Chapter 89: Spirit's Territory (1)

Chapter 89: Spirit's Territory (1)

TL/Editor: Rungir

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On a night with a blood-red crescent moon in the sky, a man, Kellin, was running for his life on a road barely lit by moonlight.

Kellin was panting hard, his heart pounding like it might explode, but he didn't stop. The terror in his eyes pushed him to run faster as if stopping meant death.

He was the only one left alive. They, the ones chasing him, had taken everyone else. Kellin's mind was filled with one thought - run, get as far away from them as possible. The fear they stirred up was enough to freeze his sanity.

Seeing the territory exit getting closer, a glimmer of hope sparked in Kellin's eyes. He sprinted towards the exit with all his might, but just as he was about to cross, a chilling laughter froze him in his tracks. His body felt trapped in invisible threads, and he was forced to face the horrifying figures he'd been running from.

In that moment, he realized he'd been part of their twisted game from the start. There was never an escape.

Soon after, one of them enveloped Kellin, and everything went dark.

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Raei Translations

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In Hubris, the empire's capital, a luxurious magic car sped along a quiet suburban road. Inside, Zion was going through several documents quickly. He'd left the imperial city to retrieve an object that the demon had mentioned.

He'd planned to leave right away, but the Emperor's funeral caused a delay. Time was slipping away.

He also needed to think about his Black Star Level. He could force his way to level 3, but reaching level 4 was impossible unless his body was in top condition. Given his current state, unable to fully recover from the lunar eclipse backlash, he didn't know what might happen if he tried to force his power to level up.

'If I could strengthen my body through the demon...'

He could have a breakthrough, growing swiftly like a geyser breaking free from the earth.

"We've summed up the key points about the five great families in these documents," said Aileen, the head of the Moon's Eye. She was sitting across from Zion, pointing to the papers he was reading and asking about their usefulness through a gesture.

Aileen was there to discuss newly found information and reports as well as Zion's instructions about the medium.

"Not bad."

Aileen, surprised by the rare compliment from Zion, carefully read his mood before asking a question.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Was the proof of succession at the funeral intentional?"

From the outside, it seemed that the fourth prince, Utekan, failed to revoke Zion's succession rights. But Aileen, who had been observing Zion, couldn't shake the feeling that he was behind it all.

"What do you think?" Zion replied, a subtle smile on his face.

'So, it was his plan...' Aileen thought, interpreting his smile as confirmation.

"Because of that incident, most of the nobles at the funeral are talking about you. Plus, the fourth prince's power seems to be weakening, and there are signs of internal conflict. Probably because he pledged to distribute the Imperial Road Army's legions at his discretion."

As Aileen reported, Zion remembered his clash with Utekan two days ago. Surprisingly, instead of fighting back, Utekan quietly handed over one of the imperial forces to Zion himself, as if the incident with Azela never happened. But Zion saw the fury hidden deep in Utekan's eyes. Utekan seemed to hide his anger well when he was most upset.

'He might make a move soon.' Zion thought, welcoming the idea. The more Utekan acted, the more his weaknesses would show. Zion had included Utekan in the list of threats he had mentioned to Azela.

"By the way, Zion, do you remember when you went to the underground auction?" Aileen interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes."

"The group you wiped out is still trying to figure out who you are. But we've blocked all their attempts."

Undoubtedly, this didn't reflect Zion's actual standing.

'But this is more convenient.'

The mission required utmost secrecy.

So, within the royal palace, only Tieri was aware of Zion's departure, and even Aileen, who was just with him, remained in the dark about where and why Zion had embarked.

"What do you make of this, Eli?"

"Considering everything, more than half of Latra's tales are self-centered... Besides, this is only our second dungeon exploration, and Latra was too petrified to enter the dungeon via the main entrance..."

At Latra's remarks, a timid-looking woman with golden hair dressed in a priest's robe quietly chimed in. Despite her soft tone, her words held a biting edge.

"Ha ha... Hahaha! What is she on about? Pay her no mind, Zion. Eli seems to harbor some misconceptions."

Flustered, Latra quickly defended himself, but Zion was uninterested in his justifications, his attention fixated on the woman named Eli.

Zion had specifically chosen this mercenary group due to this woman.

'Elysis Desire.'

A companion of the hero in the records and the future saint.

She was among the individuals possessing the most sacred bloodline in the world.

Currently, she was merely a vagabond priest, but in the not-so-distant future, she would awaken as a genuine representative of divinity on Earth, receiving divine revelation.

However, Zion's reason for pursuing her diverged from when he encountered the hero's other companions.

This time, his interest was purely self-serving, bearing no relation to the main plot.

Elysis was crucial for acquiring the medium Zion had envisioned.

'I'll need her services for some time.'

As Zion mused internally, reminiscing about the yet-to-be-encountered hero,

"By the way, Zion, given our current speed, we'll reach the dungeon you've marked as our destination by late afternoon. Night time in dungeons is considerably more perilous than during the day. Why don't we rest nearby and embark the following morning?"

Latra's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"There's a diminutive territory called Angelosh adjacent to the dungeon."

"That's agreeable."

Zion nodded in response to Latra's suggestion.

This was precisely what he had anticipated.

They were under the impression they were about to delve into an uncharted lower-tier dungeon near the Empire's expansive western forest. However, Zion harbored an alternative location in mind.

The territory Latra referred to, Angelosh.

Known for the folklore of an angel's descent, this was indeed Zion's actual objective.

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