Hero of Darkness

Chapter 1250: Choosing to Betray

Finally, after all this time, Morpheus decided to divulge the real reason why he did what he did 300 years ago, face-to-face against Kahn.

“After I was chosen by the God of Darkness and summoned to Vantrea as the 8th Hero of Darkness… It was an uphill battle to get strong and also learn too many skills so that I could get a fair chance to even battle the Demon God.” spoke Morpheus with a nostalgic face.

“A lonewolf like me learned to rely on others. Trust them and have faith in the people around me instead of just looking at everything with a pessimistic worldview.

I learned from my party members. I was taught unparalleled skills by my masters and even gained knowledge on how to run the entire Cult of Darkborne as the Cult Leader.” he revealed his training history.

“While my growth was slower compared to other heroes because my divine abilities didn’t actively help me to gain immense strength… I had tunnel vision about where I wanted to be in order to fulfill my goal.

Even Romulus, whom you’ve met in both timelines, taught me the art of a warrior, different combat styles, and discipline to achieve excellence.

He was not only a friend but also a mentor to me, just like he has been to you.” said Morpheus, revealing his relationship with Kahn’s master, who played a vital role in him becoming absurdly strong at this point.

“My 2nd divine ability opened many paths for me. But in the end… it was not my true strength until I finally became a 5th stage saint almost 50 years later.” he iterated.

“What? You took that long just to become a 5th-stage saint?” asked Kahn, his face revealing his befuddlement.

“Yes. Unlike your generation, we were not that much in a hurry. Instead, the Great War started almost 80 years after I was summoned because the Demon God finally resurrected.

And that too happened after the Hero of Nature from my generation was the last one to be summoned.

But in the previous timeline, during the Martial Emperor’s generation, the Demon God was resurrected almost 30 years ago. And this time, not a single chosen hero had been summoned.

Also, he had been resurrected over a 100 years ago in this timeline.” he pointed out the major change.

“What?! How is that possible?! Even the original me hadn’t mentioned anything about it when he gave me the list.” spoke Kahn with his mouth wide open in shock.

“This doesn’t make any sense to me. And I’m well versed in the flow of timelines recently.” said Kahn with all honesty.

“That is how time works in Vantrea. It’s not linear like our worlds. And the Demon God, he has a way to sense the shifts in the timelines as well.

So to be better prepared, he hastened his revival in this timeline and forged the being you lot call the Demon Emperor.

The current one is the disciple of the Demon God and far more powerful than the one from the original timeline, even though it is the same demon.” revealed the previous Hero of Darkness.

“He isn’t called the Demon ‘God’ for no reason, despite not even achieving the True God rank yet.

There are things that you and I cannot even comprehend with our sense of reality and time.

Besides… I think it has something to do with me returning 300 years ago to this place after Martial Emperor made all those arrangements in the previous timeline.” iterated Morpheus, hinting at key information.

“So you mean to say that your arrival 300 years ago also somehow triggered a butterfly effect and even the Demon God resurrected 70 years earlier than he was supposed to?

What makes you so sure?” asked Kahn skeptically.

“I believe it was the Timeline itself affecting the course of history to balance things out.

After all, I returned to the world 300 years ago with the knowledge of the future, while both the Hero of Time and the Martial Emperor arrived six and two years ago, respectively, despite the former being the one to time-travel first,” stated Morpheus as he offered his own hypothesis.

“You haven’t faced the consequences of altering the timeline yet. Just know that it will always find its way to stick to the original one.

That is why I believe that the Demon God is bound to succeed even in the new timeline unless we do something about it.” revealed Morpheus as he rested his head against the throne.

Sigh!

“Kahn… you’re not only my successor but also my last hope.” spoke Morpheus as he heaved a deep sigh.

“I’ve already given up on hopes of returning to Volos. That is why you see nothing but my memories now.

And although I was indignant to take those drastic measures at first, such as destroying my soul completely… I had to leave behind my memories so that at least you have another chance.

And now… I finally get to tell you the secret I should have already told you in the original timeline.” stated Morpheus as his tone turned serious.

Kahn could feel that the atmosphere had turned even colder than before in this frozen realm.

“But before I tell you… I need you to understand how and why the Abyss Empire is sealed within this realm I created.” he spoke with a stern countenance.

Kahn only nodded in response because he already knew that they would have to discuss it eventually.

“You are already aware that I chose the Abyss Sanctuary as one of my two divine abilities, right?” he asked.

Kahn nodded slightly, affirming the answer.

“I chose that divine ability because I knew myself very well at that time in my life.

I knew that someone like me lived solely for his mission and would eventually sacrifice everything for the cause. Hell, even the God of Darkness chose me for that very reason.

I’m a man who would destroy the entire empire to save the whole world if there was a need.

But I was also self-aware that this kind of mindset would turn me into a monster that I never wanted to become.

So when I had the choice, the Abyss Sanctuary became my failsafe in a scenario where I had no choice but to take actions that would destroy the lives of innocent people around me.

In this particular case… more than 2 billion people would have died 300 years ago had I not chosen that Divine Ability.” revealed Morpheus.

Kahn was astounded by the foresight Morpheus displayed before he was even sent to Vantrea as the Hero of Darkness.

“I knew that once I killed all the other heroes, they would come for the Abyss Empire. And all the innocents of this empire would pay the price for my actions.

While I managed to seal the real Abyss Empire using Abyss Sanctuary… I had to create another failsafe. That is where my second divine ability came into play. It was none other than…” said Morpheus as he revealed monumental information…

“The Divine Beastmaster.”