Divine Emperor of Death

"To know your true origin, you must see Myria's memories, but I doubt she has such memories since this reincarnation process is undertaken subconsciously."

The World Master sighed and continued, "That's why it is nothing but my hypothesis, but I'm fairly confident that I'm right."

"…"

Davis and Myria nodded, waiting for her to continue as a few seconds passed.

After ten seconds, the World Master finally opened her mouth.

"In the ninth incarnation, you two witnessed how the wisp erratically receded only to be born again, right?"

"Mhm." Myria nodded lightly, "That was Leafa, my ninth incarnation. I still remember her lovely voice and aura."

"Wrong."

"What?"

Myria narrowed her eyes, turning confused. She might've forgotten many incarnations, but the first twenty or thirty lives were still vivid to her. How could she be mistaken?

"I, too, thought that your ninth incarnation was Leafa until I noticed that wasn't the case. See this-"

World Master waved her hand and brought the projection back again, displaying the scene where the wisp of the new soul regresses all the way until it disappears before it expands.

"This phenomenon happened at the ninth incarnation cycle for the first time. At that time, I didn't take notice because it seemed like it regressed to a point and expanded, but I now understand that is not the case. It regresses to a point and dies, and then, a new one takes its place, the tenth incarnation…"

"…"

Myria stared at the World Master before her eyes widened lightly, "So you're saying Leafa is my tenth incarnation?"

"That's right."

Myria quickly shook her head, "But as you have shown us, this same phenomenon happened in the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth incarnation, and so on. It's not like every odd-number incarnation after the ninth incarnation died, right? That would totally mess up the birth numbers I have in my head for my incarnations."

"That's wrong. The incarnations I displayed after the ninth incarnation were the eighteenth, twenty-seventh, thirty-sixth, forty-fifth incarnation, and so on and so forth."

"Every ninth incarnation dies?" Davis raised his brows.

"You are correct."

The World Master nodded at him before returning her gaze to the confused Myria.

"I presume the reason it dies is because it's incompatible with your soul. As I said, I didn't really notice it and monitored you until your ninetieth- no, ninety-first incarnation, no longer paying attention to you because I had already achieved what I set out to accomplish: creating Lunaria. Therefore, I don't know what happened to the rest of your incarnations."

The World Master took some steps toward them, finally coming to a stop and standing in front of Davis.

"I thought… really thought how you could just appear from nowhere into my universe, and then it clicked. I was finally able to understand the reason why Lunaria's twin died upon birth…"

The World Master glanced at Myria, walking to her side and gazing at her black eyes.

"Myria is a woman, so every one of her incarnations would naturally bring a yin soul. I thought it was natural and couldn't be any more obvious, but I couldn't be any wrong."

"That's because, at the height of the ninth cycle, that yin energy reaches its peak and transforms into yang. Every ninth incarnation is a yang soul division, but it dies due to incompatibility. This also made sense with how Lunaria's twin died upon birth since the twin wasn't a man. However, something changed when the Eternal Life Soul's cycles reached their utmost peak, even forming a complicated connection with the reincarnation cycle, which allowed one yang soul to finally conceptualize."

"…"

The World Master turned to look at Davis, raising her hand to point at him.

"Davis Loret, you are Myria's nine hundred and ninety-ninth incarnation, right before Ellia, who is possibly Myria's thousandth incarnation."

"…"

Davis and Myria stared at the World Master deeply, failing to react.

"Pfft…" However, Davis burst out laughing.

He quickly closed his mouth and tried to suppress his laughter, "Excuse me. Your hypothesis was so far-fetched and funny that I couldn't control myself. After all, you couldn't possibly be stating I'm Myria's son."

"That's what I said."

The World Master nodded before she lowered her hand and walked back.

"…"

Davis and Myria's expression sank. What they just heard was too ridiculous for them to believe, but they couldn't throw away a wise woman's words either, especially when that woman created a freaking universe by herself!

"Look," Davis raised his hand, sighing lightly, "I agree that there are many coincidences, but what makes you think I'm Myria's incarnation and not an entity in the Reincarnation Cycle? For all you know, I could be the Death Supreme or Life Supreme…"

He smiled with smugness as though envisioning a grand origin, but the World Master remained calm.

She looked at the projections of the Candidacy, not appearing to be bothered much. Regardless, her voice still echoed.

"I'll ask you the same thing. Excluding the things I said, what makes you think the fact you obtained the Grimoire of Fate and usurped it from Myria when it was meant for her... are coincidences?"

"What makes you think that when you two tried to become one through dual cultivation, your souls sought to devour each other in order to turn into one united soul?"

"Don't you think the yang was trying to return to its source to complete the Eternal Life Soul's final cycle?"

"…"

Davis and Myria shuddered ever so lightly with each question the World Master asked. Before they could say anything, she turned around and, perhaps, smiled.

"I apologize. You didn't usurp the Grimoire of Fate. You two are essentially the same person, after all. The fact that Myria can summon the Grimoire of Fate as much as you also support my conjecture."

"…!" Davis raised his hand like he was struck by a bolt of lightning.

"Enough… you don't have any evidence other than- Myria, don't listen to her."

He abruptly noticed Myria's hand trying to leave his grasp, causing him to hold her firmly and urge her.

Myria appeared shaken. She looked at him- no, she tried to avert her gaze as though not knowing how to look at him anymore.

Davis clenched his teeth.

If this was true, then it would mean that they had committed what his friend Alexi Ethren did.

To a prim and proper woman, a Saintess like Myria, he couldn't imagine what kind of denial or moral collapse she was going through right now. He tried to calm her down, but the World Master's voice resounded once again.

"Well, this is nothing by my hypothesis, so you indeed don't need to listen to me. To know your true origin— you should check Myria's past or your own. If it's the Grimoire of Fate, perhaps it will let you see what happened in the reincarnation cycle during the nine hundred and ninety-ninth incarnation."

"…"

Her words made Myria raise her head and look at Davis as though she clung to that last hope of accessing Fallen Heaven in order to look at the past and make sure that Davis really was not from her soul.

"World Master! What is the point of saying all this!?"

Davis could no longer bear this and yelled out, truly becoming angry. If this was a prank, then it truly went beyond funny and became offensive.

"Point? This relates to the two of your future. Could it be that you would rather go on without finding out who you two were until death? On the other hand, I'm rather happy that you are not someone I have to end. With this… I can finally let go."

The World Master's voice was relaxed and even melodious when she turned around and looked at the projection.

"…"

Davis was angered, but he was stunned as he saw the World Master's back. It was as though she finally accepted her fate, making him blink, but he clenched his teeth, not bothered about it, as he turned to look at Myria.

Looking at her complicated expression and speechless lips, he knew he had to bring a conclusion to this confusion brought about by World Master's words, so he sighed and firmly grabbed both her hands.

"Fine. We'll see what my origins are through you."

"…"

Myria pursed her lips, looking worried, but she nodded.

The two of them closed their eyes as Davis used Fallen Heaven.