Chapter 474: Away, and Departure

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It was a decent power, considering the mental boons it provided, and he even earned a few thousand Endurance Stat from Lady Life thanks to the [Life Force Absorption] side of the Tale.

But overall, wasn’t it pretty useless during fights and wars? Neji was dying to unlock something that’d help him in real battles.

“From what I know,” he braided her hair while she spoke. “The fastest way to access an already earned Fable is to retrace it with a similar action. For example, since you've been a ‘manwhore’ all your life, this Tale responded exactly when you were being a manwhore again - by sleeping with me.”

When he remained silent, she giggled and added, “You said this ‘System’ of yours mentioned you have 8 Tales, right? First of all, that’s a lot of Tales for someone as young as you. If you can guess what the other seven might be, we can try recreating those scenarios and quickly access them.”

One, he was sure, came from fighting a few hundred Prime Gods as a mere mortal. That couldn't be recreated right now since there was no army of Prime God nearby. As for the others, he had no lead. What could they possibly be?

‘Sisty, can't you give me a list of what the other 7 Fables are?’ he asked.

[Unfortunately, that needs Admin access. I can't view them myself, Master. I'm sorry for being so… useless as always.] Sisty sounded down.

Speaking of, he hadn't had a conversation with her yet about their clash with SBOP. Well, it wasn't really a ‘clash’, the entity basically bullied the poor girl, but Neji hadn't thought she'd be so worried about it.

‘It's not your fault, Sisty.’ he tried.

Her voice rang out like a song of sorrow and guilt in his head, [It is. I should have been able to guess this as the System spirit. How could I not have wondered why my host has restrictions from the previous host? If I deduced the truth, things might have been different.]

He smiled at her, ‘It's just how things are. I don't blame anybody, so it's weird if you blame yourself. I'll be sad if you remain sad. Materialize in front of me.’

There was silence, and Lady Life turned her head to look at his face, as he had been silent for an extended period. A moment later, a light shimmered in front of them.

Sisty formed in front of them, her hair black and dyed golden just like Neji. She looked away, too ashamed to meet his eyes even if she had listened to his order.

“Huh,” Lady Life blinked. “Who's this?”

[Peak of Artificial Intelligence, I guess. A Soul Ai. She's a copy of my consciousness, so I see her as my twin.] Neji said to Life, and looked at Sisty. [Can you speak?]

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She sighed and the same text clouds formed over her head, [No, sorry…]

Lady Life realized when Neji was silent just now and smiling in the air, he must have been talking to her in his head. She got up from between his legs and hugged her, “The aunt of my future children? How nice, how nice. And your existence is so interesting.”

Sisty seemed awkward at first, but she eased up and smiled.

* * *

A few days later, Neji had a solid guess about one of his Tales. So naturally, he also guessed how to get access to it.

Lady Life slept on his arms comfortably after he had deliberately tired her out. The two lay on the bed while he gently patted her hair. His expression, however, was far from gentle.

He wore a grim look, and an Omnipresent Copy materialized. He made the copy look different, with long red hair and a tanned body, and sent it down to the Archverse.

As it left, Sisty’s concerned voice rang out in his head. [Maybe you should tell her about this by now. She's so kind, she'll be heartbroken if she finds out you’ve been destroying worlds behind her back….]

Currently, Neji was standing at Level 19120. That was 1444 levels higher than what he was two months ago when he first slept with Lady Life.

‘It's precisely because she's so kind that I have to hide this.’ He kissed Life on her head and hugged her like a bear, closing his eyes. ‘I don't think she'd have agreed to let me massacre innocent worlds in a mere test attempt to unlock a Tale.’

[True…]

Neji hoped she wouldn't be too upset when she found out.

* * *

The Omni Copy he sent was ordered to target a couple of Superhero-type worlds that were inside this Archverse. Neji had to control his emotions and remain calm, for he brought apocalypse upon those worlds.

He stopped the moment his goal was met. As he had hoped, this destruction allowed him to unlock another of his Tale.

[Fable: The Harbinger of Ruined Worlds has revealed itself.]

He had brought the My Hero Academia world's destruction, and then also the end of the Babylon world as Gilgamesh, even if not directly. Now that he destroyed a few more, the Fable had revealed itself.

===

Fable Title: The Harbinger of Ruined Worlds

Fable Rank: Historical

Background: This Fable emerged from Neji Hado's tumultuous history of causing the destruction of worlds, both directly and indirectly. It encapsulates the darker aspect of his journey, where his actions, either as a necessity or a result of manipulation, led to the downfall of entire civilizations and the collapse of worlds. This Fable was revealed and  significantly strengthened by his recent actions in the Archverse, where he destroyed multiple worlds to unlock it.

Granted Powers:

[0] When wielded like a direct Weapon in battles, you can manifest it as a translucent white gauntlet around your hands. Below are other effects it provides.

1. World Devastation: Ability to unleash massive destructive forces, capable of decimating planets or even entire star systems when used to its full potential.
2. Intimidating Presence: A terrifying aura that demoralizes enemies, causing dread and hesitation in their actions. Effective in both personal combat and large-scale battles.
3. Cosmic Manipulation: Proficiency in manipulating cosmic energies, allowing for the creation of black holes, supernovae, or manipulating the very fabric of space-time for offensive and defensive purposes.
4. Ruination Empowerment: Gains strength from destruction; the more widespread the devastation, the greater the increase in personal power and regeneration capabilities.
5. Cataclysmic Insight: A heightened intuition for finding weak points in structures, be it physical buildings, natural formations, or even world barriers. This enables the targeting of critical points for maximum destructive effect.
6. Soul Harvest: Ability to gather the souls of those perished in the destruction caused, potentially using them for bargaining, powering up, or creating new realms.

Limitations:

1. Moral Dilemma: The use of such overwhelming power often comes at the cost of innocent lives, posing a constant moral challenge and the risk of losing one's humanity. [Gamer’s Mins negates this]
2. High Energy Consumption: The powers granted by this Fable require a significant amount of energy to activate and maintain, limiting their frequent use.
3. Potential Backlash: Overuse or loss of control over the Fable's powers can lead to unintended consequences, potentially turning the devastation onto oneself or allies.

Note: "The Harbinger of Ruined Worlds" Fable is a call back to the destructive aspect of Neji Hado's journey. The Fable serves as both a weapon of unmatched devastation and a reminder of the heavy responsibilities that come with wielding such power.

===

For what it counted, he gathered the souls of the billions of souls and made a custom Heaven for them. They would be happier than what they were in their world. Though admittedly this wasn't purely out of his  good intention, these souls would all pray to him from heaven, which will recharge his Faith Point to use divinity.

He dispersed the Omni Copy with a soft smile as he held Lady Life in his arms. It was a good harvest.

….

Sadly, his happiness didn't last long. Just that evening, bad news came.

As Neji had been sending Omni Copies to the Archverse for a while now, relentlessly picking fights with strong entities within it to farm levels, it left a trail of chaos in its wake. That had drawn the attention of the local gods of the Archverse, as the entity of trouble was an outsider.

Since he had destroyed multiple worlds now, his presence was easier to trail. Neji was unaware of how to hide his trail from such entities, so he was caught. 

Four dignified gods approached the hut where Neji and Lady Life were staying. Their presence was commanding yet they remained respectful in the presence of an Abstract Entity.

"O’ great Lady Life," began one of the gods respectfully, a slim Good with purple hair and golden eyes. He didn't seem very pleased at Neji's presence, as he spoke, "We must inform you of a grave matter. The man beside you has been linked to catastrophic events across multiple worlds within our Archverse. If these actions were out of your will, we naturally have no issues, but in case he had done this on his own accord, may you do what you please." The gods’ tone was measured, conveying the seriousness of the situation.

They conveyed the news to Lady Life, detailing the extent of the destruction and the billions of lives lost in its wake. They went to extreme details and even showed pictures and video clips.

Lady Life listened intently, her expression shifting from surprise to disbelief, and then to a deep sense of betrayal. 

After delivering their report, they bowed deeply and departed, leaving Lady Life to process the harrowing revelations. 

She remained still, absorbing the weight of their words.

“....” Outside the hut where she and Neji stood, a heavy silence fell. The air was thick with tension, a stark contrast to the cheerfulness that usually surrounded them.

Turning to Neji, her eyes, once a haven of kindness and understanding, now bore into him with a mixture of sadness and anger.

"How could you?" Her voice, usually gentle and caring, trembled with emotion. "How could you cause such harm, destroy so many innocent lives?! Billions!”

Neji's response was nothing but silence. His eyes, usually so expressive, did not meet her piercing gaze. Any explanation would fall short, he knew. That no words could undo the harm he had caused, and he knew that from the get go. He had no choice but to do it anyway because it's either them or him.

He'd sacrifice a billion more innocents if it guaranteed his safety.

But that wasn't an explanation she'd buy.

“Did you lose control?” She asked, a hint of hope in her voice. He shook his head, unwilling to lie. Her expression dropped. “Tell me the reason then, you surely have one since you didn't lose control.”

Should he tell her that the Primordial God was after him? It wasn't true, not yet, so she might find out about it and call him a liar.

“....”

At his silence, she grumbled. “Why are you like this? I give you a type of love I've never given to anyone else, and you repay me like this? Why would you do that to so many innocent people?”

[...I have their souls in a Heaven I made,] Neji finally decided to speak. [The death of their bodies was required. My System gives me power, Levels, for killing people, and on this particular occasion, destroying these worlds allowed me to unlock a Tale.]

Her scowl deepened. “What's the name of the Tale?”

He knew she'd ask that, that's why he was unwilling to talk until now. But there was no backing off now. He sighed and said, [...The Harbinger of Ruined Worlds.]

She opened her mouth, and closed it. Her hand came flying on his cheek. It hurt but not enough to erase him, something she was easily capable of.

“You have destroyed worlds as a mortal? Are you pure evil?” She asked, her voice lacing with poison.

[...What if I am?] He looked back at her and asked. He wasn't pure evil, he didn't like to think so, but he knew he would be it by the end of this. 

Lady Life’s expression twisted. “I see. It makes sense now. Was that a lie too when you said you'd grant me a child? It's been months, but there has been no proof of that - whereas, I should have been pregnant on the first day if it really worked. Did you just want to get a hole in my body?” She scoffed. “Heh, no wonder you have a Tale called ‘Manwhore’.”

“....” 

She knew that if his promise was true, she'd have gotten pregnant on the first day, since she was Life personified. Yet, she hasn't called him out on it yet, clinging to a small hope. But now, all of her hope was broken, and she saw him as a liar.

Meeting his silence, she sighed. "Perhaps this was a mistake.” She said, voice carried an odd tone of finality. “Maybe it's time for us to part ways."

Neji met her gaze, but he found no words to stop her. 

“For the sake of… the time we spent with each other, something I'll assume wasn't entirely fake, I'll let you go freely. But… if I were to meet you again in the future, and if I catch you doing bad deeds, we'd face each other as enemies.” Lady Life said, which made Neji smile.

She knew he'd be doing bad deeds the next time they'd meet, it was not a case of ‘if’. She knew that. Even if he didn't want to, his curse would lead him to do evil. So she would surely see him as an enemy.

With a mix of understanding and irony, he nodded slowly, acknowledging the truth in her words.

Lady Life stared at him for a second more before turning away. Neji felt a sense of loss. He had hoped she'd stick with him throughout his journey, but…

The bond they had shared, now shattered by his actions. Funnily enough, he still didn't regret it. Because he didn't know if there was any other way. He was too kind and compassionate a person to be his.

[I wouldn't.] Before he left, he let the text above his head talk one last time. [It's not accurate to say ‘we’.... Even if you see me as an enemy, I would never.]

She had helped him too much in both this timeline and the future, for him to hate her.

Her back was turned to him, so he was unsure if she saw it. Her perception should not be limited by her eyes, but if she saw, she didn't react.

Neji turned around, sighting softly as he rubbed the back of his head. The last four months were fun, he enjoyed it. Even if four months to her were trivial, it was a long time for him since he had never spent that long idle in recent times, let alone with a lone woman. But it was time to get out of his comfort zone.

He wondered where to go now. His goal was obviously the Temple of Equilibrium, but apparently it was a place that's very hard to find.

"You, Prima!" The sudden call of his false name halted Neji's departure. He turned to find a ring with an emerald stone being thrown at his face. Skillfully catching it, he examined the beautiful piece of jewelry, its stone glowing with a faint, mystical light.

Lady Life gave him one last frown, her eyes a mix of emotions. "Wear it… it will help keep you in control, somewhat," she said, her voice laced with a hint of concern beneath the stern exterior. “And stay away from me in the future,” Without another word, she turned and her form disappeared into the distance. 

Neji looked down at the ring in his hand, feeling the weight of its significance. It was light, but it had a heavy feeling to it, in a good way. He knew it was more than just an ornament; that green gem was a part of her, a tool to help him stay sane. 

Slowly, he put it on, sliding it on his ring finger. Instantly he felt a huge surge of life energy and serene essence soar into him, and he appreciated the sense of balance that it gave.

“Thanks,” letting out a deep breath, Neji turned back on his path. The journey ahead was uncertain, but now, with a piece of Lady Life's essence with him, he felt a bit more prepared for whatever lay ahead.

At last, he left the Archverse behind, his destination—the Temples of Equilibrium.

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