[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-journey-to-become-the-zenith":3,"chapter-journey-to-become-the-zenith-journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-122":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Journey to Become the Zenith",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1828459,2432,"Chapter 122: The Promise That Refused to Fade [Part-2]","journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-122",122,"\u003Cp>The Promise That Refused to Fade [Part-2]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Azriel...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A whisper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fragile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barely there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the silence of the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the silence of paused breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something final.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel Ruinous disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not physically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still standing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still holding the god’s presence in his peripheral vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the thing that made him him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No denial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His head lowered slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not in grief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not in defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in something far worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kind that doesn’t shatter you—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It hollows you out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It fills that emptiness with something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His anger didn’t rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It mutated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t burn hot like rage should.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It went cold—too cold—like something sinking into a depth where even emotion couldn’t breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a second, the battlefield felt it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That unnatural silence where even the storm hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel’s fingers twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky bent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His anger didn’t just flare—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>it erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive thunder spell tore through the sky, consuming the god entirely. The God of Thunder fought back with his own lightning... but it broke. It failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when the storm settled—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a god was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel stepped forward, lifted Eliora’s lifeless body into his arms...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and walked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air collapsed inward with a violent pull, as if the heavens themselves were being dragged down by an unseen force. Lightning didn’t descend anymore—it was ripped from the sky, torn apart, reshaped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What answered Azriel...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not divine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something that didn’t belong to heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lightning that formed above wasn’t white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Corrupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It bent unnaturally, spiraling inward as if collapsing into itself before expanding outward with overwhelming force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The God of Thunder tried to respond—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tried to reclaim control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was already too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel’s thunder didn’t obey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It devoured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It swallowed every trace of divine lightning in the sky, consuming it like fuel, growing heavier, denser, more violent with every second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Impossible...\" the god whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t look at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t acknowledge him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because at that moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The god wasn’t the enemy anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was just—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strike came down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No grandeur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just inevitability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It hit the God of Thunder directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No dramatic collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Erasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The divine presence flickered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cracked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if it had never existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oppressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Final.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel stood there for a long second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not moving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each step felt wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfamiliar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like his body no longer belonged to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knelt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if even the slightest mistake would undo something already gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand slid beneath her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lifting her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cradling her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no expression on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No grief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No visible pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not like a warrior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not like a king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But like something... beyond reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t chase the god.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t scream for revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He went somewhere else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Somewhere forbidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Underworld.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he didn’t enter it—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He invaded it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The God of Death rose to stop him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A being older than most concepts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold. Absolute. Untouchable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle wasn’t long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t glorious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was one-sided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brutal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel Ruinous destroyed death itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tore it apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And took its authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not as a gift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not as a blessing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as something he claimed through sheer force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding power that shouldn’t belong to anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing over Eliora’s lifeless body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Get up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eli.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Don’t make me say it twice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The power of death itself bent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Eliora—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opened her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her breath returned in a sharp gasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Azriel?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the first time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she learned what he had done...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence filled the space between them again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not heavy this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something fragile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You killed the God of Death?\" she asked slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...For me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t need to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze softened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Give it to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually looked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The title.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice didn’t waver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The power. The authority. Everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliora smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not playful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not teasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just... honest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because you don’t belong there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...And you do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll make it belong to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let it go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The power shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The title changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Eliora—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Became the new God of Death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, neither spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she stepped closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Close enough that she could see her reflection in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I love you, Azriel.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Azriel—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because he didn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because he didn’t feel anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know how to stay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I’ll come back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was all he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A promise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe... an excuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliora closed her eyes for a brief second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I’ll wait.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No matter how long.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time didn’t move the same way for beings like them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But stories did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Azriel’s—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spread like wildfire across existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliora heard them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting upon a throne built from silence and endings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...He conquered the forbidden lands.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...He defeated multiple War Gods...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...He declared war on dragons...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Even the Dragon of Beginning fled from him...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each story—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More absurd than the last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More... like him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...He created a kingdom.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That one made her pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint smile touched her lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Of course you did.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Led by his companions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Built through chaos and strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even children...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His blood continuing beyond him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lowered her gaze slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something flickered in her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A quiet, lingering thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You’re still moving forward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers brushed lightly against the armrest of her throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Endless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her voice—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Softened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...And I’m still here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exactly like she promised.\u003C\u002Fp>",1040,"2026-06-09T06:06:36.927Z",1,"novelbin.me","a3a9c229a309376d0326094641f9730cb7b99981317fbcaffdd6368abdcc0f18","journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-123","journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-121",253,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fjourney-to-become-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]