Chapter 364: Athena’s Darkening
The truth was often crueler than imagined.
Even before meeting Muse in the Snow Chain Mountains, Athena had harbored deep suspicions about why Jie Luo had saved her.
She was so different from the other members of the Hero Squad. She had worried that he had saved her only because of her ability to amplify mana.
She had tried to convince herself otherwise, but the truth was often harsh, and this time, even more brutal than she had anticipated.
He had been watching her all along, deliberately appearing just as she was about to be violated by that mage, saving her to deepen her gratitude and affection.
And her feelings for Jie Luo weren’t solely based on this clichéd rescue. It was also because of the charm emanating from him, the charm of an Evil God.
She had thought herself miserable, but Sylph was even worse off.
Jie Luo seemed to have regarded her as a vessel for his child, planning to transfer his soul and consciousness into the unborn child.
Sylph’s sole purpose was to give birth to this child and then watch it die.
Once the child was born, Sylph would have met her end. He would never have let her live.
Similarly, after taking everything he could from her, he likely wouldn’t have spared her either.
That man… the man she and Sylph had once loved, had coldly woven a cage of despair for them.
He cared nothing for them. He had never loved them. In his heart, they were merely tools, objects for his future gratification.
She stared up at the sky. The sunlight filtering through the leaves was tinged with crimson, almost holy.
But beneath that sunlight, she felt only cold.
She hugged her shoulders tightly, her body trembling.
Her heart ached, as if it had been pierced and torn apart. Her insides felt ravaged, every breath agonizing.
The warm air felt like knives, tearing at her throat, turning her laughter into a hoarse cry.
Her stomach spasmed.
Remembering the sweet words she had once shared with Jie Luo, the loving gaze she had always directed at him, the racing of her heart at his every smile, she couldn’t help it. She felt a wave of nausea, and she retched, clutching a tree trunk, heaving violently.
She retched until her insides felt empty.
Why had he looked at her with such warmth, only to push her away? She had thought it was because he was a gentleman.
Why had he rejected her confession? She had thought it was because he was devoted to the world.
Why did he prefer the company of those killers? Perhaps they were more compatible.
Everything made sense now.
Haha… hehe… hahaha… Athena, you’re such a fool.
She had given so much to resurrect him, but perhaps she was just a clown.
A strange sound escaped her throat, her laughter growing more and more chilling. Her beautiful face was almost contorted.
Her laughter grew sharper, more crazed, more filled with hatred and savagery.
She had broken down, but this woman was far stronger than anyone could imagine. She rose from her breakdown.
Her eyes, once filled with warmth, were now cold and cruel.
Jie Luo, was this your plan? This your goal?
A trace of darkness flickered in her eyes.
Black, like a starless night sky.
I won’t let you succeed so easily.
Never…
Never…
Never!
Her lips moved, repeating the same syllable.
She was in an agitated state, but she forced herself to remain calm. Yes, she had to be more calm and clear-headed than ever before.
Her intelligence surged.
She was a suspicious woman, always doubting, and now more so than ever.
This was, perhaps, her greatest strength.
And now, her biggest suspicion was… was Jie Luo truly dead?
When she didn’t know the truth, it was one thing. But now, knowing all this, the single combat between the Hero and the Demon King, resulting in the Hero’s apparent death, seemed suspicious, full of holes.
Firstly, the Jie Luo they faced wasn’t the true Hero.
His goal had never been to destroy the Demon Beasts and save the world. He was merely carrying out the Evil God’s mission, camouflaging his true intentions.
He cared nothing for the women in his squad, seeing them as tools, not companions. Even towards Muse and the others, he likely felt the same. It was unlikely he would have challenged the Demon King for the sake of the Heavenly Continent or the other members of the Hero Squad.
Secondly, Jie Luo had meticulously planned to use the elf as a vessel for rebirth, growing stronger after his resurrection by absorbing the vast magical power she, Athena, had stored as a living battery.
Given this, it made even less sense for him to challenge the Demon King.
So, there was a high probability that the duel with the Demon King was a trap, a facade.
He likely wanted everyone to believe he was dead, to hide from his former teammates, and even to evade the watchful eyes in the Void.
The most important point was that the soul fragments contained only the First Jie Luo’s memories, while the so-called First Hero, the Second Jie Luo’s soul, had vanished, leaving no trace.
Why?
If one fragment was like this, it could be a coincidence. Two, three, four… that was no coincidence.
Athena pushed her ability to suspect to its limit, her mind racing.
Countless possibilities swirled in her mind, and the conclusion she reached sent chills down her spine.
Perhaps Jie Luo’s plan had been discovered by the beings in the Void.
So, he had to change his plans, using his supposed death to escape their notice.
If that was the case, then he was definitely not truly dead.
Jie Luo’s plan, no matter what, revolved around rebirth… so, could the current Demon King, Nagath, actually be…
This thought terrified her, her breathing becoming rapid.
Her face flushed. Heh, how interesting. One is the Demon King, intent on destroying humanity, the other the Hero, who is supposed to save the world. Connecting the two… not many could do that.
Athena, you’re truly something else.
She would continue to exploit her suspicious nature, to deduce the truth.
So, if Jie Luo isn’t dead, where did Loseweisse’s Resurrection scroll come from? Another version of Jie Luo? Or even… the Void?
But just then, a pale-faced Sylph called out to her repeatedly.
Sylph listened to Athena’s murmurs, hearing the information that nearly broke her.
Sylph didn’t know as much as Athena, but she understood enough, and that was what made it so difficult to accept.
How could this be? It couldn’t be true.
Jie Luo just wanted her to bear his child, and then use the child for his rebirth?
No.
He wasn’t such a cruel person. He wouldn’t treat her and their child like that.
She trembled, her lips quivering, her teeth clenched.
She wanted to ask Athena why she was saying these things, to hear from her that it was all a joke. But Athena was completely lost in her own thoughts, unable to hear Sylph’s words.
Seeing Athena’s crazed state, a mix of shock, sorrow, and anger surged within Sylph. She couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Ah…”
With a sharp cry, she extended her five slender fingers, grabbing Athena’s delicate neck.
She was an archer.
Her strength was far inferior to warriors, berserkers, and knights.
But against Athena, a mage, her strength was overwhelming.
Her grip nearly crushed Athena’s neck, pushing her back until she was slammed against a tree trunk.
Choking, Athena finally snapped out of her trance, looking at Sylph in confusion. After a few seconds, her eyes gradually regained focus.
“Athena, tell me! What did you discover in that soul fragment?” Sylph asked, her voice hoarse and strained.
She wanted the truth, too.
Athena didn’t mind being choked, a strange smile on her face: “Sylph…”
“If Jie Luo is still alive… what would you do?”
She didn’t know what Sylph would do.
But she, Athena…
She would use her own hands to destroy all of Jie Luo’s plans.
That was her, a weak woman’s, revenge.
Chapter 365: Master, I am Athena
Honestly, Athena was a remarkable woman.
But also the type to be driven to extremes. The deeper her love, the stronger her hate.
After Jie Luo’s death, each member of the former Hero Squad was immersed in grief, especially the women who loved him. The pain was even more intense.
Knowing that he could be revived had become their driving force, their reason to live. They were willing to endure any hardship, to make any sacrifice, to see their beloved again.
This was their reason for living.
Even Athena, who had fallen into deep self-doubt and whose feelings for Jie Luo had wavered, even on the mountaintop, when she couldn’t take the pressure and had twisted her own soul, her love for Jie Luo had only faded, not disappeared.
She had even fabricated a non-existent memory of herself making a deal with Qin Chu to resurrect Jie Luo.
Even after that, Qin Chu and Jie Luo’s figures had appeared together in her mind, making her unable to tell her true feelings.
But Athena was still willing to believe that she still loved Jie Luo.
But now, the cruel truth had been laid bare before her.
A pitiful clown.
A foolish woman.
Perhaps that was the best description of herself.
Looking back, her extreme distrust of everyone except Jie Luo was highly unusual in itself.
Athena even felt a sense of relief.
Fortunately, the soul fragment had recorded this. Fortunately, she was the first to touch it.
If Qin Chu had obtained it first, even if he had told her everything, even if he had given her the fragment, she would have doubted the truth of its contents.
But now, all her defenses were broken.
There was no room for doubt.
What she had sensed, what she had seen, was the truth.
Before her, Sylph’s emerald eyes were wide, her breathing ragged, her pupils trembling violently.
Athena’s words had dealt Sylph an unprecedented blow.
Jie Luo was alive?
No… that was impossible.
The members of the former Hero Squad had witnessed Jie Luo’s body being torn apart. They had gathered his remains and buried him. How could he still be alive? That was definitely…
If he was alive, then Qin Chu… what should she do?
Sylph couldn’t understand her own feelings. Knowing he might be alive, her first reaction wasn’t joy, but confusion and struggle.
Seeing Athena’s mocking smile, anger surged within Sylph. Was this woman lying to her? She must be.
Her slender arm exerted more force, lifting Athena’s body into the air. “Athena, is it fun to lie to me?”
Athena’s smile grew: “Lie to you?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
“How do you know I’m lying?”
Her voice was still filled with that neurotic frenzy.
Her hoarse, trembling voice clearly showed her poor mental state.
She wasn’t faking it.
Sylph’s heart sank. She was starting to believe her.
About Jie Luo being alive, and about the eerie whispers from before.
Sylph was losing her grip. Seeing her wavering, Athena’s fingers touched Sylph’s. In an instant, a jolt of electricity surged through Sylph’s body.
She shuddered, her hand loosening.
Then, countless ice picks appeared above her.
Sylph’s face paled, and she retreated.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The ice picks rained down, and Sylph dodged.
Then, the ground beneath her turned to quicksand, threatening to swallow her.
“Wind, come!”
Buzz…
A powerful gust swept the sand away, and Sylph soared into the sky, narrowly avoiding a bolt of lightning. She drew her bow, firing a barrage of arrows at Athena.
It was a battle of pure, unrestrained emotion.
Without reason, just to vent the pent-up frustration and madness.
The forest echoed with their roars and the sounds of destruction.
Trees toppled, reduced to splinters by their attacks.
The rodents that had helped Athena earlier were now homeless, fleeing in terror.
Sylph and Athena were similar in strength, with Athena slightly stronger, but only slightly. It was a well-matched fight, lasting from noon until afternoon.
They were both exhausted, their positions now a sandy wasteland. Sylph lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, her maid outfit in tatters, her black stockings torn, her fair skin exposed.
Sweat clung to her face.
Some of it dripped into her eyes, stinging.
Athena was in slightly better shape, sitting on the ground, leaning against her staff, her flesh occasionally twitching spasmodically.
“Athena, everything you said… is it true?” Sylph asked after a long while, her voice hoarse.
“I didn’t have to lie to you,” Athena replied, her eyelids drooping.
During their fight, she had answered all of Sylph’s questions, telling her everything she knew.
Sylph’s face was a mask of sorrow as she curled up on the ground.
It felt like a long time before she finally uncurled.
So this was the truth. Cruel, but they had to accept it.
She smiled bitterly. In that case, she didn’t have to struggle with her feelings anymore. Jie Luo had made the choice for her.
Suddenly, she stiffened.
Jie Luo, that comrade from years past, might have been lying. But what about Qin Chu? Was he, like Jie Luo, deceiving her and Athena?
When she voiced her concerns to Athena, she received a strange look in return.
“Qin Chu?”
“When has he ever hidden his desire for your, for my, for Ekaterina’s body?”
Athena’s answer left Sylph speechless.
Thinking back, he hadn’t. He hadn’t even tried to conceal it. He had practically engraved “I want to sleep with you” on his forehead.
Sylph now suspected he had other ways to remove the threads from her soul, that the so-called treatment was just a way to take advantage of her.
Well, it didn’t matter anymore.
She wasn’t as disgusted by it as she had been initially. Perhaps… she blushed, her face hot.
She was now grateful she had tried to offer herself to Jie Luo, only to be rejected. Now, she could give her pure self to Qin Chu.
At least compared to Jie Luo, Qin Chu was more… acceptable.
It was probably the contrast with such a negative example that made both Sylph and Athena feel that Qin Chu’s image had improved.
Like two lunatics, they lay on the ground, laughing, crying, laughing, crying…
After a while, the sounds turned into soft sobs, then finally silence.
Panting, Athena pressed a finger to her ear.
“What are you doing?” Sylph asked, seeing her movement.
“Contacting our master. I need to report some things,” Athena said, smiling faintly.
It was just one reason.
More importantly, she wanted to hear his voice.
Even just his voice would bring her peace and comfort.
Even if his intentions were merely for her body, she was willing to trade her body for this tranquility.
“Master, it’s Athena…”
Meanwhile, in the canyon, Qin Chu was being… attended to by Heloise.
Hearing Athena’s voice, he frowned: “What’s wrong? Your voice sounds strange.”
Athena’s hand rested on her chest.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but his concern warmed her heart.
Compared to his sweet nothings, this subdued tone was more comforting.
She wondered if it was because of Shaye’s potion, or the shock of the truth, or perhaps both.
She felt Qin Chu’s figure growing clearer in her mind.
This was her master.
