Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 876 - 140: Catherine’s Embrace

Chapter 876: Chapter 140: Catherine’s Embrace

The unmistakable sound of footsteps emerged from the darkness behind the gate, and as the person inside was exposed to the sunlight, the girls felt as if the clouds in the sky had suddenly dispersed at that moment. The thunder, which now sounded unusually pleasant, roared as Pannis stepped into the light that shone through the clouds.

Pannis was still dressed in his black knight’s attire, which looked the same as when he had left, but now he sported a short, dense stubble on his lower jaw. Although his face remained calm, his steps were much heavier than when he had departed. Despite the dim light outside the Magic Tower due to the heavy rain, when Pannis emerged from the now dim Magic Tower, his eyes, irritated by the light, squinted into slits. Squinting, he first saw several girls, then saw Muir standing next to the girls, but his gaze finally shifted to see an old Mage, Warrensen, the Speaker of the Kingdom of Mages, standing with another group of Mages.

On seeing Warrensen, Pannis paused for a moment but in less than a second, he had recognized Warrensen’s identity and purpose for being there. Immediately, his squinted eyes suddenly widened. In an instant, it seemed as if two suns had brightened in the shadows beneath the gate. His tangible gaze, like two sharp blades, stabbed right at Warrensen’s face, the intense hostility morphing into a killing intent that quickly closed in on Warrensen. As bystanders, the girls suddenly felt that Pannis seemed unfamiliar, radiating an aura so powerful it was as though he was a completely different person, until they heard Muir mutter from the side, almost delightedly, which made them realize what had changed about Pannis.

"Tsk, tsk, didn’t expect Kyle, that guy, to actually make it through this path. Probably everyone would be surprised," Muir said with a chuckle. "A Kyle whose strength has returned to its zenith, heh heh heh, Warrensen stands no chance now. Seeing his expression just feels like a breath of fresh air."

"Elves really do hold grudges," was the first thought in each girl’s mind. Then, it dawned on them that if Muir was not mistaken, Pannis had once again broken through a layer of his Seal, transforming from Gold Rank prowess to Legendary Rank. Everyone remembered him saying that once he broke through to Legendary Rank, it equated to regaining the ultimate combat power of his peak. If he could go a step further, then he could surpass all the Demigods in the world and stand at the pinnacle of the world.

Just as Muir had said, when Pannis unleashed his mighty aura, Warrensen’s face soured, his typically warm and benevolent smile turning stiff, and without even approaching to talk to Pannis, he merely stood still, bowed his head in silence for a few seconds, then snorted coldly. Hitting his magic staff against the ground, he transformed into a bolt of lightning shaped by flames, ascending directly into the clouds, and in a flash, he vanished into the distance, ablaze.

Without any tangible action, Pannis watched the flames disappear and snickered, then with slightly heavy steps, he returned to the girls’ side.

"Did you... win?" Catherine opened her mouth, many words at the tip of her tongue, yet she voiced none of them, simply asking the seemingly meaningless question, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I won," Pannis replied calmly. "How long has it been?"

"Just over two hours," Catherine answered in confusion. "Didn’t you know that while inside?"

"Our battle lasted five days," Pannis said with a bitter smile, rubbing the beard on his chin, "Philarx is truly a genius. With his time magic, he not only surpassed all the demigods in the Yarran World in strength, but he could even completely twist the speed of time flow within his domain, something even deities can’t do."

"Are you saying his power exceeded that of a deity?" Catherine asked in surprise. "But he is just a mortal, right?"

"No, his power didn’t surpass that of deities," Pannis shook his head. "During the battle, he was constantly breaking his own limits and deepening his understanding of the rules of time. There was even a period when I thought he was about to break through that boundary, but for some reason, he always fell short by a slender margin. Because of that slight difference, he was kept outside the doors of divinity. Nonetheless, he remained terrifyingly powerful. Before I could break through another layer of the seal, I had no power to fight back, not even able to pose a threat to him, and even after I broke through the seal under pressure, it was just slightly better; I could only manage to threaten him."

"But in the end, you still won," Catherine said softly. "Results are all that matter in the end."

"Actually, he didn’t lose to me," Pannis shook his head. "It was just that I survived till the end."

"It seems you died another time," Catherine said with a wry smile. "No, it must have been more than once, right?"

"He killed me one hundred and sixty-eight times, averaging over thirty times a day," Pannis admitted without hiding anything. "But still, I survived till the end, while he, due to exhausting all the time he had seized during our battle, eventually reached the end of his life. So you see, he didn’t really lose to me; he lost to the very time he always sought to see through."

"Poor Pannis," Catherine looked into Pannis’s eyes, seemingly peering through his gaze into his heart, feeling his inner sorrow. She suddenly bit her lip, embraced him tightly as if a loving mother holding her child, and whispered softly as she patted his back, "Poor Pannis, it must be very hard, having forced to death one of your few remaining friends, and yet having to pretend everything is normal for our sake. I’m sorry, I’m sorry for not being able to share your grief; I really am sorry."

Suddenly embraced by the knight girl, Pannis stiffened. Breathing in the faint scent of steel mixed with Catherine’s fragrance, his rigid body slowly relaxed, and he hugged her back tightly, burying his face in her dark hair. A few girls surrounded them, considerately not disturbing the warm yet heartbreaking moment, only watching the embracing pair with complex gazes.

After a long time, Pannis patted Catherine on the back, showing his usual lazy smile, his voice returning to its casual tone, "Alright, I’m not that fragile. I was mentally prepared before coming in, so don’t worry about me. And I think I suddenly understand why he said those messages he gave me were his compensation, haha, that old guy."