He was a man brimming with confidence, even narcissism.
He regarded himself as the protagonist of this era, and he had indeed become the man who led the transformation of an entire age.
He was proud and aloof, a soul incompatible with this world, making it impossible for him to ever fully integrate into it.
Someone like him had never imagined that one day, he would end up in such a state.
If he hadn't feared that after his death, the Mother Goddess of Depravity would use his body to spread corruption from the cosmos into the real world, he probably would have chosen to end his own life long ago.
But the reality was that he could only remain alone inside this dark and deathly silent Black Emperor mausoleum, resisting the corruption of the Mother Goddess of Depravity all by himself.
This corruption had no end. It would never cease.
But tonight, a strand of holy light that did not belong here shone inside, allowing him to bathe in sunlight for the first time in ages.
Roselle, sitting silently on the Black Emperor's throne, briefly regained his clarity due to the purifying power interfering with the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
He raised his face, which was covered in eyes. His gaze was blood-red, yet traces of clarity remained within it as he looked toward the Vessel of the Stars, which continued radiating holy light.
How wonderful. That was the warmth of the sun he had always yearned for.
With difficulty, he propped his chin up with his arm and leaned slightly forward, gazing at the sun that had brought him this brief moment of clarity in the posture he was most accustomed to.
He could keep looking at it like this forever, forever...
Unfortunately, his children weren't here right now. Otherwise, his life could have been considered to have gained another small measure of fulfillment.
But he believed that his daughter Bernadette must have grown into an exceptionally outstanding person. She would surely be an important figure in the mystical world.
He deeply regretted being unable to see the little darling of those years grow up, much less see her get married.
But then again, he figured there probably wasn't anyone capable of marrying his daughter. That was Bernadette, someone even prouder than himself.
His second son, Bornova Gustav, should also be doing well. Steam had personally promised that he would become an Angel.
Thinking about it now, this was probably already the best possible outcome for Bornova. He could grow up without worries under Steam's protection.
It was just that, in the eyes of parents, an overly rational child was always less endearing than one who knew how to cry. It could even create an unfamiliar sense of distance.
It was like having the soul of an adult enter the body of his child and speak to his parents as an equal. He wouldn't act spoiled, wouldn't cry when sad, and would always remain mature and rational.
Forget it. Bornova didn't need him to worry.
The child he was truly worried about was his eldest son, Ciel Gustav. He was the child Roselle had fathered in his early years and had inherited only a very small portion of his Beyonder characteristics.
Compared to the geniuses Bernadette and Bonova were, Ciel was more like an ordinary, unremarkable person. He was average in every respect.
Such a temperament and level of talent were definitely not good things in the mystical world. He seriously lacked the ability to protect himself. In such a twisted and chaotic world, it was actually the obsessive and extreme who were more capable of living well.
He wondered if Ciel was still alive. He should still be alive, right?
Roselle merely reminisced about the past. As for the two figures before him, he had no intention of paying them any attention, even though one of them had allowed him to briefly regain his clarity.
That was because both of them carried an aura that didn't belong to this real world. They smelled of the cosmos.
They were probably avatars of two Great Old Ones. Had they come here intending to use him against the Mother Goddess of Depravity?
Roselle held no hope for that.
After struggling against the Mother Goddess of Depravity for so long, he had become increasingly aware of just what level of terrifying existence She was. Even if he destroyed himself, it wouldn't have any effect on Her.
Even though he really wanted to charge into the cosmos and beat the Mother Goddess of Depravity senseless.
"Roselle, have you regained your clarity?"
Seeing that Roselle had quieted down and seemed to be reminiscing about something, the Vessel of Stars could roughly guess his current condition.
"I would very much like to thank you for your help. Unfortunately, you come from the cosmos."
Roselle slowly spoke. Having not spoken to anyone in a very long time, his voice was hoarse, rough, and unpleasant, like a broken gong with air leaking through it.
"I'll give you a chance to try and rid yourself of the corruption."
"Heh. More like make the corruption worse. Your powers aren't suited to this world."
"If you're willing to continue letting the Mother Goddess of Depravity control the rest of your life, you can choose to refuse."
Roselle remained silent for quite a while before finally nodding and agreeing to try.
The moment he gave his consent, the power of the Mother Goddess of Depravity that had previously been suppressed surged back once more, fiercer than ever before.
Roselle painfully curled his body as intense agony continuously surged from within him. The light belonging to the crimson moon grew increasingly blood-red, gradually resisting the purification coming from the Vessel of the Stars.
"Stars!"
Roselle raised his head again. His face, covered entirely in eyes like some thousand-eyed monster, stared at the Vessel of Stars with flashing scarlet light.
"Primordial Hunger!"
Facing Roselle, whose body had been occupied by the consciousness of the Mother Goddess of Depravity, Primordial Hunger merely curled His lips and said, "Keep staring and I'll dig out your eyeballs one by one and eat them!"
From the Vessel of Stars' brief understanding of Primordial Hunger, He knew that those words were completely sincere.
"You will not leave this mausoleum..."
As the Mother Goddess of Depravity spoke, a beam of crimson moonlight descended from the sky behind Her, directly piercing through the concealment of the Black Emperor mausoleum and pouring into Roselle's body.
His body, already riddled with cracks, gained several more wounds. The crimson moon within him was gradually taking shape and beginning to transform toward the state of a full moon.
Once it reached the full moon, it would mean that Roselle's consciousness had been completely erased, and his body would truly become a vessel through which the Mother Goddess of Depravity could interfere with the real world.
Scarlet light erupted, briefly suppressing the radiance emitted by the Vessel of Stars and filling the entire Black Emperor mausoleum.
The entrance to the mausoleum, which Primordial Hunger had previously smashed apart with a single strike of His white bone club, closed again. The entire Black Emperor mausoleum resembled a gigantic mouth slowly shutting.
"You... you're worried... you will also..."
Roselle's consciousness briefly awakened again, but before he could finish speaking, the consciousness of the Mother Goddess of Depravity took control once more.
His body rose from the throne. Under the influence of Her power, the remaining rules and order of the Black Emperor surrounding Him became filled with the aura of depravity, decay, death, and withering.
At the same time, the aura belonging to the Mother Goddess of Depravity continued to strengthen, truly resembling a deity awakening and returning to the world.
"I probably can't beat Her. I can only bite Her a few more times."
Primordial Hunger shouted as He charged forward, swinging His white bone club.
He was quite accepting of His situation. After all, this was the Mother Goddess of Depravity's territory, and the other party had Roselle as a vessel for Her descent. She was far stronger than this avatar of His.
There wasn't the slightest trace of fear on the Vessel of Stars' face. He merely calmly watched as the Mother Goddess of Depravity's momentum continued to rise.
Sometimes, victory on the battlefield didn't necessarily have to be achieved through a frontal confrontation.
...
Upon the shattered sea, Bernadette had timely piloted the Dawn away.
Because the Vessel of Stars had drawn all of the Mother Goddess of Depravity's attention, she had been able to successfully retreat together with the members of the Church of Storms.
By now, she could no longer see the island where her father's mausoleum was located, much less know what was happening on the island.
Inside the captain's cabin, Bernadette could only stare into the distance through the window.
Those waters remained extremely dangerous. Too much death and overly powerful corruption had temporarily transformed that region into a sea of death.
"The Stars won't admit defeat so easily. I think that in dealing with your father's situation, He'll need your..."
Before the Son of Chaos could finish saying the word "help," a starry sky split open and blossomed above Bernadette's head.
"Stars, may Your radiance shine eternally."
This was the most devout salute Bernadette had ever given.
"Call out to your father." The Stars' indifferent voice sounded. Immediately afterward, the starry sky above her manifested the scene inside the Black Emperor mausoleum.
Although the interior of the Black Emperor mausoleum was dim and hazy, Bernadette immediately saw her father for the first time in so many years.
His completely unrecognizable face, his body continuously suffering from corruption, his consciousness occupied by the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
Bernadette's eyes instantly reddened, but she clearly understood that now was not the time for grief. She needed to do everything she could to awaken the humanity buried deep within her father's heart.
Through his humanity, he could resist the corruption and erosion of the Mother Goddess of Depravity!
"Your Bernadette has already grown up. Do I look so unfamiliar now that you can't even recognize me anymore?"
"But I still remember how, when I was little, you made picture books for me, compiled textbooks, invented all sorts of little games, and often stayed by my side to play with me."
"I still remember how every piece of clothing I wore when I was little was designed by you. Unfortunately, after growing up, I could no longer wear the cake dresses you designed..."
Bernadette gazed at the dark figure manifested by the Stars. Her eyes contained indescribable sorrow, yet she tried her best to speak in a calm tone. The pain and grief she suppressed were hidden within every simple word.
At the same time, a brilliant starry sky split open above the Vessel of Stars. Starlight shone brilliantly, as though intending to completely purify this Black Emperor mausoleum filled with depravity.
"Stars!"
Roselle, who had been fighting Primordial Hunger, pulled away and twisted his neck before slightly raising his head to look at the brilliant starry sky. His eyes contained disgust, solemnity, and confusion. He had clearly already sealed off this world, so why could the power of the Stars still seep inside?
Could it be that the one before Him wasn't merely a simple avatar of the Stars?
"Your Bernadette has already grown up. Do I look so unfamiliar now that you can't even recognize me anymore..."
The scene within the brilliant starry sky suddenly changed, and Bernadette's voice was transmitted here with perfect clarity, entering Roselle's ears.
"Bernadette!"
The Mother Goddess of Depravity controlled Roselle and soared into the air, mobilizing the power of the entire Black Emperor mausoleum in an attempt to destroy this starry sky, preventing Roselle's consciousness from breaking free at this moment!
"Ah!"
"I... still want... to hear my daughter's voice some more!"
Roselle's body abruptly fell straight back down. His face was filled with a painful struggle, while Roselle's own voice grew increasingly forceful!
"Bastard! Don't underestimate a father's obsession!"
Seeing Roselle's slightly chuunibyou-like consciousness briefly return, the Vessel of Stars took out a Time Reversion to Zero Charm. Wrapped in the power of the Stars, it accurately stuck itself onto Roselle's body.
"Revert to zero!"
With that command, the consciousness of the Mother Goddess of Depravity was forcefully stripped away, reverted to zero, and restarted.
The light of the crimson moon within Roselle instantly dimmed and began continuously shrinking, while Roselle's previously suppressed consciousness steadily awakened.
At this moment, Roselle completely regained control over his own body.
"Roselle, pray to the Stars!"