Nebai held Zaimo’s face with trembling hands, unable to contain her desperation. "Zaimo! Zaimo!" Tears started falling amidst her words. His life was hanging by a thread, as if something was rapidly draining his entire existence.
Alm and Bruno focused intensely, trying to sense Zaimo’s condition in detail. The three vital energies inside his body were slowly fading, as if his consciousness couldn’t sustain them anymore. It was clear that the Origin Law was essential for staying alive. Even without a body, one could survive with a soul; but without this Law, it was impossible to even exist.
The whale sighed heavily; it was as if Zaimo’s death was inevitable. Realizing this, Nebai turned to the whale, completely desperate. "Please, save him!"
They looked at Nebai seriously. Zaimo was a valuable ally, but he had been pushed into Nebai’s arms only because she belonged to the royal family. Although she was someone helpful in the Larimar market, any other dwarf in her place would have done the same.
They had already missed the chance to use the hammer properly, so there was no rush to get it now. Reflecting on it, Nebai was just a pampered young woman who had never achieved anything on her own; being the leader of that market on the Gloom planet with such low cultivation clearly happened only because she was from the royal family.
Zaimo was an immature young man who had never had any relationship with the opposite sex. With the whale encouraging them to interact, and Nebai being considered a beauty among dwarves, it was obvious he would feel a fatal attraction. But now, everything had changed; he would never be that naive young man again.
"Nebai... he knew the risks," the whale said with a sigh.
Her eyes widened. "There must be something we can do; I’ll do anything..."
"He has lost something very important to all living beings," the whale replied quickly. "I can try to transfer some energy from someone else to him, but the amount needed might kill both of them... and he wouldn’t want that."
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"Use me; I don’t mind dying," Nebai replied almost pleadingly. "Unlike me, he can protect and save many lives. He is unique and too valuable; nothing can replace him. If there’s a chance, my life is nothing."
Alm and Bruno looked at her seriously. On Nebai’s tear-streaked face, there was genuine determination.
’I think even if he wakes up completely different, she’ll still like him,’ Bruno reflected lightly.
’Stop with the drama; our resources are being drained every second,’ Alm spat dryly. ’He’ll change, so what? When Ruri’s personality shifted to her past self, I did everything to bring her back. But if I hadn’t succeeded, nothing would change; we’d still love her just the same. If Zaimo changes completely, it’ll be her turn to make him like her again.’ (Chapter 427)
Bruno nodded. Nebai seemed to have been touched by Zaimo’s true essence after understanding him. From the start, he had stood out to her, but she couldn’t understand him due to his shyness and their lack of time together. Now everything had changed, but even if Zaimo changed his personality, his essence remained the same. Her feelings wouldn’t change.
"I’ll try, but know that the death of both is almost certain," the whale said.
Nebai immediately nodded, without hesitation, and gripped Zaimo’s hand tightly.
The whale extended its hand, touching both their heads. Using the array to manipulate the Origin Law was simple and could be done from a distance, but they could easily do it on someone from outside.
Fortunately, to bring back Zaimo’s memories, the portion Alm and Bruno had taken from him was minimal. By taking a safe portion from Nebai and putting it into him, they could stabilize him.
They didn’t know the consequences of the lack of this energy, so they were hesitant at first. If Zaimo’s consciousness dispersed, it would truly be impossible to save him. Fortunately, if there wasn’t enough Origin Law, he just couldn’t maintain the vital energies, which was easy to fix.
Nebai felt her consciousness fade, becoming completely unconscious. But it lasted only a few seconds before clarity returned. She opened her eyes and immediately turned to Zaimo beside her.
He was still with his eyes closed, but he didn’t seem to be dying anymore. Nebai turned to the whale, who assessed the situation for a second before speaking dryly.
"Zaimo, your brother and the others need your help. The fight isn’t over yet."
Suddenly, Zaimo’s eyes opened. "Ximo! Mr. Mephistooge!" Quick, anxious words came from his lips as he woke.
He quickly looked around and saw the whale watching him. Then, he was startled and looked around, confused. It took a moment for his mind to process, until Zaimo’s current and past memories began to mix.
’It must be a strange experience, suddenly having memories of two completely different lives,’ the whale’s voice echoed in his mind through the array.
Zaimo turned to the whale, now recalling a bit of his current life and himself. But upon hearing the tone of voice in his mind, the dwarf immediately connected with another voice, stunned.
’Yes, when we met, I introduced myself as Mephistooge,’ the whale spoke softly. ’The past situation is over; you died, but the war ended with your sacrifice. Your brother and the others were able to live their lives in peace.’
Zaimo’s eyes trembled. Nebai, watching him, immediately noticed something very different. There was no more trace of childishness or insecurity in him.
’I’ll be brief and to the point. I saved your soul and reincarnated you so you could have a safe and happy life in my city. But you chose to follow me on your own, wanting to continue fighting. Now the situation required me to revive your memories.’
In seconds, Zaimo took a deep breath and started to assimilate the memories that were still confusing. The whale’s words, however, helped him grasp the essentials quickly.
He turned to the battle happening around him. The whole event had lasted only a few minutes, but the dwarves were already on the brink of collapse, with a third of them seriously injured. The others were fighting to prevent deaths and maintain the battle, but it was evident that soon everything would crumble.
Zaimo’s eyes were serious yet calm. Only at that moment did he notice the hand holding his, and he turned to Nebai. Seeing her face, he remembered her, a bit surprised to find her so close to him.
Nebai was completely stunned. He looked like a totally different person; it was like being in front of someone experienced, who had suffered and seen a lot of the world. Zaimo gave her a slight smile before gently releasing her hand.
Nebai felt a slight loss. He then moved to the whale’s side and spoke calmly. "Sir, how can I save them?"
A familiar desire to fight flowed through him. Alm and Bruno nodded, while Nebai’s heart raced. He wasn’t a different person; the one who existed before was still there, just changed.
"Use your manifestation and connect with all the dwarves," the whale said calmly. "But this time, show the heavens and the earth your will to fight. Show the heavenly laws that you are here and will fight to protect everyone. If the heavenly laws themselves point their blades at your allies, you will block them. Nothing will stop you."
"Got it." Zaimo replied dryly. In that instant, the rune of an Empyrean Conqueror appeared on his forehead.
He took a deep breath and remembered his brother Ximo and the past. All of that was behind him, but knowing his brother lived in peace filled him with joy. His goal in that life was fulfilled.
"Now, I have a new family and a new goal, much bigger," he murmured, and his aura radiated a will stronger than steel. "To hell with fate and the laws. No matter who stands in your way, I will win. I will protect all the universes!"
Crack...
The sound of the Conqueror rune breaking echoed. In the next second, it reconstituted, and soon, an Empyrean Ancestral was born.
Zaimo nodded, making his manifestation appear behind him. The Ancestral mark on his forehead pulsed more intensely. Then he exhaled, and the world’s laws trembled in response.
Alm and Bruno carefully felt those changes. When Ruri advanced, they couldn’t feel anything because they were sealed before the Calamity. Now, they saw everything clearly.
’The power of an Empyrean Ancestral... yeah, the heavenly laws are easily giving everything to him. It’s a basic version of the heroes’ blessing. It must multiply his overall power several times,’ Bruno analyzed seriously.
They were well aware of the basic powers of a hero from other universes. The blessing of a hero was an extreme cheat: with just a thought, they could move the world’s laws in their favor. To use extreme techniques, they almost didn’t use their own Qi, unleashing multiple terrifying attacks without losing almost anything. It was an impossible advantage to overcome against someone in the same realm.
’Not to mention the supernatural luck that bastard had,’ Alm spat, recalling the past. ’That was definitely not normal and was part of the heroic blessing.’
Suddenly, in that wild battlefield, all the cultivators felt a sudden change. Those farther away looked toward a distant point and widened their eyes.
There, they felt the heavenly laws completely focusing on a small figure.
The whale beside him nodded and then spoke calmly. "Great, now you’ve created your own Divine Dao. You just need to name it."
Zaimo sighed; it felt like, throughout the universe, there were infinite eyes staring at him coldly. But he just smiled slightly.
"I will protect everyone; this will be the Dao of the Guardian Link."
As soon as he said those words, the heavenly laws vibrated in response. In the next instant, all the dwarves fighting felt a small rune move and attach to their armor. In the blink of an eye, all the Qi and energies from their armor seemed to completely recover.