Chapter 590: [The Journey of Sun] [4] [Deal Between Devils]

"We meet again."

I drew in a deep breath, holding back the anger that I felt just from hearing that voice.

Slowly, I turned my head to look at a tall man that looked exactly like the body that I had inherited.

The same hair, skin, and body structure that gave the radiance of a God even though he was a mere presence.

The smile on the face of Amun-Ra only grew bigger when he noticed my expression.

"You don’t seem too happy after seeing me." He said in a mocking tone. "And here I thought you would be relieved."

I fully turned around and walked towards the man. I still inherited his body, so it wasn’t hard to keep eye contact.

"What the fuck did you do to me?" I asked. My voice came out much angrier than I expected.

"Me?" He pointed to himself with an innocent look on his face. "No. No. You got it wrong."

He slowly turned his finger until it dug deep into my chest.

"It was you." He growled. "You are the one who made this elaborate plan while risking your own life."

His words only fueled the fire of confusion that was building deep in my heart.

"...What are you trying to say?" I couldn’t help but ask.

"I like how naive you have become." He said with a soft chuckle. "What makes you think I will explain everything to you?"

The urge to punch that smug look off his face grew stronger by the second.

Unfortunately, I had no confidence that I could actually hurt him even if I was using his own body.

’...Calm down.’

I drew in a deep breath and thought about things rationally. Getting angry and throwing tantrums would not get me anywhere.

’The best way to make him speak is by attacking the thing that gods cherish the most... their ego.’

Finding a point to start with, I began immediately as I let a smile form on my face.

"Did you make a deal with Azrael?" I asked, tilting my head. "Perhaps when you were on the verge of dying?"

The smile on his face died down ever so slightly, his eyes fully on me.

"Looks like my guess is correct." I decided to continue my act. Placing my hand behind my back, I began to walk like I was strolling in a park.

"Hm, did you have something on you that Azrael needed? And because you were at death’s door, you decided to accept the deal and part of your soul was stuck to overlook Azrael’s world while part of it latched onto me as my blessing?"

"..."

’The blessing of Amun-Ra was a curse.’

That’s what Inanna told me long ago, and I made the conclusion when, even after many trials, I couldn’t summon my daughters that were part of the blessing.

’I was helpless against Morningstar because his soul was blocking me from summoning them.’

I thought, staring dead at the actual father of my daughters.

The smug amusement that had remained on his face from the beginning quietly disappeared.

"...Interesting." He muttered. "So you figured out that much."

There was still a certain arrogance in his voice that I didn’t like one bit.

The God of the Sun slowly walked forward until he stood right in front of me.

"Continue. Go on."

"....."

His smile slowly returned when I stayed silent.

"Tell me what the details of our deal are." He asked. "Go on, deduce what I had that Azrael wanted. Oh, how about you tell me why Azrael put your life on the line."

"....."

I remained silent not because I was intimidated but because I genuinely didn’t know.

I had only managed to connect a few scattered pieces.

"You still have a long way to go." He said, his smile only growing bigger. "And by the time you get all the answers, you would have already lost the game."

"...You think this is a game?" The words left my mouth almost instinctively.

I genuinely couldn’t understand the man standing before me.

He was the one who was behind the death of a whole planet, the man who was forcefully brainwashing his people, and now he was smiling as though everything that had happened was nothing more than entertainment.

Amun-Ra let out a soft chuckle.

He looked at me with eyes filled with resentment.

"What else do you think this is?" His voice echoed throughout the empty world. "A war or a battle between heroes and villains?"

He slowly spread both arms as though presenting the entire universe to me.

"It is a game." His smile gradually widened.

"A game personally prepared by Azrael where two players stand on opposite sides of the same board."

Every instinct inside me told me he wasn’t lying.

The way he spoke and the confidence in his eyes...

He genuinely believed everything was unfolding exactly as he wanted it to.

"You and I," he continued, pointing first at himself before pointing at my chest, "are merely players."

He slowly circled around me with his hands behind his back.

"There are rules, and both players have already been given their own conditions for victory."

I immediately seized upon those words. "What is your condition?"

The moment I asked, Amun-Ra stopped walking.

He looked at me over his shoulder before letting out another quiet chuckle.

"You disappoint me." He said. "You actually thought I would tell you?"

As irritating as he was, I couldn’t deny one thing.

He hadn’t denied having a condition, though, which meant there truly was a way to beat him.

He slowly approached until only a single step separated us.

His golden eyes stared directly into mine.

"But, since I’m feeling generous, allow me to tell you the endgame."

Without warning, his finger lightly struck my cheek. It wasn’t painful, yet it felt more insulting than being punched.

"The winner will inherit everything." Amun-Ra quietly continued. "A vessel whose potential reaches the realm of a Half-Outer God. The authority I accumulated over countless ages, even my knowledge."

He lowered his arm before taking another slow step closer. "Wouldn’t anyone desire such a prize?"

Before I could answer, the warmth disappeared from his face.

"And the loser... by that I mean, you... will remain sealed here for eternity."

I finally understood why he kept calling it a game because only one player could walk away.

He leaned closer, so close I could almost feel his breath.

"I will live your life." His voice echoed in my mind. "And I will fuck your wives."

The killing intent that exploded from my soul distorted the empty world around us.

Golden flames erupted from my body as the very space beneath my feet cracked.

I wanted nothing more than to tear him apart.

Amun-Ra clapped his hands and walked back slowly.

"There it is! The man with love and hatred! The desperate fool that is entertaining!!"

He looked at me one final time.

"Struggle, Himmel." He let out a laugh. "Use all your mind and strength, do everything within your power to stop me."

His body slowly dissolved into countless particles of golden light.

"But remember..." His voice echoed long after his body had disappeared. "...The moment you lose, I’ll become Himmel and you will become nothing."

CRACK!

The world around me shattered like fragile glass.

Endless fractures spread across the darkness. The entire space collapsed into countless fragments.

"Huff!"

My eyes flew open as I found myself back inside the royal chamber.

The soft mattress lay beneath me with luxurious items filling the entire space.

Sunlight poured through the windows as though nothing had happened.

I remained sitting there without moving as my breathing remained uneven.

My fists were clenched so tightly that blood dripped from my palms.

From the depths of my soul, a small fragment slowly moved out, taking the shape of a blue bird.

Liraz slowly moved up until his head touched my cheek.

I closed my eyes and got a hold of my emotions that were spiraling out of control.

The warmth radiating from Liraz’s little body slowly seeped into my skin, easing the storm raging inside my heart.

"...Thanks." I whispered quietly.

The bird happily rubbed against my cheek once more before settling on my shoulder.

I remained sitting on the edge of the bed for several long minutes.

But as my mind was being filled with hateful thoughts once again, Liraz gently tapped the side of my head with his beak.

A memory, a vision flowed into my mind that didn’t belong to me.

It showed the surface of the sun. The heat that radiated was enough to melt anything.

Within the surface of the sun, an unusual-looking tree was growing that had a body entangled in its branches.

....My body.

And just beside the body was a woman with olive hair with ash-colored highlights.

"...What?"

The vision was so sudden that my breathing stopped.

Suddenly, the words of both Amun-Ra and Amunet came to my mind at the same time.

’...They are really reconstructing my body...’