Chapter 2418

2418 - A Deadly Threat

"Hooo~" Caesar let out an intensely cold breath, then an angry expression spread across his face. "Mortix, no more games. Not after you put me in that bad position in front of my father... A quick visit, then I'll leave."

After those words, Caesar clenched his teeth hard.

[What can you possibly do to help me? Perhaps you should get rid of that trivial soul lurking around you first, then talk to me about helping with something of this magnitude.]

Those cutting words still echoed in Caesar's ears to this day.

At that moment, when his father shouted those words, Caesar didn't understand what he meant. He simply left and walked away, feeling utterly small... He, the *Shield* who had declared he would fight death itself if it came to take his father, was no longer of any use.

But he soon began replaying his memories—all those times he felt uneasy, felt like he wasn't himself, when others told him he was talking to himself...

A soul lurking around him?!

That was possible after his father's words... but he knew nothing about souls, and even his own soul's power was limited.

So Caesar secluded himself that day and did what he usually did... he threatened.

He shouted in anger that if the soul didn't reveal itself, he would ask his father to eradicate it.

And it did appear... Mortix, the Lord of Death.

The one who founded the Necrofortress Galaxy and brought destruction upon himself at the hands of Athena personally, the one believed to have died a thousand deaths tens of millions of years ago… was speaking to him at that moment.

Mortix contacted him directly for the first time, telling him that what lay between them was merely a link and that he did not want that link to be severed.

"What do you want?" Caesar asked roughly.

And Mortix's reply was that he only wanted to try his luck in the Necrofortress Galaxy before the link between them was cut—that was all.

It was clear from the tone of that *innocent* soul that he harbored no good intentions, so Caesar moved at once to seek Morgana's help in getting rid of the soul link, too embarrassed to go ask his father for help after what had happened.

But he stopped when he reached the door of that closed room, and before he stretched his hand toward it…

What happened…

His father had known about the link and had not tried to help him—indeed, he had said nothing at all.

And it was obvious he had not discovered its existence during his conversation with Helen either; he had not been that preoccupied… had he known for a while? … and left him to it?

This had two implications.

Either his father wished him ill and left him to suffer with it… or he wished him well, and this soul would benefit him in some way.

Without hesitation, Caesar went back to sit down that day and asked Mortix for more details.

*Hoo~* Caesar's skin froze and a stifled laugh appeared. "Don't worry, I've seen enough of your father and his entourage, and I don't want problems for my galaxy. Go and try—if you can't, then leave."

*Kssh~* The ice evaporated in the process. "Ugh, try what exactly? To keep saying that word!!"

"……."

"Tsk." Caesar knew that as long as the answer hadn't come yet, it never would.

His connection with Mortix had grown stronger after reaching Sector 666, and it increased more and more the closer he got to the Necrofortress Galaxy. So if he didn't answer his question, he simply didn't want to answer.

So he stood up and returned to the cockpit. "Old Man, any news?"

"What do you think?" The captain pointed forward.

The moment Caesar finished his question and looked through the cracked window, he raised his eyebrows in wonder...

A galaxy.

Not a small, organized one like Nihari—no, a colossal one, bearing hundreds of millions of stars and billions of planets.

"Is this...?" Caesar muttered.

"The Necrofortress Galaxy." The Old Man nodded.

"...From afar, it doesn't look like a stronghold for an endless Undead army." Caesar spoke in a low voice while watching the galaxy's beauty.

"The Law of Death applies to living creatures, not celestial bodies." The Old Man shook his head, "What happens on the surface of those planets and around them does not affect their outward splendor." Then he chuckled, "But you should see the souls of those wretched planets, heehee."

"..." Caesar nodded, "Fine, increase the speed."

"Increase what? Have you lost your mind? I'm not getting anywhere near that place!" The captain waved his hand.

"That wasn't our agreement!" Caesar raised his voice, "I paid you ten million Pearl to take me in this rickety vessel to the Necrofortress Galaxy!"

"You're the one going, not me." The Old Man pointed behind him, "Take the small rescue craft and continue your journey alone." Then he snorted, "If I went to that galaxy every time someone gave me ten million, I'd have died ten million times by now!"

"..." Caesar looked back toward the smaller single-passenger craft and began moving toward it.

"Hey." The captain raised his voice, "...The Law of Death is dense in the Galaxy; the moment you get close, you'll feel it—the planets themselves radiate it around them... Take my advice, stay on the nearby planets for a thousand years; there you'll find low-level Undead. After that, the nearby moons where the density of the Law of Death is higher, then stay on the farthest planet in the first belt for a few millennia before moving to the next planet if you want to become a powerful Undead." Then he spoke in a weaker tone, "If you take that ship straight across the Galaxy... you'll die before you can dock on any planet."

"..." Caesar nodded and continued, "I'll see about that."

*Screech screech screech*

The small ship detached from the Mother Ship and carved its way forward, Caesar barely fitting inside with his legs stretched out, a simple control yoke before him. Its speed was in truth a bit higher, but it wasn't built for long voyages.

"..." The captain watched Caesar as he drifted away, his eyes welling with a hint of sorrow.

He had brought countless people here, but this was the first time he'd brought a promising young man who hadn't yet reached a thousand years of age... a young man whose death was a loss.

"Hmm?" The captain furrowed his brows slightly.

At that moment, the small ship pierced the boundaries of the Galaxy.

"That arrogant scoundrel..."

The captain muttered as he watched the vessel cross the outer belt of the galaxy and advance toward the next one.

"Tsk... He's dead."

Then he sighed, turned away from the vessel, and left... going to fetch another fool.