Chapter 430 – Unease
Kaden had spent so ti thinking about how he could win against the Alchemist. And no matter where his thoughts led him, he only reached a wall of uncertainty.
That was until he rembered a skill he loathed despite it being a powerful skill.
Death of Sacrifice.
It was a skill that could kill anything he wished as long as he paid the right price. And the price would disappear forever, no matter if he rewound back ti.
It was not sothing that pleased Kaden, and he had vowed to never use it no matter what. However, he ca to know that life would not miss an opportunity to force his hand.
And here he was, seeing no other way except to use the skill.
’But it doesn’t an it should happen in that way.’ Kaden flexed his shoulders as he regained his senses, standing just in front of the Alchemist, Rea beside him with her cheeks blackened by tears.
The Alchemist smiled, his face plunging a cold ice of anger inside Kaden’s stomach. He barely managed to hold himself from attacking, knowing it was not the ti yet.
He needed to kill the Alchemist, but Kaden needed sothing from him first.
"Why, pray tell, are you still standing there, little puppet?" the Alchemist said, looking at him. "I thought by now you would be attacking like a dog. I have studied you, Kaden, or Protheus if you wish. I know your type."
His smile turned mocking.
"The Hero type, aren’t you? But the warrior one." He shook his head in hidden contempt, trotting around leisurely. "The one who wants to save those he cares about, not caring about himself. That’s what you did for the Lady of Stars, I rember..."
Kaden’s eyes jolted at the words, surprised by the sudden ntion of Aurora.
He slowly began to connect the dots around his na.
"...and that’s what you are doing right now, again, with Rudolph. You are playing too much, little puppet. Or maybe it’s not you, and it’s them playing through you."
He tilted his head in a aningful gesture at that. "Oh, it does sound more logical."
He swept his eyes towards Rea, and his smile seed to widen. "And you are with the Woeful One’s object of Greed. Now, truly, I wonder, is this the work of Providence? She seems awfully active lately. But oh... the two of you together..."
Sothing beneath his words hinted at sothing deeper and profound, but neither Kaden nor Rea had any idea about it.
And as a matter of fact, none of them were interested in knowing.
Kaden’s mind was fresh and focused now, his goal clear in his mind, helping him shape his decision.
For Rea, the words of the Alchemist were only words that fueled her searing passion for finding that dungeon.
Sothing was waiting for her there, she could feel it, and she was eager to get into it. And that, no matter what.
So it was without any surprise when the two fiancés stared at each other, understanding flashing inside them swiftly.
Understanding neither of them expected, yet at that instant, they felt sothing deeper link between them.
It was like the words of the Alchemist had stirred a bond between them, oiling it and smoothing it. A string that helped them perfectly coordinate their next action.
Kaden prepared to use his skill, Death of Sacrifice, just as Rea stepped closer and touched his body. Communication flowed between them, and Rea’s face twisted into worry and pain for a brief instant.
Everything shifted into a cold fury. Kaden was the sa, feeling a bitter taste inside his heart.
Still, he activated his skill.
He didn’t try to kill the Alchemist with the skill. No, not at all.
What he did was simply to turn off the runes that made up the Alchemist’s body for a whole three minutes. And for that,
"I sacrifice the Avatar of Einar," Kaden whispered.
Instantly, the air around churned, and the thick scent of death flooded the house rcilessly.
For a mont, the sound of the rustling of a Tree could be heard, causing everyone inside to shiver in dread.
Rea bit her lower lip as the voice of the pained Einar rumbled inside her mind, dying pitifully to the skill of Kaden.
Yet the most disturbing thing was that even in death, even after being sacrificed for a win, Einar’s last words were nothing but worries about Rea; about how she could no longer look after her.
The pain and sorrow of Rea burst forth like a tidal wave, drowning her in a sorrow she never expected, unlocking sothing wrenched inside her.
At the sa ti, Kaden was already in front of the shell-shocked Alchemist, not believing the current weakness overwhelming him.
The man didn’t have the ti to scream as Kaden’s knuckle cracked his skull — the sound enough to make one cringe in dread — in one rciless strike.
The Alchemist crashed on the ground like a boulder, his left ear flat against the ground that scread then splintered into a spray of rocks.
Blood gushed out of his cracked head like a fountain, his eyes wide open in a still dazed state.
Kaden didn’t wait any longer, crouching down in front of the sprawling, bleeding Alchemist.
His right knuckle was steaming, a drip of blood seeping out because of how hard he had struck.
The Alchemist’s body was twitching, as if trying to move. Still, the weakness from his runes disappearing so suddenly and the blow was making it hard for him to wake up from it.
Rea appeared beside Kaden, looking at the Alchemist with eyes bleeding black tears.
This ti, she didn’t control the taint of the goddess. She didn’t want to. She embraced it in a fever of anger and hatred for the man on the ground.
"Not yet," Kaden said to her.
Rea didn’t answer, eyes fixed on the Alchemist.
Kaden sighed, inwardly angry at needing to sacrifice soone in order to win.
It was only the Avatar of Einar, true, but that didn’t make him feel any better. It only made him feel worse, for he was unwilling to sacrifice either Blanche or sothing of him.
He cursed under his breath, feeling the urge to hide in silent sha, and put a hand on the Alchemist’s head.
He used his Will to weaken the man’s own Will and consciousness, and then used his mories Alteration trait to plunder everything of the Alchemist’s knowledge about runes.
Inside of him, Blanche was taking notes of everything Kaden was seeing on a parchnt made of fire, with Reditha giving her the blood of stars to inscribe on it.
Soon, and as the Alchemist watched, Kaden managed to get the little knowledge this clone of the Alchemist had.
But it was more than enough for a start.
After that, he turned his head to say sothing to Rea, but the woman had already acted and put her two palms on the Alchemist.
She clasped so hard one could think she wanted to burst his head into a rain of gore. Instead, Rea used sothing she never knew she could do.
Only now did she realize that a God-Touched was not only a rank. It ca with power from the very god tainting your soul.
And for her,
"Curse of Unending Sorrow," Rea growled like a mad-touched, locating the very origin of the consciousness of the Alchemist and cursing him with all her soul and wrath and sorrow.
The Alchemist’s body spasd, and Kaden ripped away his chest, taking out his beating heart.
Blood, veins, and bones followed his action, painting the air in a sight that would have pleased the dead god of death.
The spasms stopped abruptly, and the Alchemist stared at the two fiancés with wide eyes.
However, just as death snatched him away, his lips curled up into a tight, mocking smile.
Then he died.
A sudden, heavy silence hung over the surroundings like a blanket made for the dead.
Kaden and Rea watched the smile of the dead Alchemist for a long while.
chanically, they turned their faces towards each other, noticing the hidden dread clawing through each other’s eyes.
Their lips pressed into a thin line, and Rea’s head toppled over Kaden’s shoulder in aching exhaustion.
The two fiancés closed their eyes; however, the smile of the Alchemist didn’t leave their minds.
Sothing was hidden behind that smile, and neither Kaden nor Rea fancied it.
They cursed silently.
They just killed the Alchemist, but their unease didn’t disappear.
It intensified.
—End of Chapter 430—
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