Journey to Become the Zenith

Chapter 226: The Death Goddess Beneath the Moon

The Death Goddess Beneath the Moon

It has been a few days since they started, but not once had Lane and Clara been able to hit Diana.

The moonlight filtered through the broken canopy above them, casting pale silver light over the ruined clearing. Cracked earth, shattered stones, and dozens of deep scars covered the battlefield from days of nonstop training.

Lane and Clara were completely exhausted.

Both women were covered in bruises from head to toe. Sweat soaked their clothes, their breathing uneven and ragged as they struggled just to remain standing. Clara’s blonde hair clung to her face while Lane leaned against her sword for support, her legs trembling faintly from fatigue.

Meanwhile—

Diana stood several meters away completely untouched.

Not a scratch marked her pale skin.

Her long black hair swayed gently behind her while the massive scythe rested effortlessly against her shoulder. Her crimson eyes remained calm beneath the moonlight, yet the pressure surrounding her was overwhelming.

The difference in skill was simply too large.

Her close combat abilities were monstrous.

Her control over mana bordered on perfection.

Every attack Lane and Clara launched during the past few days had been effortlessly dismantled before they could even touch her.

Diana slowly lowered her scythe.

"You two have improved a great deal."

Her voice remained calm as always.

"With your current abilities, I suppose you will no longer become too much of a hindrance to my master."

Clara twitched slightly after hearing that.

Lane sighed weakly.

Diana continued without noticing their expressions.

"If something like the incident with the necromancer elder happens again, the two of you should at least be able to escape."

Silence.

Both women stared at her.

Diana genuinely meant it as praise.

Unfortunately...

It sounded exactly like an insult.

Clara’s eyebrow twitched violently.

"...You really know how to ruin compliments."

Lane laughed weakly while lying flat on the ground.

"At least she acknowledged we improved."

Clara collapsed beside her moments later.

"I hate how she says it like we’re stray cats that finally learned how to survive."

Diana tilted her head slightly, genuinely confused.

"...Was that offensive?"

"Yes," both women answered instantly.

The scythe spirit blinked once before quietly looking away.

"I see."

Even after several days around humans, social interaction still remained difficult for her.

Still—

Though neither Lane nor Clara wanted to admit it...

They had indeed grown much stronger.

The nonstop beatings Diana gave them forced their instincts to sharpen rapidly.

Their movements had become cleaner.

Their reactions faster.

Their mana control steadier.

Unfortunately...

Diana herself was simply absurd.

The three women remained there quietly for a moment while the night wind brushed past the clearing.

Then—

"I guess that’s it for today’s training."

A voice suddenly echoed nearby.

Lane and Clara instantly stiffened.

Diana’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

A figure slowly walked out from the shadows of the forest.

Victor.

Or at least—

That was what it looked like.

"So how about you play with me instead."

The handsome black-haired young man stretched his shoulders casually as golden eyes observed the battlefield around him.

"I still need to figure out some things in using this body, so how about you help me out..."

He paused midway.

"...What was it again..."

Then his grin widened.

"Oh, right. Diana... how about you help me out?"

His tone sounded relaxed.

Casual.

Yet the moment he appeared—

Diana immediately sensed something strange.

This was Victor’s body.

Victor’s face.

Victor’s voice.

But...

Not Victor.

Something about him felt deeply familiar and completely foreign at the same time.

Even the way he stood had changed.

The current Victor carried himself with ancient confidence, like someone who had walked through countless battlefields and survived worlds collapsing around him.

Diana stared silently.

Meanwhile, Azriel observed the three women quietly.

His golden eyes first landed on Clara and Lane.

He watched their breathing.

Their sword grips.

Their instincts.

The way they subconsciously protected each other even while exhausted.

Then he slowly nodded.

"...Not bad."

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

As expected.

No matter the incarnation...

They were always surrounded by powerful women.

Azriel found the thought amusing.

Every era.

Every world.

Different faces.

Different names.

Yet somehow fate always repeated itself.

Strong women gravitated toward their soul like stars pulled by gravity.

Some became rivals.

Some companions.

Some lovers.

And some...

Waited lifetimes for their return.

Azriel’s smile faded slightly at that thought.

His gaze slowly shifted toward Diana.

The moment he truly looked at her—

His expression froze.

For the first time since taking over Victor’s body...

Azriel became silent.

Moonlight illuminated Diana’s black hair while the crimson glow in her eyes reflected softly against the blade of her scythe.

Different appearance.

Different aura.

Different era.

Yet...

He recognized her instantly.

"...You."

A deep nostalgia slammed into him without warning.

Fragments of ancient memories surfaced violently within his mind.

A trembling little girl standing beside him in a ruined alley.

A lonely scythe spirit silently following behind a weak vampire commoner no one respected.

A woman carrying burdens beside him when the entire world hunted him.

A goddess standing against armies while drenched in divine blood.

The Death Goddess.

The one who remained beside him until the very end.

Azriel suddenly remembered her final expression clearly.

That battlefield.

That endless crimson sky.

His broken body resting on her lap.

Her hands trembling while desperately trying to stop his wounds from bleeding.

And his final promise.

"I will return."

"...And when I do..."

"...I’ll marry you."

He remembered saying those words with his dying breath.

The memory hit harder than expected.

Even now...

After countless reincarnations...

He still remembered her tears.

Azriel quietly exhaled.

Despite Diana’s current appearance changing slightly...

She had not changed much at all.

Still carrying burdens alone.

Still silently protecting the one she loved.

Still standing beside him again.

Without realizing it, Azriel smiled softly.

A genuine smile.

Small.

Quiet.

Dangerously human.

Diana’s eyes widened slightly beneath her veil.

For a brief instant—

The expression Victor showed her felt painfully familiar.

Her heart skipped once.

"...Master?"

Azriel immediately regained composure.

The nostalgic warmth vanished behind his usual grin.

"If that’s what you wish, master, then I shall become your sparring partner."

Hearing Diana’s response made Azriel grin wider.

His iconic vicious smile finally returned.

Right now both of them possessed far weaker bodies than they once had.

Still—

Fighting someone on Diana’s level excited him immensely.

Azriel casually walked toward Clara.

The exhausted blonde woman instinctively tightened her grip on her sword.

"...What are you doing?"

"I’ll borrow this."

Before Clara could react, Azriel effortlessly removed the sword from her hand along with the spare blade attached to her waist.

Clara stared blankly.

"...You could at least ask properly."

"I did."

"You robbed me politely."

Azriel laughed.

"I’ll be borrowing these two for a while. I hope you don’t mind."

Clara wanted to argue more but lacked the energy.

Lane meanwhile simply watched curiously.

Azriel swung both swords a few times.

The blades whistled through the air.

Then he sighed dramatically.

"These things are terrible."

Clara instantly got irritated.

"That sword cost a fortune!"

"Exactly my point."

Azriel casually inspected the cheap mana flow inside the weapons.

Flashy exterior.

Fragile core.

Low-grade swords pretending to be high-quality.

Still...

It did not matter much to him.

A true swordsman could kill with a branch if necessary.

Azriel rolled his neck once before pointing both blades toward Diana.

"Okay then."

His grin widened.

"Let’s begin."

The instant those words fell—

Diana vanished.

BOOM!

The ground beneath her exploded apart as she moved.

Lane’s eyes widened.

Clara barely followed the movement.

Diana appeared behind Azriel instantly, her scythe slicing downward toward his neck with terrifying precision.

Yet—

Azriel casually tilted his head sideways.

The blade passed by with barely a paper-thin margin.

At the same moment, one of his swords thrust backward casually.

Diana’s eyes widened beneath her veil.

CLANG!

She forcefully twisted her scythe to redirect the attack.

The counter came before her strike had even finished.

It felt like he already knew what she would do beforehand.

Diana immediately retreated several meters.

Azriel remained standing exactly where he started.

Not a single unnecessary movement.

Lane swallowed hard.

"...What the hell was that?"

Clara frowned deeply.

"...Victor doesn’t fight like that."

Meanwhile Diana attacked again.

Faster.

Sharper.

Her scythe moved like a black storm under the moonlight.

Yet no matter what angle she attacked from—

Azriel evaded everything effortlessly.

Sometimes by centimeters.

Sometimes by mere instinctive shifts.

Sometimes without even looking.

And throughout the entire exchange—

He never moved from his original spot.

Not even one full step.

Diana’s attacks became increasingly faster.

The surrounding trees shattered from stray pressure waves.

The ground cracked repeatedly.

Still—

Nothing touched him.

Azriel’s smile slowly widened further.

"Yes..."

His golden eyes gleamed dangerously.

"Now this is fun."

Diana suddenly spun her scythe vertically.

"Death Arc: Crimson Burial."

A massive crescent of mana exploded forward.

Azriel casually sliced through it.

BOOM!

The mana shattered apart instantly.

Then—

He finally moved.

One step.

That single step made Diana’s instincts scream in danger.

Azriel appeared directly in front of her.

Too fast.

Far too fast.

Diana barely managed to raise her scythe in time.

CLANG!

The impact blasted her backward dozens of meters.

Her boots carved deep trenches into the ground before she stopped herself.

Azriel slowly lowered the swords.

"Now that the warm-up is over..."

The atmosphere changed instantly.

A heavy invisible pressure spread outward from his body.

"...how about we get serious."

The moment Diana felt it—

Her pupils contracted.

’This...’

Her heartbeat quickened slightly.

’This isn’t mana...’

The pressure felt different.

Sharper.

Heavier.

Alive.

’This is Zenith Aura!’

Shock surged through her instantly.

’When did master learn how to do this!?’

But then—

Diana suddenly remembered who Victor truly was.

Or rather...

Whose reincarnation he was.

A battle genius.

A monster who transcended logic.

Someone who could learn impossible things simply because battle interested him.

Of course someone like him could grasp Zenith Aura.

The realization strangely made her happy.

A soft smile formed beneath Diana’s veil.

Seeing her master become excited in battle...

Made her heart tremble with nostalgia once more.