Chapter 627: [I am not him (2)]

“… …” Allen this time was surprised. He then let out a laugh, “Why did you even think I was him?”

He found it quite humorous. Though, probably, it's because he and Vergil share almost identical aura and presence. So it was really not that unbelievable to be mistaken as him.

“…??”

“Unfortunately, you’re mistaken. I am not him…. However, good job in noticing,”

“Then, who are you…?” Mair asked as she stared at Allen’s expression.

“I am still the one you know… at the same time not really him…” Allen answered simply.

Looking at Mair’s confused expression, full of disbelief and bewilderment, Allen chuckled. He then raised his cup and gulped it down, his movements casual and carefree. Observing his face, Mair couldn’t understand more and more.

The aura emitted from his body was rich and powerful, every move made was innately refined with great skill and care. However, it was completely different from the Allen she had known. The temperament, the aura—all of it were different but had some resemblance at least.

He said that he was a clone of Allen… a clone cannot be that far from the real one. So what is going on here? Did Allen have such tremendous change in this short amount of time?

That can’t be possible!

And so, the only possible reason was that… this was not the real Allen she knows and had met before. But the one who is a completely different person yet closely resembles him as well because they are after all, still once the same person torn apart by fate.

But he said he was not… what is going on here?

Was he lying?

“…I’m not lying,” Allen seemed to have read Mair’s thoughts and muttered. “We are the same and one. We shared the same fate with Vergil and Dante but we won’t end up the same thing. Sooner or later, light and dark will become one once again. There’s no distinction between us…”

“So you’re saying you are still the Sol that Eerika knows?”

Allen nodded smiling.

But he didn’t say anything anymore and carried on drinking.

“But I never thought a clone could become so real? Almost like a real being… it’s better than any other clone manifestations I have seen before. It almost as if it was the real one…”

“…Well, each of my clones is indeed real beings though.”

After all, this is the [Apocalypse Blood] of Azi Dahaka, the ability he had usurped from him. Azi Dahaka was said to be one of the worst Demon Lords in the world, even in the Celestial Realms said to have the ability to cause an apocalypse alone. Endless Clones possessing the power of his.

He had always been feared even by the Gods and Demons alike. How could his powers be simple? Only the incarnations of true High Gods can be compared to his clones and even still then, was unique among them. After all, his clones are endless and can cover an entire world!

With [Apocalypse Blood] Allen has the power to create biological or artificial bodies, his clones as much as he wanted. However, it’s not just that—with his Creation and other Ultimate Skills, he can create an artificial body that is in perfect condition for himself or others to inhabit.

A soulless body that can be used by others…

Thus, right now, his body is not a simple clone anymore—with little adjustments, Allen can exist for eternity with a real body. He can now be considered a multi-existence being…

Even still, Allen knows this wouldn’t be for long. After all, he was not a normal soul that needed to simply occupy a body to live again—his soul is identical to Allen’s soul. But such a thing is forbidden by the law of rebirth and samsara…!

Two identical things cannot exist in one universe, or timeline.

Allen stared at Mair for a long while, and then suddenly revealed a perfectionist's smile and said: “Even still, although you are mistaken since you have thought I was Vergil, you still have the guts to come over and join me without any fear. I don’t know if you are just courageous or just a fool…or probably both,”

“Really…calling a fragile lady like me a fool, you sure have no compassion for a woman. You should treat one elegantly if you want to be popular~” Mair smiled wryly.

“It would be a problem if my popularity to increase even more…” Allen responded jokingly.

“Oh, so arrogant…” Mair giggled.

This man is really strange; even though he laughed... even his laugh reflected a strong sense of loneliness. Although he laughed at Mair’s words, it still seemed like he was just laughing at something else entirely.

At this point, Eerika returned with a jar of wine in one hand, and some beef in the other. She looked at Mair but didn't say anything. She was smiling happily as she sat down just beside Allen nonchalantly as if it was natural.

“Is everything alright?” Allen turned at her and smiled. It was different from the smile he directed at Mair, this time his smile was like flower petals drifting out of those deep eyes. It was extremely gentle and warm like he was staring at the most precious thing in the world.

Seeing his smile, Mair was dumbstruck.

Damn! That should be illegal!

This is my very first time seeing the great devil smiling so... gently... She has been there for a while and she had not even seen that smile up until now!

The effect of this eyewash is amazing!

People might not notice it, but how could Mair not…? Although she didn’t have any ambiguous affection towards Allen but this different treatment between her and another woman really makes one annoyed and jealous for some unknown reason!

As if feeling like, what? We are both the same women, with the same level of beauty and yet… why do you not look at me like that as well…? Could it be I’m not that beautiful?

Although it was unreasonable… but that is what a woman is!

They are unreasonable beyond belief!

“Yep, no problem~” Eerika replied with a warm smile. She gripped Allen’s hand gently and looks at him. “Things progressed so far, it’s actually better than what we had expected. Although the Demons had initiated their attack sooner than expected, it was not actually that fatal beyond salvation.”

“… …”

Eerika sighs gently and started eating. “…Other than the Olympians, all other Clans are doing better in their defensive forts. Fortunately, the great goddess Athena had foreseen this and warned all the other God Clans and makes them prepare for the worse to come. Now, although the preparations have not been completed yet, we are actually able to respond quite better than one can imagine.”

“Well, if it’s with that woman, then I guess, the God Clan would have a chance winning this war…” Allen smiled faintly and drank a mouthful of wine.

“…Ah, right Allen… the Great Goddess Athena is looking for you…” Eerika suddenly recalled something and said.

“Me?”

She nodded. “She heard that you are here and immediately wanted to come here but because of some matters she couldn’t leave Olympus. Thus, she asked us if we can send you to the Olympian.”

When speaking this, Eerika’s face was quite strange. After all, recalling the happy expression of that Great Goddess, Eerika’s heart throbbed painfully.

No way… right? If I’m not mistaken, one of the three Goddesses who had vowed for maidenhood was Athena… he and Allen would not possibly…

Eerika actually wanted to clarify this matter but eventually held back. After all, the Great Goddess Olympus is not her match. She didn’t want to hear the truth. Besides, she thought that even if Allen does have many lovers—that was actually already predetermined and Eerika wouldn’t believe he has not—as he was an exceptional man, a hero among heroes.

Which hero does not have love affairs?

In fact, most of them are extremely complicated!

Heroes love beauties—such saying is never a lie.

Eerika was disinclined to worry about these things. Hence, she decides to ignore it.

“…I think what she wanted to see would be the original and not me…” Allen shrugged.

“I had already said that you were just a clone, actually. But she still wanted you to go… it all depends on you now…”

Allen’s brows slightly furrowed but he didn’t say anything. He raised his head and look upwards.

*** ***

The oceans took up an enormous amount of territory in the Celestial Plane.

The Mortal Sea was already enormous, but the Southern Celestial Sea was simply shocking.

Looking at its expanse, one can’t help but have a feeling that it was never-ending!

Flying over it from the God Continent to where they are now, even with their powers had almost reach decades. In fact, Apollo had once heard that at the end of the Southern Celestial Sea, one would see the wild, chaotic space. A space that one never knows what was within it—chaotic time and space that doesn’t conform into a single time stream. It was the biggest universe there is that even the Celestial Gods didn’t know what can be found or occur in that place.

Late night. The endless waters of the sea seemed dark and heavy.

“Right here.” Apollo declared as he stood there in mid-air above the sea.

“In the depths of the ocean here, you’ll find the entrance to the tunnel to the Ruins of the Gods. That tunnel is roughly fifty thousand meters away from the surface of the sea.” Apollo laughed calmly. “Normally, even Mid Gods would surely have a difficult time submerging in this deep water—like a normal mortal deep within an ocean. However, I trust the water pressure of the deep sea won’t have any effect on you. If you can’t even withstand a tiny little bit of deep seawater pressure, then it is best if you give up right away.”

“After coming here, do you really think that we would give up?” Frey snorted. “Normal Mid Gods might not be able to but that doesn’t mean we are incapable of!”

“However, what you said, is really real, Apollo?”

“Beautiful Goddess of the Moon, Chang'e…what I said would never be wrong!” Apollo said confidently.

His handsome look shone brightly like the sun.

“But I can’t believe it. The Celestial Realm would be destroyed…even if the Legion succeeded in their invasion and the bastard Loki had managed to resurrect and be freed from his release, I doubt even the bastard trickster would destroy the Celestial Realm along the entire Thousand Worlds on a whim. That is something…”

“Forseti, do you doubt my foresight?” Apollo frowned.

“No, I just can’t believe it.” Forseti sigh and shook his head. “The era of Gods will end. Even this world, for it to be unable to avoid the disaster, is something I don’t want to believe nor accept…”

“Indeed, you are right… but it’s not about whether we could accept it or not. Even if the Demon King doesn’t want the world to end, it will still happen. His resurrection is just the key to the destruction of everything…”

“… …”

“That is the last and final purpose of the 66 seals.” Apollo bit his lips. “We had delayed his awakening for so many years already… through this unending war. But this time, I fear we wouldn’t be able to. The Great Demon King is the last trial that we would need to undergo and wouldn’t be able to pass…”

“But you said, that it is not absolute, right…? What about the Demon Prince you mentioned? Demon Prince Dante?”

“Indeed, you said that there is a chance he would be able to stop him and the Legion…”

“As I said it’s not absolute…” Apollo shook his head. “Indeed, there were several futures I could see and none of them is truly absolute. But…the future where everything would be saved in the loss of one man is one of the most likely future there is. I’m against putting our fate in something uncertain. This is the second alternate plan so to speak, we must prepare for the worst.”

“Then what about the people that are fighting the Legion right now? They need our strength more than ever…!”

“We don’t have a choice, Chang’e. We need to trust and believe in them right now. We participated in Athena’s plan because of this, do we? Heroes have been born, and they will be the one who will stand in our place!” Apollo said with great gravity. “The era of us Gods had long passed. This time, it’s the stage of the new heroes… heroes between the three major races; Mortal, God, and Demon!”

“… …”

“And we have Athena there as well…and I’m certain that Athena is not the only one who was coming back… some, especially those secluded their selves from the affairs of the mundane world will also come out now… especially after feeling the arrival of Epimetheus.”

“I also felt his revival as well… but, was that really Epimetheus? He had disappeared for who knows how long already that we even thought he had died and had been cast into the deep abyss. How come he had suddenly appeared now out of nowhere? Now that his blood brother is awakening as well…?”

“Was he on our side? Or an enemy?” Frey asked with doubt and suspicion.

“I don’t know what had happened to him… but,” Apollo grinned. “He’s too foolish to be an enemy.”

His confidence is doubtful but it seemed like it was not something he needed to doubt.

“…?!”

“Unlike his brother, Epimetheus had always adored the Gods. It’s completely unlikely for him to become an enemy and join his brother to purge the world. He’s too pure for that…”

“Furthermore, if not for the corruption of evil, those two brothers would never reach this stage. They loved man more than the Gods. They can even say to be representatives of mankind that do not care about getting punished by the Great Gods just for the sake of mortals. Unfortunately, even Prometheus himself was not able to avoid his fate and destiny… Prometheus is too wise while Epimetheus is too foolish. Even still, Epimetheus was the personification of humankind… behind foolishness, he fights for what he believes in, without reason or logic… with him around, even if it against his beloved brother, I’m sure that the 'Fool' would side with the Gods without hesitation…” Apollo explained as he looks at the horizon with a faint but nostalgic smile.

“…but what puzzles me the most is that, when Prometheus turned into a demon, Epimetheus as well had disappeared without a trace. I had suspected father about it as I heard rumors… but even with the fall of Olympus, father had not called Epimetheus to help defend, which baffled me a lot.”

“If that’s the case, then his sudden appearance…wouldn’t it be, completely suspicious?”