abcnovels
Chapter 3.11
Chapter 3.11
Chapter 3.11
During the trial, Osmund continually insists that Sui Yuan’s only crime is awakening the source of darkness. With the Holy Son stubbornly sheltering the elf, the judge does not sentence him to death. The purification ritual is still compulsory, of course, but what comes next will have to wait until the process is over. If his ’original personality’ is reinstated, then the judge will accept the Holy Son’s request, making him Sui Yuan’s guardian. If his evil nature still remains, then what awaits him is an execution.
Everyone present quietly accepts this verdict, including Sui Yuan who is simply waiting for an opportunity to escape and seek death.As according to the original story, the security detail within the shrine tasked with guarding Nardred is extremely strict, which is why his sole chance of escaping is during the ritual itself. Hence, Sui Yuan allows the day of preparation for the ritual to pass smoothly and doesn’t put up a struggle when he is finally led to the altar.
The Heavenly race’s priests stand in formation, surrounding the altar as Sui Yuan is chained to the middle of their circle. Osmund, Aurora and the other holy knights position themselves a distance away from the altar, a few paces away from the only entrance of the shrine. The tranquil silence is heavy with nervous tension as everyone’s gaze is fixed attentively on the ritual, waiting with bated breath.
The priests begin to chant in unison, and the four crystals encircling the altar gradually emits resplendent, golden rays of light.
As the light magic creates a barrier enshrouding the entire altar, the holy chains binding Sui Yuan slowly unravels. Enveloped in light magic, an excruciating pain as though his flesh is being ripped apart piece by piece burns through his body. This level of agony is exactly the same as what he experienced that day, when he swallowed the source of darkness.
Gritting his teeth and pushing through the pain, Sui Yuan’s eyes fall on the crystal facing the east. According to the story, that area is the weakest point of the array. When the original Nardred bet his life in his final attempt to flee, he unexpectedly manages to reduce that crystal to smithereens, thus causing the barrier to collapse and the ritual to fail. Now, he has to target it in order for the scene to play out appropriately.
With a low snarl, a black blade materialises in Sui Yuan’s right hand. Aurora’s sobbing plea that he endures for a while longer is ignored as he hacks away at the tendrils of light reaching for him.
Brandishing the razor-sharp sword, he futilely tries to keep the endless streams of magic from wrapping around his limbs. Little by little, he inches towards the eastern side of the altar. As soon as he is within reach, he switches targets instantly, slicing out at the crystal rather than the ropes of light around his left arm.
"Not good!" A priest yells, but his warning comes too late. The crystal shatters immediately and the barrier collapses. A dark shadow flashes across the shrine, heading straight for the entrance. "Quick, catch him!"
Sui Yuan feels his power returning in full force the moment he steps away from the altar. Although his physical body is weak from being confined for a period of time, his magic alone is enough for him to put up a bit of a fight.
Not even sparing a single glance for the other guards charging forward to stop him, he heads directly towards his predestined opponent. Black blade clashes against golden sceptre, producing a sharp, ringing noise that echoes throughout the building upon collision. Anticipation flares in Sui Yuan’s eyes, but is completely disregarded by the other man.
Every strike and stab of his weapon allows the elf to advance, while Osmund retreats with each block and parry. One forcefully attacking and the other giving way. Seeing that they are nearly at the entrance of the shrine, Sui Yuan begins to worry.
Uncaring that he might be violating the rules, Sui Yuan murmurs lowly to remind this pig teammate of his to stick to the script. "Kill me!"
Giving a strained, bitter smile, Osmund returns his stare with an intense and gentle look. "How can I bear to kill you?"
"Don’t talk nonsense!" Sui Yuan almost got down on his knees to beg him. The climax is here but he wants to continue dragging things out?! Why is seeking death so difficult!!
Osmund refuses to answer, expression remaining the same. Sui Yuan really can’t tell how this male lead plans to conclude things with the supporting male lead.
Once again failing to get his colleague to act the scene out properly, he decides not to waste any more time on him. He has to die here, so if Osmund doesn’t plan on killing him, he will find someone else to do it. The ending for this villain BOSS absolutely must not be altered. Although dying in the hands of another means he is not following the plot, it would be better to let it happen than allowing the male lead to show this villain mercy. If Sui Yuan manages to escape the shrine, then it will be extremely disastrous for his career!
Having made the form resolve to die here, Sui Yuan switches target, breaking away from Osmund and lashing out at the closest holy knight. Although this person’s level is still far from the Holy Son’s, he will have to make do. Dodging Sui Yuan’s half-hearted strike, the knight unhesitantly brings his own blade up, aiming for the elf’s vitals. Sui Yuan nearly teared up in appreciation. That’s the way it should be!
Osmund frowns, quickly grasping Sui Yuan’s intentions when the latter disengage him and heads for a random holy knight. The minute he sees the elf not even attempting to block the fatal strike, he feels like spitting out blood. In a blink of an eye, he appears next to Sui Yuan, pulling him out of the way and parrying a few more attacks that would have claimed his (SY) life. Taking note of the aggravation in Sui Yuan’s glare, he can’t help sighing in his heart.
Apparently, he has decided to die here and will not accept anything less.
Thus, in the next second, the razor-sharp, black sword sinks into the Holy Son’s chest once again.
It penetrates through his body and out his back, staining the snow-white robes crimson on both ends of the wound. Fresh blood drips from the tip of the blade onto the pristine, marble tiles. A small, pained frown wrinkles the fair brow, but the soft smile doesn’t falter. Instead of retreating, he steps towards the stupefied elf, causing the sword to sink deeper.
"You - !" The elf’s eyes widen, scarlet eyes filled with disbelief. A splatter of Osmund’s blood stains his face as the Holy Son wraps an arm tightly around him. The other hand comes up to caress his bloodstained cheek as though placating a lost child, then Osmund leans forward and kisses his lips softly.
Shocked by this sudden change of events, everyone can only stare, dumbfounded. The interior of the shrine is absolutely silent; hence, Osmund’s soft murmur can be heard clearly by all.
"Since you wish to die, then I will accompany you. This time, I will leave first and wait in that world for you..."
Cradling Osmund close to his chest, the elf’s face is full of fright and panic as he tries to prevent the man from slipping away. In the end, he can only watch dazedly as those azure eyes gradually dim, a fond, affectionate smile still on his lips.
"No...Osmund?! How can you die! Why did you let me kill you?!" Sui Yuan collapses to his knees, Osmund’s lifeless corpse still resting in the crook of his arms. Anguish and despair coat his words, trembling fingers running lightly over the man’s face.
A second later, his face abruptly blanks, as though reaching a firm decision. Gripping the hilt of the sword that claimed Osmund’s life, he dislodges it from the other man’s body. One hand holding the cooling corpse to his bosom, he lifts the blade high in his other, sharp tip aimed at his own chest. As Aurora’s scream of "Don’t - !!" rips through the stillness, and the blade skewers cleanly through the elf’s heart.
A mouthful of blood spurts out between his lips. A couple of drops land on Osmund’s bloodless lips, painting it a captivating red.
"You bastard..." A choked whisper drifts through the air. His eyelids slowly slide shut, body toppling backwards into Aurora’s embrace, the swordswoman having sprinted over as soon as the elf turned the blade on himself.
"Nardred! Nardred!" Aurora attempts to staunch the heavy flow of blood gushing forth from the wound with a hand, but it all proves futile. With great difficultly, slightly unfocused scarlet eyes lock on hers, a strained laugh bubbling forth as he forces out two words. "I’m sorry..."
"Don’t say sorry - don’t say sorry! You didn’t wrong me, I am the one who erred - perhaps I was the cause of this..." Aurora sobs, praying with all her soul that the elf would live, that some miracle might occur. However, the only thing she can feel is Nardred’s heartbeat becoming weaker and weaker, until it finally stops altogether.
Kneeling on the floor with the elf in her arms and Osmund in his, the peaceful expressions on the faces of both corpses making one think they are only in deep sleep, Aurora is incapable of constraining her grief and sorrow. Burying her tear-stained face in Nardred’s long, black hair, she wails in misery and heartbreak, feeling as though she might drown under this crushing despair.
The holy knights around her stand in silence, at a loss of what should be done now. In the end, a priest turns around and walks slowly over to the closed double-door, unceremoniously pushing them open.
The air reeking of blood drifts out of the shrine, dispersing in the wind. In a distance, a massive, brass bell hanging in the spire above the clock tower chimes, once, twice... This mournful knell will guide the spirits of the deceased safely across the river to the shores of the Heavenly Kingdom, bringing along the hope that this tragic pair will obtain eternal bliss together in that world.
Fifty years later
"Master, you really want to bury Nardred’s ashes in the same tomb with Lord Osmund’s?" A young swordsman cradling a black urn in his arms asks worriedly. "The shrine priests will be hopping mad!"
"Ha! As if I care about what they think!" Although she is seventy years of age now, Aurora still retains the appearance and attitude of her thirty-year-old self - beautiful and energetic. With regards to her who has already become a God-level swordswoman, she still has a long future in front of her before it ends. Only, having been through a rough period in her early years, her eyes reflect her true age even if her outer appearance doesn’t. While she remains astute, she is no longer as headstrong as she was in her youth, and beneath her pride lies wisdom.
"I have been striving diligently for fifty years just to see this day! Do you know how difficult it is to achieve God-level? I pushed myself so far and hard just to attain the status needed to do as I please. So today, I will definitely fulfil my lifelong wish and promise!" Aurora waves a hand dismissively, hinting for her disciple to drop this argument. Heading straight for the shrine’s cemetery, she ignores the looks of anger on the priests’ faces, all but daring them to voice their displeasure.
In the middle of this cemetery stands a huge, white stele[1]. Directly beside stands a male swordsman. Although his appearance is rather shoddy, one look at his stance and sharp eyes betrays the level of his skill.
"Yo, Ghana. I’ll be troubling you!" Aurora calls out a friendly greeting as she carefully takes the black urn from her disciple. Dropping to one knee on the ground before the stele, she inserts it into a freshly dug hole next to a marked gravestone.
"This is the object you are so strongly attached to?" The man addressed as Ghana watches Aurora unsheathe her dagger and carve the name ’Nardred’ on the gravestone. "Never thought that you were also personally involved in that incident. During my travels, I heard a wandering minstrel sing about a love story between the Holy Son and a Demon King. I believe it is a song everyone has heard at least once before. That’s right, did everything unfold exactly like how the story tells it?"
"I suppose it’s more or less similar." Chuckling softly, Aurora smiles as nostalgia surfaces in her eyes. Then, an unsatisfied frown wrinkles her brow, as though resenting the fact that her carving is too ugly. Sheathing her dagger, she gets back to her feet.
"At that time, the priests refuse to allow you two to be buried together. But I believe the both of you wished it would be this way, right? Today, I have finally helped you accomplish it. Consider it as...my final responsibility as your friend. ...I hope this would be able to lighten the weight of my mistakes in the past..." Aurora murmurs as she stares at the gravestone. A second later, Ghana wraps a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"Now that you have fulfilled your wish, isn’t it time to give me an answer?" Ghana quirks an eyebrow, teasing tone scattering the lingering grief in Aurora’s heart. "You rejected me the last time by using the need to reach God-level as an excuse. It was simply too cruel."
"...Oi, I’ll have you know that my first love is here!" Gesturing with her chin towards the gravestone, she warns lightly.
"So what?" Ghana remains unmoved. "Lord Osmund is long dead. Moreover, he has a lover already! He is even willing to give up his life in order to be with his partner."
Aurora’s eyes dim a little. That fateful day, Nardred refused to go through the purification process, therefore, the only thing awaiting him is death. Not wishing to see Nardred die before his own eyes, Osmund decided to end his life first on the blade wielded by his beloved. He was probably very certain that after his death, Nardred will be unable to bear the pain and will choose to follow... As a result, Nardred killed Osmund, and Osmund used his death to guarantee Nardred’s own. Heh...really unwilling to let outsiders interfere between them even in death...
Sighing, Aurora pulls herself away from the sorrowful memories of her past, burying her emotions under.
"...Idiot, I can be bothered to deal with you!" She scoffs even as a blush rises under Ghana’s intense stare. Whirling on her heels, she stalks off. "Wait until the say you can beat me before bringing this up again! Wanting me to accept your pursuit? Do you have the qualifications?"
"Ai...it seems I need to put in more effort." Ghana laughs as he meanders behind the master and disciple duo. "Wanting to woo a talented, God-level swordswoman is a very arduous task..."
The author has something to say: The end of another world with a tragic conclusion...
A lot of readers say they didn’t like the female lead in the beginning...well, do you like her now?
Footnotes:
[1] Stele: a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected in the ancient world as a monument.