CHAPTER 118: | SURRENDERED
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"Isn't he such a pain in the neck, Alister? It's unsettling. You, who are by far the most calculating man I've ever known, are sparing someone when you know he's going to rebel given the chance?"
Her irises, once normal, had now turned into slits, similar to those of a Letvian, a race renowned for eyes whose beauty surpassed even that of a Celestial, whose very eyes carried the mystery of something special.
Her gaze intently watched the movements of my facial muscles, seeking my intent, since Samantha herself had yet to gain access to the 'world intent.'
But I smiled at her watchful gaze, observing me intensely as her calculative mind speculated on my intentions.
"I see... so you wish to remain silent in this matter since you don't fully trust me, a woman whom you've just met in a couple of days, right?"
Her voice was so calm that there wasn't a tremor in it.
She glanced at me, then lifted her head to gaze at the stars floating in the stilled sky in this skyless abyss, and smiled.
"How petty... You are foolish even at the end, just like the man who had projected those stars in the night sky."
Her delicate lips, tinted in a pinkish-red glow, were alluring.
A small mole, barely a few millimeters, could be seen just a few inches down the right side of her lips, accentuating her beauty if one were observant enough.
I was a fool, infatuated by discovering another aspect of her beauty.
I lay motionless in the currents, gawking at her like a simpleton as she spoke with seriousness.
"It's pointless... Lumicor, it's pointless for you to leave this place, even if you sacrifice your life force."
Even though Samantha was clueless about how this new world worked, the almighty constructs that addressed themselves as the dimensional record had granted all lifeforms on this planet, whether talented or talentless, a chance of evolution.
It was an era of prosperity, where even a frail, small lizard crawling in an inn wall could gain the power of evolution, turning it into a fearsome, fire-breathing, demonic monstrosity.
This was the time when all had an equal chance to gain the power of the gods.
It wasn't the era when sitting in a cave and immersing oneself into the world was the path to power, where the world's spiritual power aided one's path toward immortality, or where one integrated their mind with the intent of the world, awakening the seventh sense called the 'world of intent.'
It was a time where the old fought with the new, each path having its own philosophies.
The old spoke.
"The path to power is when one accomplishes it with one's own strength."
Their words surely had some sense, but they too had flaws. For how could the talentless defy the will of heaven and accomplish those flowery philosophies without the talent to even begin that very path?
In response, the New Generation, led by the first ancient emperor, the one who was hailed as the divine one, the emperor that possessed the strength to destroy the heavens itself, decreed.
"It is the wails of the unfortunate to deny the existence of the supreme instrument sent by the heavens. Hear no more of their wails..."
"As I, Aulie, am the proof that even us, the untalented, could become this monstrous without adhering to the rules of the old..."
"Forget the wails of the fools who deny the divine instrument of heaven and let us embark on the path to Iteracy."
This was the first spark of defiance to the old, which the other four ancients supported.
It was the declaration of independence from the old, whose existence was veiled in shadows.
The old ones, the ones who controlled the world veiled in shadows, issued their own decree.
"It is the just and right path to conquer oneself, to synchronize with the world, not steal its lifeforce but to borrow it and repay it when one is on the verge of death."
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However, to everyone's surprise, the old ones remained silent after their decree.
It was unlike them to leave 'Aulie' alone, who had the audacity to challenge their authority.
It was as if the old ones were fearing the might of 'Aulie,' which was rumored to be able to destroy an entire capital with a single thrust of his fist.
The old ones' fear of the divine one was not unfounded, since they knew better, this divine instrument sent by the heavens was truly heaven-sent.
Yet, they, too, had produced tens of thousands of existences that were equally as powerful as 'Aulie' himself.
So, they used their authority to the best of their ability to crush the beliefs of the citizens, of their belief that relying on this alien power wasn't the path to supremacy.
It was smooth sailing at first, since none of the new five emperors interfered with their plan by declaring their independence after 'Aulie' did, and the plan was going according to plan, until the second emperor, 'Akarim,' himself declared his dominion.
"I, AKARIM THE FALSE DRAGON, DECLARE MY INDEPENDENCE TO THE WORLD!"
It was in that moment he declared his independence that the plan of the old ones began to fall apart.
The citizens in the world sided with the emperor's declaration, and began an uprising, hoping to resist their will.
And so the decline of their authorities in the world began, as it rapidly declined by the proclamation of one powerhouse followed by another, declaring their independence to the old ones.
A year passed, and the old ones came up with a solution, the extinction of all and the start of a new world.
It was decided.
The very next moment, the world that once welcomed its prosperity burned in flames as it fell into chaos in a matter of a year, with nearly all of its population dying from the counterattack of the old ones.
While in the deepest part of the sea, the Atlantis that the supreme god ruled was destroyed.
This was the limit of the memories I could access from the records my master left me, since the rest of these events would probably be in her original form, which I will only hear of when I rescue her.
Now I understand what Lumicor was trying to do.
He was burning his lifeforce to empower his spells.
Right now, the stars in the night sky glowed brighter, like the sun hanging in the spotless cerulean sky that could only be seen on the surface above...
"..."
"It's pointless... Lumicor, it's pointless for you to leave this place, even if you sacrifice your life force."
Her calm demeanor gave the impression she was in complete control of this situation.
Her cold eyes calculated Lumicor's every move, her lips moving slowly, speaking those words to intimidate him.
But then she stopped entirely, only gazing at Lumicor, who was now coughing blood, as she felt a sense of déjà vu.
"..."
'How weird... I felt like I spoke those words for the second time... but why did he violently cough some blood right now?'
'I see... so Elara herself had finally awakened, huh? It's too early right now, but I guess it should do. Since right now, I could fast-forward my plan by a few millennia.'
"The Mother of Time herself has now finally awakened. The proof of her awakening is when the time of the world is influenced by her will and rewound by her who controls time itself."
I smiled, watching Samantha's confused face.
Right now, she was probably trying to figure out who the Mother of Time was, trying to know if she were an ally or an enemy, though it would more likely be the latter since they would both likely clash even in this life.
It was cute that she had seemingly forgotten the existence of Lumicor, who was now under my heel.
It was pitiful to watch him coughing violently.
His expression was amusing, but even when he was in extreme pain, he stubbornly held onto his pride and refused to crawl beneath me like the dog he was.
"..."
He was in immense pain, but he wasn't weak.
He was Lumicor, the God of the Lake of Dreadnought, so how could he cave in from this mere pain?
How could he, a god, bow to another?
He would rather endure this pain than let out a whisper of his suffering.
He persistently calmed his heart.
Even in this immense pain, his breathing was measured, as if he wasn't in agony.
He gritted his teeth, laying on the sandy floor with his head pressed by my feet.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
I clapped at his endurance.
It was admirable that he remained silent even through this level of torture.
It was such a pity that he would soon break from this pain, but I couldn't help it since this was the only way, either he would bend or die in his stubbornness...
"Melissa... it seems that we've been had by Astria... it wasn't a demonic entity but... but it was a monster in human clothing..."
Finally, after this battle of wit and attrition, he thought he could finally rest without any worry.
But before he could close his eyes, the sounds of an amused laugh could be heard, followed by words.
"Oho... I see, so my lovely Astria had truly dared to plot behind my back?"
"I really didn't want to do this to her, but I might really have to teach her a lesson, along with this Melissa chick of yours, Lumicor?"
Knowing my personality in this battle, instead of resting in peace, Lumicor jolted awake and grabbed my heels as he shouted with his bloodied mouth.
"Y-you! DON'T YOU DARE TO TOUCH HER!"
I smiled at his intense reaction, then bent my hips, sitting on a throne of sand while I pretended to ponder.
Lumicor stared at me with daggers, but I ignored it while I scratched my chin and whispered in his ears.
"I don't really know what to do to women rather than... torment them."
"..."
He remained silent at my words.
Even though he didn't see me personally torment Aubrey, Lumicor could still guess what would happen to his wife, so he remained in silence as he stewed over her fate.
Now, it was either he would die right here, right now, to preserve this last shred of pride that he had left, or completely abandon it and do what I wished for him to do, surrender to me.
It was a dilemma for someone as prideful as him.
He pondered these options as I watched him racking his brain.
I was amused, so I whispered.
"Thinking for too long isn't a good thing, you know? Maybe I would have already taken her when you had finally come to a decision, so what is done cannot be undone, you know?"
He sighed at my urging, then slapped my feet away as he kneeled with his head pressed on the sand.
"I... I lose. So take this shameful one under your wing."
