ALL NOVEL Chapter 177: The Tale of Two Brothers!
There was a fascinating silence in the room.
The Existence stared into Kai's eyes, trying to engulf this silence.
"There were once two brothers," the white-skinned being began solemnly. "One was a year older than the other. They were orphans, and when death came for them, they died together as well. Both were resurrected in the Primordial Tower and arrived in the Chaos' Valley. Their Initiation Mission took them to the Naruto Random World, and what they learned there became the outline for their future; their everything."
Kai listened as the two words gift and curse nailed him down. He didn't know what was the point of this tale, but he knew what would follow it, and the creepiness was crawling its way up from his heart to his mind.
"It didn't take long for their names to shake the Tower, either," the Existence continued. "But the reason for their stupendous growth was unknown to many. It turned out that in their Initiation Mission, the brothers had been Blessed by a Deep One.
"The younger brother got the Blessing of Kekkei Genkai, Byakugan, while the older brother got the Kekkei Genkai, Sharingan. Now equipped with their Blessings, no one could stand in front of them, especially when the brothers combined their powers. By the time they reached the 15th floor, only Kings could hope to fight them on the same footing.
"Such was the legend left behind by the brothers who went by a single name; Conqueror."
Kai even failed to fathom what kind of power they must have possessed.
"Alas, things changed once the brothers ascended to the 16th floor," the Existence said, his voice sharp, emotionless, but still solemn. "Both brothers loved each other deeply, but in between them now stood the very things that have brought them up. Their Blessings. The older brother, the user of Sharingan, thought that now they must look towards the Temples. In the Old Ones, he saw a path that seemed to have closed for him.
"The younger brother thought otherwise. In the end, it's one's own strength that matters, such were his thoughts. He told his older brother that they should stick together, and one day they would surpass the limits of their Blessings."
After saying those words, the Existence stood up. But Kai knew the tale had yet to end.
He saw the horned being going to the wardrobe, and taking out a pale candle, a knife, and an iron pot. A terrifying thought crossed his mind, and Kai hoped the tale would never end.
The Existence placed the candle in the middle of the Yellow Sign and then put the knife and the pot in between the candle and himself. Then he sat down again and looked at Kai.
"This disagreement between the brothers became a conflict, and at last, they parted," he said, slowly. "The older brother joined the Temple, and the younger brother went back to the lower floors, restricting his Stats, and saying 'In restriction lies freedom.' The pain of seeing his younger brother abandoning him tore the older one apart, and in a matter of days, the ensuing feelings of hatred also pushed his Blessing beyond the limits he had found impossible to surpass before.
"Yet, the younger brother didn't return. With time, the Contestants forgot the name — Conqueror. The older brother climbed his way up effortlessly using his newly found powers, while the younger brother married, settling down on the lower floors."
The Existence took a deep breath as if it was the first time in a long while that he had to breathe such strongly. He reached for the match and lit the candle. A long, weak flame flickered, yellowing the already yellow colors.
"The younger brother trained his descendants in the way of Gentle Fist," the Existence whispered. "It was all in the hope that if trained from childhood, then they would have high chances to resurrect and have the Naruto Random World as their Initiation Mission after their natural death. And so it happened.
"One after the other, the descendants of the younger brother were found to possess the Byakugan. It happened so many times that even the Empire took notice of them, giving them a special status. A time came when the Life Halt of the younger brother reached its end, and he died. The older brother's arrogance and hatred prevented him from even visiting his brother's funeral.
"Yet, the descendants of the younger brother continued their progenitor's teachings. But in the river of time, after thousands of years, they too died, leaving behind an uncommon legend of a great House. At last, only one girl remained of that bloodline. The last descendant."
No… Kai's thoughts shrieked. No… It can't be.
The Existence looked with an icy gaze at Kai. "The younger brother had named his family after his original surname from his previous life," he told Kai, before pausing, and then saying out loud and clear. "Hao."
From the old Haos, only we have remained. We have become poor, but we still remember the old ways.
Words rang inside Kai's head like the clang of a million swords.
But the tale was far from being over, and he must listen. He must.
"The older brother, now in an unknown place with unfathomable power, cared less for these descendants," the Existence said, looking down into the frozen flame. "But with time comes wisdom as well. Thinking of the past, he arranged the girl's wedding to a High Priest from a wealthy and honorable family. Yet, his husband turned out to be a fool, and died, leaving her broken and with a child. And, yes. With enemies too."
Now, the tone changed. Its abruptness and implication terrified Kai so much that he almost ordered Selene to come out and lunge at the white man.
"The older brother, going against the Empire and HIS revelation, helped the girl anonymously," said the Existence, narrowing his single purple eye. "He arranged for her to settle on the 2nd floor so that no Contestant having a grudge against her or her child would be foolish enough to descend and get himself killed under her supreme use of the Gentle Fist.
"Then came a Contestant. He somehow made her child tell him about the Temples. The Contestant moved on, leaving behind a terrified mother. Seeing no other choice, and in fear for her son's safety, the mother abandoned the safe house arranged by the older brother and went to the 1st floor, thinking this would bridge the gap between her and any Contestant descending that low in the Primordial Tower.
"The beasts from the Temple of Amon-Gorloth responded soon enough, kidnapping her child before the news of all this could even reach the older brother. The City of Assignments has no mercy for children or their mothers.
"She fought, killing hundreds. But numbers and Items overpowered her at last. They tortured her as her son watched. When they learned her ancestry, and that it was in the boy's blood to resurrect and bring back Skills from Naruto Random World, they killed him.
"In front of her eyes."
