Chapter 481: Listen Properly
After some time, the knowledge finally stopped flooding in.
Damian’s consciousness slowly returned, the dizziness fading like fog burning away under sunlight.
His eyes opened, still unfocused, his head heavy with the weight of knowledge that had been forcefully imprinted into his mind.
He blinked several times, trying to clear his vision, and looked toward where his grandfather stood.
And what he saw made his breath catch in his throat.
Tears sprang to his eyes without warning.
’No.’
The man’s body was completely translucent now, barely visible against the eternal sun hanging overhead.
’No... He... he...’
Damian’s thoughts couldn’t form properly, breaking apart under the weight of understanding.
’The soul fragment is disappearing. That knowledge... transferring it...’
His chest constricted painfully.
’He doesn’t have much time left.’
The man spoke as if nothing had happened, his voice carrying the same gentle warmth it always had.
"Now that you have everything in your mind, with your comprehension, you should be able to form weapon intent within a short time."
He smiled, his form carrying pride.
"Your road toward the weapon law will be far less difficult than mine was. You won’t have to spend decades figuring out what to do."
He paused, his expression becoming regretful.
"As for my major law of blood, sadly this soul fragment doesn’t have any information on that."
His hand came up, gesturing vaguely towards the north.
"But maybe my real self left the knowledge somewhere in this world before I died. So if it’s possible, in the future, try to go to our family estate beyond the mountain range. Maybe you’ll find some clues ther–"
"Why?"
Damian’s voice came out rough, cutting through the man’s words.
"Why did you do this?"
The man’s mouth closed, his eyes meeting Damian’s, but he didn’t answer.
Both of them already knew why.
Damian didn’t have time, and he needed this knowledge to become strong faster.
"I told you everything, didn’t I?"
Damian’s voice rose, cracking on the words.
"You know everything about me now. You understand what family means to me."
His hands clenched into fists.
"You think I would have chosen power over you? I could have found a different way. I always do! There was no need for you to–"
"Little Damian." The man’s voice was quiet but firm. "Are you forgetting why you came to the north?"
"..."
Damian went silent, the words hitting him like a physical blow.
He’d come to the north to grow stronger, to kill Khra’gath and to save his parents who were trapped in that godforsaken portal.
"Me and the whole Bloodworth family, all of us are already dead."
The man’s voice carried absolute certainty.
"But your parents, the ones who took you in when no one else would have, they’re still alive... They’re your true family."
His hand lifted, gesturing toward Damian.
"They saved my grandson and gave him the love that we never could provide. They raised you, protected you and made you into the person standing before me now."
His voice became thick with emotion.
"If sacrificing my soul fragment gives my grandson the strength needed to save them, it’s worth everything. How could I do anything less for the people who loved you when we couldn’t?"
"But–"
Damian tried to speak, but the man continued.
"Besides..."
His face twisted, something breaking in his expression that had been held together by sheer will until now.
"I... do you think I would be able to live with this?"
His voice cracked completely, tears streaming down his translucent face.
"Knowing that I raised those snakes? Knowing that I loved them, trusted them, called them my little brothers?"
His whole body shook, shoulders curling inward.
"Knowing that all of them, each and every single one of those twelve, ganged up to kill... to kill Darius?!"
The name ripped out of him like a physical wound, tearing through his throat, and his knees buckled.
He stayed standing but barely, swaying like he’d been struck.
"You know... he was the only descendant who cared enough to always come here, again and again, just so I wouldn’t feel lonely while up on this mountain! Every year, without fail, he would make the journey."
His voice rose, raw and desperate.
"I loved him the most! My brilliant boy who made me so proud I could barely stand it!"
His hands came up to cover his face, his whole form shaking with sobs.
"And they killed him! THEY KILLED MY BOY!"
The scream tore through the air like thunder, reverberating across the mountain peak, making the very space around them shudder.
"They killed me first! And he– he was left alone to stand against the strongest humans in the world! People whom he called uncles! I–"
His voice broke completely, becoming almost unintelligible.
"What would he have felt at that moment?"
The question came out strangled, barely coherent through the sobs.
"Standing in our family estate, knowing that his father’s invitation to celebrate his sons’ birthday had brought death to his doorstep instead? He... he had just become a father himself!"
His hands dropped from his face.
"All my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren... they probably screamed for help! Called out for me to come save them like I’d always done before!"
He looked up at Damian, his face devastated beyond description.
"And I... I did nothing!"
His fists clenched, shaking with impotent rage and grief.
"The man who saved millions, who pushed back the Monster tide, who was called the strongest human... couldn’t even protect his own family when they needed him most!"
The last words came out as a broken whisper, all the strength leaving his voice as his shoulders slumped forward.
Silence fell across the peak like a blanket, heavy and suffocating.
’I... I shouldn’t have opened my damn mouth.’
Damian’s throat closed completely, his own tears falling freely.
CRACK
The sound shattered the moment.
His head snapped up, his eyes widening as he saw reality itself beginning to break.
Fracture lines appeared in the air, spreading like cracks across glass.
Whoosh
The man moved suddenly, appearing directly in front of Damian, his hands gripping Damian’s shoulders with whatever strength he had left.
"Lit– Little Damian, we don’t have much time left." His voice carried urgency now. "So listen properly and remember everything I’m about to tell you, understand?"