Chapter 207: Star That Will Be Extinguish

[Previous limitations have been broken.]

Reinhard’s attention shifted toward the notification, but before he could examine it, another message appeared.

[Higher Authority has been unlocked.]

[Level 2 —> Level 3]

[Akasha Investment System has expanded.]

His eyes narrowed. The system had never announced an expansion like this before, and considering everything that had happened recently, he suspected it involved more than the rewards he had just received.

Another notification appeared.

[Emily Ashcroft’s path to regain her former fame is complete. Not only have you restored what she lost, but you have surpassed it by double.]

Reinhard grinned.

Emily had once been celebrated as one of the most promising Awakeners of her generation. Her accident had taken away her future, leaving her remembered more for her crippled condition than her former achievements. Now, she had returned to S-Rank, reclaimed her place in the Awakener world, and begun building a reputation that surpassed the one she had lost.

He was proud of her, but the system wasn’t finished.

[Even when the threat of Finality and Destruction appeared before you, you continued walking beside her.]

[Even when the ugly truth of destiny was revealed, you continued seeking a way to overturn the end prepared for her.]

"Of course. She’s my wife."

There had never been a question of whether he would continue helping Emily. The Will of Monad had shown him the danger awaiting her, but knowing that her future could end in disaster only gave him another reason to fight.

[Do you believe you can succeed?]

"Without a single doubt. My future will always contain Emily, no matter what. Not even fate can stop me."

[Then the next investment is to learn about the past of Emily and you.]

"Our past?" Reinhard blinked before tilting his head. "That’s... True, I can’t seem to recall much on why me and her got married or why she still cared for the old Reinhard."

[It’s a subject you both avoided, now it’s time to be honest... Now you mention before you believe you save Emily? Then can you say the same for the other stars in your life?]

"Huh?"

[If nothing is done, the stars around you will be extinguished, just as Emily was fated to be.]

Reinhard’s expression grew serious. "What are you—"

[Investment Expansion!]

The interruption caught him off guard.

[Scanning Environment.]

[Searching For The Highest Value Investment.]

Reinhard watched the system process its surroundings. He hadn’t expected another investment target so soon, especially after the rewards he had received for completing Emily’s path.

A new notification appeared.

[New Investment Target!]

[Target Located.]

[Yuna Ashcroft.]

Reinhard’s eyes widened. Yuna?

He turned toward the other bed, where Yuna was sleeping beside Lily. She looked perfectly peaceful, unaware that the system had just selected her as its next investment target.

A troubling thought crossed his mind.

Wait... could the star that will be extinguished actually be Yuna?

The system hadn’t explicitly said that Yuna was the person in danger, but the timing was too deliberate to ignore. He needed to understand what the investment would reveal about her.

Before he could examine the new target, another notification appeared.

[Special Reward Granted.]

[The Host has been granted Three Questions.]

Reinhard paused before releasing a complicated sigh.

Finally, again...

He had wanted answers about his past life for a long time. Before the events surrounding the Baal Family, that would have been his first question. He still wanted to know who he had been and how he had arrived in this world.

However, too many things had happened since then. The Will of Monad had revealed Emily’s connection to another world, the danger posed by the Seven Sinners, and the three-year deadline he had to prevent the coming catastrophe.

Three questions suddenly seemed insufficient.

Reinhard glanced at Emily. She was sleeping peacefully, her breathing steady, completely unaware of the conversation taking place beside her.

He gently brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead.

"I can always learn more about my past later," he whispered. "Right now, I only have three years to save you."

His first question was decided.

"First question. How can I sever Emily’s connection to the other world?"

The system interface changed.

[Analyzing Emily Ashcroft’s Connection.]

A blue display appeared before him, revealing a representation of Emily’s soul.

Reinhard initially struggled to understand what he was seeing. Seven chains wrapped around the soul, their links colored black and grey. Each chain seemed to bind her from a different direction, holding her soul in place as though something were preventing her from fully belonging to this world.

Then he noticed the daggers.

Four colored blades were embedded within the representation of Emily’s soul.

White.

Green.

Blue.

Black.

Their points had pierced the soul itself, their colors standing out against the dark chains surrounding it.

Reinhard’s eyes widened in disbelief.

For a moment, he couldn’t move. His hands began trembling as he stared at the display, forcing himself to keep looking despite the sight before him.

He had known that Emily was connected to the other world. The Will of Monad had warned him that the connection could eventually lead to her destruction, but he had never imagined it would look like this.

Reinhard glanced at the woman sleeping beside him, then back at the display. Emily was resting peacefully, unaware of what the system had revealed. Yet the representation of her soul was bound by seven chains and pierced by four daggers.

His hands trembled.

He could fight enemies who threatened her body. He could hunt down the Sinners and destroy whatever stood in his way. But these chains and daggers were buried in something he couldn’t reach with his hands or defeat through strength alone.

For the first time since receiving the Will of Monad’s mission, he could see just how much he still didn’t understand about saving his wife.

[To sever Emily Ashcroft’s connection to the other world, the Host must eliminate the Seven Sinners and break the Four Luminaries.]

Reinhard slowly drew a breath.

The Seven Sinners were familiar. Xanxus, the first of them, had already been defeated, leaving six remaining.

But the Four Luminaries were unknown to him.

He studied the four daggers again. If the chains represented the Sinners and the daggers represented the Luminaries, then killing the Sinners alone wouldn’t be enough to free Emily.

There were four more obstacles, and he didn’t even know what they were.

"Explain the Four Luminaries."

The system remained silent.

Reinhard waited for several seconds before sighing.

Of course. It tells me what I need to do, then refuses to explain half of it.

He couldn’t afford to ignore the four daggers, but he couldn’t waste time worrying about something he had no information about, either. First, he would eliminate the Sinners. While following their trails, he would search for answers about the Luminaries.

At least he now understood why the Will of Monad had insisted on eliminating the Sinners. Their deaths were part of the process of severing Emily’s connection, not merely a way to reduce the danger they posed to the world.

Reinhard gently caressed Emily’s hair again.

"Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out."

He turned his attention back to the system.

"Second question. How can I find the Seven Sinners?"

The answer appeared immediately.

[Follow the paths of those you invest in.]

Reinhard raised an eyebrow.

The system brought up Yuna’s newly created investment profile.

[Current Investment Target: Yuna Ashcroft.]

[For every path you follow, a Sinner will be found.]

His eyes widened slightly.

"Just like how the first Sinner was tied to Emily?"

[Correct.]

Reinhard fell silent for a moment.

That was all the confirmation he needed. Emily’s investment had led him to Xanxus, and the system was now telling him that following the paths of his other investments would lead him toward the remaining Sinners.

It also explained why the Will of Monad had placed its faith in him despite the danger. His investments were doing more than helping people grow stronger. They were giving him a way to locate threats that might otherwise remain hidden.

Is it my luck pushing me toward these Sinners, or is it the investment system itself?

He didn’t have an answer. Perhaps his luck and the system were working together, or perhaps the connection between investments and the Sinners had always been part of the system’s design.

Either way, he had a direction.

Reinhard stood and walked toward the other bed, careful not to disturb Maki, who was still sleeping near his chair.

Yuna lay beside Lily, her expression peaceful. It was strange to think that the woman sleeping in front of him might be connected to another dangerous path.

He sat down beside her and gently brushed her hair away from her face before poking her cheek.

"I wonder what kind of investment you’ll be."

Yuna didn’t respond.

Reinhard smiled faintly. He knew her strength and had seen her determination, but there were still things about her that he had never needed to ask. Her ambitions, her private worries, and what she wanted for her own future remained largely her business.

Perhaps this investment would help him understand her better.

More importantly, if her path led him to another Sinner, he would follow it.

The system displayed one final notification.

[Third Question Available.]

Reinhard’s smile faded.

He had spent the first two questions learning how to save Emily and find the Sinners. For the last question, he wanted to know what danger awaited his family next.

"Third question. Show me the next tragedy."

A blue screen appeared before him.

The vision showed a place swallowed by darkness. There were no clear walls, no windows, and no recognizable landmarks. It seemed like an endless stage surrounded by darkness that concealed everything beyond it.

Yuna stood in the middle of the scene with her back facing him.

Reinhard tilted his head.

Where is this?

For several moments, Yuna remained still. Then she began speaking softly, her voice carrying a strange sense of peace.

"Everything has changed..."

Reinhard watched the vision without interrupting.

"So many good things have happened. I don’t even know where to begin."

Yuna began talking about the changes in their lives. Emily had recovered and returned to S-Rank. The Baal Family, which had threatened them for so long, had finally fallen. Lily and Maki had grown stronger, and the Ashcrofts no longer had to live under the same constant pressure that had followed them through their previous struggles.

"Emily can finally live the life she wanted," Yuna continued. "She can fight again, make her own decisions, and stand beside everyone without having to worry that her body will fail her."

Reinhard smiled faintly. He remembered how much Emily had suffered and how hard she had fought to reclaim her life. Hearing Yuna speak about her recovery made him happy, even if the vision’s strange setting still bothered him.

"Lily and Maki have grown so much, too. They don’t have to stay behind anymore. They can stand beside us, protect the family, and pursue their own goals."

Reinhard chuckled quietly. He had watched both of them struggle to reach their current strength, and he knew they still had a long way to go.

"And you..." Yuna paused briefly. "You’ve done so much for all of us. The family is safe again, and we can finally look toward the future instead of worrying about the next disaster."

Reinhard’s smile softened.

He had wanted this for them for a long time. A future in which his family could grow stronger without constantly being dragged into one crisis after another.

For a brief moment, the vision felt like a reflection on everything they had gained.

Then Yuna fell silent.

She looked toward the darkness, and a beautiful smile appeared on her face.

"Everyone has somewhere to go now," she said softly. "Emily has her future back. Lily and Maki are growing stronger. You have so much left to accomplish."

She lowered her head slightly. "And I..."

Reinhard’s smile disappeared.

Something about her tone was wrong. She wasn’t speaking with the satisfaction of someone who had completed a difficult task. She sounded as though she had reached a conclusion that no one else could understand.

But then a distorted voice echoed out from behind her.

"It’s time for you to leave this stage."

Yuna raised her head again, the same peaceful smile returning to her face. But her eyes display a flash of sorrow and regret.

"You are no longer needed."

Reinhard blinked. "Yuna?"

The vision didn’t respond.

Instead, she slowly raised her arms as thin golden threads descended from the darkness. They fastened around her wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles. Finer strands stretched across her fingers and face, tracing her cheeks and jaw like the strings of a marionette.

Reinhard’s breath caught. Someone is controlling her.

The threads pulled taut.

Yuna’s fingers twitched, then relaxed, moving with a precision that did not belong to her. Yet the smile never left her face.

"Yuna! Can you hear me?"

No response.

"Let her go!"

The golden threads tightened. Yuna’s right hand descended toward the sword at her side.

Reinhard lunged toward the blue screen, his hand passing through its surface as her fingers closed around the hilt.

"No. Yuna, put it down!"

She drew the blade.

For the first time, Reinhard understood what the vision was showing him. This wasn’t a warning about some distant danger. Whatever had attached itself to Yuna was already moving her toward the end.

The threads pulled her arm upward.

"YUNA, STOP!"

Her sword turned inward.

Reinhard reached for her again, as though sheer desperation could carry him through the screen. He could see every movement, every strand holding her in place, but there was nothing he could do to interrupt them.

Then Yuna’s gaze shifted.

For one brief instant, her eyes met his through the vision.

Her smile was gone.

The blade plunged into her body.

"YUNA!!"