Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Endgame

“Ah?!”
Alice Eidal couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise.
The esper launched an attack with his abilities, Alice herself slipped into the shadow of the enemy to stab with her short arrow, both sides simultaneously initiating an ambush...
The battle was supposed to begin in this manner. But after the Dragon Worshipper activated his Manifestation, the situation took a turn that no one could have predicted.
Her short arrow struck empty air; the man in the trench coat and the esper vanished simultaneously.
It was the enemy’s Law of Impermanence. Alice swiftly assessed the situation: some mechanism she didn’t yet understand had caused both men to disappear from reality. Judging from the name of the Manifestation, it was likely a skill that forced a duel.
“Eh...?”
The blue-haired woman blinked in confusion.
In the blink of an eye, the Dragon Worshipper and the esper reappeared before her. If their positions hadn’t shifted, Alice would have thought she was seeing a hallucination.
The trench coat man, who had been in perfect condition a moment ago, now lay sprawled on his back, while Gongsun Ce, unscathed, was bent over, hands on his knees, panting heavily.
The duel was over? The esper had won? Everything that happened in those few seconds left her bewildered.
Alice quickly approached the two, warily asking, “What happened?”
·
Broken arms, ruptured organs, pain coursing through every limb and bone—all of it vanished.
His glasses were intact, sitting firmly on his face, his vision as clear as ever, able to see the other man’s expression.
“What happened?”
The young man heard his companion’s question, but couldn’t respond; regaining his ability to speak, he immediately addressed the Dragon Worshipper: “Don’t make any move.”
“...”
Xu Junyi lay on the ground, silent, not even blinking.
The esper continued, “You may say only one word: tell me what item or method you intend to use to summon the dragon.”
The middle-aged man answered hoarsely, “The Eye of the Nether Dragon.”
“Is there only this one?”
“Only this one.”
“Where is it?”
“In my right hand.”
“Open your right hand, and do not speak again.”
Xu Junyi slowly opened his hand. He hated obeying the enemy’s orders, but he had lost the duel... The power of the Law of Impermanence bound him tightly; today, he could not resist the victor’s commands or hinder him in any way.
Resting in the Dragon Worshipper’s callused palm was a glass bead.
A glass bead glued to a splinter of wood, like remnants of a shattered handmade trinket.
“...!”
Seeing this object, Gongsun Ce forgot to breathe. He would never forget what this bead meant, nor the day he first saw it.
The nightmare that had lingered since the incident three years ago, returning each time to remind him of that day—the seven clock towers in the gray mist, the wooden bird leaping from the clock face, and the arrival of the Nether Dragon...
From that moment, the situation truly became irreparable.
Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo... The call of the cuckoo echoed in his mind, memories of the past resurfacing. He needed no expert to identify it; he knew the truth of the object in his hand.
This was the eye of the wooden bird from three years ago.
The Eye of the Nether Dragon.
The young man clenched the glass bead, the wood splinter piercing his palm, the pain snapping him from his reverie. Gongsun Ce turned to the bewildered huntress and said, “It’s over, Miss Alice. I’ve defeated the Dragon Worshipper, and found the crucial catalyst.”
Alice looked from the fallen man to the esper, repeating the motion several times.
“—Seriously?! You single-handedly defeated a Manifestation-level Wild Law mage?!”
She exclaimed in disbelief.
The esper pushed up his glasses. “His Law is rather unusual. The Law of Impermanence, Fortune and Calamity Duel, forces a close-quarters one-on-one fight in a mysterious space, with neither side allowed to use supernatural abilities. It was an unfavorable duel, and after a hard struggle, I finally managed to win.”
“If he can’t beat you without superpowers, what a waste...”
“Please, praise my cunning. The match was thrilling; if he hadn't lost his composure midway, things would have ended much uglier.”
Upon reflection—
If he had lost the duel, the defeated party would have been himself, forced to obey the victor’s commands.
That would have meant Gongsun Ce and Xu Junyi joining forces to attack Alice. No matter how you looked at it, it would have been disastrous. Luckily, he had won.
The huntress shook her head, still confused by the current situation. “Let’s talk later—first, the important thing. The catalyst you mentioned is...?”
She hadn’t finished her sentence when her voice rose sharply. The esper followed her gaze; the sphere floating at the center of the space was flickering with green light at an astonishing rate.
The phantom dragons drifting through the air rushed toward the sphere, transforming into luminous green points and merging into what seemed to be the heart of the dragon. As all the phantoms vanished, the pipes around the sphere detached from the core.
The massive object, like a planet, moved farther and farther from the two, colliding with the wall at the end of the space, swallowed by the biomorphic barrier, disappearing from sight.
This spectacular scene lasted barely five seconds before ending; the esper and the huntress managed only a few steps forward before the green star left their view.
They exchanged glances.
Alice ventured, “...Emergency defense mechanism?”
“No wonder the big shots of Celestial City watched so calmly. From what I’ve seen, the ritual required the dragon’s heart—I suspect it’s the heart—to proceed. And they managed to hide this trick until now. Even I have nothing to say.”
Gongsun Ce laughed bitterly. “Looks like only just now did they make the emergency decision, hiding the dragon’s heart at some cost... Honestly, we’ve just been working for the big shots for nothing!”
Alice stared at the spot where the dragon’s heart had vanished, seemingly deeply shocked by the actions of Celestial City’s leaders.
He smiled and shook his head, thinking, this is just fine.
Everything was under the control of the authorities; his worries had, as expected, been unnecessary. Perhaps someone he didn’t know had benefited from this event, and all his efforts had been for nothing, the precautions he took were useless.
But the dragon would not appear in Celestial City; Xu Junyi and his followers’ wild dreams remained just that—fantasies.
The citizens of this city could enjoy a peaceful, ordinary night.
That was good enough. The esper thought contentedly; it was enough.
The city’s officials had handled the matter, meaning the leadership of the three nations had reached consensus. The likelihood of other experts coming to snatch the glass bead was slim.
Thus, the bead in his hand would have to be handed over to a certain infuriating man; he’d have to explain this to Alice... But before that, after a long day, both he and his companion deserved a rest.
Once they left the underground, they could find somewhere for a late-night meal, chat before parting ways; perhaps the masked young lady would join them, and he could finally treat her to the dessert he owed... Tomorrow, he’d figure things out with Yan Qi...
The esper sighed in relief, finally freed from a half-day of constant tension.
Gongsun Ce beckoned to his companion. “Let’s go, Miss Alice!”
Alice sighed in exasperation. “What is this?! The head of the Dragon Worshippers happens to have this kind of power, and only now do I learn that the object can be transferred quickly—such a pointless, last-minute magic trick... I don’t even know what to say...”
He fully understood her feelings.
They had prepared for a decisive battle, only to find the enemy’s ability forced a duel. The looming threat had nearly crushed them, and only at the end did they realize everything was under the authorities’ control.
Though the process always matters more than the result, this outcome left one truly speechless.
Gongsun Ce shrugged. “Try to look on the bright side; as long as the result is good, there’s no problem.”
“Well, fine. Like you said, as long as the result is good!”
Alice turned, smiling brightly at him. “It’s finally over. I’m so glad you survived!”
She stretched out her hand, as if to high-five her companion in celebration.
“You’re right...”
Gongsun Ce smiled and raised his right arm.
To his surprise, Alice’s palm passed over his arm.
Her fingertips, exposed from her fingerless gloves, pressed against the young man’s chest.
Sharp nails pierced his shirt and skin, her hand plunging inside, grasping the throbbing, crimson flesh.
And then—
Alice’s arm went straight through the young man’s chest.
“...Ah.”
He stood in shock.
Warm liquid spilled from his mouth, the scent of blood filling his nose.
His thoughts slowed, perhaps affected by someone’s power.
The young man couldn’t comprehend what had happened.
Alice should tell him something; dazed, he looked at the woman facing him.
Her smile was as usual—not quite composed, but friendly, dependable.
“If we can’t get the heart of the Celestial Dragon, we’ll have to use yours instead. After all, this is the real reason espers are called ticking time bombs.”
The blue-haired woman withdrew her arm.
Something vital seemed to vanish from within.
Gongsun Ce stared at her palm; the center of her blood-stained glove held a mass of slowly pulsing flesh.
He realized—
It was his own heart.
“If not for your help, I could never have made it this far.”
Just as they had agreed before, just as they celebrated victory after the battle, the huntress gave him a beautiful smile.
“Really, truly, thank you, Gongsun Ce!”
He couldn’t understand.
What had happened?
Just a moment ago, he’d been thinking about inviting her to a celebration after this was all over.
Hunting wasn’t a good profession; with a large reward, maybe she could switch careers.
She could buy the house she wanted, live a better, safer life. Celestial City was actually a nice place; if Miss Alice planned to stay, he could introduce her to his friends. She was easy to get along with; everyone would enjoy chatting together...
But why?
Why, after everything ended, did it come to this?
“Alice...”
Confusion and bewilderment spun within him, finding no answer, transforming into rage.
“Alice Eidal!!”
Wild telekinetic power swept through the underground chamber like a storm.
With his last strength, he hurled invisible spikes at his former companion—
“A subordinate’s power cannot touch me.”
She spoke calmly, as if stating the obvious.
Gongsun Ce’s final attack, under that declaration, vanished soundlessly.
The young man had no strength left.
His last thought: the heart was the source of an esper’s power...
Not the outcome of the Duel of Impermanence, but a real-world blow—he had suffered a fatal wound.
He hadn’t time to utter another word; the gray-haired esper collapsed.
He lay face-down, gazing with fading eyes at the huntress who once was his companion.
“Before we part, let me tell you something that will make you happy. As promised, when all was over, I’d tell you my real name.”
He saw her beautiful blue hair fade to black, dark as night.
Alice brushed her hand across her face. Her features shifted subtly, her eyes became black, looking entirely different from before. Now she seemed elegant and serene, like a gentle woman suited for a library.
He had seen this face before.
Where? Where was it? The last fragment of consciousness before fading—the photo from some news report, the massacre in the eastern archipelago, the disaster that wiped out the Shiyu Research Institute...
The black-haired woman bent down, took the glass bead from his hand.
She whispered to Gongsun Ce.
“My true name is Shiyu Ling.”
She straightened, flicked her hair, and walked away from the young man, her back to him.
Leaving only her final words drifting in the lifeless space:
“Farewell, esper.”