Chapter 34: That Is All There Is To It 6300
Standing at the altar, she said, "I also know that the power that awakened me was actually converted from my lifespan."
Hearing Lisa's words, the Flame Demon did not reply but remained silent. The Dragon Girl did not mind and continued, "Every night when I sleep, I can feel it—I feel something burning hot searing my heart, releasing the power within me... This feeling is uncomfortable, but also comfortable. When I wake up, I sometimes have nosebleeds, and I also lose hair."
"Mr. Syndicate."
Letting out a soft sigh, Lisa closed her eyes, her tone gradually weakening: "You and those creatures that killed Father—you're from the same world, aren't you?"
"My heart is connected to yours, and I can sense a slight similarity in your auras... They came chasing after you, and that's how they discovered the Dragon God, right?"
"..."
The Flame Demon remained silent.
"This isn't blame or complaint, since I don't even know if that's really the case... Besides, if it truly is so, then we can be considered to share a common enemy."
The girl raised her head and opened her eyes, revealing azure-blue electric light within her gaze. She looked toward the surging darkness within the crystal wall and said calmly, "And the source of all of this."
It actually has nothing to do with me at all.
The Flame Demon knew very well that none of this had anything to do with it. The roar of the Ancient Dragon echoed across the multiverse—what was it, that it could attract so many Legendary experts to descend? At most, it was fate that had caused it to land in this world... But how could it say that? It was the great demon Syndicate! How could it bother to defend itself over such meaningless things!
Even a demon has its pride.
"What exactly are you trying to say, Lisa?"
Syndicate spoke thus, its tone low: "Do you think you've already failed, so you've started reminiscing about the past? If that's the case, then I've misjudged you."
"Of course not."
The girl slowly but firmly shook her head and replied, "I was just remembering a question Father asked me when I was little."
Lisa squinted her eyes, as if recalling, and said softly, "He said, Lisa, since you want to go far away, then where exactly is your destination?"
"And to reach your destination, how much are you willing to pay?"
"Back then, I didn't understand the meaning of Father's words at all, so my answer was, I can give everything."
Saying this, due to excessive blood loss, the Dragon Girl's pale face suddenly flushed with a red hue. Lisa gritted her teeth and spoke with unprecedented determination, her voice loud and clear: "Mr. Syndicate! You can burn my lifespan and accelerate the awakening of my bloodline power, right!"
"It's because of your power that I went from being a failure who couldn't awaken to what I am now, reaching this point!"
The girl pressed her hand to her chest and shouted, in a tone that was both angry and resolute, speaking clearly to the great demon: "The ritual can't succeed because I'm too young and haven't awakened much of my bloodline... Mr. Syndicate! Don't worry about my lifespan anymore—burn it! Let me complete this ritual!"
"I am willing to give everything! Life, soul... take it all! I want to move forward, I want to keep going!"
Excessive blood loss, exhausted stamina—she could no longer feel the temperature in her arms, nor could she sense what Syndicate was doing in her hand. Lisa's delicate and pale face twisted into a fierce expression as she said, word by word: "I will never admit defeat! Mother left, Father left, and the Elder paved the way for me... Even if I die, I will not take a single step back!"
"I must complete this ritual!"
The great demon fell silent.
The Flame Demon within the girl's chest felt Lisa's heartbeat gradually weakening and had nothing to say.
It didn't want to explain that it actually had no control over Lisa's bloodline awakening.
It didn't want to explain that it hadn't been burning her lifespan to increase her power at all.
It was even more unwilling to admit that it was completely powerless in this situation.
Give up, Lisa. I'm just an ordinary demon. Signing a contract is one thing, but pulling out some hidden strength to turn the tide in this situation is completely beyond my ability. What's the point of making a wish to a demon like me?
It wanted to say this, but the great demon couldn't bring itself to speak. The Flame Demon was ashamed to say the word "can't" in front of a little girl it cared about—Syndicate absolutely refused to admit its helplessness in front of Lisa, in front of a girl who already had her resolve.
So, after a moment of silence, Syndicate spoke.
"I... agree to it."
Its tone was unprecedentedly calm. With these words spoken, the demon felt as if everything it had ever been was fading away. It felt its heart become unprecedentedly pure, with no superfluous thoughts... Yes, it was nothing more than going mad alongside a Dragon Girl. Since a little girl wasn't afraid, then as a Flame Demon, why should it care about its own life?
So, the demon said:
"The contract is established."
The moment those words were spoken, Lisa felt her soul being seized by a powerful force, pulled away from her weak, dying body. But at the same time, another soul—hot and vast, still beating—was drawing closer to her.
The establishment of a new contract meant the nullification of the old one. When both parties to a demon contract simultaneously violate its terms, nothing should normally happen—the girl's soul did not belong to the Flame Demon, and the Flame Demon's soul did not belong to the girl. But under Syndicate's power, an even more wondrous relationship was born. Both souls held ownership of each other's souls, and the hearts of both contract parties were linked together.
In the real world, on the Dragon Girl's chest, the Flame Demon's body, which had turned white, melted like liquid and merged into Lisa's body. The demon's powerful and pure life force surged wildly into the Dragon Girl's limbs and bones—because of the soul link, Lisa and Syndicate were now assimilated. And as their shared life burned, the bloodline power within the girl, which had already dried up, surged forth once more from nothing!
It could be seen that within the blue light sphere above the altar, the number representing the completion rate was continuously rising.