Chapter 70: I’ve Found a Partner I Can Trust
In the distant direction, the wilderness at the edge of Frozen Water Town.
The rushing, roaring starlight gradually dimmed, then returned to the Void.
The crimson mist and the thin night colors became the main melody of this world once again.
Only the scorched earth, now turned to molten magma, slowly solidifying remained.
And the piles of white ash left behind by the burned puppet’s flesh recorded the traces of that once hot starlight.
Hiltina gazed at the empty, pitch-black wilderness before her.
In her hand, the crystal-like blade of “Flickering Morning Star” was now fracturing inch by inch, covered in cracks.
The slender sword emitted a creaking sound under the strain, threatening to break completely at any moment.
This was the price she had to pay to release the true name of the Emblem Armor with Hiltina’s Night Blade.
A flash of silver light disappeared.
The slender sword in Hiltina’s hand vanished, replaced by a crystal-like emblem forming on her chest, covered in cracks.
However, looking at the piles of white ash that were once powerful puppets, also the fruits of her battle after releasing her true name… Hiltina’s spirit showed no signs of relaxation.
On the contrary, her delicate figure, cloaked in red and white combat attire, was now slowly tensing up.
“The Chariot · Intuition” was activated.
Even with the same sequence ability, depending on the users and the level of development, the effectiveness could be completely different.
Just as the “Eye of Secrets” fell into Rast’s hands and Isda’s hands, the disparity was drastic.
As the pure violent entity Rast described, the effectiveness of “Intuition” in Hiltina’s hands was something Rast could never compare to.
If the ordinary person’s ability was called “Intuition,” then what Hiltina wielded was “Super Intuition.”
In an instant, within the pitch-black wilderness shrouded in fog, every presence that could pose a threat to her was completely perceived.
Compared to the densely packed dangerous auras of the puppets before the true name was released…
At this moment, most of the puppets had already been destroyed by the true name released “Flickering Morning Star.”
And the source of that sense of crisis was reduced to a single one.
“Fran… right?”
A second-year student, ranked eighteenth in the Stellar Obelisk.
Except for Hiltina, the highest-ranked second-year student in the Obelisk was only eight ranks away from Hiltina, a member of the Twelve Seats of the Round Table.
At the same time, she was also the vice-captain of the strategy team that Hiltina had once created.
And also, Hiltina’s best friend.
They had met at a noble banquet in the royal city before even enrolling at Starry University.
Hiltina and Fran used to live in the same dormitory, going to school together, eating together, entering the Night World for quests, sharing everything as close friends.
Until—
After a long period of patience, they argued and split.
The once strongest strategy team fell apart.
Hiltina and Fran took completely opposite paths, becoming strangers to each other.
Their next meeting would be in the current Calamity Echo.
One was a marionette controlled by the bl**d mist, willing to k*ll outsiders by any means, while the other had to be a Night Traveler to conquer the Night World.
Words lost their meaning; all that remained was a fight to the d*ath.
Swish, swish, swish—
The sound of air breaking reverberated across the wilderness.
Thousands of leaves sliced through the air in the darkness, transforming into arrows.
Piercing the sky, tearing through the atmosphere, creating a storm.
“Plant Dialogue,” this was Fran’s Night Blade, and the effectiveness was just as its name suggested, able to communicate with plants and manipulate them.
At first glance, this seemed like a night blade with good stealth effects, commonly used for reconnaissance.
After all, nothing could collect intelligence better than those inconspicuous yet ubiquitous flowers and grass.
But—
As once close friends, Hiltina was aware of just how terrifying Fran’s seemingly harmless Night Blade could be.
Having surpassed countless fourth-year students in second year, entering the top twenty of the Obelisk ranking, was certainly not achieved merely by collecting intelligence and reconnaissance.
Had it not been for Fran’s Night Blade requiring a specific battlefield environment, she might have ranked even higher than Hiltina, who possessed the “Infinite Sword,” and perhaps become one of the Twelve Seats of the Round Table even sooner.
And at this moment, the environment they were in—the edge of Frozen Water Town, surrounded by dense forests and mountains—was precisely the area where Fran’s “Plant Dialogue” performed best.
The leaf-blade storm before Hiltina, resembling a myriad of cannon fire, was merely an appetizer for Fran.
Moreover, Hiltina’s main weapon, “Flickering Morning Star,” had already forced her to release its true name to counter other puppets disrupting Rast’s actions, losing the ability to continue fighting.
“I will personally inform Aunt and Uncle of your d*ath, confessing everything… Fran.”
Murmuring, after leaving that quiet whisper drowned by the sound of breaking air.
Hiltina finally fell silent.
In proportion to the emotions surging within her, the light in her eyes cleared.
The surrounding world seemed to crystallize in an instant, the sounds of breaking air came to an abrupt stop.
The ripples of longing were calmed, not only words but even emotional waves were completely sealed off.
She suddenly sprang forth, her figure burning with blue flames weaving through the gaps created by the leaf-blade storm.
The air around her tensed up along with her slender figure, gradually cooling down and freezing, her heart resonating with her body, mechanically infused with chilliness.
Then, after a few seconds.
Hiltina’s body and spirit completely synchronized with the surrounding air, merging, ultimately becoming one.
With the perception extended by “Super Intuition,” Hiltina’s domain instantly governed the entire battlefield.
Grasping every trajectory of projectiles and arrows in immense detail, Hiltina stepped firmly on the ground and leaped high.
Then, avoiding a whirlwind of leaf blades, she leveraged a blade in the storm to change direction in mid-air.
As she had previously been in the space ripped apart by the leaf barrage, countless sharp slashes marked the crystallized ground, exploding with wind.
Had Hiltina stayed in place, she would have likely become a heap of flesh indistinguishable from human form.
Utilizing this blast of wind, Hiltina further adjusted her posture mid-air, at an unimaginable speed, treading upon those blades shooting towards her and racing skyward deep into the forest.
Moving so elegantly in the air, it was as if a bird soaring above the clouds, flying freely and spiraling.
Countless leaf blades cut through her figure, burning with blue flames, albeit “Super Intuition” could only predict the trajectories of the projectiles, evading them completely under such dense fire was beyond the realm of physics.
Hiltina’s chestnut hair was sliced by the blade winds, drifting down.
Her red-and-white knight uniform showed signs of damage… revealing gruesome scars on her fair skin, crimson bl**d dripped, staining the sky.
However, Hiltina avoided fatal injuries. These wounds did not truly impair her ability to act; under the influence of “Burning bl**d,” those wounds began to heal slowly.
The oncoming storm of leaf blades finally subsided.
And the girl, stepping on the blades, had now lost her footing.
This dignified girl knight paused at the highest point in the night sky.
Then, she stretched her form and gracefully plunged towards the ground.
That figure, shrouded in azure flames, falling from the sky towards the earth…
Like a maple leaf falling in autumn, or a meteor slicing through the sky.
Then, a few breaths later.
The azure meteor fell to the ground.
The landing site was deep within a dense forest.
Countless massive ancient trees twisted and intertwined, assembling together.
Transforming into a gigantic figure, purely constructed from trees and forest, resembling a colossal armored giant.
And atop this wooden giant, a girl with crimson threads connecting her, expressionless, eyes devoid of spirit, slowly raised her head, gazing at the azure meteor descending from above.
She slightly lifted her hand.
In an instant, thick and sturdy tree branches surged around her, swirling, concealing her, forming layers of wooden barriers.
A brief instant later.
The azure meteor fell.
Boom—
Boom—
Boom—
The sounds of explosions rang out one after another, each explosion signifying a layer of wooden barriers shattered by the azure meteor, accompanied by the shattering sounds.
Shattered.
Shattered.
Shattered again.
When Hiltina’s figure finally broke through all the wooden barriers and appeared atop the massive wooden figure, the azure flames surrounding her had dimmed significantly, flickering uncertainly, as if they were about to extinguish completely.
“Burning bl**d” is a skill that ignites bl**d, incinerates the spirit, and unleashes power for a short burst.
It was because of the boost from “Burning bl**d” that Hiltina was able to single-handedly thwart the puppets of Frozen Water Town manipulated by the bl**d mist, not letting a single one slip by to interfere with Rast.
Countering was far more challenging than merely killing.
But now, with “Burning bl**d” nearing its end, the flickering, uncertain flame was evidence of her imminent fragility.
At the peak of explosive power comes extreme weakness; Hiltina’s delicate face turned extremely pale, losing all color.
Yet her movements bore no hesitation.
Hiltina’s wrist trembled slightly.
At the moment she broke through the barriers, the white silver slender sword, already covered in cracks, without hesitation, stabbed into the chest of the girl controlling the entire wooden figure.
Squeak—
“Flickering Morning Star” let out a mournful cry, crystal shards scattering in mid-air.
Having been half-destroyed after the first true name release, reaching the edge of collapse, using it again without repair only ensured a complete shattering.
The puppet girl’s chest was pierced by the slender sword.
bl**d spurted; the vitality of this body was rapidly fading, even the crimson threads began to quietly fade, seemingly having abandoned their dying puppet.
In the puppet using the “Plant Dialogue” night blade, within her once numb gaze, a hint of humanity suddenly emerged.
Her self-will had not been entirely extinguished or erased by the mental pollution brought by the threads; instead, it lingered faintly within her body.
As vitality dissipated, nearing d*ath, and the threads faded.
The self named Fran revived once more in the puppet.
“I didn’t expect to see you again in such a setting.”
Fran’s voice was somewhat weak, faint as a thread.
She looked at the indifferent girl knight before her, her face void of bl**d color yet still dignified.
Then she gazed at the slender sword piercing her chest, filled with cracks, and immediately understood what Hiltina intended, letting out a soft sigh.
“Merely killing us puppets holds no meaning.”
“To truly break this Calamity Echo, what needs to be done is to k*ll the girl taken in by the mayor… we were just entangled with other puppets for too long, expending too much energy, and ultimately failed.”
“Given your current state after ‘Burning bl**d’ ends, the weakness from the aftereffects, it’s probably unlikely you could k*ll that girl protected by the bl**d mist.”
Fran looked at Hiltina, a hint of sorrow flashing in her eyes.
“To single-handedly annihilate the entire Frozen Water Town, including us puppets…”
“Hiltina, you remain as powerful and radiant as ever.”
“Yet… you are too stubborn and too obstinate.”
“Your brilliance is too dazzling, so bright that no one can bear such light to walk alongside you.”
“You can only maintain that proud demeanor, like a solitary star, walking alone in the Night World… forever unable to find a companion to trust with your back.”
“If you could tone down that brilliance a little, finding trustworthy companions to conquer with, perhaps you could clear this Calamity Echo… instead of falling like us before the final hurdle.”
Listening to Fran’s sighing words.
Hiltina, who had always remained silent, now slightly raised her head.
“Fran, perhaps you are right.”
“I might be a bit obstinate and rigid, unwilling to change myself, unwilling to cater to the gaze of others, unwilling to respond to my father, my stepmother, and others’ expectations… eventually living out the image that the entire Granville royal family, the entire Starry University expects me to be.”
“If my life continues endlessly as it is now.”
“Perhaps one day, I would indeed reach my limit… and then d*e in the Night World, unknown and alone.”
“But, Fran…”
As the azure flames surrounding her withered, Hiltina’s eyes were revealed anew.
Those light brown eyes no longer possessed that overwhelming majesty, instead, there was a hint of softness.
But for some reason, Fran sensed a touch of incomprehensible tenderness… and relief from those light brown beautiful eyes of Hiltina.
“I’ve found it.”
“A trustworthy companion.”
“A partner I can rely on, to whom I can entrust my back.”
…
The moment those words fell, Hiltina quietly grasped the shattered slender sword lodged in Fran’s chest with her bloodless pale left hand.
Then she calmly spoke an ancient syllable.
“Morning Star.”
In the next instant.
The dazzling and scorching starlight, along with its brilliance illuminating the night, once again shone at the blade of the silver slender sword.
“True Name Release” is activated at the cost of the Emblem Armor being half-destroyed, permanently reducing its durability.
And continuously activating it without repair, the cost would be the permanent destruction of the Emblem Armor named “Flickering Morning Star.”
However, this was merely a trivial matter.
At this moment, this shattered slender sword lodged in Fran’s chest also sat upon that wooden figure, right in front of Hiltina.
In such a confined space atop the wooden figure, activating “True Name Release” in Hiltina’s exhausted state, after “Burning bl**d,” with injuries rendering even movement difficult.
The scorching light of the morning star would not only k*ll Fran…
But perhaps, would also include Hiltina herself; even if she didn’t d*e, she would at least be heavily injured and unconscious.
But Hiltina had no other choice; this was the last strength she could exert.
She was all too aware of Fran’s physical vitality, hardened by stepping into the “Abundance” sequence.
Currently appearing on the brink of d*ath, but as long as she lost the ability to act due to the weakness from the “Burning bl**d,” perhaps a few minutes later, Fran might completely recover from her injuries.
As for the humanity Fran seemed to have regained… likely it was a trap set by the bl**d mist.
The moment Hiltina let her guard down, those threads would return, reinstating Fran as a puppet controlled by the bl**d mist.
If Fran reached the battlefield and derailed Rast’s plan to conquer the Calamity Echo… that was something Hiltina absolutely could not accept.
Last time at Deep Blue Harbor, Rast had placed all hope of breaking free from the cycle upon Hiltina.
So this time, it was Hiltina’s turn to place her bet.
She entrusted her life to that hard-to-read boy.
She also bet on Rast to win.
Boom—
“You really are stubborn, Young Tina… once you decide on something, you won’t change, just like when we first met.”
In that blazing, increasingly brilliant star radiance.
Hiltina heard Fran whisper softly.
“However, such a you… has even encountered a reliable companion? By your tone, it seems to be a boy.”
“How unfortunate that I won’t get to meet him; as your best friend, I would have looked out for you.”
“With your stubborn personality, once you set your sights on someone, you wouldn’t let go… if he turns out to be a scumbag, that could be troublesome.”
As her words fell, Hiltina saw.
Countless emerald leaves, with incredibly gentle movements, tenderly covered her.
In the next moment.
The suddenly shining, rushing, surging morning star light.
Took everything away to another place.
(The end of this chapter)
