Strongest Hammer God

Chapter 1158: True Faces

Kyle watched as the Red Witch ”forced” him to commit one atrocity after the other.

With his newfound knowledge and experience, he felt conflicting emotions.

ʼAs a Mortal, I couldnʼt have known what actions the Red Witch would ask me to take, but at the same time, I was an adult, and Iʼve agreed to the contract. Even more...ʼ

ʼI donʼt think she would have killed me if I had refused.ʼ

ʼIf I had vehemently refused, she would have tortured me for a while, but not for a long time. Every second she spends in this world is a second she canʼt spend in another world. Even more, she has a double identity. By telling me to do such extreme things, sheʼs maximizing her efficiency for both of her identities.ʼ

ʼIf I did everything as told, the Tertiary World would become a perfect place to foster Transcendents, and the Array of Stars wouldʼve been happy. If I decided to sacrifice the world to the Cult, she would have destroyed a world and given a Parasite to the Cult. In both cases, she would have pleased one of her two superiors.ʼ

ʼYet, even if I had refused, she would have still repaired a world for the Array of Stars. Most likely, she would have conceded, giving me easier tasks. The world would still be repaired, but it wouldʼve taken a couple of centuries.ʼ

Kyle sighed. ʼIn the end, I had a choice. I had a gun to my chest. Many people wouldnʼt say that they had a choice when someone puts a gun to their chest, but I actually did. Thatʼs because Iʼm not the only one making a choice. If I refuse, the Red Witch would be forced to make a choice. After all, sheʼs not forced to fire her gun.ʼ

ʼIt seemed inescapable back then, but there was actually a way out. Even more, she lied about some things. She said that I would be killed if I ascended, but thatʼs not true at all. I doubt that the Array of Stars sends a list of all subservient Overseers to the Overseer of a Secondary World so that they could execute new ascenders. I couldʼve just called her bluff and ascended.ʼ

ʼIn the end, I didnʼt fall victim to her power but to her plans and words.ʼ
Kyle shook his head.

ʼBut can I really blame myself? I was like 150 years old or so. Sheʼs millions of years old. She can read me like I can read Mortals. She could see through my entire existence, which allowed her to choose just the right words to get me to do what she wanted.ʼ

As he saw how much his younger self suffered, Kyle felt a feeling of disconnect. He knew that this had once been him, but it didnʼt feel like it. The Kyle in front of him felt like a stranger.

ʼItʼs been so long. I feel like I should still be angry, but Iʼm just not. Even more, Iʼm glad that it happened. If I hadnʼt gone through so much shit, I wouldnʼt have gone to the Cult, and I wouldnʼt have joined the Array of Stars as a Parasite. If I had chosen differently back then, I wouldnʼt be who I am today. Chances are that I wouldnʼt have become an Immortal.ʼ

ʼBut I still donʼt like her, and I still donʼt forgive her. However, I also donʼt feel like Iʼm supposed to look for her to kill her. Revenge just doesnʼt seem important enough to warrant such effort. All of this simply feels like a quarrel between children.ʼ

ʼSheʼs also the reason why I met Sebastian again, and she even saved us from the Array of Stars and the Contrast Empire.ʼ

ʼHonestly, let bygones be bygones. Yes, she did some fucked up stuff to me, but itʼs been so long, and sheʼs also helped me. Let her be a regular stranger to me.ʼ

Kyleʼs surroundings shifted, and he found himself on Orchis.

As he saw the members of the Cult, he could see two kinds of people, broken and unbroken.

Most of the members were broken people. They had been betrayed, abandoned, or hunted, and thatʼs how they had ended up here. They found companionship and a purpose in the Cult, which was why they followed their commands.

The unbroken people were not here for companionship or a home. They had a goal, and they were here to achieve that goal. They were like soldiers who had been sent into a combat zone. They had a war to win, and they would do anything to achieve victory.

Some of the people had malformed or incomplete Karmic Lines. These were the people who had partially fused with Death. The world was trying to incorporate them, but the Death inside of them messed with the rules and Laws. They were only partially under the influence of Karmic Luck, and since they were not truly subject to the rules, they were exceptionally hard to analyze or track.

No matter how powerful a Demigod was, they still existed within the rules. That was why they couldnʼt track these members of the Cult.

ʼPredator and prey,ʼ Kyle thought. ʼAll of us are killing people and amassing resources to grow more powerful. This is just how life works. The Cult isnʼt doing anything wrong. Theyʼre doing the same thing, but on a more fundamental scale. On Earth, single-celled organisms consume other single-celled organisms. Thatʼs like Seekers killing each other. Multi-celled organisms consume other multi-celled organisms. Thatʼs like the Cult attacking the Cosmos.ʼ

Eventually, Kyle saw the Lord again.

ʼAs expected, I canʼt see through him. His Karmic Lines are nonexistent. Heʼs not hiding them. He just doesnʼt have any. I also canʼt read his power at all. I have no idea about how strong he is.ʼ

Then, he saw Lady Arrowstrife.

ʼSheʼs just a Two-Infused Ascendant, and her aura isnʼt even intense. Sheʼs not even an average Ascendant.ʼ

Finally, after watching for a while longer, Kyle saw another face that would play a big role in his life.

Swamp Dragon.

ʼHis true self is identical to the image I had of him back then,ʼ Kyle thought. ʼHis morals are rigid but quite pure. Heʼs very honest and straightforward. He tries to do what he thinks is right.ʼ

ʼNo wonder I admired him back then. In fact, I still admire this version of him. He was as much of a good guy as you can reasonably expect.ʼ

Kyle saw the Investigator of the Star Seeking, and once more, he couldnʼt read through him. This was another Lord.

When Kyle saw Swamp Dragonʼs Karmic Lines after the past Kyle had come clean about his status as a Parasite, he sighed.

ʼSwamp Dragon felt deep pain. According to his ideology, he was supposed to condemn me.ʼ

ʼBut he talked himself out of it. He tried to find a reason to forgive me and deluded himself into thinking that forgiveness is something important. I hurt him so much, but he still genuinely forgave me.ʼ

Kyle thought of the current iteration of Swamp Dragon.

ʼHow have you changed so much?ʼ

Some time later, Kyle saw the Chief Overseer of the local branch.

ʼHeʼs not weak but also not strong,ʼ Kyle thought as he furrowed his brows. ʼI think heʼs a Beginner or Adept Immortal. In fact...ʼ

ʼIʼm pretty sure I could beat him after my advancement has finished.ʼ

Then, Kyle saw another important person.

As he saw Manny, Kyleʼs eyes narrowed.

His aura...

It was very similar to the aura Kyle saw when he had looked at Swamp Dragon during the discussions following his battle with Fox.

Even though Manny acted like a chaotic maniac, he had always just played a character.

Deep inside, he was determined, driven, convinced, disciplined, and exceptionally selfless in the most extreme sense. He would do anything to improve the Cosmos. He would sacrifice himself, his friends, his family, and his home.

The greater collective was the most important thing in existence.

And yet, he was also suffering.

He had emotions and wants like everyone else. However, to do what was right, he was willing to live a life of regret and pain.

He didnʼt enjoy putting on an act. He didnʼt like viewing everyone else as resources. He wanted to relax and find companionship, but he didnʼt allow himself to feel any of these pleasures.

Everyone wanted to improve the world in one way or another, and this desire had been pushed to the utmost extremes, in his case.

ʼItʼs simultaneously tragic, enraging, admirable, and deplorable.ʼ

The authorʼs patreon. If he gets more than 1000 per month, he will increase the number of words in the chapter.

/user?u=27791050