Chapter 400: Inevitable Fate

Art of Lust, Eighth Stance: Erupting Reverberation

BOOOMMM!

Time suddenly began to flow again.

And everything happened in an instant; the colossal explosion reverberated and shook the entire surroundings.

The gigantic sphere of light in front of Seraphina began to shrink. When it was barely half its original size, something unexpected happened.

As if it had bounced, the sphere returned, advancing directly toward Noha and his beast that looked like a withered frog.

But at that very moment, Oryx appeared at his side. Both disappeared before the ball of light struck.

[[Huh? What happened? I thought… ?… Corruption!?… But that power and appearance, which… wait! These memories are…]]

Meanwhile, another person was clearly confused: Qetesh. Regardless of Seraphina’s actions, she seemed strangely overwhelmed, as if she was struggling to understand something.

Seraphina did not seem to pay attention to Qetesh’s state or words. Without stopping, she made another move as she waved away a sphere made of darkness.

Art of Lust, Sixth Stance: Euphoric Onslaught

Seraphina swung her spear and drove it forcefully into the ground.

Fwosshhh! Fswosshhh!

At the exact spot where Oryx had teleported, several spears began to emerge, sealing him in from all directions.

Oryx teleported again immediately, but everywhere he appeared, new golden spears emerged, forcing him to move relentlessly.

At that point, even Oryx was running out of mana.

[[Ah! Now I understand everything… yes, hahaha!. It’s not just lust.]]

Qetesh muttered incomprehensible things, words that only Seraphina could hear. The confusion was gone; now she sounded euphoric, even happy.

Noha, for his part, still didn’t understand what had happened. It was inconceivable to him that he hadn’t killed Seraphina yet, even after using his most valuable trump cards.

Fwosshh!

He didn’t have time to think about it any further. The attack was so overwhelming that several spears managed to hit him, causing injuries; even Oryx seemed unable to dodge them completely.

“Arg!”

A spear struck Oryx, piercing his right chest.

It wasn’t because he was late. The arrow still stuck in his body activated, interrupting his teleportation for an instant. That was enough to almost kill him.

[[Hahaha!… there was so much I didn’t understand.Why I was in that place, in this world. What had happened in the previous era. Why I was the only fragmented legacy, and why there were so many gaps in my memory. Hahaha~It was all so suspicious…I always believed that you and that thing had done something to me.]]

Art of Lust, Fifth Stance: Tempting Torrent

Seraphina took immediate action, and surrounded by a chaotic, dark whirlwind, she closed the distance in an instant.

She advanced directly toward them like a crazed beast.

And she was: there was hardly a trace of rationality left on her face.

She was guided by anger and a clear intention to kill them both.

That seemed to be her only goal.

[[But no… now I understand. My mistrust and caution were in vain. Hahaha. Looking back now, I was a fool, blinded by ignorance. Hahaha ~, it’s so silly that it’s funny, but I can’t continue to neglect my role.]]

Bommm!

Seraphina collided with Noha. He stopped her with his crystal hands, while Oryx managed to escape on his own at some point.

The hands holding the spear began to crack, and more purple blood spurted from them, but they did not yield. They held on tighter.

’Ugh… this damn thing.’

Even so, he was violently pushed back by Seraphina’s momentum.

[[Well, that’s it. That’s why we are legacies based on emotions. We are beings that feed on that. I told you: the more you desire something, the purer that desire is, the stronger we become.]]

Whether or not she heard Qetesh’s words, Seraphina continued to push Noha fiercely, cornering him.

[[Yes. You found that which fuels art. You’re doing well. You want to kill him, don’t you? Such a pure desire… it really is excellent fuel.]]

Noha refused to be dragged any further. He didn’t just have a pair of hands: the new limbs he had formed already possessed powerful magic that he could unleash directly on Seraphina.

And with him holding her spear, unless she let go, she couldn’t avoid it.

Frrpt!

An uncomfortable sound was heard. Beneath Seraphina’s current arms, another pair formed. They headed straight for Noha’s arms and closed on them at the last moment.

BOOMMM!

An explosion at point-blank range erupted. It was so violent that both Seraphina and Noha were brutally thrown backwards.

Seraphina suffered injuries all over her body. She had lost several fingers on her newly created hands, but immediately all her wounds closed.

She straightened up and, without a single second’s respite, lunged at Noha again.

[[Keep going. Just think about the ecstasy you’ll feel when you finally achieve it. There’s nothing better than that. And don’t stop there: everything works. Let your emotions and desires feed you. Let it all out… and destroy everything.]]

Qetesh’s voice echoed insistently. Although Seraphina didn’t seem to hear her; her focus was completely fixed on Noha.

Even so, Qetesh continued.

[[As long as that desire burns, nothing can stop you. It’s not for nothing that we were made to hunt gods. Limits don’t exist for us!]]

BROMMM!

Another brutal clash. Seraphina struck Noha, who was already seriously injured from the previous explosion and could barely get back up.

Seraphina was no longer holding her spear. Her four arms were covered with gloves. Noha barely managed to block them with his own, which were in a sorry state.

’This… damn thing.’

Noha felt completely overwhelmed. Facing imminent defeat, he gritted his teeth and reactivated his Skill.

Beast Convergence (EX)

Overlapping it twice had serious consequences and real risks, but now that he was dancing with death, it was no time to think about that.

Immediately, Noha began to grow. A type of fur emerged from his crystal skin; even that fur looked crystalline. His body began to increase in size and strength.

CRRACK!

But Seraphina didn’t stand idly by. She clenched her four hands tightly, and with pure brute force, she shattered Noha’s four hands.

“ARGH!!”

In the next instant, she executed an unexpected maneuver. Before Noha could react, Seraphina had planted her feet firmly on his chest, her body now nearly horizontal.

Using her hands and feet in perfect opposition—

SHRRR!

—she pulled violently with her two right hands while pressing with her feet, tearing Noha’s arms off in one swift motion.

Noha felt the pain, but before he could react—

THWAK!

“Hhhnnf!”

Seraphina planted her feet back on the ground and, with her hands now free, delivered two brutal blows to Noha’s abdomen.

They were so powerful that they slammed him to the ground.

THUNK – CLACK!

Seraphina continued to hold his other arms tightly, causing them to dislocate.

The fight became brutal, without technique, without honor, without anything: just the intention to finish off the opponent as quickly as possible.

SHRRRAA!

Noha was down. Seraphina didn’t give him a moment’s respite. Using the same principle as before, she stepped on him and immediately tore off his two remaining arms, crippling him before he could transform completely.

“ARG! Wait! Stop! You know the consequences you will face, that this entire continent will face if I die here—”

CRACK!

Noha tried to say something else, but Seraphina did not stop. She stomped hard on his chest, piercing it and finishing him off cleanly: no negotiation, no drama, no exchange of words.

[[Yes, that’s how it should be. Don’t care about anything. Destroy and eliminate everything you want. Everything that stands in your way deserves to perish. You are an absolute rule.]]

BOOMMM!

Paying no attention to Qetesh, Seraphina attacked again. It wasn’t against the already dead Noha, but against the one who was sneaking towards one of the arms she had torn off earlier.

Oryx.

He barely managed to dodge. After taking the ring from Noha’s hand.

Even Oryx was surprised at how quickly and easily Noha had died. He didn’t find a single moment to intervene and, to be honest, he didn’t want to get close to the monstrosity Seraphina had become.

Now that Noha was dead, he understood the situation. In the midst of the disaster, he sought the best possible solution.

He took one last risk to get the ring with the seedlings. He needed it as insurance… and as a bargaining chip.

“I—”

FWOOOSSH!

He tried to distance himself and speak, but instantly a swift spear appeared in front of him, inches from killing him.

He teleported again.

Seraphina continued to attack relentlessly, without pause.

There was no reasoning with her, and he understood that.

’I have to run.’

ZZT!

He decided to ’etreat. He had to survive and escape before it was too late. Without further ado, Oryx teleported as far away as he could.

’This is crazy… what is that monster?’

Oryx appeared at a great distance, his heart racing and fear gripping his chest.

He quickly pulled out a valuable potion and several items capable of restoring mana for someone of his rank, something difficult to find on this continent.

He needed that to teleport back. He knew Seraphina wielded spatial magic and would most likely pursue him.

CRACK!

But he didn’t expect her to be so fast.

Behind him, something cracked. A golden glove emerged from what looked like a forcibly opened spatial gap.

It was Seraphina.

She was using her hands violently to tear through space.

ZZT!

Oryx teleported again, fleeing as fast as he could.

CRACK!

[[Good. You almost have him. Focus on killing him. Leave the rest to me.]]

Yes, Seraphina couldn’t do something so complex at this moment; it was Qetesh who had been pushing everything from before, offering her help with dangerous enthusiasm.

Seraphina followed him immediately.

What Oryx didn’t understand was that she wasn’t teleporting.

She was using her weapon’s ability to reuse newly connected spaces.

Seraphina was forcing the space itself, following the exact path of Oryx’s teleportation.

As long as he left a trace—a minimal connection—with his raw spatial magic, no matter the distance or location, she would follow him with Qetesh’s help.

ZZT!———Crack!

Oryx began to panic.

Seraphina was getting closer and closer. His mana was rapidly depleting. He tried to use his other Skill to reduce consumption, but he couldn’t gain enough distance.

Seraphina followed him relentlessly.

Looking back and meeting Seraphina’s dark eyes made him tremble; she was the living embodiment of the grim reaper.

He began throwing everything he had: any item from his inventory that might slow her down, distract her, buy him a second.

But it didn’t help much.

[[Almost! Just a little more!]]

Qetesh was elated. Not only because Seraphina was getting closer and closer to Oryx, but because—

Corruption (E) >

The Skill showed clear signs of rising again.

Qetesh wanted Seraphina to destroy everything. To let herself go. To feed that murderous desire without reservation, no matter the cost.

ZZT!——CRACK!

They advanced on each other like predator and prey. Oryx felt death clearly; not even his quick thinking could save him.

Seraphina pursued him relentlessly, shredding anything that stood in her way with her four deadly arms.

Corruption (E) >>

[[Hahaha… I really don’t know what I was complaining about. A being like you, with such endless desire… even for killing. Hahaha~. You’re the best user I could ask for.]]

Qetesh gloated.

ZZT!—CRACK!

It was then, when Seraphina was just inches away, that Oryx abandoned all restraint. He threw everything he had, even something he believed to be indestructible.

CRRRRUNCH!

Seraphina broke it with her gloves.

Brrrrrr…

The world began to shake.

Neither of them cared. But that moment gave Oryx the chance to escape.

Everything moved slowly for him

’!!!”

Just as he was about to flee, his Skill activated and gave him absolute certainty.

He was going to die.

Oryx thought quickly, searching for what was wrong, and finally remembered something.

The arrow was still stuck in him.

He knew what he was doing. And if it activated at that critical moment—

“ARGH!”

Oryx didn’t hesitate.

He realized he couldn’t pull it out. So he bet everything.

With spatial magic, he brutally severed the part of his abdomen where the arrow was embedded, separating himself from it without hesitation.

ZZT!

Then he teleported away.

What he didn’t notice was that a golden spear was following him.

Even when he disappeared, the spear disappeared with him.

Seraphina had thrown her weapon.

Not seeing the result, she prepared to continue chasing him until she saw him fall—

~click.

An almost illusory sound. Like a snap echoed.

It could have been anything, considering the deterioration of her body and the things she destroyed, but, as if it were a sign, a clear feeling arose from deep within her.

The authority that seemed to have been absent until now resurfaced.

[[Huh!? Why all of a sudden?]]

’W-what…?’

A feeling of purification ran through Seraphina. And with it came clarity of mind.

The black core cracked… and disappeared.

The demonization vanished completely just as she fell to the ground, inert, unable to move a single muscle.

It was as if she had slammed on the brakes very abruptly.

[[Really? Just like that? So close… Haah~. It still doesn’t make sense how something divine can suppress my legacy. But I suppose the answers will come… just like a moment ago.]]

’Qetesh… what the hell did you do? Was it you? Did you impersonate my alternate self—ugh?’

[[Huh? Your alternate self? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Ah!, well, it wouldn’t be unusual for corruption to make you hallucinate a little, although it is strange at such a low rank. Fufufu~.]]

’Bastard, I—’

[[Listen carefully, dear user.]]

’D-dear?’

[[There is so much about you that I don’t understand. You do things that don’t make sense. And you know dangerously much, so honestly, I didn’t want to get involved with you. Not to mention that it was annoying that you used my legacy without consequences… which also doesn’t make sense.]]

’Wait… why is your voice getting softer? What the hell—’

[[Fufufufu~. And now I understand, my dear user. It’s true. You have all my advantages, escaping surveillance and, mainly, fate… but—]]

“B-but…”

The way she spoke baffled even Seraphina. So much so that the fact that she was lying on the ground, with death breathing down her neck, seemed secondary.

[[That also means you won’t escape the inevitable fate of the bearers of the fourteen legacies. Nothing with only advantages exists, my dear; it’s the absolute price that must be paid, and you are no exception… and until then, I…]]

“What the hell are you going to do?”

[[I will help you. I will serve you. I will guide you with all my heart, my dear and bizarre user.]]

’…’

Seraphina remained motionless. She was at her limit, both physically and mentally, and in terms of mana.

She knew that if she lost consciousness, the morphogenesis would most likely deactivate and all her wounds would return at once.

Her regeneration would not be enough.

Hearing the radical change in Qetesh’s way of speaking now did not help in the slightest.

Perhaps it was a plan to kill her.

ZZT!

Just as she was thinking that, someone appeared in front of her. Out of nowhere.

She only managed to see their feet.

The next moment, she closed her eyes, overcome by extreme exhaustion.

’So… that’s how it is.’

Her last thought was to understand what Qetesh’s words really meant.

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