"Hey Cale. Do you want to know a secret?" Choi Ahn asked the redhead who was reading.
"No." The latter nonchalantly said.
But Choi Ahn acted like he didn't hear him and proceeded to tell his secret.
"Raon told me that the White Star in this world was also looking for an Earth Ancient Power." Cale decided to indulge the raven to his talking without looking at him.
Cale hummed, flipping the page.
"It's the same as the White Star back in my world."
"So?"
Choi Ahn chuckled as he grabbed a cookie to eat.
"Jokes on the White Star I know. I have both ancient power."
Cale almost spluttered the lemon tea Ron had served earlier.
"What?!"
"Crazy right?"
"Yeah I mean, I'm amazed that you're not dead yet considering the two inside of you are once enemies."
Choi Ahn acted again like he didn't heard it, since what he said is not far from the truth.
"I accidentally stumbled at a giant red snake, then I didn't know it contains an ancient power yet I seldomly use it."
Choi Ahn was talking about the Blood-drenched Rock, he figures.
"Then I got Super Rock when Lock died in my world." The raven uttered, earning nothing but silence as Cale only listened.
Choi Ahn looked at the ceiling in melancholy.
"Then it's a good thing you managed to tame them." Cale assumed before reading his book again like the swordsman never said his secret to the redhead.
"It was just a temporary truce, Cale."
°×°×°×°
Choi Ahn spluttered a ton of blood as they all managed to teleport the White Star in the black castle.
Yet it came with a price.
Raon laid motionless in the cold floor of his very own castle. Choi Han kept shuddering at the sight of the black dragon bleeding.
"Rosalyn!" He shouted in alarm.
"I got Raon-nim! Focus on the White Star!"
And that's what they did. Choi Han activated his Sword of Disasters while Choi Ahn supported him with both of his Earth Ancient Power.
His plate was unbalanced, and in verge of breaking as he coughed out a ton of blood again.
'Choi Han stop overusing us.' Super Rock stated, his voice laced with worry.
"No." He uttered as he blocked the incoming attack to his other self and backed off after.
The rocks Choi Ahn is using is coated with his own blood making it more powerful, as what the other ancient power to him informed.
He cursed to himself when the White Star managed to defend his attack by his Wall of Water. Choi Ahn supported himself with his own sword stabbed on the floor, the adrenaline is slowly going off as he can feel the pain all over his body.
The White Star managed to land a blow to him, dealing with many burns and bleeding arms and abdomen alike.
"Fuck."
Choi Ahn could distinctly hear a thunder bellowing right above them. He can clearly see it as almost all the roof of the castle was long gone from all the fighting happened.
From his hindsight, he could see the White Star targeting Rosalyn and the little dragon he's grown attached to.
His vision suddenly became monochrome as he remembered a distant memory back then.
"Rosalyn!" He could hear his other self screaming.
The memory of the Rosalyn and Lock from his own world overlapped with the scene he was currently seeing now.
Rosalyn was caught off guard and didn't have the time to cast a protection spell as the thunder seeped from the opened ceiling of the castle. The mage moved on instinct as she used her own body to cover Raon's own unconscious self.
Choi Ahn ran towards the White Star, his killing intent rising.
He wondered for a split second on why he ran towards the enemy and not to his comrades.
He wondered.
Then he remembered.
This scene had already happened back in his original dimension as he felt a strong sense of deja vu. Just like the the him back then in his world, he also ran towards his comrades but Rosalyn pushed him away so that he won't caught in the attack as he hugged the unmoving body of their youngest, Lock.
And that was what the Rosalyn of this world did as she sent a huge wave of her red mana to his other self before getting hit by the thunder.
"ROSALYN!"
"Noo...na...?"
Oh God.
Lock arrived together with Ron, Beacrox and the cat children in their arms.
Choi Ahn swung his sword at the White Star, his eyes getting blurry from the emotions he was feeling.
A large gash of wound decorated the redhead's cheek as White Star jumped away.
'He's getting away!'
Dread washed over him as he tried to catch the redhead.
'No!'
He could see the victorious smile emanating from their enemy.
'Fuck! Move!'
Just as the White Star was about to jump away from the castle grounds, a force field stopped him and sent him back towards them.
"Haahh...what a mess." A baritone voice was heard as Choi Ahn can see a man stride towards the battlefield in a cool but lackadaisical manner.
What alarmed him the most was the man is a splitting image of the White Star, all except for the hair color and expression.
"You must have forgotten that you went against a vow with Sheritt-nim. But then again, you might didn't recognize the castle you're in unless you realize it or I tell you."
The redhead stood in alarm much to Choi Ahn's added confusion.
"Who the hell are you why do you haveㅡ"
"Your face?" He chuckled, "Yeah, I wonder why you're also still alive after we eradicated our world's original White Radish."
"Cale-nim!" Choi Han yelled in fascination as Cale clapped, feeling proud of his lover immediately recognizing him.
In Choi Ahn's peripheral view, he could see white and gold barrier alike protecting both Rosalyn and the still unconscious Raon, On and Hong already beside their youngest. He could see a woman glaring at the White Star, looking at him like he's such a lowly being like he is.
White Star suddenly ran towards Cale who is in a wooden doll with hostility. Both swordsman and assassin also ran to stop the enemy yet they failed.
The White Star had managed to cut Cale's arm off as Choi Han screamed for the safety of his lover.
Cale only glanced at his arm as if it was nothing. He even had the guts to laugh at his own situation.
"How annoying." He uttered, enough for all of them to hear as the missing arm that was flung earlier suddenly connected itself to Cale.
He even had to crack and turn it impossibly in any directions to make it more accustomed to its original state.
All were shocked at the sudden display except for the two dragons help him do the impossible in this world.
Cale tilted his head as a graceful yet mocking smile decorated his lips.
"Good luck getting tormented by them, Cale Barrow."
The mouse chase had begun as it was led by Sheritt herself.
"The fucking audacity of you hurting my child!"
Cale Barrow's vocabulary immensely increased as he thought of any profane words he remember for all the centuries of his life. He was regretting that he didn't stock any teleportation scroll in his spatial pouch.
+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+
"Since you said so yourself that you will help us, how about doing more than you intended?"
Death glanced at him, an uneasy feeling was there as he can feel a shiver running from his back.
"As long as it's within my power, I'll do it, as long as we're even in the future."
Cale grinned in triumph.
"Be our enemy."
Death choked on his imaginary saliva.
"Excuse me what?!"
The human is indeed enjoying the expression the God has on his handsome face.
"Let me rephrase that so you would understand. Act like devil God and help the White Star."
"Hah?! That made me more confused!"
Cale sighs tiredly.
"It's in human nature itself to seek help when they cannot withstand the situation alone and defeated. Some can surpass while others even go to such lengths like asking help for a literal evil."
"Just like the vow of death?"
"Just like the vow of death." Cale nodded before continuing, "Entice him."
Death tilted his head that Cale almost screamed at the God for his slow and idiot self.
"White Radish will surely look at the doll's lifespan through the Annual Rings of Life. He would see its time warped or more better, an infinity sign."
"Uh huh?" Cale was close to smack the God behind his back again.
"Talk sweetly in his mind or something. Tell him you can swap his soul in the doll."
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Cale had a deadpanned look on his face.
"Do I look like I'm joking? Hahh...back to my plan, make him look at the dagger that will be attached to the my hip and convince him to stab my body's heart with it."
"...tsk! Don't blame me if everything goes south Kim Rok Soo."
"It's Cale Henituse."
"Ah whatever!"
+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+
The eclipse had long since passed, the sun had finally shown after its term. The once slightly dim-lit room was now bright as the ball of gas shone.
And now Choi Ahn could also clearly see the White Star stabbing himself...or Cale's body with the dagger the World Tree had given, a crazed look not fit in Cale's face.
Both swordsman witnessed how the redhead's eyes turned a darker shade of reddish brown. All people clearly saw how the redhead slumped at the wooden doll's shoulder as he writhed in pain at the stab wound in his heart.
'What the fuck just happened?'
The doll pushed the redhead away from him as he cackled to himself. It didn't take long for Cale's allies to realize that they had once again, switched bodies.
Choi Han was just in time to catch his lover falling unto the hard ground.
Cale, who was now in his original body, coughed up blood as he held the hilt of the dagger that was impaled in his chest.
"Kahahahaha! Good! Good!" The White Star kept marveling at his new body, the wooden doll.
Cale at that time, looked at both dragons and nodded his head. An evident smirk in his face.
The White Star was about to walk away, yet he couldn't take a step as he felt a huge amount of something in his feet weighing him down. Not even his immense strength can help him.
He looked at both dragons who are smug looking at his predicament, the cuffs that are hidden in both ankles and wrists of the doll are working efficiently.
Cale removed the dagger that was in his chest after, blood spurting out as the Vitality of Heart kept working nonstop under the pressure of the other ancient powers inside the redhead.
'Keep moving you crybaby!'
'Stop pressuring me! I'm doing my best! Waaaaaaahhhhhhh!'
'Go faster you prick!'
'Stop pressuring him you guys...'
'Waaaahhhhh! I knew it! Stop jinxing things next time you damn cheapstake! Waaaaahhhhh!'
'Did you justー!'
"Shut up..." Cale grumbled as he gave the dagger that is coated in his own blood to Choi Ahn.
"You can kill him...if you want. Just stab him with this. If you can't, don't push yourself...Choi Han-nim."
"Anywhere?"
Cale softly smiled, one that Choi Ahn didn't know the redhead can muster before nodding.
If they are not in the middle of a battle, Choi Ahn might have already swoon at the smile of the redhead.
Choi Ahn is feeling troubled, so he did the only thing that he thought could calm him down.
He placed his lips atop of Cale's forehead, catching the latter off guard. It lingered for seconds at first before sending an innocent smile at the starstrucked redhead. He ruffled those red locks first before standing up, the dagger now in his hand.
Choi Han just let his other self do those acts towards his lover, he can always reprimand him later as he placed his lover near Ron to protect him.
"I'll be back...Cale-nim."
The redhead hummed as Choi Han ran towards the two to support his other self.
It all happened so fast. One moment, the White Star swung his sword to whoever of the two came near him. Choi Han managed to make the enemy release his grip in his sword as he became defenseless.
The White Star had cut off his left leg by sheer force, then he had regrow it in a short period of time much to Cale's constant frowning.
The White Star had used his Water ancient power to basically water the wood for it to grow to its original state.
What the fuck.
The cuffs in the doll's wrists glowed as it produced gold chains. A modification by Eruhaben in case things didn't go the way they expected.
Choi Han immediately grabbed the chains and held it tightly, putting all his strength so that the White Star couldn't do anything by the time his other self should stab him.
Both Choi Han didn't noticed the spatial pouch the White Star had in his hand.
Choi Ahn successfully impaled the dagger at his archenemy, right at the chest of doll. He smiled in triumph as he looked at his allies, alive and well despite all the bleeding.
Cale could see the back of the doll, slowly turning into dust as Choi Han let go of the chains. Choi Ahn was even peeking over White Star's shoulder.
And Cale could also clearly see how that smile turned into a one of shock, a trail of blood stringing below the swordsman's lips.
Choi Ahn coughed once, twice, thrice. He could see the smirk coming from the White Star as the latter twisted the weapon in his abdomen.
"If...I die...I'm dragging you...with me...hero..."
Those were the last words he heard before he turned into dust, now baring the weapon to his comrades that was used to stab him.
It was a dagger, similar to the one he stabbed with his enemy. The only difference is that it was colored in black and was dull. He could even see the thick, viscous, dead mana coating it.
"Choi Han!" He looked at his other self with hazy eyes, unconsciously sending him a smile saying that it's okay.
Choi Ahn figured that the dagger was from the Fake World Tree he encountered back in his original dimension.
He chuckled, "He got me good."
He could clearly see his feet slowly crumbling into black dusts, yet it only gave him a comforting feeling as he even welcomed it.
He could see the Cat children looking at him in horror. The same as Lock and Rosalyn as they tried to reach him. Ron and Beacrox kept pinning their young master in place for him to rest as the redhead only watched in vain.
Choi Ahn saw his other self running towards him, his arm outstretched. He was the closest to him in this space as he also reached out his arm.
He could now see his lower part now gone, and he's sure that Choi Han won't make it in time so he uttered his words he wanted to say clearly.
"Thank you." 'And please be happy in my stead.' Was what left unsaid before his hand that was reached out crumbled into dust.
He smiled genuinely, happy even contrary to his other self who was crying in front of him.
Choi Ahn thought, for the despaired who met himself brimming with happiness, it was a blessing in disguise for him to feel what hope and joy is.
____________________
Next chapter will be the epilogue( ˘ ³˘)♥︎