NOVGO.NET Chapter 1926: Reunited With Family And Friends
Chapter 1926: Reunited With Family And Friends
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“Okay! Heheh!” she giggled, occasionally flashing her sharp teeth despite how hard she tried to hide them. “I already greeted Celeste and Celica. I cried with them too…”
“Yep, she did,” Celeste said, nodding. “Two years later, and she’s still the same crybaby from the orphanage, huh?”
“Hey, don’t be rude to her…” I sighed. “Sorry, Mist. That’s just how she shows her love.”
“Yes, I know,” Mist nodded. “Oh, right…!”
Mist pointed behind me.
Then I felt someone tap my shoulder.
“Big sister…”
It was obvious who it was from the way they addressed me.
No one else but my little brother.
His aura was completely suppressed. It almost felt as though he had erased his presence entirely, vanishing from my senses.
“I’m back.”
When I turned, I saw him. Zephyrus was…
Wow.
“Z-Zephy?!”
He had grown up.
And…
He was taller than me?!
“HUH?!”
I nearly had a heart attack.
How could this even be possible?!
I couldn’t believe it!
He was so much younger than me, and in just two—almost three—years, he had grown taller than his big sister?!
This was ridiculous!
But that wasn’t important right now.
“Zephyrus!!!”
I burst into tears and hugged him tightly, not caring for the moment about his height. I sobbed against his chest, something I never imagined I would do.
“What happened to you? Last time… last time you were smaller than me, so little and cute… well, you’re still cute, but wow! You’re handsome!”
He had inherited our father’s good looks perfectly. He looked so dashing for his age…
“I missed you so much, big sis, haha!” Zephyrus laughed cheerfully. “And yeah… a lot happened. My age… I aged a bit more. While it was two years for most, for me it was six…”
“W-What?!” I was stunned. “Mom, what… what happened?”
“I’ll explain once we have lunch,” my mother said. “But in the place we went, your brother, Mist, Lara, and even Nephilim faced their own personal trials designed just for them. Each one had to confront their deepest fears and embark on a grand adventure to prove their worthiness for the ’Heavenly Saint’s Divine Star Pattern,’ the Legacy they inherited.”
“Oh?!” Then I noticed the same rainbow star on Mist’s right hand and on Zephy’s chest, which he proudly showed me. “Wow! So now… uh, how old are you, little brother?”
“Fourteen, I guess… almost fifteen,” he sighed.
“No way…” I gasped. “S-So I missed all those birthdays?!”
“It wasn’t like that. My perception of time was… very hazy,” he muttered. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine, really… I learned a lot about my powers, the Golden Phoenix Physique I obtained, and… something else inside me, which I’ve learned to better contain and seal.”
“Oh… yeah, yeah, I’m glad,” I nodded. “I know what you’re talking about. I’m happy you’ve found a way to suppress that, Zephy… well, look at you now… I guess you won’t stand out at the academy anymore, haha.”
“I suppose not, hehe!” Zephy giggled cutely as he hugged me again. “I missed you, big sis… I really did… and Dad too, and everyone… at some point I truly thought I would never be able to return… I’m so happy… I really hope this isn’t a dream.”
“It’s not a dream, don’t worry,” I giggled, pinching his cheek. “See?”
“Ouch! Haha, I get it,” he chuckled. “Oh right, Nephilim! Hey, come on now, why are you being so shy?”
“Nephi?” I wondered, looking around. “Where is she?”
Then…
“Master…”
FLUOSH!
She appeared behind me, slipping through space itself. Her wings glowed with gold and red energy. Master Felicia let out a fascinated scream the moment she saw her.
She looked similar to before, yet subtly different. Due to her nature, Nephilim couldn’t age like normal people, but she had clearly changed.
Her mechanical body seemed more repaired internally, and her form was now covered with more skin and clothing. Though her joints and other mechanical parts remained visible, she had restored a considerable amount of her power.
Her Status, which had been evolving over the years, I had deliberately ignored so the surprise would be even greater when we finally reunited.
And now, here she was, Nephilim was finally back, more dazzling than ever, moving through space with seamless grace?!
“Um, is it really you, Nephilim?!”
“Yes, it’s me, master.”
Nephilim stepped in front of me and offered a faint smile. Then she slowly spread her arms.
“Um… can I hug you? I really missed you…”
“Of course! Come here!”
I chuckled and opened my arms wide. I hugged her tightly.
Unlike before, Nephilim felt as warm as a living person now, even though I wasn’t entirely sure where her mechanical parts began or ended.
Or how much of her original self remained within her aside from her soul…
But she was still my Nephilim—my precious friend and familiar.
I held her close, feeling truly blessed to have her by my side after all this time.
“Thank you for that hug, Nephilim. I can see you’ve become warmer and more expressive,” I said. “What did you go through? Were you also able to face a trial?”
“I did. By inheriting the Heavenly Saint’s Divine Star Pattern, I was able to use this Legacy as an ’ingredient’ to evolve into a stronger form,” Nephilim explained. “All thanks to your System.”
“Only my System?! There’s no way, right Alice?” I asked Alice, who appeared beside me.
“Yeah, totally! You put in a lot of effort yourself!” Alice said. “Honestly, I had no idea you could use something like that as an ingredient for evolution. I guess with enough dedication, anything is possible.”
“Yes… perhaps that’s the case,” Nephilim nodded. “After evolving, my body was repaired once more. This time, many of my functions unlocked after the repairs.”
“Seriously? Okay, let me see…”
I checked her Status.
—–
<Status System>
[System Owner]: [Nephi]
[Race]: [Divine Mechanical Automata: Nephilim]
[Rank]: [A+]
[Level]: [0/300]
[Class]: [Celestial Valkyrie: ★★★★]
[Subclass]: [Devil Knight: ★★★★]
[HP]: [350,000/350,000]
[MP]: [Current Storage Capacity: 100,000,000]
[Strength]: [430,000]
[Defense]: [360,000]
[Magic]: [430,000]
[Resistance]: [360,000]
[Agility]: [460,000]
[Luck]: [250,000]
[Charm]: [500,000]
{Skills}: [Divinely Crafted Body (Repaired: 2/3): Lv7] [Mana Storage Core Crystal: Lv10] [Heavenly Magic: Lv10] [Demon Magic: Lv7] [Auto Repair: Lv10] [Heavenly Barrier Of Protection: Lv8] [Demonic Chains Of Restraint: Lv8] [Heavenly & Demonic Spear Wielding Arts: Lv9] [Celestial Valkyrie’s Divine Wings: Lv1] [Devil Knight’s Demonic Armor: Lv1] [Dual Divine & Demonic Aura: Lv1] [Heavenly Saint’s Divine Star Pattern: Lv1]
—–
Merely looking at her Status left me dumbfounded. The numbers had increased dramatically in just two years of training and facing her own trials. Nephilim’s Mana Storage Core had evolved alongside her, now capable of holding up to a hundred million Mana without any strain. I wondered if I could find other ways to make use of this ability.
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