Chapter 424 97.2 - Breaking Down

Chapter 424 97.2 - Breaking Down

T/his chapter is updated by nov(ê(l)biin.co/m

"Estelle."

As the name "Estelle" left Irina's lips, the atmosphere shifted drastically. The calm night air turned heavy and oppressive, and a suffocating aura of death enveloped her.

Astron's demeanor changed in an instant. His eyes, which usually held a detached, calculating coldness, transformed into black voids, void of any warmth or light. His entire presence radiated a chilling, almost tangible malevolence. The pressure emanating from him was unlike anything Irina had ever felt, and she struggled to breathe, her vision beginning to blur as the weight of his killing intent bore through her body.

'This is.....'

It was an insane amount of killing intent. For this whole time that she had lived, this was the first time she was feeling such a thing.

'He really wants to kill me. Right here, right now!'

She shuddered, her body shaking uncontrollably. The world around her seemed to turn black as if Astron's very essence was consuming the light. Despite the terror coursing through her veins, she forced herself to stand her ground, refusing to back down.

"You..." Astron's voice was low and filled with a dangerous edge. "How do you know that name?"

The intensity of his gaze made Irina feel as though she was staring into the abyss itself. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she summoned every ounce of her courage to meet his gaze.

"I knew it," she said, her voice trembling but resolute. "Those were the events of the past."

Astron took a step closer, the pressure increasing. Irina felt as if her lungs were being crushed, but she refused to look away.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," he hissed, his voice barely more than a whisper yet filled with lethal intent.

"...Urghk....." It felt like he was strangling her down. With his hands covered on her neck. But she knew he was just standing still without moving. It was the result of his intent.

"Grrr....."

However, even if one had such a strong killing intent, that wouldn't mean they could kill everyone walking around. This world didn't work like that.

She started forcefully expelling her mana and strengthening her own aura. The fire in her chest burned, fighting against the intent.

She was once again regaining control of her body once again. She felt like breathing became easier, as did moving her mouth.

Now that it came down to this, she had no reason to back off. If she were to confront him, if she were to become his enemy, she didn't want to stay in darkness where she didn't know anything about him.

Just like a side heroine who just stood there as an accessory. She didn't want something like that.

"No. I know everything," she said, her voice growing stronger as she forced herself to stand tall. "Estelle was your sister. She was a good-natured, kind individual. A strong young girl who bore the responsibility of the village."

Astron's expression remained cold and unreadable, but Irina pressed on, drawing from the fragments of memories and visions she had pieced together.

"She was a strength to her younger brother, who was rather weak," Irina continued. "You grew up together, your bond unbreakable. You spent your nights together, sharing your dreams and fears, supporting each other through everything."

The intensity of Astron's killing intent began to waver, the pressure easing slightly as Irina's words struck a chord within him.

But the more she listened, the more she got angry. After all those things that they did together, this guy was doing the same thing to himself again and again.

The hatred he had towards himself.

She knew it all too well. She knew how this felt.

After all, she, too, lost someone, maybe not in the same manner as him, but in a similar way. At that time, she didn't know what he was going through or how he was having a hard time. And at the end of the day, he lost himself at the expectations thrown at him.

She still remembered the face that he made when he lost himself. That was why she couldn't tolerate it. She couldn't tolerate being in the same position once again.

To be the one who is unable to help. To just stand back and watch everything.

"I know."

Thus, she stood up.

"A certain someone told me that I was not the only person who lost someone in this world. As a reminder of my own actions."

She was getting angrier with each second.

'Who does this bastard think he is? Does he think the world revolves around him? Does he think just suffering alone will make everything right? Does he really think nobody wants to be on his side?'

The more she thought about it, the more she got angrier at him.

"But it seems that bastard has forgotten to say the same thing to himself."

Fire once again burned around her body, stemming from her heart.

"So let me tell him for his own sake."

She brought her face closer to him.

He got somehow taller, and he was now towering over her a little. But that didn't matter at that moment.

"You stupid bastard. You are not the only one who lost someone in this world. You are not the only one who is in pain."

"....."

Astron's eyes widened slightly, but he remained silent, absorbing her words.

"But you are certainly one thing," Irina continued, her voice unwavering. "You are a coward. A coward who is afraid of making any connections just because he is afraid to lose someone once again."

The accusation hung in the air, and Irina could see the impact it had on Astron. His expression tightened, but he didn't look away.

"And what an irony it is," Irina said with a bitter laugh, "that I fell for such a cowardly bastard."

Without giving him a chance to respond, Irina closed the distance between them, her heart pounding in her chest. She reached up and cupped his face with her hands, her eyes locked onto his.

Then, with a surge of emotion, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.