Kingdom's Bloodline, page 206
Thales was still peering at his own body, pondering.
'Have I already become a Mystic? But… why can't I feel anything…
'Unless-Unless Giza cannot hurt me at all?!'
"How could this happen?" Giza clenched her teeth, voice deep and brimming with hatred. "You're just a newbie contactor. You're not even a Mystic yet!
"This is just a loss of control. How could you have possibly knocked on the Door?"
Thales frowned. He thought of what Asda had told him about losing control.
'Is it true that… I am special?'
Giza glared at Thales with a terrifying expression. "Have you really… knocked on the Door?"
At that very second, Thales swore that he saw despair, sorrow, pain, grief, and remorse in the eyes of this unreasonable, crazy woman.
"No." Giza squeezed her eyes shut. Her voice filled with sadness and anguish. "You have become… a Mystic, regardless?"
Thales stared at her, puzzled. 'What's her deal? This crazy b*tch...'
"No…" Giza gnashed her teeth. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She shrieked hysterically, "No! You are not a Mystic yet. You are still at the contactor stage. It was just an accident…"
She snapped open and burned with ferocity and determination. "There must be a way. There must be a way to kill you. Let's start with mystic energy interference…"
As she spoke, the flesh of the giant tentacle began to wriggle and contort. One after another, the smaller monsters that Thales had seen before burst out of the wall of flesh.
Thales shuddered. He took a deep breath but his head spun. 'Stop thinking about those confusing things. There's something more important… to deal with right now.
'... like this crazy b*tch!'
But the moment the prince lifted his chin—
*Hiss…*
A tiny, newborn black monster jumped into Thales' wraith-like body with a kick of its hind legs.
*Poof!*
It then burst into a pile of flesh and blood inside him.
If Asda was present, he would have recognized that it was the same tactic Giza used to prevent him from reverting back to human form after crushing him.
At that moment, Thales only felt his whole body flicker once, like a ripple on the water surface.
Suddenly, a spike flew past him, grazing his left arm.
*Schick!*
There came a stinging pain. This time, Thales' ghost realized that his left arm was slashed... and was bleeding.
His 'phantom' body seemed to have lost its effect.
"See?! I knew it." When she saw that, Giza grinned with excitement. "Mystic energy interference works after all."
*Hiss…*
More and more coal-black monsters followed Giza's actions and lunged into Thales' body, then exploded.
The dismembered remains of the monsters flew out of his body.
"Ahhh!!" Thales cried in pain. The side of his calf was pierced by a broken spike and blood trickled out of his wound. His special ability had begun to dwindle and seemed to be losing its effectiveness.
Thales gawked in horror at the stampede of monsters that came his way. An endless stream of pain throbbed on the surface of his skin. It gained frequency… and became more painful.
The extreme physical discomfort was accompanied by Giza's cackle and the monsters' hisses.
*Hiss…*
Thales shut his eyes in pain. He felt the monsters slither through his wraith-like body and explode, leaving wounds inside him. He had a feeling that, in a short while, the power that ensured his survival would vanish completely.
When that time came…
*Hiss…*
'No… No!!'
Another monster exploded in the side of his lower abdomen. Its severed crab claw pierced his left abdomen as it burst out of his body.
'Ow!'
*Hiss…*
Amid the explosion and monster hisses, Thales desperately tried to recall Black Sword's instructions.
'Quick… Quick! Anything- Anything that can save me…'
*Hiss… Splorch!*
Black Sword's words crossed his mind. 'With the help from Tremblor, I evaded the attacks of her tentacles.'
Thales was shaken. He thought of the high frequency vibrations Giza used on hm. More smaller monsters came at him.
A coal-black monster sped past his cheek. Instead of piercing his flesh, it left only a gash.
The power of Phantom had faded. The Blood Mystic snorted.
Thales had no time to fear or panic. Instead, he clenched his teeth and followed Black Sword's instructions on summoning another energy within him.
'Help me, Sin of Hell's River. This is a moment of life and death. Help me!'
As his will to survive became stronger, the Sin of Hell's River channeled into his limbs.
'I need… the strength to… rid myself of these tentacles! If only I could… slip out of them!'
*Humm…*
Thales heard a low buzzing that only he could detect. His limbs convulsed at an extremely high and indiscernible rate.
The prince drew a sharp breath, feeling as though his body was going to be crushed by the vibrant energy of the Sin of Hell's River.
'This sensation…' Giza's eyes widened.
In the next moment, the four tentacles that bound Thales trembled, and the boy was released in mid-air.
A monster flew over his head, snipping off a strand of his hair.
*Thump!*
Thales fell onto the fleshy ground, panting heavily. The Sin of Hell's River receded from his limbs.
Thales gritted his teeth, trying to get on his feet. However, the numbness in his legs compelled him to fall back down.
*Thump!*
Thales touched a piece of flesh beneath his feet—inside which there was an ear covered in blood—and jumped.
But in the next moment, a pang of soreness throbbed in his limbs. He began to shudder violently and sweated profusely. His limbs went slack.
'Exhaustion… Soreness… Pain…'
His muscles ached as though he had lost all his strength. After getting out of the restraints, he could not even manage a step.
In the meantime, the smaller monsters were already charging towards him. Thales' eyes widened and his heart sank.
It seemed that the power of Tremblor was far more than his body could bear.
Therefore...
'No.' Thales felt the soreness in his weakened limbs, staring at the monsters before him.
He looked at the smiling Giza in despair and thought, 'Is it really the end?'
Chapter 182: A Gentle Kiss |
'No.'
Thales clenched his teeth. He should not give up, it was not the end, there was still a chance.
Black Sword had said that a powerful warrior must take every aspect into consideration, bet every leverage he had solely on his final victory.
'Leverage… What else do I have?'
Thales ground his teeth, forcing himself to calm down within seconds.
The Northland Military Sword Style he had been practicing for only a month. The power of the Sin of Hell's River… But he was far too exhausted to channel it now.
The Blade of Purification that had been lost in this sea of human flesh… That peculiar mystic energy that turned him into an untouchable phantom…
The royal title of the Prince of Constellation, and his current position as a Mystic in the making…
'No, wait a second. There is another bargaining chip—the final one.'
Thales peered at a monster that was currently charging towards him and clenched his fists tightly. Giza's smile widened.
In the next second, Thales gritted his teeth and stretched his right hand to his back. He then withdrew his hand, revealing a weapon—a crude, simple dagger. One side of the blade was covered in the tentacle's blood, on which two letters were carved:
J.C.
Giza was slightly startled as she watched his actions.
Panting heavily, Thales raised the dagger and pointed it at the advancing monster.
"A dagger?" The Mystic snorted. "That is not a legendary anti-mystic weapon. Are you going to stab me with it?"
'A dagger...'
She watched the boy with the dagger as he was surrounded and attacked by monsters.
'This scene… is quite familiar, isn't it?'
Thales lay on his belly, lips quivering while he fended off a monster with the Iron Body Style.
*Clang!*
"No." Thales evaded another monster's spike, tumbling out of its way. His muscles ached.
Still panting, he raised his chin, ignoring the other monsters that scurried towards him, and returned the Blood Mystic's gaze.
"I'm not going to stab you…"
Giza was surprised, watching in astonishment as the boy placed the blade of the dagger in his left palm.
Thales continued flatly, "I'm going to stab myself instead."
Two monsters jumped on him, they thrust their spikes at him.
Meanwhile, the ashen-faced boy jerked the sharp blade in his palm violently. He then felt a surge of warmth and tingling pain in his left hand. The exhausted boy stayed unmoving as a group of monsters leaped onto his torso and brought him down.
A familiar boiling sensation bubbled within him. It slowly turned into a burning sensation. Snippets of memories flashed in front of his eyes.
The time when he raised a dagger and charged at Quide...
The time when he was carried by Jala on her back, running down an alleyway...
The time when he was in Vine Manor's dungeon, reaching for the lock on Ralf...
The time when he stood in the Hall of Stars, clenching his teeth, speaking to the aristocrats of the Kingdom.
The time when his hands were bound, and he struggled to get to his feet, facing Serena.
The time when he was caught battling in Black Sand Region, holding on to Arracca desperately.
The time when he stood before the five archdukes of Eckstedt, struggling to lift a heavy sword.
The time when he spoke up as Asda and Black Sword stared at him with aggressive looks on their faces.
'It is just another game.' A familiar and gentle voice echoed in his ears. The searing heat intensified.
He needed to win. He needed to end this. He needed the best strategy. He needed to…
Giza narrowed her eyes, watching the little monsters pile onto Thales and bury him completely.
*Hiss…*
She was content. She knew her lovely creations would tear the boy apart mercilessly.
But at that moment, the Blood Mystic's whole body shuddered, as if she had sensed something peculiar.
'What..?'
A red beam of light spilled out of the monster heap—from where the boy was buried underneath, followed by a second, third, and fourth one. The light illuminated the fleshy cavity.
Giza stared at this sight in surprise.
... until the monsters shuddered in unison.
Ashes slipped out of the monster pile, and more followed.
Most of the black monsters collapsed powerlessly, wilted, melted, blackened, and turned into ash. Eventually, most of the black monsters disappeared without a trace, and the remaining few, barely alive, escaped and hid.
The Blood Mystic glared in disbelief at the boy who rose from the mass of flesh and ash.
"How did you…?"
Thales knelt on the ground, panting. His right hand on his knee. He clenched his teeth so hard he nearly crushed them.
The Blade of Purification—the strange, red smallsword he had lost earlier—reappeared in his trembling left hand.
The bright red blade emitted a blinding glow.
"It's your power again, isn't it?" Wearing a conflicted expression, Giza glared at Thales' left hand so intensely she could burn a hole through it. "No, you are going down a dark path…"
Thales frowned. 'Dark path?'
"Mystic energy… is not a gift or blessing…" she said. Her eyes were brimming with anger and hatred. "It's a curse and a misfortune…"
Thales was on all fours, listening to her, tightening his grip on the Blade of Purification which had just magically appeared in his hand. He spat.
"Enough!" The prince roared in frustration.
Giza stopped talking, looking at him in surprise.
"You stubborn maniac." Thales struggled to stand up. "Listen up!"
He took a step forward, hacking at a tentacle and reducing it to ash while it tried to stop him.
He felt terrible. His footsteps felt oddly weightless. In spite of that, he gritted his teeth and advanced. "Asda wants to force me to become a Mystic, whereas you want to stop me from becoming one?
"Go to hell." Thales panted heavily. "Go to hell, the whole lot of you!"
The Blood Mystic watched him silently.
"I have been doing one thing, and one thing only, since the day I arrived in this world."
Thales exhaled, brandished his sword, stabbed a monster that tried to attack his left leg twice in its torso and watched it turn into dust.
"Struggling to survive. That's it." He took another step forward with great effort. "Whether it's as a child beggar, or a prince..."
Giza narrowed her eyes with a complex and profound look.
"I dislike this world. I want to be able to choose what kind of life I want to live." Thales inhaled a mouthful of foul, putrid air, and said with a cracked voice,
"To become who I want to be, I refuse to be pushed around, to be forced, to be coaxed into doing anything for anyone.
"I struggle for only that."
Thales walked on until he was in front of Giza, his eyes were firm and unrelenting.
"That is me… Thales Jadestar."
The Blood Mystic glared at him wordlessly.
But in the next moment, he sensed a strange, drastic change.
*Boom!*
Like a fierce current, it surged up within Thales.
In an instant, Thales felt lacerations on his hand, in which the Blade of Purification was held. It felt as though someone was cutting his palm.
Thales looked down at the sword. Its red glow was getting brighter.
'What's happening?'
The next second, the sharp pain heightened to an intense spasm and began to spread.
"Arghhh!!"
Thales could not bear it any longer. His face scrunched up and he shrieked in agony.
'The Blade of Purification is… rejecting him?'
The throbbing pain surged from his arm to his torso, forcing Thales down onto his knees.
'Shit… Shit!'
The pain intensified, as though the weapon was threatening to destroy him.
He suddenly remembered that the legendary anti-mystic equipment… was… very much… the enemy of Mystics?
Tormented by intense pain, Thales trembled, attempting to throw the Blade of Purification out of his hand, but it was all in vain, as though the weapon had been glued to his skin.
While regretting his life decisions, he thought back on Serena's words. He also recalled, while he was on Arracca's back, every time the Motionless Bow was activated, it also brought him a pricking sensation.
Nevertheless, that kind of pain could not be compared to searing spasms like this.
Giza cackled.
"You are a little too naïve, after all." Thales gaped at the Blood Mystic in disbelief. She said softly, "To defeat me, you needed the anti-mystic equipment, right? You did succeed with the help of your undeveloped mystic energy."
Giza sighed. "But did you also forget that… you are halfway to becoming a Mystic?"
"Ahhhh!!" Thales screeched. Panic ensued once more.
'Giza… She saw this coming?!'
He recalled what Giza had said, '"That is not a legendary anti-mystic weapon. Are you going to stab me with it?"'
Thales thought regretfully. 'So, at that time, she was implying that she was well-prepared for my counterattack, and even limited my options to the Blade of Purification?'
"Hehehe," the Blood Mystic chuckled, shaking her head. "See, this is one of the disadvantages of being a Mystic. Succumbing to such a crude and harmless-looking thing.
"Even though you're not a real Mystic yet, you have used your power. That alone is enough to allow the anti-mystic weapon to detect you.
"If you have indeed become a Mystic"—Giza watched the screaming boy, a sorrowful expression replaced her smile—"the second you touched it, you will lose your consciousness and all your power, to be sealed away for eternity.
Thales had no mood to listen to her ramblings. He felt as though he was getting overwhelmed by the power that emitted from the blade.
Giza sighed.
"Don't worry. I will help you end this pain forever. If becoming a Mystic is your fate, then let me save you from it," she said flatly. "As I have promised."
'Save me? Save me, my foot!'
Thales endured the violent rejection from the Blade of Purification. His closed his eyes. He desperately wanted to let go of it, but he could not even feel his hand as his face contorted from the extreme pain.
Giza sucked in a deep breath. Another batch of tentacles, summoned by the Mystic, wriggled out of the flesh-wall beside Thales. She smiled sweetly at the paralyzed boy whom was being rejected by the anti-mystic weapon.
The human flesh beneath Thales' feet transformed into a trap and closed in on him. The tentacles brought out their spikes, ready for the next wave of attacks.
'No.' Thales squeezed his eyes shut, shivers wracked his body. 'No!!'
All of sudden, he felt a familiar burning sensation surge from his hand.
The red glow on the tip of the sword began to gather together, as if it had corporeal form, and transmitted to Thales' left hand.
The boy shuddered.
At that moment, he felt as though he was caressed by a hand. The touch had somehow lessened the pain.
The red glow crept along the veins on the back of Thales' left hand, as though the blood that flowed in his veins was glowing. It was an eerie sight.
For some unknown reason, the Blade of Purification's warm red glow managed to soothe the searing pain of rejection from the weapon.
Thales gasped. The excruciating pain was reduced to a slightly more bearable soreness.
'How does this even work? It can somehow… relieve the negative reaction of the anti-mystic weapon towards me...?'
Trembling, Thales grew dubious about the sword, but at least he was saved.
'Have I already become a Mystic? But… why can't I feel anything…
'Unless-Unless Giza cannot hurt me at all?!'
"How could this happen?" Giza clenched her teeth, voice deep and brimming with hatred. "You're just a newbie contactor. You're not even a Mystic yet!
"This is just a loss of control. How could you have possibly knocked on the Door?"
Thales frowned. He thought of what Asda had told him about losing control.
'Is it true that… I am special?'
Giza glared at Thales with a terrifying expression. "Have you really… knocked on the Door?"
At that very second, Thales swore that he saw despair, sorrow, pain, grief, and remorse in the eyes of this unreasonable, crazy woman.
"No." Giza squeezed her eyes shut. Her voice filled with sadness and anguish. "You have become… a Mystic, regardless?"
Thales stared at her, puzzled. 'What's her deal? This crazy b*tch...'
"No…" Giza gnashed her teeth. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She shrieked hysterically, "No! You are not a Mystic yet. You are still at the contactor stage. It was just an accident…"
She snapped open and burned with ferocity and determination. "There must be a way. There must be a way to kill you. Let's start with mystic energy interference…"
As she spoke, the flesh of the giant tentacle began to wriggle and contort. One after another, the smaller monsters that Thales had seen before burst out of the wall of flesh.
Thales shuddered. He took a deep breath but his head spun. 'Stop thinking about those confusing things. There's something more important… to deal with right now.
'... like this crazy b*tch!'
But the moment the prince lifted his chin—
*Hiss…*
A tiny, newborn black monster jumped into Thales' wraith-like body with a kick of its hind legs.
*Poof!*
It then burst into a pile of flesh and blood inside him.
If Asda was present, he would have recognized that it was the same tactic Giza used to prevent him from reverting back to human form after crushing him.
At that moment, Thales only felt his whole body flicker once, like a ripple on the water surface.
Suddenly, a spike flew past him, grazing his left arm.
*Schick!*
There came a stinging pain. This time, Thales' ghost realized that his left arm was slashed... and was bleeding.
His 'phantom' body seemed to have lost its effect.
"See?! I knew it." When she saw that, Giza grinned with excitement. "Mystic energy interference works after all."
*Hiss…*
More and more coal-black monsters followed Giza's actions and lunged into Thales' body, then exploded.
The dismembered remains of the monsters flew out of his body.
"Ahhh!!" Thales cried in pain. The side of his calf was pierced by a broken spike and blood trickled out of his wound. His special ability had begun to dwindle and seemed to be losing its effectiveness.
Thales gawked in horror at the stampede of monsters that came his way. An endless stream of pain throbbed on the surface of his skin. It gained frequency… and became more painful.
The extreme physical discomfort was accompanied by Giza's cackle and the monsters' hisses.
*Hiss…*
Thales shut his eyes in pain. He felt the monsters slither through his wraith-like body and explode, leaving wounds inside him. He had a feeling that, in a short while, the power that ensured his survival would vanish completely.
When that time came…
*Hiss…*
'No… No!!'
Another monster exploded in the side of his lower abdomen. Its severed crab claw pierced his left abdomen as it burst out of his body.
'Ow!'
*Hiss…*
Amid the explosion and monster hisses, Thales desperately tried to recall Black Sword's instructions.
'Quick… Quick! Anything- Anything that can save me…'
*Hiss… Splorch!*
Black Sword's words crossed his mind. 'With the help from Tremblor, I evaded the attacks of her tentacles.'
Thales was shaken. He thought of the high frequency vibrations Giza used on hm. More smaller monsters came at him.
A coal-black monster sped past his cheek. Instead of piercing his flesh, it left only a gash.
The power of Phantom had faded. The Blood Mystic snorted.
Thales had no time to fear or panic. Instead, he clenched his teeth and followed Black Sword's instructions on summoning another energy within him.
'Help me, Sin of Hell's River. This is a moment of life and death. Help me!'
As his will to survive became stronger, the Sin of Hell's River channeled into his limbs.
'I need… the strength to… rid myself of these tentacles! If only I could… slip out of them!'
*Humm…*
Thales heard a low buzzing that only he could detect. His limbs convulsed at an extremely high and indiscernible rate.
The prince drew a sharp breath, feeling as though his body was going to be crushed by the vibrant energy of the Sin of Hell's River.
'This sensation…' Giza's eyes widened.
In the next moment, the four tentacles that bound Thales trembled, and the boy was released in mid-air.
A monster flew over his head, snipping off a strand of his hair.
*Thump!*
Thales fell onto the fleshy ground, panting heavily. The Sin of Hell's River receded from his limbs.
Thales gritted his teeth, trying to get on his feet. However, the numbness in his legs compelled him to fall back down.
*Thump!*
Thales touched a piece of flesh beneath his feet—inside which there was an ear covered in blood—and jumped.
But in the next moment, a pang of soreness throbbed in his limbs. He began to shudder violently and sweated profusely. His limbs went slack.
'Exhaustion… Soreness… Pain…'
His muscles ached as though he had lost all his strength. After getting out of the restraints, he could not even manage a step.
In the meantime, the smaller monsters were already charging towards him. Thales' eyes widened and his heart sank.
It seemed that the power of Tremblor was far more than his body could bear.
Therefore...
'No.' Thales felt the soreness in his weakened limbs, staring at the monsters before him.
He looked at the smiling Giza in despair and thought, 'Is it really the end?'
Chapter 182: A Gentle Kiss |
'No.'
Thales clenched his teeth. He should not give up, it was not the end, there was still a chance.
Black Sword had said that a powerful warrior must take every aspect into consideration, bet every leverage he had solely on his final victory.
'Leverage… What else do I have?'
Thales ground his teeth, forcing himself to calm down within seconds.
The Northland Military Sword Style he had been practicing for only a month. The power of the Sin of Hell's River… But he was far too exhausted to channel it now.
The Blade of Purification that had been lost in this sea of human flesh… That peculiar mystic energy that turned him into an untouchable phantom…
The royal title of the Prince of Constellation, and his current position as a Mystic in the making…
'No, wait a second. There is another bargaining chip—the final one.'
Thales peered at a monster that was currently charging towards him and clenched his fists tightly. Giza's smile widened.
In the next second, Thales gritted his teeth and stretched his right hand to his back. He then withdrew his hand, revealing a weapon—a crude, simple dagger. One side of the blade was covered in the tentacle's blood, on which two letters were carved:
J.C.
Giza was slightly startled as she watched his actions.
Panting heavily, Thales raised the dagger and pointed it at the advancing monster.
"A dagger?" The Mystic snorted. "That is not a legendary anti-mystic weapon. Are you going to stab me with it?"
'A dagger...'
She watched the boy with the dagger as he was surrounded and attacked by monsters.
'This scene… is quite familiar, isn't it?'
Thales lay on his belly, lips quivering while he fended off a monster with the Iron Body Style.
*Clang!*
"No." Thales evaded another monster's spike, tumbling out of its way. His muscles ached.
Still panting, he raised his chin, ignoring the other monsters that scurried towards him, and returned the Blood Mystic's gaze.
"I'm not going to stab you…"
Giza was surprised, watching in astonishment as the boy placed the blade of the dagger in his left palm.
Thales continued flatly, "I'm going to stab myself instead."
Two monsters jumped on him, they thrust their spikes at him.
Meanwhile, the ashen-faced boy jerked the sharp blade in his palm violently. He then felt a surge of warmth and tingling pain in his left hand. The exhausted boy stayed unmoving as a group of monsters leaped onto his torso and brought him down.
A familiar boiling sensation bubbled within him. It slowly turned into a burning sensation. Snippets of memories flashed in front of his eyes.
The time when he raised a dagger and charged at Quide...
The time when he was carried by Jala on her back, running down an alleyway...
The time when he was in Vine Manor's dungeon, reaching for the lock on Ralf...
The time when he stood in the Hall of Stars, clenching his teeth, speaking to the aristocrats of the Kingdom.
The time when his hands were bound, and he struggled to get to his feet, facing Serena.
The time when he was caught battling in Black Sand Region, holding on to Arracca desperately.
The time when he stood before the five archdukes of Eckstedt, struggling to lift a heavy sword.
The time when he spoke up as Asda and Black Sword stared at him with aggressive looks on their faces.
'It is just another game.' A familiar and gentle voice echoed in his ears. The searing heat intensified.
He needed to win. He needed to end this. He needed the best strategy. He needed to…
Giza narrowed her eyes, watching the little monsters pile onto Thales and bury him completely.
*Hiss…*
She was content. She knew her lovely creations would tear the boy apart mercilessly.
But at that moment, the Blood Mystic's whole body shuddered, as if she had sensed something peculiar.
'What..?'
A red beam of light spilled out of the monster heap—from where the boy was buried underneath, followed by a second, third, and fourth one. The light illuminated the fleshy cavity.
Giza stared at this sight in surprise.
... until the monsters shuddered in unison.
Ashes slipped out of the monster pile, and more followed.
Most of the black monsters collapsed powerlessly, wilted, melted, blackened, and turned into ash. Eventually, most of the black monsters disappeared without a trace, and the remaining few, barely alive, escaped and hid.
The Blood Mystic glared in disbelief at the boy who rose from the mass of flesh and ash.
"How did you…?"
Thales knelt on the ground, panting. His right hand on his knee. He clenched his teeth so hard he nearly crushed them.
The Blade of Purification—the strange, red smallsword he had lost earlier—reappeared in his trembling left hand.
The bright red blade emitted a blinding glow.
"It's your power again, isn't it?" Wearing a conflicted expression, Giza glared at Thales' left hand so intensely she could burn a hole through it. "No, you are going down a dark path…"
Thales frowned. 'Dark path?'
"Mystic energy… is not a gift or blessing…" she said. Her eyes were brimming with anger and hatred. "It's a curse and a misfortune…"
Thales was on all fours, listening to her, tightening his grip on the Blade of Purification which had just magically appeared in his hand. He spat.
"Enough!" The prince roared in frustration.
Giza stopped talking, looking at him in surprise.
"You stubborn maniac." Thales struggled to stand up. "Listen up!"
He took a step forward, hacking at a tentacle and reducing it to ash while it tried to stop him.
He felt terrible. His footsteps felt oddly weightless. In spite of that, he gritted his teeth and advanced. "Asda wants to force me to become a Mystic, whereas you want to stop me from becoming one?
"Go to hell." Thales panted heavily. "Go to hell, the whole lot of you!"
The Blood Mystic watched him silently.
"I have been doing one thing, and one thing only, since the day I arrived in this world."
Thales exhaled, brandished his sword, stabbed a monster that tried to attack his left leg twice in its torso and watched it turn into dust.
"Struggling to survive. That's it." He took another step forward with great effort. "Whether it's as a child beggar, or a prince..."
Giza narrowed her eyes with a complex and profound look.
"I dislike this world. I want to be able to choose what kind of life I want to live." Thales inhaled a mouthful of foul, putrid air, and said with a cracked voice,
"To become who I want to be, I refuse to be pushed around, to be forced, to be coaxed into doing anything for anyone.
"I struggle for only that."
Thales walked on until he was in front of Giza, his eyes were firm and unrelenting.
"That is me… Thales Jadestar."
The Blood Mystic glared at him wordlessly.
But in the next moment, he sensed a strange, drastic change.
*Boom!*
Like a fierce current, it surged up within Thales.
In an instant, Thales felt lacerations on his hand, in which the Blade of Purification was held. It felt as though someone was cutting his palm.
Thales looked down at the sword. Its red glow was getting brighter.
'What's happening?'
The next second, the sharp pain heightened to an intense spasm and began to spread.
"Arghhh!!"
Thales could not bear it any longer. His face scrunched up and he shrieked in agony.
'The Blade of Purification is… rejecting him?'
The throbbing pain surged from his arm to his torso, forcing Thales down onto his knees.
'Shit… Shit!'
The pain intensified, as though the weapon was threatening to destroy him.
He suddenly remembered that the legendary anti-mystic equipment… was… very much… the enemy of Mystics?
Tormented by intense pain, Thales trembled, attempting to throw the Blade of Purification out of his hand, but it was all in vain, as though the weapon had been glued to his skin.
While regretting his life decisions, he thought back on Serena's words. He also recalled, while he was on Arracca's back, every time the Motionless Bow was activated, it also brought him a pricking sensation.
Nevertheless, that kind of pain could not be compared to searing spasms like this.
Giza cackled.
"You are a little too naïve, after all." Thales gaped at the Blood Mystic in disbelief. She said softly, "To defeat me, you needed the anti-mystic equipment, right? You did succeed with the help of your undeveloped mystic energy."
Giza sighed. "But did you also forget that… you are halfway to becoming a Mystic?"
"Ahhhh!!" Thales screeched. Panic ensued once more.
'Giza… She saw this coming?!'
He recalled what Giza had said, '"That is not a legendary anti-mystic weapon. Are you going to stab me with it?"'
Thales thought regretfully. 'So, at that time, she was implying that she was well-prepared for my counterattack, and even limited my options to the Blade of Purification?'
"Hehehe," the Blood Mystic chuckled, shaking her head. "See, this is one of the disadvantages of being a Mystic. Succumbing to such a crude and harmless-looking thing.
"Even though you're not a real Mystic yet, you have used your power. That alone is enough to allow the anti-mystic weapon to detect you.
"If you have indeed become a Mystic"—Giza watched the screaming boy, a sorrowful expression replaced her smile—"the second you touched it, you will lose your consciousness and all your power, to be sealed away for eternity.
Thales had no mood to listen to her ramblings. He felt as though he was getting overwhelmed by the power that emitted from the blade.
Giza sighed.
"Don't worry. I will help you end this pain forever. If becoming a Mystic is your fate, then let me save you from it," she said flatly. "As I have promised."
'Save me? Save me, my foot!'
Thales endured the violent rejection from the Blade of Purification. His closed his eyes. He desperately wanted to let go of it, but he could not even feel his hand as his face contorted from the extreme pain.
Giza sucked in a deep breath. Another batch of tentacles, summoned by the Mystic, wriggled out of the flesh-wall beside Thales. She smiled sweetly at the paralyzed boy whom was being rejected by the anti-mystic weapon.
The human flesh beneath Thales' feet transformed into a trap and closed in on him. The tentacles brought out their spikes, ready for the next wave of attacks.
'No.' Thales squeezed his eyes shut, shivers wracked his body. 'No!!'
All of sudden, he felt a familiar burning sensation surge from his hand.
The red glow on the tip of the sword began to gather together, as if it had corporeal form, and transmitted to Thales' left hand.
The boy shuddered.
At that moment, he felt as though he was caressed by a hand. The touch had somehow lessened the pain.
The red glow crept along the veins on the back of Thales' left hand, as though the blood that flowed in his veins was glowing. It was an eerie sight.
For some unknown reason, the Blade of Purification's warm red glow managed to soothe the searing pain of rejection from the weapon.
Thales gasped. The excruciating pain was reduced to a slightly more bearable soreness.
'How does this even work? It can somehow… relieve the negative reaction of the anti-mystic weapon towards me...?'
Trembling, Thales grew dubious about the sword, but at least he was saved.
