Chapter 595 - 440: Coal Ball’s Departure and the Duke’s Summons
Chapter 595: Chapter 440: Coal Ball’s Departure and the Duke’s Summons
It was him!
It was Coal Ball!
"Coal Ball!"
Raylo cried out anxiously.
"Come back! Hurry back!"
He reached out, his voice a desperate plea to the black figure.
In midair, Coal Ball’s black draconic body trembled slightly.
He seemed to want to fly toward Raylo.
But a vaster, more irresistible Power held his body in a death grip, Imprisoning him and rendering him immobile.
The glimmer of life that had just returned to his eyes was once again slowly devoured by a cold, indifferent void.
Just then, a pitch-black spatial rift opened silently in the sky above Coal Ball’s head without any warning.
SWISH!
Behind the rift was a vast, swirling cosmos filled with endless Stars!
An ancient aura from another dimension, another world, seeped out from the rift.
Raylo’s heart instantly sank to rock bottom.
"No..."
All the color drained from Raylo’s lips.
He charged madly toward the giant crater.
"Don’t go! Coal Ball! I order you! You’re not allowed to go!"
He roared.
Moonlight, Sun, and Lightning, the three Giant Dragons, descended in unison, letting out low growls, pleading with Coal Ball to stay.
However, it was all too late.
The black Giant Dragon took one last, deep look at Raylo, Moonlight, and the others.
That single glance contained so much.
Reluctance, fondness, helplessness...
Then, he tilted his head back toward the spatial rift leading to the unknown and let out his first resounding draconic roar since reaching Adolescence!
"ROAR!"
The moment the roar faded, his figure transformed into a bolt of black lightning.
With a single flash, he shot into the pitch-black spatial rift without a hint of hesitation.
Then, before Raylo’s despairing eyes, the spatial rift slowly closed.
Finally, it vanished without a trace.
As if it had never been there at all.
He was gone.
Coal Ball was gone.
The little guy who always loved to turn into a small black cat and snuggle coquettishly in his arms.
His Minister of Logistics, who always used his endless space to carry loot.
The little companion who had been with him all this way...
Just like that, he was gone.
Raylo’s figure froze at the edge of the giant crater.
His hand remained outstretched in that summoning gesture, his entire body like a weathered stone statue.
In that moment, time lost all meaning.
The world lost all sound and color.
Moonlight, Sun, and Lightning, the three Giant Dragons, also stared blankly at the empty sky, their massive draconic eyes filled with sorrow and confusion.
They didn’t understand.
Why did their companion’s growth have to turn into a final farewell?
Moonlight landed silently beside Raylo.
She reverted to her form as a large white cat and gently nuzzled her head against Raylo’s cheek.
He reached down, his hand touching the cold, hard earth.
This was the last place Coal Ball had been.
A faint trace of Spatial Energy still lingered in the air.
But that aura was rapidly dissipating.
"My lord!"
Ed, Kado, and the others finally snapped out of their shock from the terrifying spatial upheaval and rushed to Raylo’s side.
Seeing Raylo kneeling on the ground, his expression completely devastated, they were at a loss for words.
They had seen it too.
How Coal Ball had been swallowed by a gateway to an unknown world.
"My lord, you... my condolences."
Ed’s voice was hoarse and strained.
Raylo didn’t respond.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Raylo snapped his head up.
’The contract!’
’The Companion Contract between me and Coal Ball!’
Raylo closed his eyes, sinking his entire consciousness deep into his soul.
In the sea of his soul, he could feel that the contract representing the bond between him and Coal Ball was still strong.
At that moment, Raylo’s heart began to pound wildly.
A faint but incredibly precious sliver of hope rose anew from the desolate lake of his heart.
’The contract is still active, which means Coal Ball is still alive!’
He eagerly sent his Spiritual Power probing along the grayish-white ribbon of light that represented the Contract Power.
He wanted to contact Coal Ball.
He wanted to know where he was now, how he was doing.
However, the instant his Spiritual Power touched the ribbon of light...
A cold, vast will traveled back along the ribbon toward him!
That will held no hostility.
It merely examined Raylo’s insignificant wisp of Spiritual Power with cold indifference.
Then, an irresistible Power gently pushed Raylo’s Spiritual Power back.
HUMMM!
A deep thrumming resonated in Raylo’s mind.
He snapped his eyes open, his face growing even paler than before.
’I failed.’
He couldn’t contact Coal Ball.
Although the ribbon of the contract was still there, its other end seemed to be completely cut off by an invisible, insurmountable Barrier.
He could feel that Coal Ball was still alive.
But he could no longer clearly perceive his emotions or his thoughts as he once had.
Slowly, Raylo stood up.
He didn’t look at the giant crater again.
He turned and, with heavy steps that felt as if they were filled with lead, walked back toward his tent, one foot in front of the other.