Chapter 98: Return to the Land of Light

Watching Camilla sink deeper into a losing struggle, Yue Longze could feel his palms grow damp with sweat.
But he could only stand by helplessly now, unable to lend any real help.

“If this were Camilla’s turn, I’d probably have disgraced my old form of Diga all over again,” Yue thought.

“Erase everything!” the Rebrandoan snarled, while Camilla kept crying out in muffled pain.

“Rebrandoan! You bastard, stop it now!”
At the sight of Camilla’s agony, Yue Longze screamed from his core.

…

Outside, the young warrior Sas was likewise crushed by his inability to help. Just as he was drowning in remorse, he suddenly noticed that this senior’s body erupted in a fierce silver radiance, dazzlingly bright.

Sas covered his eyes with his arm, leaving only a narrow slit.

“Is... is the senior awakening?” he exclaimed, his spirits lifting a little.

…

In the consciousness space, Yue Longze, Camilla, and the Rebrandoan were all equally shocked.
A sword had appeared out of nowhere.

It was a long, sleek samurai sword, all silver light.

It floated there as if weightless, its brilliance flooding the dark, fathomless mental void. So holy. So blinding. And yet somehow, so plain.

Congyun’s Sword—Heavenly Congyun Sword!
A blade of mysterious origin, one that had drunk the blood of countless fiends and monsters.

The moment the Congyun Sword manifested, the Rebrandoan immediately slackened as if powerless. Even Camilla, who had been writhing in pain, found relief.

“Congyun… sword!”
Yue Longze stared dumbly at the sword drifting in midair, never imagining that in the end a cold weapon would so unexpectedly save both him and Camilla.

“What is this?”
The Rebrandoan’s eyes were full of terror. He had never expected a blazing sword like this to appear all at once.

From this austere ancient blade radiated a vast righteous light, perfectly countering the evil aura clinging to the Rebrandoan.

The creature felt himself suppressed, his consciousness being crushed.

That wondrous samurai sword had never shown its true power in Jintian Jilong’s hands in those old days; this was its moment to shine.
It could even subdue the most savage Rebrandoan in the universe!

“Hah—”
The Rebrandoan’s spirit body was trapped within the consciousness space, and above its head, where two silver-colored pincers jutted, floated a sword casting sacred light.
No matter how much it struggled, his body could not move an inch; he could not break free of the Congyun Sword’s hold.

And Yue Longze at once regained control of his own body.

…

Outside, Sas saw Yue Longze’s body rapidly returning to normal.

The strange, grotesque lava-colored markings were fading at a visible speed; his scarlet eyes returned to their original clear, milky white; the mutated giant claws quickly became normal silver hands again.

…

“Great... Senior!” Sas shouted in delight and hurried forward, grabbing Yue Longze’s shoulders and shaking him hard.

“Can’t you stop shaking me?” Yue Longze said helplessly.

Hearing Yue’s familiar voice, Sas only grew more excited, and shook him all the harder, leaving Yue speechless.

…

After being thrilled for so long, Sas finally calmed down.

“Senior, did you kill that Rebrandoan?” he asked carefully. The Rebrandoan was infamous, and though this senior was powerful, he didn’t seem the kind of opponent that could normally defeat one.

“But… how did you regain control of your body?” Sas wondered.

“Killed him? I should feel lucky that he didn’t kill me,” Yue said with a bitter smile. “That creature is still inside me.”

Sas recoiled at Yue’s words, then asked weakly, “Then... could he suddenly take control of you again?”

“Not for now,” Yue answered, reassuring him.

In truth, Yue did not know whether he would ever be taken over again. The Congyun Sword had not erased the Rebrandoan’s spirit; it had only restrained it.

But with that reply, Sas finally let his heart settle. He swayed on the ground, and would have fallen if Yue had not caught him in time.

Sas had expended a great deal of energy; he desperately needed a recharge.
Until now, excitement had kept him going. Now that he had calmed, even that last breath of strength could not hold.

Yue saw his condition and sighed. With Sas almost fainting, he slung him across his back.

“I hope this boy can hold on,” Yue whispered, praying silently.

…

As he flew at top speed toward the Land of Light, Yue reflected.

Was he becoming too dependent on Camilla’s power, too dependent on the strength of the Congyun Sword?
Only when he became strong by himself would he be truly strong.

Camilla had slipped back into slumber once more. This time, to help him, her cost had been high.

Though she had not succeeded in saving him, Yue remained deeply grateful.

In many crises, Camilla would spend what should have been time for her own bodily recovery to lend him her power, transforming him into that radiant golden state.

For that, Yue felt a twinge of guilt.

Of course, Camilla’s generosity was not pure selflessness. If Yue had died, she would have lost one of her quickest routes to restore her own body.

…

Thanks to Sas explaining the fastest route back to the Land of Light, Yue, driving himself at full power, finally reached its border.

Through the boundary he saw the Ultramen of the Land of Light, and with an involuntary sigh of relief, he felt the weight lift—he would no longer have to fear running into other monsters.

Yet it was quickly replaced by a wave of remorse and shame.

Those two Ultramen of the Cosmic Patrol had perished cruelly by his own hand earlier.
Though at that time the body had been controlled by the Rebrandoan, deep down Yue knew those sincere warriors had, in the end, been killed by his own limbs.

“Ah…” he exhaled heavily, then plunged into the Land of Light.

Sas’s energy was nearly gone, and he urgently needed replenishment from the Plasma Spark Tower.