Harem Stealer: Reborn with the God-Tier Sharing System Chapter 488 - Deck of Providence [1]

"...I didn't mean to kiss you."

Her eyes stayed as cold as the grave. Without uttering a word, the Pale Lady locked her pale, fissured, veined gaze onto the grinning Noah.

He kept grinning, yet only Noah sensed the deep chill vibrating through his bones like a sharpened edge. Holding onto that easygoing expression grew tougher by the second in her presence.

That challenge mounted higher as he kept staring at her, attempting to study the eerie entity before him.

The Pale Lady stood tall and slender, utterly devoid of any fat, her form revealed through twisting veins that snaked across her entire frame.

True to her title, every part of her gleamed in perfect whiteness—from her eyes and brows to her lips and flowing hair.

She draped herself in a grand robe adorned with white blooms that hugged her figure. It dragged excessively long, bunching into layered silk folds across the floor below.

Slowly, her gaze shifted from Noah to the enclosure that held her captive.

Crimson-gold hues filled the space entirely, save for swirling energies that embodied the core essence of a Reality.

She knew that energy and its aroma right away, swiftly linking Noah to Gaia in her mind. Her forehead creased, a flicker of fury and irritation crossing her features for just a moment.

Regaining her composure, she directed her focus back toward Noah.

He offered a smile, though it strained at the edges.

"Are you ready to talk now?" He inquired.

"Who are you?" Her voice rang out, sweetly misleading. It resembled the charming neighbor girl you'd always dreamed of chatting with.

Yet that tone alone nearly erased from Noah's memory every other sound from beings or non-beings he'd encountered since birth.

His iron Will alone shielded him from the Pale Lady's inherent force. He stumbled back a single step without thinking, his eyes widening a touch as he regarded her.

No emotion showed on her face, and in a chilling realization, Noah understood she hadn't intended it as an assault. It stemmed purely from her speech, and his inability to endure the innate strength woven within.

He swore to himself, pulling his thoughts back into order.

"This is going to be bothersome!" He muttered inside.

"Who am I?" He replied at last, refusing to let his smile fade, "That's a tough one, and you probably won't enjoy my life story. I tend to get quite full of myself."

"An offspring of Gaia." The Pale Lady stated plainly, leaving Noah to gape at her in astonishment.

"How do you know?"

"Your very question proves my suspicions and highlights your shocking lack of knowledge about her latest moves." She replied, appearing to smirk with icy detachment, "So you've been manipulated. For what purpose?"

She scanned her surroundings, feeling an unyielding force squeezing her from every direction like tight garments. A force she couldn't escape due to the underdeveloped state of her Main Self's vessel.

Acceptance was her only option.

The deeper her thoughts delved, the more the Pale Lady envisioned brutal punishments to unleash on Gaia.

The Will Eternal believed she hid well.

'Oh, foolish creature, far too immature to glimpse my depths. I existed, aware, when The Interpreters first began their interpretations. I observed, vigilant, as their understanding solidified into Seed. I lingered, watchful, at your very emergence! I chuckled, present, when the Tree of Knowledge burst forth from His navel!'

Far too young, Will Eternal. Far, far too young.

Deceiving her through haste and avarice was one matter, but assuming Gaia could foresee her vengeful responses was another.

She would discover the cost of defying her—a toll beyond her means. And the Pale Lady would start with her child.

'And oh... a son? How delightfully blasphemous!'

She turned her attention to Noah once more, then for the first time, she smiled. It came as a frigid, joyless curve.

"What rules govern this realm, Son of Heretic?"

Noah tilted his head, scowling not just at her choice of address for him, but also because she knew the truth.

It rang true. His Last Blessing proved a real headache.

He could draw any soul into his mind, and escape for both required fulfilling a shared condition.

A condition binding them equally.

The Blessing carried its own guidelines, and Noah once shaped the path that condition followed.

He chose a straightforward contest. Much like the ones his mother Gaia favored.

Thus, he lifted his right hand, palm up. With intent, a dark container materialized and dropped into his hand with a sharp clack.

The ambient primal energy swirled, crafting a modest table between them, while two cushions emerged—one pale for the Pale Lady, the other crimson-gold for Noah—positioned opposite each other.

The container drifted from Noah's hold and settled at the table's center. Silently, Noah leaned forward and took his seat on the cushion.

The Pale Lady mirrored him, her stare fixed unwaveringly on the container throughout.

As they both got comfortable, a tiny pot and two cups materialized on the table's right edge.

The pot unsealed, releasing a lush, sugary fragrance that drew the Pale Lady's eyes from the container to fixate on it.

Noah caught a spark of intrigue in the Pale Lady's gaze.

She composed herself and shifted her look to Noah.

"Will you explain, or simply gawk, Son of Heretic?"

"Why call me Son of Heretic?"

"You are Son of Heretic."

"Won't you explain?"

"Will you explain or not?"

Noah clamped his lips shut, eyeing the Pale Lady briefly before reaching for the container.

"I have no idea who you are or your origins, my lady." Noah stated, his smile creeping back, "But I truly hope you understand how to engage in a game."

The container flipped open, flooding the area with dazzling radiance.

"I present to you the Deck of Providence." Noah murmured,

'I would never, darling!'

Noah's grin widened at the indignant huff from Providence resounding in his thoughts, and he pressed on with his explanation while facing the Pale Lady. "The rules are straightforward. If you triumph, you leave this place and claim all I possess. Should I prevail, I seize everything you hold."

The Pale Lady let out a laugh.

"Your ignorance borders on endearing. Everything from me?" Her gaze turned icier, her features splitting as though some foreign, terrifying, dreamlike horror strained to break free from her visage.

Her tone warped, turning into a force that sent blood gushing from all of Noah's openings.

"Do you grasp what stands before you?"

Noah flashed a frosty grin amid his bloodied features, his eyes steadfast on the Pale Lady.

"I'll find out shortly."

-End of Chapter 488-