After flying for several minutes, Lux finally landed on top of a mountain and hurriedly laid his Master on the ground.
The Halfling's breathing was slow and labored, surprising Lux a little, given the bloody hole through his Master's chest, where his heart was supposed to be.
Normally, it was not possible to survive such an injury, especially if their heart was not just stabbed but blown apart.
"… Lux," Gaap called out with difficulty. He attempted to raise his hand, but he struggled to even gather strength inside his body.
"I'm here, Master," Lux replied as he held Gaap's hand, holding it firmly. "I'm here. Everything is okay."
"… Mmm." Gaap hummed as black blood seeped out of the corner of his lips.
His entire body had nearly turned black as if the Halfling bathed in black ink.
Only his neck and head still retained a bit of color, but Lux knew that it was only a matter of time before they, too, turned as black as ink.
"I don't… see Eiko anywhere… Did you… leave her… in the Guild Headquarters?" Gaap asked despite the fact that he was having a hard time breathing, and talking.
"She's off to an adventure somewhere," Lux replied as a tear fell from the corner of his eyes. "I'm a bit worried about her, but I believe that she will return home safely."
"Ah… she left the nest." Gaap smiled weakly. "Good. You pamper her… too much. She needs… to grow up… and see the world on her… own."
The Halfling paused before coughing a few times.
"Lux, thank you for… coming into my life," Gaap said. "I always… dreamed of having… a Disciple. You… made me… very proud."
"I'm also proud to be your Disciple, Master," Lux replied as more tears fell from his eyes. "Don't worry. Blackfire will definitely save you. Both of us will ensure that you get the best body possible."
Gaap didn't answer and only smiled.
At that moment, a beautiful Elf landed beside the two.
Hereswith then moved to gently place Gaap's head on her lap and lightly brushed his head.
"Ah… Master. I missed… you."
Tears as black as ink started streaming down the side of his face. He didn't expect that his Master would appear during his last moments again.
"I missed you too, Gaap," Hereswith said with a sad smile on her extremely beautiful face. "I'm sorry that I left you alone to fend for yourself. I was a bad Master."
Gaap started sobbing as all the pent-up sadness and loneliness that he had locked up in the deepest part of his heart and mind after his Master's death rose to the surface.
The Halfling was the only survivor of a war that killed his parents, friends, and acquaintances.
When Hereswith found him, he was at death's door after being pinned down by a wall that had fallen on his body.
He was only nine years old at that time, and if not for her, he would have died that very day.
Since then, he had followed Hereswith on her journey.
For Gaap, Hereswith was not only his Master. She was his adopted mother, and he treated her like his one and only family member.
This was why, when she died, Gaap felt as if there was a big hole in his heart that couldn't be filled no matter what.
Because of this, he made a deal with Antero, which the Golem of Destruction accepted on a whim.
Antero once belonged to Hereswith, and after her death, he was supposed to return to the Abyss as per their contract.
However, after watching Gaap grow alongside the elf, the Golem of Destruction found the little Halfling pitiful.
Also, Antero was also annoyed at the Divine Army for what they had done to Hereswith. He believed that even if you needed to play dirty in battle, there were certain bottom lines that shouldn't be crossed.
When they used Gaap as a hostage to kill Hereswith, even the Golem of Destruction was disgusted.
This scene reminded him of his adopted daughter, Rhiannon, who had followed him through the Abyss hundreds of years ago.
If someone used her as a hostage, Antero would definitely go all out to destroy that person. However, since he was feared in the Abyss, no one dared to touch the little Succubus even if she was very weak at that time.
Although Gaap and Rhiannon were very different from each other, the Golem knew that Hereswith treated the little Halfling like family.
The beautiful Elf didn't say anything and continued to gently pat Gaap's head as the black corruption started to spread across his face.
"Master, I love you," Gaap said as a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"I love you too, Gaap," Hereswith replied. "I will love you forever."
Both of them loved each other as family, and this would not change no matter what.
One by one, several colorful orbs of light flew out of Gaap's chest and landed beside him.
"Baal… thank you for everything," Gaap smiled.
"Thank you for trying to avenge Hereswith to the best of your ability," Baal replied. "It was an honor to serve you as my temporary Master."
"Master," the Gothic Lolita, Carol, held Gaap's free hand and cried. "I will miss you."
"Carol… thank you for always being there… for me," Gaap replied. "Your herbal beverages… are always delicious."
Naberius, Tharin, and Adonis all knelt beside Gaap and thanked him for using his limited lifespan to avenge Hereswith.
Gaap also thanked them for all the help they gave him when he was weak and struggling.
"Master!" Hana was no longer able to say anything as she clung to Gaap and cried bitterly.
"Hana, thank you… for being part… of my Covenant," Gaap said softly. "Please… serve and protect Lux. He is… a magnet for… trouble. I leave him… in your care."
A sigh escaped Gaap's lips because he could feel his body turning cold. His entire body had already turned black, including his hair and the whites of his eyes.
"I free… all of you… from our… contract," Gaap stated. "Return… to your original… Master."
The members of Gaap's Covenant all nodded their heads in affirmation, despite the fact that all of them had sad expressions on their faces.
Seeing that his Master was about to die, Lux summoned Blackfire.
"Take Master," Lux ordered. "Before it's too late!"
The Black Coffin didn't open its lid to absorb Gaap like it did whenever it wanted to devour someone.
Instead, it lowered its head as if it was feeling extremely sad that it wasn't able to obey his Master's order.
"What are you doing?!" Lux asked. He was truly feeling anxious because he felt that he was about to lose his Master forever. "Take Master now!"
It was at that moment that he felt his Master lightly squeeze his hand.
"It's… no use," Gaap said through gritted teeth. "Don't… blame… Blackfire. I cannot… be saved."
"I see." Lux finally calmed down a bit. "I just need to wait until you die, right, Master? Once you die, Blackfire can take your corpse and revive it. Also, I can capture your soul before you cross over. It is going to be fine. Yes… things are going to be fine."
Hereswith, who had kept her silence, shook her head.
"No, Lux," Hereswith said. "You might have already sensed it. But Gaap's soul is no longer inside his body. The fact that he is still alive despite his heart being destroyed is proof of it."
"Grandmaster, I don't understand," Lux was doing his best to prevent his voice from cracking up. "Both of us are Necromancers, right? How can we not revive Master after his death? Isn't this impossible?"
Gaap was about to reply, but Hereswith placed her finger over his lips before gently patting his head.
"I will explain it to him for you," Hereswith stated because she knew that speaking was already very painful for Gaap.
Her disciple was already dying, and even speaking was difficult for him. The least she could do was answer on his behalf.
"Gaap didn't have the power and authority to command Antero," Hereswith stated. "He was also only a Grade-A Apostle, so it was impossible for him to supply him with enough magic to materialize in this world.
"Since that was the case, there was only one source of power that he could use to allow the Golem of Destruction to enter this world. Lux, what do you think is powerful enough to barely sustain a Demigod to fight for a mere Apostle?"
Lux pondered for a bit before finally connecting the dots. He had often wondered why his Master was only a Grade-A Apostle.
With Gaap's ability, he could easily become a Ranker with the forces under his command. But, even after separating from Hereswith, his Rank remained the same.
There was only one explanation for this. He was unable to increase his Rank no matter what he did.
So, how can someone be stopped from being able to increase their rank? It was simple.
Those who didn't have a soul couldn't increase their rank.
Even Undead Monsters could become powerful because they had Beast Cores inside their body that served as their power source.
In time, these Undead would also develop sentience, which would in turn be the catalyst for them to form souls of their own.
"Antero," Lux said softly. "Antero is consuming Master's soul."
Hereswith smiled bitterly before nodding her head.
"Yes," Hereswith confirmed Lux's deduction. "This is why every time he is summoned, Gaap becomes older. Antero uses the power of his soul to appear in this plane of existence. And now, Gaap has reached his limit. He can no longer be saved."
The Halfling was smiling despite the fact that he would soon cease to exist—his soul would disappear, which meant that he couldn't even enter the Cycle of Reincarnation.
"Lux… don't avenge me," Gaap said as his legs started to turn into flakes of ashes that were being carried away by the wind. "The Divine Army… still serves… a purpose. This is why… Memento Mori… is not making… any moves… to wipe them out."
Lux's vision blurred as his tears fell like rain. He didn't promise Gaap anything for he knew that he couldn't make that promise.
Gaap, who seemed to have sensed Lux's resolve sighed, but he no longer repeated his words.
Half of his body had now turned to ashes, and he only had less than a minute to say his final goodbyes.
"Master… look after Lux," Gaap said softly. "He is… more stubborn… than you… and me… combined."
"I will do my best," Hereswith replied, as a tear fell from her eye, falling down on Gaap's cheek. "Be at peace."
"Thank you… Master." Gaap smiled. "Lux. Live… a great life… and die… a great death."
Those were the last words that Gaap said before his entire body crumbled and turned to ashes.
A gust of wind blew and sent his remains flying to the sky, leaving nothing behind.
Lux finally broke down as the tears that he had been holding back flowed like a river.
Hereswith wrapped her arms around her Grand Disciple's head and pulled him to her chest.
The beautiful Elf was also crying just like Lux. She had done her best to appear calm in order to not make Gaap sad during his last moments. However, how could she possibly not feel sad?
How could she possibly not feel heartbroken?
Her Disciple had sacrificed his soul in order to avenge her, so how could she not be moved?
The two held onto each other as they both wept bitter tears.
For they knew that one of the most important people in their lives had disappeared completely, never to be revived or be seen ever again.
