Chapter 489

Chapter 489

Crack—

With a pain that felt like it ripped through him, Ian’s vision went black.

Even through the agony, Ian violently ripped the hand off his arm and slammed the grasped mask down.

—You did… well, Friend…

Yog’s whisper reached him just as a final, deathlike tremor rippled through him.

The pain vanished in an instant—and like something had yanked him out, his consciousness was flung free.

A moment later, light exploded through the darkness. Dizzying vertigo surged alongside a rush of sensation.

Thump… Thump…

Even as the world spun, Ian could hear the bead of chaos essence thundering, and alongside it, a divine force he couldn’t name, burning wildly through him.

Splat—

He burst through the mud-like wall and fell out, tumbling down. He barely noticed the pain of the fall, numbed by the cold and dizziness.

And through it all, one thing stood out with unreal clarity: a glowing quest completion window hovering before his eyes.

“Cough… ugh!” Ian lay sprawled like a newborn, vomiting up viscous violet slime.

He couldn’t even bring himself to dismiss the quest window. The chaotic resonance still roared within him, and the divinity that burned through the chaos remained just as vivid.

“----!”

That’s when the scream tore through the air behind him. He couldn’t lift his head—but through the corner of his vision, he saw a massive, staggering violet monster. It was the archdemon’s flesh—now separated from him. The gaping hole in its chest, likely his doing, was melting like ice cream under the sun.

“----!”

As its grotesque, fang-lined maw crumbled, the creature shrieked in agony. It lurched toward Ian, as if trying to consume him again—but its arm dissolved before it could reach him. Its legs, torso, and writhing tentacles followed, all crumbling to nothing.

Shhhhh—

As the screams faded like a deflating balloon, the melted body evaporated, transforming into violet steam.

“Hah… hah…” Ian, still sprawled across the ground, did nothing but gasp for breath.

The surrounding air grew thick with haze, but he didn’t so much as glance at it and didn’t even try to stand.

Thump… Thump…

The bead of chaos essence still howled inside him.

However, Ian’s focus wasn’t on the essence bead. It was on something else—the divine fire coursing through him, trying to escape. Ian was guiding it.

If I’ve gone this far with something this damned…

Thankfully, the divine power listened to him. Instead of surging outside him, it pressed inward, deep into the very core of his being, burning away the chaos that thrashed and spilled out with every beat.

That alone was agony enough, but Ian didn’t stop.

Then I’ll take the punishment, too.

The moment the divinity surged inward and engulfed the essence of chaos bead came almost simultaneously. The essence bead let out a deathlike resonance, and a wave of pain crashed over him so intensely it made his vision spin.

His eyes went white—not from unconsciousness, but from light. Fractured, dazzling light scattered wildly across his vision, consuming everything.

Shhhhhh—

As the essence bead swept up by divinity quieted, a thick vapor rose from Ian—an eerie mix of purple and shimmering light.

His previously blank eyes slowly came back to life.

“Ugh! Cough…” Ian pushed himself up on trembling arms and vomited a mouthful of blood.

It shimmered with ominous violet and rainbow hues—and just like the vapor rising from him, it evaporated the moment it hit the sand.

A foreboding purple and a sparkling radiance, like a rainbow, was mixed with the blood.

“Phew... Phew...” Even as he gasped for breath, Ian felt the part of the divine power soaking into him. And now, at last, the quest completion window came into clear view.

He was sure he had closed it before turning his focus inward. Maybe it was a quest he had never officially accepted or one he had completely forgotten.

It wasn’t just one. As he closed the window, another appeared immediately after.

He tilted his head slightly, puzzled, but closed the windows. He was curious about the rewards, sure, but that wasn’t what mattered right now. What really mattered was right in front of him.

“Sir Ian!”

Lucia, with her face smeared with blood, was crawling toward him through the thick steam. The moment their eyes met, she lunged forward and threw her arms around him. Ian didn’t resist. He held her just as tightly.

“I’m so glad! I thought… I thought I’d never see you again…” Her voice trembled, thick with tears, as she held him so tightly it felt like he might break.

Ian gave her a reassuring squeeze and murmured, “…I’m sorry, Lucy.”

“No. It wasn’t… that wasn’t you back there…” She shook her head, voice choked.

Just as Ian patted her back, she added, “I need to apologize too… I used the Scared Blood you lent me… without asking….”

Realizing now what that divine power truly was, Ian let out a faint, soundless laugh. “There’s nothing to apologize for. You brought me back. You did well. Thank you.”

Lucia nodded as she sniffled, but then suddenly tensed. A stifled breath escaped her lips. “Diana….”

“Diana?” Ian’s faint smile faltered.

However, it wasn’t Lucia who answered.

—Ah… right. We… We messed up big time, my friend.

The tired voice in his head came from Yog. Ian’s brows drew together as he turned toward the sound. A streak of black smoke cut through the steam and fell toward his arm. It coalesced midair and landed limply on his forearm.

Ting—

It bounced off, unable to stick like usual. Reflexively, Ian reached out and caught it.

—Looks like… I paid a price too.

Yog squirmed between his fingers, smaller again—just like before.

It wasn’t a backlash from using the mask. Just like it had warned in the dream, the essence bead had drained Yog while Ian was unconscious. The result was the exact opposite of what it had planned, but that wasn’t important right now.

“Diana… We have to get to Diana….” Lucia had slipped out of Ian’s arms and was trying to stand, staggering. However, her legs gave out, and she sank back to the ground. Her body had reached its limit.

“Let’s go. Tell me where.” Ian lifted her and stood. The dizziness still lingered, but his body remained entirely unscathed.

It must have been thanks to fighting the battle in another form. Despite the unimaginable pain he'd endured for that short time, his body was far too durable to be exhausted by that alone.

As Ian marched forward, parting the lingering fog of chaos, Lucia pointed weakly, her voice faint. “This way… Be careful. There's quicksand ahead.”

Ian nodded without slowing. He had already spotted a patch of ground that looked far more solid than the rest. It was probably thanks to Diana falling in first—he could now tell the difference.

“This is all my fault. If she hadn’t tried to protect me, she could’ve escaped on her own. We have to take her with us, Sir Ian. We can’t leave her behind… not here….” Tears streamed down Lucia’s face as she muttered.

Ian didn’t answer. He only bit down on his lower lip.

Whether it was because she cared for Lucia, or simply because of the promise she’d made, he didn’t know. Either way, it didn’t change the fact that she had stayed loyal to the very end—and that it had been by his own hand that she died.

“She should be buried somewhere sunny. Or no… she missed her homeland. We’ll take her home. I will….”

Just as Lucia murmured to herself, a low whisper cut in.

—Don’t waste time on something so pointless. She’s going to die anyway… And once she’s dead… that’s it…

It made both Lucia’s and Ian’s brows furrow.

“What do you mean, pointless? Diana is our friend! She’s your friend too—”

“Diana’s still alive?” Ian cut Lucia off mid-sentence.

His pace quickened and Yog sighed weakly.

—Mortals… Tch

Even as another torrent of tears burst forth, Lucia looked up at Ian. It was because he had started to run. His gaze, which had been restlessly darting around, finally settled on one spot.

“Found her,” said Ian.

Lucia turned her head instinctively—and then crumbled, her face twisting again in anguish.

“Diana!”

The fairy lay in the middle of the desert, exactly where the archdemon had thrown her. She hadn’t moved an inch.

The sand around her had turned dark, soaked in blood. She lay face-up, so the gaping wound in her back wasn’t visible. But the right side of her waist, partially exposed, was soaked in red.

As Ian slowed down and bent over, Lucia, who had jumped off, crawled towards her. “Diana! Please… wake up… Diana….”

Despite the desperate pleas, Diana didn't even stir. Cradling Diana's face with tears like chicken droppings streaming down, Lucia rested her head on her own thigh. With trembling hands, she slowly removed her mask.

“Diana….”

The face that appeared was deathly pale, her eyes dull and unfocused. She looked, for all the world, like a corpse.

Placing a hand on her cheek, Lucia leaned down. “I’m sorry… Diana. I’m so sorry… If only I had—”

“Save your goodbyes for later.”

A shadow fell over Diana. Ian had come around to the other side and kneeled beside.

Lucia blinked in confusion and looked up—only for her gaze to freeze on what Ian held in his hand.

In his palm was a small glass vial, no bigger than a child’s fist.

“You might not need to say goodbye at all.”

The vial was filled with a golden liquid that shimmered like starlight. It was obviously something precious, yet Ian uncorked it without the slightest hesitation.

A faint golden mist wafted from the opening.

“I hope we’re not too late.” Muttering under his breath, Ian gently tilted the vial over Diana’s lips.

Lucia could only watch, dazed and speechless, as the golden liquid flowed into Diana without leaving a drop behind.

Then her eyes widened so much it looked like her tears would spill over. The golden light had spread across Diana’s neck. Her veins were lighting up as if her blood had turned to gold.

The glow crept not only toward her face but downward as well, tracing lines beneath her armor where the veins were hidden from view. It was spreading through her.

“What… is this?” Lucia whispered, watching in awe as Diana’s face seemed to glow with golden blood. Her gaze shifted—slowly, reluctantly—toward Diana’s side, where the wound was.

Ssshhhh—

There too, the golden light had spread. Though the damage was catastrophic, the glowing strands crept through her like veins being redrawn from nothing.

Even around the gaping wound, golden light gathered slowly, steadily pulling the torn flesh inward, closing the gap thread by thread.

“Fortunately, it seems to work.” Ian, who had been staring intently at Diana’s face, finally muttered in a relieved voice. He had heard her breathing, which was gradually becoming clearer amidst the still-vivid golden light.

—I take it back… It wasn’t a waste of time after all…

Yog murmured, weak but sincere.

Ian sank back, his legs giving out beneath him.

Lucia, who had been staring at him blankly, asked, “That… What is that?”

“A gift,” Ian replied, holding up the now-empty vial. “A gift from the Great One.”

He gave the bottle a small shake as if confirming its emptiness.

“Though, I never imagined I’d end up using it on someone else.”