Chapter 395: A Matter of Seconds

Time passed by moment by moment, and everyone grew increasingly anxious. Viski paced back and forth outside the door, his face tense. Inside, Lucy had tears in her eyes but tried to force a smile, not wanting Nightingale to see.
Nightingale, beside her, murmured softly, saying something unknown. Lucy always managed to find many topics to keep her talking. It was crucial to keep her alert and ward off her fatigue.
Rod recounted the various dangers he had faced in the Source of Darkness, and Nightingale’s heart fluctuated with emotion as her face turned slightly red. She hadn’t realized how much he had gone through during her absence—far beyond her imagination.
Reaching where he was today, achieving such heights, wasn’t due to mere luck or abnormal talent. Only he knew how much sweat and sorrow he had poured into it.
The sun had risen high, and noon was approaching. Nightingale’s body gradually grew colder, just as Merk had predicted. Her life force was draining faster than that of a Rainbow Ice Spirit, entering its final stage.
Merk and Dolon rushed into the room. There was still no news of Rod. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to return before noon. With less than ten minutes left until noon, Nightingale’s life was truly in countdown mode.
Yet, Nightingale remained calm. Over this day, she had come to know Rod much better. Enjoying rare peace, she felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation—a comfortable feeling.
It was then she realized how dull her life had been before. Hatred and her own goals had obscured her vision, causing her to lose so much. Unfortunately, that was life—there were no remedies for mistakes. By the time one realized it, it was too late, and there was no chance to make amends.
Facing death, she wasn’t afraid at all. Having experienced so much in her life, tried so many things, she had no regrets. She had a man who loved her, brothers who had fought beside her, comrades now, and Lucy as her sister! Nothing in the world could compare to this.
Having fought fiercely, suffered, shed tears, laughed heartily, and pursued her passions without restraint—this was enough, even exceeding what most people experienced in their entire lives.

“Don’t be sad! Everyone dies eventually, right?” The Nightingale smiled gently to comfort Lucy, who sat by the bed with a gloomy expression.

It would have been better not to say anything. With those words, tears welled up in Lucy’s eyes immediately, streaming down her cheeks. She could no longer hold back. Looking at the Nightingale, her heart ached deeply.

“You won’t die!” she insisted stubbornly, staring into the distance as if hoping a deity would appear there to save the Nightingale’s life! Her stubbornness was endearing, making the Nightingale smile lightly—after all, she was just a little girl.

Her gaze drifted afar, followed by a soft sigh. She knew best how weak her body was. It was already a miracle that she had held on this long. Besides relying on the Rainbow Ice Spirit, she had also persisted through her own determination. She had wanted to see Rod one last time, but even that wish wouldn’t be granted. What was he doing now? He must be as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

She seemed to have never seen him anxious before—neither when his identity was exposed, nor when facing their pursuit or that of the entire continent. Yet last night, she had seen him panicked for the first time because of her. Thinking of this, she felt warmth in her heart, a sweet sensation. For a woman, it was enough to meet such a man in her lifetime. Truly worthy of both heaven and earth, standing at the pinnacle of the world—how many men like him could there be?

The atmosphere in the room was heavy. Muck and Doron said nothing, only waiting anxiously, hoping for a miracle at this moment.

But the Nightingale’s condition worsened. Her hands drooped weakly from Lucy’s shoulders, and her voice grew softer, making it hard to hear what she was saying. Even Lucy, who was closest to her, couldn’t understand her words despite her sharp hearing.

She could only faintly hear her muttering something about Iron Bar Town.

VV’ski’s body began to tremble. A man should not shed tears easily, but he hadn’t reached such a painful point yet. Yet now, his heart truly ached. This sister who was both teacher and friend was about to leave. The bond they had built over years was causing him to lose control.

“Head! Why haven’t you come back yet? Nothing can stop you. You said you’d be back by this morning, right?” she said blankly, staring into the distance. In the hearts of Viski and the others, Rod was like a god—a omnipotent god who could overcome anything. If he said he would do something, he surely would. But why hadn’t he appeared yet?

“Sis, you can’t sleep! You mustn’t sleep! Hurry, open your eyes! Lucy still has so much to tell you. Didn’t you say you wanted to talk to Lucy about your past with Big Brother? But you still haven’t started!” Suddenly, Lucy cried out loudly because she saw Nightingale’s eyes growing increasingly vacant as they slowly closed.

“Nightingale!” Lucy’s heart-wrenching cry drew everyone’s attention. The members of the Reaper Scythe Squad outside were also alarmed. At this moment, they had no time to focus on defense and rushed into the small room, shouting in panic.

“I’m so tired… It’s… time to rest, right?” With a desolate smile, Nightingale murmured in a faint voice.

“No, you need to wait until night to rest properly. It’s still daytime. Big Brother is about to return. Didn’t he ask you to wait for him?” Viski rushed to the window, trembling as he spoke.

But nothing could stop Nightingale’s life from fading away! Her eyes kept blinking; it was clear she was trying hard, but to no avail.

At that moment, all Nightingale could feel was exhaustion—extreme tiredness, along with endless cold. The whole world was dark. It seemed there was some noise coming from outside, but it was impossible to hear clearly.

Her eyelids felt as heavy as lead, constantly drooping. Everything before her was darkness—endless darkness, with howling winds. Several people were shouting loudly in her ears—Lucy, Viski, and her comrades.

She really wanted to open her eyes and take one last look, but she simply didn’t have the strength. It was as if all will to leave had been drained from her body. All she wanted was to sleep.

“Nightingale…” Suddenly, she heard it—a faint, familiar voice. Her heart started to tremble. It was Rod. She heard that familiar voice, Rod’s voice. Was he calling her? Had he returned? It couldn’t be that fast! Nightingale mocked herself silently.

“Sis!” Lucy cried out loudly, but it was useless. Nightingale’s body gradually grew colder.

“Nightingale!” everyone cried, but it was of no use. At this moment, Nightingale was truly about to leave them.
Everyone was desperate. Just at this critical moment, a furious roar suddenly came from afar, calling out Nightingale’s name—that familiar voice.
“Brother! It’s Brother who’s back!” Lucy shouted first, then rushed toward the door.
“The leader! The leader’s back! Nightingale is saved!” Immediately, Visky and the others spoke excitedly. In an instant, everyone felt as if they had gone from heaven to hell and then back again.
Sure enough, the next moment, there was a bang as the door was kicked open, and two figures rushed into the room. The man at the front had disheveled hair, exuded a strong smell of blood, wore tattered clothes, and his armor was covered in blood—it was Rod. If people hadn’t known him so well, it would have been hard to recognize him at first glance. No one knew what he had gone through that night or why he looked like this, radiating a terrifying and cold aura, like an envoy from the depths of hell.
Behind him followed an old man with a withered face, full of wrinkles and pale complexion.
“Nightingale!” Once inside the room, Rod’s icy aura vanished instantly, replaced by extreme tenderness. He quickly went to Nightingale and gently called out to her.
“Hurry! She’s about to die! Give her this quickly!” The old man said urgently, taking out a jade box from his arms and pulling out a pure white pill that emitted a fragrant scent.
Without hesitation, Rod took the pill, slowly opened Nightingale’s mouth, and fed it to her. The pill dissolved instantly upon entering her mouth, turning into a stream of clear water that flowed straight into her stomach.
At that moment, Rod’s body trembled slightly—whether from nervousness or exhaustion. Everyone was stunned at his appearance. Where had he been? What had he gone through? How many people had he killed to stain his armor in blood?
“What’s the situation? Check quickly!” He then stood up hastily, giving his seat to the old man he had brought along, and asked anxiously.
The old man sat at the head of the bed with a serious expression, taking Nightingale’s pulse. His expression grew increasingly grim. Everyone in the room held their breath, afraid to disturb this last hope.
His expression worsened further. After a long, long time, he finally released her pulse and sighed.

“What’s the situation? Is there still any hope? Hurry and save him! Didn’t you say there’s no one you can’t save?” Rod grew anxious, stepped forward, grabbed the old man’s shoulders, and shouted loudly.