CH 180

I stood, frozen at the sudden, shocking turn of events, and only seemed to jerk out of my daze as the demon crashed to the ground. I rushed toward Ridrian. His face was turning blue, his body wracked with shivers. I turned just in time to see the demon disintegrate into ash. I’d never known they did that when they died.

“Ugh!”

I turned toward Ridrian again.

Oh my god!

His body was blackening by the second as the demonic power eroded it. I found myself biting my nails nervously.

There’s no way a common child’s body can handle a demon’s heart!

I wanted to believe that it was a dream, but it was too real. I couldn’t be assured just because I knew the future. I was already struggling to get out of the future God had planned. And the result? Ridrian had picked me over Eris. It was joyous, but it made me uncertain about this present situation.

I can’t leave him like this.

“Ahhhh!”

Ridrian’s screaming intensified, and my heart sank. The erosion of his body was happening too quickly. At this rate, his body would melt within the hour. I could still remember young Count Russen, whose body had melted into that of a demon.

“Ah! Ahh!”

Another tremble filled my body. What can I do?

The daughter of God, the demon had said before he died. This is destiny, so you can’t stop it.

My jaw clenched. I’m going to stop it! I’m going to protect my future and Ridrian’s! You think I’m going to let the original novel pan out the way it did?

It was a hard dream to achieve. But I couldn’t give up. For those who worried about me, for Ridrian who put me in his heart. I couldn’t let go of the happy life that I’d finally achieved.

If the future changes…

Just thinking about it made me mad.

Trying to calm myself, I knelt before him, examining him like a doctor. He was still screaming, writhing in pain.

The demon’s power is demonic power. It revolts against divine power, or it can be neutralized by it. The characteristics of divine power I’d learned from Ravis a few days ago filtered into my memory. God’s power, divine power, transcends time and space. Sometimes those who have strong power jump time and space unintentionally.

If divine power transcended time and space…

I was cured, thanks to your power, Ridrian had told me a few days ago, when he was rescuing me.

Ridrian was hurt by divine power, but if he’s tolerant with my power…

I took a deep breath and touched Ridrian’s bleeding lip. My hands went right through it.

“Ugh!”

Don’t be hurt, Rian.

I tried to put my forehead against his. They didn’t touch, but I was hoping my plea would get to him.

Please be okay.

I focused on that one wish, directing my power like Ravis had taught me. Thankfully, he’d taught me well. Ridrian’s screams and struggles began to cease.

The demon’s heart was awful. Even darkness wouldn’t be so dark. How could a living being carry such darkness?

The darkness was trying its best to overtake—no, to swallow his body. It was the same color as the sword that Ridrian had rejected before, but this was way more ominous. The untouched parts of his body were quickly disappearing and turning to black.

You think I’m going to let you do whatever you can?

I subconsciously began to channel my power into his untouched flesh. There wasn’t even half left now, so I quickly coated my power on top of it. My power, which held light attributes, and the demonic power which held dark attributes, began to collide.

“Ah!”

It seemed like he’d felt the shock of them colliding. He screamed, even in his unconsciousness, and my heart gave a throb, but I clenched my jaw tighter and focused on controlling my power.

It had been a while since I tried to fight off the darkness from spreading all over his weak body when I began notice a bizarre reaction between the two opposing forces—the dark power was slowly being absorbed by Ridirian’s body. As I continued to channel what little energy left of me, I realized that it was my intervention which turned the tables, it was Ridirian now who was swallowing the darkness.

Thinking about the original novel’s ending of Ridrian absorbing the demonic power wasn’t something I wanted, but it was power he needed right now. It was necessary for his survival.

I want to meet the future Rian.

I bit my lips as I channeled so much power that the dark room turned completely white. I felt a bit dizzy but I couldn’t stop.

“Ha.”

His screams finally died, and his rough moaning also subsided. I came back to my senses as well.

The dark power’s advance had been considerably weakened. No, the power was still there, but it seemed to acknowledge Ridrian as its master and seemed to be settling.

But it’s still too aggressive. It’s going to explode if we’re not careful.

I remembered Ridrian just exploding in anger in the original. He’d chosen to stop holding back his power and letting it all out. And that power had swallowed the world.

This was the demonic power that Ridrian took. Its pressure is insane, but…it’s great, but the world couldn’t end just by this much power.

I was awed by the power, yet a little puzzled. It did have the power of a nuke, but one wouldn’t be enough to end the world. That was how I felt.

Perhaps the power had grown within Ridrian? I thought for a while, and then it occurred to me that Ridrian’s exploding had occurred at the same time as the two moons’ crossing.

They had to be related.

“Am… am I alive?”

Ridrian’s voice yanked me back to my senses. He sat up slowly, covered in blood and cold sweat. The body which had been covered in darkness returned to normal.

Thank goodness. I let out a huge sigh of relief.

“My…head is blank.”

He looked calm for someone on the brink of death, so much so that it seemed almost like he had no idea what had happened. He reached for Lotuburu, picked it up and examined it.

“Is it a dagger? Would’ve been better if it was long…”

Before he completed his sentence, the weapon instantly extended into a sword.