Chapter: 18, Conflict against Harem
Mark looked at the way the footsteps came from and met with Effie and Kai.
Effie looked at him with a teasing smile and said "Hey, husband~. You seem to wake up. Do you have enough stamina? Or are you gonna pass out again?" She said the 'stamina' part with a seductive tone.
Kai beside her face palmed herself and pulling her collar from the back said "Effie, can you stop teasing him? He just woke up; let him rest, will you?"
Mark didn't take it to heart and asked "Where are sunny and the others?'
Both of them looked at him and led him towards the others.
After a bit of walking, the three of them entered the place where Mark killed the abomination to get the Shard memory. They saw Sunny, Nephis, Cassie and surprisingly to Mark, Seishan. They were surrounding another bonfire and cooking some meat from the creatures they hunted before.
Sunny and Nephis looked at them and with a smile; Sunny invited them to eat since the food will be ready in a bit.
Mark walked ahead and sat beside the bonfire, staying silent the entire time they ate.
After they all finished eating, an awkward silence fell among them. Most of them were still getting accustomed to their new situation while Sunny was clinging to Mark like a koala to a tree.
Eventually, Mark broke the silence and rid them of the awkwardness by asking Sunny "Sunny, can you tell me how I died in your previous life?"
Sunny stayed silent, tightening her grip on his hand before repeating the things she said to Nephis and Cassie half a year ago.
After hearing the entire story, Mark went silent. The future was something he wouldn't have done. He would've let the story stay the way it was going and entered the gate with the others. One thing he understood, that wasn't him.
It was Mark, the original owner of the body his soul is staying in.
That mark's aspect and his current aspect are definitely completely different, albeit a bit similar, because their flaw is a bit different.
That Mark's flaw affected both him and others; in contrast, Mark's current flaw only works on others and there was no mention of it affecting both parties.
But why did he take the place of that mark? He decided to ask the system later.
Sunny again added "That's why I decided to give you everything and the reason why we will protect you and send you through the gate first."
"What do you mean? You guys are going back to the Dark City and I am going to the Crimson spire to clear all the Nightmare Creatures in it. You guys will bring one or two sacrifices to keep the Spire standing." Mark clarified.
Everyone looked at him with shock clearly written on their face. What did he say? He's going to conquer the Crimson spire Alone. According to what Sunny told them on their way, the corruption in the world has intensified, making all the nightmare creatures twice as strong as before.
The Spire guardian, who was a Fallen Terror before, might have already become a Corrupted creature now. And here Mark was saying he will conquer the Crimson spire, which might already have more corrupted and fallen creatures than before, alone.
"What do you mean by 'clear all the nightmare creatures'? Are you Crazy?" Sunny shouted. She had let him die before, but now she can't; he didn't specify it but everyone understood Mark planned to go there alone.
Mark looked at her eyes and said calmly "I am not crazy. But I am strong enough to clear it."
All of them turned silent. They couldn't understand where he got his confidence from. Even if all of them go together to conquer the Crimson Spire, they wouldn't be so sure about it.
"Are you being serious? You heard her, right? Even I, as the strongest, was only able to defeat it by risking my life. That's a Fallen Terror; even an Ascended warrior might not be able to defeat it let alone a mere Dreamer." Nephis said from the side, her eyes locking on Mark.
He shrugged and replied "So, what? I am stronger than you"
Nephis turned silent after hearing his bold declaration.
Cassie from the side chimed in "You know that even if the future changes, not everything can be changed. You weren't in the divination I received, and the battle went as we had planned. You never had any role in that glimpse of the future."
"Fate and future are meant to be broken if it isn't satisfactory to you." He countered.
Cassie turned silent, deep down she herself believed in this ideology. So, she can't refute his words.
Kai, who was silent, spoke with a grim face. "Girls… he wasn't lying when he said he is stronger than Nephis."
Everyone looked at her with a horrified look, realizing the gravity of her words. Meanwhile, Mark looked at her with a bright smile on his face.
"So, it is confirmed that I am stronger than every one of you, so listen to my words and follow my plan." He said, not losing his smile.
"So what if you're stronger than her? In this life, I am stronger than her as well, can you defeat me?" Sunny still wanted to argue. She loved him, so she couldn't let him face danger that might lead to his death.
Mark looked at her and said calmly "Yes, I am stronger than you. In fact, I alone am stronger than every Sleeper in the Dark City present combined."
Everyone turned to Kai, desperate for an answer. To their disbelief, Kai confirmed the doubt with "Yes, it's true."
Sunny stood there, stunned. Unable to believe that, the person who died in the dream realm, was stronger than her with a second chance.
"How about this, all of you have a duel against me together. If I can defeat you, you all listen to me without arguing. But if I lose, I will listen to you and stay silently in a corner out of any conflict."
As his voice rang through the open cave area, Sunny's eyes brightened, seeing a hope of keeping him away from this mess.
To be continued…