Limitless The Strongest Revenant-Chapter 970: I cannot stop [1/2]

"It made sense as I thought about it. Just like the seasons of weather, the Successors followed a pattern. Only the cycles were triggered by the Successor and his Sin. Less than a year later, I learned of Omar's dearth. I took a few years to mourn and moved on."

As I listened to Zanele, I grew amazed at the ability of the human spirit. From what I understood, Zanele never had formal schooling. As she grew in an age when women were not allowed to study, whatever she knew now was the result of conscious effort.

Just like the humans of ancient times, she watched the world and found patterns in nature itself. Whatever disappointment I might have had at her state as a Phantom dissolved. This woman was incredible. Saraswati and Robyn both saw it; now I did too.

"I used my servant girls to learn what the term Sin meant. It took a few years, but I eventually learned it referred to the Seven Sins created by Pope Gregory I in the 6th Century. I hadn't even learned of the Catholic Church before researching."

From a sheltered girl, Zanele began to seek information. It was impressive to learn about the early church's teachings, despite never leaving Africa. From what I know of her, the change must have begun upon meeting the Astral from the Successor, Luciano.

"Zanele, I am deeply impressed by your ingenuity. May I ask how you did it? Did Saraswati teach you what to do?"

"Oh! It was a bit difficult, but I had help. Back then, Catholic missionaries were using religion as a tool. The Jesuits and Franciscans, to be exact. I was already a Reaper, so I wasn't affected by the chaos, but the humans were."

As I couldn't follow Zanele's words, I asked my trusty AI, 'Exa?'

[Zanele's account of the Successor Sibu, from the 1700s, means she was a Reaper during the Triangle Trade. That was part of the transatlantic slave trade. Europe used Christianity as a tool to control the slaves during that era.]

While I already had an inkling of what happened because of the word "slave," I didn't want to make an assumption.

'Summarize in three sentences.'

[European powers exchanged goods for enslaved Africans. Local African kingdoms captured and then sold their enemies to Europeans. The slave trade forcibly transported millions of Africans to the Americas. They were made to work on plantations.]

Fuck. I guessed right. And from what Zanele just said, the Reapers in Africa just let it happen. Given their power, they could have butchered the invading humans. Just how much suffering and malice reigned during those times?

'Though I guess it was probably due to their decision to keep the affairs of humans and Reapers separate. Or did Hannibal allow it so that Africa was allowed to progress to Europe's level? Was Clive already a Revenant by then?'

While I was curious, I hesitated to bring up the enslavement of Africa, as it was a sore spot for many. Oblivious to both my hesitation and my conversation with Exa, Zanele continued.

"I had a few of their missionaries kidnapped. I brainwashed them with Death Resonance. It took time as we didn't share a common language. But I had them teach me and some of my servants everything they knew. Eventually, they taught us the term Seven Sins.

"With my new understanding, I assumed the Sins I met matched the deadly sins the church preached. But despite my efforts, I didn't find anything. So I had my agents look for traces of Sibu, Luciano, and Omar outside of Africa."

"I see, as you do not have the complete picture, you have no way of figuring out the pattern. You lack the information of what the Successors did after they left the continent," I remarked in understanding.

Zanele nodded affirmatively as she replied.

"Yes, that is the case. Another approach I tried was to track down the women who came for the Successors. I sent my assistants and many brainwashed humans to investigate. I tried to learn everything I could about their personalities and their histories.

"Piecing together what happened took decades. But at least it gave me something to do over the years. I used humans liberally. The Royal harem, which never understood my actions, just ignored me. To them, so long as I didn't meddle in Reaper affairs, I wasn't a threat."

"Then is it safe to assume that you found these connections of the actual sins to the women who represented them? What were they?" I prodded.

"I did Successor. The Seven Deadly Sins accurately marked each woman. I was able to understand the basis for each "Sin." With what I knew, I could even predict what Sin the woman candidate would become. But it did not end there.

"Fortunately or unfortunately, I also learned how the Successors died. It gave me more pieces to solve the puzzle with, but unlike the Sins, the Successors were even harder to understand. I opted to just wait for the next successor at that point."

Impressive. Given her few options, her research skills and dedication were praiseworthy. As her tale has two more Successors, hopefully we get a clearer picture.

"Come on, Nelle, hurry up, you cunt, I don't have all day!" Robyn cried out in impatience.

"Ah, I apologize. Basically, the women are given the Sin that best describes their regrets in life. The Sins themselves are like roles in a play. Due to having lived similar lives, the {Fates} they end up creating also follow a pattern."

Bella pushed up her glasses as she scoffed, "A bold hypothesis; your proof?"

"My proof lies in my ability to map the Sins to a Reaper. Blanche herself said my predictions seemed correct. I was the one who assigned Sins to your Harem Successor. Blanche didn't tell me your names, only your histories. I grasped your natures just from your Sins."

At Zanele's words, I was conflicted. On one hand, the Astrologer took Zanele's words as fact. But on the other, it was completely uncharted territory. While it doesn't really affect me what my girls are called, I grew curious about her bold claims.

Zanele sighed before she continued, "Let us take the Sins of Pride as an example. They often commit a mistake that destroys their honor or status. Often manifesting severe inferiority complexes as a result. Their {Fates} normally are defensive in nature."

"Ho?" amazed at her accuracy, I ended up reacting.

I nodded in agreement with her findings. Liv's greatest regret was her weakness. It contributed to the death of her mother. She lost her honor and her life at the same time. {Withstand} the {Fate} my beloved created, turning her into the ultimate tank.

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'Although Liv's inferiority complexes were a product of coincidences. Her personality ended up clinging to her honor to the point of being suicidal. It was why she was so ashamed to bend and break them for my benefit,' I mussed.

The girls and I turned our eyes toward our "Sin of Pride." She had a complex look on her face as she trembled. But it was obvious that she couldn't refute the words of the Soldat Matriarch. Zanele's words gave the impression that the lives the Sins lead were scripted.

I reached out to my Northern lover and held her hand. Using both my link and body I let her know I was with her. She gripped my hand tight but stopped shaking soon after. Liv then made a radiant smile afterwards.