"Lady Sovereign, sorry for the trouble—I killed one of your subordinates," Hodan said apologetically to the Sovereign of Death.
Hodan had always treated the Sovereign of Death well. After all, he owed his current strength in no small part to her help.
But if you asked Hodan whether he would do the same thing again, his answer would be yes. He had never truly belonged in this world. He had always been searching for a way home, and anything that stood in his way would be destroyed.
"Oh, and you can take this Soul Defense Sovereign Artifact back." With that, Hodan removed the bracelet from his wrist and handed it to the Sovereign of Death.
Now that he was no longer her Chief Sovereign Emissary, there was no reason to keep someone else's Sovereign Artifact. Besides, with the strength of his soul now, he had no use for it. Even if the Chief Sovereigns attacked him while he stood still and let them, they wouldn't be able to harm his soul in the slightest.
The Sovereign of Death accepted the Soul Defense Sovereign Artifact she had once given him, her expression complicated. Then she looked into Hodan's eyes and asked, "Can you tell me how you acquired such strength?"
It was impossible that the Sovereign of Death wasn't curious. There had been too many people around earlier for Hodan to answer, but now that there were only two of them, she asked.
"Sorry, Lady Sovereign, but I can't tell you yet." Hodan shook his head. Without absolute strength, he would never expose his secret.
The Sovereign of Death wasn't bothered by his answer. It concerned the secret behind his strength, and she wouldn't have revealed it either. She had only asked on the off chance he might tell her. If