Amon stood outside the office, his face expressionless, eyes fixed on a small object resting in his palm. It was a chip, or something resembling one.
He had used Decryption to identify the core component of the lie detector, then Theft to quietly remove it. That was why the device hadn't reacted when he started feeding falsehoods to Teddy during the questioning.
It had been easy. Far too easy, in fact... So much so that it left him disappointed.
Against Nightmare Creatures, his abilities were still lacking in effectiveness. But against humans… they were almost too efficient.
Still, everything had its strengths and weaknesses. He couldn't exactly fault his powers for that.
Glancing back at the office door, Amon used his ability to gift items, a reverse version of theft, to carefully return the chip so they wouldn't realize he had tampered with the device. Then, he began walking down the white corridor.
Once again using Decryption, he located his subordinates and, one by one, stole the same component from their own lie detectors. Back on the Forgotten Shore, he had instructed them to enter the Gate one hour after him. That way, he would have enough time to locate them and steal the chips before their "crimes" could be exposed.
Sure, most of them probably didn't care whether they lied or told the truth, but it wouldn't hurt to increase their chances of success. Amon wasn't about to take any unnecessary risks when the danger was this high.
In the Dark City, his power and connections made him one of the most dangerous individuals but here… compared to the Masters and Saints, he was nothing more than an ordinary Joe in terms of strength. Still, his potential was among the greatest in all of history.
After about ten minutes, he sensed that Aiko had finished her interview. He promptly returned her chip to the office where she had been questioned. "Interview," of course, was merely a formality.
Then, one by one, he returned the rest of the chips as he moved. He never lingered in one place long enough to draw attention, but he also never left the fifty-meter radius which was the limit of his ability.
By the time he was done, the security cameras showed nothing unusual: just Amon taking a leisurely stroll through the corridor, wearing a faintly nostalgic expression.
He knew the Awakened stationed in the Academy were watching him. If he had been a normal Awakened, he might not have noticed. But with Decryption, understanding the situation was effortless.
Still… that wasn't enough to convince the higher-ups. Even if he had fooled the system, there were hundreds of witnesses in the waking world, they knew the truth. His plan had only been meant to soften the inevitable blow. Nothing more.
He had also fabricated information to sow confusion, to make the higher-ups hesitate, second-guess themselves.
But what truly unsettled him was what he'd discovered through Decryption, something had happened to push the survivors' emotions into pure hatred. What could have driven them to want him and his cohort dead? That was… bizarre.
He and his people were not exactly admired or loved, but they had saved many lives. They should have understood that, in the Dream Realm, they had been enemies only because the situation and environment demanded it. There, only the winner survived. It wasn't about being the strongest, or the smartest but the fittest.
So learning that protests had broken out, that some had even tried to destroy his body in the physical plane was alarming. If not for Luna sending guards to look after him, he might have remained trapped in the Dream Realm forever. Without a physical body, returning was impossible.
It was clear what their intent had been: to cut off his way back. They must have believed he and his companions would try to find another Citadel to escape through. No... they were convinced of it. That was why they'd taken such drastic action.
They weren't entirely wrong… but Amon already had a Citadel. There was no need to search for another.
The Citadel was the only way out of the Dream Realm. Without a body in the waking world, finding one meant nothing. Even if they sought new Nightmare Seeds, there was no guarantee of survival. In truth, that path was as much a death sentence as it was a chance to return. No one had ever survived a second Nightmare as a Sleeper.
No one except Nephis. But that had only happened in the novel. Since Amon had already messed up the plot, Nephis had returned like everyone else. Nothing exceptional had occurred.
And so, in the end, it didn't really matter. To their aggressors, they were already dead.
The fact that they still lived was a miracle in itself.
Amon smiled faintly at the thought and kept walking.
Now this is amusing… I was getting tired of watching mindless beasts and ignorant brats in the Dark City. I hate fighting too… but mind games? Those are quite entertaining.
He had schemed before, back in the Dark City, but things were different then. He already possessed the necessary information from the novel. If all he'd wanted was survival and a few opportunities, that would've been easy enough.
But he'd wanted more.
He wanted Medici and Luna to have a foundation to return to, a future to build upon. That was why everything had happened the way it did.
Of course, even those risks hadn't been taken out of selflessness. They'd come from his insatiable greed. Not greed for everything, but for everything that caught his eye. That was the essence of the Marauder, to take what he desired, simply because he could. It was his nature.
At the end of the day, he had achieved everything: saved lives, secured the entire region for himself, and ensured his friends' well-being. The planning had been simple, though the execution was a little more difficult. Still, he managed to pull it off.
Now, though… he hoped there were still people clever enough to make things interesting.
Let's see...
"My apologies," Amon said with a polite smile, using Deceit and Mental Disruption together to cloud the guard's senses so he wouldn't recognize his face. "I was occupied in the Dream Realm for quite some time and have only just returned. Tell me, did anything interesting happen while I was gone?"
The guard tilted his head, a little confused, but answered anyway. From Amon's tone and composure, he assumed this was an Awakened who had stayed at the Academy. The lack of a student uniform confirmed it, too.
"Hmm… well, do you know the Seven Sleepers? The ones from the Forgotten Shore?" he muttered lazily.
Amon nodded with a pleasant, encouraging smile, motioning for him to go on.
The guard sighed and shrugged. "They were attacked but no one knows who did it. Princess Luna's guards managed to capture the assassins, but… they all died suddenly. That's the biggest rumor, at least."
Amon's eyes narrowed slightly. Hmm. Not as detailed as I'd hoped…
The Academy was famous for its strict security, a fortress that guaranteed safety to all within its walls. It was the pride of the government itself. So for assassins to infiltrate and strike within it… that was a scandal of the highest order.
The information must have leaked, which explained how this man knew about it. But because he was only a lower ranked guard, what he'd heard was likely limited, or worse, a lie fed to them by those above.
Amon sighed, analyzing the information and quietly confirming a few things in his mind.
Before speaking again, he glanced around, checking for any surveillance cameras monitoring his movements. When he confirmed there were none, at least not nearby, he smiled faintly.
"Is that all? I'm sure something more interesting must have happened. Knowing my luck, all the entertaining things occur while I'm away." He added the last part with a helpless, wry smile.
Still, the man didn't seem particularly interested. From his expression, Amon deduced that he had been asked that question thousands of times before. New students were always curious about Amon, his cohort, and the Forgotten Shore in general. Which meant they had likely pestered the man nonstop until he'd grown sick of talking about the survivors of the Forgotten Shore.
Amon's smile widened. I see. So that's how it is.
He decided to use an old trick, one he hadn't needed since his first Nightmare. Pulling out his communicator, he tapped a few buttons casually. A second later, the man's own communicator beeped.
The guard blinked in confusion, his brow furrowing. He glanced at Amon, then down at his device again. His eyes widened as he began to tremble slightly.
"S-so many… points…" he muttered under his breath. But he wasn't entirely foolish, he understood what was happening. After a short, awkward cough, he straightened up and composed himself.
"Ahem… well, the Blood Son of Heaven joined the government, and… uh, I think the Saints came to the Academy to transport the survivors of the Forgotten Shore back into the Dream Realm…"
Amon nodded, his expression calm, though a faint glimmer of interest flickered in his eyes.
"And can you tell me who those Saints were?"
The man nodded eagerly and began to list their names. Not all of the Saints had come, but many had, far more than ever before in the Academy's history, because hundreds of Sleepers had returned from the Forgotten Shore.
A normal Saint could only transport a single person within the Dream Realm, and there were five hundred of them. That meant many Saints had to work together to ensure every survivor was brought back safely. If any of them fell asleep again without anchoring themselves to a citadel in the Dream Realm, they would once more be pulled into a random region. It might be close to one of the citadels conquered by humanity… or into a death zone like the Forgotten Shore.
Amon listened, almost fascinated. though a part of him felt disappointed to have missed such an event. Still, it was intriguing to hear about what had happened while he was gon... Wait!
"What did you just say?" His tone had turned cold.
The man blinked, startled by the sudden shift in Amon's demeanor. He hesitated, then repeated, "Saint Jest… of the Dagonet Clan."
Amon was silent for a long moment, then smiled faintly.
"I see…" he said softly. So that's what happened. Yes… now everything makes sense.
Amon barely suppressed a grimace and gave the man a calm, polite nod. "You have my gratitude, good sir. I'm happy to see so many brave Awakened like you protecting the next generation. I'm sure the future of humanity will be bright," he said with a warm, sincere smile.
The man nodded automatically, then froze.
Wait… what nonsense is he talking about? What does 'brave Awakened' have to do with anything…? Oh, that's…
His eyes widened as he noticed several government's agents approaching from down the corridor.
Ah... Now it made sense. Amon hadn't started talking nonsense at all. He was covering for him. It was strictly prohibited to leak sensitive information, even accidentally. The punishment wasn't severe, but it was enough to be troublesome.
By steering the conversation into meaningless flattery, Amon had not only protected himself but also saved the mman from being reprimanded. Of course, the guard didn't realize Amon had another reason, no one could be allowed to notice that he was quietly gathering information.
The agents reached them, their expressions cold and formal as they stopped in front of Amon. "Awakened Blasphemer," one of them said flatly. "Someone wishes to speak with you."
Amon smiled pleasantly, giving a polite nod before gesturing for them to lead the way. As they walked off, the guard remained frozen, staring after them.
When the corridor finally emptied, he let out a shaky sigh of relief. But then, his brow furrowed and his eyes grew unfocused.
"Wait... what did that agent call him again?" he muttered, trying to recall. "Hmm... eh, doesn't matter."
A smirk spread across his face as he looked down at his communicator. "I've got quite a sum of points now, heh. That guy was an idiot. I didn't want to scam him, but if he's that dumb, he kind of deserves it."
He laughed, opening his account, only for his grin to freeze.
"Huh...? One point? What the hell? How!?"
The color drained from his face as his trembling hands clutched the communicator. His gaze drifted toward the corridor where Amon and the guards had disappeared.
"Oh, my rent... I was scammed…" he whispered weakly.
Meanwhile, Amon stared at his communicator with an amused smile.
That man had been interesting… a pity he was so easy to bait. He hadn't even noticed that no one sane would pay that many points for such trivial information.
Well… Amon hadn't really paid at all. He had merely transferred a single point, then used Mental Disruption and Deceit to distort the man's senses, making the poor fool see a few extra zeros, not too many to seem suspicious, but not so few as to ruin the bait.
At the same time, Amon quietly stole everything from him and learned all he wanted to know, without attracting the slightest bit of attention.
He had also blurred the man's perception when his name was spoken, best not to leave witnesses who knew who he was.
A proper swindler, after all, never leaves a way out for his victim. The man wouldn't remember Amon's face or name, wouldn't report the theft, and even if he tried, no one would believe him. The cameras showed nothing unusual; the only ones there were Amon and him.
What could he even say? That I accepted a bribe and got scammed?
Amon almost wanted to laugh at the irony.
Still, it wasn't anything important, so he didn't dwell on it. He already had a fairly good idea of who he was about to meet.
The agent knocked on the door, waited five seconds, and then opened it. Amon stepped inside, bowing respectfully with a faint smile. "It's an honor to meet the Wake of Ruin, the hero who fought longer than any other for our world."
Saint Cor, the Wake of Ruins, studied him for several seconds before giving a curt nod. His voice was deep and cold when he spoke.
"So you do know who I am… good. That makes things easier… Blasphemer."
He said the last word with a bitter smile.
Then, without beating around the bush, he spoke directly, his eyes gleaming coldly.
"Do you understand what you've done? What people are demanding from the government? And finally, do you understand the punishment that awaits you?"
Amon was caught off guard by the direct tone Cor used, but he quickly composed himself and smiled.
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
Amon's philosophy in situations like this was simple, something he'd learned from a professional gaslighter: deny, deny, deny!
Cor smiled coldly, leaning forward as he poured a glass of cold alcohol Amon didn't recognize.
"So that's how you want to play, huh? Don't take me for a fool and waste my time, boy. My patience is already thinning," Cor said flatly, his tone icy and emotionless. His stare grew even sharper, colder and cutting.
Amon shuddered as the stench of a rotting corpse and blood reached him. It felt as though he'd been transported back to a battlefield, the nausea threatening to rise but he held himself together and remained calm. He couldn't afford to let the other side see weakness or gain the upper hand.
Instead, almost theatrically, he clenched his fists, his expression twisting with bitterness and pain as he stared at the white floor.
"Why does everyone hate me? It's not like I was the only one who did those so-called terrible things. Why am I condemned while others walk free? I saved their lives, I did everything I could but…"
A sad smile appeared on his face, his eyes clouded with resignation and quiet bitterness.
"It doesn't matter… It's as if some terrible creature has brainwashed everyone, amplified their hatred, and now no one wants to hear my side."
Looking at this, Cor almost wanted to laugh. It was ridiculous. Did the boy really think he would sympathize with him? The kid was cunning, but also inexperienced and naïve if he thought Cor was some gullible fool who'd believe every word just because he looked sad…
Wait a second...
Cor paused, his eyes widening in disbelief as he recalled the boy's words. Brainwashed and amplified?
Now that he thought about it… the survivors' obsession with killing Amon was unnatural.
It was as if something had tampered with their minds.
And why didn't I notice this sooner!?
Anger flared as Cor's expression darkened. A memory surfaced, of a certain old fiend. There was only one explanation for this situation… and only one man capable of something like this.
"Jest…" he muttered to himself, his expression twisting into bitterness and barely contained rage.
"Uhmm… pardon?" Amon asked, his eyes wide with confusion as he caught the name.
"It's nothing…" Cor sighed and leaned back.
But Amon's lips faintly curled upward. So you finally figured it out, old man. It was about time. He cursed inwardly, thinking about the saint's stupidity, not realizing that the great clans would inevitably involve themselves. There had been nothing for Jest to lose, after all. He had been invited to help escort the survivors into the Dream Realm, and while doing so, he had quietly influenced their emotions.
No one could have proven anything anyway, so why not? If it could give the Valor Clan an advantage, Jest would have done it without hesitation.
Jest's Dormant Ability could intensify a person's emotions until they burned like wildfire, while his Ascended Ability could twist those same emotions, turning love into hatred, and hope into despair. He was the perfect person to sow discord and chaos.
Even so, his attempt to use those brainwashed fools to kill Amon had inevitably failed, because Luna had been too protective of him. For the first time, Amon wasn't annoyed by Luna's excessive attention. That, in the end, was what saved his life.
That meant all the survivors' rage, hatred, envy, spite, bitterness, every negative emotion, had been directed toward Amon and his cohort. That was how all of this had happened. Then, from behind the scenes, someone had fanned the flames, spreading the hatred to the public through propaganda, which resulted in this irritating situation.
The survivors' minds had already been fragile, so Jest's influence would have taken hold easily regardless.
But why?
When the Medici joined the government, they lost a valuable strategic asset. Nephis was powerful, yes but the Song Clan still had Luna. And Amon, being close to her, might one day side with her as well.
Amon's cohort contained some of the strongest Awakened alive. If they followed him and aligned themselves with the Song Clan, the balance of power would collapse. Those young men and women might have been weak now, but their potential was extraordinary, they could become some of the strongest individuals in the world.
That was why Jest, and likely the Elders of the Valor Clan as well, had decided that Amon and his subordinates were too dangerous to be left alive. Better to crush them now, before they had the chance to grow.
That was what had happened, in a nutshell.
However, even after realizing all of this, Cor wasn't about to let Amon slip away so easily. Even knowing the truth, the old Saint still wanted Amon and his cohort under the government's control. This scandal, and everything surrounding it, were merely tools of leverage.
"Hmm… this situation is more complex than you think, young man," Cor sighed, leaning back with a tired look.
"I don't think I understand what you mean, venerable Saint," Amon said with an awkward smile, trying to sound respectful.
"You don't need to," Cor replied flatly. "What matters is that your actions have severely damaged the government's reputation and authority. The great clans and the public are demanding punishment. And let's not forget, your previous deeds have confirmed that you're not exactly the most mentally stable individual, nor someone who wouldn't pose a threat to society…"
Amon clicked his tongue in annoyance. So that's how he wants to play this, huh? Whatever. I still have Medici and Luna. Medici is his prized successor, he wouldn't want to lose him if he pushes too hard. And Luna… the Princess of a Great Clan wouldn't let anything happen to me.
He thought with a cunning smile.
Besides, the government hasn't proven a thing. Technically, I'm still innocent until there's clear evidence of my crimes. Using all that as an excuse to force me into working for the government won't exactly hold up. He knows that too. And there's nothing stopping me from joining one of the great clans instead as well.
Still, he's already seen through me. He knows I want to remain neutral, that's why he's being so unyielding. Which means… he's going to offer terms that won't exactly make me jump with joy, but won't be bad enough to push me toward the clans either.
This is Cor's perfect trap… not bad. But it's also to my advantage, so I'll play the fool for now.
Amon thought to himself, a spark of excitement flickering in his eyes as he prepared for the negotiation.
But before either of them could say another word, the door suddenly opened, and the person who walked in was someone Amon could never have imagined seeing in a place like this.
What the… hell?