"WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!"
Thunderous cheers echoed in the air as Maria descended from her high estate, cradling Stefan as she landed.
The Beastfolk were all in joyous moods, all addressing the power she displayed with reverence. Their eyes no longer saw a human girl. No, they saw someone even more impressive than a true warrior.
What they witnessed was the act of a god.
"You did it, Maria." Elrich Lendertwale approached her with a smile. "Even I don't believe it."
Maria undid her transformation, reverting into the sixteen-year-old human girl with regular—albeit beautiful—features.
Groans could be heard from the Beastfolk audience, who would have preferred her remaining in the form of a goddess. Now, things had become too awkward.
"It wasn't me. I had help. My Familiar… she helped me."
"Yeah, I understand that—"
"No. She really did. I don't know how and why, but…" Maria's stepped back in exhaustion, and she almost fell to the ground as a result.
"Easy, there. You used a great deal of power back there—more than I thought was possible. You should rest." Elrich supported her, guiding her to sit among the white flowers that slowly faded.
Unfortunately, Stefan did not get the same treatment, so his frail body fell to the ground. Thankfully, he was already too unconscious to care.
"Will he live?" Elrich suddenly asked, his gaze shifting from Maria to Stefan.
"He was drained of all the Nether in him. He still has Mana, so he should be fine. His Soul is badly damaged, though. A huge chunk of it was already corroded by the power. He would have died in a few more months if nothing happened."
"I see…" Elrich stared at Stefan's still body.
It looked about as good as that of a corpse.
'I wonder what will happen when he wakes up and realizes what happens. Will he be thankful that his life was saved? Or will he be bitter that he lost so much power?' Elrich was willing to bet on the latter.
"With this, we've quelled the Nether Cult's attacks on all nations. You've also captured the leader. Well done." Baraja, the Beastfolk General, walked up to Elrich and Maria, showing his respect.
They all looked around them, and it was doubtful that a battle even occurred, in the first place. If it hadn't been for Maria's god-like ability, things would have been very different.
'Stefan Netherlore… while I understand what drove you to this path, you're going to pay for your crimes—just like your family.'
It was perhaps more of their fault than his. Stefan didn't choose to be born into the Netherlore Household, and he was probably used also used as a major subject in their experiments. Being exposed to Nether at such a young age… it must have contributed to the downward spiral he experienced the older he got.
Still, that did not excuse him of the horrors he had committed.
He had the chance, the choice, not to follow through with his deeds, yet he did not. Rather, it seemed he even enjoyed all the havoc he wreaked.
It was plain obvious—Stefan Netherlore was guilty.
"I only wish I could have helped him more…" Maria's voice trailed sadly.
"Don't beat yourself up over it. You saved my life—and the lives of others. That is more than enough." Elrich responded, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Listen to the man. He's right, you know?" Baraja grinned energetically.
With both grown men telling her what a good job she did, Maria couldn't help but feel a surge of pride in her achievement. She was happy she was able to live up to all their expectations.
… Especially Jared's.
'I hope you're well, Jared. We're already done here.' She raised her head and smiled into the distance.
The image of a blond boy pervaded her mind as she inhaled the fragrant scent of the wind, enjoyed the company of her allies, and settled down to rest her head a little.
"What now?" Her voice echoed
"We rest, I guess." Elrich shrugged. "Once we catch our breath, we should rendezvous with the others so we can assist them."
Maria knew Elrich was being considerate of her—considering she was the only one who appeared to be exhausted out of everyone else.
"Jane Ursula is already gathering a team to venture into the Nether Headquarters in order to assist Jared and his team. From what I heard, they could be in trouble."
Maria's eyes instantly flashed open once she heard Baraja say this, and her heart thumped with worry and anxiety.
"What did you say?"
The Beastfolk General scratched his scaly head in a bid to remember more of what was asked of him. As was prevalent among most of their people, he wasn't very bright.
"Something about the plan being delayed and a lack of communication. I don't know the details, but Jane is seriously concerned about the success of the mission. So, she's sending an elite team there. Who knows, you may get called."
"I… I see…" Maria could only mutter in response.
Jared? In trouble? She couldn't help but think about the conversation they had many nights before—about how uncertain he was about the plan. She remembered how she had encouraged him back then.
And now…
'If Jared is in trouble, we have to go.' Her thoughts echoed.
"Elrich, why don't we… argh!" She suddenly felt faint, and unbelievable pain shot through her body.
The effects of using power that would normally be too much for her to handle were finally catching up to her. Somehow, Maria knew it was too good to be true that all she got from exerting herself so much was nausea.
'Damnit… not now.' Her thoughts faded away, and the last thing she could hear were voices calling out to her.
'Jared… needs… me…'
Upon making these final thoughts, Maria passed out.
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[A/N]
New book release announcement!!!
Please look up Chuunibyou Challenge!! on Webnovel, or simply use the link below. I promise, you'll love it.
https://www.webnovel.com/book/chuunibyou-challenge!!_25760893305800205
Cheers!
