Chapter 488: This Is The End For Me Son...
Hundreds of millions of years ago.
On a dark and cold planet covered all around in a blanket of dark lightning clouds.
...
"So, this is the end," A deep, unspeakably dominant voice, echoed lowly upon the hard rocky floor.
The sound waves of the voice bounced off the walls of a large and dimly lit cave.
The owner of the voice stood outside the cave, imposing and dominating with his tall yet frail figure.
He was humanoid, and he was tall, really tall. He stood up to nearly eight feet in height.
But his figure no longer held the suppressive power it once had. His muscles had weakened and his bones were weak.
He was still muscular for an elderly looking person, but one could tell that in his prime, he was much bigger than this.
This figure was Jin.
The Purger.
The sixth Primordial Lion.
Jin...was tired.
His face was now wrinkled and worn down by time to paint a sorrowful face. A being who had once pushed his own race to the peak of strength.
The bane of all that was weak.
On his wrinkled face which still had scar trophies, his golden grey hair which was still fading gave him a shabby appearance like someone who had not been well kept for a long time.
His hunched body was dropped in grey ceremonial robes. The kind that would usually be worn to a funeral.
Coupled with the clump of long faded gold hair on his head, he looked really...weak.
Still, the power Jin possessed in this frail body of his was immense. It was so much that the planet he was standing on had stopped rotating on its axis.
He wasn’t doing it intentionally, it was just a byproduct of his aura.
The old warrior opened his mouth and sighed.
He took a step forward to the entrance of the cave.
His feet were light and not as heavy as one might think. The soles of his feet pressed against the jagged edges of the rocky ground, neither breaking nor tearing.
Suddenly, before old Jin could pass through the entrance of the cave, something happened.
Up above, the clouds parted ways as a bright figure pierced down from the sky. Like a holy beam of light, the entity dropped down as though it had been sent from the holiest of heavens.
*BOOM!*
The holy figure of light struck the land, causing a mild tremor to spread out.
Jin stopped moving. He placed one of his hands on the wall and leaned his weight on it.
Every movement he made was so gentle, careful because the world was more or less like cardboard to him most times. Just as fragile as he was.
He sighed again, acknowledging the existence of the entity who just came into this world.
He didn’t turn around. The sensitive ears in his head barely twitched but he had it. Those ghostly footsteps.
"Uriel," Jin muttered under his breath.
There was a moment of silence. Then the footsteps became heavier.
A holy celestial being walked majestically into the scenery.
It was a lion, three meters tall and majestic as usual. His fur was a mix of gold and white with his mane carrying most of the golden color.
He looked regal, but also gentle...like an angel.
A glowing halo ring floated firmly above the lion’s head, constantly illuminating his handsome face and amplifying his holy presence.
Added to the glowing halo ring, six glowing tendril-like wings were flowing out of his back in the form of wavy lights.
Celestial energy oozed out of every stand of fur, bathing him in a soothing healing glow.
"Father," The celestial lion said, concern coloring his face.
Jin sighed again, this time, the weight of a melancholic aura crushed his surroundings.
"Uriel, how did you find me?" Jin asked.
"I never stopped following you, Father," Uriel said, bowing his head slightly.
"Humph, there was a time I could move around and you would never be able to escape my senses," Jin said while chuckling.
Then that chuckle as well as the smile fades away. Memories of the old times only gave him momentary happiness.
The crushing reality of his current situation was enough to wipe away any joy he had.
"It’s funny. I used to be able to do those things.
Look at me now, weak. I can’t even keep track of you when you’re stalking me," Jin spoke.
"You’re not weak, Father, just ill with old age," Uriel said, noticing the negative and irritating aura around his father.
"Weakness is weakness," Jin scoffed, "Don’t try to flatter me."
Jin then turned around to look directly at the tall and huge celestial lion.
"Why did you come here?" He asked.
As Jin turned around, his robes shifted, revealing the black metal left arm.
"You still have about ten thousand years left in you. You don’t have to do this." Uriel said, his voice choking up.
"Is that what you came here to tell me?" Jin asked, raising an eyebrow at his son.
"Aren’t you the one who said that those who were once strong but are now weak should be respected and cared for?
Their strength paved a path for the younger generation," Uriel said.
Jin shook his head and wore a wry smile on his face.
"My time is coming to an end, so I’ll tell you the truth.
You’re the only one I ever mentioned such things to, because I knew you were willing to believe it.
Do you really think lions have the patience to care about their elders? It’s not in their nature son, it’s not in mine.
How many Primordials have lived comfortably to old age? I’m probably the longest-lived Primordial Lion in existence at the moment.
A full ninety thousand years. It’s not enough for me, but it is what it is.
You are a good lion, Uriel, you can take care of the old. But don’t expect anyone else to see the world the way you see it."
Jin then turned around, with his eyes looking into the dark cave.
"If the others won’t take care of you, I will," Uriel said hurriedly.
Jin shook his head, "I don’t need to be taken care of. I am still capable of doing things you can’t imagine.
But I am getting weak. I am no longer at my peak. I am slower, less rational.
But at least, I used my time to achieve what was needed for the lion race.
The rules of the universe will not allow us to have more than a trillion members.
But I have made sure that most of these members are the strongest among the warriors of the universe.
Look at us now, fantastic. So what if we can only have one trillion? If our weakest member is a tier 3 cub, I call it a success.
But that’s all I can do for now. Since I am destined to never achieve the immortal tier, I have paved the path for the future Primordial Lions.
My replacement.
Shame.
Oh well, let me carry on with my departure.
I have chosen this world as my final resting place. As well as the stronghold for my weapon.
It shall be lost, not even you will be able to find it. And if you find it for some reason, you will die.
In the far future, hopefully when my Lion race is still around, a powerful warrior may come to claim the Gauntlet for himself.
My remains shall gaze upon this seeker of power, and my last will shall bless him.
But till then..."
Jin took a step into the cave.
*WHOOSH!*
A powerful wave swept out of his body, quickly encompassing the entire planet. His tier was tier 7 but he was commanding power equivalent to a planetary immortal.
However, Uriel, watching this, had tears in his eyes. The halo on his head flickered in and out of brightness.
He was crying because he could see Jin’s body gradually and quickly deteriorating. His one arm that was made of flesh began to turn grey and his hair began to fade away from golden to grey.
Jin was committing suicide.
"No, this can’t be it..." Uriel shook his head.
"Yes, Uriel, this is it," Jin said.
"I’ll tell them that you died in battle!" Uriel said with determination in his wet golden eyes.
Jin chuckled again, his voice echoing as he walked deeper into the cave. By now, he had to bend his head slightly to prevent it from touching the rocky ceiling.
"Do you really think that people will believe that I, Jin, died in battle?
Who has the might to slay me? Who has the balls to claim that they took my life?
Even immortals fear my strike. What else is there to be imagined?
No one will believe you!"
Jin’s voice was proud and dominant. This was something he was proud of himself for. To reach a power level were very few in the universe could directly challenge him.
Alas...
"I will tell them regardless. I will drum it and shove it down their roaring throats until it becomes the law!
If we are paving a path for the future Conquerors of the universe, we should do it properly!" Uriel said, his eyes glowing with celestial light.
"Fine, do whatever you want, I’ll be dead by then. I’ll have no concern for my name at that time.
You should go, Uriel. I shall be locking this planet now."
Those were Jin’s last words to his son...