Venganza walked forward and put a hand over Jormundgander's head. Then, the Samsara of Sin and Man began to glow with immense power.
"Quintessence of Sin and Redemption!" The Depravita of Wrath and the Depravita of Revenge utter those words simultaneously. The man at the wheel's nucleus that seemed to carry the weight of all corruption opened his eyes.
Normal powerhouses would see nothing special in this entity, but those powerful enough could feel a force that could sunder the entire universe.
The entity stood up, walked out of the Samsara of Sin and Man, and fused with Jormundgander.
Immediately, the Leviathan Primarch began to tremble and opened his eyes. All sorts of images appeared in them, moving faster than light.
Jormundgander saw how the world around him vanished, only to be replaced by a small castle in an isolated zone of the Leviathan World. He found himself sitting in a library, reading a book.
'What is happening? Why am I here?' The Leviathan Primarch did not understand anything, but his thoughts were interrupted by a childish voice.
"Brother, why do you spend so much time reading?" A little girl no more than five years old barged into the library and ran toward him.
To Jormundgander's surprise, his body moved on its own and grabbed the little girl before raising her into the air.
"Little rascal, I told you not to interrupt me during my study." Not only did his body move without a command, but it also spoke.
However, Jormundgander could not even process that as unconditional love overflowed his soul once he held the girl. Right now, there was no doubt in his mind that he would die to protect her.
"But brother, those books are so boring. Don't you prefer to play with me?" The little girl showed an innocent and tender smile that only strengthened the feeling of love in Jormundgander's soul.
"I know they are boring, but I need to do this. Our Horyn Family is small, and if we want to thrive and become Greater Nobles in the future, I have to keep working hard."
The moment Jormundgander heard the name Horyn Family, dread filled his soul. He remembered it and knew what would happen next.
As the brother and sister spoke, the entire castle trembled, and a force blasted its ceiling to pieces.
Jormundgander immediately protected the little girl before looking to the sky, where he saw a man full of bloodlust.
"Lour Horyn, you thought you could take care of me using your background. I am sorry to say that you have failed. Now, die along with your entire fucking family!" The man in the sky roared while an immense amount of energy gathered in his hands, ready to unleash a powerful energy beam.
"Brother!"
When Jormundgander heard the little girl screaming with terror, he felt fear like no other. It was even greater than when the Incarnation of Death and Destruction hunted him down!
He turned to the sky, knowing there was nothing he could do to resist that attack.
"Jormundgander. I beg you, kill me, but don't harm my family!" The man uttered those words in a desperate attempt to save his sister.
Jormundgander saw all that through the eyes of the man holding the little girl. He possessed a young noble named Lour Horyn, one of the first enemies he faced in his life, and the one in the sky was a younger version of himself.
'Do not do it! Just kill him. There is no reason to harm anyone else!' Jormundgander screamed with all his power, but there was nothing he could do. The younger version of himself remained in the sky with a cold smile.
"Hmph, I will kill all of you. You and your entire family will be a lesson for all those that dare to defy me in the future!" The young Jormundgander sneered before unleashing the energy beam.
"Brother!" The little girl screamed one last time before the beam descended.
'NOOOOO!' The last thing Jormundgander saw was the energy beam disintegrating the little girl. A crippling sense of grief assaulted his soul before a burning rage ignited his heart as he stared at the younger version of himself in the sky.
Nothing was tricking him. Jormundgander knew this was an illusion, but he also knew this had happened and that he had killed that little girl.
Back then, Jormundgander did not think something was wrong with his actions. The universe was merciless, so why should he be any different?
But after experiencing that brotherly love, something emerged, something he believed he could never feel.
Remorse and shame.
It was not long before Jormundgander found himself in yet another place, this time as an older man in a garden, staring at his grandchildren who were playing and laughing.
Once again, Jormundgander felt love, but he also knew what would happen next.
'No, no, no, no.' The Leviathan Primarch attempted to fight back and prevent what would happen, but he could do nothing but watch.
A dark and evil aura burst from Jormundgander's soul as if all the evilness and corruption had entered a state of overdrive.
All those that experienced the events above the Styx River when Zatiel Daybreak transformed into Venganza would find Jormundgander's state familiar.
Yet, things were much more complex, as the Samsara of Sin and Man was not only transforming Jormundgander into a Depravita but forcing him to overcome the shackle of his new nature immediately, taking control of a Concept.
Only Venganza could trigger that transformation, and he needed a Rank 9 life form that had already fallen into corruption yet had the will to overcome it.
Ira stared at Jormundgander with a profound light in his eyes. He could feel the state of the Leviathan Primarch's soul and felt compassion.
"Boss, I felt immense pain and sorrow in his soul."
Venganza knew better than anyone what Jormundgander was feeling, but he could only sigh.
"Ahh, I know, but it is necessary. Only by feeling the pain he caused to others will his guilt flourish. After that, if he can overcome all those negative emotions and forgive himself, he will reincarnate as someone new, someone better."
"And if not?" Ira knew that Jormundgander would become a Depravita whether he succeeded or not in the trial. The only difference was if the Leviathan Primarch was a monster bound to his nature or a transcendent life form like him and Venganza.
"I already told him. If he fails, he will die." A cold flash crossed Venganza's eyes as he uttered those words.
