Chapter 32: Adira Crimson

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Adira Crimson

​"Huh? Where am I?"

​Krono stirred awake, finding himself in a completely unfamiliar room. The walls were constructed of rough stone, and the interior was notably old-fashioned, softly illuminated by a lamplight powered by a glowing magic crystal.

​That meant he was still in the world of Elphina. He had not died in the caldera.

​As he slowly pushed himself up from the bed, his mind immediately replayed the horrifying experience in the dark prison.

​That crimson-haired woman... Her raw power and terrifying beauty were simply out of this world.

​But the most mysterious part was that she could wield his Ultimate Devourer System with far greater mastery than he could himself.

​Just who exactly was she?

​Right as he asked himself that question, a highly amused chuckle echoed from the deepest depths of his own mind.

​"If you are truly curious to know about me, perhaps you should look into the banned historical texts. I was once known as the Godless Hero," the woman’s voice echoed.

​Krono’s eyebrows shot up in alarm.

​"You are the Godless Hero? The exact same person who slew Dragon Emperor Bahamuth? The legendary figure who single-handedly stopped the demonic invasion five hundred years ago and made an enemy of the entire Holy Cathedral?"

​"You are quite well-informed. Well, I suppose I should not be surprised, considering you are also an old soul hiding inside the body of a mere child."

​"This is my body, you witch. I am not a parasite like you." Krono growled.

"Fufu... a parasite? No, I am certainly not that. I am fate," she replied, her voice echoing with a knowing smile.

​"The very moment the system chose you, our destinies became permanently intertwined. Do you want to know why I am so intimately familiar with this power?" she asked.

​Without waiting for his confirmation, she continued. "Because I, too, once held this exact power at my fingertips. I was also chosen by the Ancient One to become the Ultimate Creature. Devouring my enemies gave me a rapid, explosive rise in strength, far faster than what you are currently experiencing.

​"I slew Demon Lords, decimated Dragon Emperors, and even ripped the wings off Archangels. That sheer defiance is exactly what earned me the so-called Almighty’s divine wrath.

​"That is precisely why history remembers me as the Godless Hero.

​"Yet even with all that power, in the end, I failed tragically. I failed to reach the pinnacle and become the Ultimate Creature. Uncontrollable anger and endless greed completely consumed me."

​Krono, who had been listening intently to her legendary tale, narrowed his eyes and raised a sharp query.

​"Then why didn’t you just die? Why are you still lingering inside my head like some resentful ghost?"

Inside the Sea of Mind, the beautiful woman, exhaled a long breath.

Then she said,

"A second chance. That’s what the system gave me. In the price of selling my soul, I received this chance. Not because I just want to become the ultimate creature, Because there is still something I need to do. It is Something very dear to me."

Her beautiful amythst eyes softened.

Krono could not fully grasp the depths of her cryptic words, but one thing was perfectly clear. They were now temporarily tied together until he could find a way to separate them.

"What is your name anyway?" he asked softly into the quiet room.

She replied in a deeply melancholic tone, "My name? No one has asked me that for a very long time. It is Adira... Adira Crimson."

"Adira Crimson..." Krono repeated, feeling the name suited her perfectly.

Still, he refused to be soft-hearted just because she sounded vulnerable or happened to be a woman. He had already been violently betrayed by her kind once before. He simply could not afford to waste his precious trust ever again.

"Alright, Adira. Do you know a way for you to actually get out of my body?"

"What, are you annoyed with my presence already?" she snorted.

"Anyway, I do know a method. But it requires some ridiculously rare treasures and legendary artifacts. I highly doubt a weak child like you can gather them. So, you might as well forget about throwing me out anytime soon."

"Just tell me what they are. I will decide whether I can gather them one day or not."

"Alright, if you insist so much. The first ingredient is a Phoenix’s egg. Then, you will need a true Dragon’s heart. And the third is..."

She listed a series of mythical items that made Krono nearly faint just hearing their names. Every single material was incredibly rare to even lay eyes on, let alone actually acquire.

​"And even after gathering all those ingredients, the chance of success is still only fifty percent," she reminded him.

​Krono sighed in heavy exasperation, "Is there like another way?"

​She remained silent for a second before finally replying:

​"There is. But to achieve it, our souls must become intimately connected. After our union, a very mysterious Soul Essence would be created. If you place that Soul Essence into a newborn infant, I can be reborn."

​Adira fully expected Krono to jump in excitement at this method, but instead, she only saw pure disgust flash in his eyes.

​"Sorry, but I am not looking for that kind of relationship. I actually find the idea completely repulsive," he spat coldly.

​Adira’s spectral eyebrows furrowed in absolute disbelief. Not to flaunt, but normally, if she presented such an incredibly enticing offer to any other man, they would practically weep with joy. She was stunningly beautiful and possessed an impossibly alluring figure. Literally any male would jump at the chance to claim her carnally.

​Yet Krono did not even spare her a proper glance. It could not possibly be because he preferred men, could it?

​"I can hear your thoughts, you know. And I am not gay," Krono replied, thoroughly annoyed.

​"Huh? Why can you hear my inner thoughts when I cannot hear yours?" Adira complained like a spoiled princess.

​"Maybe because this is my vessel?" he retorted "Anyway, is there a third option?"

​This time, her ethereal expression shifted, becoming deathly grim.

​"The Book of Death," she uttered the title in a hushed tone as if speaking forbidden cursed words.