Reborn as an Yandere : Yandere X Yandere-Chapter 230: Kill Or Corporate?

"For truly absorbing an essence stone, you need to use it a lot. Push your body to its limits. Use the essence stone until you're drained—then rest, recover, and do it all over again. Don't just use it for fighting. Make it part of your life. Use it for small, daily things too, like lifting something, lighting a fire, or even helping you move faster when walking."

He looked at Maruti and tapped his chest. "Until it becomes a natural habit of your body. Like breathing. Like your heart beating. It should work without needing your will anymore. That's when your body truly accepts it."

Maruti stayed silent, listening carefully. Her eyes didn't leave his face.

"The only bad thing is..." he paused for a second, "once you fully absorb an essence stone, you can never remove it. Not even after death."

"But," Xing Liang added with a smile, "other than that, it's full of benefits."

He lifted a finger and started listing them, one by one.

"First, it'll start using less mana."

"Second, it won't tire your mind like before."

"And most importantly..." He grinned. "If you master the essence stone, then you don't need a bunch of other support stones just to use your killer move!"

Maruti blinked. "Support stones?"

"Yeah," Xing Liang nodded. "When someone wants to use a powerful killer move, the main essence stone isn't always enough. You need extra essence stones—support stones—to help make it work. Without them, the move might fail or be weak."

He was completely telling the truth, The higher the killer move, the more support stones it needs."

Take Esdeath's killer move, 'Oblivion Nova', for example. It uses the ZK-20, Forcebreaker essence stone, Phantom Force, and a few other strong ones as the main ingredients. But to really bring out its full power, she also uses more than a dozen Rank D support essence stones to boost and balance the move.

"Now think about this..." Xing Liang said, folding his arms. "Imagine someone who can use a killer move with only the main essence stone. No support stones. No complicated setup. Just pure skill."

"It means less mana cost. Less stamina used. Less pressure on your mind. And the gap between you and others at the same rank? It'll be massive. They won't even be able to touch you."

Maruti was completely silent now. Her heart felt heavy with awe and surprise. She finally understood.

That's why people said Xing Liang once defeated an S Rank Awakened even when he was only Rank A.

"I guess... history sometimes tells the truth," she thought to herself.

She looked up at him and finally asked, her voice filled with curiosity , "So... is this the secret behind how you defeated an S Rank while being just Rank A at the time?"

Xing Liang stayed quiet for a moment, then smirked.

"Well, you can say that," he said calmly, "but another reason was my own fighting style—CQC."

"Since you're a barbarian, you'd understand better than anyone how fun it is to use your fists, kicks, and just slam your opponent into the ground. Way better than standing far away and casting spells or using essence stones while standing still like a statue, right?"

Maruti's eyes lit up the second she heard him.

"Of course!" she shouted, her voice full of excitement. "There's nothing more satisfying than punching someone so hard their teeth fly out! Trading blows head-on, no tricks, no hiding—just raw power and speed!"

She was so excited that her words started stumbling. Her heart raced as her mind went wild.

She remembered all those anime and superhero movies she'd watched—where one punch could send someone flying into mountains or break buildings. Or when two warriors clashed with swords and it caused the earth to shake.

Those kinds of battles weren't just fun—they were the coolest, most awesome moments she could ever imagine.

---

Xing Liang chuckled softly when he saw the stars in Maruti's eyes.

But then, he raised his hand and said, "Okay, let's end today's lesson here. I've already told you more than enough. You'll need time to process it all."

He gave her a small smile. "Just follow what I said. Practice it. Come back here tomorrow or the day after, whenever you're free. But don't forget—do what I told you!"

With a flick of his finger, he sent a small pinch of mana through the air, and Maruti was teleported away in a flash of light.

--------

Maruti blinked and found herself back in the academy garden.

The sky had already turned orange with evening light, and the garden was empty—just like usual at this hour.

Thankfully, no one had seen her suddenly appear from nowhere.

She looked around, thinking to herself, "Should I tell Fable about Xing Liang?"

But just then, she noticed someone familiar.

Sitting alone on one of the public benches was Esdeath, her shoulders low and her face pale and tired.

Without thinking, Maruti walked over quickly.

"Why didn't you come today?" she asked, her tone sharp from the morning's frustration. "Did you know my sister and Lortell's sister joined the academy today?"

Esdeath didn't even look up. "Of course I know that..." she said with a weak voice.

Maruti paused. Something felt off.

She looked closely at Esdeath's face—it looked dull and strangely wrinkled, like all her energy had been sucked out.

"Why do you look like this?" Maruti asked, sitting beside her. "Your face looks... old and tired."

Esdeath took a deep breath and replied, "I used an essence stone to increase my strength. I can finally move now and This side effects will also wear off in a few hours. Don't worry about it. I suggest you also start working on getting stronger, too."

Her voice was quiet and heavy.

Maruti nodded slowly.

Esdeath added, "As for Cassandra and Sasha... Cassandra is the real problem. Sasha is your sister, so as long as you stay close to me, she'll probably stay neutral."

Maruti leaned back a little on the bench, her eyes watching the sun slowly dip below the horizon. The orange and pink light painted the sky in soft colors. After a short silence, she took a deep breath and spoke.

"I need to tell you something... about Xing Liang."

Esdeath turned her head slightly, her tired eyes meeting Maruti's. When Maruti finished explaining everything—about Xing Liang's inheritance and teaching.

"Xing Liang's Inheritance... Essence stone abortion..." she repeated the words softly, her brows furrowing in surprise. "To think the fake story we made up about his inheritance actually turned out to be real... And there's something hidden in the academy I didn't know about? That's unexpected..." She looked puzzled and thoughtful.

"Hehehe," Maruti chuckled and rubbed her nose proudly. "I guess I'm being more useful than you these days!"

Esdeath gave her a flat look but didn't argue. "To become a master in magic, we still need a lot more. Even though Arc 3 gives us more time, it's definitely not enough to fully master advanced spells. I think Xing Liang said all that because... he doesn't know how the future will play out."

Maruti leaned in slightly. "So, what do we do now?"

Esdeath's tone turned serious. "We need an information-path inheritance. But weak ones won't help us. The only truly useful one is in the hands of Victoria on Scarlet... from the Awakened Kingdom."

"So we're heading to the Awakened Kingdom now?" Maruti asked, blinking.

"Not yet," Esdeath replied. "We still have time. But you should know—Arc 3 is known as the 'Do or Die Arc.' It's our last peaceful time. We have to use it to travel the world, find rare inheritances, grow stronger... and prepare. After this, it becomes a fight for survival."

She said the words in a low, serious tone, like she was warning Maruti of something terrible.

"And starting soon," Esdeath added, "we'll be hunting monsters too—just like Ethan. That sneaky rat is already doing it every day to gain new skills and power up."

Maruti let out a long sigh, looking at the last bit of sunlight on the horizon. "You two really have the advantage. Your constellations actually help you. Mine... does nothing. It's like I was picked by the laziest one."

Esdeath's voice softened, trying to comfort her. "That's not true. You actually have the better deal. I was just a normal human with three times weaker stats than average Awakened. There's a limit far I can go by myself. That's why I need people like Lortell, Selene, Corin... and especially you."

She looked at Maruti with a rare gentle smile. "You're the incarnation of one of the strongest constellations. You have insane potential. Especially with that Ultra Instinct. Even if you haven't fully mastered it yet, it's there, inside you."

Then, after a pause, Esdeath took a deep breath. "There's one more thing I wanted to tell you."

She leaned closer and whispered about the Freedom Essence Stone.

Maruti's eyes widened with shock. "What?! So you're telling me... that the reason Kaelith and Alice are acting so obsessed with me... is because of that essence stone?!"

She almost jumped from her seat in surprise.

But Esdeath waved her hand dismissively, clearly annoyed. "Of course not. The Freedom Essence Stone provides happyness not love. It just gives a warm, comforting feeling. Like peace or happiness. That's it. And Kaelith has strong resistance to stuff like that, so she'd barely feel it. Maybe just a little comfort."

She narrowed her eyes at Maruti. "You must've done something. And if you really want girls that badly, go to the red-light district or flirt with some hot villainess. Picking girls like Kaelith and Alice is just going to cause problems for us later!"

Esdeath's tone was sharp, like a big sister scolding her mischievous sibling.

"How would I know?!" Maruti mumbled, puffing her cheeks. "I don't even remember doing anything! And it's not like I'm trying to get into a relationship or anything..." her voice grew quieter near the end.

They both sat quietly, watching the golden sun melt into the edge of the world. The wind was gentle, and the sky slowly darkened into soft shades of purple and orange. It was peaceful... for once.

After a long silence, Esdeath spoke, her voice low and thoughtful.

"How much time has passed?"

Maruti glanced up at the sky and shrugged. "Maybe... half an hour?"

Esdeath sighed and leaned back slightly. "We'll split the loot that we gained from Elara's clone tomorrow evening."

Then, her calm tone suddenly turned sharp and playful. "Now get the hell out of here before your dumb 'halo of happiness' makes me start laughing like a damn maniac."

Her words were harsh, but there was a strange warmth in them.

Maruti chuckled softly. "Okay," she said, standing up with a light step. There was a skip in her walk, a rare smile tugging at her lips. She wasn't offended—actually, she felt proud. She had something almost no one else in the world did.

A Divine Rank Essence Stone.

She held onto that thought with joy.

"I can finally show off to Kaelith.... She always acts so strong, but now I can intimidate her in the name of divine rank essence stone, Acting tough is more important actually being strong."

Just as that smug thought passed through her mind, Esdeath's body stiffened. She turned her head quickly, like a wolf catching the scent of something dangerous.

"And don't you dare go around telling everyone you have a Divine Rank Essence Stone!" Esdeath yelled, her voice sharp and high-pitched. "Do you remember what happened on our first day of high school?!"

Maruti froze in place. Her eyes widened as her heart skipped a beat.

It felt like Esdeath had read her mind.

Of course she remembered...

That day when she got carried away, bragged too much, acted too proud—and in the end, it lead them to a path where they ended up killing everyone present in the school including teachers and staff members.

Her cheeks turned a little red from embarrassment and guilt.

"I'm not that teenage boy anymore," she muttered under her breath, clenching her fist. "I've grown up."

Esdeath raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh really? Grown up into what? A half-gyaru, half-tomboy girl? Or maybe a cowgirl?"

Her teasing voice cut through the moment like a knife.

"You—!" Maruti raised her hand, half tempted to slap her, but then paused. She let out a long sigh and lowered it. There was no point arguing. Not now.

Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving Esdeath alone on the bench.

Esdeath watched her figure fade into the distance. Her playful smile slowly disappeared, replaced by a serious, cold look.

She whispered two names under her breath.

"Maddie Madone... Victoria von Scarlet..."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Kill or Corporate, I wonder which one I should choose?!",