Chapter 34: Don’t Worry About It Too Much
Yo, picture this: a long black halberd, one end blazing with pure, flawless white flames, and the other with world-ending black flames. It’s like getting a combo pack of extreme forces right there on the same weapon. Imagine staring up at a sky where a blazing sun and a chill-as-heck silver moon hang out side by side. That’s the trippy sensory experience we’re talking about here.
And then comes the intensity! So much power that Aistride, our chill-as-ice queen, took a step back, a flicker of surprise flashing through her usually composed eyes.
The situation was critical. Just as Aistride was contemplating whether or not to use that move, Tillysha suddenly butted in and interrupted her thoughts.
You see, Tillysha had experienced the sheer terror of this move up close before, but hey, that was in a Secret Realm and, well, the blow didn’t actually land on Aistride anyway.
Fast forward, and this black halberd seems to have leveled up. The chaotic black flames are flowing like some kinda black tidal wave—it looks like anything they get their fiery grasp on is toast. Toast as in swallowed and destroyed, no questions asked.
Tillysha casually hoists the halberd that’s twice her height over her shoulder and gazes up into the air at those ghostly faces that are mocking and sneering. She summons Holy Oblivion, and her appearance starts morphing too. Flames—white on one ankle, black on the other—dancing around her like she’s got a twin fire party going on. A crown adorned with white lilies gently sways its fragrant petals, her emerald eyes glowing with a dash of azure fire.
The flames on the halberd dance around like maniacs but, surprisingly, give off zero heat or light. Just eerie vibes all the way!
The ghost faces suddenly start contorting into all kinds of twisted expressions. They’re glaring at that flickering black fire with a face full of pure rage. Growling in unison with those hideous faces, they threaten Tillysha—kind of like those bullies who put on a brave front but are scared on the inside.
Ignoring their threats, Tillysha turns to Aistride, “Hey, Aistride, can you do me a favor?”
“Name it.”
“Can you break my bow? Max power output, max strength.”
Aistride kinda gets what Tillysha’s cooking up here, nods her head, and Chosen of the Moon appears behind her with a flash of radiant light. The celestial bodies light up, fade, and a sleek, elegant moon bow appears in her hands. She delicately plucks the string, aiming at Tillysha’s wooden bow, and a silver arrow with a starry trail shoots out, shattering it on contact.
With a low rumble, the black flames on the halberd flare up more impressively.
As splinters of wood go flying, Tillysha’s eyes snap open.
[Realm of the Collective Forest Authority]
[Emerald Paradise]
A golden sprout forms in Tillysha’s hand. With a graceful flick, she plants it into the soil where it rapidly grows, sprouting golden fruit and creating a canopy of shade, protecting everyone beneath it.
Tillysha recognizes this randomly drawn Divine Authority ability as something familiar but doesn’t dwell on it. Her focus turns toward those ghostly faces in the air that look kind of crispy on the outside but are probably terrified within.
With the ‘broken bow’ effect triggered, Tillysha’s speed skyrockets. A swift hop from her feet sends her flying into the air, the halberd aiming straight for the ghostly faces.
These creatures are practically seething with hatred, their emotions drowning in the darkest of negativity.
They rush their tentacles toward Filisia, now unprotected, attempting to use her as a shield to stop Tillysha.
But Tillysha saw this coming a mile away.
The moment the tentacles touch the shade from the tree, they disintegrate into gross chunks of meat. Golden fruits drop down from the tree like rain, attacking the ghost faces on their own initiative.
The ghostly faces scream in terror, panicking as Tillysha gets closer and closer.
A smirk spreads across Tillysha’s lips, “I wasn’t sure before, but seeing how scared you are—it’s fine, I can trust it.”
“Whoosh!” The black flames sweep across, and the ghost faces in the air freeze mid-motion. Their grotesque, distorted, unrecognizable faces swell up like balloons, screaming in piercing, high-pitched shrieks.
The voices are all over the place—like women, men, kids, old people—all mashed together into a cacophony of despair that’s impossible to distinguish between male, female, young, or old.
It’s like the haunting cries of countless lost souls, all screaming and then finally fading into the ether, brimming with hatred and regret.
So it actually worked!
Looking at the ghost faces she just vanquished, Tillysha gazes down at the black halberd in her hand.
The ultimate destruction doesn’t care about whether it’s spirit, body, soul or substance. Anything that gets swallowed by the black flames simply vanishes completely from existence.
Even these insubstantial spirits.
Though lifeless objects might not d*e again, they can still be subjected to “destruction.”
That’s what Holy Oblivion is about.
The rest of the ghostly faces let out wails of despair when they see this spectacle. They appear genuinely afraid.
But Tillysha doesn’t have time for apologies. No matter what sort of past grievances they may have, they can’t survive.
Half of the halberd has been consumed by the black flames, carbonized.
Tillysha knows she’s got only half a minute.
After half a minute, she’ll lose all the derived abilities from Holy Oblivion, and she won’t be able to use it again for five days.
Half a minute from now, though these ghost faces are scared of her now, who knows what they’ll be capable of in just a bit more time?
If she doesn’t k*ll, she’ll be killed. Not a single one of these monsters can be left alive.
Tillysha leaps up to a tree branch with excellent athletic finesse, cutting down each ghost trying to escape one by one.
Seeing escape is futile and they’re clearly not getting away, the ghostly faces glare at Tillysha with pure malice, like they’re contemplating going down fighting.
But they don’t even get that privilege. Their frantic tentacles grow like bamboo shoots but are immediately burned by the trailing flames before they even get close to Tillysha.
Though Tillysha can’t fly, her jumping ability is on point. A quick tap of the halberd’s tip on the tree branch sends her soaring after the fleeing ghostly faces.
The black flames carve a black slash through the air as if tearing open a rift between dimensions. All the ghost faces that touch it twitch violently before being split neatly in half.
Under this mighty halberd, all substances are as fragile as tofu.
Ten seconds left……
Tillysha’s eyes lock on the last group of fleeing ghostly faces, leaping down from a tree with momentum.
With a last few cries of despair, the forest goes quiet.
Five seconds……
The black flames are almost gone, like a stick of incense down to its very last piece.
Every ghost face has been annihilated, but Tillysha isn’t relaxing yet. She notices that the ground beneath her is still red, like diseased tissue.
This forest has more than just these pesky ghost faces. There must be something akin to a central hub.
With only five seconds left, if Tillysha misses this chance to get rid of the threat, they might all be wiped out.
Tillysha can’t take that risk.
If such a “hub” exists, it would most likely be the tallest, most prominent tree in this forest.
Tillysha springs onto a tree trunk, onto the branches, and unsurprisingly spots the towering, unmistakably massive tree canopy.
Three seconds left. No time to get there now.
Without hesitation, Tillysha grips the soon-to-be-completely-consumed halberd and hurls it forcefully.
The halberd cuts through the air with a sharp sound.
Two seconds.
It pierces through the obstructing tree canopy.
One second.
The halberd burns out completely.
Tillysha fixes her gaze on the halberd flying through the air, suspended mid-motion.
Time’s up……
But thankfully, at the last second, the halberd’s tip pierces the tallest tree.
The ground shakes as the giant tree reveals a ghost face filled with resentment. In a shrill echo of lament, it burns into ashes.
Looking at the ground, it returns to its original color, and the festering cancer of dead flesh is quickly removed.
Up above, Tillysha sighs in relief, but then her vision goes black, and she starts to fall.
The Divine Analysis Technique has been on the whole time. Combined with the cost of the broken bow and the Realm of the Collective Forest Authority, her stamina is depleted.
Just as she’s about to hit the ground, a figure darts through the trees and catches her securely.
“Thank you,” Tillysha exhales, spotting that distinctive streak of silver hair. She feels safe now.
Then, a strange sense takes over as she looks at the remains of the black flames on her hand from the halberd.
That faint black flame lingers on her fingers briefly before dissipating, almost as if it tried to consume her.
Suddenly, Tillysha feels dizzy, her face visibly pale.
“Princess Tillysha, are you alright?” Seeing Tillysha’s odd complexion, Aistride thinks for a moment, gently places her on the ground, letting her head rest on her smooth black thighs.
After delicately placing Tillysha down like a precious piece of art, Aistride’s gentle hands begin to massage her temples and forehead, the right pressure making one feel like they’re basking in a spring breeze.
Tillysha’s complexion relaxes slightly but worry remains.
She opens her eyes, confused, seeing a hazy world of gray. A delicate figure slowly approaches her.
Tillysha can’t make out the face, but she can identify a small girl with hair so long it trails the ground, horns on her head, and a wheat-colored skin tone.
Her fingers sport sharp black claws, her bl**d-red eyes gaze at her, and her soft but determined and cold voice resounds.
“I told you, one day you’d taste my pain.”
“My most precious……comrade.”
“Who…are you?” Tillysha, holding her head, looks at this familiar figure she can’t quite place, wanting to ask who she is and what she means, but as soon as she opens her mouth, the figure disappears. Instead, she sees the concerned and worried gaze of the Silver-haired Elf and the two mountain-sized ‘mounds’ right in her line of sight.
“Princess Tillysha, are you alright?”
“……Where did that white-haired girl go?”
“White-haired girl?…,” Aistride hesitates. “It’s been just me and you since a while back. No third person was ever here.”
“No third person?” Tillysha looks around, confirming there’s no sign of that white-haired girl among the trees. Was she hallucinating?
Thinking about her fingers, the remaining trace of flame has disappeared.
Could this be a side effect of Holy Oblivion?
Tillysha, enduring a headache, activates the Divine Analysis Technique, confirming there’s no immediate threat around, relaxes, letting her head rest on Aistride’s thighs.
When Aistride realizes, her cheeks immediately flush red.
“Princess Tillysha, are you feeling…alright?”
“Are you teasing me, Aistride? And here I am feeling this way, but you’re asking me if I’m alright?” Tillysha’s exhausted face holds a teasing smile.
“Don’t move, Aistride, or I’ll feel uncomfortable.” Tillysha rolls over, reclining sideways on Aistride’s knee. “Let me rest for a bit.”
“…Alright.” The warm sensation on her inner thigh makes Aistride’s face inexplicably hot.
Tillysha glances at Aistride, taking mental notes of her reactions, and suddenly wants to tease her.
“Aistride, does this position make you uneasy?”
“…It does not.”
“That’s good. But have you ever heard a phrase?”
“What?”
“‘Homophobic means deep closeted.’” Tillysha, pinching her own hair, lightly pokes Aistride’s nose and sticks out her little tongue playfully.
“So, don’t worry about such issues. The more you worry, the more issues you have~” Then, Tillysha closes her eyes to rest.
‘Homophobic means deep closeted?’
What does that even mean?
Aistride is usually so clever, but this jargon is unfamiliar, so she isn’t sure what Tillysha is trying to express.
As for Tillysha’s subsequent words, Aistride doesn’t hear them.
Right when Tillysha lightly pokes her nose with her hair, Aistride’s attention is completely stolen by the scent of vanilla and mint lingering at her nose, leaving her unable to focus.
Realizing it, Aistride finally comes to her senses, unsure how she feels, only noticing that the weight resting on her thigh and knee becomes incredibly heavy and warm, making her uncomfortable but reluctant to let it go.
This confusing feeling leaves her baffled.
She realizes since meeting Tillysha, she’s beginning to lose sight of her own true thoughts.
The danger is overcome, they’re safe for now, and it’s almost dawn.
On the other side, Filisia and Wenfu sensed something big happened and woke up, unable to find the other two when they awoke. They began searching around.
“…Just now, did we lose control?” Upon learning what happened earlier from Aistride after finding them, Filisia still can’t believe it.
“Yes, this forest is peculiar. The specifics will have to wait for Tillysha to explain,” Aistride speaks softly, making a ‘shh’ gesture to Filisia and Wenfu. “Give her some time to rest.”
Both Filisia and Wenfu nod.
Only…when observing the intimacy between these two, Filisia’s eyes flash with a bit of intrigue, wondering if someone’s getting tied up.
Time passed, and safety returned. The sky was brightening.
—
