Beyond the Bloodline

Chapter 436: The Sinner’s Requiem

Miranda’s eyes widened, her expression then contorting as she struggled to process the images her eyes were capturing and sending to her brain.

All she could see were flashes of black light that distorted the fabric of reality, bending it at strange angles as though it were a stretched rubber band.

"Julio seems to be trying to minimise collateral damage, but the Witch of Chaos doesn’t really care," Akari muttered, and Jamie nodded in response.

"Yeah. Collateral damage is kinda the point of the whole operation, isn’t it?"

Their brief exchange reached Miranda’s ears, prompting the violet-haired woman to glance between them with an incredulous expression.

"You can understand what’s happening there...?"

Both Jamie and Akari nodded silently, their affirmation once again reminding Miranda of the gap in power between the two Zenith Havens and the Supreme Realm her.

Not a single thing happening before Miranda’s eyes made any sense. It was as if Angela and Julio were just floating in place while flashes of cosmic energy appeared around them at random.

Jamie and Akari, on the other hand, could see the exchanges of power as clearly as day, with hundreds of attacks flashing out per second across various vectors in space and time, instantly colliding and neutralising each other.

"You said the Witch of Chaos’ plan is to make her sister an Immortal like you, right?"

At Akari’s question, Jamie nodded without a word, and Akari frowned lightly at the confirmation.

"Judging by how things are...she’s not going to succeed."

"True," Jamie agreed.

To simplify the Conceptual Detachment process Angela was attempting, one could imagine an Ethernet cable connecting a router and a computer.

If the Ethernet cable were unplugged from the router, the computer would lose access to the network through it.

That was exactly what Angela intended to do.

But what if the router was enclosed within an airtight box, which itself was contained within several dozen cages, each secured with about twenty padlocks?

Then no hand could reach the router to unplug the Ethernet cable.

One could liken the Concept of Death’s natural protection to that airtight box, while the several dozen cages around it represented the multi-layered barriers maintained by Julio’s Conceptual Authority over Death.

Even while confronting Angela and taking care to limit collateral damage to the surrounding universes and reality itself, Julio was actively sustaining a multi-layered shield around the Concept of Death to prevent Angela from detaching Daniella from it.

To be exact, she was blocking all foreign interference from reaching the Concept of Death.

"Julio’s lived over a trillion years, and she definitely has the power, wisdom, and power that comes with that age," Jamie said.

"For starters, Julio already knows that entire dimension was created by me, and she knows I have a hand in all of this," Jamie added, extending his hand to summon the Galaxy Sword.

The instant the sword flew into his grasp, and he held it, a heavy gaze fell on them, scattering all cosmic energy around the three of them, clearing the cloud of cosmic dust around the barrier of the universe they were standing on, and feeling it, Jamie burst out laughing.

"As I thought, she’s on guard against me," he said, unsummoning the Galaxy Sword.

"Even if I use the Galaxy Sword to cut through her defences, the split-second I need would be enough time for Julio to react in a dozen different ways."

Crossing his arms behind his back, he continued. "My hands are tied. I can’t help Angela create the opening she needs to break past Julio’s Authority and reach the Concept of Death itself."

As far as Jamie was concerned, the Concept’s natural defences wouldn’t affect Angela since she was Chaos’ Favourite Child, even if unwilling, so Julio’s Authority was the only thing actively blocking her.

"You say your hands are tied, but..." Akari looked at the smile Jamie wore, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she continued. "Your expression says the complete opposite."

"Well, that’s because it’s funny when I think about it," Jamie replied with a chuckle.

"Angela needs an opening, something that could distract Julio, or something threatening enough to make her divert the cosmic energy she’s channelling into her Conceptual Authority of Death, weakening the defences around the Concept enough that Angela can pierce through."

When he said this, Akari, still keeping her suspicious gaze, asked, "Did you call another Ultimate Realm Existence here?"

"Come on, Akari. Do you really think any random Ultimate can threaten Julio? About five of them were drawn by the burst of power, but they all turned tail and ran after seeing that it was Julio and Angela fighting."

Jamie’s casual response carried a revelation that left Miranda stunned.

His words, however, were accurate.

Julio’s earlier attempt to use her Fourth Concretization, combined with Angela’s interference, had drawn the attention of some Ultimate Realm Existences, but they all fled as fast as possible when they saw Julio.

No one among them was foolish enough to make an enemy of the Eternal of Death.

"Then what did you do?"

Akari’s question had Jamie raise his empty hands, waving them slowly as he replied, "Well, I dropped that box, didn’t I?"

Indeed, Jamie had dropped the box he’d been holding.

With the destruction of the dimension, the box, completely intact, was now being tossed around in the waves of cosmic energy unleashed by Julio and Angela.

"What’s in that box?" Akari demanded, and Jamie shrugged, unconcerned.

"I don’t know."

"..."

"Don’t give me that look. I really don’t know what’s inside the box. It was sealed by a Conceptual Authority too strong for me to break open. All I know is that there’s an item from the Previous Era inside."

Akari didn’t want to believe Jamie’s answer, but something about how unbothered he seemed felt off to her.

The Shrine Priestess remained silent for several seconds, mulling over his response until she noticed what struck her as odd.

"Westley. Who owns that box?"

"Well, it’s definitely not me," Jamie replied calmly, and in that moment, Akari immediately realised what he had done.

Just then, Jamie raised his hand and checked the timer on his watch, observing as the 12-hour countdown he had set slowly ticked down, and noticing the timer, Miranda asked the question Akari had been about to ask.

"Jay. What’s that timer for?"

"An estimated arrival."

With that, Jamie slid his hands into his pockets, his gaze fixed on the battle unfolding before him as he spoke.

"Now, Angela needs a gap to open in Julio’s defences, and with how focused Julio is right now, very few people or things can create that gap.

It has to be something or someone powerful enough for Julio to recognise and acknowledge as a threat, a threat big enough that she instinctively redirects her power to protect herself against it or them."

Just as Jamie finished speaking, Julio, who had just used darkness to consume the string of cosmic spell formulae Angela created around her, suddenly sensed something that made her turn her starry eyes in a different direction.

"My dear ladies, I present to you, Of the Dragon Race’s Four Great Sinners, he who bears the sin of ’Malice Without Purpose.’"

Space-time tore apart as Jamie spoke, the rift cutting right through the waves of energy both Angela and Julio had released.

"The ’Aggressor of Death and Darkness’ who hails from the Dark Multiverse, where Order reigns supreme."

The fabric of reality that both Julio and Angela had been attempting to terraform with their Fourth Concretizations was completely shredded, and emerging from the darkness beyond the tear were six massive dragon heads covered in purple and black scales that glittered ominously.

"The ’Evil Dragon’ himself..."

As if in response to Jamie’s introduction, Julio, seeing the six draconic heads bursting from the rift, called out a name.

"Azi Dhaka!"