NOVEL NEXT Chapter 205: Is That...?
"I wanted to watch a show, but it seems I will have to kill both of you here and now," Sunny said, his voice flat. This foe, even in her defeat, was too dangerous to leave alive. He held out his hand, and the energy in the air coalesced into the form of the same needle he had used to attack the Ogre.
'I deal continuous attack damage with all my attacks... Just think of the damage I will cause if I attack with one of my strongest skills,' he thought, his plan forming.
'The fight stops here.'
He released the needle. It shot toward Xanor, piercing the air with a faint, lethal hiss.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
"How dare you?!!!"
A voice thundered, an impossibly powerful sound that echoed with the raw authority of a higher realm, drowning out the collapsing rubble.
The now-clearing sky, suddenly split open. A massive, pure silver sword, radiating a cold, spirit energy, shot down from the heavens. It met Sunny's needle in mid-air and shattered it into glittering, harmless particles of light.
"…What is this power?!" Sunny was stunned. His concentrated attack had been casually negated.
The sword didn't stop. It kept moving, descending toward Sunny with impossible speed, who reflexively created a shimmering, multi-layered Barrier around himself.
BAM!!!
The silver sword impacted the shield, and the layered barrier of pure spirit energy shattered instantly, like fragile glass. The force of the impact slammed into Sunny, throwing his body backward, skipping across the broken courtyard.
BAM!
Sunny landed hard on his feet, skidding to a halt, a line of blood trailing from his lip. He looked up at the impossible weapon, his eyes filled with shock and a blazing intensity.
The white sword, humming with residual power, flew back. It hovered above Xanor and the unconscious Shadow Eyes, circling them with dizzying speed. A flash of pure, blinding light erupted, and before Sunny's very eyes, the two figures vanished, leaving only the still-flying silver sword behind.
"Who are you?!" Sunny yelled into the echoing silence, moving his gaze around the ruined, smoke-filled stronghold.
BOOOM!
Sunny looked up at the sky, as the clouds coalesced into an enormous, ethereal projection. It was the face of a lady, impossibly beautiful, with long, wind-whipped green hair and eyes that shone with the light of distant stars. She stared down at him, her expression a mix of disbelief and potent interest.
"You blocked my attack," the lady's ethereal voice reverberated across the planet. She smiled, a predatory curve of her lips.
"Get stronger, and meet me in the Upper World! Let's have a good rematch."
The lady, also the First Pillar under the Wendigos' King, nodded once. Her sword vanished, and her face began to fade.
"I will be waiting. I don't easily forget faces." She said, her final words a promise and a threat. Then she was gone.
The dark remnants of the Shadow Soul-Destroying Formation dissipated, and the sky cleared, returning to its tranquil blue.
"Is that…?" Sunny blinked, his surprise quickly turning into a calculated understanding. The green hair, the eyes, the voice...
"Is that… Olivia?"
Sunny stood paralyzed, his mind racing to reconcile the image of the woman he just saw with the memory of Star's friend—a ghost lost on the mission that had stolen his parents. He'd carried her memory, a burden of the dead. And now, she was alive.
"Olivia is alive, and she is the first pillar of the Wendigos?" he muttered, the profound disbelief twisting his face.
"God Wolf... It seems you know her."
Sunny turned. Leonardo stood by the shattered gate, his hidden blade, safely sheathed. He felt a flash of irritation—the old man's omnipresence was a constant, unnerving factor.
'This old man has been standing outside and watching everything all this while... But there are things I need to take care of. Things that matter more than him.' Sunny thought, his gaze sweeping the ruined fortress. His shock gave way to an icy resolve.
"From now onwards... This planet belongs to Eldoria." The words were not a declaration; they were an absolute command. He snapped his fingers, and the flag of Eldoria erupted into existence, its banner a vivid, majestic contrast to the dust and wreckage.
"I will see you soon." He spoke the threat simply, without heat, and then vanished.
Leonardo watched the spot where Sunny had been, a slow smile spreading across his lips:
"He knows that lady," he murmured, his eyes lingering on the imposing flag.
"What a dangerous couple."
He opened his hand. A tiny, perfect sphere of pure light coalesced, and he dropped it to the ground. After a final, assessing look at the stronghold—now Eldoria's property—he too vanished.
BOOM!!!
The sphere detonated. The shockwave pulverized the ruins, reducing the structure to a cloud of fine powder. When the air cleared, only the Eldoria flag remained, proudly rooted in the absolute destruction.
___
[Eldoria.]
Sunny materialized in his bedroom, but before his foot fully touched the floor, a warm figure launched into him. Clinging to him with a desperate strength that spoke volumes of her fear and relief.
"How are you feeling?" Sunny asked, his voice softening completely. The cold command of the battlefield vanished, replaced by a tenderness reserved only for her. He inhaled her scent, grounding himself in the safety of his home.
"I am sorry, I made you worried," Josephine whispered, burying her face in his neck.
"As long as you are safe." Sunny smiled, easing the tension in her hold as she slowly separated.
"I will train more. I promise, this won't happen again." Her eyes held a fierce determination.
Sunny's smile widened. He playfully flicked a finger at her forehead. "No need for promises, only effort."
His response was meant to reassure her, to shift her focus from guilt to growth.
"Okay, let's go welcome our new people. And there is someone I want to introduce you to," he said, turning toward the door.
"Oh? And who is that?" Josephine asked, her earlier distress replaced by keen interest.
"Her name is Eve Stone." Sunny's tone was measured, anticipating the significant role this new figure would play. He opened the door, ready to face the next chapter of Eldoria's expansion.