Chapter 330: Ch 329: My Mind is so Clear

The Dragon Queen appeared before the portal in a flash of golden light, her enormous wings spreading behind her as the pressure of her presence forced the surrounding air to tremble.

Her eyes moved from Lyra to Iris and finally settled on Seraphina, but none of them looked particularly surprised by her arrival.

"You have interfered with the natural order of this world. Do you even understand what you have done? By reversing the world’s magic and reaching into the corruption, you have damaged the very foundation of this realm. The balance that was protected by that precious life is finally gone," the Dragon Queen said, her voice carrying the weight of an ancient authority.

Her words should have filled them with fear, or at the very least, regret, but the Dragon Queen could not find even a trace of guilt on their faces.

Instead, all she saw was satisfaction, as though the destruction surrounding them was nothing more than an acceptable price for what they were trying to accomplish.

"We know, but we are not going to stop," Seraphina replied calmly.

"You know? You know that your actions could destroy the world, and yet you still intend to continue?"

The Dragon Queen’s expression darkened.

"Yes, because Kael is on the other side," Seraphina answered without hesitation.

Lyra stepped forward, her magic beginning to gather around her body.

"We have already lost him twice, and we are not going to let this world decide that we should lose him a third time."

Iris did not say anything, but the way she stood beside the other two made her position clear.

The Dragon Queen’s gaze hardened as she realised that reasoning with them would accomplish nothing.

She raised one hand, and a vast wave of golden energy spread across the chamber, wrapping around the portal and the fissure of corruption that had formed behind it.

"You leave me no choice. I will honour Kael’s wish and fight for it."

The golden light began to close the connection, forcing the corruption back into the space between worlds.

The portal trembled violently, and for a moment, it seemed as though the Dragon Queen might actually succeed.

But Lyra immediately thrust both hands forward, releasing a violent surge of demonic magic that struck the golden barrier head-on.

Iris followed without hesitation, driving her sword into the ground and sending a shockwave through the floor that disrupted the Dragon Queen’s spell.

Seraphina raised her hand, and divine magic poured from her body, twisting around the corruption instead of suppressing it.

"Stop this at once! You have no idea what lies beyond that boundary!" the Dragon Queen shouted as she was driven backwards.

"Neither do you, but Kael is there, and that is enough for us," Seraphina replied, her eyes fixed on the unstable fissure.

The collision between their powers caused the entire chamber to shake, and the fissure suddenly split open with a sound like tearing metal.

Time and space cracked apart, revealing a dark, unfamiliar world beyond the damaged boundary.

The corruption, which had been held back until then, began to leak through the opening in thin, writhing strands.

The Dragon Queen’s eyes widened in horror.

"No..."

The fissure expanded, and the corruption poured into the unknown world on the other side, spreading across a land that had no barriers prepared, no defenders waiting, and no understanding of the disaster that had just arrived.

The trio stared at the opening, their satisfaction slowly fading as they realised what they had accidentally unleashed.

But there was still no trace of guilt on Seraphina, Iris, or Lyra’s faces. Instead, they all jumped into the rift to reach the other side.

This time, they would be able to catch Kael and hold on to him.

...

"So, did you like your memories? I have to say that you are rather brave to come after Kael to an unknown world, and for that, I am eternally grateful."

Seraphina looked in front of her, where Goddess Aria’s consciousness smiled at her. She, meanwhile, was stuck on the bed, unable to move.

Out of the trio, she was the one who was closest to Goddess Aria and had, thus, become her anchor to this world.

This had been the risk Seraphina had been afraid of, but she had believed that she would be able to control the corruption.

But her memories had betrayed her once more.

The corruption did not look as dangerous in her memories as it was in real life, and by the time she realised what was happening, she had been swallowed whole.

"Do you know that Kael is coming here to save you? He’s such a loyal person. But what about you? How long are you going to struggle?"

The voice was taunting her now, but Seraphina kept her mind sane. She could not allow herself to fall because the second she did, it would be all over.

The thought that she, who could not care about anything beyond finding Kael, was now struggling to hold on to her humanity to save what he held dear...

"Hehehe... do you think... you can break me?"

Seraphina’s voice was so light that it was barely audible, and yet, the corruption heard her clearly. Her amusement stripped the corruption of its own.

"What is so funny? Are you starting to lose your mind? Then again, you believe you are not going to fall and break even when you are on the brink of it. Why don’t you go to sleep now? Once Kael comes here, we can greet him together. Both you and I."

The corruption was saying everything that Seraphina wanted to hear. She wanted to see Kael and hold on to him.

But not like this.

Her body was breaking, but her mind was clearer than it had ever been. Therefore, she could tell that it was her fault.

This whole situation was her fault.

"Hey, how much damage can I cause you if I fade away?"

Seraphina asked, causing Goddess Aria to turn toward her with a shocked expression.

"Excuse me—?"

"Should I take you with me? We can both get locked up. Ah, what a shame that I only gained clarity at this moment."