Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2054 2026. Irreparable
"Ready?"

Torina's voice echoed gently through this dreamlike sea of ​​flowers.

Lan En had already climbed the hillside and continued to approach. From his angle, he could see Torina as an elf floating in the air, her exaggeratedly long and thick purple hair flowing like ribbons behind her.

"Without preparation and without comparable strength, what makes you think you can 'do it well'?"

“Michaela,” Torina’s ethereal voice tinged with melancholy as she spoke of her other half, “He threw himself entirely into his plan. He offered you no support, nor did he discuss in detail how you were supposed to execute your plan at the border. It was simply…”

"Quiet!"

On one occasion, the Witcher heard Malenia's roar.

Even though Valkyrie is not a golden demigod known for her unrestrained power, she is still a demigod after all.

A roar and power erupted simultaneously from her center.

The shockwave sent the delicate petals soaring into the sky, creating a chaotic yet beautiful scene, tinged with a cold and chilling atmosphere.

A crimson mist emanated from her, and the moment it appeared, it eroded a vast expanse of purple flowers, turning it into bizarre shapes. Crimson fungi bloomed on the flowers, and the sound of insects flapping their wings began to emerge from beneath the blossoms.

Torina and her beautiful long hair floated in the air, trembling slightly only when Marlenia roared, otherwise having no effect.

Marlenia raised her eyes and glared at the upper half of her brother's body.

“It was Michaela who saved me. Even though the Golden Law and its fundamentalism were powerless against Crimson Corruption, he didn’t abandon me! In the end, we were expelled from Rodel together, and it was he who suppressed Crimson Corruption with the power of pure gold!”

"That's enough! This is his mission for me, the greatest support he can give me in life! I will accomplish what I must accomplish!"

At this moment, Lan En had already come close and stood unobstructed at the edge of their conversation.

But clearly, at this moment, the two were locked in a fierce confrontation. Or rather, Marlene, consumed by rage, no longer cared about anyone else.

Marlenia isn't someone who can always remain rational, even though she usually appears cold. But that's more of a resistance to the external environment that once rejected her, rather than a reflection of her inherent personality.

This is the conclusion Lan En reached after interacting with her for some time.

Given her personality and the implications of their words, it's clear that Malenia, having already entered the Shadowlands, is in no way capable of fulfilling her brother's planned objectives.

Anger, anxiety, and self-blame were mixed together, and her current reaction was not unexpected for Lan En.

Torina floated in mid-air, seemingly unaffected by Marlenia's rage.

"I'm just stating the facts."

“Ratan is the strongest demigod. Even though he was hindered when he attacked Rodel today, his own power and his Red Lion Legion are still formidable.”

"How are you going to fight that red lion? Or even kill him?"

Torina's voice was slow and unhurried, as if she were persuading someone, or describing a prophetic future.

“You know it in your heart, don’t you, Malenia? You only have one way, possibly to kill him in the battle against Ratahn…”

At this point, Malenia, whose crimson and corrupting power was overflowing with rage, suddenly froze.

But Torina continued speaking calmly and slowly.

"Remove the [Pure Gold Needles] from your body and fully release [Crimson Corruption]."

Cruel, yet objective.

"It's not about relying on the [Waterbird Sword Technique] that you've been searching for and practicing relentlessly for years, but about letting that power that has been tormenting you since birth erupt completely all at once. Let your... [Corruption] blossom."

“Do you think Michaela didn’t think about this? Doesn’t he know that you’ve lost more often than you’ve won against Rataen? But he didn’t prepare anything for you, which is practically forcing you to let [Corruption] bloom next to Rataen at the last moment.”

"This is the only path you can take, isn't it?"

“Nonsense.” Marlenia sneered at Torina. “Michaela certainly knows that only by doing this can Rataen be killed. And I will certainly do so when necessary!”

"But after I removed the Pure Golden Needle that suppressed the putrid disease and allowed myself to bloom, my mission was complete! Michaela's grand ambition will be unimpeded!"

"He will return from the Shadowlands, he will help me suppress the Corruption again, and even completely eradicate the Crimson Corruption from my body!"

Torina smiled as she looked at the sneering Malenia: "I believe Michaela will come back to save you... But what about the rest of you who will be affected by your battle?"

"Because your fighting style is more swift and aggressive, Rataen won't use large-scale gravity magic like meteor showers to counter you. So, while your battle will still cause destruction, the impact will only be a large battlefield at most."

“But once you decide to [Bloom]… to be honest,” Torina tilted her head curiously at Marlenia, “can you estimate for yourself how large the area affected by your [Crimson Corruption] will be?”

Lan En frowned as he listened from the side.

Crimson Corruption, according to Melina, is also an Outer God with a long history in the Borderlands.

As the law, He never revealed Himself on the legal circle, becoming the true God. But His shadow has been present in many ages.

Before the Golden Age of immortality and stable reincarnation for all arrives, death in this world has its own unique process. Crimson Corruption represents the power of life's natural decomposition, decay, and transformation after decay.

Fungi and insects are both part of the crimson putrefactive force.

In this era, because there is no death, it has become a putrefactive disease.

A terrible infectious disease.

Marlenia is a god-like being burdened with the [Crimson Corruption]. Once she fully unleashes the power of the law within her, the area she can directly affect will be no smaller than the destructive range caused by a meteor shower from Rataen.

In other words, at least the entire Asian Plateau would be covered!

Even disregarding the direct scope of its impact, the power of crimson corruption can still spread and contagious spontaneously!
Then it's even more uncertain how far the impact will expand.

Marlene's anger was like a bucket of cold water being poured over her head. But after a brief silence, she still gave a cold reply.

“That…is not a problem! Michaela will become the new god! As long as he returns from the Shadowlands to the Borderlands, he can save all living beings and redeem them from all suffering!”

"In other words," the Witcher, who had been listening for a while, interjected, "you're betting everything, even countless others' lives, and the only prerequisite for your success is that Michaela successfully becomes a god in the Shadowlands and returns to fulfill the promise?"

Marlenia turned to face the Witcher, her eyes gleaming with unwavering certainty: "This was inevitable! As long as I wasn't deceived by her! And now, it's too late."

"I knew I should never have trusted you, Torina! You betrayed Michaela, your other half!"

"Is that so?" Faced with the Valkyrie's accusation, Torina asked, slightly lost in thought, "Was it me who betrayed him?"

A moment later.

"Bah!"

"Whoo~"

A sharp gust of sword wind and a burst of purple smoke erupted simultaneously from the sea of ​​flowers!

The sword wind sliced ​​through the boundless sea of ​​flowers, and the cut marks on the earth stretched for an unknown distance!

The hazy purple smoke also spread towards Marlenia's location.

With a graceful movement, Torina, trailing her exaggerated purple hair, appeared behind the Witcher.

Marlenia emerged from the purple smoke.

The Valkyrie didn't try to avoid the hypnotic smoke at all, because this was a dream world after falling asleep, and she had entered Torina's domain on her own initiative.

Because she was confident that this "Sleeping Saintess" had no power to harm her; at most, she could only let her sleep a little longer.

So that stab was more about venting anger and stating my position.

Her long, fiery red hair was loose, obscuring the expression on Marlenia's lowered face.

But the murderous aura emanating from her was enough to intimidate anyone.

"You lied to me, Torina. You lured me to the Shadowlands. But it's too late now. I will go find Michaela, and we will refine his plan for godhood. I warn you: don't block my way, and don't show your face again, or else..."

Marlenia gripped her prosthetic knife and then spoke to the Witcher.

"Lan En, I need your continued help to find my brother."

Just as Lan En was about to speak, a slender, delicate hand pressed down on his shoulder.

Her long purple hair, like waves, lifted Torina and floated behind the Witcher.

"No." The ethereal voice of the slumbering saintess whispered a reminder to him. "Don't support her, Michaela."

The Witcher frowned. He never expected that such a serious and irreconcilable disagreement would erupt between Marlenia and Torina.

As Michaela's other half, what exactly is Torina resisting or wary of him about?
“Michaela is your brother and your other half.” He could only say this to the two of them at the same time, trying to ease the tension. “Things have come to this point, and entering the Shadowlands is a fact. There’s no need for you to become hostile to each other because of this.”

Torina remained silent.

On the contrary, Marlenia's expression grew increasingly cold as she looked at Lann, who was being supported by Torina.

"That's it, I understand."

Are you still hesitating and confused, you faded one?

The two, who were previously able to call each other by their names, have now reverted to addressing each other by their titles.

"I hope you can make a decision soon. Michaela's redemption is crucial for everyone in this world. And if, when we meet next time, you've decided to side with Torina, then I will make you understand..."

"What is [Mikaela's Blade]?"

(End of this chapter)