Chapter 386: A Stroke of Luck(3)
Chapter 386: A Stroke of Luck(3)
While the world, Isaac included, was swept up in the chaos of a sudden fandom war, there were always those who remained composed, even when the rest of the world was in an uproar over the unexpected.
For instance, those who had no interest in Xenon's Life...
"Do you really think this will deal a blow to him?"
...or those who took pleasure in watching Xenon's Life fall from grace.
In a space of absolute darkness, illuminated only by a single flickering candle, a man asked in a cautious voice.
His voice suggested he was quite young, but the darkness was so thick that only his silhouette was barely discernible. However, just as it is said that a true beauty has a handsome shadow, his high bridge of the nose and sharp jawline allowed one to guess at his striking appearance.
"These things must always be dismantled slowly from the inside. Like a single drop of ink falling onto a sheet of pure white paper, you simply let it encroach in silence."
The mysterious person facing the young man was shrouded in a robe that covered their entire body, with a voice that made it impossible to tell if they were male or female.
To any observer, they would look incredibly suspicious, but the man didn't mind. Such a disguise was easily achievable through magic.
The young man clasped his hands together, pondering for a moment before speaking to the figure with a hesitant air.
"May I speak frankly?"
"Speak."
"It feels... trivial. To think such a long process was undertaken just for this..."
The rumors regarding Xenon's Life currently spreading through the world—to the man, these actions felt like child's play.
Instead of attacking Isaac directly, they were merely causing a rift in the fandom. They had even spread the rumors stealthily from various points to ensure they couldn't be traced.
He couldn't understand why they were doing this when they possessed such vast funds and manpower. It felt like they were playing games when they should have been launching an all-out assault.
"You lack insight, as expected of a greenhorn. Or perhaps it is because this is your first time?"
The stranger chuckled softly and countered with a condescending nuance. It was a blatant display of looking down on the man.
The man's eyes twitched at the slight, his irritation rising. However, getting angry now would serve no purpose. Regaining his composure as best he could, he asked back brusquely.
"Isn't it a first for you as well? You won't find a work like Xenon's Life no matter how far back you search through history."
"True. You are right. However, the methods for silently killing a hero are countless—and I have succeeded many times."
"..."
The man fell silent at the bone-chilling response.
Before the arrival of the current, relatively peaceful era, this world could truly be called an age of heroes. Since mana and magic existed, those with great individual martial prowess usually held concentrated power. Furthermore, with numerous conflicts erupting around the time of the Race War, the importance of a hero went without saying.
To have mastered the art of killing such heroes silently... the man realized once again just how dangerous the organization he belonged to—the Demon Worshippers—truly was.
"A hero is bound to have followers. Followers can be a sturdy shield, but sometimes they become a poisoned hidden blade. Moreover, even a hero is not perfect. During the Race War, even Iker was manipulated by the Elder Council and eventually imprisoned."
"Iker? But the Elves are..."
"Do you think Elves are devoid of greed? Pride is the ultimate sin. It is easy to exploit them without even infiltrating deeply. They will destroy themselves on their own."
Currently, Demon Worshippers were being purged across generations, but no Demon Worshipper had ever emerged from Albenheim. Even Piren, who had openly opposed Arwen, was not associated with them.
Rumor had it that he had raged at the mere suggestion, calling it an insult to his person and asking why an Elf like him would ever need to borrow strength from such lowly creatures. He had committed his deeds out of a pure(?) desire to monopolize power.
"Elves are an easier race to use than humans. They are so stubborn and narrow-minded that once they are incited, they believe the lie to the very end."
Of course, it was true that the Demon Worshippers had used schemes during the Race War. Through cunning strategy, they had provoked Iker, leading to a full-scale confrontation with the Elder Council.
To use a metaphor, they had flicked a tiny spark into a room filled with gunpowder.
"And this time is no different. If we cannot break through, we either bring him to our side or slowly dismantle him from within. Furthermore, for an artist, honor is everything. If that honor is tarnished, his guard will naturally slacken."
"Even if it slackens, the guardians protecting him are no joke. He has Cardinal Kate by his side, and many nations, including Helium, are protecting him. And didn't that plan, which one of your people worked so hard on, end in failure?"
"That was a completely unexpected situation."
The stranger nodded, agreeing with the man's points. Honestly, the plan the man mentioned should have had a nearly 100% success rate.
That plan was to seize Isaac's body. In this world, even Necromancy was shunned as a vile magic that no one dared to delve into. However, the Demon Worshippers were a group with deep knowledge of sorcery and Necromancy. They could perform acts that defied the natural order as easily as breathing.
Yet, the plan had failed, leaving them with more questions than shock. They wondered if a mistake had been made, but they couldn't identify the cause.
Because the soul had completely vanished. They had prepared a vessel just in case of failure, but it never returned.
‘He is a man blessed by the false gods, so he must have been stronger than expected.’
For now, that was the only conclusion they could draw. They could never have dreamed that a legendary Angel actually existed.
Therefore, the Demon Worshippers formulated a different plan. If they couldn't break him from the outside, they would break him down piece by piece from the inside. An empire destroyed by external attack can be rebuilt, but if it collapses from within, there is no hope. It was a truth as old as time.
"There are always those who become radical, no matter where you go. And there will certainly be factions that grow to hate those followers. Then, the arrows will naturally point toward Xenon."
"Isn't that too much of a leap? What if Xenon clarifies the situation before that happens?"
"Then people will only hate those extreme followers even more. They'll say it's because of them that Xenon was forced to reveal the ending himself. Whether they fight or not, the number of followers will dwindle."
"Ah."
The man was impressed. Indeed, if things went that way, Isaac would be backed into a corner with nowhere to go.
Just as Isaac had thought while observing the situation, it was a perfect checkmate.
However, he still doubted whether even this could truly bring Isaac down. Wouldn't it just diminish his honor?
"Is that the end of it? Just tarnishing Xenon's honor?"
"It is very important."
"Why?"
"Because that is how heroes have fallen until now. A hero is not a transcendent being like a god. They are mortals with only one heart, who suffer disabilities if their head takes a heavy blow."
No matter how much he was worshipped as a prophet or a regressor, Isaac was fundamentally a mortal. He was merely treated as a god because he had achieved feats unimaginable to an ordinary person, but he would eventually face death.
Honor was what shielded that fact. If that honor was stripped away bit by bit, a gap would appear.
No one in the world is perfect. This is no different for heroes; sometimes they even possess severe personality flaws.
"I think I finally understand what you mean. But it will take a long time. Besides, if Xenon gives the story a good ending, this might all be for nothing."
"A good ending... for example? As you know, even the World Tree could not withstand that darkness. Do you think Lily can endure it?"
"For someone who claims to hate Xenon's Life, you certainly know the content well."
The question was laced with both surprise and sarcasm. The stranger replied in a nonchalant voice.
"One must know their enemy and themselves to secure victory. Information is vital, young fledgling."
"...Fine. Let's leave it at that. It seems we might actually be able to communicate well."
The man suppressed the heat rising from within and spoke in his characteristically cold voice.
"Lily is a Saintess loved by the gods. Do you really think the gods will stand by while such a being slowly withers away? Even Jin, who was struck by Gluttony, returned everything after his awakening. It won't be any different for Lily."
"Purification is impossible. If it were possible, there would be no reason to create such a sense of crisis. And you haven't read it carefully. If you look at the final description, the Stake pierced the left side of her chest. In other words, where the heart is."
"..."
How does he know it so well? The man was dumbfounded but didn't show it. Even though the figure was hidden by a robe, their voice was incredibly serious. If he laughed now, he might lose his head.
"The heart is the source of life. Mortals generally die when their heart is damaged. This is no different for Lily."
"Couldn't she awaken as an Angel like Jin?"
"A mortal cannot ascend to become a transcendent. Because their physical bodies are different."
"Then, what if only the soul is extracted to become a transcendent—"
Sssss—
Before the man could even finish his sentence, a savage aura began to creep out from the stranger.
Feeling that overwhelming pressure, the man immediately shut his mouth. He felt that if he uttered even one more word, his head would be severed. If simply releasing an aura could create such an illusion, just how strong was this being?
While the man gulped, the stranger spoke in a low, sunken voice. It was a voice clearly laden with 'wrath' and 'hatred.'
"Watch your tongue."
"..."
"It is impossible for life to be born without a father. Even nature is nothing but barren land without a 'seed.' This is the true natural order. It is a truth unknown to the foolish mortals because the false gods have blinded them."
It was a perfectly logical statement. A child cannot be born without a father, and vice versa.
The man felt cold sweat trickling down his back at the stranger's anger. But he had to say what needed to be said.
"But Xenon is the author. It means he can write whatever he wants."
"..."
"If he writes it that way, how do you plan to act?"
"The false gods do not lie. No, they cannot. This is a restriction placed upon them by the Father of All Things before he departed. This is why they can conceal the truth but cannot tell a lie."
Isaac had once asked Mora a similar question: whether it was possible to purify Jin, whose soul had been corrupted by devouring Diabolus, and then reincarnate him as a transcendent.
And instead of saying it was possible, Luminous had explained how an Angel is born. In a way, he had taught Isaac so he could judge for himself, but in reality, it was no different from evading the answer.
Since Isaac had naturally given up on the idea of reincarnating him as an Angel after that, there were many significant implications.
"If he is resurrected as an Angel, it's better for us. If the truth is revealed in the distant future, we can properly destroy his honor."
"......I see. Then why did you spread the rumor that Xenon kills Jin? It would have been enough to say that Jin and Lily don't end up together."
"Because if we were going to cause a division, we had to do it thoroughly. He's going to use some nonsensical trick to make them end up together anyway, so don't worry about it."
But did he know?
"He's not a real demon, and he won't be able to handle tearing the two apart."
That a completely unexpected, and highly shocking, development was coming.
"Or rather, it would be better if Jin dies while nursing Lily by her side."
That Isaac was a being more wicked than any demon.
"I think people will riot even at that."
"That just shows how great their influence is."
At this point, they did not know.