Xuefei shook her head.
This was the first time she had ever heard such a term. No matter how she turned it over in her mind, it sounded like something straight out of a chuunibyou comic—those over-the-top, self-important concepts that always turned out to be critically important.
Laer spoke up.
“The so-called Complete God Soul is a physique that exists independently of the soul itself, capable of absorbing divine power. Every god’s power has its foundation, much like the bedrock of a building. No matter how much power one acquires, it can only be built upon that base. Now and then, a god with exceptional talent might expand their own foundation, but it’s utterly impossible to achieve a true 1+1=2 by fully absorbing someone else’s abilities.”
“Is that right? Then what about Leia and me…”
“Not the same.”
Before Xuefei could get the words out, Laer cut her off.
“The counterpart to the Complete God Soul is the Complete Filth Soul. It can absorb every ounce of Dark Filth’s power, expanding one’s own strength even further—by tearing down others’ foundations to build up its own…”
Xuefei looked as though she had just heard something earth-shattering. Or perhaps it was the interruption that left her feeling a little stifled. In any case, she finally raised her head, her eyes brimming with curiosity as she studied Laer’s face. Noticing the stare, Laer turned slightly toward her.
“Beings like that are branded as profoundly dangerous—like black holes, devouring everything in their path and converting it all into their own power.”
“It’s pretty unreasonable, isn’t it?”
Xuefei had to concede the point.
It reminded her of the old Snake game, but with only her able to gobble up the enemies, rolling up their strength like a snowball until it grew completely unmanageable… and even disrupted the balance of souls between darkness and light.
Right then, Xuefei’s pupils dilated ever so slightly—a tiny reaction that Laer caught without missing a beat.
“So you’ve seen it… The Evil Dragon is, at her core, the pinnacle of Dark Filth. And she is precisely of the Demon Race. They are entities wholly unlike ordinary living beings.”
“We Light Emissaries were never meant to mix with them in the first place. Yet Leia devoured gods—undoubtedly using a soul of Dark Filth to consume the power of Light Emissaries. That sort of thing simply shouldn’t be possible…”
“Is that so…”
Xuefei’s eyes went wide before she ducked her head again.
“There is indeed a method to convert a Light Envoy’s power into the strength of Dark Filth—or rather, any Dark Filth can twist any power to its own ends. But… it takes time. Especially with gods.”
“So when Leia told me the day before yesterday that she had twenty-seven gods inside her, you get what I’m saying?”
“She can’t digest them?”
“No… it’s long past the point of digestion.” Laer bit her lip, her expression one of raw frustration.
Xuefei got it. She remembered her fight with Leia all too well.
Leia had been terrifyingly strong, strong enough to smother any spark of hope without effort. But that power shouldn’t have been anywhere near the level of someone who had devoured and fused twenty-seven gods into one. She ought to have been far more overwhelming.
“A rejection reaction?” Xuefei nodded faintly. “The two forces are incompatible. They clash and grind against each other inside her, shredding her body in the process.”
No… it had to be her soul.
If Leia’s soul was the one taking damage, then there was no coming back from it.
Laer didn’t voice the hopeless truth, but it hung unspoken between them. Leia could still hold onto her awareness, but her condition was dire.
Damn it…
Xuefei balled her fists, her hands trembling. It had been ages since she’d felt this kind of frantic urgency.
No wonder Leia had seemed so distracted lately.
No wonder she hadn’t pushed for victory, hadn’t cared about winning or losing at all.
Instead, she endured agony every waking moment. All the while, she kept up that affectionate smile to hide it, never breathing a word to Xuefei.
“What can I do to help her? Can I take in some of the gods’ power? At the very least, I could lighten her load!”
“Xuefei, hear me out first.”
“…”
Laer’s voice took on a note of helpless exasperation.
“Never mind what kind of constitution you have or whether you could even withstand that much divine power—if Leia could just purge it from her body, she wouldn’t be in this pain to begin with.”
“There has to be a way.”
Xuefei tried to rise to her feet, but her legs refused to obey. She inched along the wall for support, only to crumple onto the cold floor.
Why was this happening?
Was she utterly powerless once again?
Helplessness washed over Xuefei, chased by waves of self-loathing and regret.
‘Don’t abandon me.’
Leia’s voice echoed in her mind like a razor-sharp dagger plunging into her heart—yanked free, only to strike again. Bitter blood surged back into her chest, pooling into a crushing weight of guilt.
Laer said:
“This is my problem. It was nothing but a bold assumption from the start, and only today did I finally verify it. This is my negligence…”
“I thought it would take at least fifty or more gods to make Leia show even the slightest sign, but it seems the power of those gods exceeded my imagination.”
“Damn it, that idiot Leia—why did she hide this from everyone?! Isn’t she the Evil Dragon? She should have indulged herself a little, at least. Instead, she shouldered it all just like the Hero Party, putting on that nonchalant act afterward and still pretending to be some evil overlord. What the hell is that supposed to be? Sigh…”
It was the first time Xuefei had seen Laer so worked up.
Even at the end of the first playthrough, she herself hadn’t truly understood Leia. Without those countless stormy nights and hundreds of heartfelt confessions of love, Xuefei never would have grasped Leia’s true feelings or the burdens she carried.
She fell silent, lowering her head without a word. Another gust of cold wind swept through, and the two of them gradually calmed down.
The night sky still hid the moon’s full form, its pristine glow filtering through the thin veil of dark clouds—now appearing, now vanishing, elusive and enigmatic.
A butterfly with blue wings fluttered its delicate wings before alighting on the tip of Xuefei’s nose. Upon noticing her scarlet dragon eyes, it took flight again, settling into her silver-white locks and grooming itself as if sipping nectar from a flower.
In the end, it was Xuefei who shattered the fragile peace:
“There might be a way.”
Her voice was faint, almost a whisper, yet brimming with resolve.
Xuefei rose from the frigid ground.
“Endless Treasure.”
The moment the words left her lips, Laer seemed to realize something as well. She stared in astonishment at Xuefei’s crimson eyes.
“Is that right? There’s such a thing? As expected of you, Xuefei. If it’s the Endless Treasure, then maybe…”
“Legend says it’s a divine artifact forged by the gods. It holds vast amounts of energy, but it’s also a key that can stabilize the soul. With its help, Leia might just be saved.”
Xuefei made no reply. She merely turned her petite figure away from Laer, her black wings twitching faintly. With measured steps, she headed for the rooftop exit, melting into the shadows like a phantom. A few seconds later, she was gone.
Leia
This time, I will save you.
