Chapter 499: Truth about his mother

It took Nero a moment to fully digest everything he had just heard.

But if one wasn’t a complete idiot, it wasn’t difficult to start connecting the dots and see the bigger picture.

His crimson eyes narrowed slightly as the pieces began falling into place.

Therefore, he spoke.

"You mean to say that I’m the reincarnation of that leader?"

Nero paused briefly, organizing his thoughts before continuing.

"You all used part of your essence, sealing it together with something before sending it into the future in preparation for my reincarnation. Then, you used the strength you had remaining to restore the original world and preserve the surviving creations within it."

His gaze remained fixed on Nyx.

"Well, that’s the conclusion I’ve reached."

Nyx nodded.

A wide smile appeared on her face, and there was obvious satisfaction in her expression.

"You can put it that way."

She leaned back slightly in her chair.

"It was a necessary measure to prepare our leader for his return."

Her black eyes that swallow one in remained fixed on Nero.

"Although we lost our sentient selves in the process, we don’t truly regret it."

"Because we will live through you, we are undying beings, existing forever."

Nero remained silent.

"Once you unseal all the stars, you’ll be able to control the existing Laws far more easily. In the past, you could only wield some of them, and even then, only partially, on top of your original Law."

"Space."

Nyx paused before continuing.

"But now, things are different."

"Every time you unseal one of the stars and enter it, you receive a portion of our true essence."

"Once all nine stars are unsealed, you’ll be able to perfectly utilize the Laws you’ve inherited."

Nero’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Nyx’s expression then became somewhat mysterious.

"As for the thing sealed inside your vortex of prana..."

She smiled.

"All I can say is that it’s a very big surprise."

"Something that will make you complete in every sense of the word, cementing your status as the supreme existence—the Absolute Ruler of Prana."

Nero remained quiet.

"This time, we have to succeed."

Nyx’s smile disappeared slightly.

"We must erase those parasites for good."

"If we fail again, there will never be an end to this."

Silence briefly filled the darkness.

Then Nyx continued.

"As for your mother’s identity..."

Nero’s expression changed slightly. This is what he wanted to hear the most.

"That mysterious village that nobody can enter."

"Your mother’s family is the servant created to continue bearing the Child of Destiny."

Nyx’s voice remained calm.

"None of the Maidens of Fate have ever managed to give birth to a child who survived beyond the age of one."

Nero’s eyes sharpened.

"Everything was done in absolute secrecy."

"You’ll learn more once you manage to reach that village."

Nyx’s lips curled into a faint smile.

"Not even that dull father of yours managed to reach it, despite being considered one of the strongest in the current era."

Silence.

Nero lowered his gaze.

Just a pawn in the overall game.

He wasn’t particularly pleased with the last revelation.

Now he understood what role his mother had served.

She had existed for one purpose.

To bear him.

The previous Maidens of Fate had failed.

Their children had never survived.

There was simply too much power and too many things being forced into those children from birth, making it impossible for their bodies to withstand it.

Yet somehow...

Nero had survived.

He was the exception.

For what reason, he still didn’t know.

But it wasn’t difficult to understand how the scheme worked.

Create a beautiful Maiden of Fate.

Send her into the outside world.

Have her marry a talented man from the powerful seven clans.

Then use what was inherited from both sides to create the perfect vessel.

Again and again.

Until him.

Every child before him had failed.

His mother’s short lifespan...

It was likely another consequence of the same process.

Nero didn’t need to ask about the lifespans of the other Maidens of Fate.

He was already certain.

None of them could have lived much longer.

None of them could have borne that many children.

The realization left an unpleasant feeling within him.

The plan was repulsive.

Yet without it...

He wouldn’t be here.

That was the part he couldn’t ignore.

His existence had been built upon a plan he had never known about, a plan that had cost countless lives before his birth, spanning across eons.

And his mother had been part of it.

Perhaps even her shortened lifespan had been another price she had paid without him ever knowing.

Nero closed his eyes briefly.

He had only learned the truth now.

There was nothing he could change about the past.

All he could do was silently pray for the souls that had fallen within this grand scheme.

He would have to live on.

Not simply for himself.

But while carrying his mother’s legacy with him.

And if that mysterious village had served its purpose for all those years, then it was time for the cycle to end.

The curse binding them had to be lifted.

And Nero believed he was the only one capable of doing it.

His crimson eyes slowly opened.

The uncertainty within them had disappeared.

They were resolute.

The weight he carried had increased once again.

But it didn’t matter.

He would carry it.

He would see it through.

His life belonged to him.

He would live as he wanted.

He would do what he had to do.

And he would follow his own logic.

He had no intention of being swept along by someone else’s plan like an idiot.

°°°

Nyx had been quietly observing Nero throughout his entire reaction.

She noticed the brief struggle in his expression.

The moment of realization.

The weight of the truth.

Then, slowly, his expression became composed again.

Nyx couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

He was like him.

Yet unlike him.

If the Nero of the past had been perfect in her eyes, this reincarnated Nero was different.

More human.

More complicated.

He embodied something the previous version had lacked—the desire for selfishness.

Some might consider such an emotion unnecessary.

Nyx didn’t.

In fact, she believed the opposite.

Because of that selfishness...

This version of him might truly be capable of accomplishing what the previous one couldn’t.

He could achieve their long-held wish.

Nyx smiled.

"Good."

Her voice was light.

"I like your mentality."

Her black eyes gleamed.

"Never forget yourself."

"Stay true to yourself."

"Understood?"

Nero snorted.

"You don’t need to remind me."

His gaze remained calm.

"I’m not some puppet."

"I’ll do things my way."

Nyx’s smile widened.

Nero had to admit that, among all the Laws he had encountered, this one was truly peculiar.

She was easy to talk to.

And unlike some of the others, she wasn’t particularly detestable.

Of course...

She was still quite the schemer.

Nero wasn’t blind to that.

No wonder she was the one responsible for explaining some of the truth to him.

If the others were rigid beings who refused to share any meaningful information, Nyx was completely different.

She appeared approachable.

Amicable.

She shared what she believed needed to be shared and acted as though she was completely on his side.

Almost as if she were willing to reveal everything.

But Nero knew better.

All of it was part of her scheme.

Well...

Not that it mattered.

He had gotten the answers he wanted.

He knew he was being used.

That much was obvious.

But they were using him.

And he was using them as well.

In the end, the one who gained the advantage would be the one who played the game better.

And Nero had no intention of losing.

He didn’t hide his intentions.

There was no reason to.

Nyx could read them easily.

And she was genuinely pleased.

Her smile widened.

Because, from her perspective...

This was exactly how it should be.