Chapter 390: Father-Son (2)

Isis blinked once, then twice—her brown‑gold, slit‑pupiled eyes narrowing as she tried to process the scene in front of her.

She hadn’t expected Lucy to just teleport them straight into a meeting with people she’d only ever heard stories about.

"...What the actual hell.... is this family," she muttered under her breath.

Xeros, meanwhile, had gone completely still.

His gaze locked onto Ash—whose casual closeness with Aurora was something Xeros had never been prepared to witness, especially in front of so many others.

Then Lucy shamelessly kissed him, without even noting that Aurora seemed to be enjoying it.

Xeros clenched his fist as his gaze shifted to Aphrodite and Persephone, both of whom were smiling at him.

Inside, though, he was wrestling with his thoughts.

It wasn’t that he cared about family being sensual—after all, at six trillion years old, there was little in existence he hadn’t already witnessed.

What truly unsettled him was the father, whose absence had stretched far beyond the limits of his own existence.

He lounged casually, coddling as if their home weren’t in the midst of an invasion. Even after witnessing Aurora’s power, he couldn’t shake the feeling.

His four wives were no different—if anything, their reactions were even stronger.

The moment they entered the room, their attention sharpened instinctively, drawn toward Ash with an intensity they struggled to hide.

Back then, Aurora told Xeros to keep them away—not because she thought Ash would take them for himself, but because she understood how overwhelming his looks, aura, and mere presence were.

More than any other Unus, he was clearly the most desired.

Even with his aura hidden, beings were still drawn to him like moths to a flame.

Once she grew enough to truly grasp the meaning of beauty, her feelings inevitably shifted.

After all, Ash was, without a doubt, the most beautiful being among all the Organisms. If he hadn’t accepted her, she would have simply remained the daughter of the Ineffable pantheon—because who else could compare to his magnificence?

Before Xeros’ wives could completely lose themselves, Ash casually waved his hand. Instantly, their affection vanished as he altered how they perceived him.

At last, Xeros spoke—just as he had asked Aurora countless times before...

"What... the hell is going on?"

"Xeros...." Persephone went to speak, but before she could.

Aurora—gently disentangled herself from her father’s lap and floated over to stand beside Isis and Xeros.

She cleared her throat as she placed a hand on Xeros’ shoulder. Earlier, she had teased him quite a bit about sharing some things with Ash.

Truth be told, Aurora was only teasing.

The thought of not being the eldest actually thrilled her. More than that, she felt an innate loyalty to Xeros—the kind of bond where siblings always have each other’s backs.

"Okay, Elder Brother... take a breather, would you?" she said, prompting Xeros to glance her way. He raised a brow, but she motioned toward Isis first.

"Daddy.... Mothers," Aurora continued, "this is Isis—former Champion of Elaris, and now my closest friend."

She then gestured towards the unconscious woman in Isis’s arms.

"And this is Tiamat—the true Dragon Progenitor, and Isis’s mother."

Two people in the room were already eyeing Tiamat, though they kept their distance, careful not to break the mood. Aeloris and Seraphiel, however, knew her all too well.

As mentioned before, she was the true Dragon Progenitor one supplanted by the Dragon of Chaos.

Tiamat, Mother of All Dragons, and a close friend to the former progenitors of Elves and Phoenixes.

Isis gave a shy wave, still a bit daunted by the atmosphere.

"H... Hello."

Aurora glanced at Xeros, who kept his gaze fixed on Ash, as if torn between embracing him or striking him down.

"And Xeros," she continued. "Didn’t I tell you by the time we came here things would be fine?"

Aurora’s words cut through the haze clouding Xeros’ thoughts, grounding him a bit.

When he first arrived, he was completely caught up in the emotions of seeing Ash for the first time—and how casual Ash seemed about it all.

Aurora had told him things would be done magnificently... this made him picture arriving to find his father drenched in the blood of the invaders.

But now he realized he hadn’t even taken a moment to check what was happening outside.

Persephone spoke at last, her voice gentle but steady, carrying the calm authority she’d always had.

"Xeros," she said, meeting her son’s gaze from where she sat.

"When you and Ellyn were little," she went on, "We told you he had died... But we were wrong. We just didn’t realize what had really happened."

She then took the time to explain the mystery of Ash—something he had shown them so they could better understand.

After hearing all this, Xeros’ eyes only widened in deeper confusion. He then extended his mana sense outward beyond the palace.

In that moment, he saw the 95th Heaven had indeed returned to normal...

"Now that he’s back... we won’t have to ever worry about such things again." Aphrodite said with a smile of her own.

Xeros stared at them for a long moment—then at Ash again.

And the room seemed to hold its breath.

The entire time, Ash watched with his usual easy smile, still cuddling with Nia and now Elysia, who had appeared when Aurora moved.

He felt no conflict at all when looking at his son.

Whether he showed it or not, his actions reflected the maturity gained from his years and experiences.

With Aurora, he’d gotten a taste of fatherhood before being thrown into such a situation.

He never changed who he was—he never would. Even with her, he stayed as laid-back as always, letting her do what she wanted and live completely free.

That part of him was something that he couldn’t shake.

He was someone who craved freedom in every sense, chasing the idea of omnipotence, of being beyond limits—all because he refused to be tied down.

Or play by someone else’s rules.

So, if Xeros believed that hating him was the right path, then so be it.

Still, he would remain the same Father.

His children would never lack for anything, never find an equal beyond their family, and would be ineffable in every way.

In that moment, he kissed Nia and Elysia one last time before appearing before Xeros, as the women adjusted properly.

Ash looked at him—really looked—golden eyes steady, nine black rings spinning lazily.

"What? Feeling some type of way?" he asked casually, his smile never wavering.

Xero met his gaze, searching for answers to the questions crowding his mind.

But as his eyes drifted over the Palace... and the 95th Heaven, he found no trace of resentment within himself toward Ash.

With that realization, he let out a quiet exhale and lowered himself to one knee.

"Welcome back... Father."

Silence!

When Xeros knelt, the entire room fell into complete silence. Ash tilted his head, glancing back at Aphrodite and Persephone with narrowed eyes.

"Uhh, what have you been teaching the kid?" he asked, almost laughing at the sight.

"Pfft, if anything called for punishment, it wouldn’t be trying to attack little Rora," Katherine chuckled.

"Right, it would be for doing something as foolish as this," Rune added with a wry look.

Ash shook his head and waved his hand. "Never..." he said as Xeros rose to his feet.

"In all your long existence, never kneel to me or any other being. That’s not the way of the Originat nor the Ineffable Pantheon."