Ch 254
Blood poured out relentlessly, as if it were sweat.
With each step, his arms and legs seemed to gain weight.
The warrior sensed it.
If he didn’t stop now, he would face irreversible consequences.
He bowed his head. He turned his back. And humbly accepted his defeat.
That was the way to preserve the future.
The warrior knew it clearly.
“No…”
The warrior moved forward.
Behind him, a cliff stretched out, as if there was nowhere to retreat.
His head was held high.
As if his head would fall off the moment he bowed.
The warrior thought.
Was there truly value in a future that could only be enjoyed by letting go of everything?
Would the things he once let go of still wait for him there?
“No…”
Therefore, the warrior did not let go of what he held in his hands.
Letting go was his own self, captivated by lingering feelings and obsession.
Thus, the warrior underwent exuviation.
His appearance, burning and blooming everything he had, was truly precarious. Foolish.
And splendid.
━ Ancient Skill Book: 『Exuviation』
✦✦✦
Lisir, the Sword’s Owner.
The Saint had many conversations with him and came to know how upright and pure his soul was.
He was truly worthy of being here.
He was worthy of passing the picky Fairy’s judgment, and someone his comrades would approve of.
He clearly was worthy of inheriting the Hero’s Legacy.
However.
In the Saint’s view, he had paid too much of a price to reach this point.
Exuviation.
The forbidden power of seizing a perfect present by sacrificing the future.
The man’s nonchalant mention of that power gave her much to think about.
Purity. Uprightness. And ordinariness. He was a young man who possessed all those virtues.
His journey to reach this place must not have been easy.
Most people couldn’t even imagine the countless hardships and difficulties he must have experienced.
Then, how did he overcome those hardships and difficulties?
What on earth.
How many times did he use the forbidden power in that process?
The Saint thought.
Perhaps—no. Definitely.
She thought he would have exceeded one instance.
At this very moment.
The Saint’s anxious premonition hit the mark, as if to show off.
“…Roughly dozens of times?”
As if to show off, indeed.
The Saint and the Fairy’s minds began to work rapidly.
They were now recalling those who had wielded the power of exuviation.
To be precise, the price they had to pay for wielding the power of exuviation.
‘Depending on the intensity of application… even if one is strong, and even if one is young, exceeding three times makes it impossible to guarantee the future.’
What a power that requires one to give up their future just by using it.
It could be considered somewhat unreasonable, but considering the nature of that power, it was rather natural.
A power that shapes the body into a perfect state and raises one’s level without any restrictions or conditions!
Giving up the future was the appropriate price for such power.
‘What did you say?’
That he had undergone dozens of exuviations so far?
The Fairy and the Saint couldn’t help but chuckle.
If that were true, Lisir’s growth process could be summarized in one sentence.
-Even just breathing calmly would raise one’s realm.
Even for them, who were accustomed to all kinds of extraordinary feats as members of a Hero Party, it was a preposterous story.
“Is that a joke?”
“It may sound like a joke, but it’s both a joke and not a joke.”
However, Lisir’s attitude remained sincere and earnest.
‘This is such a great opportunity.’
He had finally met people who treated his story as truth, not a joke.
Lisir had absolutely no intention of wasting this meeting.
Strict.
Grave.
Earnest.
Lisir spoke in a firm tone, completely cutting off any possibility of the conversation going astray.
“You all must have witnessed it at that time. The moment I suddenly performed ‘exuviation,’ right!?”
The Fairy and the Saint nodded, swayed by Lisir’s desperate presence.
“Exactly the same symptoms! Or phenomenon! Or effect! I have experienced it repeatedly until now. As I just mentioned, roughly dozens of times.”
The story ended there.
Afterward, Lisir spoke to the two with his eyes.
-So.
-Advice, please.
That man’s faith.
That man’s expectation!
These were things many couldn’t handle.
However.
Should they be called members of a Hero Party?
The Great Heroes of an era that possessed even more mysteries and unknowns than the present.
They showed a reaction worthy of their reputation.
The Fairy pondered for a moment, then spoke to the Saint.
“Tara, what are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking a lot.”
They exchanged meaningful gazes.
Soon. The two opened their mouths simultaneously.
“”Unique Color.””
That was the word mentioned.
Agreement. The two nodded at each other.
Lisir widened his eyes, watching the two.
“Unique Color…”
The mention of a word that was both unfamiliar and familiar.
Through it, the first thing Lisir recalled was his Master’s words.
‘Come to think of it. Master also said that the nature of my ability might be ‘Unique Color’.’
Pamon, upon first encountering Lisir’s ability, had mentioned ‘Unique Color’ regarding its unfathomable nature.
And—that was all.
Unique Color was a rare property difficult even for the Dark Elf, a disciple of Forest Night, to encounter.
Pamon had only heard of the existence of Unique Color through stories.
As was the case with most people in the world.
Therefore, while suspecting Lisir’s ability to be Unique Color, she couldn’t accurately identify it.
But the Hero’s comrades seemed different.
“Remember that monster then?”
“How could I forget? That nightmarish ability. That Unique Color.”
“As expected. You thought of the same thing as I did.”
They didn’t just guess.
Unlike most people in the world, they had the experience of directly encountering the extremely rare property called Unique Color.
At that time.
That.
That ability.
A conversation between the two, premised on the sharing of memories.
Lisir neither participated in nor understood the conversation.
“Oh…”
Nevertheless. Lisir’s eyes, looking at the two, shone relentlessly.
To deduce the nature of this ability through ‘experience’ and ‘memory’, of all things.
It was an attempt that none of the great figures Lisir had met so far had made.
An era filled with countless unfathomables, even more than the present.
Perhaps it was an attempt possible only because they were a Hero Party that was at the center of that era?
Lisir’s legs moved restlessly.
As if he couldn’t stay still.
Like that, Lisir calmed himself, waiting for their conversation to end.
“Then—”
Soon, their conversation came to a close.
The Saint rose from her seat and gestured to Lisir.
“Lisir, will you come with me?”
Thump!
Lisir jumped up from his seat, as if he had been waiting.
✦✦✦
The place Lisir arrived at, following the two, was the usual Cathedral.
He observed the inside of the Cathedral with a markedly different gaze.
‘This is…’
Having stayed outside the Cathedral, he could clearly tell.
How dense the energy filling the inside of the Cathedral was.
Lisir recalled the Grand Master’s Forest—the deepest part.
Perhaps this Cathedral is the core location, equivalent to the heart, of the Saint’s Village?
The place where the Saint stopped was where the strongest energy gathered, even within the Cathedral.
It was also where the colorful light created by the stained glass converged.
Standing there, the Saint spoke to Lisir.
“Lisir.”
Lisir unknowingly strained his eyes.
At that moment, it felt as if the colorful, splendid light was flowing out from the Saint’s body.
It was truly a dazzling energy.
“From now on, I intend to show you a part of my memories.”
“What kind of memories?”
“Memories about someone who possessed the same ‘Unique Color’ as you.”
“…!”
Leaving the surprised Lisir behind, the Saint continued her explanation.
“How much do you know about Unique Color?”
“Isn’t it… the unique nature of the magical power possessed by an individual?”
“That’s right. Such a unique nature of magical power grants the owner unique abilities. And. Abilities stemming from Unique Color sometimes ignore what is called the laws of the world. Very easily.”
The Saint gestured towards Lisir.
“Like your abilities and ‘his’, you see.”
Then, she clasped her hands together neatly.
“…!”
Lisir’s body instinctively recoiled.
The flow of that vast energy was reminiscent of the ‘forest attack’ he had experienced before.
Grand Master Labella.
It was like when she moved the entire forest like limbs to subdue intruders.
The vast energy forming the space began to surge in response to the Saint’s small gesture.
The colorful light created by the stained glass swirled.
Soon, it seemed as if it would engulf the entire place, but instead, it was trapped in something.
A gate.
“That’s—”
The Saint was now standing with her back to a huge stone gate.
Colorful light overflowed from the gaps in the gate.
“Will you take my hand?”
The Saint meekly offered her hand.
As Lisir took her hand, the Saint turned her back to face the stone gate.
At that moment, Lisir felt a light weight on his shoulder.
The Fairy Shuyen was sitting there, directing a playful gaze.
“I’m not trying to scare you. Don’t let go of my hand, okay?”
Lisir, horrified, put all his strength into the clasped hands.
Creak—
Simultaneously, the stone gate opened.
A dazzling light engulfed Lisir.
-…!
Lisir felt as if he were trapped in something.
It wasn’t a misconception.
“Hey, Shuyen! Tara!!! Do you have any countermeasures!?! That damned thing! No matter how much I destroy it, it keeps reviving!!!”
Lisir immediately realized.
That the rough voice was coming from his own mouth.
To be precise.
That he was now the owner of that voice.
The moment he realized that, a wave of vivid sensations overwhelmed Lisir.
-Don’t be surprised.
At that time. The Saint’s voice was heard.
-Right now, you are experiencing my memories.
‘Experiencing memories…’
-Becoming a part of that experience, very vividly, you see. Don’t get swept away by that sensation. There’s only one thing you need to focus on now. Look ahead.
Lisir obediently followed her instructions.
‘Oh—…’
And, he was overwhelmed by the sight that unfolded before his eyes.
The Hero Party’s combined attack.
A man was being swept away by a wave of power.
His body was broken, torn, severed, and exploded.
It was a violent offensive and injury that even a Sword Master would find difficult to handle.
The man was enduring that offensive with his bare body.
With an unrealistic recovery ability that transcended that offensive.
Broken bones immediately mended.
Torn skin immediately healed.
Severed arms immediately reattached.
The exploded head returned as if time had been rewound.
‘What on earth is that…?’
As Lisir spoke as if disgusted, the Fairy replied.
-An immortal. A person who possessed Unique Color related to life force. As you can see, the Unique Color he possessed gave its owner life force that defied reason.
Right now, Lisir was a member of the Hero Party unleashing that offensive.
Therefore, he could clearly tell.
How relentless that immortal’s life force was.
Showing is better than explaining a hundred times.
It was the moment when the existence of that Unique Color was conveyed to Lisir as clearly as it could be.
“Ah…!”
A rapidly receding field of vision.
A sensation as if his body was flying backward.
Before he knew it, Lisir was standing in the Cathedral again.
As Lisir was organizing the information and emotions that had been practically injected into his mind, the Saint approached.
“Lisir.”
Her voice sounded somewhat elated.
“You said. The complete recovery accompanied by a rise in level that you showed before. That you experienced it dozens of times.”
“Yes.”
“Exuviation. It is not an omnipotent power. It is a forbidden secret technique that draws on the life force of the future. No matter how strong an existence is, if it is repeated many times, the life force will be depleted.”
“Then I…!”
“That’s right. Normally, you should have already exhausted your life force and turned to dust. But. Look at you now. Far from your life force being depleted, it seems to be overflowing.”
“…Is that thanks to Unique Color?”
“Yes. There’s no other explanation. It’s highly likely that you possess Unique Color of a similar nature to the being you just saw. The abnormal life force granted by that Unique Color is protecting you from the side effects of exuviation.”
“Oh…”
Lisir looked down at his hands.
“So… that’s how it was…”
His breath came in short gasps.
It was thanks to the resolution of his doubts, and at the same time, thanks to the resolution of his anxieties.
Abnormal and intermittent recovery ability.
Lisir’s doubts and anxieties about whether the price for it would eventually come were resolved.
Thus.
One of the countless questions Lisir had been harboring was resolved.
“Saint!”
Lisir seized the momentum and spoke to her.
His other abilities.
Abilities that could not be identified by ordinary methods—no, Unique Colors!
Thus, he mentioned the Purifying Power.
He showed them the spirits（?） that testified to his vast inner world.
He told them the story of becoming a Guardian Saint.
And—
“Wait!”
At that moment, the Fairy urgently raised her hand.
They once again put their heads together and began to converse.
Unique Color, as its name suggests, is a unique property possessed by an individual.
One should only possess one with one body （energy）.
They couldn’t help but be confused by Lisir’s actions of listing them one by one, asking, ‘What is this Unique Color, what is this Unique Color, and what is this Unique Color—’.
Eventually.
They had no choice but to overturn their previous conclusion.
That his abilities might not be identified as ‘Unique Color’.
“Damn it… then what is it?”
The Hero Party fell into complete confusion.
“Huh?”
At that time.
The Saint widened her eyes and looked at Lisir.
“Wait. Did you just say Purifying Power?”
“Yes. It’s the power to purify impure energy.”
“That power, how—”
Too much information and doubt.
The Saint clutched her head and struggled to organize her words.
“What happened to you when you used that power?”
It was a carefully chosen question.
The Saint who had met her end with her body disappearing after overusing that power, the Purifying Power.
As such, she was curious how Lisir could handle the ‘Purifying Power’ and preserve it like this.
The price for using the Purifying Power. Loss of level. It was not something that could be handled even with infinite life force.
In the first place
“Ah! Actually, it’s connected to ‘exuviation’—in fact, when I purify a specific target using this Purifying Power, ‘exuviation’ sometimes occurs. So, I’ve been wondering if the cause of this ‘exuviation’ might be the Purifying Power!”
The Saint’s body gradually weakened as she used the Purifying Power. She lost her energy.
Thus, she met her death.
Lisir said.
When he used the Purifying Power, his body became healthier and his level rose.
“Whoa!”
The Saint lost her composure.
✦✦✦
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