Chapter 19: The Second Simulation Begins

Chapter 19: The Second Simulation Begins

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Late at night, the stars scattered across the sky shone faintly, and a breeze from nowhere swept away the final traces of summer.

Feeling the steady rhythm of her brother's heartbeat, Sora had never felt as content or comfortable as she did now.

After securing Elric's promise, the bond between them had transcended that of ordinary siblings. Yet, as always, Sora insisted on being known as his sister—his only sister.

It was her unique title, her identity.

The princess who belonged to the emperor.

"Brother... I like you so much..."

As the slightly cool autumn air seeped into the bedroom through the cracks in the window, Elric's mind wandered to his next steps.

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First and foremost, the glorious history of the Roman Empire was his creation. Through it, he had obtained several remarkable abilities, as well as a formidable bloodline.

With the privileges of an emperor, the authority of an emperor's orders, and the dual power of the Beast of Apocalypse and the Beast of the Savior, Elric stood at a turning point. Now, with two followers—Kasugano Sora and Kasumigaoka Utaha—his divinity was beginning to materialize. He was becoming the Heavenly Way.

From a potential standpoint, his powers, all ranked at EX level, were undeniably extraordinary. But in terms of his current combat strength, Elric realized he still had limited options.

For instance, the Beast of Apocalypse and the Beast of the Savior provided him with abilities such as Self-Transformation, Sea of killing, Innate Destiny, and Transformation of Life and Death.

Self-Transformation allowed him to adapt to his environment by altering his form. In combat, he could transform parts of his body into weapons, much like a parasitic beast. While useful, this ability was more supportive than offensive and lacked the grandeur of true fantasy power.

Innate Destiny granted him unmatched favor with the world through an extraordinary luck value. However, in the face of overwhelming power disparities, even destiny had its limitations, making this another auxiliary skill.

The real offensive power lay in Sea of Killing and Transformation of Life and Death.

The Sea of Killing granted Elric the conceptual power of "death." His attacks would ignore all restraints—causal, spatial, elemental, or otherwise—inflicting absolute damage. It was akin to "true damage" in gaming terms.

In practical terms, if Elric were to enter a world like One Piece, he could damage even users of Logia Devil Fruits without needing elemental counters or seastone. This was the power of the Sea of killing.

Similarly, Transformation of Life and Death paralleled the famed Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. However, it came with its own limitations. To use it effectively, Elric needed exceptional physical fitness and endurance, both of which required significant training.

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In summary, Elric possessed many abilities, but most were auxiliary. His options for direct attacks were too limited. Against weaker opponents, this wouldn't matter, but facing a true powerhouse would likely demand tremendous effort.

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"System."

[I'm here.]

"What do I need to evolve the Beast of Apocalypse, the Beast of the Savior, and the Way of Heaven? Time, or something else?"

[The host can evolve the two beast classes and divine power by conducting more simulations and experiencing additional worlds.]

"Continue the simulation?"

While it was true that no matter how much time passed in the simulation, only a second elapsed in Elric's real world, the experiences and memories gained during those simulations were very real to him.

They were times he had truly lived.

He had lived in the Roman Empire for 32 years in just one moment, only to return to reality the next. Even the mind of the Emperor of Eternal Night needed time to process such an experience.

That was why Elric didn't immediately start the second life simulation.

As for Kasumigaoka's recorder ability, the 168-hour cooldown period felt long. However, Elric didn't have any pressing need for special information or a specific future to manifest yet. It was better to save the ability for when it was truly needed.

But…

[Brother, will you leave me?]

[Elric, maybe the existence of gods is false, but to me, you are no different from my gods.]

The love of Sora and Utaha seemed to heal the scars Elric carried from his time in the Roman Empire. The power of their love also rekindled strength in his heart.

Watching his sister Sora's peaceful, sleeping face, Elric decided it was time to begin his second life simulation.

[Confirm to start the second life simulation. Loading... Loading completed. Simulation officially started.]

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[As a being imbued with divine power, your birth does not require a biological vessel. In other words, you have no parents in the traditional sense.]

[The Beast of the Apocalypse, the Beast of the Savior, and the existence of the Way of Heaven grant you autonomy from the world while allowing you to remain within it.]

A.D. 408, British Isles, the inner side of the world, in the Inner Sea of the Planet, Avalon.

"Hmm?"

As a fairy of the Inner Sea of the Planet, Vivian was the last of her kind in this world.

In this era, as mysteries faded and magic dwindled from the earth, the once-thriving fantasy species had vanished without a trace.

If not for her fortuitous discovery of the passage to the inner side of the world, Vivian believed she would have disappeared from existence long ago.

She had lived alone in Avalon for as long as she could remember. Apart from a few unreliable visitors who occasionally dropped by for food, Vivian rarely encountered anyone.

The birds sang, the flowers bloomed, and Avalon remained an ideal haven—until today. A sudden wave of fluctuations disrupted the tranquility.

"What is this feeling...?"

Destruction? Death? She couldn't quite identify it, but the terrifying energy flooding the atmosphere was unmistakable. Vivian watched in shock as all of Avalon seemed to be tainted by some ominous force.

The sky darkened, the earth blackened, and the lake turned a foreboding shade of blood red.

"This..."

Vivian stared at the transformation in bewilderment, her heart pounding violently.

But then...

It seemed that something opposed to destruction stirred. Countless stars illuminated the heavens, stabilizing the world. The turbulent earth grew calm once more.

Caught between these two opposing phenomena, Vivian found herself paralyzed with confusion and awe.

Boom!

Suddenly, the fragile balance shattered. The lake began to boil violently, its whistling echoing across Avalon. Something unknown surged toward her with incredible force. Strangely, Vivian felt no fear—only an inexplicable sense of anticipation.

"What am I looking forward to?"

"Why am I so happy?"

These irrational feelings left Vivian perplexed. Yet, she had no time to dwell on them as the overwhelming force engulfed her.

In the face of the Beast of the Apocalypse and the Beast of the Savior, even a fairy like Vivian was powerless—her resistance as fragile as glass.

"Hmm... So this is the impact caused by power correspondence?"

After what felt like an eternity, a voice emerged from the vast silence. A figure stepped out from the stillness of the transformed Avalon.

The boy's voice resonated across the land: "Fortunately, I retained my ability to transform. Otherwise, I might have been born into this world as a monster."

[As a life that does not conform to the world, you are naturally not born as a human.]

[It is said that the seven heads of deadly sins are the enemies of the world, and the ten crowns of blasphemy rest high upon your chest. The Beast of the Apocalypse is born. The Beast of the Savior is born. Self-transformation is activated.]

[You were born as a human.]

Looking around, Elric noticed that there didn't seem to be anyone nearby, and the surroundings were far from ordinary. This was clearly not a typical world.

Then... who was the girl in his arms?

Lowering his gaze, Elric saw the girl resting in his embrace. He immediately noticed her pointed ears, reminiscent of a fairy or an elf.

"Who are you?"

At the sound of his voice, the girl slowly opened her scarlet eyes. Her delicate hand rose to gently touch Elric's face, her expression soft and serene.

"I am... your follower, Master."

As Elric gazed into her crimson eyes, filled with an almost otherworldly daze, the girl continued to speak softly. She was Vivian, his third follower.