Chapter 59 (Still got nothing to do)

"So, with this, I can use my emotions as a weapon… want to fight, Ashborn?" Ember asked, picking up the ring. She looked at him with clear expectation.

Ashborn, however, simply ignored her, picking up the second Lantern Ring for himself.

"My dimension's over there," he said casually. "Once you master all the Lantern Rings, they'll fuse into the White Lantern Ring."

Then he glanced at her, his expression turning sharp.

"By the way, how weak are you that Death of the Endless could enter Marvel and return—yet you find yourself stuck here?" Ashborn looked at her with disdain, and Ember's face darkened.

"Zombie lover, do you want to test my new ring's power?" Ember asked, her body now glowing with a faint green light.

"Oh? Is it going to take us home?" Ashborn replied mockingly. "Embodiment of creation and destruction, my ass—more like the embodiment of chickens."

"You—!" Ember's face turned red with rage. If this were a cultivation novel, she would've already coughed up blood on the spot.

But after a moment, she forced herself to calm down.

This wasn't the same Ember who had snapped and attacked Ashborn before—she had far better control over her emotions now.

"I'm just a fragment of my true form," she said evenly. "My authority is tied to my world, while Death of the Endless isn't limited to just one. I have my reasons."

Then she gave him a curious look. "So tell me… what do you find so attractive about zombies?"

Ashborn gritted his teeth lightly.

"Haha, you two lovebirds." A laugh echoed from the doorway, causing both of them to instantly look over.

Standing there was a goth girl, and the moment Ashborn saw her, he went on full guard. After all, this was Death of the Endless.

"Can I come in?" she asked with a gentle smile. Ashborn hesitated for only a moment before giving a small nod.

"Well, I just came by to welcome you to our world," she said lightly. "It's not every day someone as powerful as you step in from next door. It's usually the weaker ones."

Her gaze shifted toward Ember, who was already glaring at her. But she just answered Ember with a gentle friendly smile.

"Oh good, I thought you came to kill me or something," Ashborn said with a smile. "So… want to take me home?"

Of course, he'd leave DC. He didn't want to stick around babysitting heroes.

"What about your gear?" Death asked, causing Ashborn to pause.

"I'm guessing you're not going to get it for me?" Ashborn asked with a depressed look. To that, Death nodded with a playful smile.

"I wouldn't mind helping you out," she said with a laugh, "but I was told to stay out of the way. It's not every day I get orders I actually have to follow."

She genuinely found it funny. Normally, she was free to do whatever she pleased—strong enough, old enough, with little to no one above her… Except when it came to helping Ashborn.

"I'm guessing you're talking about The Presence?" Ashborn asked.

She nodded.

"Just what is his connection with the One Above All? Why would he allow Ashborn to come here and cause trouble for his world?" Ember asked with a frown, earning a glare from Ashborn.

She made it sound like he chose to come here.

"Oh, that's simple," Death said lightly. "They're the same being. Both are fragments of his Omnipotence."

Ember froze, shocked, unable to fully process the weight of that truth.

Ashborn, on the other hand, just stood there—clueless to how massive this revelation truly was.

But to Ember… this changed everything. The true might of the One Above All was far greater than she had ever imagined.

"I think we should talk more about this over a meal… free tomorrow?" Ashborn asked. Ember's hand shot forward to slap him, but Ashborn easily dodged it.

"Sure," Death chimed in casually smile, "would you like the meal to happen before or after your date with Tyler?"

Ember immediately turned to Ashborn with a disgusted look.

"It's not like that. Tyler and I are simply friends. Don't worry, I asked her out and got rejected. She's not after my body… as you can see, I can make friends," Ashborn said, throwing a sneer at Ember.

"All I heard is that you got friend-zoned," Ember shot back with a mocking smirk. "First the zombies, then the shadows, and now this. Oh—let's not forget how you got rejected by Wonder Woman."

Ashborn opened his mouth to reply… then closed it. What could he say here?

"It's like watching two couples fighting," Death said with a light laugh, causing both Ember and Ashborn to throw a glare her way.

"Who would want to date this zombie-loving creep?" Ember snorted.

"Oh, shut up. Who would want to date you?" Ashborn shot back with a cold snort of his own.

The two locked eyes, death glares meeting in the middle. While Death fanned herself, amused at how much attraction the two were giving off.

"Well, I should get out of you two's hair. Remember to use protection," Death said with a teasing smile before disappearing—just as Ember's fist swung through the space where she had been.

"Protection?! I bet that thing is so small it makes worms look huge," Ember snapped angrily, making Ashborn raise an eyebrow.

"First of all, aren't worms your favorite snack? And second…" Ashborn's pants dropped to the ground.

Ember immediately had to shield her eyes as a blinding light exploded out toward her.

She squinted through it, trying to see what on earth was giving off such a glow, And when she did… she… was… shocked.

"I–Impossible… how could it be so big?" Ember asked, horrified by the sight before her.

Ashborn laughed pridefully—a real man wasn't afraid to pull down his pants and prove a woman wrong. Now, "small" would be the last word Ember would ever associate with him.

Ashborn pulled his pants back up and casually made his way upstairs, leaving Ember frozen in place, speechless.

The image of that dragon was now burned into her mind. Only then did she realize the true extent of Ashborn's charm stat, Even his dragon was affected.

"Oh wait, I wanted to watch TV." Ashborn suddenly returned, sitting down in front of the screen while speaking into his phone.

"Hey, Siri, find me a multiverse that has One Piece. It's an anime about finding a treasure called the One Piece."

{I have found an infinite number of multiverses with an anime of similar name and plot. Please select from the list below:}

An anime about a man named Blackbeard, also known as Marshall D. Teach. It follows his ruthless journey to find the One Piece. A true pirate, he's willing to do anything to turn his dreams into reality. An anime centered on Sakazuki. After losing his wife, he is saved by Shanks and inherits the dream of becoming Pirate King. He sets sail to find the One Piece, fighting the evil World Government and one of its elites—Monkey D. Luffy. This one may be of interest: the anime follows Monkey D. Luffy, a cheerful young man with a straw hat who sets off to explore the sea in search of the One Piece and to become Pirate King. Along the way, he laughs, cries, and grows—always with his crew by his side.

4…}The list continued endlessly. And honestly, Ashborn wanted to watch all of them. Since the multiverse was endless, there should be a POV version from every major One Piece character across the multiverse.

"The third one… Do you want to watch it?" Ashborn asked Ember. "This is my favorite anime, and art isn't meant to be kept to oneself—it's meant to be shared."

Ember glared at him—the image of that dragon still burned into her mind… But after a moment, she nodded, sitting far away from him as the episode started.

That distance didn't last. As soon as the Shadow Chef finished preparing a meal truly worthy of the gods, Ember found herself slowly drifting closer.

And the meal? It was divine. The smell alone was something no mortal sense could withstand. Ember's mind nearly snapped trying to process it.

Her mortal body couldn't handle it—she was forced to destroy it, returning to her phoenix form just to survive the experience.

Even then, the food was so high level, so transcendent, that a living embodiment like her could enjoy it. Ashborn called it… conceptual food, since the Phoenix force was a living concept.

She moved to try the food—only for the Shadow Chef to slap her hand away. He threw a death glare, filled with fury that someone would dare attempt to eat before his lord.

"Take on a more human-like form! I will not tolerate such low table manners in the presence of the Lord!" the chef barked, his voice sharp with authority.

The Phoenix Force almost exploded with rage. Since when did she, the embodiment of rebirth and destruction, need manners?

But despite the heat burning behind her eyes, she still shifted into a humanoid form and took a seat at the table, albeit with visible annoyance.

Before her was a feast, a mountain of food so vast it filled the entire table—dishes of every flavor, color, and aroma imaginable.

"Enjoy, my Lord. I have pushed the bag to its absolute limit," the chef said proudly. "This meal was made using only the finest resources the bag could produce, and I've used every ounce of my skill to bring out their maximum potential."

Ashborn gave him a thankful nod, to which the chef bowed deeply before happily returning to the kitchen to clean up.

"I feel a little rude… should I have invited Death to stay?" Ashborn muttered, glancing at the food in front of him.

But the moment he blinked, Death was suddenly sitting right next to him.

"Well, since you offered," Death said with a smile.

Ashborn gave her a blank stare in return. To that, Death responded with an awkward shrug.

"Food this good doesn't exist here. It's worth me being a little shameless. Besides, you called this anime art, and so did that phone of yours. I want to see it for myself."

Ashborn let out a sigh. It would be a sin to deny someone the chance to watch One Piece. And Ashborn had no intention of being a sinner.

There were lines even he wouldn't cross, And forbidding someone from watching One Piece? That was pure evil. Ashborn had watched a lot of art back in his day, Hen… cough, I mean Anime truly stood out.