Entering Apocalypse in Easy-Mode
Chapter 296: Explosion

Chapter 296: Explosion

Graemory’s gaze bore into Clyde. Her crimson eyes gleaming with suspicion. "How do you know about the Black Wall, Clyde?" she asked, her tone sharp, almost accusatory.

Clyde merely shrugged, his expression unbothered. "Like I said, I have my sources."

His nonchalant response didn’t sit well with Graemory. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she stared at him. Her scrutinizing looks almost tangible.

"I don’t have to explain myself, do I?" Clyde said after a moment with calm but firm voice. He already knew the answer; the question was merely a formality.

Graemory exhaled heavily, breaking the silence. "You’re such a mystery, Clyde." Her voice softened slightly, but it carried a note of warning. "That unpredictability of yours might work in your favor sometimes, but don’t think it won’t be your mistake. There are higher beings out there who hate that attitude of yours. You could be poking at forces that don’t like defiance."

Clyde’s lips curled into a smirk, unfazed by her caution. "Let them hate me," he said coolly. "That’s their problem, not mine. Now, how about you stop stalling and tell me what you know about the Black Wall?"

Graemory’s expression flickered, a faint shadow of irritation crossing her face. "I can’t tell you much," she said.

Clyde narrowed his eyes slightly, catching the subtle hesitation in her voice. He could tell she wasn’t being entirely honest.

She wasn’t withholding because she didn’t know — she simply didn’t want to tell him.

But Graemory wasn’t a fool. She knew Clyde wouldn’t back down if she said that she didn’t know anything, so she decided to give him just enough to placate him.

"The Black Wall is an anomaly just as you already know. It appeared without warning, and nothing we’ve tried has even made a scratch on it. Beyond that, it releases those creatures, and they just... keep coming. That’s all I know."

Her words were carefully chosen, each detail vague and noncommittal. She watched Clyde closely to gauging his reaction, but his expression didn’t show anything.

"That’s it?" Clyde asked, his tone casual, though his sharp gaze suggested he wasn’t entirely buying her words.

"That’s it," Graemory repeated firmly, folding her arms. "Believe it or don’t. But don’t expect me to have all the answers, Clyde. Even beings far more powerful than me are still grasping at straws when it comes to the Black Wall."

Clyde didn’t respond immediately, his eyes lingering on her as if trying to peel back the layers of her guarded demeanor.

Asqa also said that even the Angels didn’t know anything much about the wall. So he suspect that the Wall is just as mysterious to the higher beings as well.

Finally, he let out a small chuckle and shook his head.

"Fine," he said, stepping back slightly. "If that’s all you’ve got."

Graemory watched him, her irritation ebbing slightly, replaced by a grudging respect for his persistence.

She didn’t trust Clyde but there was something about him that intrigued her, even if she wouldn’t admit it. She would need to keep her alliance with him.

Graemory let out a long sigh, her expression softening as she seemed to weigh her next words carefully.

"Fine," she said finally. "I’ll uphold my end of the deal. You’ll get your reward for the sample of the substance you gave me last time."

Clyde gave her a short nod, crossing his arms as he waited for her to continue.

"The artifact," Graemory began while her voice carrying a trace of incredulity, "is located in one of the Ruins. I know it sounds shocking that the Demon King Asmodeus storing one of his artifacts in a place like that seems... ridiculous. I only just heard about it myself."

Her tone shifted slightly, almost defensive, as if she anticipated Clyde’s skepticism. "Now you know why I couldn’t give you the location right away when you first handled the substance. Even I didn’t have all the details back then."

She stepped closer to him, her crimson eyes fixed on his as she extended her hand. "The black stone with the symbol, give it to me."

Without hesitation, Clyde reached into his pocket and pulled out the small obsidian-like stone etched with an intricate sigil. He placed it in her hand and looking with calm eyes as Graemory closed her fingers around it.

Graemory held the stone firmly, her other hand hovering above it as she began to channel her magic power into it.

A faint dark glow emanated from the stone and intricate patterns of energy pulsed through its surface like veins of light.

Clyde felt the air shift around them as her power resonated like a quiet vibration filling the space around them.

After a few moments, Graemory opened her eyes and handed the stone back to him.

"It’s done," she said simply. "The information you need to find the Ruin has been inscribed into it. You’ll know where to go when you activate the stone."

Clyde took the stone and examined it briefly before nodding appreciatively. "Good," he said with satisfied feeling but still neutral tone. He slipped the stone back into his pocket and turned, ready to leave.

As he started to walk away, Graemory called out, "What will you do now, Clyde?"

He paused for a moment, glancing over his shoulder. "I can’t tell you," he replied honestly. "Because even I don’t know yet."

Graemory’s lips twitched into a faint smile. "Fair enough. But if you decide on something, I expect you to let me know immediately."

Clyde turned fully to face her, shaking his head with a wry smirk. "I can’t promise you on it. Why would I?"

Without waiting for her response, he resumed his stride, his boots crunching softly against the damp earth. Graemory watched him go with unreadable expression.

"You’re playing a dangerous game, Clyde," she murmured to herself. "Let’s see how long you can keep walking that fine line."

As his silhouette disappeared into the shadows and a light of portal opened, Graemory let out another sigh, already wondering how much chaos he would stir up next.

But deep down, she couldn’t deny her curiosity about where his path would lead.

---

Meanwhile, on the Far North, Archangel Uriel and Archangel Gabriel stood side by side. Both Archangels stared at the towering Black Wall in the distance.

Uriel then turned her head and looking at the othere factions present here. Her expression was hard. "Do you think any of them realize what we do?"

Gabriel turned his head slightly, studying her. "That’s not like you, Uriel. You’re not usually one to worry about them."

Uriel’s teeth clenched.

"I can’t help but worry, Gabriel," she admitted. " If any of them figure out what we’ve hidden here..."

Gabriel sighed. "I understand. But I don’t think they know. Our artifact is powerful. Even if they suspect, they won’t be able to know what happened."

Uriel’s hand instinctively tightened on the hilt of her sword. Her wings shifted slightly.

"Yes," she said after a moment, nodding to herself. "You’re right. They can’t know."

Gabriel glanced again toward the horizon where the factions of Demons and Celestials had assembled in uneasy proximity. Even from this distance, the tension between them was palpable.

Neither faction seemed eager to work together, but the threat posed by the Black Wall had forced a tenuous truce.

The ground beneath them trembled faintly, a low vibration rippling through the barren terrain. Uriel’s wings flared slightly as she steadied herself.

Then, without warning, a deafening explosion tore through the air.

The Black Wall shuddered violently and a black light erupted from its center. The dark surface of the wall splitting with an ear-splitting crack.

A shockwave followed, a wave of black energy radiated outward in all directions. It slammed into the surrounding forces like an invisible tidal wave, knocking soldiers to the ground and sending weaker beings reeling.

Uriel raised a glowing barrier instinctively, shielding herself and Gabriel from the brunt of the blast.

She gritted her teeth as the force pressed against her shield, her entire body straining against it.

Gabriel stood firm beside her. "What in Eden’s name..." he murmured, his usual calm shaken as he stared at the Black Wall.

When the shockwave finally dissipated, the silence that followed was deafening. Uriel lowered her barrier slowly, her breath coming in short bursts as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

From the Black Wall, a gaping fissure now yawned wide, pulsating with an otherworldly energy that seemed to warp the very air around it.

Uriel’s heart sank. She had expected something terrible, but this... this was worse than even her darkest imaginings.

Gabriel stepped forward, his spear glowing brighter as his grip tightened.

After the explosion, the gathered forces of Demons and Celestials stirred uneasily, their leaders shouting orders and readying their troops.

Uriel turned to Gabriel, her voice urgent. "What happened to the three of them? "

Gabriel shake his head, his jaw set. "I don’t know."

---