Chapter 335 Chapter 335 – Farewell Our Savior
After a year of torment, staying alive with only half a soul, and through Asmodia's passive healing abilities, Haruki knew his time had come. Waking up in his room, he glanced to the side at the stool Asuka used to watch over him overnight.
"Soon now," he said to himself and gathered all his strength to pull himself off the bed.
Walking up to the wardrobe, he picked out Snow's white suit that Rose had once given to wear him for the ceremony, and while putting it on the uproar from the Larian streets finally pierced into his ears, Smiling, he waltzed over to the windows onlooking the now bustling city.
Demons, monsters, demi-humans, and other free tribes of Atlas had all come together to breathe life into the nameless city. Done with the past, their grudges were discarded, and when one had no way of resorting to violence under a queen's command, things were often sorted through dialogue instead of fists.
'No wonder, the creator wanted her to be this world's messiah. Now if only that didn't require so much sacrifice, even my own, I might've been able to appreciate it a little more.' Walking away from the window, he began dressing up once again.
"Age reversal," smoothening up his decaying body, he made sure to look in his prime so that his daughter wouldn't get too worried about him just yet.
"Haruki, time to wake up," a familiar voice called, knocking against the door.
"Rose? Yeah, I'm coming now," hearing her voice, Haruki quickly got done with the clothes and headed right out. Standing before her, with her dressed in her work clothes, for a moment he couldn't believe it was really Roselia Ironfrost. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay in that isolated plain away from Atlas."
With a smile, Rose replied.
"There are a few reasons, but mostly because we felt it was time to return home," glancing up and down on Haruki's clothes, her smile grew bigger. "Besides, Tiara and Doroke would've turned me deaf if I didn't bring them back here. They're with Stella though, you should hurry too."
Turning around, Rose urged Haruki to follow behind her. Gulping the built-up blood in his throat, he did as he was told and followed the dragoness, towards the ceremonial balcony. Much like the time Michael had passed the torch of ruling from Snow's father to Snow himself, it was time for Haruki to do the same with Stella.
As they kept walking, Margarette, Serena, and even Riley, adorned in the most graceful dress, joined in on Haruki's convoy to the site of the ceremony. Holding up their looming hems, they walked alongside him with bright smiles, and radiance to rival the brightest of angels. Looking them up and down, a bittersweet taste washed down Haruki's tongue.
'It's your last day…' Said the voice of Ouroboros in his head.
'You don't need to remind me.' Haruki replied, turning back to look at the front.
Upon reaching near the site, the three queens greeted Haruki with a gentle bow. Akin to his convoy they were all dressed up in semi-tribal wear decorated with enchanting stones and other decorates.
With but a single sight, the goblin queen something was up with her master, yet keeping it to herself, she decided not to ruin the moment for anyone else. Having been the one to offer him all manner of healing potions and herbs, she knew how far his condition had progressed, just not that he was on death's door just yet.
"Haruki!" A wave of merged screams came from behind the queens.
It surprised everyone for a moment, except Rose who was left shaking her head with embarrassment. Jumping above the Medusa and Arachne queen's head, Tiara and Doroke tried lunging themselves towards Haruki. Catching the winged rascals in the air, however, Rose didn't let them get too close to him.
"The poison, remember?!" She yelled, embarrassingly louder than she'd wanted.
Grunting at her kids, she pulled them up her shoulders and glanced past the trio of queens. There, rushing to the front from behind, Hawthorn presented himself in a state of absolute exhaustion.
"I told you not to run!" He yelled, before realizing the convoy had Haruki and the others as well. Covering his mouth, he stood there frozen being stared down by his mother.
"Sometimes, I wish I could treat you like our tribes did," just those words alone from Rose were enough to set all three of them straight.
Chuckling a little at the entire ordeal, Haruki leaned against Margarette's shoulders for a moment. The laugh soon turned to cough, and the cough soon painted his palm red. However, closing his fist shut, he absorbed the blood back into his skin so it wouldn't be visible to anyone for much longer.
"I-It's okay, Rose. I'm glad they still have their innocence," Haruki said, looking up at the dragoness with a heartfelt smile.
Sharing a moment of silence with the demon, Rose felt the need to say something important to him, something she'd been holding back for long.
"It's all thanks to you," letting her children off her shoulders, she pressed her hand against Haruki's withering cheeks. "You might've done much harm to this world, but in the end, you brought down the gods, unified demi-human, monster, and even humans under one banner, something even Atlas could only ever dream of. A demon by nature perhaps, but your journey finally led us to a prosperous and safe present and perhaps even a similar future."
Leaning closer, Rose planted a gentle kiss against his forehead before stepping to the side so he could finally make his way to the ceremonial site. A bit jealous after the kiss, Tiara, and Doroke, both climbed up their mother's massive frame and pressed their face against hers demanding a kiss as well. Heaving a sigh, Rose let out a chuckle out of pure idiocy of her own children.
"Fine fine, but stay quiet after this," saying that she made sure to purify her lips of any potential poison and gave them both a gentle peck on the cheek.
"Haruki? You're here already?! Everyone's waiting for you!" Peeking inward from the balcony, Fay waved her hands at the convoy trying to get their attention.
Heeding her call, Haruki glanced at the goblin queen and was instantly handed a neutralizing potion. It only eased the effect of the decay for a few minutes but that was all that he needed. Downing the bottle, he began making his way towards the balcony.
Reaching on the other end, the light from the open space almost blinded him for a moment, but his eyes adjusted, he saw an even bigger audience than at the time of his coronation as Laria's ruler. Letting his eyes run over the sight, he saw all manner of creatures mixed in through the crowds, all of which seemed just as overjoyed about welcoming their new ruler as the other.
"To think she brought them all together," muttered Fay, looking at the same crowd.
Turning to her, Haruki noticed her silver dress stoned with rhines and other jewels of similar tint. As she turned to him as well, she had him follow his gaze to her daughter standing on the other end.
Looking at her, anyone could've seen how much she'd matured in just a year's time. Even before she had grown substantially faster than anyone around her, but now, after a few years, she appeared like a lady both elegant and commanding. Dressed in a suit much similar to Haruki's, she had the scale of a frost dragon looming over her neck as a necklace.
'Klian?' Haruki wondered and looked back towards Rose for an answer.
Noticing the confusion in his eyes, Rose nodded confirming his suspicion. The maddened dragon seemed to have sent a gift from him, even though he wasn't present for the ceremony.
'He was never a people's person anyways.' Haruki thought before bringing his attention back to Stella.
Visibly a bit nervous, she had her fist curled up and her lips puckered shut. Every so often she forced a smile while looking at the congregants but that facade didn't hold long.
"I suppose it's time," holding his hand forward, Haruki had her rest her hand on his.
Gulping down her anxiety, Stella offered her hand right up. Turning to the front, at the people, Haruki took a deep breath and began brewing up a snowstorm in the sky. As the weather took time to conform, he glanced sideways at Stella to talk to her before the ceremony began.
"I was once standing where you were, filled with rage, anger, and hurt," speaking his heart, he wanted to tell her the kind of person not to be, using himself as an example. "I killed plenty in the name of revenge, I offered my very soul for power and ended up losing nearly everyone I cared for…But you, you're much different, so pave your own path Stella, and never follow your father's step for they'll lead you nowhere but more bloodshed and loss."
Squeezing Haruki's hand, Stella could already feel the poison killing her father as they spoke. Yet keeping her composure, she said but a few words.
"D-Don't say such stuff, I'm you, remember? A part of you, a clone, maybe even part of your consciousness now given half my soul is yours," feeling heavier by the second in the chest, Stella heaved a heavy sigh to make sure not to tear up. "I now understand why you had to do what you did, why you were so angry at the people you killed, but they were no saints either. Besides, if it weren't for your sacrifices, we would never have gotten to this point."
Knowing all about Haruki's past at this point, Stella wished she could've done to pull her father out of the tangled mess between the demons and gods, but since it was left behind in the past, there was only one thing that needed attention.
"Thank you, for forgiving me, and purging this world of poison," referring to the ghosts of the past and himself as well, Haruki raised Stella's arm and began the incantation.
As the spell went on they were both encircled with a light storm of ice. Shooting up in the sky, the storm triggered the snowfall, and soon enough the people of the land roared overjoyed.
"You need no blessing, however…" Bringing her close, Haruki hugged Stella tight. "I wish no one under you ever falls in battle."
With his daughter still in hand, Haruki turned his gaze to Rose, hoping his words too could turn into a blessing on his daughter as they had from the words of the dragoness.
"It's time for the banquet, Stella, Haruki let me take you," Fay offered, but Haruki gestured with his hand in denial.
"I…Need some rest," he said before moving away from the balcony.
Watching him struggle his way back, everyone knew it was for their savior to finally be put to rest. Their eyes were teary, but they couldn't cry just yet, for they knew on the other side there were people waiting for him with loving smiles.
[The End]
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