Alm and Bruno had already built a strong trust in Grassrunner, but unfortunately, in the current situation, they couldn’t envision a real path to their own survival. Saving that woman was not in the plans.
As they faced Liumi’s distant eyes, now teary, they noticed something in her gaze. It was an endless will flowing in them, and the light that once danced in her eyes was extinguished by a shadow; now, they were filled with anguish and suffering. A combination they knew... and had tasted for millennia... it was like walking on the edge of a precipice, wishing the wind would push them down...
It all lasted just a second, but certainty permeated both of them. With the death of the dark elf, a small crack in Liumi’s control opened, granting her minimal autonomy.
She saw the whale in critical and desperate condition, and her soul trembled in lament to the point of wanting to shatter in pain. That human was one step away from death, and she was the sole culprit...
The image of her master, who died without her being able to do anything, flowed in her mind. Now, when she thought she knew someone trustworthy and felt confident in her future... her own hands had killed him from behind...
In that brief moment, the true Liumi tried to emerge. She engaged in an internal struggle, as if two opposing forces were vying for control of her essence. Her will fought against the evil influence threatening to consume her, but the chains were attached to her bloodline... from the moment she was born, it already existed. It was something that, no matter the method, would live with her forever.
She couldn’t break free, and she realized that clearly. So, with only her will, she made a decision, and nothing else mattered.
An explosion of mystical energy radiated from her, momentarily pushing back the darkness. In that second, Alm and Bruno felt life energy being burned to the maximum, but nothing happened...
Then, a gleam appeared in the Grassrunner’s feline eyes, and the pure energy of the soul was set ablaze without restraint. The soul power was subtle but extremely potent. Primarily because few knew how to defend against it; indeed, an opening in her mind was created.
"I choose freedom," whispered Liumi’s voice, now free from manipulation. It was almost inaudible, but with their eyes locked on Alm and Bruno, they felt it directly in their souls, and a bitter feeling welled up in them.
It all lasted two seconds, and the elders were already with their weapons inches from the whale for a new onslaught. It was at this moment that an explosion of light and energy blossomed from a distant point.
The burning soul power, along with an infinite will, surfaced in the world. It was felt by everyone; their souls trembled and petrified, but the cost was the consumption of her own being.
"Damn it!" Alm and Bruno roared bitterly, feeling indescribable pain. Then, all the power of their bloodline was activated, and Fides emerged in their hands.
BOOM!
The world crumbled in an earthquake capable of destabilizing several kilometers. Then, everything was shattered and divided by a divine cut. The formation with a hundred meters exploded instantly, and from within, only an intense mist of blood emerged.
A devastated land revealed itself there... and in the center, only two figures existed...
The whale, completely red and without any power, returned to its usual form. He was kneeling, holding something in his arms; it was a slender figure that had open eyes and almost no life left, staring at him subtly.
She took one last breath without strength, then smiled; she was satisfied, having saved him and redeemed herself...
’Sorry, master... I won’t be able to be the leader...’ She thought briefly... and her eyes closed... and death covered her with its cloak.
The whale observed everything, feeling her life flame extinguish completely... his eyes trembled with pain and coldness... they had been through this, a few times. But no matter how many times it happened, the pain didn’t diminish, nor did they learn to endure. In fact, there was no way to endure... so they just accepted that pain, like a dagger piercing their hearts.
Bruno commented lightly. ’Her soul... it shattered by 50%.’
’Your technique, can it fix it?’ Alm asked bitterly.
Bruno thought, sighing. ’My technique connects two souls, allowing it to regenerate slowly through the laws... wait, maybe I can do it using Vrix’s method to seal it.’
Vrix sealed his soul using his bloodline in conjunction with the demonic diagram. His bloodline was the connection to life, and the diagram served as a ’body’ that subtly pulsed with vitality, stolen from the demons of the abyss.
’If I seal her in something powerful and use your bloodline as the link, I can restore her slowly... but her body has lost all vitality. It’s impossible to revive her.’ Bruno concluded painfully.
Alm snorted. ’No matter, in the future, we can reincarnate her or make her live in another way. Better than losing her like this, I refuse to accept this defeat.’
Without waiting, the spatial rune lit up on the whale’s forehead. The soul was still in the body, and it took a few seconds for the total disconnection to occur. Then, everything was taken into the inventory. In there, her soul would be trapped, and her body would retain its bloodline.
The whale then looked up to the skies...
A twilight of the day’s end permeated everything, and dark rain clouds gathered in a gloomy omen. They lost... it had been a long time since they suffered a defeat of this level...
’We didn’t know those laws from the forest at the center of the sect. Even if we knew it before, there would be no way to deal with it quickly.’ Alm commented dryly. ’We would simply have to stay away from her for safety... then we would never have truly known her, let alone know about her people. With her racial power, when we invaded the forest, she would end up being used alongside her people, and we would eventually have to kill her at some point for safety.’
’Her life was miserable and destined to cross with ours; death was almost inevitable... but this way, at least, we can set her free. And her life was traded for the freedom of her people. I won’t rest until we free them and give them a worthy future.’ Bruno concluded emotionally.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.
Alm and Bruno knew the name, appearance, and various other things about each of the living Grassrunners. In the forest, there were about 70 of them, and as disciples in the sect, they had another 29, and now they felt obligated to take them in.
’Noctryn Clan; the number two in the sect... and Nightflare Clan, the number three. We just arrived, and we’re already targets for them, and now we marked the main heads to kill them equally.’ Bruno said coldly.
Alm’s eyes then turned grim along with his words. ’This whole place is much worse than those evil cultivators. Here, they use people and deceive without caring about anything but themselves... The evil cultivators, at least, would act a lot more straight. Anyway, the number one clan shouldn’t take long to appear. We’ll have to sharpen the blade well to turn everything into blood.’