Although it was ironic that his talking took longer than the actual ritual itself, that's mostly because everything was already prepared before they arrived.
As Ashton said, he had been working on a solution to get rid of curses for quite some time now. Yet it was only thanks to his new well of knowledge that the was finally able to formulate a concrete solution.
With the usage of Black Magic, White Magic, Nature Magic, and inspirations from Transmutation Magic, Ashton formulate the ritual that got rid of the curses that the invaders gave to Humanity since their arrival.
He did say that there is a possibility that this might not work for everybody but that's under the assumption of their curses being more complicated than he initially expected. Thankfully though, the overall results were optimal.
From this point onwards, Humanity will no longer suffer from Curses.
He didn't stay to look after them. He gave them space to shed tears of happiness and comfort. He did leave Aria there to look after them though.
Inside his private chambers, Ashton got into thinking. He's wondering how the invaders will react to this.
There was no way he could hide the fact that the curses were gone. The ones who cast them in the first place would be the first ones to be alarmed by its sudden disappearance.
He knew that this might provoke their enemies even further. After all, it hasn't been that long since they killed some important people from their side. He wouldn't be surprised if they're fuming in anger at this point.
Ashton had time to spare though. The barrier placed in this world won't be shaken that easily even if they were to send more men after it. He had confidence in this since even as of the current moment, their attempts are turning into miserable failures.
But still, there is more room for improvement. Especially for himself.
Opening up his Inventory, Ashton took out another Legendary Soul Card and crushed it in his hands. Its fragments turned into specks of light that fused with him.
His consciousness blurred for several minutes but when he woke up, he gained new information. There were also some changes in his profile, mainly, the Specialization tab.
[Specialization: Main — Aether Soul Mage, Sub — Divine Gunslinger]
[Divine Gunslinger]
: Perfect Aim — Any of your shots will never miss.
: Headshot (Divine) — has a 15% chance of instantly killing an enemy.
: Marksman's Insight — You could see very far. Also grants you some level of pre-cognitive ability.
: Gun Mastery — Grants absolute mastery over all kinds of firearms.
: Infinite Rounds — You can use anything at your disposal as ammo.
[Synergy Detected! Sub-Artifact: Mortal Reminder is reacting to the new Specialization.]
[Synergy Applied: Mortal Reminder > Memento Mori.]
[Memento Mori]
: Fatal Wounds — Damage dealt by this weapon is immune from any form of healing or regeneration.
: Kill Streak — Every time this weapon kills an enemy in one shot, kill-streak applies. Using this active will spend the amount of kill-streak stacks available, amplifying the gun's power by how many stacks there were.
: Divine Conductor — this weapon is an excellent conductor of all sorts of energies.
: No Clip — Reload Function does not apply to this gun.
There was an unexpected outcome but one that he doesn't mind.
Inspecting his new gun, he noticed that the option to change its forms had disappeared. From now on, it will only take the form of a revolver. But that's fine with him.
Memento Mori was obviously a lot stronger compared to the Mortal Reminder. Besides, the latter was just a Sub-Artifact at most, while the former was a real Treasured Artifact. It's almost close to being a true Magical Artifact even. The only thing preventing it from becoming one was the existence of the Unsealed Book of Infinity.
Anyway, he's happy with this. And just like a little kid who just got a present, Ashton went on and tested it.
Suffice to say, he had spent the rest of the day on the shooting range.
Mary felt as if she was floating on cloud 9.
There were springs on her steps, she couldn't stop smiling and she's loving every single second of being alive.
When was the last time that she felt this happy? Honestly, she couldn't even remember it anymore. All that's important right now, is the fact that she is indeed happy.
What made her even happier was the comfort she felt.
It wasn't painful anymore. Her heart doesn't hurt anymore when she's feeling too much of her emotions.
It's freeing, so comfortable and nice. Being reminded that she's finally free of that horrible curse still makes her want to cry out for happiness.
The ritual was a great success. Everyone's curse was gone before they even realize it. Such a thing was obviously hard to believe but they couldn't deny the results plastered on their faces.
She could still remember how long it took for Aria, Blake, and Alice to make her stop crying from happiness. She's pretty sure that she annoyed them at some point but she doesn't care. They have to give this to her since it was a special day.
With the curse finally gone and her being free, Mary felt complete.
It's like an invisible weight disappeared from her shoulders. She never felt so happy to just simply breathe and dowse herself from the wave of emotions she was feeling.
This brought an immense impact on her mentality obviously, so much to the point that it's also affecting her cultivation.
The barrier that was stopping her from the next breakthrough was loosening up. It wasn't that much but progress is still progress. If she were to capitalize on this, then there's no doubt that she'll eventually reach her goals.
With a new chapter of her life opening before her, one would expect that Mary's goal will change, and that's understandable.
After all, the main reason why she took up arms was to get rid of her curse. Now that it's gone, it's clear that she doesn't have any reason to continue fighting anymore.
She can rest. She can lay down her arms and walk away from all of this. Seek a peaceful life under the protection of Humanity's current leader. And if this is what she truly wants, Ashton wouldn't stop her. If anything, he'd even support her.
But...no, Mary didn't think of it that way.
She didn't have any thoughts of quitting the fight now, or ever. Her freedom from the curse was nice, don't get her wrong but so long as the threat remains there, the battle isn't over.
If she didn't fight, there might come a time when they would suffer all over again. With freedom tasting this sweet, how can she easily give it up? Of course, she's not going down without a fight!
Plus, it'd be a damn shame if she quits now. Not after reaching this far. She had invested way too much in this and she doesn't want to waste it so, no she won't be quitting.
She will fight, not just for herself but for the sake of her kind as well.
Ashton told them this once...
'Why rely on the next generation when we can end the war in ours?'
Those words still resonated with her and she believed in them. Ashton wouldn't say that if he didn't feel confident about achieving it.
There is no reason for them to pass down the torch if they could reach the exit during their turn.
But of course, that's something to pay attention to later.
Right now, she could allow herself to take it easy and enjoy the current happiness she's feeling.
That means, she could finally watch the movies that she couldn't watch previously!!
Hey, it doesn't take much for a girl like her to be happy. What's more is that most of the popular movies in the past were tear-jerkers, and due to her curse, she wasn't able to enjoy any of them.
Now though, she could finally watch them without being afraid of getting paralyzed from head to toe.
'Movie Marathon it is...'
To some people, it might seem a little weird for this to be the first thing they do after being freed from a repulsive curse but they're not Mary.
Movies are a way for her to feel emotions without getting personally attached or invested in someone. She had always wanted to enjoy them to the fullest and now that she can, why wouldn't she?
Who'd stop her from doing what she wants?
And so, that's what she did. She spent the rest of the day watching movies she couldn't watch before.
She laughed, cried, got angry at certain characters, felt flustered and bothered, felt a longing, despaired, etc.
This marathon went on for three days and nobody bothered her, she was on vacation anyway.
Despite being on an emotional roller coaster. Mary loved every single second of it.
It is mundane, but it completed her in a sense. The pain was gone, she was not being punished anymore for feeling way too much.
To the current her, nothing can get any better than this...
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