If the unrivaled surge of energy released by Konrad's Supreme Will was enough to put all Realms in awe, it was but a part of his transformation. With the integration of Heaven's Will, two other locks broke. One for the Absolute Negation Physique, one for the Might Reversal Physique. With 29 broken locks separately, Konrad's physiques individually stood a step away from Supremacy. But when their strength overlapped, High Supremes aside, he could flatten everything.
The shackles of his bloodline further lessened, and Konrad didn't doubt that so long as he absorbed Hell's Will, the long-awaited breakthrough would open its doors to him. With a smile, Konrad waved his hand, pulling the strands of Heaven's Will within the Warden and Daksha back into his Chthonian Will.
His eyes then lowered toward Night and Cloud who lay vanquished on the ground. As a Nothingness Supreme, Night was relatively indestructible. The only way for Konrad to dispose of him was to sacrifice the God Executing Immortal Sword. But with his current level of Broken Locks, Konrad could just negate his Nothingness.
As for Cloud, some negation or a sword slash could erase his Supreme existence.
However, this wasn't the time. Following his assumptions, Konrad firmly believed that the lives of those two would be of capital importance in the following hours. Unbeknown to the onlookers, he negated some of their injuries, calculating the time it would take for them to awake.
"Regretless, don't disappoint me."
Konrad whispered as he turned to face the Infernal Realm. His consorts, dukes and secret forces appeared from the shadows, lining up beside and behind him. All stared at the Infernal Realm which now experienced startling changes.
…
Following his departure from the Central Domain, Talroth first reappeared in the miniature world where he kept Asmodeus trapped, and stepped toward her. Seeing him, expecting and not in the mood for his usual snides, Asmodeus closed her eyes, keeping her face lowered toward the ground.
Before that sight, Talroth's lips curled into a smile.
"It is a pity that between the two of us, it has come to this."
Talroth began, speaking such "out of character" words that Asmodeus' eyes opened and narrowed at him.
"What do you mean by that? Or perhaps you've finally decided to put me out of my misery?"
She directly asked, knowing that as far as Talroth was concerned, the best she could expect was a sordid fate. However, Talroth shook his head, and sat on the cold ground, beside her. His back leaned against the pillar she remained tied on, but his face tilted to the left, still keeping her in sight.
"Not quite. Though I suppose this is still a farewell."
As those words left Talroth's lips, confusion gripped Asmodeus' mind, and her peerless face contorted into a frown.
"There are words all will speak at least once in their lives. Words I never had any use for. But since this is our final meeting, and I will never again have the opportunity, I ought to say them."
Talroth pursued, and with a smile, stretched his left hand toward Asmodeus, stroking her cheek with a tenderness she'd long forgotten.
"Sorry, and thank you.
Sorry for wronging you not once, but twice, for never being able to be the one you yearned for. For giving you hope when I knew I meant to squash your heart.
And thank you, thank you for following me across all those eras, for having always been my wife. Fate is a cruel mistress, even I couldn't anticipate it would again set us on this path. I could say that in another life, I wish things were different. And perhaps I do. Perhaps like all the rest, I somehow wish to experience genuineness. However…"
There, Talroth paused, staring deep into Asmodeus' confused eyes while still stroking her cheek. His smile vanished, and while pulling back his hand, he stood up.
"…that would be a lie. My destiny is that of supreme power. In my heart, nothing else matters. In my eyes of shifting grey, that alone maintains its brightness. My name shall awe all things across eternity. For I – only I – am qualified to wear the crown of eternal dominion."
As the words echoed in Asmodeus' mind, Talroth vanished in a cold, deadening force that chilled her to the bones.
…
As Talroth reappeared, he now stood above Hell's tallest mountain, staring at the dropping Infernal Tribulations with a mildly apologetic gaze.
"The death of every Primogen returns their portion of the will back to the origin. But little do they know that while the others combined only hold 1/15, the Overlord and I both hold ⅓. Hell, I must say that as a parent, you've treated me very well.
What a pity that unfilial piety is my first virtue."
Talroth whispered and stretched his hands while staring straight into the deluge of red lightning bolts.
"Farewell."
*Crack*
Following that word, Talroth's skin crackled with fissures spreading all around his previously flawless body. Dark purple flames burst from the fissures, setting the Incubus Primogen ablaze with infernal flames.
Though he made no sound, the flames seared Talroth's flesh, and from the extremities to the trunk, burned him to ashes. Five seconds was all it took for Talroth to become dispersing ashes.
From his body and soul, nothing remained.
The portion of Hell's Will within him returned to its rightful owner, and as Hell's Will mourned the loss of its most cherished child, its Infernal Tribulations skyrocketed in might, releasing such a dreadful force that the Devil Formation showed signs of shattering.
The deluge of red lightning turned into a crimson lightning tiger that hurtled at the barrier, and slammed right into it!
The barrier collapsed, leaving the denizens of Hell powerless before the Will's wrath!
At that time, Konrad made his move, and unleashed the yellow springs of the underworld! The springs coalesced into a gigantic maw that rushed into the Infernal Realm to swallow the tumbling tiger!
And as the Will's wrath still grumbled in waves of horrendous might, the underworld maw rushed into the reddened sky and merged with it! The sky's color changed, becoming a dark yellow as the will thrashed against the underworld's consumption.
All to no avail!
"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
The grating cry of Hell's Will pierced trillions of ears as it collapsed and became the final meal of Konrad's Chthonian Will!
The last shackles broke, with Konrad's broken locks finally reaching 30 in both the Absolute Negation and Might Reversal Physique! Better, his bloodline reached Firmament level!
Still, Konrad couldn't relish, for a scene that none expected now occurred in the infernal sky.
A golden gate appeared, surrounded by a majestic swirl of Auspicious Clouds that danced as if to announce the coming of the world's true sovereign.
The gate opened, and in the blinding golden light bursting from its doors, two figures appeared, one that needed no introduction, one all recognized as that of Talroth, while at his left, a six or seven years old boy stood with bright, slit golden eyes and grey hair.
Talroth held the boy's hands as the two walked out of the golden gate.
But that…merely was the beginning! From within the Firmament, the Dharma Lord that should have been trapped by Regretless remolded his body, vanished into Nothingness, and reappeared in the Infernal Realm's Sky.
As he stood at Talroth's right, his stance needed no explanation.
The Dharma Lord waved his hand, and above the three, a jade crown appeared, rippling with the very power of samsara!
