TFSAWE - Chapter 269: Approaching End

Evelina had passed away.

Evelina, who had longed for death, departed from this world, leaving behind her physical form and memories, with only her soul departing. In the wake of her disappearance, I could only shed tears, for she, who I disliked and who disliked me, was gone. I knew what she must have thought in her final moments.

That she wasn't abandoned by her parents. That there was always someone who cared for her.

At the end of her life, Evelina was smiling.

"Sister?"

Iris, seeing me in tears, looked up with a lowered head.

"No. It's not you. My sister."

Was it because of the profound connection we shared or because we were sisters? Realizing the futility of pretending to be her sister in place of Evelina, I spoke to Iris.

"Evelina has left."

My words widened Iris' eyes. She now understood that the farewell she had heard a moment ago was a farewell indeed.

"What?"

"Iris, there is much I need to tell you."

The memories Evelina left behind. How much she resented and yearned for her parents. What she thought of her younger sister whom she met at the end of her life. I wanted to tell Iris the words Evelina couldn't say.

I looked at Leon, who was holding Iris in his arms. Our gazes met, and he spoke.

"I don't know who you are if you're not Evelina. But..."

With a gentle smile, he continued.

"I know that you're the person I've continued to love, Lina."

In response to his words, I replied with the same affectionate smile.

"Thank you, Leon. Once everything is over, I will tell you everything as well."

Upon hearing this, Leon carefully let go of Iris and approached Carl, who was groaning on the floor. He stomped on his back with a cry that sounded like a beast's roar. The wretched and vile being turned my head away. There was a weakening barrier there. Once it shattered, the ancient god would undoubtedly attack this mortal body to kill.

"I don't want to die."

It was my only hope in this world. But now, things have changed.

I didn't want to die. No, I wanted to live. I wanted to see and learn more.

With the people who love me.

In that moment, as the barrier of the supernatural broke, the golden light of the ancient god covered the sky.

The end was approaching.

***

As Alslan became aware of the barrier surrounding him, he let out a wry smile. Indeed, since his true form remained concealed, no one could discern the meaning behind his laughter.

"It seems her powers have returned to her," he remarked.

Being a demon, he had always despised powers. They were forces that didn't align with him, instinctively repelling him as a potential harm. How long had it been since this power, which he had never found welcoming throughout his thousands of years of existence, became so natural?

Alslan gazed at the barrier. No matter how formidable her powers might be, they had their limitations. Even the most powerful abilities had their boundaries. The once resolute azure hue of the barrier gradually lost its radiance in the face of the frenzied movements of the ancient god. The whip of light continued to strike with its azure brilliance. The blue luminescence that had been sturdy moments ago slowly transformed into a golden hue.

Alslan loathed waiting. His patience was solely dedicated to his companion. Moreover, the adversary sought to harm that very companion. There was no reason to wait for an attack.

He knew he couldn't win. However, he couldn't retreat either. The moment I withdrew, they would attempt to kill her as per the "contract."

He had no idea how he could save her. Therefore, Alslan had no choice but to execute the only task within his power. He leaped into the sky, latching onto the body of the ancient god in an attempt to shatter the barrier. In response, a portion of the ancient god's body wrapped around Alslan's neck. In a moment of excruciating agony, as his consciousness started to blur, a sharp energy descending from below cleaved through the body of the ancient god. Alslan shook his head vigorously, looking down.

"Latvan."

The black-haired bastard relentlessly attacked the ancient god. The knight-commander capable of facing demons now confronted even deities from different dimensions. As Alslan observed Latvan, he discovered both annoyance and relief within himself.

Fighting alongside another being against a common enemy was a first for Alslan. And it would likely be the last.

In the first place, enduring against gods was already close to a miracle. Weren't they beings from a dimension possessing a power distinct from abilities?

"What the hell do you know?"

With an irritated shake of his head, Alslan expelled the remnants of the deity from his mouth. In doing so, he noticed that a part of the expelled deity was crawling in a specific direction.

Alslan leaped again, tearing off another portion of the deity's body, and deliberately threw it far away. Then, just as before, it regurgitated the things it had absorbed and crawled back to its original form.

"Aslan!"

Latvan shouted as he witnessed this. Alslan also understood. They both discerned that there was a focal point, a core, within that mass resembling a conglomerate of light. They attacked in unison, aiming at the direction the severed pieces were attempting to return to.

Alslan's fangs ripped through the light. Latvan's sword sliced through it. Amidst the ruptured golden light, a small golden sphere appeared. And the moment it bore a minuscule wound.

A scream that resonated not through sound but within their minds shook the world.

"I found it!"

Latvan grasped his sword again, eyeing the deity. Until now, it had felt like cutting through water—a sensation of striking without any impactful effect on the movements of the ancient god. However, for the first time, the god displayed a meaningful response.

In that moment, the squirming mass that had resembled a watery conglomerate seemed to tremble and then grew in size.

Suddenly, Latvan looked up at the sight of the ancient deity's transformation. Swiftly, the ancient deity broke through the barrier, extending its body towards the sky, and in that moment, Latvan knew its intention.

Lina's demise.

Rather than engaging with the obstacles that stood in its way, the ancient deity chose to focus on its target. Latvan observed the deity's golden form, expanding as if to encompass the entire sky. It was then.

"A cursed whelp."

Having called his name, it seemed that I was once again a whelp. Latvan glanced cautiously at the voice that called out to him.

"I have discovered its weakness."

Upon hearing those words, Latvan nodded in agreement. The flaw lay within the structure that appeared to be made of golden material.

"Unleash your fury upon it."

As if it were of no consequence, Aslan spoke dully. Of course, I could unleash my fury if it were right in front of me. But how could I approach the core of that deity that had enveloped the sky? In that very moment of contemplating the matter, Latvan looked at Aslan in astonishment.

"No way!"

In the next instant, Aslan opened its mouth wide and devoured Latvan whole. Then, it soared towards the sky.

The ancient deity, realizing that Aslan was approaching its core, swiftly pulled back its outstretched body and intercepted Aslan, rushing towards it.

"Unfathomable to avoid thus far, the deity no longer evaded the onslaught of the monster. Its crimson eyes, red fur, colossal paws, and beastly physique swiftly transformed into a golden hue. While the sentiments of the ancient god were impossible to express in the human language, it was akin to a feeling of joy that it presently experienced.

Finally, the entity persistently thwarting its powers was willingly becoming a part of itself. The ancient god enveloped the body of the monster as if embracing it willingly. Consequently, the maw of the monster remained unaware of its proximity to my core.

Everything began to meld away. Bones and muscles swiftly assimilated into the ancient god's essence. However, Aslan still retained his faculties amidst this dissolution. Relying solely on his senses, he exerted all his strength, heading deeper into the recesses of the deity's being. And in the very moment he realized his presence in the core, he opened his mouth wide, the last remnant within me.

Latvan did not miss that instant. As Aslan's jaws parted, without hesitation, he struck the golden orb before him. The azure vigor, the power safeguarding this land, severed the otherworldly god in its entirety.