Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power Chapter 447: I am tired

Chapter 447 – I am tired

"Where is Rea, Woeful One?"

The words escaped Kaden in a sharp hiss, his gaze radiating an intensity so fierce that the entire area appeared to sink into a charged shimmer of crimson-star illumination.

Confusion filled Rea's expression as she stared at him, her brows arching sharply at the absurd accusation.

Her fury remained unspent, and Kaden's statement acted like fuel poured onto the flames of her rage. It erupted with the force of a raging tempest,

"Get your hands off me!" She screamed, trying to swat Kaden's hands from her head. Yet they remained firm, refusing to shift even slightly from their position.

Kaden's eyes showed no emotion. Actually, they weren't emotionless—they resembled a void, with the feelings within them fading away gradually, as though devoured by an ancient and terrifying force beyond all comprehension.

Witnessing this, Rea froze on instinct, her lips parting and sealing repeatedly in unsuccessful efforts to speak.

"Don't force me to say it again." Kaden rasped in a monotone voice, "You won't enjoy what happens next."

Rea went quiet for a moment. Then, her features transformed noticeably, and her attitude flipped completely. She no longer appeared as a frightened young woman scarred by mortality.

Now, Rea's eyes gleamed with the undeniable haughtiness of deities, blended with the knowledge gained from over a millennium of existence.

A melancholic presence leaked from her, crashing against Kaden and churning his insides, urging grief to grip his soul. But he crushed it swiftly using his sheer Will.

Rea—or more precisely, the Woeful One—tilted her head slightly, her mouth curving into a perilous, heartbreaking grin,

"Are you trying to intimidate me, child?"

The voice matched Rea's, but it carried a wholly distinct vibe. Kaden detected the patronizing edge seeping from each syllable she uttered.

"If that's how you interpret it," Kaden replied, maintaining his grasp on her head, "then yes, it is. And what will you do about it?"

"Defeating that fragment of Forbidden has boosted your ego this much, hasn't it?" She shot back, "I trust you realize the true version could wipe out your entire clan in an instant?"

A short chuckle escaped her,

"Even so, do you comprehend whose presence you stand before?"

"My tolerance is limited, especially now. So talk, woman."

"I challenge you." Woeful responded, utterly unaffected by his menacing words, "I dare you to lay a finger on me, Kaden Warborn. That would mark the final occasion you'd locate or sense your cherished fiancée."

Kaden's gaze sharpened.

Woeful advanced a step closer, almost entwining herself with Kaden, murmuring into his left ear.

"I shall end her, allowing her spirit to touch The Tree. Oh, you remain ignorant, boy, but once a soul falls into The Tree's clutches, no one can reclaim it."

She let out a light giggle,

"Thus, heed my words carefully, boy. Rea, the name she has chosen, belongs to me." Her tone grew icy, laced with an unsettling possessive fondness, "She has been mine from her initial incarnation. And this day, I shall reclaim her. Yet I won't dismiss her dreams. She shall serve as my Saintess, my devoted one, and the guide for all my followers. Her kin will remain unharmed, and I will eliminate her uncle who sought to murder her father."

At this point, the Woeful One regarded Kaden with tender warmth, stroking his face with a deranged affection,

"And I would cherish you beyond her feelings for you. But not yet, Kaden. We must proceed to the hut before the impending conflict erupts. Forbidden has exceeded all bounds this time. Far too much. Although,"

She burst into laughter,

"I owe him gratitude for providing this chance."

Each phrase she spoke stirred profound grief in anyone who heard. Despite the cheerful tone and gestures, an enduring melancholy enveloped her.

This odd juxtaposition was bizarre, even captivating, yet Kaden focused more on the content of her statements.

Gradually, the void's grip released him.

Until this moment, he had held back solely for Rea's sake and whatever remnants of her lingered within. He avoided actions that might lead to remorse; deeds that even temporal reversal couldn't mend.

Such regret lingered persistently.

Though the realm had been renewed, he hadn't. The weights, errors, repercussions, agony... all persisted inside him, regardless of how many times he traveled backward... regardless of how the world erased its memory.

All others forgot. But Kaden retained it all. He couldn't escape it, even when he yearned to.

That was the cost. The toll of his abilities.

His elevated Will alone aided in enduring it. But like Rea, every entity—every individual—possessed boundaries.

Kaden had his.

And on that day, exhaustion overtook him. Carrying solitary the load of so much proved an unending ordeal. This awareness abruptly caused him to release the Woeful One, retreat a few paces, and collapse onto the earth in frailty.

His head hung low, breaths coming in measured draws as though striving to steady his turbulent mind.

Woeful observed him with an odd expression, her features and brow furrowing. She glanced toward the hut, eager to approach it.

Yet, an inner pull affected her divine essence. Thus, she moved toward Kaden rather than the dwelling.

Internally, she swore, ’Such persistence, Pandora. Embrace your destiny. The Hero stole you from me back then, but he's gone now. This round, I stand prepared.’

An wicked smile spread across her face amid the intrusive concern for Kaden's well-being.

’This time, we shall—!’

"What's troubling you, boy?" Woeful inquired, kneeling before him. She despised the necessity, yet complied.

Still adjusting to the vessel, she struggled against the flood of sentiments it imposed.

’In corrupting her, she has stained me as well.’ She reflected with bitter irony.

"Ah... it's nothing serious." Kaden murmured, eyes downcast, "It's simply that, Woeful One, there are moments when even I feel overcome. Shocking, right?"

"Not particularly."

’You'd be amazed at how many deities crumbled beneath the strain of ages and responsibilities.’

The Cycle of Time spared no one, regardless of status or nature.

"Yet, witnessing your Rea vanish has left you in this state?" She mocked, "Let me reassure you: she will truly persist forever. Always."

’Why am I offering him comfort? Why utter such words?’

"So you'll maintain your hold on her?"

"I will."

"Why?"

"She belongs to me. She belongs to you as well. Or rather, she desires to belong to you. It matters little, for my dominion and status surpass yours."

"What if I compel you otherwise?" He questioned, raising his gaze at last to meet hers intently.

At once, an unnatural unease permeated the atmosphere. Rea sensed the urge to retreat, but her divine pride rejected any such humiliating display.

Thus, she held her ground, staring back without flinching, "A mere human cannot compel a deity's will."

"Has it ever happened?"

"No."

"Then I'll pioneer it." Kaden grinned, weariness etched into his very core, "One must accept the risk of forfeiting their own life honorably to claim another's. That's a favorite saying of my father. But here's my variation."

He invoked his ability.

"To consume another's essence of being, you must first surrender your own."

He offered up the Divinity of Sorrow. In that moment, Woeful received a abrupt, alarming alert from her divine intuition.

"I offer the Divinity of Sorrow in exchange for—"

"No!" She sprang upright, backing away several steps, "This is—!"

"—a confrontation among the three of us... within my thoughts."

He cackled like one possessed,

"Allow me to invite you into my Shadows."

—End of Chapter 447—