Twilight Valentine.

Ohh, stoneess~(⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)

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The war has ended, in an overwhelming way that is. There is no doubt that Reinhard Nava has controlled the battlefield from the beginning to end. Because of his action, the creature named Ashura will never be of talk again. "Magnificent work, Lord Reinhard" Feldway appeared along with his comrades as they kneeled in front of him. Unfortunately for them, Reinhard is currently occupied with something. He is basking in the memories of those who perished under his actions.

Die Ewigkeit.

It's a sorcery created by Karl Ernst Krafft with the intention to spiritually merge an Ahnenerbe with their wielder, henceforth granting them superhuman capabilities.

Most forms of sorceries use lifeforce as their fuel, and it was rather common that most sorcerers back in the ancient era would use the blood or even the soul of a living thing (particularly human soul), to power up their craft. The phenomenon of an Ahnenerbe choosing their wielder and seeking souls as sustenance was not uncommon ever since ancient times. These cases however, always end up with said wielders being destroyed by their attraction to their own Relic. In other words, there are next to no benefits for someone to wield a Relic.

Ewigkeit seeks to reform that. As its creation allows a wielder to form a symbiotic relationship with their Relic. By taking a vast amount of souls, the wielder also grows stronger in return. The wielder also gains lifeforce equivalent to the amount of lives they devoured, which vastly augments their physical capabilities while making it harder for them to die. Turning them into what's called as an Apostle.

The only downside to this sorcery is that normal creatures could not contain numerous souls within their body as each vassal has a limit. Reinhard though was born without that limitation, he can accept as many souls as he wants as long as his consciousness can handle it. Which leads to another downside and it is incorporating memories and experience. While consuming a soul, the user will go through each and every memory of the person they have killed. Those with weak wills cannot make it through this process and some even died during it.

Reinhard is an exception again, he has a huge ego capable of accepting any memories thrown at him. One of the evidence of this is the millions of souls roaming in his castle.

He is now experiencing the few months that the true giants have lived, nothing too great, only giants consumed by their instinct to destroy things, a rather boring spectacle for Reinhard. He finished it in an instant and relished the slight growth of his body. "Feldway, bring their bodies to me" Reinhard ordered without even looking at the Primordial Angel. Feldway has no qualms about it so he just fetched the bodies of the three and presented them to Reinhard.

"That giant has given me amusement. In exchange for that, I shall bestow these fragments of his, names. In hopes that they may never forget about the humiliating defeat they suffered here" Reinhard took a second glance at the battlefield before giving another order. "Clean the rest up, leave only 2 giants" he said as the angels immediately took action. With the army they brought, the genocide began.

"Very well, this blue haired one shall be hailed as the oldest and thus he will be called as Dagruel. The green bastard will be Fenn, also throw him in prison or something, he can't be rehabilitated. The last one is Glassord, the most well mannered among them" Reinhard bestowed names to the three while instructing Feldway.

It didn't take long for the army of angels to dispatch the remaining 20,000 giants. There were only two left that were spared by them according to Reinhard's instructions. Coincidentally, the two were twin giants, the girl was the older one. "Listen here, you are free to despise me throughout your whole life and I could care less. Just keep in mind that both of you are now known as the True Ancestors of the Giant race along with those two. The girl will be named Kisara while the boy Basara. Flourish your race well, I might change my mind and forgive you in the future" Reinhard was harsh with his words but no one interrupted him.

Even the twins were just shaking on the ground as if they didn't feel the change in their existence from being named. That is natural for they are within Reinhard's vicinity. His aura is keeping them in check, forcing them to feel intense fear.

While everyone was busy, a blinding light engulfed the battlefield. When the light faded, a figure materialized beside Reinhard. A figure of pure light, radiating an aura of power that is equivalent even to the Divine One himself. It was Veldanava, the creator god, the one whose hand guided the creation of this world.

Throughout the war, Veldanava had remained an enigmatic presence, his influence felt but never truly seen. Yet, now he stood before his son, his form shimmering with an otherworldly brilliance.

"Reinhard, well done, my son. He surely would have taken over the world had you not intervene" Veldanva shamelessly complimented his son. "It was a lightwork, Father. He posed no threat and besides I am certain that you placed some kind of restriction on that guy in case he really went insane" Reinhard didn't accept the compliment as he believes that Veldanava would've taken care of it if he didn't arrive. He is thankful to his father though as he realized that Veldanava didn't descend just so that he could entertain himself. "I really appreciate your understanding here, Father. How about sharing a meal with me in the labyrinth?" He invited Veldanava who just smiled wryly.

"Forgive my rudeness, Lord Reinhard, however I believe that letting Lord Veldanava clean the aftermath would be of most importance. Letting this insane energy roam around will permanently damage the earth" Feldway stepped in and reminded Veldanava of his job. Reinhard considered that and concluded that it was logical. "Then, I will bother you next time, Father. I apologize for the inconvenience" Reinhard said, stepping away from there. Veldanava was left stunned by what happened but nonetheless, he can't escape responsibility. He created Ashura after all.

Veldanava remembered something as he called out to Reinhard. "I already finished creating the replacement for the monument. I handed it to Ramiris so you may ask her for it" he said, smiling lightly. "I appreciate it" Reinhard responded. He was about to walk away when he remembered one agenda that he created amidst the fight against Ashura. Reinhard's gaze turned to a certain place where a peeping tom was located.

The person in question was the Divine Ancestor, Twilight Valentine. A being created by Veldanava in hopes to alleviate his boredom. Twilight wished to help their creator so they started researching things. They are currently stuck in their research because they could not find any inspiration within the chaotic world. For the first time since their creation though, a great inspiration finally befell in their hands in the figure of a man in gold. Never had they witnessed such a spectacle and their motivation suddenly soared up. They were too immersed in their enlightenment that they failed to sense the imminent danger they were in.

A lone predatory eye has fallen into their exact location. Despite being on the different side of the continent, the intense fear the gaze brought was still enough for them to start screaming and running away. This is the first time they have ever tasted the sensation of fear and perhaps might be one of the things they needed to create the species that their lord wanted. "Who gave you permission to look upon me, rabid dog?" A voice startled them to their core but they quickly recognized who it belonged to. The very being they were just observing earlier has now taken a move against them.

"W-We apologize!" They tried to reason with it but with no hopes of getting away. The pressure that they felt tightened to the point where moving became a difficult task. "You knew of the atrocity you made yet never came here to properly show yourselves? Are you mocking my senses?" The voice was truly angered, that they understood. They wanted to retort that their mind was occupied resulting in not being able to reach a proper conclusion but it appears that the Creator's heir was adamant in their death.

Just when they were about to explode from the pressure, it strangely vanished. "H-Huh…?" They were confused. Weren't they about to perish? What changed his mind to not continue it? The answer revealed itself when the voice talked again but this time not pointed at them. "...Very well, if that is what you wish for, father. I will extend my mercy for them" hearing that made them really relieved. They are grateful for the creator who gave them another chance. And now they are more motivated to fulfill their role in searching for the right race.

Thus the war finally concluded. There were minimal casualties on the angel's side while the true giants were eradicated from the map. Only 5 of them were left while one was sealed by Veldanava. After that battle, Reinhard returned to the labyrinth where he was welcomed by the sulking Ramiris. She was complaining that he didn't bring any souvenirs for her but he shut her up when he mentioned that he diverted his father's attention when he wanted to pick Ramiris to help clean up. She was honestly relieved by that, she doesn't wish to spend weeks cleaning again.

It has been quiet since then, there were no signs of trouble in the outside world, not like Reinhard went out but 6 decades have passed since that war. Reinhard is currently in his room playing chess against Ramiris who was rambling for the nth time this day. They have already battled for thousands of times during the 6 decades of boring times yet she never managed to win even once against him. Reinhard also kept lowering his level to make Ramiris think that she was getting close to beating him but sadly she was out of her mind. "Can't you properly arrange the pieces? It is hard to look at them when they are not properly placed.. oops?" Ramiris complained about that one sensing her defeat so she sabotaged the game by accidentally hitting the pieces which threw them away.

"Still as unsightly as ever. Don't you think that you should be changing your ways soon?" Reinhard gave her a stinky eye which embarrassed the spirit. She glared at him and turned her attention to the cookies laid on the side. Honestly, she doesn't even care about the game anymore. She is more interested about the cookies that Reinhard baked, it was a delicacy she had never tasted before. She reached out for one but was slapped in the process. "Hey! What's the big deal? You won't give me one?" She asked, hissing at him.

"Don't be unreasonable. Can't you see that only one is left in there? From the 10 cookies I made for myself, you ate 9 of it. What big deal are you talking about?" He sounded really on edge about it. Ramiris on the other hand just looked away while whistling. Well, she can't say she didn't expect this reaction. She just can't help it, okay? It was far too tasty to be left cold on the table. Isn't it much better to eat the thing when it's hot and fresh? "It appears that we have finished the game at the proper time. I consider this another win of mine" Reinhard declared.

Ramiris raised her eyebrow, "This one doesn't count! There was no proper winner this time. Also, don't think you can be arrogant just because you are slightly ahead of wins! I will surely overtake you soon!" she shouted. "Slightly…? Have you lost your mind, woman? Where does the slightly come from? 8331 challenges yet you never won once? Be serious sometimes" With each of Reinhard's words came some invisible arrow piercing Ramiris' body. She was damaged psychologically.

"Anyway, you should go and see that guest. He has been waiting for a whole 6 years at the entrance now" Reinhard said, dismissing Ramiris who groaned in the process. "Don't act like it was my fault. You were the one who disliked it right? I was just being mindful of you" Ramiris pointed at Reinhard defending herself from the unreasonable guy. "I don't care anymore. You may entertain him" he just shooed her away though not caring about how she feels about the situation. "Hmph, fine!" Ramiris finally left to receive one of the creatures of Veldanava that helped prosper the world.

The being helped in creating the species called High Human and Vampires. With Jahil and Pipin being the first High Humans while Gunther and Valentine as the progenitor of vampires. Indeed, it was none other than Twilight Valentine. They came here in hopes that the Queen of Spirits would lend her help in their research. They really need her support with this one because it involves creating more species. Unfortunately though, they have been ignored for the whole 6 years now, they can't help but feel that the situation is lost.

They were also doubtful whether this would be successful because the one they offended decades ago was rumored to be staying in this labyrinth. They just hope that time has lessened the hostility that the Divine One has for them.

This is just another day for them but to their surprise, the entrance to the labyrinth was opened. This stunned them but thinking that the Queen of Spirits is finally willing to hear them out is worth celebrating. A spirit emerged from the labyrinth as it got closer to Twilight. "The Queen of Spirits, Lady Ramiris is waiting inside. Please follow me" it said before starting to guide them. They observed the spirit in excitement because this is exactly what they came here for! Although this spirit is not on par with their expectations, there are probably a lot stronger inside!

Twilight Valentine was led inside the labyrinth though in the middle of that journey, the spirit suddenly vanished and the room was sealed. They panicked wondering what they were planning but the voice relieved them of their wariness. "Before you can get to meet our esteemed Queen, we prepared some riddles that you need to answer. The Queen only allowed the wisest among creatures to have an audience with her" the spirit could not be seen but its voice filled the room. "May I ask what a riddle is?" Twilight said.

"Tricky questions. One has to think outside the box to solve them" the spirit answered with that. "I understand. Please proceed" Twilight accepted it, amazed by their wits to create such a word. "First question will be handed in shortly" hearing that, they prepared themselves. And just after 5 seconds, words made of spirit magic floated in front of them. The words vanished immediately though but it was enough for Twilight.

WHAT CAN YOU HOLD IN YOUR RIGHT HAND, BUT NEVER IN YOUR LEFT HAND?

Using the wisdom he has, Twilight accelerated his thoughts and started thinking deeply. 'What could it be? I can hold magicules in my right hand but also in my left. Is it a special kind of magic? Perhaps a bloodline ability?' unfortunate for him, his mind wandered too far and he reached the unknown truth. This is truly the first challenge Twilight Valentine received since time immemorial.

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