Akrah was the root of all evil, and also the mother who had given birth to him. Keter had once sworn that if he ever met the woman who bore him only to use him, he would beat her without hesitation. However, when he actually faced her, he could do nothing. He simply stood there, carefully taking in every detail of her face.0

For someone who had abandoned him in a lawless city, deliberately made him regress, and forced him through horrifying trials, she looked remarkably gentle. She merely stood there, yet the compassion and maternal warmth radiating from her aura eased Keter’s tension and even melted away his hostility.0

Keter glanced around. He had been so focused on her that he had not noticed it before, but time had stopped. This was not like the Heavenly Venerable slowing someone’s personal flow of time—the time of the universe itself had stopped. That overwhelming power snapped Keter fully alert.0

“This feels like the last meal they give a prisoner right before execution.”0

Akrah, whom he could never find no matter how hard he searched, had come to him on her own. It was obvious she had not done it for his sake. Strangely, though, his chest did not burn the way he thought it would. If anything, he felt calmer than ever.0

Have I gone numb?0

Maybe it no longer felt shocking. He had known for a long time that Akrah was a complete bitch.0

Keter stepped...0