Chapter 68 Starfall (5)

‘Strange, I was clearly aiming for his heart. Why did it steer off course?’

Sirius pursed his lips and questioned himself. In the beginning, he had looked down upon this Jin Valter character and saw him as nothing more than a buzzing mosquito that harmed his sister. However, as the month transpired and he’d learnt more about this pest of a man, Sirius gradually changed his opinion.

Firstly, Jin discovered and chased away the Shadowfiends the first time, notifying the Moonreaver House of the oncoming Vampire civil war. Next, he managed to defeat Talon Bloodborne, a supposed elite of the Shadowfiends and saved Lilith from certain kidnap. Finally, he heard of Jin’s odd powers of Spacetime and Creation.

Not to mention, the man was a mere disabled person a few months back.

Sirius found Jin’s growth extremely strange. That’s why, even though it went against his principles to go all out against a junior, the Moonreaver Lord brought his mythical weapon along. He didn’t want any excuses to lose against Jin, and his decision would prove right.

While his magic power was still inferior due to his age, the variety and potency of spells were nothing short of spectacular. Even Sirius, someone who was hailed as a genius from a young age, couldn’t help but marvel at Jin’s prodigal capabilities.

If Jin wasn’t gunning for his sister, Sirius might have been tempted to lure him to the Moonreaver House.

‘Whatever, he won’t be able to recover from this injury anytime soon. It’s my win.’

Sirius arbitrarily decided the outcome of the duel and loosened his grip on the Stardevourer. He knew that he’d won, so there was no longer any need to torture the young man. All that was left to do was to send him away from the Moonreaver Dimension and far away from his sister.

At least… That was what he’d thought.

‘What?’

Rather than fold and fade away into the night, Jin somehow managed to stay conscious. Using his left hand, the bloodied, fallen warrior grabbed hold of the Stardevourer and attempted to wrest control over it from Sirius.

‘Hmph, ignorant fool. You should stop your useless struggle.’

Sirius didn’t bother to stop Jin’s futile attempt. Mythical weapons like the Stardevourer weren’t just a piece of scrap metal. They were true marvels of creation that possessed their own connate consciousness. While they didn’t have intelligence like living creatures, they had their own innate idiosyncrasies.

The Stardevourer in particular. Because it had been fed the essence of the Moonreaver House’s best fighters, only those who possessed the Moonreaver bloodline and those who had the potential to surpass its previous owner could wield its power. When Sirius first ‘inherited,’ the Stardevourer, he had to spend ten years just to make it acknowledge him and ten more to unlock all the abilities that lay within.

A mere two-month-old Vampire that was just recently a human? Yeah, Jin stood no chance against the will of the Stardevourer.

And yet…

‘What’s this?’

The Stardevourer. The mythical weapon forged by the top minds of the Moonreaver House. The symbol of Sirius, the Moonreaver House’s strongest warrior. The infinitely growing weapon and the apex power of the Asterias…

Was shaking violently.

‘What’s going on?!’

Sirius fell into a state of panic. Never in his life had he seen the Stardevourer behave in this manner. It had always been the indomitable spirit, never bending to any Moonreaver that attempted to conquer it and never yielding to any enemy, even if it were the most powerful Outer Demons humanity had ever faced.

And yet, the Stardevourer was shaking.

Due to Sirius’ connection with the mythical weapon, he could feel the innate emotions of the Stardevourer. It wanted to separate itself from Jin as quickly as it could. It was begging Sirius to run away. It was…

Afraid.

‘Why are you behaving this way?’

Sirius was unable to comprehend the current event. He was on the precipice of defeating Jin, so why was the treasured mythical weapon behaving this way? And that’s when Sirius made the first mistake since agreeing to this duel.

He looked up.

‘… What?’

Sirius’ gaze shifted from the rapidly vibrating Stardevourer to the bloodied Jin who was supposed to be defeated. However, rather than falling to the floor, Jin’s body stood completely upright as one of his hands grabbed hold of the glaive, halting its imminent retreat. With strength that he wasn’t supposed to have, Jin locked Sirius in place, keeping him just inches away from his face.

The man that should have fallen, was now staring deep into Sirius’ soul. His bloodied body and pale face should have signified his defeat. But Jin was clearly standing. By some mysterious means, Jin was putting on one final stand and held Sirius down.

But as someone with ample combat experience, Jin’s new lease of physical strength wasn’t enough to hold Sirius for long. If the Moonreaver Lord wanted to, he could break free from Jin’s restraints at any given time.

And yet… He couldn’t.

Why?

‘… What’s this?’

At that moment, the world seemed to freeze in Sirius’ consciousness. Not a single cry from Lilith mattered. Not a single vibration from the Stardevourer mattered. Not a single ray of moonlight mattered. At that moment… Sirius was sucked into a world where his consciousness was independent of his body.

The Moonreaver Lord was unable to move a muscle in his body. Like a man suspended in Spacetime, Sirius felt like he was watching himself from a third-person view. And the reason why… were Jin’s majestic eyes.

The pupils that were meant to be obsidian black had turned royal crimson. Majestic, red rubies that glowed as beautiful as the Blood Moon itself. Heck, Sirius felt like he was staring at two Blood Moons directly. But the man wasn’t in the mood to admire the scenery.

The moment they locked eyes, Sirius felt his entire world change. All of his power, which he had complete confidence in, had been completely drained away. The scent of purgatory flames tickled his nose as an illusory death rose bloomed before his eyes. Staring into those eyes, Sirius felt like he was watching the universe spin. Before such grandeur, the Moonreaver Lord could only freeze up and stand rooted to the ground.

And for the first time in centuries, Sirius felt an emotion he’d thought he buried… An emotion that he’d killed when he inherited the Sirius name… An emotion that no leader of a Guardian House should have…

Fear.

Just like the Stardevourer before him, Sirius felt an incomprehensible dread when facing Jin. It was like an ant staring down a mountain, a planet facing the wrath of a black hole. Jin’s mysterious power overwhelmed the thousand-year-old Vampire, and his mental capacities were fried in the process.

Sirius didn’t think to run because he couldn’t think at all. Paralysed by the fear that engulfed his entire being, Sirius could not speak, move or even stop to comprehend what was going on. All he could see was Jin’s red-stained lips, breaking into a confident smile.

“This is payback from before, you fucking siscon!”

With what little strength he had left, Jin sent his fist flying into Sirius’ chest. Unable to cast any spells or move his body, Sirius could only watch in horror as the clenched hand drilled a hole through the central region of his chest, just like he did to Jin many moons before.

Flesh and bone were sent flying out from the back of the man, all while fresh blood stained the hand that purged through Sirius’ chest. And at that precise moment, Sirius’ broken mind had finally registered what was going on.

Perhaps it was the pain of an injury he hadn’t suffered in decades. Or maybe it was the fact that Jin’s mysterious intimidation had subsided, giving the Moonreaver Lord a chance to regain control over his body.

The moment Sirius had regained control over his consciousness, the man abruptly kicked Jin with all of his might with a mixture of fear and anger. Jin, who had already been weakened throughout the battle, was unable to muster any kind of defence. Like a kite that had its string severed, Jin was flung up into the sky, only falling dozens of metres back.

Fortunately, before Jin’s motionless body could bounce on the floor, Lilith’s hand moved as a simple levitation spell was cast, cushioning the man’s fall. Jin’s face was full of sweat, his injuries had yet to heal, and his body was falling apart from excessive use of magic power. And yet, the man was able to put up a triumphant smile.

And why wouldn’t he?

Even though Jin’s body was battered beyond belief. Even though Sirius’ injury would heal within seconds. Sirius’ crimson blood was clearly on his hand. It was undeniable proof that he had won the duel, the impossible duel that everyone thought he would lose.

And most importantly… He had accomplished his mission.

Grabbing hold of his lover’s hand, Jin declared:

“L-Lilith… I won! I fucking won!!!”

“Y-yes, you did!” Unable to hold back her tears, Lilith held tightly onto her battered bloodmate’s hand and planted a kiss on his fingers.

“I-I promised you, d-didn’t I?”

“Yes!”

“I promised… t-that I would come to Starfall to pick you up!”

In his fervour, Jin suppressed the pain and agony he had suffered. Magic fatigue was quickly setting in, and his eyelids felt heavier than ever. The only thing keeping him awake was his desire to see his lover’s eyes as he delivered on his promise.

“Y-yes! Yes, you did!!!” Lilith’s beautiful face broke into a dazzling smile. She held onto Jin’s hands tighter than she would a diamond ring, and she leaned in close to his ears. “You’ve won, and you can collect your prize later. But now… You should rest.”

Lilith placed her hands above Jin’s eyes, and a soft chant escaped from her lips. With her soothing voice hanging over his body, Jin felt sleepier than ever before. Every muscle in his body relaxed and his mind, which was already weaving in between consciousness and dreamland, finally caved in.

“Rest now; leave the rest to me.”

“Lilith…”

As his world faded to black, the last thing that Jin saw…

Was Lilith’s tearful smile.