989 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 989: World's Best Friend's Destiny I was destined to become a calamity. That declaration left me silent for a while. The fact that the small tree was the Divine Tree. The fact that my soul had been distorted until I consumed the Holy Fruit. The twisted, lost soul had found its path only after ingesting the Holy Fruit. Every step of that process was shocking. Yet, ultimately, the most shocking part was the realization that I was destined to become a calamity. '...In the end.' Was that it all along? The words Yeon Ilcheon had spoken, the experiences I faced in Zhongyuan, even the very fact I had to go through regression—was all of it the will of the world? '...Even regarding my mother?' My mother hadn't come to Zhongyuan as a calamity. 'She came to leave the calamity behind.' The idea that she deliberately intended to leave a true calamity behind left my mind blank. Why would the Master of Myriad Worlds bother to destroy Zhongyuan and become its ruler? Calamity meant an owner who had lost their world appeared to enact chaos. My mother came to Zhongyuan despite having mastery over myriad worlds. I had assumed it was due to another master existing in the Abyss, yet... '...If creating a calamity instead of becoming one was her goal.' It suddenly made sense. It was precisely for this reason that it was all so infuriating. It felt utterly nonsensical. "Damn it...!" Crash-!! With a swing of my fist, the ground shattered. The raw emotions combined with my aura, reducing the earth to soft tofu. "Damn." I wanted to deny it. It shouldn't have been, and I hoped it wasn't true, yet... '...Damn it.' I couldn't voice my denial. The circumstances were beyond denial. Also, the life I had lived thus far left me unable to refute it. Regression forced upon me? Inexplicable things contained within me? Involuntary occurrences happening repeatedly? None of that is what matters. What matters is... 'It means there’s nothing I can do even if I deny it.' Even if I deny it, there's nothing to gain just by digging into the ground. So, accepting what needs acceptance and finding a way to overcome the situation is paramount. I've lived my life this way, always searching for a method, but... '...Hold still for a moment, you bastard.' It's pitiful that even in this situation, rational thought is required. Must I do this even now? '...Knowing I was destined to become a calamity?' Can't I even afford to grieve or rage? Must I still keep moving forward? 'What am I supposed to do?' What on earth should I do now, having come this far? I had vowed to surpass the Heavenly Demon and capture the Blood Demon. 'Does that mean I'm more dangerous than they are?' If I was to become the calamity of Zhongyuan, doesn't that mean I am more perilous than the Heavenly Demon or the Blood Demon? "Hahaha..." Laughter spilled out. It couldn't be helped—it was absurd. "This is truly... truly ridiculous." The fist raised to smash the ground again was lowered. "What exactly am I doing now...?" A feeling of emptiness and futility. Indeed, I had run relentlessly until now. With a personality that refused to give up, I had pushed through even when I wanted to give up. "What exactly have I been doing?" The hands curled into fists tightened. My mind was still foggy, unresponsive, while only emotions swirled around, wrapping my body. Calamity? I am a calamity, they say. Those words echoed continuously. 'Why me?' Why am I called a calamity? What kind of life have I lived? What have I endured since regression to reach this point? '...Is it suggested that I might be the cause?' What if what I should stop is not something else, but myself? Then what should I do? If I'm truly destined to become a calamity... 'Should I die?' Would everything end if I died? Is it as simple as dying right now? Thinking that far, I ran a hand through my hair. "...Damn." A curse slipped out naturally. Dying? I wasn't afraid. It had been too long to be frightened by something like that. But... Something else was frightening. The faces I would no longer see if I died. Those faces, now impossible to let go, urged me violently, driving my every step. They made it difficult to even contemplate ending my life. "...This is absurd, truly." It's ridiculous. This makes me doubt everything. "Is this all part of your plan?" If this situation is also part of the world's plan, what am I to do? Everything felt suspicious. If even my current state is someone else's design, then where does that leave me? "Aah..." Weariness swept over me. I truly understood nothing. "...Mother." Beyond a whisper into the air, I voiced my question. What exactly did you intend to achieve? Did you leave, having merely planted the seeds of calamity? 'Why did you distort my soul then?' Noya claimed that my previously twisted soul was free from destiny. To avert the destiny of becoming a calamity, you went to the trouble of twisting my soul. 'Why now?' Why, after all this time, did you choose to make me consume the Holy Fruit? Yalang may have fed it to me, but both Noya and I suspect that behind her resolve was your intention, Mother. Noya had said: if you intended to restore my soul now, it was because you had found a solution. That's why there must be a way. Hearing that, I had managed to settle my breathing. But I couldn't remain there. I escaped, almost fleeing from that place. Though I hadn't left the sect entirely, I sat alone, at a distance from the Divine Tree. Being here, surely Noya and Turtle would know, but they wouldn't come. I was certain. They, too, understood that I needed time. -Snap- My hands restless, relentlessly plucked the weeds growing in the ground. Hundreds of thoughts surged within me at once, making stillness impossible. 'If I'm destined to become a calamity...’ Does that mean I am to become the master of Zhongyuan? If that were true, does it mean I'd erase every living being and take the place of Muah, the former master? '...How?' If I were to erase them, how would it be done? With brute force like the Blood Demon? Or through some other means? At the very least, I couldn't conceive anything at the moment. I had neither the heart nor the inclination to become a calamity. Would that be considered hopeful? 'Noya could be wrong.' Even someone as seemingly infallible as Noya could be mistaken this time, couldn't they? That was the sliver of hope I clung to. "......" I paused my thoughts and rubbed my face repeatedly. Dry-washing my face over and over. "...Ah." What should I do? How should I move forward? What exactly is expected of me? The uncertainty only made it more tangled. My hands were trembling. I bit down on my quivering fingertips. Blood trickled down my fingers. Despite knowing the injury, I bit down harder. 'Get a grip.' This isn't the time for that. Please, snap out of it. Find a solution quickly. Now isn’t the time to be stuck like this. A solution must be found. Even if I can’t think of anything. I have to figure it out somehow. That's what I had to do. I’ve always done that, and I must do so now. 'What should I do? If Noya's words are true? Should I plan, assuming they are? If I plan, what should it be? Is there a way to escape this...? Questions and more questions repeat endlessly. The unending questions without answers gradually erode me. Gnawing and gnawing. As I sank my teeth into my finger, the taste of blood filled my mouth. I should be feeling pain. Yet, I ignored it and kept biting. 'If I become a calamity? If it means I have to kill everyone? Should I not return home? Should I just remain here—' As I was being consumed in such thoughts, decaying bit by bit... Swish. Someone clasped the hand that was chewing on my finger. Startled by the sudden sensation, I moved my hand. Swat-! I shook off the hand that had grasped mine and looked to the side with shocked eyes. "Ah." "...You." It was the Heavenly Demon who had grabbed my hand. When did she appear? I must have been too focused to notice her presence. As I was caught off guard, she approached me again and took my hand. Blood was dripping continuously from it. "...Are you okay?" Her voice, filled with concern, prompted a frown. "Don't concern yourself." Emotions were what they were, and I couldn't respond kindly. I spat the words out like a growl. "...I'm in no state to talk to you right now. Just go away." "......" Though I spoke harshly, as always, she didn't budge. The only unfamiliar thing was her expression, which seemed less stoic than usual. 'Something is different...' Her gaze, typically indifferent, seemed slightly softened. The light in her eyes as she looked at me felt different. Somehow, it seemed as if she was smiling faintly. 'What is this?' Could it be a delusion arising from my poor state? Such a thought flitted by briefly, but... "Are you struggling?" Her words swiftly dispelled those thoughts. "...What?" "You seem to be struggling quite a lot." I bit my lips in response to those words. "Why? Are you going to comfort me if I am?" A foolish jeer slipped out. I couldn't have been dumber. "Don't meddle pointlessly. Just because we've spent time together, don't get any ideas." Being so entrenched in my emotions and venting my frustrations—how pathetic and vile it was, I knew so well. But I couldn't help it. "As I've always said, I find you utterly repugnant—" Just as I was about to unleash those thorny words, My face was suddenly buried into something. The Heavenly Demon had pulled my head into her embrace with her hands. "What the...!" I was about to shout in anger, determined to yell out. "It's okay." "......" "It's okay." Her hand patting my back left me frozen. "It's okay. It's okay." No sugar-coated reassurance, just the repetition of "it's okay." Even though the one saying it was the Heavenly Demon, who I despised the most. Did I perhaps need something to lean on? I stayed there for a moment without saying anything. "...You're okay. You've always done well." That was why— Her words were notably different. Wooong—! Her stroking hand was imbued with an unusual aura. I hadn't noticed at all. "So, it’s okay." "......" I didn't embrace her back. I didn't sob into her arms. I simply remained still. In silence, without uttering a word. That was the best I could do at the moment. Later, when I finally noticed the strangeness and slowly pulled away from her embrace— "...Goodbye." The Heavenly Demon's expression had reverted to its usual state. Title: From Cosmic Rascal to Scholar In a cosmic horror web novel, I've become a third-rate villain. Now, as a rascal, I'm determined to siphon all my family’s wealth to fund my research. "A graviton bomb?" There's no other way to defeat the Outer Gods. #SciFi #Fantasy #Harem #SpaceOpera #Academia