Chapter 68: [Chapter 68 ● The Fourth Companion!]

"Let’s end this charade, shall we?"

With his lips spread into an entertained smile, Aezaleon clapped his hands, successfully garnering the full attention of the four women. Though, one of them was clearly hostile.

"You see, female elf, I have a tempting proposal for you."

He started, taking deliberate steps as he walked towards her. "However, before that, I want to confirm first..." He stopped right before her, just a meter away!

He acted completely oblivious to the clear hostility she showed, looking straight into her emotionless, sapphire-blue eyes.

"Do you perhaps know of Varion? The City of Varion?!" He asked in a whisper. It was low, but one that she heard perfectly. Her gaze flickered instantly—enough to give him the answer he needed. "So you do." He nodded, his face still smiling.

"Why do you ask?" She questioned in the same unfeeling and apathetic tone.

"Soon, everything will become clear~!" Aezaleon responded with an enigmatic purr.

Anastasia constricted her pupils, clearly not pleased by his response. "I did not know calamities could be so annoying too. I already don’t like you."

At her sharp remark, Aezaleon blinked, pointing a finger at himself. "I’m... annoying?" Now, this was a first. ’Ouch, that hurts...!’ His lips twitched in slight exasperation.

"No, you aren’t. Just that the elf never saw your kind as an equal," Clementine broke in, her tone dripping with calm amusement.

"Since your kind, aside from its nature, is someone born in a realm that devours the dead. Also, it is powerful, so it depends on what she had been taught about calamities in general since her childhood."

"Oh, so since she had been thoroughly suppressed and is at the mercy of someone who she was taught was lesser, she now finds me annoying and hateful," Aezaleon observed, looking over at Clementine.

"Pretty much something like that," she shrugged casually.

"Since I have answered your question, now tell me what is this proposal you talked about," Anastasia demanded.

"Actively searching for a way to save yourself. Guess you aren’t stupid, huh?" Aezaleon noted.

He refocused his attention on Anastasia, quite amused by the quick personality change on her side. To think she would actively engage in a conversation with him now.

[Maybe she changed her mind. Since she knows we are looking for Varion and also knows where Varion is, it is most probably the city where she came from too. Simply, she wants it to get destroyed or something for a reason we don’t know yet. To achieve that, what is better than some sentient calamities? As in her head, your kind is synonymous with death and destruction itself]. Clementine’s voice echoed directly in his mind.

[You truly can assume just about anything, huh, Clementine!] Aezaleon retorted mentally.

[It isn’t hard to draw these conclusions when everything is plainly clear on her face. You just need the experience, that is all].

Aezaleon shook his head slightly.

"It’s simple. How about you become a calamity and I’ll give you a new life? We need information about Varion that you have, and you want to exact vengeance on it that we can provide. But even better, I’ll resurrect you, and you can enact your revenge with your own two hands," Aezaleon offered with a pure smile. "Won’t that be more satisfying?"

It was tempting indeed.

The elf was sold immediately, not even doubting for a second how the calamity would pull that off. "But you resurrect me first, then you’ll get your answers. Though I don’t trust you one bit, calamity, but as long as you fulfill your words, I don’t even mind becoming your slave as long as I get to kill all those who had abandoned me with my own hands!"

She gave a swift reply with the same unfeeling, cold tone, yet it carried a hate so deep that it was practically palpable. And considering Aezaleon’s Will and Anastasia’s spiritual state, he felt everything at its raw, undiluted core.

She looked directly into his eyes. There was no doubt or second thought in hers. There was no need to. All it was was pure, unadulterated conviction.

Aezaleon smiled, thoroughly amused by her attitude, yet also curious about what had happened to her to make her willing to fall to such lengths. To think she was willing to sell herself to a calamity she had just attempted to kill a few moments ago, just to slaughter them with her own hands.

"Alright, but you don’t have to become my slave for that. How about becoming my companion instead?"

"I don’t care!" she snapped coldly.

"Tsk." He nodded.

Covering that one-meter distance, he grabbed Anastasia’s chin, lifted it, and sealed her lips with his. Such abrupt actions made her sapphire-blue eyes widen in utter shock. He really did violate her soul! She instinctively wanted to push him away but stopped herself midway.

Instead, she accepted it.

As long as the calamity stayed true to his words, then she would let him do anything he ever wanted with her. She would become his slave for as long as she lived afterwards, following through with her words just as she had stated.

During the seconds she used to resolve her mind and herself, the mutual oath was completed and the eternal connection was formed. Subsequently, her vision blanked entirely. Soon, she fell completely unconscious, getting teleported inside his soul sea to begin the soul restoration process.

It was a passive effect of [Eternal Oath Genesis] that triggered the moment the oath was completed. Aezaleon looked inside his—[Infinite Soul Sea].

In the deep depths of his soul sea, he could clearly see the unconscious elf curled in a fetal position. The translucent sea, filled with black-and-white strands, was doing something that the current him could not fully understand.

But he could watch the clear effects of it; the repair had begun, the restoration of her Soul Essence and Will was steadily continuing, and her soul had been stabilized perfectly.

Now, there wasn’t any pulling force from the reincarnation cycle on her, nor was the heavy burden of her mortal soul maintaining its consciousness on the material plane by some miracle present anymore.

"So, how is it going?" Clementine questioned, her voice breaking the sudden quiet.

He refocused his senses on the outside world. "Smoothly. It would take about ten minutes or so for her to regain her consciousness. The damage wasn’t much, nor has she been corrupted by the natural energy from resisting the reincarnation cycle, probably because of this rank five Pyreveil. It worked as a natural barrier here, protecting her fragile soul from much harm."

"So, energy is not a problem either. Still, in case, I already consumed one of the souls of the calamities we had hunted. I’ve all of their souls, so do not worry!" Aezaleon added reassuringly.

"Right, I totally forgot about that," Clementine nodded in understanding.

"I would’ve liked to consume this rank five resource myself, but I suppose I’ll give it to my new little sister. It will be of great use when you create the material body for her," Auguszta spoke from the side, her tone shifting into a generous murmur.

The other three also focused their attention on the fist-sized crystal embedded deep into the tree trunk. However, right then, they noticed the distinct presence of five elves emerging from the thermal mist concealing this area.

HMM!

Aezaleon frowned, his expression hardening. "Maybe we are closer to the City of Varion than we’d like," he commented in a serious tone. The other three also became instantly solemn. That would be a major problem; they couldn’t have outsiders knowing of their presence just yet.

"Should we kill them?" Auguszta questioned in a nonchalant manner.

"I think that’s for the best. We already have the elf, so that covers our plans for Varion. As for these five, their bodies would be a good material for us to confirm our yesterday’s conclusions about the limitations of Matter Absorption," Aphryne agreed, her voice smooth and chilling.

"One is a Light Elf, one is a Wind Elf, and the last three are Frost Elves," Clementine stated flatly. Giving Aezaleon a quick glance, she too was in full affirmation with her two little sisters. "They are indeed good materials, but they are weak. Ascension rank three, rank one. Material, spiritual. All have about the same rank." She added in a tone of slight disappointment, "Such children won’t be of much use in deepening your battle experience."

"Let me deal with them then," Aphryne volunteered, her eyes flashing with anticipation.

"My~!" Clementine arched her brow playfully. "Such a bad little sister, you want to bully the children? Against our dear husband, they might have had some small chance, but against you? Impossible!"

"What the...!" Aezaleon looked at her with a thoroughly dumbfounded gaze. That was so completely uncalled for! But he did not even have the time to retort as a sharp voice cut through the clearing.

"Calamities!"

Another one!