Chaos Devourer System: My Classless Ascension

Chapter 436: Chapter 434:Leaving(2)

Silence. That’s all there was after the old man had said those words.

”You aren’t saying anything?” he asked, but,

”What do you expect me to say?” I asked, voice weaker than even I expected.

”Heh! And here I was expecting you to shoot one of your cheeky quips after my words.” I didn’t reply. I was still trying to wrap my head around what he just said.

”Why?” Why now? We had just arrived at a region far distant from our original one. We were just about to begin our true adventure, so,

”Why?” When we were on our way to putting this whole universe and beyond on notice? When we’re about to bring back Mom and Dad? Just,

”Why?” My voice was already about to betray me. I didn’t expect such simple words to have such an effect, but here I was, extremely reluctant to even believe what I’d just heard.

Thud!

His arms landed on my shoulders, hard.

I didn’t flinch. I couldn’t. I was too busy staring at him.

”This is unlike you, my boy. Since when did you start getting sappy over a little farewell?” His stoic voice couldn’t even reach me.

”You’re probably thinking to yourself why I’m deciding to leave now, at this particular time when we’re on our way to bringing back Regulus and Seraphina, aren’t you?”

My eyes shook.

”Old man, are you...”

”Hahahahahahaha!!!” He laughed. The old man actually laughed. ”Of course not. I’ve been unable to read your mind for the longest time now.”

”Then how do you...”

”It’s obvious. Your face says it all.” His laughter died down as a smile appeared on his face.

Seeing him like this, my own emotions slowly began calming down.

”You know it’s precisely because of that I’ve decided to leave, right?”

”What?”

”Because you’re about to bring back Regulus and Seraphina. I don’t know why you can’t do it now by yourself, despite all I’ve seen you be capable of doing, but I know you will be bringing them back sooner rather than later.” He was right. I couldn’t bring them back. I had tried using Denial to outright refuse the fact that they were gone, but...

[Your existence level is too low] was what I’d received.

Shaia had explained that I wasn’t yet at the level of refusing purely concluded and recorded outcomes like my parents’ death, especially not when the ability Father had used was taken into account.

How the Lifetree could accomplish something my Denial couldn’t was still confusing me, but I could only chalk it up to the dynamics of things.

But all these were beside the point, because,

”Why does bringing Father back mean you have to go?” I asked, confused.

”Because I do not wish to have that fool see me freeloading.”

”Freeloading?”

”Dante, my boy. Look at me.” Saying so, he walked backward, his crimson armor materializing on him as his body bulked to its full, intimidating 10-foot height. His crimson eyes blazed like torches, the smell of blood and carnage filling the entire space.

”Do you feel this? This amount of power?”

Yes. Of course I could feel it. The amount of power pouring out of him was many times higher than what that celestial had wielded back in the abyss.

”This... you gave me this. This power that feels impossible. That feels so overwhelming I don’t dare use it casually. You gave this to me this time, and I am assured that in the near future, once something better appears, you shall give it to me as well, am I wrong?”

”This...” Of course he wasn’t wrong. After all, if I didn’t empower my own people, who was I to empower then?

”That...” His voice brought me out of my thoughts. ”...is not my path, Dante.”

”But it’s not freeloading. I’m just lending a helping hand. That’s all it is. The effort to master the power still falls on you.”

”It is a crutch, and once I become dependent on you, I shall lose my path.” He reverted back to normal. ”My path is one of war, of blood, of death.”

”And there will be many of such events by my side, old man. There are things coming, things the likes of which you’ve never seen.”

”And I don’t doubt it. With your tendency for annoying people, I am assured you will make enemies as easily as you charm women.”

”Don’t joke around, old man. I’m serious.”

”And so am I. Tell me, Dante, if in a battle you see me on the verge of death, what will you do?”

The entire place froze over, my killing intent exploding outward at just the thought, but,

”That’s exactly my point. You shall intervene. You shall save me. And I would’ve lost what made me, me.” I fell silent at those words.

”We have done that which we should on Terra, but now, I need to find something else to chase. And with what you’ve given me, I already have a significant amount of work on my hands.”

I just looked at the old man, unable to say anything.

I couldn’t argue. He was right. Staying by my side would inevitably end with me trying to carry everything on my shoulders.

”Besides,” he spoke out once more, ”I’m also doing this because Regulus is soon to appear, and since I’ve got the head start due to his unavailability, I can take the opportunity to get so much more powerful than him.” A shameless grin appeared on his face.

”You’re using Dad’s death status as an advantage to get stronger before he’s revived?” I asked incredulously. ”Isn’t that too petty for someone like you?”

”That fool Regulus once told me ’all’s fair in love and war,’ and it has been a war between us since we were young. I haven’t once bested your father in combat before, the most I could’ve managed was a tie, and that was when we were young. So now that I’ve got a head start, I can only take advantage of it to make sure that once he returns, I shall be there to give him a taste of his own medicine. After all, knowing you, Regulus isn’t coming back in a weakened state.”

I could only smile and shake my head at such reasoning.

”Old man, where will you even go? I don’t think you know anywhere within outer space.”

”That’s the fun of an adventure, is it not? I have been playing things by the book all this time. Now, I just want to be like you and your father—two fools that just jump headfirst into whatever comes their way in search of a thrilling adventure. I believe I’ve earned that much recklessness, no?” He smiled thinly.

”Pfft... hahahahahahahahaha!!!” I burst into laughter, mood lightening significantly. ”Sure, old man, I guess you have. And I believe it’ll be good, maybe you’ll find a woman to put up with your indifference.”

”Don’t push it, kid, and give me that lazy dragon.”

”Ehh? Why?” I waved my hand, and a multicolored cocoon belonging to Tian appeared. The old dragon had refused to turn into an apostle, claiming he loved his bloodlines, so I just did the same thing I did with the girls.

”That fool wants to take it easy and hitch a free ride, but that will only ever happen when I stop drawing breath.” The old man’s face had returned to being indifferent.

”He’ll be super pissed when he wakes up.” I laughed, passing the cocoon forward.

”He can fight me when he does, I’ll gladly teach him something about integrity.” Was the old man’s reply.

”Alright then, old man. But you don’t even have a ship, how are you...?”

”Don’t you have some new friends with a lot of ships? I’m sure they won’t mind parting with one more.”

”Heh! I’m sure they won’t.”

A beat of silence fell between us as we just looked at each other.

”I’ll miss your indifferent face, old man.” My voice echoed out, breaking the silence.

”Worry not, my boy. This isn’t a goodbye, but merely a farewell.”

Slowly, he approached me before placing his hands on my shoulders once more.

”I’m leaving today in hopes that word of your adventures will reach me out there in the wider universe.

”I’m leaving, but I ask of you only one thing.

”Be what you have claimed to be.

”Become inevitable.

Become immeasurable.

Become the only Absolute creation has to offer.

That way, when we meet next, you shall regale me with tales of your adventures, and maybe we will finally have that spar Rhadamanthys has been bugging me for.”

”Heh! You’ll lose, old man.”

”Hahahahaha... of course I will. But at least I’ll be the same as that fool Regulus in that regard, so in a sense, I still win.”

I couldn’t help but shake my head once more as I realized that this indifferent man could be quite shameless when it came down to it.

”So, this is farewell then?”

”Until we meet again, my boy, and I believe it’ll be sooner than you believe, so make sure you don’t slack off.”

”I won’t.”

”Then I am assured.”

And so, silence fell between us as I asked Sana to contact the fleet of ships we had arrived with.

I didn’t think I’d be saying this anytime soon, but it was time to send my old man on his way...

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A/N: He really is leaving. Damn... I’ll miss the old grouch.

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