In other words—could someone please come and explain to him what the hell was going on?
Wasn't Dimaria Yesta known as the "Valkyrie who gallops across the battlefield"?
Then what was this supposed to be?
Why had her personality become so lethargic, so dull, as if all vitality had been drained out of her?
And more importantly—if he hadn't intervened, what exactly had happened to her body and soul to cause such a drastic change?
Well… none of that truly mattered to him.
Rain didn't really care what she had become.
What mattered was this—
Right now, he only wanted to complete the reception of the god's remnant soul, obtain the power to survive, and leave this place alive.
Originally, the plan had been simple.
The two of them would cooperate, share the burden, and gain immense power together.
A perfect outcome.
A win-win situation.
This whole matter, to begin with, had nothing to do with him.
He had stepped in only because he saw that Dimaria was on the brink of collapse. He wanted to help her—save her—and, incidentally, allow her to obtain great power as well.
Yet the moment he rushed in with clear intent—
She chose to completely give up?
Wasn't that going a little too far?
Looking at Dimaria's decayed, hollow state, Rain immediately understood one thing:
The next step could only rely on him.
Relying on her in her current condition was impossible.
"With my current strength, I can't complete the reception of the god's remnant soul alone…
Then the only way to survive is to wake her up—and have her fight alongside me."
The idea itself was sound.
But staring at Dimaria's ruined condition, even Rain didn't know where to begin.
"Then I'll start by looking directly at her soul…
I'll find out what happened to her, what broke her, and what turned her into this."
Rain's gaze sharpened instantly.
"Dimaria," he said calmly, his voice low, "since you've already beaten yourself into this state… don't blame me for what I'm about to do."
"???"
Dimaria lifted her head, staring at Rain with confusion. She had no idea what he was planning.
Then—
In the very next moment, a fragment of Rain's soul moved.
It reached out, embraced Dimaria's soul—
And merged with it.
Soul Fusion.
From that instant onward, Rain would know everything about Dimaria.
And Dimaria would know everything about Rain.
There would be no lies. No concealment. No secrets.
At least—not entirely.
Under the protection of the Gate of Time and Space, certain depths of Rain's soul remained untouched, beyond Dimaria's reach.
"So… that's how it was."
In less than a single second, after witnessing Dimaria's entire life, Rain finally understood everything.
Her tragedy began early.
She had watched the people she loved die right in front of her eyes.
And from that moment on—
She lost all direction.
She lost all purpose.
For the rest of her life, she merely drifted forward, empty and numb.
Until, eventually, she stopped caring altogether.
She wasn't afraid of death.
To her, death wasn't an end—
It was a release.
"Because you have no goal… you don't care whether you live or die?"
Rain's eyes darkened.
"If that's the case—then I'll give you one."
At the same time Rain learned everything about Dimaria—
Dimaria learned everything about Rain.
From this moment onward, no one in this world understood Rain better than Dimaria Yesta.
Not even Mirajane could compare.
Mirajane had grown up beside him.
But Dimaria had seen his soul.
The communion of souls was a terrifying thing.
Two strangers—two people who had never truly known each other—
Were fundamentally changed by this fusion.
Dimaria looked into Rain's eyes.
Without realizing it, her gaze softened.
"Rain…"
Rain stepped forward, his expression firm, resolute.
"From now on," he said quietly, "the person who understands you best in this world is me.
And the person who understands me best… is you."
"You don't have dreams. You don't have goals. That's fine."
"Because from now on—"
"You only need to look at me."
"I am your goal."
"And I am the reason you live."
Rain's eyes were unwavering.
His voice carried no hesitation—only sincerity.
"..."
Dimaria's eyes widened.
"You… are the reason I live?"
"All I need to do… is look at you?"
No one had ever said such words to her before.
Yet strangely—
She didn't feel repulsed.
She didn't feel uncomfortable.
Instead, the hollow void in her heart—
The emptiness she had carried for so long—
Was finally filled.
"…Mm."
Dimaria nodded hard.
A smile bloomed on her face as tears spilled down her cheeks.
Could a soul cry?
Who knew?
Who cared?
All Dimaria knew was this—
She was happy.
Truly happy.
"Come," Rain said, extending his hand. "Let's get out of here. Together."
"Mm."
Dimaria took his hand—and without hesitation, threw herself into his arms.
Buzz—!
The instant they embraced, overwhelming magic erupted from their bodies.
This wasn't ordinary power.
This was the power of hearts resonating as one.
This was the power of connection.
This was—
The power of love.
Under such power, even a complete god would be forced to retreat.
Let alone a mere remnant god soul.
...
Outside, Brandish watched the situation nervously.
For some reason, her chest suddenly felt… empty.
As if she had lost something important.
"Huh? That's weird," she muttered. "What could I possibly have lost?"
Shaking her head, she dismissed the strange feeling.
Soon, her attention returned to Dimaria—
And, incidentally, to Rain.
Of course, Rain was only a side concern.
She'd never admit she was worried about that bastard.
Never.
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