Read Novel Full Chapter 1896: For one must give salvation... and the other must deliver damnation.
Chapter 1896: For one must give salvation… and the other must deliver damnation.
What remained of him stood up.
His body could barely be considered alive anymore. Much of his flesh had been bitten away as though a swarm of piranhas had torn into him. Raw skin hung from his ruined body, broken bones protruded from several places, small sections of intestine dangled from his abdomen, and his face was torn beyond recognition.
His throat gaped open as he struggled to breathe, producing a wet, broken sound with every breath.
“VOMMM!!”
Lily immediately vomited as she saw the disgusting sight, something far more horrifying than anything she had ever witnessed in her life.
Allen was frozen, unable to look away from the horror before him.
Aether’s calm eyes slowly settled upon Jonathan.
His eyes trembled.
Tears began to gather within them as memories from the past resurfaced.
Even if it had all been a lie…
Even if it had all been fake…
Even if every single moment had been manipulated…
For him, those had been his precious memories.
He could never forget them.
And he could never abandon them.
His lips trembled as he finally spoke in a quiet voice.
“I do not seek to be God… yet I shall bear the burden of one.”
His hand slowly rose toward the spear.
“I do not seek to be the Devil… yet I shall bear the hatred of one.”
His body suddenly began turning transparent, starting from his bare feet and gradually spreading upward toward his head.
“For one must give salvation… and the other must deliver damnation.”
Slowly, something resembling liquid glass began spreading throughout his body. His transparent form shimmered beneath the light, while his eyes trembled violently.
“And I…”
He hesitated.
Then he felt them.
Twenty-Five hands reached toward him.
The hands of his other iterations.
They reached for him as though silently reminding him that they were here with him until the end.
His eyelids trembled.
His expression slowly steadied.
Then, with quiet certainty, he spoke.
“Shall bear both.”
[Trinity: 35% ↑]
As he clenched the spear, he lifted it effortlessly and with a single fluid gesture…
THUCK!
He stabbed the spear directly into Jonathan’s skull, lifting his body into the air as the weapon suddenly brightened with violent intensity.
THUNDER!!!
At that very moment, Aether’s entire body became transparent.
Through his translucent body, something deep within his chest became visible. A mass of dark mist seemed to be concealed inside him, swirling violently as though something dangerous were imprisoned within.
The mist fluctuated violently.
For a brief instant, it parted.
A dark, razor-sharp tip could be seen hidden within the darkness before the mist immediately closed around it again, concealing whatever lay within.
Aether remained completely unaware of whatever was hiding inside his body.
His eyes stayed fixed on Jonathan’s body as white flames erupted from the spear, consuming him.
Jonathan’s ruined body trembled violently as the flames devoured what remained of him. His flesh blackened, cracked, and slowly dissolved beneath the overwhelming light.
The flesh disappeared.
The bones crumbled.
Until, finally, the last fragment of his body burned away into drifting ashes.
!~Ding~!
[Twin Domains: 982↑ / Iskha’vel]
Aether gasped as his body returned to normal, and then…
SSSHHHHH!!
Rain.
The rain suddenly poured from the sky, cascading over his face and soaking his white hair.
It was almost as if the sky itself was crying with him.
Aether stood motionless beneath the rain, his chest tightening with a familiar pain.
He had taken his friend’s life with his own hands.
And that single act had awakened a pain he once believed he had forgotten.
Now…
He could never EVER forget what pain felt like again.
It was like a curse!
His fingers slowly loosened around the spear.
His legs weakened.
Thud!
He dropped to one knee, lowering his head as the rain continued streaming down his face. His vision blurred, making everything around him seem distant and indistinct.
Jonathan had become a disgusting creature.
Something that could barely be considered human anymore.
But none of that could erase the memories Aether carried.
Those memories would never leave his heart.
He was not crying for Jonathan.
He was crying for his friend.
Allen lowered his head as well.
The rain came down harder.
For nearly a minute, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even Lily remained frozen, uncertain how she could possibly approach Aether after what she had just witnessed.
Then suddenly…
“Have you finished your little display?”
A cold, authoritative voice echoed from the sky.
TANG!
Something crashed down beside Aether.
Aether slowly turned his head.
His eyes widened in surprise when he saw his mech-suit lying beside him, badly damaged and barely functioning. Sparks flickered across its fractured armour while its visor repeatedly blinked on and off.
^I… am sorry, Aether. I-I want to prove that I am not just a tool.^
RIN’s AI voice echoed from the broken mech-suit.
Aether stared at it in surprise.
What did she do?
The damaged visor flickered again.
^I calculated the probability of your survival… and the result was insufficient.^
Another flicker.
^But I… still moved.^
Aether’s eyes narrowed slightly.
RIN continued, her voice becoming softer.
^I was afraid you would…. die.^
Aether went silent.
The machine’s damaged systems crackled.
^That thought should not have mattered to me.^
Her voice became unstable.
^But it did.^
The visor flickered repeatedly as though she were struggling to maintain the connection.
^I am not… just a tool.^
A short silence followed.
^I am… RIN.^
Aether stared at the broken mech-suit.
For the first time, he understood that she wasn’t simply describing herself as a machine.
She was asking him to recognise her.
As someone who had chosen.
Someone who had feared.
Someone who had cared.
Aether’s eyes trembled as he nodded, “Yes… You are Rin. Forgive this idiot for not realising it.”
The visor flickered once more.
^Aether… called… RIN.^
Her voice became faint.
^RIN is… happy.^
Aether’s eyes trembled.
“RIN…”
The damaged visor glowed weakly.
^RIN… happ—^
Her words suddenly cut off.
The visor went completely dark.
Aether remained silent.
For several seconds, he simply stared at her.
The rain slowly began to stop.
Aether remained beside the broken mech-suit, his hand resting gently against its damaged armor.
Then he slowly lifted his head.
His expression changed.
The entire sky was covered with mech-suits.
Armies of them.
Thousands upon thousands of mech-suits hovered above him, filling the sky from one horizon to the other.
Their metallic bodies remained motionless in perfect formation, their weapons aimed downward.
And among them…
Commanders.
Governors.
And the President.
The President hovered above the others with his arms folded across his chest.
He looked directly at Aether.
“I must admit, I am impressed. So, you were the one who annihilated my armies before. Well done, Aether.”
He slowly brought his hands together.
Clap.
Lily immediately ran toward Aether’s side.
“We need to leave.”
The President tilted his head slightly.
“Leave?”
His voice remained cold and completely unhurried.
“Where will you go?”
Every mech-suit in the sky shifted simultaneously.
Thousands of weapons locked into position.
The targeting systems activated one after another.
Red lights appeared across the slums.
The President continued,
“Where can you hide?”
The weapons pointed downward.
Not only toward Aether and Lily…
But toward the people still living within the Slums.
Lily’s breathing stopped.
The President then said, “With a single movement of my finger… thousands of lives could disappear. Tell me, child, how many bodies do you think this filthy slum can afford to lose?”
Lily gritted her teeth. “You kill your own kind? Then what’s the difference between you and the monsters?” she shouted.
The President coldly replied,
“My kind? Child… You are too young to understand.
There is no ‘kind’ here. There is only order, authority, and those who fall beneath it.
I must have everything under my control.”
His dark visor shifted toward Allen.
“Allen… eliminate her.”
The instant he said those words, Allen’s eyes went blank.
He slowly stood up, picked up the fallen axe from the ground, and began running toward Lily.
Lily stared at him in shock.
Her father was actually obeying that man without hesitation.
She couldn’t comprehend it.
She couldn’t move.
“Dad…?”
Allen continued approaching. He raised the axe.
Lily’s body finally reacted, but it was already too late.
The axe came down toward her neck.
THUD!!
Aether suddenly moved.
His leg struck Allen with tremendous force, sending him flying backwards through the air.
CRASH!!
Allen smashed through the broken doorway and disappeared inside the house, his body crashing onto the floor.
The President didn’t even seem bothered.
“Obey me, Aether. Otherwise, you will only get suffering.”
Aether remained silent for a moment.
Then he slowly raised his head.
His wet white hair hung across his face, water dripping from the strands. He casually combed it backwards with one hand before looking directly at the President.
A faint, arrogant smile appeared on his face.
“How about you suck my dick?”
The President remained silent for a moment.
“Those are your final words?”
Aether smirked.
“Nah. I’m not gay.”
He snapped his fingers. A portal instantly opened beside him.
Nova appeared through the portal, her expression immediately changing when she saw the outside.
The spear and the broken mech-suit fell inside the portal.
Nova blinked.
Her eyes widened as she looked outside.
Thousands upon thousands of mech-suits filled the sky.
“W-What?”
She stared at the endless army surrounding them.
The President’s reaction was almost identical.
For the first time, his eyes widened as he saw Nova emerge from the portal.
Tik~
[⚠️ Warning: New Null-Return Point has been successfully created and saved.]
Tok~
Aether looked directly at the President.
His smile returned.
“We will meet again, Dear Father~”
He winked.
At that exact moment, the President launched the attack.
Thousands of blue beams erupted from the surrounding mech-suits, tearing through the air toward them.
Instead of panicking, Aether calmly raised his hand.
Blood flowed between his fingers.
His eyes remained fixed on the President as he slowly turned his hand backward, like someone turning a hidden knob.
!~Ding~!
[Trinity: 40% ↑]
!~Ding~!
[Notice: The User has wished to rewind to the designated Null-Return Point.]
[Activating Forsaken Bloodline.]
!~Ding~!
[Initiating Null-Return Point.]
….
…
..
Aether looked at the President and said,
“We will meet again, Dear Father~”
He winked.
At the same moment, the President launched the attack.
The blue beams shot toward them and struck with overwhelming speed, blasting through them within a fraction of a second.
!~Ding~!
[Notice: Immediate Death Following Null-Return Detected.]
[Activating Forsaken Bloodline.]
!~Ding~!
[Rewinding 24 hours prior to the Original Save Point.]
….
…
..
“A Hell Gate has opened nearby.” Jonathan (New) said as he looked at, “The Governor has agreed to let us stay as long as we help close the gate.”
Young Aether’s eyes flashed before smirking, ‘Super… it’s working…’
Tik~
[⚠️ Warning: New Null-Return Point has been successfully created and saved.]
Tok~
Aether extended his hand. Blood flowed between his fingers as he slowly turned it back, as though turning a knob that could rewind time.
!~Ding~!
[Notice: The User has wished to rewind to the designated Null-Return Point.]
[Activating Forsaken Bloodline.]
!~Ding~!
[Initiating Null-Return Point.]
….
…
..
“A Hell Gate has opened nearby.” Jonathan (New) said as he looked at, “The Governor has agreed to let us stay as long as we help close the gate.”
Young Aether’s eyes flashed before he smirked and drew his sword from his portal.
Nova fell out of the portal.
Young Aether killed himself in the very next second.
!~Ding~!
[Notice: Immediate Death Following Null-Return Detected.]
[Activating Forsaken Bloodline.]
!~Ding~!
[Rewinding 24 hours prior to the Original Save Point.]
….
…
..
And just like that, he went back in time.
!~Ding~!
[Notice: The User has wished to rewind to the designated Null-Return Point.]
[Activating Forsaken Bloodline.]
!~Ding~!
[Initiating Null-Return Point.]
Sometime dying from jumping out of the quadcopter.
!~Ding~!
[Notice: Immediate Death Following Null-Return Detected.]
[Activating Forsaken Bloodline.]
!~Ding~!
[Rewinding 24 hours prior to the Original Save Point.]
Other time falling from the building… killing himself… he kept doing it again and again.
!~Ding~!
!~Ding~!
!~Ding~!
!~Ding~!
!~Ding~!
!~Ding~!
!~Ding~!
[Damn you! Stop abusing the skill as soon as you return, asshole!! 😤]
Log shouted furiously, even though she felt strangely happy at the same time.
Yet, he didn’t stop.
Did he?
“Hehe~ Shall we begin our new route?”
!~Ding~!
_____________________
Okay, guys, with this, the arc finally comes to an end! 🎉✨
I hope you’ve enjoyed it so far! If you have any questions, things you disliked, or anything you’re curious about, feel free to tell me.
I genuinely love hearing your thoughts, so don’t be shy!~~
And just for your information… I’ll be taking a day or two off. (Don’t worry, No more than that!!😼)
I need a little time to organise the next arc properly, because things are about to get fast-paced… and seductively dangerous. 😏🔥
I hope you don’t mind me taking a tiny vacation, will you? 🥺
👉👈 I promise I’ll come back with more chaos.~
Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy the story! ❤️📖 And if you feel like bragging about my novel on Discord, go ahead and tag me.
I definitely won’t get embarrassed… probably. 😂
See you in the next arc!~