Chapter 2770 2771: Swallow Your Pride

-----

His mother and his father would die agonizingly, unable to continue their small bakery business, the dream they had finally achieved after reaching the age of sixty.

His grandfather would no longer enjoy fishing trips with him, and his grandmother would be unable to bake cookies for him.

His dear sister would be unable to finish college and become the doctor she had always dreamed of being.

"Haaa… Haaa…! Haaa…!"

Noah trembled, grabbing his face, crying tears of blood.

He gnashed his teeth as madness overtook his actions.

"Do I do it?"

"Do I do it?!"

"I must…! I must kill everyone…!"

"Their plan will be ruined, and then…!"

"Then… what will I have left?"

He looked at the sky with empty eyes.

The blood spear in his hands quickly disappeared.

"I can't do it after all…"

He laughed hollowly.

These new bonds, these new connections…

And the very reason he cared.

They were stopping him.

It was a deadly trap.

One he could never escape from now.

"I have to find a fourth solution."

One he never would have considered.

As someone so powerful and prideful, someone who had forged his own path through millions of years of endless effort.

To consider doing this was deeply humiliating.

"I have to ask for the help of others…"

"I have to help those too weak to fight back to grow stronger."

"I have to… create bonds with them."

"And then, unify everyone together."

He shuddered at the thought.

It was a completely alien plan for a being such as him.

One that was deeply agonizing to even think about.

To swallow his pride and ask for help from those he saw beneath him.

"Kireina's family, the Chaos Gate… a great group of incredibly powerful individuals. Although still beneath me, together with her father, they can be a force to be reckoned with."

"The various Clans that worship the Gods of Japan… the Kami. Especially the Sun Clan, Amaterasu, and her family… Together they are powerful."

"The Vampire and Werewolf Families as well are recognizably strong."

He looked further into the rest of the world beyond Japan.

"The many Magus Families and Mythic Bloodlines of Europe."

"The remaining Gods of various other Pantheons and their worshippers and demigod children."

He laughed, looking at a young man walking out of school with his friends. Within him was the cosmic power fueling this entire world.

If he could truly awaken it all, he might even be able to fight back against everything or completely collapse this dimension or control it.

This was the reason they had erased his memories as much as they could and tried to reboot his entire being back to his early years.

"And Frank, the Son of the Strongest Overseer."

Noah sighed, wiping his shameful tears and quickly sinking deep into thought.

"Am I really considering doing this? What a ridiculous idea. I don't need their help. I will simply kill all life as planned…"

Noah slowly walked out of school, meeting his wife and his children waiting for him.

Iris, Dante, and Eleanora were chatting with a young woman with short white hair and blue eyes.

"But can I?"

As he walked toward them, his dear family greeted him with warm smiles.

"Dad, you're finally back! You promised we would go buy those famous doughnuts our aunt always talks about…" Eleanora said. "I hope you didn't forget!"

"Yeah! What's wrong with you all of a sudden?" Dante asked, noticing his father's expression was more somber than usual.

"Noah?" Iris asked.

"Hm?" The girl by her side ran toward Noah.

"Noah! I did it! I passed the test thanks to you!" she hugged him tightly, resting her head on his chest.

His hands trembled.

Could he really bring himself to kill her?

To destroy this "illusion" that was not an illusion, but simply an alternate reality?

"Thanks for helping me study," she said with a gentle smile. "Hm? What's wrong?"

"…"

Memories flowed through his mind once more, memories of the world he had experienced.

Of his little sister slowly growing up, always giggling and playing all sorts of pranks on him.

And of the times they spent together.

Enjoying ice cream every summer at the park.

Opening gifts at Christmas and being happy to find what they wanted.

And of the many trips their family took around the world.

She was his dear, beloved sister.

Noah looked at his sister with eyes filled with sorrow.

And then he hugged her back, despite his hesitation earlier.

"I will protect you no matter what… Elizabeth."

"…Hm?"

She was a little confused but hugged him back with a nod.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

Unlike Kireina's family, Noah's and Iris's families were not born with powers nor did they belong to any bloodline.

They were ordinary human beings unrelated to the power they possessed.

"No, I'm fine," Noah said. "Iris, sorry for not greeting you properly."

"It's fine, dear," Iris smiled. "I see you've finally made your resolve?"

"…?" Noah was confused, realizing he had been easily read by Iris.

She was also a master of Intent and Consciousness, reading through his Heart Essence like an open book.

"Hahahah… of course my wife would realize. Yes, I've made up my mind."

Noah stepped forward, no longer carrying the same heavy weight he once had.

He had even given himself the chance to laugh after so long.

"Did our dad just laugh?" Eleanora asked.

"He did…" Dante said.

"It's really rare for him to laugh, but don't say that kids!" Elizabeth giggled. "Anyway, let's go buy those donuts before someone else gets them."

"Yes, let's go."

For the first time in his life, Noah had decided to walk a different path.

Yes, for the first time in his life, Noah actually gave himself the chance to believe in hope.

As they walked to the donut store and waited for Elizabeth and his kids to buy the donuts in line, Noah and Iris had a small telepathic conversation.

-----

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.