Chapter 98: The Prophet (2)

"..." Zaid remained silent. ’So he knows him.’

"Don’t be surprised whether I know him or not. I think I’ve told you that we’ve met before."

Now that Zaid was looking at him... Not only was this guy’s voice strangely familiar, but wasn’t his figure familiar, too?

He looked at his back... Something told him he already knew him.

An energy...

’What is it? Why can’t I remember?’ Zaid clenched his fists in anger.

"But he’s really gotten stronger, Zaid. Can’t you see? I think the curse did him a huge favor. When he died, he couldn’t even break through to Rank S... Look at him now—a true Rank SS! What a great Goddess I have..."

"Bastard..." Zaid growled under his breath. "What do you know?"

"I know as much as you do... and even more. So ask me whatever you want. Maybe I’ll be in the mood to answer."

Zaid remained silent.

"Since you’re not asking, I suppose I’ll answer the questions in your heart... Where should I start? Oh, yes. Why do we do all this? Hmm. For control? Power is addictive. I suppose most of them do it for that reason. Yes. That must be it."

Zaid frowned. "I thought you’d speak for yourself."

"For myself?" The prophet laughed gracefully. "I do it because I have to."

"Is it a duty?"

"I have no choice but to do this. What do you want me to say? I’m different from you, Zaid. You can lock yourself away in a cave, and I assure you, no one will come tell you what to do. From the very beginning, you and I have been very different. Despite that, I think you owe me a lot, and I owe you a lot, too. So I’m grateful, and I paid you back what I owed you."

Zaid felt like he’d lost his bearings in an instant. "What the hell are you talking about? When did I ever owe you anything? Since when do you owe me anything?"

"Oh. You’ll remember in a moment. For now, how about we talk about Elijah? Or maybe you’d like to talk... about your awakening?"

Zaid stared at him in shock.

"You’re quick to be surprised, Zaid... Just like in the old days." He laughed and widened his eyes as he watched the fight continue, with the attacks growing more intense.

The earthquakes stopped shaking the room thanks to the Prophet’s intervention. Because of that, they were able to see the battle more clearly.

However, Zaid’s mind was in chaos. He had a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but he didn’t have the courage to do so. And when he finally mustered the courage to speak, he realized he couldn’t open his mouth.

An external force had sealed it shut.

The Prophet began to speak...

"Elijah, uh... A good guy back in the day. The last survivor of the Portal of Calamities. Someone to be feared. A trustworthy person..." The prophet listed Elijah’s virtues as well as his flaws.

"A faithful believer, but a poor practitioner. Being too gullible isn’t a good thing, even in a religion. Seven years ago, he came to me for help... and let me see a little of who he was." A faint smile played on his lips beneath the hood. "I couldn’t resist and had to see more. I was intrigued. How amazing he was. What would he look like if I transformed him into something more powerful? He was amazing, but he himself was a flawed vessel for his genius... I had to shape him properly."

"That’s how Elijah was born, the Cursed Black-Blooded Aberration... The Son of the Leviathan of the Sewers." A chuckle escaped his lips, and he took a deep breath as if he were relishing the memory of that story.

"He was an extraordinary player. Someone who proved—even while filled with hatred—that he could believe. Incredible... He himself rules over the protective beasts of the very gate that stole his destiny. What an exciting ending. Don’t you think? He’s the guardian of those who betrayed him... and he does it gladly. His heart—if he has one—holds no hatred. He’s the perfect prototype."

At this point, the prophet shook his head in frustration. "But then he lost his enthusiasm. His fate changed, and so did his mission... Now he’s in a new form. Didn’t I help him? Didn’t I do what he asked? He asked me to extend his life... Tsk, he’s become such a pain. Always dwelling on the past... Always causing trouble."

"That’s why I dismissed him. I stripped him of his position as guardian angel and cast him out of my sight. Scum like him doesn’t deserve my attention." In the end, there was nothing but disappointment and boredom in his words.

"What isn’t interesting is discarded. That’s my philosophy of life. A woman and her love. A man and his strength. A family... a brother or a father. What good are they if they’re of no use to me?" He waved his hand dismissively.

Zaid felt that he could finally speak. However, he didn’t do so right away.

He weighed his words and tried to make sense of everything he had said. Then he spoke. "I think you’re crazy."

The prophet burst out laughing.

"We’re crazy, Zaid. We all are. We enter portals. We kill beasts. We spend hundreds of years in there just looking to kill. We’re murderers and psychopaths. It’s just that some of us cover it up by saying we’re heroes. Are you one of those?"

Zaid frowned. "I don’t think I’m a murderer, but I’m no saint either. I’ve seen dangerous beasts protect their wives and children. I’ve also seen men rape and kill their own children. I believe some beasts are better humans than humans themselves. However, I don’t belong to that group."

"But even so, you’ve killed those dangerous beasts that protect their wives and children and not to the men who rape and kill their own."

"I kill to protect myself. And I avoid killing to protect myself."

"That’s contradictory, you know?"

"Our lives are contradictory, don’t you think?"

"I think mine is just full of masks. I always act according to my principles, behind every mask."

"What strange principles you have."

"At least I’m not selfish."

"If selfishness means protecting my life over yours, then you can consider me the most selfish being in the world."

"..." For the first time, the prophet fell silent upon hearing that response. Several minutes of silence. "You’ve changed."

"..." This time it was Zaid who fell silent. "I’ve been wondering for a while now... Who are you?"

"Do you want to know?"

"I think I know."

"If you could know, I’d reveal my plans to you."

Zaid clenched his fists beneath the sleeves of his sweater. He didn’t back away. He didn’t even take a step back. Time passed, and dawn was just a few minutes away. But the growing curiosity in his heart had almost been resolved after speaking with him.

Zaid took a deep breath...

"I always knew you were odd. That you were strange, but also that you were dangerous. Your way of seeing the world was so unique that you were scolded more than once. But why are you pretending to be a prophet, big brother?"