Chapter 262: Athena's Cunning Scheme and the Caught Leon in it

"In that case, how about I show you?"Upon hearing her words, Leon's eyes widened slightly, a puzzled expression crossing his handsome face.

"Show me? What do you mean?" He inquired, his tone filled with doubt.

Athena didn't respond to his question and instead offered a slight smile as she opened her right palm. seaʀᴄh thё NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

*Whoosh!*

Moments later, a tiny speck of red light appeared above her palm, gradually growing larger and illuminating their surroundings.

Startled by the sight, Leon quickly shielded his eyes from the brightness of the red light.

After a moment, the red light gradually faded, revealing a milky white crystal orb hovering above Athena's palm.

Athena smiled meaningfully as she gazed at the crystal orb before turning her eyes back to Leon.

"Since you still refuse to admit it, let's prove it with this crystal orb, Leon," Athena said suddenly, catching him off guard.

"Prove it with this? What do you mean?" Leon asked, his brows furrowing slightly.

Athena lifted the crystal orb slightly and explained, "This is a magical artifact from my dragon race, passed down for thousands of years, and it carries a legendary name among us—the Orb of Truth. It earned this name because it has the power to detect any lie or disguise in the world."

Pausing for a moment, Athena smiled playfully before continuing, "Even if the lie or disguise is aided by high-level magic or even ancient magic, it would be powerless before this crystal orb. So, are you willing to use it to prove that you're not Leon Kruger?"

As he listened to her explanation, Leon's expression remained calm and unchanged, but his heart began to race with panic.

"Damn it! Can this crystal orb really have such incredible power? If so, why have I never heard of it before?" Leon wondered in horror.

Despite spending eight hours a day reading various books in the libraries of the Holy Imperial Palace of Elysium and the Holy Orthodox Hall, he had never come across any mention of an artifact with the terrifying lie-detecting power Athena described.

However, he knew that just because an artifact wasn't recorded didn't mean it didn't exist. After all, not every artifact in the world was documented in the ancient records of those libraries.

Furthermore, Athena mentioned that this crystal orb was a magical artifact of her dragon race—a race known for being far more secretive and mysterious than both the Demon race and humans.

This made it entirely possible that the crystal orb possessed the terrifying power Athena claimed.

Leon took a deep breath, calming his racing heartbeat, and gave Athena a composed look.

"Since you've challenged me, I'm certainly not afraid," he replied firmly.

Despite the terrifying power of the crystal orb, he knew he couldn't show any hesitation in front of Athena.

If he did, it would be very dangerous, and Athena—this unpredictable woman—would undoubtedly create serious trouble for him, something he needed to avoid at all costs.

The faint smile on Athena's lips widened slightly, her excitement clearly visible.

She handed the crystal orb to Leon, her arms folded across her huge chest, and explained: "Using this crystal orb is simple. Once you channel your demon power into it, the orb will emit one of two colors—red or white. If it glows red, it means you are indeed my Leon in disguise. But if it shines white, it means I was wrong, and you are not Leon Kruger."

Leon stared at the crystal orb in his hand, biting his lower lip as if deep in thought. Suddenly, an idea struck him, leaving him momentarily stunned before a faint smile spread across his lips.

'White light? That means I can use my holy power to deceive Athena,' Leon thought inwardly, feeling a surge of joy.

Holy power is the purest and most destructive force in the world. With it, he could deceive Athena and make the crystal orb emit white light.

Still, he had to be cautious; Athena was highly attuned to holy power and might easily see through the ruse.

With excitement bubbling inside him, Leon turned to Athena and smiled confidently.

"Then, shall I begin?" Leon asked.

Athena kept her smile and replied with a glint of meaning in her eyes, "Certainly, you may start."

Leon nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes.

In his transformed state, he was unable to use his holy power directly because chaos power had overridden the flow of his holy energy.

To regain the use of his holy power, he would need to halt the flow of chaos energy and redirect his holy power. However, doing so would expose his true identity and shatter his disguise as Leon Orion.

Fortunately, in recent days, his diligent practice had improved his control over chaos power, allowing him to access his holy power despite the lingering chaos power within him.

Naturally, the holy power he could wield was limited, but it was more than enough to ensure that the crystal orb emitted white light instead of red!

*Buzz!*

Shortly after Leon closed his eyes, a faint stream of transparent white light flowed into the crystal orb, and suddenly—

*Whoosh!*

A blinding white light burst from the orb, enveloping the entire parlor.

Leon couldn't help but smile with delight, feeling an urge to leap for joy at the sight.

After a moment, the white light gradually faded and eventually vanished.

Still smiling, Leon handed the crystal orb back to Athena and folded his arms across his chest with a calm demeanor, though a trace of pride remained on his face.

"By now, you should be convinced that I'm not Leon Kruger, right?" Leon asked casually, leaning back on the sofa.

Given the outcome, he was confident that Athena had given up and no longer suspected him.

However, as he glanced at her to gauge her reaction, he was taken aback by the smile playing on her lips.

Confused by its meaning, he was about to ask, but her laughter cut him off.

"Hahaha! Oh, my dear Leon, I didn't expect you to be so easily deceived," Athena said, licking her lips playfully.

Leon's eyes widened in shock. "Deceived? Me? What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice laced with confusion.

Athena didn't answer immediately. Instead, she snapped her fingers nonchalantly.

*Snap!*

Instantly, a fire-red barrier spread across the living room, isolating it from the outside.

Leon sprang from his seat, his eyes narrowing at Athena with increasing wariness.

"A space barrier? What are you planning?" He demanded, taking a cautious step back.

A space barrier is a powerful magic designed to isolate an area from the outside world. It is typically used to confine someone permanently unless the barrier is destroyed or the caster is killed. Your next journey awaits at M-V-L

Given the sudden use of such magic, Leon was deeply concerned. He couldn't shake the feeling that Athena might be up to something dangerous.

Athena slowly rose to her feet and approached him, intensifying Leon's surprise.

With each step Athena took closer, Leon quickly moved backward, his expression growing more serious as he kept his gaze fixed on her.

"Athena, explain yourself," Leon demanded, his tone stern as he activated his chaos power. "What do you mean by deceiving me? And why are you using a space magic barrier? What are you planning?"

Seeing Leon's alertness, Athena paused her steps, her smile lingering.

Holding the crystal orb aloft, she allowed her obsession with Leon to show as she asked, "Leon, do you know that this crystal orb does more than just detect lies and disguises? There are other uses I purposely didn't mention."

Leon was momentarily stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"You mean..." Leon's voice faltered as a troubling realization dawned on him.

Athena gave a slight nod, her gaze fixed on the crystal orb in her hand. "This orb, known as the Orb of Truth, was created by my ancestor, the Dragon Ancestor, to aid in a covert mission called the Deterrence Mission."

She continued, "You probably don't know—actually, no one does, not even the entire human race or the Demon race. The reason the Demon race has managed to survive, despite the efforts of the three humanity heroes who emerge in every era after the fall of the Demon Emperors, is due to the existence of myself and the leaders of the Dragon Empire before me."

Her revelation left Leon, already stunned, even more astonished.

'So, the reason the Demon race has survived and avoided destruction by the three heroes of every era is because of her and the previous leaders of the Dragon Empire? How is that possible?' Leon wondered inwardly, swallowing hard as he grappled with this new truth.

He had previously combed through ancient records for answers on this issue but found nothing definitive.

Now, with this revelation, he was both astonished and deeply intrigued.

However, given the gravity of the situation, he had to set aside his curiosity and focus on Athena.

Athena carefully set the orb aside and moved closer to Leon. "Now, let's return to our discussion. Besides detecting lies and disguises, this orb also has the ability to reveal the holy power of the three heroes by emitting white light in response."

Stopping directly in front of Leon, Athena gently brushed her fingers against his cheek, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"So, do you still want to deny it, Leon Orion—or should I say, Leon Kruger?"

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