OP Sister Chapter 539: The Greatest King

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“Your brother loves you. He would never dare harm you,” Buddha said confidently. “What attacked you was not him but it… The Madness Taken Form within him. A Heart Demon that has evolved and further overpowered his True Mind, twisting him into a being of many personalities and minds. Among those, your brother is being asphyxiated, slowly overwhelmed by the Madness that never ceases to multiply. The great tragedy he suffered, the feeling of emptiness within his heart… I could feel all of it when we defended against his rampage…”

“Really…?” Anna was shaken by this revelation.

“I know it’s a selfish request,” Siddhartha said with a bitter smile. “But… this is what I believe is the right thing to do.”

“The right thing to do…?”

Anna recalled a memory she shared with her master and adoptive mother, the Heavenly Empress.

When she spoke of her past and how she fought for what she believed to be right, no matter what the world said or how many opposed her.

Although different, her mother’s and Buddha’s philosophies of helping, bringing hope, and protecting people while seeking enlightenment were remarkably similar.

“Yeah! You’re right,” Anna nodded, smiling. “He left a hole in my soul? So what! I will help him anyway! Whether he likes it or not! When I can finally confront him… I will ask him all these questions in my head and find answers to them.”

Anna felt the Heart Demon within her Mind fade as her resolve solidified under Buddha’s guidance.

“Well said… You and I, Anna, are dreamers,” Buddha laughed. “We seek the impossible and fight for it in our own ways because that’s what we believe. Many Constellations have called me childish, foolish, or ignorant for seeking to help as many people as I could… but that never stopped me. Do not let the words of others sway you, Anna. You know what’s right in your heart, so follow that conviction and do not falter. The more you believe in your dreams, the more you will cross the sea of fate, and the more others will be naturally drawn to you, making the effort far easier.”

“Thank you so much for your guidance…” Anna smiled faintly. “I… needed that. I feel a little better now… But I really, really need to go to the bathroom right now…!”

“My apologies,” Buddha chuckled. “You can use the forest over there. Be careful, as there are many animals around. But don’t worry, you will adapt quickly.”

Anna sighed, missing the conveniences of the modern world as she was forced to relieve herself and bathe in the wilderness.

“Phew… All done. Ugh, I need new clothes.”

As Anna emerged from the waterfall, she heard someone washing nearby. She glimpsed the silhouette of a tall man singing while bathing in the cold waterfall water.

“Huh? Who is it?”

“Hahaha! I can hear you, little mortal! I know this great king has a splendid body, but please, I must insist, no peeking!”

“I’m not peeking! W-Who might you be, great Constellation?”

“Me?”

FLAAASH!

The waterfall parted, revealing a tall, slender, handsome man with clear brown skin, short golden blonde hair, and sharp red eyes, adorned from head to toe in golden accessories.

His loins were barely covered by a white fabric wrapped around them.

His Aura surged, and Anna felt the overwhelming pressure this Constellation had been restraining.

It exuded a powerful, ancient Legend, with golden threads spreading everywhere.

She noticed his body bore numerous scars, and his right arm, missing, was replaced by one made of gold.

“Wait, you’re…!”

“Hahaha! Who else but your great king?!”

“King Gilgamesh?!”

The man nodded with a hearty laugh, advancing toward Anna, who stepped back in surprise.

“E-Excuse me, but isn’t this Lord Buddha’s property?”

“Hahahah! I would agree if he hadn’t settled on MY property. This entire jungle, the waterfalls, and more all belong to my Domain, Mesopotamia.”

“O-Oh…”

“This kindhearted King merely allowed him to reside in his property’s backyard!”

“Okay…”

Anna wanted to flee. Gilgamesh wasn’t the best Constellation to encounter alone, especially given his eccentric personality.

Gilgamesh stepped closer.

“I see, you’re afraid of this great king. Please, there’s nothing to fear!”

He snapped his fingers, and Anna suddenly found herself falling into a vast pile of gold!

SPLASH!

Gold splashed like water, as she emerged from this sea of golden coins and countless treasures.

“T-This is…!”

Anna gasped, unable to believe where she had landed.

“Babylon’s Treasury?!”

“This benevolent King is in a generous mood today! I will allow you to take one item of your choosing from here.”

“R-Really?!”

Anna browsed the treasures, grabbing various items and trying to discern their power, but with her System damaged and glitched, it was difficult to identify them without feeling pain in her head and seeing distorted text.

“Hahaha! Of course! I am the most magnanimous of all Kings! Now choose your treasure! Once you choose, it shall be linked to your Dao Root, and you’ll become my Incarnation!”

Then, upon hearing his last sentence, she glared at Gilgamesh with disappointment.

“…Wait a second, so it WAS a trap!”

He had tempted her, thrown her into his treasury, and told her to choose whatever she wanted before revealing that she would become his Incarnation… that last line spoken in a low tone, as if hoping she wouldn’t hear it clearly.

At Anna’s realization, Gilgamesh clicked his tongue.

“Trap? This King does not engage in such deceitful trickery! I have clearly stated my intentions! It is your choice to accept my kindness or not.”

“To become your Incarnation…” Anna muttered. “You know what? Sure.”

“…Hm?! R-Really?”

Even Gilgamesh seemed surprised by Anna’s words.

Anna planned to return to her original timeline.

Any connection to the beings here, in another timeline entirely, would likely be severed anyway.

Becoming his Incarnation wouldn’t be a significant issue.

The biggest concern with becoming an Incarnation was that it would permanently tie her to a faction.

But that was no longer relevant. Every faction that ever existed was destroyed, and what remained were mere survivors.

Certainly, a Constellation could control or possess their Incarnation, but Anna knew that Gilgamesh, despite his eccentric personality, was a good man.

“Do you truly mean it or are you trying to deceive this king?!”

Gilgamesh manifested a giant golden hand, lifting Anna and glaring at her with radiant eyes.

“I-I mean it…! Ugh… but you must also allow me to become the Incarnation of other Constellations… no exclusivity rights, okay?”

“What?!”

“It’s better than nothing, right? C-Come on… Please, your majesty?”

“…”

Gilgamesh’s eyes narrowed angrily as he remained silent, weighing the pros and cons.

Constellations needed Incarnations to spread their influence in lower dimensions and realms. The stories their Incarnations forged strengthened the Constellation over time.

Some malicious ones could use Incarnations as spare bodies, reviving within them by devouring the host’s soul if their physical form was destroyed.

“Very well,” Gilgamesh said after a moment, his loud and powerful voice receding. “This king may have been too harsh on a young girl like you. I apologize.”

He released Anna and healed her with a wave of his hand, casting radiant golden light over her body.

“Your eyes and that arm don’t regenerate, however. How curious,” he said. “Did you lose them while fighting someone?”

“I… I lost an arm to a Void Ruler. My eyes… I let them burn to avoid going insane when facing the Radiance of Lord Buddha.”

“Buddha?! That scoundrel…! So he did this to you, huh?”

“W-Wait a second! He didn’t mean it! And he rewarded me with a fragment of his Eye of Nirvana, so it’s fine!”

“Yes, I know you have his eyes, which annoy me! But… hmph! Is he planning to make you his Incarnation too? Damn it! A qualified mortal finally appears, and now everyone wants her! Was this king too slow? Hmph…”

Anna grew nervous as Gilgamesh muttered to himself, his mood shifting constantly.

“You may choose one of my treasures. It will be refined into your Dao Root as your Natal Dao Treasure! This way, I’ll be the first Incarnation Contract you form, making me superior to the rest.”

“I… do I have to refine it? Won’t my Dao Root explode?”

“Not if I do it myself… now choose.”

“Choose?”

Anna surveyed the pile of treasures, not only from Mesopotamian and Babylonian mythology but from various mythologies worldwide.

What did Anna need right now?

“I need something to help me return home…” she muttered, as Gilgamesh’s expression turned serious.

“I see, so that’s your goal?” he asked.

“I… yes, that’s my goal,” Anna nodded, choosing honesty over deception.

“You, girl, where do you come from?” Gilgamesh asked. “I’m fairly certain most planets in the Lower Realms are gone…”

“I jumped through a gate made by a spawn of the Void King… by accident, with my brother,” Anna said.

“So you came with someone else too?! Hm…! Another potential Incarnation!” Gilgamesh nodded. “A portal? Is there another world out there?”

“It’s complicated. I don’t know if you would believe me, your majesty…” Anna said.

“Speak. I can see through lies,” Gilgamesh’s eyes glowed brightly. “And nothing displeases me more than liars! But if you always speak the truth, you will earn my respect and trust.”

“…It’s the truth,” Anna said. “I come from another timeline, from the past.”

“…!” Gilgamesh’s eyes widened, astounded. “I see… another timeline! So you seek to return to a realm beyond our dimension, a place we know nothing about. That’s a tall order.”

“A realm you don’t know about?” Anna asked.

“This Universe is divided into many dimensions,” Gilgamesh explained. “Among them is the Dimension of Time. Most of us tap into it unknowingly, but few have ever tried to comprehend it. The Void King tore apart space and time to reach another timeline, then… so that’s where he went.”

“Um…” Anna muttered.

“Haaa…” Gilgamesh sighed. “Come, I think there’s something that might help you.”

Gilgamesh guided Anna through the vast Treasury of Babylon until they reached a large hall with altars, each holding an extraordinary treasure.

In the center, on the tallest altar…

There lay a treasure above all others, one even Gilgamesh hesitated to part with, clenching his fists tightly.

“That is…?”

Anna gazed at the treasure with her Myriad Self Eyes, awestruck.

It was a massive blue and gray crystal, emanating a strange aura that seemed to twist the space around it.

“Well, rather than a treasure, it is more accurate to call it a fragment of a primordial Constellation that died long ago,” Gilgamesh said. “That is a Fragment of Kronos’ Titan Heart. It’s… useless to me now. But perhaps, if it can help you return home, you should take it.”

“…?!”

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