Chapter 1751: Revelation of the Truth
Chapter 1751: Revelation of the Truth
Rex’s declaration echoed across the entire room.
Despite having the attention of unfathomable beings, those who are also participating in the race to the absolute peak, he was brave enough to dominate. Even after the echoes faded, the entire room was completely silent.
It was to the point that everyone could hear a pin being dropped.
But Rex was unwavering.
His declaration was passionate, and he also wasn’t saying it only for show.
And that conviction could be felt by the other Scions; all knew that Rex was serious about what he said.
Rex’s gaze scanned the crowd of silhouettes—on the staircase, meticulously assessing their reaction to his declaration. And when his words finally settled, he could see that their reactions were different from one another.
“Hey… Hey… He looks promising, doesn’t he? He’s of the Anger stratum—for sure!” One of the top three said excitedly, leaning forward—as if to take a closer look at Rex. “Even I never thought of threatening the other Scions when I first arrived here.”
“Either that or the Happiness stratum. And yes, he has quite a personality.” Another answered.
Nodding pleasantly, the cheerful Scion, who resides in second place, turned to number one ahead of him, “What do you think? He might be a new Scion for your stratum. I’m sure you have something to say about this.”
“He’s the bear minimum for the Anger stratum,” the number one Scion turned away. “Passable.”
“Wow… It’s been a while since you spared a new Scion from your usual, strict critiques,” Number Two said, feigning shock as he covered his mouth. “You must be really impressed with this one. Then again, I can’t deny there’s a charm to him.”
Number Three folded his arms, “It doesn’t matter whether he’s good enough or not. He still has to pass his first wall. Even those who are promising could still fall. Besides, his test seemed to be quite on the harder side.”
“You’re no fun at all,” Number Two complained, putting both hands behind his head. “It’s boring if you keep talking about the technicals, you know.”
Other than the top three, the other Scions were quite frankly silent.
Rex saw none of them discussing like the top three, but some were looking at him with quite a worrying gaze. Now that he saw the silhouettes—clearer, their forms were that of a different shade, which should indicate what their stratums were.
Red is for the Anger Stratum. Yellow is for the Happiness Stratum. Blue is for the Sad Stratum. Grey is for the Fear stratum. And lastly, green is for the Disgust Stratum.
Out of those five stratums, there are two stratums that reacted to him the most.
It was the Anger and Disgust stratum.
Some of their Scions were looking at him with hostility.
But then again, Rex was making this declaration not without thinking—there was a purpose.
In a place where power is the only currency, he cannot afford to look weak or intimidated.
On top of giving the right answer to the Highseat of Invincibility and the System, Rex needed to show that he was no pushover to deter the Scions from attacking him for free—and that’s the first purpose he was trying to achieve from the declaration.
Another purpose was to see who his enemies were.
All of the Scions who are looking at him sharply right now weren’t his friends from the start.
Eventually, these people are going to be his enemies, so forcing them to show themselves is essential.
Naturally, the chamber concealed every identity—each Scion reduced to a silhouette of living shadow. Even so, the weight of their stares—settled on Rex one by one… and those silent gazes would be more than enough for him to recognize each of them when their paths crossed again.
It was his first move against the Scions.
After all, the Scions were all fighting against one another to reach the Highseat of Invincibility.
From the moment Rex became a Scion, these people already considered him an enemy.
No reply came after Rex answered the question.
Even the System said nothing, making him feel uneasy from the suspense.
Just then, the Highseat of Invincibility glowed with a brilliant light as the throne room blurred.
Rex looked around and found the other Scions were also becoming blurry.
All of them were being ejected from the throne room.
No spectacular effect or reply; the moment Rex gave his answer, the meeting was disbanded again.
A custom; that was what the gathering looked like to him.
One that was held before the trial began.
A second passed, and when the blinding light disappeared once again, Rex opened his eyes—and found himself back in the Tomb of Heroes. His mind was still stuck in that throne room, recalling how many Scions were still far above him.
On one hand, he wasn’t expecting to see that many Scions.
Even in the Mortal Realm, he reckoned that he was the only Scion.
Only a few others could be a Scion, but that’s still him reaching to empty air—it wasn’t confirmed.
And on the other hand, though he was reluctant to admit it, it was kind of exciting to see that there are still more powerful people out there. Rex wanted to protect the others, and he should be worried by the fact that there are more powerful entities out there.
But then again, this was his Werewolf side that was seeking greater thrill.
It wasn’t entirely his intention to be excited about this.
Focus… I still have to pass this trial.
Rex didn’t know for sure what the trial would be, but it should be tied to this meeting.
As reality returned to normal again, a notification came to mind.
One that he got before he was pulled to meet with the Highseat of Invincibility.
<Notice: the corpse belonged to the Angel Origin, the First Light!>
“Angel Origin, the First Light…” Rex muttered as he stared at the blurry corpse inside the dome.
Just then, his eyes snapped open.
Realization struck his mind like a thunderclap as he turned to Empress Morgana in utter shock.
Being too fixated on his goals in this realm, he had been too blind to see the truth—when in reality, the truth had always been right before his very own eyes. “You…” Rex tilted his head, eyes narrowing, as he pointed at the empress. “You’re related to the Angels in the Mortal Realm? No, wait… you’re a Dark Angel?”
Bzztt…
Something vibrated the moment he said that.
Rex’s eyes snapped to the statue across from him, seeing it trembling.
And before he could even register the threat, a shard of refracted light sliced through the air.
He reacted to it, tilting his head away in reflex, but his cheek was still cut by it.
Swish!
Feeling the sharp sting on his cheek, Rex stood stunned.
He then reached for his cheek and saw blood.
Something cuts him.
Rex’s pupils quivered as the statue began to seethe with an unknown energy. Instinct dragged his gaze over his shoulder, toward the wall—behind the Demon Origin’s statue. There, embedded deep into the stone, was a weapon.
At first glance, it resembled a short-sword, but as he narrowed his eyes, the truth hit him.
Not a sword, but a knife.
Yes, a knife.
Just that single word slammed through his mind like a thunderbolt, shattering every lingering doubt.
“Archangel of Knives…”
“Correct.”
A child-like voice echoed, confirming Rex’s suspicion even though his voice was lighter than a whisper.
It wasn’t Empress Morgana’s voice as it came from above.
Rex raised his gaze and saw a translucent blob of energy—that looked like a bubble; its form writhed under the sunlight like it was made of water. He didn’t need the System to scan it for him to know that this was the Archangel of Knives’ doings.
Somehow, he followed Rex into the Spirit Realm.
As Rex’s gaze returned to Empress Morgana, she averted her eyes, refusing to meet his.
“Is this your repayment for me helping you?” He asked in a restrained voice. “By trapping me?”
“I’ve told you already…” Empress Morgana exhaled lightly.
She had already told Rex to leave.
But he refused, stubborn to the end, so none of this was on her.
Rex’s head recoiled back lightly, staring at Empress Morgana with a sharp gaze as he wasn’t expecting her to be stabbing him in the back like this. He had helped her secure her position as the empress, and yet, she didn’t return his effort with rewards.
I should’ve realized it sooner.
A chuckle escaped Rex’s lips.
It was a mocking chuckle, a mockery that was pointed at his own self.
Encountering the Shade Crawlers, who were of the same species as a Werewolf, the flying knives, the fact that Empress Morgana’s Soul Artifact was transitioning, and now her saying the two realms were once closer than they were at this moment.
Every single clue pointed at one thing: the Supernaturals are tied to both realms.
Rex didn’t know the precise origins of every race.
But he understood enough to see the pattern—some bloodlines were born in the Spirit Realm, others in the Mortal Realm, yet ties always ran between their counterparts. The Angels were no exception. If their Origin, the First Light’s body, rested in this realm, then the Angels of both worlds were linked.
All his knowledge about the Spirit Realm came from the Dark Elves, a lower-rank Supernatural race.
Naturally, he didn’t get the full picture.
And it was only then that he understood that there were connections between the Spirit Realm and the Mortal Realm that ran deeper than he could ever imagine. But the Angels in this realm had long perished; only their diluted descendants remained.
Empress Morgana, being a Half-Angel Spirit, would naturally be bound to the will of the true Angels.
No matter how high her status in this realm was, in the eyes of the real Angels, she was nothing more than a counterfeit and was subject to their wills. Rex didn’t know for certain, but it was clear that the Archangel of Knives knew he had gone to the Spirit Realm and asked her to do this.
Rex wasn’t wrong about her.
She would fulfill her part of the deal, but the shadow behind her wouldn’t let her.
And her obedience had dragged him into this predicament.
Even the Maw of Oblivion that Elder Tilrith asked him to bring, he never asked one obvious question: how did the weapon get to the Spirit Realm? How? That’s the question he had been neglecting because of his dire situation.
Now, it came to bite him from behind.
Rex was played.
All this time, while he was working for his goals in the Spirit Realm, he was being watched.
And to make him feel worse, the Archangel of Knives even gave him hints.
All those knives that suddenly flew towards him, each time that happened, and he failed to realize the culprit behind it was another round of laughter for the Archangel of Knives. He’d been toyed with. Badly. It must’ve been such an entertainment for the Archangel of Knives to watch him get confused.
Since Rex’s goal was in Empress Morgana’s hands, there’s no need for him to do anything.
Just waiting for the right moment to reveal himself was the only thing he needed to do.
Rex had been too occupied with his goals that he couldn’t see the truth.
Or perhaps, he was denying it as he didn’t want to make the empire his enemy, hoping for the best.
It was all nothing but a blatant denial on his part.
Deep down, he knew that there was something wrong; things were going too smoothly.
And now, the truth slapped him across his face.
“You must be having a lot of fun, huh…?” Rex’s hand clamped over his face, fingers digging into his skin as a ragged laugh tore out of him. “All this time… you had been watching me claw my way upward, thinking I was getting somewhere, when in reality I was only walking straight into your little trap.”
His shoulders shook, half-laughter, half-rage.
“Is that it?” Rex stared at the blob of energy above. “Watching me scramble for a trap you set… That’s hilarious to you, isn’t it?!”
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