CHAPTER 527

THE CHOSEN

A massive platform, decorated with over a hundred buildings constructed of emerald jade, stretched across the brilliantly lush skyline of Evers World. Though hastily constructed in terms of time, it exuded dignified brilliance that couldn’t be matched even by the Palaces of the Emperors across the cosmos.

The tiled floor of the platform glistened in the precious silver, indomitable underneath the feet of thousands that trampled it at the moment. People moved furiously from one building to the next, with the solemn atmosphere slowly heating up as the minutes passed.

“Wow~~the Lynthorn’s Gloves?! I can’t believe even he decided to craft something!”

“Alphael’s Spear! What?! How did it end up here?!”

“Ivorel’s Combustion Magic? A complete set? What the hell?!”

Shouts similar to these echoed out ever so often as the thousands raced to find the best-suited items for themselves amidst the heavenly shops they couldn't even dream of finding prior to today. It wasn't necessarily free, but considering the value of the items on display, it may as well be.

Very few among the masses remained impassioned by the sudden development, among them Alan who sat on one of the terraces, drinking ordinary tea and observing the chaos unfolding beneath with a solemn eye. In total, only seven people currently weren’t running around like headless chickens, trying to accumulate as many items as possible.

Alan sighed, his memory flashing back to that face of fire. It lasted only for a few seconds, yet it left too large of a mark on him. Though everyone here had conquered their worlds and rose up above their peers, there were obviously still differences among them. When Agent Elanor said that she would deal with the man, the vast majority lowered their guard. Alan didn't.

“—a human? Ho ho, looks like your species isn’t entirely dumb,” a rather coarse voice entered Alan’s ears as he glanced sideways; there, an ash-skinned man clad in thick, crimson scales, an elongated forehead that burst out into a curved horn, sat with crossed arms. Alan quickly realized that the man belonged to a very unique species – Vampiric Dragonkin. He'd only encountered one before and nearly died because of it. "Ah, why the frown?" the man chuckled strangely, his cat-like yellow eyes shimmering. "Don't take it to heart."

“You insulted my species,” Alan scoffed. “How can I not take it to heart?”

"Look," the man pointed at the store opposite of them. "They're my companions. They're also morons of the highest degree. It's shameful that I have to share my blood with them. Aren't all of us here like that?" Alan quickly realized that the remaining five members were also of different species, though the rest kept to themselves. "You're thinking about retreating?"

“… shallowly.” Alan replied vaguely, sighing as he took a sip of the tea. It was similar to the menthol tea he used to enjoy a long, long, long time ago, but slightly sweeter. “You?”

“… haah, still weighing the benefits," the man replied. "The chances of me dying if I join the expedition… are very high. On the other hand, benefits shouldn't be that great, considering there are tens of thousands of us."

“I don’t doubt the Creator would individually reward the best performers.”

“Perhaps,” the man shrugged. “But what of it if we’re dead?”

“… how strong do you think that man is?” Alan asked, frowning slightly.

“Though Lady Elanor claimed she’d keep him in check,” the man said. “I don’t think she can do it.”

“… he’s stronger than her?”

“Not necessarily stronger,” the man’s eyes shimmered strangely for a moment. “There’s a story between the two of them, and while the Lady’s heart still seems warped, his appeared indistinctly cold. Chances are that he’d completely ignore her and simply focus us.”

“… that’s what I was thinking as well,” Alan nodded. “You still haven’t answered my question, though.”

“… hmm, it is rather difficult to gauge from a few seconds of pressure,” the man said, stroking his chin. Despite their differences, Vampiric Dragonkin were still a humanoid species, meaning they shared a lot of habits with humans. “In addition, it was my first time experiencing that kind of pressure. Distinctly similar to that of our beloved Agents… but vastly more violent, untamed, and, quite frankly, powerful.”

“—from my observations, Agent Elanor is a Voidbringer at best," Alan said, taking another sip of the tea. "She's the youngest of the Prime Agents, but that still seems somewhat weak. When I last met her, she was at the level of Origin Mother. Just a single layer increase for nearly ten billion years?"

“It is possible another Agent will accompany her; I don’t think she will be conceited enough to face that man alone,” the Vampire said, getting up. “If he’s truly Agent of Destruction, he will inherently be stronger than her.”

“Why?” Alan quizzed, forcing the man to sit back down. Though Alan knew quite a lot when it came to the Edifice of Order and its Agents, he only knew a few things of its opposite, the Edifice of Destruction.

"Chaos needs to be tamed in order to be used for Creation," the Vampire explained with a cheeky smile. "On the other hand, Destruction is its base nature. Nobody here wants to die," he added, glancing out onto the still-bustling streets. "We've already experienced the thrill of immortality, of strength that can't be compounded. If things go astray, none of us here will stay behind because of a noble purpose. Before we are servants of the Creator, we are selfish individuals with a desire to live. On the other hand, what about the man we're facing? Though Lady Elanor said there was nobody else as strong as him, it isn't an assurance. He's unreasonably strong, to begin with. It wouldn't be surprising if there were hundreds on the level of our weakest, and their hearts would be far more solidified when compared to ours. We're invading their home, and their attachment is still fresh."

“… still,” Alan sighed. “Wouldn’t it be dangerous to allow the Edifice of Destruction to return? Right now, it only has one Agent, but wouldn’t that change?”

“Ha ha ha," the Vampire laughed all of a sudden, shaking his head. "You're mistaken, little human. If Agents were so easy to find, there wouldn't be mere ten right now, and tens of thousands of those 'Agents'. Nurturing a single one goes beyond the concept of strength; you claim that Lady Elanor is at a level of Voidbringer, but I guarantee she could easily handle several hundreds of ordinary Cosmic Beholders, and even Travelers. Agents are a special existence since they are nourished directly by the Edifices; this is especially true for the Prime Agent. Haah, the more I talk, the less I wish to depart…”

“Aren’t you underestimating us a bit too much?” a somewhat feminine voice joined them all of a sudden from the side; it took Alan a moment to recognize that the newcomer belonged to the Seraph’s Bloodline. Though similar to humans in appearance, her features were emboldened by golden threads and angelic, feathered wings. In addition, the Seraphs were one of the Noble Races, meaning that only a few of them existed at any given time. Alan was surprised to meet one here as they usually refrained from interfering in the cosmic disputes. “No matter the sacrifice we have to take, we can’t allow the Destroyer to be reborn.”

“Hoo?” the Vampire glanced at the newcomer with interest, a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, enriched with golden hair and eyes and beautiful features that almost reached Elanor’s level. “A Noblewoman~~ true to the rumors, I see. Shouldn’t you be even more cautious when talking about sacrifice?”

“That man may be Agent, but he’s still young,” the woman said with a haughty expression. “He isn’t even a century old. Even if he has the Edifice on his side, how much strength can he actually exert?”

“That’s what makes him dangerous, little angel,” the Vampire crackled, shaking his head. The woman’s brows twitched at being called a ‘little angel’, but she endured. “Unlike us, he’s a cub yet to cling to the straws of life. Even if we don’t want to, at the back of our heads, there’s always a voice… a tiny speck calling, warning. ‘You will suffer’. So, we run. Him? He doesn’t have it. He’ll throw himself into the sea of fire and damn us all in the process. It’s not the strongest that are the scariest, little angel,” the Vampire smiled, exposing his sharp, white teeth. “It’s the strong that are fearless. Unlike us, he’s protecting his home. He won’t sink.”

“—that’s a rather high appraisal based on a few seconds,” the woman scoffed after a short silence. “I didn’t think Vampiric Dragonkin were this cowardly.”

“Ha ha ha,” the Vampire laughed instead of taking it to heart. “Are you saying you aren’t a coward?”

“Hm?!”

“It’s grand to be proud, little angel – especially for someone with roots as deep as yours. But, in the end, pride will get us nowhere, no? Wouldn’t it bite me in the ass if I trusted you with my back, believing your pride will hold you steady, only to die because you ran away after seeing we’re being overwhelmed?”

“…”

"In the end, it will all depend on forces higher than us…" Alan mumbled, feeling bitter. Has anything truly changed since his early days? Back then, all his struggles turned out to be in vain. He believed wholeheartedly he could change the course of fate, only to painfully be proven wrong… time and again.

Even now, with his transcendental strength, in the clutches of power few could even imagine, his fate still wasn’t in his hands. The struggle… seemed eerily in vain. A hero? The chosen? He was hardly either of those two things. He was a temporary passenger boarding the ship that didn’t care about him. Should he fall, there would be hundreds to replace him.

His mind once again flashed back to Caleb. At one point, they stood on the same line. They were given the same opportunities. How is it, then, that he was able to unchain himself? Even before the Ashening, Alan realized that he would never be able to catch up to that madman. Yet, in that madness, there was a proper method, Alan knew. Even still, despite Caleb's defiance, the Earth was destroyed. Billions of years passed, and Caleb's defiance grew beyond the point of reason. What about him? It was the same. His life, just as when he watched his home burn and crumble with the tears in his eyes, still wasn't his own.

“… I’ll go, I guess,” the Vampire broke the silence, getting up and stretching. “It should be fun, meeting the Agent of Destruction.”

“Even if you die?” the woman scoffed.

“Die? I’ve no such plans,” the Vampire shrugged. “It may be the war for cosmic balance, but what does that have to do with me?”

“Your Creator is fighting the war, and you would defy Him?!” the woman exclaimed angrily, her cheeks turning slightly red from anger.

“… my Creator?” the Vampire glanced at her strangely, smiling. “Chaos is our creator, little angel. What does it matter if we’re reigned by the Creator or the Destroyer? In the end, we’re still of Chaos, and Chaos is of us.”