Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey-Chapter 850: Check: A Piece of Iteration No.25

A Few Moments before,

Aether's first experience of physical pain was when his negative strength increased to zero. The sheer agony he felt at that moment was unbearable—so much so that he wished never to be reborn.

That pain was beyond anything he had ever imagined… it was excruciating!

But after that day, the next time he experienced pain was when he was crushed into a paste by that massive elephant-like monster.

It was painful, yes, but unlike the first time, he had died instantly, so there was no prolonged suffering. However, that instant of pain left him with lingering trauma, haunting him until the day he finally killed the beast and avenged himself.

The next intense pain came when he consumed the Heart Blood.

It didn't just wound him—it completely modified his entire body, twisting and reshaping it from the inside out. The pain it brought was beyond anything he had ever endured before… far worse than the times he had died.

However, over time, he gradually became accustomed to physical suffering. He reached a point where even if his limbs were severed, he wouldn't feel as much pain. He had become numb to it.

And yet—

This time… this pain was different!

It wasn't just his body being burned alive. No, this pain was far deeper. It was as if his very core was being incinerated. It felt like throwing water onto burning oil—a violent reaction, a scorching agony that spread through every fibre of his being!

"....."

He wanted to scream, but no sound came out. The white flames enveloped him completely, swallowing his form in their merciless heat. His body trembled uncontrollably, his skin turning bright red as if it was truly being cooked alive.

Nightfire illusion, the one that had always concealed him, shattered the moment those flames made contact. Now, the only thing holding his black hair together was his ring.

Even that… had begun to crack under the sheer intensity of the flames!

He gritted his teeth, trying to move, attempting to escape. He even attempted teleportation—

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[❗️Error: Cannot be accessed!]

Aether's mind reeled. He felt as though his brain was on fire as if it were melting inside his skull. His vision turned red, a result of the sheer, overwhelming pain that coursed through him. In desperation, he tried to call Celestia—

[❗️Error: Cannot be accessed!]

'What the fuck is happening?!' Aether screamed inwardly. He wanted to move, but his body felt impossibly heavy as if an enormous force was pressing down on him, holding him in place!

!~🔔~!

[As I said before, the higher the purity, the more dangerous it will be to you!]

Aether struggled to process those words. 'W-Why the hell can't I move?!'

[This is similar to a judgment… Judgment Flames only act upon those who have sinned. It's like being watched by… higher beings.]

Aether groaned, his body convulsing in pain. 'Are you kidding me? W-What the fuck does that even mean?!'

His breath was ragged as he forced himself to look up. His eyelids felt unbearably heavy from the sheer force pressing down on him, but with great effort, he managed to open them slightly.

At first, he saw nothing. No divine figure.... just white flames that scorched through his body!

But then—

'Wait…?' His eyes widened slightly in shock.

Hands?

He saw hands.

White-flamed hands, almost like holograms formed from the flames themselves. But it wasn't just one. There were dozens… no, hundreds of them, surrounding him from every direction, reaching for him, pressing against him as if restraining him in place.

Aether gritted his teeth, his body trembling as he clenched his fists. He hadn't expected Master to wield this kind of power…

'Is there… any way to escape?' Aether forced the question out as he struggled to move. But the harder he fought, the more those fiery hands pressed him down, making it impossible to break free.

For a brief moment, he thought that increasing his level might give him an edge. But then—

[Level increasing will not help.]

Aether groaned in frustration. 'Then what about my Ethereal side? Didn't I accumulate a hefty amount of it?!'

[...]

'Log! This is NOT the time to stay silent!' Aether snarled.

[Sigh… Well, it would have helped you—if not for the fact that your actions have thrown your balance away.]

'...'

Aether bit his lips.

He was starting to understand. This was exactly why his Log had warned him against bringing Marisandra to his side… and yet, despite the warnings, he had chosen her.

And now, he had to bear the consequences of that choice.

Taking a shaky breath, he asked, 'How much time does the new Bloodkin have left?'

[Remaining time: 00:01:30↓]

Aether clenched his fists, grinding his teeth as he endured the relentless flames surrounding him.

But then—

[... There is one way.]

Aether gritted his teeth, his fingers twitching as they crumbled under the sheer force crushing him. His entire body felt like it was being ripped apart from the inside out, 'Then fucking do it!' he roared inwardly, his vision swimming from the unbearable agony.

He wondered whether to end himself to return back.

[But... I am not allowed to do that. Iteration No.27 specifically ordered me to keep this hidden from you!]

'FUCK HIM! FUCK THAT BASTARD! I AM YOUR REAL MASTER!!' he bellowed inside his mind, his thoughts so intense they nearly shattered his skull. His body was convulsing under the unbearable torment, his every fibre screaming in protest.

This wasn't just pain—it was pure, undiluted torture, something so vile and excruciating that death seemed like the kindest mercy.

!~🔔~!

[❗️Notice: Log... accepting Master's wish.]

[Requesting to... #####]

[...]

[...]

!~🔔~!

[Affirmative.]

[Permission Granted.]

[....]

'What?'

[...Are you certain? Once this is done, there will be no turning back. You will not regret it, do you?]

His teeth ground together so hard he swore they would shatter. His head pounded as if a thousand needles had been driven into his skull.

What was this hesitation?

Why was the Log questioning him now?

Was there something it wasn't telling him?

Something lurking beyond his comprehension?

But none of that mattered. Nothing mattered anymore except ending this suffering.

'J-Just do it already!' he forced out, his voice barely a whisper but laced with raw desperation.

!~🔔~!

[... Initiating... Soul Resonance of Iteration No.25.]

The moment those words echoed, something inside Aether snapped.

His body arched as a violent tremor overtook him. His ice-blue pupils shrank, then vanished entirely, leaving only pure, haunting white in their place.

His chest seized as his lungs expanded unnaturally, drawing in an immense breath as if he had been drowning this entire time—

"Nsssss—!"

His head wrenched back, neck muscles straining, his body jerking as though an unseen force had seized control of him.

The flames consuming his vision flickered wildly, bending, twisting—

Replaced by nothing.

A void of absolute white!

Yet,

Ting...

Ting....

Ting.....

A sharp metallic chime rang through the void, slow and deliberate, each note carrying an eerie weight.

Then, droplets of deep crimson splattered across the stark whiteness, tainting the emptiness with something primal.. something violent?

Thuck!

Then another.

Thuck!

And another.

Aether's breath stilled.

The white expanse twisted, shifting, distorting.

Then, it became something else.

A land soaked in blood, bodies strewn like discarded debris, their lifeless forms blending into the ruins of a world long since devoured by war.

The air was thick with the stench of death, the taste of iron clinging to the wind, suffocating, inescapable.

And at the centre of it all—

A lone figure.

A man with stark short white hair, his pure garments so pure white and... torn and yet none of them soaked in the blood as if saying even in these harsh worlds... even if it torn nothing could stain it!

He moved forward with slow, deliberate steps, dragging a long, gleaming white spear with intricate design behind him.

He moved towards.... something... something that could literally break these worlds... Aether couldn't see it clearly but he knew... it was An Army of people marching towards him as the ground trembled!

Yet, the white-haired man moved forwards them...

The tip scraped against the shattered ground, each step echoing that haunting metallic chime—

Step!

Ting...

"No..."

Step!

Ting...

"One..."

Step!

Ting...

"Shall..."

Step!

Ting...

"Die."

There was something in his tone... Something massive, invisible yet suffocating, a pressure so immense that even the heavens seemed to tremble under its weight.

Aether could feel it—something incomprehensible, something ancient, something... wrong.

And yet, despite the overwhelming force looming before him, the white-haired man did not falter.

His face was lined with exhaustion, his skin marred with deep scars. He looked as if he had been fighting for centuries, his body reduced to little more than a vessel of endless suffering. His muscles twitched from strain, his every movement deliberate, his every breath measured.

And yet, he stood.

He was alone.

No one stood behind him.

Not a single soul.

Only destruction remained, a trail of annihilation stretching endlessly behind him.

Yet, even in the face of nothingness, even with death itself creeping toward him, he smiled.

A slow, knowing smile, unfazed, unbroken.

With a flick of his fingers, he spun the spear, the motion effortless, fluid. The wind howled around him as he raised the weapon, and then—

TANG!

He slammed the spear into the ground, the impact reverberating through the air like a war cry. His lips parted, his voice carrying an echo of something ancient, something beyond time itself.

"I... am... the Pr—"

The moment he spoke, his eyes snapped open, glowing with a terrifying brilliance—pure, blinding white.

No pupils.

No irises.

Nothing but radiant, overwhelming light.

And then—

Blood.

Dark, crimson streaks bled from his eyes, sliding down his face like silent tears.

.....

Aether's vision yanked backwards in an instant.

His body jerked violently as he gasped, inhaling a lungful of scorching air.

"Hhaaaahhhhh—!"

His chest heaved, and his limbs trembled. Every breath he took felt unreal, foreign. His fingers flexed, moving without restriction.

He could breathe.

He could move.

The pain was... gone.

Blinking rapidly, he tilted his head downward, his one hand curling and uncurling as he tried to process what had just happened.

"W-What was that...?" he muttered, his voice hoarse, disbelief dripping from every syllable.

The unbearable weight pressing down on him was gone. The flames that had tormented him had vanished as if they had never existed. His body felt—light.

Almost too light... As if something fundamental had changed within him.

He blinked again, his mind finally catching up.

'You have a lot to answer for, Log.'

[Access Denied.]

[Cannot be answered.]

Aether's lips twitched.

__________

[Author's note: Just to be sure... everything good right? I mean the quality?]