Chapter 734: Wish Upon A Starlight
Screams of despair echoed across the vast field.
The devastated landscape displayed the chaos beneath, and the agony above.
All the floating Beastfolks crashed to the ground, stripped of the mental fortitude and focus required to maintain the flight effects of their items.
Even as they fell, one after the other, their screams continued. It would only be a matter of time before they met their end—their painful, agonizing end.
However...
"That's enough."
A voice suddenly emerged from the chaos.
>WHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<
In an instant, the entire area was covered in white light.
The white light stretched on for miles, and white flowers bloomed all over the earth—even in the fully destroyed locations.
A white dome shrouded everything across the area of influence, and a bright glow could be seen emanating from a single person. This person rose from her low estate, her body completely transfigured into that of an angel—no, it was something even more divine.
To anyone that saw her, there could only be one word to describe this holy entity shrouded in white, silver, and golden light.
A Goddess!
The screams instantly ceased and were replaced with utter decorum. The Beastfolks fell unconscious, and white flowers suddenly shrouded them where they lay.
The Goddess, covered in light, and oozing sheer purity, looked around her to ensure that all the Beastfolks were safely under her protection. Once she confirmed this, her gaze shifted in the direction of the malefactor.
Stefan Netherlore.
lіghtnоvеlwоrld․соm fоr а bеttеr uѕеr ехреrіеnсе
"You... what did you do?!" He snarled.
*
*
*
Maria felt like the most powerful being alive.
This was only an illusion that her sudden boost in power offered her, but it was enough to grant her a much wider perspective on everything.
Her aching heart and trembling face were suddenly frozen in place, and an aura of gentle authority took over.
The Beastfolks who suffered would suffer no more. Once she produced that thought, her will was carried out.
Maria encased the entire area in her protective sphere, and with all the preparations finally made, her focus finally converged on the enemy... Stefan.
"What did you do?" He asked her spitefully.
She owed him no explanation, so she didn't speak.
Why did she need to tell him how she and her Familiar had fused past the allowed integration level?
Usually, in Fusion Mode, the host had an equal or higher share in the power distribution. It offered a balance and some means of control for the host. The highest synchronization rate would be an equal distribution, so both Host and Familiar would be co-drivers—partners in the body.
However, Maria had exceeded this level.
Her synchronization rate was currently 30:70—the lesser number being her current position in the body. As a result of this, she was granted even more power, and the flow of power from her Archangel Familiar was increased dramatically.
This, in turn, allowed her to siphon more Aether from her Arcana and utilize it more efficiently. In essence, she was far stronger than before.
lіghtnоvеlwоrld․соm fоr а bеttеr uѕеr ехреrіеnсе
However, with his new power came some dangerous effects.
Maria's personality had gotten numbed, and her self-awareness plummeted. In this state, she was seemingly in a daze. It felt like she was not the one piloting her body, though she still had a good idea of what was happening.
Finally, even with her lack of complete consciousness, Maria's main objective remained the same.
Stop Stefan Netherlore... no matter what!
"Original Magic..." Maria muttered, staring at Stefan with focused eyes.
Suddenly, a circle similar to a wheel appeared underneath her—right beneath the sole of her armoured feet. Maria's angel wings flapped, and feathers fell from them.
'W-what? I don't... I haven't fully developed my Original Magic. What is this? This isn't...' It didn't take long for Maria's inner self to realize what was happening.
This wasn't her Original Magic.
It was the Original Magic of her Familiar!
"... Starlight Of Heaven."
Suddenly, the Magic Circle began to shoot rays of light upon Maria, and the feathers around her took the appearance of stars.
The stars burned brightly, and they radiated gloriously.
From the circle also emerged something akin to a wand. The wand floated into Maria'a hands, and she held it lightly.
Her gaze remained on Stefan, and despite the amount of time she was taking for her preparation, there was a reason she hadn't been attacked by her opponent yet.
That was because he was frozen still.
From the activation of her Original Magic, and the manifestation of the circle underneath her, she had already transcended the speed Stefan could reach. Albeit only temporary, due to the activation sequence, Maria was currently moving faster than the flow of time itself.
lіghtnоvеlwоrld․соm fоr а bеttеr uѕеr ехреrіеnсе
"Star bright, Starlight, Stars with heavens delight." She muttered, swinging her staff slowly as she controlled the glimmering stars around her.
The circle slowly disappeared, and time finally went back to normal.
Stefan could be seen in a confused rage, as he directed multiple light blasts, all possessing different colours.
Still, none of them seemed to grab her attention. Maria's focus seemed to be on the stars that were focused on a particular point.
Once the stars converged and formed a more massive one, Maria's smile finally appeared.
"I hereby wish, O' Star, for you to hearken to my heart's desire. Wish upon a star, and the star shall heed your heart's desire. So, reverse the harm done and set causality right. Such is the wish of this Constellation, one of the twelve watchers of this life."
Stefan's multicoloured lights instantly disintegrated the moment they neared Maria, but her light kept getting brighter and brighter. It ascended far into the heavens, shimmering in all its glory.
Up, up above, it went. Finally, upon reaching a precipice... it exploded.
And then...
>WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<
Everyone was blinded for a moment due to the sheer intensity of the blast.
However, once the dust settled and sight returned to their eyes... They were all greeted with the most amazing sight.
All had been restored.
The entire capital—no, even the areas beyond that—had been restored, down to the last bedrock.
And, as if that weren't enough the people who had died, and the ones who suffered—were all present once more. It was a miracle from the heavens, a sight impossible to comprehend.
All of this wonder was induced by a single source.
lіghtnоvеlwоrld․соm fоr а bеttеr uѕеr ехреrіеnсе
The single star that ascended to the sky—illuminating everything with its light— restored everything to what was right.
"Such is my wish... answered by my Starlight."