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Chapter 374: Afterwards
🕑 Added 2022-02-18 17:59:39 +0000 UTCTESSIA ERALITH
I stood lifelessly, unmoving as if paralyzed, my eyes unseeing as my thoughts turned inward.
Agrona was shouting, but through the blood rushing through my head, his words were muffled like thunder in the distant mountains.
This man who’d supposedly been my friend once—I ignored the nagging sense that almost every memory of him continued to elude me—had tried to kill me. Again. But more disturbing than that, I had lost control of my own body.
I had almost let him run me through. But no, that wasn’t entirely true—she had almost let him run me through.
Choppy and full of turmoil, my thoughts raced back along the short span of my new life, and I realized she’d always been there, hidden inside this body, tangled up within the elderwood guardian’s will. Rooted inside me.
And she’d taken over. Just for a second, but long enough to show me she was more than her memories.
But that was wrong. This body…Nico and Agrona said it had belonged to an enemy combatant, a princess, but she’d been wounded in the fighting, her body living on but her mind gone…
Lies, always lie—
Now that I could fully sense her, knew what she was, I recognized this thought as hers, not my own, and silenced it. I thought about how it had felt for Agrona to muffle the memories, which had constantly plagued me in the first days after my reincarnation. Reaching for this feeling again, I instinctively wrapped the beast will in mana, creating a dampening barrier between her mind and mine.
My thoughts are my own, no one else's, I thought angrily.
There was no reply.
I drew in a deep breath. The stadium smelled like tar and cold ash, overwhelming the subtle fragrances of ambient mana still in a disarray after the battle.
Agrona glanced in my direction, frowning slightly. Beyond him, I saw, in the stands, rows and rows of bystanders, still kneeling, some slumped over, clearly passed out from Agrona’s intent. Those faces I could see—the ones brave enough to raise their head in the presence of the High Sovereign—were tired masks of fear and wonder.
“What did you sense from him, Cecil?”
I shook my head and a loose strand of gunmetal gray hair tumbled into my vision. Maybe I should have it dyed? I thought to myself, before remembering that Agrona was waiting on me. “Nothing. I sensed no mana from him at all, even when he was clearly using magic.” I paused, searching Agrona’s blazing scarlet eyes. “Would you have let him kill me?”
His gaze went back to the sky, searching. “You were never in danger. I knew he would try, and I knew he would fail.”
Nodding, I turned away. My breath caught as I noticed Nico’s prone and battered form lying just within one of the many staging areas surrounding the combat field. I took a step toward him, but Agrona took hold of my elbow.
Without looking at me, he said, “Leave him. The boy is no longer of any value to either of us.”
Scowling, I shook free of Agrona’s hold. “He matters to me, Agrona, and so he should matter to you.”
Floating up from the ground, I flew over the field of spikes and charred earth, then drifted to a knee at Nico’s side. His breath was halting and ragged, and his dark hair stuck out wildly. Sweat beaded across his pale, dirty face
There was a blood-stained hole in his armor, just above his sternum. The wound was no longer bleeding, already healing around the edges, but whatever elixir he’d been given couldn’t save his core. The mana ignored him. A few particles of earth mana clung to his skin, some blue water mana trailed the flow of blood in his veins, but his core was empty. Broken and useless.
“I’m sorry, Nico,” I said, wiping a spot of grime from his cheek. “I should have protected you. You get so…angry…I should have realized you were going to do something like this.”
Nico’s chest was rising and falling. His eyelids fluttered. All around him, mana lay heavy in the ground, blew on the breeze, basked in little fires left burning from Cadell and Grey’s fight…
But none of it was drawn into his mana veins or fueled his body via his channels. The runes etched into his flesh sat empty and manaless as well, no different from the plain ink tattoos of my previous world.
That wasn’t fair. That wasn’t right.
I felt Agrona’s oppressive power approaching from behind, could sense his curiosity even without looking at him. His gaze was like a spotlight, lighting up the world wherever it turned. “After all his work and pain to grow stronger, Nico will never use magic again.” Agrona didn’t sound sad, made no attempt to affect emotion at all, merely commenting on the fact.
His words rang hollow in my ears. A wound that didn’t even kill the body shouldn’t be able to steal a mage’s magic. To give someone this gift only to snatch it away from them? It was a fate worse than death.
Agrona was speaking again, but I couldn’t process his words through the spiraling of my thoughts. My vision tunneled on the motes of mana lingering around Nico. There was something here, some potential, something only I could do.
My body began to move as if in a trance, drawn by some deeper instinct. My hand drifted to Nico’s sternum, then my fingers pushed down into the still-healing wound. They moved down through his warm insides until they bumped against something hard: his core.
Blue, red, green, and yellow motes swirled around us, floating like glowing pollen in the air, then began flowing into his mana veins, winding their way through his body and back into his broken core. With the mana, I could feel the black scar marring his core and the roughness within it, filled with clotted and hardened blood.
The core itself—this strange organ found in this world but not in my last—didn’t react to the presence of the mana. It was as if the core were dead, despite Nico’s other organs continuing to function. Normally, a failed organ would cause a cascade of other failures, eventually resulting in death. But humans were capable of surviving without a mana core…
I had been reincarnated into a body with a fully formed, beautifully silver core, and so had never needed to form my own. The reincarnation process itself—or perhaps my status as the Legacy—had near-instantly purified the body’s silver core to white. But the lingering mana surrounding Nico’s core felt like a blueprint for what it used to be…for what it could still be.
Using the mana like steel wool, I scoured the dried blood from the inside while burning away the residue with careful ignition of fire-attribute mana.
Nico let out a low moan and twitched, but remained unconscious, which I was glad for. This process wasn’t quick. My ability to master new techniques, however, was, and within a couple of minutes I had cleansed the inside of the core.
The core itself was harder. Like one that had just been newly formed, the hard walls of the organ were contaminated with blood.
Taking hold just of the water mana, I pulled them through the core walls. Each individual particle leeched out some of the trapped blood, and the more I repeated the process, the cleaner and clearer Nico’s core grew.
This was a slower process, and so I stopped when his core was still a murky yellow color. For now, I just needed to know it would work.
But the presence of the cleaned core and mana alone did not seem to spark anything within him. He rested uneasily, his brows pinched and mouth curved downward in an uncomfortable frown.
Alacryans, unlike the humans in Dicathen, were born with their mana cores in place: One of the many mutations caused by Agrona’s experimentation and crossbreeding. The bestowals did the work of activating the natural core, harnessing mana for the mage so they could tap into the runes’ powers. In Dicathen, however, I knew that young mages meditated to collect and purify mana until they “awakened,” using the mana itself to manifest the core.
Reaching outward, I called to the mana filling the stadium, drawing it to me in swirling streams. I again siphoned it through Nico’s mana veins, into his core, and then out again through his channels and into his runes until his body was glowing with it, his dark features alight from the inside.
I heard the Scythes returning, but Agrona waved off their excuses and conjectures. He was focused entirely on me, his mind probing mine curiously.
I ignored it.
The shields—those that had survived the battle—dimmed as I stole the mana from them. Mana powered lighting artifacts flickered and went out. Imbued artifacts failed. I stopped only at drawing mana directly from the cores of the shivering, frightened people in the stands, otherwise taking every particle of mana I could reach and pouring it into Nico.
His eyes flickered open. “Cecilia?”
He began to cough. I released his core and slowly pulled my hand from his chest, carelessly wiping his blood off on my battlerobes. “I’ve done my part, Nico. I need your help now. Draw in mana, take control of it. Can…can you do that?”
Nico took a deep breath, choked, and coughed some more. “I can’t feel it.”
Taking his hand, I squeezed hard enough for it to hurt. “Children on the other continent can manipulate the mana in their bodies before they form a core. Surely, you can too.” Seeing the confidence leave his gaze, I spat the last words, trying to spark a fire in Nico. “Grey accomplished it in the body of a three-year-old, didn’t he?”
By the way he tensed, I was sure it had worked. Nico glared at me, then closed his eyes. A heartbeat passed, then two, then…the mana I had condensed into his body rippled. A small movement at first, like a light breeze over the surface of a pond, but it was enough to bring a smile to my face.
“What exactly did you do?” Agrona asked as he leaned down next to me and rested his hand between my shoulder blades.
I explained the process as best I could, keeping my voice low so Nico could focus. “But I’m not exactly sure if it’s working yet.”
“Once again, your reign over mana surprises even me,” Agrona said, his rumbling baritone warm with praise. “I truly believe there is no limit to your ability, Cecil. And I apologize for what I said earlier. I was too quick to give up on Nico.”
“It’s fine,” I answered coolly. “Because I won’t ever give up on him. And I won’t let you forget your promise, either.”
The mana particles within Nico’s core began to change, growing brighter and more pure. His channels woke up, too, pulling the newly purified mana out into his body to help him recover. His runes activated in brief flashes, one by one, like muscles being stretched.
Nico’s eyes fluttered open. The smile he gave me was full of softness and wonder and the tentative kindness I saw in my memories of him from the orphanage.
“How?”
I squeezed his hand again and realized the vertigo and nausea I’d previously felt at his touch—some abstract remnant of the feelings Tessia Eralith had for him—was gone. I considered leaning down to kiss him, but then remembered Agrona’s promise.
Someday, Nico and I could have our lives back. Our real lives—including our relationship with each other. But for now, in this body…intimacy felt like a desecration. I nearly laughed at the childishness of this thought. What a silly line to draw, I told myself. Was it ethical to fight a war in the body of another, but not to share a kiss?
But the truth was something else. Something more complex, and much stranger.
This would not be like a life at all, I decided. More like…purgatory. Though I wasn’t going to be merely a weapon in Agrona’s arsenal, neither could I be myself, not really, not as long as I wore this skin. Nico couldn’t either. But we would work together, changing the face of this world to Agrona’s design, and when the war was won, we could leave. Together. Be ourselves again.
Together.
Standing, I pulled Nico up with me. He grimaced, rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck. His eyes flicked to Agrona before jumping away again, focusing into the distance. “What happened to…”
“Grey?” Agrona said, raising an eyebrow over an otherwise impassive face. “After your spectacular failure, he vanished again.”
Nico’s face fell, but I took him by the chin and forced him to meet my eyes.
“Don’t lose yourself to the despair and anger,” I said, softly chiding. “I need you. If we’re going to kill Grey, we need to do it together.”
ARTHUR
My core groaned in protest as I completed the God Step.
Stomach lurching, I plummeted to the ground, my body crashing into a thick carpet of dry needles.
For a couple of seconds, I just stared up from my back. A thick canopy of tall evergreens blocked out the sky. Gray-brown trunks rose high in the air, thick limbs spreading out until they wove into those of their neighbors.
My hand clawed at the ground beneath, clenching the dirt into my palms. I slammed the fist down, and again as a frustrated shout tore free from my throat.
I knew I had made a mistake. But I wasn’t sure yet if the mistake was in trying and failing to kill Cecilia, or in trying at all.
It was painfully clear that she was not the person who had died on my sword in the King’s Tournament. Agrona had done something to her, either during or after her reincarnation. The look of loathing she’d given me…it wasn’t the look of a tortured girl who threw herself on a friend’s weapon to end her life.
But there was something else. I just didn’t know yet if it was good or bad.
Tessia was still in there. She had taken over her body, just for an instant, long enough to tell me.
I could have grabbed her, God Stepped away with her…
But I also knew that Agrona wouldn’t have let that happen.
A light weight suddenly pressed down on my chest as Regis appeared in his puppy form. The small shadow wolf pounced off me and began to patrol the perimeter of the small clearing we had just appeared within.
Thanks, I thought to him, unable to muster up the energy to say it out loud quite yet.
‘For what, saving your ass?’ Regis paused, cocking a tiny lupine brow. ‘Not the first time. Won’t be the last.’
I paused to gather my thoughts. That too, but for letting me have my battle against Cadell. It was selfish, dangerous even, but it was something I needed to do.
Regis gave a small, sniffling scoff. ‘You’re telling me.’
So, that power you used…
‘I’ve said it before…my strength hasn’t kept up with yours,’ Regis thought matter-of-factly. ‘I trained, sure, but I also spent a lot of time thinking. Meditating.’
A vision of Regis sitting on a rock, eyes closed, paws resting on his knees, bathed in cool mountain sunshine made my lips twitch. Meditating, huh?
‘Hey, don’t be fooled by my gorgeous set of teeth. I’m an intellectual. But the point is, I gave a lot of thought to how I could better keep us sane while you utilize your insights into aether…’
So, by restricting the application of Destruction to a specific spell… I considered, recalling the jagged violet flames sheathing the aetheric sword.
‘Exactly,’ Regis thought, then stiffened.
I heard the crunching of soft steps a moment later, and turned my head to look more closely around the forest.
A heavy blanket of orange and gold needles covered the forest floor, interrupted by dark green bushes that grew around the base of the trees, making it difficult to see more than a few dozen feet in any direction.
Just behind me, a weathered arch interrupted the natural landscape. It was carved of white marble, but the detailed engravings had long been worn away, and the stone had been stained yellow. Crawling vines crept up the sides, gripping it as if they would pull it down and drag it back into the ground where it belonged.
A wizened old man, portly around the middle but with broad shoulders that hadn’t yet lost all their definition, stepped around one of the huge trees, his bushy brows raised. “I thought you said this was a quiet operation, boy. Crashing out of the sky and shouting like a madman isn’t exactly that, is it?”
I pushed myself to my feet and gave him a tired nod. “All the more reason for me to get moving.”
Alaric stuck his thumbs into his belt and looked me over. “Well, considering the hints you gave me, I expected you to look a lot worse if you ended up here. Things otherwise went to plan then?”
“More or less.” I grimaced and rubbed at my aching sternum. “Did you get everything?”
Alaric harrumphed. “Straight to business then, eh?” Drawing out a plain ring of polished black stone, he tossed it to me. “Everything is there.”
“Thanks,” I said, slipping the ring on my middle finger. “They’ll be looking for me. I think they’ll keep things quiet, but I expect they’ll check up on anyone I’ve had contact with.”
Alaric looked right into my eyes and let out a loud belch. “Piss on ‘em all. I’m just a washed-up ascender, anyway. Too dumb and drunk to turn down easy coin when a stranger offers to pay me to guide him around, pretend to be his uncle.”
I snorted, watching the old man warily, feeling a crack run through the icy coldness that was creeping like frost through my insides. “Thanks, Alaric. I hope I haven’t made your life any harder.”
He kicked the ground lightly, scattering dead needles. “Indeed you have, but then, I imagine you meant those words as a half-assed apology, because you already know that.” Alaric’s eyes followed Regis as the shadow wolf pup continued his circuit. “I wasn’t exactly living the Sovereign’s life when you met me, after all.”
I stayed quiet, my thoughts only half on his words, turning instead toward what came next for me.
“I, uh…” Alaric cleared his throat, his bloodshot eyes darting to me, then away again. “I had a son, you know. Vritra-born.”
Caught by surprise, I looked up with knitted brows as he continued.
“He was taken, of course, the moment he was identified. Plucked away from us and fostered with some highblood.” Alaric leaned back against one of the nearby trees and closed his eyes. “Didn’t find out ‘til years later what they did, but apparently they were of a mind that for his blood to manifest, they had to push him. Hard.
“They…killed him.”
Alaric let the words hang in the dense forest air. “His mom had pissed off years before. Never saw her again. We weren’t allowed any contact, not even to know which highblood had him, and I guess she just didn’t see the value of continuing on together. I don’t know.”
Regis had come to join us, apparently satisfied that we were, for the moment, safe.
“Dug around in the Ascenders Association records with the help of some friends years later, when he’d have been old enough to go on ascents. No match at all for my boy, so I kept going. Don’t know why, really.” Alaric scratched his beard, below which a pained smile was hidden. “But it became a kind of obsession. One connection led to another, and eventually I figured out which highblood he’d been sent to.
“Got myself signed up to go on an ascent with some of their folk. Brought plenty of drink, got ‘em talking. Wouldn’t have even needed the drink.” Alaric’s eyes were far away now, staring into the abyss of his memories. “Proud to talk about how they’d pushed him. Pushed and pushed. They’d fostered three manifested Vritra-born already, he would have been the fourth. But…”
Alaric paused to clear his throat again. “He broke. Died when he was only eight. Got carted off to Taegrin Caelum to be dissected and researched. Quite a blow for the blood, they said. Stripped down to a named blood. For killing my son.”
A cool breeze blew through the trees, and a mana beast howled in the distance…yet, a heavy silence clung in the air as words of solace failed to form.
After all, I had been that boy. Taken from my family, raised first by Sylvia, then the Eraliths, my parents having no idea what had happened to me…
“I’m sorry, Alaric,” I said finally.
He swatted the words out of the air with one hand while fumbling for his flask with the other. “Don’t be. I’m telling you this so you don’t leave here worrying about me, thinking you’ve made some big mess of my life. Besides…” Alaric mustered a grin. “Where better to release some of my inner demons than onto a boy I might not see again.”
“Right,” I smiled back, holding out my hand. “Regardless. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
Alaric took it. “You paid well and offered me some kind of…hell, I don’t know, purpose or something, in my old age.” His gravelly voice grew hoarse. “Well get going then, Grey, before a Scythe crashes down on our heads and makes this whole sad story for naught.”
I nodded, giving his hand a firm shake. “Arthur. Call me Arthur.”
“Arthur,” he repeated slowly. His brows furrowed in thought, and his eyes darted to me before going wide. “As in—”
“I better get going,” I said with an amused smirk.
“Right.” Alaric let out a stiff laugh, fumbling with the runic token in his hand before touching it to the marble. With a soft hum, an opalescent portal appeared in the frame. “You be coming back from…wherever it is you’re going?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “But I expect I will eventually.”
“Well, when you do, look your old uncle Al up.” He leaned against the portal frame and crossed his arms over his belly. “Unless I’ve already drank myself to death, in which case, you took too bloody long.”
Regis trotted along beside me as we approached the portal, and Alaric bent down to give him a pat on the head. “Take good care of the boy, got it?”
Regis turned in a circle, nipped at Alaric’s finger, then jumped back into me.
‘I’m going to miss that old codger,’ he said, a hint of a whimper in his voice.
I gave the old drunk one last smile. “Goodbye, Alaric.”
He winked. “See you later, Arty boy.”
Shaking my head, I braced myself for what was to come and stepped into the portal.
A/N: FOR DISCORD USERS, PLEASE DO NOT DISCUSS THIS IN CHANNEL #NOVEL-TALK AND KEEP TO PATREON-ONLY CHANNELS UNTIL THE CHAPTER IS RELEASED ON TAPAS TO PREVENT SPOILERS. THANK YOU. <3
Comments
Manfatten
Nico getting his mana core back is a big oof from me.
this one tugged at my heart a little. hearing the background of alaric and how arthur in a way got revenge for him.
I kinda of want Arthur to fight all the lances to show he is the most powerful person on dicathen
turtle said next chapter is last chapter in the discord
Cheap writing this time around, Turtle.
Wait. I just realized the guy didn't get laid in 20+ years. Turtle, give him a break! I vote Seris!!
Breamson 𒉭
Yeah, because taking over consciousness, so that the other person can’t react, while not deflecting the blow and saying „please Art“ is definitely a way to stop Arthur, so he doesn’t kill her. Tess wanted Arthur to do it
Breamson 𒉭
Tess didn’t „save her ass“. Pretty sure Arthur wouldn’t have been able to do it either way and Tess taking her body over actually opened up the opportunity. Cecilia was able to read Arthur’s movements, so I‘m guessing she would’ve been able to react. Also, Agrona is literally standing right next to her and you don’t think he would’ve just bet on Arthur’s emotional side
Nico core revival totally forced, plot armor activated didn’t expect and thought that Cecilia with the will to revenge nico would have more weight on the story. On the other side the end of the story of Grey was great and no one better than Alaric to hear his name… hope that Caera catch up as well
BlackHoros
i starting to miss Tess and as things are i dont think shes coming back anytime soon :/
Dillon Bulfer
He said he could make it last longer but he doesn’t want to milk the story which is super reassuring to hear. Turtle wants to give us a great story and have a an ending that he feels is fitting! Super awsome. (I personally wish it could be more than 12 novels, but im ok with it hahaha)
Ren
i hope it goes for at least 12
Alex Zuyav
Did he state how many books there will be?
Even after a second read, this chapter (the first part at least) stay as frustrating as the first...But at least i get Cecillia motives this time and i have to say, even if i don't like the direction it's taking when it come to Tessia and a peacfull reunion with Art, her motives are clear and kinda realistic, she doesn't considere this life as he own and she is only trying to get back her "true" life with Nico in theire old world, she thus accept Agronna conditions who is the only one that can give it to her even if she seems aware he is only trying to use her and Nico and that taking part in the war with Tess body is "unhetical". But as i said, it's still frustrating, as her "true" life is only a lie created by Nico and Agronna, thus her motivation, even if it's justified by the infos she have are kinda "hollow" for us readers that know the "truth"... In short, i hope that the situation will be resolved as fast as possible (during book 10 and before the start of the last book at least), because if it last 'till the climax/end of the novel, i'm not sure i will be able to support it...
Aaron
Ya...legacy means stronger than talent or blood....the only thing that can keep art ahead of tessilia is learning edicts before she does. She hasnt yet been directed toward learning aether edicts so art has a time advantage for now. That is the determining factor.
OTSojourner
quick question, how many chapters is Vol. 9 going to be? does anyone know?
No Alaric said it in the chapter that he knows about his son's death from some members of that blood.
Lucky
Tess is not a descendant of the djinn. And its highly unlikely that Cecilia will be able to wield aether because shes a lesser so her body wouldnt be able to handle it and the legacy's power seems to be absolute control over all mana.
I love the fact that Art is the star, and therefore hated this chapter where we see Cecilia who just arrived in this world doing crazy shit without going through a 1/100 of the struggle Art went through. Also I would not be surprised if Cecilia can handle aether, if you remember the djinn were able to harness aether better than the dragons and Tess is a descendant of Rinia sister, therefore a djinn descendant. I still think no ones amongst Djinn and amongst dragons ever harnessed aether as Art can because he is a mix of both, so don’t be surprised if Cecilia harness aether soon though it sucks and I think she got too overpowered by turtleme when she s been in this new world for not long at all.
Chad
Nah. Obviously they are being heavily manipulated. Also my theory is argona manipulates people via their mana core and since nicos was destroyed and reformed that may allow him to break free from the manipulation and help Cecilia eventually do the same
Chad
To all the people saying alarics son died at 8 thats heresay based on what he heard from some peasants. Could be they were told to spread that story or they rly believe that's what happened because their memories were manipulated. If thats the case it would make sense as nico was a young child raised by dwarves over in dicathen and seemed to have been born with asura characteristics like caera was. It would be nice if he was able to reunite with his kid after nico is either killed or sent back to their original world
Hopefully, Grey/Art doesn’t let his nostalgia for the friendship he wasn’t shared with Nico and Cecilia to cloud his judgment. Hopefully, he does what needs to be done, even if it means killing his old friends. It’s pretty obvious what Cecilia and Nico’s intentions are. If Grey/Art wants to protect is family and surpass the asura, it’s what needs to be done.
Kind of upset with how Cecilia easily restored Nico's mana core, but I understand, given she is supposed to be the Legacy. With her ridiculous talents, it would not be far-fetched that she eventually stumble into Aether. That would make the novel uninteresting as it would take away Arthur's uniqueness. So please Turtleme, leave Aether mastery exclusively to just Arthur.
AJS
That last “Ahhhh…!” is really something 😄 I’m searching on the internet for reference 😁
DaGoon
I wouldn't mind not getting closure for the school kids for a while but I'd love to see Caera come back to Art for some more relic adventures. We finally got confirmation that Tessa's still inside and that Agrona has obviously tampered with Cecil's memories which hopefully gets addressed soon. Having Cecil with tampered memories and sealed Tess memories doesn't sound like it should be foolproof for very long.
Kamjam
I hope Grey tells Caera who he is before he goes back to Dicathen
Parker
The ending was awesome. Thanks for the chapter
Kevin Catambay
He also needs to find a way to counter Aevum techniques like Static Void Hopefully one of the future keystones has one!
Kevin Catambay
While it very well could be, based on the chapter numbers of the previous few volumes we could also expect around a couple more months worth of chapters before the end of Vol 9
Mmm... This parallels the other school arc. A fantastic build-up and setting for the climax of the arc, then something grand happens (Art killing Lucas/Art killing Cadell), then the appearance of the next power level to stop the fun (The Lances/Agrona), then suddenly a completely new setting with very little in terms of closure. I selfishly and sincerely hope we get at least a little bit of reactions from the students or Caera or even Seris. I truthfully was not too happy with Cecil's deus ex mana but that could just be from the hype-momentum. Oh well, thank you for the chapter
Jesse Gibson
Mm.. this chapter definitely left me upset in more ways than one. I’m not all that surprised she was able to fix his core. She does have mastery over mana however, remember how Seris described Art? It was like the world AND mana moved for him. “Like it awaited his command… like he was constantly reshaping reality without even trying. He didn’t just move through the world, the world moved to accommodate his passing.” She hasn’t said anything like that about the so called Legacy. I think this is because essentially.. the legacy is a tool of mana. Sure she will have control over it but I think it also has control over her as well. Her very existence is based around mana. In this chapter we even see her body begin to move as if in a trance and instinct and she can do something to fix the core… she is nothing but a tool mana is using. It wasn’t her thoughts that she could fix it, her body just did it on its own. I think her becoming more ignorant is not far fetched either. She has started to believe she is all powerful and we know that is always the first step towards the end. The fact that Nicos core is saved and not developing as a person is also not far fetched, Seris’s comments about his personality is on point too. There’s no way he would have reflected on his actions and on the words of Arthur anyway. He’s that type of person to blame others when he fucks up and the more he fails the more he’d blame others. It’s NEVER his fault. So even though we thought it might have given Nico growth and have him on his way to redemption… that path was almost definitely not ever going to happen. He’s that character in stories that tries to get revenge on the main character after getting in trouble for something horrible they did and says “if only, this person didn’t exist! It’s all their fault I got in trouble! I’ll kill them!” Instead of reflecting on their own actions “oh, maybe if I hadn’t done that horrible deed, I wouldn’t have gotten in trouble”. Nico is not that person. He’s too far trapped in his delusions of his own selfishness to be able to reflect properly… I mean he knew Argona was doing shady shit to Cecilia and still handed her over to him just so he could have the upper hand in her forged memories. If he could do that to the one he so called “loved” what did you expect him to say about Art who he hates? Honestly, at this point I don’t think either of them deserve redemption but we may come to see something else that Turtle has set up for us that we didn’t even realize yet. As for Agrona, I think he’s definitely shocked. I’m sure he’ll realize it was aether, but I agree with the others that he’ll be too arrogant to believe that Arthur could have created an aether core. Between relics or assuming it’s a remaining part of the beast will.. at least In his mind he probably will think it’s a trick like that. But I also don’t think we’ll have to worry about him looking into Caeras memories. He’s not going to do any work himself, His cronies are the ones who will be talking to everyone and I don’t believe they have the ability like he does. So for now, she should be fine. Also, I’m sure Seris will do what she can to protect her. And well see if she tells her about his identity. Ahhhh.. Arts POV was great and totally had my heart. I love Alaric, I seriously hope we find ourselves in a chapter where they reunite again.. in happier settings of course or as comrades in arms.. either way I hope to see him in the future. I think we are going to see some more leveling up in the next coming chapters for Art. He had to have realized his level and he was just barely able to over come Cadel. He’s got to some powering up to do if he’s going to face all of them and Asuras. I also think we’ll be seeing a chapter about them looking for him soon. And I wonder how that will go since he’s no longer just human. Anyway….. Great writing Turtle! The fact that you can invoke such feelings in me over words is beyond amazing. I’ve never hated characters as much as I have Cecilia and Nico. And the sadness I felt at Alaric’s past, the disappointment in their parting ways, but the hope they’ll meet again.. just brilliant. thank you for your hard work TurtleMe! I CANT WAIT FOR NEXT WEEK AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Chad
You are correct but I don't think it matters. It's art we're talking about he doesn't need her he will find a way to...'do it with caeras' 'help' 😉
Chad
My theory is argona mind controls via mana and since his core broke temporarily it dispelled the mind control or at least reduced its strength and he will eventually break free and help Cecilia do the same
Chad
I feel like he will bring her with him. May be why they walked away arm in arm before his fight. It still hasn't been disclosed what they talked about.
Chad
He would have killed cadell likely taking zero damage no diff if he was cool headed. I dont think that properly showed his abilities. I think he would have done the same thing to cadell that he did nico except killing him not just destroying the core. Man was bloodlusted and not thinking clearly. He said himself he didn't channel any aether into his armor and he still destroyed cadell
This was the end of book 9 yeah?
Oh goodness?!?!? Is he going back home for a bit??? This next chapter is going to be prime!
Yuion
People are talking about the possibility of Arts Mana Core being restored by Cecilia but im not sure if it could actually work... If I recall correctly (correct me if im wrong) didnt he use the remnants of his mana core to build the aether core? Which would technically mean that the way Cecilia restored Nicos mana core wouldnt work on him
Radzi Hamzah
I think he is popular in Alaycra too as Lance of Dicathen
Radzi Hamzah
Cecilia power is like Arthur in Sylvia’s beast will 3rd form. I finally understood why is she so special. Not because the abundance of mana she has but he ability to control mana at will. Cant wait to see her and Arthur fight eventually.
Aaron
Also, a comment on arts strength relative to an asura. Art mentioned that kiros' aura was underwhelming. Yet he still compared auras to kidori and aldir... so I think he can beat regular asuras, has a chance against kidori or Aldrin (although perhaps it would be difficult), and is still out of the league of kezess or agrona... because he still runs out of aether too fast to spam aoe destruction and spam his "steps".
Aaron
2 things to notice about the core reforging... she could have refined his core theoretically all the way to white, but stopped at yellow. Seems she should be able to do that for anyone. Also, HE'S AT YELLOW. So hes way weaker than he was. If she doesnt remember or is too busy to go back and clean his core to white, then he will have to painstakingly do it himself. Everyone can feel a bit better that hes not at scythe level anymore and so maybe he'll be a bit less psycho
Kevin Catambay
I think leaving Caera was a mistake, like wouldn’t Agrona gonna sift through her memories and then see all of her and Arthur’s moments together and thus: 1) see how he started developing powers and godrunes inc. the djinn crystal ball things and how the relic tombs react more towards aether 2) learn that dead relics are actually useful and should be kept hidden away from Arthur’s Aroa’s Requiem 3) learn that Caera actually manifested her Vritra power already!!! I’m hoping Seris can do something to prevent it all or that Caera can escape into the relic tombs or something before that..
Also it adds more sense to the fact that he helped someone as suspicious as Art to begin with
When did Alaric get information about Authur? Did I miss something? And he called him "Arty boy"....
That makes sense, especially since Cecil said Nico was gentle again after the core repaired
Maybe "how aether affected mana rune" is the kinda knowledge Arthur need to gain insight into the new Keystone, either way I'm glad turtle finally explained Alacryan magic
Okcrk
I think I'm gonna dislike both Cecilia and Nico throughout the rest of the story far too much for redemption... but we'll see I guess...can't wait for Arthur to return to Dicathen though
sebsebs
100% agree with you on every point ! I added something I found interesting here because you made me think of it, and then got sidetracked so it's a lot of text lol A) Regarding your 4., it seems to me that claiming Arthur as a name is more than just discarding a persona or a convenient mask while in enemy territory : we went full circle there, he first lived as Arthur without thinking of himself as Arthur (see how he interacted with his parents and how he sometimes thought of himself as a king and relied on his experience) then it all got taken away from him by ghosts of his past life and it forced him back to being Grey to pursue revenge. However, this time, he "killed" Nico by making him impotent (therefore useless to Agrona and unable to stand by Cecilia) but spared Cecilia instead. It changes everything on a symbolic point of view, because it means fighting against fate to save Cecilia/Tess (see what I did here with fate ? Of course, here I actually mean a seemingly overwhelming force, that can't be fought back against : before, it was a whole country's conspiracy, now it's Agrona and Alacrya) instead of giving up (Cecilia killing herself/getting rid of a threat even if it means never seeing Tess again). Now he goes back to Arthur, as a choice, not by being abducted from his world, and I feel like it's really representative of his growth and direction : he wants to go back to his family, wields his power to protect what he has, and cherishes what's left of his loved ones, whereas he once ignored and let fester the closest thing he had to a family for a pipe dream (going from orphan with a tiny mana pool to king ? unrealistic, it would have never happened without the conspiracy), for power and revenge. B) Nico and Cecilia never experienced that growth and act like Grey once did, pursuing mindless revenge and ignoring the red flags - that's why Nico is no longer Elijah. We could actually continue the parallel a bit because the pair is obviously just a cog in Agrona's greater scheme, just like Grey was used by his mentor, and because their dream of being together "again" is as impossible and destructive of everything else as Grey's dream of being a king to avenge his parent used to be. Why are Nico and Cecilia stuck as impotent frustrated obsessed sidekick and absurdly powerful emotionless tool, while Arthur is moving on this time ? Maybe it has to do with the fact that Cecilia died - her fate ended - and Nico never got over it (by choice and/or because of his fate as the Legacy's lover) whereas Grey lived on with his regrets and seized his second chance without reaching his intended ending (if we conceive fate as a trajectory that dictates everyone's life from birth to death), effectively breaking him free of the shackles of fate. It would be pleasingly ironic that Agrona created Arthur, who we can assume will be at least a major factor to his demise at some point, as a side-effect of trying to use an already faded fate from another universe (an external factor to the pre-established trajectories) to change his own. It's my opinion that Cecilia's doomed to repeat her destiny of being used as a weapon, "freed" one way or another by Grey/Arthur, even in this new life, because it's already set in stone from the moment of her first death : it's like her death closed the loop of her fate, and now even placed in a different environement, her destination is fixed unless one can penetrate the loop and cross the lines (Arthur) instead of merely moving the loop around and keeping it intact (Agrona). When placed in this new environement, Grey's unfinished loop was freed and changed direction ; now it even begins to choose its own (edict of Fate). On the other hand, I think Nico's is so tied to Cecilia's that it continues on the same path regardless of the universe. The actual mechanism of his inability to change is free for interpretation and matters little: we could also say that it closed when she died or consider that the direction he chooses will always lead to her (when she is in the same universe as him ! maybe without her he could have been Elijah).
I thought he would rob some Alacryan gadgets and bring them back as souvenir
That was such a beautiful chapter at the end man had me crying abit I’m liking the direction I already predicted something similar with the tournament like this anyways glad it happened and I feel like it’s humbled Arthur abit and also given him a lot more drive now that he knows where his strengths at
Sean Defrank
Also here's hoping that he goes to Xyrus City first and we get to see the Helsteas and Professor Glory.
Sean Defrank
I hope he's going back to Dicathen and we don't take too much time seeing how horrible Dicathen Is, we have Ellie POV's and a whole side-story about that and I'm sure It might be good storytelling, but damn I need some justice, not more depression.
Chad
I'm assuming he is otherwise he'd be hunted down by argona and the sythes. He referred to himself as Arthur as well so seems like he's ready to go back to being his old/real new self
Chad
So hear me out. What if argona controls people via their core and since nicos was destroyed then reformed he broke free from the mind control and eventually helps Cecilia do the same
Chad
Niooo don't say dat because if thats the case everyone close to him including caera would be dead and if she dies I'd legit consider killing myself irl no bs
Chad
Imagine everyone's reactions including hers when he goes back. They're gonna be fucking bawling their eyes out until they pass out
Chad
Caeras reaction/inner thoughts: "I just came watching gray slap 2 sythes"
Chad
Lol
Breamson 𒉭
Some thoughts about this great chapter 1. I don’t know how to feel about Nico getting his core back. I think without his core, Nico really would’ve had the chance for some good/great character development. He wouldn’t have been able to fight and would only have his thoughts. Maybe he would think about Arthur’s words (in both fights he told him he didn’t kill Cecilia), or think about why Arthur didn’t kill him. If he was the person, which he thinks Arthur is, then surely he would’ve killed Nico. But now with his core repaired, it basically erases the chance of development imo and he’s going to still be full of rage and tbh I don’t like that. However, I trust turtle knows what he is doing, so I will wait for how this will play out. But as of now, I think giving Nico his core back strips him off of some good character development 2. Cecilia really pisses me off. Like I’ve given her the benefit of the doubt and I try keeping in mind that she’s being manipulated, but this stops with this chapter. She seemed so self conscious in the first chapters, that it’s sad to see her so dumb. If Arthur was the selfish, heartless asshole, which she thinks he is, why didn’t he kill her? Why didn’t he kill Nico? He certainly didn’t have problems to kill her in their last life (according to her memories), so why would he have problems in this life? Even considering he knows she’s the legacy and a huge threat to his people. Like doesn’t it seem at least a little bit suspicious to her? Also, kinda annoying how she believes Agrona is able to send her back, when he literally told Nico he won’t live happily ever after with Cecilia. That basically exposes that Agrona isn’t able to do that. And, the thing that pisses me off the most is how she now knows that Tess is still alive in her body, but she simply doesn’t care. That’s so annoying and when she thought about kissing Nico, I was disgusted for a moment. I hope TurtleMe won’t show any intimacy between them, since it’s still the body of Tess. Would really be disgusted if something happens between them, while she’s still in Tess‘s body. 3. Alaric is the goat and I love him. Loved the backstory and it gave him some depth. It gave Alaric some good motivation for helping Arthur, other than just wanting to make money off of him, so he can live his alcoholic lifestyle. Gonna miss him and hope he comes back 4. Hope the portal takes him back to Dicathen. I mean I‘m pretty sure he didn’t use the relic, which he uses to get into the tombs (pretty sure that’s stored in his storage rune and not with Alaric, also he talked about „bracing himself“ against what will come and I don’t think he would ever say he has to brace himself for going into the tombs). Also loved how Arthur told Alaric to call him „Arthur“, basically discarding now the persona of Grey. Looking forward to the next chapter and I hope it’s an Ellie pov with Arthur coming back by the end of it
Ryzn
I think it’s sad he never got the chance to tell Caera. Almost like he was saying to Alaric what he never could :,)
Giovanny Barrera
I feel like when grey comes back alaric will be dead.
Arthur isn’t going back to Dicathen right?
Kyle
Alaric’s reaction to realizing grey’s real identity- “you sly bastard, haha” Yet another amazingly spectacular chapter, can’t wait for more! I wonder if art is going back to Dicathen or to the relictombs? And can’t wait for him to unlock this new edict of aether, seems like a powerful one so will probably take a while longer
Ryzn
I get she’s being manipulated by Agrona but I hate that she feels no remorse or respect for Tessia.
sebsebs
What's wrong with Cecilia ? Literally, it feels like something is missing, and it's not just the memory manipulation: in this chapter alone, she first realizes she stole someone's body and that Tess is still very much conscious inside and SHE DOESN'T CARE (proceeds to mute her ??), she then notices that something is amiss in her memories and just dismisses it, she finally admits knowing that Agrona experimented on (fellow) human beings and basically mutated a whole continent's worth of them to fit his purposes and she still wants to HELP him dominate the entire world ?? She knows he's manipulative, cold (he doesn't care about Nico at all) and dangerous but still relies on him, expects her promises to be kept, etc. I mean, she's like a machine programmed to love Nico and want to kill Grey and all rationality/compassion/self-awareness apart from that (and being a genius at mana manipulation) went down the drain... There's something wrong with her, something more than just messed up memories and it ruins her character, makes it flat, unnatural and impossible to empathize with. I wish we at least had some explanation for it, like some control by Agrona, through her runes maybe, or an actual determination to be cold-hearted and blind to every doubt or WHATEVER REALLY, because right now she's just... dumb ? Her pov makes it worse because we follow everything she thinks and most importantly doesn't think... I liked her character in the flashbacks and I recognize none of her now :( Apart from that tiny rant that I feel explains much of my fellow readers' hate/complaints about her, the chapter was great (as always) and Alaric is the best ! Really excited to know what comes next and where Grey will be going - perfect time for an Ellie POV am I right ? :)))))
Awesome chapter really, setting up some great character moments. I love how well written and deep a side character like old drunken Aleric can be, partially why this novel is so good. Like everyone I was sweating hoping Nico didn’t get an aether core but glad he didn’t would bet have made sense. Cecil sad she felt nothing from Art meaning she has greatest mana connection but no aether sense so this is unique to Art. But for the love of God PLEASE GIVE A CHAPTER OF REACTIONS OH GREAT TURTLEME SEMPAI. I need Caera and the students and teachers getting interrogated about Grey and hearing their inner thoughts. I want to see everyone including Caeras inner thoughts and reactions to the events that just transpired
Agreed I would have been upset if it was a wetter core cause that wouldn’t make sense. Art got his in such a unique way nobody else could and Cecil said she couldn’t even sense anything from art meaning she can’t sense aether. Which is cool cause it seems she as the legacy has the greatest potential mastery over mana but no connection to aether, while Art has no connection to mana anymore but greatest aether potential. Art went through so much to get his that it would have been weird if she could do it just like that. It always Art to maintain his uniqueness and I have a feeling at some point Cecil will restore Arts mana core as well (maybe before she dies again freeing Tess). Then Art would have aether and mana which would be crazy
Jason
CRACK < TBATE
Aaron
For all you naysayers....HA I WAS RIGHT. YOU CAN REMAKE A MANA CORE! As I was opining, it would just be very hard.
Jon Chefitz
Chapter ended up really good I was so scared Nico was bout to get an aether core, quite happy he didn’t. I really Liked the interaction between Art and Alaric and to finally get his backstory was great even though it was super sad. Thanks turtle I can’t wait for next week!
Reddd
i doubt that is the case due to the portal system that is set up. even before with the portals on dicathen they can connect to one another and travel large distances. we dont know just how far each continent is from each other but windsom was able to easily teleport to Epheotus. It also seems as if art can use the compass anywhere.
Kevin Catambay
“The bestowals did the work of activating the natural core, harnessing mana for the mage so they could tap into the runes’ powers” So Arthur was out here essentially giving people runes without knowing it, as all the bestowals were doing was only providing mana for the rune to manifest itself..?
Kevin Catambay
Amazing chapter!! Though I’n gonna be honest I started thinking she was starting to accidentally create an aether core and I was growing more and more anxious. I’m actually relieved it’s only a mana core. The way I see it, as long as it’s not an aether core Nico is not a concern 🤷🏽♂️
xroninx
It’s nice to hear more about Alarics backstory considering we didn’t know much. It’s pretty sad as he’s a likeable character knowing he has such a sad past, and I like how Art told him who he was in the end. Kinda sad to see them part but their last exchange seemed like we will see Alaric before the story ends again.
Hope Caera finds more about Art now - perhaps Seris tell her something. AND to be able to meet him soon
Axel Karlsson
People say that Arthur can ”go back to the relictombs, even thu he is in Dicathen” but this is not necessarily true, the compass could have something like a cellphone signal, Dicathen is hundreds of miles away from the relictombs so it might be ”out of range” It would be quite funny to see Arthur going home and gather a bunch of people to infiltrate the relictombs and it just doesn’t work
Probably yes.
BottleofJhin
peak
so did Alaric figured out arthur real identity?
lol you noticed that now? agrona is obviously way stronger than Arthur.
Chad
Same. She's my girl. I hope she finds Grey somehow and goes with him
Chad
🤣
AJS
Like everybode else, I’m left dumbfounded that Nico got his broken mana core restored back, not to mention how audicious Cecilia sounds now that she finally able to show everyone (including Agrona) the power she holds over mana. But this also good news for Grey (back to Arthur mow on this chapter), this means Cecilia can also restores his mana core, if she choose to… Alas, poor Tessia though, now we all realized that she’s alive and trapped inside all these times, Can you imagine the agony she has to suffer from only able to watch from the sideline, but unable to do anything. I’m also heart broken to see Arthur now all alone. No Tess, nor Caera, just Regis to accompany him in the Relictomb once more. This chapter seems so short and lacks the punches compared to previous chapters, but TurtleMe still able to show his mastery of words to make us feels rage / mad (over Nico and Cecilia), sad (Arthur unable to do anything for Tess), and lastly joy (the hope of Arthur new journey into the uncharted Relictomb). 👍🏻 I hope TurtleMe will bless us with news about Caera on the next chapter *fingers-crossed* 🤞🏻
Bernardo De Cabrio
Now this is question I definitely did not expect. And no, I think there isn't. But there is an option on Opera GX where you can force dark mode on websites and it works on patreon. But I'll check the settings. If there is an actual setting for dark mode in the browser, you will hear from me again. If you are talking about the app, I have no idea.
TurtleMe said that he doesn't like NTR, so there shouldn't be.
Chad
Yeah on the battlefield. Imagine him running into and having to fight Seth and kill him. Rough
Chad
Tess was improving but she is almost as selfish as Cecilia. I agree that I hate her though she should've stayed dead. She had the power to be king originally in her world or at the very least she didn't need to die she could have found another way. Agreed with Alaric as well. Beautiful moment almost made me tear up. Love that man
Darijum Lee
A whole week😭
Sam
Cecilia truly is an idiot sandwich
Chad
Don't remind me. I'm in love with her. Legit
Is there dark mode on Patreon?
Love it. Keep it coming
Will Blank
Half of her POV was cleaning
Will Blank
I wanted anyone’s POV other then Cecilias. Anyone
You never fail to impress me TurtleMe. Incredible chapter as always. Can’t get enough of this story
Darijum Lee
I'm in love with this book
Will Blank
I wouldn’t care eventually but I wish it took time she just fingered his stomach and fixed it
Arg!!! I can't belive he got his core back! (BUT this make me think that it's possible for Arthur have his mana core, too)... And love "Arthur" is back (I was missing this). Now, I belive he is problably going to Relictombs.
Will Blank
Damn not one reaction. Nico got his core back. Cecilia still sucks. Alaric learned his name. End of chapter
Chad
Speed reading. It's like crack
So I guess he will go back to Dicathen now. He can enter the tombs whereever he wants so there is no point in staying in Alacryan. If that actually happens i love the writing. The first time he introduced himself in Alacryan was a Grey and now as he leaves he says goodbye as Arthur. Great writing.
Fluxxx
da fuck
KORO
I see that Cecil is the key to the key stone by helping Art's mana core rebuild therefore he could get the insight for Fate.
David
Yeah… I’m going to miss Alaric. I’m glad that TurtleMe showed how much Arthur trusts him by telling him his real name.
Fenrys .
I thought somewhere turtleme said this novel would have him going back to dicathen at some point and there's no reason for him to stay anymore and with the relic he stole from the school there's no reason for him to just go on a relic tomb rush now
Miguel
Bro, you just blew my mind 🤯
Chad
One of my favorite chapters. Exquisite. Imagine if turtle ended the series here though? Would be a fitting ending but I'm assuming there are hundreds of chapters to go. I hope caera finds gray and goes back with him so they can further develop their relationship. She tracked him before using the dagger. He gave it back but if I remember correctly I think they exchanged another way to communicate and if I'm misremembering I'm sure she will get depressed and seris will tell her who he is and send her over after him Also that final moment btwn Alaric and art. Called himself uncle al and he now knows who art is as well. Regis whimpering 🤧. Can't wait until caera finds out. Imagine how Seth will feel in the future once he finds out his mentor and father figure killed his sister
Dillon smith
Where the hell did you get the idea that Cecilia would get no character development?
Bernardo De Cabrio
The ending was chef's kiss. Well rounded with a bitter sweet aftertaste. I wonder now what Nico would actually say if Cecilia were to tell him about her deal with Agrona. If he would bite his tongue super hard, knowing that Agrona just did his thing again, promising things without showing the fine printing, or if he will actually believe in him keeping his promise. Everyone seems to be raging about Cecilia and Nico, not thinking about the little hints left behind in the actions and reactions of the various moments. Those small little details that sooner or later will come back full force. And when they finally do come back, I will laugh, because it will either blow up entirely or catch everyone off guard so hard that the comment section will once again erupt in whatever emotions are to be expected. Oh. Can't wait for all that is to happen. It will be a blast to observe. Wonderful
T_Don
At least it’s confirmed that Cecelia is 100% a plot device. Completely rendered the last chapter almost pointless, just reverses a broken core, way too hand wavy. Also is confirmed she will have no character development at all and is ok with being used, in every life.
Alaric nicos father?
Tophat Jones
Well said.
Tophat Jones
The Lances, as the top generals of the enemy army, would probably be known to most Alacryans, especially one that has killed probably thousands of soldiers as well as a retainer and even fought a Scythe.
Daniel Canales
Alaric besto uncle 4ever we love u
Tophat Jones
They both think that Arthur is responsible for Cecilia's death and that they belong together. Agrona has convinced them that he can send them both back to Earth to live out their happily ever after if they help him with his plans for this world. Of course, their memories are being manipulated by Agrona, and I seriously doubt he even has the ability to send them back to Earth.
The light novel and manga are reaching really good spots :) I’m flippin pumped for what is coming
It sounds like tessia’s consciousness is trapped within the mana core, so she took over to stop art because not only would cecil lose Magic but Tess would die. Prob doesn’t have too much strength in there so she’s picking and choosing her moments.
john ross
Alaric I’m going to miss you man, hopefully Arthur reunites with all these cool people we met in Alacrya later in the future .
ariel lima
Also he will definitely need his mana core to win the war. He needs a mana core better than a white core. And I bet he can make his own using Aether.
ariel lima
Back to the Relictombs I hope. I think he still needs to find two djins right? Going back to Dicathen right now would not be very Author like because it potentially places everyone there in danger. He still needs to get a lot stronger so a purely relictomb arc again until he finds what he needs and restores Sylvia (then fly back to dicathen?) Maybe he can meet Caera again? They are cannon now right? I mean, even if Tess came back it won’t be the same now that Cecil was ever in control. Anything she touches is trash.
Ezekiel2517
That's a great call out. Art has many skills to learn. Would love for him to reunite with Lances and family too, but round out the Alacryan/aether mastery arc first.
Bernardo De Cabrio
Well, if you think about it. Arthur has tools that give him the ability to teleport almost instantly, create a sword that can literally cut almost anything + destroy anything (thanks to Regis), reverse time on objects, regenerate limbs and survive stabs into vital organs via "enhanced" regeneration. Not to mention that given some time he will most likely be physically stronger than most asura (if he isn't already). So even if Cecilia is a cheat code, Arthur is an entire goddamn manuscript.
Kenneth Evans
At this point it’s pretty certain Arthur is not strong enough to fight Agrona or the others yet. (forgot how to spell the name) my mans need to figure out a huge way to level up again.
Dillon smith
No obviously, but her being broken is on purpose you know. She will likely surpass the strongest of asura if given time.
Brasidas
I like Cecilia's devotion to Nico. I think this makes her more than Agrona's weapon for now, but still a little deranged. It is good she is hostile to her host personality. I hope Arthur goes back to the zone with the four tribes and hooks up with the ghost bears. Having that skill would be a massive help.
Despite Arthur spared Cecilia and Nico life they are still planning to kill him....Bastards🤬However i hope Arthur saves all Dicathen prisoners from Alacrya before going home
spoopyjo
I'm thinking that might be next chapter. It seems like Arthur is going home so maybe next chap is going to be ellie fighting someone or something and Arthur just comes in last second and saves her
Alaric's son died at eight. I'm sure the highblood responsible for him wouldn't have sent him off if they weren't absolutely sure he was dead.
spoopyjo
I get Cecelia is "the legacy" but isn't her fixing nicos core just broken? Like is she just going to resurrect cadell now?
Bernardo De Cabrio
The line had me choking for a second too. Especially if you think about it in the way that everything that Cecilia wants to achieve in this world can't happen because there is a giant metaphorical wall of aether (Arthur) in her way.
Ezekiel2517
Loved that Alaric recognized Arthur's name :) Can't wait to see the progression. Does Nico take any consolation that Art left him alive? Can/will Cecilia rebuild Art's mana core helping him become the master of the Universe? All this and more next week on the Beginning after the End!
Carth
“If we’re going to kill Grey, we need to do it together.” Yeah right Cecil, if Tess hadn’t saved your ass it would’ve been GG.
Bernardo De Cabrio
That is what I think about every good story I've read so far but for some it just isn't possible to wait till it is done.
Ezekiel2517
But I am so damn happy Grey is no more!!! Really sets up the stage that Nico and Cecilia return to Earth happy? Maybe back in time where they could both escape while she was still alive.
Gonna be honest. I came to the comments RAGE. I had a whole line of curses picked out for Cecelia (honest to god didn't think I would hate her this much). I thought without his core, Nico finally had a chance for some character growth, but then she waltz in and just ruins everything. But more than that, what pissed me off is realizing just how SELFISH she is. Honestly speechless. I was giving her the benefit of the doubt because we know Agrona definitely messed with her head, but even AFTER Tess literally PROVES that Agrona lied to her she STILL doesn't give af about any of that and just wants to do her own thing. Honestly, she and Nico deserves each other. Two selfish twats. Just ashame Tess has to be stuck in the middle. But anyway, although Cecilia had me so blind with rage I could hardly focus on reading Arthur's POV (BISH SAID SHE'D DYE TESS' HAIR, I--), the moment between Alaric and Arthur was so beautiful and painful it made me mostly forget about the mess that is Cecelia. Alaric character motivation to help Arthur now makes so much sense. I hope in the future they really do meet again. After Reynolds, it would be nice for Art to have another close father figure still in his life.
BowlOfSoup
Agrona is very intelligent, so I'm convinced that if he didn't yet know about Arthur's Aether core he will figure it out. Especially when he is going to reflect about the fight just now. Clearly Arthur doesn't have mana so that leaves Agrona with 1 answer, Aether
levi aclao
Maybe Uto is Alarics son? I know he said that the kid is dead but what if Uto is his child and he knew that Arthur killed him during the war?
what's next, Cecilia is so good with mana she'll resurrect Cadell? Smh man Nico's core was broken for not even an hour
Ezekiel2517
Yeah, not at all happy with this direction but I can understand it. Ultimately Art needs to get control over Fate and send Cecilia and Nico back to Earth freeing Tess and Art to live their life in Dicathen.
27 ooze
#fuckcecilia
Well guys, at least I think this confirms that Argona has no idea that Art can wield Aethar, neither that he has an aethar core... which gives Art a good strategic position Or does he already know and I missed something?
jake ginder
Ugh... Cecilia's character just kills me. I am loving how the story is progressing and it all makes sense, but her character POV portions drive me nuts. They are well written I just hate her so much and such Art would have just carried through with killing her.
Lorwus
It's beautiful, I'm going to cry (ah and I feel like insulting Cecilia right now kekw)
Murdog
yep he shouldnt get his core back
I’m half certain Arthur is going back in Dicathen now. Or maybe he has one more place to go before going back home. We might see Ellie POV next week and at the end of the chapter we might see Arthur showing up.
Nico getting back his core is disappointing. It's like game of thrones but Ned Stark was resurrected. The impact to the story of him losing his core is now meh.
Gamer Guide
Cecil made me wanna through my computer out the window while reading this, bro I swear, I'm so mad, but that's the point lol. Great Chapter once again and the art pov was awesome as well as Uncle Al, so hyped that art told him who he was, so good.
Breezy
kjsdaifuweiofjsdklvjsiofuoif!!!! Loved the ending. Hate that Nico got his core back. Double hate actually. He's the worst and just... I don't want a redemption arc for him, but I also don't want him to die? Destroying his core sounded good, but now? sigh
Yeah. Me too. It is just like resurrecting the dead. Quite disappointing turtle.
Evan
Thanks for the chapter!
Of course!!! All that trouble for what, Cecilia just comes in and fixes it? That was total BS...
Rocco Mangiaterra
No more Caera x Art adventures…. I hope she finds and helps him
Cal
God friggin damn it!
Jacob S
I am rather disappointed that Turtle pulled out a Deus Ex Machina giving Cecilia the power to fix broken cores. Because of course, why not, she can do anything. Such a cop out. But I am happy to see Arty boy’s pov - him and Alaric got personal!
Yoursinta
Wtf Cecil is basically a cheat code
I cannot really see how this conflict will be resolved by the way. Will they find a new vessel for her or she will die the second time? The hint we have is that Turtle promised a happy ending for Art, and this happy ending must be, I suppose, his promise with Tessia of finally having a family together and living a peaceful life coming true. Otherwise it won’t be that different from what he had in his previous life. He fought, he lost, he overcame, he won, and achieved whatever an individual can achieve in terms of strength, glory and fame, but then died alone with no one to care about around him. If his family, loved ones (including Tess) and friends perish once again, the victory in the war will not amount to much, I reckon.
is alaric somehow know who art is? i wouldn’t be surprised if you can read abt dicathen and learn abt the lances, especially the strongest one arthur
Hi Its Fire!
"If we’re going to kill Grey" this shit made me laugh.
Meer
Yessss
Kind of disappointed that Nico got his core back already.
Aksel Dyhr
Nico and Cecilia's motivation actually makes no fucking sense tho, or am I missing something?
SouperRiskyyy
That ending though
❤️
By the way, I realized that probably it’s a bad idea to get binged on the ongoing series especially when you catch up with the last chapter and start anxiously waiting for the new one to be released weekly. I should have waited until the story wraps up all in all. :P
Chickita Banana
AIIII PAPI TURTLE WE LOVE YOU!😈💋❤
Survivor397
Tessilia is really in the shit, wanting to dye tess hair and kiss the one who dragged her back to the hell she tried to escape, agrona manipulating them both isn’t helping either, what and who will it take to finally get these two back in their right minds?
PrixNDix
I think he's too tired atm
Varday Jacobs
hopefully he goes back home. he can enter the relic tombs from anywhere and I think its time he gives hope to all the other people back home
Preston Bates
Awe man, I didn’t realize how much I like Alaric until now, when we lose him for the foreseeable future. :(
Oh my gosh, so much going on... Tess fighting for control, Cecilia realizing something is truly amiss with her memories, art revealing his identity... and OUR BOY ALARIC! I HOPE WE SEE YOU AGAIN! PLEASE TURTLE!! Also, I'm looking forward to when Art gets back to Dicathien... I hoping full on Thor-In-Infinity-War return...
Wow, a great chapter. Once again TurtleMe outplayed us all with Tessia’s and Arthur’s POVs. Cannot really predict where exactly Art is going. Whether he’s heading back home or to the Relictombs. Also, at one moment I had a bad NTR premonition but hopefully the author would not take such a step.
PrixNDix
Aww Alaric🥺🥺. Back home baby
Shame its not an ellie pov
Kholas
Arthur is back baby!
how u lot already done
the GOAT
VibEz
YEES
SouperRiskyyy
good one
Hi Its Fire!
lets go!!
