Chapter Eleven: The Truth Behind Divine Punishment
don't want--
He shouted one last time in his heart, then silently closed his eyes, tears flowing into his mouth... but they tasted salty and metallic.
Is he going to die...?
The glass shattered with a loud crash, leaving a trail of broken glass on the floor.
God heard his voice! It must be!
Huan opened her eyes in delight—
It turns out it wasn't a god, but Loku!
It's Loku!
Sonas stopped what he was doing and looked at the newcomer. Although he hated fighting naked and not in a pretty way, his life was of course his priority.
"I wondered who it was, but it's just some trash from Norbisola." He didn't bother to put on his clothes, dropped the ring, and assumed a fighting stance.
"You're half right, it is from Norbisola, but whether it's trash or not, we'll have to try it to know." Loku glanced at Huan, who had almost been killed earlier and was now teary-eyed.
He couldn't help but wonder, if this man had foreseen that his choice would lead him to such a miserable state twenty-two years ago, would he still have made that choice?
At this moment, Sonas's eyes darted around. He knew, of course, that this person was no ordinary individual; otherwise, he couldn't have easily bypassed Kupat's guard to get here, and his abilities might even surpass his own... But if they joined forces with Kupat, they could easily deal with him...
As he thought of this, he whistled a tune that only Kupat could understand.
...But Koopate didn't show up...
"Are you looking for your companion in black?" Loku looked at him with complete confidence.
"You—" Sonas exclaimed in shock!
He thought he had bypassed Kupat's guard... Could it be...? Impossible, Kupat's strength might not be inferior to this person's, and even if he lost, this person would certainly not be completely unharmed like this...
“When I passed by, he was fighting fiercely with a woman,” Loku said bluntly, with a look of disdain. “He’s a bit stronger than you. He knows his death is near, so he didn’t take his companion down with him.”
Loku could clearly see he was no match for the woman. The man in black was putting on a brave face, probably just to buy this person a chance to escape.
...woman...
...His death is near...
Could it be?! It's Lady Oni! Oh no!
"How did you find this place?" Sonas wanted to confirm one last thing.
"You don't know? No wonder you don't know, because you've never dealt with us directly—the scent of the people of Norbisola is the opposite of yours. When the trees here hide you, the scent of the Rings is easier to find."
Clearly, the woman wasn't one of Norbisola's people, yet she was able to follow Tamaki's scent. So, was she Tamaki's new companion?
Upon hearing this, Sonas turned pale and suddenly rushed out from under the sloping roof.
Kupat! Save Kupat!
Loku didn't give chase; the woman was Noah's woman, and he had no interest in infighting.
He was saved. Huan suddenly relaxed. What should he do next...? He thought of Heng.
"Put this on first!" Loku said with a dark face, tearing off the bed sheet and throwing it on him.
...
The king's gaze could freeze the entire palace into an ice cellar.
On the way to the Moyin Palace, the nobles he encountered immediately knelt down, not daring to breathe, deeply worried for Lord Moyin.
"Didn't you go on a trip?" Mo Yin's expression wasn't surprised.
She knelt down to pay her respects, then stood up to help him take off his coat, put it away, and smiled gently... Everything she did was so perfect, her smile, her manners... impeccable.
Unfortunately, he couldn't fall in love with such a perfect woman.
"Did you send those two two-star nobles? What did they want?" He cut to the chase, not wanting to waste time, his tone thick with displeasure.
Mo Yin paused for a moment, then quickly resumed his smile.
He still caught a glimpse of that fleeting sadness.
"I thought you'd miss me occasionally, so I came back to visit." She chuckled self-deprecatingly. "How was your trip over there?"
"What do you want to do?" he repeated.
"Yes, I sent them to start a war and take the opportunity to destroy the oil fields—wasn't that your order? I'll have them pay their respects to our king during their free time..."
“No need!” he interrupted her directly.
Mo Yin's face was a little pale.
"Money Bank—"
"Oh? Yes."
"I don't want to hurt you, don't force me. Don't interfere with my affairs anymore, this is the final warning!"
Heng left without looking back after saying those words.
Looking at that figure from behind, she was reminded of twenty-two years ago... It really was the same heartless demeanor...
I suddenly remembered the bet Elsa had proposed.
Hmph, what kind of bet is this... she's just courting her own destruction. If she could win, she could only wait for a miracle! But... maybe I really should cooperate with her. So what if she's courting death? The situation wouldn't be any worse than her current state.
...
"Where am I?" Huan felt a little dizzy and nauseous.
It was another unfamiliar place, somewhat like a palace.
This was the first time he did not faint during the so-called "spatial transfer".
"This is where I live." Loku tossed him a few pieces of his own clothing in an annoyed tone.
If he had been even a little later... this guy... just thinking about it makes me shudder!
The King of Norbisola has been reduced to such a state! It's all his own fault!
"Um..." Huan hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
Loku's clothes were obviously too big for him, and seeing him pacing around like a penguin, Loku couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"What's up?"
If he were just my younger brother, and not chosen by God... perhaps I would be more forgiving towards him.
"You knew about Heng's affair from the very beginning, didn't you? And the real meaning behind sending me to the battlefield at the oil field... you knew everything, didn't you?"
"If you want to know, I'll tell you everything."
Huan was overjoyed that it was so easy to get this strange man to talk.
Loku looked at him calmly, thinking to himself, Elsa, I'm sorry, because we have no right to hide... to hide a person's past and his love... it has nothing to do with whether he is a king or not.
“You are not only my brother and Elsa’s brother, but you also have something in common with that Heng—” Loku paused, thinking about how to explain these things. When he deliberately brought him here instead of letting him see Elsa, he was already prepared to tell the whole truth.
"Common ground?"
“That’s right, he is King Noah! And you—are King Norbisola! You are also a leader chosen for us by God!”
His mouth was wide open.
This... can't be real, right...?
In the past, he would have immediately assumed this was a joke! But now... he's not so sure...
"As for Noah's relationship with our Nobisola family, Elsa didn't lie to you! But—" Loku wasn't surprised by his reaction and continued, "She's hiding something very important! Twenty-two years ago, during the final battle between our two organizations, both sides had fought to the bitter end, suffering countless casualties and completely losing their fighting ability, but the battle was still evenly matched. At this time, the two kings, namely you and Heng, stepped forward and decided to end this bloody battle with your one-on-one duel."
Huan was stunned... He and Heng... had fought... fought each other to the death!
I really don't want to believe it!
However, the painful expression on Loku's face was something that only comes when one is caught up in painful memories, when one is agonizing over the deaths and injuries of one's comrades.
He remembered what Heng had once said... This was a covert war between only two opposing sides, with comrades constantly dying, followed by an even deeper hatred for the other side, and a drive to avenge their fallen comrades... A vicious cycle, endless killing... and excruciating pain...
"And then what happened?"
"I don't know." Loku's answer was completely unexpected.
"have no idea?"
"You two are different from us; only your power is different from ours. Our power comes from hundreds of years of physical and mental evolution and transformation, but you two shared the bodies and power of gods—your power belongs to the gods. At that time, after you two unleashed your full power, the battlefield was instantly filled with flying dust and stones, and even breathing became a burden for others. Because of this, you set up a barrier. I don't know what happened after that, until the result came ten days later." His expression was full of sorrow. "No one knows what happened to you two inside those ten days, but ten days later, when the barrier was opened, you both stood there calmly and announced to us—you fell in love!"
Loku still remembers his shocked expression at the time, and Elsa's unbearable pain.
But Huan's expression suddenly changed completely.
This was the only fact he was willing to accept after hearing this! And he sincerely hoped it was true!
It turned out they had loved each other for twenty-two years. He began to understand the past life Heng had casually mentioned before…
His gaze grew increasingly warm.
But... why did I forget...?
Such an important matter!
It turns out that the man who had appeared in his dreams for the past twenty-two years... was Heng!
Why did you forget?
"After you two announced your love, you found it difficult to face your subordinates. These people had fought until now for your innate mission, but you couldn't accept this ending. So, after announcing this incredibly shocking news, you chose to run away. The two of you fled the battlefield hand in hand and entered the 'Forest of Weeping Gods,' a place even the people of this world dared not enter. To avoid further casualties on both sides, we ordered a temporary ceasefire, and everyone waited for you to come out of the forest. However, two people went in—one was Elsa, and the other was Heng's wife, Moyin."
wife?
For some reason, Huan suddenly felt sad.
He... has a wife...
"Not long after they went in, a terrible thing happened in the forest! A huge beam of light descended from the sky, and the earth shook violently. I don't know how much time passed, but when they came out, it was Elsa and Moyin again, but there was no trace of you. I only heard about what happened inside from Elsa, and I don't know if she held anything back. You should have sensed it too... that our sister isn't as innocent as she seems. And she has another reason for holding back..."
"Another reason?"
Huan knew nothing about Elsa's situation; he just felt that the child gave him a strange feeling, but it didn't seem to be malicious... Although she had arranged a trip for him to witness many painful events, he couldn't bring himself to hate the child.
"She...loves you! From a long time ago...but even you, twenty-two years ago, didn't know."
like?
Huan stared blankly at Luo Ku, not quite understanding his meaning: "Brotherly love? Or... isn't she my biological sister?"
“She’s my sister, but not in a brotherly way.” Loku sighed. This was probably due to his poor upbringing as her brother. “She has always been deeply infatuated with you, admiring you. It’s precisely because of this hopeless, illicit love that she wouldn’t tell you. But it is also because of this feeling that when you made that choice, Elsa was the one who suffered the most. Over the years, she has been tormented by love and hate, struggling in contradiction between her unending longing and the hope that you will never wake up.”
Huan remained silent.
He didn't know what to say.
An illicit affair?
I can't love her.
However, she resolutely chose another love affair that also disregarded moral norms.
I love Heng deeply...
But the love that runs deep in my bones cannot be given to anyone else!
"What happened next was all told to me by Elsa. If you're willing to believe it, I'll continue."
Loku did not regret what he did, but he was heartbroken.
"Hmm." Huan nodded. No matter what, he was willing to believe that Elsa would not deceive him.
"Elsa told me that the enormous light we saw in the forest was the descent of God. God demanded a choice: abandon this love and return to the battlefield, or accept God's cruel punishment. You refused God's request, but God would also punish all our peoples. You were already ashamed to face your people because of your willfulness, and you were under immense psychological pressure. Faced with this, you ultimately did not give up your love, but chose self-destruction. Heng, after losing you, was devastated. In order to resurrect you, he sealed your soul and everything about you within his own body. The price he paid was sealing his own soul along with you, so he also sleeps eternally in the deep forest, in an inaccessible, eternally frozen cave..."
Loku suddenly stopped because—
Huan, with tears streaming down her face yet smiling happily...
Huan was indeed smiling because neither he nor Heng had ever betrayed each other, nor had they betrayed their love; because as early as twenty-two years ago, in his heart, Heng's position was far above his own life, and he was proud of his choice.
But he couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face... Heng... for him... endured countless hardships in the eternal ice cave, yet never uttered a word, silently protecting him, desperately trying to make him happy, bearing all the burdens himself, even unwilling to force his memories, just quietly waiting for him to wake up... every single time... it was like this...
"Both sides' high-ranking officials knew about your rebirth, and you've been under constant scrutiny. But no one intervened. We didn't know what would happen to Heng, who was sealed away, if you awakened. We were worried that Heng would also awaken at the same time, and Elsa's feelings... As for Noah, they were probably worried that if you awakened or something happened, Heng would perish along with you. Although he betrayed Noah, he was still Noah's only chosen king, and his wife suffered no less pain than Elsa... Until you grew up to look like you did twenty-two years ago, one day Elsa suddenly said that it was God's will for you to awaken... What happened afterward is what you've seen."
Luo Ku poured himself a glass of water. He had finally finished speaking and felt a great sense of relief.
As for how to choose, that depends on the individual's wishes.
He turned his back, not wanting to see Huan's expression.
The excessively quiet atmosphere made time seem to pass very slowly.
"Heng... does this mean he betrayed Noah?" Huan finally spoke.
"What do you think? Aren't you the same? If you weren't kings, you would have already been punished by your respective organizations."
What kind of question is this?! Loku was getting a little angry.
But...maybe...he won't execute...his own brother...
But he was, after all, a king! A king chosen by God! That's why he's become like this today!
Loku's thoughts were unknowingly disrupted by his foolish question.
"Then... what about Biso, China, and Oni-hime?" Huan continued along her train of thought, suddenly becoming worried.
“They are different from you. From the moment they allowed your relationship to continue and even followed you on your wanderings, they have already been labeled as traitors! I think Noah's system of punishment must be stricter and more cruel than ours!”
Bisso and China... it's about time they learned their lesson.
"Brother!" Huan suddenly grabbed Luo Ku's hand.
This was the first time he had called me "brother" since we first met, and the first time I had ever touched him.
Loku was taken aback.
"Please, let them go."
Is this the king's plea? Or the younger brother's plea?
Loku himself also has many things he doesn't want to do.
She looked around at him, waiting for his reply.
He never imagined the pressure and danger these companions faced while protecting him. They chose to stay by his side without hesitation, placing his safety above their own lives… This is how his daily laughter was built…
But he himself... never knew...
“Right now you are my brother. I am merely telling you about your past life, and you have only heard the narration. Your true soul has not yet returned to its former glory as king! When you return to king, I will no longer be your brother, and I will bow down before you.” Loku was unsure what his ambiguous answer meant, but— “So, you can choose what to do now. You can choose to return to that person's side, but the next time we meet, Noah will still be my mortal enemy!”
Heng—
Heng!
Huan smiled.
There is no choice in this matter.
Heng... that was his only answer...
As long as I'm by Heng's side!
...
When Ghost Princess confirmed that the two people in front of her were dead, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did she have the strength to put down Qina from the tree, and then she collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
Those two are really formidable when they team up. They were just unlucky to run into her.
However, my luck is also terrible.
Seeing Sonas rush out completely naked... and that man from Norbisola who rushed in while she and Kupat were fighting and unable to stop her...
Everything is a terrible omen!
Hopefully, what she fears won't happen.
"How long has it been since you exercised? Your physical fitness is so poor." Heng's voice came from behind.
"Are they back already?" She immediately stood up with difficulty.
Heng's face was gloomy, and he held some fragments of clothing in his hand—they were rings.
Looking at Sonas's naked body on the ground, and then at these fragments, including his underwear...
"Is this how you complete the mission? Where's my ring?"
The questioning was intense, and the murderous intent was palpable.
The Demon Princess, however, had no way of explaining it.
"Lord Huan should be alright, but he was kidnapped by the people of Nobisola. I am willing to atone with my life!"
"It should be alright," she kept reassuring herself. Sonas was an aesthete; if he had finished "that" before coming to help, he certainly wouldn't have rushed out so disheveled and naked. It was more likely he'd been interrupted by that man. But Huan hadn't followed... she must have been taken away by that man who took advantage of the situation.
He is the King of Norbisola... He cannot be harmed!
"Death? Forget it, you can atone for it next time." Heng's expression immediately softened upon hearing that Huan was alright.
The Ghost Princess looked at him in surprise. The former king would never have tolerated such a defeat... The king has changed... Is it because of that person?
"She's beyond saving." Heng picked up Qina from the ground. She had been dead for a while, and her body was beginning to stiffen.
When Huan finds out, she'll definitely be sad.
No matter what, we have to go and rescue him first!
...
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