Harem Stealer

Volume Five: Path of Cosmos-II

Chapter 343: Talk under a Tree

"Neron is dead, O Great Mother."

A deep voice, laced with gravity, spoke. The man had the trademark golden hair and green eyes of the Worldborn.

He wore a luxurious celestial robe laced with living green leaves that twitched faintly, too alive to be mere decoration.

He lowered his head as he spoke to the stunning being before him.

This was the Orator of the Worldborn — the one who carried tidings of elves, of Worldborn matters, of universal news to the Progenitor herself.

To Luelle Worldborn.

The woman sat calmly beneath a colossal green tree, its leaves so vast they seemed to cradle entire universes within their veins.

Yet even before such a cosmic tree, one's eyes strayed inevitably to Luelle. Her beauty was suffocating.

Her body resembled polished, perfected wood, supple yet radiant, glowing faintly with soft green light. Veins of luminous sap coursed across her skin, as water threads down stone in an endless stream.

Her eyes were an eternal swirl of leaves, a cornucopia in motion, chaotic yet strangely harmonious.

At the Orator's words, Luelle paused briefly in her sewing — for she was calmly sewing clothes — then resumed as if nothing had happened.

"Who killed my child?" Luelle asked, her voice soft as melting snow, yet heavy, crushing, as though she spoke within a chamber of unbearable gravity.

"Unfortunately, Great Mother, we were not able to track down the culprit of this sacrilegious action." The Orator's voice shook with barely restrained fury at the audacity of the act.

"The Realm of Thorns was completely destroyed. Nothing was left behind." He fell silent.

"Whoever did this stood high enough in term of status to know I can feel the death of my children," Luelle said, her tone steady.

If Neron's death had struck her ancient heart, not a flicker of it showed outwardly.

"They must also have means to veil my senses this completely, this thoroughly," she continued, her words patient, as if speaking to a child.

"That is what we suspect too, Great Mother," the Orator said with a firm nod. "Given the power required, it must be one of the great factions who hold grudges against us."

"Who do you think they are?"

"The High Humans," he answered. "They remain furious at Young Master Orien for his slaughter of their lower worlds. They crave revenge."

"And the Divine Beasts, Great Mother."

"The Beasts I expected," she replied coldly. "That feud belongs to me and their whelp of progenitor. But the High Humans?" She raised her gaze, fixing it upon the Orator.

"Since when have they grown so bold?"

Her glance suffocated him. His chest tightened as though crushed by mountains.

"W-We do not know, Great Mother," he stammered. "It is speculation. But given Young Master Orien's dealings with them, I felt it prudent to include them."

Luelle waved her hand dismissively, as if brushing aside a buzzing insect.

"Those lanky humans lack the courage. They are like their Progenitor, a coward who survived by cowardice alone."

Her tone deepened, sharpened.

"But If I were you...I would consider the abominations. Especially now, with a third who prowls, daring and wild."

The Orator's eyes widened. He had nearly forgotten. But even so...

"Why would they kill Neron, Great Mother? They would gain nothing. In fact, they would lose more."

"Why wouldn't they?"

Her voice was chilling in its simplicity.

"My baby Orien never needed a reason to erase entire worlds."

"You did not need a reason to kill a lowly servant," she continued. Her eyes flared with green fire, silence dropping across the paradisiacal realm like a bomb waiting to detonate.

"And I... I can erase entire legacies, entire factions...without needing a reason."

Her gaze bore into him.

"Do you know why, my lovely child?"

His answer came instantly, instinctively.

"Strength is the most spoken language of the universe, Great Mother. We do all this because we can... because we know no repercussions will come."

Luelle nodded faintly, lips curving into an approving smile.

"Yes. It does not matter whether your strength was granted, earned, or stolen. What matters is bending the lesser to their knees. That is what we do."

Her voice sharpened again, like venom in silk.

"My child Neron met something stronger, and so he perished. But..."

Her eyes turned murderous.

"Every rule has exceptions. And my children are exceptions. None may touch them. Whoever does will be killed."

Her voice grew glacial.

"Find me the abominations. All of them. If I do not receive news within five years, I will act myself. And if I am disappointed..."

She left the threat unspoken and returned to her sewing, her hands calm as rivers, her words lingering like thunder.

The Orator's mind raced wildly, panic thrumming like poisoned drums in his chest.

To disappoint the Great Mother was to invite obliteration.

His eyes hardened like tempered steel. He bowed deeply, his voice merciless, iron-willed.

"We will find them, Great Mother. No matter the cost."

...

Void.

That was all the group saw as they traveled toward Earth.

The void was strange — but this void, devoid of mana, was something altogether alien.

Excluding Noah, none of them could fathom how this place still stood, how it had not collapsed into nothingness. Odd metallic structures drifted here and there, unrecognizable, relics of something older than time.

Noah had an idea, though even to him it sounded far-fetched.

The others wrestled with one question, primordial and terrifying:

Was not mana life? That was what they had been taught.

So how could existence persist here, where mana was absent?

As if fate demanded it, Virgo seized this moment of shared wonder to prove her worth. She spoke of void realms in her own universe, barren of mana, yet whispered to hide impossible truths.

She told of one such place, claimed long ago by the enigmatic Merchant — a world he guarded jealously, said to contain the relic of the first civilization, perhaps even the origin of all universes.

Noah and his siblings listened intently, their curiosity sharpened.

Their senses tingled. Their blood boiled.

Something was coming. Something vast, inevitable, fascinating.

They simply did not know when, where, or how.

Until...

Just minutes before reaching Earth, reality itself tore open before them, parting like a curtain. A portal of swirling white light erupted, filled with dreadful enlightenment.

Noah's senses screamed first, frantic and wild, followed by the others.

But it was too late.

The white light swallowed them whole, erasing their presence in an instant.

Only Noah's frustrated voice lingered, echoing faintly into the silence.

"Ah Providence...did you see this coming?"

A pause echoed through the void then...

[Of course, Noah.]

A resounding chuckle boomed out.

Then the portal vanished as if it had never existed. Earth spun on in peace, ignorant, untouched by the brush of vengeful titans.

Well... for now.

Noah wasn't that petty. He wasn't that heartless either.

...Right?

Chapter 344: Confusion

"How could a sea split itself into two to pave a way for a man with no power?"

A feminine mechanical voice boomed through the white sterile oval-shaped room as Noah and Virgo regained consciousness.

They looked around, trying to get a hold of where they were, but what they saw slowed their minds significantly.

They were in a small white room with no doors or windows to speak of. The walls, the floor, and the ceiling were all painted white in a way that was almost painful to look at.

But not only that — as he pressed his hand on the floor to get up, Noah felt a difference in texture he hadn't expected.

The floor felt like alloy, transformed in a way he had never thought possible back on Earth. Metallic lines ran across the walls, trailing downward like liquid light.

It glowed with a translucent shine.

On the ceiling, in each of the four corners, Noah saw something resembling loudspeakers, entirely white like the room itself. Mechanical insects flew lazily through the air, some crawling on the walls and ceiling, their eyes fixed on them with unnerving precision.

He felt watched. Not the kind his wives would do, the one that spoke volumes about their degeneracy... but the kind when you feel like a rat under the gaze of a mad scientist who had long turned off his emotions.

It was eerie, to be honest.

Virgo pushed herself upright, her eyes clouded with confusion.

"Where are we?" she asked.

Noah didn't respond immediately. His mind was trying to comprehend what he was seeing.

Providence had already warned him about an event he could not escape, an event he needed to go through if he was serious about his dream of Perfection.

But he was already starting to regret it, because he could feel his power suppressed dramatically. He barely had the strength of a Supreme rank being now.

He cursed silently.

He parted his lips to respond to Virgo but—

"How could a sea split itself into two to pave a way for a man with no power?"

The mechanical voice echoed again from everywhere at once.

"What?" Noah blurted instinctively.

"Incorrect. First attempt failed."

Noah went quiet, realization dawning.

He needed to answer the question. But Noah never liked to act without understanding the reason for it.

And he certainly didn't like following orders.

Virgo's eyes darted to the strange mechanical forms surrounding them. She swore she saw electricity coursing through their metallic limbs, their gaze locked onto her and Noah with an eerie intensity.

A sick feeling crawled through her.

She instinctively moved closer to Noah, pressing against his side. Only then did they notice they weren't wearing their usual clothes, but full white blouses that reached only to their knees — thin garments that revealed far too much of their bodies.

She would have normally been happy to feast her eyes on Noah's thick legs, but the place killed any such thoughts.

They looked like mentally deranged patients put in quarantine.

Even though, Virgo didn't know that concept.

"How could a sea split itself into two to pave a way for a man with no power?"

Again, the robotic voice reverberated.

Noah didn't respond. Neither did Virgo.

'Aurelia and Asaemon aren't here. I assume they're in another room like this, probably going through the same trial.'

His jaw tightened. 'Will they be okay?'

'Providence...' he thought, not even bothering to shape the words properly.

Providence understood.

[It is dangerous and not dangerous at the same time. You simply need to answer the questions. You need this, Noah. You need this to understand.]

Noah clicked his tongue in irritation.

"Action of irritation noticed. Participants unable to control basic emotions. Noah, -1 points."

His name?

His eyes widened. He almost cursed aloud, but instead he shut them tight.

'Another thing to torture on my list,' he muttered inwardly, eyes like frosted steel, before the voice repeated once more:

"How could a sea split itself into two to pave a way for a man with no power?"

Again.

This time, Noah thought carefully about the possible response. He didn't want to speak, and whatever the system was, it seemed to register his hesitation and provided an answer.

"Consultation between participants is allowed."

The voice announced coldly.

Noah glanced at Virgo and forced a strained smile.

"Any idea?" he asked.

Virgo shook her head, clearly indicating she had none.

She had never been in this kind of place, and she was still disoriented.

For a moment, Noah wished that Aurelia was with him instead of this red-skinned woman.

At least his sister was knowledgeable in many things.

But that would practically doom his brother Asaemon. That man's head contained nothing except ideas to cause problems.

'Whoever split us certainly has an idea of who we are, or at least our essence.'

Things were getting strange, but first...

Noah focused on the question.

"How could a sea split itself into two to pave a way for a man with no power?"

The cold feminine voice repeated.

Thoughts churned like a raging storm.

A sea could be split in many ways before a man with no power. If he used physical explanations, it could be done with the aid of a massive force pushing away the water and keeping it from rushing back.

It could be storm winds blowing continuously, or simply earthquakes.

That was a viable answer. But strangely, Noah didn't like it.

Something in him resisted, and instead he opened his mouth to say something most people back on Earth would have called bullshit. But now, with the height of power he stood at, and the kind of law he wielded, he knew...

"By belief," he responded.

There was a long sterile silence. Then:

"Argue your response." The mechanical voice echoed once again.

Instantly, the scrutiny of the mechanical insects increased.

And only then did Noah sense something else. The moment he uttered his response, he started to feel a little bit better. As if he was regaining energy — or rather...

He lowered his gaze to his right hand. On his palm, a small whirring device was embedded into his very flesh.

The device pulsed with subtle electrical activity, blinking with a soft green light.

'My power... my power is being absorbed.' The realization hit him like a speeding truck.

He almost staggered in shock.

'How did I not notice that? Is this why I feel weak?'

Now things were making sense, but also becoming more harrowing.

If Noah hadn't taken this place seriously before, now he did.

Because whatever could strip him of his clothes and implant such a device into his body without him noticing... was something far beyond his expectations.

And worse, he didn't know what else might have been implanted that he hadn't discovered yet.

"Argue your answer," the voice repeated.

Noah shook his head and looked at Virgo. The woman had just noticed the device too — she cried out in horror.

"Unable to control basic emotion. Virgo, -1 point."

She slapped her hands over her mouth, terrified to let out another sound.

Noah breathed in and out, steadying himself.

"Belief. It could only be belief that allowed a man with no power to stand before the sea expecting it to part."

"It could only be the belief in something higher than himself. Something... out of order, out of the normal. Something beyond the simple understanding of a man."

"Like Fate. Like Destiny. Or like someone who embodies all of that — a God."

He paused, then finished:

"He simply believed. And the world had no choice but to bend and make his belief reality."

Again, silence.

Virgo, still trembling, almost forgot to breathe. Then...

"Response acknowledged."

"Noah Vaelgrim, +15 points."

"Virginia Ti Raneth, +0 points."

Virgo bit her lip at the voice. She didn't know how this thing knew her full name, but she sensed that if she continued like this... she might face something ghastly.

'I have been useless. I have to gather myself!' she rebuked herself.

Suddenly,

In the far right corner of the oval room, the floor flipped like a switch. A bed began to rise, oval-shaped, white, forged from sublime alloy, and fixed to the ground with heavy vices.

The floor beneath Noah parted, and a metallic hand with multiple electrical wires, shaped like a human's, emerged, holding a switch.

The metallic hand pressed the device into Noah's palm, then retreated into the floor.

He blinked, still confused, but the voice cut through before he could gather his thoughts:

"First reward: Sit. Use the switch. Watch the end of Pharaoh."

Chapter 345: Lesson learned

Noah and Virgo didn't know how they had found themselves on the silky bed, pressed together, their almost naked bodies touching in uneasy closeness.

A white sheet was wrapped lazily around them, and above, the ceiling split open, parting in silence as something descended — not the small mechanical arms they had seen before, but far larger, longer, like the massive hand of some giant — and in its grasp, absurdly enough, it carried popcorn and sodas.

Noah was flabbergasted.

The eerie suspicion gnawing at him since the moment they first fell into the void began to consolidate into something sharper, something that felt dangerously close to truth.

This place was tied to Earth. He didn't know how such a thing was possible, but everything he saw confirmed it — things common to Earth, yes, yet here twisted, refined, built at a level far beyond anything Earth had ever achieved.

As if...

"No talking will be allowed." The feminine robotic voice cut through his thoughts like a frosted blade.

Noah lifted his head, eyes narrowing toward the space in front of him, just as it rippled and wavered like heat haze before flickering into sharp focus.

A colossal square panel appeared, glowing with unnatural clarity — a video projector.

At its arrival, the sterile oval room was bathed in new light, transforming into the uncanny likeness of a cinema hall.

Noah almost laughed at the absurdity. He was here, like a child being scolded and ordered around by some presence he could neither see nor fully grasp.

It was laughable.

He was not afraid. Now that the fog of confusion had lifted, his mind moved differently, sharper, clearer.

His life was safeguarded by the Records, and as long as he lived, none of his siblings — nor Virgo — would be touched.

Do not forget, Providence had already warned him of this incident. He did not know what trial or spectacle awaited, but he had prepared enough to ensure that if things turned south, this entire place would be reduced to ashes and rubble.

He glanced down at the device embedded into his flesh. For an instant, the corner of his mouth threatened to curve into a smirk, but he forced his face to remain neutral, his emotions flat, his thoughts calm.

Perhaps this construct could read his feelings, perhaps even his mind. Better, then, to betray nothing.

'Providence has never lied to me. There is something to learn here... so let's learn, then burn this place to the ground. And besides...'

His gaze drifted toward Virgo. She had steadied herself, her earlier panic cooled, her instincts telling her to focus, to be useful.

'...it's the perfect opportunity to bridge the gap.' The thought carried the edge of a smirk.

Now he considered the possibility of playing along with whoever was behind this, at least for a while.

He reached out, his large warm hand enveloping Virgo's smaller one. She shivered at the sudden touch, but she did not pull away.

Instead, her fingers tightened, clinging to him, searching for comfort.

Understandable. Virgo knew nothing of this world, compared to Noah. She stood here blind, thrown into something alien and vast, and do not forget...

...fear of the unknown was, after all, the oldest fear of them all.

The holographic screen flickered, and the images began to play.

Gigantic stone pyramids rose like mountains carved by men, each block so massive it could have been a house on its own. People in brown skin, dressed in strange garments of short-kilt like and tight fitting linen dress walked about, their lives etched in colors and sounds that felt both foreign and hauntingly familiar.

Then the ruler appeared, the one the feminine voice had named Pharaoh. He was a sight to behold. His fingers, ankles and wrist were covered in golden jewelry coupled with a crown magnificent.

And as Noah's eyes locked on the figure, the first thought that surged unbidden through him was...

'How arrogant,' Noah mused, tossing a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

It was the only thing that stuck with him as he watched the life of this so-called king, the way he carried himself, the way he treated his people.

The man slaughtered every newborn boy in fear of a prophecy, yet allowed one into his palace because of his wife's pleading — and that very boy was the one who sealed his downfall.

Of course, the story was far more layered than that, more complex, but Noah focused only on the essence.

It was fate.

It was laughable. To kill countless children in an attempt to defy the inevitable, only to nurture the very one destined to rise against you. To claim divinity, to pretend to be immortal and untouchable, only to drown like any other man — swallowed by the same sea that had parted in silence to let another walk free.

By the end of the vision, the projector faded, its glow retreating as the room returned to its sterile white stillness.

Noah turned his head, only to see Virgo with her cheeks puffed out, mouth stuffed full of popcorn, desperately trying to devour all of it before it vanished.

Good choice.

Because seconds later, both popcorn and sodas were gone.

Virgo froze, her expression shifting into visible embarrassment. She gulped down what she could, bits of popcorn still stuck to the corner of her lips. She licked them hurriedly and whispered,

"It... it was too good."

Noah simply smiled.

It seemed the silence had lifted — they could finally speak.

They both shifted their attention back to their surroundings, bracing for whatever came next.

"What did you learn?" the mechanical voice asked.

Neither was surprised by the question. They glanced at each other, then Virgo spoke first, her voice steady, confident.

"Arrogance is the downfall of all great men."

Noah followed, his tone measured.

"There is always something — someone — greater than you. Cruelty to others doesn't make you immortal. And..."

He smiled, a quiet, sharp smile.

"...Fate is absolute."

That was the lesson. That was the truth he chose to take.

And as the words left his mouth, Noah began to see why Providence had sent him here in the first place.

This place was no mere test — it was a gallery of ancient myths and histories, recounting events that had already unfolded, showcasing the rise and fall of men and women across ages. Some had achieved greatness, some had erred, some had been broken by their flaws, but all had left something behind.

His role was not to mock them or dismiss them. It was to watch. To listen. To absorb. To learn.

Because, as a wise man once said, anything you are striving for has already been attempted by those before you.

Rather than waste your life stumbling blindly, learn from their paths, take their lessons, and carve your own.

Noah smiled again.

Yes, he was liking this place more and more. And beyond that, all these mechanical contraptions stirred a strange nostalgia inside him, a reminder of Earth that he could not ignore.

And even if he lost everything here, even if he was stripped bare, he still had an entire world within himself. He would reduce this place to nothing but ash and ruin with his wives and people if things got to that point.

And Providence was with him.

But for now...

'Let's take the first real step toward Perfection...'

His goal was no longer vague. Its edges were sharpening before his eyes. All he needed was the vision, the resolve, to see clearly.

"Answers acknowledged."

The voice came again, flat and mechanical, but this time its words carved straight into his soul.

"I have replaced your blood. I have replaced your flesh. I have replaced every cell, every chain of DNA that once defined you. What now remains... is it still you?"

And thus, the question struck Noah.

Chapter 346: Shameless

While Noah was going through a series of bizarre and particular events, inside him Laeh didn't stop rotating and moving. Life went on. People continued their days as if the world hadn't shifted.

Selene and Sophie sat together, face to face with Lea inside the meeting room of White Castle.

Lea looked around in subtle awe. The White Castle was a sight to behold — intricately designed like the ancient castles of Rome, spires rising from its walls and stretching high into the heavens.

The floor was shrouded by a carpet woven from the fur of every beast Noah had gathered within his world. Soft to the touch, dazzling to the eyes, it was blank white with the shapes of beasts painted upon it — some small, some adorable, some terrifying, and others too alien and bizarre to describe.

Noah's beasts were exotic, unmatched.

The table where Selene and Sophie sat was wide, ringed with throne-like chairs, each carved differently, each radiating its own strange aura of power.

Above them floated a massive chandelier shaped like a heart of some blasphemous being, suspended like a jellyfish in the air, its glow spilling warmth across the room.

It was an exact copy of Noah's own heart, every vein and curve sculpted with impossible precision, and on its surface the faces and names of his wives were inscribed.

The wives adored it.

"Who are you?" Sophie asked from her red lightning throne, arcs of crimson lightning flickering ceaselessly around her as she stared at Lea with impassive eyes.

Selene remained silent, though her cold aura alone made Lea shiver, even while Sophie's gaze burned her skin as if it might blister.

Neither of the two stood at Law Creator rank as Lea did. But Noah had suppressed Lea's power before sending her here, and so she could not hide her weakness, could not mask the trembling of her skin.

"Are you going to answer, or do I need to strike you with lightning first?" Sophie repeated, irritation cutting through her voice.

Lea steadied herself and shook her head.

"I am Lea Thorn," she said.

Silence.

Selene tilted her head. "I think you misunderstood my lovely sister's question. What we want to know is: who are you to Noah?"

She leaned forward, resting her chin on folded arms.

"Are you his wife? His maid? His friend? Or even..."

A chilling smile spread across her lips, sharp and cold as frozen steel.

"...or are you his slave?"

Lea's body tensed, but her face remained calm. She had endured too much, lived too long to be cowed by these two, even with her power bound. The only one she feared now was that smiling bastard who had broken her and made her...

"...I am his," she said simply.

Sophie and Selene tilted their heads, speaking in unison.

"What?"

Lea drew a breath, forcing herself not to drown in the memory of choking her husband on his own blood, forcing herself instead to sink into Noah's cruel, poisonous warmth.

"I am Master Noah's possession. I am whatever he wants me to be. His wife, if he chooses. His concubine, his friend, even his slave."

Her yellow-grey eyes glimmered with brilliance, almost hypnotic.

She was lying to herself, hacking her own mind into submission, because she had to.

She needed something, anything, to fill the abyss inside her and drown the self-loathing that threatened to pull her under. And she found it in Noah. The one who broke her.

"My whole being belongs to him," she finished, her voice resolute.

Yes, she wanted to forget. And the only way to forget was to obsess. To give every thought, every beat of her heart, to him. She chuckled bitterly inside.

'How cruel and evil you are, Noah. But it's fine. Devour me. Take everything, as you already took the one who meant everything to me.'

Sophie and Selene were silent for a moment before they both chuckled.

"Our dear husband grows crueler and crueler," Sophie said.

Selene's lips curved. "And how do you find him like that?"

"Completely attractive, mother-in-law. I want him to go even further."

"Agreed. Just imagining what he did to this poor girl makes me ache to see him again."

Sophie smirked. "See him for what?"

Selene mirrored the smirk.

"To be fucked senseless."

"Mind you, you're his mother."

"And I am proud of it. That's why his dick is perfect for my—!"

"Selene, please, show some decency to the newcomer."

"Oh, I'm too excited. I think I'm getting wet."

Sophie shook her head with a smile. "I'm already drenched."

The two locked eyes for a heartbeat, then burst into laughter.

"We are truly degenerate. We can't say a word about Lilith and Dominique."

"It's their fault!"

They laughed louder, uncaring, while Lea sat stiff, her face blank and her eyes wide.

'What is this?'

Were these two women really speaking so openly of being fucked and wet?

'And the blue-eyed one is his mother? And he fucks her?'

She wanted to scream at their shamelessness, but the memory of her own depravity stopped her.

She remembered Noah and his siblings walking in on her chamber when her legs spread wide, fingers inside her, her husband chained below like a dog, forced to watch her pleasure herself and cum on his face.

That had been their routine.

Neron had begged for her golden showers and her cum, and she had given them out of love, only to eventually grow addicted to the domination herself.

Now, listening to them, another thought crept in.

How would it feel with Noah?

"Is he...is he good?" The words slipped from her lips before she realized, and she clamped her hand over her mouth, horrified.

Sophie and Selene froze, then smiled in unison.

"Why do you ask?" Sophie teased.

"You won't have him inside you," Selene added coldly.

Lea flared instantly, as if struck.

"Why? I am his. He can claim me!" she snapped, suddenly desperate at the thought of Noah not wanting her after she completely accepted to be his possession.

Selene chuckled.

"The world you live in is his. The people within it are his. Everything under heaven and earth belongs to him." She shrugged.

"That doesn't mean he fucks all of it, does it? And besides, my baby didn't seem to want you. If he did, he wouldn't have sent you here."

Sophie nodded. "Yes. I know Noah. He always keeps a woman close, lets her drown in him, lets her obsession grow until it consumes her, and only then does he claim her. But you? You don't seem to interest him. I wonder...what did you do? Were you a whore?"

"No. Lilith and Christelle were whores. He still fucked them."

"Don't say it like that, Sophie. You make my baby sound..." Selene trailed off, but Sophie understood.

She smirked. "I would love him even if he were the greatest gigolo. I'd still let him inside me."

Selene laughed. "We all would."

Their lips curled upward in unison as their attention returned to Lea, who stood lost, adrift in their words.

"But even he has limits. Tell us, what did you do?" Selene asked.

Lea faltered, confused, but then recalled and spoke haltingly.

"I...I was married to a Worldborn?"

The lighthearted air shattered instantly.

Selene and Sophie's faces froze, their eyes narrowing, their killing intent descending like a storm.

Their combined voices rolled through the room, cold as blizzards, sharp as thunder.

"You said who?"

Chapter 347: Existence

"I have replaced your blood. I have replaced your flesh. I have replaced every cell, every chain of DNA that once defined you. What now remains... is it still you?"

Noah stayed silent. Not only him. Even Virgo had no words, because the question forced them to reflect on something they were intimately familiar with, yet had never dared to probe too deeply.

The concept of existence itself. The concept of self.

Who are you?

What makes you... you?

What separates you from the billions, trillions, or even quintillions of lives scattered across the universe?

Was it bloodline? The body? Cells and flesh?

Noah and Virgo had never truly considered it. So they paused in order to think, to search for the answers.

'Will I still be myself if my DNA is rewritten? Will I still be Noah if the Elysiari bloodline I forged within me is erased?'

Noah's thoughts spun violently, circling in every direction as his mind strained for an answer.

He recalled all he knew about existence that encompassed his blood, his soul, the countless connections binding him to his wives, friends, and followers.

His soul was unique, powerful beyond measure. Even if his bloodline was stripped away, as long as his soul endured, he would remain himself... wouldn't he?

He wondered, but dissatisfaction gnawed at him. His refined perception, thanks to his providence abilities, couldn't accept that answer. It was lacking too much.

Because in a universe where souls could be twisted, stolen, toyed with, the soul alone could not be the answer.

Neither body. Neither bloodline. Neither cells.

All of these could be reshaped. Hell, Noah himself was able to twist all of these concepts with terrifying ease.

So if all these could all be altered, did that mean he ceased to be himself the moment reshaped his whole body to be an Elysiari?

Noah shook his head sharply. No. It was not that. Something was missing.

He was thinking wrongly.

'Let's start simple. Let's start by accepting who I am. I am Noah Vae—!'

The thought cut off abruptly. His eyes widened as clarity struck like lightning.

Noah Vaelgrim.

That was who he was. That was his name.

It didn't matter if his bloodline shattered. It didn't matter if his soul broke into shards and was swept into the river of death. It didn't matter if his body was torn into mangled ruin.

Even if his appearance was remade, his essence remained. Because he was Noah Vaelgrim.

His wives didn't love his power. They loved Noah. His mother, his friends — all who stood by him did so not for his blood or flesh but because he was Noah Vaelgrim.

Laeh bent to his will not because of his lineage, but because he was Noah Vaelgrim.

That was the answer.

Name.

A name was a beautiful yet dreadful thing. It could bestow purpose, gift undeserved glory, or curse you with a burden you never chose.

And if a name could shape so much...

Then what of a true name? The name that defined existence itself?

Its weight would be even greater.

Noah's thoughts snapped together like puzzle pieces falling into place. The answer was already clear within him.

"You seem to have found it too," Virgo said, her eyes catching the sudden brightness in his.

Her lips curved with a subtle smile. She was happy, because to understand what makes us us reshaped the way one viewed existence.

To know who you are... is to take the first steady step toward knowing who you wish to become, and where you want to go.

That knowledge decides who you allow into your life, because who you surround yourself with shapes you in turn.

Let's not lie. Spend your days among cheaters, and even if you are not one, you soon will be. Influence is nasty like that, it coils like a serpent around your throat, tightening slow until escape is impossible.

And in that instant Virgo too understood herself more deeply. She knew who she was and who she wanted at her side.

Her gaze brightened, blood-red eyes fixed on Noah. Her thoughts burned: 'I abandoned my dreams once. But why should I? They are me. They are what I aspire to be. I cannot cast them aside.'

Before, she lacked the chance. But now, standing close to someone like Noah whose power was so wrongfully strong, perhaps... just perhaps, she could dream again.

Yes. She could.

Her smile widened, hope flickering deep inside her blood-red eyes. For now though, she decided to wait and observe.

She didn't want to make the same mistake as last time.

Noah looked at her calmly and finally spoke. "Yes. I understood something."

He smiled faintly.

"You want to answer first? Go on. I'm a gentleman." He stepped back, sweeping his arm in a mocking gesture of politeness.

Virgo shook her head. "Let's say it at the same time. I don't want you to lose points."

"Points whose use we don't even know."

"Aren't you Mister I Know Everything under Heaven and Earth?"

"Did I ever say that? Don't slander me, woman."

"You didn't. But you act like it."

"Oh? Now—!"

"I have replaced your blood. I have replaced your flesh. I have replaced every cell, every chain of DNA that once defined you. What now remains... is it still you?"

The robotic feminine voice thundered again through the white void, silencing their quarrel.

They exchanged a glance and nodded, deciding to answer together. If the voice didn't understand, that was its problem, not theirs.

They drew in breath, and spoke.

"Yes, I am still me, because my dreams are not stored in my blood, nor body, nor DNA. Dreams and goals are what make us us. What makes us unique among sea of people."

At the same time...

"My answer is name. Name is identity. Sometimes it comes with meaning, burden, or gifts. Sometimes it begins as nothing. But in the end, its meaning is carved by our actions. And a name requires no blood, no body, no DNA."

Silence.

Noah and Virgo looked at each other, surprised. They had expected the other to share their understanding. But their answers diverged.

One said dreams, other names.

So which was right?

The robotic voice cut short their wondering.

"Answers acknowledged."

"Noah Vaelgrim, +15 points."

"Virginia Ti Raneth, +15 points."

Chapter 348: Darling

Noah and Virgo looked at each other, eyes flickering with mild surprise as they realized they'd both earned the same number of points.

But only for a moment.

Understanding dawned between them like a silent chord.

The concept of existence... couldn't possibly mean the same thing to everyone. Hell, even something as simple as ice might carry a thousand meanings for a thousand minds. So what of existence, something infinitely more unique, more sacred?

If Noah's interpretation of existence was tied to Name, and by extension True Name, then Virgo's was woven into something else entirely...

Dreams.

Noah took a moment to shift his thoughts, to imagine the world through her eyes, to see what could possibly lead her to such an understanding.

He couldn't be certain.

But he had an inkling.

He glanced at Virgo, who was also looking back at him with that soft smile playing in her crimson eyes.

"Name, huh? You're such a fancy man, Mr. I-Know-Everything," she said dryly, and Noah smirked.

"And dreams? Seriously? How old are you even? You look like you could be my great great ancestor." He teased.

The room fell cold.

Virgo was staring at him as though he'd committed some unforgivable cosmic blasphemy. Her red eyes no longer smiled. They didn't move. They didn't blink. They just stared like frozen coals behind a bloody mask.

Then she smiled, slow and empty.

"Didn't you know it's extremely rude to ask a woman her age?" she said sweetly, but the undertone was razor-sharp. She was genuinely upset.

Because Noah's words were true. And that's what made it cut.

"Really?" Noah lifted a brow, lips curving upward. "I thought that was just a thing from my tiny, backwards world."

"It's universal. No, multiversal," she corrected flatly.

"Oh? And who decided that?"

"Everyone."

"Who's everyone? I don't remember voting on that, did I?"

"It's a tacit agreement. One that all respectable people understand and respect."

"Of course..." Noah said with a shrug, earning himself a glare from her side of the room.

He smiled wider, ready to dive deeper into his taunt when...

"You have succeeded in answering two questions. You may now use the points you've earned."

The mechanical voice cut through their banter like a blade through silk.

Both of them straightened. The strange white clothes they still wore made them look like prisoners in an empty white void, but now the words of the mechanical voice were all they could think of.

"The points may be used to purchase anything and everything available within the store. They may also be exchanged for answers to any question."

Now that got their attention.

They had been wondering what the points were for. Now, they knew.

Noah tilted his head slightly, strands of his untied hair falling like silver silk across his cheek, lending him a strangely mystical air despite the simplicity of his white robe.

He parted his lips, his voice came calm and curious...

"What kind of questions can you answer?"

He half-expected silence.

Instead...

"Anything."

Noah paused. Even Virgo blinked, her red brows arching in visible disbelief.

"...Anything?" they both echoed at once, voices colored by suspicion.

But the mechanical voice didn't elaborate.

Didn't reassure.

Didn't explain.

Their frustration flared, swelling inside like an overfilled balloon.

Noah hated this kind of situation. No control. That wasn't his nature. There was a reason he had become the bearer of Providence.

He needed control.

He thrived in control.

And while this game, this little interlude, was amusing... it was also beginning to itch beneath his skin.

Still... his system-wife had told him this was good for him.

And when had Providence ever lied to him?

Never.

She made him who he was after all. She had his heart, his soul, his life...if she asked for it.

[So am I your favorite?]

'My love, don't do this to me.' he thought, chuckling internally before turning toward Virgo with a dazzling, snake-oil charlatan's grin he had never offered anyone else.

"Darling... you heard what the voice said, right?"

Virgo visibly shivered at the smile. "Yes?" she replied hesitantly, tempted to say no just to protect herself.

"How about we test the theory?"

Immediately, her expression darkened. She understood what he meant.

"No," she said flatly.

Noah had expected that. He grinned wider. "Why not?"

"I don't want to waste my points," she snapped back.

"Who said it's a waste?" he countered, stepping closer. "That thing said it can answer any question. Don't tell me you have nothing you want to know?"

"So what are you losing? You ask. You get your answer."

He smiled again. It was disarming and confident.

Virgo went quiet.

There was logic in his words, and it annoyed her.

"...Why don't you ask first?" she said finally. "You just want to use me as your test subject."

'Aren't you a damned genius, darling? How did you know?' he thought, but swallowed the words, replacing them with his most trustworthy-looking expression.

"Who knows? Maybe there's a bonus for whoever asks the first question?"

"Stop wasting time and just ask. You're not losing anything."

Virgo stared at him, longer than he liked, then finally relented.

"...Fine."

She turned away from him, breathing deep. Her thoughts twisted and tangled, cycling endlessly before narrowing into a single, sharp question.

Not the most important. But one that mattered.

"Is my natural talent enough for me to surpass Law Creator rank?" she asked.

Noah tilted his head, quietly attentive.

The mechanical voice responded immediately:

"It will cost 2 points. Proceed?"

Virgo nodded. "Yes."

"You do not have the natural talent for it."

Simple. Brutal. Final.

Virgo didn't flinch. Not really.

She had suspected as much. She knew how many years it took her just to reach the level she was at. She had never been someone blessed with divine talent. She had clawed her way up, inch by inch.

'What did I expect? That I'd hear something different?'

'It's because of that lack of talent that Lord Ruin chose me for this mission. Because in the grand scheme... I'm expendable. I'm replaceable. There's nothing unique about me.'

These thoughts weren't new.

But this time... she didn't flinch from them. She looked them in the eye and accepted. Since the beginning, she had always been... nothing.

A stretch to say that, after all reaching Law Creator was a miracle to most.

But that's the thing, isn't it?

Rare are the beings who are truly grateful for what they have. The more they possess, the more they desire. And the more they desire, the more they're willing to sacrifice anything to reach further. It's a vicious, gluttonous cycle.

Virgo exhaled slowly...wistful, but not defeated.

She wasn't done.

"Can I find a way to increase my talent here?" she asked.

She just wanted a yes or no.

"Yes," the mechanical voice replied.

"-2 points."

She grinned and didn't care about the cost.

Her eyes gleaming with renewed purpose, she turned toward Noah, ready to gloat, only to find him staring at something else.

At the void. As if he could see something she couldn't.

She frowned. "...What are you looking at?"

Noah didn't respond.

He was trying very, very hard not to let a devilish grin twist across his lips. Because what he was seeing—what he was now focused on—was the store.

The one the mechanical voice had mentioned.

And oh, sweet stars above...

Noah couldn't suppress the grin anymore.

"You naughty little thing..." he whispered. "I didn't know you were like this."

He laughed softly to himself.

"I think I will forgive you."

He murmured finally, eyes locked on the store...on the 'toys' he had just discovered.

Virgo tilted her head.

"You—!"

"Shut up, darling. Let me admire this cutie I'm about to use to make you cry."

Virgo blinked.

"...What?"

Chapter 349: A Kiss

Virgo looked at Noah as if he were a fool.

And honestly, she couldn't be blamed—because Noah was indeed smiling and grinning like one, all while holding a pair of controllers.

Yes. You heard that right.

Noah had actually found, in a store, something called PS10. He was skeptical at first, wondering if this thing was truly the PlayStation he had always dreamed about back on Earth but never managed to obtain... simply because he was broke.

And because he was more interested in saving money to buy a ring for a woman who would dump him on the very day he planned to propose.

Thinking about it now, Noah wanted to laugh at his own stupidity. Stupidity that led him to now sit in a white oval room, wearing white patient clothes that reached his knees, with a stunning red-skinned girl beside him—her dress barely hiding her sinful curves—while holding a PlayStation controller no console on Earth had ever seen.

Yes. If that's what he got by being stupid, he wouldn't mind being stupid all over again.

But that was for later. For now, he was far more interested in something else entirely.

He smiled faintly as he finally turned his head to look at Virgo.

"You want to play?" he asked.

He didn't hesitate for a second to use his time for this game. It looked childish—and it was. His inner child was acting up.

Virgo tilted her head in confusion.

"Play what?"

She didn't quite understand any of this.

She was as confused as a child walking into the adult world for the first time.

Noah took his time explaining the mechanics of the PlayStation, and how they could play multiple games at once.

Finding something she had never experienced, Virgo naturally became curious, wanting to try.

Noah chose, in that case, a boxing game.

Assuming it would be easier for Virgo to understand this type of game.

And indeed, she did. With her level of intelligence, she managed to grasp everything and even began to enjoy it... a little too much.

She became confident, and even went as far as challenging her own master in this game.

"Do you dare to play against me?" she taunted, eyes glinting with confidence.

"Are you truly challenging me? The one who taught you everything you know?" Noah retorted, surprised by her audacity.

"Disciple surpassing master is a famous trope." She shrugged.

Noah fell silent for a moment, then smiled devilishly.

"Fine. But I don't play without something at stake, darling. So what do you think about a wager?"

"On what?" she asked.

"Simple, really. We play, as you wanted, and whoever wins has the right to demand anything from the other. Anything. And there's no saying no." Noah's voice was calm, direct. Almost sincere.

It sounded like a genuine suggestion to pass the time, especially since the mechanical voice had already told them they had more than enough time before the next question.

Still, by now, Virgo had begun to understand Noah.

She knew he wouldn't do anything without a specific reason behind it.

"What will you ask if I win?" she asked. She didn't expect a real answer only more of his teasing. But instead...

"I'll ask you to kiss me."

She stiffened.

Her eyes widened as she looked at Noah, unable to form a response. Somehow, his directness left her utterly speechless.

"W-What?" she stammered.

Once again, she thanked the stars that her skin was red otherwise she would've been blushing like a mad tomato.

Noah simply leaned forward, his face an inch from hers. He didn't care if anyone was watching.

He had long grown used to the affectionate, but still disturbing, gaze of The Records watching him at every moment.

He was immune now.

"I want to kiss you," he repeated, his voice a whisper like a primordial sin.

"You don't want that?"

Virgo bit her lip, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging inside her. She was feeling too much, too fast and she didn't want to mess this up.

But of course..

"Answer me," Noah insisted, gently lifting her chin with one finger, locking her gaze onto his.

A voice like temptation itself. A hand, soft but firm, holding her still as if demanding to be the only thing she ever looked at again.

Her heart quivered without shame beneath all these stimuli. She wanted to pull away.

But more than that, she didn't want to.

So without thinking too much...

"I want to," she confessed.

She wanted it, not because she loved Noah or anything. She simply found him dangerously appealing. A man of high stature. A man she couldn't resist.

A man... she wouldn't mind spending her life kissing and doing not-so-Catholic things with.

Noah knew. But that was obviously not enough for him. Only those who love him will he allow to see him naked, to meet the dragon coiling between his legs.

For now though, he'd be content with a kiss.

So he smiled and focused back on his PlayStation. Virgo took a moment to gather herself, but eventually she did and found herself smiling while playing, seemingly... genuinely happy.

And to top it all off, she was quite strong in the game.

But she lost.

"How can I lose? I was winning!" she said indignantly, turning to Noah, only to find him smiling mischievously.

"You cheated!" she snarled.

"Did you see me cheat?"

"No. But I know you did!"

"That's not how it works, I'm afraid, darling." Noah chuckled. "You can't accuse me of something without proof."

Once again, Virgo was defeated.

And the most irritating part of it all was...

...she wasn't truly angry about it.

She was secretly looking forward to what Noah would do. And that made her despise herself, for not being angry the way she was supposed to be.

Her lips pressed into a thin, sharp line...only to part slightly as she felt a soft pair of lips press against hers. Her eyes widened in shock, only to flutter closed as bliss shivered through her body.

Noah's kiss was like nectar. A forbidden nectar not meant to be tasted, but impossible to resist.

Their tongues met playfully at first, not fully engaged. But temptation quickly took over.

They began to swirl, twist, and exchange breath and saliva with no end, the wet slurping sounds echoing in the white oval room.

It was supposed to be a simple kiss.

But neither Noah nor Virgo seemed very eager to stop. So they continued.

Their hands moved to touch each other's bodies sensually, Virgo holding tight his neck while Noah her waist...until a very familiar chime echoed inside Noah's head:

[Virgo's feelings for you have reached 40%.]

Ah...

I missed this feeling.

Chapter 350: Daring

She wanted more.

The more they kissed, the more she drank Noah's saliva like a woman forbidden water for eons, the more she craved.

She didn't simply want to dance with his tongue. She didn't simply want to grip his neck. And most of all... she didn't want him to only hold her waist.

She wanted them alone. She wanted them naked. She wanted them to do what she had been craving since the moment she laid eyes on his well-defined abs.

It was madness, this greed of hers. To want a man she was sent to kill. A man she barely knew. A man... who had almost killed her.

'But maybe that's why I want him?' Virginia thought as she kissed him deeper.

The heart of a woman was a mystery. Even to a woman like Virginia, who had lived eons, witnessed the birth and death of civilizations and caused some civilizations to end.

She was no weak woman, true. But before Noah, she found herself insufferably weak. And still, she did not want to give herself too easily. She had already gone far beyond what she should have with this kiss.

So, with an effort equal to a mortal man bearing the world on frail shoulders, Virgo finally managed to break the kiss, separating her lips from Noah's divine lips.

A trail of thick, shining saliva clung stubbornly between them, unwilling to snap.

Noah himself lingered on the kiss. It had been long since he had kissed, long since he had had sex. He missed it. But he would have enjoyed it more if it were with his wives.

'I miss them. I should go back to Laeh. I miss my wives too much.' His thoughts were almost a cry of pain.

He was starving for them—Anya, Neko, Ester, Justicia, Selene, Sophie, Yuki... and more, without forgetting his maids, and his two children.

He found it harder and harder to stay away from them. Traveling with his siblings and touring the universe was nice... but nothing compared to being home, surrounded by his wives, living without worry.

'Ah... let's settle this quickly and go back. I still need the Origin of Fate, Destiny, and Causality for the body of Providence.'

There were too many things to do, so he couldn't stay here too long. Especially not knowing how much time had truly passed.

Sighing once, he turned back to Virgo, smiling faintly.

Virgo intrigued him. A woman from another universe, holding the power of Ruin. Without a doubt, she was the key if he ever sought to go beyond his own universe.

She needed to stay. He needed her to become as loyal, as obsessed, as any of his other women. And for that... Noah was already an expert.

He had succeeded with goddesses, saintesses, queens, demonesses, dragons, and more.

A red-skinned woman with unknown origins should not be any different.

"How was it?" he asked, his voice still heavy with desire.

Virgo managed a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Who allowed you to kiss me?" she asked, seemingly reproachful, but her eyes betrayed her.

"Shouldn't you be over the moon that I kissed you?"

"Why should I be? Who are you?"

"I'm afraid if I told you my name, you'd lose your mind."

"Your name? Noah Vaelgrim... or your True Name?" she asked, curiosity glinting in her eyes.

Noah only smiled, offering no reply. But silence itself was an answer, and Virgo's curiosity deepened.

"Tell me. What's your True Name? I'll tell you mine in return."

"You say it like it's a fair trade." Noah chuckled. "But it isn't, darling."

Virgo frowned, about to reply, but the mechanical feminine voice of this unknown place cut her off.

"Accept yourself as you are, or strive to be better? What is the correct path?"

Instantly, both Noah and Virgo focused. They already understood the weight of these questions. Not only did they help you gain knowledge and understanding, but the points you earned were useful.

Noah didn't know how advanced this system was, but he was willing to try. With sharpened minds and hearts, the two prepared to debate the answer.

"I think I'm already quite perfect, don't you think, darling?"

Virgo stared at him with an expression that screamed 'what the fuck did this man just say?' Then she sighed in weariness.

Noah laughed at her expression.

...

Laeh — Church of the Absolute, Main Building.

"Why did you call me here, Solaris?" Elizabeth asked as she opened the door of Solaris's office, finding the woman drowning in a sea of documents.

Documents filled with the petitions of common people, pleading for the Church's help.

As leader of all churches within Laeh, Solaris bore the responsibility of approving each request before it could be enacted.

It was taxing, but hardly beyond her. She was Mythic Rank, after all. Yet looking at her now... one would think she was about to die.

Elizabeth had never seen a Mythic being with such heavy bags under their eyes, nor hair wild enough to be mistaken for a bird's nest.

'I only look this ruined when Noah pounds my pussy and ass. What's wrong with her' Elizabeth wondered.

She sat across from Solaris and swept her hand, sending the towering stacks of papers into the air. Each document attached itself to a string of Fate.

Her blank white eyes glowed, flicking over them briefly, and the strings of Fate turned green or red, deciding what would be accepted and what would not.

When finished, the documents scattered into different directions of the world, sent directly to the branches of the Church.

Elizabeth crossed one leg over the other, leaned back in her chair, and fixed her blank eyes on Solaris.

"Why?" she asked.

The word was vague, but Solaris instinctively understood. Yet instead of answering as a subordinate, instead of showing her the respect due her master, her leader...

What escaped Solaris's lips was a voice steeped in jealousy, exhaustion, and self-loathing.

"It must be nice to be the wife of the Absolute, huh, dear Silver Goddess?"

A tone dripping with sarcasm.

Elizabeth immediately frowned. Gravity inside the room multiplied, crushing everything. Walls and furniture splintered, shredding into pieces as they were dragged down.

"What did you just say, Solaris?"

Solaris bit her lip. But she did not swallow her words. She was at her breaking point, her lowest, and she was tired of silence.

She needed to let it out. She needed to purge the feelings that threatened to tear her apart.

And so...

"I said it must be nice to be the wife of the Absolute. What? Did I say something wrong?"

Solaris's voice was sharp, rebellious.

But Elizabeth was not known to forgive.

She smiled, but her eyes did not.

And Solaris shuddered.

Chapter 351: Did you?

Envy clouds your mind.

Solaris couldn't help but have these words flash across her mind like a bolt of lightning as she watched Elizabeth's expression shift from calm and casual to utterly cold.

She knew it was the most idiotic thing she could have done, openly showing her emotions, her envy, her jealousy over the fact that Elizabeth was Noah's wife and not her.

She didn't quite know why she chose to target Elizabeth with her envy. Oh, maybe she did, actually. But admitting the truth would have been far uglier than the situation she was already in.

But at this point, she might as well go all out. She might as well pour every drop of feeling onto Elizabeth — empty herself completely — so that she could finally live in peace... or die.

She didn't care anymore. She was at her last straw. So even as Elizabeth's empty smile and blank white eyes, eyes that could make gods forget why they were gods to begin with, stared back at her, Solaris continued.

"Why you and not me?" she asked, her voice heavy with the weight of injustice.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. Then she understood why Solaris was acting like this. But she didn't speak. No, she simply stayed silent and listened.

And Solaris didn't hesitate. "Why did he choose you and not me? If he needed someone to backstab the goddess, if he needed someone to kill the chosen one, I would have been perfect. I was the Saintess."

Her voice began slow, but it rose, inch by inch, with growing heat.

"I was the most adequate for that role. He could have come to me, gained my trust, my heart, done whatever he wanted, and I would have obeyed him. So why you?"

Here, her voice grew louder again.

It seemed she wasn't satisfied standing so far away, so she rose from her seat and walked slowly, steadily toward Elizabeth. Her footsteps echoed in the silent room, each one sounding like the ticking of the end of time itself.

"Why Emily and not me? Her daughter was the first to be with Noah, yet that didn't stop him from accepting her."

"Why Christelle and not me? She was a fucking whore! Someone who sold her body because she was useless, too cowardly to take risk or responsibility."

Now she stood directly before Elizabeth, her golden eyes spitting envy so thick it was disgusting to look at. Her entire soul was blackened by the feeling, gnawed from within, hollowed by the leech of jealousy devouring what was once good inside her.

Without even realizing it, her golden eyes began to shimmer faintly.

Elizabeth remained silent. Her expression unreadable. Unchanged.

"Why... why?" Solaris whispered, voice breaking. She looked drained of all strength. She collapsed to her knees in front of Elizabeth.

She had poured out everything that had been choking her from within for so long. Strangely, she felt a fleeting sense of liberation for it, even though she had done it before her master.

It was almost ironic.

She vividly remembered the day she took Elizabeth in as her disciple and successor to the Saintess position. And now here she was...Elizabeth standing tall and divine, her luxurious silver hair gleaming like a cluster of starlight, her blank eyes holding the fate of everyone in Laeh — while she, the former Saintess, knelt before her after giving her a perfect display of how disgustingly human she truly was.

Fear crept into Solaris's heart. She didn't dare look up. Fortunately, her vision was blurred by tears.

So she stayed there, silent, waiting for a harsh rebuke, a swift death, or a slow, wrenching one.

She wondered which of the three it would be.

And then her answer came, but it was not one she had expected.

"Why us and not you?" Elizabeth echoed her question.

Solaris trembled. She didn't answer. Elizabeth didn't expect her to.

She continued.

"There isn't a single answer to that question. There are many. But if I were you, I wouldn't ask 'Why me?'"

Solaris's ears perked up at those words. She blinked slowly, letting the tears fall, finally seeing Elizabeth clearly again.

Her expression was still unreadable.

"I would have asked myself, 'What did I do to get what I wanted?'"

"It's easy to come here and complain, to curse all of us for being Noah's wives — for being loved by him, for having power and status. But from the beginning, what did you do to deserve him?"

Here, Elizabeth's expression hardened, sculpted from frost itself.

"Noah is The Absolute. The ruler of Laeh. The Progenitor. The Creator. He is many things, and each of them carries a weight you cannot even begin to comprehend. Tell me...why would a man like that come to you, of all people, out of love?"

Her question struck like a world-shattering slap across Solaris's face.

Elizabeth went on, merciless, voice sharp and unflinching.

"You saw Emily, how she waited for years just to be accepted. The same with Red. These women loved Noah. They wanted him. And so they did whatever they had to do to be part of his harem. Did you?"

She paused.

"No, you didn't."

"So let me tell you something, Solaris."

Elizabeth leaned forward, her face just an inch away from Solaris's shattered one.

"If you have nothing that could make Noah come to you on his own, willingly, then you better move your ass and go to him if you love him that much."

"And if you can't even do that..."

Her tone dropped drastically — soft, almost a whisper. Yet to Solaris, it was the loudest voice she had ever heard in her life.

"...if you can't even do that, then don't you ever come to me again with this pathetic spectacle."

"Do you understand me?" Elizabeth hissed.

Solaris didn't answer right away. She stayed silent for several seconds before finally parting her trembling lips to ask the question that had been squirming in her mind.

"W-Would... would you not mind a new woman?" she asked meekly, too meekly for someone of her station.

If any of the church's other branch leaders had seen her now, they would have been shocked to the core. Solaris had always been unreachable to them — the untouchable leader of the Church of the Absolute, the Saintess of Noah himself. Even if Noah barely cared about any of that.

What a dickhead.

At her question, Elizabeth couldn't help but stifle a laugh. She tried to suppress it, but failed.

"Us? Please. We moved past that long ago. Even Selene doesn't limit Noah anymore, as long as the woman he brings is loyal and gets along with us."

"So if you're worried we won't accept you, you're mistaken. We've accepted whores. We've accepted cheaters. We've even accepted our greatest enemies."

"So as long as we get along..."

Elizabeth finally smiled.

"...we can be sisters with whoever our dear husband brings."

"Even if it's a red-skinned woman from an unknown universe," she added as her eyes suddenly flared with a cornucopia of silver threads of fate, then dimmed just as quickly.

She sat there blankly for a moment, as if realizing something, before a smile spread across her lips.

"Aye... I think you'd better be fast if you want to be among us."

Her grin widened.

"My love is already collecting again."

Amid all of this, Solaris remained on the floor, hope flickering in her golden eyes like the fragile wings of a bird rising to meet a new dawn.

Now she knew what she had to do.

She needed to stop waiting and start acting. If Noah didn't come to her, then she would go to him.

And she would show him...

...that she was his Saintess.

And that she didn't deserve to be ignored.

She deserved to be...

Chapter 352: Closer

But now what?

That was the question Solaris asked herself now that she finally knew what she wanted to do. If she wanted Noah's attention, she would have to do whatever it took to have him.

What could she do?

She didn't believe Noah would simply accept her just because she took the first step. She needed something within her that might appeal to him. Or maybe...

Solaris's restless thoughts slowly began to quiet as she glanced at Elizabeth sitting before her, still poised like a Queen who owed nothing to the universe. With dried tears marking her cheeks, Solaris smiled crookedly.

"Will you help me?" she asked.

Elizabeth tilted her head in mild surprise at the question. Once again, she was tempted to laugh, but she managed to suppress it this time. She couldn't fathom where Solaris found the nerve to ask for help from someone she had just trash-talked, someone she had openly envied.

Or maybe that was exactly the reason why.

She shook her head, she couldn't possibly guess the thought process of this now-twisted woman. And she didn't want to. Her mind was still reeling from the vision she had just witnessed about a red-skinned woman from another universe. She needed time to think about it. And, more importantly, she needed to go and gossip this piece of news to her sisters.

She wondered how they would react. Certainly, it would be a sight to behold.

Since Noah's departure, they usually gathered together to pass the time, sometimes telling stories about how they came to be Noah's wives, sometimes speaking about the evolution of their domains and how they managed their territories — they giggled a lot on this one — and sometimes they simply talked about anything. Just like any group of women. They loved to gossip. And gossip they did.

They all obviously missed Noah, and they couldn't wait to see him again. But in the meantime, each of them was progressing, learning new tricks about their powers, bonding with each other more deeply, becoming even closer and blurring the boundaries between them.

If before they had said they were sisters just for the sake of it, or to soothe Noah's mind, now they said it because they felt it deep within their souls. There was no longer any distinction between ancient enemies, whores, or anything of that kind.

They no longer cared about the past of the women. They only cared about what those women became after officially becoming Noah's wives. And until now...

No one disappointed. And no one ever would.

'Oh, today is the weekly meeting. I'll be able to tell them about the red-skinned girl and even...' she smiled inwardly, sultry and degenerate, 'I saw yesterday a very daring sex scene from a mortal couple inside Neko's domain. I cannot wait to tell them about that. We can learn from them for Noah's return.'

Even mortals were a source of inspiration for beings as divine as them.

Her heart suddenly grew restless as the thought of returning to prepare for the meeting began to dig deeper into her mind but Solaris's uncertain voice dispersed her thoughts like mist under a blinding sun.

"Will you help me, Silver Goddess?" Solaris whispered, adding the nickname the wives of Noah were called, with a faltering smile.

The latter focused back on her, watching her for a couple of seconds — seconds that seemed to last an eternity for Solaris — before she simply and demurely nodded her head.

"I will help you if you first help yourself."

She finally said it, and Solaris beamed like a child who had just been promised a new toy.

...

Back in the strange white oval room.

Question after question, both Noah and Virgo responded effectively, earning their points but most of all... a deep understanding of existence and everything that makes existence something heavy, something utterly fascinating.

The mechanical voice asked about faith, about personality, about myth, about love, about philosophy, about art...the voice had comprehensively covered a large part of what makes life... life.

It was truly an eye-opener for both Noah and Virgo, because these questions helped them think of things they had never, ever asked themselves before — like this one:

"What do I actually mean when I say I ?"

That question made the two of them pause. What do I mean when I say I ?

It was an interesting question. Noah wondered if it was his body speaking, or his mind, or his memories, or the awareness behind all of them... he didn't know who was truly "I" when he said I. And that question sparked another within him.

When he said something was meaningful... who decided that?

Was it him? Was it because The Records said it was? Was it because the universe thought it was? Or maybe even his wives?

All these questions, seemingly ordinary, made Noah suddenly gain a deeper awareness of himself and his surroundings. And he realized that some of his past decisions were simply him reacting and accepting because The Records, or even the universe, said it should be so.

This helped him greatly. But the second thing might have helped him even more than all of this...and it was simply the fact that he had another person with him here.

Another person meant another perspective. And another perspective meant another way of life worth studying, worth questioning.

It was interesting to see how Virgo viewed life, and existence in general, so differently from him. Her views were more tempered, more in tune with the cosmic nature of the universe.

Compared to Noah, who viewed the universe and everything beyond as nothing but a whetstone for his ascension — something he needed to use, to devour, to grow stronger and more unique...

Virgo was a woman of dreams. A woman who saw existence in black and white, compared to Noah's infinite shades of grey. She was a woman of great will, one who wanted to rise above her limitations by doing everything she could. She rarely smiled, but when she did, her smile brightened this sterile oval room.

But most of all... she was a woman who loved sweets and fighting games a little too much.

Noah couldn't suppress a smile as he watched Virgo with a sweet in her mouth, eyes focused, fingers blurring across the PlayStation controller as she played the fighting game like her life depended on it.

They had just finished another question — their ninth, to be exact — and were given time to rest. Like always, Virgo used her points only for sweets and new games.

They had grown closer compared to the start. After their first kiss, they had kissed again a few times, basking in the warmth of each other, laughing and even joking.

Trying to understand him better, Virgo realized that Noah was not all bad. In fact, Noah could only be described as a grey person. He was bad, for a reason. And he was good, for a reason.

Learning that, Virgo tried to understand why he was good to her. It was a useless endeavor, because she would never know that he was good to her because he wanted her power. But she didn't need to know that, actually.

She only needed to know that this was how Noah acted when he liked someone. And he liked her. That, she managed to discover.

You could have seen how giddy and happy she was. At that moment, she was at hair's breadth away from jumping on him and confessing that she, too, had started to feel comfortable in his presence.

It wasn't love per se. It was almost at the level of a crush. Maybe a little higher than that. Still, she was happy to be with him.

And now...

[Virgo's feelings for you have reached 50%.]

Honestly, this white oval room helped Noah immensely in gaining Virgo's affection. He almost wanted to kiss whoever was behind all of this...but that thought died as quickly as it was born when the mechanical feminine voice boomed once again, asking another question.

The tenth question.

"Will you kill Virginia Ti Raneth — Virgo — if it were your only way of reaching perfection, Noah Vaelgrim?"

Noah's mind reeled at the question.

But it didn't stop there.

"Will you kill Noah Vaelgrim, if it were your only way of reaching your dreams, Virginia Ti Raneth?"

Virgo froze instantly, her mouth open as the sweet slipped from her lips and fell to the ground.

Now...

Now Noah was ready to destroy this goddamn place.

Chapter 353: Why

Both Noah and Virgo were surprised by these questions, their hearts skipping a beat. Their bodies recoiled in awkward disbelief at the sound of them.

Virgo was the most affected. She had just begun to feel at ease — no, she was at ease in this white place where the headache of the universe and the weight of existence seemed to be blocked by the pale ceiling above. It was here she discovered she loved sweet things and games she hadn't even known existed.

It was here she began to bond with a man who intrigued her, a man she wanted to be close to, and maybe... just maybe, build something tangible. Something real, not something wrapped in a beautiful ribbon of lust and temporary warmth.

It was in this place that her hope, her dreams for the future, were rekindled like flame on dry wood. And now, this same place trapped her, forcing upon her a question she didn't want to answer. Or rather, a question she didn't know the answer to.

Because to know it, she would have to think about it and she refused to even do that. She refused because she was afraid of what her choice might be. Because either way...

She would lose something.

Either her dreams, or the budding connection she was forming now that she had been abandoned by existence itself.

It was a heavy question. And Virginia Ti Raneth was afraid of it.

Noah, on the other hand, was calmer. But that didn't mean he was unaffected.

Would he kill Virgo if it meant achieving his goal of perfection?

He was tempted to destroy this place entirely at the sound of that question, but he couldn't help pausing to think about it.

Would he really? Would he kill a woman he'd come to like for power? For his goal?

Would he spit on the affection she held for him for the sake of a dream?

Would he...?

Weirdly, or maybe not, Noah didn't even need to think that hard to know the answer. He would not.

Not because he was a good person. Not because he valued love or relationships over perfection. But simply because he didn't need to kill someone who liked him to reach his goal.

That would be foolish. Especially for him.

He had become who he was because of affection, because of love. Providence made him, and his wives shaped him. To say that without them he'd be nothing was wrong, but he certainly wouldn't stand at the height he now did — admired by all, feared by many.

So for him, the question was merely annoying. And so he answered, even as his mind prepared to end all of this.

"I will not kill her for my goal," he said.

His words made Virgo, who had been lost in a harrowing battle between logic and emotion, snap her head toward him.

Her red eyes widened. Her mouth, still glistening with the sweet she was eating, formed an "O." She had never thought Noah would say something like that. She knew he liked her, but she believed it to be something superficial — like the excitement of a child finding a new toy. Nothing deep enough to choose over a dream.

It was no small thing. She knew that at their level, any dream or goal that endured had to be meaningful enough to survive time's cruelty and the desolation of a path shrouded in mist.

And thus, her heart shook. Her eyes, unwillingly, began to glisten. She bit her lower lip hard, forcing the rain back.

Noah noticed her reaction and smiled, ready to say something corny or teasing but as always, the mechanical voice knew when to interrupt.

"Why?" it asked.

Noah tilted his head.

"Why would you abandon your goal for a person you are not familiar with?"

There was something different in that voice now. It had lost its mechanical tone. And indeed...

It began to speak more than ever before.

"Because of arrogance? Of pride? Of loyalty? Or because of love and kindness?"

It fired question after question, then fell silent, giving Noah time to answer. Virgo watched him with wide, unblinking eyes. She wanted to know too. No, she needed to.

So she listened.

Noah stayed silent for a heartbeat, letting the tension stretch. Then...

"Multiple reasons, if you want the truth," he began, intentionally avoiding Virgo's gaze. "Simply put, I don't need to sacrifice someone to achieve my goal. Doing so, I believe, would bring the opposite result instead."

"And also..."

He turned toward Virgo, meeting her dilating red eyes, and smiled.

"And also because I like Virgo. I'm just starting to know her, and she's as fascinating as the idea of another universe existing beside ours."

He took a step forward, closing the distance between them until they were only an inch apart. Their bodies were close and Virgo could feel the heat radiating from him, wrapping around her like the embrace of a phoenix's fire.

Her heartbeat steadied. Her breathing softened. Her trembling stopped. Noah was taller, and she had to tilt her head up to meet his gaze. He leaned forward, back slightly bent, and their breaths began to dance together.

"I will not kill you for my goal, darling," he whispered, his breath warm and sweet like musk against her face. "I want to know you more. I want to see you licking your sweets like a five-year-old girl. I want to keep watching you play your games. And most importantly... I want to keep learning more about you."

"W-Why..?" Virgo barely managed to whisper, her heart beginning to race again...this time, for an entirely different reason.

"Why?" Noah echoed.

"Why me?" she corrected.

"Why not you?"

"I tried to kill you! I would have if you hadn't been stronger!"

"And I made you alone in this universe, darling. So by your logic, why am I hearing your heart beat so loudly? And..."

He reached out and took her chin gently, his white runic eyes sinking deep into her ocean of crimson. "Why are you gripping my clothes so tightly, as if afraid I might leave?"

Only then did Virgo notice her white knuckles clutching his white clothes. Realization struck her like a drowning soul finding the shore, but she didn't let go. Instead, she leaned closer until her lips hovered a breath away.

"If you do this... how can I resist you?"

"You were never meant to resist me."

His corny tone made Virgo laugh softly amidst the thick, tender air. A smile bloomed on her lips, one that dispersed the last lingering doubt in her heart.

"You're a player," she whispered. "Did anyone ever tell you that?"

Noah shrugged. "No one ever did."

She laughed again. "And me, I'm the Records' favorite child."

Noah was ready to reply, but before he could, Virgo's lips pressed against his in one fluid motion.

The kiss didn't last long, but the emotion poured into it was greater than ever before. When their lips parted seconds later, Virgo smiled dreamily.

"I will kill Noah Vaelgrim for my goal," she said, answering the question.

Noah smiled widely at her words. He didn't look angry, or disappointed, or sad. He looked almost... proud.

"Now you wound my heart, darling," he laughed softly.

Virgo gave him a playful smile. "I'll soothe it for you."

And then, the mechanical voice rang out once more and indeed, this time far less mechanical than before.

"Answers acknowledged!"

Chapter 354: Relic

'Too fast!'

That was what Virgo wanted to scream as she felt her heart pounding against her chest like a wild horse on a goddamn race.

But her inward shouting changed nothing about the situation, not when she was staring at Noah's bright and open smile.

It was truly unjust. She didn't want to describe Noah's beauty again, she believed people had already grasped it by now.