124 The Mad Pharaoh's Return

"Idiot, stupid, caveman, dork, egoist, four-eyes, numbskull—" The moment Stargazer mentioned that someone would help him with his Noble Phantasm, Seth knew who he was referring to without the need of a name. There was only one person he had met with the capabilities to do so, after all.

At first, he didn't think much of it, merely 'going along with the flow,' so to speak. What he didn't expect, however, was being assaulted by a bunch of insults. It wouldn't be a lie to say he thought Stargazer would be the one who would do it instead of this Ruler of Death in front of him.

The urge to roll his eyes was too strong at the moment, mainly because they didn't stop and used their full imagination to keep hurling insults at him. It wasn't until a while later that the figure seemed to have run out of ideas, prompting them to sigh.

"Are you done?" Seth had his back against the ground as he stared at the other individual. Although he could speak normally as before, his body felt frail. So much so that he didn't like to be standing.

"You never listen, do you?" They answered his question with another question. The exasperation was palpable in their voice. Looking at his state right now, they knew he had not heeded their warning.

It was Seth's turn to sigh. "What did you want me to do? I used everything at my disposal. Most of my Noble Phantasms specialize in mass-destruction and not individual damage, so I had my hands tied there. Besides, that kid was made to counter me. Even I feel like he is a cheat by modern standards."

An air of depression started to fill him again, making him curse inwardly. So much for a temporary distraction. Thankfully for him, the figure decided to speak at that time. "You are a walking monstrosity; you know that?"

"Thank you?" What was that supposed to mean?

Clearing their throat, they clarified. "You only choose one transformation among the many you have, yet that one is the weakest. What I want to say is, you aren't using your abilities to their full potential."

The Egyptian God's eyes widened for a second. "Are you, by any chance, retarded?" It was a simple question, devoid of any malice. That didn't stop the figure from kicking his head.

It hurt.

"Do you have a death wish, perhaps? If you want to die that badly, I can make a few accommodations for you to have some vacations here. Permanently." Their tone was as chilling as the coldest ice, something befitting for someone with their Authority.

"...Whatever you are thinking, that's not what I meant. The fight was in the open ocean; I don't think something like a scorpion would be useful, right? And I would appreciate it if you didn't hit me again. Despite this not being exactly my body, the heightened pain is there." He wasn't lying. Although...he might not have told the whole truth either.

The figure observed him quietly; eyes narrowed in visible irritation. Was he trying to take them for a fool?...No matter; everything was inconsequential for now. Everyone had their reasons to do or not do things. If he wanted to play dumb, then so be it.

"Speak, what reason do you have to come here? I don't have all the time in the world." Were they angry? The black-haired man couldn't understand, even if he was someone who could detect such feelings easily. What he did notice was the urgency behind their words.

Despite not having met them personally during his life, he understood there must be a reason for them to act this way.

He understood.

Their emptiness.

There was only a single person they could occasionally talk to, but the said person wanted nothing to do with them. It would be hypocritical for him to try and sympathize with them. After all, even if his siblings were the only ones who everyone praised and showered with love, he still got people that cared for him, and even died for him.

They didn't.

Similarities with them were few, but they were not easily dismissed. That was because, regardless of their personalities, they all belonged to the same team. In there, you are guaranteed to be hated by humans and Gods alike, with almost no one understanding the necessity of their existence, seeing them as parasites to be shunned aside and are better off dead instead. As ironic as that sounds.

He knew.

The first time he couldn't discern very much, but the second time was different. The moment he saw those eyes, it was when he realized it. 'Ah...we are similar, aren't we?'

Those eyes carried a new, foreign emotion. It was happiness; the happiness of meeting someone like them, someone who could understand them, someone who shared the same troubles as them, and above all, someone who could understand the loneliness within them.

That same Ruler Of Death now was like a different person. Was it worry the thing that painted their visage? Was that the reason why the person in front of him acted unnaturally?

That got him thinking.

Here, in this barren place where ashes covered the ground and dark clouds did the sky, death was not a foreign concept. It meant that they could manage the Underworld even from here as it was not that different from their home place. So, if it wasn't related to the protection of souls, that left very few options remaining. However, only two stood out among them.

"Is your domain being threatened? Or is it you that is in danger?" The figure visibly flinched as he asked those questions. Sadly, he didn't know which one of them was the right one.

Seth waited for a response, and when he didn't get any, he continued. "You know, you are not obligated to help me. What's more, you don't have to do so at all. If you are worried about something, you can go back."

Wrily smiling, they sat beside the laying God with a faraway look. "Sorry. It's just...the situation back home is not that great. I have the feeling that everyone, including myself, is going to die by the hands of my so-called family."

"Family sucks, eh?" Both individuals chuckled at his comment. "I don't know if reassurance coming from me has any value, but I will try to go and help you as quickly as I can. Consider it as repayment for what you have done and will do in the future." He concluded while looking at them with an unreadable expression.

'After all...you remind me of myself too much. Now that you have found a...friend, losing it will make you fall into madness. Just like it did for me...' Seth decided not to voice the last part out loud, knowing that it would be futile.

Memories of a particular incident resurfaced before he quickly suppressed them. He didn't want to test his mental stability at the moment, although that didn't stop the ever-growing desire to mutilate a loooooot of people.

They smiled at his words, content that there was someone who would go that far from them, even knowing the risks involved. "Thank you, I will hold you to that. Now then, what is it that you wanted with me?"

"Returning to life the souls of the ones who once worshiped me." His statement made them think about his life until they arrived at a particular legend. However, an apologetic frown appeared in their face when they did so.

"As much as you are related to death, I don't think you can accomplish that. For the Underworld's sake, even I can't do it freely. I...apologize." The not-so-easily hidden sadness in their words made it seem like they themselves were the ones who received a negative response.

"I understand what you mean, but I am a special case. I created death back in my homeland, remember?" He said, a wry smirk adorning his face. "Their souls reside within me, but I need a God of Death to take them out. Even so, I have the feeling there is something else to it, but I won't know until I see them again."

The figure adopted a thoughtful expression before nodding. "It's going to hurt, very much so. Are you sure you can handle it in that state?"

"Shoot. Been through worse." With his confirmation, they placed a hand on his chest, albeit with some reservation, especially taking into account the still present wounds. 'Even if you will eventually revive...you should be more careful.'

One by one, golden orbs of light, the size of a football ball started exiting his body. The Egyptian God frowned a little, but outside of that, he didn't utter a cry of pain. As much as it felt like your organs were being taken from you, it was nothing he hadn't experienced before.

The process lasted for about five minutes, without any outstanding development like the world-shaking or something like that. Five minutes that were not pleasant, Seth had to admit.

When they finished, numerous orbs were floating around them, every single on shining with their own intensity. "These souls...shouldn't they be less bright after so long? When death is around you, you tend to get all gloomy." They spoke from experience, so there was no way to refute them.

"No... There was no reason to fear...because they never stopped believing." The Egyptian God seemed...proud? "They always had hope."

"That's something weird for you to say. 'Hope is just an illusion of the foolish mankind.' Weren't you the one who said that long ago?" The Underworld's Ruler rolled their eyes with amusement on their voice.

"I did, and still think like that. I find their wait and expectations to be a waste of time, but humans had always been unpredictable, so I am not surprised they would go to such lengths to give me their power." Seth would have shrugged his shoulders if he wasn't laying on the ground.

"You aren't very honest, are you?" They shook their heads with a mix between exasperation and mirth.

"As hilarious as it sounds, even a trickster can be honest sometimes. That aside...have you noticed?" Seth's tone became a bit more severe as he observed the orbs of light.

"Yes...they are behaving oddly. As if they recognize you, but at the same time, they don't. Maybe...it's not you the one they were expecting to come?" They theorized, not noticing his body flinching slightly.

The orbs were approaching him before moving back. It was like recognizing someone on the streets, only for them to turn out to be another person.

Taking a breath that was deeper than usual, Seth did something to calm the growing fury in his heart. 'FUCK YOU, YOU DAMNED RETARDS! I SWEAR I WILL TORMENT YOUR SOULS INTO OBLIVION UNTIL ONLY YOUR PAINED CRIES REMAIN!'

And another deep breath.

'The monster is coming.' That was what Stargazer said, or at least what he felt he heard once the conversation was over. Talk all the shit about the guy you want, but his capabilities to predict the future were second to none. And fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on which side of the fence you were on, he knew who that monster was. But...he did say that he would set his pride and preferences aside. If he wanted to protect those guys, then he was left with no choice. 'And besides...I can't simply shy away forever, now can I? Your determination is too contagious, kid...'

"Help me stand, will you?" He asked the figure for help, although it seemed more like an order. The sudden shift caught them off guard.

"Are you...all right?" The only answer they got was a deep frown and a sigh. Left with no other choice, they helped him stand, albeit with a little trembling from their part. After all, they were not used to being in contact with another person. Such was the life of solitude for people like them.

Seth observed the orbs for a few seconds, the original proudness gone, and replaced with distaste. 'I can't believe I am doing this.'

'Hoho~ Is it my turn now? It's been so long.' A calm voice that clearly resembled him echoed in his head.

'Tch. Just make it quick, you sick fuck.'

Balance, a simple word that meant equilibrium. However, the God known as Seth hated that word. It reminded him that he was different than everyone else.

While others where on one side of the balance, he was in the middle. No matter what he wanted, he couldn't be good, nor could he be evil. Both sides were equally despising him, for he was not one of them.

Many words could describe his character, but there was one in particular that took the prize, and that was unstable. From young, he never knew how to act. When he strolled through the streets of the once capital of the earth's Kingdom, and he saw an injustice being committed, he always froze. Should he help? Do nothing? Or...support the injustice?

As he grew up, this internal conflict kept increasing, eating away his sanity. But, against all the odds, he still held on. Some beings helped him in that regard, regardless of what he was.

However, no 'seal' can last forever. The moment he stabbed his spear into the head of a demonic serpent, breaking it in the process, only then was that the God known as Seth realized who he had killed, for that giant entity never revealed his identity to the child, now man. Always a secret, so at the moment of truth, he would not waver.

For the first time in his life, the balance was shifting heavily to one side. The first to notice this was the aged man who had never left Seth's side. That's why, even if being in his presence alone hurt him due to the growing madness, he still stayed by his side. The howls of a mad beast seemingly paining him more than the affected person itself.

He was forced out of his birthplace until he could control himself as his destructive tendencies were starting to scare even the Gods themselves. For the first time in his life, he felt bottomless anger. He desired to kill everyone as painfully as possible as he laughed in mad delight at their despair.

If the world wanted to take everything from him, then he would take everything from it. Such were the thoughts of a God falling into the pits of insanity.

The world had other plans, though. As if to appease him for taking one life from him, it gifted Seth another.

It was ironic. The way he found out was due to a child, a scared one. One that called him father. It was only after seeing the fear in the kid's eyes that he finally calmed down, falling on his knees as tears streamed down his eyes.

That look...he didn't want to see it again. So, he eventually regained control of his turbulent mind. All so that the new life that was about to come didn't see their father like a monster.

The balance that was inclined to Chaos slowly but surely receded until equilibrium was the only thing left. The God now believing his torment was over.

How foolish.

The tide only pulls back to come with a stronger force than before. Such is the very nature of life itself.

If only one 'person' dying almost caused him to go mad, then three...three just created an atrocity that should have never existed.

A true, Evil God.