Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Unseal...
If someone knew that he could only use the Pendant of Protection twice, they could simply attack him three times with enough strength to kill him and there was no escape for him.
That\'s why he kept that secret to himself. But he did not expect to end up in a situation where he needed someone to attack him.
He thought that Xiu Ying was going to attack. His Pendant of Protection was going to protect him from that attack while Astral might be hurt.
If luck was on his side, he could attack weakened Astral with the Pendant of Strength. But Xiu Ying was more worried about him than about her own life.
Deep down, he was a little touched by her devotion. She would rather die than accidentally hurt him. But now it wasn\'t the time to think about it.
Astral was right next to him, and he was distracted by Xiu Ying. He used this opportunity, and used the last Pendant of Strength which only had one use left.
As Eren activated the Pendant of Strength, a surge of power coursed through his body.
A five minute timer appeared in the corner of his vision which started counting down.
The pendant\'s power surged through him, amplifying his strength to unimaginable levels. Without a second thought, he attacked Astral who was grabbing him by his neck.
His fist, bustling with strength, shot towards Astral. At this proximity, a punch from him felt like it could kill even the Overlords.
Just from his fist\'s movement, a low pressure wave formed and radiated outwards. In that moment, he felt invincible, fueled by the pendant\'s extraordinary power.
It was impossible for anyone to survive this attack, if hit by it, unless they were truly invincible.
"I just say, that came stronger than I expected."
Astral lazily commented, gazing back at Eren who looked shocked.
"It seems you are a strength type. But do you know what\'s the worst match for a strength type? A person like me, who can manipulate space itself. Can you defeat, what you can\'t even touch?"
Eren\'s pupils trembled. His fist hadn\'t even touched Astral. Instead, it had simply passed through his body, making it appeared like he was in a different dimension entirely.
His fist hadn\'t even left a mark on Astral as it did not connect. But the pressure from his punch was still so powerful that the building in the distance was torn to shreds, just from the pressure alone.
"That was a strong attack. Don\'t look down on him. If it had connected, you would have been torn to shreds instead," Astral\'s Spirit stated, still looking at the ruined building in shock.
It was an attack that had surpassed his expectations. Even the S Rank Hero in the Academy known for his strength could not attack with such strength.
"He might even be more dangerous than the woman, especially since he betrayed the Academy. Kill him first!"
"I will handle things my way," the fake Astral retorted. "Don\'t start eating my head now. I want to see the end of this drama."
He shifted his attention back to Eren.
"In a battle between strength and space, the winner is always space. You should regret the day you came across me."
He used his ability, and cast a barrier of space around Eren\'s feet. But this wasn\'t a spatial manipulation to strengthen him. Instead, it was a seal.
The space around Eren\'s feet was sealed. Even with strength, one could not break free of this restriction.
Unfortunately, Astral was only able to cast something like this around the feet, and not the entire body of the person. He still hadn\'t mastered this skill completely, despite the teaching of the Spirit.
"Don\'t worry. You will thank me soon, when I free you from the illusion of love."
Astral started walking away from Eren, not holding him back. The seal was enough for that.
Even with the Pendant of Strength, Eren could not move his feet. It wasn\'t a seal that was around his feet. Instead, all the nerves inside his legs, and even the blood flow was sealed in space.
No amount of strength could help with this. He could not even feel his legs anymore.
Meanwhile, Astral walked towards Xiu Ying.
"I will give you two choices. Kill him, and I will let you go. Or die in my hands, and I will let him go. Isn\'t it time to end this act now?"
Astral\'s words were like a devil\'s whispers in Xiu Ying\'s ears. She could safely return, if she just killed Eren. Or she could die. Any sane person would have known the choice to make.
Even though he offered a choice, he already knew her answer. There was no way someone was going to choose someone else\'s life instead of theirs.
He had promised to let her leave if she killed him, but he didn\'t intend to keep the promise. He had already cast a protective layer around Eren to protect him from her attack.
It was all in an attempt to make Eren realize that in reality, a lover could backstab him any time. He wanted to see how Eren was going to react to the revelation.
Was he going to cry? Was he going to ask her why? Was he going to ask for him to be allowed to kill her instead? Astral looked forward to it.
As for the moral implications, he did not care. He only had one year of lifespan remaining. He wanted to live the last year of his life the way he wanted.
"Keep your promise. I will pay with my life."
There was no fear in Xiu Ying\'s voice. She was not afraid of death.
She had lived for many years. Although she did not make it evident in the past, but her life had been very desolate. She kept all her feelings hidden in her heart, only revealing a happy smile in front of others.
She had long since buried her true emotions in the depth of her heart. But these emotions were ignited by someone. All her emotions came rushing like a tsunami, even some that she didn\'t know she had.
She truly believed that the last few weeks with Eren had been like a dream for her. And if the dream ended with her death, she had no regrets. As long as she could save that one person, it was worth it.
\'Move! Move, dammit!\'
Eren watched Xiu Ying close her eyes. His heart sank at that moment. He struggled as hard as he could, but he could not do anything. It was like he was a tied up prisoner, who could do nothing but watch a massacre of his loved ones.
Just strength alone wasn\'t enough! He could not stop that person with his strength if he could not even move!
If he had Cultivation, he might have tried to use his aura. But even his Cultivation was sealed!
The moment his thoughts reached this point, he remembered something. There was another reward he received just recently!
He did not know what Cultivation Ren had before it was sealed! But even if it was the weakest, it was fine as long as he could stop this!
"I don\'t know if it\'s still an act. I am quite curious to see if you would really die like this."
Astral reached out his hand, asking for a sword. One of his men handed him a sharp sword.
"There is still a chance. Do you want to change your decision?" he asked, but Xiu Ying did not answer.
"So be it..."
Eren summoned the Unseal Talisman and initiated its activation. Instantly, an overwhelming sensation of agony surged from the depths of his heart.
"Aaarrgh!"
The excruciating pain compelled him to release a primal roar, akin to that of a savage beast.
His roar even attracted Astral\'s attention, who looked back. "What happened to him?"
Next to him, the Spirit had grown pale. He only said a single word. "Run!"
....
Back in the Eastern Continent, Feng Yu sensed something. She looked out the window.
In the Southern Continent, Mist also looked out the window.
In the Western Continent, the Holy Priestess was sitting before the statue of a goddess, offering prayers. She also stopped her prayers abruptly, raising her head.
In the Northern Continent, a man stood atop a dark tower that was surrounded by the aura of death.