Part 1: The Funeral Council
We sat around the massive stone table, devouring the morning feast. Eve sat right beside my left arm, her new bronze ring gleaming in the ambient crystal light.
Across from us, Genta and Ibuki were practically drooling into their food, completely shell-shocked by my speed.
"Eat up, boys," I chuckled. "Wild flies are going to nest in those open mouths."
They snapped out of their daze, scarfing down bear meat and fish croquettes.
Once the platters were cleared, I projected the 3D map above the table, commanding the room.
"Here's the plan. We spend today resting and gearing up inside this cave while I craft everyone proper travel clothes. Tomorrow morning, Day 34, we march west to the river and push south to the frontier town."
I pulled a stack of lightweight [Magic Bags] from my inventory, spreading them across the stone. "One for each of you. Spatial storage for your clothes and supplies. Take them."
The students took the bags with trembling hands, whispering in awe at the effortless distribution of high-tier artifacts.
The room fell quiet. I leaned forward, my tone turning solemn.
"Now... the elephant in the room. What do we do with our seven dead classmates? Keep them stored in my spatial inventory until we reach the town... or hold an honorable cremation send-off right here on the cliffside before we leave?"
Eve spoke up first. "A cremation here. Let their spirits rest in the sky, free from this forest."
Shizuku nodded firmly. "Agreed. Carrying them on a march feels wrong. Let them rest."
Genta, Ibuki, and the rest of the class quietly agreed.
"Then it's settled," I nodded. "We hold the ceremony before sundown."
Rena stepped up beside me. "I'm heading back to the staff to recharge, Yuki," she whispered softly.
I stood, caught her waist, and pulled her into a deep, intense kiss right in front of the entire assembly. Our rings flared in unison.
With a bright emerald flash, Rena dissolved into light, zipping down the hall into the Heartwood Spine.
The students panicked for a second until I calmed them down, explaining her bond to my weapon.
Part 2: The Parting Flame and the Cosmic Gem
After breakfast, we gathered on the open cliffside high above the canopy.
Using fine linen and [Sewing (Lv. 6)], I crafted three pure white mourning dresses for Suzu, Kami, and Mei, and four clean formal suits for the boys.
Ridley, Shizuku, and Eve gently washed and dressed the girls in a side room, while Genta, Ibuki, and I carefully tended to the boys, washing away the blood and dressing them with absolute dignity.
I crafted dark formal attire for the remaining twenty-two of us.
At dusk, we carried the bodies to the cliff. I laid them onto two joined pyres of ancient timber under a blood-orange sunset.
Stepping before the wood, a heavy weight settled on my sternum.
"I'm sorry," I said softly, my voice carrying over the mountain wind. "I'm sorry I didn't reach your camp in time. With all the broken power I gained out here, I still let you fall. But I swear to you right now, under this sky—I will protect everyone left behind. Not another soul will be taken."
Genta stepped forward, tears cutting through his grim expression. "Soma will pay an absolute blood price for this. I swear it."
The girls wept openly, clutching each other's shoulders as their marriage rings pulsed with warm, grounding light.
"Ready?" I asked.
The class nodded in solemn unity.
Channeling [Four Elements Sorcery (Lv. 7)], twin columns of roaring elemental fire erupted from my hands, setting the pyres ablaze. The flames merged into a towering golden bonfire against the twilight.
Suddenly, Rena’s voice echoed from the staff: "Yuki... look at the center!"
The red fire shifted, turning a brilliant, translucent sapphire-blue.
Seven glowing blue spirits drifted gracefully from the smoke, floating over the cliff with peaceful, radiant smiles.
The two athlete spirits floated down to Genta and Ibuki.
"Don't let revenge blind you, bros," the first laughed softly. "You've got people to protect now."
The second grinned, bumping Genta's shoulder with a phantom fist. "Yeah! Go find those muscle mommies in the new world you've been dreaming about!"
"Hey—?!" Genta and Ibuki choked, blushing furiously through their tears.
Suzu and Kami circled Shizuku’s ruby ring, giggling. "You found your alpha love, sister. Never let him go."
Mei waved a tearful goodbye to Rika and the archery girls, who pressed their hands over their hearts in weeping farewell.
Finally, all seven spirits gathered before my chest.
"Yuki... take care of Soma," they pleaded in unison. "He has too many stolen skills. He’s too dangerous for the others."
I gripped my staff, eyes burning with resolve. "I give you my word as master of this land. I will end him myself."
They smiled, turned upward, and dissolved into the starlight.
When the blue flames died down, a brilliant spark remained in the ash.
I knelt, picking up a radiant, deep-blue jewel:
💎 [MYTHIC ACQUISITION]
Item: Stone of the Lost Souls (God-Class Catalyst)
Contains the residual protective willpower of the departed.
The Heartwood Spine violently vibrated in my grip. The 4th Socket ignited with blinding sapphire fire.
"Yuki! It's the fourth piece! Slot it in!" Rena cheered from within.
I pressed the cosmic stone into the groove. It melted smoothly into the living wood:
⚔️ [STAFF EVOLUTION: 4TH SOCKET BOUND]
Catalyst: Stone of the Lost Souls
🖤 [Permanent Immunity]:100% Absolute Dark & Shadow Magic Immunity.
Immune to all shadow damage, curses, and dark manipulation.
STR: +200% | MIND: +310%
Rena materialized beside me in her Phoenix Cloak, her green eyes blazing with absolute warrior resolve.
"Now we can take Soma," she stated firmly. "And I'm fighting right beside you. I am your wife and your weapon, Yuki. You are not facing him alone."
Looking at her fierce loyalty, my chest warmed with pride. I smiled, pulling her close. "Wouldn't have it any other way, sweetheart. With these stats, he won't touch a hair on your head."
I turned back to the twenty-two survivors waiting on the cliff.
"The honors are paid," I called out into the dusk. "Let's head inside, rest up, and get ready. Tomorrow... we march."