World's Last Hope-Chapter 43: Not Alone

Aria’s eyes widened in shock.

"It’s not possible, this is just an imitation created by the corruption... it isn’t possible for him to enter the corruption too... right?"

"Ah?" Eric spoke as he glanced around. "I’m pretty sure the last thing I did was scratch the eye of the guardian... did I die?"

Aria, having trouble assessing the situation, glanced at Gryndor... or the thing that was pretending to be him.

Her eyes narrowed once again as she saw the thing mimicking Gryndor display that emotion for the first time—fear.

"How?" the thing asked, its voice trembling slightly.

"How the fuck are you here?"

At that moment, this was all the confirmation Aria needed to make a decision.

If she was right, it meant that she wasn’t the only one battling the corruption with her soul... Eric had somehow found a way to intervene.

She shifted her gaze to Eric as she spoke, interrupting Gryndor,

"Everything around us is an imitation. This is the corruption—kill it."

Upon hearing that, Eric moved without asking questions.

That just showed how much trust he had in Aria.

He summoned his cursed sword, which looked normal, unlike him, who was shining like a star as he slashed with ease, creating a beautiful arc in the air, beheading multiple masters.

Aria, following his lead, did the same.

Soon, the entire inner room of the cathedral was painted crimson with the blood of everybody.

The only two beings still standing tall were Aria... and Eric.

"Eric..." she began as she watched his shining silhouette.

"Is this really you? Are you not an imitation made by the corruption?"

Aria knew this was a stupid thing to ask. After all, if it really was some imitation of Eric, it could easily deny it and try to convince her.

But Aria, despite how she tried to project herself, was growing desperate.

She had gone through dozens—no, hundreds, maybe even thousands of memories where she had to kill the nearly flawless imitations of her parents, her grandfather, and everybody she loved.

Even if she knew these were imitations, her mental state was slowly worsening.

She was hopelessly exhausted, tired beyond belief.

And alone. Despite being surrounded by so many people who usually had her back, she was completely and utterly alone...

But if she wasn’t—if there really was somebody she could rely on right now...

Upon hearing Aria’s question, Eric stretched out his hand and looked at his palm as he spoke.

"I... am honestly not sure what I am right now. I think it’s better not to get too close to me."

The next moment, he was startled as Aria dropped her sword, creating a loud noise that echoed around the cathedral.

"It... it’s really you," she spoke as she took a step forward.

Of course, she knew that the corruption could be using some kind of reverse-psychology trick, but at that moment, Aria didn’t seem to care.

The next moment, reality shattered again, and she was back—alone in the once-black void that now shined brightly.

No... she wasn’t alone.

There, at the same distance from her, stood Eric, who continued to shine like some kind of star, much brighter than the space between them.

"What happened?" Eric spoke, startled by the fact that the reality around them seemed to change.

The next moment, he froze as he felt the embrace of Aria.

He was about to speak, until Aria interrupted him, tightening her hug around him.

"Can I just stay like this for a while?"

Eric didn’t respond as he silently returned her hug.

Tears were flowing down Aria’s cheeks as she whispered quietly, 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"I’m not alone..."

After this, Aria was sent to another memory—one that Eric wasn’t a part of.

Once she killed everyone in the memory, she returned to the slowly brightening void, and to her relief, she found Eric waiting there.

"What happened?" he asked.

It seemed that from his point of view, Aria had disappeared only to appear again a second later, while from Aria’s point of view, a few hours had passed.

Aria was sent again to other memories—some where she was alone, and some where she was accompanied by Eric.

Her mental fatigue seemed to vanish the instant she saw and spoke with Eric.

From then on, the corruption was left powerless, and its influence slowly diminished until...

Aria was once again in the void, with Eric nowhere to be seen.

He was still there, it was just that the void had begun to shine as brightly as he himself.

"Thank you," Aria spoke, despite not being able to see him.

"If it wasn’t for you, I think I might have gone insane."

She felt Eric put his palm on her shoulder.

"Don’t say that. You did all the work yourself. I was just here for a quick chat."

’Even if you say that, you’re underestimating how much you helped me keep the little sanity I have,’ Aria thought as her lips curved into a smile.

"Besides," Eric added, "I think this is just my soul, not my consciousness, so I doubt I’ll be able to remember this ever happened."

"Even if that is the case," Aria raised her head, staring in the direction the voice had come from, trying to look into Eric’s eyes.

"I will never forget it," she spoke as her face turned into a wide grin.

Eric stood silent for a moment as if he was stunned. Then he spoke, his voice filled with awe,

"Wow, you really look like an angel."

"What—" Aria’s face suddenly blushed, not expecting the comment.

Then the next second, she opened her eyes.

She was naked and currently sitting on the built-in seats of the pool.

She glanced around, staring in awe.

The disgusting corruption was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the inside of the cathedral looked clean and pristine.

Aria looked at her hands, and suddenly, her system spoke to her.

[Cathedral Liberated]

[You have evolved to a Grandmaster]

[Due to the fact that the guardian of the cathedral is still alive, connection to the god will be interrupted until the guardian is slain.]

Aria felt her whole body change. She felt stronger, smarter, calmer.

All her traits and miracles had evolved, making her much stronger and more resilient.

"So this is how being a Grandmaster feels like," she muttered.

In the next second, her eyes narrowed as she stood up, summoned her armor, and opened the doors to the entrance of the cathedral.

As she did, the first thing she noticed was the smell of blood and burned flesh in the air.

"ARIA!" Olivia was crying bloody tears as both of her hands were placed on Eric’s body.

"He is... he is—"

Aria’s eyes narrowed in horror as she saw Eric’s body. The extent of his injuries was staggering—his flesh was burned beyond recognition, and many of his bones were exposed.

Her voice cracked as she spoke,

"Eric?"