While Konrad's sword hanged above Marduk's torso, the hologram of a thirteen years old girl with mid-long golden curls appeared beside him. Dressed in a simple white robe, that girl looked like a perfectly carved doll that would undoubtedly grow into a riveting beauty.
But right now, rancor and indignation twisted her otherwise flawless face.
"Oh? So, you're really just a brat?"
Konrad rhetorically asked while rubbing his beardless chin with his free hand.
"Since when did you know?"
The system's soul asked, her wronged look unchanged.
"I didn't, actually. I had several hypotheses which all revolved around your little family. As a matter of fact, only when your outrage began did I veto the possibility of you being the Infernal Founder.
After all, though I do not know him, such a tyrannical man would not lose his demeanor for his corpse. Perhaps he would for his woman's and children's, but certainly not for himself."
Konrad replied while pulling the sword away from Marduk's torso. Holding it within his right hand, he turned toward the system's soul, stopping a foot away from it.
With his height now reaching 1.9 meters, before this 1.58 meters tall lass, Konrad stood like a giant.
"Greetings, brat. Shouldn't you properly introduce yourself?"
"My name is Selene, one of the nephilim twins, Marduk is my father, and you are an intolerable bully!"
Selene spat, her words broadening Konrad's smile.
"Manners, manners. Didn't your parent teach you that you should be po-…ok, low blow, even for me."
Those words turned Selene's frown into a severe glower. Ignoring it, Konrad pursued.
"If you want me to spare your father's corpse the fate of turning into meat for my hounds, you must cooperate.
First, I'm curious as to how and why you found yourself in the system. Second, where or who does it truly hail from?"
Konrad inquired, and hearing this Selene's glower made way for resentment and sorrow.
"You already know my parents' story. Following my grandfather, the Great Primal Ancestor's sacrifice, they were exiled on this world to spread the faith. Meanwhile, the Celestial and Infernal Realms each kept one of the twins.
My brother fell into the Overlord's house's hands while I fell into the Warden's. For thirteen years, they conducted horrible experiments on us, trying to figure out the origin of nephilims' ability to overlap bloodlines into a brand-new, several times mightier whole.
But to no avail…"
Selene began, her words reminding Konrad of the fate that awaited him on Earth.
"Though for those Gods, thirteen years were no different than one day, they realized that they pursued a fool's errand, and could never uncover the secret. Therefore, they killed us.
Initially, they planned to destroy us in body and soul…as it was customary for nephilims. However, our souls were saved by a foreign entity, the True System Owner.
He told us that he'd also saved our grandfather, the Great Primal Ancestor, and sent him into reincarnation. However, he needed one of us to become his system's soul and follow grandfather on his new cultivation road."
Hearing this, Konrad's eyes contorted into a frown.
"Only a nephilims' soul can power the system?"
"Yes!"
Selene replied, then carried on.
"My brother volunteered. And became the system's nucleus, following grandfather on his new cultivation path till he finally completed all the quests and became the Happiness God."
Konrad's eyes widened in disbelief.
"As soon as the last quest was completed, my brother's soul left the system, fully mature and instantaneously obtained a new body with a God-level cultivation base and earthshaking foundation. This is the soul's reward, should the host complete all the quests.
Alongside grandfather, my brother was summoned to that entity's side. However, though grandfather had completed all the quests, the entity claimed he'd failed.
He pulled the system from grandfather's soul and asked him to find someone else to succeed him. Now, it was my turn to become the system's soul. However, I didn't have my brother's luck."
Selene bitterly sighed.
"For countless years, many were chosen. But all ultimately failed, dying before completing the quests, to say nothing of the hidden goal. Either they offended people they couldn't afford to, or the harem they built garnered unparalleled envy and thus, their demise.
In any case, for one reason or another, they all perished. I drifted among hosts until it finally became your turn."
Those were not surprising news. With the harem beside him, unless he kept them hidden for a lifetime, Konrad didn't doubt that even if he didn't seek trouble, trouble would find him.
"Although that entity is in no hurry, for my bother and I, it is another story. We want revenge! We must have revenge! While my brother's current cultivation is earthshaking, the enemies are dreadful.
I must lead a worthy host to success at the fastest pace possible, obtain my mature soul and body, then join him to obtain our revenge! I feared you were getting negligent. That is why I played that prank on you."
Selene admitted, and Konrad nodded in approval.
"I can understand your intent. But you must also understand that this is not a game. A misstep and I either died or suffered unfathomable damage. Afterward, who would take care of my women?
You dare make such a gamble because you can go from a host to another. But I do not have the luxury of gambling with myself. Therefore, if I cannot trust you, I'd rather get rid of you.
Using a Soul Fragmentation Cauldron to split and reconstruct my soul is, I believe, a good way to achieve that. I would suffer some damage, yes, but nothing that can't be healed with my current resources.
The system would become useless, yes, but with my current foundation, I don't really have that much use for it. Better than anyone, you should understand that once I claim the deva linage, with or without you, my path is set.
So why take the chance?"
Konrad straightforwardly replied, his tone showcasing his seriousness. Selene's eyes widened in stupor.
"You are a mighty boon, the foundation of my success, I'd rather keep you, but if need be, I won't think twice before destroying you. Taking a page out of Cao Cao's book, -Do not employ those you mistrust.-
So, can I trust you? Yes, or no."
Feeling the gravity of Konrad's words, Selene bowed.
"I've said it before, you and I are bound by a common destiny. Your success is my success. From now on, I swear to not withhold anything from you, and faithfully serve you until you complete all the quests."
Selene pledged, and again, Konrad nodded.
"I can live with that. Now tell me, who is that entity? And who are the enemies you mention?"
Straightening her back, Selene returned her now limpid gaze toward Konrad.
"That entity is extraordinary. No one can remember its face. Even my grandfather claims that as soon as he takes his eyes away, he no longer remembers it. He never told us more than we need to know. Therefore, I don't know anything about him.
However, two things are clear. First, besides seeking someone able to complete the hidden quest goal, he doesn't interfere much with the Three Realms. Second, his strength is…immeasurable.
He can defy the laws of the multiverse and bring even destroyed souls back to life!"
Again, Konrad was startled.
"As for my enemies, they are many. But chief among them is your eldest brother, Talroth's eldest son:
Malkam!"
