He already understood his fate.
It wasn’t a question of if.
Only when.
His greatest regret lingered in his mind.
Going to that universe.
If he hadn’t gone... maybe things would have been different.
Maybe he would still be whole.
"Of course you’ll survive," a voice suddenly cut in. "It’s always the bastards that live longer."
Chen Ye froze.
His body stiffened instantly.
He recognized that voice.
There was no way he could forget it, the voice that had brought him nothing but suffering. The one that had reduced him to this state... the one that had condemned him to a life of diocrity.
"Excuse ?" the voice continued, laced with mockery. "You dood yourself to diocrity, fool. You even tried to drag into it, you bastard."
Chen Ruo frowned, glancing at her brother in confusion.
Why was he trembling?
"Who are you? And how did you get here?" she asked, her tone polite but cautious.
"Don’t kill her," Chen Ye pleaded quickly, turning toward the figure he feared the most. "She’s innocent... she’s kind."
Standing before them—
Aaron Highborn.
"A lily that grows in a valley of death can never truly be harmless," Aaron replied calmly.
"Brother... who is he?" Chen Ruo asked again, stepping slightly in front of Chen Ye, shielding him instinctively.
"Soone your foolish brother tried to kill," Aaron said flatly.
"You killed Chen Wo!" Chen Ye shot back, his voice shaking with anger.
"Well... he had it coming," Aaron replied with a faint shrug. "Do you know how long I had to deal with that severed soul?"
He snapped his fingers.
In an instant, a throne ford beneath him, crafted from soft, flowing wind, swirling gently yet holding firm.
Aaron sat down casually, leaning back with an air of quiet arrogance.
Chen Ruo noticed the fear in her brother’s eyes as he faced Aaron.
That alone was enough.
Without hesitation, she took matters into her own hands.
She leaped forward swiftly, drawing her blade in one smooth motion. The air split as she closed the distance, her intent clear, she was going straight for the kill.
"See? She’s still dangerous," Aaron said quietly, calmly sipping from a cup of tea that had appeared in his hand out of nowhere.
Chen Ruo’s eyes widened in shock.
Her blade had been stopped.
Ego stood before her, gripping it tightly with one hand, unmoving, as though her full-powered strike ant nothing.
"I should be increasing my strength as fast as possible," Aaron continued calmly. "But thanks to you, I’ve been stuck... wasting ti I should use to grow."
His gaze shifted slightly toward Chen Ye.
"You and one other being. So you should understand just how much I want you dead."
"You can kill ," Chen Ye said quickly, his voice trembling. "No... kill . But please, spare her. She has nothing to do with this."
His head lowered as he pleaded.
Chen Ruo... was the only good thing that had ever co out of the demonic sect.
A child with a pure heart... forced to bury that purity beneath cruelty and survival.
"Enough!" Aaron suddenly raised his hand.
The air froze.
"There will be no flashbacks here," he said flatly, cutting off Chen Ye’s thoughts before they could even form.
A brief silence followed.
"Now, Chen Ye... it’s ti to die," Aaron said coldly.
"Noooo! Don’t do it!!!" Chen Ruo scread, tears streaming down her face.
She released her sword instantly and drove her elbow toward Ego, putting everything she had into the strike.
But it was futile.
She couldn’t get past him.
Ego didn’t even budge.
Just as Aaron was about to strike—
He paused.
Sothing felt... wrong.
The air around Chen Ye shifted suddenly, turning heavy and sinister.
Then—
Chen Ye’s body trembled violently.
The crippled man who had lost everything began to change.
His aura surged.
His strength skyrocketed.
In an instant, it climbed, rising until it reached the Paradox rank.
"Aaaaghhhhhh!!!" Chen Ye roared, clutching his head as if it were about to split apart.
The pain lasted only a mont.
The next
He went completely still.
Calm.
Composed.
His breathing steadied, and the weakness that once defined him vanished entirely.
He had regained his lost strength.
"How did you—" Aaron began, but his words cut off abruptly.
His head snapped to the side.
Chen Ruo’s body fell limply to the ground.
Her neck, snapped cleanly.
Her life faded instantly.
Aaron’s eyes darkened.
"Ego," he said coldly, his voice dropping. "I didn’t ask you to kill her."
He stared at his clone.
This wasn’t normal.
Ego had acted on his own... in a way that directly contradicted Aaron’s will.
From Chen Ye’s head, an illusory piece floated out.
It took the shape of a chess piece.
Then it transford.
A screen appeared once again.
"Aaron... we et sooner than expected," the familiar voice echoed. "Of course, you would co for your revenge against Chen Ye."
"Aegon..." Aaron called out, his voice cold, his restraint beginning to crack.
"Oh?" Aegon’s tone carried faint amusent. "Ego has suddenly developed a will of his own, separate from yours. That’s quite the unexpected turn of events."
He paused briefly.
"Next ti your clones are destroyed... use your eyes to search for weaknesses."
Before Aaron could respond
Ego moved.
He dropped Chen Ruo’s lifeless body and lunged at Aaron without warning.
Aaron twisted his body, narrowly dodging the strike, and imdiately countered with a blow of his own.
But Ego avoided it just as easily.
"You have too many abilities," Aegon continued calmly through the screen. "And because of that, you lose sight of what truly matters."
His voice sharpened slightly.
"You should build yourself around your mystic eyes. They are your greatest asset."
A brief pause followed.
"Here... allow to show you a glimpse of what they can truly do when used properly."
The screen flickered
Then cut off.
It reverted back into an illusory piece.
This ti it took the form of a knight.
The piece floated forward without resistance, drifting through the air until it reached Ego.
Then it sank into him and rged.
Silence fell for a brief mont.
Then Ego straightened.
"Try your best to survive... Aaron Highborn," he said.
But the voice Wasn’t his.
It was Aegon.
Reviews
All reviews (0)