Chapter 170

Arc 16 - The Fastest Man Alive - Part 7

Years ago, when the Annihilator attacked the universe, the Chochica Empire was hurt the most by its siege.

From the ashes of the old empire, a new rose with a demonic and godly ruler who had powers beyond the comprehension of mortals.

Since then, this ultra-powerful being pushed the empire in the right ways to bring this empire to its former glory.

But one day, a parasitical psychic energy made everyone learn of something which was false.

People saw him as a slaver and a conqueror who ruled over this empire with an iron fist.

Like usual, this ultra-powerful God took the easy option out and decided to run away from his problems.

And now, it seems Baros, the new ruler of the Chochica Empire, also believes those lies. He has come to bring Nazar to justice.

But as soon as he found him on Earth, Nazar flew away.

Nazar flew past many stars as Baros followed him closely through the dark space.

As Nazar flew past the Fill-51 galaxy, he suddenly came to a halt.

“Oh?”

He slowly inspected the air in front of him as if there was something stopping him from moving forward.

“What is this?”

Baros, who was flying behind him, also came to a halt.

“A certain father finally wanted to play the part and decided to do something for my sake,” Baros spoke coldly. “So, I used his gift to create a barrier around this galaxy… You see, I knew you would come this way, this is your usual trajectory.”

Nazar turned around and nodded to him in an impressed manner.

“Damn, I was not expecting that from you...”

Baros twisted his right arm a little then thrust it downwards slightly.

From his right hand, his usual sword - a bluish-white Excalibur-like sword - vanished into thin air.

“Whenever you and I had a battle - mock battles, of course -, you would go to the red moon of planet Cirfil in the Eifil galaxy. So, I knew you would try going there again. After all, you do not want to risk your childhood home destroyed… In any case, that is not of any importance.”

Nazar turned around and analysed the barrier which was holding him in.

“You must come with me today and stand before the Chochican people.”

“To do what? Tell them I did not do anything? That those images they see are lies?”

Nazar clicked his tongue.

“We both know they will not believe anything I say. I will explain myself, and then what… Plus, I don’t want to be jailed. (At least not now…)”

Baros widened his eyes ever so slightly.

“Are you willing to…?”

Baros let out a soft grunt and shook his head.

“Anyway, that does not matter, come with me.”

Baros extended his right hand at Nazar.

“It is not a problem you can simply run away from or choose to ignore.”

“You would be surprised at how many problems I can ignore.”

“Of course, but this… It’s different.”

“Hm?” Nazar glanced back at Baros from the corner of his eyes.

Baros narrowed his eyes as he walked closely towards Nazar.

“Do you really want to leave behind the empire you raised from the ashes? Even if you do, at least clear your name.”

“NOT NOW, BAROS!” Nazar shouted angrily as he clenched his fist. “I can’t deal with something like this right now. No matter what I say, nobody will change their mind. And you know what? I don’t blame them.”

Baros clicked his tongue.

“I simply cannot handle standing in front of millions of people...”

Nazar swallowed his words as he faced away from Baros.

“Whatever happens, Baros, don’t let Krum take control of the empire in any form or shape. ”

"Huh, I didn't think you cared."

Nazar kept quiet and did not say anything.

In front of Nazar, the universe was slashed diagonally.

Baros could see one side of the universe was about to slide off the other.

He did not question why Nazar would do this, but he understood.

"The universe sees you as a villain, but I am willing to give you a second chance to free your name."

The universe returned to normal, and the barrier was no longer there.

"Just come with me. I want to show you something."

Nazar slowly turned around to face Baros.

"Do you hate our empire?"

Nazar answered his question with the slightest movement of his head.

"As I thought," Baros nodded. "You cannot hate it."

"What do you really want from me?"

"Come with me, I want you to speak in your own defence, not just to the Chochican people, but for yourself too."

"... Huh?"

Baros smiled softly.

"I have known you for a long time, I know the guilt you bear in your heart. Against the enemy you are facing right now, if you truly want to win, you have to do something which you did not do in the past."

"You have to be more specific than that," he replied to Baros in a low exasperated tone.

"If you share your worries with the universe, what do you think will happen?"

"... Nothing?"

Baros shook his head and continued, "People will believe in you, they will trust you and then…"

"Ah."

It seems Nazar caught onto what Baros was saying.

"Right, I completely forgot about that plan."

"..."

Baros' smile slowly faded out of existence.

It seems Nazar was thinking about something very diffident.

Nazar smirked, "Never mind, I am just messing with you."

He let out a soft sigh.

"I get that, I do, but I don't want that."

"..."

Now it was Baros' turn to stare at him quietly.

"They want me to reach a higher state of existence once again, to become my old self and then they will steal that power for themselves. To do that, they are pushing me left and right so I can be pushed into a corner and finally give up. And standing in front of everyone, when they won't believe me... I think I really will be pushed to my limits."

While the smile on his face seemed innocent, Baros could feel the evil intentions behind it.

"They don't want to destroy this universe because it will trigger my powers to skyrocket, and from what Emily said, they need a certain something to make it work. However, I think I know what it is."

"What is that?"

"In this creation of ours, there are two abilities that has no duplicates. Absolute Wish - originally, it was called [Ruyi] - and 「Indra」. The two of us have tried to recreate these abilities or try to pass it on, but it is impossible, unfortunately."

"Who…" Baros swallowed his saliva to wet his dry throat, "is the other person?"

"The Dragon."

"!!"

Baros knew very little about him, but just the mention of this entity caused his body to jerk.

He had heard tales of this entity's devilish power and if he wished for one thing, it was to never see the face of that dreaded creature.

"Before the Queen rudely interrupted me, I saw what the Dragon did - albeit just pieces of it here and there. However…" Nazar narrowed his eyes questioningly. "Why could I not see his face?"

That makes the two of them, him and X. I cannot see their faces even with Ryui - Absolute Wish - activated.

"Just… What are you, Dragon?" he muttered under his breath.

And what exactly does he want from me?

Nazar rubbed his chin as he continued to think about the Dragon.

I can't find an answer to his involvement, but like others, he might be after my power.

He was unsure if the conclusion he reached was right or wrong, but it made sense to him at the moment, so he stopped thinking and walked closer towards Baros.

I want to die, but I don't think they can give me that, even with Indra... And I don't want to risk the lives of Emma, mom, Laura, Aeron, or others...

Nazar clicked his tongue.

"Fine."

He stood in front of Baros.

"I will bite."

Nazar held both of his hands together and extended towards Baros, surrendering.

"I will stand before everyone and tell them the truth - (as much as they need to know, of course) - and we will see what happens." Nazar chuckled bitterly as he turned his head sideways a little. "Not like it will change anything."

Baros created shackled of energy and restrained his hands - as if it would do anything, but it is as people say; "it's the thought that counts."

A portal opened and the two of them walked through it.

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Earth:

Moments ago, Baros appeared out of a portal with a few dozen soldiers. However, Nazar and Baros left, leaving Aeron with dozens of armed military personnel.

The soldiers marched towards this powerless human.

Aeron questioned what the soldiers wanted, but he did not have time to question them. He had too many questions, but no answers will come to him.

His heartbeat faster and faster in fear as his breathing turned erratic. He tried his best to calm down, but he couldn't.

Aeron widened his eyes in fear with every step the soldiers took.

But then something happened.

And then…

And then, the rest is history.

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Many minutes later, Aeron - who was lying unconsciously on the ground - heard a shriek and so he groaned slowly. That shriek made him regain his consciousness.

He was not sure how it happened, but he did not question it.

The familiar horrified shriek was more important to him.

So, he opened his eyes and looked at the teary eyes of his wife whose head was looming above him like a dark tower.

What is...

He groaned softly as he tried to sit up.

"!!"

Angela froze in her place as she looked down at her husband.

In her eyes, he could see fear, surprise and hints of confusion.

He questioned, what was happening?

Did… Did the soldiers do something?

He forced his body to move but he found it hard to do so for a moment.

So, his lips loosened, attempting to unleash a sound that will carry his sound to her ears.

He wanted to ask her what happened.

But he found it hard to speak.

What is happening?!

He didn't understand, but everything felt different. He felt different.

"A-Aeron… What's wrong?"

What?! Why is she looking at me like…? Why is she asking…?

Angela continued to speak stiffly.

"D-do you feel o-okay? Is-is-is-is-is--" with myriad of emotions erupting within her, she could not form a sentence very well.

From behind Angela, Aya spoke softly, "Aeron, are you okay?"

Like Angela, she also carried hints of fear and confusion in her eyes. However, she tried not show it in her tone.

Once again, Aeron wondered what was happening.

Did something bad happen?

Why did he fall back? Why did he become unconscious?

And what happened to the soldiers?

Did the soldiers make him unconscious? Or was it...

Aeron tried to move once again, but his body felt extremely light.

What is happening today?

He attempted to make sense of everything, and as he came close to a conclusion, it immediately flew out of his mind as more questions popped up in his head.

As the time-space continuum opened itself up in fear, three soldiers of God walked through it.

Beings who exist in higher realms came down to this place.

Aeron wondered if they were here for Nazar, but he knew he was wrong.

The reason these angels descended through infinities is not to meet his brother but someone else.

Why...?

From the portal, the three angels - each wearing a face that showed wholly different emotions - walked towards Aeron.

He could feel the evil energies radiating from these soldiers, these cold and evil energies which would make anyone want to shrink into nothingness to avoid its fury.

However, among them, there was one soothing and warm energy that blocked away these dark ones.

"Ahh, it's always this damned family…" one of the angels spoke exasperatedly.

"Michael…" another one shot an icy gaze at him. Like usual, that angel wore an angry face.

"Fine," the person shrugged in return. It was as if he was forced to come to this place and he was forced to play by the rules set for him.

But then a thin smile spread across his face.

He cracked his fingers and neck with evil laughter as if preparing to battle an interior attacker.

"This should be fun."

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Earlier - Chias, Chochica Empire:

Chias is a large planet located in the Andromeda galaxy and it's the throne world of the Chochica Empire which spans for thousands of star systems.

The planet has many cities and states, many mountains and forests, and many oceans that glitter beautifully under the golden sun.

In the south of the planet, there once existed a city known as Monatcity, but a few weeks ago, the city rose to the skies.

The empty space beneath it was turned into something new. Many new offices and houses rose from the ground in this empty place.

On the edge of the city, near an orange mountain, a new military base was created, housing over a million soldiers. It was created so it will become the pinnacle of military technology and power of the empire.

Inside this large military base, which has many facilities, including a spacecraft station, among others, something was happening. Near the military spacecraft station, there were large runaways - larger than the spacecraft station - for military planes. These runaways were used usually to test out new planes, but today, no plane could be seen.

Instead, thousands of soldiers stood in a perfect line under this glittering sun on these runaways.

From above, they looked no different than ants.

The soldiers looked in one direction and seemed as if they were patiently awaiting the arrival of a certain person or an attack from someone.

They waited and waited under the blazing sun in their black uniforms, but they did not move a muscle.

The sun had moved slowly from its position, but these people didn't.

"What's happening here?"

From a shadow of a soldier, a man in a shiny black armour ascended.

Afshahan - the leader of Silent Shadows - looked around and questioned what they were doing.

He came to give his twice daily report to the General Supreme of Chochica Empire about what has transpired. He doesn't like reporting twice every day, but it is part of his job, so he cannot help it.

"If you guys want to commit group suicide, then do it like the Japanese during World War Two, at least that was badass," Afshahan snickered.

However, he received no reply from the soldiers.

"God, I hate you guys as much as I hate the Japanese and the Vietnamese,"* he added slowly. "At least respond when someone is speaking. That's just rude."

He tried walked away from them, but he sensed the General Supreme to be also standing alongside the soldiers - although at the very front.

"...Odd," with suspicious eyes, Afshahan analysed the base.

For some reasons, everyone's eyes were on this exact spot.

While he was looking around again to see if his eyes were deceiving him, he sensed a portal open in front of the soldiers.

"Oh?'

From the portal, a white haired and red eyed monster in shackles walked out. Near him was a gorgeous man in a cyan coloured armour.

"Oh!" Afshahan laughed in a state of disbelief. "Now that's a sight to behold."

Nazar chuckled stiffly as he looked at Baros.

"Really…?"

No matter how much Nazar hates his power, he still takes a little pride in his strength. If he wanted to hurt them, no one in this empire would be able to stop him.

Baros shrugged in return.

Nazar sighed.

"It's the thought that counts, I suppose…"

Nazar faced forward, looking at the soldiers with a faint smile on his face.

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Nazar’s eyes flared brightly as he looked at the soldiers.

In fear, every soldier took a step back.

They did not try to reach for their weapons but took a step back. They knew how futile it is to even think about fighting back.

He was a God, standing before them with evil intentions.

The ultra-powerful being took a step forward as he broke through his shackles.

The half-angel, Baros - who was taken back by the sudden development - tried to stop him. He drew his Excalibur-like sword and stood in front of Nazar.

To his futile efforts, Nazar scoffed.

Nazar slipped a hand through his chest and took out his soul. Then he twisted Baros’ soul like it was a wet cloth which he wanted to dry. The soul of this half-angel could not withstand the force, so it broke into pieces. And just like that, Baros ceased existing.

Once the nuisance was out of the way, Nazar stared into the eyes of the fearful soldiers.

“Become mine.”

With two cold words, the soldiers found themselves unable to move.

They lost complete control of their body and minds.

Like a psychic parasite, Nazar creeped into their bodies and took control of it.

“Haha.”

‘Everyone’ in the vicinity laughed like maniacs.

And then the next instant, their heads exploded like fireworks.

“Haha.”

The sole entity who was left danced around with wide arms in the rain of their colourful blood.

“Haha.”

The blood of the soldiers fell on his face, and he stuck out his tongue to lick the bits near his mouth.

The taste of human flesh was disgusting and unsavoury, but even then, no other food had a unique taste like the flesh of humanoids.

“Haha.”

He slammed his foot into the ground, reducing the world into atoms that adrifted across the dark space.

“Ha------------------------------------------------

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“Gah?!” Nazar slapped the side of his head as he let out a slow pained sound. “What the…?”

What was that just now?

With slightly widened eyes, he looked at the soldiers and found nothing wrong with them.

Then he looked at Baros who was staring back at him in a confused manner.

Afterwards, he looked at his hands which were still being held together by the shackles.

When did that happen…? That memory is mine, but… When?

“Shall we?”

Baros spoke, causing Nazar to stop thinking about what he just saw and look forward at the soldiers.

The soldiers moved out of their way in an orderly fashion and created a path for Nazar to walk through.

The respect in their movement and eyes was something he did not think prisoners would get.

In any case, he walked through the path that was made for him.

Among the soldiers he noticed the presence of a familiar entity - Afshahan.

He did not need to think hard about why Afshahan was here, after all, he was the one who engraved these rules in stone.

While he was walking, the soldiers slowly raised their hands and saluted.

"...?"

Nazar glanced down and he realised something which made this whole ordeal confusing.

He just noticed that he was walking on top of a red carpet that stretched for miles.

Something doesn't add up...

He glanced at Baros from the corner of his eye. Baros seemed no different than usual - he wore a stony expression.

Despite the confusion, he walked on top of the carpet and reached the end of the line.

He was met with a series of stairs which led to the top of the small ten storeys building.

The gravity beneath his feet ceased existing as he floated up and slowly flew up to the top. Baros followed him slowly.

As they reached the top of the building, the shackles of energy vanished into thin air.

Nazar glanced at Baros, but Baros did not reply to him in any form or shape.

Nazar clicked his tongue silently and looked around uncomfortably. He wondered what he was doing here, so he tried to move around.

Hmm?

From the other side of the base, he could hear distinctive chatter, so he decided to follow it.

The width of the building was over a hundred meters and for someone who can cover interstellar distance in less than a second, this should have been nothing.

However, Nazar thought it would take him an eternity to pass.

There was something on the other side which made him wary of looking at it.

There was something on the other side that made his heartbeat fast - was it of excitement or fear, he did not know.

But even then, he marched forward.

With every step, the weight of his body increased.

The blood circulated faster and faster within him.

The few metres distance which spread for an infinity finally came to an end.

And from atop the rooftop, Nazar looked down to the forbidden side and caused his eyes to gape open.

His heart skipped a beat.

He sucked in a breath sharply.

His mind became free of all thoughts in a state of confusion.

He looked back at Baros whose expressions had softened.

"Now then, tell them the truth."

Nazar faced the people down below.

He did not understand why they were cheerful to see him once again.

Shouldn't they be hating him?

Shouldn't they be angry at him?

Shouldn't they demand justice?

"No one hates you here, or in the outer reaches of the universe. Maybe they couldn't tell the difference between fabricated memories a few weeks ago, but this time, they can."

"..."

Nazar looked at the people down below and saw the happiness on their faces. They were happy their emperor was back.

They were happy he was safe.

And that didn't make sense to him.

Why?

He has ruled over this empire for a few years only and the relationships between him and the general public were distant.

Why?

When the Church of Michael attacked different parts of the empire, he couldn't save them without casualties.

Why?

When the Seven Deadly Sins attacked, many people fell to them, and he could not save them before they were damned.

Why?

In the last few months, the people of Chochica Empire started to lose their magics. Magic was something precious to them and they are losing that. He theorises that he is responsible for this, albeit indirectly.

Why?

So, why are these people happy for him?

Why are they happy he is back?

Why do they love him so much?

"The empire you raised from the ashes have not given up on you."

His heartbeat faster and faster, almost as if it would explode.

He bit his lip as he tried to keep his anger low.

He was angry at himself for abandoning them at a terrible time like that.

But more than that, he was angry at himself for not trying to clear his name.

If he had cleared his name earlier, the last few weeks he spent would have gone differently.

If he had cleared his name, the bounty hunters wouldn't have attacked and Baros wouldn't have been hurt.

If he had cleared his name earlier...

"It is your time to speak your heart straight to the people who once put their trust in you."

Nazar looked at the people once again.

He wondered what he should say to them. What would satisfy them? What would a perfect leader say at a time like this?

And so, he raised his hand.

His lips loosened.

He wanted to say something, but he was not sure what, so he sucked in a breath.

He closed his lips once again and thought.

But the answers in his mind were lacking.

So, once again, he opened his mouth and started to speak. Words flowed out of his mouth without his control.

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On a different planet, a thin man in a superhero-like suite stared at the bright sun above.

His starry eyes were watching a world beyond all the layers of creation.

In that world, he was watching a certain someone who caught his attention. Someone who was meant to have vanished, but it seems the culprit behind their disappearance had miscalculated.

"Ah, so you survived…"

Was it pity or awe this creature felt, not even he knew.

"You reached the far shores of the creation, outside the grasp of a black thread that controls everything."

A soft smile spread across his face.

"I am impressed."

"Aizen!"

Someone called out to him, so he turned around and answered.

"Yes, Supreme One?"

"Everything you had requested has been prepared. We must leave."

"Not yet I am afraid."

The Supreme One grew agitated with his responses.

"We don't have a lot of time, Aizen--"

"It is not time, yet. The stars are yet to smile upon you."

In return, the supreme creator of this universe did not understand the words of Aizen. However, he could guess what he might be talking about.

“I presume you are talking about fate itself?”

“You are more perceptive than I realised, but no, you would not be correct, Sire.”

The Supreme One was not expecting that answer, he was expecting Aizen to reply with "yes". But if that is not the case, then it must be something else, he concluded.

However, he found the perfect time to ask the following question. He wanted to know for too long but neither found an answer nor someone who might know about it.

“What do you know of fate?”

Aizen slowly turned around and said, “That, I am afraid, is something you must find out for yourself.”

The Supreme One could perhaps force Aizen to give him an answer, but he had no intention of knowing in such a cowardly way.

In any event, he is not as curious about this concept as Lucifer is.

"Sire, tomorrow the moon and the sun will fight to overtake this world and when that begins… That is when we will start. Once the ritual begins, there is no going back. Are you sure about this?"

The Supreme One nodded.

"I am curious about what lies above us, what the Dragon truly is and our-- my place in this creation."

"Oh?" Aizen narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Is that all?"

"Right," the Supreme One nodded lightly. "Of course, I will try to change the destiny of my soldiers and the diamond I have crafted."

In the back of his mind, he saw the backs of angels who flew away and left him all alone in this wide universe.

Once he reaches the place he wishes to go to, he wonders; can he change everything that has happened to create the perfect world?

"I have always wanted more power, I was greedy, but this time, I want to know where that greed came from. I want to see it for myself."

"Is greed your only excuse for the evils you have committed, Sire?"

The Supreme One chuckled.

"Evil is a lowly concept used by those who view everything in black and white… But if I were to use their ideas and concepts, then no. I am not using my greed or its source to avoid making it my problem."

The Supreme One arched his right palm and looked at it.

"I have been "evil" since the day I came into existence; it was not the greed that made me "evil" but that's just how I was. I will not pay for my "evils" as I don't think it was "wrong" of me to do everything I did."

"Hmm."

"If it can be justified and backed up by logic and reason, then it cannot be "evil"."

Aizen stared at the Supreme One blankly.

The Supreme One loosened his right arm and looked Aizen in the eyes.

With a hint of laughter, he said, "See, these primitive words and concepts are flawed, too flawed, anyone can find a backdoor to it."

“I suppose you are not wrong,” Aizen smiled bitterly.

He faced away from the Supreme One and added in a barely audible voice, “Not wrong at all.”