Chapter 527: Mysterious Orb
"Who are you? You are not Rael."
Her divine composure cracked further as confusion replaced her initial shock. She stared at him with growing amazement, her radiant form flickering slightly as if her concentration had been shattered.
"This is impossible," she breathed, her voice trembling with something that might have been fear. "I can see that you are not who you appear to be, but I cannot... I cannot read you. Your essence, your origin, your very soul—it’s as if they exist behind a veil I cannot pierce."
Her eyes narrowed, the golden light within them flaring brighter as she intensified her divine perception. Yet still, Julian remained an stranger to her. The effort seemed to strain her and small beads of sweat appeared on her brow.
"In all my eons of existence," she whispered, "only the three Supreme Deities have been able to escape my readings. No mortal, no immortal, no being of any realm has ever..." She trailed off, staring at him as if he were some impossible paradox made flesh.
"What are you?"
Julian was just as surprised as her—if not more. His mind raced as the full weight of the situation crashed down upon him.
The elder whom he had just had sex with, whom he had humiliated and blackmailed into submission, had suddenly revealed herself to be one of the most terrifying existences in all the Heavens. And now this divine being, this cosmic entity of unimaginable power, couldn’t see through his mask.
But why? The question hammered against his skull like a relentless storm.
His mind worked through possibilities, each more unsettling than the last. Had his reincarnation been orchestrated by something even higher than the three Supreme Deities? Was there a fourth power, something beyond even them, that had shielded his identity? The very thought made his soul shiver.
His heart pounded as another terrifying possibility surfaced. What if he wasn’t just a reincarnated soul at all? What if Julian—his memories, his personality, everything he believed himself to be—was merely a facade, a constructed identity hiding something far more ancient and powerful? The thought sent ice through his veins.
If that were true, then who was he really? What was he really?
The shock in the woman’s eyes slowly vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating focus. She closed her eyes and concentrated further on the boy before her, her divine perception delving deeper than ever before.
Under her intensified gaze, his physical body slowly melted away, revealing layers beneath layers. Then came the weak soul of the original Rael—a fragile, cursed thing that flickered like a dying candle. That too dissolved under her cosmic sight, until finally, she could see it.
Something beyond... something that resembled an orb.
A small smile played on her lips and relief washed over her divine features. "I nearly doubted my power," she thought, her confidence returning. "He was merely using some advanced soul protection technique. Clever, but not effective."
But as she prepared to approach and examine this core essence more closely, a loud screech filled her consciousness—a sound so alien and terrible that it seemed to eat at her very soul. It was not heard with ears, but felt with the soul, a cry that spoke of things that should not exist.
Before she could even comprehend what was happening, the orb in the distance began to move closer. As it did, its size increased exponentially—from a simple ball no larger than a marble to something vast and incomprehensible. Within moments, it had grown to dwarf mountains, then continents, then worlds themselves, expanding until it became a massive sphere millions of times bigger than the sun.
The woman’s eyes snapped open in absolute terror, her golden radiance dimming slightly as she stared at the impossible sight before her.
"Supreme—" she began to utter, but before she could complete even a single word, her body simply stopped.
The golden light that filled the room flickered once, twice, then vanished entirely. Her transcendent form dissolved like smoke, leaving not even a whisper of her presence behind.
The room returned to its original appearance—simple wooden walls, basic furnishings, the afternoon light streaming through the window as if nothing extraordinary had ever occurred. Where the divine entity had stood, only empty air remained.
Julian stood frozen, his mind struggling to process what he had just witnessed. One moment he had been facing a cosmic being, and the next... nothing. Complete absence, as if she had never existed at all.
The silence that followed was deafening. Not even the sound of his own heartbeat seemed to reach his ears. Whatever had emerged from within him, had not just killed a divine entity. It had erased her from existence itself.
And somehow, impossibly, Julian remained standing in that simple room, unchanged and unharmed, with no memory of what his true nature had just revealed.
He quickly composed himself, forcing his racing heart to steady and his trembling hands to still. Whatever had just happened—whatever he had witnessed—he couldn’t afford to show any sign of disturbance. Not here, not now.
Julian walked out of the breeding chamber, his face a carefully crafted mask of pleasure and satisfaction. The hallway felt surreal after what he had experienced.
On his way out, Riya intercepted him near the entrance, her curious eyes studying his face. "How did it go, my lord?" she asked with a knowing smile. "Who was this Erica?"
Julian’s lips curved into a small smile, "Everything went according to plan," he replied smoothly. "She was very... surprising."
Riya chuckled, seemingly satisfied with his response, and saw him off.
The moment he was outside, Julian’s composed facade began to crack. He quickened his pace, his steps becoming more urgent with each passing moment. By the time he reached his house, he was nearly running. He burst through the door and quickly shut himself inside.
In the safety of his own space, Julian finally allowed himself to breathe—deep, trembling breaths that did little to calm the storm raging in his mind.