BXBX NOVEL Chapter 160 - The Next Phase
"Everything... I remember everything!" Ruth said, drowned in the myriad of thoughts that went through her.
This is quite the predicament... She remembers, but which?
As Ana... Or as ROOT?
An overwhelming silence filled the room, and a flustered expression remained on my face.
"Something must have gone wrong somewhere..." I muttered.
By merging the two Aspects, neither of them should exist anymore. Instead, it should cause an entirely new being to surface.
Yet... Why does she recognize me?
"Which are you?" I asked with narrowed eyes as I glared suspiciously at my new creation.
"I... I am... Both, I guess..." She said, looking unsure of her answer.
My eyes widened as the possibility of what she started began to unfold before me.
What if... Instead of the two consciousness being erased, they merged, creating an intelligence that shares both their memories and personality.
"That\'s not... It shouldn\'t be! Their memories would overlap, and-"
My thoughts were interrupted when I looked at Ruth even closer.
Her younger face reflected the endearing expression of Ana, and the silvery purple eye had a glow that depicted ROOT\'s core.
Instantly, a slight grin formed on my face.
Why am I being flustered? This isn\'t the result I expected, but still... It\'s acceptable.
"I suppose I outdid myself. The results are better than I bargained for." I mumbled.
Besides, if they indeed are a combination of the personality of the both of them, then that means...
"Protocol B5: Activate," I said to the being before me.
Suddenly, her body froze up and her eyes turned purple.
"Confirmed! Activating Self Destruct Sequence!" Ruth responded mechanically.
Purple lines began to appear on her fair-skinned body, indicating her near demise.
"N-Noooo!" Talia yelled.
Shamac gritted his teeth and watched powerlessly as he would lose Ana for the second time.
I sense his frustration, but he shouldn\'t be getting so worked up.
"M-My Lord... Is he really going to do it? After so long of striving for the creation of-" Wrath appeared to be thinking as I noticed his shocked expression.
This is silly. Even I don\'t waste lives, especially one I have gone through so many pains to nurture. This is just a test, and she appears to have passed.
"Abort Protocol!" I commanded.
Immediately, the purple lines faded away and her eyes returned to normal.
"Confirmed. Self Destruct Aborted" She responded robotically, before finally loosening her body and returning to her usual self.
It\'s a good thing Ruth still possesses Root\'s Protocols and Functions, along with Ana\'s undying loyalty and feelings.
In the advent of creating a new being, they may defy me. But this one... She\'s different.
"It\'s a shame she\'s still bound by this World as a composition of Aspects, but the much is acceptable for now."
I\'ll be sure to raise her well.
"Our interest here is complete. We should wrap things up here" I said to my slaves.
"What do you need us to do?" Wrath spoke up first, giving me his usual loyal bow.
"Them, not much. As for you... We\'ll be putting on quite the show." I smiled.
"W-What do you mean, my lord?" He asked.
"Wouldn\'t it be too dull if we simply exited the Dungeon without any major incident? Besides, it\'ll be suspicious if we were to leave now..." I said.
Shamac reasoned my words and gulped.
"That\'s true... The Dungeon appears for a set number of days. We still have a day left before it finally disappears and allows the Adventurers to exit." Shamac thought to himself.
"I\'m still unsure of the state of things outside this Room. When we came to, the three of us found Nathan unconscious here. He has been that way for a while now, most likely due to Wrath\'s influence... I wonder what is actually going on in this Dungeon"
Oh? My hybrid slave appears to be in deep thought concerning the events occurring within this place.
With my already recovered Administrative Authority, I know of every occurrence within this Dungeon.
"Over 90 percent of Adventurers here are dead. 93.8 percent to be exact." I said with a devilish smile, looking at Shamac.
His eyes widened with shock, staring at me with disbelief.
"I suppose you wouldn\'t be aware of this since you were otherwise occupied with the task I entrusted to you, but the Dungeon rules changed, causing the people within to be killed, at least mostly. Those left are most likely the top Adventurers, those who are lucky... And that little brat over there" I smirked, looking at Nathan\'s static body.
"My Lord, I spared him because I didn\'t know whether he was integral to your plan or not. As a variable which poses no threat, that decision did not conflict with the duties you ascribed to me." Wrath immediately added as soon he spotted my notice of Nathan\'s body.
"Oh, I see. He is indeed an interesting character, it\'ll be fun to see how he develops from here on. He did well surviving this long" I grinned.
Snapping my fingers, a dark blue object appeared beside Nathan, coated in azure energy which swirled around it.
"B-Boss... Is that...?!" Shamac exclaimed upon recognizing the object which lay on the ground.
"Yes, the new \'Blade Of Rupture\' I invented. It\'s by far stronger than the Original. I suppose I\'ll give it to him as a gift for making it this far. Besides, I have a more exciting present waiting for him beyond the walls of this space." I said, diverting my eyes from the sheathed katana beside the half-dead human.
"Wrath. Ruth. Shamac... We\'re leaving" I said, walking toward the exit in an instant.
Ruth rushed to keep pace with me and walked by my left while Wrath appeared by my right hand in a flash.
Shamac maintained his pace behind me, aware of his place amongst my subordinates.
"W-What of me, H-Hexarion..." Talia asked, looking at my back as I left her.
Upon hearing her low and hesitant voice, I halted, refusing to look behind me and gaze upon her pitiful face.
"You have clearly displayed your rebellious nature and have questioned me severally, defying my wishes on my many occasions..." I started.
Initially, it was fun and refreshing, but slowly, it became an annoying banter made by an insect.
Talia truly does not recognize how insignificant she truly is.
Just from tasting little power, she has become conceited. I refuse to allow such a person by my side.
But...
"... You are not worthy to even walk behind me among my shadow, little fairy. Your name is not worthy to be mentioned by me."
For the first time, Talia kept silent and received my words. Having no words of defense, now the right to complain.
She must be aware that any interruption would result in her immediate silence, permanently.
"You are not worthy of even being seen by me. Neither your words nor actions can prove otherwise at this point. In essence, even with everything I have done for you, you are still USELESS to me." I said.
Her body jerked as I said this, and I could sense her silent sobs from where I stood. Tears flowed from her eyes as she trembled and kept her voice in.
"You would do well never to appear before me. As long as you remain in this pathetic state, there is no place for you by my side"
With these final words, I finished my statement to Talia and continued my match to exit the Fifth Floor\'s Boss Room.
My servants loyally matched my pace, not paying attention to the distraught fairy behind me. Even Shamac did not bother giving Talia any heed as he coldly trailed behind me like the loyal dog he is.
"It\'s a shame things ended like this, Talia... But I can not choose to comfort you or stay by your side. I can not abandon my position with the Boss. There\'s also a chance of Ana being alive within Ruth. I\'m sorry, but you\'re on your own now..." Shamac\'s thoughts trailed as I read them.
"Ruth, are you fine with this?" I asked the expressionless damsel beside me.
Even though she is an entirely new being, she still shares Ana\'s memories. Surely, she must feel a lingering sense of attachment to-
"I am, Lord Hexarion. Your will is absolute!" She firmly responded.
"Good" I smiled.
That\'s cold, especially because one of the reasons Talia got into trouble, by overstepping her bounds, was because she was concerned for Ana.
"It must be the ROOT Aspect within Ruth that allows her to act in such a way." I reasoned.
That\'s not so bad.
Before we reached the large gate before us, Wrath used his crimson energy to surround the doors and opened them wide for us to comfortably pass through.
We\'ll be leaving Talia and Nathan behind. Once the Vanishing Dungeon\'s time is up, they\'ll be automatically transported to the normal world.
Before that though, I have one last thing in mind for the audience expecting the arrival of the brave challengers of this place.
"Wrath, you and I will be the major players of this game... Are you ready?" I asked, looking at the demon-looking being of my creation.
"Of course, Lord Hexarion. I\'ll be sure to have a lot of fun!" He grinned.
His words made me laugh in return. Once this is all over, Lamar will be mine...
"I\'ll be sure to have a lot of fun as well"