Chapter 319 Etz Chaim

Chapter 319 Etz Chaim

Dante looked at all his choices and made a decision.

Only a child would choose one; an adult would take them all!!

...

Cough, cough...

Only a child would take one; an adult would take them all!

...

Tsk, the Cosmic Tree refused even to pay him mind. Sure, he was being a bit greedy, but it could at least muster the energy to tell him 'NO' to his face, right?

Dante looked through his top choices seriously and hesitated. Then he looked through again and hesitated some more. In the end, he couldn't make a decision and decided to put it aside for after his meeting with the cosmic tree.

Maybe what it would reveal later might give him some key information that might help him narrow down what would be most useful to him in his future battles. With that in mind, Dante naturally glanced at the cosmic tree which seemed to be in the later stages of... whatever it was doing.Undertake a voyage to the genesis at n0v*lbin#★

After a short period that felt timeless, the Cosmic Tree exploded with green and white light that spread throughout his soul space, causing Dante to be wowed and temporarily blinded.

When his vision returned, he saw that the glowing purple cosmic tree that seemed like it was rooted in space had greatly changed. It had come much closer, close enough that it now covered him and the Quantum Entanglement gate in its territory.

What left Dante shocked was that the area around him for about 10 kilometers had turned into a lovely meadowland. The grass was healthy and lush, with a slight breeze that was cool, causing them to ruffle slightly.

There was the presence of casual sun rays that were not scorching hot, rather being warm and soothing, dispelling the darkness of one's heart. In the center was a towering oak tree, with long branches and thick leaves, creating a canopy of vitality.

Beneath the tree, attached to one of its branches, was a cheap swing made of rope and a small wooden plank for a child to swing from. The entire atmosphere gave off a timeless homely feel, like a tree that had seen the passage of time for eons.

Dante was rendered silent by this sight because he could never have pictured the majestic-looking tree, which looked like it had been the centerpiece of creation and supported all the universes on its leaves, would look so... gentle.

The trunk of the tree shook as a body separated from it, formed from wood. Once separated, it began to take human features, bearing a tall and slightly muscular form, a handsome visage with golden eyes and spiky brown hair with bangs.

"Huh?" Dante muttered, now being made to look at a copy of himself.

Dante slapped his forehead as he realized it right before the avatar spoke. Of course, it would be Lara's doing; she probably egged the young and ignorant Myra on, knowing the kind of consequences that would occur and looking forward to it.

"Unfortunately for Lara, her control over Myra waned as time passed. Being young, Myra was curious, and Lara's continual rebukes and reproaches that she could not go near humans or the human world soon fell onto deaf ears."

"Eventually, the young goddess snuck over and got into a bit of trouble but was rescued by the young Luka. They then spent time together in a meadowland at the outskirts of town where Luka's family lived, much like where we are now."

The avatar forked a thumb over to itself with a smile. "This foundational relationship between them gave birth to me, the transcendent connection between their existences, and I was nurtured rapidly by the two. The moment I bloomed, Myra freely shared her divine power with Luka, but the human child at the time could not bear such power, so I was the entity that housed and sealed it for him."

"Of course, nothing good can last forever. Lara eventually discovered Myra's trick and found her. In a fit of fury, she slaughtered Luka's parents and then altered his memories for him to forget about his time with Myra before casting him back into the human world."

"Myra was then taken back and heavily reeducated by Lara, but it was Lara's first and final mistake that. She created a seed of doubt and resentment in young Myra's heart, lowering her importance and image while she had gained the enmity of Luka."

The avatar paused for a bit as if it was lost in memories. "And that's about it for the background of the conflict between Luka and Lara. If you want to know the full story, that will come when you're ready. Now, let's skip to the relevant part affecting you and the situation now."

"Sure, go ahead. The way I see it, Luka was the original protagonist of the universe, right?" Dante joked with a smile, folding his arms.

The avatar chuckled similarly. "That is an understatement again. His fate is unmatched and cannot be replicated; likewise, even if I divulged all my power to you, we cannot reach the height he currently stands."

"Oh?" Dante muttered, not being bothered. He wasn't in the habit of measuring himself against others, and he did not much care anyway. He just wanted to know how Lara would be a threat to him, if so, and how he was chosen from an uncountable number of beings.

"So fast forward, and Luka grew up with foster parents and met friends, allies, and the like. Myra decided to also age herself naturally until she was 19 to meet with Luka and rekindle their relationship. Lara found out, became the big bad, and Myra was finally convinced by Luka that she was a plague. Full of hate, Lara attacked; she and Luka had a final battle that was epic, where she was beaten by the power of love and friendship." The avatar continued, its tone rushing through the details carelessly as if bored by this part.

"Luka then sealed her true body in me because I am the only other being at her level of power below himself and Myra." The avatar forked a finger over to its trunk, and Dante could see the naked body of Lara locked within by bark and vines, her eyes closed and her expression locked into one of hatred.

The avatar became pensively silent. "I usually keep her asleep because when awake, she goes crazy and barks insults until her voice becomes hoarse and blood leaks from her eyes. Even Luka has given up on fixing her mental state."

Dante was also overwhelmed, sweat forming on his brow. The sheer hatred radiating off this being was so intense; it almost formed a miasma in his eyes. Dante did not see, but his spiritual manifestation of his hellfire, the demonic face that usually hovered around him, yelped like a wounded puppy and rushed back into his body.

The avatar waved a hand and covered up Lara's true body.

"So, we have a problem. After Luka ascended to godhood and fully took his powers back from me, he helped Myra create the myriad universes and multiverse, which is the space you exist in. You call it a lower dimension because it's true, it does exist on a lower plane than the original Earth."

"Luka left the universes to be created and destroyed in an automated manner, putting the task in my hands. Unfortunately for me, my power and Lara's are equal, so she wrested some authority from me and split her consciousness down into various organic clones that were born in each universe, and will be born in each universe."

The avatar's expression became serious as it glanced at Dante grimly. "That isn't the main problem. The main issue is that using her authority, Lara designed and created the Zero and First Gates, intending to use this strange mechanism to free herself somehow. We simply cannot allow that to happen at all costs!"