My Wife is a Dead Villainess, and I'm Her Living Weapon-Chapter 90: Bastion

At Elian’s command, Bastion’s eyebrows furrowed. Silent came slower to him and began nuzzling her snout on his neck. It looked extremely affectionate. It must be the Fralhame equivalent of holding hands, fingers intertwined.

Bastion stood still, his expression unreadable. But Elian could almost hear the weight of every thought grinding behind those calm eyes. Silent on the other hand turned to Elian and pleaded in a brittle voice.

"Son-in-law, can we wait for a week? Or maybe just a day? I am not doubting you, but Fluffy’s transformation did not go smoothly, what if it fails?"

As much as Elian wanted to assure her, he couldn’t. He and Bianca still hadn’t perfected the process. In order to rebuild Bastion, he had to die first. Silent was panicking—she’d taken the risk with Fluffy the hardest.

Back then she wanted to stop, Bastion was the only one who reassured her. Gambling with someone’s life was something that shouldn’t be even attempted to begin with. Especially when it was someone as important as Bastion.

But Elian remembered his father-in-law’s words.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING! THE CRUCIBLE IS A GROTESQUE CASTLE BUILT ON THE CORPSES AND BLOOD OF ALL THOSE WHO LOST THEMSELVES TO GREED!"

"Silent, my beloved. This is the type of mentality that is required of a tyrant. And I am for one glad that someone like him is on our side. He will protect our family. Better than we ever could."

"It matters not. Whisper’s power despite regressing is enough to fight on near equal footing with Elian. At my level I will be nothing but a burden. I already failed to protect my family once before. I will not do so again."

He was the one who knew best what the crucible demanded on those who joined it. Both Bastion and Elian knew, their opponents will only get stronger. Rather than resent the world for creating the inhumane competition, focusing on getting stronger was far better.

Elian remained silent. This was not his decision to make. Although he demanded Bastion to change, he would never force this fate on him. He might for others but not for those Bianca called family.

Silent looked down and clawed at the ground. Her frustration practically resonated along her body. Yet someone as intelligent as her knew what reality demanded of them. Bastion finally moved, he nuzzled his wife and licked her tenderly.

"Silent, my beloved, do you mind giving Elian and I a few moments alone."

"But..."

"It’s fine dear, I will come back reborn. Do not worry, have I ever lied to you?"

Silent let out a pitiful whimper and nuzzled Bastion one last time before walking back to her daughters. Her shoulders slumped. Her tail dragged behind her.

"You are loved," Elian commented in warmth.

"Every day I’m with her, I want to be a better wolf."

After she left, Bastion cleared his throat, before speaking, "So, there is one thing I want to ask. When I become a golem, do I still get urges?"

Elian staggered, he couldn’t believe what he just heard, "Urges?" he clarified.

"Yes, you know biological urges. Whisper keeps her true body still encased in her golem one, right? Does she still have the needs?"

"..."

This couldn’t be what he was worried about. Could it?

Elian blinked, processing. Out of all the concerns Bastion could’ve raised, this was not one of them.

"Well? Silent is uhm, very—active and I want to know, if I can still satisfy her needs when I evolve."

"I honestly don’t know. I never had them. I know what I should be attracted to, but I never had the desire manifest in my body. I do not know if Whisper is the same but Living Metal is pliable, you can remake your body as you want to," Elian explained.

At his answer, Bastion lowered his head in understanding.

"Do you want to take some time to think it over?" the Tyrant asked in respect.

"Why? Let’s begin immediately."

"Huh? Aren’t you worried about the odds of failure?"

This time, it was Bastion who gazed at Elian in confusion. His face looked like he pitied his son-in-law for being dumber than a brick.

"No. I am not," he replied with finality.

"Are you..."

Bastion then cut off Elian’s question, "I am coming back."

"..."

"I will not accept anything else. No matter the pain, no matter the suffering, I will come back. I cannot leave my wife and daughters to the whims of the crucible. My body is the castle that protects them from the storm, I am their—"

"Bastion," Elian agreed.

The Alpha chuckled, "Yes, ever since I received my name, I tried to strive to that ideal."

"That name suits you."

"Haha, I work really hard to make it so."

***

It took Bastion, Fluffy, Bianca all trying to console Silent for her to stop crying. But even then, she wouldn’t let go of her husband. Right now, Silent’s tail was fastened securely on Bastion’s neck.

Bastion sent Elian away while they tried to calm her down.

Elian stood in the middle of the nuked wasteland and was salvaging the mana-rich soil. On his shoulder was Burny, who was observing. Living Metal serpents swallowed the earth like excavators and converted it to more Living Metal.

"Sir Elian, the current issue is that Master Bastion wishes to become a Weapon, right? Much like Lady Fluffy?"

"Yes."

"Fascinating, his choice is causing Mistress Silent to disagree? From what I understood, it is because She’s scared of losing him, right?"

"That is the problem in a nutshell."

"Amazing. It is something I find hard to understand. Fralhame’s culture is so different, it feels like something made up," Burny remarked deep in thought.

"To us, Averignis’s culture is just as alien. I don’t think I ever heard of a religion as unique as yours. Half of me wonders how you guys even manage to even continue existing."

"Ah, that is simple, our souls are basically made of mana, much like Master’s soul body. When we die, our souls are dispersed, and the fire puts us back together, reform our core."

Elian said nothing but smiled wryly as he worked. He was in the middle of creating resource blocks of Living Metal and Dominator variants for Bastion’s overhaul.

"Still, I saw the power of Mistress Fluffy. Compared to her martial prowess, our power and single mindedness seemed pitiful."

Ho? So, he can think of other matters aside from just burning?

Elian then felt a cold chill come from behind. He turned around and saw Bianca—the real one. She was no longer was inhabiting a Truthsong Crusader.

"Elian, we are ready. Mom finally agreed."

"Okay, let’s go."

Elian, Bianca, Burny then joined Silent, Fluffy and Bastion. Fluffy had to create metal restraints to keep Silent down. She was already in tears, and Bastion snuggled to comfort her.

Bastion eventually left. Silent whimpered in misery when he did. Bianca who saw her mother’s state, turned to Burny and gave him an order.

"Burny, go to my mother and console her."

"Me? But I know nothing about Fralhame."

"Yes, but you’re kind and smart. Go. Please do it for me," Bianca added.

Although a bit reluctant, the Flame Swallow followed. He perched on Silent’s paws and began to sing.

Meanwhile Bastion declared to the rest of their group, "I am ready."

Immediately the ones present acted. Elian created an onyx spear and took aim at Bastion’s heart. Bianca conjured the soul galaxy once more. Fluffy used her reserves to create a large dome that enclosed the four of them, along with the materials, inside.

Elian took one last glance at Bianca and Fluffy. They nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Elian drove his spear deep into Bastion’s heart, causing him to collapse and vomit blood. Bianca closed her eyes and brought out the monster core they looted from Heaven’s Fist.

When Bastion breathed his last, Bianca quickly retrieved his golden light and fused it into the core in her hand, "Soul bind," she chanted.

Fluffy quickly doused Bastion’s corpse with a potion, "Ready."

After a few moments, Bianca finished creating a new soulgem and gave it to Elian. He looked down at the soulgem, his hand trembling just slightly. Wrapping it in Dominator variant metals, Elian placed it on his father-in-law’s corpse.

Let this work, old man. She needs you. We all do.

"Overhaul."

At his commands, the black and ashen colored metals raced and crashed into the Snow Wolf Alpha recreating it from the inside.