Flaying and Sherine

"How else was I supposed to leave?" Galas shrugged.

"Didn't you see your young master depart in such a hurry? Something momentous must have occurred. Perhaps our battle should be postponed for another day!" A knowing smile played on Galas's lips, half-hidden by his silver mask, pregnant with subtle meaning. "Tell your young master, my fellow suffering brother Francis! His suffering companion, Galas, is preparing to assume a new identity, fleeing marriage while simultaneously seeking true love. If he wishes revenge... he'll have to find me first! Hahaha..."

Transforming into a streak of starlight, Galas's booming laughter echoed as he drifted away.

Deboning watched him leave, pondering briefly. He did not attempt to stop him. Though he yearned to intercept Galas and resume their fight, Galas's words rang true: now was indeed not the time for a desperate clash. The reactions of the Batuoke and Saint Dak families, having misunderstood Porter's role, remained uncertain. His paramount duty was to protect his young master!

He, too, melted into the encroaching darkness, stealthily trailing Du Chen.

Meanwhile, Porter, though pulled along by Du Chen at a frantic pace, bore an anxious expression yet displayed no panic. He concisely recounted the events: earlier, when Du Chen left for his appointment, he had entrusted Beibei to Auntie Sherine's care. Normally, this would be perfectly fine; the little one was adorable and endearing, and both Sherine and Porter, who was then in the library consulting her for scholarly advice, had been delighted by Beibei's arrival.

However, Sherine was painting in her studio at the time, so she had asked Porter to take Beibei and the others to peruse some children's books in the library.

Yet, mere moments later, an unusual sound emanated from the studio. Sherine coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted. Porter instantly panicked, rushing to contact the priests. But Porter knew full well that the most powerful priestess on Battle God Isle was Sherine herself. If she hadn't detected anything amiss with her own body, how much good could other priests truly do? That remained a colossal unknown!

Moreover, Porter himself had studied the art of healing priesthood under Sherine. He first transported Sherine to a special secret chamber within the library, using the chamber's unique aura to protect his teacher. He then turned to head for the priesthood institute, but just then, Beibei, worried about Sherine, cried out, "Daddy's sacred artifact is very good at saving people! Go find Daddy!"

Porter was momentarily stunned. Beibei was intelligent, but this was a matter of life and death; could he simply trust a child's words? In that fleeting moment of hesitation, Sherine stirred slightly, weakly muttering, "My... my nephew's sacred artifact nourishes all things. Perhaps it can..."

With that, Sherine lapsed back into unconsciousness, her eyes fluttering shut. With his teacher's instruction, Porter no longer hesitated. He hurried to the Star-Gazing Terrace, using an astronomical scope to scan the entire isle. He fortuitously witnessed Du Chen descending from the sky, cradling the Belkus. Thus, he reenacted the scene from Azurestone Isle... though Du Chen remained blissfully unaware that Porter's desperate efforts to save his teacher had led to a most delightful misunderstanding!

Upon reaching the library, Du Chen, guided by Porter, navigated a series of winding turns until they arrived at a secret chamber underground. Its walls were adorned with verdant crystal shards – a place saturated with plant-based life force, truly an unparalleled sanctuary for prolonging life and healing injuries!

Du Chen glanced at Sherine's condition, his brows furrowed deeply. To Harry and the others standing guard by Sherine, he commanded, "Wait outside. Do not let anyone disturb me! Porter, that applies to you too!"

Sherine lay still on the bed, her eyes tightly closed. Outwardly, there was no sign of injury, yet her face was ashen, her life seemingly hanging by a thread!

Sacred artifacts manifested, coalescing into the Lotus Azureveil Shield. Du Chen irradiated Sherine with Holy Light, his mind racing, wondering what calamity could have possibly befallen Sherine, a master of priestly arts, to land her in such peril!?

What astonished Du Chen further was yet to come. As the Holy Light from the Lotus Sacred Artifacts bathed Sherine's body – the very light that had saved countless lives in the past... seemed to have little effect. Sherine's complexion remained deathly pale, albeit with a faint, barely perceptible hint of color.

"Damn it, what's going on!? Why is the effect so poor!?" Du Chen intensified his efforts, unleashing his Lotus Internal Force and Primordial Spirit Power without reservation. Simultaneously, he was filled with profound doubt, asking through his Divine Sense, "Fifth Brother, can you discern anything?"

Old Five, perhaps sensing Du Chen's urgency and impatience, replied with an uncharacteristically gentle tone, devoid of his usual roguishness. "All I know is that your Holy Light exhibits its greatest power when purifying The Undead and breaking evil, and its efficacy in healing illnesses and injuries is also commendable... I suspect this is not an illness or an injury for Sherine. Rather, her natural lifespan has reached its end! Only under such circumstances would Holy Light prove ineffective – after all, it is not so potent as to defy the heavens and alter one's destiny!"

Auntie Sherine's life was drawing to a close? "How can this be? Auntie Sherine is barely fifty! For a Battle God, that's the prime of youth!" Du Chen gripped the shield in his hand.

A strange pang of sorrow gripped his heart. In this life, Francis's father was a scoundrel, and Phil remained an unknown face. The only elders who had truly cared for him were Sherine and Old Foye!

Elderly Old Foye still enjoyed robust health, yet Sherine, in her prime, was... not long for this world!

Just then, Sherine stirred, her eyes fluttering open. Whether it was the subtle effect of the Holy Light or simply her time to awaken was unclear. Seeing Du Chen by her side, she forced a weak smile. "Did you save me? Heh, it's a good thing you told Auntie your sacred artifact was special. That's why I thought to call for you, otherwise today..."

"Auntie, please rest for now! We can discuss everything once you've recovered!" Though Du Chen's mind was teeming with questions, he felt it inappropriate to press Sherine at this moment. He gently covered her with a blanket and turned to leave.

Sherine nodded weakly, then closed her eyes to sleep, offering her silent assent.

Yet, not long after Du Chen departed, Sherine's tightly shut eyes reopened. The light of life in them was dim, imbued with a sense of helplessness and resignation. She slowly uttered, "I'm sorry..."

No one was in the room.

But a voice replied, "The one who should be apologizing is me!"

"I don't blame you. It was my foolish attempt to help Francis, to forcefully predict the path to the Celestial Capital, and as a result... Alas, the very name 'Celestial Capital' seems to exceed the limits of my ability. Even after deploying the Secret Technique 'Ghost Map,' there was still no result!"

"Celestial Capital, what kind of place is this!? Why did Phil leave behind such a mysterious and powerful clue!?" The speaker was Flaying! The 'important matter' he had mentioned earlier was rushing back to check on Sherine, who had coughed blood, fainted, and was now clinging to life!

In fact, Flaying had been frequenting the library lately!

"How are you? Forcibly using the Ghost Map to predict such mysterious power must have taken a heavy toll on you, no?"

Sherine smiled faintly. "Only a few years of my life. I was a doomed woman anyway! But it's a pity, the Celestial Capital seems to hide too many mysterious powers. My Ghost Map failed; I fear even the Divination God, whose predictive arts are unparalleled, would be unable to divine its path! Alas..."

Her faint smile morphed into a bitter one. "Glynn, relying on prediction to find the Celestial Capital's path won't work. You... you'll have to find another way!"

Glynn: The alias Flaying had used when he disguised himself to enter Battle God Academy! Sherine addressing him as such was not incorrect, yet Flaying suddenly roared, "Don't call me Glynn!" Realizing his aggressive tone, Flaying softened his voice, sighing. "I told you, Glynn is dead. Now, there is only Flaying!"

He exhaled a long, heavy breath, the sound rasping sharply in the silent secret chamber. "I'm sorry..."

Sherine gave a forlorn smile. "I also told you, there's no need for apologies. Everything was my own choice, only... I want to ask, why are you so determined to find Phil, even at the cost of sending Francis down this perilous path, putting himself in harm's way?"

Flaying's voice vanished for a long time. When Sherine coughed again, he whispered, "Some things, if you don't seek them, they will seek you out! How wonderful it would be if Francis were still an idiot, but alas... he possesses the Heaven-Bestowed Hydro-Body, the foremost talent of the Post-Starry Sky era!"

"I don't understand..."

"If you don't understand, then don't. In any case, Francis enjoys doing good deeds, and finding Phil is a monumental act of kindness. Let him continue doing so!"

The temperature in the secret chamber seemed to rise slightly.

Sherine knew what this meant and urgently pleaded, "You're leaving? You can't stay..."

Flaying offered no response.

Sherine's expression dimmed, yet she smiled stubbornly, murmuring to herself, "You're leaving again, just like back then, without a word... you just leave." Then, she smiled with profound relief. "But you're much smarter than you were back then, to actually use Porter to impersonate Francis's lover..."

Sherine's emotions shifted rapidly, reflecting the turmoil in her mind. It was as if she were speaking to the distant Flaying, "Don't you think Francis and Porter are just like us back then? Equally naive, but with the passage of time, once everything becomes clear, one is hopelessly trapped, unable to escape... Alas, I hope Francis doesn't carry as many burdens as you do. I hope... their ending will be better than ours, at least, that they won't just walk away without a single explanation..."

Flaying could no longer hear these words, and indeed, it seemed he dared not.