Published at 25th of September 2024 8:16 pm

Chapter 1088: Chapter 1088: New Path

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"!!!"

Everyone who saw what happened let out a gasp which almost thundered in the air; those who did not see what happened, followed with their own gasp as they realized what happened. How could they not, when they just saw their lord and savior get slapped right on the face? And even those who did not have Riley as their lord and savior also gasped; after all, they all saw how Riley just went on the trial and wiped out an entire universe with complete ease.

Why would anyone even want to slap someone like that? But after a few seconds, however, they recognized the one who slapped Riley - it was one of the women Riley had already killed repeatedly in his current trial.

"Hm." As for the one who just got slapped, however, he just stared at Tomoe for a few seconds before letting out a small but very deep sigh, "I suppose I do deserve more than that from you, Dark Frost."

"Why...?" Tomoe was much older than the last time Riley had seen her; but perhaps out of all his previous acquaintances, she looked the youngest, even compared to Hannah.

"Because I have killed you several times already in the tria-"

"I could care less about this trial or whatever it is. I mean why did you not search for me?" Tomoe did not let Riley finish her words as she looked her right in the eyes, "You found Katherine, you even found Katrina, and you're even with the Pope and the Crimson Paladin - so why did you not try to find me?"

"I did not actively find any of them, Dark Frost," Riley shook his head, "They found me, and now you have too - which is a grave mistake on your part."

"...A mistake?" Tomoe slightly squinted her already small eyes; the monotonous and stoic tone she had in the past, now completely gone.

"You were already free of me, Dark Frost," Riley nodded as he just walked past Tomoe, "It would have benefited you for it to stay that way. As I recall, the last time we have met...

...you have already made friends with Sister and the others, you've finally become... human." "What are you even talking about...?" Tomoe once again stood in front of Riley with a slightly conflicted expression on her face, "It's normal for one to change, but it doesn't mean that I consider myself no longer your belonging, Riley. I'm... the first one who truly pledged my loyalty to you."

"You should go to where Hannah and the others are, Dark Frost," Riley shook his head as he also once again walked past her, "As my previous Second Subordinate, I do not wish for you to see me kill another version of you over and over again."

"Then don't," Tomoe grabbed Riley's hand, "As someone who had stayed by your side, as someone who learned everything it is to learn about you and the people around you - I know that the first option you see in your mind is to always go straight to killing things. Have you maybe ever thought that you don't really need to kill anyone in the trial to go through it?" "No."

"Do you really think that Paige Pearson would want you to experience killing Hannah?" Tomoe looked Riley in the eyes again, "Do you really think that someone like her, who had experienced great pains due to her condition and hallucinations... someone like her, who is obsessed with you perhaps even more than me... would want that?"

"I would think so, Dark Frost," Riley nodded, "Paige Pearson accepted me for what I am as soon as he realized what I am."

"She accepted you," Tomoe shook her head, "Not your actions, Riley."

"I suppose that is one way to look at it," Riley placed his hand on his chin as he looked down, "I did hear that you helped Paige with her orphanage, were you working there as some sort of psychologist, Dark Frost?"

"No..." Tomoe looked defeated as she heard that, "...I just studied human behavior so I could understand everyone more, for you."

"And why would you do that, Dark Frost?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he finally stopped moving past Tomoe and returned her gaze.

"Because whenever you called yourself a monster, there was always this look of melancholy in your eyes..." Tomoe shook her head, "...And if I learned more about people, then I thought that maybe one day I could teach you to become one. Because I experienced how it is to actually be normal. Have friends, to actually truly laugh with them and not just pretend...

...and I wanted you to experience that too, because it was nice."

"Why would you do all of that, Dark Frost?"

"Because I'm your most loyal subordinate," Tomoe took in a very long and deep breath as she closed her eyes, "Well, at the very least, at least until this very moment. The truth is... I've waited so long for this and I can finally say it...

...I, Dark Frost, wish to formally resign from our little organization."

"...Hm," Riley breathed as he very slowly and gently placed his hand on Tomoe's shoulder, "Thank you for your service this entire time, Dark Frost. I wish you good luck with whatever your new path leads you."

"I think..." And finally, the culmination of more than a hundred years of learning to be human crawled on Tomoe's face - a smile, "...I'm going to go check on Hannah and the others now."

"Hm," Riley nodded, "Wait in the tent, I will ask Crimson Paladin to escort you to the portal to the Sole Remaining Universe."

"Okay..." Tomoe nodded as she walked away. But after three steps, she once again turned around to look at Riley, "Riley!"

"Hm?"

"For what it's worth..." Tomoe breathed out loudly, "...I think I truly was in love with you when we were children. I saw what we are in the trial, just a couple casually playing games together, and perhaps in another circumstance, I would have truly liked to live that life with

you. Goodbye...

...Master Riley."

"And goodbye, Dark Frost," Riley also glanced back, "And Tomoe..."

"Yes...?" Tomoe's eyes slightly glittered as she heard Riley calling him by her name.

"...Thank you," Riley nodded as he walked away.

"Riley..." Tomoe really only stood there for a few seconds before also bowing her head and just heading to the tent - not even bothering to see Riley's trial anymore. She already said what she had been wanting to say for the last 600 years, and that is all she really wanted. But if there was actually one more thing she wanted to say, it would be -

"...I'll wait for you again."

***

"... What was that all about?" Angela, who had been waiting for Riley in front of the Black Tower, could not help but want to almost open her sewn eyes as Riley approached her, "And

wow a lot of your friends are still alive."

"Hm..."

"And...?" Angela moved to the side as Riley started to put his hand on the hole of the Black Tower, "Did you gain some sort of insight from randomly meeting an old friend?" "Perhaps," Riley shrugged. And before he could hear what else Angela wanted to say to him, he was already back in the trial — with Katherine currently giving birth to their supposed

child.

But of course, like the last time, the Black Tower could not really recreate Karina at all.

"What... what do you want to name her?" Katherine's breaths were incredibly heavy as she saw Riley carrying their newborn child, "Oh my god... I can't return to the Academy anymore."

"Ma'am, we need you to just lie down and relax, okay?"

"Okay... okay," Katherine let out a small chuckle; her face that was drenched with sweat, still glowing as her smile did not fade away at all while staring at Riley.

"Karina."

"Huh...?"

"Our child's name, Katherine," and for the very first time in the trial, Riley did not kill

everyone in the labor room, "Karina."

"Ka...rina?" Katherine's breath turned heavier as tears started to trail from her eyes, "That...

that's funny... I was... I was thinking the same... thi..."

"Ma'am? Ma'am!? Code Blue! Code Blue!"

"Sir, we need you to step out of the room for now! We're going to take care of your baby,

okay?"

Riley then watched as the nurses just took Karina from her arms and pushed him out of the room; the last thing he saw as the door closed on him was Katherine being given chest

compressions.

And as soon as the door was closed, everything just suddenly turned quiet.

Riley waited for a couple of seconds for something to happen, but nothing did.

"Dad? What are you doing there?"

And as soon as he was about to open the door again, he heard someone calling him from

behind. He slowly turned around, only to find himself right in front of the old Ross' residence — and there, a girl with black hair completely resembling Karina was waving at him.

"We're going to be late, Dad! I don't want to miss the show!"

"Hm..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked around, "...This is new. What exactly do you want to show me, Paige?"

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