Chapter 778: The world of Irth (part-44)
A flash of surprise flickered in her eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. She looked at him, her golden crown gleaming as if mocking his words. "Save me?" she repeated, her tone colder now, almost as if she were speaking to a stranger. "From what? From myself? You don't understand, Azzy. This is my destiny. I don't have a choice anymore."
Azzy took another step forward, his voice more desperate now. "You do have a choice. You always did. This isn't your destiny, Claire. You were never meant to become this... thing. You were always meant to be yourself, the Claire I loved." His voice faltered, the weight of the words pressing on him. "You're not just some tool for the Angels. You're not just a pawn to be used."
For the first time, a flicker of something—something human—appeared in her eyes. But it was brief, fleeting. Claire blinked, her gaze softening for just a moment, before she turned away, her eyes closing again as the pillars continued to merge with her.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Azzy. I am the Supreme Angel. I am the one who will bring balance to the world," she said softly, her voice distant, as if the woman he had once known was slipping further away with every passing second.
Azzy's chest tightened as he watched her, the weight of the moment crashing down on him. He stepped closer, reaching out as if he could somehow break through the barrier that had formed between them. "You're not the Supreme Angel, Claire. You're Claire. The woman I loved in both my past and present life. You don't have to do this."
Her eyes flickered open again, and she looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Love? Is that what you still think of me? If I remember correctly, you are married, Azzy."
Azzy's heart clenched. He nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. "Yes. I moved on and married someone else. Perhaps, it is true that I might not have the same love I had for you, years ago. But a part of me can never move on, can never stop caring about you. And what you're becoming… it's cruel. Please, Claire, let me help you."
For a long moment, she said nothing, and the sound of the merging pillars grew louder, each one slipping into her body with a soft, resonating hum. Azzy could feel the time slipping away, and with it, the chance to save her. His wings fluttered slightly behind him as he took a deep breath, steadying himself.
"I can't stop this," she finally said, her voice barely audible. "I have no choice. This is the way it has to be."
Azzy's gaze softened as he stepped closer, his voice thick with emotion. "It doesn't have to be, Claire. Please, I'm begging you. Come back to me. Don't let them control you. Don't let this be your fate."
She didn't respond, her gaze turning back to the pillars, her body starting to glow brighter as more energy flowed into her.
"I don't wish to be saved," Claire said, her voice turned more and more detached. She barely glanced at him, her eyes locked on the pillars, the ethereal glow in them intensifying with each passing moment. "Leave now, Azzy. If you don't, you'll alert the Guardians."
Azzy's chest tightened as his heart ached with every passing second.
His voice broke through the silence, pleading and desperate. "How can I leave? Knowing that you'll cease to exist? Claire, once you do this, there will be nothing left of you. Not even your memories. Do you understand? This—this isn't living. This is suicide. You'll disappear, Claire. Forever."
Her gaze finally shifted towards him, but it was cold, distant, almost resigned. "I told you before. It's my path," she said, her voice steady but empty. "My sacrifice will bring the Supreme Angel to life. That's my purpose."
Azzy's anger flared, mixed with deep sorrow. "No! This isn't a sacrifice, it's a death sentence. The Supreme Angel's birth will bring chaos to the universe, a war that will ravage everything. It's not a salvation, Claire! It's destruction. It's madness."
Claire's frown deepened at his words, but there was no trace of regret or fear in her expression. "You don't understand a thing mortal," she said, her voice clipped, her eyes turning cold again. She even stopped addressing his name. "Whatever happens, this is an angelic matter. It has nothing to do with you. You have no connection to this event. You should leave, mortal. Go back to your life. Live it as you always have."
Azzy's heart sank at her words.
After six months of time, The Reaper's voice once again rang out in his mind, but it didn't carry any suggestions. It contained the command. "Kill her now, Azrael. She no longer cares for you, and she no longer cares for this world. She is beyond redemption. End it. End her life before it is too late. At the very least, she will have the prospects of reincarnation."
Azzy's body went stiff, a cold chill creeping up his spine. The Reaper's words echoed in his ears, pushing him to act. His hand instinctively moved to the hilt of the sword of radiance that was hovering around him, his fingers trembling as he wrapped them around it.
For a moment, the thought of ending it all—the pain, the destruction, her transformation—felt so clear, so simple. But his heart rejected it. The part of him that still loved Claire, that still believed in her humanity, fought against the words of the Reaper.
Azzy took a step forward, his wings flaring slightly, and his voice trembled with emotion. "You're wrong, Claire. You have a choice, Claire. You always have had one. I won't let you go through with this. I'll fight for you. I'll fight until you remember who you are."
Claire's gaze hardened, and for a moment, Azzy thought he saw a flicker of the woman he once knew. But it was fleeting, replaced by a coldness that was far more profound than he could understand. "You can't fight me, mortal. You can't fight fate," she said, her voice growing distant, her eyes closing again as the golden light enveloped her once more.