114(1) – After!

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PART 0

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Hello my dear readers, Ero_Hacker here!

Just coming to talk a little about Skarla and explain why the sex scene with Zenyo didn't happen.

[1st Focus]: Who is Skarla?

I've been working with Skarla for over 2 years; she's a protagonist I love and respect very much. I've developed her so much, structured her to be who she is today, a very imperfect woman, but that's what makes her so special and incredible.

Skarla isn't a hero, much less a villain or some kind of anti-hero. She does good and has long since crossed the line of what is considered evil. She's a monster and understands it, she knows very well how dangerous she is, so she tries to be a better person, not for herself—she knows that's not useful to her in any way as an individual. She tries to be better for her family.

Her first two lives were tragic, but they shaped her into who she is today. From a brilliant, almost emotionless scientist, like a robot, forced into another world, facing much prejudice and injustice, in his second life he seeks revenge for everything he lost and was forbidden to have. Thus she crossed the line of morality… one could say she destroyed him.

In her third life, Skarla regrets many things, even if she doesn't dwell on the past as much, she misses many things and constantly finds herself thinking about how those people are doing. Her family from her first life, her children whom she abandoned in her second life.

Her maturation in her third life is like a double-edged sword.

[2nd Focus]: What danger does Skarla represent?

To Deities (Gods & Transcendent beings), Skarla is weak, an ant that, if they use a fraction of their power, they can crush. But that's the point, only if Skarla reaches a place where they can use all that power. Of course, they are still ridiculously strong wherever they are, killing any demigod with ease, but they couldn't kill Skarla instantly.

And Skarla possesses the power to tear the world's protection, exposing the world and the gods to the Void Beasts, which are literal Cosmic Entities of infinite power and knowledge, capable of corrupting and killing even immortal and eternal beings. The mere existence of such beings is illogical.

The Void is infinite and vast, each world a mere grain of dust that is almost undetectable, the Deities being guardians of such places, constantly praying that they will never be discovered, for that would be their end.

Deities can even harm such beings, but only the weakest ones. But that's easier said than done. Finding a "weak" Void Beast is like finding a needle in a haystack. Skarla was just lucky that her first encounter was with a childlike creature that was merely curious and had its eye poked. That's why Skarla is so dangerous. She can make them visible to the beings they fear most. She can destroy entire worlds, something others cannot. And since there's no guarantee of killing her instantly, the only option left is to retreat.

[3rd Focus]: Actions and Consequences.

Skarla harmed Heaven and Hell. Hell could be considered something "good," merely a consequence of her heinous acts throughout the universe; all who saw and heard of her simply laughed and reveled in the momentary peace.

The real problem became Heaven, where they were considered absolute justice and good, countless worlds receiving them with open arms without much doubt. Their names proliferated like a disease, their faith growing and encompassing millions, billions, and even trillions of living beings.

Everyone carries a fragment of themselves, while when they died, the fragment was broken and the faith undone. But when they were corrupted, the fragment remained and changed, causing chaos and madness in the minds and bodies of the believers.

Thus, she was the cause of the death of countless people, causing the global collapse of several worlds that still suffer from chaos and madness.

Skarla knows what she did, understands it, and… she would do it again, as many times as necessary, because she has long accepted that she is a monster and that she can destroy everything. She tries to be better, but understands that being better matters little if she cannot protect what is important to her.

She would watch the universe burn if she could protect her children. Even if they hate and despise her, as long as they are safe and have good lives, she will be more than satisfied.

So she accepts the pain she caused, not giving herself the right to regret it, because that will not change anything she did, especially if she repeats it in the future.

[4th Focus]: Fear?

Fear is a constant presence for Skarla. She is strong, determined, and unwavering, but deep down, she is the one who feels the most fear.

This is her third life, and she is doing everything she can to avoid dying because, even though she's not sure, she feels she will have a fourth life, and so on. She doesn't know if this will ever end.

So she fears that after fulfilling everything she can, if she dies, she will start over, and then… what will her purpose be? To restart her life? To cultivate all her power again?

This terrifies her greatly. In her first life, the fear was the worry of being left with nothing after death. Now, what she fears is having more lives.

[5th Focus (Final)]: Zenyo…

Zenyo is a close friend and a very important subordinate. But Skarla never saw him as a romantic interest because, in her eyes, Zenyo seemed like a toy. It could be said that the curse was something Skarla viewed in a unique way, causing her to disregard Zenyo as anything more than a friend.

The end of the curse did indeed bring opportunities, but Zenyo had very bad luck with the interactive results. Of course, this could be ignored, until the slip-up. I didn't actually want to do this, but given all the mistakes he'd made up to that point, I thought it logical that he would make this one too.

This drastically reduced their chances of having something, but there would still be a chance. But Ariel told her, and that was the final straw. Skarla lost all interest in Zenyo because she's disappointed in this friend.

[Author]: I think a phrase that would fit well to end this would be:

[Skarla isn't looking for love. She's looking for guarantees. And Zenyo has ceased to be one.]

How you want to interpret this is your choice.

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PART 1 – After!

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Zenyo returned to his job as Minister, having to redo his paperwork due to changes in his appearance. He also gave up on Skarla.

He still harbored some feelings and hope, but he knew he himself had destroyed them in his recent foray into the other world. The more he reflects, the more he notices the bridges he burned by being too focused on himself and not thinking about others.

Now he plans to build a family and move on, but he wonders daily: How does Skarla endure this?

He feels constantly guilty; Skarla has indirectly killed countless more people and remains strong and resilient. He doesn't know whether to admire her, fear her, or distance himself even further.

Curiously, the one who was there to receive and support him is Bianca Paravanato, who has been by his side for years, also being one of the first people to lose the opportunity to be by Skarla's side due to her own failings.

In the near future, they will marry and soon have their first child.

…

When Lina arrived in the world, she was happy for the lack of prejudice and even happier for the countless opportunities.

Skarla extended an invitation, not as a wife. Lina enjoyed sex, but she's an adventurous spirit and still quite young; she doesn't see herself getting married now. Even though she likes Skarla very much, and especially her enormous penis, it's not love.

Lina thanked her for everything and was willing to compensate Skarla, handing over all the treasures she possesses to make up for the journey to this world. Skarla just laughed mockingly and told her to keep everything.

“I didn't bring you to my world expecting reward, devotion, or anything like that. It was a fun journey, and your skills helped me a lot.” – Skarla smiled as she shook her hand.

Lina became a friend.

Understanding, Lina just smiled and thanked her. She was very lucky to have found Skarla and decided to follow her. But now she wants to enjoy the feeling of being rich and settle down a bit.

Even though she's not ready to get married and have children, the issue shifts somewhat to owning a home and spending her fortune. Krugar has thousands of ways for her to spend money, and she desperately wants to enjoy the luxuries of this world.

So she was educated for a while on how to behave and use the facilities, then bought a penthouse and fed herself the best.

She has no shortage of money; the quantity and quality of the otherworldly gold was too great, and when converted to Krugar currency, she saw her purchasing power increase ridiculously.

The shocking thing is that this currency works in most cities on the Seahorse Continent, as well as several nearby continents.

The more time passed, the more she realized how incredible Skarla was. What she had built and how people saw her as a deity. Lina also understood better who Skarla is.

She is an angel to her own, but to the rest, she is a demon with the power to shatter worlds.

This made her think of Ariel Horça, which made her unable to contain her crooked smile. – “Wasting a favor from someone like that should be considered a rare talent.” – She murmured while shaking her head with a certain disdain and mockery. – “Or an extremely creative way to jump off a bridge.”

Laughing to herself, Lina was in the casino when she placed her bet on black. Red, for some reason, seemed like a terrible choice.

The decision was correct. She received a large pile of chips, and Lina laughed loudly, drawing attention around her.

“How I love this world!”

……

After months, Skarla was back, and the first thing that greeted her upon arrival was a mountain of work.

She only smiled slightly, a fake and forced smile, but it quickly became genuine with Lohan's arrival.

“Hi, Mom.” – Lohan smiled as he greeted her respectfully.

“I see you've gotten stronger.” “Skarla says.

“A little, I’ve made progress, but I think you’re the one who’s truly improved.” – Lohan said, smiling.

“Indeed, this little adventure of mine has brought many unexpected rewards. I brought you some Elixirs.” – Skarla quickly throws a bag to Lohan, who catches it and looks inside.

“Isn’t it you who says about avoiding shortcuts?” – Lohan raises an eyebrow.

“It depends on the shortcut. But did you forget that I said that no matter how much we train, there will always be a limit? You need pushes at the right moments. Even if it doesn't increase your attributes, it can strengthen your Talents or transform your Skills.” – Skarla says, and Lohan nods.

“Thank you for the gift, Mom.”

Skarla kisses her forehead.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” – Lohan was about to leave, he speaks, and Skarla looks. – “You're going to be a grandma.” – After that bombshell, he disappears.

Skarla blinks, then laughs. – “Little brat.” – A gentle smile appears on her face; it's for moments like this that she fought so hard.