Chapter 263 - The End

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Star Wars Galactic System has 7 chapters so far.

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Author note: First of all, thank you all for reading.

Now, onto the note. I know there are multiple things I didn't address in the novel. And don't worry. There will be an epilogue, and a Q&A answering everything.

Anyway, enjoy!

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As the shadows of the void expanded towards the Hollow and Yhwach, consuming their essence, their power, their souls, something began to stir within me. Pure and uncontrolled power.

More power than I had ever felt before.

At first, it felt intoxicating, addicting, like a rush that electrified every part of my body, my soul, leaving nothing but the pure sense of adrenaline.

This however, didn't last long.

This… intoxicating feeling died out very quickly, transforming into something else, pain… pain beyond imagining.

I could feel my soul being torn apart, to give room for something new, something beyond comprehension, something transcendent. My soul, and body as they were now were simply not enough for what I had to become, so… it had to destroy the foundations of my being, after all… before creation comes destruction.

The pain was brutal, unspeakable, I wanted to scream, to cry, to do anything about it, because while I understood why it was necessary, it still hurt.

But despite wanting some semblance of release, I couldn't move, or speak, my soul in its shattering state kept me still, like a caterpillar inside their cocoon, completely aware of what was happening, yet unable to do anything but wait.

I have no idea how long this pain lasted. It felt like an eternity trapped in a single moment, where time lost all meaning and the only reality was the agony of transformation. The shadows of the void continued their relentless assault, shaping my soul, yet within this crucible of pain and power, I could feel the essence of my being reshaping, evolving into something entirely new.

As the pain began to subside, replaced by a burgeoning strength that filled the voids left by my shattered soul, I realized that I was no longer the person I once was. I had become something else, something more. My senses were heightened to a degree that I could perceive the fabric of the universe, the flow of energy that connects all things.

I was no longer… Adam, the man who had reincarnated, nor I was Yhwach, the Quincy King.

I was someone else.

Someone new.

I still loved Fairy Tail.

I still loved Erza.

But I didn't feel like Adam.

It was a strange sensation. Perhaps I was neither of them, perhaps I was the sum of them.

Though I suppose if that was the case, the dominant part of this sum was Adam.

Either way.

A lot had changed.

I was stronger than ever before. And with this newfound power came a clarity of purpose. I understood my role in this universe.

I understood why the Soul King had created his sons.

I understood why he had decided to destroy everything.

He wanted to die.

All his existence had been one of loneliness.

But I could now relate to his pain, and because of that, I could see another path.

This was nothing but the longest suicide letter.

He knew Adam would stop Yhwach, he knew that if he did so, he would never die.

So, he decided to end it all, by himself.

"I am the answer to that plea I suppose," I muttered, staring at the sky. To think my entire existence was the result of someone else's wish to die, how depressing.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I focused my senses on finding Father. He was at the center of creation, where the Soul Realm, Human Realm, Hueco Mundo, and Hell met.

I could see him gazing at the edges of the world, as they slowly unraveled into nothingness.

It didn't surprise me that my eyes could now see him. Before, neither Yhwach or Adam had been able to see him, for the very same reason they couldn't feel his reiatsu.

His power was at a level that was beyond their comprehension. So, they couldn't feel it.

But I could.

I was on his same level.

He could feel me too. I knew that. Even though we weren't close, I knew he could sense what had happened.

Yet, he made no signs of moving.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, watching the desolated waste land of the Soul Society once more, before teleporting towards Father in a single step.

"Father," I greeted, no hostility in tone. No hate, no anger, nothing. I honestly felt nothing for the guy, which was surprising, Yhwach hated the guy, and Adam wasn't all too happy about him either.

Perhaps it was the fact I knew there was no point in fighting him. Even though he wanted to die.

A fight between us would last eons. And by that time, everything I wanted to protect would be far gone.

"You have ascended, child of chaos," The Soul King nodded, his voice resonant with the depth of eons, yet carrying a hint of surprise. "Indeed, you have surpassed the boundaries that confined Yhwach and Adam, transcending into a realm they could never reach. Your evolution... It is remarkable."

I stood before him, not as a son stands before his father in reverence or fear, but as an equal, understanding the magnitude of our power and the responsibilities it entailed.

"Why?" I asked simply, my voice steady. "Why desire such an end? To push your own kin to war, to hatred, to orchestrate the destruction of everything?"

The Soul King's gaze, if it could be called that, shifted, looking beyond the physical, piercing into the very essence of reality. "Because, in my existence, I have seen the cycle of pain and suffering repeat endlessly. Creation, destruction, rebirth, none of it has brought true peace or resolution. My existence has become a prison, not just for me, but for all. My death... it might offer a new beginning, free from the chains I've forged. I came to be, to bring balance, and all I've done is… bring chaos."

His words hung heavy in the air, a confession of infinite sorrow and resignation. Yet, within me, his desire for oblivion stirred a different path, a possibility that his weary eyes could no longer envision.

A new set of futures.

"Perhaps," I began, my voice firm with newfound resolve, "Your vision has been clouded by the weight of your despair. Death may seem like the only escape, and yes, it would work, but I believe there's another way. A path that doesn't end with the destruction of this realm or your demise."

The Soul King remained silent, contemplating my words with an intensity that felt like the shifting of cosmic plates.

"With this power, I can see the flaws, the cracks in the fabric of reality that you've sought to mend with your own end. But what if we could heal them? What if, instead of ending everything, we work together to create a balance, to redefine the essence of existence itself?"

A flicker of something passed through the Soul King's presence, a spark that might have been hope or perhaps curiosity. "And how would you propose we do that?" His voice, for the first time, carried a note of something akin to interest.

"By rewriting the rules," I said, confidence surging through me. "Alone, you weren't able to do so, but together, we can create a new system, one that doesn't rely on the cycle of pain and rebirth you've grown so tired of. Together, we can shape a new reality, one where the Soul King does not have to bear the burden alone."

For a moment, the world seemed to stand still, the fate of all realms hanging in the balance of our conversation. The Soul King, the architect of the balance this universe once had, and I, the product of his most desperate wish, stood at the precipice of change.

"Show me," he finally said, his voice a whisper that seemed to resonate. "Show me this path you see, this future you envision."

He wanted to stop existing.

Because despite all his sacrifices, the world was still as broken as the day he had found it.

He created two sons, to end his life, but when that future was shattered, and his life was saved.

He sought another solution.

I could understand his pain.

I couldn't agree with his solutions, they were at best idiotic in my humble opinion, but I could understand why he was doing what he was doing.

"This future you see… I never thought it possible," The Soul King muttered, his dark eyes, gazing at the cosmos once more. "What if I still want everything to end?"

"Then I would kill you," I replied, without missing a beat. "It would take me a long time, but eventually, I would succeed. It's just a matter of time, and that's the one resource I have plenty of."

The Soul King smiled, a tired smile. "You would."

"So what will it be?" I asked, wondering what path he would take.

"Kill me," The Soul King replied, his eyes meeting mine. "The future you saw is… more than I have ever wanted, yet, I couldn't see it. I want to be free of this, of this burden, release me from this, so that you may gain freedom as well."

So he chose that path. How… sad, I would've wanted him to live, if anything for the sake of having someone strong enough to spar with me.

"I will make it painless," I replied, plunging my hand through his chest, letting the void absorb him.

This time however, as his body dissipated, his power and essence fusing with mine, there was no change, no transformation. I was stronger, but no different.

I had won.

No flashy battle.

No struggle.

Just won.

It's time to go home.

Finally.

"I think I will open a cat cafe," I said, bursting into a chuckle a few seconds after. It seems I was Adam after all, how odd though, I didn't feel like him.

Yet 90% of my desires were… his.

I suppose I still haven't fully processed my transformation.

"I should really fix this world before leaving," I muttered, teleporting to the Soul King's palace. Once there, I walked to the vault, finding Ichibe's corpse on the ground.

He was still alive. In a manner of speaking.

If someone said his name, he would come back.

I smiled, I had found the perfect solution to this problem. "Ichibe."

In the blink of an eye, ink started pouring around Ichibe's body, reforming him back to perfect health.

"You.. absorbed the… blade, Yhwach and the Soul King," Ichibe muttered, unsure why I had even resurrected him in the first place.

He would soon see.

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The reason I had resurrected Ichibe was simple.

This world needed a linchpin, Ichibe had been the one to provide one the first time around, now… he would fill that role.

Needless to say, I sealed his powers, so that his name carried no meaning, and increased his reiatsu, sealing him in a prison far more secure than the one he had used to seal father.

One where even death was beyond his reach.

He would never die.

He would never escape.

He would live forever.

In the same kind of torment he had once sought to trap others into.

Now all that was left. Was going home.

I was done with all of this.

War.

Fighting.

I just wanted to retire.

I guess there's my answer as to who I am.

I chucked, creating a rift back to my own world.