Chapter 127 End. Ethan opened his eyes...
Ethan opened his eyes; the terrible burning and piercing pain he had felt earlier was gone.
He paused for a moment, then sat up and realized he was drenched in sweat and his eyes were wet.
He casually wiped his face; the tears on his pale fingers weren't transparent, but a glaring red.
The tears he shed were not tears, but tears of blood.
That's no longer important.
Ethan felt his entire body brimming with power, an inexhaustible force within him, so full that he wanted to start fighting immediately.
The others and the chicks gradually woke up, all looking dazed. Bertha, just like before she started channeling her power, stood not far away watching them.
“Just in case, I’ve added some visuals to your images, some of which I drew from our original world.” Scanning each disheveled face, Bertha apologized very readily: “I’ve violated your privacy; it was my fault first.”
Everyone was still a little dazed, shaking their heads or waving their hands to indicate that they were fine and understood Bertha's desire for them to get through this.
“I’ve used some magic arrays to help you use the power better,” Bertha explained. “Just in case, I’ve also sealed some of it within your bodies, but that’s already beyond your tolerance. Don’t use it unless it’s beyond repair, or your body will collapse. Alright, you can get used to that power first, and I’ll send a signal once you’ve adapted.”
They split up and each tested the power they could currently control.
Ethan felt his magic was getting stronger and stronger, to the point that he could even feel it was far superior to Starfall's.
However, he also knew that this was all because he borrowed the power of other worlds, not his own. He was just a little amazed and unaccustomed to having such great power.
Once they got used to it, while the others were still enthusiastically testing their powers, Ethan, to make the waiting time less tedious, took out tarot cards and drew some for himself.
Nadia also finished the experiment and watched Ethan draw.
"I'm still a little nervous... so I'll draw another one." Ethan explained somewhat embarrassedly, "Do you want to draw one too, Miss Nadia? You can just draw one."
Nadia readily agreed, picked out one that looked good to her, and then took a look.
Nadia stared at the cards, remained silent for a while, then blinked, put them back in the deck, and shuffled them again before Ethan could react.
"Uh, is it a card you're not satisfied with?" Ethan hurriedly tried to persuade him to stay, completely unaware that he was in a different situation: "How about we draw another one? This one might not be accurate. You see, there are many tarot readers on the market who can't guarantee accuracy, right?"
Nadia hesitated for a moment, then Ethan quickly spread out the cards. Nadia drew another card from the deck and fell silent again.
Ethan was getting anxious and scratching his head, desperate to know what card Nadia had drawn. She hadn't even shown him the card, how was he supposed to interpret it?
Nadia silently and quickly shuffled the cards again, then returned them to Ethan, before looking at Bertha.
The divine Bertha looked at her with gentle and affirmative eyes, and she nodded slightly.
Bertha mouthed "fate".
Nadia didn't say anything more and walked away alone.
Nadia refused to tell him, and Ethan couldn't force her. Although he was still curious, he found other ways to distract himself.
Because he knew before the journey began that he was borrowing power, he might be able to use those more advanced magic circles that he couldn't succeed with, and all the magic and magic circles that his magic power couldn't support him to complete could be used.
So before the journey began, Ethan stuffed a carefully selected magic book containing particularly powerful attacks into his personal space.
He quickly flipped through the book, skimming through it, trying to memorize all the spells he could use in the shortest amount of time.
“To be honest, I’m a little anxious.” Nadia stood not far from Tenas, staring blankly at a certain spot.
"You?!" Tenas was genuinely surprised that Nadia, who was always confident and strong, would tell him that she was a little anxious.
Although he was a little nervous and unsure that he and his companions could defeat Dunes, he tried to calm himself down during the pre-battle preparations, but his heart was still racing.
“Don’t be so nervous.” Although Turnas was still unsure, he reassured Nadia, “We’ll know once we try. Bertha also said we would win. It’s all fate. Let’s trust her.”
Fate?
If it really is fate, she still refuses to accept it.
Fate was too cruel to her. Neglected by her parents since childhood, fate gave her an empathetic heart. From a young age, she would feel sad whenever she saw others not doing well, especially when they were afflicted by illness or their entire family was ruined by bad luck. She couldn't control her tears. She only got better as she grew up.
Even so, her empathetic nature still shines through.
If this is truly fate, then even if she doesn't want to accept it, she will accept it now.
Nadia didn't say anything more, but walked over to Bertha and talked to her about something.
Nadia tilted her head and looked down, noticing that her counterpart seemed somewhat lost and dejected, her mood inexplicably low.
She flew over to the two of them, and Bertha stretched out her palm, which Nadia naturally landed on. She looked at Nadia and asked, "Why aren't you happy?"
"It's nothing." Nadia's face was a little pale, and she didn't want to say more.
Nadia floated in front of Nadia, spreading her fluffy wings: "Although I don't know why you're sad, I'll allow you to touch me! Tenas and the others said that humans like fluffy things, and we chicks are fluffy too. Since you're my counterpart, you can touch my feathers too! Reena combed them for me!"
Nadia looked at Bertha, who nodded encouragingly and reassuringly.
In the end, Nadia simply touched Nadia's wings.
Seeing that everyone had rested enough, Bertha flashed a flame in her hand and then extinguished it completely, and everyone entered a state of readiness for battle.
With his body tense, Ethan flipped through the pages rapidly, finally finishing all the books he had brought, and then put them back into his spatial storage.
Almost as soon as Ethan put the book back, the air gradually distorted and formed a black hole, from which a tall figure passed through.
The newcomer was very tall, about eight inches tall, with a buzz cut and a huge scar running from his left eye to his right cheek. Combined with his bulging muscles, he looked even more ferocious and terrifying.
Donus glanced at everyone present, including the chicks, and finally fixed his gaze on Bertha.
“You are not Him,” Dunus said with certainty. “I thought I hadn’t wiped them all out back then, but I never expected you to be in this world at that time? And that you would give me power right under my nose.”
His voice was deep and hoarse, and a little loud. Ethan found it unpleasant to hear, like the sound of fingernails slowly and forcefully scratching a blackboard.
Everyone visibly tensed up, their gazes toward him filled with vigilance.
"What? You think that by luring me here with this little thing that appeared out of nowhere, and then you all swarming in, you can defeat me?" Dunus laughed loudly, mercilessly mocking and belittling them: "You? So what if you've experienced so many worlds and borrowed power? Do you think that's enough? You're too naive, thinking that you can put up a fight against me."
Ignoring the fact that Dunus didn't take them seriously, Tenas and the others attacked him one after another.
Donus tilted his head slightly to dodge Turnas's punch, and then punched him in the abdomen with his backhand.
The fist was light and airy, as if playing with you, yet it sent Tenas flying like a cannonball, instantly appearing hundreds of meters away.
A ringing sound came from his ears, and his abdomen ached so badly that he felt numb. Tenas felt nauseous but couldn't vomit anything.
He quickly got up again and prepared to attack Donus once more.
Donus casually dodged left and right, easily avoiding Ethan and his group's attacks; Owen couldn't even bite him.
Putting aside whether the zombie virus would be effective against him, he wouldn't even be able to get close to the other party.
The dark beam of light was about to hit Dunus, but Dunus raised his hand and blocked it effortlessly.
"Oh? Magic?" Duns gave a meaningful smile. "Then you and that guy... the Starfall City Will... you must have a lot to talk about, right?"
As he finished speaking, his shadow twisted and changed, growing longer and longer until it became a familiar yet unfamiliar meteorite.
The black-haired figure opened its golden eyes, stared straight at Ethan, and swiftly attacked him.
It's that face and hair color that are exactly the same as Meteorite, but the eyes are like Novigrad's, and the personality is like the Will of the Blazing Sun!
Ethan was caught off guard and was quickly approached, but he no longer had the mindset he used to have when facing Starfall and so many of its counterparts, feeling that he couldn't win.
Filled with immense power, Ethan didn't think he would lose, so he quickly engaged him in combat.
“Ethan, you shouldn’t be so reckless. Going against that person won’t end well.” Starfall pretended to be kind and advised him, adopting the posture of an elder educating a junior, but the force in his hand became increasingly ruthless: “You can’t do anything because you are a good-for-nothing.”
“You’re nothing like Lord Starfall!” Ethan was not swayed by his words at all: “Lord Starfall is not like that, and he would never say such things to me.”
"What kind of talk? Heh, it's just that the will of your city is more indulgent towards you." Xingyun kept talking: "It's really hard to imagine what went wrong with Xingyun in your world that made him choose an idiot as a guardian? Or did he get tired of greedy, clever people and wanted to find an idiot mama's boy as a guardian to change things up? But wouldn't it drive you crazy to be around an idiot like you?"
"I'm not a mama's boy! I just have an Oedipus complex!" Ethan could accept being called a mama's boy, but the term also implied his mother, so he couldn't help but defend himself, while his magic circle continued to be drawn: "I'm not the kind of person who will never grow up because of my mother!"
"Why aren't you?" Xingyun's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. "I heard you wanted to protect your mother, and then you died. See if you'll never grow up?"
"..."
This willpower is insane!
Both Starfall and Novigrad's Will have cold personalities, while the Will of Sunfire is the only one with such a mean and speechless personality.
Lord Xingyun's face paired with this personality is truly awful.
From this moment on, Ethan felt he had to hate everything connected to his world, including the Sunfire Will of his own world.
I hate people who have a familiar face and start spouting nonsense. It's one thing to be annoying with their words, but what's with charging at me like they're crazy?
Ethan couldn't resist and unleashed a powerful move he had only recently learned.
With a bang, the smoke dissipated, and the fallen star was nowhere to be seen.
That's it...?
What seems like an insurmountable mountain can actually be crossed with a simple jump.
Something's not right, it seems weaker than I thought?
Does the city's will have such weak power? Or is it not the city's will at all?
Ignoring everything else, Ethan rejoined the fight against Duns, and as his companion was knocked away, he quickly cast a healing spell.
Although they were being knocked away very quickly, one after another, they were also very persistent. They would fly back as soon as they were knocked away, and with Ethan occasionally throwing in some healing magic, they were able to hold off Donus.
While Ethan was throwing healing spells whenever he could find an opening, he was even able to multitask and throw other spells at Duns.
Duns grew increasingly enraged with each attack.
Although each of these guardians was no match for him individually, they were like cockroaches that could not be killed, pouncing again and again. Even if they were knocked away, they would quickly get back up. It was a fighting style that was simply reckless.
Surprisingly, during the battle that had been going on for quite some time, he had sustained some minor injuries, with golden blood flowing from the wounds.
"You! You're asking for death!!" Duns roared, and an even more chilling, powerful force surged from his body, attacking everyone.
Ethan created a protective shield, but it was too late, and he inflicted minor wounds on several people.
Nadia wasn't afraid at all. Like a small cannonball, she charged straight at Don's face, her small but sharp claws scratching his face.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Duns cursed incessantly, then seized the opportunity to grab Nadia: "I was planning to turn you into a little roast chicken, but now you've turned me into chicken paste!"
Just as he was about to crush Nadia, Reena swiftly flew into his blind spot and extended her equally sharp claws.
"Aaaaah! You damned chicken!" Duns roared in fury, golden blood streaming from his eyes. "Die—"
What a pity... we couldn't gouge his eyeballs out. Reena thought inappropriately as she dodged his hands.
Owen reacted quickly and headbutted him in the stomach. Besides gradually discovering his ability to control zombies as he leveled up, his strength was also astonishing.
Almost simultaneously, Tenas also pecked several times at the hand that was holding Nadia. He was a powerful guardian, and his pecking was not only stronger than that of an ordinary chick, but he could even peck through stone.
Donus winced in pain, and his grip loosened unconsciously. Nadia slipped out and flew away from him.
Taking advantage of the fact that Reena had just injured Donus's eye, Nadia punched him directly, even knocking Donus's head to the side.
While Don't was paying attention, Ethan created a passage beneath Don't's feet, with several tentacles tightly wrapped around Don't, trying to drag him down.
Donus was slashed in the eye, hit hard in the stomach, punched in the face, and something kept trying to drag him inside, making him sway precariously.
He quickly regained his composure, kicked Owen hard, and tore off the tentacles. His injured eyes slowly regained their sight.
My vision was filled with gold, and I couldn't see people very clearly, but I could still make out their silhouettes.
Donus appeared with many sharp spikes as long as his arm, densely packed together as if there were hundreds of them. Their tips were pointed at Donus, and before he had a chance to react, they quickly pierced him.
Donus reacted just as the needles were about to hit him, conjuring up a protective shield that bent the spikes against it.
Ethan didn't delay any longer and used every spell he could think of on himself.
The same goes for Ternas and Nadia. The two of them worked together to fight Dunus, flexibly changing positions. They didn't suffer any injuries themselves, but instead inflicted some new wounds on Dunus.
Yaroslava initially wanted to engage in hand-to-hand combat, but later found that she was being beaten down faster than Bitnas and Nadia, so she could only retreat to a safe distance and occasionally launch sneak attacks.
The chicks all possess the same strength. Ethan, a magician, chooses ranged attacks, making him a power-type offensive warrior. Tenas and Nadia, on the other hand, are melee fighters and fly exceptionally fast.
As for Nadia, she is a leader who is responsible for guiding her companions in battle when necessary, and she will also personally participate in the battle.
Bertha used her strength to form a rope, threaded it behind Donus, and tightened the rope more and more.
Feeling suffocated, Donus exerted force, and the rope snapped.
Dunus was thoroughly fed up with these things that didn't do much damage but were incredibly troublesome. The attacks they inflicted weren't strong, but he couldn't eliminate them all at once.
These cunning little creatures can also cooperate to cover each other and evade his attacks.
How ridiculous! Do they really think he's some kind of good-tempered person?
Donus raised his fist, which was as big as an adult's head, and punched Ternus.
Tenas quickly used his hand to defend himself, but the force was so great that he took a step back without moving. Then came Donus's second and third punches, each punch making a whooshing sound and kicking up clouds of dust and flying stones.
Despite his agile movements, Tenas still took several punches and flew hundreds of meters away, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Tenas casually wiped his face with the back of his hand, then stood up again and attacked Donus.
Although it must be said that Duns' attacks were very difficult to block, and he might not have been able to withstand even one punch before he gained these powers, he did not feel that he was seriously injured.
Although they are still far from being as powerful as Dunus, the power within their bodies is not to be underestimated. Tenas felt himself getting more and more excited as he fought, getting more and more into the zone, and becoming more and more courageous despite being knocked away.
He was now filled with fighting spirit, thinking about how to cooperate with everyone to make Donus suffer even more injuries.
They had no idea how much time had passed; they only knew that the power they wielded with each strike was greater than the last.
Ethan and Ethan joined forces to trap Dunus in place, and the power-type guardians swarmed in, all unleashing their strongest abilities to attack multiple times in the shortest amount of time.
This really worked. At least after Donus broke free from their restraints, he became even angrier and more disheveled, with more and more wounds appearing.
Even when Turnas and Ethan joined forces, they delivered a heavy blow to his abdomen, from which a steady stream of blood gushed forth.
Don's was truly enraged.
He was no longer eight feet tall; instead, his body slowly twisted and grew longer, becoming about twelve feet tall, as tall as a small mountain.
It wasn't just Dunus's physical appearance that changed; he also became increasingly ruthless. Turnas seriously suspected that what he had just experienced wasn't his full strength, and that this was his true power.
Now, one punch from Dunus could send Tenas flying at least a kilometer.
Several times the chicks almost slipped out of his hands and were nearly smashed into mincemeat.
They flew a little further away, still somewhat shaken, feeling as if they had brushed shoulders with death many times.
As Ternas rode on Donus's back, trying to twist off his arm, he deftly dodged Donus's hands that were groping around trying to grab him, and with a snap, Donus's arm twisted in a very bizarre position.
Before they could even celebrate, the dislocated arm bone snapped and popped, and miraculously, it was back to normal.
Damn it! Why doesn't this work? But their battles do?
Could it be power? Because the power remains on Don's wound, the healing speed will be infinitely slow, unlike a sprain that heals quickly in a few seconds.
To verify their suspicions, Turner and Ethan worked together again, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound on Donus's right arm.
Very good! There's hardly any sign of healing.
Ethan kept changing positions, seemingly dodging Don's attacks, but actually secretly drawing a magic circle. This was a very common tactic he used to confuse the enemy in battle; he pretended to dodge, but in reality, he would make the enemy suffer once he finished drawing the magic circle.
The magic circle activated, locking onto Dunus and increasing the pressure on Dunus's weight many times over. Dunus swayed slightly, but he was unsteady and did not fall as Ethan had imagined.
It's a pity. I thought I could at least stall for a bit, even if it was just for a few seconds while he was on the ground. Those few seconds would have allowed Duns to take a few more punches.
After several unsuccessful attempts to confront the twelve-inch Dunus, Yaroslava could only retreat in disappointment, attempting to use her time-based abilities.
Now that her power has been strengthened, the constraints on her power that were previously limited might be reduced, and perhaps she could even manipulate time.
Yaroslava retreated to a safe distance, locked onto her target Donus, and began to use her abilities to make Donus age rapidly, causing his abilities, physical strength, and all his stats to decline.
Yaroslava's abilities were dwindling, and she was shocked to discover that Donus's actions seemed to have slowed down. However, Yaroslava also paid a price, feeling more and more of her life force draining away, and the skin on her hands slowly losing its elasticity. She was getting old.
This is the limitation she faces: whatever he does to the object of his manipulation will also affect her.
Ethan noticed that Donus's actions had become sluggish, and after taking a moment to look around, he discovered that it was Yaroslava who was behind it.
Okay! Then he should take this opportunity to do as much as he can.
Let him see... how about I put him in a chokehold and throw him over my shoulder?
Um……
Ethan looked left and right, but couldn't find Duns' neck anywhere.
When he was eight feet tall, you could still see some of his neck, but now that he's twelve feet tall, you can't see his neck at all; he's just a mountain of flesh.
Dons! Where's your neck?! I can't find it anywhere! How did he manage to throw you over his shoulder like that?
To be honest, Ethan was starting to miss Donales's eight-foot frame.
Nadia channeled her power into her claws, and while the others were distracting Don'ers, she viciously clawed at Don'ers' right eye, tearing out a round, bloody object.
Duns screamed in agony, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Don'ts flailed his arms wildly, trying to drive Nadia away or grab her. But Nadia wouldn't let him have his way. Taking advantage of the chaos, she grabbed his left eye again, successfully gouging out both of Don'ts' eyes.
Just now, Reena was lamenting to her during the battle that she hadn't managed to gouge out Don's eyes. Since Reena wanted it, how could Nadia, being a caring little chick, not grant her wish?
Nadia could even be described as somewhat proud and held her head high, and Reena, not to be outdone, gave her a look of surprise.
Hehe, she's the best little chick.
Since Don't can't see, the attack has a greater advantage.
Donus suffered several heavy blows in a short period of time, but he quickly adapted to the darkness, even able to catch their voices, dodge their attacks, and then fight back.
However, he still sustained many injuries.
He was completely driven mad.
He attacked them like a madman, recklessly. Although the wounds they inflicted could be described as serious, he seemed to have entered a state of rage where his strength had greatly increased, making him truly unbeatable.
They dodged and weaved in a sorry state, but still suffered quite a few injuries.
Is this the true power of Dunus, who has seized power from so many worlds? This kind of boss-fighting strength, please don't show up! They don't need it! If they die, they're really dead.
Even when several of them teamed up to try and inflict more damage on Duns, they were all eventually defeated by his indiscriminate attacks. Although they quickly got up, they were quickly defeated again.
Are they doing sit-ups? Ethan thought to himself inappropriately, then rolled a few times on the ground in pain to dodge Duns's attack. Several bottomless cracks instantly appeared where he had been lying.
“The situation is terrible,” Tenas said to Bertha, who was also in a very bad state and seriously injured, as he struggled to half-squat while vomiting blood.
Nadia kept charging forward, and she was the most seriously injured person there. The funeral was in such a terrible state, it was shocking that she was still able to get up. Tenas couldn't even imagine how much pain she was in.
"With all our combined strength, we can only bring him to this severely injured state." Bertha dodged the boulder thrown by Duns. "To deliver the final blow, we're still not strong enough."
Turner was not willing to accept it!
After everyone worked together for so long and finally managed to bring Dunus to its current weakened state, it was just one step away from victory.
“…I’ll do it. I’ll deliver the final blow.” Nadia got up from the ground and wiped the dust off her face.
“How could you possibly give him your final blow…” Turnas didn’t quite understand at first, but he stopped mid-sentence, his expression changing instantly: “No! Nadia! Are you crazy!”
“This is the best option.” Nadia dodged Dunus’s attack, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and her gaze was more determined than ever before: “We can’t think of any better way. Even if we all joined forces, we couldn’t beat him. We would be killed by him sooner or later. No one can say for sure whether he will die first or we will die first. We can’t gamble anymore.”
"What are you doing? Have you been watching too much anime?! Reina told you to stop watching those self-sacrificing protagonists, didn't she? Do you think you're the protagonist? Always managing to escape danger?" Turner couldn't help but argue with her: "Do you think you're Nagisa Shiota?"
“Just as Bertha said.” Nadia’s aura rose steadily, and an increasingly powerful force surged from her body: “Perhaps this is fate. My injuries are severe. If I lose this power within me, I will surely die instantly. I know my body better than anyone else; it is this power that sustains me.”
"Nadia!!!" Tenas shouted his friend's name, trying to stop her in her tracks, but to no avail.
“Please apologize to Reina for me, Tenas.” Nadia smiled at him. “I promised her before I traveled through time that I would return safely. It seems I can’t keep my promise to her, and I can’t celebrate her birthday this year either. I believe that even if I’m not here, you will continue what I didn’t finish and support those children.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around without hesitation and charged towards Duns at lightning speed.
With all her power concentrated in her hands, Nadia drew ever closer to Dunus.
Five meters, four meters, three meters, two meters, one meter.
Time seemed to slow down at this moment, almost standing still.
Reina ran past Donus's position.
"Pfft—"
Blood splattered as Don's massive head slowly fell to the ground. His empty chest caused his body to stagger a few steps before collapsing heavily, unable to support itself any longer.
Nadia also fell along with Dunus. Her body could no longer support her, and she collapsed limply, blood gushing from her mouth.
Even so, she still managed to give her friends a smile in the end.
"No—Nadia—" Tenas's voice was no longer as calm as before; it became sharp and even cracked. His clear eyes reflected Nadia's last faint smile.
"Boom—"
With a sound like a balloon exploding, Nadia's figure vanished into nothingness. Tenas watched helplessly as Nadia, whom he had grown up with since childhood, disintegrated and disappeared, his mind blank and his expression bewildered.
Na...Dia?
Nadia!!!
As Donus's body fell, many points of light emerged from his body, quickly scattering in all directions and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Ternas knelt on the ground, his hands supporting him, blood from his abdomen slowly soaking his clothes, but he paid no heed to that. His pupils trembled with disbelief, his face more ashen than ever before.
What to do? What to do? Nadia is dead...
What about Reina? He failed to protect Nadia... Nadia used her unusable powers for the final blow.
She's dead...
Turner's vision gradually became blurred.
Memories of Nadia seemed to float into my mind.
Nadia, a tomboy who was loud and boisterous as a child, is surprisingly thoughtful at times, and she would help him out when Rena wasn't very welcoming of him joining them.
He has no secrets from Reina and can't help but tell her everything, then looks at Nadia with a guilty expression.
Nadia is a little girl with a strong sense of empathy; she will even cry when a small animal dies.
As she grew up, Nadia dedicated her time, energy, and money to charity work, consistently supporting sick children and those in orphanages.
Donus's death should have been a cause for celebration, but on this ravaged battlefield, the living and the things around them were unusually quiet, all watching with a sense of sadness as Tenas lost control of his emotions after losing Nadia, whom he had grown up with since childhood and who was not his biological sister but was as close to her as a biological sister.
They were just one step away from victory, and then they lost their partner; they were devastated.
The chicks' heads drooped one by one, and their feathers, which were no longer soft and shiny, became dull and lackluster.
“Miss Nadia…can’t we let her reincarnate or something?” Ethan whispered sadly to Bertha.
“I don’t know. I don’t know if there’s any remnant of her soul, because those powers were too strong. Not only could her body not withstand them, but her soul couldn’t either.” Bertha said with some difficulty, “Her body shattered and turned into dust in this world. Because it doesn’t belong to this world, it’s very difficult for me to track it down. Of course, that is, if Nadia still has any remnants of her soul. I will keep an eye out for it later, and if I find any, I will send it back.”
Ethan paused for a moment: "So that's why she drew the tarot cards back then..."
“That was fate telling her the final outcome,” Bertha said. “The first time she drew Death, the second time she drew the Tower.”
All of them are bad cards.
Ethan didn't say anything more.
Miss Nadia... he pushed...
Two hours later, after Turner had composed himself, Ethan and the others treated him as needed, even though he had been lying motionless on the ground.
Everything was over. The chicks opened the portal and returned to their own world. After a brief farewell, Ethan and his companions, along with Bertha's clone, silently stepped into the portal, preparing to return to their own world.
Stepping out of the portal, they were connected to the Guardian Base of Ethan's world.
Tenas took out his phone, which he had stored in his spatial storage. The phone automatically connected to the base's Wi-Fi as soon as it appeared, and Tenas slowly tapped to open it.
Time changed, and after reconnecting to the local network, the phone's time quickly jumped to two months before their departure.
After browsing for a while and confirming that the world had resumed normal operation, Ternas slowly put his phone away.
Soon, the hall doors opened, and Reina arrived with a group of people.
Reina was initially delighted; even without a smile, the joy was evident in her eyes. But this joy quickly vanished.
Her gaze swept over everyone three times with disbelief, finally settling on Tenas and meeting his empty eyes.
“Tenas,” Reina asked calmly, “Where is Nadia?”
Turner's lips trembled slightly, but he didn't speak.
Reina closed her eyes tightly, trying to suppress the sour feeling, but she couldn't.
"I understand." Finally, the Guardian leader said, "You have done a good job and restored the world to its former order."
Ethan eagerly searched for Selene's location and found her at home.
Ethan hid where the surveillance cameras couldn't reach, watching Selene's every move with longing, like a lost puppy that had found its way home again, looking extremely pitiful.
Mom is still so alive and well... That's wonderful.
"Well done." A soft voice came from behind Ethan. Ethan turned around abruptly and found it was Starfall. He even showed a smile that wasn't mocking or cold, but a faint smile with satisfaction in his eyes. This was the first time Ethan had seen Starfall like this.
Ethan's eyes lit up at the compliment, but then he thought of the worlds he had traveled to during this time travel, of his lost companions, and of his favorite guardian, Nadia, all of whom had died on their journey to restore the world.
“Guardians have to go through these things.” Starfall knew what he was thinking and offered him rare words of comfort: “The loss of familiar companions is unavoidable. Even if you are very powerful, you cannot guarantee that you can protect them before every accident.”
Even a guardian cannot guarantee that they can save everyone every time. Even Starfall cannot guarantee that he really wants to keep everyone who wants to stay, although such a person has not yet appeared.
“But… Miss Nadia’s departure still saddens me greatly.” Ethan said listlessly, showing little sign of being comforted. “She was my favorite guardian…”
Starfall raised an eyebrow; this was the first time he had ever heard that Ethan had some kind of damn favorite guardian.
Never mind, that's not important.
“Listen, Ethan,” Starfall looked at him. “Even if you are a Guardian, you can’t save everyone. You need to know that, and stop being so sad.”
Ethan could only nod, still not really listening.
“I’ve seen what you’ve done on this journey. You’re growing up,” Starfall said. “Well done, Ethan. Perhaps in two more years, you’ll be strong enough to find your mother and tell her everything.”
"Really?!" This sentence was more effective than anything else. Ethan, who had been somewhat dejected, suddenly raised his head, temporarily forgetting his unpleasant thoughts after hearing this: "Lord Starfall?"
Starfall nodded, pleased to see Ethan temporarily forget his sorrows.
Ethan has really grown up.
It seems like only yesterday that Ethan was a timid, socially awkward, and insecure individual. Now, he has experienced a lot and is a qualified guardian.
This change was like a complete transformation. Only Starfall could clearly see the difference between Ethan at the beginning and Ethan now, which gave him a strange sense of pride.
It's really strange. He's just grown up a bit, so why does he have that strange feeling?
Xingyun frowned, then ignored the strange feeling.
It's already a great achievement that he has been able to grow.
Starfall took one last look at Ethan, whose eyes were sparkling as he watched Selene chop vegetables and cook, before disappearing from the spot.
In the distance, half the sky was dyed orange-red by the afterglow of the setting sun, like clusters of burning clouds, and the rising moon could be faintly seen.
Today was a peaceful day, for most people.
-----------------------
Author's Note: *Nagisa Shiota, a character from Assassination Classroom, once carried a specially made bomb to assassinate the teacher.
After seven months, it's finally finished. Although the writing is a bit hard to describe, and I may have to revise it frequently, I'm still glad I finished it.
The main story is now complete; the next updates will include some short side stories.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
