World's Last Hope-Chapter 42: Blinding Star

"Okay, again." Aria opened her eyes only to see her father holding a wooden sword in his left hand, while keeping his right hand behind his back.

Seeing the confusion on his daughter’s face, the man raised an eyebrow as he spoke.

"Hm? Is something wrong? Do you want to take a rest?"

Aria shifted her gaze to her right hand. She was currently holding a similar wooden sword to the one her father was holding.

"No," she spoke coldly, devoid of any emotion as she met his gaze.

"Let’s go again," she said as she dug her foot deep into the ground and exploded toward her father.

The man, not expecting such speed from his daughter, raised his sword, ready to defend his head.

Only for Aria’s sword to strike him behind his foot.

The man grunted as he fell on one knee. With a pale smile on his face, he spoke,

"Wow, it’s my defeat. When did you learn to—"

But he couldn’t finish his sentence as Aria, still behind her father, used the sword to slash at his neck.

He let out another grunt, this time with a hint of pain in his voice.

"Wa—"

Aria didn’t wait. She grabbed the wooden blade and used the wooden handle of the sword like a hammer as she began to endlessly strike the thing’s neck.

The man fell to the ground. Without hesitation, Aria positioned herself over him and began delivering devastating attacks using the wooden handle.

Usually, a sword for practice would have broken as it wasn’t made to deliver such devastating attacks. But thanks to the fact that Aria’s family used very high-quality swords for practice, it held.

Up and down. Up and down.

With each strike she delivered, the unconscious body of the thing shuddered involuntarily.

It began to leak blood, filling the air with the scent of death.

Aria didn’t stop.

Up and down. Up and down.

The body of her father—no, the thing pretending to be her father—had long stopped moving, but she didn’t stop delivering devastating strikes. Her expression remained cold and unchanging, almost to an uncanny level.

Her clothes and face slowly became covered in blood.

Finally, after the face of the man was unrecognizable, Aria stopped.

Her chest rose and fell as she greedily breathed the air.

Her surroundings shattered again, and she was back in the void of nothingness.

"Next."

Aria opened her eyes.

"Your move," Gryndor spoke as he shifted his gaze from the chess pieces to his granddaughter.

Aria observed the game.

’I remember this game well. Before, I lost, but I’m pretty sure I can win it now.’

Without saying anything, she got up from her chair.

Her grandfather raised an eyebrow. "What? Don’t tell me you’re giving up."

"No, I’m not. Just want to pour myself some water," she spoke emotionlessly as she slowly approached the living room behind Gryndor’s back.

Gryndor sighed as he fixed his attention back on the chess pieces, wondering what his next move should be.

After a moment, he heard the sink being used, followed by the sound of water running behind him.

A second later, his eyes widened as he felt a sharp object pierce his throat.

Shifting his gaze weakly, he saw Aria using a kitchen knife to stab him in the throat. His gaze didn’t hold any hostility, as if it simply asked, ’Why?’

Aria scoffed upon seeing his expression. She moved her face close to the thing’s ear and whispered,

"If you think that by showing me these memories I will succumb, you are seriously mistaken."

Without hesitation, she pulled the knife from the thing’s throat, only to stab again and again and again.

Once again, she found herself in the void of nothingness.

"Next."

She opened her eyes. It was her mother, seated close to her, helping her with her homework.

Aria used her fingers to pierce her mother’s eyes until she died.

She opened her eyes. She was on a roof with her father and mother, enjoying a relaxing dinner.

Aria pushed them off the edge, where they fell and splattered on the ground.

She opened her eyes. She was in her classroom as the teacher explained the significance of the gods.

She burned down the building, having locked all the doors and exits.

She opened her eyes. She was in a field with her grandfather, enjoying a relaxing picnic.

She used a nearby branch to pierce his eyes until he could no longer move.

*****

Aria again found herself in the darkness... no, it wasn’t dark anymore. Everything shined pretty brightly.

She chuckled softly as she muttered, "Ah... what are you going to do now? You’re getting weaker."

Aria opened her eyes. She was currently holding reins, commanding a worm to head toward a mountain.

It was the moment where Eric had let himself get burned with the intention of saving Olivia.

Aria was planning to direct the worm to dive down into the sea of darkness, dooming them. But before she could, her curiosity got the better of her, and she looked behind her.

For the first time in a long while, her eyes narrowed in shock. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Olivia was the same... no, slightly different, showing that the corruption was losing strength as it couldn’t recreate everything perfectly anymore.

But Eric... he was different. His body was more like a silhouette that emitted a powerful, almost blinding light.

This was the first time Aria had seen the corruption try to replicate how Eric looked.

Does that mean...

’The corruption doesn’t perceive him as a human, but as something else? A light? A star?’

"... A blinding star?" Aria muttered under her breath.

Not allowing herself to lose focus, she turned her attention back forward and directed the worm to dive into the sea of darkness, dooming them.

Aria opened her eyes. Her grandfather, along with a few masters, stood around Eric. It was the moment of his summoning.

No, this wasn’t Eric. It was how the corruption perceived him. As a result, it was just a shining silhouette.

It seemed Aria wasn’t mistaken. The corruption really did perceive Eric as if he were a blinding star.

That realization made him even more extraordinary in her eyes.

"Eric..." Aria muttered, wondering.

How much time had she wasted here? What was his current condition? He probably needed urgent help, yet Aria was taking so long to conquer the damned corruption.

"Hm?" Eric spoke as he glanced at Aria—or at least she thought he did, as he was currently just a silhouette.

’Oh yeah, this is the moment of his summoning. He must be surprised that a stranger, in his eyes, knew his name.’

But what Eric said next made Aria’s eyes narrow in shock.

"Aria? What are we doing here? Did we go back in time?"