Chapter 364 A Question
Dante knew that the penultimate moment had come. He informed his wife and daughter of his task, and the two of them gave him their blessings to go ahead in peace, as they were waiting for him.
Dante rolled his eyes because they were acting like he would be gone for long when an omni-clone was always present with them at the least. For all they even knew, Etz Chaim's solution might take a split second and he would be back.
Regardless, Dante kissed them both and left the Eternal universe, heading into the primal chaos that existed in between the universes. The moment he entered this void, the first thing he felt was the vast nothingness and the thunderous silence.
It was the kind of silence that was so intense that your ears started ringing. Next was the darkness where no light existed. Apart from the universe behind him he just came from, and the countless universes spread around contained in egg-shaped bubbles, there was not a single speck of light and Dante could not even see his own body.
Next was the danger. There were lifeforms that existed in chaos, created by Luka in order to present a challenge for inter-universe transportation and communication. If it was safe to cross this void, stronger universes with greater technology would have long found out how, and it wouldn't be Dante's turn to conquer the multiverse.
These lifeforms were the eldritch and space horrors that many knew of, and were in fact what existed in the subspace of the First Gate that had caused Dante trauma back then. Because, as it should be obvious, the battleground where the First Gate was located was smack dab in the center of the chaos.
However, as an Eternal, Dante's presence soon lit up the chaos like a beacon. His sense of silence was gone, his sense of blindness was gone, and the sense of danger disappeared as the eldritch monsters that had been rushing over to feast whimpered then fled.
All this, and he hadn't even used a speck of his authority yet. The power of an Eternal truly was the peak of existence below that of Godhood, and Dante was beginning to see why.
He casually used his Eternal talent of Technology to create a small spaceship that was above anything any universe's technology could match, with speeds and features that were insane.
He boarded it and let its onboard AI drive him towards his destination within the primal chaos. It took off and tore through the primal chaos, leaving a searing streak on its version of space like someone using chalk to draw a line on a blackboard.
As for Dante, he was reclining in comfort within the spaceship, his eyes closed and his thoughts on what was about to happen. As he contemplated, the onboard AI let him know he had reached his destination more than a few days later, causing him to sit up and begin leaving the craft.
Upon returning to the chaos, the first thing that came into view was a huge plane that stretched out farther and wider than any single universe, with different biomes spread all around it. Unlike the universes that were within a powerful bubble that protected from outside forces, the so-called Universe Battlefield was only covered by a thin layer.
If we were to compare them to dressing, then universes would be like nuns whereas the universe battlefield was like a one-piece swimsuit that only covered nipples and genitals.
The slightest force from a strong being like Dante could pierce it open and render every being within the First Gate's universe battlefield at the mercy of the chaos.
This made his expression become cold because he saw the malice in Lara's design. Even if the universe battlefield could somehow be destroyed without using the authority, one would have to put up with slaughtering all the existences within the plane.
Dante himself had not been here in a long time, refraining from partaking in the First Gate's troubles ever since Etz Chaim revealed the truth to him, but his mother-in-law was there. Even if he could easily resurrect her right now if she died, he did not want her to have to experience death twice.
Dante took his eyes away from the 'fragile' universe battlefield and focused on a giant tree that swayed in the chaos, forcefully creating an area of meadowland for hundreds of miles within its own space.
Etz Chaim's true body.
Obviously, it was not possible for Etz Chaim to squeeze her Eternal existence into Dante's tiny soul space. What had been there was a semi-projection and semi-corporeal entity, connected to him through the cords that linked to his quantum gate.
She had initially been in higher dimensional space until Dante reached the S Rank, where with Etz Chaim was able to descend into lower dimensional space and placed herself near the Universe Battlefield.
In terms of size, she was the largest thing he had ever seen, far larger than any universe or even the nearby universe, which was crazy because through his connection with Etz, he knew that she was normal size in the upper dimension.
Dante gathered his scattered thoughts and moved closer to Etz Chaim until he stood right in front of her trunk. Unlike the chaos, here there was a warm sun, a soft and cool breeze as well as swaying grass.
"So you're finally here. Took you long enough," Etz Chaim complained as her avatar separated from the trunk, forming a humanoid body dressed in leaves.
"I thought you said I had millions of years?" Dante retorted with a smile.
Etz Chaim was left speechless unable to refute her own words. Besides, the complaint was rhetorical, not intended to garner a response!
"Whatever. Did you bring the goods?" Etz Chaim asked shiftily.
Dante almost facepalmed. "Let's not speak as if we're here to trade illicit materials. Yes, I have all of Lara's clones, all 34 zillion-billion of them."
Etz Chaim clapped her hands in excitement and stretched her palm out. "Great, now give them to me and I can end this finally."
"No," Dante replied calmly.
Etz Chaim stood there, frozen for a bit, before processing Dante's words. "Huh? No? Why?"
Etz Chaim then sized Dante up and down suspiciously. "Don't tell me you've also been bewitched by her?"
Dante shook his head but remained neutral. "Not at all. The reason I won't give her to you is that I want you to answer one question for me first, just a little question that has been troubling me for a long time."
"Ooookay… sure," Etz Chaim acquiesced uncertainly, wondering what this was all about.
"Hmm. You know, you once told me the story of Luka and Myra, how they connected and how they were almost ruined by Lara. In this retell, you painted Lara as an incorrigible and unforgivable villain, which she is as far as I can tell," Dante began, rubbing his chin with a strange smile.
"However, in the end, you left something out, didn't you? Because help me understand this. How could Lara be the one who separated Luka and Myra, erased Luka's memories, killed his biological parents, caused him all sorts of agony as well as trauma during his formative years, and yet…"
Dante turned to face Etz Chaim, his smile slowly fading. "And yet, after all that, whenhe had her defeated in and at his mercy, he chose to seal her rather than kill her?"
"The power and authority of the creator of the universe are absolute; even a being like Lara cannot be immune to that, first creation or not. So, what exactly did Luka learn or know about Lara that made him spare her life and decide to seal her?"
Dante took a step forward. "And why did you hide this from me?"
Etz Chaim paled and took a step back. It was clear that this was likely one of the questions she hoped Dante would never ask nor think of, for she had never reacted so strongly to anything before.
Dante also waited until now to ask this because he wanted to hold the initiative. With all the Lara clones in hand and the multiversal authority in his control, Etz Chaim could not do anything but answer if she wanted to proceed with this plan.
"Well?" Dante pressed.
Etz Chaim gritted her teeth, seemingly very unwilling and reluctant, but slumped her shoulders in defeat.
"I was hoping you wouldn't want to know. Hahaha, I knew you and Luka are very alike."
Etz Chaim looked to the sky of her own world and sighed. "Lara was spared by Luka because he pitied her after finding out the truth of her existence. He decided to seal her instead of killing her, even after she tried to kill all his friends before their final battle."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "And what was that? What was it about Lara that caused Luka to do this?"
Etz Chaim hesitated and spoke slowly. "Because Lara… Lara is not the way she is naturally. Someone tampered with her mind and soul to turn her into a weapon that would harm Myra at all turns and hinder her growth to keep Myra under control."
Dante's eyes narrowed as his breath caught.
"…Deus."
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦