooooar.
Blasting fierce dark-blue glare, the golem slowly rose. Ice-locked, it twitched per movement, shedding glaciers like crumbling bergs. Towering enough to crest the canyon outright. Elis willed, and steaming hands reached up the cliff.
"Haa."
It felt like becoming a giant. As if these mighty arms could smash anything, topple the heavens to earth. And this was just one.
"Next might be the last."
Controlling it took no effort, but wielding kin-Madness and Wrath-together was the issue. Their blend overflowed her vessel, blurring death. Escaping this erosion would take longer, she sensed. Elis urged the golem faster.
Tongue bitten to stave unconsciousness, she crested the cliff edge.
"Haa."
She exhaled a deep, ragged breath. Not as high as midair, but past barren rocky foothills of dead trees, over cliffs and drop-offs like giant steps-to the distant horde swelling like immortal waves.
Elis counted the white and blue golems interspersed.
"Down left, through canyon gaps to right, another drop..."
One, two, three. Four including hers. Path mapped. Pity-this was her limit. Memorize the Madness feel, fly circuits straight here next time.
Cold wind brushed. Elis severed the Madness link, crawled, rolled off the foot-spine snapping through heart. Lived. Blasted into snow-choked depths, limbs shredded.
Then smashed headfirst into an ice hummock of packed flakes. Bones and ice exploding everywhere marked her end.
"Haa."
Elis awoke atop the peak again.
"Faster this time."
Reach that golem, find the other three-next goal. Momentum built. Harness giant might to sweep immortals. Time to rampage. Elis rose, vowing.
Keep going, ever onward.
Something dormant in her past life awakened. Light marching silently, direction set, no destination.
"This'll be the last."
Hope.
Thus began Elis's seventh descent.