Arrival, a Thousand Years Ago

Chaos Era, Year 1814.

Above Olie City.

The situation had taken a dire turn. For some unknown reason, Death Praise had begun ignoring Xia Lun and focusing its attacks on Aina.

With Xia Lun covering for her, Aina hadn’t sustained any further injuries… though her frantic dodging and weaving through the air left her looking rather disheveled.

Whoosh—

A black beam of light streaked past Aina, piercing through distant clouds.

By now, Xia Lun and Aina had a rough understanding of Death Praise’s abilities.

First were the beams fired from its fingertips, which carried a terrifying corrosive force. A direct hit to a vital spot could be fatal.

Second was the powerful defensive barrier enveloping its body, seemingly centered around the crimson demonic stone embedded in its chest. The barrier exerted an immense repelling force—even Xia Lun’s holy sword slashes couldn’t break through, and Aina’s magic was equally ineffective.

Death Praise had only used its ability to summon kin once. After Aina melted the summoned creature, it never used the ability again… likely because Aina countered it and Death Praise didn’t want to waste more of its kin.

Death Praise’s body was also shrouded in a dark, corrosive energy that seemed to enhance its physical attributes. For enemies, coming into contact with it was extremely dangerous—Aina had already lost an arm because of it.

This was the first time Xia Lun had encountered such a troublesome foe.

The most frustrating part was its defense. If they couldn’t break through its barrier, they’d remain stuck in a passive, defensive struggle.

"Futile resistance."

Xia Lun’s pupils constricted—Death Praise’s right hand had vanished, only to reappear behind Aina, piercing straight through her chest.

"No! Aina!" Xia Lun instinctively shouted.

Aina’s figure slowly dissipated.

"Don’t get so worked up. I’m not dead yet." Aina’s calm voice echoed beside Xia Lun’s ear as her form reappeared behind him.

The one that had vanished was merely an illusion conjured from condensed mana.

"You really… scared me there." Xia Lun let out a slow sigh of relief.

"But… do you know that guy? Why is he holding back against you?" Aina had naturally noticed it too—Death Praise was treating Xia Lun differently. Despite Xia Lun’s relentless harassment, Death Praise hadn’t used any lethal moves against him.

"Maybe it’s because of the Goddess. He seems wary of her power," Xia Lun speculated.

"The Goddess, huh…" A hint of something unreadable flickered in Aina’s eyes.

But there was no time to dwell on it now.

Death Praise charged toward them. Though its speed wasn’t extraordinary, the sheer pressure it exuded was overwhelming.

Aina: "Do you still have strength left?"

Xia Lun: "Of course."

Aina: "Buy me two minutes… no, one minute is enough."

The holy sword in Xia Lun’s hand blazed with radiant light once more as he grinned. "No problem. I won’t let him lay a finger on you… but after that, it’s up to you, Aina."

A series of sonic booms erupted in the air as Xia Lun’s sword slashed out, leaving behind overlapping afterimages. The howling sword winds transformed into countless crescent arcs, all converging on Death Praise.

Hummm—

Like the tolling of a morning bell, the sword strikes left several shallow gashes on Death Praise’s body.

But as dark energy enveloped the wounds, they rapidly healed without a trace.

Xia Lun had already closed the distance, raising his holy sword high. The light from the blade extended into a massive, dozens-of-meters-long sword that swept forward with devastating force.

The mountaintop far behind them was sheared off by the stray sword energy.

This was Xia Lun’s trump card. Death Praise’s defensive barrier shattered instantly under the blow, and the skeletal figure was sent flying.

Aina had asked for one minute… but Xia Lun wasn’t content with just that.

After all, he wasn’t the type to pin all his hopes on someone else.

Within that minute, he’d make sure to deal enough damage to leave Death Praise severely wounded—just enough for Aina to finish it off.

Xia Lun’s aura surged as his figure turned into a streak of light.

……

"There’s… a response!"

But inside the room, Ankula froze in surprise.

Though she had sensed an answer from the spirit realm, what shocked her was that she had received two distinct consciousnesses at once.

How was this possible?

Two spirit beings descending simultaneously… Ankula had never heard of such a thing.

Powerful entities in the spirit realm were territorial by nature—they never coexisted with others.

But the spirit realm was an enigmatic and bizarre place. Even after centuries of study, witches had barely scratched the surface of its mysteries. No matter how strange the circumstances, nothing was truly impossible.

The two summoned consciousnesses… seemed to be on good terms. There was no spiritual turbulence between them, so… were they friends?

Ankula tentatively called out, inviting them into her body.

But then, a wave of nervousness hit her… This was unprecedented. She had no idea whether her body could withstand two spirits at once—would she explode from the strain?

However, her worries were quickly dispelled.

Only one consciousness responded to her call, merging into her body.

……

"This is… Olie City from a thousand years ago?"

After hearing Aina’s explanation, Xia Lun was stunned.

They were still within the spirit realm, observing the outside world through a hazy, dreamlike glow.

"Exactly. And the one who summoned us is none other than Miss Ankula," Aina said, her tone teasing. "The little girl who admired the great hero and confessed her feelings to you."

Xia Lun’s gaze dropped downward, where a fair-skinned, golden-haired girl sat cross-legged in the center of a magic circle. She wore only shorts and a tank top, her exposed skin glistening with fragrant oils.

At the same time, he sensed the battle raging above them—his and Aina’s past selves, locked in fierce combat with the evil god.

"Hah… Hahaha… This is too amusing… To think the ones this girl summoned a thousand years ago were actually us…" Aina suddenly burst into laughter, as if she had pieced together the truth. "So that’s how it is! No wonder…"

"Does that mean the final outcome was us defeating that evil god?" Xia Lun seemed to grasp it too, though he had no memory of this event.

"No, Xia Lun. Not ‘us,’" Aina corrected, raising a finger. "It was ‘me.’"

"Huh?"

"What, does the great hero want to enter that girl’s body too?" Aina shot him a cold glance. "Xia Lun, the only one you’re allowed to enter is me."

Xia Lun flushed slightly. "Ah, well…"

"I can handle this alone. Just wait here—it’ll be over soon."

With that, Aina’s figure plummeted downward, merging into Ankula’s body.