Chapter 694: Not Alone |
Iris was slaughtered.
She couldn't even call it a fight anymore.
The monster descended upon her, its grotesque form shifting with each passing moment, absorbing the pain, thriving in the agony, just like she always had.
It tore into her with no hesitation, no mercy. Claws punctured her abdomen, ripping upward and spilling her insides onto the cold earth beneath. A bladed tendril lashed across her throat, and she choked on her own blood before her body collapsed into the dirt.
And then…
*Ding!*
She gasped awake.
Again.
The battlefield reset.
SUMMON THE ASCENDANTS!
The button was there once more, waiting for her input.
Iris gritted her teeth, rising to her feet despite the unbearable ache in her very soul. Fury pulsed in her veins as she lifted her blade and slammed it down onto the glowing symbol, shattering it into nothingness.
The battle restarted.
She was torn apart.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each time, the button returned.
Each time, she destroyed it.
Her mind spun with exhaustion, and yet, through the haze of pain, memories she hadn't allowed herself to recall began surfacing.
Help…
Had her mother asked for help, perhaps she wouldn't have died alone, exhausted and broken, after enduring years of cruelty from her husband.
Help…
Had they sought aid from the king or the Ravenshade Duke, maybe Damian wouldn't have perished in captivity, suffering an incredibly cruel fate no human should ever be forced to experience. Maybe there was a chance to negotiate his release, or at least those scum wouldn't dare hurt him when such big names were included in the negotiations.
Help…
Quinlan's face flashed in her mind. His overwhelming, cheat-like abilities, his unparalleled power over the elements, his seemingly endless luck. But then, her vision shifted—not to him, but to those around him.
Aurora. Ayame. Blossom. Seraphiel. Lucille.
They were always there.
One step behind him.
None of them fought alone.
Not even the primordial cheat code called Quinlan.
Her grip on her sword faltered.
'Why am I even doing this to myself…?'
Why did she refuse to ask for help? Why did she see it as some kind of shameful defeat?
Her mind flickered back to a memory, one she had long buried beneath layers of bitterness.
The second event of the final round of the Phenom Trials, where she was paired up with Quinlan to slay as many monsters as possible.
She and Quinlan had fought together, utterly obliterating their competition. Their score towered over every other contender, marking them as two young geniuses. When it was over, she had stood motionless on the podium, indifferent to the vivid cheers of the audience. But then…
Quinlan had grabbed onto her hand.
Before she could protest, he had pulled her into the air using [Airwalk], lifting her high above the crowd in a princess hold.
That was the first time a man ever cradled her like that…
The wind had rushed past her, making the roaring applause fade into something distant.
Butterflies stirred in her stomach at the memory. It was something she would've long since forgotten had he not been there to show her something beyond her own self-imposed isolation.
Her vision refocused on the glowing button before her.
Her hand hovered over it.
Her heart pounded.
"Help…"
The word didn't feel like defeat anymore.
It felt like freedom.
Her fingers pressed down.
And suddenly…
She felt light.
A weight she hadn't realized she had been carrying for so long, ever since her father locked her away in that damned cage in the basement, vanished in an instant.
She was not alone.
A rush of power surged through her veins, but it wasn't just hers.
They came.
The Ascendants.
Quinlan, his lovers, Kaelira and her team, Cedric and Selene, Abudha, Blackjack the Mad, Sylvaris—everyone.
They descended upon the monster in unison, creating an overwhelming force of sheer devastation.
Iris watched, stunned, as the beast tried to evolve.
Tried to adapt.
Tried to match them just like it matched her powers.
It never stood a chance.
The battle ended in mere moments.
Iris hadn't even had the time to lift her blade and join the fray. The grotesque monster fell before she could move a finger.
She exhaled slowly as a strange, unfamiliar warmth settled in her chest.
She had fought alone for so long.
She had bled, suffered, and endured through gritted teeth, bitterly cursing the whole world that was standing in the way of her revenge.
But now…
Now, she knew.
She wasn't alone.
[Ding!]
[Class: Child of Agony -> Child of Reckoning.]
[Child of Reckoning – The Herald of Suffering and Judgment]
[Born from agony, refined through torment, and ascended beyond mere suffering—The Child of Reckoning is a being who does not just endure pain but wields it as a weapon of absolute devastation. No longer merely one who sacrifices for power, they are now the judge and the executioner, exacting vengeance upon the world with every wound they take.]
[Where the Child of Agony was defined by self-inflicted suffering, the Child of Reckoning has evolved into something far more potent—an avatar of inevitable retribution. Their pain is no longer merely a means to gain strength. It is a divine decree that all who stand against them shall suffer in turn.]
…
Seraphiel threw her head back and laughed in the form of a wild, euphoric cackling that echoed across the battlefield. The moment her fingers curled around the Bow of Radiance, something inside her snapped—or perhaps, something was finally set free.
A golden glow engulfed her, and immediately, raw power coursed through her veins like a divine flood, surging into every fiber of her being. She felt unshakable.
Her arms, which were once delicate and built for precise healing incantations, now thrummed with new strength. Her legs, used to retreating and repositioning, pulsed with an aggressive energy that was screaming at her brain to close the distance right this instant.
After all, aiming was easier when done from up close and personal.
So she moved.
Faster than she ever had.
Faster than she ever thought she could.
Her feet barely touched the ground as she blurred across the battlefield, bow drawn, fingers aching to loose the first shot. The moment her eyes landed on a monster rearing up on Quinlan, her instincts demanded: kill it.
She didn't hesitate.
The arrow formed the instant she willed it, manifesting a spear of divine light as if the heavens themselves had answered her call.
She fired.
The world detonated.
The monster was obliterated. Not merely struck down, not merely wounded—it ceased to exist. A flash of gold, a pulse of raw might, and then… nothing.
Seraphiel let out another breathless laugh. So this is what it feels like… to be strong beyond reason?
She erupted into another bout of manic laughter, her mind flashing with the image of Quinlan, reminding her of his overwhelming presence, his frame wreathed in the elements, his enemies crushed underfoot. 'He must feel like this all the time…' she thought.
No wonder he strode into battle with such fearlessness. No wonder he never hesitated. No wonder she was instinctively drawn to a man with so much confidence.
Her grip on the bow tightened.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
Her heart sang.
For her entire life, she had been the one standing behind, the one patching wounds and offering comfort. She had been the steady hand, the gentle presence, the support.
But now?
Now, the power was in her hands.
Another monster lunged at Blossom's unsuspecting side this time around.
She fired.
A rain of golden arrows pierced through its skull before it even reached her vicinity.
She turned, barely thinking, her body already moving to the next fight without requiring finetuned input.
Ayame was mid-clash with a brutal, horned beast. Seraphiel raised her bow. Another arrow formed, and she loosed it in a single breath. The beast's entire torso was vaporized in a blinding explosion.
Seraphiel had already turned to her next target.
She dashed forward, assimilating into the battle like she'd been born for it. Not just casting healing spells from behind, not just covering her teammate's blind spots with Lifebloom Arc… No. She was fighting alongside them, protecting them properly in the way her heart had always dreamed to be able to do deep down.
Another monster, larger than the rest, stormed toward her. It was fast, but she was even faster. Her feet barely touched the ground as she flipped over its lunging claws, twisting in midair, loosing an arrow straight into its skull. A heartbeat later, she landed behind it as the monster collapsed into dust.
Intoxicating.
This wasn't like anything she had ever known.
She had spent so much of her life fearing the moment she failed, the moment her healing wasn't enough, the moment she couldn't save the ones she loved. But now… now she understood. This was the most surefire way to protect them.
Not just keeping them standing.
Not just healing their wounds.
But erasing the threats before they even touched them.
She turned, breathing hard, golden energy still surging through her body.
The staff lay on the ground, cracked and forgotten.
Seraphiel glanced at it for only a second before looking away.
She knew it in this moment; she no longer cared for it.
She was no longer just a healer.
She was no longer just the quiet, serene backgrounder.
She raised her bow, eyes gleaming with divine light, lips curled into an exhilarated grin.
She was war itself.
[Ding!]
[Class: Healer -> Dawnbringer.]
[Dawnbringer – Bearer of Light, Harbinger of Salvation]
[A warrior of radiant might, the Dawnbringer stands at the threshold of life and death, wielding both the power to heal and the strength to destroy. No longer bound to the passive role of a mere healer, they bring devastation to their enemies and salvation to their allies in equal measure. Their light is not only a balm for the wounded but a spear against the wicked—an unstoppable force of divine reckoning.]
[Unlike traditional healers who react to damage already done, a Dawnbringer takes the fight to the enemy, preventing harm before it can ever be inflicted. They are both guardian and executioner, battlefield sovereigns who dictate the flow of war with celestial precision.]
[New passive ability gained!]
[Empowerment: 50% of base Magic stat is added to Strength and Agility, while 25% is added to Vitality.]