Lewd System: Every Scream and Moan is EXP Chapter 409 : Jax’s done nothing illegal

Athanasia looked down at nothing, and her voice came out empty. "I don’t know what I’m supposed to do from now on. It feels like my only purpose in life just ended."

Jax flicked her forehead. "Stop acting like your dad. No, worse than your dad, because before he went out that fool handed one hell of an advice to his own enemy."

"So remember it. Life doesn’t ask your permission before throwing darkness into your hands, but it never steals the brush from your fingers. One stroke, one choice, and the final picture still changes."

Then he snapped his fingers. "Oh, and I almost forgot one more thing. I’ve been told a celestial’s soul goes to the gods after death, and that they can be brought back if the gods decide to allow it."

"So why not force them to revive your father? I can’t do anything about your mother and I won’t pretend otherwise, but I promise you that one day I’ll bring that man back."

He shrugged. "Until then, pick whatever you want. Get stronger, find a way into Luminera and take your revenge, or sit around rehearsing apologies for every curse you threw at your father, because you’ll need them when he comes back."

Athanasia stared at the man smiling down at her. "But why... I don’t get you. Why are you helping me even after I opposed you, resented you. Why..."

Jax patted her head, and there wasn’t a scrap of performance in his voice. "It’s my duty as a professor to look out for my students, and I don’t like getting paid for doing nothing, so consider this help my duty."

"I know the road ahead is long and full of unknowns. But once I lock onto something, I don’t let it go until it’s finished. So rest assured."

"...I don’t get you at all."

"There’s no time for understanding me right now," Jax said. "I’ve got plenty more to care about, starting with your dad still slaughtering people at the Estate. And speaking of him, you’re the only one who can defeat him."

His expression sobered. "So prepare yourself. You need to bid farewell to him for a while."

-x-X-x-

Outside the domain, in the middle of the warzone, Archmage Rashida knelt clutching Athanasia’s unconscious body against her chest.

Above them Athanor still floated in the air, killing anyone who tried to attack him.

Then Athanasia’s eyes finally opened, and she felt her grandmother’s tears dropping onto her face.

Before Rashida could say anything, she spoke first. "I’ll take care of things from here."

A black sword tore itself loose somewhere out in the dark and came dragging across the ground into her hand, and celestial essence gathered around her until she lifted off the earth with her eyes locked on Athanor.

Meanwhile Jax woke up cursing. "Fuck you and your one useful skill. I’m not using this again if it’s going to leave my head throbbing like this every single time."

Then his eyes met Rashida’s, and hers were furious. "What did you do to my grandchild?"

Jax smiled at her. "Long story short, nothing illegal."

She hissed at him and left it there, because she had felt that aura roll across the battlefield earlier and now knew exactly what kind of monster she was speaking to.

Her attention snapped back to Athanasia, who was charging slowly toward Athanor, and the sight of it sent Rashida into a panic. Her fist clenched as she shouted, "Please, Athanasia, stop this..."

She was already moving to interfere when Jax caught her by the hand. "Worry not, ma’am. She won’t get hurt, because there’s no way a daughter takes a single scratch while her father is standing between her and the danger."

Rashida didn’t understand a word of it. All she could see was her granddaughter diving straight into danger.

Athanasia glided toward Athanor, blasting away the attacks that came close to her, though at that distance almost every one of them missed her completely.

She understood now what Jax had meant, and the tears came flooding back as she looked at the flat, empty face waiting for her.

But a halo still glowed to end her, and at that range there was no possible way it could miss, and Athanasia paid it no attention at all. Her eyes stayed fixed, and her voice came out broken all the way through.

"Papa..."

The halo disappeared. The hand that had been raised was shaking now, and the hollow body stood frozen, staring at its target like something in it had malfunctioned.

That was when Athanasia threw her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. "I’m sorry. I’m sorry for every word. I was a fool for not recognizing you, I was a fool for not recognizing the love you showered on me, but..."

She pierced her sword through his chest. "...but next time I promise I’ll spend every single day making up for the years they stole from us. Let’s meet as father and daughter from where we left off, Papa."

She held him tightly while his body dissolved into golden particles, and at the very end, before that raised hand could vanish with the rest of him, it settled on top of her head like a blessing and was gone.

Rashida stood shocked at what she had just watched, and then her eyes shifted toward a different direction with caution.

Jax was already looking that way, because Echidna had warned him.

A voice echoed from it before its owner appeared. "Man, what a loss. I never thought my strongest puppet would defile me like that."

Jax grinned as he saw the woman clearly now, Loki, walking toward him.

"Never thought," Jax said, "or was that exactly what you planned from the beginning?"

Loki tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Forget it. Now that you’ve finally shown up, let’s end this battle that was supposed to be ours."

Jax dashed at her before she could vanish again, and a wall appeared across his path.

Rashida shouted from behind him. "She isn’t alone! I can sense three more absurd presences standing right beside her!"