In the midst of eternal darkness, Elysia floated in the empty air with a blank stare. She didn't use her eye's abilities to see anything because it was utterly devoid.
She looked at her hands which were starting to turn into particles like a character about to disappear.
'I died, huh... Am I going to return to the real world like this?' Elysia muttered in her mind. However, it suddenly stimulated Elysia's mind to recall what she had been told.
'Right... If I die in the trial realm, I will return to the real world. How can I overlook that?' Elysia slapped her forehead with a self-mocking smile.
'I hope Alisha and Cherub are safe. Did my departure make them sad? Even though these are just trial realms, the Illusory Realm, they are real to me.' Elysia clasped her hands in prayer and closed her eyes.
Elysia checked her current status screen and sighed. However, she suddenly made the craziest decision of her life. 'That was self-sacrifice, right? If my character is going to die here, I should drag Sera with me.'
After saying that, Elysia took out all the resources, she had in her Space Storage. Her Void Bracelet was not accessible here, but she still had an emergency alternative.
*Smash* *Smash* *Smash*
Elysia used her remaining strength to destroy all the crystals and cores before scattering them around her. She used the surrounding energy to assist her in creating the most powerful destructive magic one could achieve as her farewell gift.
She was currently somewhere inside the Godly being, being crushed into particles. She could only bet with her ultimate destructive magic, the one strong enough to destroy this 'void stomach' realm and the Godly being itself.
'The surroundings energy and nature of the universe, please lend me your power. This is my farewell. Please grant my wish.' Elysia pressed her clasped hands to her chin. She absorbed some magic and triggered the surrounding energies to explode.
A white-gold light enveloped her within a realm of nothingness, and an enormous explosion destroyed everything without exception, even the Godly-being's law. All the constituent substances in that 'stomach realm' was converted into fuel to amplify the explosion.
*Crack*
The boundaries of absolute darkness cracked and continued to destroy everything as if the universe granted Elysia farewell.
Meanwhile, Alisha was desperate to lose her dear 'friend'. She invited Elysia to challenge the highest ruler, but they still lost despite working together.
Alisha gritted her teeth to watch the Godly being keep moving away from her sight. She had such solid intentions for revenge, but she was fully aware that she was on the verge of a backlash.
However, a golden-white light suddenly shone brightly from the Godly being. A mighty explosion far more incredible than Elysia's ultimate magic obliterated that Godly being.
The destructive explosion continued to spread for several tens of kilometers away.
*Kaboom!*
"Kuh!" Alisha held on tightly to Cherub. They were far from the explosion, but they were still blown away due to the blow.
"What's going on? That Godly being blew itself up?" Alisha was dumbfounded at what had just happened. She immediately ordered her pet to approach the scene to find out more.
At that moment, she accidentally saw a half-transparent figure floating in the distance. She widened her eyes in shock as if she couldn't believe her own eyes. It was Elysia!
Alisha didn't wait any longer and immediately ordered her pet to get there as soon as possible.
'Well, it was the wrong decision for me to devour you to my stomach. Who would have thought you still have a powerful ace in reserve. Why can you use magic within me in the first place?' The Godly being spoke to Elysia via telepathy.
'Who knows? I borrowed the power from nature, the universe, and surrounding energies. That's my farewell. I lost, but I shall drag you with me.' Elysia curved her lips into a smile of satisfaction.
'Too bad. Would an almighty one like me perish if you destroyed my vessel? I can materialize my new form easily. However, you did not lose. You managed to defeat me with your own strength. I commend you for your achievements. You are the first entity that can defeat me. However, don't be proud because it's just because of your unknown magic. I've collected a lot of data. The odds of your next win against me have dropped from one percent to zero.' The Godly being responded arrogantly.
'I don't want to fight you anymore then. I wonder why you only talk to me but not to Ai, my friend. Anyway, did I win? May I ask a question and expect your promise to be kept?' Elysia closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep but still needed to claim the promise.
'That's because you can understand what I'm saying through telepathy, unlike other creatures. Alright, the worthy challenger, state your question and tell what your request is.' The Godly being would undoubtedly keep its promise.
Elysia opened her eyes again, and a miniature version of the Godly being's shadow was visible in her vision. She then whispered softly via telepathy to convey her question. After she received the answer she wanted, she proceeded with her request.
The Godly being's shadow disappeared into thin air.
'So, this realm is a trial space belonging to someone powerful, but it was sealed for some reason. How did I get sent here in the first place? Is it still the Illusory Realm? Did Alisha have the same fate as me? She is Alisha, not someone who looks like her? Sera said that Alisha was an 'alien' entity too...
Also, is it possible that the accursed came from here? Are they the same race as the shadow creatures, or is it just a coincidence?' Elysia sighed as she had already grasped the truth about this realm, but more confusion arose because of that. One thing was for sure, she had vouched for Alisha and her well-being.
"Elysia, are you okay? I will save you. Please wait a moment, I-" Alisha comes and takes off her shadow mask. She panicked and immediately checked Elysia's condition even though her friend was almost transparent.
However, Elysia's finger sealed Alisha's lips. "Shhh, I'll be disappearing soon. If the truth and the illusion fall under this realm's divinity, we might meet again soon. Until that happens, please take care of yourself. Please don't be sad..."
"No, no, you can still be saved. I won't let you disappear!" Alisha immediately carried Elysia in her arms and climbed into her pet's back.
Cherub then flew away, and Alisha started to treat Elysia.
However, Elysia prevented Alisha because her time was up.
"It's okay. The game is already over. This is my farewell, Ai. If fate brings us together again, please take good care of me. Thank you for everything. I really enjoyed our time together..." Elysia whispered softly and gave her last tender smile before disappearing into light particles.
"..." Alisha couldn't say anything as words couldn't come out of her mouth. Her friend in her arms has disappeared and left her. Elysia's last words and gentle smile profoundly impacted her mind and heart. Unfortunately, all the memories she spent with Elysia ended in separation and sorrow.
It took Alisha a few minutes to gather her thoughts again. Elysia's presence was no longer here, but Elysia's shadow robe and Void Bracelet were still there. She then took them and hugged them.
If only they didn't try to fight the highest ruler for the truth's sake, maybe Elysia would still be there with her. That was something that came to Alisha's mind at that moment.
"..." Cherub could feel his master's sorrow, but he just continued to fly away from the danger zone.
There were thousands of powerful monsters around them, and he needed to move away quickly to avoid clashes.
"!?" Elysia gasped as she felt like she had fallen from a height and returned to her body. She opened her eyes slightly but felt her whole body hurt and closed her eyes again while enduring the pain.
She could tell that Elena, Lifa, and Rhea were panicking around her. However, she couldn't hear a single word they were saying. They then treated her with some emergency help with healing magic.
A few minutes later, Elysia opened her eyes again and looked up at the night sky with a distant gaze as she couldn't move her body yet. She no longer felt pain due to mental backlash, but she had no power left.
So many forgotten memories came back to her mind, and the events at the Boundless Realm with Alisha just felt like a long dream.
'Ely, can you hear me? I am here. Please tell me, how do you feel?' Elena re-scanned Elysia's body and breathed a sigh of relief. She then grasped Elysia's hand anxiously.
'Elena, Sister Elena. Have I returned to the original world? How much time has passed?' Elysia glanced at Elena with a longing gaze. She missed her guardian angel so much.
'It's seven hours since Lifa started her formation. Why did your trial take so long, Ely? Others only take a few minutes. Would you like to tell me about your trial? Uh, you just recovered from your mental backlash. It's okay, I will take good care of you. You can tell me tomorrow.' Elena could sense Elysia's complicated feelings. She hoped to know the incident's cause, but she didn't insist because Elysia had just recovered.
'Yeah, it's a long story. I'll tell you everything tomorrow. Now, please allow me to sleep...' Elysia closed her eyes again and drifted off to sleep.
"Huff..." Elena breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Elysia's soft breath. She carried Elysia in a princess carry before flying towards the Winged Tiger Palace.
"Well, let's go back to the palace." Rhea informed everyone and immediately followed Elena.
The girls exchanged words with each other before leaving to follow. Elysia had recovered, and everything was fine.
"???" Lifa scratched her head in confusion. She rechecked her formation, but there was no malfunction. She simply exchanged glances with Nell and retrieved all of her formation materials.
"That's so weird. It's only levels one to three, right?" Nell folded her arms and frowned.
"We won't know until Elysia speaks. However, I can tell that Elysia just went through an unbelievable difficult trial. Someone at her level ended up dying in her trial. It's definitely not a simple one." Lifa sighed and shook her head.
"Yeah, it's not as simple as fighting a heart demon or alter ego of her." Nell scratched her head and flew away.
"..." Lifa put her hand to her forehead and followed the others. She was relieved that Elysia was okay, or else she couldn't imagine what Elena might do.