King stood up and dusted himself off. "Huh! Fine, but don't blame me for not holding back! Everyone, get out of our fighting range. Nobody should step in till it's over, for your own safety."
Lord snorted, "Hmph! I too don't want to hurt these lowly creatures and stain myself. But, King, I have a question."
Everyone rushed to get out of the way. King's gaze shifted past Lord as he asked, "What is your question? Ask me!"
Lord laughed. "You made a mistake!"
King sighed. "Holding back against you? Mr. Pride's pride's pride..."
Lord shook his head. "No! That is pointless, because it won't make any difference! Either way, you die. It's just that you shouldn't have meddled with this Lord! That is your mistake. If you hadn't, at least you could have lived."
King's pupils shrank to the size of needles. Such pride and ego—he never could have believed such a person existed before seeing Lord.
He smirked. "Finally, time to suppress your pride! Hehe, you have heard this King is a righteous hero, right? But for guys like you, kindness isn't necessary. I tried to forgive your actions, but you have crossed your limits."
Lord was snoring. King smiled gently. "It would be lovely to see that pride of yours crumble, Lord!"
The purple halo thought, *King! Lord! Damn it, I can't even decide between these two. Lord is indeed powerful, but King... his legacy, which was removed from history! I know it... Lord shouldn't have messed with King. But it's too late! Even Lord himself can't convince him anymore, and if I say this, he will become more eager to fight. Sigh!*
After the people had all cleared out, Lord woke up from his sleep and yawned. "Okay, attack me first. If you can even think of attacking me once, you win!"
King was ready to launch an attack, but he froze. *Thinking of attacking him? I win? I have never met such a foe in my life...*
"HAHAHA! And you will never meet one either, because only Lord can be such a foe! No! You are not worthy to even be my foe. No, you are too worthless to even think of me as your foe."
The purple halo glowed brighter and brighter as it felt power surging through rapidly.
Pride Crystal thought, *At this rate, it will be no wonder if I beat Fate Crystal!*
King stood tall and waved his hands. "I will leave myself wide open, let my guard down, and never use any moves or cosmic energy. If you can... try making a scratch, Lord!"
Lord's rage exploded like a volcano. "Ah! You cocky bastard, don't blame me if you die! Blame yourself for being weak!"
The other aliens gazed at the scene from far away, discussing it among themselves.
"I have seen this in movies! Lord is going to be crushed now, hehe! I bet my life savings and all my assets."
"No! I bet everything I have, and I'll also take out a loan and bet everything I can! Haha, easiest gamble of my life!"
Lord could hear them even from that far away. He snorted coldly. "Lowly creatures! Thank my pride for keeping you alive."
King replied coldly, "Stop your LARP and attack me, fool!"
Lord flew closer to King and snapped his fingers. A huge blast destroyed the entire surroundings, blinding everyone with a purple radiance.
The people who had placed bets earlier said, "Uhm! I think I have to change my bet, guys! Sorry, no bet!"
When the flash cleared... nothing had happened to King.
King was standing with elegance, but Lord was kneeling on the ground, drawing his last breath.
"KING! KING! KING!" Cheers erupted for destiny's heavenly king from everyone.
Pride Crystal retreated. *Oh no! This King...*
However, King had a pale expression. He fell to the ground, slowly slipping into unconsciousness. He pointed his finger upward and said, "Everyone, run!"
Pride Crystal looked up to see a breathtakingly beautiful girl. She was young and pretty, glowing in a pink light, with a faint smile and pearl-like eyes. She was a human, and her long hair fluttered in the wind.
Instead of running, everybody started gazing at her appearance, completely dazed.
King muttered, "Tsk! Damn it... Seven Deadly Sins: Lust!" before collapsing.
Pride Crystal rushed to escape the place, grabbing Lord as he flew away.
Suddenly, the girl appeared right before him. "Oh my! Where are you going, Mr. Purple? I love you!"
Pride Crystal was caught off guard and dropped Lord. Lord fell and hit the ground, his massive size returning as he covered almost the entire planet.
The girl placed her hands over Pride Crystal and asked, "Am I pretty?"
Pride Crystal thought, *Damn it! I thought humans were the worst species, but I guess only the males are!* It replied, "Not pretty! But... Ah! I can't even put it into words, they are stuck in my throat!"
She pulled out a hairpin. "Here you go, put it in my hair!" She gave a gentle smile.
It grabbed the pin, but she suddenly snatched it back and used it to penetrate Pride Crystal. It shattered instantly, having let its guard down.
"LOVE CRYSTAL! YOU—"
She smirked. "Lucan! My dear, I am coming for you! I want to see your reaction. Looks like I am good enough now! Hahaha, darling!"
She landed, grabbed King's body, and revived him. He felt energy restoring within his body.
He opened his eyes to see her. She placed her fingers over his lips and said, "I am not Lust! Huh, stupid brat! She is... ugh! I hate her!"
King replied, "Really? Then..."
She sat beside him and sighed. "She is my main enemy! The one I want to kill the most!"
King asked, "Why did you attack us then? I don't feel like I can trust you!"
Celestia said, "Huh! Well, you see, this Pride guy shouldn't be kept alive. If you let him live, one day he would surpass all of us and just create chaos everywhere for everybody! So I—"
King hesitated. "But... killing him is not..."
"—THE ONLY OPTION? You say... King, I know your personality, but the one I fear the most is Pride Crystal. He can surpass Fate Crystal itself! If Lord developed further, Pride Crystal would absolutely make Lord his puppet, and the entire solar system would collapse!"
King asked, "Okay, I agree with all of this! But why do you want to save it, though? What is your reason?"
Celestia raised her brows. "Hehe! It is because, as you know, we crystals love our own unique feelings! And I am Love Crystal! I can't see hate spread over love. Everybody in this world deserves love—even you, King... even Lucan... even Lord... even Pride Crystal... even Fate... and lastly, even I deserve it."
She grinned widely. King felt a warm fire lighting up his heart. He asked, "Then what about the Kaol Noah incident?"
She sighed. "He actually had a fake love, but that is not the main reason. It's because Life, Death, and Fate Crystal see him as their pawn. I shouldn't interfere with him for my own safety! And about Org 690... I am sorry, she was already dead when I met her at the organization."
King saw her expression change every time she explained her reasoning. At last, she even teared up, and King felt water droplets form in his own eyes.
He rubbed them and asked, "What are these?"
Celestia replied, "You know, humans are the best species! Hehe, I am selfish in my own opinion, but you're free to decide yours. It's because they are the ones who have emotions and feelings much higher than all of you aliens! I wish they weren't a C-tier species!"
King sighed. "Ah! I lost my composure. Damn it! Why am I not being myself?"
Celestia replied, "It is because you are not truly that righteous. You are forcing yourself to act like that. In reality, you have a different face... or a different personality. Are you forcing yourself to act like this, King?"
King was stunned. "But... how could you find that out so easily? Not even the Sage could find it!"
She patted him. "Haha! Your face shows it clearly. It's easy to find out everything by seeing your emotions! Well, King, I am amazed at you. You were able to be so precise in your acting! May I know the truth beyond it?"