My Wife is a Dead Villainess, and I'm Her Living Weapon-Chapter 235: Reborn

"…"

At Woody's deafening roar, Elian began to think that he might have misunderstood the situation.

Burny briefly said that the Weapons of Valestra conquered Universe #150. While Elian understood the statement, he glossed over it as he didn't understand the scale.

"System, do you have information about the Weapons who survived till the end in Universe #150 before the Multiverse collapsed?"

[Yes, I do. It took exactly 245 years, 6 months, 1 day, 3 hours, 24 minutes, and six seconds for the Weapons to conquer the Crucible. A few centuries more passed before that timeline was destroyed and rejoined with this universe.]

"Okay, how much time passed before they got reborn in this one?"

[My Tyrant, they never left.]

"Huh?"

He then remembered the words of Fluffy and Silent and turned in their direction.

"Of course, my daughter. The memories we share are the only reason I have been able to hold on to this grim life. I have been waiting for so, so long to see you again…"

"Every Weapon from our universe that lives in this reality gained this talent one day. This allows us to break away from the shackles of the Tyrant of the End. For decades we have been in hiding, waiting. Waiting till the day you two would return…"

"They lied? They made it sound like they only spent a few decades…" Elian's voice trailed off, then a dull thud came. Bianca fell to her knees as she burst into tears. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"No… this can't be true… it has to be a lie… No…"

Confused as to why Bianca broke down crying, Elian was about to reach out to her when the System explained.

[Normally, after the Tyrant of the End kills Origin, he has all the Weapons self-terminate to prevent timeline issues.]

At the system's explanation, an unsettling chill climbed up Elian's spine.

[But that didn't happen in universe #150.]

"Because he didn't exist there," Elian uttered in terror. "Instead, I did."

[Yes, this fact created a major distortion in this rebuilt universe. There shouldn't have been sentient beings at the beginning of time. But as Universe #150 beings weren't destroyed, they all turned into time paradoxes. They existed before they were supposed to.]

"The same thing that happened with Bianca and me…"

[Correct. And as time was restarted when the universe was rebuilt, the faction of the Weapons of Valestra had basically gone back in time with their abilities intact. They diverged from their origins, becoming beings without beginning.]

"…"

Returning to the past was often a superpower that most longed for. If the Weapons retained their power while being sent back in time, they would be unstoppable. Elian even grew proud seeing their rise in power.

But as he learned the cost, he soon felt a deep bitterness.

[Most of them chose to live in isolation out of necessity. The ones who came from immortal races had it easier, but the short-lived races like humans couldn't return or risk destroying the causality of time.]

Elian couldn't help but try to cover his mouth as his stomach began to retch and his body broke out in a cold sweat.

If he had existed during the Stone Age, he would have been worshipped as a god. Both his knowledge and strength would have made history center around him.

Interacting with humanity meant he would influence people. Each decision, each action would change the proper order of time. Just talking or flirting with someone might change who marries whom. Just using his abilities might affect who discovered what.

The Tyrant of End got it right. By killing everything, he ensured that time would follow its course as it was supposed to. The alternative was to watch everything unfold without doing anything. They had to watch even as humanity destroyed itself.

While Bianca and Elian defeated Origin and collapsed the Multiverse, it came at a price. A price that was paid for by those they called family. The grim realization meant that because his friends and family became Weapons, they had to abandon everything else.

"…"

Bianca's heart-wrenching sobs made Elian flinch. Then he understood, they lied to give the real truth to Bianca in chunks. It was only now that Elian pieced together the whole story. Without his prompting, Fluffy and Silent came and hugged Bianca.

"My sweet, sweet daughter, don't cry. This is our freedom and our consequence."

"Cheer up, sis; we've spent so much time with humans that we're practically human now!"

Bianca couldn't even reply and cried even harder; Elian felt regret pile up in his heart. Origin grew crazy from living forever, and unknowingly he subjected his entire faction to the same ordeal.

The Weapons of Valestra appeared with this universe the moment it was remade. Like Bianca and Elian, they lost their place. They were living paradoxes. Beings lost to time, who existed before civilization could even began.

This cruel sacrifice was forced on the entire faction as they appeared in a universe without the crucible. Elian felt his heart tighten with guilt, but when he turned to look at Woody, Gamma, and Blooms, they all smiled in silence.

"H-How long did it take for us to return?"

Woody shook his head at Elian's question. He then spoke softly, as if whispering, something uncharacteristic of the normally boisterous Ironwood Treant.

"Does it matter, my Tyrant? Destroying the Crucible and ending the war. That is our mission. A cause more worthy than any other. One I do with pride," he then chuckled while adding, "Also, being powerful before anyone else has a lot of benefits."

Gamma nodded his head as he continued, "We were careful not to push the thread of causality too much, but most Weapons just acted like silent guardians in their own worlds. Worshiping Onyx golems or ghosts is practically universal across worlds."

"My Tyrant, because of your actions, the atrocities in the other universes do not exist in this one. That alone made everything else worth it. We are nothing but honored to be able to contribute in such a noble act," Blooms added with a breathtaking smile.

She then glanced at Gamma before blushing, "I even managed to find my happily ever after." Gamma cleared his throat while sneakily reaching for Bloom's hand. "Indeed, spending eternity with your loved one can only be described as a glimpse of Heaven."

While the romance between Blooms and Gamma was the silver lining, it did not change the truth. Hearing the selfless attitude of his army, Elian bit his lip reflexively in shame.

Spending decades, centuries, perhaps even millennia in isolation was a harsh punishment. Yet the Weapons all willingly accepted the burden, all because of their mission.

I'm sorry.

The apology got stuck in Elian's throat.

He felt like asking for their forgiveness would only be spitting in the determination and loyalty of the Weapons. If earlier he felt like they didn't deserve all his praise, now he felt unworthy to even command them.

Despite being a divine being, Elian felt his knees grow weak, but before he could buckle, a hand grabbed his shoulder and helped him up.

It was one of the five Psychomancers that Bianca had given birth to in their original universe. A young Flame Swallow who once wondered what his purpose his life held. Now he was a powerful Twilight-tiered warrior who saw the world turn into what it now was.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Sir Elian. Your life and battles served as our guide. We acted the way we did because we followed your example. On your feet. There are two more who come to greet you."

At Burny's remark, loud shrills of powerful engines roared as a fleet of airplanes and large floating ships approached. Unlike the 2nd Legion that appeared from what looked like portals, these ships all traveled to and from earth.

Seeing as none of the Weapons from the 2nd Legion reacted, Elian and the still sniffling Bianca stood up to receive them. The ships quickly landed, and out poured thousands of powerful humans encased in onyx armor made of Living Metal.

While they all wore the same color, there were variations among their clothes. One had red accents, another had blue, and another had yellow. The humans segregated themselves into three separate groups and knelt.

"Elian…"

"Yeah, it's them. The Big Three."

Left in awe of what they saw, the Anchor of Hope and the Tyrant of Will watched in silence.

The Red faction seemed to have Gerald R. Nobel as its leader, meaning it was the reborn Noble Ascendancy.

Blues accents decorated the group led by Shang Jian, so it had to be this universe's version of the Bloodright of Conquest.

Last but not least, the final yellow faction gathered around Seraphi Cavour, the former pope of the Truthsong Church, which also seemed to exist in this universe.

In their old world, the Big Three were the epitome of power. They were the three Tyrant Candidates Elian had to kill to gain the crown for Earth. Contrastingly, in this world, despite being more powerful, the trio seemed subservient to another.

Like a gigantic order of knights before their king, the vast humans who were all at Peak Dusk waited. They all kept their eyes on the floor as if they couldn't even dare to watch the one who was about to arrive.

Before Elian could wonder, a pair of figures emerged from the biggest ship.

One had black armor and glowing red eyes. The woman beside him had an ethereal beauty and golden hair. The pair looked awkward together, but the way they stuck to one other spoke volumes how much affection was between them.

Even without words, Elian and Bianca knew who these people were. They were dear friends they had left behind in Universe #150.

The young man who chose to give up flesh and blood for the strength to protect his woman for eternity, Nedeshwar Patel.

A powerless widower who chose the curse of immortality to ensure she could fight by her man's side even after death, Charlotte Daniels.

They were an unlikely pair but were the souls who knew Bianca and Elian best. When their love blossomed there were none happier than Elian and Bianca. But seeing them here in this universe as Weapons only caused guilt and sorrow.

As part of their faction, it only meant one thing. Unlike the other humans who were reborn, these two weren't.

"..."

The newly arrived pair stood in front of Elian and Bianca, then knelt like the rest of the humans did. It was a gesture that showed the world that despite their status, they were but servants.

"We welcome the true rulers of Earth. We welcome the Tyrant of Will and the Anchor of Hope," Ned and Charlotte declared with reverence.

Seeing their close friends exist in this world, Elian and Bianca had bittersweet emotions. But they forced the unease down and helped the two before them up.

"Brother, I have returned. Thank you for all your work," Elian praised, his voice trembling.

"Lottie, I'm back. You look divine! I am so glad you are okay," Bianca added as she held back her sobs.

But then Ned and Charlotte looked at each other before suddenly breaking out in laughter.

"I win. I told you, these two are far too kind." Ned chuckled.

Charlotte puffed her cheeks while smacking Ned in the arm. "I didn't lose; neither of them cried!"

Hearing the crazy bet the two made, Elian and Bianca's hearts turned cold. Rather than affection, rage consumed their hearts. They suddenly felt like smacking their "friends" in the face with hundred-ton mallets.