CHAPTER 578: THE INQUISITOR, ATHENA II
An entire hour passed as those around Noah learned a great deal about how the Celestials used to operate behind the scenes, coming to know of the reasoning they used to destroy many worlds as well as some of the ways they recruited their disciples.
The major thing was for them to understand Vredral and Athena, the beings they had come to know in the past few months as Noah moved with them using his identity as a Celestial!Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
After the hidden truth and histories were laid out with the inhabitants of the destroyed Lost World understanding everything fully, Noah looked towards them as he asked.
"You know the past history, and you have lived the future. What do you all wish to do?"
"..."
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An eerie silence descended upon the gorgeous environment of the Infinite Realm where a few powerful figures were clustered.
Athena's eyes glanced towards all of these beings as her heart actually felt at peace, hearing the words of the being she knew as Crixus that caused this silence to descend.
When she saw her own life history playing out in front of her, she had gazed towards this being as he was the reason her heart had grown calm- and it was because she confirmed that there really was something in the heart of this Junior Brother that was forcing himself to act coldly towards her the past few days!
A person that did not care would not have bothered to explain or justify things to his own subordinates, but Crixus went to great lengths to show the truth to them before he asked them what they wished!
Athena looked at the beings that she had destroyed the World of as even in the calmness, her eyes shook. This was because she still remembered carrying out those actions, and even if she used the excuse of being deceived by Celestials, she was still the one to ultimately push the button that released the destructive lasers.
Even though Grandmaster Vredral was right there beside her on that ship powering it with his Domain Expansion Realm energy, it was still her mission that she completed! Thus, her heart was at peace as she prepared for the actions that the inhabitants of this destroyed world would take, even though it seemed her Junior Brother was actually going out of his way to protect her!
The silence ended when a single miniaturized Calamity of the Sea moved forward.
It was the one holding the Sin of Wrath, the being who was closest to the Lost World as he heard its last few words when it fell! The Kraken moved towards the crazed figure of Grandmaster Vredral who was contained in the cage of Aether.
"Master, may I…?"
The Kraken voiced out as Noah waved his hands, the cage of Aether disappearing as Vredral regained control of his body and screamed out.
"You all will peris- Huk!"
His words were stopped short as the tentacles of the World Rank Kraken wrapped around him, his power still at the Domain Rank this entire time not being able to do a single thing as he felt his body constricted and his bones begin to break!
CRUNCH!
The Kraken did not even give Vredral any time to release any last words or curses, using its powerful strength to actually crush the body of this being instantly!
The Ocean Master and other inhabitants of the Lost World looked at this scene as their hearts became lighter, the eyes of many moving towards the figure of the War Princess they had seen move with their Master, and also the being that played a crucial role in the last battle at the Verittas Fortress.
The Kraken also floated towards her as his red eyes looked into hers deeply, as if trying to sense something or discern a deeper meaning!
"Even though this woman was brainwashed at a young age and deceived by the Celestials, she is still responsible for what happened! But...we are not cruel like our enemies, so I will speak out on behalf of the inhabitants of the Lost World when I say this."
The gaze of the Kraken who was the most powerful being from the Lost World shone with splendor as he finished his words.
"So long as she continues to use her strength to work with us in order to change actions that she and many other Celestials have carried out over the last hundreds of years...she can earn forgiveness!"
RUMBLE!
Invisible waves of fate spread out at these words, Athena looking up to the Kraken and then towards Noah as her eyes shook.
…!
Many of the beings looked towards each other as some held nodding expressions while others were impassive. The Emperor Penguin shook its beak as its beady eyes glanced at everyone with disdain, its gaze seemingly looking down on everyone here as if it knew a larger truth that many of them were not privy to!
Noah nodded at the words of the Kraken as he waved his hands and began sending out commands once more. If one was really paying attention, they would be able to notice the heavy weight lifting off his shoulders at this moment.
"Very well. I will send out word later for the role this being with Noble Fate will continue to play in the future."
Noah looked towards Athena as he said this, his words continuing as he spoke to his subordinates.
"Continue training and prepare, as it looks like the final fight is coming soon. Though it seems that many of you will not be able to participate in it…"
Noah's words trailed off as his subordinates nodded, many of them beginning to move out as they sought the Time Space or a specific Law Space for them to train in while using their loot they obtained from the recent battle!
The Atlanteans and Merfolk nodded appreciatively towards Noah as their vessel returned to the sea below, the Kraken and other Harbingers looking towards Athena before they moved out as well.
Above the beautiful blue sea, all that was left were the two figures of Athena and Noah's main body, his clone returning to the Time Space to continue training as the time drew closer!
The voice of Athena rang out at this time. It seemed to be filled with complicated emotions as her expression held a gaze of hopefulness and loss at the same time. She was extremely grateful for the kindness that the inhabitants of the Lost World showed, as she knew they were well within their rights to even demand her death from their Master. But they chose a different path!
"Thank you...Junior Brother."
Noah heard this voice that seemed to have many emotions in it as he nodded, looking out across the expansive blue seas around them as his mind went over his own thoughts multiple times.
"The...the places affected by the Celestials are many, and even if this war ends in your favor, they will require the help of powerful beings to re-establish order."
Athena continued to speak with slight hesitation as she glanced at the back of her Junior Brother, regaining the valiancy of the past War Princess as she continued.
"I will stay true to my aim and stand forth to establish order...and I would like your assistance again if it is possible, Junior Brother."
Athena said these words with conviction as her figure straightened, choosing to speak what she felt as even if her relationship with this being would not go back to how it was just a few weeks ago, she would still move and try her best to establish something like it as she aimed to achieve the goal of Order she had this entire time!
Noah nodded as he stopped staring out into the blue seas, his figure glancing towards Athena as he went towards her.
When it came to this War Princess, there were a myriad of conflicting feelings as Noah had tried to separate anything he felt while thinking back to his subordinates from the Lost World in the past weeks. When one thought about their relationship, it began on a lie, and was built on top of the blood of many beings!
He came close to her as he thought about these things, his eyes turning red as his mouth opened and his pristine fangs protruded once more. He turned her shaking head aside as his fangs sunk in, using his authority as the Vampyre Progenitor to upgrade the bloodline of a normal Vampyre that he granted her before into one of a Royal Vampyre!
"Ahhn~"
Athena voiced out as her body convulsed, Noah moving away from her as she began to release a more powerful aura. She clutched her neck as she looked towards Noah and spoke.
"Junior Brother, is there still a chance…"
Her words wandered off as she felt the new power coursing through her, Noah glancing at the wide blue seas once more as he replied honestly.
"I don't know."
Yes! He did not know!
He thought back to his relationship with Adelaide and Barbatos, even Elizabeth who still resided and looked after the Blessed Empire under Steel Mikhail. All of these women that he surrounded himself with, even though he had connections with them, he either found himself spending very little time with or even not seeing them completely in the case of Elizabeth.
When it came to Athena who had actually spent the most time with as much of the past months were sparring and moving with her with his identity as Crixus, he was conflicted even more because of her identity, and wanting to stay true to what he promised the inhabitants of the Lost World!
Now that all of it was resolved, he was asking himself whether it would do him any good to start something again out of this relationship that began on a completely wrong note. Even if he did, would it be any different from what he had with the women he surrounded himself with now?
As he continued to advance to greater and higher levels, he had of course continued to notice the distinct changes with the people he surrounded himself with. In the case of Barbatos, the wild and unruly Necromancer had long ago stopped calling him Little Fish, where Noah felt a gap being created and widening every time he continued to elevate himself onto higher stages, and this wasn't just in terms of upgrading through Ranks.
Even the docile Adelaide began to look at him with a light of reverence aside from the infatuation, his continued advancement into greater heights creating a sense of loneliness even when surrounded by many beings that loved him!
This was an extremely unique feeling that he did not know how to explain!
If he had told his past self that he would feel a sense of loneliness even when surrounded by the most beautiful beings, he would have laughed and called it ridiculous, but he was actually feeling this emotion for the past weeks.
He continued to stand alone atop an extremely heavy pedestal that now bore the weight of multiple worlds that had fused into a realm, where he himself did not know where his journey would ultimately lead.
He loved the feeling of power and experiencing brand new skills and skill trees, exploring wondrous locations and lands he would never even dream of before, but he still could not figure out how to erase this feeling where something seemed to be missing in his connections.
This was why he replied that he did not know.
But when Athena heard these words, her eyes brightened up as her valiant aura visibly erupted out even more as she seemed to make a new goal, nodding as she heard the words of Noah ring out once more.
"Get familiar with the Infinite Realm first before anything else, and prepare to move out to lead if I send the word. After all, you are still the War Princess who is uniquely fit to lead because of your ability."
Noah said this as he prepared to finish off a few more things before he went to the Fourth Infernal Realm to most likely achieve complete comprehension in a Supreme Law, where things could go in many directions thereafter as they would permanently change the state of the Novus Galaxy.
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Within the next hour, a grand announcement was made to the respective Commanders under Noah- beings like Elena, Steel Mikhail, Kraken, and many others that oversaw and led large forces or regions in the Infinite Realm. All of these beings received the message that the War Princess seeking order in the Novus Galaxy would take on a similar position as them as she used her unique ability created for War to lead some of Noah's forces, a new commander coming into their ranks!
Something that would not be known until much later was how the title of this being who was now known as the War Princess would change in the future as she went on to carry out her goals and ideals.
The identity of this being that used to be a Celestial would be stripped away as she would later come to be known as the Inquisitor!
The Inquisitor, Athena!