Harem Stealer: Reborn with the God-Tier Sharing System Chapter 431: Permanent wound

Chapter 431 – Permanent wound

"Haha! The brat actually pulled it off." A man with raven hair and dark eyes chuckled, observing the fractured cosmos from the distance of the void.

He stood amidst the emptiness, his right hand coated in viscous yellow blood that writhed like a nest of maggots.

Glancing down at them, he watched as they desperately attempted to consume his skin. His brow furrowed in irritation.

"You are relentlessly annoying," he spat, closing his fist to crush the worms, erasing their very existence.

With a casual flick of his wrist, he turned his gaze back toward the crumbling reality.

He saw the progenitors working in a frantic, uncoordinated scramble, trying to patch together their failing home.

However, that was merely the beginning.

The Pillars of Reality were stirred to awareness, focusing their immense attention on that solitary universe.

In a terrifying flash, that universe stood out like a lone red fish in a sea of blue.

It was glaringly obvious—an eyesore to all who looked upon it.

Even those residing in distant universes took notice.

The reactions varied greatly.

Some observed the chaos with nothing more than simple curiosity. Others were already calculating five moves ahead, their minds spinning webs of intrigue to bring another universe under their thumb. It wasn't necessarily out of malice, but merely because the opportunity existed.

And so, they would act.

Yet, there were those who watched with blatant enmity. A collection of bizarre, twisted entities saw this as a divine gift.

In less than a heartbeat, all of reality surged into motion, hungry to prey upon the weakened lamb exposed before them.

The mysterious man watched the scene unfold but remained motionless.

He had made his stance clear before. He would provide aid to his chosen one only once.

He had helped the boy deal with Ruin. Now, the youth had to bear the weight of his own choices.

Still, he showed no signs of concern. A wide grin spread across his face.

"The Spirit World, is it..." the man whispered. "I almost feel like joining their little reunion. I truly wonder... what the outcome will be."

He shook his head, looking quite entertained.

The existence of these beings provided endless amusement. They made his eternal struggle against the void slightly more tolerable.

However, regardless of his power, he was but a single individual. And the enemy was legion.

Every one of them was capable of consuming this Perfected Reality in a mere instant.

He required his chosen ones to evolve.

"Young Brandon shows the most potential," the man murmured, resting his chin on his palm. "His movements are more daring. Though young Ethan is just as volatile. Aminata, the sweet girl, is trailing behind, yet her path is distinct. She is the flame. The first."

He smirked.

"I hold great expectations for her."

The trio was making steady progress, yet it was far too slow for his liking.

Still, his only option was to hold the line until they reached sufficient strength.

Would they disappoint him?

They certainly shouldn't.

His eyes shimmered with an otherworldly light.

"Whatever I bestow," he whispered with a chilling edge, before smiling again, "I am capable of reclaiming."

He took one last look at the scarred universe and dissolved into the folds of the void.

The gears were turning.

All that remained was to wait. Good grief.

Patience, after all, was his most significant trait.

He vanished entirely, leaving the universe to struggle on its own.

...

Throughout the vast reaches of space, progenitors who usually avoided the universe began to wake, their souls filled with agitation.

That dread increased tenfold as they sensed foreign presences encroaching upon their territories.

Beings were intending to trespass into their sanctums. And that... that was an insult none of them could tolerate.

Silently, utilizing the Records, the progenitors locked their natural boundaries and bolstered their defenses. Each worked in isolation, seeing no reason to consult their peers.

They barely managed to stop the invaders. But it was only a temporary reprieve. The walls were sturdy, but raw power meant little against such overwhelming numbers.

And if gods possessed one defining quality...

It was a shameful abundance of time.

They would wait. They would attack. Over and over, until the seals crumbled.

This meant that a transition to a state of war was unavoidable.

And that was where the situation became truly hideous.

Luelle, the Progenitor of Elves and a Pinnacle of the universe, was no more.

Her passing was not a simple event.

It never could be.

Her end had compromised the very core of the universe's existence.

Just as a world gains strength and prestige through its people, so does a universe.

Consequently, universes also possessed ranks. And in this moment, that universe had plummeted, not by a single rank, but by two.

Too many mighty beings had brushed against death for it to let them go. It dragged them all into its bottomless embrace.

The King in the North had fallen. The Mother of Change was gone. Laka, the Bloodline Sage, was deceased. Tiamat and Ouroboros were finished. The Queen of Hearts had met her end.

A vast number of Origins—death, war, spirit, and many others—had been snuffed out.

Their fame as lunatics reached new heights.

These were not losses that could be brushed aside.

No. Not in the slightest.

These were not the deaths of mere mortals.

These were the passings of divinities and fundamental aspects that served as the universe's bedrock.

As they crumbled into nothingness, a lasting and ghastly scar was carved into the trembling cosmos.

The Will itself was writhing in agony.

At this moment, it looked like broken shards of glass forced together to mimic a whole.

A unified shape had formed, yes. But the fractures remained visible.

"You have condemned us, Records," Esmeray, Mother of Dragons, snarled, her fury overflowing.

She stood at the peak of her primary world, her eyes locked onto the sky of shattered stars, as if she were daring existence itself to respond.

Her narrow, draconic eyes glowed with fierce rage.

"Do you comprehend the consequences of your actions?" she demanded, the ground beneath her feet shaking. "You permitted an entire universe to teeter on the edge of oblivion for the sake of one person."

As the full scope of the disaster dawned on Esmeray, a violent bloodlust surged through her. A heavy, suffocating aura exploded from her, drowning the area in her indignation.

{A fair game.} The Records replied with mechanical coldness.

Esmeray let out a disbelieving laugh. "Fair?" she repeated, her skin crawling as if serpents were slithering beneath it. Veins bulged across her form, even within her gaze.

"A single life is worth all this destruction?"

The Records offered no reply, but Esmeray didn't require one. The entire situation was making her head spin, especially the Records' nonchalance.

It wasn't as if They were unaware of the universe's current state.

The Void beasts were congregating under the command of Void Lords. With what had just transpired, the corruption—!

Esmeray's thoughts came to a sudden halt, her pupils widening.

{You finally comprehend, Mother of Dragons.}

The Progenitor remained silent, her mind linking the pieces she had just discovered. Quickly, a vivid map of the entire universe manifested in her consciousness.

She studied it. Her shock intensified.

Only now did she see that the section of the universe obliterated by that madman was the exact territory where Void Beasts and Void Lords had swarmed like insects.

It was the region that was utterly decayed, tainted by the Void, and crawling with nightmares that even the gods would hesitate to engage.

That lunatic had aimed his destruction directly at that zone.

"Does this mean..." Esmeray’s aura settled into a grim stillness, "...that he orchestrated this while battling Luelle, Change, and the King?"

She spoke the thought aloud.

{He did,} the Records confirmed. {And the survivors that remain could be wiped out by you, should you unite.}

The Records lingered for a moment before continuing, their tone dripping with subtle mockery.

Esmeray didn't respond. She had no words. She understood her fellow progenitors better than anyone. She knew their hearts.

They would only unite when the specter of extinction was knocking at their front door.

Until that day, every one of them would prioritize their own sect and followers.

Esmeray was no exception.

This was the reality of those who had stood at the Pinnacle for eons.

And nothing was more difficult than breaking a long-standing habit.

Esmeray sighed, finally accepting the gravity of the situation. If they joined forces, they could at least purge the Void.

Then they would only face external threats, rather than internal decay.

A small spark of hope flickered through the gloom surrounding her.

It was a dreamer's hope. But Esmeray intended to see it through.

However, first...

"My granddaughter. Is she gone?"

{Spirit World.}

The Mother of Dragons clicked her tongue in annoyance.

It was a relief to know she still existed, even if her life would be fundamentally changed. Yet, the fact that she had died still stung.

But there was nothing to be done. Nothing except cursing those Elysiari wretches.

She swore under her breath.

The Soul Rulers were terrifying, particularly within their own realm. They were invincible there.

She could only pray that her granddaughter would survive that place.

As for whether she could ever return to the Waking Universe...

Esmeray shook her head and faded away.

"Impossible. None of them ever return."

Their time in the Waking Universe had reached its conclusion.

Esmeray breathed out and regained her focus.

She had peers to convince. And a home to protect.

'I wish Evadam was still around. He could have used that silver tongue of his to talk sense into them. Curse that scholar!'

'Where has he even gone?'

—End of Chapter 431—