Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Chapter 1405: Finite Life



"What?" Skullius reeled. "What do you mean they are finite? I mean, unless their Broader Existence is destroyed, aren't all Divines immortal?"

Skullius didn't see it, but Serenity shook her head before answering his question.

"That was originally the case. The concept of Broader Existences transcends the Primeval Deities and the Existential Parallels. The Broader Existence was supposed to be a reward for bearing through mortality to reach Divinity. No aging and no dying from age," she explained. "But now, all Divines below the level of a Deity are only able to live for 40,000 Consternals, in other words, one Constern."

The unseen cause of what Skullius was beginning to call the Tumbling came right then and Skullius couldn't have cursed any more than he did then. Thankfully, he was starting to get used to it ever so slightly.

He managed to think while tumbling.

'40,000 Consternals is one Constern? That's how long a Divine can live with their Broader Existence before it... expires?'

But this was preposterous!

If there was such a thing, why didn't Serenity mention it before?

40,000 Consternals was the equivalent of 20,000 days, and on Aigas it would be less than 50 years. That amount of time to live was a trifle, especially Skullius who had lived for more than 1,000 years. It didn't make any sense. Why wasn't the Broader Existence a ticket to

immortality anymore?

When the Tumbling ended, Skullius immediately lanced Serenity with his questions.

"How did this happen? Why did it change?"

Serenity sounded a little salty.

"AKHASHA happened," she said. "As I told you before, after becoming Divine, you have to sign a contract with AKHASHA, which allows you to grow your Broader Existence. In exchange, this contract is the one which imposes upon you the Constern system. A standard term is 40,000 Consternals."

Skullius scowled.

He never thought he'd have any beef with AKHASHA. The Primeval Deity had yet to influence him directly, as the others had done with their contracts, but Skullius was already starting to hate him.

According to his understanding, AKHASHA established the Unit to Ascension Methodium which worked like cumulative mana experience on Aigas. For every Divine Skullius killed, for instance, he would earn AKH units. When he earned enough, he could advance to the next stage of his Broader Existence growth.

But, in exchange, AKHASHA reaped some reward when Divines subscribed to his Methodium. They all didn't have a choice. It was either that or they wouldn't grow their Broader Existence at all, and in the wider reality, no growth was essentially an application for death.

"So, you can either choose to stay immortal and not grow, or grow but lose immortality?" Skullius said.

"Precisely," said Serenity. "But of course, it is possible to extend your Constern. Swift growth while using the Unit to Ascension Methodium allows you to live for longer, and it becomes even easier to extend Consterns once you become a Deity."

Skullius' face twisted into a knot. It didn't really appease him much to learn this. Indeed, all wasn't doom and gloom, but that only served to make him hate AKHASHA all the more. After all, Skullius understood why the Primeval Deity added this system.

It really emphasised his ideal.

AKHASHA and several other Primeval Deities allied with him made it so that, with the Common Reality Leagues, a contest of Divines never really skewed towards Deities alone. Weaker Divines could beat Deities if they didn't rely solely on the growth of their Broader Existence - that is, using Amras and Andori.

The Unit to Ascension Methodium itself didn't reward users for besting weaker Divine enemies. Skullius hadn't earned many AKH units for killing those Cavern from earlier as they were weaker than him.

"I see," said Skullius sombrely. "So, the same applies to me?"

It was a stupid question, he felt, but he wanted to ask anyway.

Serenity didn't answer immediately... because another Tumbling followed. The more

frequent they became, the closer they were to their destination.

"That is not necessarily the case," she finally said.

Skullius was surprised. He had for sure expected the answer to be entirely grave. He quickly urged Serenity to continue.

"Effectively, any bearer of Null Life, Voided Death or Undeath is immortal. Of course, that immortality is supplied by Null Life Essence, Voided Death Essence and Undeath Essence, the three conclusions me and my sisters came to while looking for a way to skirt extinction," she explained. "As long as Null Life Essence is relevant in your body, even if you lose your Broader Existence, you will keep on existing."

"You have a Null Core in your body and it's constantly in use - for the most part. For ordinary Divines, the only source of energy they have after Amras is mana or some copy of it. After ascending, they rarely use abilities related to their previous power source and eventually, it collapses. When these Divines lose their Broader Existences, they not only lose their immortality. They lose fundamental parts of themselves."

Skullius gave a sigh relief.

So, that was the case. It made sense. Null Life was supposed to be different from the original state of life to begin with.

Nothing made this clearer than the fact that Actuass, who used an queer Undeath ability that could empower the life energy within living beings, strengthening the users of that life

energy in turn, couldn't affect Skullius with it.

Well, Actuass hadn't been able to make it work with Aurolio either, back then, which further supported the point.

Even the Deities were governed by life energy, it seemed.

No wonder they hated anomalies. They must have been jealous!

Skullius grinned.

"So, other than Existential Parallels, only the Primeval Deities are exempt from this Constern system?"

"That's right. Though, I should tell you, Skullius," Serenity said, her tone turning strict. "It is still imperative that you preserve your Broader Existence. I remember Susu'k mentioning this to you as something he learned from the Colossus Warmoth. The Broader Existence can do more than just keep someone alive for long. If utilised with great skill and ingenuity, it can allow a Divine to exist as something as vague as an idea, hidden in the corner of the universe. Do not underestimate it's worth."

Skullius remembered what she was referencing. Rather, who she was referencing.

Fulgardt.

The Immoral had died in the flesh and perhaps even the soul (in the present Aigas), but he had persisted as an idea, as the WILLS. It was hard to kill him even in such a state. Indeed, the importance of the Broader Existence couldn't be overstated. Skullius understood that. But at the mention of Fulgardt - the self-serving, conniving monster who had just become Skullius' rival - the Hybrid Warmoth was compelled to finally ask Serenity something she had apparently been ready to answer for.

"Are you willing to tell me now, what other plans you had for my existence? You made me to be a weapon against Void, didn't you?" he asked.