Chapter 54
Scarlet conjured dozens of arrows made of fire. Devrant, smirking mockingly, created a large shield with his dark magic to block them. Meanwhile, Vine, armed with a silver shield in one hand and a sword in the other, aimed for Devrant’s side.
“This means I have to deal with that monstrous creature!”
Hisran exclaimed in frustration but still charged into the fray where the White Tower mages were struggling against Gluttony, whose attacks were proving ineffective.
“Those weaker than me should focus on defense. That thing absorbs most types of mana like food.”
Fire, water, earth, and wind. All kinds of magic clashed, illuminating the darkened interior of the White Tower.
In a corner untouched by the chaos, hidden in the shadows, a man spoke.
“Lady Loretta, should we not help them?”
“There’s no need to step in yet.”
A doll-like girl with a cold face observed the battlefield as she answered.
If she said so, then it was so.
The man, a close aide to the Black Tower Master, quietly closed his mouth at her words. Instead, he glanced at someone who felt a similar sense of camaraderie.
“Senior, can you hear me?”
Unlike many mages who specialized in one or two elements, Hesed could handle nearly all types of magic equally.
The flames he conjured were as hot as those wielded by the mages of the Red Tower, and the tidal waves he summoned were as grand as those of the Blue Tower. And his wind magic needed no further mention.
“Senior, I… I really can’t live without you. Without you, not only the White Tower and the West but even I would want to give up.”
So please come back, I beg you.
While his hands crafted deadly spells, the words from his mouth were desperate and sweet.
They made the fragment of the god possessing Irina furrow its brows. They made Siord, fighting alongside him, shake his head and shudder repeatedly.
If Siord hadn’t met Yeonhwa and still didn’t know love, he would have only understood Hesed’s actions as a prelude to going berserk—even harming the people from his own side.
“If you love this woman so much, how about offering your neck branded as a traitor? Maybe then her sorrow and anger would subside, and she’d come to her senses. Hahaha!”
The fragment taunted him with laughter.
Hesed, focused entirely on Irina, noticed her slightly touching her chest as if feeling intermittent pain.
Hesed’s crimson eyes calmed down.
“If that’s what it takes to ease your heart, why wouldn’t I do it?”
“You’re…!”
Before Siord could question his sanity, Hesed slashed his own chest with a sword crackling with electricity. Blood splattered everywhere.
“No, that crazy bastard!”
Hisran, who was fighting Gluttony, yelled when he saw the scene. The slight pause in the battle allowed others to witness Hesed’s self-harm.
“How could…?”
“This can’t be happening…”
He’s mad. He must be completely insane.
The elder mages who had subtly suggested rebellion to Hesed, and Celsia, all sighed in disbelief. Trying to separate such a man from Irina was hopeless from the start.
Hesed, seemingly feeling no pain, didn’t stop at his chest but also slashed his arms and legs. In no time, he was covered in blood.
Even the fragment of the god, who had told him to offer his neck, seemed taken aback by his insane actions, staring at him with a curious look. Bleeding from multiple wounds, Hesed slowly approached Irina, step by step.
“We can’t lose the Vice Master too! Stop him!”
Some mages shouted. Siord, having regained his composure, tried to bind Hesed with water whips, but Hesed cut through the water with his electric sword and continued forward.
Finally, Hesed reached Irina.
Holding out the electric sword to her, he said,
“Take this sword and cut my neck, stab my heart—do whatever you wish. If it can bring you back, I will gladly endure it.”
“Do you think I’d fall for the same trick twice? Fine, have it your way.”
With a scoff, the fragment grabbed the sword and stabbed Hesed in the chest.
The already existing wounds tore open further, gushing blood. The life began to fade from Hesed’s crimson eyes.
As the blackened eyes shone cruelly, a snapping sound was heard.
Siord saw a magical hand formed from Hesed’s blood snatch the red crystal necklace. While Hesed, acting like a madman, had drawn the enemy’s attention, the blood magic, hard to detect due to the life force within the blood, had achieved its goal.
“Ah, ugh…”
Irina’s eyes shifted between green and black multiple times as she clutched her head. Hesed murmured weakly,
“Irina, wake up. I have never betrayed you. I would prove it with my death.”
Using his last bit of strength, he empowered the magical hand. Infused with his determined will, the hand shattered the necklace, and the red crystal turned back into dark blood.
Black smoke seeped from the broken necklace, but Siord’s water barrier enveloped it tightly, sealing it away.
Thud.
“H-Hesed!”
Having achieved his goal, Hesed’s body collapsed like a decayed tree. He had used too much magic and lost too much blood. He had reached his limit.
As his gaze met Irina’s, who had regained her clear eyes, he finally felt relieved and allowed himself to lose consciousness.
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