âThe future is clear, Lord Negaryâ Granny Sealâe said with a smile.
âEldridgeâs methods destroyed the possibility of Nalaâs peaceful lifeâ Granny Sealâe said with a smile: âNala will accept Eldridgeâs terms and become fuel to prolong the flame, and Eldridge will lose the qualifications to be kingâ
âWhen Nala opens the kiln of the first flame, the passage that leaves this world will be unlocked, and we will leave this world of despair under Lord Negaryâs leadâ Granny Sealâe said firmly.
ã Is the Dragon body finished? ã Negary ignored Granny Sealâeâs flattery and asked while pointing his finger to his forehead.
âThe modulation has been completed, Milordâs current body has reached the limit of what can be achieved in this world. With [Dracotongue], Milord can even exert power beyond the limits of this worldâ Granny Sealâe replied seriously.
ã Then I will leave helping Nala open the kiln of the first flame to you. The three troops are at your disposal. Before I go, I still have some unfinished business to take care of ãNegary carefully examined this body that took great efforts to finally create, then gave Granny Sealâe that order.
âMilord wants to go meet Eldridge face-to-face?â Granny Sealâe curiously asked.
ã Although he had backed down and gave the qualifications to Nala, he is still one of the peak entities Iâve met in this world, I have to at least attend his funeral ã Negary put on his clothes as well as a robe and left his palace.
Suddenly, Negary turned around, looked at the silent Granny Sealâe, and solemnly asked: ã Granny Sealâe, what do you think is the nature of âLifeâ? ã
âLord Negary, in a general sense, what determines who a person is, isnât their body, nor their soul, but rather their unique [Origin]â Granny Sealâe was stunned, and then answered affirmatively: âAnd the nature of an [Origin] is the embodiment of the world and the universe, as well as the connection between an individual with their world and the universeâ
âTherefore, the Evil Spirits, entities that exist separately of an [Origin] are considered to be the error of this worldâ Granny Sealâe answered him truthfully.
ã Are you not afraid to offend me? ã Negary asked.
âSometimes, errors might seem to be more correct, do they not? For example, Nala who has been making the right choice would also face the most tragic future of allâ Granny Sealâe said with certainty: âBecause this world itself might be an errorâ
ã Perhaps it is true ã Negary nodded and left Reystromia.
Granny Sealâe looked on as Negary left, then gave the orders to the three troops who were on standby. Some of them were responsible for ambushing the members of Hales, while others were to create obstacles meant to help Nala improve herself, forcing her to keep using Dragonâs blood. That way, she would grow closer and closer to a true âDragonâ, thus ensuring her suitability to be the substitute for the Progenitor Dragon.
...
Meanwhile, on top of the gloomy staircase, Nala was staring at the Statue of the Last God, as well as Eldridge who stood behind it. The knights behind her were all cautiously watching their surroundings.
Although Smick had sworn upon his own honour that Nala would not be harmed, the thing called âhonourâ could be worth as much as all the riches in this world, but it could also be worthless. Putting all you have on the honour of another is nothing but a stupid act.
âDo you know what you have done?â Eldridge carefully observed Nala, then finally spoke up after a long silence: âEverything youâve done is driving yourself to ruinâ
âIâm just doing the right thing, thatâs allâ Nala didnât care for Eldridgeâs words. No matter what, as long as she kept walking on the right path, regardless of her own ending, she would not regret it.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âThe right thing...â Eldridge muttered, then continued: âThen did you know, during your initial battle after Colomier, I had a secret force stationed nearby the outskirts of Colomier. At that time, if I had given an order, that force would have attacked from behind and formed a pincer attack with the legion at the front to completely destroy your armyâ
âI did indeed feel a sense of crisis at the time, but fortunately it disappeared afterwardsâ Nala nodded and admitted. Back then, the Interkam domestic nobles were in a hurry to retaliate so they didnât fortify the rear position too well. If an ambush had indeed come from the rear, there was a certain danger of them being wiped out.
âThat was because I retreatedâ Eldridge admitted: âIf I didnât retreat, I would have been able to lead Royas to conquer the entire country of Interkam, then eventually the entire continent to become the Fifth Empireâ
âAnd the reason I retreated was because you appeared. You gave me a way outâ Eldridge pointed to the Statue of the Last God behind him and said: âThis is the Last God. When First Empire fell, it was he who prevented the advent of the Black Abyssâ
âHis power made it so that the more territory he ruled over, the stronger he becameâ Eldridge said: âThe Andrea family had been connected through generation after generation of ancestral spirits, finally ending with me obtaining the power of the Last Godâ
âBut the stronger you are, the more responsibility you have to bear, such as preventing the next advent of the Black Abyssâ Eldridge snapped his fingers to reveal a series of murals around them. These murals depicted what would happen if the Last God hadnât prevented the advent of the Black Abyss.
The sun lost its luster, darkness began to envelop the earth, vegetation withered and died, and the animals began to mutate into strange, eerie monsters. People gradually lost their minds and became irrational lunatics. In the end, everything in the world turned into ashes and returned to their essence, to the Black Abyss.
âThis is the Black Abyssâ Eldridge pointed to all of them and said: âThe Last God held the hope of the entire continent in his hand at the time, he ignited himself, turned his everything into the flames and stopped the Black Abyss, finally ending up as the statue behind meâ
âOriginally, I also needed to walk this path. I had to lead Royas, conquer the entire continent, then ignite myself. Because only then would I be qualified to become the Torchâ
âYou said that I became your way out. That means I am also qualified to be a Torchâ Nala said calmly, as she observed the tragic murals around her.
âIndeed. Only the three original Gods who came from the first flame have the qualifications to become the torch. The Giant has already been burned, so what remained were the New Deity and the Progenitor Dragonâ
âThe Last God was the replacement for the New Deity, I am the successor of the Last God, and since your Dragonâs blood has awakened to a significant degree, you can now become the replacement for the Progenitor Dragonâ Eldridge displayed an extremely mockingly grin: âSo, make the right choice now, Miss âSaintress of Salvationââ
Choose to become a substitute for the Progenitor Dragon and burn yourself as the Torch, or choose to sit and watch as the Black Abyss descends and destroys everything.
However, ever since Nala became the Saintress of Salvation, she had no other choice. Eldridgeâs retreat had granted what Nala wished for, and also pushed Nala onto the path of self-destruction.
âI will walk on the right pathâ Nalaâs words were still as resolute as she was at the start, unwavering, unchanged.