Chapter 23 ~ Tillysha
“Absolutely, I’m not going to let you d*e!”
So, were the original Tillysha and those oppressors the same kind of people?
Tillysha stood bewildered amidst the ruins, the swaying firelight stretching her shadow long.
If that were the case, Tillysha couldn’t figure out why recovering the memory of an oppressor had any meaning. Restoring the memories of someone who had exploited others—wasn’t that just helping a villain?
Certainly she didn’t need to make herself aware of how the original Tillysha had oppressed the lower-echelon Elves. Was there any point to that?
Before she could ruminate further, the distant roar and tremors yanked her back from her thoughts, the loud and shocking sounds urging her: Time was running out.
If she didn’t stop whatever it was, something graver would happen.
Decayed empire with its bloated and paralyzed administrative system was certainly no use—she could only rely on herself.
Could she really do it though?
Someone who didn’t even know who they were or their place in the world—could they really accomplish anything?
To be honest, she was very confused. She didn’t know why she was following the guidance of the Golden Kite, searching for the memories of her original self, which held no personal meaning to her. There was no motivation for her to do this.
And yet, she had willingly accepted the guidance almost instinctively.
When neither this world nor Tillysha had anything to do with her, why was she so concerned?
As her inner doubts and confusion worsened, so too did her agitation grow. Not knowing what to do next, her feet moved at high speed, running toward the source of the sounds.
Though the questions in her mind continued to multiply, she could only ignore them, focusing all her energies on dealing with the monster born of resentment.
‘To combat the resentment accumulated by millions with one’s flesh and bl**d… how presumptuous.’
The voice in her mind mocked her, but Tillysha remained silent.
The source of the tremendous noise was a village now engulfed in flames and ruins.
A mere half-day since it had last been seen, the monster, feeding on resentment, had grown even stronger and larger.
Tillysha’s instincts were correct: if this monster wasn’t eliminated soon, it would become a major disaster.
Within the span of only half a day, it had absorbed so much resentment and despair, its size swelling like a balloon, and it was alarming.
Absorbing even more negative emotions, the monster had reached another stage of evolution. The spear now melded with its arm, and its horse glowed with a deep purple-black, its hooves spewing eerie flames. Every step it took transformed the ground beneath it into a fiery abyss.
The Imperial officer had been transformed into this creature. His sense of self obliterated, he was now controlled by the resentments that had found him as a host.
With the longbow raised uncertainly, Tillysha’s once sharp eyes no longer held their former keenness.
A light arrow formed, but when launched, it hit the horse’s hind leg like a toothpick, unable to pierce its hide.
Although it caused no real damage, it did catch the monster’s attention.
Amongst the ocean of fire, where there was nothing left to destroy, its hollow gaze turned towards the Golden-haired Girl standing there before it.
Several raspy, rough growls resonated, followed by the spitting of toxic flames from the monster’s steed.
Realizing the threat, Tillysha’s gaze hardened slightly as she jumped back to dodge the flame.
However, the flames, with their fierce corrosive effect, kept chasing her.
No matter how many flips she took to escape, she could not rid herself of the pursuing flames. Pulling a sprout from nowhere, she flung it to the ground.
A thorny wall of plant life rose, meeting the corrosive flames. It held for mere seconds before being melted and consumed.
Now what? Should she use “Holy Oblivion”?
Busy dodging, Tillysha mulled it over. To defeat this creature, there was no other choice but to use “Holy Oblivion.”
The creature was impervious to weapons, and only “Holy Oblivion” with its absolute destruction capability could k*ll it.
But what would become of the resentments released upon its d*ath?
The hundred years of accumulated resentment wasn’t something that could easily be handled by a person, and there was the risk of backlash.
Moreover, she had an inkling that relying too much on “Holy Oblivion” wasn’t prudent.
With her focus off the battle, the monster chased her all around the battlefield, leaving her no room for counterattack.
She was lost in thought about her place as an outsider in this world, a dangerous state in the face of mortal combat. This lack of concentration cost her dearly as moments of hesitation had her continuously dodging but missing effective attacks.
After a few rounds of misses, the resentment monster had figured out Tillysha’s patterns. Raising its spear with fiery tips, it thrust it towards Tillysha mid-leap.
Tillysha’s eyes widened in shock. Unable to dodge mid-air, she could only raise her bow as a shield in desperation.
“BOOM!” The spear, wreathed in eerie flames, made solid contact, sending her flying through what was left of the fence. Tillysha skidded amid clouds of dust and dirt.
“Tillysha!” Yi Mi, arriving moments later, shouted out in horror as she ran to Tillysha’s aid.
“Gack …” Tillysha stumbled to her feet, somewhat bedraggled. Though not heavily injured, her now broken bow laid nearby, half-sundered.
Looking at her muddy hands, she suddenly remembered the previous flashbacks.
There she was, standing in a burning village, her hands stained with bl**d.
All those people—they had perished because of her.
Yi Mi was right; Tillysha truly was the culprit who had caused the Elf Forest’s downfall.
But…
Even though these were the memories of Tillysha, they weren’t technically hers. So why…
Why did she still feel this heart-wrenching pain upon knowing the truth?
As if she were really Tillysha, as if she herself had betrayed her own kind, repenting until now. There wasn’t a trace of the will to fight.
She collapsed into the soil, managing to rise but unwilling to further.
In her mind, she could vividly see the emerald eyes filled with hatred looking directly at her, piercing her with their animosities.
No, no…
Tillysha crouched and clutched her head, oblivious to the approaching horse’s hooves. She cowered in sheer fear, her entire body trembling.
“What are you doing!? Get up already!” Yi Mi puffed breathlessly, rushing beside Tillysha, struggling to pull up the spiritless warrior.
Tillysha merely remained silent, her lips quivering. When Yi Mi forcibly lifted her head, her eyes—full of confusion—pierced through Yi Mi’s heart.
Yi Mi couldn’t believe her eyes. She had never seen Tillysha like this before—so timid.
“What are you doing? Are your legs shaking out of fear? You call yourself an Elf Divine Warrior? Pathetic!!”
“Stand up! The centaur’s coming, and if you want to d*e, don’t involve me!”
“It’s… pointless now,” Tillysha whispered quietly after a while, refusing to meet Yi Mi’s eyes.
“What do you mean it’s pointless? You said you wanted to find your memory back, right?”
“You’re not going to d*e here, Tillysha, not before I can see you squirming in your own memories!” Yi Mi pulled her hand, trying to drag her away, but Tillysha remained rooted to the ground.
“My memories… I’ve recovered them.” Tillysha bowed her head again. “It’s futile. Let go.”
“What? You recovered your memories? Are you… okay with it?” Yi Mi hesitated, her grip on Tillysha weakening slightly.
“You remember what happened back then?”
“More or less… it’s as it appears.”
“So, you’re just giving up then?”
“…” Tillysha did not answer, bowing her head even lower. The once gleaming golden hair looked somewhat dulled by the dirt around her.
“Sorry for doubting you, Yi Mi.”
“Just leave. If you’ve wanted me gone, now’s the time.” Tillysha glanced at Yi Mi briefly before falling into silence again.
“…” The silence stretched. Then, “Look at me.” Yi Mi commanded abruptly.
Startled, Tillysha raised her head, only for Yi Mi to strike her cheek with a sharp slap.
“Crack!” A crisp sound echoed in Tillysha’s ear, stunning her momentarily, too astonished by the sudden action to feel the sting. On her porcelain cheek appeared a faint trace of redness.
“I don’t have a mirror with me right now, but you should really look at yourself! Do you know how pitiful you look?” Yi Mi sneered.
“How can you dismiss my doubts of you so quickly? Don’t fool yourself; this is just your self-serving sentimentality right here!”
“Tillysha, listen up. I won’t let you d*e.”
“You must live. Live forever!”
“Only by living can you remain in torment, so suffer and persist!”
“Gather yourself. You’re the Elfin Realm’s greatest Elf Divine Warrior!”
“How can you judge yourself so quickly when the conclusions aren’t even in? Do you even deserve the title of Elf Divine Warrior with a spine this weak? You’d do better marrying some simple farmer and living as a quiet village woman!”
“Move already!” Seeing the monster looming closer behind her, Tillysha’s pupils shrank.
“Move where?”
“Elf Divine Warriors are here just standing around. Can’t you finish this troublemaker? If you don’t, my d*ath is inevitable anyway, so might as well d*e together.”
“This is not a joke.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Yi Mi stared at Tillysha with a blank face. “You’re the one who likes to toy with people, play jokes. I don’t deal in jokes.”
Just as they debated, the centaur didn’t observe any rules of engagement; it charged forward, its spear raised, aiming straight for Yi Mi who stood in front of Tillysha.
“Tillysha, I trust in you.” Yi Mi locked eyes with Tillysha, standing her ground firmly as though she didn’t feel the massive fire-wreathed spear poised to pierce her small frame.
If hit, without a shield or power-up, Yi Mi would have been shredded instantly.
Tillysha had killed her own kind before, but not like this—right in front of her.
A spark of clarity ignited in Tillysha’s eyes as an unknown force propelled her to stand up.
The end?
Yi Mi closed her eyes for a moment, and when she reopened them, she found a towering, unmoving creature instead.
The golden-haired girl had taken Yi Mi into her arms with one hand and used a plain stone blade with the other, blocking the colossal spear with ease. The spear thrashed against the stone blade, the centaur struggling but failing to push it further.
“What nonsense.”
“Hmph.” Hearing the familiar calm voice, Yi Mi cracked a rare smile.
“You wouldn’t be alive if I hadn’t done something rash.”
“Let’s discuss that later.” Tillysha turned her gaze to the resentment-induced monster immobilized by her blade.
Just moments earlier, she had acted instinctively, driven by muscle memory, saving Yi Mi.
Yi Mi was right: this depressed version of herself wasn’t who she truly was.
She seemed to have recovered some fight in her.
“Alright, it’s time for you to leave the stage.” She raised her plain stone weapon again, and the monstrous being stumbled, collapsing in reaction.
“Move aside.” Setting Yi Mi down while holding her makeshift weapon, Tillysha headed towards the smoky area where the centaur lay disoriented.
“Sorry, ugly one, I didn’t want to fight you earlier, and I gave you a chance. You didn’t take it.”
“And now it’s time for you to leave.” Crossing her twin blades, Tillysha flashed a confident smirk.
At this precise moment, the Golden Kite suddenly blazed with radiant and dazzling light. Startled, Tillysha instinctively activated it, revealing the treasure trove interface.
Upon reviewing it, she was surprised to notice that her quest had completed successfully. Now eligible for her reward, fifty chips were credited immediately.
Since things had turned out this way…
Forgetting more memories burned brightly within her. Her gaze fell upon the mysterious Wish Pool bow, which felt oddly familiar to her.
Initially, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now that she had regained some memories, she felt that the bow was very important to her, crucially so.
Maybe, just maybe, holding it would answer a lot of her questions.
Despite the unfavorable time and place, she readied herself to spin the wheel.
The centaur monster rose again, only to be hacked down by Tillysha just as it prepared to attack.
“Sorry, ugly one, I’ve got something urgent to attend to. Could you please stay put and not get up?”
(Regrets for earlier when I talked about stopping updates… I’ve reconsidered. Giving up isn’t my style. No matter what, I’ll finish this book. Thanks to all my readers. Please ignore my previous outburst.)
