novelraw Chapter 236: The Villain's Heroic Sacrifice
Chapter 236: The Villain's Heroic Sacrifice
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When he opened his eyes again, he found himself floating in the river of time between the Limbo of Heaven and Purgatory, between Eternity and the Void below.
Slowly, his memories resurfaced, mixing with those of Yang. He tried to cough, but he could not. He was only a soul. He wanted to cry, but he could not. He was only a soul.
All of this just because he had eaten a soul he should not have. Or rather, was that truly the reason?
Was it really just because he had eaten a soul he should not have?
No. It was more than that.
Why?
"Why am I regressing?!"
Wasn't that just a dream? How could he be regressing in time after merely seeing a dream and dying in it?
Unless…
"Did that dream kill me?!"
As Louis slowly began to realize what had just happened, he looked into the skies.
The Five Seats of radiance that oversaw Limbo.
The seats of gold… were all empty.
Why?
The Purgatory below was also empty. No specters chased him anymore.
Why?
"You fool."
"…?"
Louis watched as the Entity within him slowly emerged from his soul, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.
"YOU ABSOLUTE FOOL!"
"What?!"
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"
"What did I do?!"
Louis was even more confused, flabbergasted to see this entity, who had always seemed so calm and composed, suddenly going completely insane.
"You ate… so many of His fragments! Who told you to eat the souls of those distorted beings?! Those immortalized creatures?!"
"…! You mean the souls of the Cultivators?"
"Cultivators?! You… You don't know anything, do you?!"
"I would if you would tell me! I have only been doing whatever I can. What do you mean I—"
"He's coming… He's coming!"
"…?!"
Their conversation could go no further. The fairy-like, mummified creature screamed in horror as something began to approach while Louis fell through the river.
"HE'S COMING!!!"
In disbelief, horror, and frustration, the fairy shook Louis's entire soul with his claws.
"Don't you know how hard I have been trying to remain as who I am?! How difficult it was to reincarnate?! And now you are going to ruin everything! Everything, Louis Drakeheart!"
"Don't touch me! Who are you even calling? Who is coming?!"
Then…
There was only silence.
The white void trembled. A large crack split through it, revealing an endless cosmos of stars from beyond the horizon.
From there…
Something began to emerge.
Stars that shone so brightly and beautifully.
Like ever-watching eyes.
Eyes…
Stars…
"Ah!"
Louis realized what was happening the moment he felt his soul trembling and writhing in agony.
"Impossible… So what I experienced was not a dream or a memory?"
"Dreams… Memories… they are all interconnected within the Fantasium Dimension. Dreams and memories are worlds, and the real world as you know it might also be a dream or a memory of something or someone else. Don't you understand? This is how this universe is composed: an endless spiral of madness! Everything was distorted when He was summoned by the Ancient Gods. And now, His Seats have brought an even more destructive force. He, the one watching you right now, has finally realized that we, an error, are messing things up."
"What?"
RUMBLE!
In that moment, Louis realized that all the suffering and despair he had experienced until now was nothing compared to what was coming.
As the stars fell, as the white void distorted and bled the cosmos into Limbo, as Purgatory exploded into eternal flames that burned his soul, and as the eyes drew closer and closer, gigantic hands made of stars and melting gold reached for him.
Louis knew…
This universe and everything within it was utterly incomprehensible.
He simply… did not know how to respond anymore.
Game logic?
Leveling?
None of that mattered in this moment. The false sense of security he had clung to shattered completely.
"IMMORTALIZE."
"ARCHIVE."
"GOLDEN STAR."
"BENEVOLENCE."
"SOUL AND BODY."
"EMERGENCE."
"BY OBLIVION'S NAME."
"YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF PROLONGED EXISTENCE."
The words rang through Louis's body, spreading cracks across his soul and shattering him into pieces as the agonizing voice continued.
"KUAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Louis screamed in agony, powerless against such torture. His very being was being turned into corrupted data, disappearing into the vast Limbo.
However…
"DAMN IT!"
The fairy stepped in front of him. His claws grew longer, and his form suddenly changed. His mummified appearance transformed into something youthful: pale white skin, pointed ears, long blonde hair, beautiful golden butterfly wings, sharp crimson eyes, and white robes adorned with golden accessories.
"After all my efforts to infiltrate his family, am I really going to die here?! No…! I will not! I will not die here!"
The fairy entity roared. The entirety of Limbo grew more distorted as Spiritual Energy and Primordial Divine Power surged everywhere.
"The Ancient God's mistake has created something that cannot be reversed, Louis!" he told the prince. "But Oblivion has made a terrible mistake if he thinks he can stop me from returning!"
"Who are you?! What's happening?! Nnghh…! NNGAAAHHH!"
Louis screamed as he broke down into countless pieces, only for the fairy to use his Primordial powers to piece him back together, mixing his soul with the Essence of Limbo itself, unable to cleanse him properly.
"The Lie cannot last forever. The Contract I made to keep my existence tied to yours is breaking. There is no point in hiding it anymore. Louis Drakeheart, I am the Ancient King of Fairies, Oberon, and also the Primordial God, Loki! Long ago, Yggdrasil stood as the pillar of Fantasy, but since then, everything has become worse. The universe as we know it has been infected by this cancer, and with my previous defeat by your grandfather… everything has grown even more terrible!"
"W-What?!"
"I am you, and you are me. We are the same soul. I planned to abuse your death loop and slowly devour your consciousness… but that perfect plan will likely never come to fruition now!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"However… I have seen your struggles. I have seen your emotions… and even though I hate to admit it, your heart has changed me, if only slightly. I used to think nothing mattered, but your struggles and perseverance… have truly touched me."
"…"
"I reincarnated as you, and so we are both the same person. With my Spirit Contract, I was able to keep my true consciousness sealed, which mutated into this Entity. Now, however… it is far too late. They have found us."
"What? Wait…! So we're the same? You and me… I am your reincarnation? The reincarnation of… Oberon? Loki?!"
"Heh…" the fairy smiled at Louis. "Indeed."
"…!!!"
"I am still frustrated, don't get me wrong. I wanted that body. I wanted that life… but that may never come true now… As I stand here, as the fool I have always been, defending this stupid child… maybe because I have grown fond of this beautiful 'what if'! Hahaha… Your grandfather… I wonder what he would say if he knew his grandson was his archenemy's reincarnation."
"…I think he would be happy to see you again."
"…Ridiculous!"
RUMBLE!
The barrier Oberon created began to shatter. The enormous entity, one of the Five Seats of Oblivion, drew closer. Its eyes fired hundreds of beams as its hands pressed forward.
Louis would die very soon if something was not done.
And…
It would require someone's sacrifice.
"I wanted it so badly… a second chance…"
"…Oberon."
"But I kind of have it through you. Despite not being able to fulfill my plan… at least you are here, Louis."
"What are you doing? We have barely known each other…! I… want to know more about you and who you are…!"
"Ask your grandfather once you meet him."
"…!"
"For now…"
RUMBLE!
TRUUM!
TRUUM!
TRUUM!
"It is about time I… do something heroic for the first time in my existence. And… it will be the last thing I ever do."
FLAAASH!
Louis noticed his hands trembling as Oberon's handsome face smiled defiantly despite everything.
He had once been a villain, someone who tormented Yggdrasil and planned its destruction.
His grandfather's archnemesis.
But now…
He was about to sacrifice himself to save someone he had grown fond of, his "other self," born from a soul where his original consciousness had been sealed.
Louis.
RUMBLE!
Oberon spread his arms as thousands of grimoires were summoned. Their pages flickered as Ancient Primordial Magic was conjured.
Billions of runes appeared, spreading across the entire barrier and expanding outward, pushing back the monstrous Seat.
"FUTILE."
"A FUTILE ATTEMPT."
"WHAT DO YOU AIM TO ACCOMPLISH?"
"JUDGEMENT."
"ARCHIVE."
"ENLIGHTENMENT."
"BE IMMORTALIZED."
Thousands of beams of bright light fired, consuming matter and melting reality into pure gold.
Oberon stood tall as his magic manifested, growing gigantic wooden roots and branches that expanded into a beautiful, massive domain.
Absorbing the Essence of Limbo itself, he fought against an impossibly stronger foe, one of the Five Seats.
The branches wrapped around the gigantic eyes and the roots pierced their flesh, tearing them open and making them explode.
The massive golden hands drew closer, only to be impaled by hundreds of wooden spears.
Bright leaves manifested like stars, flying toward the Seat and bombarding it with explosions.
"NNNGGH…! GUUUHHHH…!"
For the first time, the Seat experienced true pain, agonizing as its True Body suffered damage beyond anything it had imagined.
Louis witnessed a battle between two Venerable-level beings, or perhaps something far beyond that.
"Can he win?!"
His eyes widened in awe as his soul continued to regenerate.
"He can…!"
The light leading him to his next life drew closer.
"Oberon, don't give up. You can win—"
"FUTILITY IS SIN."
However…
The molten gold exploded and hardened into starlight steel, turning into thousands of giant needles that pierced through the planet-sized branches and roots.
And then…
"Hah…"
They impaled Oberon's body completely.
Louis's eyes widened as he suddenly felt something deep within him being lost.
A connection had been severed.
As the light embraced his soul, he watched Oberon in silence and disbelief, sorrow filling his eyes.
Oberon smiled back at him, annoyed that he had grown so fond of someone like him, and even more annoyed that this person now showed sympathy.
"This is where I step down from this ride.
But… you still have a long way to go.
So you had better not give up, you damn bastard."
"Oberon…! Wait…! OBERON!!!"
As Louis disappeared into the light, Oberon faced the Seat in silence. His body was pierced by countless spikes of gold that grew through him.
He vomited gold as his entire form turned to gold.
But…
"I won't let you do that, hahaha… Who do you think I am?! I won't die so easily. I'll make sure to take you down with me."
"IT'S FUTILE."
"WE ARE ETERNAL."
"THE JUDGES OF OBLIVION."
"HIS EYES."
"THE ENDLESS CALENDAR OF CREATION."
"THE OVERSEER OF—"
"Shut your damn mouth, you damn nobody. I am older than you! Respect your elders, you damn fucking robot!!!"
With a mighty roar full of anger, while vomiting blood and turning to gold, Oberon pierced his own chest and tore out his bright heart, the Primordial God Heart he had kept hidden, and shattered it.
CRAAASH!
A blinding light erupted, unleashing a concentrated power capable of erasing an entire solar system in mere seconds.
BOOOMMM!!!
"T-THIS IS…!"
BOOOMMM!!!
"EVACUATE…"
BOOOMMM!!!
"RETURN…"
BOOOMMM!!!
"WE, AS HIS EYES…!"
BOOOMMM!!!
"CANNOT SEE THIS— AAACK!"
BOOOMMM!!!
The Seat could not escape in time. To fully emerge here and chase Louis's soul, it had distorted spacetime to an extreme degree, and returning would take too long.
Thus…
It suffered tremendous damage. Each explosion consumed its True Body, shattering it into countless pieces.
But the price for Oberon, or rather Loki, was equally great.
"Hah…"
As he faded into nothingness, he laughed at the futility of his existence, at how hard he had persevered and tried his best, only to end this way.
"From the moment I was born, I always strived to be special…
Maybe because my brothers, Thor, Tyr, and Baldr, excelled at everything.
I was a lonely child, wasn't I?
And when I saw that light, the red emissary from outside this universe…
I was given a new purpose, one that could finally make me matter.
I did everything in my power to destroy them all, because I could never form any real bond.
I discarded everything for this sole purpose that made my life no longer meaningless.
And… I was this close to achieving it…
But he stopped me and showed me that what I wanted to destroy was something precious to him, to his family…
You, Drake… you said you would make a better world… so show me… through your grandson, and wherever you are right now… show me that what you said is true…
Because… I have now given up all my hopes of returning… for your stupid grandson…
Remember… Louis… Oblivion, no matter how friendly he might seem… is not your friend."
His voice, along with a fragment of his Primordial God Heart mixed with the Dying Gold of the Seat, traveled through the river and reached the light where Louis had gone.
To deal this much damage and "kill" a Seat, Oberon had not only destroyed his heart but erased himself from the Records of Creation and the Root of All.
This was truly his final sacrifice.
As the Ancient King of Fairies disappeared into a beautiful rain of flower petals, the Seat remained.
Distorted and heavily damaged, with giant wires and electricity sparking from its torn pieces.
"DAMAGE… TOO VAST…"
"EVACUATION PROTOCOL…"
"INITIATING…"
"FOUR SEATS… REPORTING INFORMATION…"
"CONTINUE ON… THE MISSION."
"DESTROY… THE ERROR."
Spacetime portals opened as its pieces fell through the cosmos like bright stars, scattering across planets and nebulas.
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