Chapter 149

Arc 15 - Dead Men Rising - Part 2

A few short moments earlier, in Lian’s quarters:

Nazar suddenly appeared in her room and she gasped in surprise as she raised from her bed in her sleepwear once she saw him in his room.

“Ah… Damn, sorry,” Nazar lowered his head as he remembered what his mother said. “Anyway, I wanted to see how you were feeling?”

Bewildered, she nodded.

“Oh, I am good, thanks for asking.”

“Why did you not call me?”

Lian stared at him for a brief moment before chuckling in a confused manner.

“What you explained was very powerful and you could have died. No, you nearly died.”

“That…”

Lian pursed her lips as she slowly sat down on the bed. She was thinking whether she should be honest with him or not.

Nazar could see the complicated look on her face and he had a small idea about it.

“Sorry, I should have been here. I have been neglecting my duties for far too long.”

After letting out a sigh, Lian looked at him and shook her head.

“It’s not that-- No, that is one of the reasons, but no, it was something personal.”

“But you hate it, don’t you? Worse, you could have died and so could Ark?”

Lian scratched the back of her head.

“Sometimes we need to do this by ourselves.”

Nazar understood that.

She has her pride as a soldier of this empire and someone with power.

“But we were definitely over our heads,” her tone became heavier. He could sense a hint of regret in it. “You are right, we could have died any second.”

“This man… What’s his name?”

“Darkstar.”

“Darkstar, why does it seem so familiar?” he spaced out as he thought.

Ohhhhh! Right. Green Lanterns. Never mind, then.

“Anyway, what did you say about him?”

Lian looked at him with squinted eyes.

“I… If I remember correctly, it was something along the lines of “Agent of the Void”.”

“Agent of the Void...”

“Yes, and his darkness felt quite different compared to other people who can control darkness. It felt… alive.”

“!!”

Nazar’s eyes widened.

“Null.”

“What?” Lian asked quizzically.

“Null, the darkness that encompasses everything, that is known as Null.”

Lian just stared at him, trying to examine what he had just said.

She searched her mind thoroughly, trying to look for similar words and phrases, however, she could not find anything. This is the first time she had heard about this.

“I see… So, it means the life of that star system was reaching its end.”

“...” Lian continued to stare at him quizzically before letting out a heavy sigh as she stood up. “I give up. Please explain.”

“Have you heard of Entropy?”

“The concept? Yes.”

“Yes, that. Entropy comes in different forms and shapes. When a planet or universe is coming to an end, darkness devours it, and sometimes, it sets a cycle of rebirth in motion, however, I have never witnessed that cycle personally, so not sure.”

“So, that system was coming to an end?”

“Most likely.”

“Why?”

“Every world is built differently and so is every star system. Even galaxies and universes. They are all different, some have longer lifespans while others have shorter lifespans. These are no different than living beings.”

“That...” Lian nodded. “I see, that makes sense.”

“The cosmic structure of this universe can get a bit weird somet--”

- Nazar. -

Nazar heard someone call him through a communications device, so he cut off his words.

- We must get going. -

“Alright, I will be there.”

“I… I am sorry about last time, so let me fix it this time. I have been studying since then.”

Nazar scoffed.

“I am glad you are widening your horizon, but please stay in bed for today and the day after and the day after. You are not fully recovered yet. I don’t want to distress you.”

Lian shook her head with a faint smile.

“Is this your way of telling an old friend that she is useless after her screw up?” she teased.

“Heavens no, I just don’t wish for the condition of a close friend to worsen because of me.”

Lian laughed.

“Fine, I understand.”

“Next time… If we get fucked over again.”

“Don’t do it on purpose.”

“Have I ever purposely fucked up anything?”

Lian stared at him blankly.

Dozens of images flashed through her mind and in each of one of them Nazar messed up the situation on purpose.

“Is that so?”

“...”

Nazar stood there awkwardly and averted his gaze.

After a short while, Lian broke the silence, “Anyway, the witness… Do you think he will come?”

Worry and anxiousness caused Nazar’s face to go pale.

“I...” he breathed out through his nose as he placed his hand on his hip. “I don’t know. He might come or might not. But if it comes to it, then I suppose...”

He trailed off as the world glitched.

He forcefully teleported someone into the room.

In a cyan-coloured beautiful and slick armour, a tall and muscular man with red hair and green eyes - Baros, glanced at Lian and then Nazar quizzically.

“Do you know who I am?”

“A human with extraordinary power,” Lian said as if she was reciting something very obvious, which it was.

“No, the secret origin?”

“...”

“...”

Baros and Lian glanced at one another, hesitating to answer his question.

“You were created by an ancient God of Destruction who has no name.”

Nazar shook his head.

“The real me, I mean.”

Their bodies stiffened suddenly as both of them sucked in a breath.

Nazar saw their eyes glancing at one another from the corner of their eyes, as if trying to keep a secret hidden.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Go on, say it.”

With a very serious look on their faces, they said in unison, “「The Supreme God of Everything」.”

Nazar shut his eyes as he inhaled sharply with cringing pain, as if he were stabbed with needles in the very heart.

He still hated hearing that.

“Yes,” he forced out those words, “if worse comes to worse, that witness might reveal something as terrible as this.”

“!!”

“!!”

“Yep. I don’t know what could happen, but… we need to be prepared for this possibility.”

Their expressions asked him; what would he want them to do?

❢◥ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ◆ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ◤❢

Now, Planet Wul:

In the courtroom, Val’Ikryn asked the Supreme One an important question; why would someone of his status stand up for the creation of his enemy.

Everyone’s eyes were plastered on the Supreme One, waiting for him to answer.

“Because...”

“Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,” Nazar muttered under his breath in an angry voice.

If he tells them about my true state, then… Then I am fucked. BIG TIME!

He looked at the Supreme One with a look, hoping he would keep his secret a secret.

However, the Supreme One did not notice the look on his face. He looked Val’Ikryn in the eyes and responded.

“Because...”

Nazar swallowed his saliva, waiting for his answer.

He was hoping his secret would stay a secret, but he wasn’t so sure anymore.

It is true, he had an idea the Supreme One might mention something like this, but he still wishes he won’t say anything close to it.

“Because he is a changed man,” although he had no face or mouth, others could see a faint nostalgic smile on his face.

Nazar’s eyes widened.

He wondered, was the Supreme One talking about Nazar or perhaps someone else.

“He is an evil man, created by your enemy who wants to do nothing but destroy you or this universe, so why are you siding with him? Why should we believe that this man, right here, is not the evil one who destroyed the last timeline? How can you vouch for him?” Val’Ikryn asked. “And so what if he is a changed man, doesn’t mean that he isn’t evil just like his creator. What says he won’t kill us all just like his creator?”

“Just because I made the angels to be my soldiers, it does not mean they are good. Just because I made the demons to be evil, does not mean they cannot be good. Just because I made all of you, it does not mean I dictate what you should become. So, it’s no different for this human right here. Your destiny is in the palm of your own hands. Just because one was made evil, does not make them evil.”

“Th--”

Before Val’Ikryn could refute, the Supreme One raised his hand, stopping him.

“To begin with, good and evil are meaningless. Everyone draws their own conclusions at it, but ultimately, they are meaningless. So, let me hear your definition of evil, judge Val’Ikryn.”

“...”

Now that the focus of everyone was on Val’Ikryn, he shrunk back in his place as he glanced around the room.

The curious eyes of everyone made him swallow his saliva.

“Please, be at ease, take your time.”

“Murder, stealing, hurting someone, rape, emotional manipulation, are some forms of evil.”

“Debatable, but what is your definition of evil.”

“Pardon?” Val’Ikryn leaned forward.

“What do you mean by evil?”

“Well...” Val’Ikryn suddenly found himself at a loss for words. “It’s… Uh.”

Val’Ikryn glanced around the room uncomfortable. He is the Supreme Judge of the Galactic Council, yet he cannot answer a simple question like this.

“And you, Mister Fayne, the lawyer of the opposition,” the Supreme One looked at the chicken-like lawyer. “What is your definition of evil?”

He tidied his black suit and cleared his throat.

“Evil is hard to explain, but ultimately, it is committing a bad action that brought harm to others or even the environment.”

“Counterpoint, what if hurting someone will save more lives in the long run? For example, if you kill one person now, you could potentially save a million more. And to make it more interesting, let’s pretend the person is a “good person” and innocent. If you kill him and save more, are you evil?”

“That’s… Well--”

“How about this?”

The room changed again and turned into a giant construct of dark space.

Inside the dark space, a blue planet appeared and an image of Lucifer.

“Lucifer created Earth and then explicitly told the universe to stay away from it, but the alien empires wanted to conquer it and experiment on them. They even started a war on that planet. Lucifer had to show them that he was serious, so he got rid of a tyrannical empire known as the Brot Empire, so who is evil in this situation? Lucifer or the Brot Empire?”

“....”

The lawyer looked at Val’Ikryn who was as confused as him.

“If Lucifer hadn’t destroyed the Brot Empire, their war over Earth would have caused the fall of galaxies. So, I question, who is eviler? Lucifer or the Brot Empire?”

“I...”

The lawyer glanced around uncomfortably, almost as if trying to dodge the question.

“No answer?”

“I supposed Lucifer would be the greater of the two evils.”

“No, no, no,” the Supreme One shook his head. “There is no such thing as greater evil. It’s just a silly concept that is made up by you which means absolutely nothing. Evil is evil, at the end of the day, no?”

“...”

“In any case, who is eviler now? Lucifer or the Brot Empire?”

“...”

The lawyer thought about it for a moment.

“Well… Lucifer?”

“Why?”

Fayne, the lawyer scoffed.

“Because he killed trillions, that’s why.”

“But if he hadn’t destroyed Brot Empire, two years later, half of the universe would have been reduced to ashes.”

“What if it didn’t--”

“It would have happened,” the Supreme One arched his palm, facing forward.

In it, an alternative timeline played before them, a timeline that was diverged out of existence because Lucifer destroyed the Brot Empire.

“You see, we can-- could see the future. We could see every possibility, and we could also see other timelines. I suppose I don’t have to prove to you that once I was omniscient and omnipresent in my own universe. In any case, despite the many routes, there was always one, just ONE, main timeline. And this is what was going to happen. Let’s look at Universe-9820128.”

The Supreme One changed the room and it showed a universe far away, a universe where war dwells in every corner.

“This is the old timeline which became a universe of its own.”

In this multiverse, every universe has an infinite number of timelines and possibilities. Each timeline is different to the other, even if the difference is as small as the placement of a small object.

Certain timelines, when they become vastly different, they can become a universe of its own, such as that timeline in which the universe fell to an unending war.

“This universe is quite different than yours, at the moment. After all, this was the fate of your universe.”

Everyone looked at one another with questions written on their faces.

Is the Supreme One telling the truth? Can he really be believed?

But at the same time, they asked themselves, why would God lie?

And should they change their view on Lucifer?

“So, think again, who is evil? Lucifer or the Brot Empire?”

“...”

Fayne grunted softly as he loosened his tie.

“But what Lucifer did was evil. He killed millions of innocent people. Maybe the higher ups in the empire were evil, but it also housed millions of innocents--”

“Precisely.”

“Huh?”

“??” Val’Ikryn tilted his head in a confused manner.

“What?” Even Nazar looked at the Supreme One quizzically.

“It is as you say, Fayne, not everyone was evil in that empire, am I correct?”

“...” Fayne hesitated to speak for a moment. “Yeah, I suppose.”

“So, why do you think Lord Nazar here is evil simply because his creator is evil?”

“...”

“...”

Val’Ikryn and Fayne exchanged complicated glances.

"What are you...?"

“It is true, he has a history of destroying worlds before BUT! Has he ever destroyed the multiverse? And why would he destroy it? Please, answer me.”

“I--”

"Before that, let me ask Lord Nazar himself."

The Supreme One looked at Nazar.

"Have you ever thought about destroying the multiverse before?"

"..." he glanced around awkwardly trying to come up with an answer.

Has he thought about destroying the multiverse before? Yes, but perhaps as a joke and never extremely serious.

"No."

"Why?" Fayne asked.

"Because that would bring about my worst fears. If I were to destroy it, that would mean I would be sending myself to oblivion sooner. Being alone and cold in the living darkness as it slithers around you and imprison you for an eternity… that's not something I want."

"I see. But that's interesting--"

Val’Ikryn cleared his throat and cut off Fayne’s words.

“I understand. He is not evil nor is he the main culprit of this problem, but that still leaves two things. One, why did our memories surface now? And two, why you, the great God, involved in something so small?”

“I will let Lord Nazar answer the first question, as for the second one, judge Val’Ikryn, it is not as simple as you think. And... because I owe him.”

Nazar’s eyes widened bemusedly as he looked at the Supreme One.

“As I mentioned earlier, if he hadn’t stopped his creator, there would have been nothing left of this multiverse. While it is true, I could recreate it again, even better than before, but that’s not important. What's important is, that I did not lose my creation. I created this universe and like any creator, they don’t wish to see their diamond damaged.”

“I see...”

Val’Ikryn looked at Nazar.

Nazar was still staring at the Supreme One with wide eyes.

“Nazar,” Val’Ikryn called out to him.

“Hm? Oh? Oh. Right. Ah, okay,” Nazar shook his head and stared at Val’Ikryn. “Anyway, what was the question again?”

“Spacing out in the middle of your trial, eh?” Omegan joked.

“Why did our memories surface now?”

“There--”

Fuses in Nazar’s head flicked.

“How am I supposed to know that?” he asked in a calm tone, or tried to, but everyone could feel the anger in it. “How am I supposed to know this? Maybe someone is trying to frame me. My empire has been getting attacked for weeks now, but none of you investigated that or even offer to help in any way. So, we are doing that by ourselves and still haven’t found the enemy. They also attacked Earth and a star system at the edge of our empire.”

An answer that was not very true, but it was believable.

The people bought it, very easily in fact.

His anger in this situation was believable and sympathetic to them, so far to say that they were ready to throw away this whole ordeal. They regretted their hasty actions towards the Chochica Empire.

Some even went as far as to think about helping the empire as closely as possible.

It only took Nazar a few seconds to convince them to think otherwise.

Val’Ikryn stood up and bowed apologetically to the Supreme One and Nazar, “I am sorry about this, and thank you for clearing this up for us.”

The jury and the spectators muttered among themselves as they walked away and left the courtroom shortly after.

Alone, Nazar looked at the Supreme One and nodded with a relieved smile.

“Thank you for your help, I appreciate it.”

“Think nothing of it. This is the least I can do for you.”

“That’s… awfully nice of you.”

“I am not nice by any means. I merely want to repay you for what you lent me earlier.”

“Hm, I thought you would consider El Dorado as equal payment and call it a day, haha,” Nazar laughed loudly, although it felt very forced.

“I thought about that, but then I thought about it. The value of the spear is far greater than the book, so I had to do more to make sure there was an equivalent exchange.”

“Hm, law of the equivalent exchange, eh?” then Nazar added in a very low voice. “Except alchemy is not involved here.”

“There is a similar law with a similar name relating to alchemy in the book of El Dorado.”

“Oh?” Nazar narrowed his eyes curiously. “You have read it?”

“It would be wrong to say no. After all, at one time, no angel or concept was hidden from my eyes.”

“Angel?” Nazar tilted his head in a confused manner.

“You see, El Dorado is the Angel of Secrets and Treasure. Originally, the two of them were separate, El and Dorado, but I merged them as I found this much better,” the Supreme One explained. “I am quite fascinated with myself for creating certain angels as objects, such as the Angel of Blades - well, God of Blades now - wielded by Orion.”

Flabbergasted, Nazar’s mouth widened.

“Oooooooooohhhhhh! That’s dope!” he said out loudly excitedly, completely forgetting the situation he was in.

“In any case, I must get going.”

The world glitched and before he teleported out, the Supreme One said one last thing, “Farewell, Lord Nazar.”

And so, he left never to be seen again by Nazar.

"I did not know you could act so well," Omegan told Nazar in an interested voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Getting "angry" in a situation like that and forcing them to quickly change their decision by guilting them, interesting strategy, if I say so myself."

Nazar wanted to play dumb but seeing how Omegan could not be lied to, he chuckled.

"What can I say? Playing the victim really helps. They changed their view instantly and even apologised. Everything worked well in the end."

"Indeed."

Omegan raised his right hand to his chin and scratched it.

"Perhaps I should employ this method more often myself. It seems quite interesting and fun."

"By all means."

လလလ

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,” someone faraway with red glowing eyes shook their head vigorously. “This ended too quickly and less painfully. I hate it!”

His breathing was heavy, and his fist was clenched.

This was not supposed to be solved so easily. No, it was meant to ruin his life forever.

X also did not expect the Supreme One to be involved.

Instead of being angry about that, he was excited. He did not expect something like this from Nazar.

“I can’t let you off so easily. Now then...”

He snapped his fingers together and a purple light travelled the universe.

“Time to ruin your life again.”

And so, X laughed forcefully.

လလလ

Everyone across the universe screamed in pain as new memories were added to their head.

“Gah!?”

“Ngh!”

“Aah, what is this?!”

They saw scenes which they had never seen before.

Scenes of great horror and crimes that would shed a new light on this white haired and red eyed monster.

Everyone across the universe, looked at one another and thought about one person.

Just moments ago, everyone across the universe saw how their God stood beside this human, but these new memories within them made them think otherwise.

On planet Wul, Omegan, who was standing in front of Nazar, shrugged with a soft groan.

“Well…”

"Ah, fuck," Nazar cursed with a weary face.