Apocalyse: Marked by Chaos
Chapter 79 - 78 Ten Years For a Life

Chapter 79: Chapter 78 Ten Years For a Life

The sky rumbled, as black clouds covered the whole area. Olivia looked at the abnormal state of her sea of consciousness. She hadn’t done anything to cause this.

"Eritrea!!!" Olivia called out as she walked around, but she couldn’t find her. "Where has she gone?" she muttered under her breath.

She didn’t have much time. She needed her help now, and she was nowhere to be found? Olivia’s eyes darted about, searching for the familiar figure.

"What do I owe for this visit?" Eritrea’s cold voice echoed from behind her.

The sudden sound made Olivia turn abruptly. "Eritrea," Olivia’s voice sounded grim. The last memories of what Eritrea did to her still stung. She didn’t know how to pretend she was unbothered.

"I need your help," she blurted out, her eyes unblinking.

"With what?" Eritrea asked, her blindfolded eyes turned towards Olivia.

"I need to transfer my essence to a friend... He had saved me but got stabbed and poisoned because of me. But I don’t have much power to sustain the process, so I was wondering if you could take control of my body again?" Olivia swallowed, her hand clenching beside her.

She didn’t like this idea, but this was the only way she could save him—and herself.

A smirk curved on Eritrea’s lips. "That is a tempting offer... but unfortunately, I am not strong enough to possess your body right now. The last battle had drained my powers." She paused. "You can see that your sea of consciousness is not stable." She tilted her head towards the sky.

Olivia followed her movement. "Do you mean those locked monsters are trying to come out?"

"Yes. Every time you forcefully use your powers, it causes a disruption here, and I have to fix it." Eritrea’s voice turned colder.

Eritrea stood still, her hand clenched. She didn’t know if she should ask or not, but she couldn’t help but ask. "How is Little White?"

Olivia frowned. "Who is Little White?" She was totally confused by the question and the name.

Eritrea walked closer to her. "You forgot about him?" She was stunned.

"I haven’t encountered someone with that name before," she quickly replied. But deep inside her, she felt something stirring—a feeling of unease. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Eritrea remained silent. "I’m sorry for the last time," her voice was low, her tone was softer.

"It’s in the past now. We shouldn’t dwell on that," Olivia replied. Has she forgiven her? Absolutely not. But she could not waste any more time here, knowing she wouldn’t get any help from her.

Eritrea kept quiet. She knew she wasn’t forgiven yet.

Olivia ruffled her hair. Who was going to help her now? As she was busy thinking of what to do next, a screen popped out in front of her, blaring red.

[Time remaining to complete the mission: 20 hours and 05 minutes]

Olivia was about to roll her eyes at it in irritation, but an idea suddenly popped into her head. She could ask the system for help.

"I need your help," she began, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew the system was like the devil. And making a deal with a devil was like hanging on the end of a straw.

[What can I help you with?]

"I need you to make me temporarily strong... Maybe you can activate my chaos powers. I need to transfer my essence to a friend," she asked, pushing down the blaring feeling inside her head.

[I can help you, but it will shorten your lifespan by 10 years. Do you want it?]

Olivia’s breath hitched. She knew the system was going to take something expensive from her. But did she really have much choice now?

"Yes," she exhaled deeply, her shoulders slumping. She had had her lifespan shortened before, and now she had lost 10 more years. At this rate, she wasn’t sure she’d live long enough to see peace... or even to figure out who she truly was.

What was another ten years when someone else’s life hung in the balance?

A part of her wanted to scream—at the system, at herself, at this cruel, godforsaken world that never gave without ripping something away.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she breathed through the pain, through the weight of a future she no longer dared to imagine.

If this was the price for saving him... she’d pay it again. And again, if she had to.

[Request granted.]

Olivia felt a surge of fire coursing through her veins. Her fingers tingled as energy crackled between them. Her eyes shone green with fire dancing within them. She glanced at Eritrea, who seemed to be unbothered by the choice she was making.

....

Back in the real world.

The stranger made another pentagram—this one was big enough for both Olivia and Lucian to be on.

"Olivia. Now," Abigail ordered. Her voice was a little anxious.

A second went by, then a minute, but nothing had happened. Lucian’s body was already running out of essence. A golden, fiery aura glowed around him as the black smoke of poison began to seep from his skin.

The stranger gritted his teeth. What was Olivia waiting for? Was she waiting for him to die first?

"Why isn’t she doing anything?" the stranger asked, his eyes glowing red. He couldn’t move, as he needed to make sure the rune remained stable.

"I don’t know. If she doesn’t start now, he will be as good as dead," Abigail bit her nails nervously.

"If he dies, I will make sure she follows him." The stranger’s voice was so cold that Abigail felt goosebumps over her body.

As they were busy talking, fire slowly crept up Olivia’s body, engulfing her in flames. Her closed eyes snapped open. Her black hair danced in the air, streaked with red fiery coloring.

The ground rippled under her feet. The stranger and Abigail’s mouths were wide agape. The aura of power made them squint and cover their faces.