Parallel Memory

Chapter 670: The Answer

I know that!" Zero roared, his voice echoing across the collapsing void. "But if I don’t do something, everyone dies anyway!"

The world around him twisted violently. The white and crimson void rippled as the Emperor of Destruction’s laughter rumbled through the air like thunder. The weight of his power pressed down on Zero’s consciousness, trying to crush what little light remained within him.

"Then choose, boy," the Emperor taunted. "Die with them... or live as a god."

Zero’s breath came heavy. The black flames crawling up his arm pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat. His mana was fading, but his soul—his will—still refused to break.

Then, his Earth self stepped forward again, his calm demeanor masking the storm beneath. "You really think brute force is the answer here?" he asked, voice sharp as glass. "You think you can take down a monster who’s been planning his ascension for centuries with just stubbornness and a cracked body?"

Zero glared at him. "Then what choice do I have? He’s awakened now—Aamon’s power is beyond anything I’ve ever felt. Even Kaelion and the Saintess couldn’t hold the barrier for more than a few minutes!"

The Emperor smirked faintly, observing in silence, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement as the two selves clashed in thought.

Zero’s Earth self folded his arms. "You’re right—Aamon’s beyond normal limits now. His awakened state gives him a full fusion of demonic and divine essence. His mana output is limitless for short bursts, and his regeneration surpasses even what dragons are capable of."

Zero frowned. "Then you’re saying it’s impossible."

"I didn’t say that," his Earth self replied. "I said it’s suicide unless you play the cards you’ve been refusing to use."

Zero blinked. "What do you mean?"

His Earth self sighed. "You’ve been holding back your trump cards since the tower, haven’t you? The technique that fuses your mana with the draconic energy inside your bloodstream."

Zero hesitated. "...Dragon Force."

The moment he said it, the void trembled—like the name itself carried power. The Emperor of Destruction’s eyes narrowed slightly, intrigued.

His Earth self nodded. "That’s the one. It’s not just a technique—it’s a forbidden state. A partial awakening of your dragonoid lineage. You’ve used it once before, during your training under Eleanore, but never in a real battle because the recoil nearly tore your body apart."

Zero clenched his fists. "If I enter that state, my physical stats will spike—speed, strength, reflex, all reaching Rank SS for at least five minutes."

"Five minutes," his Earth self repeated. "And then?"

Zero looked down, voice dropping. "...Then my body shuts down completely. I won’t be able to move for another five minutes."

"Which means if you don’t end it before the timer hits zero..."

"I’ll be a sitting target."

The void pulsed again, the tension thick enough to crush thought.

The Emperor chuckled, his deep voice echoing through the vast emptiness. "Ah, the irony. The strongest form born of dragons, yet bound by mortal frailty. Such exquisite despair."

Zero ignored him, his mind racing. "If I activate Dragon Force now, I might have a chance to overwhelm Aamon before he stabilizes his core. But it’s still not enough. His mana density... his control... even if I hit him with everything, he’ll adapt before I can finish it."

"Then stop trying to beat him," his Earth self said quietly. "Outthink him."

Zero frowned. "What?"

The Earth self stepped closer, eyes steady, analytical, the way he always looked before solving something impossible. "Remember what the fortune teller said—the prophecy. Two people, born under mirrored destinies, would bring the Devil King to his end."

Zero’s expression tightened. "Yeah. And I’m alone right now."

"Are you?"

The air fell silent.

Zero’s eyes widened slightly as realization began to dawn. His Earth self smirked faintly. "Who said your other self couldn’t count?"

Zero’s confusion deepened. "You mean...?"

The Earth self turned, pointing toward the towering figure of the Emperor of Destruction, who watched them both like a cat observing its prey. "He’s bound to you—your shadow, your reflection across the veil. He wants control, but what if, instead, you gave him what he wants?"

Zero’s breath caught. "You’re saying... give him my shadow?"

"Exactly," his Earth self said. "Not your soul, not your will—just your shadow.

Your anchor to this realm. Let him become your second self. If the prophecy says two must face Aamon, then make it so. You and him. Two sides of the same existence."

The Emperor’s eyes flickered with intrigue, his grin sharpening like a blade. "You would willingly unleash me?"

"I’d be binding you," Zero said slowly, realization flooding him. "If I share my shadow with you, we’ll be linked. You’ll gain form in the mortal plane—but only through me. That means if I fall, you fade."

The Emperor let out a low, rumbling laugh. "A gamble worthy of a fool who believes in light. Yet... I find it amusing."

The void quaked under his laughter, and for a moment, Zero saw flashes—images of the battlefield outside. Kaelion’s army struggling against the tide of devils. Mia and Hiro cornered by Aamon’s right hand, Aaron. The Saintess kneeling, her barrier shattered.

Every moment of their suffering burned into him.

"I can’t lose them," Zero whispered.

His Earth self nodded. "Then don’t. Change the destiny. Two will stand against the Devil King. You and the shadow of destruction."

Zero turned to the Emperor, his voice low and steady. "If I let you share my form—will you fight with me?"

The Emperor’s grin widened, crimson fire flickering behind his helm. "If it means I can strike down the one who dares claim dominion over destruction itself... then yes. I will fight."

"Then we have a deal," Zero said.

The air convulsed. The white and crimson light swirled into a violent storm, and Zero extended his hand. The Emperor of Destruction mirrored the gesture, his claws meeting Zero’s glowing palm.

When their hands touched, the void shattered into darkness.

Pain exploded through Zero’s body as power beyond comprehension flooded in—a torrent of energy neither divine nor demonic, but something else entirely. His veins burned, his senses tore open, and his consciousness nearly fractured.

But he held on.

His Earth self’s fading voice echoed through the storm.

"Remember, Zero... you’re not rewriting destiny. You’re fulfilling it."