Chapter 459: Kiss
Finch shook his head at the Emovira’s statent. He wasn’t interested in bonding further or anything of the sort. Even if his soul were strong enough to allow him to bond with more Emovirae, all it would truly an was that his life and death would now depend on even more beings. After all, if even one of them were to die, he too would perish alongside them. Bonding with multiple Emovirae seed far more disadvantageous than beneficial.
’What are even the benefits of this, aside from having a Rank 5 bodyguard?’ Finch mused to himself. However, he did not dwell on the thought for long. In the end, he simply chose to leave everything to his Good Luck ability, the sa ability that had led him here in the first place.
"If that is all, then let us begin," the Emovira stated as it rose from its seat.
Unlike before, when it had simply appeared before Finch without any visible movent, this ti it walked. Its steps were gentle and calm as it descended the small flight of stairs leading down from the elevated platform. Before long, it stood directly in front of Finch, its presence overwhelming yet strangely composed.
"How do we do this?" Finch asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. He was already expecting a great deal of pain. After all, he had been told quite clearly that he and the Emovira before him would beco one.
"It’s nothing big or complex," the Emovira replied. "We just have to kiss." The words were spoken plainly, its face completely straight.
Finch did not hesitate for even a fraction of a second. His body blurred as he shot backward, instantly putting distance between himself and the Emovira. His expression twisted as disbelief and discomfort crossed his face.
’No wonder people don’t bond,’ Finch thought as he stared at the Emovira. ’Who would want to kiss an Emovira?’
"Isn’t it funny?" the Emovira said, staring at Finch with an amused smile. "You are willing to risk your life for this, yet you can’t even exchange a kiss for just a second."
Finch’s eyes narrowed sharply. "You were joking," he realized almost imdiately.
"Of course I was," the Emovira replied, the smile on its lips widening. "Who would want to kiss a fat boy like you?"
Finch sighed deeply at those words. He genuinely couldn’t understand the Emovira standing before him. When they had first t, it had behaved like an ancient and powerful being, dignified, composed, and inscrutable. Now, however, it was simply joking around, mocking him with casual insults as though it found amusent in his reactions.
’Aren’t positive Emovirae supposed to be gentle and docile?’ Finch thought with a ntal sigh. ’Or does that only apply to the weaker and less intelligent ones, those ranked four and below?’
"Let’s get serious," the Emovira said, shaking its head slightly. "There’s nothing special about the thod. We simply mix our blood together, then will our bonding. Simple and easy."
Finch nodded at the explanation. Indeed, there was nothing complex or elaborate about the process. With that, he stepped forward toward the Emovira, his movents calm and deliberate. "How do we mix our blood?" he asked, his tone steady.
"Just cut your palm," the Emovira replied, "then we shake hands and will the bonding."
It was clearly the most straightforward thod. Only an idiot would go looking for sothing like a bowl.
The Emovira raised its hand, and with a snap of its fingers, an Astra-forged do expanded outward from its body, encasing the entire chamber in an instant.
"Why are you putting up a barrier?" Finch asked, lifting his gaze toward the ceiling as he observed the faint shimr of Astra energy.
"Nothing special," the Emovira replied. "Just ensuring that no one senses us and cos here. I don’t have the energy to fight with this many injuries."
Finch nodded in understanding. A dagger materialized in his left hand. Without hesitation, he sliced open his palm, the sting sharp but brief. He extended his bleeding hand forward. The Emovira did not cut its own palm. Instead, it pressed its right hand against the wounds on its chest, staining it with blood before extending it toward Finch.
Their hands clasped, together, they willed the bonding.
At first, nothing happened. Silence filled the chamber, heavy and unsettling, as though sothing had gone wrong. Finch opened his mouth to speak, but before any words could escape, an enormous surge of Astra energy erupted between them from seemingly nowhere.
The next instant, a scream tore from Finch’s throat.
Pain, existential, overwhelming pain, flooded his entire being. He dropped to his knees imdiately, his right arm jerking backward instinctively. However, the Emovira did not let go. It held Finch’s hand firmly, keeping it locked in place with effortless strength.
Finch was not the only one suffering.
The Emovira itself trembled, its body visibly strained as the sa violent energy coursed through it. Yet it did not scream. Astra energy ravaged the chamber. The floor quaked and cracked with maddening intensity, spiderwebs of fractures spreading outward. Despite this, the walls and ceiling remained intact, the barrier held firm, exactly as the Emovira had intended.
Seconds passed.
Those seconds felt like eternity.
Finch felt as though his very soul was being torn apart and reforged. Every fragnt of his existence scread in protest as sothing fundantal changed within him. Then, suddenly, the Emovira’s body flashed a brilliant white. Its form began to shrink.
Second by second, it grew smaller, compressing inward until it beca nothing more than a glowing orb. In the next instant, the orb shot forward and plunged directly into Finch’s chest.
Their souls collided. They began to rge, intertwining as though they were truly becoming one.
Minutes passed.
The only sound left in the chamber was Finch’s continuous screams of agony. Yet he did not faint. No matter how unbearable the pain beca, his consciousness refused to fade, a fact that confused him even as he suffered.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the Astra energy vanished. The room stopped trembling. The oppressive presence dissipated as though it had never existed.
Finch’s eyes snapped open. He clutched his chest as he gasped for air, panting heavily. His heart thundered violently as his chest rose and fell at a frantic pace. Never in his life had he experienced such pain.
His clothes were soaked with sweat, as though he had been dragged from the depths of an ocean. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, lingering agony still echoing through his bones and soul.
’I thought I was going to die,’ Finch thought.
Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet. His gaze darted around the chamber, searching instinctively for the Emovira. But it was gone.
All that remained were the shattered floor and the cracked chair, his black eyes reflecting the aftermath of what had just occurred.
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