Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power

Chapter 427: Chapter 427: Harvester’s Will Ladders

Chapter 327 – Harvester’s Will Ladders

Kaden stared at the Forbidden Alchemist, sensing a drop of cold sweat trailing down the back of his neck.

Rea, at his side, barely managed to halt her orifices from draining her dry. She joined Kaden in the staring contest against the Alchemist, black trails smearing her cheeks.

She looked like a wretched ghost.

At that instant, the two fiancés could see a wave of power, like grey smoke billowing outward, spilling out from the Alchemist and enveloping the whole house in a cascade.

Kaden finally broke the tense, suffocating silence. "Overstepping my boundaries, you say?" he said, his voice rasping. "You will need to be more precise. I did nothing but obey the quest of The Will."

"Is that so?" The Alchemist’s voice regained its frivolous nature. "Then it seems I went too ahead of myself, Prometheus."

"How do you know this name?"

"Everyone knows this name," the Forbidden replied, raising his right hand, pointing his finger upward as if designating the heavens.

"You did something only that lovely, hateful guy could do. And you did it by screwing over many gods at the same time. If I were you, I would watch more carefully over my trail."

The Forbidden Alchemist watched the confused and bewildered face of Kaden at the sound of his words.

Unable to resist, he laughed, the sound like steel on gravel.

It was so loud that the air visibly wavered like troubled water, a shockwave slamming into Kaden and Rea.

Kaden brushed his hand in front of them, sweeping left to right, killing the shockwave with his intent, earning him a look of gratitude from Rea.

He had no time to mirror her smile, as the Forbidden Alchemist’s voice reverberated once more,

"This is why I dislike The Hero so much," he said, eyebrows knitting into an irritated curve. "He has this nasty habit of giving his power to those who know nothing about the burden of it."

"Here you are, a fledgling from a slaughtered god of death—can you note this irony?—dabbling with power you had no idea of the reach of."

"Say something clear," Kaden grated. "Or just stay silent."

"Straightforward words are the language of mortals and fools. You are neither of them, aren’t you?"

Kaden scowled. "What power did I use that’s not mine? Everything I use, used, and will use is my own power."

"The puppet never knows he was a puppet until the strings are severed," the Alchemist said, pacing around the room leisurely.

He spared a glance at Rea, then smiled.

"Well, some of you might know. But that’s only because of the pitiful performance of the puppeteer. And even then, what is the cost of that knowledge?"

Rea’s eyes hardened like a piercing blade. "So you know the bitch squatting in my head?"

"Oh, little lass, she is squatting more than your head, rest assured," the Forbidden chuckled.

Rea felt a sudden pang of unease. But the Forbidden Alchemist’s attention was already back on Kaden.

He halted his pacing, facing the man still in his disguise. He shook his head.

"Time is slipping away, and I can’t afford to allow a bit of my consciousness in this affair for too long. I have more urgent matters to deal with. So let’s do this fast, little puppet. Will you overstep your boundaries once more or not?"

"I prefer straightforward words," Kaden said. "I am a mortal."

"Of course, of course," the Alchemist chuckled dryly. "Then let me be as clear as possible. Will you save Rudolph like you intended, or let fate flow its way?"

Kaden didn’t hesitate for even a second.

"I gave him my word," he said, the muscles of his body contracting as power rumbled through them. "And I am afraid I will have to keep it."

"Oh, now your true nature shows, little lad. Just like the Sovereign. Just like the Godkiller." He shook his head in mock pity. "But this honor of yours will kill all of you one day. Just like how it’s already killing Him."

He added the last sentence while looking at Rea with a smirk.

She frowned.

"If you know us that much," Kaden said, finally taking his stance, knowing the inevitability of a battle, "then you will know that we don’t fear death."

"That makes you fools and more. Not fearing death caused the God of Deatglh to die. Now, will you learn? You won’t, because you yourself are unaware of your own history. Pathetic little puppet. And do you really plan to fight me?"

Kaden grinned coldly, weary of all these cryptic talks that had no head nor tail.

Slowly, and with visible signs, his eyes began to strip away from all emotion. Nothing but emptiness dwelled inside.

"Domain Activation..."

The Alchemist’s eyes shot up. A wide, beaming smile tore across his lips as Kaden’s words landed.

"...Cradle of Emptiness."

"SO IT WAS TRUE! YOU HOLD—!"

Time literally halted.

"Harvester Will’s First Ladder — Suppression."

The Alchemist’s power decreased, his energy spilling out. His eyes widened as he felt his power being... devoured.

"Harvester Will’s Second Ladder — Self Enhancement."

The devoured power of the Alchemist flew not toward Kaden, but toward Rea standing beside him.

The Alchemist watched the scene with stupor.

And only then did time resume.

And everything was swallowed into the fold of emptiness.

...

The Alchemist looked around him at the crimson void surrounding him on all sides.

He felt his mind weaken, his emotions dulled, and a sense of identity loss creeping through him.

He let out a small, almost invisible smile, the edge of it shuddering.

Lifting his head, his eyes rested upon Kaden, chest bare, wearing black trousers made of living emptiness. His body was covered by his Seed of Prometheus, the face of Blanche made of writhing fire standing overhead.

She glared at the Alchemist with melting anger.

Beside Kaden stood Rea, her eyes holding a newfound, cruel luster.

Seeing Rea momentarily made the Alchemist see the face of the Woeful One for a brief moment, replaced by another face.

A face most forgot, yet none could forget.

He hissed a laugh. "Oh, this is so sweet!" he bellowed, pausing, then continuing. "The Hero’s string is wrapped around you. The Slave’s Will tainted you. The dead God of Death poisoned your very Origin. The Fallen Family of the Phoenix’s ashes trail around you. And now..."

He paused once more, looking around him. The Alchemist seemed to wish to hold his laughter, but he couldn’t.

He laughed again and again, so much that tears fell.

Anyone seeing him without context would think he was enjoying the moment. But the Alchemist was not, and his anger burst through every laugh.

"...now even Emptiness lays its hand on you." He stopped abruptly, staring at Kaden’s empty eyes. "Oh boy, oh boy... what do you have that belongs to you? Oh boy, your level of ignorance is a sin."

"Are you done rambling, Alchemist?" Kaden muttered flatly, tilting his head slightly to the left.

"Oh boy, I—!"

"I don’t care."

Kaden cut him off, his index finger atop his lips in a silencing manner. Instantly, the concept of voice was swallowed by emptiness.

The Alchemist instantly flicked his finger, causing green fire to erupt. Blanche screeched angrily, then burned the fire away with her own.

Kaden acted next, letting the concept of voice free and taking hold of another concept within him.

The concept of distance.

And this time, he applied the concept only between the Alchemist and Rea, making the two of them instantly appear in front of each other.

Rea’s arms snapped like whips, clapping the Alchemist’s head between her two palms.

She let out a wide, bloody, fucking smile.

Einar sacrificed all her senses, channeling them into Rea in a single surge of grey light.

Runes slithered at the order of the Alchemist...

"No runes in my domain."

The runes broke into molten light, disappearing completely.

Kaden’s voice sounded behind the Alchemist as he leaned his face over the Alchemist’s left ear and whispered,

"You are close to The Witch, aren’t you? Take this as a parting gift."

He activated his Trait,

"Curse of Voice."

And Rea activated her skill, siphoning deep all her enhanced fear into the Alchemist’s brain chemistry,

"Blossoming Fear of Loss."

—End of Chapter 427—