Chapter 477

C477. Astarote (8)

In the elven territory of Greynifra, inside the royal palace Fildegreen.

There, as always, Rine was immersed in reading within her library.

And at a certain moment…

After slowly opening the eyes she had kept closed, she said:

“It has been a while.”

A phrase thrown into the air.

It was strange to see her speak even though there was no one in the room… but in the next instant—

“Oh, did you know?”

“Of course.”

“How?”

“Hmm… intuition… perhaps?”

Suddenly, Yutia Bloodia was in front of her.

Yutia observed Rine as if her reaction were unexpected.

“…I heard you were in the Empire, Yutia.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“…Don’t you think coming all the way here was a bit tight on time?”

“Hmm… yes, I suppose so.”

A submissive and quiet answer.

Rine looked at her with a subtle expression and continued:

“…You aren’t making any attempt to hide your power, right?”

At the words loaded with multiple meanings, Yutia remained silent for a moment and then smiled slightly.

“What for?”

“If I didn’t know anything, I would understand. But I already know enough.”

Rine‘s expression became even stranger.

It was logical: she had never told Yutia anything about her recent change.

After remaining with that thoughtful gesture, Rine finally sighed.

“Honestly… I hoped you knew something.”

“I knew it too. You are smart, and your ability is the ability.”

As if murmuring, Yutia added:

“I thought you would be the first to notice something.”

Rine stood up gently and walked to the table where Yutia was; she sat across from her and poured tea into her cup.

In silence, Yutia drank the tea Rine had served her. A moment of stillness fell between them.

Rine stared at her and moved her lips:

“……Do you think it will be okay?”

“Which part specifically?”

“The Divine Blood that the Godfather went to eliminate together with Seolrang.”

“Hmm—”

Yutia tapped the table gently with her slender white fingers.

But finally she said:

“If I am being honest… I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“It is not something I have experienced. Even I cannot be sure. But honestly, I don’t think there is too much to worry about.”

“……Because Seolrang is there?”

“Yes.”

Yutia nodded with a face without the slightest shadow of doubt, and Rine frowned slightly.

“…But Seolrang‘s condition didn’t look good at all, not even as a joke.”

“Well… yes, you are right.”

“And what if some unforeseen event appears?”

“Those kinds of things can happen if you think about it like that… but—”

Yutia paused, still with a calm smile, and said:

“It probably won’t happen.”

“…That there won’t be any variable?”

“Exactly.”

“…Why?”

Rine didn’t understand.

Yutia looked at her with an amused expression, as if she had discovered something interesting about her.

“Rine.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how many generations Seolrang has been?”

“…You mean the line of the Golden Mane Essence?”

“Yes.”

“As far as I know, counting precisely, Seolrang is the 27th generation.”

At that answer, Yutia smiled with a gesture impossible to decipher.

“No, Rine.”

“…Was I wrong?”

“Yes. She is number 28.”

Rine‘s eyes widened.

“…Twenty-eight?”

“Uh-huh.”

“That is impossible. She is the 27th. Adding all the previous users, including her, there are 27.”

Even as she spoke, she went over the numbers in her mind again.

The result did not change: Seolrang was the 27th user of the essence.

It made no sense.

“But even so, she is the 28th. That fact does not change.”

Yutia said it with a strange satisfaction.

Rine kept thinking, lost for a moment…

And suddenly, something seemed to illuminate her face.

But before she could say anything—

“Besides—”

“Even if my assumption were incorrect, you aren’t going to stand by with your arms crossed, are you?”

“And neither are the others.”

Yutia‘s voice interrupted her.

At that, Rine fell silent.

And Yutia, with a soft smile, added:

“Of course, I trust the Master.”

While she murmured, she continued drinking her tea.

---

At that instant, all the Divine Bloods fell silent.

No, more than silence…

It was a state in which they could only remain silent.

The thrust that Seolrang had just shown was so overwhelming that it left everyone speechless.

But what surprised them even more was not her attack…

But her attitude.

Despite the impossible attack she had launched, her expression remained completely serene.

As if she had done something natural.

That face… dominated them completely.

Even the Spirit Invoker was overwhelmed.

But only for an instant.

Crack—

He felt ashamed for letting himself be affected and clenched his fists with fury.

Immediately, he moved.

But not towards Seolrang—

[!!]

[He’s coming!]

He attacked towards where the Divine Bloods were gathered.

He wanted to absorb more of them.

He hadn’t fought directly against Seolrang, but he had already understood:

If he fought her now, the result would be fatal for him.

As much as it hurt his pride, the most rational thing was to strengthen himself more before facing her.

That was his plan.

A plan that would have worked…

Had it not been for Seolrang appearing in front of him.

[!]

A shudder ran through the Spirit Invoker‘s body.

She did nothing.

She was just there, preparing an attack just as calm as before.

But he felt a monumental danger.

Seolrang had appeared so suddenly that not even he could perceive her.

That only meant one thing:

She already surpassed him by an abysmal difference.

There was no other explanation.

While he swallowed saliva, the Spirit Invoker felt something else:

[?]

A doubt.

Without a doubt, she was now much stronger.

The power she wielded was too abnormal for someone who was supposed to be just an “instrument.”

But even so, something about her way of using that power looked…

Clumsy.

[!]

And then he understood.

Seolrang could not yet completely control that power.

Therefore, without wasting a second, he launched himself to kill her.

If that was the case, it was best to eliminate her before she adapted.

KRAAAASH!!

With impossible speed, he pounced on Seolrang and threw a punch without hesitation.

A blow capable of reducing a Divine Blood to ruins.

His fist flew so fast that not even sound could follow it.

But Seolrang dodged it with ease.

As if the fist were moving in slow motion before her eyes.

Crack—!!

The failed blow shattered the ground.

But the Spirit Invoker found a small ray of hope:

If she completely dominated that force, she would have counterattacked immediately.

But she didn’t.

That detail reinforced his theory.

“I have to kill her now!”

That thought gave him courage.

But there was a problem.

No matter how many attacks he launched, she did not counterattack.

She only dodged. And dodged. And dodged.

It was a unilateral assault.

But in Seolrang‘s mind, there was no urgency or tension.

There was only one question:

‘…Why?’

The Spirit Invoker‘s punch seemed incredibly slow to her.

Tens, hundreds of fists formed behind him, destined to kill her.

But even so, what filled Seolrang‘s mind was not fear…

But doubt.

Because it wasn’t because of her new power.

She already had an idea of what it was.

A power so excessive that, used carelessly, could destroy even her own body.

A power she had obtained by offering her own lightning.

The origin of her doubt was something else:

A memory.

A strange memory.

Because the power she received from Alon Palatio should have been impossible to use, even clumsily.

A single mistake and she would have died.

But still… she could use it. Clumsily, yes.

But use it.

And it wasn’t due to talent.

Nor technique.

It was because…

There was memory.

Yes, memory.

Somehow, among the memories of the past users of the Golden Mane Essence…

There was one.

One who used this power.

Not a similar power.

The same power.

While she thought about that, Seolrang looked at the Spirit Invoker.

He continued attacking frantically.

Seolrang then adopted a stance.

Naturally.

A stance that came directly from the user whose memory she was inheriting.

“Lang-chang Lang-chang—”

Her left hand pointed at the Spirit Invoker.

Her feet planted firmly on the ground.

Her gaze aligned.

It was a strange stance.

Incompatible with any known style.

But Seolrang did not hesitate.

It was the stance designed by the previous user to use that power with the minimum bodily burden.

And then—

“One Inch Punch—”

As soon as the Spirit Invoker entered range, her fist closed…

And extended slightly.

KAAAAAAAAAA—!!

The sky… split apart.

---

Like the Red Sea parting, the black clouds opened up.

The sunlight fell like a spear upon the Spirit Invoker.

The upper half of his body disappeared as if it had never existed.

And only his legs remained.

An instant later—

The roar that arrived was so deafening that it tore everyone’s ears.

And the sound, along with pure reverence… directed itself towards Seolrang.

But…

Seolrang paid no attention.

She couldn’t.

She was seeing memories.

This had happened to her before.

When she learned the techniques of the previous users…

when she went deeper…

The memories became sharper.

This time was the same.

She used the technique.

She inherited the memory.

But then…

Why did there appear in that memory…

“You finally did it! I knew you could do it! You are a genius!”

…her Master?

“I told you that you would achieve it! It was worth not giving up, right?!”

His face full of true joy.

“Seolrang!”

Calling her.

While she watched that, Seolrang let out a small exhalation…

An exhalation of small understanding.

A whisper of realization.