Chapter 718 Identity Crisis
Whether it was Gods, Originals at the Trixor rank, or beings of a lower cultivation rank, all of them charged into the shelter with one goal in their mind.
To kill Nial.
Rumors about Nial had spread, saying that he fell ill after mercilessly murdering the Divine God of Truth.
He was said to have expended his life force in a desperate attempt to kill a Divine God just after ascending godhood.
But whether the rumors were true or not didn't even matter. It only mattered that Nial hasn't been seen around for a year and that his energy fluctuations had been discovered in the center of the Orion Shelter.
His energy fluctuations didn't move an inch over the course of a year, giving him enough reason to believe that Nial was truly ill.
This arose lots of attention, enough for hundreds of millions of beings to attack the shelter.
There was only a tiny issue.
Nial's energy fluctuations grew stronger, and they began to ripple in an attempt to move around.
"What is going on there? Why is he suddenly moving?!"
The Primordial Angel asked loudly while raising her wand high into the air. A bright white light emerged at the tip of the wand, encasing the Angels all over the Plateau.
Their bodies began to glow brightly, dispersing the darkness that was about to lash out at them. Holy energy spread throughout the entire plateau, restricting the abyss-like darkness that had spread across the plateau's surface.
"The analysts have no idea either, your highness! Some presume that the Dark Successor awoke as the aftermath of the Ancient Dome's destruction. However, his energy is still weak!" The Archangel levitating next to the Primordial Angel reported, his head lowered in submission.
He didn't dare to look into the Primordial Angel's eyes, forget about standing on the same level as his highness. She levitated above him and stared down at the Archangel.
'...useless.'
She averted her gaze from the Archangel and diverted her focus once again. Her attention was pulled to the center of the shelter while continuing to release her reinforced holy energy.
'The Devils are on the move. He is definitely awake. Did she lie to me? This bitch really played me, didn't she? 'He will never wake up' my ass!'
Recalling the plan she had come up with after discussing their future with the Divine Goddess, the Primordial Angel frowned deeply. She subconsciously clenched her fists tightly.
"It's too late now. Whatever," She mumbled, moving her wand once again before she gave out an order that rang throughout the entire plateau,
"Charge inside. Kill the Dark Successor, by all means!"
Once her words rang through the plateau, the holy energy she released intensified. The luster of colors in the sky intensified as the holy energy encased the Angels and their allies.
Hundreds of millions of Originals were shrouded in holy energy, dispersing the darkness that desired to devour everything.
Their attack power increased and their fear of the abyss-like darkness dispersed into nothingness.
'I might have to pay a heavy price for this, but who cares? As long as this pest disappears the Divine Goddess will help me to advance. The Angels will regain their former glory, with me as their Queen!'
As the Primordial Angel released her Divinity to its limit, black silhouettes shot out of the darkness all over the plateau.
The Army of Devils emerged at last!
At the same time, the energy fluctuations in the center of the shelter intensified.
In a vast and open hall with a high ceiling and towering columns carved from gleaming white marble, a single bed was located. A young man sleeping in the cold room was writhing, tears of blood trickling down his cheeks.
The walls adorned with intricate carving and runic constellations glowed vibrantly while darkness oozed out of the body of the young man.
Small cobweb-like cracks spread across the entire hall with the increase of pressure radiating from the young man's presence.
His index finger began to move for the first time in a year and the heavy pressure in the hall increased in response. Darkness shot out of his finger embracing it like a lost lover's touch.
"...Agh…"
A groan escaped the lips of the young man as if he was in severe pain. His body, however, was unscathed.
But even then the bloody tears didn't cease, not even when he opened his milky-white, lifeless eyes.
His eyes show open, staring unfocused at the marble ceiling.
"...it was really a…dream?..." He mumbled, trying to digest what happened to him.
His perception of the surrounding was as strong as ever, sensing everything around him in great detail.
However, the details that entered his head caused him to be at a loss.
'I am not in the Lacardia Empyrean Void anymore? But it felt so alive. How can that be? Wasn't I mistaken? Mom…Dad…even Aunt…wait…what about Celine?!'
Nial's lives in the Lacardia Empyrean Void and the Universe began to overlap and the happenings of the last century - in both lives - began to overwrite one another.
What followed was throbbing pain. His head felt like bursting apart.
"ARGHHHH!!"
Nial's upper body shot up from the bed as he screamed out loudly. His hands tightly grasped his head tightly while darkness shot out from every pore of his body.
The hall trembled violently and it fell into ruins as the shockwave of darkness swept past it.
Everything in his surroundings was destroyed mercilessly. Not even the skyscrapers constructed with the intention to endure full-blown attacks of Ancient Gods were durable enough to overcome the pressure and impact of his darkness.
Fueled by the chaos of emotions that spread through his entire being, the darkness he released was violent and uncontrollable. It destroyed the center of the Orion Shelter within seconds, demolishing everything the others tried to protect.
Yet, none of the defenders looked at the unfolding scenery with pity or sadness. On the contrary, bright smiles and joy emerged from the deepest parts of their body.
"...Finally!"
The defenders were not afraid of the darkness that had spread across the entire plateau, and they even welcomed the Army of Devils that surfaced from the darkness with loud cheers.
They knew the meaning behind the Devil's sudden actions, so how could they not be overjoyed?
Nial had finally awoken, and he thirsted for blood!
That was what everyone thought.
Little did they know that Nial was currently not even sure about his own identity. That he couldn't differentiate reality from illusion, and that he was clutching his heart in an attempt to understand what had just happened to him.
In his last moments within the Lacardia Empyrean Void Nial had regained his memories of the past.
However, even then, he hadn't been at a loss just like now.
Having returned to reality, Nial felt completely different from before.
It was almost as if something was amiss as if his body was incomplete even though he was in possession of memories from two timelines.
Was that how it felt to be in an identity crisis?
Who exactly was he?
The Crown Prince of an Empire and the ruler of a realm with unique eye powers and exceptional talent, or a blind human who had been raised in a perfectly normal family, someone who was relentlessly working to give his beloved family and friends the best possible future?
What was he? Human or Creatoran?
Who was he? Nial Orin, or Nial Lacardia?