Chapter 171: Tears of the Fallen Princess
"Don’t you know anything, then? I’ll tell you who you are, Aurelia!" the Supreme God boomed, his anger palpable as he stalked forward.
"The rules are inflexible. They cannot be broken," the Library Guardian insisted. "Her punishment remains incomplete, and no one can disregard that."
"Rules? Do you think they still hold sway after she returned to the Heavenly Realm? No! I believe you all played her again, easing her punishment, hoping to dethrone me. I know your petty tricks, and you only exploit them because I lack the power to erase your memories. If I could smite you like others, you wouldn’t dare lecture me about rules." He glared at the Guardian, venom spitting from his words.
"Ha! I know you’re powerless. That’s why she can reappear with the unsettling memory of her first death, even though she forgot it before. But you’re right. The gods yearn for her return, for you have become...this thing after she left. Slaughtering gods like they’re beasts."
"Her return, at any cost, binds you once more," the Guardian stated coolly.
"Hypocrites! All of you! Gods who preach one thing and do another, treating your own proclamations as sins. I suspect it was you who reminded her of her past death." the Supreme God roared, disbelief coloring his voice.
The Guardian let out a knowing smile.
"I knew it!" the Supreme God snarled, lunging forward to grab the Guardian by the throat. His hand met an invisible barrier, sending him reeling back in frustration. "Don’t you dare try what you can’t achieve. You have limits, young master. You’ll never be like the Heavenly Princess. She has a singular purpose, one veiled in mystery. No one knows how she appeared, how she reached the Heavenly Realm, but I do. Unlike the previous Supreme God, slain by her own kin, I am not so weak. Though memories fade, some remain etched in my soul. Yet, even I have boundaries I cannot breach, which is why the chamber remained locked. I am the guardian of secrets, and when those secrets are at risk, I must act to protect them."
"Of course I know!" the Library Guardian affirmed with a knowing smile.
"Then tell me! Who is she, and how did she arrive in the Heavenly Realm?" the Supreme God demanded, his voice laced with impatience.
"Why the sudden curiosity, Marcus Fulcinius Eumenius?" the Guardian countered, addressing the Supreme God by his full name. "Didn’t you despise her for choosing a mortal over you? Didn’t you try to erase her from existence after learning she was born in the mortal realm? Why now search for answers about her origins?"
The Supreme God faltered, his gaze flickering. "Because I want to know why she, not I, was chosen as the Heavenly Realm’s heir."