Sedi looked at the strange girl that was reflected by the broken mirror in front of her.
On the outside, she appeared to be no more than 15 years old, and her hair was so long that it stretched down to the floor.
That wasn’t all.
There was a hint of redness on her normally pale skin, and her characteristic gloomy aura seemed to have disappeared.
The reason for these changes was obvious.
It was because Sedi had lost her external force and the demonic energy that she had as an Absolute.
“This is me? Hahaha…”
Sedi burst into hysterical laughter as though she’d lost her mind.
The ear-splitting laughter resounded horrifically in the air for a while.
Lukas understood her feelings to some extent.
After all, she’d demoted from an Absolute to a mortal.
It was worse than if a bird, who flew high in the sky, had been turned into a worm, who crawled on the ground.
Nevertheless, Sedi was the only person who could truly understand the shock and loss that she was currently experiencing.
After laughing for a while, she finally spoke in a bitter tone.
“I am now a native of this universe.”
It was true.
After being downgraded to a mortal, Sedi’s soul was automatically bound to this universe.
It was now impossible for her to travel to other universes as she had in the past, and after her death, she would either go to this universe’s afterlife and be judged or she would be reincarnated as an entirely different being.
This process would probably be repeated dozens of times. This meant that the Absolute, Sedi Glaston, would disappear completely.
No matter how one looked at it, it was a terrible end for a being who had once been one of the strongest in existence.
Lukas looked at Sedi.
She looked miserable, and it wasn’t just because her physique was smaller.
Nevertheless, Lukas didn’t have any intention of sympathising with her.
In the first place, Sedi and Lukas had nothing to do with each other. They weren’t enemies, but they weren’t companions either; they just knew each other.
In his opinion, she had simply paid the price for the choices she made.
So what he had to say next was not because he felt pity for her.
“Sedi.”
Sedi looked up at Lukas with dead eyes.
Staring into those eyes, Lukas spoke.
“I have an offer for you.”
* * *
“Sedi Glaston, what do you want to do now?”
“I want to…”
Even if he asked, she couldn’t give him an answer.
Sedi spoke in a weak voice.
“…fight the Demon King again.”
“…”
“So that I can take back what he stole from me and take everything he has as well.”
“Do you think you can do it?”
“Are you serious?”
Sedi spoke in an angry tone.
“I lost everything. My external force is gone, and my demonic energy has been robbed. I can’t even summon my soul weapon anymore. What the hell can I do now?”
“Lost everything? Are you sure about that?”
“You… What the hell do you know?”
As she said this, Sedi shot a glare at Lukas.
And she immediately regretted it. The moment she saw the look in Lukas’ eyes, her pride was wounded even more.
“…you think I’m pitiful.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re looking at me like that.”
“I don’t pity you.”
Lukas’ voice became cold.
“It’s just the fact that you’re acting so ridiculous, pitiful, miserable, and weak that it makes me speechless.”
“What the hell did you just say?”
Just as Sedi was about to explode in anger.
“-have arms.”
When she heard those words, she shuddered subconsciously.
She could clearly hear the anger hidden beneath the quiet voice.
“You still have feet. You have eyes. You have your ears, nose, and mouth. Your entire body is still intact. It’s not like you were crippled or imprisoned. And yet, you say that you don’t have anything? That you lost everything? It’s so ridiculous that I can’t even laugh at you. Do you really think that?”
“Then are you telling me to face an Absolute with this fragile body?”
“Can’t you do it?”
“It’s suicide.”
“Don’t be so hasty. It’s an act that might be infinitely close to it, but it’s not suicide.”
“…you.”
Sedi looked at Lukas with a complicated expression.
It couldn’t be helped.
This… wasn’t just advice. For some reason, she felt like she could see Lukas’ path. His bitter memories floated in his words like a mirage.
…What the hell kind of life had this man lived?
“You don’t need to give up. Even if it’s thinner than a thread, the fact remains that it is still possible. Nevertheless, if you are afraid to fight alone, I will help you.”
“…help me? How?”
“I will make you my incarnation.”
“Incarnation…?!”
Sedi uttered this word in a startled voice.
A being who could borrow the external force of an Absolute.
“You… From what I can tell, you have been in this universe for quite some time. But you haven’t found an incarnation yet?”
“I never found anyone who would be able to completely withstand my external force.”
Kran, whom he’d met recently, was able to barely meet the threshold, but even he was still lacking.
However, a vessel like Sedi would be completely different. She would be able to perfectly digest his external force.
“If you become my incarnation, I will fully support you so that you can become an Absolute again.”
“…it’ll be a path wrought with extreme difficulties.”
“Right. It would be several times harder than in the past. Think carefully. Becoming my incarnation means to completely sever your ties with the Black Horned Demon God.”
Those words made Sedi hesitate for a moment.
The Black Horned Demon God.
The Ruler she’d followed wholeheartedly.
In all honesty, she hadn’t thought about betraying him. Even if the Demon God chose Kasajin over her, she still wanted to follow him like a fool.
That was what a Ruler was.
From the moment they were born, they were destined to rule over all things. Truly cosmic beings.
However… Sedi still had her pride. That lofty pride did not easily allow her to continue following someone that had thrown her away once.
She looked at Lukas.
The man in front of her was the only Absolute who dared to stand opposed to all of the Rulers.
Madman.
She was now certain that there was no better word to describe this man. Lukas was probably the only person who continued to have a conflict with the Rulers for so long.
It was at that moment when a thought appeared in her head.
What if there were five Rulers, not four, and Lukas was one of them…?
“Hahaha.”
Sedi let out a loud laugh.
She realised that at some point, she’d become attracted to this being named Lukas.
“Fine. Lukas Trowman, I’ll be your incarnation. However… there’s one condition I’d like you to agree to first.”
“What is it?”
“…”
Sedi’s expression became serious.
As a result, Lukas’ expression also became serious.
Once she became an Absolute, she would become the subordinate of Lukas, who wasn’t even a Ruler. Whether she was just an incarnation or something else, no matter how nicely it was wrapped, that was the truth. This would be an extremely difficult decision for a being as prideful as Sedi was, so it was understandable that she would have reservations.
However, the words that came out of Sedi’s mouth next took him by surprise.
“Father.”
“…What?”
“I want to call you Father.”
For the first time, Lukas’ expressionless facade cracked.
Not caring about that, Sedi continued.
“I want to be your daughter.”
In all honesty, in terms of how shocking it was, what Sedi had just said was greater than anything they said before.
“…what do you…”
Lukas stuttered helplessly.
Sedi, on the other hand, remained expressionless to the point of innocence. When he saw that, Lukas realised that she hadn’t said it out of malice or mischief.
That’s why it felt even weirder.
If she wasn’t playing a joke on him, did this mean that she was serious?
“If I become your incarnation, then, in a way, I will become your blood relative. Which means I’d become your daughter.”
“No. That’s not…”
Lukas paused.
This was because he had some idea of the reason behind her startling request.
Some Absolutes tended to call their Rulers Father or Mother.
Of course, Sedi was no longer an Absolute, and Lukas was not yet capable of accepting another Absolute.
When she saw Lukas’ troubled expression, Sedi’s expression changed as well.
To his surprise, she muttered in a soft tone.
“…you don’t have to if you don’t like it.”
“…”
Seeing her slightly pale face, Lukas understood Sedi’s feelings to an extent.
She had only just been abandoned by the Black Horned Demon God.
And just by following a Ruler, an Absolute was able to feel fullness and a sense of belonging.
As strangers in every universe they entered, it was the sweetest fruit for the Absolutes who spent their lives in solitude. Sedi must have also enjoyed this sweetness while following the Demon God.
But now, Sedi had been deprived of her external force and demonic energy and had become a mere mortal. So naturally, she could no longer feel the fullness and sense of belonging from a Ruler.
In this state, she could only be able to embrace her loneliness like she was alone in this universe.
She might have looked fine, but mentally, she was in a very precarious situation.
Perhaps the thing she needed the most now was a home to rely on and a barrier to protect her.
‘That’s why she accepted my offer so easily.’
It seemed to show the role she expected him to fill.
After a moment of silence, Lukas nodded slowly.
“…no. I don’t mind it.”
“Huh? Then you’ll allow me to?”
“If that’s what you really want.”
Sedi’s eyes lit up.
Perhaps it was because of the loss of her external force and demonic energy and had lost her gloomy aura. Or perhaps it was because she was no longer an Absolute.
But Lukas was getting a completely different impression from Sedi.
“So I can call you father?”
“…”
Lukas couldn’t muster the courage to open his mouth, so he simply nodded.
Sedi’s face became noticeably brighter at the confirmation.
“Great. Then, please take care of me. Father!”
Lukas didn’t have any children, but he felt that this wasn’t the way one would usually talk to their father.
With that thought, he looked down at Sedi, who tilted her head at him.
“Why do you look like you just ate a bug?”
“…I’m just not used to hearing that term.”
“Liar… Father should have lived for at least tens of thousands of years by now. I’m sure you met a lot of women in that time and mercilessly sowed your seed.”
“No. I never did.”
“You should still have a few chi-”
“I don’t.”
When Lukas said these words firmly, Sedi stopped talking and looked at him with an incredulous expression.
“Really?”
“Why would I lie about something like that?”
“…But, even if Father doesn’t want children, that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t have any, right? Things can happen even if you don’t intend for them to, so you might have at least one child.”
“It’s not possible. Because I never did that.”
“…”
The silence that fell this time could not be compared to before.
After staying silent for a long time, Sedi finally spoke slowly.
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologise.”
“No. I-, I’m really sorry. I didn’t know.”
“…”
Lukas wasn’t sure how to feel at that moment.
(TL: The last part of this chapter was so funny. I honestly think that this might be one of, if not my favorite chapter so far. Sedi’s reaction to Lukas’ celibacy is just so relatable and funny. Kudos to the author for this one.)