Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power Chapter 434: Meaning

Chapter 434 – Meaning

A profound, heavy quiet descended after the words. The Alchemist could sense the intense disappointment radiating from her, even without glancing at her expression.

This reaction made perfect sense, given their immense strength, where every event might hint at larger forces stirring beneath the surface.

Whether it stemmed from that irritating mortal tendency to find significance in every occurrence... this instance, the Alchemist recognized, held genuine weight.

The Warborns had become a growing threat.

"How," the voice pressed on, forcing a veneer of composure, "how could I remain oblivious to this until this moment?"

"Do you believe many were aware of the Godkiller's true identity?" the Alchemist replied. "Even you lack knowledge of her appearance. Her present form is merely a reflection of her initial one."

"And you possess that knowledge?"

"I have encountered The Sovereign," he explained, gesturing through the empty space to make the runes dance and alter without pause. "Thus, naturally, I have met the Godkiller. I recognized her back when she was simply known as Scarlet."

"Yet you took no action when she defied the gods and forged her own Pathway." The voice carried a sharp edge of blame. "And come to think of it, Forbidden, weren't you the one who devised..."

The voice hesitated, as though rummaging through vast archives in her recollections for the precise term. But after a few empty moments, the Alchemist's slender tolerance snapped, and he supplied the answer outright,

"Waverith." He uttered the word with disdain, his fingers still weaving the runes, eyes fixed on an unseen sight.

"Exactly," the voice responded, gaining force, "the very domain where those Warborns resided. The realm you shaped alongside those two. Don't claim to me, Forbidden, that you played no role in the chaos unfolding now."

"If by role you mean enduring defeats from this lineage, darling," he chuckled darkly, "then yes, I certainly have. Though I'd prefer it otherwise."

"That's a falsehood."

"Have you joined the Truthful now?"

"I don't require membership in Their ranks to detect your deceptions," the voice shot back, clearly riled. "I've stood by your side since long before they branded you Forbidden."

"In that case, you should realize I never utter falsehoods."

"You withhold the full truth as well. What does that render you?" the voice demanded in icy tones.

"I convey truth."

"You deliver half-truths."

Forbidden offered only a subtle grin in response. He pressed on with his rune manipulations, pushing the voice's frustration to a perilous height.

Merely moments of quiet passed before it resounded again,

"So, what steps will you take regarding Prometheus?" the voice questioned, abandoning the topic of Waverith.

"He's far from alone," the Alchemist noted. "He's accompanied by Her."

"Her?"

"Sorrow."

"You mean Sorrow or

Alchemist's smile widened at the query. "Both, in truth. But chiefly,

"This grows more dire by the second," the voice exhaled in a heavy rush. "If any among them—or even you—refuse to intervene..."

The atmosphere in Alchemist's chamber constricted abruptly, like a deity's enraged grip squeezing the space with furious might.

"...I'll handle them personally."

"You won't." The Alchemist shook his head. "Everything stands ready. Cease your impatience, Katherine."

"In what manner?"

"Those cursed lovers linger on the Frosted Bridge, amid the Eight Mountains of Perception."

An eerie hush fell over the voice. Several heartbeats later, she resumed speaking, her words laced with tension,

"Wasn't that the site where the Angel of Death clashed with..." She cut herself short, unwilling to invoke their name and risk attracting their attention.

"Precisely that location." Forbidden inclined his head. "And as you recall, I devoted considerable time there myself."

He offered a knowing smile.

"Ample opportunity to arrange numerous matters in that realm."

"Thus..." the voice murmured, her inflection slithering with predatory anticipation, like a serpent eyeing two unwitting prey.

"Indeed, Katherine," Forbidden affirmed, then balled his right fist with force, igniting the surrounding runes in a blaze of light as white vapor poured from them in torrents.

In an instant, the chamber drowned in the fog. Its density obscured all visibility completely.

Yet Forbidden's voice pierced through distinctly. Sinisterly, unmistakably clear.

"They won't escape the Frosted Bridge with their lives intact."

The chamber trembled violently from every direction.

"Not after their transgressions. Nor what they're evolving into."

...

At the same moment, within the new Sun Empress's quarters, Sora Asterion remained lost in oblivion.

Deep within her psyche, her awareness gleamed in golden hues, a boundless golden sea surging across the expanse, drenching every inch of the terrain.

Above, a blistering golden sun hung indifferently in the washed-out heavens.

Sora Asterion balanced atop the vibrant, undulating, rippling sea, her form rocking in sync with its motions.

Her eyelids squeezed shut, quivering relentlessly as she battled to dispel the recollections pressing into her thoughts.

The effort intensified relentlessly, and defeat loomed near. That notion ignited a rush of fury within her.

She gnawed at her lower lip, straining with greater vigor, occasional grunts escaping her mouth.

"Resistance is futile." A regal, chilling voice reverberated.

It belonged to a figure positioned before Sora, clad in imperial golden robes, a solar crown floating above her brow.

Sora kept her gaze lowered, indicating this exchange was far from their initial one.

"Simply embrace the memories, sister," Shamsi Apollonia urged, her annoyance mounting alongside her dwindling restraint. "They belong to you."

"Could you be quiet?" Sora snarled, flinging her eyes open to meet Shamsi's haughty stare. "These aren't mine."

"They are yours," Shamsi maintained firmly, "drawn from an alternate timeline. Yet undeniably yours. Embracing them unlocks vast benefits. And only through acceptance can we advance further."

"What price must I pay?" Sora shook her head. "Some fragments slipped past my defenses. Now, I sense a stranger within myself."

She pressed her lips together tightly.

"My views have shifted in ways I never chose, and this isn't who I am!" she cried out, a blend of rage and fear. "I despise dogs, yet suddenly I adore them? Painting repulses me; I'm terrible at it! But now it appeals? All for someone I've never met?"

She stomped the sea's surface in savage wrath, sending sprays of water shooting upward.

"This. Is. Not. Me!" Sora emphasized each syllable with fiery passion capable of igniting structures. "I refuse memories that aren't truly mine."

"That's reasonable," Shamsi acknowledged, flicking her wrist to vaporize the water into mist. "The memories will transform you, but that's the essence of this ordeal. Change elevates you, sister."

"I'm no sister of yours."

"You are," Apollonia countered. "Regardless of your loathing, no matter your enmity toward me across those two timelines. We're sisters. Not ordinary ones—we're twins, Sora."

Shamsi halted briefly, as if reconciling an inner conflict, then proceeded,

"Haven't you wondered why I spared your life, despite my supremacy?" she inquired, advancing toward Sora. "Why I merely silenced your voice and banished you, knowing full well you'd plot my ruin?"

"You're addressing the incorrect individual," Sora replied, aware of the pointlessness in her denial.

She perceived the inevitable—defeat approached. The memories would soon overwhelm her, reshaping nearly all she held dear.

Indeed, Sora already sensed her personal recollections fading beneath the onslaught of Lady Sora's.

That epiphany chilled her to the core and unveiled a truth she'd never contemplated.

Memories clashing with memories... didn't that make them mortal foes?

She drew a sharp breath, only to find Shamsi mere inches away.

The Sun Empress extended her arm, placing her hand firmly on Sora's shoulder. A shudder ran through her.

"Consider your ambition, our shared purpose," Shamsi advised. "The First Celestial manipulates you for his vile scheme. Will you surrender to this destiny? To being exploited once more? To a life forever denied to you?"

"You..." Sora glowered. "You're scarcely superior to him."

Shamsi bared a wicked smile. "Oh, sister. Compared to him, I'm but an innocent child. His malice runs unfathomably deep. Aster's core festers with avarice and venom."

Her grip intensified on Sora's shoulder.

"Without breaking free, without defying him, you'll fare far worse than I. And freedom demands you absorb every fragment of your former self."

Sora grew quiet, her golden eyes— weary, furious, resolute—fixed on Shamsi.

The truth stung. She rejected helplessness, rejected serving as a tool against Kaden.

Countless errors she'd inflicted on him. Endless forgiveness he'd extended.

Yet even should he pardon her anew after Aster's influence drove her to assault him, Sora could never absolve herself.

One route remained. A trail shrouded in doubt.

Sora understood she tread a irreversible course. Power's toll proved immense.

Liberty's even more so.

—End of Chapter 434—