novelraw Chapter 64: I love you.
Chapter 64: I love you.
Isaac watched as the dark beam that had coated the blade surged toward the sky with alarming speed, clearing the clouds apart.
He tried to maintain his composure, fighting the urge to panic and convincing himself that there was simply no way anyone could shatter a divine blessing.
Or so he hoped.
Ash brought the sword raining down.
The impact caused the entire area to explode, immediately shattering the divine shield and exposing Isaac to the sheer force of the damage.
Before Isaac could think of another way to protect himself, he was blown backward by the explosion, both his limbs instantly vaporized.
It took a couple of minutes for the debris and smoke to finally clear, only to reveal a land that had been completely destroyed.
The once-green terrain with trees and buildings had been reduced to nothing but a barren expanse of dark, burnt sand and a massive hole right in front of where Raphael was lying.
Despite the fact she was half unconscious, Raphael still managed to pull a smirk onto her face at the sight.
As for Kelvin and Echidna, though they had finished fighting their weaker opponents, they chose to stand atop a ruined building and observe Ash’s fight.
And as expected, most of what happened left them totally speechless.
Ash slowly lowered the blade, dark lightning still sparking around him.
Then, with a single blink, the silver blade turned back into Aisha, her head resting perfectly on his chest as she instinctively hugged him.
"Good girl, you gave it your all."
Gently, he placed her on the ground so she could continue resting.
When that was done, Ash moved to the edge of the massive crater he had created and looked into it to see Isaac lying on the ground, both of his arms completely gone.
Tears were dripping from his eyes as he looked back at Ash, his face and body covered in blood and grievous injuries.
A smirk showed on Ash’s face. The sight truly pleased him.
With slow movements, he managed to glide down the edges of the crater until he landed right at the bottom.
As soon as he reached the bottom, he began to walk toward Isaac, watching as the Hero’s gaze followed his every movement, fear hidden behind those eyes.
"A-Ash..."
"I’m surprised you are still alive even after that. You must really value life. Shocker. You didn’t seem so hesitant when you worked to take mine."
Ash now stood right next to him.
Tears rolled even more down Isaac’s face.
"H-Have mercy. I am sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I didn’t even lay a finger on you. Uian was the one who shot the arrow at you, and John sliced off your head. I had nothing to do with any of it."
"Oh..."
Ash leaned down slowly, resting a single finger on the injured man’s forehead.
"Yeah, you’re right, you didn’t kill me. That was all Uian and John."
A smile, lit with a desperate flicker of hope, showed on Isaac’s face.
But that quickly died when Ash continued—
"But you did watch. Laughed even. Something about my death was so funny that you had to throw it in my face the moment you saw I was still alive. Am I right?"
A look of disbelief played on Isaac’s face. To think, just a moment ago, he truly thought he was going to be spared.
There was nothing he could say to defend himself, not to someone whose killing he had played a part in.
He was literally the one who had put forth the plan to have John get rid of Ace so he could have all the spotlight to himself.
And now—
"Please, man, I don’t want to die. I really don’t. I’ll do anything."
Ash sighed, the demonic energy already forming into a small, sharp blade around his fingertip.
"Don’t worry, I know many ways you can help. For the most part, you were never part of the people I intended to have revenge on. Just as you said, you never killed me, and it wasn’t a surprise that you didn’t like me, so you don’t have to worry about that."
Once again, a flicker of hope played on Isaac’s face.
"But then, you went ahead to hurt Aisha. That is not something I can forgive so easily. For that, death is all I can request of you."
Ash placed the blade on Isaac’s chest, the blood already sipping down his neck as it slowly sank into his flesh.
Isaac screamed, a sound that was instantly drowned out by the thunderous roar that echoed through the desolate battlefield.
Ash didn’t flinch, his eyes remaining cold and emotionless as the black blade of demonic energy plunged deeper, slicing through Isaac’s armor and piercing his heart.
Isaac’s eyes went wide, reflecting the dark, sparking energy of the blade.
The hope that had briefly illuminated his face vanished, replaced by a final, agonizing disbelief.
He tried to speak, tried to utter a last plea, but only a gurgling sound escaped his lips.
The body went limp, and the faint glow of the divine blessing that had clung to Isaac’s existence finally extinguished. Ash withdrew his hand, the demonic energy dissipating, leaving no trace of the makeshift weapon, only a dark, expanding stain on Isaac’s chest.
He looked down at the dead man, a deep, satisfied sigh escaping his lips. Yes, the member of the Hero’s party, Isaac, was dead.
"Rest in pieces, old friend," Ash muttered, his voice devoid of sincerity.
He then glanced up at the edge of the crater.
Raphael was struggling to sit up, her smirk wider than ever.
Kelvin and Echidna were still perched on the ruined building, silent observers of the summary execution. And Aisha, his good girl, was still resting quietly on the charred sand above.
Ash began his ascent out of the crater, walking past the lifeless, dismembered body of Isaac without another look.
As he reached the top, he picked up Aisha, cradling her gently in his arms. She instinctively snuggled closer, her breathing evening out.
"It’s over," Ash announced, his voice carrying clearly across the destroyed landscape. He looked first at Raphael, then at the distant duo. "The first one is done."
Raphael, despite her obvious exhaustion, managed a shaky, almost manic laugh. "Beautiful. Truly beautiful, Master Ash. The Divine Blessing? You shattered it like glass. I knew you were something else, but that..." She shook her head, unable to finish the thought.
Kelvin finally broke the silence, leaping down from the building alongside Echidna, landing silently a few yards away.
"That was... excessive, bro. I didn’t think you would kill him like that. You are so heartless, man, ha ha ha," Kelvin said, though his tone held more awe than criticism.
Echidna simply stared at the massive, impossibly deep crater. "Heartless or not, that was an entertaining watch."
Ash gave them a brief, dismissive nod, focused only on Aisha. "Yeah, okay."
Before he could say anything, he noticed Echidna had already arrived in front of him, on her knees with her head bowed.
"Ash, I don’t exactly know why you decided to fight with a member of the Hero’s party. But for all his worth, I understand that it must be well deserved," she uttered.
"Oi! What are you doing?!" Kelvin was shocked to suddenly see her bowing to Ash like that.
Ash was shocked as well, but he played it cool.
"You did battle them without knowing if I was in the wrong. Thank you," he uttered.
That was even more of a shocker to Kelvin and Echidna. They didn’t hear it wrong; Ash had said thank you.
Soon, a smile grazed Echidna’s lips.
"I didn’t need to. As I said before, I am willing to do whatever it takes to be of help to you. I am willing to do anything at all. So please, allow me to stay by your side a little longer."
Every word she said drove Kelvin into a state of confusion.
’She never planned on leaving, did she?’ Ash sighed internally. Then he looked at her.
"Fine. I accept."
Echidna’s eyes widened with joy.
"But only if you answer this one question," he paused. "I asked this before, but I’ll ask this again. Why are you so keen on being around me? Surely there has to be a reason."
There was silence for a while.
Then—
"Love."
"..."
Echidna raised her head to look at him.
"I love you. I love you. Is that enough reason? I truly do love you, I love you a lot, Ash."
Ash wanted to instinctively recoil, but then he noticed Raphael was staring directly at Echidna, a strange, knowing smile on her face.
"Love..." he accidentally blurted out.
"Yes. I love you~, just as Lady Agis d—"
Blash!
Raphael suddenly snapped her fingers. In the blink of an eye, Echidna’s head scattered into multiple pieces, her headless body falling to the ground.
...
[A/N]
Appologizes for the last Chapter, it was a mistake on my part. Sorry to those who wasted thier coins.