Chapter 15: Two months
There were three people standing in a bright space, and their eyes were fixed on a young guy who seemed to be asleep.
These people, or more precisely, angels, were Aria, Alfred, and the First Seraphim. The lying figure was Xie Qing.
Aria wore bright armor that, though similar to her previous ones, radiated a much more commanding atmosphere.
Aria herself looked as if she had returned to her past Martial Maiden demeanor, but you could see the loneliness and longing in her eyes.
And when her gaze fell on the sleeping Xie Qing, those emotions only intensified. She unknowingly gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.
They were silent for a while, but suddenly Alfred spoke.
"Aria, are you sure he's going to wake up today?" From his tone, Aria realized that he didn't really believe it, but the girl assured him.
"I'm sure! The fluctuations in our connection have become more active today!" Aria nodded emphatically.
The angelic mating contract allowed the partners to sense each other's presence even when they were thousands of miles away.
Normally their connection felt like a heartbeat, but after Xie Qing entered a comatose state, this "heartbeat" slowed noticeably.
But deep in the night, Aria awoke to the sensation that her heart was beating frantically.
In that moment she was shocked, and then she cried. They were, naturally, tears of happiness.
Afterwards she reported it to Alfred, and the latter to Seraphim. And here they were.
Vshuu!
A sudden gust of wind caused the angels to turn their attention to Xie Qing's body.
The latter's body was shrouded in black smoke, which corroded the surrounding magical energy.
The first Seraphim opened his eyes and quickly shrouded the three of them in a barrier. And, his decision was correct, for the smoke soon spread throughout the space.
Boom!
An explosion sounded and magical swirls appeared in the air, caused by a strong scattering of energy.
Suddenly!
"Kha!" Xie Qing coughed up blood.
Aria moved forward to help him, but Alfred stopped her. He didn't really understand what was going on, but if even a strong practitioner like the First Seraphim panicked, this was serious business.
Aria clenched her teeth and clenched her fists white-hot, but soon all her emotions turned into a long sigh.
She looked at Xie Qing. Suddenly a memory popped into her head in which they embraced
"I will never leave you. I promise."
Tears came to her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away and adopted a determined expression.
"My husband promised me, so he will definitely come back to me!" Aria thought and waited for the chaos to end.
As for Xie Qing, he was now over the Soul Star and frowned at her struggles.
He did not expect such a weak star to resist so much. Although it had no mind or soul, its defense was incredible!
However, Xie Qing did not think to stop. He pressed on the star with even more vigor.
Cracking...
Finally a cracking sound was heard. After a few seconds, cracks appeared on the star itself.
Crack.
With each passing second, the cracks grew larger, as did the magical energy. Xie Qing smiled brightly.
Suddenly a system window appeared in front of him.
[Attention! The Devouring ability has been detected as showing signs of development. Start improving?]
Xie Qing opened his eyes and smiled brightly.
"Yes!"
[Accepted. Beginning to improve ability...]
[0%]
[1%]
...
..
.
[99%]
[100%]
[Devouring ability successfully improved! Current level: 2.]
A pleasant itching went all over Xie Qing's body, but he felt relief along with it.
It felt as if all of his worries had been resolved, and hitherto unknown information had been revealed to him.
The black gas had also changed, taking on a hue of purple. It also became thicker.
In addition, Xie Qing did not need to personally process the energy: the ability did that on its own.
The improved speed and pressure of the absorption could not be overlooked. Within an hour the star was absorbed, leaving only a small black orb.
Xie Qing tried to absorb it, but he couldn't! It was as if the object never existed.
"Strange..." Xie Qing frowned and moved closer, but suddenly his eyes flew open!
The orb flew toward Xie Qing and entered his body, meeting no resistance. Xie Qing panicked and looked into his spirit world.
Seeing the floating orb, Xie Qing stunnedly opened his mouth. But then he frowned as he felt his body grow heavier.
He thought about something and suddenly opened his eyes. After examining the orb, Xie Qing suddenly smiled.
This orb had the same properties as his Devouring ability!
Without hesitation, Xie Qing moved the orb to the second layer of his soul - the magical layer. Instantly the orb began to absorb the magical energy within.
Xie Qing frowned in pain, but he just clenched his teeth and waited for the result. Soon, the orb began to release magical power.
Instantly, the pain disappeared, but Xie Qing didn't care. He only looked at the magical energy in fascination.
Whereas before it had looked like water with small particles of dirt, now it was as clear as the purest water!
Furthermore! If Xie Qing's soul was attacked, he would be able to defend himself and absorb the enemy's attack.
The realization of this fact made Xie Qing grin widely. However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something unusual.
A translucent black colored rune was slowly approaching the black ball. And Xie Qing knew this rune very well.
Naturally, it was Lucifer's curse! He gritted his teeth just thinking about it.
Soon the rune entered the orb and was absorbed. The orb stopped moving for several hours.
Xie Qing watched intently, without closing his eyes. Soon the orb shook and the flow of magical energy resumed from it.
Xie Qing was stunned, then smiled broadly. He felt that the power pressing down on his soul was gone.
He closed his eyes and began to wake up.
***
Aria and Alfred watched the situation nervously. As for the First Seraphim, he stood with a bright light on his face, so no one could understand his thoughts.
Suddenly the smoke took on a violet hue and the space shook with renewed vigor. The First Seraphim could see that the magical whirlwinds were headed toward Xie Qing's body.
After a few seconds, space lit up and Aria covered her eyes with her palm.
The First Seraphim opened his eyes and smiled, as did Alfred. A few seconds later, a voice sounded.
"It took me a long time to sleep, though."
The voice that was she so missed. The voice Aria had waited so long for.
Xie Qing woke up.
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