Chapter 454
Chapter 454
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Akasha (1)
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Cain was left dumbfounded, as if he'd been kicked in the balls and clubbed over the back of the head.
He blinked vacantly for a moment before speaking up.
"...Your way with words is one of a kind. Vulgar as hell, too."
"It's genetic. Just let it slide."
"How the hell can you even grab his... no, never mind."
He was clearly watching his words with big sis right there.
Luckily, she was too engrossed in watching the sunrise to catch our conversation.
I lowered my voice in response.
"I realized it watching the sunrise. Unlike the sunset, the sunrise scatters life across the world. Akasha's wandering around searching for that life. And I can get my hands on it first."
"Hold on. Mind explaining that a bit more simply?"
"Yeah, that was a bit messy, huh? Hmm, where should I start..."
Even I knew my explanation needed polishing.
I pondered for about ten seconds before continuing.
"Up until now, I've crossed through two parallel worlds. My goal was destroying the rifts Akasha created, and ultimately taking him down. So what do you think Akasha's goal is?"
"Destroying the future of your world, right?"
"Exactly. Can't say for sure, but that's the most likely. Whatever his endgame is, though, it seems like he absolutely needs something to achieve it. In every parallel world, he's been tearing everything apart searching for 'that thing'."
"What is it?"
"Seniel from each parallel world. The life force I mentioned before. Remember what I told you about Seniel?"
Cain's eyes widened. The warm morning sunlight was now fully illuminating the world. He nodded as he met my gaze.
"A stone infused with the power of the stars, wasn't it? The one that took down the giants' first king..."
"Yeah. In a way, it's the root of all our family's twisted fate. If Seniel hadn't killed that bald first king, Dad wouldn't have become an orphan, and he'd probably have lived out his days peacefully in that village I showed you last night. Of course, our star would've been toast by then too."
"True... that tracks. So what does Akasha want with Seniel?"
"Fuel. Fuel to power him up. Like I said earlier, no clue what he'll use it for. At first, I figured it'd be to heal his body or destroy the future world..."
"It wasn't?"
"It's ambiguous. Piecing together my memories, I realized even while critically wounded, he didn't pour all that life force into healing. If he'd focused solely on recovery, those injuries would've been fixed ages ago. Though I'm not sure about reattaching severed limbs."
The life force in Seniel was potent enough to revive a dead star. Given the extent of Akasha's wounds, the portion he'd invested in healing was less than a tenth of what he'd absorbed. The remaining nine-tenths were earmarked for whatever his true objective was.
"...That said, there are way too many inexplicable actions if his goal was just wrecking the future. But whatever it is, it clearly requires immense power. He's absorbed the power from every Seniel he's encountered so far."
The memories were as vivid as if they'd happened yesterday.
First parallel world.
In the crimson-white world dominated by giants, Akasha levitated Seniel into the air and shattered it.
The star was restored thanks to the life force Seniel held, but he'd siphoned off an equivalent massive amount in return.
The second parallel world followed the same pattern.
Akasha dragged his wounded body to Seniel. For some reason, its hidden location differed from the first world, but he eventually tracked it down.
Right up until my party and I intervened, he'd bound Seniel with horrific iron chains and drained its life force relentlessly.
That's when I first started doubting Akasha's true purpose—in the second world.
'The giants were all a smokescreen. Was that really necessary?'
Looking back, the baldies always served as distractions, buying time.
When the pillar of light erupted in the jungle, or when the pale castle's sky was torn open, Akasha never fought alongside the giants. He'd toy with us briefly, then head straight for Seniel.
Even in this world, it was the same. Akasha hadn't deployed the giants to invade the future world or anything. They'd stalled me for three days until their core was destroyed, leading to their annihilation.
Why?
If destroying the future world was his goal, he'd have used the giants far more systematically. Giants could open dimensional gates anywhere on the star and descend—they were undeniable threats.
"Fuck..."
A sudden chill ran down my spine.
What ambition was he pursuing that required sacrificing giants across three dimensions as bait?
What grand scheme demanded the soul of a star as fuel?
Was it really just to destroy the future of the world I live in? Seriously?
"Huuu."
My thoughts were spiraling. I swept back my bangs and refocused.
I still hadn't finished talking with Cain.
"Anyway, the point is this: Akasha needs Seniel to achieve his goal. But he has no reliable way to find it."
"Reliable, you say."
"Yeah, I can guarantee that much. In every parallel world, he wastes tons of time hunting for Seniel, turning the world upside down—that's proof. But I'm different."
"...Don't tell me."
"You guessed it. I can find Seniel. No matter where it is."
I held up the bead around my neck.
The Mana Tracker, the masterpiece invented by the Acalusia mother-daughter duo. Like sunset and sunrise, it resembled a bloodline needle but had a crucial difference: it tracked targets using mana instead of blood.
In other words, as long as the target had mana, it didn't matter if it was inanimate.
"Good. It's working fine."
I reached into my inner pocket and pulled out a small fragment. The irregularly shaped mineral polyhedron gleamed golden in the sunrise.
"That's..."
"Right. A fragment of Seniel."
The life force roiling on its surface warped the air around it.
Having absorbed the aura from the Seniel in the previous parallel world, its concentration was even denser now.
I pressed the button on the Mana Tracker. Seniel's mana filled the slot left vacant by Akasha's. The needle, which had been spinning idly, locked onto one direction.
"As expected."
I clenched my fist. I was certain I'd secured Seniel's location first. If Akasha had already found it, he wouldn't have been wandering so frantically.
'He would've found it ages ago and sucked it dry like a mosquito.'
The Mana Tracker set to Akasha changed directions every ten minutes or spun in place—proof he was darting around, even switching dimensions.
All to achieve some grand purpose I didn't know.
Of course, he'd also need to heal the fatal wounds from the last world.
His hit-and-run guerrilla tactics were evidence of how severe they were. Akasha still hadn't recovered from the injuries he'd sustained in the previous parallel world.
The preamble was long, but the conclusion was simple.
I shoved the fragment back into my pocket and placed a hand on Cain's shoulder.
"So, this time, I'm striking first."
"That's what you meant by grabbing his balls."
"Yep. If I secure Seniel first, he'll have no choice but to come to me. We've only ever been on the defensive against that bastard—time to land a solid hit at the end, right?"
I flashed a thumbs-up with a chuckle.
Looking back, I'd always been played by Akasha. He had the ability to traverse parallel worlds freely and worlds to retreat to.
But not anymore. He'd lost his other three parallel worlds—his safe havens. He could still travel between them, but they were effectively gone.
'In the end, those severed legs and arms didn't reattach.'
Plus, his final injuries weren't light. I suspected the life force he'd already diverted couldn't be repurposed for healing. If it could, he wouldn't have resorted to traps and ambushes—he'd have come for me personally.
"He's a wounded tiger. More ferocious than usual, but definitely dying. And it's my job to finish the hunt."
"Hold up. You planning to take on Akasha alone?"
"I have to. Dad, this world's too perfect as it is right now."
I glanced around as I said it. Dawn had fully transitioned to morning. Roosters crowed from Nimbutton village as people stretched awake.
"Coo... coooo..."
Big sis had dozed off in Cain's arms, unable to fight the sleep. Ronan-3, who'd passed out earlier, was now drooling in deep slumber. It was the perfect intact family they'd both longed for.
"I don't want this perfection disrupted. Combining my life before regression, I've wandered five worlds to find this. If even one of you comes to help and something goes wrong, I'll shit my pants from the shock. You don't want your son to be a pants-shitter, right Dad?"
"W-Well, no, but..."
"It's really fine. In this world, the only ones who don't belong to this perfection are me—the outsider from another world—and that fucker Akasha."
"...Ronan."
"So Dad, you and your friends protect this perfected world. Why, you've got talents like Navardoje sis, Adrian sis, redeemed Abel—plenty of good hands."
I meant it. Just in case, we needed people to keep Akasha from causing chaos. Cain and his connections were perfect for the job.
I extended my right hand to him as he stood there blankly.
"Anyway, I'll head out before it's too late. Someone's gotta do this. You know?"
"...Unbelievable."
Cain smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth.
Didn't know that expression was genetic too.
"Fine. Got it. I'll wait here. Even if you beat Akasha, you'll come back for a proper goodbye, right?"
"If I can. And don't just wait—protect this perfection, like I said."
"Don't worry about that. I'm a savior. First pope of the Nebula Klazie Church, the longest-lived man in this world. I'll guard it."
"Hearing that somehow doesn't reassure me. Got any more credible intro?"
"What're you—oh."
Cain raised an eyebrow. He'd caught on late.
He licked his lips before speaking again.
"...Right. I'm Kashya's husband, Abel's brother. And crucially, Iril and Ronan's father. This time, I'll prove I'm not the kind of deadbeat dad who breaks promises to his kids."
"Add 'the one who abandoned them' in front. Or 'the bastard who personally cast a vicious curse'."
"You're pushing it. Yep, you're definitely my son."
"Who else's could I be?"
Cain gripped my hand. His palm was as callused as mine.
After the handshake, he pulled me into a hug.
"Finish it and come back. Everything."
Instead of replying, I grinned. With a final kiss to big sis's forehead, I turned and walked away. The Mana Tracker's destination was clear soon enough.
The Dakonya Sanctuary.
The continent's most ancient holy site, mentioned by Sarantea in the past,
where the statue of Seniel was enshrined.