Amber Sword

"Brand!"

In his haze, Brand heard that scream, as if it forcibly yanked him back from a world of endless darkness. If there was a single voice in this world that could make him remember forever, it might only be the pure promise they made to each other the night they fled Buqi.

"Will you protect me, Brand?"

"Yes, I will."

Brand opened his eyes in disbelief, seeing that familiar figure. Miss Merchant was swinging back and forth like on a swing, hanging by a rope from the neck of the newly emerging Titan Statue. Though she swung to and fro, scraping her head bloody on the granite, she still looked quite happy upon seeing Brand.

What are you doing!?

All Brand wanted to do now was to glare at this Merchant Lady in exasperation, just like he did every time she caused trouble in the past. But unfortunately, he didn’t even have the strength to blink now; he could only lie quietly on the ground watching everything, waiting for the last bit of time for the Unyielding Talent to run out.

Romantic...

The Teleportation Gates behind the two Titans were glaring red, as if every opportunity was lost. Who knows where Antitina was at the moment—whether she had found the node on the Teleportation Gate.

Perhaps there was still a chance.

Brand fixed his gaze on Miss Merchant, and at this moment, Romantic had already climbed onto the shoulders of the statue. The ear cavity, he said to himself—he knew it was the only passage into the Titan Statue’s internal manipulation core.

Miss Merchant seemed to have heard his voice, scrambling over in that direction covered in dirt.

But it was just then that a cluster of electrical sparks suddenly emerged on the Titan Statue’s shoulder, immediately enveloping Miss Merchant. Brand’s eyes widened in an instant; he saw Romantic twitching within the arc, soon collapsing with smoke rising from her body.

Brand’s heart turned cold instantly.

He breathed heavily, regret flooding his heart like poison. He thought perhaps without all this, Miss Merchant, Antitina, and others might have had their own fate.

But just for one wish of his.

Everyone had come here.

Yet in the end, none of it could change anything?

Was the choice he made at Fir Castle truly a mistake? He couldn’t help but shut his eyes; Funiya’s almost pure gaze appeared in his mind. If he had to choose again, what decision would he make?

Brand didn’t know.

For the last time he opened his eyes, as if to bid farewell to this world that brought him brief but unforgettable memories. At the very least, he wanted to take one last look at Romantic, at the Merchant Lady, with whom he had once promised to become the greatest merchants.

But he broke that promise.

Yet what he saw made his heart contract violently—he saw Miss Merchant laboriously crawling towards the Titan Giant’s ear cavity, just a little bit more to go.

Romantic wasn’t dead!

The manipulator of the Titan Statue seemed to realize the danger too; the massive stone statue actually raised its left hand to slap at its own shoulder. At that moment, Brand’s heart was in his throat, fearing the imagined scene in his mind, but unexpectedly the statue slapped its own face.

"Ha!"

Brand felt a surge of ecstasy—whoever was controlling the Titan was a rookie! He felt as if he was a death row convict being informed of a reprieve just before execution; the high and low of emotions were nearly suffocating.

By this time, Romantic was already whimpering, crawling next to the ear cavity. Marquis Youxi had tried several times without reaching that position, while the other Titan was still slowly recovering from the fatal chest wound. Helpless, he had to grip his sword and step out from the ear cavity, aiming to take Miss Merchant’s life personally.

To him, what threat could a witch half-dead from electrocution pose? If she had the strength to cast spells, she probably would’ve stormed in already.

He came out with his sword and saw Romantic climbing into the ear cavity—the Titan’s ear cavity shaped like a small cave, and Miss Merchant’s position was right at the entrance. Marquis Youxi couldn’t help but shake his head disdainfully, victory was within reach. He had no nostalgia for Erune’s status because only the All Things Return to One could bring him true glory.

The sacred work in Erune had been ongoing for quite some time, and today, everything was soon to be harvested.