Chapter 130: Kill The Grievance [1] — How To Do It?

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The Gardener screamed, manifesting giant hands of fused moonstone and writhing plants. It swung them with devastating force, smashing Mirai and Louis away. They crashed into a distant mountain, flattening entire forests and igniting them on impact.

BOOOM!

“Mirai! Are you okay?”

Louis rushed to her side. Mirai nodded slowly, rising as four blazing swords of Demonic Souls erupted endlessly from her bizarre Aura and unearthly power.

“Yes… But I’m not sure we can beat it…!” she said, voice trembling with doubt. “It’s so strong…!”

“We can,” Louis declared firmly.

“H-How did you even know I could transform here?” Mirai asked. “This form… it feels so strange… And yet I somehow remember using it once, before you…”

“I know,” Louis said. “The damage to my soul blurred those memories, but I remember what you did. That’s why I brought you along—to end this monster before it becomes an even greater threat in the future! Mirai, please lend me your strength!”

“I swore I would always lend you my power, Prince Louis,” Mirai replied. A halo of Demonic Souls and swirling dark chaos flared behind her, amplifying her might. “Though I wonder… what exactly is this form of mine?”

“Your human body is like a shell,” Louis explained, standing and healing his own soul. “It keeps your power sealed. Your bare soul… this is its true appearance.”

“Then my power only awakens when I die?” Mirai asked quietly.

“…It would be better if that never happened,” Louis sighed. “And now, I believe you can attain even greater strength while still alive. At the Academy, you will grow far stronger, Mirai. So be patient.”

“I see… thank you!” Mirai nodded. “My mind feels clearer now… I thought I looked hideous, but you don’t seem bothered?”

“I never would,” Louis said. “Your soul only radiates the beauty of raw power—exactly what I have always desired. Why would I find you hideous?”

“L-Louis…” Mirai fidgeted with her massive hands, blushing deeply.

“Mirai, this isn’t the time,” Louis urged gently. “Let’s move!”

He took flight with his skeletal wings. Mirai followed close behind.

In the distance, Soma strained at his limits, holding back the Gardener’s wrath as the entire Emerald Moon shuddered violently. Mirai’s Demonic Flames spread like a global wildfire, consuming everything in their path.

♢♢♢♢

How does one kill a Grievance?

Not long ago, no one truly knew how to permanently destroy these Entities that had ascended to a higher, conceptual plane of existence.

Unlike ordinary Entities—targetable physically and slain by destroying their cores—Grievances were far more elusive and resilient.

Though they possessed cores like Entities, Grievances typically concealed them far from reality, hidden within their own Domains where their Authority reigned supreme.

No matter how many times a Grievance’s “body” was destroyed, new forms would endlessly regenerate as long as a Fantasy Field existed for their Authority to spread.

They often chose vessels to possess, allowing them to roam the world and expand their Fantasy Fields—claiming more territory, killing more lives, and deepening their influence.

Meanwhile, the Grievance itself usually remained hidden in its Domain—a separate space disconnected from reality. The only ways to enter were through specific gateways, such as their chosen vessels, or by invitation.

Inside a Grievance’s Domain, several deadly factors applied: entrants left their physical bodies behind and fell unconscious; they arrived as bare souls, unable to draw power from flesh; and entering almost always meant certain death.

Yet after years of desperate struggle, a method to kill Grievances permanently was discovered. Three conditions had to be met.

First, the killer must be a Spiralwalker—possessor of a Spiral of Madness within an awakened Fantasy Heart. This power granted an “inner Fantasy Domain” capable of shielding the soul and mind from erosion.

Second, the killer required a powerful soul. Spirals of Madness already strengthened souls dramatically, but often not enough. Higher-tier Spiralwalkers might manage without additional cultivation, but Soul Cultivation Methods were strongly recommended.

Third, a Soul Weapon was essential—one forged directly into the soul itself, able to channel cultivated soul power. Without it, inflicting True Damage on a Grievance was impossible.

All three conditions had now been fulfilled. The Gardener had invited Louis, Soma, and Mirai into its Domain. All three wielded powerful souls capable of threatening the Grievance.

Louis possessed a formidable Soul Weapon. Soma held an exceptionally high Spiral Rank. Mirai’s soul rivaled—or perhaps surpassed—any Grievance.

The Gardener could no longer erode their souls and minds as easily. Louis, the weakest of the three, carried the same authority within his soul—as though the Gardener had once planted a seed there, only for that seed to turn against its creator. Soma’s soul resembled a twisted mass of curses. And Mirai’s soul… needed no further explanation.

“I have to move my Domain elsewhere…! I-I cannot die here…! Not… after everything I have accomplished…! M-My beautiful garden…!”

The Gardener fought desperately, driving its roots deep into the Emerald Moon and manipulating the floating celestial body. Hundreds of gigantic hands—crafted from emerald moonstone, vines, and flowers—erupted outward.

Corrupted Fantasium warped space itself, forcing the trio to retreat and shield themselves with their own Fantasium Domains. Yet they were steadily breaking through. The colossal hands—each over a hundred meters across—were crushed by Mirai’s massive fists or Louis’s claws, while Soma’s chains spread everywhere, restraining the Gardener and siphoning its energy.

“Stop…! STOP! STOP! STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP…”

The Gardener repeated the word until its voice warped into incoherent shrieks. It had reached its limit. Louis poured every ounce of Soul Essence into Gungnir, activating the Rune of Slaughter after fulfilling its conditions.

“Mirai, burn it with everything you’ve got! I’ll target the moon’s core and shatter its cores! Soma, do whatever you can to stop it from hitting me!”

“Okay!”

“Hohoho, quite demanding, aren’t you, Prince Louis? Very well. But this better work!”

Both leaped toward the Gardener, pushing their Soul Auras to the absolute limit.

Mirai grew even taller, sprouting two additional pairs of arms.

Three heads emerged from her shoulders—two displaying despair, one radiant happiness.

Her black horns lengthened, and black butterfly-like wings sprouted from her back, gleaming with dark starlight.

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