Chapter 1611: One Last Defiance "I can fight, but I am not allowed to win!" Rowan could kill a Throne of a Primordial, and this would not bring as much consequences as killing the manifestation of Light, because it brought the startling purpose that all Primordial brought to Reality to the forefront. The Primordials had taken the foundational concepts of Reality as their own, and the death of any of them meant that a pillar of creation had been extinguished. In other words, this was a battle that Rowan could fight, but he could not dare win because the outcome of his victory was too terrible to consider. It did not matter which Primordial he killed; the outcome would always be the same: the end of all things. Ultimately, this was the most outstanding defense of Primordials: that all of existence depended on them. Rowan knew all of this, but he still dared to battle, because he knew that if anyone could stand in the place of Primordials, it would have to be him. From the moment he was nothing but a Soul Origin surviving through the Eras, and was bestowed with the dreams of the fallen, his destiny had always been one where he carried everyone along. He felt a tug on his consciousness, and the space before him rippled as someone used him as a guide. The presence was familiar, so Rowan did not fight it. Through the ripples in space, a woman with a winged black cat on her shoulder came through, Circe. She looked around confused before her gaze fell upon Rowan, and her mouth opened in astonishment. Rowan was used to suppressing his powers and appearing like a mortal, but those who were close to him still felt the endless weight of his presence in their souls. It was like standing beside a gigantic mountain that pierced through the heavens, and he did not need to announce himself; his presence would pull the eyes and will of everyone around him. This presence had become something constant in Circe’s heart, like gravity or heat, and she was used to feeling the familiar weight of his presence anytime she was anywhere near him. So it came as a shock to Circe when she realized that the flickering flame in front of her was her friend and master. "From the look on your face, I must truly look like garbage." Circe bowed, "Forgive me Rowan, all of existence trembles from your battle with the Primordials, and I know there would be casualites," she looked at Rowan present state and the head of Eva that be held to his chest and she shuddered, "I still underestimated how bitter the battle would be be. Is she... okay?" Rowan grimaced, "This is not the time to dwell in the past. Reality ends without my intervention. My purpose is to free Reality, not to end it, and if you keep standing in the distance, then you are complicit in the end of everything." Flustered Circe came closer to Rowan, and the intense aura of death slammed into her like a bolt from the blue. If not for the power imbued in her, she would have collapsed into nothingness in body and soul. Still attached to Rowan was billions of death stars, and they were still consuming the life force from his broken dimensional flesh, and it did not matter how far he was away from them, a permanent link to these stars of death had been forged, and until every trace of vitality he had was acquired, they would never dissipate. Circe pushed through this aura of death, growing pale, and she stretched out her hands to Rowan, "I am ready for the Memory Transference." Rowan grabbed her hand, "I will not be able to take much from you. So you will have to bear this burden for a while longer." Circe bowed once more, "It is my honor to be of service to you, my lord." Rowan smiled, and a surge of power from him connected to the memories he had buried inside of Circe. Memories that he himself did not know the entire significance of until this moment. "... I can draw out Primordial Light, but we need two things: a distraction and a bait so luxurious it would cause them to lose their minds." "My Angels, their unique constitution, and all the mysteries I have unveiled about the past. Including all the unique Titles and Wills that I have created" "That... is a lot, but it would still not be enough, Rowan. In time, all of these can be recreated, not easily, but it can be done. And time is the most useless resource to a Primordial." "Then, my Dimensional Flesh, and... my dimensional soul. This is a resource that they would crave." "Yes, but I believe that will be too much. Perhaps you do not understand the significance of your physique and its potential." "Hahaha, Eva, if there is anyone who understands the potential of my body more than me, then I must be a fool. I know the capabilities that it commands and its potential, but I also know that it was built out of the foundations of the Primordial’s influence." "That makes it even more precious, Rowan. You have the best of both worlds. You can use the essence of the Primordials as your stepping stone and build your dominion over them." "I could do that, or I can hurt them in a way they would never expect." "This war, it means this much to you?" "It is all I know. From the first moment I drew breath, I was cursed always to seek what was above the light. My dimensional flesh and soul are powerful, but they are built from the essence of Primordials, and that means in ways that I have not yet detected, their hands are upon my destiny." "That is a destiny that you can fight, Rowan. I fear that giving up so much would be beyond what you can ever recover from." "Eva, I admit, being the holder of the Primordial Record has made it the norm to evolve and transform my abilities with no consequences. I have gone through more transformation in a million years than any living being would achieve in a billion Major Eras, and so I know my confidence might lead to my destruction, but I will not hesitate to give it my all." "Rowan. You say you do this because that is what you were born to do. But there is something more. Tell me or I will not approve of this plan." "I... I have sacrificed too much, Eva, lost myself under the weight of endless lives. I have killed until the blood of both my enemies and the innocent could drown out entire realms. I have watched armies battle in my name and seen generations of heroes sacrifice themselves under my banner. My life has no more meaning than theirs, and if they can sacrifice for me without flinching, how do I deserve their love if I do not do the same?" "So, you do this because of love." "Yes, Eva, I do this because there is a force too precious to be allowed to fade." "If you are going along with this madness, then how could I not do my best. Rowan, you shall draw them out with your life, and I shall take heaven for you." ® Rowan pulled his hand back from Circe’s, and he gasped. He took a step back and muttered words that only he could understand. Finally, Rowan looked at Circe, "I will tell you to leave this place, but I know you will not. So stand a few million light years away from this place, and do not look too closely at what I am about to do, or your soul would perish and become one with Light." Rowan sighed, handing over his blade to Circe, "Keep it safe for me; when it is time, I shall come for my Destroyer. Now leave and do not look back until you are far from here." Saying this, Rowan turned around and stretched his hands above him as if he was reaching for the void, and then he pulled a tiny spark out of the void, and that spark was the Lost Flame, who was sleeping in the core of the spark. He smiled at the child who still had traces of baby fat on his cheeks. For what he was about to do, it would have been better if he had gathered all the pieces of the Lost Flames together, but he could not be sure they had not been tampered with. He had gained Lost from an act of defiance with the Primordial Record, away from the gaze of Bahamut and the Primordials, and like him, Lost would have to perform a miracle even with the least that was given to him. "One last defiance." Rowan pushed the spark into the center of Eva’s head, who, at the moment of her death, fully embodied all the concepts of Primordial Light. He let go as her eyes shot open, and Light burst out of them.