Time stood still, yet Mike mind raged with the noise of a thousand storms.
The two options glowed before him with brutal bloodiness:
[Yes]: Kill the remnants of the real brother, live as a machine, and pretend to love a sister who means nothing to you.
[No]: Cling to a foolish ideal, die mentally, and leave Lila alone in this harsh world.
"What a cursed choice..."
Mike screamed into the dark mental void, where the echoes of "Original Arthur's" sobs reverberated in the corners. The cries were painful, filled with despair and the desperate desire to protect his sister—but they were weak... far too weak.
"I won't erase him..." Mike whispered, challenging the red screen with a gaze of unshakable resolve. "And I won't die."
The screens flickered: [Warning: Invalid response. Mental collapse imminent.]
"You're not my system..." Arthur said with terrifying calm. "My system may be exploitative, but it's not foolish enough to present choices like this. Who are you?"
[.....]
Heavy silence fell. The intruder hesitated.
"So, no answer? Then listen well—you're not my system, and I won't obey you. And you listen to me too, Arthur!" Mike shouted, his voice filling the void as he addressed the raging spirit within the mental space.
"Are you trying to escape? To do what? To cry beside her? To die together in poverty and sickness? You know you're weak. You know you've failed. Your memories tell me that every day!"
The internal shouting paused, replaced by a faint whimper.
Mike continued, his tone shifting from anger to cold, unyielding resolve:
"I'm not here to steal your life—I'm here to fix it. Destroying you means destroying her, and my death means her end. So… stop resisting. Don't disappear—become part of me."
Arthur didn't press [Yes] or [No]. Instead, he extended his hand—now a lifeline to Arthur.
"Give me your emotions, and I'll give you strength. We'll be one. No more 'I' and 'you'—just us."
At that moment, a third force intervened.
From the dark corner, a small golden eye appeared and said, "You won't be able to do anything alone. You need me."
With those words, a massive purple claw tore through the black void. The small dragon—its connected soul—roared with a sound that shook the foundations of Mike's consciousness.
(You stubborn fool… you always refuse the easy path. Fine, I'll help stabilize this chaotic merge. You should thank my master for bestowing such mercy upon you!)
The claw wrapped around the three figures and crushed them together with overwhelming force.
[Warning!]
[External intervention detected from
"Lineage Soul"!]
[Recalculating trajectory...]
[Failure... failure... original soul shattering under pressure.]
[Error... error... error....]
[Incomplete result: Original soul remains shattered. Merging will result in its termination.]
[System functions are being restarted to resolve the issue. ]
[25%... 50%... 75%... 88%... 90... 100%]
[Ding.]
At that moment, a familiar voice returned, filled with unmistakable joy.
[Hello hello, did you miss me? Hahaha.]
It was a sarcastic, comforting tone—irritatingly confident.
But due to the merge, Mike could no longer speak; his soul had already been fused with the others.
[Unfortunately, you only call me back in tough times, right?]
[Well, brother, I'll save you again. Just remember to pay me later.]
Another message appeared:
[Status Report: Original soul too fragile for direct merge.]
[Procedure: Isolating original soul within "Time Cocoon" for reconstruction. (Duration: One second in reality, an eternity in the sub-dimension).]
[Due to Lineage Soul's intervention, safe merge rate increased from 48% to 56%.]
[Warning: Due to ideological differences between souls, all have been placed in simulated lives of similar circumstances for safe merging.]
[Merge rate increased to 67%.]
[Emotional merge successful. Memories and emotions absorbed without consciousness conflict.]
[Warning: Forced system shutdown initiated for comprehensive maintenance...]
With that final message, the red screens shattered into glass fragments, and the purple claw dissolved into Arthur's chest.
[ Give my regards to the little one ؛) ]
---
And in the real world… the clock resumed its ticking.
"Haaaaa!!"
Arthur gasped violently, as if pulled from the depths of the ocean, his chest heaving wildly. Cold sweat covered his forehead, and a headache pounded his skull like a hammer.
He opened his eyes. The deadly red hue had vanished from his left eye, returning to pure gold—but it was no longer ordinary gold. It gleamed with the sharpness of a drawn sword, holding the depth of a long psychological battle.
---
Jin was still stuck to the wall where he had been thrown, and the doctor was shouting for sedatives, while Leila... Leila was crawling toward him, her face drenched in tears.
"Brother! Please! What's wrong with you?!"
Arthur felt a terrible headache, as if a hammer was hitting his head, but the pain was fading quickly. He wiped the blood trickling from his eye with his coat sleeve and raised his head.
He no longer felt that schism. The emotions that had overwhelmed him moments earlier hadn't vanished; they had become "his." His love for Leila was no longer just a metaphor from dead memories but had become a firm reality in his new heart.
"Stop..." Arthur said in a hoarse but strong voice, raising his hand to halt Michael, who was approaching with a sedative injection. "I... I'm fine."
"Fine?!" Jin shouted in a choked voice, pointing to the cracks in the wall. "You almost killed us! Your eye... your energy... what the hell has awakened inside you?"
Arthur ignored Jin and knelt before Leila's bed. The girl was trembling, frightened—not of him, but for him.
He extended his hand, stained with drops of his own blood, then hesitated, fearing he might scare her. Quickly wiping it on his jacket, he gently placed it on her head.
"Sorry, Leila... sorry for scaring you."
The girl looked at him, her golden eyes searching his for the brother she once knew. Despite the changed features, despite the terrifying aura, despite the different voice... she found the same warmth.
"Arthur..." she whispered, throwing herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest and sobbing bitterly. "I thought Kroha had happened to you too... I was afraid you'd leave me as well."
Arthur closed his eyes and tightened his arms around her as if shielding her from the entire world.
"I'm here. And I won't go anywhere until you're safe. I promise."
(What a drama...) the lizard muttered in his mind, though its voice carried a clear tone of exhaustion. (I've drained the essence of my "mana" to stabilize your crumbling soul... without that system, your mind would now be nothing but shards.)
After a brief pause, the dragon continued in a harsher tone: (I need energy... I need blood and corpses to absorb, not emotional words. My hunger is merciless.)
Arthur stood up, gently placing Leila back on the bed, then turned to the stunned medical team.
Jin coughed, rubbing his sore shoulder: "Huh... what the hell was that, Arthur? What kind of bloodline do you have to do something like this?"
Arthur took a moment to process Jin's words, as waves of old memories surged through him, needing to be sorted. Then he sighed, and that faint smile returned, masking his inner turmoil.
"Side effects of 'Awakening the Bloodline.' When one reunites with their loved ones, the energy reacts... somewhat dramatically. Isn't that right, Doctor?"
He spoke with cold indifference.
The doctor stared at Arthur for a long moment. He knew this was "nonsense"—no Bloodline Awakening caused this kind of pressure or bleeding—but he decided to play along with the little charade, for fun.
"Very dramatic," the doctor replied cautiously, adjusting his glasses. "Well, since you've regained your senses, and given that the patient needs rest after this... terrifying display... I suggest we continue our conversation."
"We will definitely talk. But it must be very brief." The doctor raised an eyebrow as if asking why. "Because I have a place to visit in a hurry afterward."
Arthur glanced at Leila, who clung tightly to his hand and refused to let go, then spoke in a tone that allowed no argument:
"Leila, I need to speak with the doctor. I'll come back and stay with you."
She released his hand but hesitated. "You won't go far, right?" Her innocent question made Arthur feel angry at himself for leaving her alone for so long.
"Yes, I promise... it won't take long."
He gave her one last smile, sincere this time, then turned and followed the doctor.
---
As Arthur and the doctor walked, the doctor rambled about Leila's health condition, but after Arthur's integration, past memories surfaced—memories of thefts from when he was a child, of gangs that had exploited a child for money. All of it ignited a raging fire inside him, one he longed to unleash.
Then he turned toward the window, where skyscrapers blocked the sun, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. He had made his decision. The Academy, the Central Continent, the unknown future... all of it was now merely a means to a single end.
(Come on, partner,) the lizard said.(The time for emotions is over. And I'm very hungry—it seems food has been served on a silver platter.)
"They will all regret it soon...."
----
Hello everyone, I apologize for the delay in this chapter and also for its shortness, but everyone has circumstances that prevent them from doing many things.
The novel will be paused because exams are approaching and I need to finish my studies to get into a top college. However, the novel will resume soon.
(2026/2/5) This is my estimated return time. I hope to have good support when I return.