At the critical moment, a flash of absolute resolve passed through Rover's eyes.
He took a deep breath. Instead of trying to pull his sword back, he staked everything on a single move, detonating his three-phase Resonance power in reverse!
BOOM—!
The massive collision of energy generated a violent explosion! Both of them were sent flying backward simultaneously!
Rover crashed heavily onto the ground, a mouthful of blood spilling from his lips. But after rolling a few times, he quickly stood back up, though his right hand gripping Blood Pact trembled uncontrollably.
Phrolova fared no better. Her vain attempt to absorb Rover's power resulted in a severe backlash when his converging three-phase Resonance force blasted back at her. The spider lily baton flew from her grasp, landing off to the side, its light now incredibly dim.
Clutching her chest, her face turned deathly pale once again. Her breathing was chaotic; clearly, she had suffered heavy trauma.
Mutual destruction!
Meanwhile, the Threnodian Gemstone that had been hovering in the air was struck by the shockwave of the violent explosion. Its light flickered madly, as if reaching a critical threshold, and it abruptly bounced higher into the air.
"Abby!"
Before Rover's roar could even fade, a small silhouette leaped out from his Tacet Mark, lunging straight for the Threnodian Gemstone bouncing upward.
However—
A somewhat familiar portal abruptly materialized in mid-air. Abby's pupils widened, and before it could react, it crashed headfirst into it, the tiny silhouette vanishing without a trace.
And in the next moment.
"A spectacular performance! What a truly moving duel between old friends!"
A voice brimming with delight and mockery rang out abruptly. Christopher, who had been hiding in the shadows waiting for the perfect opportunity, appeared at the highest point in the air like a phantom.
He reached out with the script in his hand, flawlessly catching the highly unstable Threnodian Gemstone.
Then, he leaped down from the air, letting out a maniacal laugh of a successful scheme.
"Thank you both for your dedication. I shall be the one to construct the grand stage for this final tragedy!" Saying this, that familiar portal manifested once again behind Christopher, clearly indicating his intent to flee.
"Don't even think about it!!!"
Rover's eyes widened so hard they nearly tore. Forcing a breath and ignoring his severe injuries, he violently hurled Blood Pact. The longsword transformed into a streak of cyan light, shooting straight at Christopher like a javelin.
The tip of his blade was aimed squarely at the Gemstone. Clearly, he intended to destroy it and sever the crisis at its very root.
This throw contained all of Rover's strength and resolve; it was as fast as lightning.
On the opposite side, Christopher seemingly hadn't anticipated Rover's decisive, life-risking counterattack. Caught off guard, he hurriedly attempted to dodge and parry.
But in this split second, another sudden change occurred!
Phrolova—in a mental daze from the massive backlash, her body incredibly frail, yet driven by an instinctual obsession for the Gemstone—happened to struggle to her feet.
She seemed to want to stop Christopher from taking away her life's blood, or perhaps, she simply wanted to touch the Gemstone one last time...
She happened to step right into the flight path of Blood Pact. Or rather, Christopher's phantom-like silhouette shifted position, cleverly using Phrolova as his human shield.
Squélch—!
The sound of a sharp blade piercing through flesh and blood was suffocatingly clear, echoing through the cavernous space.
Time seemed to freeze.
Blood Pact flawlessly and deeply pierced straight through Phrolova's chest.
The cyan Aero force ravaged her insides, violently clashing with her own Shores energy.
Her body stiffened abruptly. She looked down at the blade piercing her chest, her eyes filled with disbelief, but more than that, there was a kind of...
Massive, absurd, long-awaited release.
Behind her, Christopher closed the script containing the Gemstone. Seizing this opportunity, he faded into the portal, vanishing without a trace in an instant.
As for the mysterious bird-windowed man who had been hiding behind the scenes to open the portals for the Playwright, he never once revealed his silhouette from beginning to end—unknown whether he was scared of being beaten up or afraid of being thrown back into the slammer.
Right now, although the process of the story was different, the final outcome ultimately arrived at the same destination.
Perhaps the only variable was the quietly altered emotional states of mind between the two main characters.
"!!!"
Rover's pupils dilated, his golden eyes brimming with absolute disbelief.
A moment later, he dragged his heavily injured body, wanting to rush toward Phrolova, whom he had mistakenly struck.
In the face of this entirely unexpected situation, Phrolova watched him stumble over. Blood spilled from the corners of her mouth, and she ultimately revealed an incredibly complex smile—full of sorrow, yet carrying a trace of mockery.
She harbored no resentment, nor any anger. She simply used the last of her strength to shake her head gently.
Then, she pulled the sword that had impaled her out of her body and dropped it to the ground, issuing a crisp metallic clang.
Afterward, Phrolova's broken body slowly fell backward like a butterfly with broken wings, plummeting toward the edge of the platform into the bottomless entrance of the "Shores of the Lost" that she had created with her own hands.
In the split second before she fell completely, she took one deep look at Rover. Her finger twitched almost imperceptibly, and a streak of dark red light silently shot into Rover's hand, transforming into a blood-red spider lily.
"...This time... don't forget again..."
Her voice was like a sigh, dissipating in the wind, as her silhouette was entirely swallowed by that illusory crimson light.
Rover lunged to the edge of the platform, only to see the entrance rapidly close and vanish, ultimately leaving behind nothing but a turbid, bottomless abyss.
He half-kneeled on the spot, his hand tightly clutching the spider lily that still carried a trace of her body heat. He stared at the empty abyss, and then at the direction Christopher had disappeared.
The Gemstone was still stolen.
Phrolova still fell.
An earth-shattering battle ultimately concluded in such a tragic and ironic manner.
Guilt, endless sorrow, the fury of being used... and that complex, unspeakable bond of "soulmates" thoroughly swallowed him like the Black Tide.
He had fulfilled his mission and prevented the total descent of the Shores of the Lost, yet he couldn't feel the slightest joy of victory.
There was only a void-like, deathly silence, and an unforgettable karmic bond echoing softly within the vast space.
_____
+50 advanced chapters monthly on my patreon, join now and read...
Patreon.com/IndifferentVillain
Ur support keeps me motivated thanks in advance.
Chapter 165 is out on my patreon!!!!!
________