NOVEL WEB Chapter 34 – Ereshkigal!
Chapter 34 - Ereshkigal!
"'Ereshkigal' Orphelia Landlufen."
Upon hearing Sylvia mention this, Luke fell silent for a moment.
He understood better than anyone his current condition.
'Lindwurm' is scheduled for this winter, and it's just the beginning of summer now.
So, the most likely scenario is that one of them ends up dead, and the other injured.
Orphelia Landlufen, the 'Ereshkigal,' is now considered the strongest Strega in Asterisk City.
In a way, she is somewhat similar to Luke, although the reasons for their conditions are different. Both of them find themselves in a state of inadequate control over their abilities.
However, their situations, though similar, are entirely different.
Luke's current condition is due to mental factors, leading to a temporary decrease in control, making it somewhat challenging to achieve precise control over his abilities.
But in terms of usage, he can still manage it to a certain extent.
Orphelia, on the other hand, is entirely different. She has no way of controlling her abilities, and she doesn't even have any intention of trying to control them.
Orphelia's ability as a Strega is already reflected in her title, which is 'Poison/Miasma'.
Orphelia's ability is to manipulate miasma. She can condense poisonous smoke and miasma into entities, or she can make it colorless, odorless, and elusive.
Just like Julis can add various attributes and concepts to flames, Orphelia can also add various characteristics to miasma.
This ability to corrode and dissolve all things can be considered extremely evil.
But the reason why she is known as the 'Strongest Strega', even Sylvia cannot compare with her, is not because of this extremely evil ability.
Speaking of the ability of 'miasma' alone, there is no way to compare it with the 'omnipotence' of 'Sigrdrifa' Sylvia.
However, Orphelia has an unparalleled Prana reserve that can be called endless.
Contrary to her ability that could be considered extremely evil, Orphelia was once an extremely kind person, so kind that she couldn't bear to hurt even an insect.
Because of an 'inhumane' experiment, the girl who loved flowers, loved life, and was not even a Genestellar disappeared.
That experiment ultimately ended in failure, but what remained was a 'Lone Venom Witch' who is now feared by many.
Orphelia has never developed her own abilities. Typically, Stregas, even exceptional ones like Sylvia, need to develop their abilities to become stronger among Strega.
However, Orphelia has never done so. She has never had any intention of accepting this cruel power she possesses, from beginning to end.
If she were an adult, or even a teenager, she might have taken a different path.
However, at that time, Orphelia was only in the single digits in terms of age. How could you expect a child who loves life to accept a power that brings about the destruction of everything?
In her heart, she had always hoped, hoped that someone could defeat her, someone could bring an end to her. Despite her love for life, she continuously extinguished lives, and the cruel reality had long made her give up hope for life.
That's why she didn't want to become stronger, that's why she didn't develop her abilities.
Even so, even if she stood still without resistance, no one could kill her, and to this day, there is no one who can cause her even the slightest harm.
The reason lies in the seemingly endless supply of Prana reserve.
No one can, with such support of the boundless amount of Prana, break through her self-defense.
Over time, she gave up not only on life but also on death, simply drifting along with the flow, living like a walking dead.
She had considered suicide, but she dared not. Perhaps, deep within her heart, a tiny thread of hope and the instinctual fear of death that humans possess still lingered.
This is why it's said that she is similar to Luke but different.
Luke cannot control his own power, while Orphelia, on the other hand, chooses not to control her own ability.
However, Luke is quite confident in his own strength.
Even if there are some minor issues at the moment, if he were to engage in a fight with Orphelia, he is certain that the one who would end up dead is not him.
In his view, the likely outcome would be accidentally killing Orphelia, completing the main mission, and returning to the main god space to address his current issues.
Because killing is not allowed at Festa; if a situation of murder arises, Luke would immediately be stripped of his qualification to participate.
Although he had already entered the top four by that time, not being able to achieve the championship would lower the evaluation of the main mission. That is not what he hopes for.
It would be best if he could find a solution to his problems before 'Lindwurm,' even if it's just on the surface or temporary.
Upon reflecting on it, he suddenly realized that his abnormality has probably been discovered by others, at least by Zhao Hufeng and the others; they must have already noticed.
The reason he was sent out to relax, with even Wu Xiaohui intervening and Zhao Hufeng bringing out his cherished ticket to Sylvia's concert, is because they sensed that Luke was not okay. Perhaps they observed it in their daily lives or noticed it during some sparring sessions.
They may not know the specific reasons, but that doesn't stop them from caring about Luke. Cecily, Zhao Hufeng, Wu Xiaohui, and even Fan Xinglu are all expressing their concern in their own ways.
Realizing this fact makes Luke very happy; he discovers that people are silently caring for him, which is a particularly heartwarming thing.
However, in Fan Xinglu's case, there's probably a considerable element of amusement. After all, she is just that kind of person.
Moreover, Luke is certain that Fan Xinglu definitely has a method to solve his current problems. An immortal who has lived for thousands of years cannot possibly be unable to solve such a small problem. Yet, she remains silent on the matter.
Even if Luke were to make a serious mistake, killing someone at the Festa, given the influence of the 'Banyuu Tenra,' it wouldn't be too difficult for her to suppress the matter.
But in case Luke finds a solution himself and improves his strength, she would be delighted. Anyway, as long as it doesn't develop to harm Luke, she'll be happy to watch and cheer from the sidelines.
Luke, having understood these things, seems to have eased some of the tension on his brow. At least according to his inference, things shouldn't escalate to the extent that Sylvia is worried about.
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