The Heroine is My Stepsister, and I'm her Final Boss-Chapter 58: A Soul’s Yapping

Baaammm!!

The surroundings shook violently once more, like a thunderclap ripping through reality itself. The rumbling and echoes of their world-shattering fight reached Atlas where he lay, battered and bleeding in the void. His head throbbed with each pulse of destruction radiating outward, as though the universe were screaming alongside him.

’Mate. I hope you don’t let that dick-sucking cunt damage my body so much,’ he muttered bitterly, his voice laced with dark humor despite the chaos engulfing him.

For all the destruction promised by the GUIDE—his supposed future self—Atlas wasn’t excited to play any part in it. Yet here he was, caught in the eye of the storm, the calmest point amidst the maelstrom. Even if his loved ones were safe for now, could he really stand aside and watch everything burn? Did he have the power to stop it? No. Did Atlas, as the incarnation of this ancient being, possess the strength to challenge such a force?

’.....In the end I am no hero. I am no villain. Do I stop him? Or just let it happen? Even if I wanted to, can I even stop him?’ He thought aloud, his voice trembling between defiance and resignation. ’We’re one now, aren’t we? After melding with your memories...’

And the GUIDE had been right about that. Those fragmented recollections felt clearer than ever, almost indistinguishable from his own past. They weren’t foreign; they were familiar—a seamless extension of who he’d become. Arnold, the timid gamer, had melded into Atlas entirely. Together now he stood someone braver, sharper-edged, unhinged in ways both thrilling and terrifying. Atlas recognized traits within himself that mirrored the reckless ambition of Atlas of the past—the habit of viewing every risk as an inevitability, every step toward death as necessary progress. To beat a monster, you became one. That mindset resonated deeply, yet its consequences haunted him too.

But who was ’he’ to judge? Hadn’t he also embraced bravery and ego-driven resolve over time? All he brought to the table was naivety tempered by fleeting maturity—an old man’s wisdom layered atop youthful impulsiveness. And still, something bound them together: a shared refusal to back down, a rebellious streak carved into their very souls since childhood.

It struck him then—the parallels between himself, the jealous, defiant Atlas of the past, the weary but determined Atlas of the present, and the world-destroying Villain known as Atlas the Beholder. Each version represented a phase of existence: adolescence yearning for strength, adulthood seeking balance, and ultimate nihilism striving for renewal.

’Haha... It’s like they’re manifestations of my past and the coming future,’ he mused, laughter bubbling up despite the gravity of his thoughts. ’My past says grow stronger at any cost. My future says destroy the world to rebuild true peace and balance. Who do I listen to? Who do I follow? What is the goal of ’me’ right now? What is my agenda?’

At first, survival had been enough—to avoid dying again after countless failures. But even that instinct wavered under the weight of inevitability. Touching death three times already left him hollow, stripped bare of ego or pride. All he retained was the raw will to live, nothing more and nothing less—a will malleable to influence. Shaped by his past, yes, but equally susceptible to manipulation by the future. Destroying the world didn’t seem unthinkable anymore. Resetting creation carried a strange allure—a clean slate, unburdened by legacy or failure.

That realization explained why he hadn’t argued when the GUIDE outlined his vision. Why he hadn’t shouted platitudes about morality or justice. Killing was wrong, sure—but whose morality governed universes on the brink of collapse? Not his. Not anymore.

’Hmmm...So for myself, and my wellbeing in this new life which I stumbled upon. Let’s not waste it dying once more. Let’s not be influenced by the ego of my past or compressed by the ego of my future....

It feels late that I had thoughts like this only after tasting death again and letting my flesh be possessed as I sat helplessly in this void. But... I feel glad it happened. As it seems I’ve finally reached the state of mind to process what the fuck was actually happening to my life.

As I don’t feel right accepting the ego of my past or my future either. I don’t wanna deny them but rather... I will make them my foundation. I now realize what i had lacked, what was missing within these hollow body of mine.

I had no ego of my own..

So...I will create my own dogma. My own fate. My own destiny. My own... ego. No more instinctual habits of risk taking like of my past. No more cold diminishable notion of my future.’ He voiced fiercely, gripping his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

[NOTIFICATION!]

[The requirements have been met.]

[Ego stats unlocked.

Ego Level: 0 ’Novice’. (The new Atlas Von Roxweld of the present.)

Ego Points: 0 (Normal stat points do not work.)

Law Functions: ???? (Locked)]

Atlas gazed at his system interface with a mix of awe and relief, seeing the new category nestled among his brain stats, mana nerves, and other body parts.

’Oh... Finally! Damn. Talk about taking your sweet time. I can finally start leveling up.

Wait. I didn’t get the notification of beating Lara for getting ego stats. That can only mean... Fuck. She already has one. That was supposed to activate in the third arc....Hmmmm... The timeline is gonna change way too much if she got this early.’

{{{.....}}}

’Wait. I can check up on her, can’t I?’ He thought suddenly, activating his skill ’Observer Perspective.’

[Observer Perspective activated...

Target ’Lara’...

Analyzing if the Target is influenced by the Host or not...

Analyzing finished. ’Heavily influenced’. Access granted for observation.

Acquiring Target...

Successful!]

With those echoing words, Atlas’s surroundings shifted once more, morphing into the third realm of the Dark Continent. Figures began appearing around him—kneeling figures clad in armor and robes, their loyalty palpable even from where he stood unseen.

’Wow... It worked. Oh, she made it out. Thank God she’s safe,’ he muttered under his breath, pure relief washing over him. While he knew Dracula wouldn’t kill her, the fear of harm lingered until now—but his worries were unfounded.

He scanned the scene before him, recognizing familiar faces. Denish, the steadfast knight and right-hand man to their commander-general, placed his sword before Lara, pledging allegiance as always. Others followed suit, each figure solidifying her growing influence.

’She brought good people around her...’ he thought approvingly, watching a mage rise hesitantly, sweat dripping down his forehead.

’So that’s why she reached the third realm so quickly. Wait ....is that Gon...and his wife. They look younger than in the game.

I thought they had a child or something. The child was an important character in the game.....should i....No, Forget that. Lara is my priority for the moment.’ He thought, as he gazed at the mage standing up.

"...The empi... Empire has declared war against our Kingdom..." the mage belted out, his voice trembling with barely contained dread.

.

.

Atlas froze. His golden eyes widened as the news hit him like a battering ram. For several seconds, he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Then reality crashed down on him like an avalanche.

’...WHAT THE FUCKKK!!!??’

.

.

_______________

The Book of the Damned

_______________

Chapter 1: The Path of Unbound Desire

On the futility of restraint and the glory of hunger that gnaws at all boundaries.

Chapter 2: The Path of Infinite Masks

How truth and falsehood are but faces worn by the same void—and why you must wear them all.

Chapter 3: The Path of Devouring Cycles

On the sacred duty to consume, for every end is a feast and every beginning a carcass.

Chapter 4: The Path of Fractured Light

The folly of seeking unity in a cosmos stitched from shadow; embrace the split.

Chapter 5: The Path of Twin Serpents

On the divine romance of opposing forces: let them coil around your throat and sing.

Chapter 6: The Path of Abyssal Surrender

To renounce is to claim; to claim is to dissolve. The art of becoming nothing to become everything.

Chapter 7: The Path of Voracious Ignorance

Why wisdom is a tomb and ignorance a womb—and how to gorge on both.

Chapter 8: The Path of Time’s Hollow Crown

On ruling the illusion of chronology, for time is a puppet and you are its strings.

Chapter 9: The Path of Profane Devotion

To worship chaos is to kneel before the only altar that bleeds eternity.

Chapter 10: The Path of Celestial Rot

On the divinity of decay: how even gods fester, and why you must lick their wounds.

Chapter 11: The Path of the Thousandfold Betrayal

The sacredness of broken oaths, for loyalty is a chain and treachery a wing.

Chapter 12: The Path of Unholy Union

On coupling with paradox: let your claws caress creation and your fangs pierce the void.

Chapter 13: The Path of the Unseen Womb

The cosmos as a carcass pregnant with unborn hells; be the midwife of the infinite.

Chapter 14: The Path of Blasphemous Song

Why silence is death and noise is life—and how to scream in every language of the Abyss.

Chapter 15: The Path of the Shattered Mirror freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

On gazing into the fragments and seeing a thousand reflections of your own chaos.

Chapter 16: The Path of the Unbound Breath

The art of inhaling all laws and exhaling oblivion.

Chapter 17: The Path of the Third Tongue

On speaking in paradox, for the only true word is the one that devours its own meaning.

Chapter 18: The Path of the Unwritten Scripture

The final teaching: burn the text, for the only scripture is the wound you carve into existence.

Epilogue: The Unchanted

Go now, O Legion. Let your existence be a hymn to the infinite—the only prayer that needs no Law.

______________