Echoes of Forgotten Bonds
He opened his eyes once again.
"But because of that meeting..."
"When I was reborn as Eddy..."
"I devoted my second life to saving everyone instead."
Victor nodded slowly.
"I see..."
After victor done talking with Eddy for a bit, Azriel introduced the next incarnation.
"Now this is Reed Runious."
"Believe it or not..."
"He’s a direct descendant of mine."
"His techniques and abilities were almost identical to my own."
Azriel suddenly grinned mischievously.
"And among all of us..."
"He definitely had the coolest death."
"Didn’t you..."
"...my dear descendant?"
Reed frowned immediately.
"Shut up, you f*cking old man!
The atmosphere inside the boundless soul realm became noticeably lighter after Azriel introduced the next incarnation.
He folded his arms behind his head, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he gestured toward the black-haired man standing nearby.
"Now this is Reed Runious."
"Believe it or not..."
"He’s a direct descendant of mine."
"His techniques and abilities were almost identical to my own."
Azriel’s grin widened even further.
"And among all of us..."
"He definitely had the coolest death."
"Didn’t you..."
"...my dear descendant?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Reed’s expression darkened.
The corners of his lips twitched violently before his face flushed crimson with embarrassment.
"Shut up, you f*cking old man!"
He pointed an accusing finger at Azriel.
"Don’t remind me about that time! Every time I remember it, it just makes me want to vomit!"
His outburst echoed throughout the soul realm.
Victor blinked.
It was the first time he had seen Reed lose his composure.
Compared to the calm and dignified incarnations he had met earlier, Reed’s reaction felt almost... ordinary.
Victor couldn’t help becoming curious.
"What happened?"
He looked between the two men before asking honestly,
"How did he die?"
Azriel’s crimson eyes sparkled.
"Oh, he died by—"
Before he could finish—
Whoosh!
A flash of steel sliced through the air.
A pair of twin blades swept toward Azriel’s neck with astonishing speed.
Clang!
Azriel casually leaned backward.
The blades passed only a hair’s breadth from his face before continuing harmlessly through empty air.
Reed didn’t stop.
"Don’t tell him!"
He launched another flurry of attacks while glaring furiously at his ancestor.
His movements were swift and graceful, the twin blades dancing like silver lightning.
Victor watched carefully.
Although Reed attacked with genuine intent to silence Azriel, every strike was effortlessly avoided.
Azriel didn’t even bother drawing a weapon.
He simply stepped aside...
Tilted his head...
Shifted his shoulders...
Each movement was minimal, yet impossibly precise.
It looked less like a battle...
And more like an experienced teacher teasing an impatient student.
Victor couldn’t help feeling impressed.
Even after all these years...
Their instincts remain extraordinary.
Azriel laughed while weaving through another barrage of attacks.
"Oh?"
"You don’t want him to know?"
He deliberately raised his voice.
"Hey!"
"I don’t plan to sacrifice the world!"
"I’ll save both the world and this girl!"
"How can I claim to be able to save the world if I can’t even save one measly girl!"
"Also, Hero?"
"You people are the ones who gave me that title!"
"I never asked for it!"
"I just did what I wanted to do!"
To make matters worse...
Azriel intentionally imitated Reed’s voice almost perfectly.
Victor covered his mouth to hide a smile.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Reed’s face turned even redder.
"NO!!"
"SHUT UP!!"
His attacks immediately became fiercer.
The twin blades blurred into streaks of light.
Despite that...
Azriel continued evading every strike with effortless ease.
"Too slow."
"You’ve gotten rusty."
"Try again."
Reed gritted his teeth.
"One day I’m actually going to kill you."
Azriel burst into laughter.
"You’ve been saying that for centuries."
Several nearby incarnations simply watched with amused expressions.
Even Hudson couldn’t suppress a helpless smile.
The solemn atmosphere from moments earlier had completely disappeared.
Victor silently observed the playful exchange.
They’re legendary figures...
Yet when they’re together...
They’re no different from old friends teasing one another.
It was strangely comforting.
These heroes...
These kings...
These legends remembered by history...
Were also ordinary people who laughed, argued, and embarrassed each other.
Eventually...
Reed stopped chasing Azriel.
He sheathed both twin blades with an irritated sigh before adjusting his clothes.
Taking a deep breath, he looked toward Victor.
"My apologies."
"My ancestor enjoys humiliating me far too much."
Azriel proudly nodded.
"That’s what older generations are supposed to do."
Reed rolled his eyes.
Ignoring him completely, he extended his hand toward Victor.
"It’s nice to finally meet you properly."
"I’m Reed Runious."
Victor accepted the handshake with a warm smile.
"It’s an honor."
After exchanging a few more words with Victor, Reed stepped back.
Azriel clapped his hands once.
"All right."
"Moving on."
He gestured toward the final man standing quietly at the edge of the gathering.
The young man possessed long black hair and calm golden eyes.
His bearing was composed, almost solemn.
Unlike the others, he had remained silent throughout the entire exchange.
Azriel smiled.
"This man’s name is Kevin."
"Different surname..."
"But another incarnation who once shared the same first name as others."
He shrugged casually.
"There have been many incarnations."
"So naturally, some ended up sharing names."
Victor nodded.
That made perfect sense.
Azriel continued.
"Kevin..."
"...is the third strongest among all of us."
"He lived after Eddy’s era."
"And besides the Original Incarnation and the second strongest..."
"He’s the only one who ever managed to land an actual blow against the Universal Emperor."
The cheerful atmosphere vanished almost instantly.
The smiles disappeared.
Every incarnation unconsciously became serious.
Victor noticed the sudden shift.
The Universal Emperor...
That name again...
His curiosity deepened.
He slowly looked around before asking,
"What exactly... is the Universal Emperor?"
The moment the question was spoken...
The incarnations exchanged silent glances.
No one answered immediately.
The weight carried by those three words seemed far heavier than Victor had imagined.
Silence lingered within the endless soul realm.
(To be continued in Part 2...)
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