Chapter 202: Desperate Predicament
A Supernal’s strength relies on mana, but it’s not the only way to grow stronger.
Other than increasing their rank, from Awakened Supernal to Aspirant Supernal and so on, a Supernal could also grow stronger by increasing the number of imprints they can access. And to do that, a Supernal would need to please their Patron God.
Kai needed to complete quests to please the Goddess of the Primordial Night.
Protecting and comforting others is how Bree pleases the Goddess of Childbirth.
Please the Patron God enough, and they might grant a Supernal more of their power through giving access to more Legacy Imprints. Climbing the rank path is harder for Angels as they’re prohibited from using mana ores.
For Angels to progress to the next rank, they would need to make use of null crystals.
A far weaker source of mana.
Not only is it weaker, but null crystals are hard to obtain, and they carry side effects.
Considering how demanding the academy was in the Second Sky, as one mistake put Grines in a precarious situation, many Angels would be desperate to grow stronger. And naturally, they would use any means necessary to grow stronger.
Unfortunately for them, Asher has the divine bloodline of Atreus, the God of Hollow Feasts.
And the only way to please him was through despicable acts.
"Asher... Asher is going to eat Panas!"
Kai’s hand flew to his mouth almost instantly as he made the mistake of saying his realization out loud. He blinked, then looked ahead to find Grines staring back over his shoulder—eyes wide with shock and panic so raw that Kai could practically hear the frantic drumbeat of his heart.
Roar—!
An oversized mountain lion pounced and swiped Grines’ face and sent him hurtling.
Just a second of distraction, and one of the wild animals managed to slip an attack in.
Grines spun his body mid-air, turning into a tornado as he hacked at the wild animals that were already pouncing at him. He made mincemeat of them and landed hard on one knee, sliding back until his back hit the stone wall.
He saw that Kai and Bree were surrounded.
And he had promised to keep them safe and sound.
’But Panas...’ Grines gritted his teeth and turned, preparing to dash away as he couldn’t leave his own little brother to die. Even though breaking his promise is hard to do, he simply can’t choose Kai and Bree over Panas. ’I’m sorry, but I need to go.’
A translucent white membrane blocked his path.
Before he could react, Kai already tackled him from behind and put Grines in a chokehold.
"Calm down!" Kai whispered into his ear. "Calm down and listen to me!"
"Let go of me!" Grines roared.
He drove his body backward like a feral animal, slamming Kai against the stone wall, trying to shatter the chokehold. Kai didn’t budge. He thrashed and bucked in blind fury and anguish, but Kai held on—his grip unbreakable.
No matter what, he won’t let go.
"You can’t save him right now! You know you can’t save him!"
"I can save him! Let me go! I need to save Panas!"
"No, you can’t! Even if you save Panas, the academy would still kill both of you! This is your last chance, remember?!"
Grines is on his last leg.
He needed to perform in taking down this Sky Gate—or else he would be executed alongside Panas. So, going out to save Panas would do nothing if the Sky Gate isn’t closed. Even if Grines succeeded in saving Panas, it would not change anything.
For him to save Panas, he would most likely need to fight and kill Asher.
And killing Asher would turn the entire squad against him.
If they decided to sell him out to the academy, they could do so very comfortably.
Even if by some miracle the squad didn’t sell him out to the academy, the Sky Gate would still remain open, and the academy could assume the mission went badly. And that meant Grines would be executed.
Someone has to stay behind and kill the last Noble Star Beast and close the Sky Gate.
"I don’t care! I’m going to save him! Let go of me!!"
Grines resisted even harder, but Kai also put more strength into his arms.
Slowly, the monstrous strength Grines was exerting earlier waned, but not fast enough.
Crash—!
Kai coughed up a mouthful of blood as Grines slammed him to the stone wall again; his back felt like it was going to break. Yet, knowing how horrible the situation was for Grines, he remained steadfast.
"I can’t hold them back much longer!" Bree shouted.
As the two were wrestling, she was holding back the horde of wild animals.
Her translucent membrane, as strong as it was, began to tear under the relentless assault.
Kai squeezed even harder, knowing that he needed to wear Grines out first.
Only then can he think properly.
And fortunately, that moment came soon, as Grines lost his strength and his struggle began a simple squeeze to Kai’s bulging forearm. "You need to stay here and deal with the Noble Star Beast. You know you need to stay, Grines. Nobody can kill it other than you."
Kai could stay behind and try to kill the Noble Star Beast.
But realistically, his chances of doing so would be really low.
Even with Bree’s help, it would still be difficult.
Not because he was too weak, but because he wasn’t accustomed to fighting inside a Sky Gate and against a Noble Star Beast where every second demanded he manage his mana reserves, monitor his Halo, and fight for his life all at once.
It would be too overwhelming for him.
"But Panas..." Grines’s voice cracked, tears streaking down his cheeks. "Ever since our parents died, he’s been terrified of being alone. He can’t stand it. I can’t—" His words shattered into a sob, more tears spilling down his face. "I can’t leave him alone. I need to save him—and even if I can’t, I would at least be by his side."
Feeling that Grines was no longer resisting, Kai finally let him go.
Even through the mask, Kai could tell that his face was streaked with streams of tears.
Kai stared at Grines’ back and watched his shoulders tremble.
For a fleeting moment, Kai saw himself in Grines. Saw his own back hunched in devastation, remembering the small prison cell where he had wept until he couldn’t cry anymore—it was the moment the truth of Bella’s death had settled into his bones.
Grines was only brushing the edge of that abyss now.
But if Panas truly died, he would plunge into it completely.
He would learn the true meaning of pain and despair.
Kai had already learned it. The sensation was indescribable—knowing a loved one had died because of him. It was Tartarus that was dragged onto the earth. It would be one thing if the death came from a genuine mistake, a fault he could claim as his own.
But when the wicked system that governed the sky was to blame, it was different.
More painful.
No one should ever have to suffer that, and Kai would not let it happen to Grines.
"I’ll save him," Kai said with conviction. His eyes burned with the fire of determination. "I’ll save Panas from Asher and bring him to safety. Just trust me and focus on defeating this Noble Star Beast. Can you do that?"
Grines turned and grabbed Kai’s shoulders.
"Save him." He said—boring his reddened eyes into Kai’s. "Save my little brother. Save Panas, and my life is yours."
"What are you going to do?" Kai turned to Bree.
"I’ll stay and help," Bree answered—without looking. "He needs to survive as much as Panas needs to survive, right? So, I’ll stay."
She was right.
Even if Panas was rescued, if Grines died, the academy would execute the young boy.
In order for the two of them to go through this, neither can die.
The weight of survival pressed down on the two brothers, but fortunately, Kai and Bree were there to help shoulder it. Kai nodded his head and looked at Grines again, "Come on. You’ve got to clear the way for me now."
Grines reached up beneath his mask, wiping the tears from his face.
He nodded once—short and firm.
Then, he turned, scooping up the daggers he had dropped on the stone ground.
And with a flick of his wrists, the blades hummed back to life with a golden glow.
At Bree’s signal, the translucent membrane parted like a drawn curtain, and Grines exploded through the opening with the force of a man who had been caged too long. Panas’s life hung in the balance, and that knowledge burned his eyes.
Not as fear, but as fuel.
He swung his daggers in a wide, horizontal arc, and the first wave of oversized wild animals folded like paper. Blood misted the grey air. Bodies crumbled. Bree followed tight on his heels, protecting him from the wild animals that tried to flank him.
Grines kept going.
He carved a path into the densest knot of beasts—as his golden-edged daggers sang through fur, flesh, and bone. A bear lunged and lost its head. Wolves scattered before him in yelping arcs. He pierced through the horde like a killing machine.
The ruckus he created was deafening.
A cacophony of roars, dying shrieks, and the relentless grinding rhythm of his daggers.
Kai waited for a few seconds, waited for the tide of wild animals to shift.
And when the encirclement thinned, he broke free, dashing straight to the escape route.
An oversized goat still blocked his path with its spiky horns lowered, but Kai swatted it aside with a backhand strike and slipped through the gap. His boots pounded against the grey grass as he made his escape.
Once he was in the clear, he allowed himself a glance over his shoulder.
The Noble Star Beast and its twisted clones still clung to the slope above, watching. Cautious.
That caution would soon run out, but Kai would not be there to witness it.
Just then, as he lowered his gaze, he was greeted with a sight that rooted him for half a breath.
Grines stood in the center of a ring of carnage, surrounded by the mangled bodies of animals too stupid to run. His roar was loud, tearing through the valley as he spun in a full circle. His daggers extended, carving a perfect ring of death around him.
The last of the oversized animals near him collapsed inward.
And he already moved past them.
He pointed one golden-edged dagger at the Noble Star Beast, and then he leaped.
To Kai’s surprise, Grines launched himself upward, toward the uncanny monster that loomed ten feet of nightmare on the rock face, attacking it before it could attack him. The golden mana around his daggers blazed brighter, trailing behind him like a comet’s tail.
For one suspended moment, he looked like a hero from the old tales.
A single warrior throwing himself at the gates of darkness.
Kai looked away.
Good luck, Grines. Kill the Noble Star Beast. Allow me to bring Panas back to you safely.
He turned toward the direction of the portal and ran.
Comments