Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Chapter 1378: The Truth of It (4)



Skullius took the time to digest all this information. The latter part was not nearly as grand as he thought it would be - the bit about Somanda, that was. He had expected Somanda to have somehow been involved in a plot to harness Null Life, but apparently, Skullius had

underestimated how secure the Existential Parallel was from the influence of outside forces and factors.

In any case, the greatest takeaway from this, in Skullius' opinion, was the insight as to what kind of entity Emmae was. She might have only been responsible for the weakest Existential Parallel in this reality, but that apparently did not mean the product of this power was weak by any means.

The fact that most worlds were wary of being raided by Undead creatures - including even the Deities who made them - was a testament to the strength of Deadmanland. Skullius had been privy to the fact that the Undead raided world after world, but it was only after Sause had shown a considerable level of fear towards the prospect of facing a Lich that Skullius had started to get the idea of just how big Undeath was.

Everyone loathed it and called it unnatural.

Heck, this fact had even helped Skullius rally Elita and Uyuniya against the Doom Knight. It shouldn't have been a surprise then that Emmae took great pride in her strength and saw the deal that Serenity had hoped to make with her insulting at best.

'Also, this idea that Deadmanland is actually a very special place with some unique spatial qualities is crazy. The dismal levels of mana and the general aesthetic of it was always... well, bland, as Ii remember it. Maybe Somanda's territory was the one with the gloomy view. Maybe there are better places and Somanda got better territories after rising to Divinity,' Skullius thought.

But these were just passing sentiments.

The bulk of Skullius' mental faculties were spent figuring out how all this related to him in the end.

He saw all the places where the favour he had heard implied from both VOW and Serenity applied now.

It should not have been so simple for him to acquire Null Life and [Flesh It Like You Mean It] back then. VOW simply allowed it.

It now made sense to Skullius why, when during his very first evolution, Serenity had said that he was not some chosen one, but the best individual who just happened to be in the best position to receive what could possibly be the best kind of power in this reality.

Serenity was desperate after all. She couldn't have allowed Null Life to remain in Deadmanland for all eternity. Eventually, someone in Emmae's ranks would have cracked the code to the Book of Alignment it was stored in.

But then, there was an inconsistency, or what appeared to be one.

"Hold on," Skullius frowned. "But didn't you say that you are not allowed to have a bearer of Null Life, as a restriction for your powers? How do I exist then?"

Serenity seemed to sigh.

"That's right. You were never supposed to exist, as a consequence of my how broad powers have become. Emmae, Void and I are bound by many restrictions," she said. "Void, for instance has a body that spans the entire reality, but she can't move to attack any of her enemies with it as she wills. However, she attacked YOU. She broke her restriction, and for that, there is a penalty, same as with me. We Parallels stand at the pinnacle of power in this reality, so despite the restrictions, there isn't really a way to enforce them, except through punishment. You can be sure, Void accrued some horrible penalty for breaching her restriction, which is why I told you she wouldn't try a second time, at least not immediately, lest she wants to get hit by another tragic penalty."

Skullius nodded slowly.

"So, you suffered a consequence for making me a Null Lifeform?" he asked.

Serenity didn't reply. There was a need for it. Skullius already knew the answer after all.

"What penalty is it?" the Hybrid Warmoth asked.

Serenity again remained silent, but this time, it was just a pause - a dramatic one. When she finally revealed what the penalty was, it felt like centuries had passed.

"I will cease to exist soon."

...!!!

"What?" Skullius was astonished. "What do you mean 'cease to exist'?" He sensed a little fake mirth in Serenity's voice right after.

"Even you sense the irony in that, don't you?" she said and sighed particularly heavily. "I had hoped I wouldn't have to explain this. It makes me feel as though I'm trying to make you feel guilty for my own ends. I recognise how hard it must be to believe it, especially when the whole reason I developed Null Life was to skirt death with a new means of persistence - a new means of physical, spiritual endurance beyond the likes of real death. Immortality. Now..."

She faltered, failing to find the words to say.

Indeed, there was irony.

Serenity could remember the day she shed her flesh and became something larger than life both literally and figuratively.

Her power was immense. She had almost gotten lost in the feel of it, comparing it to Void's Voided Death and Emmae's Undeath. How tragic she had been.

Skullius was still reeling from this revelation when Serenity continued.

"I've done a lot to keep you alive - mainly employing VOW's help - because, yes, while I could theoretically create another bearer, I likely wouldn't be able to guide them. My penalty is as vague as I make it appear. I don't know when I will cease to exist. It might be by an inexplicable blow that lands on me from the blue, destroying my nigh-conceptual body. It might be that I will simply flicker out of existence in the next hour... I don't know. The unknown of it makes it much more frightening. You are all that I have, Skullius. And it has been a damn difficult time stopping myself from hovering over you protectively while I still can. That is also why VOW can appear overbearing. It's all for my sake."

Right then, Skullius remembered his final bout with the Null Devil King, Caxellac. The Null Lifeform had been about to use the ultimate expression of Null Life, Mors Serene Grace, and Serenity had warned Skullius about how it was capable of destroying hundreds of worlds when fired at its finest, but was still horrifyingly powerful even when cast by a weakened

Caxellac.

Serenity had wanted Skullius to run and save himself, but she also recognised that if he stayed and withstood the might of an Authority of the Null Verse - even if it was severely underpowered – he would grow by leaps and bounds.

And she had been right.

It must have been what mortals called parenting. It was a lifelong struggle between scarring a child for life and teaching them something new.

Skullius had learned and earned a great many things then, he recalled.

He had formed the idea for his Majestic Territory, Purified Cadaver's Impartial Felicity, and he had earned not only Caxellac's body and soul, but billions of units in Null EXP, all of which were responsible for what he was now... and what he had yet to show with his War Body.

A part of Skullius understood Serenity. She didn't want to behave like some sentimental mother, which is why she spoke as neutrally as possible, but her intent spilled out. Neither benefactor nor beneficiary expected some overly intimate relationship. Skullius was moved by Serenity's tale, but not to point of wanting to call her mother. Serenity didn't expect a deeper relationship to blossom between her and Skullius either, but the whole goal of this ordeal was to share information.

"I see. So that is it, huh? Your relationship with VOW," Skullius said.

"Yes."

There was a pause.

Skullius began chugging Exora Mead. His Amras began replenishing again.

Ten solid minutes passed in the silence. Elita, Aurolio, Uyuniya and the others, recognising that Skullius was busy with something, had gathered around the body of the Doom Knight and were analysing it while waiting for him.

The skin of Exora Mead was quickly exhausted and Skullius took another one before proceeding to drink for two more minutes. When he stopped, he finally spoke:

"Alright. What about TITEMIUS? What's your stance on him?" he asked.

Serenity gave a soft chuckle. She didn't mean to laugh, but there wasn't an ounce of mirth in it

anyway.

"If VOW's explanation cannot convince you against entering a contract with him, then I don't think whatever I have to say can. In the end... it's up to you," she said.

"I see..."

And indeed, Skullius had already decided.

It wasn't as impulsive of a decision as it appeared.

Skullius knew there was more about TITEMIUS that he hadn't been told, but the fact remained that all the Primeval Deities were capable of deceit. ABBON-RIGGIE and DRADPAS OL'HERT, for instance, for all their enticing Entreaties could have been wolves in sheep's clothing. If that was the case, that made them no better than TITEMIUS as candidates to contract with.

Furthermore, Skullius had decided that perhaps... choosing contracts where he would readily receive Corrupted Deities wasn't the best idea, at least not until he understood what they were. He had the perfect exercise to help familiarise himself with them a little while after

this.

And thus...

'It's decided. I'm more interested in this Physique which is apparently a perfect fit for my [Sagacious Antiphon of Dawnlight]. Hopefully, all these contracts don't have anything laced with malice,' thought Skullius, and then he made his choice.