Lord laughed, "Fate Crystal? Yes! He was the one who made me turn out like this! Hahaha, actually, I take it as a compliment.
Even fate was afraid of my existence and wanted to erase me! Good, haha! Fate, I appreciate your bravery.
But remember, I am Lord! Literally nobody can defeat me. Not even if I wanted to lose—I would still win!
I am Lord! Remember that."
Fate Crystal was flabbergasted. In this much pain... he still focuses on his pride! Life Crystal's perfect creation.
"A pity, you must die for my sake!"
Both of them endured it, but the pain was never-ceasing; it continued to increase! Lord went silent now.
Fate was trembling and shaking heavily, clenching tightly as he endured it!
Lord wanted to scream out loud! But he thought of it as a disgrace to himself and his pride.
But how long could he hold on? In the end, he was also a living being who felt pain! He screamed loudly, failing to endure it.
Fate noticed it and felt glad about his earlier precaution. Fate! Oh fate, my past self really made the right decision!
The cosmos treats every being and thing the same, so being a mortal or an immortal wouldn't change the pain they were facing.
Long before...
In Fate's domain, Life Crystal, Death Crystal, and Fate Crystal were all present.
Fate was floating above with a golden light. Only his voice could be heard; his real appearance was unknown to anyone.
Life Crystal heard him state his decision and was stunned.
Death Crystal was shocked! He went speechless after hearing Fate's words.
Life Crystal frowned, "Fate, no! Why are you attempting that? It's literally suicide."
Death Crystal nodded, "Fate... this is simply an unnecessary risk! And this risk provides you no gain! Why are you even... trying this?!"
Fate's voice was calm and soothing, yet it possessed a royal and authoritative tone.
The voice echoed throughout the domain, creating a golden, dazzling brilliance.
"Life, Death, according to all possible future scenarios, there is one possibility where I will face the enmity of the cosmos—forced to endure and bear all the pain by myself! If I can't, I will die..."
Life Crystal asked, "But... it's only one possibility. How will it occur? There are countless other scenarios where you won't face it..."
Fate gave a warm laugh, "Life... thanks for your concern, but as the Fate Crystal, my role is to pull the strings of fate. I can't slack off due to one tiny mishap. I shall never ignore any threats and must prepare myself! Just wait for me to return..."
As the voice disappeared into nothingness...
Life Crystal muttered, "Being Fate is not an easy task, bro... meanwhile, the rest of us crystals slack off... Fate is desperately trying to do everything he can! We mustn't stay idle, bro."
Death Crystal laughed, "Yeah, let's become the strongest pillars for Fate and carry our friend's burden on our shoulders. Then we won't waste his efforts... promise me! We must never lose when we fight for him!"
Life Crystal smirked, "Promise! I would rather die than lose to someone and let down Fate!"
Back to the present...
Fate gently smiled through the pain. He had already endured the same pain multiple times previously, slowly adapting to it! Hence, he was able to bear it better than Lord, who only had his pride.
Lord vanished into nothingness... taken by the cosmos as he lost his existence.
He refused to let go and desperately tried to survive, yet he was still laughing, "Fate! I let you win for now... wait till I kill the cosmos—"
He was taken away, and the pain instantly left his body as Fate fell down.
Fate was observing the solar system from above. He fell hard, but his lips curled up into a smile!
"I DID IT! YES, FATE, YOU DID IT... LORD! I AM SORRY YOU HAD TO GO..."
Although Fate Crystal managed to survive, he felt pity for him...
Then he recalled that Death Crystal was missing.
He immediately stopped falling and shook his head. Clear your mind. Now it's time to continue your next task! Fate, don't give up or slack off.
Fired up, he started to search for Death Crystal, not taking a single second of rest after all of that...
Meanwhile, in the mysterious place where Death Crystal was sealed...
Death Crystal fell to the ground after trying everything to break free.
He sighed, "Damn it, looks like it was not a bluff. Universal beings... damn them all!"
He saw the corpse of the silent alien whose body was used by those beings to spy on him and steal his powers.
He pondered, "So, is he dead or not? Hehe, until I break free, let me have some fun!"
Then he noticed that the alien could be revived by using Life's powers! He retreated slightly. Is this a trap set by them? Can I revive him? I must! He certainly knows crucial information related to them!
As he was pondering this, he saw the dimension shatter! Fate's voice echoed, "Death... finally, I found you! What..."
Fate was surprised when he saw the silent alien's corpse. Death Crystal felt relieved, "Fate... we are in big trouble! We are being targeted by universal beings! They are after Lucan and King's lives! I let my guard down... and they even copied my powers!"
Fate was silent before saying, "This... Death! What were you doing here then? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Death Crystal sighed, "I was trapped here. I could only leave when someone who genuinely doesn't hate me unsealed me!"
Fate spoke, "Enough... first, let's go to my place! Fix this area as it is and make a fake clone of yourself inside!"
Death Crystal frowned, "What? Why? I don't get it!"
Fate said, "They think you can't escape this place! Hence, they are most likely to enter here first. If they notice you're missing, they will realize you escaped! By fixing it and making a fake clone of yours, we can buy time! I need time... just time..."
Death Crystal realized the seriousness of the situation, "I see... alright, but I sense Life's powers weakening too! Don't tell me he was caught as well?"
Fate frowned, "What? Life Crystal is turning weak? Oh heavens, how many more of these problems will I have to face..."
Fate felt overwhelmed by it all; even his cognition slowed down.
He slowly closed his eyes and started to collapse from exhaustion...
All this time, he had been bearing the burden all by himself!
Death Crystal saw Fate Crystal for the first time in his life—in fact, he was the first person ever to see Fate.
A golden-colored crystal, but its luster had turned pale from exhaustion, with thick frowning brows, a calm gaze, and rough breathing.
Fate tried to force himself awake, "Death... wake me up! Use anything you can—attack me or punch me! Do something... I mustn't rest at an hour like this."
Death Crystal gazed at space. The glowing stars reflected in his eyes as he smiled gently.
"I know a way, Fate! But may I use it on you?"
Fate nodded weakly, "Do it!"
Death Crystal concentrated his powers. Cosmic energy clustered around him, and his black body shone with brilliance.
It circled Fate. Death Crystal smirked, "Go to sleep, my good old friend..."
Fate's eyes widened, "No..."
He entered slumber for the first time ever.
Death Crystal smiled warmly at his face. "Let your friends take your burden, at least for once..."
He flew up high into the sky and placed Fate gently in his place. He temporarily destroyed the stars around the area, darkening that portion of space itself to create a cozy atmosphere before laying Fate down there.
He grinned, "Stars, I killed you temporarily! Forgive me—I will ask Life to revive you once Fate wakes up."
He flew down to Fate's domain.
Life Crystal was pushed into a corner, desperately holding on against multiple enemies.
He cursed, "Damn... Death... Fate! Now I understand why we can't live on our own and need someone to depend on... even if we are immortals!"