Chapter 181

In the early morning, it was a bit cold. The experimental building stood on either side of the avenue outside the door. The green grass trembled slightly, and the dense dewdrops moistened the blades of grass.

A faint mist obscured the windows.

All of this happened just as the golden sunlight broke through the sea of clouds and spread across the world.

It quietly dissipated.

Because it was too thin.

So thin that it couldn't form droplets, so faint that it was nearly invisible to the naked eye.

You could only feel a slight dampness when touching it with your hands.

It turned out to be fog.

On the second basement level, the cold air underfoot spread a layer of mist. The testing room was cold and empty.

He walked out of the testing room. The incandescent lights lit up the corridor brightly—no shadows, not even a human shadow. It was deathly cold, like a corridor stretched out from a ghost movie.

It was very quiet. The silence was so deep, it felt like one could reach the bottom of an icy abyss.

Bardi suddenly stopped. He was deep in thought, and the fierceness in his eyes faded into memories—a rare display of emotion.

He believed that memories could teach people lessons, allowing them to push forward from pain, step by step, until they became either the person they hated or the person they loved.

He could say that the person he was now was the version of himself he liked.

If possible, he didn't want Raven to leave his side.

It wasn't purely because Raven had great value—there was still a trace of pity in his heart. Maybe it was just a matter of getting used to her.

She had once been projected by her father to destroy an entire family. He had killed a family himself. The suffocating pain of that past still haunted him, and perhaps it was that shared suffering that drew Raven to his side.

Only now did he realize that this half-demon girl, in fact... by his side, was rather foolish, always loving him. It was... nice.

But what a pity. Maybe... it was time to part ways.

It was hard to say—how many women had he hurt at this point?

On the path to becoming the version of himself that he liked, he couldn't avoid hurting all kinds of people who loved him deeply.

Differences, irreconcilable contradictions, and difficult harmonies.

"What I need... isn't this kind of kindness."

Bardi's face was indifferent, and his eyes stagnated for a moment, as if he had lost his soul. A moment he didn't want to face had quietly crept up on him.

But in the blink of an eye, he gently tugged at his white trench coat, pulling it tighter around his chest, making the coat hug his body more closely—emphasizing his figure in the cold corridor. He stood there alone, cold and isolated, carrying all the pain in his heart along this endless, frigid hallway.

He never showed pain on his face or in his expressions.

He turned his head slightly and glanced behind him. Through the glass wall, a small skeleton lay inside a sterile glass cabinet, like a mummified exhibit in a museum. The corner of his mouth curled into a sneer as he turned and walked away.

The matter with Raven had to be resolved.

In any case, there was no avoiding it—Clark had died at Bardi's hands.

Of course, Bardi didn't know that the real consciousness of Clark was already aboard the faster-than-light wormhole device, Jor-El's last effort to preserve his son.

Naturally, Bardi wouldn't let go of anything, not a strand of Clark's hair, not a single flake of skin.

He was already considering how to destroy Clark's consciousness.

Without hesitation, Bardi descended to the negative floors and entered the elevator. He pressed the button for the fifteenth floor.

The button lit up, and he stood there waiting.

Raven's heart was restless, and she hadn't slept all night.

Her complexion was pale, drained of color, and her translucent eyes carried a trembling unease.

As if she had a premonition—something bad was about to happen.

Sunlight didn't pass through the ceiling's glass. Because of Bardi's condition, sunlight was no longer suitable for him. So blackout curtains were installed here, adhered to the glass to block the sunlight.

Even so, the gray hue of the room remained unobstructed.

Raven hugged her arms beneath her cloak. Her beautiful fingers dug deep into her slender arms. Her dark purple lips were tightly pressed together, her gaze unfocused, her thoughts chaotic. Her heart throbbed, and her body felt cold.

For some reason, she didn't want to face certain things.

To distract herself from the anxiety, she made breakfast. She didn't know if she was just nervous, or if she was subconsciously reminiscing about the first time she made breakfast for Bardi in the spiritual world. Without thinking, she fried eggs—forty-eight of them—stacking them into a high mountain.

Then she panicked even more. Back in the spiritual world, Bardi could silently eat eggs all day without twitching, and her emotions would swing wildly, scaring her to death.

This wouldn't do. She needed to fix it.

So, almost without thinking, she fried ninety-six hams because Bardi had once said breakfast needed two hams per egg, paired with milk, for enough nutritional calories.

But when she finished frying ninety-six hams, she looked at them and saw a pyramid of sizzling meat.

She thought to herself—it's over.

She must've cooked like a crazy wife!

Click…

The door opened. The smell of fried eggs and ham wafted out, mixed with a faint hint of overcooking, making Bardi feel as though he had returned to the spiritual world.

Only, the portion was a bit excessive. Although he used to eat far more than this before the gene collapse, now—his food intake had returned to that of a normal human.

This mountain of eggs and pyramid of ham, slightly burnt and crispy, was too much even for him.

Bardi's mouth twitched slightly.

Raven always acted foolishly when it came to little things like this… and yet she never resented him.

"Perfect. I'm hungry."

Bardi's face returned to normal as he spoke.

"Mm… mm…" Raven replied awkwardly with a nod. She'd been planning to devour 90% of it herself before Bardi arrived—but now that he was back, she could only respond awkwardly.

The feeling and atmosphere between them were like a young couple's—awkward and oddly endearing, enough to make one smile.

"…How is he?"

For some reason, Raven blurted out the question—like a wife casually asking her husband how work went today.

It was a casual question, one she hadn't really thought about, but it came out naturally.

Then her face stiffened, and she instantly regretted it.

Because the moment she asked, Bardi froze. The entire room seemed to fall into a heavy silence.

In an instant, it was as though a line between them had snapped. They felt infinitely distant, even while sitting right next to each other.

"Get the table set first. I'll eat and then tell you."

Bardi smiled slightly as he spoke. Then he took off his white trench coat, hung it on the wooden coat rack beside the chair, and sat at the dining table.

This was the last breakfast.

Raven responded softly. She lowered her eyes, set the utensils beside Bardi, and then sat next to him.

At this moment, looking at Bardi's profile up close—his features sharp, handsome, and sunlit—she couldn't help but think: beneath that tough exterior, how much pain had he endured? How much had he inflicted upon himself?

Why wouldn't he stop for a moment, look around, and smile with the sun?

Perhaps… he no longer could. This pain—he no longer saw it as pain.

Her eyes stung.

Bardi folded a napkin, hung it at his collar, picked up a knife and fork, and placed a piece of fried egg onto his plate from the top of the mountain. He cut into it, revealing the cooked yolk inside.

He took a bite. The outside was slightly bitter from being overcooked, but the inside still had a strong egg flavor.

He chewed twice, then gently set down the knife and fork, smiling with satisfaction.

"He's dead. I don't have the kindness you do in your heart. I… am a devil."

Bardi's face remained calm as he spoke.

He saw himself as a demon.

There might be no one else like him—who killed the one he loved most, walked on through the pain, and along the way, used and killed men and women, young and old, without distinction.

Even the cruelest of people might feel mercy when looking at a crying infant, and stay their hand.

But Bardi's blade did not stop.

As for his heart—he bore it all, and kept going.

There were those who believed in others, and bled before him.

There were those who loved others, and were shot by him.

There were those who placed their hopes in others, only to be used to death by him.

None of it could be endured without a heart of steel.

And now, he had endured it. He still sat here, ready to continue enduring it.

Perhaps, one day, when he sat on the highest throne, he would pass through Myanmar once more with quiet pain—and again, continue living in pain.

Raven suddenly reached out. Her hand was pale and crystalline, with faint blue veins and cold skin.

She cupped Bardi's mouth with her palm, her heart clenching.

"You are kind, radiant, and bring hope to others."

Her voice was hoarse, her heart aching.

She had seen the deepest parts of Bardi's heart. She knew him better than anyone else.

She could feel the torment within him.

The faith, admiration, and hope others placed in him, all of it rested on his shoulders.

That silent gaze filled with expectations.

The hope of all the civilians of the planet rested on him and with it, a heavy pain.

"No."

Bardi glanced lightly at her and let her hold his face.

"No. You do."

"You're in pain. You've endured all of this."

Raven's eyes filled with tears, her dark purple lips trembling. The tears welled up, dropped onto her cloak, and trickled down to the floor.

The tears of a demon were acidic and corrosive.

The expensive, hand-woven carpet below her feet was eaten away into a large hole. The acid continued to spread, releasing smoke as it corroded.

"I've seen your deepest heart!"

"I've merged with you."

"You long to transform the world, to bring light, to bring hope, to save everyone."

"You are light, even if no one understands you."

Raven sobbed, overcome with grief. She had stood in his heart—she had truly felt how much he was suffering.

He had let so many die, had countless girls fall in love with him and willingly die for him.

He had been powerless to save any of them.

That sense of helplessness… that kind of pain… it was enough to drive a person mad.

"You're overthinking it. I've disappointed you. I'm not a hero who saves the world."

Bardi's tone was flat, unmoved.

No one could sway his heart now—he couldn't be convinced to stop.

"I believe in you. You're doing the right thing, even in pain."

"I'll always stay by your side."

Raven's dark purple lips curled into a broken but radiant smile.

"Even if the world calls you a devil, even if your loved ones betray you, even if ten thousand people point fingers at you, I won't leave you. Because… I'm a devil too."

She lowered her head, closed her eyes. When she opened them again—four red pupils shone with a crimson glow, gazing affectionately at Bardi.

She wouldn't let him bear the suffering alone, she would walk beside him.

She would hold his hand, tell him she wouldn't leave, and support him.

Even if it meant becoming a devil herself.

Bardi froze.

What he needed… was someone who would stay by his side.

Regardless of whether he was good or evil, rich or poor—as long as they stayed, loved him, and never left.

Not someone who'd leave if he turned bad. Not someone who'd walk away when life got hard.

What was the point of that?

It was about being together through life and death—following behind, supporting, and enduring.

The spiritual bond forged over decades, the deep understanding, Raven's willingness to sacrifice for him.

His blood surged, rushing through every vessel. His once lifeless eyes stirred with silent emotion—tinged with warmth and longing.

They looked at each other.

In that instant, their hearts grew warm. The heat of emotion rose between them. Their body temperatures rose.

Raven pounced on him. Bardi reached out to embrace her. Her waist was slender, and her body pressed close. Their lips met—

Intense, to the point of desperation.

The fried eggs and ham on the table crashed to the ground as Bardi swept them aside.

The two kissed fiercely. Bardi lifted Raven and pressed her onto the empty dining table.

Clothes were torn.

"Master, please control your overwhelming enthusiasm."

At this moment, Hera chose to interrupt.

"I'm a little busy, Hera. Speak later if it's not urgent."

Bardi had removed Raven's cloak and was fumbling with her tights.

Raven's face was flushed, shy, her arms wrapped around Bardi's neck, pulling him close. Her breath was hot, and the air between them ignited.

They didn't part for a single moment.

"Someone is trying to take Clark's body…"

Hera, clearly against her better judgment, interrupted the excited pair again. According to her calculations, Clark's situation was clearly more important than this moment of passion.

Bardi instantly sobered up, like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head.

(To be continued.)

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