Death... and me
chapter-2519

?"A prison?" Kentucky was surprised to hear that.

Aelrie agreed with Rean there. "Yes, Rean is probably right. Otherwise, why would I be barred from leaving through the Altar? If I'm truly a copy... of my original self... that means I'm connected to whatever created me. And this thing that created me is most likely unable to leave this place. The only choice is dying... although I don't know how this system works."

Kentucky thought about it for a moment and asked. "Rean, what do we do, then? Should we leave and come back with Roan?"

Aelrie's body trembled a little after hearing that. "Are you leaving me here?"

Kentucky looked at her. "You already died once, didn't you? The Light Beast said that the second time he killed the Angels, they were all the same. He didn't feel any difference between the second or tenth time he killed the same angel. Doesn't that mean you can simply die and still be this yourself at the moment outside?"

Yet, Rean denied that idea. "No, it is different, Kentucky. Because her Soul and Body were already copied once, and especially because she seems to be under this Dimensional Realm's control, creating a new perfect copy of the previous copy is easy. If she dies now, what will appear outside is a perfect copy of a copy. This Aelrie you are seeing now will cease to exist."

Aelrie agreed with Rean. "Don't force me to do such a thing, please. Although I have memories of my real body and soul's first death, that was not really my death. This time, I know I'm truly done for, and just a copy of me will take my place outside."

Kentucky narrowed his eyes. "Well, you don't need to die. You just need to go to the initial areas od the Dimensional Realm and stay there. There aren't any Light Beasts capable of killing someone of your level in that place. Meanwhile, Rean and I will go back to the Realm of Gods and fetch Roan. How about that? Also, we can go back to your Holamenor Clan and tell Waremis and Spiegel about everything we discovered."

Rean had to admit Kentucky's idea was plausible. "Seems like a good idea."

Suddenly, Aelrie kneeled on the ground. "Please, don't leave me alone here. I was already controlled once when I got close to the Altar. What if this Dimensional Realm notices something wrong with me and takes control of my body again. Above all, what if it wipes my memory of these events? I... I don't want to experience that."

Rean scratched the back of his head. Truth be told, he didn't want to stay in this place for much longer since he was pretty sure a Universe Foundation Fragment was involved. Without Roan nearby to open the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm, acquiring that fragment would be quite difficulty. Above all, the lack of access to the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm prevented Rean from using his sure-fire escaping method, the Circuitry Teleport Formation.

'Should I send Kentucky alone? No, we need Aelrie if we want to go back to the Realm of Gods. If we tell Waremis and Spiegel about what happened here, I doubt they will simply let us go back to the Realm of Gods, either. Should I use Sister Orb to tell Roan to come by himself then? However, he is busy with the Absorption Laws Pill. Stopping him now would delay our plans considerably...'

Rean's idea was to go back to the Realm of Gods, wait for Roan to finish all the Law Pills, and only then come back to investigate the Azum Dimensional Realm further. That also means they would only return to this place years later. 'The other choice is to continue to investigate and find a way out for Aelrie that doesn't involve getting her killed and swapped for another copy.'

Logic told Rean he should simply ignore Aelrie and leave with Kentucky. Yet, Rean was anything but logical when it came to such matters.

It was at that moment that Roan's voice echoed in Rean's mind. 'Stop wasting time and leave this shit Dimensional Realm.'

Obviously, it was Sister Orb who was acting as a bridge for Rean and Roan to talk from such a great distance. 'What? Did Sister Orb tell you?'

'Who else?' Roan asked back while he worked on the pill with the Cedars. 'Aelrie is just one angel, one! However, if things go south and you die, then she wouldn't be the only one to die. This entire Universe will be done for instead. Now, go find a fucking Altar and leave this shit place. We can come back to investigate and get the fragment once we have access to the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm.'

Rean looked at the kneeled Aelrie and struggled to make a decision. However, it was Kentucky who talked first. "Rean, you go back. I'll stay here with Aelrie until you bring Roan with you."

Rean was taken aback. "You? Staying behind? You were the one who wanted to leave this place the most."

Kentucky obviously knew that. "I still want! But... I can't simply leave this girl behind. How can I call myself the Great Kentucky, the dream of all women, if I can't even protect a little girl? I'll be letting all my fans down."

Rean's mouth twitched. Not because of Kentucky's self-given title but because Rean knew part of it was true. Even up to this day, Kentucky still had a lot of success with all women. In the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm, there was even a club of Kentucky's fans. It's just that Kentucky had been like that for so long that Rean even forgot about it.

Yet, in the end, Rean laughed out loud. "If even a narcissist bird can put his ass on the line, how can I not? Alright, we will continue this investigation. Roan can come to the Angel Realm once he is done in the Realm of Gods."

To Rean's surprise, Roan didn't complain. 'Took you long enough.'

'Eh?' Rean didn't expect that. 'You knew I would do that?'

Roan snorted. 'Hmph! How long have I known your ass-like personality? Now, don't bother me unless you are dying. I'll come later.'