Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 197. Between Death and Memory

Darkness.

Darkness enveloped him in an endless stretch of emptiness.

Rick floated in this void, unable to sense his body or anything else, surrounded only by the vast nothingness.

Was this the end?

Did the Leviathan really kill him when it swallowed them whole?

Rick was already awake, even though he didn’t speak or do anything except accept the fact that he failed again. It almost felt like deja vu for Rick when he lost to the Corrupted Zork and found himself in a state of nothingness again.

Still... he waited... and then he tried to move, but there was nothing to move.

No arms, legs, or body at all. There was only consciousness in a void that seemed to go on forever in all directions.

"What a fucking joke... how many times do I have to do this shit over and over again...?"

"Just kill me already..."

Suddenly, a solitary point of light emerged in the distance.

"I-Is that...?" Rick stared at the light.

At first, it was small and hard to see in the dark, but it got bigger and brighter over time. Rick felt like he was being pulled toward it, or maybe it was coming toward him.

In this place where normal physics didn’t matter, the difference was irrelevant.

The light grew until it surrounded him, and then Rick could see again.

"SHIT—"

ZIIIINNGGG~!

He was in what looked like a huge throne room, but something about being there felt off. He could see through his hands when he looked down at them.

It was as if a ghost or spirit was watching him from outside of reality.

The throne room itself was amazing. Huge pillars of living coral reached up to a ceiling that seemed impossibly high.

Each one was carved with intricate patterns that told stories in a language Rick couldn’t read but somehow understood on an instinctive level. The floor was made of smooth crystal that reflected everything above it, making it look like it went on forever.

Rick then saw that Nerissa was sitting on a throne that appeared to be made from a single large pearl.

However, this was not the Nerissa he was accustomed to. Not the Empress, who had spent fifty years shutting herself off from feeling anything because she was so sad.

This was Nerissa from a long time ago, before the betrayal, the genocide, and everything else that went wrong.

"Nerissa..." Rick felt glad to see her in that state, and then he knew right away that all of this was probably an illusion before he truly died.

She looked younger, but not in terms of how old she was. Her eyes were what made her different.

Rick had seen the present as empty and hollow, but these people were full of warmth, life, and real joy. She was really smiling as she talked to an ocean dweller advisor about how to make the coral gardens in the outer district better.

"The kelp forests in the eastern quarter need more magical food," the advisor said, pointing to a map made of light that floated between them. "There are twice as many ocean dwellers living there now as there were ten years ago, and the natural growth can’t keep up."

Nerissa nodded, her face showing that she really cared about the issue. "Then we’ll change the direction of some of the tidal currents in the northern wards."

"The infrastructure there is strong enough to handle a 15% drop without putting security at risk."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, the northern territories asked for those currents for their new fish farming projects."

"Then we’ll come up with a different answer that works for both districts." Nerissa’s voice was strong but sweet. "A good ruler doesn’t fix one problem by making another."

"Please set up a meeting with the ocean dweller from the north. We’ll figure this out together."

Rick saw the advisor bow and leave. He also saw Nerissa lean back in her throne and sigh with satisfaction.

Her body language showed that she was content and had a sense of purpose and fulfillment because she really cared about the health and happiness of her people.

A little while later, a younger Typhon came into the room. His eyes were clear and full of what looked like real love as he walked up to his wife.

Typhon said, "You’ve been in council meetings for eight hours straight." He then moved behind the throne and began to rub Nerissa’s shoulders.

"Taking a break once in a while won’t bring down the kingdom, you know that, honey?"

Rick felt a pang of ache in his chest when he heard Nerissa laugh. It was a sound so pure and musical.

This was how she looked when she was happy.

This was the woman she had been before everything went wrong.

"That’s what the Emperor Consort said after spending all of last week reorganizing the ward network without sleeping," Nerissa teased as she reached up to cover Typhon’s hand with hers.

"We both need to learn how to relax."

"That’s why we are the best match for each other. Typhon bent down and kissed her on the head. "Two workaholics who know how heavy the crown is."

Rick felt like an outsider as he watched this sweet moment. Their bond was close in a way that didn’t have anything to do with physical affection.

These two people really loved each other and were partners in every way.

The scene abruptly shifted, akin to a dream, and Rick found himself immersed in a new moment. Nerissa was in a nursery holding a baby ocean dweller who was probably no more than a few months old.

If Rick had to guess based on the timeline, the newborn was her two hundredth child.

Nerissa whispered to the baby, "You’re going to do amazing things." Her voice was full of motherly love that made Rick’s heart ache.

"You’re going to live in a kingdom that is safe and rich."

"You will never have to go through the terrible things that your father and I did when we were young."

"That’s our gift to you."

The baby gurgled with happiness and reached for Nerissa’s face with its tiny webbed fingers. The Empress laughed with pure joy.

After that, Rick saw Nerissa standing at the edge of the citadel and looking out over the ocean she ruled after another shift. She looked cheerful and determined.

She had made something important here. She had created a kingdom where individuals could prosper, families could flourish, and the future appeared bright and full of promise.

Nerissa thought to herself, "This is what it was all for," but Rick somehow heard every word.

"Every sacrifice, every hard choice, and every sleepless night spent taking care of the wards—all of it was to make something worth leaving behind."

Rick felt tears welling up in his eyes, or whatever it was that passed for eyes in this ghostly form. This is Nerissa, who should have stayed alive.

This was the wise, kind, and strong ruler who should have spent hundreds of years watching her kingdom grow.

But then the light around Rick changed.

The warm golden light that had brought back these joyful memories changed into something else. Rick felt a sudden sense of dread wash over him as blood-red light filled the scene.

The nursery disappeared, and in its place was a dark room where Nerissa sat alone with a communication crystal that glowed with magical energy.

Rick couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could see that Nerissa’s face went from confused to shocked to something that looked like her whole world was falling apart.

Rick said. "Is this it...?" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"The moment that collapses everything...?"