XLII

Deciding to keep it lowkey for a few days after murking the prince, I eventually felt obligated to chat to Xia Qingyue and tell her about a few things.

"So…" I took a deep breath, trying to keep awkwardness to a minimum. 'She is my wife… we can both move past what happened.'

"I've already located your mother who is in this realm; the difficult part is getting to her. She is, after all, the Moon God Emperor's consort… wife… it's complicated."

"I can always trust you to know everything." Xia Qingyue remarked, speaking with a strange tone. "The Blitz should be capable of reaching her without much trouble, no?"

"Should be easy enough, yeah. I just wanted to tell you so that you'd be more ready."

"I've been ready for longer than you know."

"Great."

"What of the place you fired at… what was your intention?"

"To eliminate someone who would've been a problem in the future." I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "The crown prince would've been an issue for us both. For one, he was one of Qianye Ying'er's suitors, has a lustful nature and he would've stood in the way of your inheritance."

"And the other people inside?"

"... Unfortunate casualties."

"Qianye Ying'er seems to have had quite the impact on you… more than you give credit for. You even speak of her as if she already is your woman." Cang Yue joined in with a sharp remark.

"She isn't… but it doesn't matter what I think of the matter. As the Realm of the Gods sees it, we are a match made in heaven."

"You're lying." Xia Qingyue refuted. "Do not stand here and act as if you do not want her by your side."

"The future is wildly unpredictable, you know. As things are… I really don't. However, I wouldn't deny the possibility of things changing."

"It seems to me that you've already made up your mind about her." Xia Qingyue started, turning away. "There is no use unconvincing you otherwise."

'... Well, then.'

Somewhere, it did sting. I had lied… hadn't I? I did say I wouldn't fall in love with Qianye Ying'er. While I wouldn't say I loved her… I would be lying if I said I had no feelings towards her. Despite her being a crazy bitch, I still…

What my heart feels can't be helped.

Despite all the gifts and godly bloodlines that I have… I'm still human and fell for the perfect trap one could possibly set up for me. Something that I wasn't ready to fight against properly.

I was a tool… but… no matter what, I was determined to never be one again. It was the worst feeling in the world.

"I'm not the all-knowing person you might think I am."

I sighed, turning away as well.

[System: You know what they say? A woman can make a man's day perfect… or make it miserable. It's quite the power.]

'One thing mr Sword God and I have in common… Qianye Ying'er making things harder than they have to be.'

[System: Harder… what things are you thinking about, again?]

'Let's get this over with.'

~

Rokas didn't truly know whether he should go incognito or use his status as direct disciple… while the latter could potentially bring conflict, it was also a safety net that not even the Moon God Emperor would dare breach. After all, when Qianye Ying'er sent her goons to attack Xia Qingyue's mother… he didn't respond, keeping quiet. Given that the news of what happened to the Southern Sea God Realm was spreading, it wasn't all that hard to believe that flaunting his status would make him untouchable.

However, making such a public arrival could lead to Qianye Ying'er easily finding him. It would be like trying to avoid the #1 trending topic on Twitter… it's right there, in your face. This would also lead to her knowing about Xia Qingyue.

He decided it was best to hide his identity… to the public, at the very least.

So, he went with what was least 'Long Ke' without making himself ugly. While the appearance he used the most in the Brahma Monarch Realm had brown hair, Long Ke was famously advertised with godly white hair. To avoid the rare occasion of being recognised, he changed his hair to black and his eyes to purple alongside making his face more defined.

Magnificent short black hair, massive muscles, the frame of a mountain, luminous purple eyes, a jawline more defined than solid steel, a manly beard and le classic sword eyebrows. It was… certainly someone's type.

To finish his appearance, he created a set of black-purple praetorian guard armour for himself with a complete mask. The chestpiece, especially, brought out the most of his physique.

'Maximus Chaddius is born.'

Rokas remarked, smiling slightly as he looked in the mirror.

'For Honour Centurion type fit going hard.'

[System: Go shag a Targaryen already, jeez. Purple eyes having mf.]

'I don't see a Targaryen around here.'

[System: She sees you.]

'Nice. Does she want a cookie for watching my livestream?'

[System: She would prefer a muffin, actually.]

I chuckled. 'I feel that. Muffins are better. On that note… I sure do hope Aerion doesn't livestream my entire life to his pantheon. Especially the more mature parts, you know? That would be a severe breach of one's privacy.'

[System: Who do you take my great lord for? Of course, he values privacy above all else. No one has seen you on demon timing.]

'Ah, that's good.'

~

'The Divine Moon City was an impressive city, to be sure, but it lacked in comparison to the grand core of the Brahma Monarch God Realm. Its people were lazier… less ambitious. That reflected on the city and even the strength of the Moon God Realm as a whole. The Brahma Monarch God Realm truly was the current peak in terms of human realms.'

Rokas thought as he flew over the city. Using Blitz's replication of the Akatsuki's invisibility, he kept himself completely invisible. One couldn't detect him unless they bumped into the gundam. It wasn't completely perfect as using the Blitz's GN drive would emit particles and make the gundam easily detectable… so he had to move at a much slower pace. Through the System's assistance, he knew exactly where she was so it was only a matter of time.

[System: I wonder who's technique you're using to get here… ain't it ironic that you were so pressed about the kidnapping incident and here you are shamelessly using all the gifts that you gained from the encounter?]

'The d-riding is immaculate.'

[System: Wianye Wing'er… best girl for real.]

'I'll admit, she did propel me to new heights which would've taken far longer to reach otherwise. However, I won't pretend like she didn't do it out of her own interests.'

[System: Shocker. Relationships are all about exchange. Hell, subconsciously, you know that and use it to your advantage. But… you like to act like a goody-two-shoes who wouldn't dare be manipulative. Guess what? No one cares.]

'Manipulative? That's a mad accusation… when was I ever manipulative?'

[System: Don't act stupid. I'll provide an example; you knew Xia Qingyue's goal and used it to get with her.]

'Okay… but is that really manipulating? I went out of my way to help Xia Qingyue because I care about her.'

[System: That's a sweet way of putting it, rocky. What of your shenanigans on Blue Pole Star? You never told anyone that you killed Yun Che to the Yun Family or the truth that everyone is just a character… did you? Telling people what they want to hear and withholding the truth is manipulative behaviour.]

'Bruddha, why would I tell someone that I murked their idiotic grandson?'

[System: Seems that we're getting on the same page.]

'Besides, by that definition, most people are manipulative. Look at how Yun Che was played like a fiddle by Xia Qingyue, Shui Meiyin, Chi Wuyao, Qianye Ying'er… in the end, you're either being played or you're the master of the strings. Me? You can ask me on any day of the week which I'd rather be and the answer would be the same.'

[System: Another sign… playing the role of victim. 'No matter what they do, it's someone else's fault'. Do you recall our conversation? You blamed me for Qianye Ying'er catching you when your ass was flying around in a glowing near twenty-metre tall machine in the middle of space.]

'Drop the 'Rokas exposed' hour-long documentary already. If you scanned my surroundings properly… no, I'm not going to have this debate with you again. You know what, fine, I participate in some minor tomfoolery from time to time… 'manipulation' as you call it. Happy?'

[System: Very. It's good to be honest with yourself, best buddy.]

'Since I'm such an awful person you ought to start calling me 'best devil' from now on.' Rokas sarcastically thought. 'Maybe I should start having horns on my head to show how evil I am? Hmmmm… vasto lorde Ichigo horns do go hard, not going to lie.'

[System: Your wish is my command, best devil.]

'Best devil doesn't have as good of a ring to it, though…'

[System: I'd like to remind you that you are nearing your target and the number of individuals floating around is increasing.]

'This is almost like the real life version of geometry dash.'

…

Given the fact that everyone was more reliant on their profound energy senses and mostly stayed inside of the palace, avoiding people was rather simple. Blitz was also quiet as a mouse without its GN drive activated… though, it was also much slower so traversing the massive ass palace was a process that took longer than he would've liked.

But… he got there, in the end.

Yue Wugou was vibing in a garden alongside her lover, the Moon God Emperor. When Rokas started his journey, that man seemed to be busy with something else. But now… he had a much shorter timeframe to act because of his presence. Although the Moon God Emperor didn't seem like a person that would act hastily, the difference in strength was still something to take note of.

"Qingyue… now would be a good time to come out." Rokas whispered.

She appeared inside of the Blitz right after… for a moment, it was a little tight in there. Rokas put the Blitz inside of his Inner World, revealing himself and Xia Qingyue to the couple. While he was slightly concerned, Rokas' centurion-type appearance exuded an aura of fearlessness. It did take quite a daring man to breach a Royal Rank Star Realm's core, after all.

He placed his hands at the front of his waist, grabbing one hand with the other. It was the infamous drip pose… the pose one takes when he doesn't know what to do with his hands. Of course, you could just have them by your side but the drip pose was more visually impressive.

[System: Deffo taking a screenshot of this. Man like Maximus Chaddius]

"..." Yue Wuya was alerted to the two intruders rather quickly, turning to them. "Why have you intruded upon my peace?"

'Sounds like a reasonable question.'

"It can't be…" Yue Wugou observed Xia Qingyue with a beyond shocked expression.

"Mother…"

'W reunion.' Rokas thought. 'Ignoring how terrible of a mother Yue Wugou is in canon… W reunion.'

[System: That bitch said :skull: the moment her hubby died. Also, don't be salty just because you're motherless.]

'... You did not have to go there.'

[System: Too much sauce on my dip?]

'Shut up.'

Rokas stood still, watching the scene unfold. Yue Wugou and Xia Qingyue closed the distance between them for a warm embrace. Yue Wuya looked at them, confused, and then at Rokas who was just vibing in the back.

"I told you to treat me as if I was dead… so why…" Yue Wugou questioned, frowning slightly as she looked upon Rokas.

'And yet you told her about the Realm of the Gods. Big brain strats right there.'

"Why… how could I forget my own mother?" Xia Qingyue replied. "I did everything I could to see you again… there was not a single day that I did not strive for greater strength to reach the Realm of the Gods you spoke of."

"You were always a stubborn child…" Yue Wugou smiled slightly, letting go of Xia Qingyue. "Ah… how could I turn you away after all the efforts you've made? What is done is done and you've made it to me safely. There is no point in me lecturing you now."

"If you never wanted Qingyue to reach you, why would you even mention the Realm of the Gods to her in the first place?" Rokas couldn't keep quiet about that. "Why sell her the false hope of reaching you by giving such a clue… when you didn't want her to chase you?"

"Well…" Yue Wugou hesitated, lowering her eyes.

"Who are you?" Yue Wuya questioned, his voice stinging with a cold tone.

'Should I state my true name…?'

[System: Long Ke! Long Ke!]

'If it stays in this room, there shouldn't be an issue.'

"Promise to keep it private?" Rokas proposed, turning his eyes to the Moon God Emperor. "I would rather not be known by my public identity here."

"I do not believe that you are in the position to make such demands."

"Believe me, my name would cause more problems for you than you'd want." Rokas countered, shaking his head. 'The Southern Sea God Realm could confirm.'

"What name could possibly be so troublesome?" Yue Wuya scoffed, mocking the statement. He walked closer, bridging the gap between them. His aura almost suffocated Rokas. "I'll ask again… who are you?"

[System: He's pressing yo shit. You gonna take that?]

Face to face, the two stared at each other for a long moment. Neither wavered.

Rokas' blood boiled slightly.

'I know the Brahma Heaven God Realm's doormat ain't talking to me like that. Your future wifey got ambushed by some goons and you didn't do shit but stay silent in your little corner…'

He sighed.

'Though… I can't really talk given what happened.'

"He's my…"

"… So persistent. Very well, I'll tell you precisely who I am."

Rokas shapeshifted to his most used appearance, le classic brownie, before taking off his helmet. The reveal led Yue Wuya to make a puzzled expression… was this kid taking off his helmet supposed to mean something?

"Ever heard of Long Ke, the Brahma Heaven God Emperor's direct disciple?"

Yue Wuya's eyes widened with shock as the Blitz reappeared behind Rokas, spreading its wings.

'Well, here he is…'