Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 306
TL: Elphie / PR: Marm
The dagger was activating its ability.
And so, the Impossibility should have been erased.
As confusion flickered across Ireneâs face, she noticed the unstable, swirling light at the daggerâs tip.
Dozens, hundreds, thousands of colors twisted and vanished into the blade.
It wasnât just light. Looking closer, she saw something withinâcountless figures, unfamiliar to her, being pulled into the dagger, dissolving as they vanished.
It was not merely light being consumed.
It was a world.
Moments later, the glow dissipated. What remained was the Impossibility, still untouched, without a single scratch.
And the dagger, now dark, its brilliance extinguished.
Irene stared blankly at the scene, unable to process what had just happened. Then, suddenly, she felt something tighten around her fingers.
When she looked down at her hand, she saw that the ring of Infinite Healing, which had remained unresponsive until now, was glowing faintly.
When she had first received it from Michael, it had been covered in scratches and imperfections.
But as she absorbed more miasma and her grade increased, the blemishes had gradually faded.
By the time she reached Grade 1 as a purifier, the ring was flawlessâits surface smooth, as if freshly crafted by a master jeweler.
And now, that pristine ring shimmered with a soft, ethereal glow.
As Irene gazed at the light, her eyes shifted toward the dagger.
The two were connected artifacts. The ring had guided her to this dagger at the auction house, had it not?
And just as the ring had visibly changed, the dagger had undergone a transformation of its own.
Its once-chipped blade was now smooth. The cracks that had marred its surface had vanished.
âWhat⌠happened?â
As Irene murmured to herself, the Hand of Appraisal, which had been clinging to her clothing, crawled down her arm. Then, it began to write in the air.
[The moment the world created by the Impossibility collapsed, the restriction placed on the ring of Infinite Healing was lifted.]
As Irene read the words written by the Hand of Appraisal, her face brightened.
Just a moment ago, when the Impossibility had evaded destruction by retreating into a world it had created, a flicker of despair had crossed her mind.
If it could endlessly create new worlds, wouldnât it simply continue to escape every time the daggerâs power activated?
But now she knew. Each time one of its worlds was erased, both the ring and the dagger grew stronger.
Hope ignited in her chest.
âHand, what is the activation probability of the Dagger of Annihilation now?â
She withdrew the dagger and held it out to the Hand of Appraisal.
The hand ran its fingers over the blade, then traced new numbers into the air.
[0.00001%]
Irene trembled with exhilaration.
Compared to the initial probability the hand had shown her, the activation rate had increased by an unimaginable degree.
The exhaustion weighing down her body vanished in an instant.
Chomp-chomp was the same. As if exhilarated, it created even more tentacles, wrapping them tightly around the Impossibility.
Irene leveled her dagger at the creature trapped in its grasp and spoke.
âYou must have enjoyed yourself while Michael struggled.â
Every time he collapsed in agony, this thing must have relished it. His suffering had been its pleasure.
Now, it would pay the price for its wretched mockery.
Irene smiled and swung her blade.
* * *
âHaa⌠HaaâŚâ
Irene stared down at her tattered hands, trembling from exertion.
Then, she lifted her gaze to the words the Hand of Appraisal had written in the air.
[100%]
She had no idea how many worlds had been annihilated.
While the Impossibility used the worlds it created as shields to delay its destruction, Irene had come to understand just how many restrictions had bound Michael in the worlds he had wandered through.
With each worldâs collapse, she, the ring, the daggerâeven Chomp-chompâhad grown stronger.
And now, only one world remained.
The last world the Impossibility had createdâthe world where she had reunited with Michael.
Once this world was erased, once the world where Michael had given up on himself was wiped away, his magic would be restored.
Irene was finally certain of her victory. She raised her dagger for the final strike.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the surrounding darkness was stripped away, revealing a landscape she recognized.
Her face hardened.
âYou.â
She glared at the Impossibility.
It was making her an offer.
