KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 90

Karl acted as if he were granting a selfless permission, though madness and jealousy drove his every move. In the end, he ensured that Odette's guilt focused entirely on him.

[Zion] "You claim to be a submissive slave while you deceive your master? Even for a man of your low character, this is disgusting. It's enough to make me sick."

Zion pointed this out with a provocative glare, but Karl only offered a twisted smile, seeing right through him.

[Karl] "If you find it so repulsive, why did you stay silent? Is it because you also hate the idea of the Crown Prince taking up too much space in her heart?"

[Zion] "……"

Zion lost his words. Karl had accurately identified his reasons for staying out of it.

While Zion didn't want Johan to die, he loathed the thought of Odette giving the largest piece of her heart to the man. He couldn't help it, even if it was cowardly.

Since Karl already occupied the biggest space in her soul, Zion desperately wanted whatever room was left for himself.

[Karl] "Besides, you’ve made your own shallow calculations. You know Odette will extend her purification to you as well. Your opportunism is just as disgusting as my deception, isn't it?"

These words hit Zion where it hurt. He had been secretly waiting for that same mercy. He knew Odette, who couldn't bear to see Johan vanish, would never ignore the erasure of himself or Viktor. He felt relieved that Johan, the one she cared for most, had broken the ice first.

Zion actually hoped his status would remain unstable for a long time. He needed to stay on the brink of vanishing to keep clinging to Odette's mercy. Only by dragging out this period could he hope, one day, to receive a small fragment of her love.

Thus, the situation satisfied both Karl and Zion perfectly. His only grievance was Karl himself—the man who had forced him into a corner and left him with no choice but to cooperate. He was used to pulling the strings of others, not being a puppet himself.

The feeling was unpleasant, but more than that, it was chilling to think that this loathsome man would remain by her side in this manner.

[Zion] "I’ve always been a dirty, disgusting man. Odette knows that. But isn't it a problem that she mistakes your manipulation for sacrifice? It's a lie."

[Karl] "If you think it's such a problem, why not go tell my Master? I wonder if she’ll listen to you—the Transcendent she hates most."

You son of a...

Zion, who carried memories of a past life where he lost Odette and lived in regret, was trying his best to tolerate Karl. He didn't want to make Odette suffer by fighting Karl over simple possessiveness. Besides, he knew he had no right to claim her entirely for himself.

He wanted to gift her peace, even if it was a staged harmony. He wanted her to believe that all the Transcendents were perfectly happy with the situation.

[Karl] "Why not act like a loser? Be content with picking up the crumbs of her purification."

But watching Karl's arrogant attitude made it impossible to maintain Zion's sanity—

[Viktor] "Damn it. What... what the hell is he talking about?"

His voice cut in before Zion could lose his temper.

[Viktor] "Did I hear that right? Odette has to purify all three of us? And... forever?"

Viktor chewed over the words. His expression looked horrified, as if he had just heard something utterly vile.

[Viktor] "Are you both... insane? Have you lost your minds!"

It was no surprise; Viktor's personality made this impossible to accept. Though Odette chose to purify them, He believed a choice made under pressure was no real choice at all. He was the type of man who would gladly choose death over forcing a decision on her.

[Viktor] "Hey, Zion. Answer me. Is that what you two were talking about?"

A grinding sound came from Viktor's teeth—a savage noise that suggested he wanted to crush both Zion and Karl.

Damn it. I guess I really have to cooperate with Karl now.

[Zion] "Not forever. Only until the day we can survive without her."

The color drained from Viktor's face at the answer. It was a mere play on words. Even Zion, who was closest to becoming a god, would need decades to stabilize. For Odette, it essentially meant a lifetime.

And would the God of Time ever let her die? It was an endless eternity.

[Viktor] "You disgusting bastards...!"

Losing his mind, Viktor lunged at Karl.

Though Karl could have easily dodged, he chose to take the punch. It was his way of convincing Viktor of a future that looked like a living hell to him.

[Viktor] "How could you do this? How could you do this to Odette!"

Viktor screamed in agony, his words laced with curses.

Hah, so we really are on the same side now.

[Zion] "Leave if you don't like it, you monkey. Her burden will lighten once you're gone."

Zion pushed down his own self-loathing to support Karl's plan. He decided to provoke Viktor.

[Zion] "You know how powerful her purification is. I can become a god just by receiving it over time. Why would I say no?"

He deliberately chose words that would make Viktor explode.

Unlike Karl or Zion, whose natures were dark, Viktor was as straightforward as his power. If left alone, he would go off and die somewhere "for Odette's sake."

But by provoking him like this, Zion ensured Viktor would never leave her side. He would stay out of fear of what Karl and Zion might do to her.

[Viktor] "I’ll kill you!"

This time, Zion gladly took the punch he threw at him. The reason didn't matter; Viktor had to become part of this mess.

[Zion] "If you don't want the purification, leave by yourself. Bird-brain."

Viktor and Johan were alike. He would eventually make the same choice Johan did. He would decide to become a god faster than Zion, just to remove Karl and him from Odette's side. Viktor would only allow himself to die after that.

They (Viktor and Johan) are so cute and naive, putting Odette before their own feelings. Impressive, indeed.

But Karl and Zion were different. They were not born to think that way. For Zion, staying by Odette's side was what mattered most. The charity she gave him was more important than anything else. He didn't care if he spent his life drowning in guilt as long as he could have that one thing.

[Viktor] "You think I’ll leave you, bastards, alone with her? I’ll kill you both before I go."

Zion smiled inwardly as he assisted Karl.

We can't have the monkey leaving. Only if he stays will her heart be prevented from leaning too far toward Johan.

Zion calculated darkly that Viktor would take some of the attention Johan would otherwise receive, forcing Odette to love the remaining three Transcendents somewhat equally.

He was fine with being in last place forever. Even if a wall he could never climb stood between them, and even if he only received the crumbs left over from the others, it didn't matter. He would simply grow those crumbs into something more.

Zion finally admitted it. If he were in Karl's position, he would have made the same choice.

He's an annoying prick, but I’m glad Karl is the balancer.

He was sure Karl's mind was just as twisted as his own. Karl was likely burning with the desire to keep Odette all to himself, but he would never show it.

Karl was a god, but he didn't rule over Odette. Instead, as the balancer, he would work to keep the love she gave the three Transcendents steady. He would ensure no one dared to rule over her in the name of love.

Only Odette could rule their relationship. That was the reality now, and it would be forever.

Karl would protect her, ensuring no one crossed the line. Johan and Viktor would try to grant her every wish out of guilt for involving her in this. Zion would spend his life clearing away everything she disliked to atone for his sins.

This was Karl's plan for Odette's happiness.

Viktor and Johan would never agree that this was "happiness." They believed in loyalty, care, and sacrifice—the fairy-tale version of love. But Zion believed that even a mess has its own right answer. Ruling from within that chaos was a form of happiness and a valid answer to love.

As long as you used the right means, you could turn any wrong answer into the right one.

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