Reaper's Resurgence - Book 5 - Chapter 58 (Patreon)

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Somewhere Within the Quantum RealmA short time ago, moments before the Universe’s Will came under attack

The Quantum Ruler, Veltorius, remembers everything. All the way to the very beginning of the universe.

He remembers the birth of the first sentient creature after him. Remembers the creation of the very first planet, much less the first galaxy. And he remembers the day he was given responsibilities he didn’t want by the Universe’s Will.

Yet he allowed the Universe’s Will to bind him to the rules. Because when he came into existence, the Universe’s Will was the only other thing that existed. And the Universe’s Will was unable to speak.

So he was lonely. And since he was promised the creation of other creatures he could interact with, he decided to allow it to bind him.

But after so many years bound to the rules of the Universe’s Will, he can’t unbind himself even if he wanted. And he’s begun to lose who he originally was.

Veltorius knows this.

He knows it well.

And now that he senses the quakes moving through the universe, everything comes back to him. The loneliness as the beginning. The disappointment he felt when he saw the creations he had long desired to see becoming corrupted in more ways than one. Whether it’s actual quantum corruption, or corrupted in a metaphorical sense.

Jealousy. Envy. Hatred. War. Death.

Selfishness.

Possessiveness.

What’s worse is that even his own altered clones were the same. The other Quantum Beings.

So now that he sees the Universe’s Will being attacked, with everything flashing through his mind at once, a small part of him simply wishes for it all to come crashing down. For everything to be destroyed.

For a genuine reset and not the false one done by his son’s creation.

But his relapse into his original personality and thoughts quickly ends, leaving him returning to one of his hand-crafted personalities. At which point he stands up from his throne and opens a gate leading directly to the Universe’s Core.

The place where the Universe’s Will manifests itself in physical form.

Then he walks through the gate with a slight frown on his face. Where he finds himself entering a large chamber located within the distant void at the center of the universe.

The chamber itself is spherical in form and nearly three hundred meters in diameter, with glitching panels making up the circular walls all around the chamber. And a single orb at the very center of the chamber. One with numerous barriers made of quantum energy all around it.

It’s been ages since the Quantum Ruler set foot in this chamber. At least several million years.

Yet instead of feeling nostalgic, he simply feels irritated.

Why he feels irritated, he doesn’t know. Nor does he know if it’s his false persona that feels this way or his real personality.

Either way, he focuses on the glitchy silhouette floating outside of the outermost barrier.

A barrier already showing several cracks in it.

But as Veltorius is about to open his mouth to speak to his brother, he pauses as he notices something.

The Corrupted One’s form is constantly changing now, with the only similarities to before being that the glitched bar covering his eyes is always present. And unlike before, his form doesn’t stay as a single form for longer than a second.

Veltorius narrows his eyes at the Corrupted One, who only briefly turns his head in Veltorius’ direction before focusing on shattering the first barrier. Doing exactly that in just one more punch.

And it doesn’t take long for Veltorius to come to a realization. At which point he slowly closes his eyes with hints of pain and regret filling him from head to toe.

Because he knows without a doubt now that his brother is finally gone.

His entire personality has been taken over by the corruption. Erasing the last traces of him that were fighting against it still.

And it’s all Veltorius’ fault.

The entire reason his brother, Regrex, was corrupted in the first place was to save him after all. By pushing Veltorius out of the way of the initial source of corruption in the universe before taking in the rest of the source to save the universe from immediate corruption.

He did all of that, saving everyone and Veltorius while sacrificing himself without a single person knowing about it.

And now he’s gone completely.

Without a trace of his personality left. Leaving nothing but a walking source of corruption merely weaker than the original source by fifty percent.

Veltorius takes a deep breath despite not needing to breathe, then he opens his eyes again and rushes straight at the Corrupted One, who is currently moving onto the next barrier. Slamming bolts of quantum lightning into his brother, or rather, the body that once was his brother, and sending it flying to slam into the walls of the Universe’s Core chamber.

But, just as he expected, his attack doesn’t deal nearly as much damage to the Corrupted One as it needs to. Letting the Corrupted One send several dozen bolts of corruption straight back at him while rushing to slam into the barrier again.

Veltorius counters the bolts of corruption with bolts of quantum energy and moves to attack the Corrupted One again. Only for the Corrupted One to dodge the attack and continue his onslaught against the barrier. Completely ignoring the Quantum Ruler in his barrage beyond dodging and blocking attacks.

Showing the sheer determination of the new Corrupted One’s form to destroy the Will of the Universe.

Despite all of his misgivings, Veltorius continues to fight to protect the Will of the Universe. And at some point, some of the other Quantum Beings begin to arrive as the Will of the Universe no doubt summons them forth to protect itself by instinct.

But despite several Quantum Beings attacking the Corrupted One simultaneously, the Corrupted One simply recovers any and all damage done to it instantly.

Hinting that its completed form may be unable to retain damage.

Veltorius grits his teeth as he sees the Corrupted One continue to gradually shatter one barrier after another.

Slowly making his way to the Universe’s Will itself.