Chapter 598: [The Journey of Sun] [12] [Fear of Losing]

"Argh!"

I jerked out of bed as soon as the world broke like glass around me.

Slowly, I looked around and found myself back in the room that belonged to Amun-Ra.

I slowly began to calm down when the things I heard from Amun-Ra returned to my mind.

"FUCK!"

I yelled at the top of my lungs, holding back my urge to destroy anything or anyone.

Taking in a deep breath, I leaned back against the head of the bed, closing my eyes.

’I need to confirm what exactly Amun-Ra planned to do with Osiris.’

There was no way Amun-Ra wasn’t trying to manipulate me into doing his bidding.

He had been weaving this plan for so long that he might have considered all the possible outcomes where he lost and created a safety net for himself.

’Even if I killed Osiris, there is still a high chance of him getting his authority.’

I silently rubbed the side of my hand with my fingers when the door of my room opened.

The same seven maids walked inside and bowed in my direction.

Taking in a deep breath, I stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

---

Once I was ready, I immediately moved out of the castle and flew toward the northern edge.

It only took me a few minutes to reach the woman I was looking for.

I slowed down as I approached the edge of her territory.

A faint golden glow was already waiting for me in the middle of the empty desert.

Amunet stood there with her back toward me, her white dress moving gently in the wind as she stared at an oasis in the middle of the desert.

I landed a few metres behind her, making sure to let her know I was there.

"You knew I was coming," I said, putting my hands behind my back.

She didn’t turn around. "I suspected you would."

I frowned and walked closer. "Then you probably know why I’m here."

Amunet finally turned her head and looked at me. "You want to ask about Osiris."

"No." I shook my head. "I want to ask about Amun-Ra."

She looked up at me, waiting for me to continue.

"The condition for Amun-Ra to win this game..." I said, keeping my voice low. "...is for him to become an Outer God, isn’t it?"

Amunet remained silent for several seconds before she turned around.

Her eyes stayed fixed on the oasis behind her as though my question had nothing to do with her.

That silence alone made my suspicion grow.

"Well?" I asked, taking another step toward her. "Am I wrong?"

Amunet finally glanced toward me. "No."

The answer came so easily that I almost felt disappointed.

I had expected her to dodge the question like she usually did.

"So that’s it?" I asked. "Amun-Ra’s condition is to become an Outer God and what else?"

"You are correct." She nodded her head without any resistance. "He needs to complete the process he began thousands of years ago."

’...The ritual involving the eight pillars...’

"So, will I win if I destroy all eight pillars?" Even though I knew the answer, I still asked it.

"The completion of all eight pillars is as important for him as it is to you," she replied softly. "Without it, you would be stuck here forever."

"Explain!" I yelled unintentionally. "Tell me why the fuck would that happen?!"

Amunet glanced up at me before she quietly ignored me.

I slowly walked forward and stood in her line of sight, blocking it.

"Don’t you fucking ignore me." I growled at her. "Tell me, why can’t I return?"

She looked at my face before taking a sidestep to look behind me.

’This BITCH!’ I blocked her sight once again.

"Don’t test my patience, Amunet." I said coldly. "I can destroy the pillar and make sure your husband stays dead--"

"Then do it." She cut me off, looking directly into my eyes. "Do it, and we will see who has more to lose."

I stared at her without saying anything.

For several seconds, my mind simply refused to process what she had said.

’...Does she want her husband to win or not?’

She was actually challenging me to destroy the pillars.

There wasn’t even the slightest trace of hesitation in her expression.

Amunet slowly sighed as she looked at me. "You really don’t understand anything, do you?"

My expression immediately turned sour. "Then explain, you stupid Goddess."

She remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. "You are not in another reality, Himmel."

My eyes narrowed. "What?"

"You are in the past." She paused before continuing in a calm voice.

"But what you are experiencing is not the original past anymore. It is a branch that has separated from the real past."

I frowned. "That doesn’t make any sense."

Amunet ignored my complaint and walked toward the oasis.

She slowly crouched beside the water and dipped her fingers into its surface.

Then she touched it twice, making two small waves immediately spread across the surface.

Amunet pointed toward the first wave.

"This is the reality that has already happened." Her finger moved toward the second wave. "And this is the reality that is currently happening."

I stared at the two waves as they continued moving across the water until they eventually began approaching each other.

Amunet pointed at the place where they would eventually meet. "And this is the point you and Amun-Ra both need to reach."

I remained silent as she stood up and looked at me. "At that point, the two realities can merge and become one."

My expression slowly changed. "Wait, wait..."

"If Amun-Ra becomes an Outer God before that point is reached, then he will also become an Outer God in the real reality."

She paused, her eyes meeting mine.

"And if you die in this reality before the two realities merge... you will die in the real reality as well."

My entire body became stiff, and my first instinct was to reject the idea.

"...That’s fucking stupid." I glared at her. "There is no way the past can be changed like tha—"

"There is."

She looked directly into my eyes.

"You already changed it." Amunet continued speaking. "...Azrael tested this before you were brought here."

My mind immediately began racing.

"So that’s why Amun-Ra was willing to risk everything." I clenched my fists. "He knew there was a chance of changing the future."

Amunet nodded. "That’s why he accepted this game."

I remained silent when another thought entered my mind.

"Is this why my soul is becoming similar to Amun-Ra’s?"

She didn’t answer and kept on staring at the oasis.

It took her a while but she finally answered after a moment of silence.

"The more your existence becomes connected to his," she whispered, "the easier it will be for him to occupy your body without resistance."

My expression became grim. ’So that’s what Amun-Ra was talking about.’

Our existences weren’t simply becoming similar. They were being intertwined.

The longer this continued, the harder it would become to tell where Amun-Ra ended and where I began.

’...In a way, he was cheating the system by using Amunet.’

If he can fulfill his condition and become an Outer God, then he can exist in the real world through the merging.

If he couldn’t fulfill the condition, then he could steal my body by making our souls identical to each other.

I grew increasingly anxious as I asked slowly, "How do I stop him from changing my soul?"

"You can’t." She replied, shaking her head. "You can’t interfere because he is changing his own soul to match yours, not the other way around."

"..."

I am truly fucked, aren’t I?

How is this game even fair? It’s rigged from the start, with every outcome leading to Amun-Ra’s victory.

Amunet slowly walked toward me and stopped directly in front of me before raising her hand.

I didn’t move, staring dead into the eyes of the woman responsible for my upcoming demise.

Her fingers gently touched my cheek.

"I have seen everything." Her voice was unexpectedly soft. "From the moment you were born..."

Her thumb gently moved across my cheek. "From the moment you received those blessings... I watched your entire life."

She looked into my eyes with an expression I couldn’t understand.

"You have struggled enough." Her hand remained against my face. "Just rest, Himmel, and let go of this struggle. You don’t have to keep fighting."

Her voice almost sounded like she was pleading.

I slapped her hand away. "Keep your emotional manipulation to yourself."

Never taking my eyes off her, I took a step back.

"I don’t care whether you think you understand me or how much the game is rigged." I looked at her one final time. "But I won’t surrender."

Golden light gathered beneath my feet, and the next instant, my body shot into the sky.

The desert rapidly disappeared beneath me as I flew toward the horizon.

’...A branch of the past.’ My fists clenched tightly. ’Two realities eventually merging into one.’

I cannot let Amun-Ra get the upper hand on me, no matter what.