Chapter 115

“W-What is that?”

On the already charred-black Artabus Ship, people’s gazes were drawn to the line of sunset etched in the sky.

It was the most perfectly dead line in the world. Within the trail of that line, even a single feather had completely perished.

The Phoenix, a massive ball of fire visible even from this distance, had been perfectly incinerated by the sunset. Did… did we win? People exchanged glances.

Was it really this simple? Did we end it this easily?

“Is… this even possible?”

Even Pope Nergal couldn’t believe what he had seen. But since he had witnessed it with his own two eyes, he had no choice but to believe.

“Even if it’s possible, this kind of thing…”

For the impossible to become reality, there’s always a price. This was clearly a power far beyond what Roka could handle.

A power that far exceeded her limits. It wouldn’t be strange if she had burned her own life force to wield such power. It was beyond extraordinary.

“Hey, you! What are you…!?”

At that moment, the Chancellor’s voice boomed through the ship. People who had been distracted by the fading sunset finally snapped back to reality and turned toward the source of the voice.

The fence, meant to prevent people from accidentally falling, couldn’t stop someone who was determined to jump. Kyle stepped onto the fence and climbed up. His eyes were fixed on Roka, who was already falling in the distance.

“Get down! Come down right now!”

“I have to go.”

“W-What? Huh?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kyle leaped off the ship. The Chancellor clicked his tongue in disbelief. Now he understood where that reckless wolf had learned her ways.

Birds of a feather flock together. This priest, Kyle, was just as reckless as Roka. Of course, he probably had some ability to fly—otherwise, how could he have kept up with the Hero Party as their priest?

But did having the ability to fly change anything? The atmospheric conditions were absolutely insane right now.

Whoosh!

Swoosh!

The wind howled like blades tearing through the sky. Tornadoes formed and dissipated, heat waves surged and vanished. The atmosphere was beyond unstable—it was practically shattered.

The air currents were desperately trying to return to their normal calm, but at this moment, even the massive Artabus Ship struggled to maintain its balance. The huge airship swayed constantly, sometimes almost flipping over.

In such conditions, going outside the ship was as dangerous as charging headfirst into a raging typhoon. Everyone watched with worried eyes as the priest disappeared into the distance.

“The atmospheric anomaly will settle soon. After all, the cause of this disturbance has disappeared. No matter how violent the turbulence is now, this is the peak, and it will gradually weaken. Once the wind calms down, we’ll follow after him.”

Everyone nodded at the Pope’s words. The ship’s condition wasn’t great. If they made any sudden maneuvers, they risked disintegrating mid-air, which would mean a mass funeral for everyone on board.

*****

The girl lay collapsed, breathing heavily. In reality, her faint breaths were so weak that they could stop at any moment.

Time was sliced into fragments, and she observed its cross-section. In the world of consciousness and subconsciousness, even a single second in reality could feel like an eternity. Time flowed slower here.

But even so, it only delayed the inevitable. From the current situation, it was clear that this child had no chance of survival.

Shaking the shoulders of a dead person and shouting for them to wake up was just as futile. Heron knew that well.

But still, he had to at least try.

Fortunately, the conditions to do so were already in place.

‘What exactly happened during that time?’

From his last memory, this child was still far from mastering the basics.

Now, she had somehow completed them, albeit clumsily. It didn’t make sense. How much time had passed? At most, a few days. Even if he stretched it, it hadn’t been a month.

‘Not even a week, it seems.’

In that short time, she had solidified her foundation? This had to be shoddy work.

The only explanation was that she had taken shortcuts. The very thing a masterless swordsman feared most.

What he pursued was the path of righteousness. It might be slower, but in the end, it was the fastest path.

Like a tree with deep roots growing steadily, he believed in laying a solid foundation for the future. Growing the trunk before the roots was selling the future for the present.

Such methods never lead to true strength. They’re just faster, easier, and more tempting.

Wondering if Roka had taken such a path, he carefully examined her state, but found no flaws.

How was this possible? This girl had achieved explosive growth in every aspect. And it wasn’t just superficial—she had matured thoroughly, with substance to back it up.

‘I don’t know if this can be called training, but still…’

Even so, this was still a shortcut. Just a very high-level one!

Shortcuts are still shortcuts. Even without knowing about the Phylogenetic Seedling and its mechanisms, the masterless swordsman could roughly guess what had happened to Roka.

In the end, the child had grown by borrowing someone else’s power. But given the circumstances, it might have been the only choice she could make, so he couldn’t blame her.

‘If she was planning to face that bird, it was probably the only option.’

The price of that choice would only begin to show when she reached the First Tier, and that day was still far off. In fact, if she didn’t survive now, there would be no First Tier—she’d die right here.

Having completed the Third Tier through shortcuts, Roka now had the qualifications to move beyond it. But those qualifications weren’t like a certificate she could hold in her hand. Even if she had earned them, she didn’t know it, and the girl was dying.

Now, the human form of ‘Heron’ was no longer needed, so the form melted back into lingering thoughts. The remnants of the masterless swordsman quietly seeped into Roka.

Like fog enveloping a forest, it was natural, but Roka let out a groan.

Even in her collapsed state, she writhed uneasily. Roka’s instincts sensed something strange invading her and roused her consciousness. With a dazed expression, the child opened her eyes. Somewhere vast and unreal, the child looked around blankly.

Where is this? Who am I?

Was it an illusion, a fantasy? At the moment, nothing made sense. But soon, memories began to surface. Roka’s memories walked slowly down the corridor of time, revisiting her own life.

People who had died so long ago that she couldn’t even remember their faces.

Her family. And the members of the Blue Wolf Tribe came to mind. The brain forgets, but the heart remembers. Roka recalled, with a dazed yet calm expression, those she would never see again.

The time when happiness was by her side, but she didn’t realize it, had passed.

The conflict between humans and the tribe came into view. Humans attacking the tribe. This time, the girl didn’t turn away or try to hide from the past. She opened her eyes wide, pricked up her ears, and faced all of her past without fear. She watched as the tribe fell.

‘Ah.’

She wasn’t angry. No rage stirred within her. She was just sad, so very sad.

She knew why the faces of those who had died first came to mind.

‘I’m dying.’

The final moments in reality suddenly surfaced. She had ultimately failed to defeat the Phoenix, lost as expected, and was now dying as expected. She wasn’t dead yet, but it was only a matter of time.

“Child. Child.”

The voice roused the dazed Roka.

“I’m going to break your legs. Is that okay?”

“Heron…?”

This voice was definitely…

As soon as she thought that, a blue light flashed. Though no blade was visible, her legs were cleanly severed.

As if her legs had never existed, there was no sensation where they should have been. Roka’s body rolled on the ground.

“Why, why…”

What kind of madness is this? Her bewildered gaze turned toward the blue light.

The light simply hovered, showing no sign of disturbance.

“Without legs, you can’t walk. Then I’ll tear off your arms next.”

The blue light flickered before her eyes. As she reached out toward it, Roka realized she had no arms.

Without arms, she couldn’t reach out. A sense of helplessness she had never felt before enveloped her.

There was no pain. But that made it even more terrifying. It felt as if she had never had limbs to begin with, as if their absence was natural.

How she had moved her arms, how she had stood on her legs—none of it came to mind now. Common sense had evaporated.

The body she had used for nearly 17 years was something she could forget so quickly.

The body is not the true self.

She could only hope to realize that.