CHAPTER 301: THE LAST CHANCE

Quintus, Dominic, and Old Mr. Vundo stood speechless as they stared at the Aeon twisting beyond the cliff.

The Aeon had no core, no heart, and no weak point.

No matter how many magic stones they shot into it, it was like firing into smoke or water.

Its shifting form never took a fatal blow.

And they could not use elemental magic.

If they opened the barrier, the Aeon would slip through the openings in their attacks and attacked everyone outside.

"How many magic stones are left?"

At Quintus’s question, Johan answered.

"A little under three thousand. The next round will be the last."

"But this still won’t defeat the Aeon. It will only waste the magic stones."

"I’ve spent my whole life in battle, but I’ve never seen an enemy this overwhelming. There’s nothing we can do. I’d almost say I give up."

Johan said this with his usual friendly tone, half complaining.

"That’s a pretty weak line that come out from you."

"Then what about you? Do you have some plan to win?"

Quintus’s face twisted like he had bitten something bitter.

"Isn’t there any secret trick?"

A drowning man will grasp even a straw.

Quintus’s eyes turned toward Shiao Yi.

Johan also looked at him.

Dominic frowned deeply.

"I can’t say it’s certain. But... there is one possibility," Shiao Yi said as he made up his mind.

"There is only one possibility."

When Shiao Yi said that, a terrible feeling ran through Dominic’s chest.

"I will use telekinesis to hold that thing down. I will force it to gather and compress as much as possible. Right now it is in a state that is neither gas nor liquid, so it can spread freely, and even if the magic stones hit it, they just pass through. But if I put pressure on it and squeeze it tight, its density will rise and it will become more like a solid. Then, if we hit it with every magic stone and every magic cannons we have, we can trigger a reaction between light magic power and dark magic power."

The explanation made sense.

If they did that, the Aeon fragment would not be able to move freely and the target would be easier to hit.

To completely destroy the Aeon fragment, this was the only way.

But if they did this, what would happen to Shiao Yi?

Shiao Yi seemed to understand the fear in Dominic’s heart.

Without caring that Gabrant and the others were watching, he came over and gently took Dominic’s hand.

Dominic’s hand trembled in small shakes.

His whole body shook with fear of what was about to come.

As if to calm that fear, Shiao Yi’s grip tightened firmly.

"I have no magic power at all. That’s why even if I go inside the Aeon, it will not eat me. For it, I am almost like I do not exist. It will not even recognize me. So do not worry. I can do this only because I have no magic power. There is no one else."

"But to hold the Aeon down, you will have to be at the very center. All the attacks from magic stones and magic cannons will come toward you. You will be hit directly by an enormous amount of power! How could you possibly stay unharmed?!"

General Gabrant and Commander Johan said nothing as they watched the two of them.

They also understood what consequences that would happen if Shiao Yi do that.

Shiao Yi’s life might be in danger.

To be honest, the chance that Shiao Yi would survive was extremely small.

At the same time, they all understood that there were no other options.

Gabrant and the others could order Shiao Yi to do it.

But they did not.

They left the choice to Shiao Yi and Dominic.

That was their kindness.

Even while knowing that the world would fall if they refused, they still allowed the two of them to decide.

A knight should set aside personal feelings and put the peace of the country and the world first.

But counting even their very first meeting, Dominic had already felt the pain of losing Shiao Yi three times.

Especially the third time, although it had been a misunderstanding Dominic had shot Shiao with his own magic.

The despair from that moment still remained painfully vivid inside them.

He never wanted to feel something like that ever again.

Shiao Yi was cruel.

Was he telling him to taste a fourth despair? To send him into a place of death where the chance of surviving was almost zero, and on top of that, to attack him during the battle?

Even now, sometimes without warning, a terrible sense of despair rose up inside Dominic.

When that happened, he fell into panic attacks.

His body shook so much that he could not hold himself up and he dropped to his knees where he stood.

He dug his nails into the ground and clenched the dirt in his hands.

Even then, his body kept shaking.

A cold and horrible sweat burst out from all over his skin.

Looking at Dominic like this, Shiao Yi immediately wrapped his arm around Dominic’s back and pulling him into a strong embrace.

"Shiao Yi..."

A weak voice escaped Dominic’s mouth.

The shy Shiao Yi, even with everyone watching, held Dominic’s head against his chest and stroked his back as if comforting him.

Dominic pushed his face against Shiao Yi’s neck.

He was wrapped in Shiao Yi’s fresh and sweet scent.

He immediately took a deep breath and filled his lungs with that smell, which make him come back to his senses.

His fast breathing and racing heartbeat slowly began to settle.

"I’m sorry for making you worry. I didn’t want you to feel like this, Dominic. But I promise you. I will not die. I will live, and I will return to you, no matter what."

"Shiao Yi..."

"I know I’m saying something cruel to you. But this is not like what happened in Dalmasca. Listen to me, Dominic. We don’t even have three thousand magic stones. Magic stones alone are not enough to finish the Aeon fragment. Your magic power is necessary. You must attack the Aeon with all your strength, with every bit of magic you can release. If you hold back, we cannot defeat it."