Chapter 35: Shadow of Eternity (4)

Chapter 35: Shadow of Eternity (4)

Even in the prosperous city of Hubris, the capital of Agnes, darkness lurked. Slums hugged the city outskirts like a shroud.

Usually, Hubris was safe. Yet, in these slums, people vanished daily, unnoticed.

At the eastern edge of this area, the Spirit Corps' 6th Squadron, Egrasia, was closing in on an outpost of the 'Eternal Shadows.'

Roar!

Perhaps they thought their enemies were trapped, with no chance to flee.

Many spirits manifested around the approaching 6th Squadron, each displaying their unique powers.

"Wipe them out."

The icy command dropped from Degolas, the squad's captain. As his team bristled with murderous intent, ready to storm the outpost...

"It's a shame there aren't more of you."

A voice echoed from above, beautiful yet eerie.

"...!"

Taken aback, the squad members stopped their advance and looked upward. There had been no sign of anyone else around.

Creak!

Suddenly, a beast emerged from thin air and chomped down on the head of one of the surprised soldiers.

Squelch! Squelch!

A ghastly sound echoed from within the creature's mouth.

As if in slow motion, the decapitated body toppled towards the ground. Behind it, Degolas and his team finally saw her.

A woman with glowing red eyes and a blood-red smile: Liushina.

"Not enough to sate my hunger."

Looking at the stunned squad, Liushina voiced her disappointment.

"Who are you?"

Degolas managed to ask, still grappling with the sudden turn of events.

"Hmm, does it matter?"

"What...?"

"You'll all die here anyway. So, why bother with introductions?"

Liushina spoke with unwavering certainty, as if foreseeing an inevitable future.

"How dare you...."

Degolas' eyes blazed with anger at her audacity. Who could speak so casually of killing the Spirit Corps?

Yet, he quickly quelled his rage. Duty superseded personal feelings.

"We attack together, deal with her quickly, then enter the building."

Normally, such a instruction might wound the squad's pride. Now, however, speed mattered more than anything.

With a shared understanding of Degolas's intent, the team launched a united attack on Liushina.

Crashhh!

Water spikes, lightning spears, and wind storms, each formidable enough to demolish a building, rained down on Liushina, triggering a colossal explosion.

'Was she able to kill the other member because she surprised us?'

Degolas pondered this as he observed the unfolding scene.

Before the explosion, he'd seen Liushina absorb their attacks without evading or shielding herself.

"She's not as tough as I thought."

Even a superhuman would struggle to withstand such a brutal onslaught.

Just as Degolas was about to dismiss her...

Kaboom!

Dust rose from the explosion site.

Something shot from the dust cloud, instantly obliterating a squad member standing beside Degolas.

The object was a monstrous arm, made of entwined beast heads.

"...!"

Degolas gaped at the grisly sight.

Roaaar!

The beast heads that formed the arm scattered, wreaking havoc on the nearby squad members.

"Aghhh!"

Even as Degolas summoned additional spirits for defense, the beast heads ripped through them, crushing the soldiers' hearts and heads in an instant.

"Your banter is quite annoying."

Liushina, her grotesque right arm extended, emerged from the settling dust.

Despite bearing the brunt of their attacks, she was unscathed, her clothes the only casualty.

Liushina's eyes gleamed with delight at the mayhem she had instigated.

Could this be the end?

Squeak!

Dozens of red eyes sprouted over Liushina's body, laying claim to everything in sight.

The Petrifying Demon Eyes.

"Ahhh... I, I can't move... Ahhh!"

'That's the woman...'

Thierry, already briefed by Zion about Liushina, studied her with a keen gaze.

"How did the assignment fare?"

Zion, setting his teacup down, questioned Liushina.

"I've wiped them out, just as you requested. But, Master...does that really make sense?"

Liushina, appearing dissatisfied with the shortage of her victims, licked her lips and responded with a puzzled look.

Zion had entrusted her with two tasks.

Firstly, to unleash her power fully and eradicate every single member of Diana Agnes' forces without exception.

Secondly, to subtly leave traces of magic at the scene, including the summoning ritual, that would go unnoticed.

Honestly, Liushina had her doubts about whether the enemy would be fooled by such traces.

It felt like openly confessing to her crimes and then carefully hiding a speck of evidence.

"Diana Agnes is a suspicious character."

Zion, however, was confident that the Princess would fall into their trap.

"She distrusts what she sees and constantly looks for hidden layers."

This trait made her an easy prey.

Those who perceive themselves as clever tend to trust only their judgment and disregard others.

Zion was confident that Diana would discover the traces he had cunningly concealed.

Traces so brilliantly camouflaged that none but Diana could unearth them.

Once she located them, Diana would become fixated on these hints, and from that point onward, she would focus more on the hidden 1% deceit than the 99% truth in plain sight.

"So, the trail will lead to the Third Prince, correct?"

Thierry, who seemed to grasp Zion's strategy, twinkled her eyes and asked.

"Correct."

Zion nodded, cradling his teacup.

The strained relationship between the Third Prince, Enoch Agnes, and the Fifth Princess, Diana Agnes, was common knowledge.

So, if any connection to the Third Prince could be established, Diana's reasoning might be further clouded.

Zion had another objective in mind.

'This will come in handy when I eliminate the Third Prince in the future.'

At present, his direct adversary within the royal household was the Third Prince, Enoch.

Enoch, Zion's own brother, who had relentlessly dispatched assassins against him and even manipulated the succession ceremony to bring about his demise.

As such, Zion had resolved to first eliminate Enoch, intending to employ Diana for this purpose.

Today's events would serve as the foundation when he decided to manipulate the Fifth Princess in the future.

Having streamlined his thoughts, Zion took another sip of his coffee, then turned to Fredo standing nearby.

"Who prepared this coffee?"

"Huh? A new servant assigned to the Chimseong Palace, um, did you detect any poison...!"

Fredo sprang to his feet, alarmed at Zion's question.

"The taste isn't quite up to par."

"..."

Fredo paused, then responded.

"I'll prepare another one at once."

At Fredo's statement, Zion responded with a nod.

As he had mused before, the simple pleasure of coffee was one of the few he had discovered since his arrival in this world, So, it mattered considerably.

'Could it be another spy amongst the newly assigned servants?'

Zion speculated, observing Fredo's retreating form.

If these servants had been placed here at such a crucial time, the likelihood was substantial.

Their very existence indicated that the other royals were starting to take note of Zion himself.

An acknowledgement that Zion found rather satisfying.

"I'll conduct a thorough investigation into the backgrounds of the servants who've recently joined the staff at Chimseong Palace."

Thierry voiced out, as though she had tapped into Zion's thoughts.

Zion gave a subtle nod.

'Truly, it matters little who they are.'

Regardless of their identity or their power, it held no significance.

Anyone who obstructed his path would simply be crushed, and he would seize what he desired.

Mulling over this, Zion set down the coffee cup he had been clutching.

***

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