Harem Stealer: Reborn with the God-Tier Sharing System Chapter 488 - Deck of Providence [1]

"...I didn't mean to kiss you."

The Pale Lady kept her gaze as cold and lifeless as the grave. She uttered no words, merely directing her pallid, fractured, veined stare toward the grinning Noah.

Grinning outwardly, yet only Noah felt the deep shiver coursing through his frame like a sharpened edge. Maintaining his calm expression before the Pale Lady grew ever more challenging.

That challenge intensified with every passing moment as he gazed at her, attempting to scrutinize the enigmatic entity before him.

The Pale Lady stood tall and slender, devoid of any excess flesh, her form displaying prominent, serpentine veins across her entire body.

True to her title, every aspect of her was purely white—from her eyes and brows to her lips and locks.

She donned an elegant, long robe adorned with white blossoms that accentuated her figure. The garment dragged excessively behind her, pooling on the floor in luxurious layers of silken fabric.

Gradually, her eyes shifted from Noah, surveying the confines that imprisoned her.

The space gleamed in shades of blood-red and gold, filled solely with swirling energies that embodied the essence of an entire Reality.

She identified the energy and its familiar aura, swiftly linking Noah to Gaia in her mind. Her forehead creased, a flicker of fury and irritation crossing her features momentarily.

Regaining her composure, she redirected her focus toward Noah.

He offered a smile, though it appeared somewhat forced.

"Are you ready to talk now?" He inquired.

"Who are you?" Her voice emerged unexpectedly gentle. It resembled the charming tone of an approachable neighbor girl you'd always wanted to converse with.

Yet that very timbre nearly erased from Noah's memory the sounds of all other entities or non-entities he'd encountered since birth.

His robust Will alone enabled him to resist the Pale Lady's inherent influence. Instinctively, he stumbled back a step, his eyes widening just a bit as he regarded her.

No expression marred her face, and in a chilling revelation, Noah understood she hadn't intended it as an assault. It stemmed purely from her speech, and his inability to endure the latent power woven within.

Internally, he swore, pulling himself together once more.

"This is going to be bothersome!" He murmured to himself.

"Who am I?" He responded at last, refusing to let his smile fade, "It's a tough one, and you probably don't want a full rundown of my life story. I tend to get quite full of myself."

"An offspring of Gaia." The Pale Lady stated plainly, leaving Noah to gape at her in astonishment.

"How do you know?"

"Your very question not only verifies my suspicions but also highlights your shocking lack of knowledge about her latest moves." She replied, appearing to smirk with icy detachment, "So, you've been manipulated. For what purpose?"

She glanced around, feeling an overwhelming force compressing her from every direction, akin to constricting attire. A force she couldn't dispel due to the underdeveloped state of her Primary Self's container.

Acceptance was her only option.

The deeper her reflections went, the more vivid scenarios of vengeance against Gaia filled the Pale Lady's thoughts.

The Will Eternal deemed herself secure.

'Oh, foolish entity, far too immature to glimpse my depths. I existed, aware, when The Interpreters first began their interpretations. I observed, present, as their understandings solidified into Seed. I lingered, watchful, at your emergence! I chuckled, ever there, as the Tree of Knowledge burst forth from His core!'

Far too young, Will Eternal. Far, far too young.

Deceiving her through haste and avarice was one matter; assuming Gaia could foresee her vengeful responses was quite another.

She would discover the cost of opposing her—a toll beyond her means. And the Pale Lady intended to start with her offspring.

'And oh... an offspring? How delightfully blasphemous!'

Her attention returned to Noah, and for the initial time, she smiled. It was an icy, devoid-of-mirth expression.

"What are the terms of this realm, Son of Heretic?"

Noah tilted his head aside, his brow furrowing not just at her form of address for

the Pale Lady, but also because she was aware of it.

It rang true. His Final Blessing proved a complicated affair.

He could draw any individual into his mindscape, and escape for either required fulfilling a specific stipulation.

A stipulation binding them equally.

The Blessing carried its inherent guidelines, and Noah had shaped

the path that stipulation would follow.

He opted for a straightforward contest. Much like the ones his mother Gaia favored.

Thus, he lifted his right hand, palm turned skyward. With intent, a dark container materialized and dropped into his hand with a sharp clack.

The ambient primordial energy swirled, conjuring a modest table between them, while two cushions—pale for the Pale Lady and blood-red gold for Noah—emerged on opposite sides.

The container departed Noah's hold and settled at the table's center. Silently, Noah leaned forward and took his seat on the cushion.

The Pale Lady mirrored him, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the container throughout.

As they both got comfortable, a petite vessel and two cups materialized on the table's right edge.

The vessel uncapped, releasing a lush, sugary aroma that drew the Pale Lady's eyes from the container to fixate on it.

Noah caught a spark of intrigue in the Pale Lady's gaze.

She composed herself and turned back to Noah.

"Will you explain, or will you just stare, Son of Heretic?"

"Why Son of Heretic?"

"You are Son of Heretic."

"Will you not explain?"

"Will you explain or not?"

Noah closed his mouth, eyeing the Pale Lady briefly before reaching for the container.

"I don't know who you are or where you came from, my lady." Noah

declared, his smile reappearing on his face, "But I do hope you know how to

play a game."

The container flipped open, unleashing a dazzling radiance.

"I present to you the Deck of Providence." Noah murmured,

<So you didn't forget about me.>

'I would never, darling!'

Noah's grin widened at the indignant huff from Providence resounding in his thoughts, and he pressed on with his explanation while facing the Pale Lady. "The rules are straightforward. If you win, you escape this place and claim all I possess. Should I win, I seize everything from you."

The Pale Lady let out a laugh.

"Your ignorance is nearly endearing. Everything from me?" Her

eyes turned icier, her features splintering as though some foreign, terrifying, abyssal horror sought to erupt from her visage.

Her tone altered, twisting into a force that caused blood to gush from every opening in Noah's body.

"Do you comprehend what stands before you?"

Noah flashed a frosty grin amid his bloodied countenance, his stare locked on the Pale Lady.

"I shall discover it shortly."

-End of Chapter 488-