Chapter 546 - 544: Revival (1)

Chapter 546: Chapter 544: Revival (1)

Before I could go traumatize the two boastful death metals, though—

"Dante..." a voice stopped me.

"Hmm? Xuan?" I turned around.

The emperor was looking at me with complicated eyes.

"What’s wrong? What’s with that look?" I asked, meeting his expression.

"Haa..." the man sighed, his shoulders slouching.

"I’m sorry, brother."

"Huh? Sorry? Sorry for what?" I asked, confused.

"For leaving."

I froze.

"For... what?"

"Haa... it’s not what you’re thinking, brother. I assure you, it’s not."

"And what do you believe I’m thinking, Xuan?"

"That I’m leaving because of your methods of doing things. That I’m leaving because I find your ways cruel."

"And you’re not? Isn’t that why?" I couldn’t help feeling a bit betrayed. I knew I could get carried away with my way of doing things, but he should understand, no? He’s a cultivator; he of all people should understand that the path to greatness is paved with blood and brimstone.

"And you? My love, do you understand?"

"Huh?"

"You want someone else to understand your murderous tendencies, but have you tried to check if everyone agrees with your wanton massacres? Yes, your group of murder-hobo brothers share the same views, but that shouldn’t make you think that everyone believes in indiscriminate killing and violence, my love."

"This..." I froze. I’d never thought about it before. No, I wasn’t suddenly remorseful for the lives lost—I had long gone past the point of feeling useless remorse. No, I was more shocked by the realization that I might’ve been forcing my views upon someone I had called brother all this time.

"Xuan, I—"

"It’s not." Xuan cut me off mid-sentence.

"Huh?"

"I’m not leaving because of your methods at dealing with your foes. Life isn’t some rainbow field filled with flowers and happiness. Showing mercy to your enemies is the same as being cruel to yourself, and that is the epitome of foolishness."

My moment of self-reflection crumbled like a pack of cards the moment Xuan spoke those words, a maddened grin splitting my face.

"Haa... you know what? Forget I ever said anything." Shaia sighed, obviously weary from all the in-your-face moments life had been showing her lately.

I ignored the pouting woman, now fully focused on Xuan’s reason for leaving.

"I’m leaving because I’ve got scores to settle."

"The Calderans?"

"Yes."

"But I’ve already wiped out their family."

"You wiped out their family stationed on Prime, not the true Calderan family."

His words made me go quiet. He was right. The family I had obliterated was nothing but a mere branch of the true cosmic powerhouse that was the Caldera family.

"I need to see to it that those bastards pay dearly for what they did to my ancestors. My family almost never recovered from that event, so now that I have the leeway to get strong, I need to do so fast."

"I can make you strong, Xuan, faster than you can imagine." I offered, wanting to help, but—

"I can’t, Dante..." he declined.

"You said it yourself, didn’t you? One must stay true to his Dao heart. Stay true to his self. Only then can we be considered true cultivators. Only then can we be considered those who wish to go against heaven’s mandate and ascend beyond mortality."

"You know I was just saying whatever nonsense came to my mind at that moment, right? I don’t know shit about cultivating."

"I do. Hahahahahahaha!!! I figured it out a while back, but the truth remains: your words were a source of enlightenment, whether intentional or not, so I must decline your offer, my brother."

"Haa..." I couldn’t help sighing loudly at the protagonist mindset. I already knew how futile it would be trying to convince him, so—

"You’re taking him with you?" I asked, turning toward the silent Lin Tian. I had totally forgotten about his protagonist with all that had been going on.

"Yes, I am. He’s got potential and a score to settle with the Calderans as well, so I’ll be taking him along, with my sister as well, if you will..."

I nodded gently as a light flashed before me and Lin Luo Yao appeared, her expression startled at the obvious change in environment.

"Big... big brother?" She called out to Xuan, her voice meek.

"Fear not, baby sister. No one is going to hurt you. We were just about leaving." He smiled, assuring the startled woman as he pulled her to stand beside Lin Tian, the young man comforting his master as best he could.

"Looks like my prediction is still on, after all."

"I would tell you to stay out of trouble, but I know that is fundamentally against your character, so I can only say this," Xuan moved closer, his arm raised in a clasping gesture.

I looked at him for a few moments of consideration before clasping his hands in mine, his words ringing out, "show them hell, brother, and let the name Absolute resound through the very cosmos itself."

"Heh! Then you better keep your ears open, for it shall be loud."

"I will."

"And make sure you don’t die. I’ll be coming for the Calderans soon; I hope to not see anything of their remains left when I do, since I expect you to fully clear the place."

"Hahahahahahahaha!!! As you wish, then. I’ll try not to disappoint you." He laughed.

I smiled, a genuine feeling of satisfaction.

"Sister Yin," the woman looked at me, "make sure to watch over my brother; he can be pretty careless."

"And who do you think has encouraged that habit more? Humph!!" She huffed.

"Bahahahahahaha!!! That’s exactly why I’m asking you to watch over him."

"Shameless!!"

Xuan and I both burst into wild laughter at the woman’s expression.

"Hahaha... my dearest brother, I shall be taking my leave. I wish I could stay to see your parents, but I shall do so when next we meet."

"I shall extend your greetings, then."

"Hmm.. farewell, Dante." Xuan waved, his aura flaring outward as it covered the figures of Lin Tian, his sister, and Su Yin, all of them disappearing from the spot.

I stood silent, watching the spot he’d left as the others remained quiet.

"Hooo... alright, then, let’s go get those two old fuckers to work, shall we?" I grinned, turning toward the location of Momon, Omari, and Lucien.

....

.....

"You want us to what?" Momon asked, disbelieving of his ears.

"You heard me right, Grandpa Momon. I need you guys to become Prime’s new death."

"But... why?" The hulking death metal had the nerve to ask.

"Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you KILLED Prime’s death? And I don’t think True Death has any plans of coming here to face you guys."

True Death. The cosmic counterpart of the Lifetree. Where the Lifetree oversaw the cosmos’s lifeline, True Death oversaw the cosmos’s transition to the afterlife.

It should’ve already been notified of the ending of an extension of itself by now, but it wasn’t yet showing itself, so I could only assume it had no plans of sending another part of itself here.

"Heh! Bastard probably wants to watch our universe burn. Fat chance." They could be petty all they wanted, but all they were doing was adding their names to the list of pillars I was going to wreck when I got there. But for now,

"Stop complaining and get to work. You guys should already know how things work, so it shouldn’t be that much of a chore," I snapped.

"Ugh... it’s not that difficult to do, especially with our authority over endings, but..." Grandpa Omari sighed.

"Young Dante. Don’t do this to me. I’m just now having fun; don’t push this burden on me. What about our next fight?" Grandpa Momon lamented.

"There’s no next fight, Grandpa Momon, and stop making it sound like you can’t work from everywhere. You’re just doing the harvesting and ferrying of souls; it’s no big deal."

"What do you mean there’s no next fight?" Momon asked, his eyes flickering.

"That’s all you heard?"

"Yes. Now fess up. I thought we were heading toward that dragoverse nonsense for blood and carnage?"

"We will, but not now."

"Why not?"

"Because," I turned around, my expression hardening, "it’s time to bring back Mom and Dad."

*********

A/N: Time to bring back Regulus and Seraphina, finally. As always....

**********

Thanks for reading...