Chapter 534

Rei remembered seeing Sophia’s destiny within Fate.

Sophia: The Destiny of an Awakened World.

And the destiny carried by the Lumironi before him was:

"The Destiny to Replace the God of Life."

Replace the God of Life.

Which meant that Lumironi would become the God of Life herself.

It was precisely because of that destiny that Rei had suspected Lumironi was Sophia.

But after personally meeting her now, Rei’s doubts had gradually faded.

Lumironi herself likely had no real problem.

"Lumironi... I can’t agree to your proposal that easily."

"But I’ll do my best not to become your enemy."

"Still... can’t you really tell me how you plan to do it?"

Rei looked past Lumironi again.

Behind her was that massive flesh core.

"You came here searching for answers?"

Lumironi let out a soft sigh.

"So I really can’t persuade you directly after all."

"I came here to search for the answer to the evolution of life."

"There should be an origin to life."

"But that origin absolutely isn’t Sophia. All I know is that every evolution of life after the origin is connected to the source of life itself."

Rei looked at the constantly pulsating flesh core.

"So this is the answer?"

"No."

Lumironi shook her head.

"This is only one possibility."

"It is the answer of mutation."

"Only one branch within the spectrum of life."

"Reproduction, growth, mutation, recovery, aging, souls, consciousness... all of these fall within the domain of life."

It sounded somewhat similar to the Root.

The thought flashed through Rei’s mind, causing him to instinctively press against his temple.

No.

Just thinking about the Root gave him a headache.

If he were to forget the answer regarding the Root, this condition would probably ease, and all his magic would likely return to full power.

But if he forgot that answer...

things might become even worse.

Thankfully, he was not a pure mage.

Otherwise, he probably would not have endured this long.

"If I can obtain the answer to mutation... then I’ll be able to unveil the Fifth Stairway of Life."

Rei could vaguely sense it.

The current Lumironi was no longer merely a pure healing mage.

As a Death Priest, he could perceive faint soul fluctuations within her—nourishment of the soul at the level of life itself.

"Rei, you came here searching for answers too, didn’t you?"

"What answer are you searching for?"

"An answer about yourself? About someone else? Or about the truth of this world?"

Lumironi did not ask about Rei’s past ten years.

Instead, she asked about his present.

Rei hesitated briefly before finally replying,

"I..."

"It’s not entirely for the sake of searching for answers."

"There are people I need to save."

Rei’s seal had already loosened significantly. He no longer confined Lumironi within that tiny restricted space.

Lumironi stretched both arms upward lazily.

"I see~ Saving people really is a wonderful thing."

"To be honest, I was worried you might’ve learned bad habits from dangerous people..."

As she spoke, Lumironi lightly touched the nearby barrier again.

"Rei... being able to meet you again, I honestly don’t even know how to describe how happy I am."

"But there are still things I absolutely must do."

A helpless smile appeared on her face.

"It really feels like such a shame. If only we could’ve reunited at a more suitable time."

"But right now... I truly have to leave."

"Can you let me go, Rei?"

"Where are you going?"

Lumironi answered calmly,

"I’m going to connect the Underworld and the mortal world together."

"And I’m going to plant the Tree of Wisdom within the mortal world."

"I’ll probably also have to do some rather terrible things. At least for the near future."

Then suddenly, she changed the subject.

"Oh right. You should already know about Izparut, correct?"

Rei nodded.

"Yes. I know."

"I just heard he became a god."

Lumironi sighed softly.

"I truly never expected him to become the God of Magic. Before we separated, he said he was only one step away from completing the Root."

"He originally wanted to become a Ninth-Tier Mage."

"I believed he would definitely succeed... If he had become a Ninth-Tier Mage and gained the freedom to travel between realms, perhaps all of us would’ve had an easier time."

"But he chose divinity instead. He probably encountered some kind of difficulty."

"Rei... I can’t help him right now."

"If possible... could you go see Izparut?"

"Yes. I will."

Rei himself also had doubts regarding Izparut becoming the God of Magic. Even if Lumironi had not asked, he would still have gone.

And besides...

Rei was somewhat worried about those original Taboo-Breakers.

As well as what would happen two months from now.

Within Fate, there was a prophecy concerning the future.

August, Year 5036 — Reconstruction of the Root.

At first, Rei had not understood what that prophecy meant.

But now, after connecting it to Izparut’s situation, there was a very high chance it was related to him.

"Well then, that’s enough for now," Lumironi said softly.

"You probably still have answers of your own to seek, right?"

"In this space, if there’s no one capable of answering your questions, then even carrying a lantern won’t help you find the answers you seek."

That was true.

But...

Should he really just let Lumironi leave like this?

Would that be the right choice...

or the wrong one?

Rei looked toward the future.

Toward fate itself.

But fate had already become tangled and chaotic, intertwined with multiple Moon Sovereigns, rendering it impossible to see clearly.

Seeing Rei standing there motionless, conflicted expression written across his face—

Lumironi merely smiled gently.

"Do you remember?"

"Ten years ago, you became a Death Priest."

"You used soul sacrifices to feed dungeons. You learned the skin-stealing ritual of the Skin-Takers. You crafted magic artifacts using living humans as materials. Even if they were death-row cultists... in my eyes, those things were still undeniably evil."

"But..."

"I believed you were kind."

"I believed you would use those seemingly evil powers to do the right things..."

Lumironi stepped forward and placed both hands against Rei’s cheeks.

"Back then, you were only this tall."

"You barely reached my chest."

"And now..."

"You’ve truly grown up, Rei."

"Will you trust me?"

Rei’s lips parted slightly.

"I..."

He turned his head away.

Truthfully, he had never felt that strong a sense of responsibility toward this world.

He had never dreamed of saving the world or protecting world peace.

All he really wanted was to become strong enough that no one could ever control him again.

"Lumironi..."

"You should go."

Tap—

"Azure Path — Path Five: One-World Prison."

Released.

The barrier enveloping the entire space completely collapsed.

Lumironi did not leave immediately.

Instead, she smiled softly.

"The next time we meet again..."

"I definitely won’t leave in such a hurry."

"At that time, let’s properly sit down and talk."

Beside Lumironi, the rotting flesh creature carried the lantern and guided her toward the invisible star wall.

Before disappearing, Lumironi waved at Rei once more.

"Goodbye, Rei."

She turned around—

and vanished from Rei’s sight.