When Celia saw Ansu’s figure being submerged by the demon undead...
Her eyes widened with a mix of rage and despair. Around her, raw mana twisted violently, and even the air let out terrifying explosive cracks.
As she rushed recklessly toward Ansu’s position, the violent torrent of mana carved a path for her, instantly annihilating the surrounding undead legion.
"Ansu! Ansu!!"
Celia touched the blood-covered Ansu in terror. His life signs were growing weaker, and his eyes were gradually becoming cloudy and lifeless...
"Hold on, just hold on!" Celia frantically covered the wound on Ansu’s chest.
But there were too many wounds. In her panic, she didn't even know which one was the fatal blow.
"I’ll heal you right now, just don’t fall asleep! Ansu! You have to hold on!" Celia desperately gathered mana, trying to stabilize the chaotic raw mana.
However, having been burning through her life to cast magic earlier, she was nearly exhausted and couldn't even construct the simplest spell structure...
Celia pressed her hands against Ansu’s bleeding wounds, but the healing magic wouldn't take effect. She was so frantic she began to cry.
"Why... why am I so useless!!"
"Hold on... hold on, Ansu! You’ll be fine soon!"
"Celia..." Ansu lay quietly on the ground, his voice barely audible.
He looked at the blurred figure before him and managed a weak, strained smile. "It’s no use... save your mana. Otherwise... what will you do for the battle later..."
"Shut up! Shut up!!" Celia’s face was covered in tears. "If you die, what point is there to the battle..."
"Of course there’s a point..." Ansu’s voice grew even fainter. "You have to live... live on for me."
"If you die! What point is there for me to live on!" Celia finally cast a weak 【Life Magic】. She anxiously healed his wounds, whispering comforts. "Ansu... it’ll be okay soon, just hold on! I won’t let you die... I definitely won’t let you die!!"
"Mm..." Ansu felt the itching sensation of the wounds closing rapidly.
Wait... was he actually going to survive this?
Ansu watched Celia helplessly, grumbling internally. If he hadn't prepared a trump card, the witch might have actually pulled him back from the brink...
But sorry.
This time, even if God Himself showed up, he was going to die once.
Of course, before "dying," he had to deepen the witch’s obsession one last time...
"Celia... don't waste your mana anymore... it’s useless."
Ansu let out a soft, regretful chuckle, as if accepting his end. His eyes gazed blankly at the endless corridor above, his life seemingly flashing before his eyes.
"Remember our bet?" he asked softly.
"You promised me back then... that no matter what it was... you would work hard to do it for me."
"Now... it’s time for you to fulfill that promise..."
"What bet? I don’t remember!" Celia grew more terrified, not daring to listen further. "Don't talk like you're leaving a final testament... if you live, I’ll promise you anything! Ansu... please, I beg you, don't say anymore..."
Ansu acted as if he hadn't heard her at all, merely continuing his final words.
"Celia... live on. You must live on."
"For me, you must win... you must obtain the god's recognition and end this damn sacrificial ritual..."
"Finally..."
Ansu smiled gently, as if comforting the person before him.
"Goodbye, Miss Witch."
With those final words, Ansu gently closed his eyes.
The expression frozen on his face before death was that same incredibly gentle smile.
【Feign Death (3rd Circle necromancy magic)】
【Causes the target to enter a state of suspended animation. Grants resistance to all damage types except soul damage and suppresses diseases and poison.】
【Any physical examination or magical detection will indicate the target is deceased. The target is blinded and incapacitated during this period, lasting for 12 hours.】
...
Celia stared blankly at the now-closed eyes of Ansu.
A sense of panic, denial, and even absolute despair flooded her mind.
"Ansu?"
"Ansu??"
She finally reacted, frantically shaking the body that no longer showed any signs of life.
But as time passed, Ansu never made another sound.
Celia continued to desperately pour mana into him, but the life magic no longer gave any response, which meant...
Her hands stopped, trembling in disbelief.
Ansu was dead?
He must be lying...
How is this possible... how could Ansu die!?
The entire world seemed to go silent.
Even as the newly refreshed demon undead swarmed toward her again, they couldn't pull Celia’s mind back to reality...
Celia’s eyes seemed to lose their luster. She slumped onto the ground, her mind buzzing, with only one voice echoing repeatedly.
Ansu is dead. Ansu is dead. Ansu is dead. Ansu is dead. Ansu is dead. Ansu is dead. Ansu is dead...
Ansu is dead.
...
At this moment, although all of Ansu’s life signs had stopped... his consciousness was actually still there.
It was as if his soul had been detached, silently sensing everything around him.
The hollow gaze in the witch’s eyes naturally fell into his view.
Ansu let out a bitter sigh. At this moment, Celia looked like a broken puppet, filled with an aura of despair and deathly silence. She seemed to have given up all hope of living...
Although he had planned this "fake death" for a long time, even wanting to use this method to escape her and her control...
At this moment, Ansu couldn't bear to look anymore.
It seemed... after so much time and so many shared memories, he had grown accustomed to the days with the witch by his side. His own heart... had already undergone a great change.
Do I already care for her too much to leave her?
Ansu didn't know.
Even now, it was a difficult question to answer.
But this morbid and burning affection, and the foreseeable fate of being entangled with her until the end of his life... he truly couldn't run away from it anymore...
Ansu felt a sense of hindsight... how did his reverse "discipline" end up dragging him in as well?
Sigh, witches.
Ansu took a deep breath, trying to calm the complex emotions growing wildly within him, and turned his gaze back to Celia, who was slumped on the ground.
Stand up!
Celia, aren't you the one who values promises the most?
You have to win!
The boundless demon undead had already surrounded her, but because of the faint, distorted ripples around her, any undead that approached was instantly torn to shreds.
Yet Celia still didn't move.
She just stared dazed at Ansu’s corpse, no longer agitated or angry, as calm as a dried-up well. Nothing could cause even a ripple in her...
Memories flashed through Celia’s mind like a revolving lantern, one after another.
"In my heart, there is only the figure of Miss Witch. I will never betray you!"
"Miss Witch, don't you have any further ambitions?"
"Miss Witch, you are not alone, because you still have me..."
"Taking you out for a walk will make you feel better. Miss Witch, would you like to accept my invitation for a date?"
"I will stay with Miss Witch forever..."
As the memories ended, Celia’s eyes flickered slightly, and she let out a bitter laugh.
Liar...
When did you ever stay with me forever...
You told me to keep my promise, but you didn't even keep your own!
Promise... Hah, a promise...
Celia stood up despondently. Ansu’s words from his final moments rushed back into her mind.
"Live on."
"For me, you must win."
"Ansu, if this is what you want me to do..." Celia gently stroked Ansu’s blood-stained face, her heart aching as if pierced by a thousand needles.
She gently picked up the "dead" Ansu and turned her gaze toward the endless demon undead.
"Then I will... do my best to fulfill it for you..."
All the tenderness and sorrow were re-wrapped in a thick cocoon. Celia’s gaze was now entirely hollow.
She couldn't feel her own heartbeat; she wasn't even sure if she was still alive.
Only the fire of revenge and the obsession to fulfill his wish were driving this empty shell.
The earth began to tremble, and the spiral tower was rapidly collapsing.
A terrifying demon calamity, like the end of the world, descended...
With a sweeping force.
Rate on N.U.
