Chapter 38

Ashe's POV

"That's why… In the end… It was your mother's final request to me to kill her." Vivian coughed up blood on the ground. I could sense her life force fading away fast and her mana core almost empty. The light in her eyes was becoming dim. Her hand struggled to move, but she reached my face and cupped my face, caressing it while wiping away the tears falling from my eyes. "I'm sorry… I truly didn't want to kill your mother. I'm… sorry…"

Her warm hands cupping my face dropped on the floor, so as life left her eyes. I was left alone on the floor, tears rolling from my eyes down to my cheeks until they reached the corpse. It was real… She was real… The auntie that I knew was real. Every memory I had with her wasn't just a facade. They were her true self.

I cried as loud as I could, mourning for the loss of the only person that was closest to my mother. The only person in this world that truly loved me when I was a kid. The only person that was there for me whenever my mother was on the battlefield. Aunt Vivian was my true friend…

And here I was, being devoured by hatred. My lust for her demise died, replaced with sadness. That sadness soon was replaced with hatred for myself. If only I knew… Then I would've not attacked her at all and she would probably still have the strength to fight against Nashia.

She died protecting me.

She died because of me.

She died for my mother.

I can't imagine leaving many years filled with regret and sadness.

"I'm sorry, auntie." Those were the only words I could muster to say. Crying or apologizing won't bring her back, I know that.

Vivian's corpse gleamed in white light. Her Holy Mana leaves her lifeless body as a white sphere. The sphere floated in front of me. As I reached for the white sphere filled with Holy Mana, I was expecting for my Dark Mana to reject it. However, Dark and Holy Mana accepted each other. The two opposing mana slowly combined, but no matter how much they accepted each other, they were clashing against each other as they were the opposite of one another. But, the Spirit of Light and Strength that I had obtained embraced the two opposing forces, suppressing them until the three forces became one.

A strong surge of mana was flowing through me. My body became light at first, then it slowly became heavy for me to stand up. A pillar of gray light formed onto me and a powerful shockwave blasted everything around me as my body and mana core went into second Renewal. My flesh and bones were being destroyed once again and regenerated, while my core was draining all the mana it has for the new mana to fill it in. The Renewal shook the whole tower. While I was in the process of Renewal, demons tried to come after me. But due to the powerful amount of magic I was released, none was able to reach me and instead, they were obliterated by the heavy winds dancing around me.

Soon, my heart was destroyed. Instead, it was replaced with a purple crystal beating similarly like my previous heart. The only difference is that this crystal heart was being fueled not by my blood, but by my mana.

The Renewal went on for about an hour. After the Renewal, I roared to the top of my lungs, echoing my voice throughout the tower for Nashia to hear. I released a powerful force that pushed away every demon from me while my killing intent was so strong that the tower began to tremble at my presence.

My mind only wants one thing: to kill Nashia and to be the one to fulfill this prophecy. Right now, at least I know that my mother was still alive somewhere outside the world as a Spirit, protecting all the realms from otherworldly beings. I'm going to fulfill this prophecy so I could meet my mother once more.

Holy Mana, Dark Mana, and Spirit of Light and Strength were combined together, becoming a new mana that not even the whole world had ever seen. For some reason, I feel like the whole world is on my palms. I could feel all living beings' life forces and their mana. I could see around the air a mix of thick and thin threads of differing colors of magic based on a living being's attributes. What's more, I could see every living beings' souls and hear their hearts beating.

I clenched my fist and let out a powerful force that made the tower shake hard once more. Dusts and stones were raining down from the ceilings, but none hit me as I was being protected by an invisible magic that I could only see.

The last tears fell from my cheeks.

Hatred against Nashia filled every living cell in my body.

They were screaming one word: slaughter.

That was the plan anyways. I'll avenge you, Vivian. And thank you for telling me the truth in the end. Nashia's head will be my gift for you.

Then I began to fly to the last floor of this tower, where Nashia was waiting for me to arrive. As I slowly descended on the last floor, Nashia was sitting on a mountain of corpse while licking her sharp claws.

"So, you have finally arrived." Nashia slowly stood and approached me with a smirk. Her eyes were lusting at me.

"Do you have any last words before I kill you?" I approached her as well while I summoned a sword on my hand and weaving spells on the other.

Nashia laughed. "It was nice knowing you, little Ashe."

Then we clashed once more, shaking the whole tower as we fought with no intentions of showing mercy to one another.