Even with the Death Sovereign's temperament, her heartbeat quickened slightly when faced with Locke's invitation.
"Inviting me on a journey?"
"Mm. Just as I said before—this kind of happiness, I only want to share it with you."
"Staying here on the Netherworld Mountains, I feel like I can't fully release that joy."
"So, Lilia…"
"If we're traveling, where would you like to go?"
…
"Buzz…"
On the Frostsnow Plane, the planar teleportation array emitted a white glow.
"Hmm?"
Seeing this, Ald immediately felt his heart tighten.
As a plane overseer stationed in a material plane, he naturally knew what this meant.
Someone was arriving through the planar teleportation array.
And it wasn't yet time for his rotation.
Which meant—the one about to appear was definitely someone far beyond his level.
Traveling from a material plane to a Divine Plane or a Higher Plane was free.
But returning from a Divine Plane or Higher Plane to a material plane cost at least trillions of inkstones.
In the Divine Planes and Higher Planes, wealth was essentially equivalent to strength.
Without strength to match, one simply could not protect one's wealth.
Of course, if one possessed immense wealth and deposited it in the Fiend Castle, specifying that in the event of their death the funds would be used to hire high-ranking Fiends for vengeance, that could deter some would-be attackers.
But if the wealth was too tempting, there would always be those willing to take risks and challenge the authority of the Fiend Castle.
Though such people inevitably met their end at the hands of high-ranking Fiends, the wealthy victims could never be brought back.
After such incidents occurred a few times, merchants learned their lesson.
They only earned wealth within the limits of what their strength could safely protect.
Anyone capable of spending trillions of inkstones to enter a material plane was far beyond what a mere God like Ald could provoke.
Immediately, Ald lowered his head and stood respectfully, awaiting the arrival.
The white light faded, revealing a man and a woman within the teleportation array.
"Ald, subordinate of the Snowfall Sovereign Legion, greets the two lords."
"Oh? A subordinate of Snowfall?"
At Ald's greeting, Lilia raised an eyebrow and glanced at Locke.
"Not surprising," Locke said with a smile. "Back then, this plane was under Celes' jurisdiction."
"At that time, Celes was still a captain under Snowfall's legion."
"To conceal the truth of this plane, Celes even imprisoned the overseer originally assigned here by Snowfall."
"I wonder whether he released that overseer before leaving."
Ald's heart skipped a beat.
From the conversation of these two, he seemed to have learned something extraordinary.
When he had come here to take over the position, he had only been told that the previous overseer had died.
After arriving on the Frostsnow Plane, he had discovered that there were actually Highgods here.
Highgods—figures of considerable standing even in Divine Planes and Higher Planes.
And yet such people remained in a material plane?
Fortunately, since they were all under a Sovereign's command, that Highgod had not interfered with his duties.
Ignoring Ald entirely, Locke sighed to Lilia, "Still, Lilia, I thought you'd choose the Life Divine Plane as our first destination. I didn't expect you to choose the Frostsnow Plane."
"Ah… I was just thinking—this time, I want to walk the paths you once walked, together with you."
Locke fell silent, then tightened his grip on her hand.
"Then… I'll leave it to you, Lilia."
…
That day, Locke extended his hand to the Death Sovereign.
And she placed hers in his.
Everything followed naturally.
What surprised Locke, however, was that for their first stop, Lilia chose the Frostsnow Plane.
Since they were entering a material plane, neither of them used their Sovereign clones.
What arrived here was Locke's true body—and Lilia's Water divine clone.
With a flicker, the two appeared in a mountain hollow.
"Here, Lilia… this is where I was born in this world."
Looking at the lush greenery around them, Locke's thoughts shifted.
Instantly, the scenery distorted—like seas turning to fields, time reversing itself.
The surrounding images stabilized into a small village with curling smoke rising from its chimneys.
A dozen households. Over eighty people.
A group of young men trained in an open space, while teenagers followed along behind them.
Further back, children of four or five played and laughed.
Even though Lilia had never seen Locke as a child, the moment he appeared, she recognized him instantly.
It couldn't be helped—compared to the other children, Locke's gaze was far too distinctive.
He wasn't playing.
Instead, he watched the adults training, mimicking their movements.
Even when the strain made his eyes twitch with pain, he never gave up.
This continued for nearly two years.
Then one day, a mage in robes arrived at Puer Village, escorted by two warriors.
Though Celes had been dissatisfied with Snowfall and secretly siphoned faith power, he still didn't dare neglect the tasks assigned by the Sovereign.
Every few years, the Frostsnow Empire conducted nationwide tests.
Children with water-element affinity were sent to the imperial academy.
This time, Locke was among them.
After bidding farewell to his parents and younger brother, he left the village.
Lilia and Locke followed the younger Locke's journey—
Entering the academy, training, graduating, joining the Fifth Legion of the Snowfall Legion…
The legion's destruction, the pursuit by the Radiant Church's knights, his counterattacks…
Breaking through to the Saint rank in the mountains, being discovered by Celes, becoming the new legion commander, rising as a Grand Duke…
Finally, the two returned to where Puer Village once stood.
This time, Locke did not alter the present.
Instead, he brought Lilia to his parents' graves.
"The greatest regret of my life… is that I wasn't there at the end for them."
Water condensed in his hand into a sickle, and he bent down, clearing the weeds.
As he worked, he said softly, "I once asked them—if I could bring them back after death, would they want to live again?"
"But they felt their lives had already been fulfilled."
"They met each other, had me and Cole, and saw the continuation of the family."
"They said… if they lived again, they wouldn't even know what to pursue."
"They might not even remain themselves."
"Better to end things as they were—with no regrets."
"Perhaps… I was influenced by them."
"After becoming a god, because I chose to cultivate externally, splitting my soul, my progress stagnated."
"So, I decided to leave—to go to the Infernal Realm."
Lilia said nothing, simply helping him clear the graves.
In the Netherworld, she tried to use the Heart of the Netherworld to locate his parents' souls.
But unlike when she found Cole, there was no trace of them.
After millions of years, they had long since returned to dust.
She glanced at Locke but said nothing.
Perhaps… he already knew.
After all, his father had only been a sixth-rank warrior, and his mother an ordinary mortal.
The chances of surviving in the Netherworld were negligible.
Perhaps he chose not to ask—so he could still hold onto a faint hope.
That they might, like Cole, have risen to the top of the undead world.
With hands clasped, Locke closed his eyes in silent prayer.
Then he turned to her.
"Lilia, next… do you want to stay here a while longer, or go to the Infernal Realm?"
She shook her head.
"To the Infernal Realm."
"I came here only to walk your past with you."
"As for places you've never been… I'm not interested."
"Alright."
…
Back at the teleportation array, Ald stood respectfully.
Only after Locke and Lilia vanished did he exhale and leave.
He had considered reporting what he'd overheard.
But the way those two had ignored him made one thing clear—
They didn't care.
Even if he reported it, it wouldn't matter.
What truly terrified him was something else.
When they spoke of Snowfall, there had been no reverence at all.
The woman had even called the Sovereign by name.
Such beings… were far beyond what a mere God like him could offend.
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