Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

Perhaps this wasn't something Talulah deliberately said to Amiya, but rather her simple confession.

But this was enough for Amiya to understand that Talulah had never been "asleep".

Perhaps the strange being who was with Tomat outside the village was the culprit behind Talulah's drastic change in personality, but Talulah had witnessed and knew all about what it did under the guise of "Talulah's identity."

"I was defeated by the belief I had always held."

“After Alina’s death, those I swore to protect, those I swore to defend, and those I believed needed us to change their circumstances, once again did something that nearly shattered my beliefs.”

“I have always believed that I need to fight against the atrocities committed by Ursus against the infected, who are people who need to be protected and freed from injustice,”

“My original intention was to protect kind people from harm, but I arbitrarily labeled infected people as kind and described all their inexcusable behaviors as ‘having no other choice’.”

"I understand now. Good and evil have never been related to strength or status."

"As a fighter, I was too naive."

“As a leader, I deserve to die.”

Talulah's words, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, finally fell into another silence.

She opened her arms, exposed her chest, closed her eyes again, stood before Amiya, and said once more:

"I don't need to understand tolerance or make excuses."

"What I need is a 'trial' that matches my crimes."

"Jud me, girl of Carter's."

But at this point, Amiya was at a loss for what to do.

Although she was more mature and sensible than her peers, Talulah in front of her was by no means innocent.

If it's a life-or-death situation on the battlefield, she won't hesitate to take the life of the enemy who killed her operator.

But now it's a "trial".

The other woman offered no resistance and even asked him to kill her...

If Tomat were present, Amiya would definitely seek his opinion.

But he hasn't returned since he flew away from the cabin, and Amiya has no idea what he's doing.

The commotion was so small, it didn't look like a fight at all.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Tomat also heard something similar to what Amiya had just heard.

"Kill...kill me..."

The other party was simply seeking an end to their life, not to be judged.

That was simply a desire to die.

"Kill you?"

Thomas played with a thin, black line that looked like smoke in the center of his palm.

It was enveloped in a hollow energy sphere, like a small insect trapped in a cage.

The voice that had been begging for death came from a mouth that did not exist.

The rest had long been wiped out.

Thomas said slowly, looking at the guy trapped in his energy shield.

"How could I kill you? You've revealed so much information, 'The Undying Black Serpent'?"

It revealed its name.

He confessed to his actions.

He explained his purpose.

In short, it is a "god" who possesses another person, destroys their spirit, and takes over their body, thereby using the original body owner's abilities or power to achieve a certain purpose.

It seems to be for Ursus—but Tomat selectively ignores the part about the purpose.

After all, Tomat had absolutely no interest in what it wanted to do.

But it is certain that the other party is a god in this world of Terra. Not only does it claim to be so, but in Tomat's experience, the other party can indeed be considered a god in a broad sense.

"What...what else do you want to do?"

But the honorific title of Tomat could only make the black snake, which had lived for thousands of years, feel terrified when faced with "humans" who were beyond its comprehension.

[Main Text] Chernobog, Above the Ruins: Chapter Thirty-One What Mischief Are the Saiyans Up To Now?

"Why! Why has my will existed for thousands of years? I have witnessed the battles of gods, the slaying of gods by the Flame Emperor, the sweeping of the sky by the Pegasus, the preaching of the Sarkaz by the Sakorath Pope, and even the era when the Sarkaz Demon King disturbed this land."

"What exactly are you, a god from another race? Then why can't I sense any divinity from you!?"

"Why have you come? To kill? To destroy? To dominate? To conquer?"

"You're a mortal? Then why do you possess power enough to slaughter gods? In this world, even the most brutal spells strike my body without dissipating, yet you can shatter my body with just your fists and feet..."

The black snake roared, but it could not break free of its restraints.

But Tomat only needed to clench his fist to make it vanish into thin air.

Black Snake had been in dangerous situations before.

But no one ever truly threatened his existence.

It likens itself to will, as if its existence will not disappear as long as Ursus exists.

"Didn't I say I'm a Saiyan, a Saiyan who's just passing by?"

Faced with the black snake's desperate roar, Tomat repeated the name it had never heard before.

Terra has never had such a race.

"We are nomads, mercenaries, roaming around, constantly killing and conquering."

None of the races that behaved this way possessed the strength that the Black Serpent had witnessed.

Thomas continued speaking, while the remaining part of the black snake gradually calmed down, listening to what the other had to say.

"What have you killed?"

The black snake asked, its voice trembling slightly.

"Everything I saw."

After thinking for a moment, Tomat answered Black Snake with a statement that was more in line with the actual situation.

"What...what have you conquered?"

The black snake asked again, its words seemingly overflowing with excitement.

"All the places I've been to."

Tomat gave him another answer that was not an exaggeration.

The black snake's voice distorted in an instant, and at the same time, the thin, thread-like remnant released a large amount of black smoke, filling the protective shield it was in, almost turning it into a black sphere. Finally, a pair of bright red eyes filled with longing appeared, staring intently at Tomat, and it continued to ask loudly:

"And then...and then you'll bring slaughter and conquest to all of Terra!?"

"Of course not, why would you do that?"

Upon hearing Tomat's words, the black snake seemed to breathe a sigh of relief; the black mist slowly disappeared, and it reappeared as the small worm.

But it didn't seem to give up, and continued to tentatively ask about an idea that had arisen in its mind.

"But you have destroyed Chernobog, and countless warriors and inhabitants have died at your hands."

"What reason do you want to hear?" Tomat countered. "Is it 'these few people are nothing,' or 'killing them isn't about going against the world'?"

Although Tomat didn't hear much about Black Serpent's purpose in controlling Talulah, he got the gist of it.

The new emperor stopped conquering foreign lands, and domestic conflicts continued, even leading to division. A war was needed to unite the people of Ursus and shift their focus to foreign wars. This would allow the country to develop and even resolve the conflicts among the infected.

After hearing Tomat's story and witnessing his own strength, Tomat seemed to be able to guess some of the thoughts that Black Serpent had in his mind.

This guy called Black Serpent actually expects Tomat to be the one who can resolve all the conflicts in Terra.

If one major contradiction covers everything else, then other contradictions can be dealt with, or at least prevented from worsening.

"You can't hide your actions. You will eventually become a threat to all countries and an enemy to everyone, won't you? People will not tolerate the existence of something stronger than themselves. Even if you destroyed Chernobog to protect your own interests, even if Chernobog is a city occupied by rioters and will eventually be destroyed, people don't care. They only know that 'you have extremely threatening power.' No matter how much you emphasize that you will not bring destruction, they will still choose to eliminate you by any means necessary."

The black snake's words became a whisper that floated in my ear. Despite being in a position where it was at the mercy of others, it still spoke its thoughts in an attitude of superiority.

"This is far more serious than the harassment that integration has caused you. Having great power means you will never have a peaceful life. There are already many forces that want to understand you, win you over, and control you. Why not use this power to do what you can do in the first place?"

"Yes, Integration harassed me, and then Integration was destroyed. I know someone was trying to test me."

Thomas spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and showed no sign of taking Black Snake's words to heart.

He never minded taking responsibility for his actions, regardless of whether he could bear the consequences; it was enough for him to handle them alone.

Black Snake's words didn't give him as much to think about as the things he had said to Patriot before.

"Believe me, if you try to lead the people of Ursus and even the whole world to oppose me, to see me as a threat, and to stand against me, what you will get is not a scene of the entire Terra united, working together to develop, supporting each other, and fighting without distinction."

Just like Thomas, he didn't mind shattering the Black Serpent's illusions:

"I will crumple the entire Terra into a piece of waste paper before you can unite."

"And before that, you, or anyone who wants to do something similar to you, will die a terrible death."

"I can do it, so don't force me to do it."

The threat of death did not frighten the black snake.

Especially when driven by a certain will.

Black Serpent seemed to sense the potential Tomat possessed—not the potential for destruction—and he would not guide Tomat to actually commit acts of destruction.

It simply expects the other party to act according to its ideas.

But how could that be?

"You do not belong here. You may have come from ancient times, or even from beyond the heavens. But since your race is as you say, so brave and warlike, conquering everywhere, what is it that has pulled out your claws and fangs, and what is it that has stifled your ferocious nature?!"

The question from the black snake evoked Tomat's memories.

Thomas thought for a moment, looked at the black snake again, and asked, "Since you can enter other people's mental world, you should also be able to see the scenes presented in their minds, right?"