(Heartfelt thanks to 'Chenfeng☆', 'World's End Ballad', 'Wufeng Haotian', 'Yakumo Maki', 'You Bi Ji Yue', 'Guo Qiao Er Kuai', and 'хозяин' for their donations!)
"Crackle... crackle crackle..."
The sound of trees being consumed by flames rang continuously through the dense sea of fire, echoing through the forest that had suddenly lost every other sound.
"Urgh..."
Velsaria let out a pained groan, her body convulsing. Her entire body was covered in vicious brands like scars, a deeply shocking sight.
There was no point counting them anymore.
Even if there were not a hundred Cursed Gear Crests carved into Velsaria's body, there were certainly dozens.
And that did not include the Cursed Gear Crests carved inside Velsaria's body.
If those Cursed Gear Crests within her body were counted as well, such as the one in her heart, there were probably well over a hundred.
For an ordinary Elf User, even having a single Cursed Gear Crest carved onto their body could cause an instant mental breakdown and lead to death.
Yet Velsaria had not only carved a Cursed Gear Crest into her most vital organ, her heart, but had also implanted nearly a hundred Cursed Gear Crests throughout her body, inside and out.
The combined side effects of all those Cursed Gear Crests would likely kill not just one Elf User, but hundreds or even thousands of them.
And yet, although the Cursed Gear Crests had consumed Velsaria's mind and robbed her of reason, she had kept holding on to her last breath instead of dying.
The reason was merely a single obsession.
"Ren... Ashbell..."
The faint voice that escaped Velsaria's lips revealed the root of every obsession in her heart.
Hearing that voice, Ren instinctively tightened her grip around her Spirit Armament. She lowered her head and slowly walked toward Velsaria,