Chapter 37: What? The Rumors are True?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37: What? The Rumors are True?
"Roland, you old geezer! What do you mean, 'go spy on the Emperor'? Do you even hear yourself?"
By now, Cecilia had already successfully infiltrated the interior of the Golden Dragon.
Following the map provided by Roland, she was currently preparing to approach the Central Hall at the heart of the vessel. That was the place where the Emperor was most likely to be found.
"Is that man someone I can just 'spy' on? Besides, isn't Roland supposed to be the Empire's most loyal subject? How could he say something like 'spying on the Emperor'?"
"And what was that about the Emperor being bewitched by the Chaos Church? I understand every single one of those words individually, but when you put them together, they make no sense at all."
Despite her intense frustration with the task Roland had assigned her, Cecilia was currently living under his roof. There were certain things she simply had to do.
It was just like her time back at the Assassin Association.
"Sigh, if only my Xiao Baibai were here. She’s just so cute... I really want to pick her up and give her a good squeeze again..."
After a brief moment of nostalgia, Cecilia turned her attention back to the map.
"Hmm... a bit further ahead, and that should be the Central Hall."
Following the route Roland had provided, Cecilia reached the Central Hall without a hitch.
Unsurprisingly, she also managed to see Emperor Atoris quite easily.
There was only one thing that wasn't going smoothly.
Clang—!
[Atoris Lv.99]
At this moment, Atoris was locked in combat with a member of the Chaos Church.
Cecilia immediately recognized the cultist. It was that "Mr. Big Charcoal" she had seen back in the abandoned village.
[Julius Lv.94]
Right now, Julius seemed like a god of war incarnate, suppressing Atoris with a relentless, frenzied offensive.
Even though Atoris was far from weak—possessing a terrifying level of power that was only a single step away from becoming a Demigod—it seemed futile against Julius.
Julius was no stranger to beating down beings who were near-Demigod status. For instance, a certain Gray Horse Knight who preferred to remain anonymous.
To be fair, Julius still didn't know that Gray Horse Knight's name; the other guy had refused to say it while they were trading blows. He had struck Julius as a very prideful knight.
Clang—!
Seeing that Julius had the leisure to let his mind wander even while fighting, Atoris, who was being forced back repeatedly, grew visibly incensed.
However, he immediately suppressed his anger.
As the Emperor who had guarded the Empire for three hundred years, Atoris understood exactly what his opponent was thinking.
"If only Roland were here to join forces... Why must it be now? Is this all part of the Chaos Church's treacherous scheme...?"
Clang—!
Julius's attacks were exceptionally fierce, leaving Atoris no room to breathe.
In a terrifying exchange involving dozens of clashes per second, Julius appeared completely unpressured. As he suppressed Atoris, he began to recite a piece of history to him.
"Emperor Atoris, your life should have reached its end a hundred years ago."
"As the guardian of the Empire, you knew you couldn't let your mission end yet. So, you made a wager with the Cult Leader of Chaos."
"The stake was a Chaos Seed. The wager was whether you would choose to ascend to a Demigod before that Chaos Seed matured."
"By all rights, you should have collapsed twenty years ago. But the fact is, you've endured until now. For that, you have my respect."
"Hermann should have come to see you before. He told me you would choose death. But I'm different—I'm betting that you'll become a Demigod."
Clang—!
Julius's sword fell once more. Pointing his blade at Atoris, he spoke in a cold, detached tone.
"Come then. As the Emperor, will you choose to become a Demigod, or will you let me kill you here and watch the Empire fall?"
*
"What do you mean... the rumors I made up are true?"
Xie Bai had just woken up. She looked at Thanatos, her head still a bit foggy.
Facing Xie Bai's confusion, Thanatos explained at a measured pace.
"That is correct, My Master. Just now, when I used Shadow Return to slip into Cecilia's shadow, I saw Julius and the Emperor fighting. These truths were revealed by Julius during the battle."
Halfway through the explanation, Xie Bai suddenly realized something.
"Wait, Cecilia is there too?"
Thanatos nodded. "Yes. It seems to be Roland's arrangement; he had her infiltrate the Golden Dragon. She also seems quite keen on watching the battle and hasn't fled yet."
After hearing Thanatos's description, Xie Bai felt like her brain was stuck on a loading screen.
"Hiss... let me process this for a second."
Xie Bai rubbed her forehead, speaking with a hint of disbelief. "So, Emperor Atoris didn't just accept the power of the Chaos Church—he did it a hundred years ago."
"And he was supposed to be unable to withstand that power twenty years ago, but the reality is he's held out until now."
"Then, as Roland's eyes and ears, Cecilia will bring this news back to him."
"Meanwhile, the Emperor himself will think this is a plot by the Chaos Church and push all his suspicion onto them."
"In other words, the rumors I started just to sow a little temporary discord have now... become the actual truth?"
Thanatos gave a slight nod to Xie Bai's question. "From the current perspective, that is the case, My Master. Your decision was most wise; not a single flaw has emerged."
Even though Xie Bai's plan had turned out to be coincidentally and exceptionally smooth based on Thanatos's information, she still recognized a critical issue.
"So in the end, Atoris has to face two choices: either become a Demigod or perish?"
"Correct."
Xie Bai found this a bit hard to grasp. "Wait, can't Atoris just choose to become a Demigod? That sounds like a good thing, doesn't it?"
Thanatos explained seriously. "Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be a good thing. The problem is that the source of the power for Atoris's ascension is a Chaos Seed. This means the Demigod he becomes will be a chaotic, maddened existence."
"Under the current world's restrictions, a Demigod who forces a breakthrough like this will be extremely unstable. Upon birth, they will vent their power frantically, eventually leading to the destruction of the entire city of Carlos Lilanka along with themselves."
Now Xie Bai understood completely.
"So if he dies, he can't protect the Empire, but if he ascends, he'll destroy the Empire directly?"
Why does this setup sound so familiar...
Thanatos continued his explanation. "Indeed. After all, Atoris should have reached his end a hundred years ago, but he used the power of the Chaos Seed to forcibly twist fate. This current dilemma is the inevitable backlash of Fate."
After listening to Thanatos, Xie Bai pondered for a moment.
If Atoris really did ascend to a Demigod, would the experience points from killing him push her straight to Level 100?
However, Xie Bai had never fought a Demigod before. She wasn't entirely sure if she could secure a guaranteed win.
After some thought, Xie Bai decided to wait and see for now.
"Thanatos, go back into Cecilia's shadow. If any danger occurs at the scene, ensure her safety first."
No matter how you looked at it, Cecilia was one of only nine ultra-rare SSRs in the world. Xie Bai would be quite heartbroken if she accidentally met her end.
Then, Xie Bai added one more thing.
"Of course, if he really does ascend and you can't handle it, let me know. I won't just sit by and watch."
Upon receiving Xie Bai's command, Thanatos bowed slightly.
"As you command, My Master."