Chapter: 632 – The Oldest Wish (13)
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– User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 234
Current Location: Searching…
Sage’s Advice: 0
—
– Han Kain
— Splash!
The sound that echoed when the illusion began!
Suddenly, the scenery around me distorted, and my vision returned to reality.
“How’s it going, Aleph?”
The voice of the boy had a hint of familiarity.
As I opened my eyes, feeling a bit dizzy, I saw a boy with dazzling blonde hair.
“… Prince.”
“Recognizing it now? Does it bring back some memories?”
According to the status window record, the prince couldn’t recall his own appearance even when seeing his face.
That’s not the case anymore.
I remember the frightened boy from the illusion.
That boy had now transformed into a tall youth, spinning around with a bright smile.
The atmosphere seemed to hint that he wasn’t here to start a ruckus immediately.
It felt like he had something to say, but I still needed a moment.
I needed a bit more time to recall those very old memories.
“I’m just curious, what did your last words mean?”
“…”
“To save myself from hell. You still don’t understand what that means?”
“I’ve lost all memories from that time. I only just realized that I said something like that, so how could I know its meaning?”
“But that’s a fair point.”
His ready acknowledgment.
It seems my words made sense, and he probably could sniff out a lie with no difficulty.
The prince then got straight to the point.
“It seems your memories are still hazy, but I’ve never forgotten that day.”
“…”
“It’s been a while since we met—Oh wait, did we see each other once before the time rewind?”
“… I’m not sure.”
“Haha! Even in a hotel, I didn’t expect there’d be a tool to turn back the cosmic clock!”
“…”
“Anyway, I’ve never forgotten the favor you did for me. In fact, there’s been a story after that.”
“A story after that?”
“It’s nothing special. You took me in and taught me a bunch of stuff.”
“…”
“There was a time I saw you as my teacher and father.”
The prince’s overly friendly demeanor was comical.
I don’t think it’s all a lie.
According to the records from the lost time frame, the prince called me ‘Saint’ the moment he woke up.
Also, I recall him inviting me inside the core without any safety measures, even though there was an act of betrayal against the Holy Mother.
He killed the former Wisdom but immediately accepted my excuses and forgave me.
In summary, it’s clear the prince regarded me as an ally.
“Aleph, there were at least two or three times I could have killed you.”
“I see that differently.”
“Haha! Even if I tried to kill you, you think you could’ve held on?”
“…”
“Let’s just say that’s the case. Even if so, it doesn’t change that I passed up several chances. What do you think my reason is?”
“…”
“Why do you think I showed you that last illusion?”
“Were you hoping I would turn back into ‘Aleph’?”
“Still the same! If you come to your senses now, the past can be forgiven!”
The bold stance of giving an ‘idiotic servant’ one last chance.
The prince still believes ‘Aleph’ is on his side.
Why do I feel opposed to him?
It’s likely because I’ve lost the memories of ‘Aleph.’
The reason I showed that illusion earlier was precisely for this.
He thinks I will switch back to his side if I recall my past memories and get closer to Aleph.
But consider the completely different feelings from the records left by my past self.
The horrific future my past self saw clearly!
My body splintered into millions of pieces in an instant.
With no flesh, only my brain was extracted and trapped in a glass tube.
A future where only my soul remains, caught in an eternal dream.
The prince’s affection for Aleph is merely at best ‘a favored pet’ and at worst a ‘somewhat expensive item.’
His current persuasion isn’t just out of care but because if successful, he believes he can easily handle the Administration Bureau and raiders pressing him.
Once my thoughts reached this point…
“Ah…”
The form of the prince vanished without a trace!
— Rumble!
A massive vibration reverberated throughout the sanctuary, and the surrounding scenery began to change.
What once appeared beautiful swiftly crumbled into ruins, and the ceiling that had been shut opened up.
The warm aura and brilliant light that surrounded me disappeared entirely.
What remained was a pale, frozen realm.
“Alas, did you think that coming here would change anything?”
A stormy voice mixed with mockery and a touch of sympathy!
— Raaahh…!
As if on cue, hymns of the moon began to resound from all around.
Amidst the ceaseless songs, the figure of the moon expanded endlessly!
“While you waste countless eons dying and dying again, what steps I’ve taken toward greatness remain just a step away.”
Even as I heard the prince’s words, the relentless assault continued.
Thanks to that, I found myself desperately dodging the pale light raining down from the sky, all while holding onto the former Wisdom!
It’s amusing that this so-called ‘attack’ wouldn’t even qualify as an attack in the moon’s eyes!
It merely revealed a hint of regret at having turned against a once-believed teacher!
This place is a realm where the line between imagination and reality blurs.
The very essence of the prince’s heart becomes an assault I must evade using the sacred powers of the sun!
“Did you fall into such a delusion?”
Then the sanctuary froze entirely.
In the air — a gently shining crown revealed itself.
“Do you intend to take my crown?”
As I gazed upon the crown, my breath caught in my throat.
I, who had just been holding onto the former Wisdom, found myself walking toward the crown instead.
An intense greed that felt as if it would ignite my very soul engulfed my reason in an instant.
What does the crown mean to me — to Aleph?
It was the treasure I wished to claim, even if it meant shoving hundreds of future lives into the depths of hell!
As I approached and touched the crown in a daze, a single bitter truth emerged.
Nothing happened.
No change occurred.
To me, the crown was merely a beautiful lump of metal.
“Oh foolish teacher, only those who are worthy may wear the crown.”
“…”
“Do you think a non-royal can just sit on the throne and become king?”
The ancient civilization that first discovered the principle of soul amalgamation revered reincarnators as ‘royalty.’
Here, ‘royalty’ only refers to reincarnators belonging to the ancient civilization.
Not those reincarnators that emerged after the fall of that civilization!
“Did you deceive yourself into believing all reincarnators possess the right to royalty? Aleph, Aleph, my foolish teacher!”
Neither I, nor even the ‘first me,’ aka Aleph, hails from the ancient civilization.
This inherently means I have no right to wear the crown.
— Whoosh!
At that moment, someone who had been standing still grabbed me and began fleeing at high speed.
It was the former Wisdom!
“The plan has failed, it’s a total disaster!”
“…”
“The crown only obeys the prince…! This was a fight we had no chance of winning from the beginning!”
“…”
“We must escape somehow! If we can’t, we’ll wait for the next opportunity -”
The former Wisdom pulled out a vast, fast-moving carpet-like object after stopping the water pressure.
In terms of speed, it seemed faster than a typical car.
However, unlike the former Wisdom, who was overwhelmed by dread from defeat, I was aware of the situation behind us.
“Look back.”
This sort of escape is meaningless.
“What do you—Ah, no…!”
The distance between the prince and us hadn’t widened at all.
This entire realm is a dream created by the prince, from start to finish.
Do you think I could just jump out?
The prince is merely mocking the former Wisdom’s last flail.
Soon, a distant presence began to reach out.
“Do not fear.”
“Ah, no, no…!”
“You are extremely valuable mortals; death is not the end.”
“Han Kain, you scoundrel!”
“I shall reshape you. You will be reborn as my servants, forgetting your worthless past entirely….”
“Did you really come believing in a mere crown?”
The reason the prince is assured of victory while the former Wisdom feels defeat.
The core of the moon’s strategy is us seizing the crown from the prince to take control of the moon.
Now that the final moment has arrived, it became apparent that the plan had twisted from its roots.
We couldn’t obtain the crown in the first place, and even if we did, there was no way to utilize it.
Neither I, Aleph nor the former Wisdom—none of us hailed from the ancient civilization.
If we can’t wear the crown, it’s impossible to seize control of the moon.
Thus, our initial plan was doomed to fail from the start.
…
The delusion of both the former Wisdom and the prince.
I knew about the crown’s nature; only reincarnators from the ancient civilization could wield it.
Even in my past self as Senior Researcher Aleph and my current self as participant Han Kain, I’ve discovered this truth twice.
I didn’t arrive here ignorantly; I came cognizant of this fact.
I never came to take the ‘crown.’
…
In that fleeting moment where everything seemed to freeze.
A memory from the distant past flashed in my mind.
Is this an illusion shown by insight?
Or perhaps, am I returning to Aleph as per the prince’s intention?
I can’t say for sure.
From now on, it might be a meaningless story.
On a stormy day.
In the memory of despair while hearing the sound of thunder…
…
Having been born a human and acquiring mysterious knowledge, it was not a blessing but a curse.
Because I became aware that there were countless stars in this universe.
I knew I was not a star.
I became a promising talent within the Bureau of Human Protection, galloping down the path of success.
I enjoyed the greatest blessings as everyone praised me.
Eventually, I unearthed an even more mysterious knowledge—the principles of soul amalgamation.
What followed immediately was a greater despair.
Not just that I was not a star, but that I was a being who could never become one.
I was never born to be a great one.
I was never born a royal who could wear the crown.
Such a life, such a destiny.
A sluggish caterpillar, repeatedly born in hell only to return to hell.
…
I wanted to become a star.
To be a grand one shining forever in the sky.
I wanted to change the fate of being born in hell instead of heaven.
So, on that stormy day, I made a wish.
The ‘oldest wish.’
“… Great Buddha.”
“What are you saying!”
“If you are indeed a being of great compassion, one who dreams of saving all for eternity.”
“Now is not the time for nonsense—”
“Please give opportunities even to those insignificant beings like cosmic dust.”
Buddha!
I have cursed you time and time again.
Why was it only given to those who were chosen to walk the path of nirvana?
Why can only those born from chaos or as reincarnators from the ancient civilization enter nirvana?
I ask for a chance.
Let there be a path to nirvana for me, born at the bottom of the six realms, in the hell realm!
Thus, I shall make a wish.
If I cannot attain nirvana myself…
Bestow me the power to snatch away the fates of those who can attain nirvana!
Immediately—
A single book unfurled.
A golden sentence shimmered brightly.
“Know that you are the only one under heaven.”
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