Eternal Saṃsāra: The Wanderer of Worlds

[64] A Lead to the Other Lives

Chapter 64: A Lead to the Other Lives

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In my 5th life, I began to pursue Eternity. I failed in the end, but my conviction was carried to my next life. Because of that, all of my next lives –excluding the 8th– were progressively longer than the last. 

Following that rule, my 6th life was longer than my 5th. I lived a couple of thousand years there as the White Tiger, one of the strongest creatures to exist in the cosmos. I ruled over multiple worlds, and all of those were a part of my Cult of White Tiger.

Remember my wifey?—who was a virgin sacrifice sent to me by the villagers below my snow mountain? At one point that silly little thing became the Saintess of my Cult, the first real member of a Religion of which I was the God of.

That fanatic little cutie. I miss her, but I'm sure she misses me more.

Now, where do I start…

Ah, right, my [Divinity: Avalanche]. As I have said before, I gained that Divinity after I saved the crops of the village under my mountain. The survival of the crops ensured the survival of the village, and overtime they began to throw more sacrifices towards me. They knew better to send more virgins my way since I warned them, so thankfully that didn't happen. They just sent me food, and all kinds of monsters.

In exchange for particularly strong monster bodies, I began to grant them more things than just saving their crops. Eating stronger monsters made me stronger, my Spirit Core, a part of the power system of that world, grew the better I ate. It wasn't a cheat that was tailored for me, everyone grew stronger if they ate stronger monsters. 

Yet the humans thought it smart to tribute the monsters to me instead of keeping them to themselves. So I rewarded them. I cured their sickness, blessed their children, and gifted them rare ores from my mountain.

To garner more of my blessings, the crazy humans began to train. They grew strong so as to hunt stronger beasts. Magical Beasts from cultivation stories, along with Dragons and Krakens. I was treated as their God, and in no time, I really became it.

Overtime, the village grew. It turned into a city in a few years, and then an Empire in a few decades.

That starting world was easy to conquer since I was a mad tiger with Time Sorcery, and an empire of fanatics to serve me.

Leading all the fanatics was my cute little wifey. Of all my lovers, she's the cutest. Not the hottest or most elegant, but I have this soft spot for her. I turned her into the Head of my Cult, my Saintess, as she was the most loyal of all others. Being my Saintess, she became a Demi-Goddess with similar White Tiger powers to me. 

After conquering our home planet, ruling it like a peaceful nation, Aliens attacked. Apparently, world peace under a single ruler was the right time to attack a planet, so that they can just overthrow the figurehead that ruled it and take over the population. Sadly for them, their technology and Spirit Core powers were no match for my Eternal Sorcery. They died a dog's death, and I got my hands on intergalactic tech.

Now, imagine a Cult with billion members suddenly venturing into outer space. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, nothing went wrong for us, but all who went against us were dealt with the other end of the stick. In about no time, we expanded our reach to outer space in a few centuries. 

My wifey and I conquered worlds and lived in harmony together. We even had children throughout the years.

There is a lot more story to it. Like my title as the White Tiger as the Western Cosmos, there were three other beasts of direction. How I met them, how life took a toll on us, everything is a long story.

However, all that is important right now is my last few moments. Just as always, death came unpredictably. I perished in the end.

It happened right after the end of a war between my Cult and an alien empire. The aliens, Luminarii, were ethereal and energy-based beings, resembling shimmering, translucent humanoid figures. They emitted a soft, otherworldly glow and were composed of radiant light that constantly shifted in color and intensity. They had no distinct physical features like eyes or limbs but could mold their forms to express emotions or interact with objects. Ah, and, as energy-based beings, they could absorb stars and destroy planets with ease.

After a very long war with them, after I dealt with their leaders, their God King did something savage before dying. He threw out their ultimate weapon of destruction, [Annihilarrgh], in the middle of the galaxy. The black hole that the galaxy circled around expanded all of a sudden, triggered by the universe-ending weapon.

That's the day I earned the Void Devourer title when I rushed in and devoured the largest black hole that could eat the cosmos. I did that and received a heavy injury. But my job wasn't done yet— with the gravity of the Black Hole gone, the galaxy was bound to collapse. The laws of physics would destroy everything; my Cult wouldn't survive.

So… I exploded myself into a Super Nova. I turned myself into a Black Hole. 

The legend of the White Tiger came to its end that day, but as far as I was concerned, my Cult and my lovely wifey were safe.

Now, I have the proof right in front of me. My Descendants were in the same room as me.

* * *

Inside the Hoshino Household, inside this pocket dimension, the girls were shoved out of the living room. Only I remained, facing the little Tiger Cubs, who were the size of large cats. They looked cute in their white fur with black stripes, and each of them had a particular color of fur strip on their head as if to help outsiders distinguish them.

"Who's your father?" I didn't beat around the bush and asked, and the tiger cubs who titled their heads. 

They were my descendants, true, but I had to make sure how far the blood flowed. Whose direct offspring were they?

Also, just as they looked and acted like cubs, they were indeed children by the standards of my Cult. I could tell that they were at least a decade old.

"Mister Summoner, do we have to answer that to get a contract?" Asked a cub who had a blue strand of fur on her head.

"No," I shook my head. "I'm just curious." 

"Thaloran!" One of them yelled; this baby had green fur on her head. "That's the name of my father."

"Don't know him," I replied. "Do all of you have the same father?"

"No, we are cousins," replied one with a yellow streak of fur. "Our grandfather is the same, though."

"What's his name?"

"That's-"

"Hey!" The last of the five cubs yelled. He had a purple streak of hair, and he looked quite arrogant for a little kitten. "Why are we telling this human whatever he asks?! Even if he is our summoner, we aren't contracted to him yet. It is humiliating to answer to nobody!"

"Not bad," I found him amusing. "What's your name?"

The tiger- I decided to call him "purple"- yelled. "I don't have to tell you!"

"I see," I resonated with the Tiger Icon. A hexagon symbol formed over my head, and I kept its shape small as the face of a tiger carved into it. The cubs looked up, blinking before their heads pressed downwards by an invisible pressure.

"Children, be nice and answer," I advised the little things. These fools, they couldn't recognize their ancestor?

"W-what's this?!" Red yelled, and Blue spat out saliva. I lessened the pressure since I liked the two of them, and they finally got a chance to breathe.

"T-that's! That's the Tiger Icon!" Blue said.

"No way, nobody from the Cult managed to gain it in the last thousand years! Just who is this human?!" Purple was gawking.

"You'll know soon," I said, walking back to a couch and sitting. "Now tell me. What's the name of your grandfather?"

"Orionel…"

"Don't know." I sighed in disappointment. Just how long has passed? "Then, who is his father? Do you know?"

"That's Zyrelith, but he's already dead…" Blue replied. "His wife, the great Ardyna, is alive. She's our great-grandmother."

"Ah." I smiled. "Finally." It's a name that I knew. Ardyna? That little girl? My great-granddaughter! So these cubs were the great-grandchildren of my great-granddaughter?

"Do you know who that is?!" Purple asked, his eyes filled with suspicion.

"Yes. Another question," I hesitated. "How is Nyxondra?" My adorable little wifey. "Is she alive?"

The cubs let out a gasp, "H-how dare you take her name so directly, you imbeci-"

I increased the pressure of my Tiger Icon. The cubs splattered to their faces until I let the pressure fade. "Watch your tone, fools."

Of five, three were male. Purple, Red, and Green. Blue and Yellow were females. To my disappointment, Green and Yellow let out a cry of fear while the other three just looked at me in horror.

"Who are you…"

I shook my head, "Sorry, was I too harsh? Answer me first, and you will know who I am."

"A-alright," Blue gulped. "Nyxondra… the Great Lady, is alive. However, she locked herself up in her room a few thousand years ago. A few times our enemies thought she died and we were trying to cover up her death and took that chance to attack us, but she came out to destroy them all. The last time she was seen was 18 years ago… She's probably still in her room."

"I see," I stared. "Has she advanced to Godhood yet?"

"No…" Purple followed up. "Though she has defeated many Gods after… our great lord's passing. I heard rumors that the reason she didn't advance to Godhood is because she doesn't want to replace Lord Trigathar with anybody. Even if it's herself."

Trigathar…

"Ah, do you know who Lord Trigathar is? You might not since it's been about three thousand years since he perished." Red said and Purple immediately reprimanded him.

"You fool! If he knows about the cult, how will he not know about the Greatest Tiger of All Time, Trigathar?!"

True. Of course I know Trigathar. Because I am him. I… was Trigathar.

So it's been three thousand years since my death? As expected, time passed differently depending on the universe. I'm glad that girl hasn't suffered for too long.

I'm not surprised one bit that my Nyxondra hasn't found anybody else. It's natural that she hasn't. After all, she's the most fanatic cultist I have seen in all of my lives. But it's sad that she spends most of her time in her room… When I died, I knew she'd either become a shut-in or try her best to find me. Knowing her, perhaps she tried the second option and failed; now she locked herself in her room.

One thing I knew was, she must hate me now. Even if she didn't hate me, she should be particularly mad at me. Because I didn't have to sacrifice myself, I'd have survived even if the galaxy collapsed. She would have survived too. Looking back, I don't know why I did such a thing.

"Um, mister…" Blue spoke. "Now can you tell us who you are?"

A low chuckle left my lungs. "Well…" The Icon in the air intensified on its own, but not in a way that pressured them. It intensified to let a visage form around my body.

The [Mirage Frame] of a large Tiger's head forced around my body. The cubs trembled as their eyes widened.

"No way…"

It wasn't a matter of doubt. Since they were my descendants, they should be able to feel it to their core. The children stared at my old face and one by one they lowered their heads, their foreheads touching the floor.

"Please forgive our insolence, my God!" It was the arrogant Purple who yelled. "To think you are alive in this foreign land, this is incredible news! I'm overjoyed!"

Even if a few thousand years had passed and these five were just cubs, as a part of a fanatic cult, they were bound to be insanely loyal. In front of the Tiger Icon, the deepest they had felt in their soul, they recognized who he was right away.

"Raise your heads," I spoke casually, and the cubs quickly did so. But they didn't have the courage to look into my eyes. "Can you use Reverse Summoning? I wish to return to the headquarters immediately."

"Oh, we weren't in the headquarters," Red said. "Milord, after you left and the Great Lady secluded herself, the Cult expanded. We tried our luck in other dimensions too, to spread your name. Beasts such as us who are your direct descendants are supposed to leave the lair at the age of 10 and earn big achievements in our name. If we do that, we can rise in the rankings. The five of us left home with that intention, traveling from one universe to another. We've been trying to gather achievements, but it didn't work well. Ahem, so recently we agreed to work as summoned beings! Then we were brought here by your majestic self!"

"I see, that makes sense. It's not an issue, as long as we can travel to your home world, we can reach the headquarters soon after." I said and looked at them. "Purple. You are the strongest here, you reverse summon all of us."

"Of course, Milord!" Purple quickly took a breath in and seemed to activate a spell.

Normally, it should have yanked us across the cosmos, through the fabric of reality, and into another one, but that didn't happen. 

Nothing changed. 

"Huh?" Purple and the other cubs looked confused. "Is the distance too vast…?"

"I expected as much," I let out a sigh. "Try again. All of you." I said with a bit of lost hope and watched them try but to no avail. "Of course. Goddammit."

While this spell should theoretically bring people from across the multiverse, its limit was just that. Multiverse. However, this place and the place these five came from are likely in two entirely different multiversal spectrums. There was an Omniverse, made up of multiple Multiverses, and this and that existed in different ones.

The summoning spell was not designed to work that far, and the only reason I managed to bring these five here to begin with was because of that woman.

At least she should have told me her name.

As for how I managed to summon such a strong being like her then, that must be because she was spending time somewhere in this multiverse— apparently for vacation reasons.

This outcome was extremely frustrating, but I didn't feel bad. No, this was great.

'It's not as if I can't grow strong enough to expand the spell beyond the range,' that was true. 'If I had the same power level as what I had in my 9th life, I could reverse track where they came from.'

I was a Multiversal Entity in my 9th life. I tried to look for a way to my other lives but never managed to find one. The Omniverse was too big for me to succeed. However, if I had a lead such as these five, I could reverse-track their existence and easily figure out where they came from.

Now, this may sound counterproductive since I always preach to move on from my past lives. But that's only true because I can't return to my past, so it's better to move on from a thing I cannot regain. However… if there is a way to return to those universes, it's not a bad thing.

It's an unforeseen jackpot.

I let out a calming breath and smiled. "You five, it looks like we can't return home for a while. Give me a few years, I'll find a way. Until then, you're stuck here with me."

"That's an honor!" Naturally, as cultist children, they found that honorable. To be stuck in the same place with their God.

"I guess," I nodded. "Then I guess I'll give you a job too. I have a family here, a human family. It's complicated so don't ask any questions, alright? I'll give you the very, the most very important job of protecting them. Since you're looking for achievements, I'm sure you know what that will give you."

The five looked stunned, their eyes filled with greed. Good.

"Now, tell me your names," I couldn't just keep calling them colors.

Purple yelled, "My name is Quecha-"

"Never mind, you're Purple. You are Blue, you are Red, then Green and Yellow." I waved my hand and made them shut up, and to my nostalgic amusement, they looked just honored that their God granted them names.

"Aqua!" Ai yelled from outside the door. "Open the door already! What's going on in there?"

"Ah right," I turned to the kittens. "Saying this just in case, make sure to never hurt the girls I'm introducing to you. Even if you see them hurt me," It would be bothersome if they attacked Ai for hitting me, something she always did. "Especially the purple-haired lady and the blonde one. Alright?"

"B-but, Milord!"

"That’s my mother and twin sister," My Icon intensified and the cubs lowered their heads and nodded with wide eyes. A God’s mother and sister meant Gods themselves. Naturally, they realized the heresy they’d commit if they didn’t agree. “Good that you understand.”

Great. With them by my family's side, I can rest assured. They lack human common sense since they're tigers and kids, but their strength is what matters. Each one of them was as strong as Peak of True Gold. Ai and Ruby should be safe with them by their side.

Now, I can peacefully catch the plane and go to the US. I guess it's about time now. By the time I return, I am expected to have an official girlfriend for myself.

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