838: Nature vs Nurture

Nature vs Nurture

Venganza's four eyes, including the Red Eye of Wrath and Silver Eye of Greed, glowed with a mystic light as every second of the King in Yellow's life passed through them.2

The three members of Sundered Night could not help but feel awe and admiration for the Eldritch Universe's King. Even Venganza, who hated this one for Sophia's death, was amazed by that life. 

Venganza, Ira, and Codicia fully immersed themselves in those memories. They were not just pictures since they also contained feelings and emotions. Sundered Night took the Path of Concepts, so experiencing memories like those of the King in Yellow was incredibly useful for their cultivation. 

As the trio analyzed the King in Yellow's life, they could not help but find how similar it was to the Incarnation of Death and Destruction saga, at least in the beginning. Both of them were born into a race that originated from the essence of Endless Darkness' Cores of Existence. 

And just as the King in Yellow was the first Eldritch to reach the Soul Realm unbound to the Great Old Ones, the Incarnation of Death and Destruction was the first Archdemon whose soul did not belong to Abyss.

Both the King in Yellow and the Incarnation of Death and Destruction were cold and ruthless, not caring about the sacrifices they had to make to achieve their goals. 

Each sought to obtain power beyond the limits of the Law Realm and did it by using one of Endless Darkness' Cores of Existence, but it was at that point that their path diverged.

One was able to obtain a complete victory, while the other achieved his goal but paid the ultimate price. 

That moment of weakness forced the Incarnation of Death and Destruction to trust others, beginning with the World Tree and the Champion of Justice and Order. 

However, the Incarnation of Death and Destruction truly changed during his third life as Zatiel Daybreak. At that point, his soul force was too weak to generate absolute control over his emotions, allowing people to reach his heart and change him.

It was a defeat that allowed the change of the Incarnation of Death and Destruction into Zatiel Daybreak and was a victory that isolated the King in Yellow even more.

Every second the trio watched those memories, Samsara of Sin and Man devoured more and more of the King in Yellow's existence. The Realm of Wrath, Realm of Greed, and Embodiment of Self at the center of the wheel were growing more and more powerful. 

The Samsara of Sin and Man was not just wantonly consuming the King in Yellow. It entirely devoured his body, energy, and Omega Law but acted differently regarding the soul. 

The King in Yellow's will was bound to his soul, and the Samsara of Sin and Man consumed every piece of that soul that carried any fragment of negative emotions. It was an extremely complex process that only someone like Venganza could achieve.

After almost a year, Venganza, Ira, and Codicia went through every moment of the King in Yellow's life, and the Samsara of Sin and Man finished its job.

The Depravita of Revenge felt how his potential and that of his brothers had grown thanks to those experiences. His understanding of the Eternal Flame of Revenge grew while Ira and Codicia were getting near to perceiving their own. 

And that was not all. Sundered Night's raw power increased by at least twenty percent due to the unique force that the Samsara of Sin and Man devoured.

Venganza's eyes regained focus once all was over, and he looked at the thing in his hands. Ira and Codicia separated from the Depravita of Revenge and gazed in the same direction as this one.

What Sundered Night saw was a yellow cocoon holding a white larva. It was extremely frail, with the soul force at the bottom of the Soul Realm, but anyone could see its immense potential.

That white larva was all that was left of the King in Yellow's soul after the Samsara of Sin and Man devoured every single negative emotion of this one. This new life was not good, but neither was evil. He was a completely blank slate.

"Boss, are you sure about this? Whatever he will become in the future, he will have originated from the King in Yellow's soul." Ira looked at the white larva with caution as he uttered those words. 

"He could take the same path and become an even greater monster in the future. Besides, if he takes the Concept Path, the chances of him awakening an Eternal Flame in the future is very high." Codicia did not remain quiet, and he expressed his point of view. Alone, the young Depravita of Greed had the power of an Extreme Rank 9 life form, much higher than the cultivation of his past life, so he understood very well just how your potential could rise after the change. 

Venganza glanced at Ira and Codicia before focusing on the white larva, but unlike the gazes of the other two, he was full of peacefulness.

"The King in Yellow is dead. I ended his life. This little larva is not the Eldritch Universe's King, and judging him based on that will be wrong. The only thing determining his path will be how he sees the world around him."

A flash of enlightenment crossed the eyes of Ira and Codicia when they heard Venganza's words. It was the eternal dilemma of nature vs. nurture, and they better than anyone should know that you could become what you want. After all, did not Depravitas were born to break the shackles of their nature?

"What differentiates a villain and a hero is how they deal with pain. The Eldritch Universe harmed the King in Yellow, and he decided to harm it back. Our new brother will suffer as he grows and learns just like all life forms do, but with our guidance, instead of returning that pain, he will make sure no one else has to endure it." Venganza smiled as he fused the yellow cocoon into his chest. That way, he could protect the white larva and help this one cultivate. 

Ira and Codicia looked at the white larva again, and all the fear was gone, replaced by kindness. He would be their new brother, and they would treat him like that. 

After that, Venganza, Ira, and Codicia adopted a meditative position and began to devour the primeval energy around them wantonly. While it was poison for anyone else, their Depravita Constitution allowed the trio to transform it into Depravita Aura. 

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