Chapter 327: True Nature

Luberion raised his hand slightly as he finished speaking, then snapped his fingers without hesitation. "I am creating a barrier that will isolate this entire world from the rest of the Galaxy. However, since I will eventually leave this world, the barrier will not be able to sustain itself forever."

"At some point, you will have to reveal your existence to the outside Galaxy again." Eliomor remained silent as it listened, but a sense of relief washed over its existence, as though a heavy burden it had carried for a long time had finally been lifted. For the first time since approaching Luberion, the spherical orb stopped trembling quite so much.

After a brief moment, Eliomor finally responded, "I understand, Luberion. Do not worry. If the barrier can remain intact until Orivian is truly dead, then that will be enough." Luberion nodded before beginning to explain everything about the Realm of Astraya, which he had created immediately after snapping his fingers. He described the realm’s structure, the purpose of the Tree of Astraya, and the functions of the Veil that would separate Eliomor from the rest of the Galaxy.

Eliomor listened carefully without interrupting, gradually understanding how the entire arrangement would work and what would be required to maintain it after Luberion’s departure.

Only when Luberion finished his explanation did Eliomor fully understand the scale of the preparations involved. "Now that you understand everything, there is another matter we need to discuss. Someone will have to control and maintain the Realm of Astraya. Without constant inspections, the realm itself could eventually collapse, and that would put the entire arrangement at risk."

Eliomor went silent for a moment as it considered the responsibility involved, then nodded. "Thank you, Luberion. I will arrange for the right individuals to handle this task. Truly... thank you."

Luberion looked at the spherical orb with a small smile, noticing that it had begun trembling again, before responding, "You know there is no need to thank me. Perhaps I’m helping you because you’re special among all the worlds I have ventured."

Eliomor’s trembling stopped for a moment as it processed those words. "What... do you mean?" Luberion merely chuckled and shook his head. "It’s nothing. You will understand when the time comes." For some reason, the exchange made Eliomor feel as though their positions had been reversed, with itself becoming the child and Luberion the parent.

As it looked at the bright smile on Luberion’s face, a thought quietly formed within its consciousness as warmth spread throughout it, ’Truly... he is the best child a parent could ask for.’

With that, Eliomor began selecting the individuals who would be responsible for maintaining the Realm of Astraya. It established contracts with them, ensuring that they could not interfere with the events taking place within Eliomor itself.

Any such interference could disrupt the balance between the realm and the world, potentially causing the entire arrangement to collapse and taking the Veil with it. The four individuals selected for this responsibility were Mostleon, Yulia, Aurelis, and Garthax.

Each of them agreed to undertake the task after hearing the full explanation from both Eliomor and Luberion, understanding the importance of their responsibilities and the restrictions that came with them.

Before Luberion finally departed, he also handed Eliomor the Soul Pill, which contained a tiny part of his own Soul. With the barrier established, the Realm of Astraya prepared, the four individuals appointed, and the Soul Pill entrusted to Eliomor, the entire plan had finally taken shape.

...

Back in the present, Mostleon finished explaining the events to everyone seated around the table. Only then did the others finally understand who these four individuals truly were and why their roles had been so important throughout Eliomor’s history.

Atlas remained seated with an indifferent expression, although his mind was already piecing together the information he had just received, ’I see. So that Luberion guy really was both good and powerful.’

He had already suspected that Luberion was an extraordinary existence, but hearing how he had created the Realm of Astraya and established the barrier around Eliomor made the man’s abilities even more impressive.

Atlas continued connecting the information in his mind. ’If the Awakening Rank is the highest rank in the Galaxy, then Luberion must have already reached it before his Ascension. Otherwise, how could he have ascended in the first place?’ His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked toward Eliomor.

’Maybe Eliomor also knows the specifics of those ranks because of its connection with Luberion.’ It was a reasonable possibility, but Atlas couldn’t be certain whether Luberion had actually shared that information with the World Will.

For now, he decided not to dwell on the question and shifted his attention toward Seraphiel, who was still watching the Dragon Emperor’s reaction.

Atlas followed her gaze and noticed that Zaakrax had fallen into a daze. The Dragon Emperor seemed to have finally realized that the humiliating remarks he had made toward his own friends had been nothing more than ignorant comments based on his incomplete understanding of their past.

He slowly lowered his head, his expression becoming unusually serious as he looked toward Mostleon, Yulia, Aurelis, and Garthax. "I... I apologize, Mostleon, Yulia, Aurelis, and Garthax. If I had known..." His voice trailed off before he could finish the sentence, but Mostleon immediately appeared beside him with a smile.

"Do not apologize, Zaakrax. You were the strongest among us, and you helped in taking down Orivian." Mostleon spoke without any resentment, as though the Dragon Emperor’s previous remarks had never been important enough to damage their relationship.

He then continued, "We never took your comments to heart. After all, we are friends, aren’t we?" Zaakrax’s head immediately snapped up as he stared at Mostleon’s smiling face. For a long moment, he didn’t say anything, seemingly struggling to process the words he had just heard.

Atlas watched the exchange silently, his expression remaining indifferent. ’Friends...’ The word seemed unfamiliar to him, even though he had heard it countless times throughout his life. He had never seriously considered what it meant to have a friend, because friendship required trust, and trust was something Atlas had never been willing to offer easily.

He had spent so much of his life watching out for betrayal that the idea of trusting another with his back never crossed his mind.

He lowered his head slightly and began recalling the people he had met since his birth, closing his eyes as he considered each one in turn. Yet whenever a face appeared in his mind, he found himself dismissing that person as nothing more than a passerby who had briefly crossed his path.

One after another, the memories disappeared until only two figures remained. The first was Seraphiel, who was clearly more than a friend to him, while the second was... Kael.

Atlas frowned as he focused on the latter, ’That weird guy?’

He couldn’t understand why Kael had come to mind when he had never consciously considered him a friend before. The thought was strange enough that Atlas immediately shook his head and dismissed it for the moment, deciding that he would think about it later. He then returned his attention to Zaakrax, who was now standing face-to-face with Mostleon.

Yulia, Aurelis, and Garthax had also moved closer, standing behind Mostleon as he continued speaking to the Dragon Emperor. "Eliomor didn’t select you for this responsibility without a reason, Zaakrax. It knew that you were the one capable of keeping the balance of the world safe, and you proved that Eliomor had made the right choice."

"You could have conquered every continent if you had wanted to, but you never did. Despite possessing that much power, you remained true to yourself and never allowed your strength to turn you into someone who sought to rule everything."

Mostleon paused briefly before continuing, his expression still carrying the same warmth, "Do you know why I respected you even when we were rivals? It was precisely because of that nature of yours. Even though Dragons are known as the most arrogant species of all, you never allowed that arrogance to get to your own personality."

He finally finished speaking, leaving Zaakrax staring at him with wide eyes for a long moment. The Dragon Emperor had spent so much time believing that his strength was the only thing that mattered that he had never properly considered how the others viewed him.

"I see..." Zaakrax finally replied as his wide eyes slowly closed. He remained silent for a brief moment before continuing, "I never wanted to be a good person, nor did I want to be a bad person." His gaze shifted toward the sky above the realm as he considered his own past.

"All I wanted was strength above everything else, but it seems I unknowingly did something that others consider ’good’? " A quiet laugh escaped his lips as he shook his head slightly. "Haha... how ironic, but I suppose it is what it is."

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[A/N: I apologise everyone but I am suddenly sick(Fever) again, I could type only two Chapters for today...Thanks for understanding]