Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 86

‘Finally.’

Adeline’s green eyes welled up with tears.

It was a different kind of liberation than when she had gritted her teeth and ran away, determined not to get entangled with the protagonists. It was also different from when she saw the news of Genevieve’s marriage in the newspaper.

Back then, she had to abandon her life to gain freedom.

The things she had left behind were all so beautiful and precious, things she couldn’t help but love, and even as she kept telling herself they weren’t hers, she couldn’t completely let go of her attachment.

The comfort of a life free from nightmares made her believe that distancing herself from the protagonists was the right decision.

She had closed her eyes and ears to the news from Delmuz stubbornly.

Why did she have to give up everything just to survive…?

She lived, gnawing away at the sense of loss that she could only barely manage to brush off lightly.

“Hiic…”

When Adeline started crying, Shane took a deep breath and wrapped her entirely in his arms.

She could feel the strength in his sturdy arms as they encircled her shoulders and back. Despite the tension, he didn’t squeeze her too tightly. Instead, he enveloped her in a solid embrace.

They had finally reached the long-awaited ‘end’.

Adeline cried for a long time.

Held by Shane, holding Genevieve’s hand.

***

“No, Keith!”

A woman ran to a man who was collapsing, coughing up blood.

The hot blood gushed out and soaked her chest and stomach. The man called Keith trembled violently, his eyes rolled back as he continuously coughed up blood.

“No, no… No, don’t die!”

“Gurgh, ugh.”

Keith was moving, but he was already dead.

The woman knew it too.

Her twin brother Keith was no longer of this world.

Her other half, who had been with her since before they were born, had been killed by the Saintess. Gasping for breath, she clutched his lifeless body. This couldn’t be happening. This was wrong.

“Miss, you must leave now. We don’t have any more time. The master will be back soon, so you need to go.”

“Leave my brother here like this?!”

“He is no longer your brother. He’s nothing but a hunk of flesh now.”

“Shut up!”

“You yourself have said there’s no need to pity the fate of an unskilled practitioner, Miss. Keith was unskilled, and that’s why he died. I’ll take care of the cleanup, so please step away.”

“Shut up! Keith is my other half. No one is to touch him!”

Her tear-streaked, blood-covered face glared savagely at those approaching her.

Keith alone should have been enough to kill that woman.

This shouldn’t have happened.

‘Five years ago, this didn’t happen. That woman didn’t have the power to save lives, let alone the strength to defeat Keith.’

From the moment the Saintess candidate first appeared, the twins had been watching her.

Compared to previous saintesses, her powers were severely lacking. She only possessed purification and healing abilities, making her a half-baked saintess who posed no threat to them. So, they decided to let her live. That was why they didn’t attempt a second assassination after the first failed.

But recently, there were rumors that the Saintess had brought someone back to life.

The twins decided to test her abilities. If she proved to be a threat, they would eliminate her now.

A Saintess’s powers are at their peak right after they awaken.

As time goes on, their abilities deteriorate, and they eventually die, having lost even their purification powers.

Keith was a sorcerer skilled at controlling people to attack targets. Even if the medium was captured, the hidden spellcaster should have been safe from the exorcism.

However, the Saintess managed to exorcise Keith through the medium. The backlash of the curse always returns to the spellcaster.

Keith couldn’t withstand the backlash and died, vomiting blood in front of his sister’s eyes.

I should have done it. I should have. If it had been me, I wouldn’t have died. If it had been me.

But Keith never let her do curses. He insisted on taking on the hard and dirty work himself. She had always been protected by her other half.

“This isn’t something you should be doing.”

“What do you mean? I’m better than you at this.”

“That’s why I have to do it. You have greater things to accomplish.”

But if he was going to die like this, it should have been me.

The woman clawed at her chest. The pain was so intense she could hardly bear it. It felt as if someone was ripping out her insides and twisting them.

“My other half, my brother….”

She stroked Keith’s now cold cheek.

He must have been in so much pain; the blood vessels at the ends of his limbs had all burst, leaving red splotches. He couldn’t even close his eyes. The woman couldn’t forgive the person who had caused her brother’s death.

“I will avenge you…”

I will kill that woman who caused your death, making her suffer the most painful death in the world.