Chapter 386: On a date

The letter from Apollo stated that any action taken against his apostle would receive no interference from him. It was a clear declaration that he wanted no involvement in the situation.

Kyle interpreted the letter in two ways. The first was the simpler possibility: Apollo simply had no desire to involve himself in his apostle’s wrongdoings. The second was that Apollo wished to establish a connection with Kyle, much like Loki had.

The first possibility seemed trivial, while the second appeared unlikely. Apollo was close to Ares, after all. Or rather, their clashing personalities had somehow made them good companions.

Regardless, Kyle’s interest remained fixed on acquiring another Apostle. Since Apollo had made it clear through the letter that he had no objection to Arthur receiving a forced blessing, Kyle no longer needed to risk awakening his Heart; much to the two women’s and an angel’s relief.

Well, they weren’t wrong to worry, he needed to be a little more careful about his divinity.

For now, he had commanded Ethan to keep an eye on Arthur while Kyle forced his will into the man and made him submit. It would take some time, but eventually, it would work.

"So now... what?" Amanda asked. "How are you going to handle the situation with the HQ? They must have seen you as the reason behind Elena and Arthur’s disappearance."

Veronica added, "Many people must have already approached my units to question them about Kyle." After all, she was the one who had brought him there.

She wasn’t particularly worried about what others thought. Her only concern was that the incident might interfere with her officers’ ability to carry out their duties.

"Hmm."

Kyle sat down on the couch and motioned for the other two to join him.

Elena was asleep on the bed, covered by a sheet as her body recovered. The blessing had already been bestowed upon her. Now, all they could do was wait for her to wake.

Once Amanda and Veronica had settled beside him, Kyle spoke.

"Arthur would vouch for me. After all, Arthur himself possesses the ability to teleport."

Veronica raised an eyebrow. "So the rumors were true?"

Amanda lightly struck her fist against her palm. "Then he can simply say that he teleported the two of you somewhere else. That should put an end to the questions immediately."

Kyle nodded. "Exactly. That’s why I’m not worried. With Arthur backing my story, they won’t investigate the matter any further, nor will they come looking for trouble with you, Veronica."

Veronica sighed. "I wasn’t too worried. But with Arthur speaking for you, surely the authorities will listen."

Amanda suddenly seemed to have an idea. "Kyle... if making Apostles gives you easier access to certain things, then why not take the Defense Minister, the head of surveillance, and several others under your command?"

Kyle smiled faintly. He reached over and tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear before replying, "I can’t expand my authority too much, Amanda. Not when my powers are still limited. I need to take things slowly and consider my options carefully. Once I make someone my Apostle, their actions and decisions ultimately affect me as well."

Amanda nodded in understanding. "Right... I was being a little too hasty."

She paused before asking, "You’ve already made four people your Apostles. Wouldn’t that put a strain on your vessel?"

Kyle reassured her, "Not at all. If anything, my compatibility with you and Elena has only empowered me."

Amanda smiled faintly, though a sting of bitterness lingered at the mention of Elena.

Kyle then turned to Veronica. "How have things been lately? Have you encountered anything strange? Fluctuations in Rift wavelengths, or monsters appearing at levels that don’t match the tier of the Rift?"

"That’s the strange part. Before the sudden surge, things like that were normal. A Ghoul appearing from a second-ranked gate and similar incidents. You experienced it yourself once. But recently, the Rifts have been staying true to their nature, giving us a much better chance to prepare."

Her expression turned bitter as she continued, "Though the death rate has increased significantly as well. Ghouls have been spawning in massive numbers, much like the Majins did in the past."

Kyle let out a quiet sigh. He already knew that. And the worst part, "This still wouldn’t place even the slightest strain on their armies, considering how quickly the Well of Reincarnation worked. For them, death was hardly permanent."

"Wait... they resurrect?" Amanda asked in shock.

"Most of them, yes. Their souls are too heavy and dense to leave this realm. Though only the stronger warriors can be resurrected, so all we really need to worry about are the Ghouls and Kijins."

"...Well, to be honest, they are the real reason we’re constantly adding more names to the list of deceased Nightwalkers."

Kyle hummed thoughtfully. "Well, at some point, they will decrease the forces they’re sending over. After all, this is only an inspection for what is ultimately to come."

Silence descended upon them for several seconds. They were all aware that a war was coming, but imagining thousands of Rifts tearing through the Veil, with countless monsters pouring into the world, was enough to send a chill down their spines.

After a brief pause, Kyle broke the silence. "Well, forget about that. What have you been doing lately, Amanda? How is your training going?"

It had been nearly a week since they had last seen each other, yet even in that short span, Kyle could tell that Amanda had grown considerably stronger. There was a noticeable change in the way she carried herself, and her magic has significantly grown as well.

"I’ve been training relentlessly, and I’m really enjoying it. Watching myself progress faster than ever is a good motivation. And with the increasing number of incidents, I’ve had several opportunities to put my skills to the test."

Kyle nodded in understanding before turning his attention to Veronica.

The silver-haired woman offered a wry smile. "She nearly lost an arm and suffered a severe knee injury before. I honestly can’t imagine how she’s managing to walk this well in front of you."

Amanda gritted her teeth. "Why do I need enemies when you’re here, Commander?"

Veronica merely shrugged. "It’s not like anything is being hidden from him. He’s actually testing me to see whether I would lie to him as well."

Amanda groaned and gave Kyle a light shove from the side. "It’s impossible to avoid getting hurt when you’re fighting to improve. So..."

"Then let’s see how much you’ve improved." Kyle suddenly rose from the couch and extended a hand toward her.

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Kyle?"

"Let’s go on a date, the three of us. Right now."

Veronica stared at him for a moment, clearly caught off guard. "And the destination would be...?"

"Of course, a Rift."

....

"Mm..." Blake mumbled in his sleep as he slowly pushed the quilt away from his face and turned onto his left side.

Thankfully, the sudden movement did not wake Corella. She remained fast asleep, her breathing slow and even. She had looked thoroughly worn out when they went to bed the previous night.

Blake slowly turned his gaze toward the source of his interrupted sleep and reached for his phone. He glanced at the screen before getting out of bed and quietly making his way to the small terrace. Only after stepping outside did he answer the call.

"What is it?"

{The cadet you asked us to keep an eye on last night? He was ambushed.}

Blake’s eyes widened. "What happened? Is he safe?"

{The attackers were dealt with, but his roommate, Elena Klaus, was severely injured.}

Oh. So he was sharing a room with Ava’s sister.

"Hmm. What about the cadet?"

{He appeared to be fine... but what happened afterward was shocking.}

"Go on." Blake’s brows drew together.

{First of all, the other officers never arrived to assist the cadets. Then, suddenly, Sir Arthur appeared at the scene.}

Blake’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. Something about the situation was already beginning to feel wrong.

But then his expression changed completely when he heard the next words.

{And that cadet, along with Elena Klaus and Arthur, suddenly vanished from the face of the earth. They were simply... gone.}

Blake massaged the bridge of his nose. "Was it Arthur?"

{Who knows? But they’ve been missing for several hours now, and no one has been able to locate them on the radar.}

{Seraph Klaus has already been informed of the entire incident. He has sent his searching hounds in every direction and issued a red notice for Arthur as well, since he failed to heed his request to deal with the ambusher earlier.}

Blake exhaled slowly. The entire situation had spiraled into pure chaos.

Looking far ahead Blake muttered,

’I hope he’s safe.’

°°°

A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you are enjoying the read so far. Please leave a review to help the future readers. And join my discord.