SSS Transmigration: I Can Extract And Evolve Overpowered Shadows-Chapter 30: The Ones Who Understand Pain (2)

Tamara’s brows snapped together in a fierce frown. "Do you understand what you are saying, child?"

She immediately increased the pressure of her mana, nearly forcing Hinata to the ground, but he still bore a grin. "What? Don’t tell me you’re scared of little ol’ me."

Tamara chuckled heartily. "I’ll give you one thing, you’re real funny. You clearly don’t grasp the immense gap between an expert and an aspirant."

"Well," he said, letting mana rush through his body, "it’s nothing I can’t overcome."

Tamara smiled. "If you insist on getting yourself killed, then I won’t argue with you. So then, why don’t we make things more fun? As you said, I shouldn’t be bullying ants such as yourself. Though I strongly disagree with that, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt."

She slipped her hand into her cleavage and pulled out a golden scroll. "This is a soul-binding contract. If you somehow win this match, I and the entirety of the mythic race shall gladly become your slaves and pawns. But if I win, you won’t put up any resistance, even when I strip your flesh and bones and refine the core again."

Hinata grabbed the scroll as it floated toward him with deliberate slowness. After reading through its contents and checking for any hidden conditions, he signed it without worry.

"Quite the foolish one, aren’t you?"

Hinata took a step back, adopting a battle stance. "I could say the same for you. If you are so strong, wouldn’t it be easier to capture and kill me? Why go through this stress?"

Tamara stepped back as well and summoned her tobacco pipe. Taking a drag, she answered, "First off, you don’t look like someone who would just let me take you. You look more like someone who would rather explode himself than get refined."

Hinata’s shoulders jerked upward in an almost imperceptible flinch. He didn’t think he would go that far, or that he was that insane, but he couldn’t argue with her words either.

Seeing him remain silent, Tamara sighed. "The second reason is even more important. To make a god’s core, we need zero resistance in the one being refined or sacrificed. If not, the consciousness within the core dies. If left for too long, the power fades, but if the right person shows up, they can absorb it, just like what you did with the shadow core."

Hinata’s gaze narrowed. Gradually, he was beginning to understand that his journey so far had been far less simple than he had initially imagined.

The grand schemes of the mythic race had been disrupted by many different factors, such as the church’s appearance. However, what caused the greatest ripple in their plan was the existence of one thing: resistance, and an undying obsession to stay alive.

Even Tamara couldn’t deny that the man standing before her wasn’t just talented, but possessed an endless obsession.

She couldn’t understand what would make someone go this far. Even if the cultists she had left in the chamber were only at the starting levels of apprentice and aspirant ranks, for a mundane human to display such grit and fight them for his freedom, he had to be not only heartless, but also mad.

Yet, the young man didn’t look heartless to her, nor did he seem like a crazed fool.

To her, Nishikawa Hinata was a man with abundant emotions, someone who could even sympathize with people he had never met based solely on a story. Even so, he didn’t seem weak-minded or like someone who would let his emotions cloud his judgment.

In all honesty, he reminded her of someone—the heir of chaos, the ancestor of beginning, and the former head of the mythic clan.

Maybe if he hadn’t been human, she would have taken him in.

Tamara steeled her heart. She was ready to kill, and ready to die.

This was her conviction, and until she completed her goals, she would hold onto it.

No matter who her master was, her ideology would always remain engraved in her heart: the strong would always devour the weak.

Whether it was the goddess of light from the Aethelgard Empire, the goddess of love from the Vaeloria Empire, or the other five gods, she would slay them all and even break the heavens if need be.

She glanced toward Hinata with a calm gaze. The earlier, gut-wrenching anger stirring in her heart had now been replaced by tranquil stillness.

As the leader of the remnants of the once-greatest race, she would fight.

Not just for revenge against those who killed her parents for pleasure, or against the seven gods who orchestrated it all, but for the sake of her conviction.

"I am Tamara Dragonforge," she said, forming several fists from her smoke.

Hinata, a thin purple blade glimmering in his hand, spoke as well. "I am Nishikawa Hinata."

Tamara nodded, taking another drag from her pipe. "I hope you don’t die too early, Nishikawa Hinata."

Tamara could feel something building within her. Whether she lost this fight or not, she was going to transcend her bottleneck.

’I can’t believe it,’ she thought with a smile. ’This little kid actually gave me enlightenment.’

If that was the case, then she would fight with everything she had and, at the very least, make him a grave from whatever remained after the refinement.

"Count yourself lucky, young human, because you have gained my favor." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Hinata scoffed. He pointed his blade toward her and formed several clones around the city. "I’m not a fan of being friendly with my butcher."

Tamara closed her eyes like a meditative sage. "Then I at least hope you understand my point of view before this fight ends."

"I hope you understand mine too."

The inner walls of Falmouth City fell silent for a long moment. The people of the city continued moving about as if a deadly battle was not about to unfold.

It was clear they were all living corpses—shells walking around like humans.

Hinata felt a pang in his chest. He hadn’t expected it, but his heart had warmed to Geret and Chris more than he had realized.

But they weren’t truly living beings. Even as hollow shells, though, they had been good people.

Perhaps the true essence of life lay in understanding life itself.

The weak are as fragile as sand, with limited lifespans, so shouldn’t the strong protect them?

Humans are selfish and ungrateful. Because of that, we turn a blind eye to those around us, and often scheme against and punish those weaker than ourselves.

Are we allowed to impose their will on others simply because we were born greater?

Are we allowed to take what belongs to others just because we are stronger?

Are we allowed to curse others simply because they were born superior?

We all live and die, so isn’t all life equal?

At that moment, Hinata made a vow.

From then on he would never bully those who could not fight back, so long as they did not provoke him. He would not be a saint, nor would he become a demon. He would help when he could and punish when necessary.

Life is short, and life is sweet. Understanding that all life is both equal and unequal is what it truly means to be alive.

Help the strong. Help the weak. Kill the strong. Kill the weak. All life is equal under the unyielding gaze of the heavens, and he would forever carry that law within his heart.