Again and again, she struggled to her feet, only to be kicked down once more.
The girl’s tenacious figure, etched deep into You’er’s eyes, stirred his fractured heart.
“I, Gugu You’er, swear here and now: no matter the trials or tribulations, I will never surrender to fate! Never!”
Tears welled in You’er’s eyes as he gazed at Noelle, her body ravaged by wounds, and pleaded with her.
“So… Noelle, don’t stand up again, please don’t! If you keep this up, you’ll die!”
Yet Noelle persisted, pushing herself until her body could no longer muster the strength to rise.
****
“Truly a scene to bring one to tears,” Mecaphes drawled.
As he spoke, Black Knight Commander Mecaphes maintained his mocking smile, utterly disregarding Noelle, who lay fallen, her fate unknown. His cold, chilling gaze also dismissed You’er, held captive in his grasp.
“Boy, since you’ve entertained me so thoroughly, I shall bestow upon you some good news,” Mecaphes purred, leaning close to You’er’s ear like a whispering devil, “news about your little sister.”
At the mention of Lilinai’s name, You’er’s breath hitched. His hollow eyes widened, fixing a deathly stare on Mecaphes.
“She never escaped my grasp, you know. Guess what happened to her next?”
The Black Knight Commander laughed maniacally.
“She died, you see, in my hands. She groaned and cried out, foolishly calling for her brother, for her brother to save her. Isn’t that hilarious? Haha, haha, haha.”
In truth, he was lying; he had never found Lilinai. But he would never admit it to You’er, as this deception brought him far greater pleasure.
“…”
The lie, undeniably potent, plunged You’er into a prolonged silence, his expression growing increasingly twisted, as if he had transformed into a vengeful spirit. A piercing, mournful sound tore from his throat.
“I… will… kill… you…”
You’er’s thoughts ceased, leaving only a single, burning obsession in his mind: to annihilate the wretched being before him.
Kill, kill, kill…
As if pulled by an unseen force, You’er’s left hand clenched violently, and surging Soulforce coalesced into an invisible sword.
Its name: Soul.
The Sword of Soul, also known as Soul Sword, was the very threshold for wielding Soul Sword Arts.
Yet now, You’er, his mind plunged into the depths of madness, had forcibly manifested this Soul Sword through sheer will.
Driven by an overwhelming need to kill Mecaphes, to avenge Lilinai, and to protect Noelle, You’er swung the Soul Sword without hesitation, unleashing a devastating strike.
“What?!”
Mecaphes’s face contorted in alarm. Sensing imminent danger, he hastily retreated, simultaneously raising the black spear in his hand to block the Soul Sword’s trajectory.
Clang!
A piercing, metallic shriek echoed as the black spear and Soul Sword clashed, sparks erupting between them. Yet, in his haste, Mecaphes failed to fully parry the attack, allowing the blade to slice through a corner of his defense.
Mecaphes’s armor, thick and imposing as a mountain, seemed to offer no resistance. A narrow, elongated gash was effortlessly carved into it, and beneath, a sword scar, deep enough to reveal bone, faintly materialized on his chest.
Feeling the sharp agony in his chest, Mecaphes narrowed his eyes, a furious disbelief warring within him.
‘He, Mecaphes, the Black Spear Sword Emperor, a high-tier Sword Emperor, had been wounded by this mere stripling of a boy?’
You’er, however, paid no heed to such thoughts. Dragging the Soul Sword, he charged at Mecaphes like a rabid beast.
“Boy, you’re asking for death.”
Mecaphes’s expression turned sinister, his eyes gleaming with malevolent intent.
He had initially intended to revel in You’er’s despair, but now, wounded by the boy, the gash on his chest filled him with a profound sense of humiliation.
Thus, his intent to kill finally solidified. An immense, surging magical power erupted from his body, funneling into the black spear in his hand before he thrust it forward in an instant.
The black spear’s speed was indescribable, nearly supersonic, utterly beyond the reach of the naked eye. It was far more ferocious than his initial throw, granting You’er not even a fraction of a second to react. In that instant, he was impaled directly through the chest, pinned high against the rear wall.
****
It was then that Mecaphes’s Black Knights finally arrived, belatedly.
“General,” the leading Black Knight captain dismounted, “the royal lord gave orders. What should we report?”
The captain surveyed You’er and Noelle’s conditions, particularly You’er’s. Seeing the black spear piercing his chest, he shook his head with a sigh of resignation.
“Hmph,” Mecaphes sneered, raising a hand to recall the black spear that had pinned You’er. Turning to leave, he said without looking back, “Send them both. With a quasi-archmage half-elf as accompaniment, I doubt that lord will have further complaints.”
“Yes, sir!”
After Mecaphes departed, the Black Knight captain set about his task. During his inspection, he caught sight of Noelle’s face, marveling at the half-elf’s beauty, yet he dared not dwell on it. After all, both individuals were specifically requested by that certain lord.
“Let’s go. Take them to the Death Coliseum.”
The Black Knights, naturally, had no intention of offering treatment. They simply tossed You’er and Noelle into a cargo box and set off for the so-called Death Coliseum.
****
Within the darkened confines, You’er and Noelle lay clinging to life, both on the verge of being claimed by the Reaper’s scythe at any moment.
You’er’s condition was particularly perilous. The main artery in his chest had been pierced by Mecaphes’s enraged spear thrust, and his continued survival was purely due to an unwavering obsession.
Yet, will alone could not sustain a dying body indefinitely.
However, a strange phenomenon suddenly unfolded upon Noelle, who lay beside him.
A dazzling, sapphire-blue light erupted from within Noelle’s body, rapidly mending her battered form.
Noelle, full name Noelle Noah, was a half-elf, a hybrid of human and elf, seemingly unremarkable at first glance.
However, anyone familiar with the elven lineage would be struck by a sudden realization: a legendary Ice Elf King named Alan Noah had once carved a vivid mark in the annals of distant history!
While Noelle was indeed a half-elf, a hybrid of elf and human, she had miraculously inherited the bloodline of that very Ice Elf King!
Within her veins lay an unimaginably vast life force. It was this very power that allowed her to endure Mecaphes’s repeated brutal blows, only to rise again and again…
And it was this ancestral Elven King’s bloodline that now surged forth, healing Noelle’s grievously wounded body.
Under the bloodline’s blessing, Noelle swiftly regained consciousness, her mind clearing. The moment her eyes registered her surroundings, she understood her predicament.
Yet, she ignored her own situation, scrambling to You’er’s side to carefully assess his condition.
The sight of the gaping, dark void in You’er’s chest made Noelle gasp, her hand flying to cover her mouth in horror. Despair etched itself across her exquisite features.
‘Could anyone survive with their main artery destroyed?’
‘Could it be possible?’
Noelle repeatedly questioned herself, each query deepening the despair in her heart.
‘No! There must be a way to save him!’
In one decisive moment, Noelle lifted her beautiful, previously downcast face. Her sapphire-like spiritual eyes blazed with determination and resolve.
“Lord You’er, you are the master I, Noelle Noah, have chosen to serve for life.”
Noelle gently caressed You’er’s face, showing no aversion despite his gruesome scars. Slowly, she parted her lips, silently confiding in him with a clear voice audible only to herself.
“Throughout these one hundred and thirty days and nights we’ve spent together, your kindness, your perseverance, your courage… they have deeply moved me. While I respected you, I gradually began to love you… Therefore, my resolve will not waver!”
Having poured out her heart, Noelle leaned down and gently kissed You’er’s forehead.
****
On this continent, beyond humans, existed countless diverse and powerful races: the Sea Folk, Winged Folk, Bloodline Folk, Demonic Folk, Elven Folk… Compared to them, human bloodlines were more common, yet possessed greater adaptability. They could integrate with other races, a phenomenon specifically manifested as the ‘First Embrace’.
The First Embrace was not solely a privilege of the Bloodline Folk. Pure-blooded female individuals of various races possessed the right to a single First Embrace in their lifetime. The nobler their bloodline, the more precious their embrace, for it could bestow powerful elemental affinity upon their chosen partner, potentially creating a high-ranking Archmage or Magic Swordsman.
At this moment, Noelle intended to exercise her First Embrace privilege. Normally, half-elves, due to their mixed bloodlines, lacked the ability to perform a First Embrace. But Noelle was different; despite being a half-elf, she had miraculously inherited the bloodline of the Ice Elf King, one of the most supreme bloodlines in the world. Her First Embrace was utterly priceless!
Of course, even the most potent First Embrace didn’t possess the power to heal grievous wounds. What Noelle aimed to do now was to use her First Embrace to transfer her elven bloodline into You’er, thereby reviving him.
Noelle was an incredibly stubborn girl, so stubbornly resolute it was almost frightening. She had chosen You’er, and even fallen in love with him, thus she was willing to give him everything she had.
“I will exhaust every possible means to save you, even if the cost is my own life.”
On that plaza, beside that cross, Noelle had once made this very vow to You’er, and even now, that promise remained unbroken.
Noelle shed the tattered black cloak, ruined from battle. Beneath it, she wore a simple, blue and white long dress. Taking a shallow breath, she untied the ribbon at her waist.
Her pristine, flawless body, like white jade, was revealed without reservation in the dim, cramped space.
Alas, there was no one present to behold it. You’er, the only other soul, lay barely clinging to life due to his mortal wounds.
The sapphire-blue light erupted once more, and a two-meter-wide blue cocoon of light enveloped both their figures.
That night, within this isolated, dark space, the transfer of bloodlines began.
Even if the ultimate outcome meant one of them was destined to wither away…