OP Sister Chapter 537: Siddhartha Gautama

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“Please…! Please…! Please…!”

Anna knelt and begged, praying to the Constellation as blood streamed from her eyes.

“…”

The entity regarded her with a stern gaze, then softened, showing great pity and mercy.

“Don’t cry anymore, my child. I see you have a pure heart. Tormented, but pure nonetheless.”

FLAAASH!

“Ahhh!”

Anna gasped as the pain vanished. The entity’s radiant light enveloped her, healing her wounds.

However, the eyes she had destroyed did not return. They remained permanently closed, sealed.

“You destroyed your own eyes before me. The story of your eyes is now lost due to your reckless and foolish act, driven by your desire to protect your friend,” the being said in a calm voice, its tone neither distinctly male nor female. “Although I cannot restore your eyes, I will grant you a fragment of mine.”

Anna’s eyes remained shut, but a third eye opened on her forehead, glowing with brilliant light before closing as she collapsed to the floor.

“Ugh…”

Anna’s hands trembled as the small Fenrir gently fell onto her back.

“Awuuu! Awuu!”

The puppy licked her, growing worried.

“Is it not a Spawn?” Ares asked the being. “Hey, Siddhartha, stop playing games and just tell me!”

“It is peculiar,” sighed the Constellation Ares called Siddhartha. “It possesses all the qualities of a Spawn of the Void King, yet its core is missing. At some point, it was either consumed or destroyed. What you see is its hollow body, lacking the Abyssal Core of the Spawns. It’s shaped like a small dog, but if it gathers enough power, it could reawaken.”

“…Fenrir is not a spawn,” Anna murmured, clutching the puppy tightly and kissing him. “Fenrir is… Fenrir is my friend… and my brother’s friend… Please… don’t kill this baby… he sacrificed himself and was reduced to this form to protect us…”

“…Hm, I will watch over it with the eye I’ve given you,” Siddhartha said. “Ares, bring her to my temple.”

“What? So she’s good?” Ares asked, a relieved smile spreading across his face.

“We don’t know yet about the dog, but she’s a good one,” Siddhartha replied with a warm smile.

As Anna adjusted to her new sense of vision, she glimpsed his true form.

A gentle-looking young man.

He had light brown skin, bright yellow eyes, and long, golden-brown hair.

He wore a simple vermillion robe wrapped around his body, floating in the sky in a lotus position.

Beneath him, a vibrant pink lotus blossomed, and a halo of light shifted shapes continuously.

It was none other than him.

Indeed…

Anna knew who this Siddhartha was.

“Buddha…”

Among the strongest Constellations of the Great Beyond.

Of course, he would survive even the rampage of the Void King.

“So you know of me. Good, that simplifies things,” Buddha said. “My true name is Siddhartha Gautama. Like you, I was once a mere mortal. Through enlightenment, I achieved Nirvana and ascended to become a God of Harmony. My story was woven not only through meditation but also through the countless people I guided and enlightened and who also helped me in return.”

“He’s the one who helped me build this refuge for survivors,” Ares added.

“I… see…” Alma said, feeling calmer in Buddha’s radiant presence, which brought such comfort she could almost fall asleep. “Ugh… I feel so dizzy…”

“Come now, let’s go. Each step toward my humble home will bring you closer to ascension,” Buddha said, floating away. “Follow the petal road.”

“The petal road…?” Anna stepped forward, noticing large lotus petals on the ground.

“Hah, sorry, he loves acting mysterious sometimes,” Ares sighed. “For now, it seems you’ve received permission to bring that dog, but ensure it doesn’t wander off, you hear me? Not everyone here is as kind as Siddhartha. In fact, I know Constellations who would kill your dog without hesitation.”

“Yes… I understand… Ah… Ugh…” Anna groaned, pain returning as Siddhartha’s presence faded. “Haaa… I lost my eyes…”

“I was going to ask, are you okay with that? Why can’t you regrow them?” Ares inquired.

“He said I cannot because I witnessed his true Radiance…” Anna replied. “I… I think I can manage anyway. I’ve already given up an arm…”

Anna moved forward, her weakened Myriad Self Aura slowly forming bright eyes that observed her surroundings.

“Hm… I can see everything?”

Somehow, after losing her eyes, her ability to “see” improved, no longer bound by physical limits.

“That Aura…”

Ares studied Anna’s Aura as she followed the lotus path toward Siddhartha’s home.

Within it, he sensed countless energies and insights blending beautifully, yet chaotically.

“What an impressive Radiance.”

“R-Radiance?”

“Isn’t it? What else could it be?”

“…!”

Anna realized at last that Myriad Self was more than her Martial Arts.

It embodied her Soul, her Mind, her Story, and her Dao Root.

Her path.

“…Right, so that’s why it’s the only thing I can still use without issues here.”

Other skills would glitch or release only a fraction of their power, if any.

Yet, though weakened, her Myriad Self could still manifest.

While traversing the city’s disjointed territories, Anna encountered many Constellations.

Some resembled humanoid animals, others were giants, some resembled dragons, and a few were demons.

However, most were human-like, like Ares and Buddha.

As she advanced, the weight of their gazes pressed heavily on her, almost overwhelming.

Their murmurs pierced her soul, causing her to falter.

“Who is this?”

“A mere mortal?”

“A little star?”

“Where did she come from?”

“What has Ares brought this time?”

“Has anyone claimed her as their Incarnation yet?”

“If no one does, I will!”

“No, I saw her first!”

Some Constellations vied to claim her as their successor or avatar.

Several blocked her path, but Ares’ glare made them step back, allowing her to proceed.

After what felt like hours under their oppressive scrutiny, Anna glimpsed a great lake in the distance, where space seemed to warp.

The lake was encircled by lush forests and mountains, and in its center stood a humble wooden house.

It lacked the lavish grandeur of other Constellations’ temples.

The two statues outside were gifts from his Monks, not commissioned by the owner.

“Wow…”

Anna stood before the lake, gazing at waterfalls in the distance and giant lotus flowers floating on the water’s surface.

Ares stepped onto the flowers to cross toward Siddhartha’s house.

“Follow me.”

Ares leaped forward, and Anna nodded, attempting the same.

It was surprisingly difficult.

The lotus flowers seemed to have minds of their own, dodging her steps.

She fell into the water multiple times, problematic since she carried her brother and Fenrir.

When she tried to fly, her body felt a hundred times heavier, realizing why Ares said flying consumed energy.

Ares had already crossed and waited on the other side. Anna persisted, wrapping her brother and Fenrir in her Myriad Self Barrier, then swam to the wooden house.

“Sorry… I… uugh, I couldn’t catch the lotus flowers,” Anna explained. “I don’t know why they avoided me like the plague.”

“Welcome,” Siddhartha said, his radiant aura enveloping the surroundings. “This is my humble abode. I had no home before; nature was my home, and I moved from place to place. But Ares and the others insisted I needed one now that I’m here. I built this with my own hands after days of cutting trees.”

“I see… I… expected something a bit more… uh, grand,” Anna muttered.

“That’s understandable. Many assume I’d live in a glorious golden palace, drinking wine or something,” Buddha said with a smile. “But that couldn’t be further from the truth. I discarded such desires long ago.”

“That’s admirable,” Anna said, feeling comforted by his presence. “T-Thank… thank you for welcoming me here… Great Constellation.”

“Forget honorifics,” Buddha replied. “Call me whatever you wish.”

“But…” Anna felt confused and flustered.

“They matter little in the grand scheme,” the Enlightened One said. “You must be hungry. I have some Milk Rice left. I’ll warm it for you.”

“Milk Rice…?” Anna wondered, feeling drowsy but stirred by the fragrant aroma of rice, milk, and coconut.

She watched Buddha cook, using simple ingredients.

Meanwhile, Ares had caught a massive, shark-sized “small fish,” grilling it after coating it in salt.

“Do Constellations need to eat?” she asked curiously.

“We no longer require food,” Ares said. “We can sustain ourselves with cosmic energy…”

“However, it’s been scarce lately. To compensate, we eat,” Buddha added. “Though I’m accustomed to starvation, I need cosmic energy to fuel my Radiance, protecting the Constellations sheltered here. I promised them safety. Here, enjoy. It’s a simple meal, but it carries our sincerity.”

“Thank you… thank you so much…” Anna murmured weakly, her lips dry as she sipped the tea Buddha served. “Ah… it’s so tasty…”

She ate the rice, boiled in coconut oil and milk, savoring its delicious flavor with her bare hands, unbothered.

Ares served her generous portions of grilled, salted fish, insisting a girl her age needed more than rice to grow strong.

The fish was more flavorful than any Anna had tasted, filling her with energy.

“Ahh… thank you so much. I will be forever grateful.”

Anna bowed to both Constellations, and Buddha smiled gently.

“No need to bow. Your gratitude is enough,” Siddhartha said. “But I didn’t help you for gratitude. I did what I believed was right.”

“Thanks…” Anna smiled faintly. “Ah… ugh… I’m so sleepy… I’m so sorry…” She kept dozing off.

“That’s alright. You’ve endured much,” Siddhartha said. “Rest now. Go ahead and sleep.”

“But… my brother…” Anna glanced at him.

“I did my best to heal him, but deeper injuries remain, caused by cosmic friction from the void gate,” Buddha said.

“I checked him first. He’s not in good shape,” Ares added. “Might not make it.”

“W-What?!” Anna gasped.

“Ares, please refrain from scaring the child,” Buddha sighed. “Anna, calm down. I will do everything I can to save your brother.”

“…?!”

Anna watched as Buddha gently lifted Jack, placing him on a giant floating lotus flower, which closed its petals around him.

“These Lotus Flowers come from the Heavenly Realm I once visited,” Buddha explained. “They will drain the impurities from your brother’s body and cleanse him of the cosmic void trying to consume his body and soul.”

“I-I see…”

Anna smiled faintly, resting on the wooden floor, slowly relaxing…

Little Fenrir slept by her side, and she hugged him tightly, never letting go.

Despite the horrors of this ruined future…

There were still those with kindness in their hearts.

“Thank you… thank you…”

Anna repeated this as she drifted to sleep, Buddha gently caressing her hair to ease her rest.

“What do you see in her Fate, Siddhartha?” Ares asked.

“…”

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