Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 72: Turning This Imperfect Story into the One I Desire

Xia Ya and Sylvia’s figures vanished into the underground of the Grand Ducal Estate.

Everything around them twisted and spun in a dizzying transformation.

When the scenery settled once more, the dark and cold underground hall was gone.

In its place was an ordinary residential house in the outer district of the royal capital.

Because it was located on the outskirts of the residential area, this house had not been trampled by the previous tide of disaster beasts and remained intact.

Dim candlelight flickered in the room, the only source of illumination.

At this moment, Sylvia, cradled in Xia Ya’s arms, had already closed her eyes.

Experiencing multiple consecutive Blinks… that kind of sensation was anything but pleasant.

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Each Blink was essentially a dive into turbulent space distortion. If executed in rapid succession, the dizziness it caused would be more than ten times stronger than the high-altitude maneuvers of a fighter jet.

For someone like Xia Ya, who already possessed Third-Ring strength and had the Soul Pact with Shiny enhancing his spatial affinity, the aftereffects of multiple Blinks were naturally negligible.

But Sylvia was not a Beastmaster. Her physical endurance was no different from that of an ordinary person.

She had just suffered a massive drain on her life force, leaving her body severely weakened, teetering on the edge of collapse, relying solely on sheer willpower to keep going.

Now, subjected to the turbulence of space once more, and finding herself in the arms of someone she trusted again—

That indescribable sense of security and fulfillment filled Sylvia’s heart and soul, erasing the last thread of her lingering consciousness, plunging her into another fainting spell.

Even so, Sylvia’s hands remained tightly clasped around Xia Ya’s neck, unwilling to let go even in her sleep, as if refusing to release this one and only source of reliance.

Her fair and delicate face was completely drained of color, smudged with traces of dust, yet her lips carried a peaceful, contented smile.

The moment Xia Ya picked her up, the feeling called happiness once again filled the emptiness in Sylvia’s heart.

She felt like she had become the most cherished little treasure in the world once more.

Even if she were to die quietly in Xia Ya’s arms at this very moment, Sylvia would have no regrets—she was already fulfilled.

"But I went through all this trouble to save you, even taking a peak Fifth-Ring powerhouse and a slumbering Ancient God as hypothetical enemies—"

"It wasn’t so you could just die in my arms with a smile on your face."

Xia Ya looked down at Sylvia, who was smiling sweetly in his embrace, and shook his head slightly.

He crouched down and gently loosened Sylvia’s arms from around his neck.

Then, with the utmost care, he placed her soft body onto the pristine bed inside the room.

Sylvia’s condition was dire.

Although outwardly, the wound from before had been deliberately avoided from hitting any vital areas and had already been healed by the restorative potion,

On a deeper level, Sylvia was like a deflated rag doll.

The Bronze Cross seal had been shattered. The Twilight Divinity that once filled it had been plundered and devoured by the sealing formation below during the failed ascension ritual.

Even though the ritual was interrupted at the last moment, the damage to her soul’s essence was already done.

That wound was like a bottomless black hole, continuously draining the last remnants of Sylvia’s life force.

Her life was now as fragile as a flickering candle in the wind.

Once that final trace of vitality was completely extinguished, so too would the thread of Sylvia’s fate reach its end.

Such was the destiny of the Key.

Once the door sealing the Ancient God's Half-Body was opened, the key that had lost its purpose would inevitably be broken.

Light flickered.

Xia Ya retrieved item after item from his Spatial Pocket.

Bottles of healing potions, scrolls infused with restorative magic—

Without hesitation, he shattered every potion bottle and tore apart every healing scroll.

Golden and emerald radiance filled the air.

In an instant, the entire house was saturated with an unimaginably rich life force, so much so that even the weeds outside began growing wildly under its influence.

Sylvia’s complexion grew slightly rosier within this flourishing vitality—

But soon, the color faded again.

Her life force was still waning.

Not rapidly, but at an irreversible pace.

High-grade healing potions and spells could mend physical wounds.

But when faced with a soul’s essence deficiency, they could do nothing but delay the inevitable—never truly cure it.

"If this were one of the dating sim games I played in my past life… then right about now, the heroine would miraculously open her eyes one last time."

"Then, after saying her final farewell, she would peacefully pass away in her lover’s arms with a smile."

"And finally, someone would drop a line about how ‘life is full of separations and reunions, the moon waxes and wanes, and that imperfection is what makes life beautiful.’ Cue the ending, and an avalanche of razor blades from the players."

Xia Ya chuckled at his own self-mockery.

In truth, he could just walk away right now.

The mission to stab Sylvia in the back was already complete. The mission rewards notification had even popped up in Xia Ya’s mind—he just hadn’t gotten around to checking it.

From the start, Xia Ya’s purpose in entering this Historical Echo had been solely to complete the Beginner Quest.

Now that the objective was achieved, there was little remaining value in this Historical Echo. From a rational standpoint, it wasn’t worth any further risk.

Besides, to people in the real world, a Historical Echo was nothing more than a game.

Back in Xia Ya’s past life, getting emotionally invested in a game’s story was a surefire way to earn labels like "delusional" or "obsessed."

He could very well choose to exit the game right now.

Or, he could stay and accompany Sylvia through the final moments of her life, watch the game’s Normal END, and witness the tragic ending’s CG before leaving.

Once he left this Historical Echo, he wouldn’t need to care about Cangting Principality’s impending doom.

After all, in the real world’s timeline, this country had long since perished, leaving behind only a few lines in history books.

"But I’m just that greedy. I despise tragic endings."

Xia Ya whispered softly.

They say "all the splendor experienced in life must ultimately be repaid with loneliness."

But he refused to be the kind of male lead from a romance novel who could do nothing but weep as he watched the girl he loved die, powerless, spending the rest of his life in regret—paying for fleeting happiness with eternal solitude.

Even if he were to later bathe in Dragon King’s blood and ascend to the throne, what would it matter if the person he cared about was already dead?

Even if this was just a Historical Echo, just a game—

Since he had put in so much effort, there was only one goal left for Xia Ya to pursue.

He bent down, gently stroking Sylvia’s pale cheek, wiping away the dust and ashes on her face.

The next moment, Xia Ya’s figure dissolved—

Vanishing from the house.

Only his unfinished words lingered in the air.

"Then."

"Let’s turn this imperfect story—"

"Into the one we desire."