Chapter 361: Unforgiveable

Within the depths of Atlas’s soul, where he had once been, no, where he had now come twice, the Codex floated silently in the darkness. A translucent figure stood before it, staring at the Codex with a smile on her face, though her appearance remained indistinct and difficult to recognize.

Only when she spoke did her identity become apparent, as her voice carried a familiar warmth despite her unclear form, “Why have you been supressing my baby boy’s powers?”

The moment those words left her mouth, it became clear that she was a fragment of Atlas’s mother’s consciousness. Her smile remained on her translucent face, but there was something cold about it that contrasted with the affection in her words.

A long silence followed as she continued looking at the Codex, waiting for a response. After a while, the Codex finally opened, and the Sangius Stylus detached itself from its side before moving toward a blank page and beginning to write.

“You already know don’t you? If ‘They’ were to sense his powers that quickly…they will come to Kill him immediately regardless of consequences.” As the words appeared on the page, Atlas’s mother’s smile gradually disappeared.

She remained silent for a long moment, lowering her gaze as she considered the explanation written before her. Her expression became complicated, and when she finally spoke again, her voice carried a hint of sadness, “He…didn’t grow as I thought he would grow.”

After a brief pause, she lowered her head further and continued speaking, her translucent figure remaining still in the darkness. “He is…cold. I could see in his eyes that he has suffered a lot. He would never forgive me, never.”

Her voice became quieter toward the end, and she remained silent for a while after finishing those words. When she eventually lifted her face, the Sangius Stylus had already begun writing another response on the blank page.

“He will not. But it is not just you, he is the sole existence in the entirety of existence itself that can literally kill anyone regardless of circumstances or emotions.” The moment she read those words, Atlas’s mother’s translucent eyes widened. Her expression changed as she stared at the page, seemingly struggling to accept what the Codex had just revealed to her.

“B-But…I didn’t want him to become like that, why are you pushing him to that side?!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the otherwise silent darkness. She immediately fell to her knees, and tears began escaping her eyes as she closed them, unable to hide her distress.

The Codex remained silent for a moment before the Sangius Stylus began writing once again, “However, becasue of your intervention he hasn’t gone to that side of the path yet. You can still bring him back to how he should have become. But He still will not forgive you.”

Atlas’s mother slowly lifted her head as she heard the sound of the stylus moving across the page. The moment she finished reading those words, her tears paused, and a small smile appeared on her face.

It was not a smile born from relief alone, as pain and sorrow remained within her expression, mixed with a quiet happiness that she could still do something for her son. Even if the outcome could not be changed completely, she had been given another opportunity to help him.

“I-I will be happy with just that, It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t forgive me. I will be happy with just seeing my son happy.” Tears continued escaping her eyes as she spoke, but she no longer tried to hide them.

Memories of the past began flashing through her consciousness, bringing back moments she had once shared with Atlas. She remembered singing lullabies to help him fall asleep and the times when she had been the only one who played with him.

While she continued reminiscing about those memories, the Codex began writing again, and the previous text disappeared as the page returned to its blank state. “What will you do now, though? Seems some pesky God has emerged and noticed Atlas.”

Hearing those words, Atlas’s mother gradually stopped crying and wiped the tears from her translucent eyes. She looked at the newly written text for a moment before answering the question, her expression becoming more composed.

“I will do what I have been doing on the other side, while this part of my consciousness might be able to help my baby boy some more.” She paused briefly, considering her next words before releasing a small sigh.

Although this fragment of her consciousness had its own limitations, she still intended to use whatever opportunity remained to help Atlas. She then looked toward the Codex again and continued speaking, “As for that pesky God? It is better for him that he doesn’t cross paths with my baby boy. Otherwise you already know what will happen.”

The Codex seemed to agree with her statement, producing a brief humming sound in response. Atlas’s mother looked at it for a moment before her figure began to lose its already faint outline, indicating that her consciousness was preparing to return to its dormant state.

“Alright, It seems my time for rest has come again. While this part of my consciousness rests I want you to take care of my son as always.” Her voice remained gentle as she delivered those final words, and a faint smile returned to her face.

With that, her translucent figure gradually vanished, leaving behind the last smile she had directed toward the Codex. Once she was gone, the Sangius Stylus continued moving across the page, writing a response despite no one remaining to read it.

“I will. After all, he is the reason I exist.” Having finished writing those words, the Codex closed, and the Sangius Stylus returned to its original position on the side. The deepest part of Atlas’s soul became silent once again, with nothing remaining to disturb the darkness.

…

Meanwhile, on the outside, Atlas’s body remained floating in a position that made it appear as though he were sleeping. Kael was in the same state, and both of them remained unconscious, completely unaware of the presence of someone floating directly in front of them.

The individual had already met Atlas once before, though neither Atlas nor Kael was currently in any condition to recognize his arrival. Looking at the two unconscious figures, the newcomer spoke with an amused expression.

“This boy is something else alright. He survived that monster of a Harbinger, haha.” The person speaking was none other than Oriendar, the third pillar of the Conclave. However, it would be more accurate to say that this was a projection of Oriendar’s will rather than his actual body.

He had arrived here a few moments ago, shortly after Atlas had lost consciousness following his final sentence. Oriendar’s gaze gradually shifted away from Atlas and Kael, moving toward the distant direction in which the spaceship had traveled.

He watched that area for a moment before a thought crossed his mind, ‘I see, so the Monarch of Eternals has set their eyes upon that world as well.’ After reaching that conclusion, he extended one hand toward the distant spaceship, his expression remaining relatively calm.

In the next moment, he snapped his fingers.

SNAP

The instant Oriendar snapped his fingers, the entire spaceship was crushed, and every Eternal aboard it died immediately. All the abilities they possessed became meaningless in the face of his power, leaving them unable to defend themselves or even understand what had happened before their deaths.

They could not detect the attack in time, much less activate their abilities to protect themselves from it. Within that single moment, the spaceship and everyone aboard it were reduced to dust, as though the entire vessel had been nothing more than a small stone.

Harbinger, however, was the sole exception, as he remained alive in the empty space after the destruction of the spaceship. He was already aware that his clone had been killed and that Oriendar had arrived at the location, so he was not surprised when his gaze met the projection of the Conclave’s third pillar.

Their eyes met briefly before Harbinger clicked his tongue and spoke with visible displeasure, “You are involved with this world I see. You won’t get away with this Oriendar, the Monarch will surely come at you later.”

Oriendar merely smiled as he heard Harbinger’s threat, despite the considerable distance between them. He showed no particular concern about the Monarch’s possible response and answered in a relaxed tone, “We will see about that.”

Harbinger knew that he was at a massive disadvantage in their current situation, even though the individual standing before him was only a projection of Oriendar’s will. With that realization, Harbinger vanished from the area, leaving the surrounding space empty apart from Oriendar and the two unconscious figures.

Oriendar watched the place where Harbinger had disappeared before releasing a sigh, “Sigh, I should have sent the escorts quickly. Well, all went well in the end. The discovery of the Eternals being involved is quite the gain in itself.”

After speaking those words, he turned his attention toward Atlas and Kael, who were still floating unconscious in front of him.

Without wasting any more time, Oriendar disappeared from the area, taking Atlas and Kael’s floating bodies along with him.