yasinovel Chapter 112: Legends Were True [1]
Chapter 112: Legends Were True [1]
"Astral Abyss: Starfall."
As soon as Elowyn spoke those words, she slashed her sword downward toward the wraith base.
The motion was fluid, effortless, as if the sword itself was an extension of her will.
From the clouds above, countless raindrops began to fall.
But these were not ordinary raindrops. Each droplet carried terrifying momentum, a weight that did not belong to water.
Even the [Marshal] rank wraiths shivered at the mere sight of them.
The Wraith Marshal and the Wraith Princess reacted simultaneously.
They knew they were outmatched. This was not a normal attack that they could block with brute force.
The low-stage and mid-stage wraiths did not move. They stood frozen in place, as if an invisible force had bound their limbs, their bodies, their very wills.
They could only watch as death fell from the sky.
The Wraith Marshal and the Wraith Princess created a miasma barrier above them, layers of dark energy stacked together in desperate defense.
It was the strongest barrier they could muster.
Soon, the falling droplets began to shine. Silver and blue light bled from each one, transforming them into something no longer recognizable as water.
In the eyes of the Wraith Princess, those raindrops were no longer just water. They were tiny falling stars.
Hundreds of thousands of falling stars rained down upon them.
-BOOM -BOOM -BOOM
The miasma barrier exploded. The ground beneath it cracked, shattered, and collapsed.
Countless wraiths died instantly before they could even scream.
Wraith [Commanders] met their end pitifully, their power meaningless against the celestial onslaught.
The Wraith Marshal himself was erased, his scarred body reduced to a bloody mess.
The area of destruction stretched more than a hundred miles. Within that radius, not even a blade of grass was spared.
It was total annihilation.
Except...
"C-cough... cough."
The Wraith Princess spat out blood as she forced herself to stand.
Her right horn was broken, jagged remnants still attached to her skull. Her body was covered in injuries, deep wounds that leaked dark blood.
Her inverted gold eyes were wide with shock.
From the moment Elowyn had muttered those words to now, only four seconds had passed.
It was too fast. Too overwhelming. Even for [Origin] rankers, with few exceptions, this speed was beyond comprehension.
...
Elowyn stood on the ocean; her sword still pointed at the destruction below.
She was shocked by what she had caused.
She didn’t even know what had happened. She did not understand the power she had used.
But one thing she was certain of... the source of her power was not mana. It was not miasma.
It was something else entirely.
If she had to describe it from experience, she could only say one word.
"Primitive."
That power was raw and unstable, chaotic and untamed. Yet it gave off a feeling of gentleness and care, a strange contradiction that made no sense.
It was a strange sensation, more like nostalgia than anything else.
As if she had known this power once, long ago, in a life she could not remember.
Elowyn looked down at the reflection on the ocean surface. The Sovereign of Red Heart stared back at her.
Or rather, the Sovereign’s obsession, as she had called herself.
"What is this power? Or an Affinity, as you call it?"
The Sovereign merely said,
"Affinity, yes. It is something every celestial possesses."
Elowyn pressed her lips together and asked,
"Are you a celestial or a human?"
The Sovereign smiled. She did not answer the question. Instead, she said,
"Deal with the Wraith Princess first."
Elowyn nodded, then asked,
"But how? Should I use ’Starfall’ again?"
The Sovereign sighed.
"There is no need for that. Make her your wing. That way, you can use her and kill her whenever you wish."
"After all, there is still the Wraith King. It is not yet time to kill him. Use his daughter as a spy for now."
Elowyn considered the words. Then she nodded.
With slow and steady steps, she walked across the water toward the injured Wraith Princess.
Each step was deliberate, unhurried.
She stopped before the princess, looking down at the broken figure.
Taking a small breath, Elowyn stated in a cold tone,
"I give you two choices. Either become my wing or choose death."
The Wraith Princess tightened her grip on her sword, though her hand trembled.
"Who are you?"
Elowyn tilted her head slightly.
Ever since Cael had teased her in District Neva, she had learned how to maintain a poker face, how to keep her expression stern and unreadable.
Those lessons were now coming in handy. That said, she was not acting.
She felt no mercy for her enemies. And the Sovereign, who controlled emotions, only reinforced that coldness.
"I will not ask again."
Elowyn said, her voice flat.
"Death or servitude."
The Wraith Princess gritted her teeth. She was unwilling. Every fiber of her being rebelled against the idea of submission.
But the power the girl had displayed was not ordinary. It was extraordinary.
She had not felt hostility from that power, so it was not mana. It was something else. As a [Marshal] rank wraith, it was not difficult for her to figure that out.
Even her father, the Wraith King, the greatest [Origin] ranker who had lived for over three hundred years, might not be able to match the girl before her.
But she did not want to die.
There were too many things she wanted to do, too many things she wanted to conquer, too many places she wanted to see.
Fear. It was the fear of death.
Knowing you would not exist in the next second. Knowing you were helpless to change anything.
The Wraith Princess’s knees trembled. She fell to the ground, her sword slipping from her grasp. It clattered against the charred earth.
"I... I will serve."
Then the Sovereign’s words reached Elowyn’s ear, as if whispered from behind her. But Elowyn knew there was no one there.
The sensation sent chills down her spine. Her future self was watching, guiding, and it was deeply unsettling.
Elowyn sighed and looked down at the kneeling wraith princess.
"Tell me. What is your name?"
The wraith princess hesitated. Among her kind, only royal family members knew each other’s names.
Lesser wraiths were not worthy of such knowledge. They referred to royalty only as young master, young miss, princess, prince, queen, or king.
Names were sacred, and they held power.
She lowered her head.
"My name... it’s... Zarathis Vexia."
The Sovereign’s voice reached Elowyn again, instructing her. Repeating the words.
Elowyn took a breath and spoke.
"Zarathis Vexia, do you wish to become my wing and my will?"
The wraith princess bit her lip until blood leaked out and dripped onto the charred ground. The taste of her own blood was bitter.
"I will."
She said, her voice trembling but certain.
"I will become your servant."
She meant those words. Every syllable. There was no deception left in her.
She wanted to live, and she wasn’t willing to gamble.
The Sovereign’s instructions continued, and Elowyn followed.
"Stay still."
Elowyn reached out and placed her hand on the wraith princess’s forehead. The skin was cold and rough.
Elowyn said, her voice steady.
"I will bestow upon you the fate of a Lord. You will not regret becoming my wing."
She paused, then added,
"You can leave now. You know nothing about this incident. You never came here. You never saw anything."
"Do you understand?"
The wraith princess, Zarathis Vexia, now Elowyn’s second wing, nodded.
Her broken horn, her wounded body, her shattered pride, none of it mattered.
She had a new purpose.
"Now go."
Zarathis did not wait any longer. She pushed herself into the air, her injured body moving on instinct, and flew toward the wraith continent.
The wind carried her away, and within moments, she was gone.
Elowyn turned her head toward the human borderlands.
In the distance, she could see them.
Hundreds of [Diamond] rankers. Tens of [Mythril] rankers. And even a single [Adamant] ranker, his aura unmistakable even from miles away.
They were coming to investigate the destruction.
"We need to leave."
Elowyn said, her voice tight.
The Sovereign chuckled. It was a soft sound, almost amused.
"There is no need to worry. We cannot leave like this."
Elowyn felt a pressure building behind her eyes.
"Then what?"
The Sovereign smiled and said,
"Excuse me for a moment."
As soon as she spoke those words, Elowyn’s left eye turned red.
She could still feel everything. She could sense the approaching rankers, the wind on her skin, the land beneath her feet.
But she could not control anything. Her body was no longer hers.
"No need to panic."
The Sovereign said, her voice calm.
"There are many things you need to learn. Many things you need to know. Everything will be answered in Death Valley."
By the time she finished speaking, Elowyn’s hair had turned white, and her eyes glowed crimson.
She lifted her hand slightly and flicked her fingers.
"Astral Abyss: Time Reversal."