Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power Chapter 435: Steady steps, trembling Heart

"Simple as it is, what you must do," Shamsi declared. "Just release yourself and embrace the recollections from your former life. We both recognize it. We both understand. It’s bound to happen."

Sora gazed intently at her, then gradually, with a spark of rebellion, brushed Shamsi’s hand off her shoulder.

A flicker of bewilderment crossed the Sun Empress’s features from the abrupt move, before she composed her typical demeanor once more.

Her hand dangled loosely by her side as she observed it, then shifted her gaze back to Sora.

The eyes of Golden Voice blazed with golden flames.

"Don’t attempt to control me, Shamsi," she snarled, tendrils of fire escaping her lips like shimmering golden vapor. "I see through you. And I absolutely know you’re not acting for my benefit."

Waves surged across the golden ocean, fierce swells bursting everywhere, poised to engulf all in their path.

"State your desire," Sora commanded, her tone majestic and commanding.

For a few moments, Shamsi remained quiet, peering into Sora’s eyes like she was hunting for a hidden truth.

"Who claimed I desire anything, sister?" the Sun Empress murmured softly.

"Do you see me as an idiot?" Sora sneered. "I may lack the full recollections of Lady Sora, but I understand you. I realize you never act without reaping some reward. So drop the damn nonsense and reveal what you truly want."

"Wasn’t it clear enough?" She lifted her shoulders casually. "I simply desire Aster’s downfall from his lofty seat of power."

"Or perhaps you crave the heart of Prometheus, just as he does." Sora’s smile turned icy. "Don’t assume I’m unaware of the outcome. That much, sister, I grasp fully."

Shadows fell over Shamsi’s expression, her mouth forming a tight seam.

With bold resolve, Sora advanced a step, weary of perpetual retreat. Weary of constant exploitation and deceit.

She positioned herself squarely before Shamsi, locking eyes with unyielding fire, equaling her in every measure.

"Prometheus ended your life," Golden Voice pressed on. "Is that your motive for aiding me? So you can scheme like the First Celestial and seize it all from me in the final moment?"

Sora let out a mirthless chuckle.

"In that scenario, sister, I’ll be the one to end you."

"Do you possess such strength?" Shamsi tilted her head, her lips curving into a hollow grin. "Are you aware of whom you face?"

"A schemer," Sora shot back.

Revulsion twisted Shamsi’s features at the harsh term.

Yet any retort she prepared lodged in her throat as Sora went on,

"And remember your position here." She waved at her surroundings. "This is my mind, my realm. I hold the power to destroy you."

"What price would you pay?"

"The price means nothing to me," she hissed. "So speak plainly. My tolerance has limits, Shamsi."

An odd smirk played on the Sun Empress’s lips. "You truly differ from my true sister. You echo Asterion more than she ever did."

"I couldn’t care less," Sora responded, her gaze narrowing with growing frustration.

The smirk faded from Shamsi’s face before she replied. "Prometheus truly slew me. Yet in doing so, he ensured my survival, my essence spared from the Tree’s grasp."

She paused for a beat, confirming Sora’s attention, then proceeded, "I harbor no wish to slay him. No desire to harm him whatsoever. His fate holds no interest for me."

"I remain skeptical," Sora stated flatly.

"My sole concern is this," Shamsi went on, lifting a single finger skyward. "I yearn to Ascend, Sora. Yet as long as Aster, the First Celestial, rules my Pathway and bloodline, ascension eludes me."

Sora’s brow furrowed. "And what role could I possibly play in this?"

"We share twin bonds, Sora," Shamsi explained. "Imagine the outcome if we merged as one?"

Sora’s eyes grew wide. "How? No, what do you mean? I won’t—!"

"Hold off on rejecting it outright," the Sun Empress cut in, extending her hand to halt her. With irritation, Sora swatted the hand aside.

Brushing off the impolite gesture, Shamsi persisted, "It’s the sole path to amass the strength needed to hunt for His remains."

"Whose?"

"Vesper Asterion, the Knower of Stars," Shamsi revealed, her tone brimming with raw reverence.

Sora, however, felt none of that emotion. Utter bewilderment gripped her.

"Why pursue his remains at all?" she questioned, confusion outweighing her ire now.

"For what other reason?" Shamsi replied, glancing up at the sun-shaped disk, her thoughts drifting to a long-forgotten incident. "He embodies the Star of Freedom. Only via this Star can we break free from the First Celestial."

Sora’s pulse faltered for an instant.

Shamsi brought her gaze down again, fixing it on Sora.

"Well, sister?"

She extended her hand toward her, a ravenous gleam lighting her smile.

"Are you prepared to escape your destiny?"

...

At the same time, within the Underground Game of Freedom, Uncle Azad lingered behind a massive, scaled behemoth of a tree, observing from afar a compact city coiled like a bellowing dragon.

Clad in a dark hood, with shadows leaking from the heavens, his visage merged into utter obscurity — utterly impenetrable.

Still, his gaze bored into the edifice ahead with a haunting fervor, his thoughts swirling in myriad ways.

Every trail converging on a single destination. A lone conclusion.

’They’ve left me without options,’ he mused, drawing in a sharp breath, the moist chill air icing his lungs.

Within a couple of hours, the gloom would lift as daylight reclaimed the sky.

Time was scarce for Azad to execute his plan, a fact he grasped clearly, though icy dread still clawed into his gut.

His frame trembled faintly, not from the chill breeze alone.

Shutting his eyes to regulate his breaths, Uncle Azad recalled his purpose for venturing here.

Once the reason for staking his existence by breaching Order Draco’s domain resurfaced, his resolve to hazard that existence would strengthen.

Those recollections flooded back effortlessly, fueling him beyond any heavenly boon.

"A man ought to cherish only a handful of treasures within his soul," Azad whispered while advancing toward Order Draco with firm strides, echoing his brother’s final words as he perished in his embrace.

"Among them, Freedom claims the top spot. Honor secures the next."

Now his footfalls rang out ponderously, earth-shaking, like massive rocks slamming down with each one.

"For me, Azad of Ghuzd, offspring of Bramim and sibling of Sooh, my Freedom lies stolen, yet my Honor endures. For now."

The ground quivered faintly.

"And the moment has arrived to defend it."

The hour has come... to grant you rest, companions.

...

At that very instant, deep in Order Draco’s living areas, Keisha positioned herself before a door clad in green scales, draped in an opulent purple gown.

She rapped on it twice, then lingered with composed patience. Her expression stayed serene, yet her heart thundered like an earthquake.

She sensed it... tonight carried an extraordinary weight.

"How extraordinary?" she pondered. "Fortunate or disastrous?"

No opportunity arose to dwell on it, for the door creaked ajar, Cole’s face appearing in the narrow opening.

Their gazes connected, and Keisha summoned the most radiant artificial smile she could manage then.

"Cole!" she exclaimed brightly, her ample bosom on display as she dipped in a gentle bow. "It’s been too long! Care to let me in?"

From her space ring, she produced a flask of wine marked with red etchings.

"Shall we reminisce about the past?"

—End of Chapter 435—