After defeating the protagonist of the world, the main character of 'Am I Actually The Strongest?', there was no one left to challenge him anymore. However, Erik didn't disturb anyone anymore as well.
He had already achieved revenge from the empire for killing his mother and he had done so by massacring its army and torturing the royalty. He killed the mc because the guy thought he was a villain.
But meeting the mc opened new possibilities. The knowledge the mc and his companions had gathered was astounding! From reality altering to multiverse, everything seemed possible in those theory... And they brought him hope... now, he wanted to bring his mother back from the dead. He studied ancient magic for years.
And this overpowered ancient magic opened the path to something more, a path to other universes. Perhaps in other universes, he could find a way to bring back the dead people.
The next memory shifted again. The screen revealed the completion of a multiversal portal, an ethereal gate that shimmered with hues of violet and gold. Erik stood before a swirling vortex of energy—his own creation using the ancient magic he studied in that world.
The first world he chose to go to was his original world, the one where he was named Jerry... he hoped to meet his family, tell about his life, tell about his goal, hoping to see their wry smiles as he would bid them goodbye before leaving to fulfill his goal... However... time passed differently between multiverses.
100 years had passed in his old world. None of the people he knew lived there anymore.
But he did find his old home intact, he saw a picture of his niece getting married, and his old parents giving her blessings. They had lived a happy life.
Erik smiled, "I suppose after this I chose to let them go since they had lived their life happily... but I don't think I would have abandoned the goal of reviving the new mother I got after reincarnating. After all, her death was unfair. She wanted to live. She wanted to see me grow... so, why wouldn't I want to make her wish come true..."
After that another portal opened to a familiar yet dangerous world: the world of Solo Leveling.
The next scene showed Erik in a fierce battle against an endless tide of Sung Jin-Woo's shadow soldiers. The shadows, loyal and powerful, came at him with relentless ferocity.
Then, the memory cut to an image of Sung Jin-Woo himself—dead.
Erik stood over his lifeless body, his own figure battered and bleeding but victorious.
"I guess I might have gone after the guy because I wanted his power to revive dead," the present Erik muttered, watching in disbelief, "but how the fuck did I even manage to defeat this man?"
The memory continued, showing Erik's self-made system absorbing Sung Jin-Woo's unique mana. Black, pulsating energy swirled into Erik, becoming part of his own.
By defeating Jin-Woo, Erik had also enraged the Rulers—the angelic, godlike entities in the Solo Leveling universe.
The next scene showed their retaliation, descending in radiant fury to annihilate him.
But Erik's survival instincts prevailed. Using his ancient magic combined with Jin-Woo's shadow extraction abilities, he managed to turn the tide.
The same angels that sought his destruction became part of his undead army, bound to his will.
The screen transitioned once more, showing Erik stepping through another portal. This time, he entered the vibrant and fantastical world of Tensura (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime), he wanted to upgrade his powers.
This universe gave him a bonus unique skill for crossing into the universe - [ Reaper's Harvest ]. A skill that upgraded his powers based on the number of his killings and also harvested powers of his kills if he wanted. The perfect power for him. Somewhat like the skills of powerful people of this world like Hinata's Usurper or Rimuru's predator.
His arrival, however, was met with hostility.
There was a prophecy in that world—one foretelling the descent of angels to destroy civilization. Erik's undead angelic army fit the description too perfectly.
A couple of weak-ish demon lords, led by Milim Nava, ambushed him the moment he arrived. The scene showed an intense battle, Erik was forced to defend himself.
This world also gave him more power as he defeated more demons. So, Erik chose this chance to upgrade his powers.
One by one, the demon lords fell, including Milim, who had underestimated his power. His unknown ancient magic, Jinwoo's powers, and the new Reaper's Harvest all these made him grow stronger by the second.
The screen lingered on the aftermath—a desolate battlefield, Erik surrounded by the remnants of those who had fought him, with his ever-growing army of undead angels standing ominously in the distance.
The realization hit Erik like a weight. "The prophecy in the Tensura world was fulfilled by me after all, huh…" he sighed, his voice laced with weariness.
The memory shifted again, showing Erik's ultimate battle against Rimuru Tempest, the protagonist of the Tensura world.
The battle against Rimuru was anything but easy for Erik. While he eventually managed to defeat Rimuru, the cost was devastating. Rimuru's attacks destroyed Erik's entire immortal undead army permanently—something Erik had never thought possible.
Not only that, but Rimuru dealt heavy damage to Erik's physical body and even to his soul, leaving him severely weakened. However, Erik managed to kill him and even steal Rimuru's [Beelzebuth] and [Raphael]... however, absorbing [Raphael] proved to be a mistake, it tried to destroy Erik's memories and skills from within.
A perfect trap laid by Rimuru... if not for the fact that Erik's [Reaper's Harvest] had upgraded all his existing skills, [Raphael] would've fully succeeded. [Raphael] was hell bent on destroying Erik down to his soul and existence. It tried to destroy the memories that made Erik so powerful and damaged his soul as much as it could but before it could succeed, [Reaper's Harvest] evolved. It was a new ultimate skill [Soul Lifeweave], [Raphael] finally got forcibly integrated into Erik's self made system.
But things didn't end there. After Rimuru's death, his loyal followers sought vengeance, relentlessly hunting Erik down. To make matters worse, one of the powerful Rulers from the Solo Leveling universe also came after him, obviously he brought his army as well, after all this was an opportunity to finally eliminate him.
Erik was on the brink of death, completely overwhelmed and outmatched.
Just when all hope seemed lost, something unexpected happened: Someone saved Erik, pulling his soul away from the chaos and sparing his life—for reasons Erik couldn't yet understand.
That's where his soul was brought to the Marvel Universe. Parasite followed after his soul. Who he was Erik wasn't sure. But if he was in his peak in the battle on planet ego then Erik might not have survived.
The screen eventually displayed the end of the memory summary and prompted Erik with a final question:
[ Would you like to assimilate these memories as your own? Y/N ]
Erik stared at the floating screen, his thoughts tangled. 'These memories… that was me. It feels strange to see myself like that... it's just sad. I may be Ruthless and relentless in those memories… but I am not too different from what I am now, am I?'
After all, all he wanted was his mother back, and return to the same peaceful life. It doesn't seem so different from what he had always wanted. Even now, with Wanda, Cindy, and Helen, all he wants is a peaceful life.
While watching those memories, his heart had pained multiple times as if his heart still remembered the rage, the sadness, the hopelessness... all of which he made others suffer as well.
The Man in the memories and the man seeing them aren't two people. They're one.
With a decisive nod, Erik selected Yes to assimilate the memories, to gain everything he had forgotten. He braced himself as the system began the process.
A faint smile formed on his ethereal face, and a drop of tear rolled down his cheek.
He had decided, after killing Thanos, he'd do something to finally revive his mother.
[Notice!! Assimilating the memories unlocked the complete knowledge of Ancient Magic. ]
[Notice!! Assimilating the sealed skill - Reaper's Harvest. ]
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Erik slowly opened his eyes, the soft glow of the medical bay's lights greeting him.
The gentle beeping of monitors blended with the faint, rhythmic sounds of breathing.
Turning his head slightly, he noticed Helen and Wanda on either side of his bed. They were sitting in chairs, their heads resting near his feet on the edge of the bed, fast asleep.
A soft smile tugged at his lips, though there was a trace of melancholy in his expression.
Lifting his hands, he gently patted their heads, his touch light and careful so as not to wake them. His mind wandered briefly, perhaps thinking of his 'forgotten' past.
Before he could dwell further, the door to the medical bay opened with a soft swish.
Cindy stepped in, holding a glass of water in her hands. Her eyes were downcast, her steps slow, but when she looked up and saw Erik sitting up, her expression changed instantly. The sadness vanished, replaced by pure joy.
"Erik!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of relief and excitement. She ran to him, the glass of water thrown aside, it would have shattered had Erik not used his telekinesis to put it gently on the table.
Without hesitation, she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Her embrace was warm and comforting, and Erik blinked in surprise as she buried his face against her chest, holding him as if afraid to let go.
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