Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power Chapter 422: New name

Outside Rudolph's chamber, Kaden and Rea waited, the man inside slumbering peacefully like an innocent infant after Kaden had manipulated his mind with intent, briefly extinguishing his awareness.

Here they remained, with Kaden pressing his back against the coarse door; Rea gazing at him, her face twisted in a frown.

This pattern was turning into a routine.

"I don’t get why you’re overthinking this so much." Rea remarked with a sigh, "I’m good at persuading folks. I could talk this guy into embracing death while you deal with the Alchemist."

She gave a casual shrug, indifferent,

"What more is there to consider?"

Einar, within her thoughts, gave a nod of approval to his lovely Rea. Tasks like this—softly guiding others—came easily to her. She bore the title of Hollow Judge for good reason, not merely for flair.

She had the skill to lead someone to end their own life, all while they wore a cheerful grin.

Yet,

"Well, Rea, that’s a nice idea you’ve got." Kaden rolled his eyes, "But you’re overlooking a key detail. We’re on the verge of sending a man through death’s door without fulfilling his dream; a passing without ever knowing how to walk..."

Kaden paused there, struck inwardly by the sheer simplicity of that everyday wish.

All Rudolph desired was to walk. Just walk.

Kaden had never imagined anyone harboring such a basic longing.

While he chased dreams of ultimate power, of grand feats...

Others simply yearned to stride normally, as he had done effortlessly since his early years, without a single worry.

Without realizing it, Kaden’s viewpoint started to change. His thoughts broadened, grasping the harsh intricacies of the world.

He drew in a steadying breath, chasing a moment of calm, before pressing on,

"Let’s handle this properly." He declared finally, meeting Rea’s gaze intently, "If we’re going to deceive him outright, promising rescue when we mean to seal his doom, then let’s make the deception count."

"You’ve already deceived him." Rea shot back, her tone empty of compassion, "How do you fix something that started with lies? Anyway, tell me, is there even a righteous way to end a life?"

Kaden offered a faint smile. Rea’s point rang true, stinging sharply.

Were it not for his knowledge of the monster Rudolph would turn into, Kaden might have attempted aid using his fire and blood techniques, or even synthesis.

But he was destined to become the Devourer of Souls with—!

Then it struck Kaden like a sharp stab to the mind.

His pupils widened as he turned to Rea. He darted forward quicker than she could track, gripping her shoulders firmly in his eager grasp.

Rea’s eyes snapped open at the unexpected touch of skin.

"Rea, tell me!" Kaden’s features hovered mere inches from hers, making the vacant gaze of the young woman dissolve like ink in rain, her cheeks flushing deeply.

Kaden remained oblivious, lost in his fervent haze, as he pressed ahead,

"Imagine, in the first scenario, I rescue you and afterward you transform into a different person." He explained, prompting Rea to nod hesitantly,

"Y-Yes?"

"Now, in the second scenario, another person rescues you, and later you transform into a different person."

He locked his stare into hers,

"Would the you from the first scenario match the you from the second?"

Rea’s forehead creased. She attempted to ponder the query with focus. Still, Kaden’s intense look stayed fixed on her, scattering her concentration.

Her pulse raced in her chest, her gut churned oddly, and her blood surged.

Such responses typically arose from fear in her experience.

So why did her form react identically when the rush of feelings in her core felt utterly unlike dread?

Even before her mind could form a reply, Rea heard herself responding to Kaden,

"No," Rea whispered, denying with a shake of her head, "I wouldn’t remain the same individual."

Kaden’s grin bloomed wide, like a sunflower basking in rays.

In that moment, Rea’s heart truly faltered, her mouth nearly agape as she beheld such a genuine, radiant smile from Kaden.

"I knew it!" Kaden murmured, releasing Rea and spinning away, striding back and forth, his ideas whirling wildly, at last uncovering a path through the dilemma.

Had Kaden lacked certainty in saving Rudolph, he would have chosen to let him perish rather than evolve into a figure like the Devourer of Souls.

Yet he held the power to save him. And for some reason, Kaden yearned to attempt it.

Rea swiftly discerned his aim. She frowned, shaking her head, silently commanding Einar to steady her heartbeat in Kaden’s presence.

Then she advanced a step toward him and voiced,

"Please, show me I’m mistaken. Don’t say you intend to aid him?" Rea’s tone reclaimed its empty sharpness. She exhaled inwardly with ease.

"You’ve studied The Will’s directives thoroughly."

"Who cares." Kaden dismissed, "The Will demands I act in a certain way, but who says I must obey if it doesn’t suit me?"

"Are you switching to hero mode?" Rea rolled her eyes, "Sorrow burn me, just allow him to perish, Kaden. Death beats this miserable existence. You know that. I know that. So—!"

"I do know it." Kaden interrupted, glancing back at her, "but Rudolph yearns to live. Who am I to strip that from him?"

Rea’s mouth formed a tight line, her glare laced with irritation at Kaden. As moments dragged on, the God-Touched increasingly saw the complications Kaden brought.

He complicated matters needlessly—for himself, and thus for her.

"Then how?" Rea inquired tiredly, "How do you plan to rescue him when The Will demands a different outcome?" She scanned the surroundings, "Do you intend for us to stay stuck here indefinitely? Kaden, I have ambitions to pursue. And you’re delaying me now."

Kaden inclined his head, accepting her point, "I understand. But it won’t drag on. The Will expects us to guide Rudolph toward accepting his destiny. We’ll accomplish just that, on our terms."

Rea went quiet, observing him for some time before tsking her tongue, "Damn, Kaden!"

She grumbled, running a hand through her hair adorned with rings. A metallic clink echoed nearby.

Kaden laughed softly, then shook his head, "Not Kaden." He stated, suddenly gripped by an odd urge in his thoughts and soul, "Here, I am Kaden no more."

"Huh?" Rea resisted the impulse to strike him.

"Now I serve as an Alchemist, gifted with special talents to mend the shattered, the injured, the lifeless."

Kaden flashed Rea a sly, subtle smile,

"Call me Asclepius."

Rea scowled.

...

At the same time, within the Wolves’ Kingdom, in King Fenrir’s throne chamber, the ruler himself occupied his seat.

Only his savage eyes were visible on his face. The rest formed a swirling void of shadow that persisted despite the room’s bright illumination.

At his base crouched his wolf—his herald—snarling, rumbling, baring teeth at the pair of men present.

One was Bari, the First Fang, his head bowed deeply in disgrace and dread.

The other, an elder with a wolf-like essence like the rest, donned a pink nightgown. His orange gaze brimmed with bewilderment, fixed on the concealed visage of the King in sheer fright.

In that moment, the floor, covered in the plush dark pelt of some legendary creature, seemed to split open, ready to drag them into an abyss.

Tension hung thick in the air, mingled with a sharp tang of fear that cloaked the chamber, its walls marked by deep claw gouges that sent shivers through the spine.

At last, the King—or more precisely the wolf—uttered.

"You have been selected as the card, Koftilo, son of Mamut Radal." The wolf’s tone resembled a fierce howl, "Do you grasp the destiny granted to you?"

Koftilo stood speechless, his thoughts locked in stunned paralysis. His mouth worked silently, unable to voice the dread eating at him.

The wolf, though, lacked patience.

"Bari, First Fang, as the architect of this contest," the wolf appeared to smirk, "this existence must end by your hand, his hot blood on yours to recall, mirroring how you claimed her life."

The wolf reclined, issuing its closing command as the King observed with shadowy delight in his gaze,

"Thirty seconds. After that, you become the next selected card."

The declaration crashed like collapsing heavens onto Bari’s frame. His stance crumpled, weighed by an invisible load.

He swiveled toward Koftilo, his eyes hollowed by grief and torment.

"I am sorry, old friend."

His blade slipped free from its sheath, gleaming under the room’s red glow.

Koftilo eyed it and, one final time, caught his horrified expression mirrored on the flawless steel.

Moments passed, and Bari cleaned his companion’s blood from the weapon, avoiding the sight of the corpse slumped at his feet.

Thus,

"The next selected card arrives in two weeks, should the King’s finger stay bare."

The wolf let out a howl. Every other wolf in Fenrir’s City echoed it.

—End of Chapter 422—