Chapter 362: Athena Wants to Know the Truth
After all the rats had scurried away, Sylph finally relaxed, her hand rubbing her arm, unable to shake off the goosebumps.
The stench of the rodents seemed to linger in the air.
She glanced at Athena, who had just put away her flute. Sylph felt a chill, as if she were meeting Athena for the first time.
She couldn’t fathom how Athena could use such a revolting spell.
“Where did you learn such a disgusting thing?” Sylph couldn’t help but complain. “It was sickening.”
She had almost wanted to cast a spell at her when the swarm of rats appeared.
She couldn’t stand rats and roaches.
Athena merely smiled faintly. This wasn’t a spell, but a prelude to a particular ability.
She didn’t know why, but Qin Chu could decipher the mysterious runes.
And from that slab, he had deciphered two abilities.
The Curse of Misfortune and the Black Death.
The Curse of Misfortune simply brought bad luck. As for the Black Death, it was a terrifying, highly contagious, and deadly disease.
And the Black Death was primarily spread by rodents.
To unleash this plague on a large scale, one first needed to control them.
Every rat was a potential carrier.
Be it in a forest or a city, rats were everywhere. Imagine the effect if Athena used this ability in an urban area. The entire city would be riddled with the virus within a short time. Without any warning or knowledge of its origin, the survivors would only vent their anger on those already infected.
They might kill them, burn them, but they couldn’t stop the plague’s spread.
They might even believe it was divine punishment, dying in despair.
The power of Evil Gods was terrifying. They wouldn’t simply kill their victims, but would torment them, body and soul, driving them to madness and despair.
She shook her head, dismissing these thoughts, glancing at Sylph: “If you want to search for it yourself, be my guest.”
Sylph froze, looking at the dense forest. She shook her head. Forget it.
It was too vast. It would take forever. She wasn’t a fool.
“What do we do now?” Sylph asked.
“Wait. It’s that simple.”
“Okay.”
Sylph had no better ideas. Would the rats truly find what they were looking for?
She didn’t believe these rodents were intelligent enough.
Waiting was boring. As a mage, Athena had more patience than Sylph, but this time, she was the first to break the silence: “Sylph, do you remember much about Jie Luo?”
Sylph’s eyes showed a flicker of impatience.
But she still thought about it: “Not much. When we were with Jie Luo, it seemed like we were always either training or fighting Demon Beasts. There aren’t many particularly memorable moments.”
She added silently: Except for my confession, which was rejected.
“And you?”
Athena stretched lazily: “Aside from him saving me, there’s not much else worth remembering. Compared to us, he seemed to prefer the company of Ronald, Benson, Karsus, and Muse.”
“So people were suspicious that he didn’t like women,” Sylph said, a rare, genuine smile on her face, untainted by scheming or deceit.
It was a joyful time, though short-lived.
She mimicked Athena’s posture, stretching her arms and lying on the soft bed of leaves.
It wasn’t the Imperial City. There weren’t so many rules to follow.
Her eyes gazed through the leaves at the sunlight. She reached out, as if trying to grasp something, but her hand came back empty.
“If Jie Luo suddenly appeared before us one day, what would you do?” she asked suddenly.
Perhaps it wasn’t a sudden thought.
She might have been thinking about it for a while.
They had both given their bodies to Qin Chu… in a way, they were already his.
Even if they still loved Jie Luo, could they remain by his side?
And their feelings for Qin Chu were shifting. They were beginning to like him. How could they face Jie Luo?
Athena was silent for a moment before answering: “I don’t know.”
She really didn’t.
She was confused and uncertain.
Suddenly, they heard a rustling sound.
The first rat had returned, carrying something.
Athena sat up, a flicker of joy in her eyes.
But when she saw what the rat was carrying, she frowned. It was an acorn…
Round, smooth, bright, transparent… She had given many instructions, but the rats seemed to have only remembered a few.
It was just the beginning. More and more rats returned, bringing back various objects.
Soon, a small mountain had formed before Athena.
But most of it was worthless, some closer to what she was looking for, but still just smooth stones.
Athena was growing frustrated. Were these rodents useless after all?
Sylph was laughing uncontrollably.
Athena was about to give up when suddenly, she and Sylph sensed something. They looked up, and saw a rat scurrying towards them, carrying a fingernail-sized, transparent crystal.
They recognized it instantly: Jie Luo’s soul fragment.
They exchanged a surprised glance.
As the rat approached, placing the fragment in Athena’s hand, she finally released her control over the rodents.
They paused for a moment, then scattered in all directions.
Sylph, seeing the soul fragment, felt a flicker of emotion, but it wasn’t strong. It would be given to Loseweisse, anyway.
She yawned, stretching: “Since we have it, let’s go back.”
“Wait, Sylph. Can you do me a favor?” Athena said, stopping her.
“What is it?” Sylph was curious.
“Guard me. I want to examine this fragment first.”
“Fine.”
Sylph didn’t think much of it, merely nodding and leaping onto a nearby branch, keeping watch.
Athena focused all her attention on the soul fragment.
She had to decipher its contents.
She couldn’t do it as easily as Ireta. This would be a significant drain on her, lowering her senses and combat abilities.
But she had to know the truth.
Her face was serious as she took a deep breath, concentrating on the crystal.
Slowly, a black thread emerged from her brow, guided by her will, wrapping around the fragment, disappearing within.
Then, another thread appeared.
After crushing a statue in her soul world, her mental and spiritual strength had increased.
Two threads, doubling her efficiency.
She carefully examined every inch of the fragment, not missing a single detail.
Information, imprinted within the fragment, appeared in her mind.
Gradually… her eyes lost their focus.
Chapter 363: Athena’s Complete Breakdown
Her eyes lost their light, becoming dull and lifeless.
If the previous fragments had been tampered with by Qin Chu, this one, which she had personally retrieved, was the original, unaltered.
Its contents couldn’t have been changed.
And because of that, it was even more heartbreaking.
After a long while, a faint smile touched her lips, a mocking smile. She didn’t know who she was mocking, perhaps herself.
Haha… so that’s how it is.
She finally understood.
The fragment clearly recorded certain truths, answering many of her lingering questions.
It was a recording left by the First Jie Luo, his tone almost robotic as he recounted what he had learned:
“Ha, it’s incredible. This being, though merely a construct of those ‘ugly freaks’ in the Void, has actually become self-aware, even trying to break free from their control. I don’t know whether to admire him or not.”
“But this creation is truly worthy of being called an ‘Evil God’s creation.’ The method he devised is peculiar. He knows those ‘ugly freaks’ are watching him constantly. Any unusual behavior will be met with their punishment.”
“So, he devised a plan: reincarnation.”
“But it’s not like the way he took over my body. It’s worse. As an Evil God’s creation, the Second Jie Luo’s existence is incompatible with normal bodies, even powerful ones. They can’t contain his corrupted soul. It would cause an extreme rejection.”
“Only a vessel highly compatible with his body could possibly contain his soul.”
“He found an elf… tsk… she’s quite beautiful. Her name is Sylph…”
Sylph, who had been watching over Athena, guarding against any danger, was startled.
An Evil God’s creation?
Second Jie Luo?
Why was her name mentioned?
Her expression, coupled with Athena’s strange murmurings, made her fur stand on end.
But, as a mage, she was used to such eccentric behavior. Few mages were entirely normal.
She didn’t intervene, merely listening intently.
Athena continued, her voice devoid of emotion:
“Heh, the Second Jie Luo and I have similar tastes. No wonder he inherited all my memories. This Sylph is quite similar to my girlfriend’s best friend.”
“Ah, I’m reminded of that wild night with my girlfriend’s best friend. It was unforgettable. Unfortunately, my body has been taken, leaving only a sliver of my consciousness to record this.”
“Speaking of which, how did I die?”
“I seem to remember vaguely… seeing my girlfriend coming out from under the bed, holding a knife. Was I… stabbed?”
“How terrifying. We’re all human. Why so violent? We should all live in peace and harmony.”
“Alright, I’m getting sidetracked again. But I’m sure whoever is reading this is already used to it.”
Athena frowned, her body swaying slightly as she raised a hand to her temple.
Reading these memories was proving difficult. Couldn’t he get to the point? She was wasting precious mental energy on this nonsense.
But she had to continue.
“In short, this elf, who is very similar to my girlfriend’s best friend, has caught the Second Jie Luo’s eye. He’s unlucky, I know. Once he makes a move, she’s doomed. After all, my altered body, while not as handsome as the original, is incredibly attractive to women, thanks to the Authority of Desire. No woman can resist.”
“As expected, he told her he could clear her name, remove her from the wanted lists. All she had to do was join the Hero Squad and fight alongside him. The foolish elf immediately agreed.”
Sylph’s lips trembled. She wasn’t foolish. She was actually quite smart.
“This idiot elf doesn’t know that he’s not interested in her, but in her elven heritage.”
Sylph’s face paled.
“Elves are naturally attuned to the elements, and so are their descendants. He’s already planned it. Once everything is ready, he’ll impregnate Sylph, creating a child with both his and elven blood.”
“Then, he’ll transfer his consciousness into that child, crushing its nascent soul, taking over its body. He’ll be reborn, free from the watchful eyes in the Void.”
Sylph’s eyes widened, her expression a mixture of shock and horror.
Athena continued, her voice still flat and emotionless:
“With his bloodline, the rejection will be minimal. With the elven bloodline, increasing his affinity for the elements, the risk during the transfer will be significantly reduced.”
“Just like he did with that woman, Athena… after his rebirth, he can rapidly grow stronger.”
“Then, he’ll take Athena, taking her mana, no, not just her mana, but also her talent.”
“That foolish woman, Athena, doesn’t know how valuable she is.”
“She’s naturally unbound by the Heavenly Continent’s constraints, able to surpass the limits of mortals.”
“That trait is more valuable than any amount of mana. If not for her talent, why would he have bothered saving her, even staging it so that he rescued her at the most opportune moment? There aren’t that many coincidences in the world.”
“Unfortunately, she fell for it, head over heels for him.”
“His only concern was that she was also being watched by those seven ugly freaks in the Void. Because she’s so special, she could even serve as a vessel for an Evil God’s offspring, a way for them to project their power and bloodline into this world.”
“But fortunately, that one in the cage won’t give them another chance to descend. They can only seal her, suppressing her talent.”
“This is also why he’s hesitant. If he touches her, he might attract their attention again, something he desperately wants to avoid…”
“Of course, there’s another reason: me, the First Jie Luo, the true Jie Luo, and my… unique Authority, a powerful yet troublesome one.”
“Watching him, so interested, so aroused, yet unable to touch them… it’s exhilarating. This is my revenge. Hahahahaha…”
Athena’s voice remained devoid of emotion, a stark contrast to the disturbing content.
The fragment, while small, contained a wealth of information.
But Athena couldn’t continue.
She swayed, the two black threads retracting into her forehead.
Her face was pale, weary, and filled with a deep sorrow, her eyes losing their luster.
Heh…
Hahahahaha…
Suddenly, she laughed, a desperate, almost animalistic sound.
So this was the truth.
How cruel…
She laughed until tears streamed down her face.
A strange light flickered in her eyes, a hint of crimson.
Jie Luo, so this was your plan?
