Lord of Annihilation

Chapter 333: A Short Rest.

Currently, the duo was inside a specialized place within the trials. It was a place where one could rest their mind and heal their body. 

This was a benefit for challengers who managed to complete half of the 'Twelve Labors'.

"How much time do we have left?"

Olivia softly asked while being bathed in soft, milky-white light. She was completely naked and her ravishing, transcendent figure was on full display for the world to see.

Of course, since it was only Lucius who was in this space with her and with him being completely immune to any and all attempts at physical seduction, her overflowing mature female charm was completely wasted. 

The 'Observer Array' that allowed people outside to watch the participants was also unavailable within this space.

"19 hours and 54 minutes," Lucius answered while looking directly at her with dull, unenthusiastic eyes.

Slightly dissatisfied at Lucius' continuous lack of interest towards her bodily charms, Olivia sported a pout and asked.

"My clothes armor was completely destroyed during that fight. What do I wear now?" 

At her words, Lucius bent down and reached his hands into his shadow. Searching around for a few seconds, he suddenly grabbed a certain object with his hands and removed it from his [Void Storage].

In his hand was a necklace made by stringing together multiple purple-colored orbs. Throwing it over to Olivia, he spoke, "Dress up if you're done healing. We should get going."

Catching the orb necklace, Olivia replied in exasperation, "Jeez. Let me take a short break. That last fight was soooo~ stressful!" 

Lucius did not deny her words and tacitly agreed. They did have a few minutes to spare since Olivia managed to complete the Sixth Labor sooner than Lucius' initial estimation.

Walking over to one of the tall, white pillars adorning this space, Lucius leaned against it and closed his eyes. His breathing turned peaceful and his body became relaxed. 

The rejuvenating properties of this space even seemed to have an effect on Lucius. He felt his mental strength being restored and the tiredness hidden deep within his body, disappear.

Looking at this scene of Lucius relaxing, Olivia wore a knowing smirk on her face and teased, "Oho, what is this? Even the eternally uptight Lucius knows to relax, huh?"

"How long did it take you to complete the full trial?"

Knowing him, Olivia did not even doubt for a single moment that Lucius had failed to clear the 'Twelve Labors'. Instead, she was excited to learn about how soon Lucius had cleared the labors and how she compared to him.

'Even with his strength, it should've taken him a week, right? Going the extra mile, at the very minimum it should've taken him at least three days.' Olivia mused.

Unfortunately, her estimation was nowhere near the actual truth.

"Nineteen hours and thirty-one minutes," Lucius calmly replied.

Hearing his answer, Olivia blankly blinked twice before reaching into her ears with her fingers. Cleaning the imaginary debris that blocked her ear canal, she asked once again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't properly catch what you said. Could you please repeat it?"

"Nineteen hours and thirty-one minutes."

"Huh," Olivia gave a short reply before turning her head to face the ceiling. 

Gazing at the blank white space that was void of all colors and shapes, Olivia thought to herself.

'Ha, look at this. This ceiling is accurately representing the state of my heart right now; empty and unsatisfactory.'

Letting out a loud, long sigh, Olivia dispiritedly continued, 'Why did I even think that I could compare with this guy whose entire existence makes zero sense?'

"They said that I set a new record in the clear times," continued Lucius.

"Why am I not surprised," replied Olivia, dispassionately.

"You seem to have set a record too. 'Longest Time Taken to clear a Single Labor'.'

"Hey!~ Stop rubbing salt into my wounds!" Olivia jumped up and angrily rebuked.

Being reminded of the impassable distance between their respective strengths was brutal enough for Olivia. Telling her that she set a record for being slow was obviously bullying her.

Shrugging his shoulders, Lucius decided to not comment further.

Silence descended between the two interrupted only by the soft sound of blowing breeze. After a few seconds of silence, Olivia spoke up in an unusually serious voice.

"Do you think that I'll ever be able to match you in strength?"

"Not in this life." Lucius composedly replied.

Hearing his answer, Olivia giggled and spoke, "What is that even supposed to mean?"

"It is what it is."

Olivia continued to giggle before turning silent. A few seconds of silence later, she spoke once again.

"Do you think stuff like 'a next life' or the 'reincarnation cycle' exists? That we are not new, unique existences but simply a rebirth of a past soul that follows the Rules of Cause and Effect?"

A frown appeared on Lucius' face in response to Olivia's odd words. Opening his eyes, he started towards the naked beauty who was staring at him with an impassive expression.

Quietly staring into her eyes for a few seconds, Lucius quickly came to realize that Olivia was being completely serious. Surprised by this, he remained silent for a few more seconds before replying in a somber tone.

"Death is not an eternal end. It is only a temporary state of being while the soul crosses into the Beyond."

"Beyond?" Olivia questioned.

Nodding his head, Lucius continued, "It's called by many names; Beyond, the Great Expanse, Paradise, the Other Side, etc. Alas, none of these names are correct."

Lucius shook his head.

"What is its real name then? What is it called?"

Narrowing his eyes at Olivia's question, Lucius let out a sigh and replied, "That's not important. It's not a good place, either."

An expression of confusion and surprise appeared on Olivia's face. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, Lucius coldly interrupted her.

"Don't ask anything further. You are too weak to know the answers."

Making sure that the threat in his voice was heard by her, Lucius then continued.

"To continue answering your previous question, no life is new or unique. We are simply different renditions of an old soul that had everything about it erased."

"Cause and Effect only affect a being during the course of its life. At the moment of its death, all existing karmic dues of that life are wiped clean. The soul then passes on before being recycled into a new life."

"Death is an end, but it is not an eternal end."

Saying as much, Lucius continued his empty, hollow stare for a few seconds before regaining light and shaking his head. 

He then focused on Olivia who had a quizzical expression on her face, and spoke, "Don't think too hard on this. After all, these are topics that can't really be explained with words."

"Just wait for when you ascend and you will be able to 'feel' the answers to such questions."

"I will feel when I ascend?"

Nodding his head, Lucius explained, "Every time you undergo ascension, your soul will be able to resonate with the Universe. This will help you understand such abstract concepts."

"Every time I undergo ascension? Why have I not felt it the two times before?"

"Oh, you did. Try and recall the experience you had when you ascended for the first time in Deatov."

Taking his advice, Olivia tried to remember the events of her first ascension. 

She remembered the brutal battle with the Formicians. 

The scenes of her friends and comrades dying around her. 

Lucius' entry into the battle and his resultant slaughter.

The eventual victory and the pillar of light that descended from the sky.

That mystical place where she

"Uh? Why can I not recall what happened after that pillar of light descended on me? I remember going somewhere but cannot remember where or what happened!"

"That's normal," Lucius staidly answered. "The experience after undergoing the first ascension is similar to waking up from a dream. You vaguely remember something but cannot recall its exact contents."

"No matter. The experience itself is a result of your soul resonating with the Universe. The higher you climb, the more definite and clear those experiences become."

As he was saying this, Lucius walked up to Olivia and soon arrived before her. Putting his hand on top of her head, Lucius softly ruffled her hair and continued to speak.

"By the end of this trial, you will be undergoing your ascension into the next Stage. Do not rush it and properly soak in the feedback that you gain from your soul's resonance."

"The completeness and future potential of your Domain will be decided at that moment."

"Uh-uhn~" Olivia vocalized.

'Hmmm? What am I doing?'

Lucius, who was patting Olivia's head and ruffling her hair, suddenly paused his actions. His body stiffened as he looked down at his hand and at Olivia's expression of pure bliss.

'Why did I just do that?'

"Why did you stop? Keep going," Olivia's voice broke Lucius out of his puzzling thoughts.

Instantly retracting his hands, Lucius immediately turned around and walked away.

"Break time is over. Let's continue," he spoke, doing his best to hide the slight tremble in his tone.

"Oh, come on! Just five more minutes!" Olivia grumbled.

Fortunately, Olivia seemed to have missed the strangeness in his tone as a result of being lost in the warm feeling of Lucius' touch.

Regaining his usual calmness, Lucius coldly ordered, "Move. Now."