Hate me, Miss Witch!

Chapter 404 - 209: Am I Now Qualified to Be Your Heroine? (Double-Length)

Astral Realm.

This is a dark and desolate world, with boundless blackness stretching infinitely.

Only the occasional flicker of starlight serves as the sole source of illumination in this realm.

Suddenly, in a fleeting moment.

In that dark backdrop, one after another, crystalline cracks suddenly appear.

In the next instant, the firmament shatters.

Amid the scattering starlight—

First, the crystal heels.

Then, the dark Gothic dress, and the crown made of dark-red rare metal, encircling her alabaster neck.

The Golden Elf, with her long hair flowing, silently floats at the end of the void.

And in her left eye.

There is a flame, as brilliant as Mithril, mysterious and profound, imbued with an indescribable ancient aura, slowly flickering in her glass-like gaze.

Every time that Silverfire flickers, the surrounding space ripples in response.

Waves radiate out, one after another.

Some ripples are incredibly small, like insignificant ripples in a pond.

While others are immensely powerful, like towering waves, distorting even the starlight from distant places.

The slender and fragile silhouette of the Golden Elf drifts along with the surging spatial waves.

Her body sways up and down, seemingly about to be engulfed at any moment by the space distortions caused by the violent Silverfire.

Yet, at every critical juncture, the Golden Elf manages to grit her teeth, forcibly stabilizing herself.

She knows very well—

What kind of presence this flame, capable of distorting space and stirring waves in the void, truly is.

"Silverfire"

Or, the "Secret Fire of the Magic Goddess."

Even for Fabled Creatures, it can only be glimpsed through clues, and no living being has ever truly seen its entirety.

Hidden in the deepest part of the Astral Realm, the most ancient and supreme mystery.

Even if it were just to capture a trace of Silverfire’s presence, Hathaway had wandered aimlessly in the Astral Realm for five hundred years.

Although the Dimensional Void and Astral Realm are vast, true wandering within them conceals countless dangers.

The Star Devouring Beasts that feed on small celestial bodies, the realm-crossing beast that can traverse dimensions freely... Among such numerous Star Realm Creatures, even the mature individuals are at least Legendary.

And among their kind’s Kings, there are even those strong enough to rival Demigods.

Moreover—the obstacles and peril from the external world are just the secondary challenges.

The greatest impediment is loneliness.

Whether human or Elf Clan, at the root, both are societal beings.

Separated from others’ companionship, without even someone to alleviate the solitude... yet, wandering alone in the vast, unpopulated deep space.

Even a mere five years is enough to drive a sane person to madness.

Much less, for a full five hundred years.

If one could seal themselves or sleep, it would be fine; sealing perception and falling into slumber, five hundred years would pass like a fleeting instant...

Yet, in her quest to search for traces of Silverfire in the Astral Realm, Hathaway forced herself to maintain unwavering focus for five hundred years, even diverting half of her spiritual power to guard against the external world while she slept.

If not for her having surpassed the boundary of the Throne, with her spiritual power advancing further, becoming an ocean in itself, her spiritual power might have long been exhausted... Even if her body remained intact, she would be no different from a corpse.

It can be said that these five hundred years, Hathaway solely relied on that obsession—

The longing for Shiayar, is what sustained her.

But, even so, it’s far from saying that she has already succeeded.

Finding the Secret Fire is just one step.

To truly convert this masterless Silverfire into her own power is the true challenge.

Since the opening of the Main Material Plane, in these countless years, there have been strong Fabled Creatures who have sought traces of Silverfire.

Ultimately, without exception, those mighty ancient Fabled Creatures were engulfed in the process of containing Silverfire, swept away by colossal spatial rifts and void waves.

Leaving not a shred of remains, only a line of simple text remains, serving as proof of the danger of Silverfire in future occult tomes.

Compared to those powerful beings who once tried to contain Silverfire, the Golden Elf named Hathaway doesn’t have much advantage.

She has only just surpassed the Legendary boundary, reaching the so-called rank of the Throne.

When it comes to accumulation, compared to those Demigods or even false gods, she is still far behind.

What she possesses, which sustained her through five hundred years, reaching the deepest part of the Astral Realm, finding Silverfire, and attempting to contain it.

From beginning to end, it was merely an unyielding heart.

Other Fabled Creatures might have reservations.

Even if their attempts to contain Silverfire failed, they would still remain lofty deities, with ample fallback.

But Hathaway has nothing left.

Everything that belonged to that Golden Elf maiden, laughter, sorrow, lover, and even all memories—

Were buried entirely on the day the Lost Island fell.

Buried in the deepest part of the Abyss.

So, from the very start, she had no choice.

And no option to retreat.