Chapter 135 – The Temple of Memories (2)

Despite the abrupt shift in the battle, Serr quickly regained her composure and assessed the situation.

The spirits’ senses—sight, sound, smell, touch—flowed into her, overwhelming her senses. Blood trickled from her nose and ears, but she ignored the pain, absorbing the information.

She directed her spirits, reinforcing the faltering Cartia forces, dispatching a high-ranking spirit to aid the nearly dead Vishur, and scattering Rin’s completed meteor shower across the battlefield.

As the chaos subsided slightly, Hermilla, her aura of [Desolation] flaring, slammed her fist into Roy’s face again.

“Hah! That’s better.”

Serr opened her eyes, wiping the blood from her face as Hermilla’s satisfied voice reached her.

She placed her hand back on Ablon’s back, resuming her interrupted incantation.

Click.
Karok rose, drawing his massive sword. Roy, his face a mangled mess, pushed himself up, channeling magic into his staff.

Serr ignored them, focusing on her spell. Hermilla had her back.

Karok’s blade swung, Roy’s magic flared. Hermilla’s fist shot out.

CLANG!

The violet flames, fueled by Hermilla’s life force, consumed their attacks.

And then…Serr’s spell was complete.

Rumble.
The earth beneath Ablon shifted, groaned, and then surged upwards, a massive mound of earth rising like a tidal wave, before crashing down.

Towards the Temple of Memories.

The earth settled, forming a massive wall around the Temple.

Taller than Cartia’s walls. Stronger. Fortified by the highest spirits and the Spirit King’s essence.

Impenetrable. Unless the Beast of the End itself intervened.

Serr removed her hand from Ablon’s back. The spirit bowed its head, then dissolved into motes of light, returning to the Spirit Realm.

Not dead. Just…resting.

The loss of a High Spirit weakened their forces, but it was a necessary sacrifice.

Erden’s target was the Temple. As long as Noah and Rubia arrived safely…they would win.

Serr smiled, channeling the Spirit King’s essence into Rin’s magic.

She ignored the Spirit King’s grumbled protests.

This was…compensation. For ten years of pretending to be Erden’s lapdog, fraternizing with those…
creatures
.

She wanted to unleash the full might of her spirits, but she couldn’t risk destroying the Spirit King entirely.

There would be other opportunities.

Hermilla was holding her own against the Masters, her bloodlust a tangible force on the battlefield.

Protecting Serr was secondary. Her priority was killing those Erden bastards. But she couldn’t land a decisive blow while fending off both Masters. She needed Serr’s spell to complete.

Serr, thinking of Noah, of friendship, smiled and joined the fray.

Using high-ranking spirits, she manipulated the earth beneath the Masters, disrupting their footing. She gathered the energy of her protective spirits and unleashed it.

Crack!
A tendril of energy lashed out, wrapping around Karok’s massive sword.

Hermilla seized the opportunity, punching Roy in the face again.

BOOM!
The sound was sickening.

Roy roared in pain, teleporting away.

Hermilla pursued him relentlessly, her fist a blur.

“You bitch!”

Roy, his cheekbone already reforming, discarded his staff, conjuring four spells simultaneously.

Wind howled. The earth beneath him cracked open, a fiery chasm opening, spewing flames. Chains fell from the sky, binding Hermilla.

Hermilla burned through her lifespan, fueling her [Desolation].

Crunch!
The chains dissolved.

Clink!
More chains materialized, piercing her flesh, holding her fast.

Just as the flames reached her—

Rin’s magic activated.

A magic circle bloomed around Hermilla, dispelling Roy’s spells.

The circle expanded, growing, radiating a brilliant light until it encompassed the entire battlefield.

Within its bounds, all magic was
forbidden
.

Serr’s ultimate spell, perfected during her Archmage days. It bent the flow of magic to her will, making her the undisputed master of the battlefield.

Arrogance
.

Reforged with spirit energy, unleashed once more.

Freed from the chains, Hermilla leaped forward, using the floating spirits as stepping stones, her gaze locked on Roy.

“You…BITCH!”

Roy roared, grabbing a dagger and stabbing it into his shoulder, tearing off his arm.

He swallowed the blood, devouring the flesh, and screamed again.

“I desire power! The price: my left arm! Half my life!”

An overwhelming power erupted from him, his severed arm the catalyst, rewriting the very laws of magic.

“Full Bloom!”

A crimson flower blossomed, unfurling in the still air, scattering its petals.

The petals enveloped Hermilla’s left arm, dissolving her [Desolation], tearing through her flesh, muscle, and bone.

Hermilla, sensing the destructive energy surging up her arm, ripped it off at the shoulder.

Slash!
Blood sprayed, mingling with the crimson petals, forming new blossoms.

Hundreds of flowers bloomed, their petals swirling, blanketing Serr’s barrier, consuming the Cartia forces.

Blood splattered, each drop blooming into a crimson flower, scattering more petals.

The petals converged.

Karok roared, his massive blade flashing, unleashing an unstoppable wave of energy that tore across the battlefield, indiscriminately slaughtering friend and foe.

The attack hurtled towards Hermilla.

And then—

The crimson barrier shattered.

The sky flipped.

The petals vanished. The energy dissipated. The shadow over the Black Sun cracked.

“What the—?!”

Crunch.

Hermilla’s fist, fueled by her own life force, obliterated Roy’s head.

***

The last enemy dissolved. I sheathed Frey, slipping the Bracelet of Verdure back onto my wrist.

“Haa…”

Exhaustion, complete and utter, crashed over me.

“Noah…!”

Rubia, limping, reached me just as I collapsed, catching me in her arms.

The dampness of her blood-soaked robes. The metallic scent. Her strained voice, her trembling body.

But her touch, as she caressed my face, channeling healing energy into me, was gentle.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt…?”

“I’m fine… You’re…you’re the one who’s hurt…”

“I’m…I’m okay…
sniffle
…as long as…you’re safe…Noah…” Tears dripped onto my face.

“I missed you…so much…”

“Me too…”

I raised my hand, cupping her cheek, then wrapped my arms around her neck.

We held each other, sharing warmth, heartbeats, and ragged breaths, calming the storm within.

As Rubia’s trembling subsided, I gently pulled away.

She swallowed hard, her voice thick with guilt.

“The Temple of Memories…it’s under attack… Hermilla and Serr are defending it, but…”

The Temple of Memories.

Valoran’s trial.

A re-examination of the past.

My
past.

Everything before this world.

The price of saving Rubia.

“You need to rest, Noah… Or…just…go. Somewhere safe… Somewhere…peaceful…”

I pulled her close, kissing her, tasting the blood on her lips.

“Mmph…! Noah?!”

“Later… We’ll talk…later… This isn’t…the time…”

“…What?”

“I… I really like you, Rubia.”

“I…I like you too, Noah.”

“I like you…a little more.”

I kissed her again, then stood.

It was time.

The Temple of Memories.

Where the nightmares of my past awaited.

Where everything ended…and began.

“Shall we…?”

To the place where the answers lay.

To the final battle. To save you.

“Let’s go, Rubia.”

To the final chapter.