[Silver Ash] - Become The Strongest In Another World
CHAPTER 259: Eclipse Fiction

...****************...

The young man's voice echoed, and something like a barrier dome appeared with him as the center.

The dome continued to expand, to include everyone who was on the scene of the fight.

Everyone, including the team of reinforcements that Dolf had brought into the dome, found themselves standing in the middle of an unknown place.

It was a barren desert, filled only by dry sand and rocks.

There really is nothing special about that place.

However, while they were still confused, their eyes were focused on looking at the sky.

Gild is no exception either. He ignored all the murmurs and whispers around him, only to see what was up there.

The sky is arid, brownish-yellow. The gray clouds moving at an invisible speed slowly dispersed, as one giant gear after another sprung up.

Gild fell to his knees as he watched one by one the gears slowly spin in the air, making the structure like part of a machine.

"What ... is that? "

Everyone who is still alive there instantly drops their weapons, kas—

"Heheh .. hehehe … "

—A terrible sound of laughter resounded throughout the place.

Their views were diverted to the figure that was the source of the voice, and some people, especially the people from the Nautica bar, could not believe what they saw.

Standing at the top of a rock mountain, was a figure they knew as Noah Ashrain.

At least, it looks similar. However, the atmosphere it emitted was completely different.

There was also a spiked black crown floating above his head. It spun slowly, as if following the movements of the gears that were up there.

His gaze looked blank, but anyone could clearly see the wide smile on his face.

For a moment, he looked like he was thinking about something, but then he shrugged his shoulders and one by one noticed everyone there.

"All right, this is gonna be easy."

His attention was then directed at Gild, who had already fallen to his knees helplessly.

"Hehe, I wonder, what coincidence led us to this meeting? Are you still hungry for 'wisdom'? "

Gild slowly stood up, but it seemed that the one over there was not a real Gild. Something was controlling his body.

"It's a surprise to see you make a contract with a human. How did you get off? I'm sure the seal that the gods placed on you isn't so weak that you can break free."

"Ohh? You interested? All right, I'll let you know. I can unleash half of my power from that place with the help of this kid."

Noelle—or rather Noir—pointing directly at himself. Of course, the 'child' Noir meant was Noelle.

Meanwhile, his interlocutor only snorted in annoyance.

"Hmph, it looks like being sealed for 867 years isn't enough for you to change. You're really out of date."

"Hehe, so it's been that long, huh? How is Ishka? "

"He's dead. That's all I can say."

The figure controlling Gild spat, then looked back at Noir controlling Noelle's body.

"Now, can we go? We didn't know the boy was a contractor, what's more, your partner."

Noir, however just continued to maintain his smile. Then, after a while, he finally chuckled lightly.

"He–hehehe .. Sorry, but I can't do it. After all, me and my little friend have quite similar traits."

The frown was clearly visible on Gild's forehead. Even so, he did not put up any resistance.

His contract partner, the god who made the contract with Gild, was 'The One Who Swallowed Wisdom'. 'He' was an unidentified outer god who was within the power of the Voyager party.

Despite being able to freely roam around with his contract partner, 'He' confidently felt that his strength alone would not be enough to defeat the figure called 'Noir'.

Even though the two were in a sealed state, there was still a glaring difference to the power of 'They'.

This can happen because of the difference in authority that is quite clear.

'The One Who Swallowed Wisdom'. As the name suggests, his authority only includes knowledge and wisdom. It was very different from the 'Domination' authority Noir had.

"A similar character? "

The difference in strength was obvious enough. Despite that, 'He' could not just stand still, and let himself be defeated. At least, 'He' should put up a fight.

With Noelle's body, Noir smiled and showed a row of white teeth with sharp fangs.

"Yes, right. There are many reasons why I like this boy. One of them is because of our similarities. Do you know what that is? "

"Bastardly behavior? "

'He' replied after snorting in annoyance. It might sound like a joke, but that answer is actually quite serious as well.

Noir simply maintained a smile on his face while sighing.

"Well, maybe you're right. But that's not the answer I want."

Noir looked directly at Gild's eyes, and widened his smile.

"I love this boy, because he never lets his enemies off. He would continue to chase even to the ends of the world, if he really wanted to. Isn't that perfect for me? "

Right after Noir said that, 'He' immediately flicked his finger.

"《Eclipse》"

The sky slowly turned dark, and the giant gears that floated there bit by bit began to be covered by something resembling a shadow.

Everyone, without exception could only stare confusedly at the sight.

"What are you planning? "

Noir did not answer, but spread his arms as wide as possible.

'He' seemed to be thoroughly enjoying every second of the moment.

An expression that could only seemingly be called as 'pleasure' filled Noelle's face, and the black crown that floated above her head began to accelerate her own turnaround.

After the darkness completely enveloped the entire area, Noir—with Noelle's body glanced back at everyone one by one.

None of it escaped his attention. 'He' actually observed every smallest detail that was there.

Gild, who was being possessed by 'He Who Swallowed Wisdom' clicked his tongue. Even if he didn't have much courage left, he still had to put up a little resistance.

Even though 'He' was in this unknown place, it should be 'He' could still use the power of his authority.

Essentially, one authority of a god would not be able to overturn the authority of another god, unless it was indeed opposite, and had a mutually neutralizing effect.

'Gild' swung his crystal arm to the side, and several portals of different sizes began to appear. The largest portals are slightly larger in size than monster animals such as elephants.

From the portal, came out a monster with a strange appearance.

"Hehe, I've been thinking about this for a long time, but since when have you been able to access the underworld in this world? "

Noir asked as if he had just seen a very surprising thing. Contrary to that, the 'Gild' response can only be referred to as annoyance.

"You don't need to know that" said 'Gild' as he flicked his finger.

Instantly, the crowd of strange-looking monsters began to act wildly. Each of them targeted Noir, but Noir did not look troubled by it.

"Hehe, yahh, the structure of the underworld is indeed very complicated, because basically the place only contains the waste energy of 'He'. But, it's really surprising to see you have access to it."

The underworld is basically a place that was created to be a 'dumping ground' of excess dirty energy. Noir still did not know the details, but that was what 'She' knew.

A place full of filth, and will destroy any living thing that enters it. All of the monsters that 'Gild' took out from there were actually embodiments, or mutated results of that excess dirty energy.

Supposedly, it was impossible for humans, or even low-level gods to survive after touching it. That was why, 'He' was astonished about how that girl named Tania could survive from there.

"Hehe, I'm curious, but I'm not interested in finding her myself. Noelle, you should do it for me later. Hehe."

Noir showed absolutely no interest in the monsters from the underworld. Even so, they would be an obstacle.

With a flick of his finger, a gigantic black sphere appeared in the sky, and dropped itself into the crowd of monsters.

A few seconds after the ball had fallen, all the monsters had vanished, along with the rocks and dry sand on which they had stood before.

"Hehe, has your contract partner ever felt death before? "

Noir turned his head, and looked at 'Gild' who was still dumbfounded by what 'She' had just done.

"You .. want to kill this guy? " ask the person who is controlling Gild's body.

"That's how."

An answer without a doubt appeared, and 'Gild' immediately frowned.

"What does that mean, you want to be my enemy? The enemy of all Voyagers? "

Hearing the question, Noir simply widened his smile while giggling small.

"Hehe, I don't know what Voyager you're talking about, but of course I don't want to be your enemy. How about we make a deal? "

'Gild', of course, knew that Noir was lying. 'Gild' had begun to realize that the young man named Noelle had been involved with Voyager several times before.

That's why, as his contract partner, Noir couldn't possibly not have known of Voyager's whereabouts.

'He' blatantly submitted a deal, which means 'He' is eyeing something.

In that case, 'Gild' had no other choice but to accept it.

Even if the real Gild is killed, 'She' will still be alive, and return to the Voyager shade, waiting until the next contract partner is awarded. It was a cycle that had 'He' repeated several times.

"alright. Tell me what you want."

Noir narrowed his eyes, and an expression of pleasure was increasingly apparent on his face.

"Hehe, then I won't mince words. I want you, the Voyagers not to harass this boy for the next three years. Your decision will be considered as their decision. How about that? "

'This boy' of course refers to Noelle. After all, 'Gild' still did not understand the intent and purpose of Noir.

Giving time to someone is a possible thing to do, as long as they can avoid losses. If 'She' reported all these events to Voyager, then there was no way the party would remain silent. At the very least, they would chase after Noelle, and demand 'loss' on her for the loss of valuable personnel.

However, contrary to what 'He' thought, the haughty figure named Noir was only asking for three years.

'Gild', of course, was aware that there was more meaning behind the request. Only, he couldn't guess.

The mindset of the entity before him was completely random, and hard to guess even for a figure who had been 'swallowing wisdom' for a long time.

"just that? " ask to be sure.

The response Noir gave, was a vile smile, different from the smile he was used to. At the same time, the sound it produced also turned into a cold, heavy, and very gripping sound.

"Yes, of course. That's enough time. Actually, it's still too long, but I don't want to bother about it too much."

It was hard to read what was behind his words. That was why, 'Gild' did not ask any other questions, and only accepted Noir's offer with a short nod.

Right after, Gild's body fell back to the ground as if a resource had completely been cut off from him.

But seconds later, he got back up. Merely, the one who got up this time was really a Gild.

Gild slowly got up, and watched her surroundings. He still doesn't understand what's going on. His memory has been severed.

Even so, when he saw the figure of Noir wearing the body of a young man named Noah, he inevitably trembled.

"Keh–hehe .. Enjoy your time, in this round of eternity … "

The smile on his face widened, as 'He' fused his hands together, and formed a black sphere in the air.

The black sphere looked extremely dense, yet it floated lightly like a feather.

It's not fast enough, but it's also not slow enough. To be sure, it has set its target.

Gild looked at the ball slowly in his drive, and he immediately crawled backwards.

"No, get rid of it! "

Even though he did not know what was happening, his instincts told him that it was something dangerous.

He tried to call his contract partner, but no one replied. That's of course. After all, his contract had been severed, and he was left alone to face Noir.

"Ughh–"

Gild tried to escape, but she hit a rock mountain behind her, so she came to a halt.

Various attempts he made to stop the movement of the black ball, but nothing worked.

Every magic he launched easily vanished into a grain of sand which then fused with the surrounding desert.

At that moment, he finally realized.

There is no way to escape.

Gild could only give in, and let the black sphere touch him.

A moment later, the black sphere enlarged, and submerged Gild's entire body into it.

"Hehe, it was a round of death that had no end. I wonder when you'll survive."

Noir simply watched as the black sphere slowly disappeared, then glanced in another direction.

"Ohh? Are you trying to reincarnate? "

His gaze focused on Silis, who was still in a half-living and half-dead state.

《Eclipse》, which is manifested with a dark sky then emits a plume of black smoke from one of the gears above, and it completely envelops the body of Silis.

His vile laughter was the last thing the girl named Silis heard.

The girl's reincarnation had really been messed up by Noir.

...****************...

Dwayne, who was suddenly dragged into this unknown place suddenly felt goosebumps.

The figure was so intimidating, and he inevitably knelt down upon seeing it.

Not only him, but everyone who was still maintaining his consciousness practically dropped their bodies as if adoring that figure.

(What the fuck?! )

Even if he was confused, he still did not know the answer.

At least, he's safe for now. The figure was completely focused on Gild, the reinforcements sent by the Hermit Cult.

Dwayne was looking for a way to escape, but there was no one effective solution. In that case, he only needed to wait, while keeping his presence from being noticed.

Of course, it was a futile thing.

The figure, with an arrogant look, and a terrible smile on his face, turned his head, and looked directly at Dwayne.

A terrifying intimidation instantly befell Dwayne, and he nearly lost consciousness.

It seems that not only Gild, but Silis had also been killed. At least that's good news for Dwayne. However, the situation started to turn to him.

With a wide smile on his face, the figure continued to observe, until it finally chuckled lightly.

"Keh–hehe .. So, huh? Should it feel familiar? You're .. Minster's descendant, aren't you? "

Dwayne's eyes widened. He did not expect that his surname would simply appear from the mouth of the figure.

He raised his head reflexively, and realized that the pressure directed at him had been drastically reduced.

Taking that as a blessing, Dwayne then nodded.

He had no choice but to answer honestly. One mistake, and all will be fatal.

"Really! Are you ... Do you know my ancestors?! "

His manner of speaking suddenly became polite, so he himself was surprised by it.

"Hehe, yes, I know them. Minster, and all the other big families, I know enough about you. Hehe, so, huh? So you guys managed to hold on, huh? Then, I'll give you a special treat this time."

"special treatment? "

The figure nodded happily.

"Yes. Think of this as my thanks to your ancestors. I'm not going to kill you this time, and I'm going to let you continue with that undercover activity. Of course, if you get in my way .. Then I have no choice but to destroy your fancy family line."

"T-thank you! But ... Why ... You let me live? "

It was an unexpected question that he himself was confused as to why he was asking her.

"Hehe, of course, because I want you to destroy them."

Dwayne understood. 'They' meant that figure was the Swallow Life Order organization. However, Dwayne did not understand why the figure wanted their destruction.

Not that he could ask.

In the end, all Dwayne could do was prostrate, and continue to thank the figure.

(Heaven really is on our side.)

He could barely hold back his smile at the thought of that.

...****************...

"Hehe, well, I think my job is done."

Noir smiled as he giggled small. He then glanced at everyone, who had various reactions on their faces.

"The rest is your business."

Noir said briefly, then returned control of the body to Noelle.

Previously, she had taken over body control from Noelle by force using 'Domination'.

Normally, it was not possible for him to do so due to his blocking seal. However, Noelle's consciousness back then was completely at the tip of the horn, and caused Noir to be able to easily pierce through his resistance.

After removing the body control, the scene around returned to normal.

The sky covered with countless gears had disappeared, and was replaced with a normal night sky. The barren desert had also turned into a scene of the usual reconstruction area.

『Hehehe, I think it's quite fun. Thank you for lending Padang Akasha to me.』

Noelle who was still losing her consciousness, could not possibly hear that.

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