Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore, Chapter 475: Good day, my dearest and most hated-

The Paradise Lost drastically altered the climate and topography of all the regions it passed through, adding tropical and desert landscapes to the predominantly temperate West Saint Continent. From Gloria to the uncivilized coastline on the edge of the Kasser Province, a giant chasm with flowing lava runs through them. This chasm is perfectly straight, as if drawn with a ruler, and from this point alone, it is clear that it was not formed naturally.

The giant ravines are far below sea level on average. As the near-shore temperature recovers, large amounts of seawater flow directly into the ravines, cooling the deep magma and turning it into a flat riverbed. The rising water level also far exceeds the draft of ordinary cargo ships. With its excellent route, length, and depth, an "artificial" river was born, running directly from the center of the West Saint Continent to the coast.

This is the origin of the legendary Eden Canal, which later greatly enhanced water transport on the West Saint Continent. Its emergence created a complete waterway freight and trade system, greatly aiding the economic recovery of the newly established Blood Ash Dynasty. As for its origin, the common saying is that the dynasty's guardian goddess, "Huo Hua Shi," recognized the Blood Ash Emperor's achievements and thus bestowed a divine miracle as a reward. The vast majority of people firmly believe this, although for some reason, the founding elders look utterly dejected upon hearing this explanation.

As for why it was named "Eden," it's said that the goddess who gave it the name didn't bother to explain.

Of course, that's a story for another time.

At this moment, the irresponsible namer launched a deadly assassination attempt on her nemesis—

Above the former Gloria--

"Mmm... uh..."

The still-floating lady felt a long-lost dizziness; it was unbelievable, when was the last time she felt this way?

The sound of the explosion was so immense that even she struggled to process it and extract information from it.

While she could certainly use sound as a medium to interfere with others' minds and protect herself, although it only caused a slight discomfort, the massive audiovisual phenomenon of "Paradise Lost" still impacted her, since she also needed to transmit visual images of sound into her consciousness.

"Her madness has exceeded my expectations... She does such absurd things without hesitation; in this respect, she surpasses even Warrensding..."

She muttered to herself, this was the first time she had encountered such an exaggerated situation. Although she was powerful, she was ultimately not good at quickly adjusting to such a state.

But where is she?

As if to answer her--

"--Checkmate!"

The sharp Blood Crystal Thorn pierced through her chest.

So tired. So uncomfortable.

It felt like my whole body had been hollowed out.

Paradise Lost – the most powerful attack I can currently unleash, but it places an immense burden on me, both physically and mentally.

This attack not only destroyed my Blood Prison Space, but also drained tens of millions of lives. These withered Lycoris radiata were the trigger for this attack. Afterwards, in order to quickly recover to a state where I could recover, I directly used more than one life to replenish myself. Overall, the consumption was terrifying.

Even so... what truly pains me is the fact that my wife is still completely unharmed.

The moment the flames of the explosion subsided and my unharmed wife appeared in my sight, I understood.

The stabbing I just did was merely a futile last struggle before I accepted the truth.

She remained unscathed despite the continuous attacks, and I considered many possibilities.

First, she can use weapons such as sound waves to protect her body and resist external forces.

But the power of Paradise Lost is far beyond what sound waves can withstand.

Second, what I was fighting before was just her illusion; her real body is still elsewhere.

But I've already destroyed Gloria completely. Even if her true form is hiding in the city, she should be dead by now. Besides, given her pride, she'll definitely confront me in her true form.

... and many more like this, but considering the previous circumstances, coupled with the devastating blow from Paradise Lost that could seal off almost all possibilities, all these possibilities can be eliminated.

Only one left.

The possibility I least want to admit.

Part of the reason I ultimately got close enough to stab her was to confirm this possibility.

She wouldn't be harmed by physical attacks, and more importantly—I didn't even manage to stab her.

Although the Crystal Spike her body, there was no tactile sensation of being stabbed. They tried to drain her blood through the Crystal Spike, but could not sense Blood Energy.

It's almost as if it has no physical body.

"Oh dear, what a pity, but it seems my little sacrifice was worthwhile..."

Having recovered from her dizziness, she gave me a charming smile, turned around, and touched my face with her hand—my Crystal Spike also pierced horizontally through her body, but she was completely unharmed.

The sensation of her hand really did reach my face.

But as her smile deepened, the sensation of her hand disappeared. Her hand passed right through my head, yet I felt nothing, like a ghost.

Of course I wouldn't be foolish enough to think she was a ghost, even though it was indeed very similar.

"You... completely abandoned your physical body? You actually reconstructed yourself using your voice, becoming a pure spiritual entity with sound as its medium!"

"I finally found it, darling."

What will she do?

What will she do then?

Winsani Goldleyman,

Al Warrensding,

Whether it 'A Ye or not

They are all crazy in a sense.

Moreover, they are dangerous individuals who can control their madness with reason, "Rationally going mad."

That incredibly powerful attack was A Ye's doing, wasn't it? Even if she intentionally chose a direction that would avoid human settlements, such an attack was still too much.

But the lady will certainly not die as a result; that much is certain.

For so many years, the lady has regarded Al Warrensding as her lifelong rival, and she would definitely make preparations in advance for any possible attacks. Given her personality... this so-called "preparation" could be as crazy as it gets.

Keep it up, A Ye!

I've already staked too much on you.

So,

Please hold on until at least my arrival.

The human body has a so-called "blueprint".

According to genes, the body is constructed from proteins, fats, minerals, and other substances, thus forming the physical body.

But what if we abandon the material aspect and instead construct the body using spiritual elements?

Based on something else... such as Meme, constructing a body with a concept of sound on a spiritual level that I cannot understand, that would probably form a spiritual body.

The lady controls both the physical and mental aspects of sound. If she takes the mental aspect of sound and the ability to imbue it with meaning to the extreme... it is entirely possible to completely replace the physical body with a spiritual body.

Although the materials used are different, the functions of the finished products are the same. Just like shelves made of wood and metal can both be used to bear weight, the only difference is in their performance. As long as I use her supernatural ability to interfere with the outside world, even though she no longer has a physical form, I can still have the illusion that I "feel her." For example, that teasing kiss before, whether it was the touch of her lips or the fragrance of her saliva, it was all just an illusion created by her.

However, I cannot harm her. She can use her powers to interfere with me, but I cannot have any effect on her beyond that. Blood crystals cannot pierce her, Blood Flame cannot burn her, Blood Beast cannot tear her apart, and spiritual beings have no blood, so they cannot absorb blood, although they still have life—but unfortunately, I cannot yet understand the form of spiritual beings' life, so I cannot directly plunder her life.

In other words... I have absolutely no way to defeat her?

No—what shocked me even more than that was the awareness and choices she made!

She smiled and "walked" toward me, or rather, appeared to walk, but was actually floating. At that moment, I finally realized what that awkward feeling from the previous battle was all about—her hair and skirt seemed to be fluttering in the wind at first glance, but upon closer inspection, you would find that they were just swaying rhythmically under her control, not exactly in sync with the wind direction and speed, just a simple illusion!

"Abandoning your physical body and becoming a completely spiritual being... are you serious!?"

"Once you've given it up, you've given it up. What's the point of talking about taking it seriously?"

"But..."

She snapped open her folding fan and gently fanned herself, but it was just for show. Although she could create a breeze with sound waves, the breeze couldn't actually reach her body.

From the beginning until now, everything has been an act. All her actions have made me firmly believe that "she is still a normal person with a physical body."

"But... in that case, you won't be able to feel anything at all except for the sound!"

"... Oh? How so?"

"Ultimately, now that you've completely transformed into a spiritual being, can you still perceive anything on the material level? I'm afraid you can't even see things! You can't see beautiful scenery, smell the fragrance of flowers, taste delicious food, feel the breeze, or even wear pretty clothes..."

"..."

"Didn't you love a luxurious material life the most? Didn't you love wearing beautiful clothes, expensive jewelry, and being served by servants? If you become a spiritual being, you won't be able to enjoy any of that anymore! Just for... just for a battle with me, and with Blood Fiend, is it really worth going to such lengths!? This kind of sacrifice, this kind of choice..."

Even I can't do that!

Seeing that I was losing control of my emotions, she simply shrugged.

"... I need to correct two things."

She suddenly disappeared, and when she reappeared, she was right beside me.

Sweet whispers entered my consciousness.

Oh no—by the time I noticed, my world had completely changed. Her voice distorted my perception of the world once again, but this time it wasn't the floating castles under the twilight sky, but an endless, dark space. Looking up, there was a black, enclosed dome, and the floor was made up of endless stained-glass windows emitting a pale blue glow, as intricate and exquisite as those in a church. The stained-glass windows were both the floor and the bottom of a pool, because the extremely clear water reached above my calves, making me feel as if I were standing in an infinitely large, shallow pool. The shallow surface rippled slightly, distorting the faint glow emitted by the stained-glass windows—a scene both eerie and beautiful.

I tried to move... but I couldn't! Last time I could at least put up a desperate struggle, but this time I couldn't even move. Her distortion this time had even penetrated into the shallow layers of my consciousness that controlled my movements!

"First, I am not blind now, nor am I incapable of sensing anything other than the sounds I control," she said calmly, looking down at me. "Don't forget, one of my abilities is the visualization of sound. I can also convert external sounds into visual signals for reception. In fact, it's not just vision; I can do the same with taste, touch, and other senses."

"But... that's just receiving signals! It can only be used for knowledge, but it can't be truly felt!"

"That's true, but it doesn't matter... The second thing to correct is—don't judge me by your own values!"

A sudden, loud bang blew me away. Before I had even completed half of my parabola, a torrent of sound slammed me down, sending me crashing heavily onto the stained-glass floor, creating a huge splash.

"It's worth it for me. If this duel can continue, I wouldn't mind giving up everything I enjoy in my daily life! In fact, I made the right choice, otherwise I would have been reduced to ashes when you used Paradise Lost!"

The voice "grabbed" my hair and pulled me up. She moved closer to me with ease, examining my face, which was contorted with exhaustion and pain.

"And now... can you still defeat me? With all your moves being physical attacks, do you even have a single way to take me down? Ye, you do indeed possess combat power comparable to the higher-ups, but in the end, you still lost to me in vain! Not because of strength, but because of your lack of awareness!"

Just then--

"That's right, she was indeed defeated by your insane determination to win even at the cost of her body--"

Although the collision of spiritual entities doesn't produce sound, I could still almost hear the sound of a knee hitting an abdomen.

"--But I haven't!"

"Huh--!?"

The palm struck the woman's chin, but at the last second, she jerked her body back, creating distance between herself and the attacker.

The attacker stood gracefully beside me.

Only a spiritual entity can directly injure a spiritual entity.

I stared at her, dumbfounded.

That beautiful, light brown hair, that unchanging long-sleeved dress and capri pants—it was definitely her.

Givinia.

He is probably my most reliable companion, bar none.

However, there seemed to be some impurity mixed into the ever-present gentle smile on her face.

It was a mixture of sorrow and cold-blooded vengeance.

"Givinia? Hmph, I thought it was someone important," the lady frowned, rubbing her stomach as she glared at the uninvited guest. "Do you think I haven't noticed your strange behavior all this time? I've sensed your disloyalty for a long time, but I've just been too lazy to deal with you. I never expected you to be so audacious as to interrupt my duel!"

"... I'm really sorry."

Faced with the angry lady, Givinia simply smiled.

"But if there is only one person in the world qualified to interfere in your duel, it is probably me. Greetings, Winsani Goldleyman—no, I should say—"

She bowed slightly, lifting the hem of her skirt in a gesture of respect.

"--My dearest mother."

""... ah?""

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Explosive news!

The two-hundred-year-old widow was actually the author's mother-in-law!