Codex Null: Simulation Through Madness

When they were finally alone, Derek's voice was the first to break the silence. "You always refused to use any relic below Apex rank… so, you went and took an Imperial relic?" His gaze never left his son.

At first, his tone almost sounded like praise, but a low chuckle followed as he shook his head. "But it seems not everything bends to your will."

He narrowed his eyes, curiosity edging into his voice. "With how rare parasitic and Imperial relics are, how did you manage to find one combining both?"

He appeared genuinely curious, but Noel only shook his head. His calm voice cut through the air. "Instead of speaking about that, let's talk about solutions."

"Do you have any?"

"No. I don't." Derek's answer was blunt.

"I can't remove the relic from you without killing you. And don't think of me alone — even the leaders of the four main factions wouldn't be able to do it."

Noel listened without so much as a flicker crossing his eyes. Instead, he gave a small, dry chuckle. "Then what? Do you suggest I'm doomed to die no matter what I do?"

Derek met his gaze evenly. "That is the reality of your situation."

Noel stayed silent at his father's words, and seemed to sink back into his situation, weighing the reality of it once again. He drew a slow breath and forced his scattered thoughts into order.

What was his current problem exactly?

He posed this question to himself with clinical precision.

And the answer came easily.

Lack of Soul Power.

The relic would devour a massive amount of Soul Power, far more than he could provide.

Then, what else?

Strength.

Noel's soul was not strong enough to forcefully take control over the relic.

What else?

The relic itself.

His inability to extract it… to sever its parasitic connection with his soul. It had rooted itself so deeply that removing it would be like tearing out his own heart.

Noel pondered if there was any other problem, methodically cataloging each obstacle, and in the end, he found the last one… time.

Noel didn't have much time to deliberate over his condition after all. The relic's hunger was growing stronger with each passing moment. He needed a solution immediately.

But for the Soul Power problem, he would need considerable time to prepare, even if he sought external help. Time he simply didn't have.

For strengthening his soul, that was even more impossible. Raising the rank of his soul, with the relic actively feeding on him from within, was literally impossible.

Then, extracting the relic… that was the biggest problem of all.

Because, theoretically it was possible, but Noel knew the theory spinning in his head was practically impossible to apply.

So, instead of treating the core problem directly, he realized he needed to focus on managing the symptoms, to buy himself precious time. That meant solving the fourth problem first — the time constraint — before he could even think of tackling the first three.

Arriving at this grim conclusion, Noel's thoughts circled back to the special stone resting inside his storage ring. Once again, he wondered if it was the only true solution he had left… and if this moment, standing at death's door, was finally the time to swallow his pride and use it.

But he couldn't bring himself to an answer. The internal struggle was interrupted when he suddenly noticed his father standing before a gate to some pocket dimension, silently gesturing for him to follow.

What was this about?

The question hung in Noel's mind like a weight as he nodded and stepped after his father, his movements careful and controlled despite the chaos raging within.

The moment he crossed the threshold, his eyes widened ever so slightly. He didn't need an explanation. The massive ritual circle spread out before him, with two radiant cores pulsing at its center like twin hearts, was enough for him to understand the full scope of what awaited him. He took a steadying breath, before voicing the question that rose to his lips.

"Since when have you been preparing this ritual, Father?"

"Since your sister was born."

At that answer—expected, yet still carrying the weight of years of calculation—Noel's lips curved into something that might have been a smile. "Is that so?"

He didn't linger on the implications, nor was he asking for confirmation. His gaze sharpened like a blade, and another question immediately followed, cutting straight to the heart of matters.

"Had I not been possessed by a parasitic relic, what would you have done then?"

Derek looked at his son with a calm, meaningful expression, before replying. "Then you would have died all the same."

"You wouldn't simply offer your soul to your sister, no matter how much you treasure her… would you?"

At his father's words, so bare and without any attempt at sugarcoating the harsh reality, Noel gave a low chuckle and shook his head slowly. "No. If the circumstances hadn't pressed me like this, then I wouldn't."

"Well, all of that is pointless speculation at this point, so instead of dying in vain… how about you do something useful before that?"

Noel seemed to have not heard his father's words this time. He stayed silent, his gaze fixed and unblinking as he kept staring at the massive ritual circle, where its purpose was to strip everything out of him. His Law affinity, his accumulated soul power, his Cross bloodline — everything that made him who he was would be torn away and redistributed.

He wasn't able to examine the intricate details, as he was already barely holding himself together, the relic's influence clawing at his consciousness. But then he suddenly turned his head from the ritual to face his father directly, his eyes that had seemed to lose all color suddenly blazing with intense light as he spoke, "But, Father… do you really think you could have killed me? With the relic out of the picture?"

'Do you think you had already grown that much?'

Derek seemed to transmit these words to his son through his penetrating gaze alone, meeting his son's arrogant challenge with the weight of experience.

And Noel, seemingly receiving the unspoken message without any words being exchanged, chuckled softly and said, "Father, you may think that I would never compromise, that I hold my pride higher than anything else in this world."

"But, while you are right about my nature… you are at the same time fundamentally wrong about my methods."

"It's not that I never compromise… it's that I always try not to put myself in a situation where I would need to compromise."

"But then, Selena entered the picture."

His voice grew quieter, more reflective. "Clarissa was staunchly against giving me her daughter, and while you didn't voice your opposition directly, knowing my personality as you do, you were also against the idea in reality."

"And that's when I realized something crucial. I needed some form of backup, some insurance against the unknown."

"I can't always rely on my father's protection…"

Derek's eyebrows rose slightly, genuine curiosity flickering across his usually impassive features. "And?"

"Well…" Noel began, and then suddenly reached into his storage ring, withdrawing a gray stone that seemed to absorb the light around it, showing it to his father with deliberate ceremony. Only then did he continue, his voice carrying quiet satisfaction, "This was my answer."

"To take the hand of someone far stronger than either of us."

"I just need to break this stone, and Edith would appear instantly… so tell me, Father, do you still think you could have taken my life?"

Derek's eyes narrowed dangerously, and power began to gather around him like a gathering storm, the very air growing heavy with his presence as he asked, "Why didn't you call her then? You could have solved your situation outside the Trial Dimension with her intervention."

In a voice as serene as a calm lake, untouched by ripples of doubt or fear, Noel replied, "Because my pride wouldn't allow it."

His words were spoken in such a low and controlled tone that casual observers might not think much of them, but to Derek, seeing the burning intensity in his son's gaze standing in stark contrast to his deceptively calm voice, the meaning was crystal clear.

That contrast revealed everything. He could see the immense tyranny lurking beneath that composed exterior, the absolute refusal to bow that defined his son's very essence.

Derek found himself remembering Elaine's passionate words from earlier, and he couldn't help but agree with her assessment — his son was indeed not someone the Cross house could ever hope to contain or control.

But all of that was meaningless at this point. Derek had already made his choice, and just like always, it was the Cross house that took priority… not his son.

The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken finality, until Noel's voice cut through it like a blade.

"I will do it, as you wish… this ritual, I will do it." His words carried no trace of defeat, only cold acceptance of the path laid before him.