Chapter 70 Blessing
Chapter 70 Blessing
“What…?” Reika stared dumbfounded at the demon.
Then she remembered his words from before:
You’ll need a good amount of Primitivus cells… and a vessel.
“Hey, you—Lord Joka’latrex!” Reika shouted up at him. “How do we use this!?”
“Heh… nahhh,” Joka’latrex said, resting his chin on his hand with a grin. “What’s the fun in telling you? You need to figure it out yourselves.”
"Halim!” Reika called out. He was several steps behind, still frozen in place, trembling. “Help us! Throw some spells at her while we figure this out!”
Halim hesitated. “But I… I—”
His hand slipped into his pocket, but he just stood there, stunned and unsure.
Yumi stood up, her decision clear. She glanced at Iryoku’s fainted body, then turned toward Lunara, who had just knocked Rhogan back with a brutal spear strike.
Growl!
Rhogan was shoved away but continued his relentless assault.
Yumi closed her eyes and focused. “I know I can do it.”
She began charging an arrow with everything she had—her energy, her will. Frost. Ice. Her thoughts sharpened into magic.
Reika moved beside her, her mind racing for a solution. As Yumi’s arrow formed, Reika lifted her hands and placed them near the arrow’s tip.
Maybe this could work…
She was still holding the glowing blue return stone. Focusing hard, she poured her remaining magic into the arrow.
“Frost… ice… freezing cold,” Reika whispered.
Both their minds drifted back to the holy mountain—the towering cliff edge, the biting wind, the frozen air.
She opened her eyes—and saw it: magic from the return stone flowing into the arrow as well.
“It’s working,” she murmured.
Yumi opened her eyes too, feeling the shift—the surge in power.
The arrow now glowed a deep, icy blue. A chilling breeze swirled around it as the tip sharpened into a spinning drill of frozen energy. The magic compressed and intensified, growing colder, stronger—unstoppable.
The two girls stood in unison—Yumi focusing her aim and shaping the drill-like tip, Reika transferring magic and channeling the frost.
They didn’t need to speak. They didn’t even need to look at each other.
They were in perfect sync.
This was their last hope.
Lunara finally sensed the incoming attack. For the first time… she hesitated. Her eyes widened with fear. She began forming another spear, ready to throw—
But Rhogan, despite the damage covering his cracked, stone-like hide, let out a defiant roar and slammed into her again, pinning her down with all his weight.
“NOW!” Reika shouted.
Yumi released the arrow.
FLASH!
The magic arrow launched at unimaginable speed, tearing through the air like a comet of frozen death.
“Get out of there, Rhogan!” Yumi cried.
Rhogan pulled back just in time as the arrow struck Lunara in the chest.
The spell detonated on impact—thousands of ice spikes burst outward in a spiraling drill motion, wrapping around Lunara’s body like a frozen meat grinder. The magic churned and tore through her with devastating force.
“AAAGGHHHHHHHH!!”
The demonic centaur elf shrieked in agony as her twisted form was consumed—frozen and shredded by the overwhelming frost magic.
“My lord, help me!” she screamed, her voice desperate and fading. She reached out toward the demon for salvation as her body was mangled and destroyed. Her energy surged, trying to protect and reconstruct her form—but it couldn’t overcome the sheer force of the spell. The destruction was too complete.
Bit by bit, her monstrous body crumbled—until only scattered, frozen fragments remained, strewn across the ice-covered ground.
Reika and Yumi, both gasping for breath and barely able to stay on their feet, stared in disbelief.
Then they saw it: a black light—this time visible to everyone—rising from Lunara’s remains and drifting into the glowing blue return stone.
They stood frozen, stunned. Even Halim, still in shock, collapsed onto the ground, wide-eyed, as he witnessed the impossible:
They had beaten the monster.
The blue stone pulsed brightly for a moment. Reika’s eyes widened.
“With this… we can go back to Earth.”
“Really?” Yumi asked, still trying to process what had just happened.
Reika nodded. “Yes. This thing teleported us back to the castle once. Maybe, if we charge it with enough energy… it can send us all the way home.”
Just then, Rhogan let out a low growl as he approached, then dropped heavily to the ground.
“Rhogan!” Yumi cried, rushing to him. Reika followed quickly.
His massive body pulsed faintly but remained still.
Yumi placed a hand on his rough hide.
“He’s alive… maybe he’s just tired,” she whispered softly.
“You did great, Rhogan,” she added, stroking him gently.
Together, they turned and made their way back to Iryoku.
He was still breathing. Slowly, he stirred—his eyes fluttered open.
“What… happened? Reika… Yumi…” he murmured, his voice hoarse and desperate. His eyes were barely open.
Reika and Yumi knelt beside him, gently helping him sit up.
“We’re here,” Reika whispered, her voice tired.
Iryoku’s expression softened slightly at the sight of them.
They wrapped their arms around him, tears streaking their faces—relief washing over them.
But then… they turned.
Their expressions shifted.
He was still there.
Their silent spectator—like some wicked voyeur—watching every movement, every triumph, every fall.
Joka’latrex lounged atop the stone wall, legs crossed, chin resting on his hand, a wide, devilish grin stretching across his face.
The group tensed.
“Oii… we won... Shouldn’t you let us go now?” Iryoku said, his voice weak but cautious—hoping the demon wouldn’t attack them too.
If he’s as strong as Deborah… he could’ve killed us from the very beginning.
Joka’latrex simply smiled, and with a lazy wave of his hand, gestured as if to grant them freedom.
Reika and Yumi helped Iryoku to his feet, supporting his weight. He turned to Halim.
“Let’s go, Halim. Before the demon changes his mind.”
Halim followed closely behind them.
Then—
Joka’latrex’s grin widened.
And in that instant, Halim moved.
He snatched one of Iryoku’s daggers and, with shocking speed, stabbed him in the back.
SWISH.
“Iryoku!!” both Reika and Yumi screamed as he collapsed to the ground.
Halim’s face twisted into something unrecognizable—filled with rage and madness.
“Die, motherfucker!”
“W-What have you done?!” Yumi shrieked, launching herself at Halim, trying to wrest the dagger from his hand.
Reika dropped beside Iryoku, her expression frozen in horror.
His wound was freezing over, but blood still poured out as his body convulsed violently. His eyes began to shut.
“Ah… AHH!” Reika screamed, her hands glowing with desperate healing magic as she tried to save him.
Halim let out a crazed, unhinged laugh.
“Just die already, you bastard!”
He struggled with Yumi, slashing wildly.
“Why?! Why did you do this?!” Yumi cried, fighting to restrain him.
“You all deceived me from the beginning!” Halim shouted. “You looked down on me—mocked me—used me like a tool! But not anymore! The voice was right… If I can’t have you… if you won’t be mine… then you’ll all die!”
Something inside Halim’s pocket began to glow fiercely, pulsing with corrupt energy.
He stabbed Yumi in the arm. She staggered back, then kicked him away.
“How is this happening?!” Reika cried.
Then Halim’s tone shifted.
His posture twisted—unnatural, mocking.
“I told you… I’m always one step ahead, little ones.”
Reika and Yumi froze.
That voice…
“She’s… still alive,” Reika whispered.
Lunara.
She had possessed him.
Halim—now a vessel for Lunara—stood tall, blood-soaked dagger in hand, grinning with malice.
She raised her hand and pulled a small glowing stone from her pocket, covered in strange markings.
“I always have a way,” she purred, kissing the stone—then dropped it to the ground as if it no longer mattered.
“Sadly, it would’ve been better to take one of your bodies,” she muttered, inspecting her new form. “However… it didn’t work with you.”
She looked down at herself and smirked.
“But this will do.”
Her grin widened.
“Finally… I have a male body again.”
She let out a twisted laugh.
“You may call me Zora once more.”
And then—he walked toward them.
Behind them, Iryoku let out one final, shallow cough before his body went limp.
His chest no longer rose.
“No…” Reika gasped, collapsing beside him. “Please, no…”
She tried to heal him, channeling all the magic she could. She pressed the blue return stone to his chest—but nothing happened.
“Why isn’t it working?!” she screamed.
Yumi, trembling and bleeding, let out a feral cry and lashed out. She grabbed her bow from the ground and slammed it against Halim’s possessed body. He reeled back—but countered, stabbing her in the other arm.
Blood splattered, but Yumi didn’t care.
She kept swinging her bow like a club—wobbling, weakening—but relentless.
Zora dodged her blows and drove the dagger into Yumi’s stomach.
She gasped, blood dripping from her lips, and dropped the bow.
Zora grinned.
“I win.”
But Yumi lunged forward, grabbing Halim’s possessed body and holding him tight—trapping him, refusing to let him move.
“Unhand me, you stupid bitch!” Zora screeched. He tried to cast a spell, but Halim’s body didn’t have much magic left.
Reika, still crying, approached with trembling hands. She picked up Yumi’s bow… and brought it down.
THUD.
THUD.
Zora flailed, letting out a garbled, “Ahgahg—”
But Yumi held on with the last of her strength, clamping down on him.
Reika kept hitting—again and again—blood spraying with every strike.
Zora’s teeth shattered. His face deformed. His twisted smile vanished.
He stopped struggling.
But Reika didn’t stop. She struck his face like a mad girl, screaming, “Ahhh!”
THUD. THUD. THUD.
His head turned into a messy mash of flesh.
Until finally—Reika collapsed beside them, exhausted, empty, shaking. She dropped the bow to the ground.
Only the sound of her sobbing remained.
She looked at Yumi’s body—motionless and bleeding.
Yumi was still holding Halim’s body, even though her eyes no longer held any life.
She looked at Iryoku—lifeless and cold.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Finally, Joka’latrex stood and cracked his neck.
“What a finale,” he said, wings unfurling. “Well… time to seek new entertainment. Thanks for the show, mortals.”
He wore a wide, wicked smirk.
With a powerful flap of his wings, he vanished into the sky—gone.
Reika didn’t care. She crawled to Yumi’s side, turned her over, and carefully pulled the dagger from her stomach.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” she whispered, tears falling freely.
She picked up the bloodstained dagger and pointed it at herself.
“At least… I won’t leave anyone behind…”
She was about to plunge it into her chest when—
A golden light enveloped Yumi and Iryoku’s bodies.
Reika froze, the dagger clattering from her hands.
The light pulsed—warm and radiant—and began mending their wounds. Flesh and bone knit back together. At the same time, part of the golden magic flowed into the blue return stone, making it glow brightly once again.
Reika stared, wide-eyed, as the light slowly faded.
She checked them—both breathing.
They were alive.
Her trembling hands covered her face as sobs wracked her body.
“Sob… sob… thank God… thank God…”
And she hugged them both, lying on the ground, surrounded by dirt and blood—but clinging to the ones she loved.
The sun began to rise in the sky...