Chapter 627: Endless One

?!

Hearing the unfamiliar, metallic-toned words of an old man, even Kelakesi showed a confused expression.

Then he immediately turned around, and at the same time caused the blood-red claws worn on his left and right hands to extend, revealing their long blades that flickered with a faint red light.

Whoo—!!!

As he completed the turning motion, the blades also sprang out, and with the OriginalBody's swing they produced a piercing, tearing howl.

But this strike missed.

"."

Seeing nothing behind him, Kelakesi frowned slightly and scanned the entire control room.

He also noticed that, whereas various noises had been chaotic before, now everything had fallen into an utter silence, with everyone's movements frozen, as if someone had deliberately pressed the pause button on time in the physical universe.

If it were an extremely powerful Spiritual User, like his brothers Magnus and Luo Jia, or his father the Human Emperor, Kelakesi would consider it normal.

But he, who is also skilled in Spiritual Energy, felt no Spiritual Energy fluctuations at all, so the 'time stop' used by the speaker is not Spiritual Energy, but some kind of…

Technology.

A prototype weapon developed by the Human Empire capable of manipulating time in the physical universe, which remains in the mother nest and has not yet been mass-produced.

Therefore, only a Space Death Spirit Overlord, or even a Death Spirit Emperor, could make such a move at this critical juncture.

Most importantly, since the opponent possesses a time weapon, they could also launch an attack when he has no guard at all.

But the opponent didn't do that, which indicates they want to negotiate with him.

After instantly reaching a conclusion in his mind, Kelakesi, while still maintaining a wary stance, returned his expression to cold indifference and said:

"Come out, don't make me force you out."

"Heh…"

Swish!

As soon as the metallic-sounding laugh rang out, Kelakesi, who had been motionless like a steel statue, instantly turned into a black shadow, appearing at the entrance of the control room.

Moreover, Kelakesi's left-hand blood claw had already extended forward, as if he were bracing against an invisible enemy.

The next moment.

With a flash of lustrous yellow light, a large-sized metal skeleton gradually became visible beneath the claw's edge.

This metal skeleton stands about 3.5 meters tall, wears muscle-textured metal armor, ornate pauldrons and a cloak, and holds a scepter that symbolizes authority and can also serve as a weapon.

At a glance, Kelakesi knew that this metal old man… a somewhat 'sturdy' metal old man, was an existence of the Space Death Spirit Overlord level.

"Hehe…" The metal old man threatened by the blood-red claws continued to chuckle, and as he laughed, his empty mouth flickered with a faint green light, and he continued speaking:

"Young man, I thought your temperament was the better one among your brothers, but I didn't expect you to be this impulsive…"

Upon hearing that.

Kelakesi didn't explain anything, but from the other's words he learned a detail: the other seemed quite familiar with him and his brothers.

"Ah… what a fine weapon." Just as Kelakesi was pondering how to deal with this metal old man, the latter eagerly began examining his blood-red claws, the green light from his hollow eyes growing brighter: "I really want to put this weapon in my display case, tsk tsk."

"…" Kelakesi was somewhat speechless.

However, after fighting the Space Death Spirits head-on for over two months, Kelakesi learned from battle reports shared by his brothers that the Space Death Spirit Overlords have vastly different personalities, and their subordinates are not lacking in those with hidden motives.

It seems that even after discarding flesh and blood, losing their souls, and becoming these metallic bodies, they still retain the 'desire' they had as sentient beings.

As for this metal old man before him, he always likes to put 'good things' and 'display case' on his lips, indicating a particular fondness for collecting items, and his desire for power may be weaker than that of other Death Spirit Overlords.

Furthermore, with some information Kelakesi learned from his father, it might actually be possible to negotiate with the other party, and perhaps even extract some benefits from them…

There's no way; Kelakesi, this 'honest and diligent' OriginalBody, whose father is the Emperor of the main universe, will absolutely not strike a deal unless there is sufficient benefit.

He eased up.

Kelakesi moved his left hand outward, lowered it, and questioned the metal old man before him: "Tell me your true name, alien."

"Ah, yes, yes, we should get down to business first." The metal old man, seemingly reluctant, glanced at the blood-red claws, then lifted his head and stared straight at the expressionless Kelakesi, saying:

"Hello hello, I am the leader of the Sollermnas Dynasty; you can call me the Endless One Tharacin. I'm delighted to be able to introduce myself here to the OriginalBody of the Dark Crow Guard—this is my honor."

After saying that, the self-proclaimed Endless One Tharacin, a Death Spirit Overlord, made an affected bow to Kelakesi.

His personality is indeed eccentric, but he is also someone who is relatively reasonable.

After forming this evaluation in his mind, seeing that the other party maintained courtesy, Kelakesi would not continue to remain absolutely aloof.

"Dark Crow Guard OriginalBody, Kelakesi." Even though the other already knew his name, Kelakesi gave a reply and then continued his questioning of Tharacin:

"One, is the Sollermnas Dynasty you mentioned located on Qiming Star?"

"Two, how did you come to know me and the Empire's OriginalBody?"

"Three, what can you provide for me?"

The questions are simple and clear.

"It seems I chose the right negotiation target, huh—much easier to talk to than that foul-mouthed and sour-faced one."

Tharacin first gave an irrelevant answer, then turned his head to look at the left wall of the control room, his eyes' light dimming until they became almost completely hollow, sinking into a silence.

?

Kelakesi likewise glanced with his peripheral vision, and instantly realized the other was 'gazing directly at' Qiming Star.

Seeing the other give no answer, Kelakesi also waited patiently for a moment.

However, he was silently counting in his heart; if it exceeded the time limit he had set, he would without hesitation wave his claws to forcibly scrap this strange 'old man' before him.

Even though Kelakesi is one of the well-known 'nice guys' among the OriginalBodies, his patience is limited; moreover, the other is an alien, and if it weren't for wanting to gather more information about the Space Death Spirits, he would have swung his claws down the moment he locked onto Tharacin, instead of holding them midair as a threat.

He waited for over ten seconds.

Tharacin's hollow eyes reignited with green light, his tone still slightly amused and calm as he said: "Of course not, and my Sollermnas is certainly not some great dynasty—hehe, please don't saddle me with that title; I'm merely a minor noble under the Nishirak Dynasty."

As for the muddled… fellow who awoke on Qiming Star, he is an Overlord named Zealas.

Nishirak,

Ze'las?

I don't know whether Talasin did it intentionally or unintentionally, but Kelakesi could tell from the tone that Ze'las seemed to be mocking the Nishirak dynasty and its internal leaders and nobles.

Furthermore, Talasin also seems not to get along with the Ze'las that has revived on Dawnstar, even being hostile.

After obtaining relatively useful information, Kelakesi nodded, indicating for Talasin to continue.

"How do I know you and your brothers? Well... it's a long story." Talasin deliberately paused, waited a moment, seeing Kelakesi not picking up the conversation, then gave an explanation:

"It's simple, as early as... as early as... uh, according to your human timeline, I should have awakened six hundred years ago."

Six hundred years ago?

Hearing this answer, Kelakesi's eye corner twitched slightly.

Because six hundred years ago in the Zero Three universe, the Zero Three Emperor led the OriginalBody and the legion on an expedition to the galaxy.

Then came the great rebellion sparked by Helus·Lupecal, and then those rebels established the "New" Human Empire, which achieved a relatively long period of rule over the Zero Three galaxy.

Furthermore, during its rule, the "New" Human Empire also carried out slaughter and expulsion of all alien species in the galaxy, indirectly leading to the extinction of the Aida and Dark Spirit clans.

The indirect cause is that the true culprit behind the extinction of the Aida and Dark Spirit clan is actually the main universe Human Empire that controls the Zero Three universe.

After all, those two spirit clans had been toyed with by chaos and the traitors, leaving little left, and they still wanted to meddle during the main universe's expedition—wasn't that just asking for trouble? Thus Leon's Dark Angel casually wiped them out.

"Yes, exquisite... cough cough, Your Excellency OriginalBody." Talasin flicked his right hand, as if performing magic, putting his scepter back into some storage space, then also placed his hands behind his back, walking back and forth while muttering to himself:

"Since I and my clan awakened, I have continually observed you humans, this species—warlike, vengeful, greedy, and... displaying a benevolent light in dire straits that makes me envious and jealous."

"Well, not bad, not bad. To be frank, you should know that compared to those so-called gods—well, gods, never mind—compared to those so-called gods, you have limited lifespans, yet you manage to survive strongly in a material universe teeming with all sorts of demons and monsters, and even created an empire that controls the multiverse!"

"Ah! What a great miracle!"

Having said that, Talasin stopped moving, extended his right hand to point at Kelakesi, and intensified his metallic tone of voice:

"It is your species relying on yourselves that has achieved today's accomplishments! Hehehe, in the vast, boundless cosmic river, this truly is a tumultuous and magnificent saga! I truly want to preserve and record everything!"

However, just a moment ago Talasin still seemed excited, but the next moment he suddenly stopped, and the green light in his eyes began to flicker frequently.

It seemed like after a long while, it made a gesture like a sigh; although it fundamentally doesn't need to breathe, Talasin simply felt it necessary to make this gesture to express its current 'mood'.

Putting down his metal arm, Talasin continued to the patient Kelakesi: "Actually, all of this is inseparable from your having a leader with a firm goal, not swayed by so-called deities—that is, your father, the Human Emperor."

Of course, the Human Emperor of my universe is equally great; without his sacrifice, we could not have your Human Empire's current strength.

?

Kelakesi flashed a hint of surprise, not expecting Talasin to have perceived so much.

"My soul may be missing, but my thought logic remains; the humans you call the Zero Three Emperor clearly had many opportunities to make amends, yet he chose to ignore them, until his own children placed him on the golden throne, turning him into a living corpse."

"Your father is likely his counterpart; well, I don't know how my counterpart would turn out... heh, probably long gone up in smoke, after all, as someone who once feared death, my physical lifespan is limited."

Never mind all that; I have six hundred years to secretly observe and study you and your brothers, so knowing your and your brothers' names is not that important, is it?

"..." Kelakesi nodded slightly.

"As for your third question..." Talasin drew out a long vowel, "uh, to be honest, I can't be sure... eh?! Eh?! Wait, how can this kid's temper be so violent?!"

The reason Talasin's conversation took a turn is that before it could finish saying "I also can't be sure," Kelakesi again placed the bloody claw on its metal skull, and this time even closer than before.

"I'm being patient, not to listen to your nonsense; give me a reason not to deal with you, alien."

"Destroying my body is useless..." Talasin instead shrugged indifferently, "Besides, what I said is true—I truly don't know what I can give you; why not you destroy this body of mine, take it back for research? Maybe you could gain the technology for arbitrary teleportation to a location."

By the way, I should note that this is a random point in a single universe; my technology can't reach other universes—how about it? Interested? This should also count as the answer to your third question, hehe.

Upon hearing that, Kelakesi said claiming not to be interested is false.

Nowadays, the Empire's way to go wherever it wants is solely through spiritual energy transmission—not that the Empire hasn't researched it, but progress is slow.

And only his father should be capable of arbitrary teleportation across universes.

However, although Kelakesi is not skilled at layout and scheming as an OriginalBody, he also understands that Talasin is testing him; if he really swung his claw, who knows what would happen.

Moreover, he still remembers his father once saying things like "figure king" as a complaint; indeed, his father had already provided some information about Talasin, also mentioning that this necromancer overlord's "brain circuitry is abnormal".

Through Talasin's recent self-account, plus the information his father gave, Kelakesi can basically confirm that Talasin's attitude toward humanity is actually leaning toward "friendly".

Because Talasin thinks humans are much like the death-fearing beings of tens of millions of years ago, his father even joked, saying that if the necromancers regained glory and controlled the galaxy, Talasin would surely plead with their supreme ruler, not wishing to exterminate all humanity.

After knowing this, Kelakesi pondered how to step out of Talasin's verbal 'trap' in speech, and then squeeze more wool from that metallic old man's hand.

However…

"Kid! I'm telling you! What are you up to again?! Why are my assistants all motionless?!"

However, the plague doctor's angry shouts broke the standoff between the two 'people'.

(End of chapter)