Chương 122: Chapter 121. Filial Piety

At the start of his service, Levi had lost his temper at Death once. His third ever mission had been a grueling one, leaving him severely injured. When Death came to collect him, Levi had lashed out in his pain and exhaustion, unable to see why he even needed to be sent after those who violated the sanctity of death. What did it matter if a few dark sorcerers or whatever decided to extend their lives with forbidden immortality techniques? Why did Levi have to bleed and suffer so much to hunt these people down?

The answer Death had given him was one that Levi had carved into the very iron essence of his soul.

'Because the sanctity of life cannot exist without the sanctity of death. Life is only as precious as it is because it always, inevitably, comes to an end. Those who violate the natural balance threaten that very sacrosanct principle. I don't suppose I need to explain why that matters? No? Of course not. I wouldn't have chosen you otherwise, my dear servant. That is why we must guard that balance, you and I.' Since then, Levi had sworn to uphold the sanctity of life and death. Because Death was right.

It was the very fleeting nature of life that made it so utterly precious. The older Levi grew, the more he understood that fact, even if sometimes he didn't really want to. There was beauty in evanescence, grace in ephemerality. And so whenever he came across someone who violated that ephemerality? He made damn sure to rectify that transgression. Even if sometimes, that was easier said than done.

"What did you just do?" Levi hissed at the Emperor, now inhabiting the body of a boy. Not even a teenager yet.

"What technique is that?" His grey eyes flickered back and forth from the Emperor's previous and current body. His True Sight blazed into overdrive, scrambling to analyze and decrypt whatever foul magic the Emperor had used. Soul transference normally required a connection to facilitate the transmission. However, Levi could detect no such link between the boy and the corpse, even the residuals of one. Was it perhaps not soul transference but soul fragmentation?

Had the Emperor implanted a part of his soul into the boy, a soul shard that awakened after death? No. No, that was impossible. Or rather, it was very much possible – Levi had hunted down those who utilized such techniques before – but that wasn't what had happened here. Else, Levi would've detected it; he was versed enough in soul magick to identify soul fragment containers on sight. Besides, if it was soul fragmentation, then Anastasia's [Judgement] wouldn't have suddenly switched targets like that.

It had to be soul transference. That was to say, the phenomenon of a soul transferring from one body to another to escape death. But if that were the case, then what had been the medium of transference?

"A god does not explain himself to man, just as an emperor does not explain himself to his subjects," the Emperor said imperiously. Then he paused, his brows furrowing into a frown as he touched his throat. Levi watched disbelievingly as the Emperor created a scalpel of dark golden light and dragged it across his throat, physically mutilating his vocal cords. Blood trickled from wounds that sealed over a moment later.

"Much better," the Emperor said, his voice now deep and baritone, no longer the high-pitched youthful tone that it was before. It was perturbing, hearing that voice come from a young boy.

"Now…" He looked at Levi imperiously." Kneel." And Levi knelt. He did so without consciously registering it, his body moving on its own. His knees slammed into the polished floor with such force that only his magical reinforcement prevented his kneecaps from shattering. Then, Levi blinked as he realized what just happened. Wait. What the fuck? A compulsion technique? No. Levi couldn't detect any psychic or mental influence on his mind. His internal shields were fully intact.

He had knelt simply because the Emperor told him to kneel. Did…

Did the Emperor just bend reality with his words alone? His will was asserted upon the world, and thus the world obeyed? That was the only plausible explanation… but that was absurd. Such a technique would fall within the realm of the gods themselves– Levi paused. Oh, right. The Emperor was a false god within the heart of his domain. Why wouldn't his very words become reality? Around Levi, everyone else in the dining hall had knelt as well even though they weren't the primary target.

Anastasia, Selene, Yuki, Terminus, the other children, the Huntsmen, and the palace guards were all forced to their knees, the Emperor's order universal. The Emperor smiled. On the face of his son, it looked deeply unnatural.

"Good," he said.

"You are all within my domain. My word is divine law. You would do well to remember that–" He froze. Levi was standing. For a long moment, the Emperor just stared at him. Then, softly, he asked, "What is your name, adventurer?"

"I am Levi Ironwood," Levi said.

"I do apologize, but I don't make it a habit to kneel for mortal men. Especially not those who profane that which ought not to be profaned." The Emperor's eyes flashed.

"Is that so? Let's see if you have the same attitude after this. Burn." And Levi Ironwood burned. Reality itself twisted to assert the Emperor's will. Levi's entire form erupted into dark golden flames, his flesh disintegrating to ash and his bones flaking to dust–"Sorry. But I think I'll reject your reality and substitute my own." Reality shattered, and the Emperor choked as the world suddenly shifted. Levi reappeared before him healthy and whole, not even his hair the slightest bit singed.

The Emperor gaped at him.

"How did you just–?"

"Please," Levi scoffed.

"What sort of an archmage would I be if I didn't know at least eight different ways to defy reality?" The Emperor opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off as numerous chains of golden mana wrapped around him, binding him in place.

"I thought you could go no lower," Anastasia said, her voice trembling with fury.

"But to take over the body of a young boy – your own flesh and blood no less… Have you no shame? Have you no fidelity?"

"I do not understand," the Emperor said.

"Is it not a son's greatest honor to save his father's life?"

"You have it the wrong way around," Terminus growled, a sudden anger in his voice. Boundaries slammed into existence around the Emperor once more, this time even more restrictive than before.

"It should be a father's greatest honor to save his son's life."

"Really?" the Emperor hummed.

"No, that doesn't seem quite right… But then, I do find it rather amusing that you're the one lecturing me about this." Terminus narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"I mean–" The Emperor's face distorted into a terrible cacophony of spasms. His muscles twitched wildly, slowly forming the image of a mad smile.

"You've sinned, haven't you?" Levi tensed up. By now, he'd become familiar with what it looked like when the Chorus took control of someone. Except, for some reason, this time felt different from before. The Emperor's mannerisms stayed the exact same; he didn't even look slightly confused. Instead, he leered at Terminus.

"Oh, yes, you've sinned," he breathed, his eyes going vacant for a second before becoming alight with malevolence.

"My, what naughty things you've been up to… Terminus of the Crucible." Terminus tensed up, even as Yuki looked at him in confusion.

"How do you…"

"Know?" the Emperor finished.

"You mean, how do I know about your sins? How do I know that you are the one who orchestrated this whole bloody, gruesome mess? How do I know about Operation First Flame?" Terminus flinched with every successive accusation as though he'd been physically impaled. His face was pale.

"What… Who… How…"

"Operation First Flame?" Yuki asked, her red eyes boring a hole into Terminus.

"What's that? What does he mean, Terminus?" Terminus was silent.

"That's right, Terminus," the Emperor said in a mocking, sing-song tone. He even caused his voice to temporarily return to his son's normal pitch, the words spoken in an unsettlingly innocent child's voice.

"What do I mean? Should I tell them about who it was that assassinated the Prime Minister and started this whole civil war, ten long years ago?" The dining hall went silent. Yuki drew in a sharp breath, her eyes widening. She looked at Terminus desperately, as if praying for him to deny the Emperor's accusation. Levi stared at Terminus with an unreadable expression, even as Anastasia's eyes narrowed and Selene looked on with interest. Terminus didn't react.

For a second, it seemed as though his expression was carved from solid adamantine. Then, he let out a long exhale.

"It was never supposed to be like this," he said quietly. Yuki tensed up before her expression filled with anguish.

"The civil war was supposed to last no more than a few years. It was meant to be a test run, of sorts. A short experiment."

"What… What are you saying?" Yuki asked. She took a step back, looking as though her world was shattering around her.

"I am part of an organization called the Crucible," Terminus said.

"Our objective, put simply, is to save the world. To that end, we decided to enact a plan called Operation First Flame. I was put in charge of the operation. Ten years ago, I assassinated the Yukihasan Prime Minister and triggered the civil war." He sighed, the lines around his eyes suddenly making him look oh so very old.

"We had it all planned out. The Crucible would let the war run for a couple of years, forging a generation of battle-hardened leaders and warriors. Then, at the end, we would step in and assassinate the Emperor, thus closing out the war. Nice, clean, and simple. And at first, things were working perfectly. The Resistance was growing, the people were rallying, the entire nation was burning with the flames of hope." He was silent for a long moment, his eyes unfocusing as he gazed off into space, lost in old memories.

A moment later, his expression hardened.

"Then, seven years ago, everything went to shit," he spat.

"Something changed." He turned to the Emperor, who was grinning at him." You changed. You began implementing policies so brutal that they disturbed even my colleagues. You increased the security of the borders a hundredfold. You erected barriers so advanced and esoteric that they couldn't possibly be of this world, turning the capital into an impregnable fortress. Before we even knew it, we could no longer freely assassinate you like we'd originally planned. Nobody could.

What was supposed to be a short civil conflict turned into a brutal meat-grinder that lasted for a decade.

All this time, I wondered what happened. How did we lose control over the situation so quickly, so suddenly? How did we miscalculate so badly? But I understand now." His eyes seared.

"It's all your doing, isn't it, Chorus?!" The Emperor's face distorted and rippled once more.

"Heh. Ha. HAHAHA! You think I'm being controlled? You should know, Terminus. One does not control a god." Terminus sneered.

"Please. I was already told everything. You can stop the act–""He's not being controlled," Levi said. Terminus paused, turning to him.

"If he was, then he'd already be screaming at me. He wouldn't give you even a single moment of attention, not after what I did to him. This is more… partial possession? Passive mental influence, I imagine. I can't be certain, but… I think the Emperor's psyche is so arrogant that he's able to resist the Chorus's control through sheer ego alone." Terminus blinked.

"Is that even possible–? Ah. Actually, I can see it." Levi nodded, his mind racing as he pieced together the timeline. Seven years ago… That was presumably when the Devourer and Chorus had first entered this world, roughly around the time when Levi's own counterpart had regressed. Since the physical entrance to the System Source was in Yukihasa – the Devourer's only real weakness – the Chorus had likely seen the ongoing civil war and decided to use it to its own advantage.

It had possessed, or influenced, the Emperor to ramp up the war to insanely brutal levels, increase the security around the entire country, enforce the total information blackout, and impart knowledge of eldritch otherworldly barriers. This way, the Emperor would become effectively invulnerable, and the Devourer would be free to drain the Time from everyone in this world. At least, until a certain someone had bypassed the barriers and infiltrated the country. Which meant…

The Chorus had accidentally ruined the Crucible's operation in the country. Or rather, the Chorus had used the Crucible's operation in the country for its own purposes, twisting the civil conflict into a terrible smokescreen to hide the Devourer's actions from detection. Levi didn't even know what to say.

"Forget all that," Yuki snarled. She glared at Terminus.

"So you're the cause of all this? Why even fight? Why work together with the Resistance like you're our ally, when in reality you're the reason we're in this mess?" Terminus met her gaze evenly.

"Because this war is my sin to bear," he said.

"Because I am responsible for its start, and I will be responsible for its end. This conflict may have started as a simple operation, but it's since become my penance. I have done this country a terrible harm, and I have sworn to do everything in my power to rectify it. I know you're enraged at me – I would be too – but please. Keep in sight who our real enemy is. Don't forget; I made you a promise on that night long ago. I intend to keep it." The Emperor laughed, the sound harsh and mocking.

"What a man you are, Terminus. Do you really think the leader of the Resistance will accept that excuse–?" He paused. Yuki took a deep, trembling breath. With visible herculean exertion, she smoothed out her expression, bringing her emotions back under control. Then, she turned back to glare at the Emperor. The message was clear.

"... seriously?" the Emperor said.

"Huh. Well…" He turned to Levi, deciding to switch targets.

"How does it feel to know that Terminus isn't who you thought he was?" Levi raised an eyebrow.

"I hate to break it to you, but he's exactly who I thought he was. I've dealt with the Crucible before." Granted, he hadn't exactly expected this. He was still reeling from the revelation, but…

"You just happen to be a helluva lot worse." The Emperor hesitated. He looked at Anastasia, but her glare told him everything he needed to know. He didn't even try to convince Selene; he must've known that she wouldn't actually care about Terminus's actions in triggering a war, and in fact she might respect him more for it.

"I see," the Emperor said, realizing that he wouldn't be able to turn them against each other.

"Then, what now?" He tried to spread his arms, but Terminus's boundaries didn't even allow him to do that.

"You have me bound and captured. Will you kill me? I'll spare you the effort – it won't work. I am immortal. Slay my current body, and I'll just reincarnate in another one." He smiled.

"I have plenty of family to spare." Levi felt a cold certainty grip his heart as the pieces finally clicked together.

"You used blood as the medium for soul transference," he whispered. The Emperor smiled.

"Got it in one." Ordinarily, a physical connection of mana needed to be established for soul transference. However, there were other mediums that could be used. Blood was one of the most potent ones. That was to say, blood relations. Most likely direct descendants, as it was easier for water to flow downhill. The Emperor could automatically transfer his soul into anyone who shared his blood. His children, perhaps his nephews and nieces, perhaps even his grandchildren… How many direct descendants did he have?

Levi glanced around the dining hall. Even in this room alone, there were nine other children. They glanced back at him, trembling and terrified. There were surely countless more spread out around the entire country, bastards and products of political arrangements and… Holy fuck. There wasn't even a way to manually stop the reincarnation, as there was no direct connection of mana. Blood served as a fully remote medium, transcending space.

The most effective way to kill the Emperor would be to manually track down all his descendants— Levi paused and turned to Terminus and Yuki.

"You knew about this already," he said.

"I saw your reactions earlier. You must've planned a countermeasure." Oddly, Terminus hesitated. He glanced at Yuki. Yuki met his gaze for a long moment. Something unspoken passed between them. Then, she steeled her eyes and nodded. Terminus's expression softened. Then, he steeled himself as well and looked back at Levi.

"I do," he said.

"To end the Emperor's life, I'll use the Bloodline Purge Ritual." The Emperor stiffened, panic flashing across his eyes for the first time.

"What?" Anastasia blurted out, whirling to Terminus.

"But knowledge of that ritual has been suppressed by the Church for centuries! How did you find out…" She shook her head.

"No, if you know how to perform it, then you should know that it won't work. It requires a member of the main bloodline to willingly… sacrifice… themselves…" She slowly trailed off as she glanced between the Emperor and Yuki. In his old body, the Emperor had worn a white veil that obscured his facial features. No doubt he thought mortals didn't deserve to gaze upon the divine. But now that he was in the body of his son…

Levi hadn't noticed it earlier, but the son's eyes and Yuki's eyes were a suspiciously similar shade of crimson. The exact same, actually.

"You would really go so far?" the Emperor asked Yuki, his tone entreating.

"Truly? You would sacrifice your life to wipe out all that share our blood just to kill me… your own dear father?"