I Am The Game's Villain Chapter 763: The Dragon of the Apocalypse

"I discovered the Aithra," Nihil announced.

"...!"

A-Nihil’s eyes widened in shock. Her mouth opened, then shut. Then opened once more. For a brief instant, she appeared utterly disbelieving.

She had hoped to never hear that term again and simply dismiss it as a horrifying legend.

A few moments ticked by before she regained her ability to speak.

"Where is he?"

"On Earth," Nihil answered. "Lord Elohim located him." He hesitated for a split second. "And he serves as the Avatar of Samael’s Sin of Wrath too."

The ensuing quiet rang louder than all that preceded it.

A-Nihil’s jaw dropped fully. She gazed at her spouse with total astonishment etched on her face.

The Aithra’s discovery alone shook the foundations of everything.

Yet the Aithra embodied Samael’s Wrath as well?

Both elements.

United in one form.

Simultaneously.

"We must eliminate him right away," A-Nihil declared abruptly. The surprise lingered, but she swiftly drew inferences, propelling herself into decisive measures with her characteristic merciless resolve.

"He’s only a boy," Nihil responded steadily, as though anticipating her exact reaction. "Princess Harivel is acquainted with him too; she might have uncovered him prior to our awareness."

Any lingering poise A-Nihil maintained vanished in an instant.

"Harivel?" The name emerged laced with scarcely contained disdain. She eyed Nihil as if he’d uttered something truly insulting. "The disloyal Khaos Princess? She’s forsaken us repeatedly, my love, yet you continue to grant her your confidence and respect?" Skepticism infused her every syllable. "Considering all her betrayals?"

"Hear me out—" Nihil started.

"During Samael’s uprising, she aligned with Samael." A-Nihil refused to be cut off. The torrent of words erupted from her, fueled by long-pent-up frustration. "Even after Lord Eden pardoned her, renaming her Jophiel, offering a fresh identity and absolution for her transgressions, she defied him once more in Lucifer’s revolt. The identical error repeated, Nihil. How often must betrayal occur before we cease justifying it?"

Nihil allowed her to conclude before answering serenely.

"She faced the consequences accordingly. Extended confinement—we oversaw it. Retribution was delivered." He locked eyes with A-Nihil’s fiery stare. "You can’t fairly fault her desire to aid Lucifer. He was her Astra; they shared a deep bond before his sanity unraveled. Her attachment to him stemmed not from disloyalty, but from devotion to one she cherished. Punishing that lacks simplicity."

"Simple?" A-Nihil’s gaze sharpened threateningly. "She poses a grave threat, Nihil. As perilous as Nemesis. And how did she even access that realm initially? She ought to remain sealed, utterly confined, with no escape or capacity to meddle in affairs."

"Harivel and Nemesis are Khaos Princesses," Nihil explained. "Sealing a Khaos Princess won’t ensure eternal captivity. Their essence defies such permanence, and they boast numerous supporters." He paused, allowing the idea to settle, then pressed on. "But consider what you’re missing: she could have escaped anytime and fled into oblivion. Vanished to a place beyond our reach. She chose not to." His tone gentled a touch. "She remained. She bore the punishment. She grew from the experience."

"Grown?" A-Nihil’s tone spiked with doubt. "Nihil, didn’t we utter those very sentiments previously? Didn’t we all cling to similar beliefs, even post-Samael’s events? See the outcome." She shook her head. "We extended pardon and opportunities to him once. Then twice. Then we lost track."

Nihil fell silent briefly.

"I grasp your caution," he acknowledged at length. "I truly do." He held her gaze. "But reflect on your suggestion: slaying him achieves naught. We’ve unearthed the Aithra and Wrath coexisting in one form, one individual, concurrently. Do you fathom the sheer rarity? The profound importance?" His delivery intensified. "And you’d end him, risking their relocation? That’s precisely what occurs. They won’t vanish; the Aithra will shift hosts. Wrath will too. Through perilous fortune, both might inhabit someone far deadlier than this unsuspecting youth who remains ignorant of them entirely. Presently, though, they lie inactive. Unstirred. Resting silently within a boy on a realm devoid of mana or energy, in a tranquil life that fully contains both forces. That isn’t an issue, A-Nihil. It’s the optimal scenario we could desire."

Quiet enveloped them.

A-Nihil didn’t respond at once. She remained standing, her features taut and divided.

And truthfully... he spoke sense.

Legends wove tales of the Aithra, the power destined to conclude their age, the omen of an unpredictable shift none could foresee or halt. Her initial impulse had been eradication. Neutralize the danger preemptively.

Yet destroying the host accomplished little. The Aithra defied annihilation; it would seek another bearer, as would Wrath. The subsequent host might not dwell on a serene world sans mana. It could be anyone, anywhere, in any state. A figure already mighty. Already hazardous. One possessing awareness, motive, and resolve to wield them.

In contrast, this uninformed child offered oversight. Or the chance thereof.

"I distrust Harivel," A-Nihil admitted finally, her voice subdued. "No matter your logic regarding the boy—and alright, I yield on that—why does she monitor the Aithra and Wrath’s vessel so intently? Isn’t that concern alone sufficient to prompt intervention? Her fascination with him ought to trigger all our alarms." Her stare intensified. "We need to prevent her further involvement. Bind her, curb her access to him, guarantee she can’t sway events. Whatever rights her Khaos Princess rank grants, I disregard them, Nihil. Not here. The risks loom too vast."

Her conviction rang true. Ranks and honors had boundaries, and A-Nihil had surpassed hers concerning Harivel long ago.

"I’ve negotiated a pact with Harivel," Nihil revealed.

"A pact?" A-Nihil echoed precisely.

"She’ll assist in guarding the boy," Nihil confirmed with a nod. "However, should we try to exploit him, dominate him, or steer his fate whatsoever, she’s stated her stance plainly. She’ll exert all her vast influence to rouse the Aithra and fulfill the Prophecy."

"Are we heeding her commands now?" A-Nihil’s ire surged rapidly. "Permitting a serial betrayer to dictate terms? Lord Eden would never consent to such. He would never—"

"I consulted him," Nihil stated plainly. "He consented."

A-Nihil halted abruptly.

"His Majesty... approved?" The phrase emerged faint and startled.

She’d assumed Eden would demand the Aithra’s destruction most fiercely.

She scrutinized Nihil’s countenance extendedly. Then, with a weary, insightful expression, she sighed.

"I see, as ever, your exceptional skill in rhetoric and diplomacy has prevailed yet again, Husband," she remarked. "I lament that those gifts seldom benefit us directly."

"I serve Eden," Nihil answered softly. "All my efforts aim to rectify matters, for him, for everyone."

A-Nihil observed him with that weary look. "You cling to that aspiration still, don’t you? That futile, unyielding hope that Samael might redeem himself. Return to our fold." She shook her head deliberately. "It’s impossible, Nihil. That path sealed ages past."

"You’re overly pessimistic, as usual," Nihil countered, a faint ironic smile curving his mouth.

"I’m practical," A-Nihil asserted. "I fret, Nihil. For us, for this realm, for impending perils." She hesitated. "For our daughter."

"Our daughter remains secure," Nihil assured.

"Her proximity to Samael alarms me beyond what you seem to recognize." A-Nihil’s eyes probed his features for genuine comprehension. "You might undervalue her still. Born of us, indeed, but she governs Fate and Prophecy. The visions she beholds, the events she initiates, we don’t always grasp her full intent or rationale. Willingly or otherwise."

"All will resolve favorably. I won’t permit the Aithra’s unchecked awakening in this world, by whatever means required. But currently, we shouldn’t fixate on a latent force slumbering in an unaware boy on a peaceful planet." His face grew firmer slightly. "Our true dangers are Samael and Lucifer. Samael and Nemesis seeking our annihilation. Lucifer regaining strength to usurp Eden’s throne and Realm from under him."

Nor was he mistaken there. Though the Aithra evoked primal fear among them, it stayed essentially mythical.

Over the past ten millennia, the Aithra had manifested, faded, and reemerged in fresh hosts. Traversing lives without full emergence. Throughout, no catastrophe ensued. Existence persisted. Equilibrium endured.

Thus, Eden and his allies had redirected attention to tangible foes.

Confronting them head-on, unlike a quiescent force in a child’s frame on a mana-less world.

The Aithra daunted conceptually. Samael and Lucifer menaced presently.

A-Nihil paused briefly, but her demeanor had softened markedly from hostility. Then she bridged the gap between them, standing near Nihil, gazing upward with a notably gentler visage.

"I know that guilt persists in you," she murmured. "That needless, persistent remorse you’ve borne regarding Samael for so long. Whatever companionship he offered you before, that individual has vanished, Nihil. What lingers doesn’t retain those recollections as you do. He’ll never absolve any of us." She met his eyes gravely. "Especially you. You realize this."

"I seek no absolution from him," Nihil stated. "My desire, my conviction that it’s achievable, is reuniting Ymir’s three sons. As they once stood. As destiny intended."

A-Nihil held silence extendedly. Then, gently, she voiced, "Perhaps the All-Mother committed this world to the improper heirs. His Majesty Eden alone has faithfully met her expectations. Solely he has strived to uphold her creation."

"No." Nihil denied, shaking his head. "Ymir acted correctly. If Samael and Lucifer veered astray, the onus falls on us—those crafted to bolster and direct them. We faltered in our role. Accountability rests with us foremost."

A-Nihil’s features contorted upon hearing it. "The Altara were designed to aid them, yes," she conceded gradually. "But selecting their Altara—those were errors, Husband. Assigning Nemesis to Samael, Harivel to Lucifer." She lingered on it. "Superior choices existed. They always did."

Nihil’s eyes tightened subtly, discerning the direction clearly. "I earnestly hope you’re not proposing Merithra or Anasthara."

"No, but suppose Princess Raphiel and Princess Enigma had been selected instead—"

"Ymir picked Nemesis and Harivel for her own purposes, Aniha." He addressed her, halting her forthwith.

A-Nihil compressed her lips into firm, muted dissatisfaction.

She revered Ymir profoundly, near worshipfully. The All-Mother embodied sagacity, affection, and sacred intent. Yet even supreme entities might choose paths yielding unexpected results? Mightn’t ideal pairings have altered fates?

"Still, behold our present state, Husband," she concluded, reluctant to release it fully. "Two of Ymir’s Kings oppose us. The Khaos Princesses fracture unprecedentedly. Our Realm edges toward turmoil we scarcely comprehend how to avert. How did we arrive here from that instant, those three sons bowed before their mother, eyes alight with resolve?"

"Then restoring harmony from disorder falls to us," Nihil declared straightforwardly.

A-Nihil exhaled.

She truly admired his optimism.

That likely explained Eden’s high regard for him.

"Indeed," she affirmed gently, a faint smile gracing her lips amid it all. "It does."

With that, she departed, dissolving seamlessly from one breath to the next, bequeathing only quietude.

Nihil lingered solitary in the calm momentarily. Then, deliberately, he lifted his hand.

A vivid projection formed in the space ahead. It depicted a sharp, distinct scene: a youthful lad navigating his mundane, unknowing routine. Dark locks and vivid emerald eyes.

"The Destined Dragon of the End Times," he murmured ultimately. "The Aithra." His gaze followed the boy’s innocent traits, so youthful, so profoundly oblivious. "Doomed to demolish the Ymir Kings’ seat, their heritage crumbled to ashes. Fated to subjugate the Chaosborn Princesses’ resolve, their rebellion quelled by destiny’s bonds."

Within the projection, the boy proceeded through his day with a child’s effortless nonchalance. He rounded a bend, encountering a sightless young girl.

The boy drew near her unhesitatingly.

Nihil observed.

"Will that become your path in time, Nyrel?"