Chapter 69: Mysteries Hidden Truthfully 🤨
The unknown being stood tall, his presence alone causing the air to tremble slightly. His golden hair flickered under the light like molten sunlight.
"Ho ho~ Welcome to my kingdom… the Land of After Invertal.
And I… am the king here Daichi Kuro."
The throne behind him pulsed with faint symbols, reacting to his energy.
Hiko, awe-struck but still grounded, spoke up, "Whoaa... so... are you really Kuro?"
Kuro, calmly sitting back, "Yeah."
Piko, relieved, grinned. "Finally, we meet the one and only."
Kuro, curious, leaned forward slightly.
"Well, we've met. Now… tell me. What is it that you want from me?"
Hiko's face shifted his expression hardening from excitement to seriousness.
"Hmm. Before that… can I ask one thing from Hanuro?"
Hanuro, surprised. "Me??"
Hiko: "Yeah. I really want to know about the ice deity you summoned back in the Azura Realm."
Hanuro: "Ohh… you mean Zeltra?"
Hiko: "Yeah."
Hanuro took a small breath, her tone turning soft yet proud.
"Hmph… I usually don't tell anyone this, but… fine. You've got a decent brain, so I'll explain."
She crossed her arms, glancing at the cold floor.
"Zeltra… is known as the Warlord of the Icicle Metadorm. It's a domain deep inside the Azura Realm frozen, infinite, and older than time itself. She's ruled it for nearly 700 trillion years."
Hiko & Piko: "SEVEN… HUNDRED… TRILLION!?" 😨
Hanuro continued, calm but confident.
"Yeah. And she's my friend. Whenever I travel through the Azura Realm, I call her. She protects me from anything stupid enough to appear. I mean why should I be scared, when I've got someone who can literally erase any armor just by touching it?"
Hiko's eyes widened. "Wait… so the Azura Realm's stat limits still apply to her??"
Hanuro: "Of course. She is part of the realm itself. It doesn't limit her it amplifies her."
She gave a teasing smirk.
"Now, satisfied?"
Hiko, nodding slowly. "Y-yeah. More than satisfied. But now I've got… a few questions for Kuro."
Kuro, smiling faintly. "Haha~ questions for me, huh? Fine. Ask. I'm only doing this because… once, Hikari helped me long ago."
The mention of Hikari made the air tighten for a second Hiko felt something unspoken between their names.
He clenched his fists.
"Alright. Then tell me how the hell is the Azura Realm still alive and functioning?"
Kuro: "Hmm? What do you mean?"
Hiko: "I mean, I've searched everywhere every archive, every myth, even the darkest corners of old data and there's almost nothing about it. Just fragments."
Kuro: "Okay… go on."
Hiko: "From what I found, there was a massive war so huge it broke all balance Gods, Divines, and Angels versus the Legends."
The room went silent.
He continued, each word sharper.
"And that war… ended in total annihilation by the Legends. But the records said the user of the Azura Realm died in that war.
So tell me how is the realm still alive?"
Kuro, after a long silence, finally exhaled. "Hah... so you found that much already, huh? Not bad."
Hiko: "So you do know?"
Kuro: "I can't tell you how the Controller of the Thrilling Icicle Wanderer died… but I can tell you why his realm still breathes."
Hiko (thinking): Controller of the… Icicle Wanderer?
Kuro stood, lifting his hand. A golden-blue hologram appeared a silhouette of a tall man holding ten glowing spheres.
"His full name was Azuren Frostera. He had dominion over ten realms."
Hanuro, whispering: "Ten…?"
Kuro: "Yes. Ten. But now, only one remains the Azura Realm. The others were far more brutal, darker, and beyond what even gods could withstand."
Hiko, leaning forward. "So… how's the Azura Realm still functioning?"
Kuro: "When Azuren died, his power shattered into ten fragments known as the Crystals of Azure. Each crystal is alive and one of them now maintains the Azura Realm. But even that crystal… is only a fraction of his real strength."
Piko's jaw dropped. "Wait_you mean one crystal… controls that entire world?"
Kuro: "Indeed. A single Crystal of Azure can command listen carefully__15 God Realms, 10 Divine Realms, 7 Angelic Realms, and even 2 Azura Realms… if somehow duplicated."
Hiko & Piko (together): "WHAT!?" 😳
Kuro: "And here's the scary part each crystal holds only 10% of Azuren's true power."
The silence that followed was thick like gravity itself increased.
Hiko, whispering. "Then… how did someone that powerful… even die?"
Kuro's eyes dimmed slightly. "That... is a secret even this world can't hold."
Hiko, frustrated but respectful, nodded. "Okay… then one last thing."
Kuro tilted his head, intrigued.
"Oh? What's your main question?"
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Meanwhile, elsewhere in the tower...
Azuka and Kimsi were walking through a dimly lit hall. The torches flickered blue instead of red.
Kimsi: "My lord… can you now tell me your story? The one from your time… in the old Tower?"
Azuka, smirking softly, "Heh… fine. I've kept you waiting long enough."
He turned toward the blue flame it flickered like it was listening.
"Let me tell you… the story of how everything began."
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Author:
Alright alright stop screaming, reader 😎
I know you're curious.
But let me cook now because the next one's gonna shake the entire perspective of who Azuka really is. 😏🔥
👨🔬👨🎨🧙♀ Stay tuned.
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