Chapter 1150 – Return of the King 2: Gold Edition

Death… was no stranger to him. This wasn’t even his first time meeting his own demise. Both times, he had been slain by a foe he had failed to adequately assess, but the circumstances had differed vastly.

The first time, because of his own overconfidence and arrogance, while the second time around, he had walked toward death willingly. Intentionally. Looking back at the decision made that day, it was a puzzling one.

Unique Lifeforms were beings at the pinnacle of the multiverse. They were the darlings of the system itself and tended to be hard-pressed to find equals in their own level range. Yet he had been surrounded by them and even given his life to save another creature he’d come to consider a peer. In large part due to feeling a sense of responsibility for having put the two of them in a precarious position in the first place.

However… could a creature so innately arrogant as the Fallen King truly give his life so selflessly? The answer was no. Not truly.

The King felt like he had been stagnating, and he knew why. He was a King. A ruler. A sovereign meant to rule over other monsters in his dominion, yet that part of his identity had not only been put on the back burner but suppressed by his circumstances.

Despite the hunter never abusing the fact that he held the King’s life in his hands, the fact that he did remained. That being the case, could he truly call himself a King? What kind of king could claim competence in ruling others when he couldn’t even rule over his own life and death?

His entire existence had become a disgusting parody of what he was supposed to be. The name Fallen King had been chosen as a reminder of his own incompetence. To remind him that he’d fallen once and to never repeat that mistake.

A reminder he’d followed… even as he’d seemingly fallen once more. But this time it hadn’t been a mistake, but done in a very deliberate fashion. Seeds had been planted for the future, and all the King could hope for was that those around him would be competent and willing to pick up puzzle pieces he’d left behind.

Dying by sacrificing himself should also serve as an adequate motivator. The hunter had proven himself a person who would go to the edge of reality if it meant helping those he cared about or repaying a favor. Of course, it remained a threat that should the hunter die, so would whatever remained of the King, but such was a risk he’d willingly taken.

And as the consciousness of the Unique Lifeform known as the King reformed, it appeared his risk had paid off. A small spark of awareness had slowly sprouted into more as the mind of the King had gradually been reassembled over a long period.

The copy of his consciousness – something the King had spent years forming – re-merged with the rebuilt soul of the Unique Lifeform, allowing him to once more remember who he was. He had stored this spark within his true body worn by the hunter, as that had been both the safest and only option he had.

As more and more awareness emerged, the King began to faintly perceive his own surroundings. The first thing he noticed was just how energy-dense the environment was. It far surpassed any expectations he had, and what’s more, the mana filling the air clearly belonged to a powerful entity.

Before the King could even fully understand what was happening, the being ruling the realm he found himself reconstituted in let herself be known.

“Unique Lifeforms also surprise me. Each one of you is odd in your own ways, which is worth preserving simply on account of your lives being unique.”

The King, not yet able to distinguish anything in his surroundings, felt the voice directly invade his mind as he could only answer by faintly projecting his own thoughts.

“Who?”

“However, what you also have in common is an extreme level of natural competency that leaves most so-called young geniuses full of envy,” the creature the King knew had to be a god, completely ignored his question.

“Do not believe what you did can be hidden from me. Your plans are as clear as the sun at dawn. In order for something to be fixed, it sometimes has to be broken first – for a connection altered, one has to nearly sever it in preparation. This… death of yours. It was far too convenient and purposeful.”

The King remained silent, fully aware that the creature the hunter had found to assist in the resurrection was far from simple. Sure, the Unique Lifeform had known the process wouldn’t be easy and perhaps even include another miracle provided by the system, but the current scenario still seemed like overkill.

“I would ask you the reason behind the subterfuge, but instead, I will ask you only two questions. Answer these truthfully, and I shall ignore what I know and keep it hidden. Lie, and your deceit shall be revealed. Do you accept?”

Left with no other option, the King naturally agreed.

“Was this done out of harboring hatred or negative emotions toward others, or because you had to do it for your own Path?”

“Path,” the King answered truthfully. And it was indeed the truth.

The god who had facilitated the King’s return had been entirely correct in that his demise had been planned to some extent. The timeline had been moved up by circumstances, but the intent had been there for a while.

He knew he had to do something drastic to save himself. Ever since the King had been bound to Jake, he’d looked for a way to sever the connection, but everything had been in vain. As the god said, in order for the connection to be severed, it had to be nearly entirely broken first.

Seeing as the connection had been formed through death, the only solution was to fix it using similar means. The King had to die in order to once more live as an independent creature, at least that’s what he believed.

As for why he hadn’t simply spoken to the hunter about this… well, because the King knew Jake would have agreed to help, and that was unacceptable. For too long had the King relied on the hunter and had to ask for help. This time around, the King hadn’t been willing to ask.

Instead, he’d purposefully manipulated the hunter into a scenario where he would do what the King wanted him to. In truth, the King didn’t like having to do this as he believed it beneath him, but he also couldn’t have his new life start on the terms of the hunter. He had to at least feel like he’d been the impetus behind his free existence, even if that feeling was nothing more than delusion on the King’s part.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It was all about feeling like he was in control once more. Even if he ultimately still had to rely on the help of others to resurrect fully, what king didn’t have others assist him at times?

“As suspected,” the powerful goddess said, seemingly satisfied with the King’s answer. “Second question… will you swear to never so foolishly risk your life again? Despite your machinations, the fragments you created were far from perfect. You played with concepts beyond your standing and nearly doomed yourself in the process. Such disregard for life is distasteful.”

The second question was an odd one, but it provided the King with an answer as to who was helping him. He felt the powerful nature and life mana everywhere, and the magic affecting his soul was faintly reminiscent of what Dina had used. Considering the hunter’s affinity to get involved with only gods at the pinnacle of existence and the fact that the god who was speaking to him was female, he quickly put together who exactly the hunter had found to help.

“I swear to the Mother Tree,” the King answered, putting much effort into making a complete sentence. In his current state, he couldn’t even fully feel his body, or if he even had a body. For all he knew, he was just a drifting soul kept stable through the powers of a Primordial.

“Good. Continue your Path with the knowledge that it’s your great fortune that such a flawed plan came to fruition through the efforts of the hunter you tricked.”