Re:Awakening with Ultimate Power as a Cosmic God-Chapter 83: Ch : Your Choice - Part 4
Malrik’s head hung low, breath ragged against the dirt.
"Fine... help me. Just this once."
But as the words left his mouth, his fingers curled tight against the stone. There was still fire left in him. It hadn’t gone out. It had simply found a new reason to burn.
"...But don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not doing this because I want to serve you."
He muttered.
Nova stayed silent.
"I’m doing this because I need to live. Someone has to make them pay."
He looked up—eyes bloodshot, glowing faintly from the divine energy twisting inside him.
"They took everything. Our god. Our balance. This world. I’ll bring them to justice... with my own damn hands."
Nova watched him, unreadable. A breath passed between them.
"...Alright. Then sign."
Nova said.
A sharp pulse flickered through the air.
A translucent screen appeared before Malrik, hanging midair. Lines of cryptic symbols shifted over it like language trying to settle into meaning.
Malrik blinked.
"What... is that?"
Nova’s gaze narrowed.
"You don’t need to know. Not yet."
"Doesn’t look normal."
"It’s not."
Nova stepped forward.
"What you do need to know is this—once you sign, you’re mine. You won’t be free until you die."
Malrik snorted.
"If I don’t sign, I do die. Right here. Right now. So what’s the difference?"
He raised his hand, fingers trembling.
The screen shifted in response—one line of text lighting up red, awaiting a mark. Malrik pressed his palm to it.
A low hum echoed in the tunnel. The screen flared—then shattered like glass, dissolving into silver motes that danced into Nova’s chest.
Something locked.
A tether formed.
Nova stepped closer, placing his hand on Malrik’s shoulder.
A sharp sting cut through the man’s skin—just beneath the collarbone, a glowing sigil burned into place. It pulsed with Nova’s aether, a contract seal, binding.
"Brace yourself."
Nova muttered.
Before Malrik could ask what he meant, light surged into him.
The Core of Life.
It rushed through his broken body like fire wrapped in ice. His back arched—mouth opening in a silent scream as veins lit like molten cracks across his skin.
The unstable divine power that Betty had forced into him surged in response, trying to consume him again—but the Core pushed back, binding, sealing, threading new life through ruptured organs.
Malrik collapsed forward, coughing, then—
He breathed.
For the first time since taking Betty’s power, he breathed without pain.
Nova let go and stepped back.
"It’s done."
Malrik pushed himself upright. His limbs still ached, but the hollowness inside him had been replaced with something warm—something real.
"You flooded me with...What the hell was that?"
He whispered.
"The Core of Life. You were dying. That power inside you was killing you from the inside out."
Nova said.
Malrik touched the bond mark on his shoulder.
"And now?"
Nova’s expression didn’t change.
"Now you’ll live. For a while."
"That’s it?"
"How long you survive depends on how stubborn you are."
Nova said slowly.
Malrik stared at him, then grinned through cracked lips.
"Then I’ll live a long time."
He stood, steadier now. His balance returned, if not perfect. His eyes carried purpose.
"Thanks, Nova. I won’t waste this."
He muttered.
Nova looked at him.
"Make sure you don’t."
"Don’t worry. With this new life, I’m going to burn every last one of them down."
Malrik turned to face the broken path ahead.
He didn’t look back. He didn’t need to.
The tunnel trembled again, but this time, Malrik didn’t stumble.
And far above them, in the skies above Callex, something ancient stirred—aware that another contract had been signed.
A servant had been chosen.
And war was coming.
The city trembled beneath their feet as Nova, Anna, and Malrik emerged from the broken tunnel mouth and stepped into the scorched plaza.
Cracks spread through the marble. Smoke curled from broken rooftops. The sky above Callex was darker than before—its stars dimmed, the heavens strained.
And in the center of the chaos, Queen Eleysa stood alone, aether swirling faintly around her blade as it held the floating sword formation in place.
She was trembling.
Her arms shook violently as she kept the sigil suspended above the capital, the last of its divine protections barely holding.
Aether dripped from her body in slow, flickering trails—weakening by the second.
When she saw Nova approaching, her eyes widened with fragile hope.
"You’re alive."
She breathed.
Her voice was raw, tired. She looked ready to collapse.
Nova nodded once.
Anna moved toward the Queen, checking the magical stabilizers around the formation circle.
"She’s running dry. So is the whole city..."
She muttered under her breath.
It was true. The aether in the air was thinner now, like something had sucked the very breath out of the world.
Eleysa straightened, lifting her sword a few inches higher.
"Did you find it? The Core of Reason?"
She asked.
Malrik’s expression darkened. He looked away.
Nova stepped forward.
"No. It’s gone."
He said.
The words hit like a blade to the chest.
The soldiers stationed nearby faltered. Mages on the front lines hesitated in their spellcasting.
Whispers spread like wildfire—Gone? The core is lost? Then what’s left?
Eleysa’s grip tightened on her blade.
"Gone...?"
Her knees buckled for a moment. She caught herself against the hilt.
"But you still have a choice here."
Nova said, raising his voice.
The Queen looked up, eyes uncertain.
Nova turned toward the soldiers, the scattered knights and wounded civilians within earshot.
"The core of reason is off this planet. It’s not just that we lost its power... so did our enemies."
He said.
Silence.
"The divine curse they used? The monsters it summoned? They were fueled by that core. But now that it’s gone—cut off—what remains here is all that’s left."
Anna stepped beside him.
"He’s right. They’re not infinite. They’re not immortal anymore."
Nova’s voice cut sharper.
"We destroy what’s left, here and now... and the curse dies with them."
The plaza held its breath.
Then—like a match to oil—hope ignited.
Shouts echoed through the stone streets. Warriors rose to their feet. Clerics tightened their grips on their relics. Mages lit their runes with flickers of rebounding will. The air didn’t feel as heavy anymore.
Eleysa let out a slow, shaking breath. She lowered her sword, the formation holding without her.
"You always did have a silver tongue."
She said, voice cracking with fatigue.
Nova said nothing.
The Queen looked over the small group—and her eyes finally landed on Malrik.
Her brow furrowed.
"...Malrik?"
He met her gaze steadily.
"You look... Different. What happened to you?"
Her words trailed off.
The glow beneath Malrik’s skin pulsed softly. His presence was heavier than before. His armor scorched, his aura wild—but contained. Controlled.
Malrik stepped forward.
"Don’t worry. I’ve received final orders."
He said, voice steady.
"Orders...?"
"From the gods. And they were clear—end this. End the monsters. End the curse. Burn it all out."
Malrik said.
The Queen stared at him, stunned.
Nova glanced sideways at him but said nothing.
Malrik looked out over the battlefield, then back at Eleysa.
"You’ve led long enough, my Queen. But it’s time someone picked up the sword."
Eleysa hesitated.
"...You?"
Nova stepped forward. "He’s the only one who can hold the power now."
The Queen didn’t argue.
Malrik turned toward the city. His voice rose, carried by the remnants of divine aether still clinging to the air.
"Everyone, listen well! This is our last chance. The monsters that plague our city—this curse—they are dying. But only if we end them now!"
He shouted.
A hush spread.
"I don’t care if you’re tired. I don’t care if you’re scared. This is your home. If we fall today, Callex falls forever. But if we rise—if we fight—then the curse will never return!"
The crowd roared in reply.
And behind them, the last light of the divine formation began to pulse again, steadier, brighter—fueled not by aether, but by the will of those still standing.
