Chapter 100
Chapter 100: A Determined Future
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I was extremely grateful for Her Eminence Lady Chronoa and the Great Goddess Isister’s help to lift my curse . After showing them my utmost gratitude, Seiya and I left the almighty world of the innermost gods . We opened the door of the “room that stops time” and walked through the corridor of the third floor . I noticed that the starts shined brightly from the windows .
「It’s already late . So, let’s go to Exfolia tomorrow . 」
「…Yes . 」
I had so many things to say . But, no words came of my mouth . Seiya went to the summoning chamber afterwards .
…I wanted to stay with Seiya for a bit longer…
I became alone again . I went to Aria’s room to explain what happened and told her that I was finally safe . Then, I left the temple and headed to the Cafe De Celseus .
Celseus and everyone else were sitting on a table . John Dae and Kiriko saw me and rushed on my direction .
「Ohhh! Lista! 」
「Goddess! You’re safe! 」
「Miss Lista! I’m glad! 」
「I’m sorry . I made you worry . I’m okay now . 」
Kiriko embraced me tightly . Then, John Dae asked the following question .
「By the way, where is that hero? 」
「He went back to the summoning chamber . We’re heading to Exfolia tomorrow . 」
「But, it’s better for Mister Seiya and Miss Lista to rest for longer period of time… 」
「Yeah . But, it’s fine . Actually, we were supposed to leave the gods realm a long while ago . Yet, our departure got delayed because of me . 」
Celseus brought me a cup of coffee and a slice of cake . After a short chat with them, I finally returned to my room in the heavenly temple .
I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes . My body was so heavy and my mind was so exhausted because of all the events that happened lately .
…Seiya was probably tired as well . He helped me even though he had a psychological relapse .
Seiya was an unreadable person . I never had a clue about his inner thoughts before . However, today I saw a different side of Seiya . He looked vulnerable like the rest of us . Actually, he didn’t look that concerned or anxious, like always, and yet, I felt that his inner feelings were hurt . That’s why…he fell down .
I didn’t notice Seiya’s mental fatigue until Kiriko told me about it . I felt such great embarrassment and was ashamed of myself, because I as Seiya’s supportive goddess didn’t understand my hero unlike Kiriko, the machine, who knew him better than me .
…I vowed to myself that, from now on, I’d be more concerned about Seiya’s feelings and health…Spe…Speaking of which was it okay to leave Lord Nemesil as a grandpa? Well, who cares? Eventually, he’ll return to his original appearance…
I fell asleep after I had those thoughts .
—
Before I knew it, I was alone in a dark space .
Ah, what? I was in my room not too long ago…Was this another dream?
When I looked around, I noticed that someone was standing still a little further away from me . It frightened me .
…No way, is that person Ceremonic!? But, the curse has been solved completely!!
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When I looked closely at that person’s silhouette, I saw that he was dressed with an eerie black robe that had the same hue as the darkness of this place . I felt that this mysterious person had a different appearance and aura as opposed to Ceremonic .
「Nice to meet you . Goddess Listarte . 」
That person talked to me . Actually, it was a woman with a husky voice . I couldn’t see her face, because a big hood covered her entire head .
However…
「You managed to accomplish something great . You managed to escape from the consequences of Bloody Sisteria . I thought that no one wouldn’t be able to save you . But, here you are . Well, it can’t be helped if you saved yourself by travelling through time and space . 」
My spine froze when I heard this woman’s words . She knew about everything that happened to me .
「Wha…What…? Who…Who are you…? 」
「Ah, no need to worry . I can’t kill a god neither the hero . I’m just a powerless existence whose ability can distort the ways of the world . But, I believe that someday this power will shape the universe to its rightful form . 」
After she laughed with a dry voice, this mysterious woman turned her head away .
「Wait! 」
I tried to follow the woman . Nonetheless, a strong wind blew on my path abruptly, and I couldn’t move forward anymore . The woman knew that I was approaching her . I felt that she narrowed her eyes, and then, she took off the robe that covered her entire body .
Black, white, red, blue, gold…Her hair had a mixture of the most variety of colors . She had black wings that created that huge amount of wind . On this moment, the name of the enemy, which I’ve heard for several times in Exfolia, passed through my mind .
…The Evil God with Mottled Hair…!!
That devil creature stopped before leaving . She spoke to me without turning around .
「The hero you summoned is a great hero . He has a tremendous force and his far-sight cannot be underestimated . But, regardless of that…Ryuguuin Seiya will lose a precious person once again . This is not a prophecy . This is his determined future . 」
「Wha…What are you implying… 」
The moment I tried to grasp the meaning of this talk, the devil creature disappeared from my sight and assimilated with the darkness .
—
…When I opened my eyes, I saw a faint brightness that lit my room because of the illumination that spread from the dim light of the lamp . When I looked at my window, I noticed that it was dark outside . It was still late at night .
Was that a dream just now? No…Wrong! The evil god with mottled hair entered my spiritual world just as Ceremonic did once before! Bu…But, how could that happen…? I was still in the God’s realm, and yet…
I tried to organize my thoughts about this occurrence . Suddenly, I noticed that my body felt heavier than normal . I felt that my stomach swelled a little bit below the blanket of my bed .
…Wha…What’s this…?
I moved the blanket away from my body . And there was…
*screams extremely high*
It was the face of a bloody woman with crushed eyes and nose! Ceremonic was hanging on top of my body!
「Gyaaaaaaa!! 」
「You are not dead . You are not dead . You are not dead . You are not dead . You are not dead . You are not dead . 」
Ceremonic’s body, which spitted words of curse, was transparent! I could see everything through her body even though she stood right next to me!
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Wa…Wa…Was she a Ghost!? Ceremonic, who was supposed to have died, revived as a ghostly form!? Ho…How is that even possible…!!
This was an impossible scenario! However, at the same time, something crossed through my mind, and I became convinced of this bizarre situation!
…It made sense…! This was surely the power of that devil creature…! So, that thing…was really the Evil God with Mottled Hair that lived currently in Exfolia…!
Right in front of me, Ceremonic’s ghostly form opened her mouth without teeth .
「If I invade your body…Bloody Sisteria can be revived once again… 」
「Ugh! 」
Ceremonic’s arm transformed as a black haze! It were about to enter my body through my mouth! I tried to block it with my hands, but it passed through my skin and headed towards my lips!
…Oh…Oh no…!
I didn’t know what do to against this ghost opponent . When I felt that, my hope was lost…
「Destruction Operation Method the Fourth…“Astral Break” . 」
A familiar voice echoed through the space of my room! At the same time, I saw a magical chain wrapped around the body of Ceremonic!
「Seiya!? 」
「…In fact, even though we returned to the past to get rid of your curse with the help of the Goddess of Time, I had a hunch that Ceremonic could reappear . 」
A…Amazing!! As expected of Seiya!! Bu…But, where is his voice coming from!? I didn’t see him anywhere in my room!!
I followed the source of the chain, and then, I saw that it came from under the bed . Before long, Seiya crawled out of the gap from my bed!
「Ehhhhh!? Why are you coming out of that place!? 」
「I concealed my breath, while waiting under your bed to see if something happened to you after you fell asleep . 」
「Is this an urban legend!?* 」
Wha…What was this mix of feelings between creepiness, joyfulness, dependable and complicated emotions that I’ve felt!?
Seiya spoke while looking directly at Ceremonic wrapped in chains .
「Hmm . That thing looks like Cross Tanathus, the god of death, which we encountered back in Geabrande…No, actually, it was with the power of the evil god that Ceremonic transformed into a ghost . That’s why I used the destructive skill “Astral Break” because it is a method used against ghostly beings…」
While Seiya analyzed the situation, Ceremonic, who was tied up in a chain, began to move .
「Ohhhhhhhh…! 」
The Ceremonic’s groaning voice echoed tremendously on my earlobes! Then, dozens of rotten arms appeared in my room…Actually, it was hundreds of them!
「Ehhhhh!? What on earth is happening!? 」
Those arms, along with some others that stretched from the ground, began to grab the chain that Seiya invoked to seal Ceremonic! They tried to pull it out and broke the chain into pieces!
「It…It can’t be! Those arms broke the Astral Break! 」
Before long, the room was infested with crawling arms that looked like snakes! Moreover, Ceremonic was released from the chain and began to chase me!
「Kill . Kill . Kill . Kill . Kill . Kill . Kill . Kill . 」
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…It looked like this ghostly form amplified its grudging power!! This room transformed into the territory of Ceremonic’s curse!! Wha…What could we do in a place like this…!?
I stared immediately at Seiya to seek salvation in the midst of this nightmarish space . But, as usual, Seiya spoke with a calm demeanor .
「Until a while ago, Ceremonic’s existence disappeared completely, and only the curse remained intact . However, after we solved the curse, the evil god used his power to transform Ceremonic’s grudge into a ghostly form . Therefore, we have no problem to dealing with this thing because it only exists thanks to the power of the evil god . 」
「We…We have no problem to dealing with this thing, you say…!? 」
「Before I hid under your bed, I set up six obstruction stones around this room . I also managed to get Ceremonic’s hair not too long ago . Besides that, I performed the sword dance for three hours within a radius of 500 meters away from Lista, where Ceremonic was supposed to be lurking around . 」
「That’s…No way…!! 」
Seiya grabbed the Platinum Sword from his sheath . The Platinum Sword glowed several times brighter than usual, as if the sword itself were emitting a natural light!
「Sacred Hexagram…Activate . 」
As soon as the room covered up in light, the countless of creepy arms that were crawling in the ground disappeared instantaneously as if they were swept away by a wave of light!
…The secret that the Great Goddess Isister gave to Seiya in order to defeat the Grand Lion…I couldn’t believe that Seiya used it for a moment like this…!!
Ceremonic’s ghostly body also decayed due to the wave of light! Even so, Ceremonic, whose exterior body became undead-like since the meat fell of the skin, still chased me but slowly!
「Ki…Ki…Kill . Kill . Kill . Kill . Kill . Kill . Kill . Kill . 」
「Oh no…! 」
Wha…What a huge obsession with me!!
Such a horrible sight! My whole body shivered in fear! However…new chains wrapped around Ceremonic’s ghostly form once again! First, the legs, then its torso and finally, the neck! I noticed that the chain of destruction extended, not only from Seiya’s hands, but also from the walls and from the floor of the room!
Seiya shot an icy gaze towards Ceremonic .
「Astral Break . Astral Break . Astral Break . Astral Break . Astral Break . Astral Break . Astral Break . Astral Break . Astral Break . 」
Oh gosh!! He began to speak repeatedly like the ghost enemy!!
All of those chains that got out of my room covered Ceremonic’s head, including the mouth, which recited recurrently the grudging words “Kill . Kill”! No, in fact, those chains didn’t just wrap up Ceremonic’s head…It spread all over its body as if it were a spider’s web!
Ceremonic became completely wrapped in chains! Then, Seiya pulled a chain that came out of his arm! And “squeeze”! The swollen web cocoon contracted! Upon hearing a squeezing sound, I saw that a black evil mist scattered from between the chains to the floor!
…After Seiya’s chain of destruction disappeared, Ceremonic’s ghostly form was no longer present in my room .
「Did…Did you defeat it? This time for real? 」
「Yeah . Most probably . 」
I felt some weakness on my waist, so I sat abruptly on the floor of my room . After adjusting my breathing, I finally spoke to Seiya .
「Bu…But, even so . That really surprised me, you know…The Secret of the Six Hexagram Star . I had completely forgot that you had that skill…」
「Even though I couldn’t use it against the Grand Lion, I could always use it again on a different enemy . Actually, it’s an effective way to cut off the protection from the evil god . I never discarded this skill . 」
「Is that so…Ah, but you used Ceremonic’s hair as a catalyst to performing that skill! Where on earth did you get that?」
「I got it when I went with you to confirm Ceremonic’s corpse . 」
「Ehh!! So, does that mean that, during that time, you were already thinking about activating the Six Hexagram!?」
「It was just a precaution . 」
Seiya looked at the space where Ceremonic stood previously while talking to me . After staring fixedly for a while, Seiya declared the following words .
「I think it’s completely gone . Still, I think it’s better if I continue to watch your movement for the time being . 」
Suddenly, Seiya’s words weighted on my mind .
「Listen . Does that mean that you’ll stay by my side from now on? Are you going to sleep with me at night?」
Then, Seiya spoke with piercing eyes .
「…I knew it . You’re fully okay now . So, that means that Ceremonic is finally gone . 」
「What!? That wasn’t the talk that you made with me just now!! C’mon, I want you to be a little more cautious just like you were moments ago…」
「Shut up . You’re noisy . Go to bed . 」
「Ugh!! 」
He hit my face with a pillow .
When I took the pillow out of my face, I screamed, 「Why the hell did you do that to me!! 」, but then, I noticed that Seiya had already opened the door and ventured out of my room .
「Ah! Wait! 」
However, Seiya didn’t turn around and walked through the corridor without stopping…I was left alone in my room .
Ah, c’mon! I wanted to thank him properly! But, the mood got weird because he ended up hitting me with a pillow!
…After Seiya left my room, I sat down on my bed and reminisced about the battle against Ceremonic .
The curse that Ceremonic casted upon me was such a powerful and fearsome curse that even the Great Goddess Isister didn’t know what do to do in order to save me . Seiya went back in time and overturned the curse by tricking Ceremonic with my illusionary death . However, Ceremonic’s obsession to kill me with her curse didn’t disappear entirely and she resurrected as a ghost after gaining the power of the evil god . She attacked me again . Nevertheless, Seiya anticipated this, and this time, with the power of the Six Hexagram skill, he managed to defeat the enemy for good .
…What a great hero he was…
I felt a real sense of amazement at the succession of miracles that Seiya achieved so far, then…
『But, regardless of that…Ryuguuin Seiya will lose a precious person once again . This is not a prophecy . This is his determined future . 』
Suddenly, the words of the evil god passed through my mind .
No doubt about it . Those words were directed towards me . In other words, the evil god tried to explain that my life would extinguish before we could even save Exfolia .
I see . My fate will be the same as Princess Tiana’s fate . A dreadful destiny because the Demon King killed her in the end…
I clenched my fists then .
Wha…What the hell was with this determined future! Seiya will definitely save me! Besides…Don’t she dare take me as fool! I’m a goddess after all! I won’t have any regrets even if I die trying to save Exfolia from its enemies!
Seiya has helped me for countless of times . My mood reinvigorated and my optimistic feelings solidified . At this time, I certainly thought so .
At his time I still had no idea that a terrifying event that far exceeded my imagination was lying right ahead…