"Hey..."
As the the world sizzled and the heat plummeted, the Emperor’s voice surged. He turned back to look at the silent Lazarus, a brow rising discernibly.
"Did you burn the scene into your eyes?"
"Yes, Ancient Sun Emperor. I—"
"Lies!" At this point, the Emperor’s face contorted into that of rage. "If you had done that, you would have been assimilated already. The fact that you’re standing before me proves that isn’t the case. Do you take me for a fool or what?!"
’Dude... If you knew that, why would you want me to look?’ Lazarus wanted to lampoon, but he held back his thoughts and sighed.
"Yes, I lied."
"Your insolence truly knows no bounds. Not only did you dare tell me what to do, but you even disobeyed my express command. You also had the audacity to lie to me. You’ve committed three sins which I greatly in this brief moment which I have come to know you. I was only planning on punishing you lightly, but now I’ve changed my mind."
’What light punishment? None of your punishments are ever light. Also, if I had not disobeyed you, I would already be assimilated. How would you have punished me then?’
Even when faced with the overwhelming might of this Emperor, Lazarus remained calm.
"You deserve execution!"
’So that’s how it is...’ Lazarus sighed once again, instantly snapping his fingers while hurriedly whispering, "The Supreme Desecrator of Heaven and Earth."
"W-wha—?"
The moment Lazarus’ voice settled in the air, he returned to his Celestial Domain.
Naturally, this caused his Historical Projection to turn lifeless, almost as though it were a marionette frozen in time.
"Whew!" Lazarus quickly sat on his exquisite chair and rested his elbows on the desk.
He quickly conjured the Door of Light and saw himself and the Historical Projection of Altreius who stood right in front of him. It looked like The Ancient Sun Emperor was about to strike him down where he stood.
Fortunately, the man in golden armor was now lifeless.
After using his two hands to prop up his head, he proceeded to rub his palms on his face, almost as if he were exasperated or filled with overwhelming emotions.
"It actually worked..."
Back then, although he projected a calm exterior, the situation was a lot more frightening than he actually realized.
The reason Lazarus was able to remain calm was simply because he didn’t remember.
He truly couldn’t comprehend how frightening Altreius was!
’He would have loped my head off without an ounce of hesitation. That guy’s personality is that problematic...’ Lazarus shuddered as his concealed memories began to return. ’If he weren’t so strong, I wouldn’t have used him so much in my past life.’
Without giving himself to bask in his comfort, Lazarus canceled the summoning of the two Historical Projections in the world.
One of them was The Ancient Sun Emperor Altreius, but the other was Shadow Self.
The latter was a unique Historical Projection that could separate a Nameless Entity from those it had possessed. As long as the connection was unstable, or the Nameless Entity hadn’t gained Full Control of the host, the Shadow Self could split the two.
’Unfortunately, it has very low durability and has almost no combat abilities. It can only affect shadows, which makes it largely ineffective in high-level combat.’ Lazarus sighed as he went over his corresponding memories.
Apart from this flaw, the Shadow Self could only separate Nameless Entities of Rank 5 and below. Once the Nameless Entity became an Abomination, separation was practically impossible.
Such a bond was essentially impossible to break.
’Back then, I researched this Shadow Self in order to save my best friend. But before I could summon it, the corruption had completely spread. It was impossible to separate the Nameless Entity at that point, and I had no choice but to kill him. The Nameless Entity was only a Corruption and not even a Sin, yet I couldn’t save him back then...’ When Lazarus recalled the past, his expression turned solemn.
He felt a sudden ache in his heart, and his head throbbed slightly.
His spirit dissipated slightly.
Then, he quickly shook his head and muttered, "Now isn’t the time to wallow in the past. First, I should recall all my old memories and find a way to deal with the aftermath of the battle."
Upon thinking this, Lazarus summoned the thick and expensive-looking book from one of the countless shelves in front of him and had it open up before him. Once the texts appeared in his eyes, he relived his past life in an instant.
Eventually, the lights faded, and a new expression formed on Lazarus’ face.
It was a lot more mature.
’It all went according to plan. Back then, I summoned two Historical Projections. I let the Shadow Self hide while causing Altreius to serve as the main diversion. While this happened, I also caused the Fog of Forgetfulness to descend from the Celestial Library, using its power to conceal the Aspirants within the hall. Not only did the rest of us forget about them while the battle ensued, but none of them will remember what happened in the hall.’
This was his way to protect the Aspirants.
As a Historian, his duty was to shield humanity from corruption. That included all of the young sprouts, even if they had sneered at his poor talent and mocked him for it.
Some of these young ones would become future Historians who would protect the world.
For that reason alone, they were worth preserving.
No... even without that fact.
’Even if none of them will be of any use as Historians... they are still part of this world. They will make up history and serve as a foundation for our continued existence. Thus, all life is precious, even if some are more precious than others.’
This had always been Lazarus’ philosophy, and he exemplified it in the fight.
Not only were the civilians protected, but rather than simply eliminating the threat of the Nameless Sin, he sought to save the Professor Historian.
It would have been easier to simply let Altreius bombard Sir Winston with his power.
The Nameless Sin wouldn’t be able to last a single second if The Ancient Sun Emperor showed his true power. However, killing the host meant that a Rank 5 Historian would be lost to the world, one who could save many lives and fight back the dangers of the Unknown.
It would simply be too much of a waste.
Thus, Lazarus made the choice to save him by scheming a little.
He would let the Ancient Sun Emperor take up most of the Nameless Sin’s attention while the shadow sneaked closer. Once the Ancient Sun Emperor managed to stun his opponent, and he was sure that the Nameless Entity couldn’t resist for a moment, he would command the Shadow Self to complete the task.
Then, Altreius would conclude the job.
Of course, Lazarus knew that this act would greatly offend the Ancient Sun Emperor.
After all, he would be interrupting this great figure’s battle.
Such an act would warrant aggression.
But Lazarus didn’t care about that at the moment.
Time was running out, and he needed a quick solution to the problem. The easiest one appeared before his eyes, so he chose it.
’Besides, it’s not like Altreius is the only Historical Projection I can summon. He’s really useful in these kinds of matters, but I have other cards I can play.’ Once Lazarus thought about this, he nodded silently and decided not to summon this problematic character again for the foreseeable future.
This was for his safety and for the safety of those around him.
Lazarus returned his gaze to the Door of Light and began to observe the real world.
’Hmm, now that I’m back here, it seems Sir Winston only has the aura of a Professor. His true rank is one degree lesser. He is an Enlightened, but he is on the verge of reaching Professor status.’ As he thought about this, Lazarus realized that he could better sense the connection between the Historian and his door of light.
Not only that, the range he possessed had increased to 600 meters.
’Oh? Has my Integration increased?’ He focused on his motionless body beyond the gateway and realized that his guess was actually correct.
His Integration Level had risen considerably within the past few minutes.
’I’m now Sub-Integrated at 5 Percent!’