Chapter 409: Tell Kiana that her dad will always love her!

Just then, the Herrscher of the Void suddenly said,

"Human, you'd better be telling the truth. If you're lying... next time I wake up, I'll make sure you beg for death!"

With that, the Herrscher of the Void closed her eyes and returned control of the body to Kiana☆, entering a state of slumber.

Seeing Kiana☆ swaying uncontrollably, Fu Lin quickly stepped forward and gently caught her in his arms, finally letting out a breath of relief.

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At that moment, Kiana☆'s consciousness gradually awakened. She slowly opened her eyes, looking dazedly at everything around her.

When she looked up at Fu Lin, whose appearance had drastically changed, she couldn't help but show a confused expression, completely unaware of what had happened.

'Why is Fu Lin here, and why does he look like that…?'

At the same time, upon seeing Kiana☆ wake up, Siegfried finally relaxed his tense nerves. Dragging his exhausted body, he trudged toward Kiana☆, his voice hoarse and weak as he softly called out,

"Kiana☆…"

Hearing Siegfried's voice, Kiana☆ was pulled back to reality. She turned her head and saw Siegfried walking toward her.

As her gaze shifted, Kiana☆'s eyes widened, her azure pupils trembling intensely, her face full of disbelief.

She silently stared at the place where Siegfried's left hand used to be, feeling a storm of emotions surging in her heart that refused to calm. She murmured in her mind,

'Dad… he's hurt? His left hand is gone…'

Kiana☆ was filled with confusion and anxiety, not understanding why her father was suddenly injured and missing a hand. All she remembered was a bunch of beautiful ladies trying to capture her…

Even though she tried to recall what had happened, her thoughts were a tangled mess, impossible to sort out.

However, just as Kiana☆ struggled to remember what had occurred while she was unconscious, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, as if weighed down by a thousand pounds.

Though she tried hard to stay awake, exhaustion surged over her like a tidal wave. In the end, she couldn't hold on any longer. Her eyes shut tight, and she once again slipped into unconsciousness.

Fu Lin gently leaned Kiana☆ against a large tree, his movements soft and careful, afraid to disturb the unconscious girl.

Then he turned around and looked at Siegfried, who had followed behind.

Siegfried now looked extremely weak. Due to severe blood loss, his face was deathly pale, and the bloodstains on his cheeks had long since dried.

Even so, Siegfried calmly gazed at Kiana☆, as if he had something important to say.

Fu Lin patted Siegfried on the shoulder and said earnestly,

"Mr. Siegfried, whatever you want to say, wait until Kiana☆ wakes up. The urgent matter now is to find your severed limb and stop the bleeding. I can help you reattach it."

Siegfried nodded, knowing this wasn't the time for words. He wearily leaned against the tree and sat down, his eyes fixed on the blue sky, letting out a deep sigh.

After a while, Siegfried pointed at a dark, indistinct long object in the distance. His eyes were calm as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself.

However, his voice carried a trace of helplessness and bitterness, as if he didn't care about his lost left hand, but was more pained by the current situation.

"That's my severed arm."

Fu Lin nodded, then slowly walked forward. He reached out with his right hand to pick up the severed limb, but just as his fingertips touched it, the object was blown away by the wind and quickly vanished into the air.

Fu Lin stood frozen, his mouth agape, still bent over in the action of picking it up, until Siegfried's hearty laughter came from behind and brought him back to his senses.

Hearing Siegfried laugh so openly, Fu Lin couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth. He looked speechlessly at Siegfried, who had stopped laughing but still wore a smile, silently muttering,

'Come on, that was your hand! How can you still laugh about it?'

Siegfried seemed to sense Fu Lin's gaze. He waved his only remaining hand and explained with a laugh,

"Haha, I already knew it would be like this. But it's fine. It was severed anyway—no big deal."

After a slight pause, Siegfried continued,

"Come to think of it, I should thank the Second Herrscher for cutting off my arm. Otherwise, I would've burned to ashes from the backlash of Heavenly Fire."

Fu Lin shook his head helplessly, inwardly admiring Siegfried's optimism.

"Uh… let me treat your wound first."

As he spoke, Fu Lin walked over to Siegfried. A soft, warm white light glowed between his hands, gently covering Siegfried's severed arm.

As the white light flickered, Siegfried's wound began to heal at a visible rate. Before long, it had scabbed over and the scab naturally fell off, revealing newly grown skin.

If not for the missing left hand, it was as if he had never been injured.

A hint of surprise flashed in Siegfried's eyes. He pondered for a moment and couldn't help but ask,

"As expected of the Celestial Immortal—your skills are impressive. That injury from a year ago was intentional too, wasn't it? What were you aiming for?"

Fu Lin answered firmly,

"For Kiana☆."

Upon hearing this, Siegfried's wary gaze returned to Fu Lin. But Fu Lin calmly spread his hands and explained,

"Don't look at me like that. I mean no harm to you. After spending a year together—if I truly had bad intentions, I would've taken Kiana☆ long ago."

Siegfried remained silent for a moment, staring seriously at Fu Lin as if trying to see into his soul.

He no longer addressed him as the Celestial Immortal, but reverted to his old way of speaking, with a tone mixed with helplessness and probing,

"…You brat, can I trust you?"

Fu Lin smiled slightly. From the way Siegfried addressed him, he knew the man had begun to lower his guard. Without hesitation, he replied,

"Of course."

Siegfried struggled to his feet using the tree for support. His trembling hand slowly reached into the pocket on his chest, pulling out a card to hand to Fu Lin.

"The Herrscher of the Void hates me to the bone. Staying by Kiana☆'s side would only bring her harm. I leave her to you. I'll deposit money into this card every month for your living expenses."

Then, he fixed his gaze on the great sword standing upright in the earth.

Fu Lin frowned slightly and warned with concern,

"Mr. Siegfried, Heavenly Fire… cough, I mean your weapon should be used as little as possible. Next time, its backlash might cost your life."

Siegfried walked over and gently caressed the crimson blade. His eyes were filled with unmatched determination and resolve.

He then gripped the hilt tightly, slowly drawing the great sword from its sheath, and raised it high, its tip pointing toward the sky. His voice was low and firm, as if declaring to the entire world,

"I know. But to protect the one I love most, I'm willing to load my life into the sword."

Fu Lin retrieved a book from the system space and flung it forcefully. It streaked across the air like a shooting star and landed precisely in Siegfried's hand. With a smile, he said,

"Your resolve earns my respect. This is a body-tempering manual. Once cultivated to mastery, your body will shine with golden light, become impervious to blades, swift as the wind, and capable of breaking all spells with a single punch. It'll reduce your reliance on that sword."

After saying this, Fu Lin thought to himself,

'If that sword is ever seized by World Serpent, at least Mr. Siegfried won't be weakened from losing his weapon.'

'More importantly, rather than letting this manual collect dust in the system space, it's better to give it to Siegfried. Maybe he'll go easier on me in the future. I really am a genius.'

Siegfried casually glanced at the manual in his hand, then stuffed it into the pocket at his waist.

Before leaving, he looked at Kiana☆ one last time.

He then waved his arm. Though reluctant, that feeling surged in his chest like a tide and could only manifest as a bitter smile at the corner of his lips. He strode into the distance, loudly shouting,

"Tell Kiana☆ that her dad will always love her! Hahahahaha!"

As hearty laughter echoed through the air, Siegfried's figure grew smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing beyond the distant horizon.