The Abyssal Sermon... The first recipient was Ansel himself.
To reclaim his mother's life from that predetermined future, Ansel perford the sermon on himself at age ten, exchanging with the Abyss for terrifying power capable of instantly crushing five fifth-stage extraordinary beings... no, even fifty or five hundred with equal ease.
Anelisa, possessing a powerful soul, sacrificed her entire being to eliminate the negative effects of Ansel's sermon - the nearly irreversible Abyssal corruption.
Since then, Ansel rarely used the sermon on himself, unwilling to experience that... pitch-black despair again.
Without Nine, Ansel would have been forced to draw this reluctant trump card, allowing the Abyssal tendrils to further spread in his soul. This ti... no one would have been there to negate the corruption with their own soul.
In fact, within the Enigma, Nine had already shouldered all negative effects for Ansel, including Abyssal corruption, which explained her current slumber.
Nine could bear the power effortlessly, but wielding and bearing were different matters.
Maintaining vast amounts of Abyssal matter while precisely corrupting other extraordinary beings' souls... the Abyss was never generous, exacting a price even from its closest entities.
During this process, both Ansel and Nine endured Abyssal corruption. Though Nine could bear it for Ansel, her focus on serving rather than self-improvent left her ordinary and fragile. Shouldering even a negligible portion for Ansel resulted in severe corruption, manifesting externally.
Ansel gently placed his hand on her forehead. The girl, seemingly tornted by the Abyss even in sleep, gradually relaxed.
"... Were you prepared to be discarded this ti, with no regrets?"
Nine was the first being willing to abandon herself for Ansel that he didn't know how to face. Ansel rejected all such individuals, but Nine's assistance was imasurable.
This rit, along with Seraphina's influence, had actually led Ansel to consider making an exception and not discarding Nine. However, Nine's current condition...
"... Mr. Ansel?"
A weak voice sounded in the room. Nine, cared for by Ansel, slowly opened her eyes, her eerily black orbs gazing at the face so close to hers.
Ansel spoke softly, "Don't you need more rest?"
Nine gently shook her head, smiling tenderly, "It's enough."
… She appeared neither Abyssal corrupted to the point of confusion nor fanatically devoted to Ansel to the loss of self.
"Marlina..."
"I'm Nine now, Mr. Ansel," she reminded him.
Such clear self-awareness and steadfast loyalty would satisfy any superior, but Ansel felt no joy.
If she had more autonomy, more ambition, if even a fraction of what Nine pursued was unrelated to him, Ansel would have been genuinely pleased.
But why... was she already beyond salvation?
"Alright, Nine," Ansel said calmly after a brief silence, withdrawing his hand. "This ti, your help, your contribution, far exceeded your imagination."
"So, I will strive to fulfill all your needs. Feel free to make any requests."
"Is that so..."
Nine tilted her head slightly, blinking her eyes: Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire
"I want your ring."
"..."
Such a forthright request montarily stunned Ansel, but even after regaining his composure, he remained silent.
Nine possessed an extraordinarily unique power. Her sole existence as an extraordinary being was to serve as Ansel's instrunt. If utilized adeptly, she could prove remarkably effective in myriad situations.
Nevertheless, she lacked the qualifications to beco a pact head, for the sa reason as before - she was simply... too ordinary.
In her quest to beco Ansel's perfect tool, she had failed to acquire from the Abyss the power necessary to transcend her diocrity. Had Nine truly harbored such ambition and resolve, Ansel would indeed have considered her for the position of pact head.
Conversely, had Nine succeeded in this endeavor… she could not have made such a significant contribution to Ansel during the campaign against Evora.
This paradox was profoundly lantable, inducing a pensive silence.
The quietude persisted but a few seconds before Nine chuckled softly: "rely a jest. Please pay it no mind, Mr. Ansel."
"...Then, what is it you truly desire?"
Ansel felt an inexplicable irritation stirring within him.
Had Nine not been willing to sacrifice even her sense of self, he could have afforded her greater care and recognition. Had she displayed that repulsive obsession at this mont, he could have coldly distanced himself.
Yet why, when Nine's most fervent aspiration was to beco Ansel's instrunt, could she now exhibit such composure and equanimity?
"What I desire..."
Nine responded in a hushed tone, averting her gaze from Ansel to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window beside them, seemingly contemplating the distant vista.
"I suppose it's rely to live a little longer."
She uttered these words, suggestive of impending doom, in a voice suffused with gentleness and serenity.
— This was no re suggestion, but stark reality.
Ansel, observing her other cheek - smooth and fair as snow - sighed softly: "You've perceived it as well, then?"
"Indeed."
Nine clenched her delicate, enfeebled fist: "My soul is... in tatters. This fragile soul of mine cannot withstand the burden of your curse. I apologize, Mr. Ansel."
"You've already done good enough..."
"Not good enough."
Nine turned her head, eting Ansel's gaze. She who had never dared show the slightest disrespect to Ansel now boldly interrupted his words.
"If I cannot achieve what Miss Seraphina and Miss Ravenna have, then it's not enough."
Her resolve was admirable, yet in this world... who could truly asure up to future heroes?
In every aspect, Nine was destined to fall short of their standard. To pursue them as her goal would yield naught but.. despair.
Ansel felt he should have been moved by Nine's conviction, yet he experienced only a faint lancholy.
Nine held Ansel's gaze for barely two seconds before smiling again, abruptly changing the subject with a remarkably light tone: "How long do I have left, Mr. Ansel?"
"Given the current rate of corruption, you have perhaps... two to three years."
"Two to three years..."
Nine turned once more to the vista beyond the window, murmuring softly: "That's far too brief."
"If you were to beco a pact head," Ansel sighed, as if to compensate for his earlier silence on the matter, "your remaining ti would be less than a year, perhaps... not even half a year."
Nine smiled nonchalantly: "Hence my desire to live longer, Mr. Ansel. That is the reward I seek."
Not a kiss, nor an embrace - those absurd requests a person truly enamored with Ansel might make - but simply... a desire to live longer.
Ansel observed Nine as she gazed into the distance, unable to fathom her thoughts. After a mont's hesitation, he reached out, gently covering her hand with his own: "Very well, I promise you. Regarding the Abyss's corruption, the Holy Church—"
Ansel's words faltered as Nine withdrew her hand from beneath his.
This subtle gesture, so full of understanding and awareness of boundaries, filled Ansel with a profound sadness.
Marlina... must you truly consign yourself to the role of a re tool?
Was the ambition I once glimpsed in your eyes rely my own delusion?
Where has your forr yearning for advancent vanished?
"...The Holy Church possesses thods to address this," Ansel finished softly, rising to take his leave.
In truth, he had many questions he wished to ask - what Nine was truly thinking, what she sought to gain from him, why her personality had undergone such a drastic change... But now, it seed these inquiries had lost their relevance.
Nine had reached the end of her chosen path. Even if she aspired to beco a pact head, it was likely only in hopes of becoming a more effective instrunt, nothing more.
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