Dancing on the golden ashes
Chapter 293 - 293: Before the Veil Breaks

My energy is rising rapidly. I know I'm about to do something stupid. But even so... I want to be more connected to Seong-hoon. I didn't understand before just how much he meant to me. Maybe it's because he's so damn annoying.

But… that's what makes him him. I know it sounds weird. Childish, even. But it's the only way I can express it.

I will slowly inject my sin energy into him. Carefully. Intimately. Threading my newly forged heart into his, linking us at the root. It's risky.

But I can't fail.

I control unimaginable power right now. I know I'm stronger than Kaelthira. I feel it deep inside, like a truth etched into my bones. But I can't just end this fight with a snap of my fingers. No—this is a perfect opportunity. A chance to test the extent of my power. To grow stronger. To bind my love. To raise my legion. And most of all… to finally snuff out the last ember of the broken woman that was once my other self.

Are you still there, Gaon? I call inwardly to the eerie voice that had haunted and guided me for so long.

"You never called me by that name before," she answers softly. There's a tremble in her tone—but behind it, a flicker of amusement. Tired, but fond.

Maybe I just feel a little cocky right now. What do you think? I nearly laugh aloud. But I swallow it down, wrapping my arrogance in silence.

"Mhm... and you should," she murmurs. "It's over for me. I have nothing left to teach you. Nothing left to protect. You've reached the point I never could. You've surpassed me."

A pause.

"But… it still won't be enough to defeat _____."

That hateful name. It still won't come. That damn blank space again—like the universe itself refuses to speak it aloud.

It annoys me. And I know she can feel it.

"Maybe that's for the best," she says, voice fading like smoke. Weaker now. Fainter than ever. I feel her slipping away—not dying, not exactly, but dissolving. Like a final breath held just a second too long. She's not even the eerie voice she once was. She hasn't been for a while now.

I just couldn't tell until I entered this place.

But now it's obvious. Her death happened long ago. She left me this fragment—this last piece of her—to protect me, to guide me, to stand guard at the edge of oblivion.

And now, her job is done.

I will protect her legacy.

I will take revenge.

And even if the one I must strike down is her other half… I will not hesitate. I will end it. I will send her whole to the afterlife. I won't keep her soul. That would be unfair.

"What's on your mind?" Seong-hoon suddenly asks, his voice gentle, too gentle for someone clearly in pain. His face twists slightly, his brows drawn, jaw clenched. The foreign energy I'm feeding into him must be burning, crawling through his veins like wildfire—but still, he looks more concerned about me than himself.

"Nothing much. Just talking to an old friend," I murmur with a soft giggle.

Why? Why am I giggling like this?

I don't know.

I'm acting like a little girl.

It's strange… but somehow, it feels right.

With him—only with him—it always does.

"She's really stubborn. Look at her, still trying to break your barrier," Seong-hoon mutters, his gaze drifting past my shoulder.

Kaelthira is still hammering against the veil, her fists coated in dark energy, her screams muffled but wild. Desperate. She's trying to rip it apart, tear through my protection like some rabid beast.

But she's failing.

Every hit lands. I feel them—vibrations in my bones, echoes in my blood. But they don't reach us. The veil holds strong. And honestly… it's giving me everything I need.

Her patterns. Her force. Her intent.

I can map it all. And I'm disappointed.

This isn't my match. Not as she is now. Her strength is real, yes—but her mind? Fogged. Poisoned by the remnant of the other me clinging to her soul like a parasite.

"Focus on advancing," I tell him, my eyes still locked on Kaelthira. "Your soul power is rising fast. Soon you'll be an emperor… alongside me. Soon, we'll be invincible."

Wait—

What… did I just say?

I can feel my cheeks heat up. And of course, he notices.

His hand brushes against my face, slow and deliberate, fingers slipping into my hair. He tucks a strand behind my ear like it's the most natural thing in the world. So casual. So intimate.

When the hell did he get so confident…? Jeez...

"With you, I will eternally cross the stars. With you, I will face any enemy. With you, I will end the world itself. Just say the word, my love—and I'll explode into a million stars just to please you."

This cheeky bastar—

His lips crash into mine again, stealing the words from my throat. But this time, it's different. Fiercer. Hungrier. Deeper.

And then—

BOOM!

His power erupts. His body doesn't change—but everything around him does.

The air warps. His aura shifts—growing frigid, ancient, heavy. Not just power. Not just evolution. It's dominion. The presence of a true sovereign. A living dragon… no, more than that.

An emperor.

His sword roars in his grip, hungry, alive. The very air around us trembles. Even I feel it. A tightness in my lungs. My skin is prickling. For a moment—just a moment—I feel… small.

This advancement… It's magnificent.

"...No... No... Not—shut up!" Kaelthira's voice cracks. Splits.

Two voices now. Hers—and mine. Fighting each other from within. The echo of a war deeper than flesh. One soul tearing itself apart. Only one of them will survive.

And when she does, the battle that follows may very well shatter this planet.

Time to release my veil.

I cancel the protective shield. And for a long moment, no one moves. A perfect standstill. One is advancing rapidly toward the peak. The other, trapped in a war with herself.

But once they're done… I'll enjoy this final fight. And after that, I'll march against the angels. I'll slaughter every last one of them and avenge the demons.