Liberation of The Slaves

Chapter 116 – Immortal Bonds

Outside the house, under the open sky, Len and I knelt on the dew-kissed grass, the morning light gently spilling across the meadow. A soft breeze rustled through the leaves, and the scent of fresh earth and distant blossoms lingered in the air.

We faced each other beneath the warmth of the rising sun, golden beams cutting through the forest canopy like rays from heaven itself. I reached out, resting my hands gently on her shoulders, feeling the steady rhythm of her breath beneath my fingertips.

“Fufu,” she giggled, her golden eyes twinkling with mischief. “This position reminds me of when you purified my curse. Your face was so red back then. Are you hoping I’ll disrobe again?”

“I’m afraid not,” I replied with a faint smile. “I’ve gotten far too used to your body by now.”

“Muu… You’re no fun.” She pouted, though the playful sparkle in her eyes didn’t fade.

We both chuckled quietly, the sound soft and intimate amidst the whispering trees.

“Let’s begin,” I said, my voice low but resolute.

“Yes. I’m ready.” Her smile softened into something serene.

We closed our eyes in unison, synchronizing our breathing. The world seemed to fall away, until there was only her, only us.

Then I whispered the incantation.

“Immortal Bonds.”

The words were like a key turning in an ancient lock. A cascade of imagery filled my mind, strands of mana weaving sacred patterns, like silk spun from starlight. The incantation didn’t simply cast. It guided, teaching me how to move my will through the energy of mana.

Following the guide’s instruction, I summoned my mana, soft, pale white, like moonlight woven into mist, and let it spill outward. It shimmered faintly at first, then intensified as I channeled it toward Len, cloaking her figure in a gentle cocoon of glowing light.

Once her entire being was bathed in my mana, I spoke the next phrase:

“Target lock.”

My voice carried an invisible weight, an instruction embedded in trust.

Len responded without hesitation.

“Immortal Bonds accepted.”

And in that moment… everything changed.

*Psshhhhh!*

A roar of light exploded from her body, like the heavens had opened above us. A column of raw mana burst skyward, luminous and thick, not just pale, but radiant, gleaming with the purity of the Light element. It looked as though the very sun had decided to descend to earth for her.

My mana drained rapidly, like water spilling from a shattered vase. My heart pounded. At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to sustain the connection.

I reached for more, drawing mana from the world around me, but it trickled in too slowly. Desperate, I converted my aura and chaos energy to fuel the bond. Even that proved insufficient.

【Master, grant me permission to assist with mana absorption.】

Tinkle!

Hmn!

Aza’s voice came first, then Fia and Nyx followed, their presence like warm breezes brushing against my soul.

“Permission granted,” I said, gritting my teeth.

The moment I did, a rush of wind swept through the clearing, trees bending and leaves spiraling skyward like golden butterflies caught in a storm.

Aza, ever the swiftest, led the charge. She pulled mana like a storm drawing in clouds, weaving the invisible currents toward me.

The air vibrated with energy.

*Whiiiiiiirrrrr!*

The wind howled louder as all three of them channeled mana through me. I barely had time to hold it before sending it into Len, my body nothing more than a bridge for something far greater.

She didn’t take in surrounding mana directly. Her entire focus was fixed upward. Her own body was a beacon, her mana flaring like a divine signal sent into the heavens, an unspoken plea:

Recognize me. Accept my rebirth. Witness my eternal vow.

The trees leaned in reverence.

The earth itself hummed with quiet awe.

And still, I held on.

The activation of Immortal Bonds was no longer just a ritual.

It had become a prayer.

An oath.

A miracle in the making.

Roughly thirty minutes had passed since the ritual began.

The wind had calmed, but the divine energy in the air still pulsed like a heartbeat. The sky shimmered faintly above us, as if the veil between realms had grown thin.

And then—

A voice descended into our minds.

It was not spoken with sound, but felt within the soul, a mellifluous feminine voice that shimmered with celestial grace and absolute authority.

It was the first time we heard its voice, but we knew its identity right away.

The Voice of the World.

“Verifying the prerequisites.”

A pause. The silence between lines carried weight, like the universe itself was taking a breath.

“Verifying the origin.”

Somewhere in the distance, the trees stopped swaying, as if even nature paused to listen.

“The origin, Freed, satisfies the prerequisites.”

A soft tremor rippled beneath our feet, so subtle it could’ve been imagined. The wind held its breath, and the light around us shimmered faintly, like sunlight refracting through still water.

“Verifying the recipient.”

Above, a faint pulse of golden light formed a slow, spiraling ring high in the sky, hovering like a divine eye watching the ceremony unfold.

“The recipient, Len, satisfies the prerequisites.”

A hush of wind swept past, stirring the air with reverent grace.

“Verifying the witnesses.”

From within, I felt each of them stir. Fia. Nyx. Luna. Noir. Aza. The others. Their souls shimmered faintly in acknowledgment, bearing silent witness to the sacred rite.

“One thousand and fifty-one souls are identified as witnesses.”

Petals of light, like translucent leaves, slowly descended from the sky, dissolving before they could touch the ground. The wind stirred once more, like a hymn being sung by the world itself.

“Requesting authorization from The Goddess of Freedom.”

A faint, divine hum sang through the air. A warmth passed over us, like an unseen smile stretching across the sky.

“Authorization granted.”

“Confirming the recipient's race.”

A gentle halo of light formed above Len’s head, glowing with a soft silver hue—an ethereal crown that shimmered like moonlight on still water. Her closed eyes were serene and unmoving, as if surrendering herself to the will of something far beyond mortal reach.

“Half-Elf.”

The voice declared it not with cold indifference, but with a kind of sacred reverence, as though honoring every joy and pain carried within that name.

“Assessing the availability of the suitable race.”

From the clouds above, streaks of pale gold and silver arced and twisted, braiding together into a faint constellation high in the heavens. It pulsed once, then began to dim, like a star gently fading.

“The suitable race is unavailable.”

“Seeking permission to inaugurate a new race from The Goddess of Freedom.”

As the celestial voice spoke, the sky itself seemed to respond. Clouds parted, not in haste but with solemn reverence, revealing a brilliant cascade of radiance far beyond the blue. The air shimmered, alive with ancient power, as if the world held its breath, waiting for the decree of a higher will. All sound fell away, leaving only the quiet heartbeat of the land beneath us and the soft crackle of divine light.

“Receiving proposal from The Goddess of Freedom.”

A wave of warmth surged through the air, gentle yet overwhelming, like being bathed in the breath of a goddess herself. From the heavens, a silken arc of light descended and brushed the earth, and for a heartbeat, the world was still. Then, a pulse echoed like a bell made of starlight, signaling that a divine will had reached down and shaped the future with her own hand.

“The origin's race will undergo transformation.”

I flinched.

…What?

Why is my race changing too?

Before I could even voice the thought aloud, the voice continued without hesitation.

“Confirming the origin's race.”

Its echo danced across the grassland like ripples on a sacred lake. All around us, the air trembled faintly, responding to truths older than time itself.

“Great Human.”

A subtle golden light pulsed outward from my chest, as if the truth of my identity had been acknowledged by the very fabric of the world.

But that name… it was about to change.

“A new race will be established.”

The light above shifted, from warm gold to a radiant white laced with the softest hues of violet and blue. The skies brightened, as if dawn itself paused to watch what came next. My breath caught.

“Designated Race: Aethralunian.”

The name echoed not just in my ears but in my bones, my blood, my soul. Aethralunian. It shimmered with the weight of destiny, like a name crafted by divinity itself. Light curled down from the heavens like silver silk, brushing my shoulders with a warmth that defied words.

A race not inherited, but chosen.

Made not from bloodline, but bond.

“Requesting authorization from the recipient to ascend her race from Half-Elf to Aethralunian.”

Len placed her hand over her chest, opened her golden eyes that gleamed like dawn.

“I consent,” she whispered.

“Authorization granted.”

“Requesting authorization from the origin to transform his race from Great Human to Aethralunian.”

I exhaled slowly, placing my hand over hers.

“I assent.”

“Authorization granted.”

“Ascending the recipient’s race from Half-Elf to Aethralunian.”

“Transforming the origin’s race from Great Human to Aethralunian.”

As the final proclamation echoed through our minds, the ritual neared its conclusion.

I let go of Len’s shoulders. My mana ceased its flow into her, and she, too, stopped channeling hers into the sky. The violent winds that had howled across the clearing stilled to a breeze.

The pillar of light that had soared into the heavens slowly dissipated, like mist being drawn into the breath of the sky.

And then—

Two pure radiant beams descended from the sky.

They did not fall with force, but with grace, like the gentle descent of snowflakes forged in starlight. The beams reached the earth without a sound, parting the clouds like silk and casting the clearing in a halo of ethereal brilliance.

The light enveloped us in its own celestial column. It wasn’t blinding. It was alive. Soft, warm, and humming with ancient harmony, as if the world itself remembered us… and welcomed us back.

Around us, the wind stilled. The trees swayed not from the air, but in reverence, branches bowing as if to honor the divine.

The grass beneath our feet glowed faintly, kissed by motes of stardust drifting from the beams like falling petals. Wildflowers bloomed out of season, their colors vivid under the radiant glow.

From deep within the forest, distant howls echoed, not of fear, but of awe. The monsters, beasts that had long lurked beyond our sight, paused in their hunting and bared their heads to the sky, as if offering respect to a power beyond comprehension.

Even the birds had quieted.

No chirp, no flutter.

Only silence… and light.

My heartbeat slowed, cradled by the hush settling over the world.

Before me, Len brought a trembling hand to her chest. Her golden eyes shimmered, lips parted in reverent awe. She wasn’t just witnessing the divine, she was becoming part of it.

As the sacred pillars bathed us in celestial radiance, the world held its breath.

There was no pain.

No fire. No tearing. No reshaping of flesh.

And yet, something within us shifted, profound and irreversible.

It began deep inside… past bone, past blood, within the very core of who we were.

A warmth spread through my chest, not from heat, but from something greater. Something ancient. It pulsed through my soul like a heartbeat not my own.

It felt like… my soul exhaled.

I glanced toward her. She still looked the same, silver hair cascading over her shoulders, golden eyes wide and gleaming. Yet somehow, she glowed. Not visibly, not to the eye, but to the soul. Like she had become a song only I could hear.

And in her gaze, I saw it, that same quiet wonder, that same shift. As if we’d both found something lost to time itself.

We were still ourselves. Still Freed. Still Len.

But something ancient had stirred. A thread woven through fate itself had been pulled, and in its place, a new name had been etched into existence.

Aethralunian.

We hadn’t been reforged. We’d been revealed, like stained glass illuminated for the first time.

“A new race has been established.”

The light began to fade, slowly, like twilight surrendering to night.

But it didn’t leave us.

It settled into us.

As if the divine had chosen to reside not above us… but within.

“The recipient's race has been ascended to Aethralunian.”

“The origin's race has been transformed into Aethralunian.”

As the last of the beams dissolved into the wind, the forest exhaled once more.

The leaves shimmered in the hush.

The distant monsters gave a final, low call, then went silent again.

“The process has concluded successfully.”