MTLNOVEL Chapter 266: A Legend
The women were surprised at best, but the shadows—the originals…
They were not surprised. They were utterly shocked by what they had witnessed.
Not only the revival of their home in such a mystical, absurdly impossible manner, but everything that had happened since the very beginning—the sudden appearance of those women, their unrelenting assault, how they managed to sever the realm in half as if cutting through fabric, and as if that wasn't enough, how they unleashed a collective attack so devastating it almost completely annihilated a prime world.
It was something terrifying to even imagine, but the fact that it happened made it infinitely more dreadful, more real, more haunting.
Mortis stood there, surrounded by Anya, Red, Neko, Alice, Zara, Elizabeth, Yuki, and Aphasia.
They were eight against one.
And even Mortis, with all his pride and power, couldn't be sure of victory—especially not against them, especially not now, not after they had obtained a new skill, one that went beyond logic.
But even so, he didn't particularly care about victory at this moment, because right now, all that consumed his thoughts was understanding just what the fuck was happening, and how exactly his sister was tied to all this madness.
So he simply stood there, eyes blank and heavy with disbelief, as he took in the realm's renewed vitality, as he looked up into the sky and saw the White Phoenix flying above—its celestial white flame so pure it seemed capable of purifying the most vile of sins and resurrecting entire armies with a single cry.
It was… an awe-inspiring sight.
"It's just a skill," Neko said, eyes gleaming with curiosity as she observed the majestic creature, "but it eerily looks like a real living being."
"And it's kind of cute. Why don't we ask Noah to give it life? He could just capture a soul, purify it until it's blank, and put it inside," Alice added, her voice brimming with excitement, already imagining the possibilities.
"But what would its role be?" Elizabeth asked, the most pragmatic of the group, always cutting to the heart of things.
"To fight us," Anya and Red said in unison, both of them grinning with blood still dripping from their faces, their clothes torn and bodies bruised, looking every bit like the battle-crazed demons they truly were, and despite the realm being restored by Noah, they were not, so their eerie bloodstained grins made the air freeze.
Zara clicked her tongue in irritation.
"It seems you two haven't had enough for today. You almost died," she said, shaking her head with restrained disbelief.
"But we did die," Anya replied sweetly, tilting her head like a child.
"Yes, and honestly, it was kind of an interesting experience. Why don't you all try? You might like it," Red added with a completely serious expression, like she was suggesting they take a relaxing vacation instead of talking about dying.
The other girls stared at them in silence for a moment, then turned back toward each other with a collective decision:
"Let's ignore these crazy bitches."
"As for the White Phoenix, we could make it a guardian or something—it would be fitting. We need something that represents us, don't we?"
"A beast, a symbol, something that embodies us the way the World Tree represents the Elves," Aphasia said, her voice calm and serious as she leaned into the idea of myth, of legacy.
Her words struck a chord.
The girls all began discussing what kind of creature, what kind of mythic construct, would suit them best, talking animatedly, throwing ideas and laughter around as if Mortis wasn't even there.
And Mortis… just stood there.
Still.
Confused.
Ignored.
He listened to their words, but couldn't grasp the meaning—couldn't process what they were saying, how they were so calm, how this was normal for them, and finally, having had enough of the confusion that gnawed at him like a parasite,
"Who are you…? And what is my sister to you?"
"Why did you fight us?"
"Who restored the realm?"
"Just…what the fuck is going on?"
He fired all his questions at once, his voice cracking at the end from sheer desperation, from the overwhelming pressure of not understanding anything anymore.
The women stopped.
They turned to him, their eyes meeting his, and for a moment the air shifted—until Yuki decided to answer.
"We are the Vaelgrims."
"We fought you because we are conquerors… and because you hurt Shadeva, who is our husband's shadow."
"Without forgetting Sari's incident."
"And as for who restored the realm…"
She smiled.
And so did all the other women with her.
"It was our husband."
"Noah Vaelgrim, the Records' Favorite."
…
But it wasn't only Mortis asking questions.
Ebony asked the same.
And for her, the answers were more than important—they were everything.
"A-Answer me…!" she demanded, her voice trembling with agony as her body hung broken and bloodied, chained by black chains that oozed with power, pinning her in a cross-like position, like a sinner awaiting judgment by a holy inquisition.
Shadeva sat silently on a throne, calm and composed, her figure immaculate, without a single scratch on her.
On her sides stood two shadows.
One was a woman in regal black mage robes, crowned by a deep black hood, a scepter glowing with red and black energy in one hand and a pale white crystal in the other—her gaze cold, filled with disdain and rage as it bore into Ebony like knives.
The other was not human at all—it was a massive ape of living shadow, with three glowing red eyes that radiated an eerie stillness, his only attire being a pair of crimson pants, his wide chest left bare.
These two were Shadeva's most powerful shadows.
They were Law Creator rank.
A miracle she had achieved during her rise to World Dominator, before she was sealed by her sisters. It were gifts granted by Shadow itself.
They were Nafi and Monkey.
But they were not alone.
Behind Shadeva stood her armies, shadows from her own domain and from the city of order, lined up with reverence, devotion and fierce loyalty.
Ebony couldn't understand how Shadeva had pulled all this off, how she had succeeded so thoroughly… but that wasn't her main concern anymore.
And Shadeva, ever the calm one, responded like an older sister explaining something to a child.
"I asked you at the beginning what you would do if you encountered someone you couldn't predict," Shadeva began slowly, her voice calm and cadenced, like a song meant to lull and warn at the same time.
"Someone who could shatter all your calculations and foresight. Someone beyond your understanding."
"And you told me… you wouldn't provoke such a being."
She smiled.
"Do you remember what I told you next?"
Ebony's mind snapped back, a memory flashing like lightning.
"I… I have already failed…?" she muttered.
Shadeva nodded with the gentle pride of a teacher pleased with her student's answer.
"Yes. But do you think I was talking about myself?"
She chuckled softly, shaking her head.
"No. I was talking about the man who made me, an Original, his shadow."
"I was talking about the man who shattered all my expectations, who surpassed every ounce of knowledge I had about this universe."
"I was talking about the man who took girls not even worth a glance from me… and elevated them into something that could stand beside us Originals and even surpass us."
"I was talking about the man who made the entire universe shiver, twice, with nothing but his absurdity."
"I was talking about the lustful but loving husband. The one who cherishes those he loves. The one who will protect them with everything he has."
She paused.
A strange warmth bloomed in her chest—an unfamiliar emotion, raw and bright.
And she smiled.
It was a smile Ebony had never seen before.
A smile so genuine, so open, it made Nafi and Monkey glance back in surprise.
And then came the words that froze them in place:
"I'm talking about Noah Vaelgrim…"
"…the man I came to love."
And so,
[Shadeva's feelings have reached 90%.]
—End of Chapter 266—