Chapter 398
He began to reveal his true intention.
This was not merely casual conversation, but a proposal carefully constructed.
Xavier referred to it as a mission, or more precisely, a proposition.
However, he immediately provided a clear qualification: this proposition was extremely dangerous.
The phrase "extremely dangerous" was delivered with an emphasis that could not be dismissed lightly, coming from someone who had witnessed and endured every form of peril across the universe.
Yet at the same time, he did not withhold its allure.
As a counterbalance—or perhaps as temptation—Xavier spoke of its benefits.
And the benefit he promised was no small matter.
He declared that the advantage of this dangerous proposition was no less significant, perhaps even equal to or surpassing, what Ilux had once gained after absorbing the essence of antithesis from Hashri.
The comparison was intentional, for he knew exactly how profound Ilux's transformation had been after that battle.
Ilux's five elemental powers and his Perception Alteration had advanced beyond normal limits, leaping toward the intermediate stage near their peak because of consuming that antithetical force.
By equating—or even claiming a greater benefit than—such a monumental event, Xavier was clearly describing something equally monumental.
A leap in power or understanding that could change everything, yet at a price just as terrifying.
'Interesting… too interesting to be spoken so casually.
A dangerous mission, a reward equal to the essence of antithesis, yet its form remains vague—is this courage, or merely gambling wrapped in honor?'
Hssssh!
'King Xavier XVII, Hero of Humanity—someone like you should know that an agreement without direction is not an offer, but a trap not yet fitted with thorns. So what kind of agreement are you truly trying to place before me, that you ask as though I would nod before knowing where my feet will step?'
Ilux's expression changed at once.
His eyes, which had been staring blankly at the ceiling, narrowed, flashing with skepticism and a sudden return of analytical sharpness.
His right brow lifted slightly, forming an arc that conveyed both disbelief and restrained curiosity.
His lips, usually straight, curved faintly into a small smile—barely visible, yet enough to alter the lines of his face.
It was not a smile of warmth or joy, but a cynical one.
A reaction to something that sounded too good to be true, or too insane to be taken seriously.
After holding that expression for a moment, Ilux finally spoke within his mind, responding to Xavier's proposition.
First, he questioned the very foundation of the offer.
How could someone as honorable as Xavier, the Hero of Humanity, the King of a golden era, be so reckless as to present something so fantastic while its substance remained ambiguous?
The term "mission" or "proposal" itself was unclear.
What was its objective?
What were its conditions?
What were the specific risks?
And most importantly, what was the concrete reward beyond the promise of a benefit "no less" than absorbing the essence of antithesis?
To Ilux, it sounded more like the pitch of a master swindler than the voice of a legendary ruler.
The mental question he hurled was, at its core, a challenge to Xavier's sanity.
Ilux wondered whether the ancient soul had lost its composure, whether anxiety and fear for Erietta's fate had so consumed him that he was now grasping recklessly at solutions.
To offer cooperation in a plan whose direction remained undefined, sustained only by the lure of a great reward, was wholly inconsistent with the strategic and calculated character long associated with the name Xavier XVII.
"Ilux, listen to me carefully. This is not an empty threat, nor is it baseless speculation."
Hhhh!
"In the near future, there is a high probability that Erietta Bathee will die. If that happens, and this situation is allowed to persist, the attention of the Gods will shift. They always demand a replacement. And when that moment comes, the name they will target next will be yours—Ilux Rediona."
Fiiiih!
"You will be hunted not as a human being, not as an individual, but as sacrificial flesh, a victim in the ritual of the Inverted Crucifixion. This is not a matter of if, but when. We are merely waiting for the time when they find you."
The tone within Ilux's consciousness shifted drastically.
Any trace of lightness or uncertainty from Xavier vanished instantly, replaced by a dense and dreadful seriousness.
There was no room for jest, pleasantries, or even doubt in his voice now.
Responding to Ilux's skepticism, Xavier did not waste time crafting elegant phrases.
He chose bluntness, delivering it clearly and mercilessly within the chamber of their shared mind.
The core of his warning was simple, yet it struck like a sledgehammer.
Xavier firmly declared that there was a strong probability—an alarming likelihood—that Erietta Bathee would die in the near future.
Her death was not a theoretical threat, but a ticking timeline moving rapidly forward.
Yet his warning did not end there.
He brought the horror closer, directly to Ilux's threshold.
Xavier explained the broader and more personal consequence.
If Erietta's death were allowed to occur, the hands of the Gods would likely shift their target.
The next offering, the replacement flesh required for the horrific ritual of the Inverted Crucifixion, could very well be Ilux Rediona himself.
The warning left no room for misinterpretation.
This was no longer solely about saving Erietta, but about Ilux's own survival.
It would only be a matter of time before the servants of the Gods found him, and without any clear reason from Ilux's perspective, he would be paraded as the next sacrifice.
In Xavier's blunt declaration, the threat to Erietta and the threat to Ilux were two sides of the same coin, a chain disaster that would strike them both if no action were taken.
"...."
The silence that followed Xavier's warning was not an ordinary silence.
It was a vacuum heavier than any shout.
Within the dark room, no sound emerged from within or without.
Even the stillness of the night seemed to lose its quality, becoming a hollow space devoid of sensation.
What remained was only frost.
Ilux, still lying upon the bed, ceased moving entirely.
He froze.
His gaze, fixed upon the ceiling, locked without blinking, as if trying to pierce through plaster and wood in search of answers beyond.
But there were no answers there.
Only Xavier's words echoing inside his skull, crystallizing into a new reality he could neither deny nor ignore.
His entire body became a statue shaped by shock and forced acceptance.
His fingers did not move.
His chest barely rose and fell.
Even the pulse at his temple seemed to slow to the brink of stopping.
He was processing in the most primitive way possible.
By freezing.
The world around him—his room, the shadows on the ceiling—faded.
The only reality left was that warning.
The possibility of Erietta's death.
And more terrifying still, the looming shadow of a slaughtering ritual that might turn upon him next.
To be continued…