Journey to Become the Zenith

The Oath Beneath the Eternal Moon

She paused before continuing.

”And unlike me...”

”Your mana naturally regenerates.”

”So whatever you provide won’t be lost forever.”

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in her next words.

”As long as you continue supplying me with mana...”

”I will never betray you.”

”That is the covenant every Ethereal lives by.”

Her voice became calm.

”So...”

”What will you choose, child?”

”Will you form a contract with me...”

”Or will you continue struggling alone...”

”...only to die in the end?”

”The choice is yours.”

Silence returned.

Inside the collapsing magical barrier...

Eddy slowly lowered his gaze.

His thoughts raced.

Seven minutes before the firewall disappears...

What should I do?

He tightened his grip on the longsword.

Should I trust someone I’ve never met?

I don’t even know whether Ethereals truly exist.

What if everything she’s told me is a lie?

The ruined battlefield seemed to grow quieter with every passing second.

His heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears.

But...

If I reject her...

Can I survive this alone?

He already knew the answer.

No.

His body had reached its limit.

His mana was nearly exhausted.

Against whatever monster awaited outside the barrier...

He stood no chance.

Five minutes remain...

The invisible firewall continued weakening.

Tiny cracks of light spread across its surface.

Time was running out.

Eddy slowly closed his eyes.

No...

There’s no point hesitating anymore.

A faint smile appeared on his young face.

When I was reborn...

I swore to myself...

That I would never live with regrets again.

His golden eyes opened with renewed determination.

Decision made.

He looked toward the empty forest.

”Fine.”

His voice was steady.

”What is your name...”

”...Ethereal?”

For the first time since their conversation began...

The mysterious woman answered without teasing him.

”My name is Tsukiyomi.”

Her elegant voice echoed through the ruins.

”Among the Ethereals...”

”I am known as...”

”...the Eternal Moon.”

Victor, witnessing the memory, quietly memorized the name.

Tsukiyomi.

The woman who would eventually become one of Eddy’s most treasured companions.

Eddy gave a small nod.

”Then, Tsukiyomi...”

”How do I make a contract with you?”

The instant those words left his mouth...

The atmosphere changed.

An icy chill swept across the ruined battlefield.

The temperature plummeted so suddenly that even the air seemed to freeze.

From above the ancient stone ruins...

An overwhelming presence descended.

It was vast.

Ancient.

Majestic.

Victor felt the pressure through the memory itself.

It was the same presence Eddy had sensed before.

Only now...

It was incomparably clearer.

Unbelievably stronger.

Eddy slowly lifted his head.

Throughout all his previous lives...

Victor had encountered countless terrifying auras.

Yet even through this memory...

He could tell this presence stood on an entirely different level.

His eyes followed the source of that overwhelming pressure.

He looked up toward where he felt the presence.

Standing atop the weathered stone ruins was a young girl who looked no older than twelve.

Her long black hair swayed gently in the cold breeze, strands dancing across her snow-white skin. A pair of ruby-red eyes looked down upon the battlefield with quiet curiosity, carrying a calm that didn’t belong to someone who appeared so young.

She wore a short black kimono embroidered with delicate silver patterns that shimmered softly beneath the fading light. The garment left her shoulders bare, and as the wind brushed against the fabric, it briefly revealed her long, slender legs and smooth, fair thighs.

Despite her youthful appearance...

There was an indescribable nobility surrounding her.

She didn’t resemble a frightened child.

She resembled an ancient monarch who had witnessed countless ages pass.

Victor instinctively understood.

So this is... Tsukiyomi.

The girl stepped forward.

Instead of climbing down the crumbling ruins, she simply leaped.

Her body descended gracefully through the air like a drifting feather before landing silently a few steps before Eddy.

Not a single pebble shifted beneath her feet.

Not a trace of dust rose from the ground.

It was as though the world itself welcomed her arrival.

Eddy unconsciously tightened his grip around the longsword.

Then...

His thoughts stopped.

For a brief moment, the blood-soaked battlefield vanished from his awareness.

Her flawless features...

Her calm ruby eyes...

The serene smile resting upon her lips...

Everything about her seemed unreal.

She possessed a beauty unlike anything he had ever seen.

Tsukiyomi tilted her head slightly before a playful smile spread across her face.

”Ara~ Ara~”

”Kukuku...”

”Have you been enchanted by me?”

The familiar laughter instantly pulled Eddy back to reality.

His eyes widened slightly.

So this voice...

She really is Tsukiyomi.

He cleared his throat before answering.

”You’re Tsukiyomi?”

”How unexpected...”

His expression turned thoughtful.

”By the way...”

”The way you spoke...”

”I thought you would be an old lady.”

For a heartbeat...

Silence lingered.

Then Tsukiyomi laughed softly.

”Kukuku...”

”I may be young for an Ethereal...”

”But by human standards...”

”I’m quite old.”

There wasn’t the slightest embarrassment in her voice.

Instead, she sounded quietly amused by his assumption.

Eddy blinked.

”How old exactly?”

The instant those words left his mouth...

Tsukiyomi narrowed her ruby eyes.

A mischievous smirk appeared on her lips.

”My...”

”What a boorish question.”

”Is that truly how you speak to a lady?”

She folded her arms elegantly beneath her chest before letting out another amused laugh.

”Kukuku...”

”Fortunately for you...”

”We don’t have time for me to lecture you on proper manners.”

Her playful expression gradually became serious.

”Your firewall is about to disappear.”

The atmosphere immediately changed.

The invisible barrier surrounding the ruins flickered once more.

Tiny cracks of light spread across its surface.

The monsters beyond the barrier grew increasingly restless.

Low growls echoed from every direction.

Tsukiyomi calmly continued.

”To form a contract with me...”

”You must speak your wish.”

”If I accept...”

”I shall acknowledge every one of those wishes.”

”And only then...”

”Our contract shall be formed.”

She looked directly into Eddy’s golden eyes.

”Do you understand?”

Eddy silently repeated her words inside his mind.

Speak... what I wish from her...