The Monarch-Chapter 527: Julia

"Hello, Han. And who might this be?"

The woman standing beside Han was about 1.60 meters tall. Her body was flawless in the eyes of any being. Her straight hair was a blend of blond and brown tones, with every strand perfectly complementing her face.

Her fair skin and slightly upturned nose gave her an air of arrogance, but this impression was quickly dispelled by her cheerful eyes and subtle smile. Kayden had seen many beautiful women before, but she easily ranked among the most stunning he had ever encountered. Her soul...

It was pure, the likes of which he had rarely seen in his lifetime—a being devoid of ego. She did not live for appearances, but... she seemed to carry great sorrow, a multitude of small burdens weighing on her soul. She was like a ticking time bomb waiting for the right moment to explode. Yet, until that moment arrived, she shone brilliantly, like the deepest star in the universe.

"She is my apprentice. Her name is Julia," Han said.

Kayden raised an eyebrow, surprised. He didn’t sense any time-related talent in the girl; she seemed more like a mage specializing in light magic.

"I see. What can I do for you, God Han?" Kayden asked, the last part spoken boldly as he stared directly into Han’s eyes. Only a gentle smile appeared on Han’s face. He knew Kayden would quickly figure out his advancement.

"I cannot remain in this universe for much longer. I wish to request your services in exchange for an absolute favor on my part," Han replied.

Kayden raised another eyebrow. Likely, no new gods could emerge in this universe at the moment; any who tried would be expelled or killed by some higher force.

"What do you need?" Kayden inquired, suspecting it had something to do with Julia, though he didn’t fully understand the reasons.

"My apprentice is the daughter of two gods from another universe. She is very close to advancing as well, but I want you to repair her soul and protect her for the next several thousand years," Han explained plainly.

Kayden nodded. "Alright, you owe me one absolute favor for each service I provide."

Kayden demanded an exceptionally high price. An absolute favor was not something a god could easily refuse; they would be compelled to fulfill it, no matter the request.

"I swear to grant two absolute favors to Kayden Heart in exchange for two of his services. Otherwise, I shall pay with my life," Han declared, quickly making the oath. The heavens rumbled in response, sending a golden lightning bolt his way.

In seconds, Kayden also pledged his part, and an agreement was sealed between the two. It was an incredibly random situation, but Kayden never turned down the opportunities life presented to him, and this was undoubtedly one of them.

"I must go now, but you two will get along just fine," Han said, disappearing and leaving the two of them alone.

Kayden said nothing for a few seconds, waiting for Julia to speak first.

"Pleasure to meet you, Master Kayden. My name is Julia, and I will be under your care," she said, exceedingly polite.

Kayden returned her politeness. "The pleasure is mutual, Miss Julia. I will cleanse your soul every ten years. At the moment, I have no fixed place to stay, so I ask that you simply accompany me to one of the nearby planets for a few thousand years."

Kayden had no other plans at the time besides training.

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Julia didn’t understand how insane Kayden’s mind was—no one ever did, really. But she would soon find out after a few centuries. While she faced one of the most tedious times of her life, cultivating without any entertainment, Kayden did nothing but the same. The difference was that she would at least visit various corners of the random world they were on; Kayden didn’t even budge.

He remained seated, not moving, even for the soul-cleansing sessions. His spiritual sense was capable of covering the entire planet. As soon as a decade passed, Julia would receive a message from Kayden, and another session would be conducted remotely, with no contact between them.

The woman began to heal people in this world and alter its laws as a form of entertainment. The lives of the inhabitants became increasingly comfortable. There were no more deaths from disease; aging was the only enemy most people faced, and even that didn’t concern them much, as they lived extraordinarily long lives.

These changes began to catch Kayden’s attention. Another amusing pastime had appeared on his path. Unfortunately, it wasn’t truly useful. People simply lived in a false paradise with no real challenges. Wars still existed but were laughably rare, as Julia prevented any deaths that weren’t natural.

Julia even stripped living beings of their ability to take their own lives, condemning them to live every second of their existence without escape. The population exploded in the first few centuries but then began to decline rapidly as people stopped having children.

Initially, most were happy, but the lack of struggle slowly became troubling. People began to develop various symptoms of depression. Their lives literally lost meaning. They had no motivation to live.

Death was no longer feared. Hunger wasn’t feared. The pain wasn’t feared. Power wasn’t desired. Leadership wasn’t desired. Wealth wasn’t desired. Pleasures ceased to be pleasures, simply because the value of things stopped making sense. Why fight for food if you wouldn’t die without it?

The world became a paradise on Earth, but this also turned it into true hell. There was no more good or evil. No one could freely cause pain to others, nor themselves. The only emotion they could feel was pleasure, which soon dissolved into meaningless repetition, eroding the sense of things.

Death began to dominate the beings of this world. Even while alive, most ended up dead. The elderly couldn’t bear to live in their bodies anymore. Many mages wanted to enter hibernation, especially those at higher levels, but they found themselves unable to do so. Not only that, but they also found themselves trapped on this planet, condemned to live this way until the end of their days.