Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 219: A greater plot unfolds...

Chapter 219: A greater plot unfolds...

A little over an hour had passed since the arrival of reinforcements from the Church.

Despite their safe arrival, however, their presence was not met with as much fanfare as much would have hoped, what with Ambrose’s discovery hanging over their heads like a sharpened sword ready to drop at a moment’s notice.

"What else do we know about this?" Lionel inquired, his voice hoarse and with a hint of worry.

Ambrose shook his head. "As much as I’ve discovered, I guess."

"Is that so?" Seemingly disappointed with the news, Lionel rubbed his temples, trying to calm his nerves that had taken quite the hit.

Pursing his lips, he muttered. "We were so focused on the Eastern Highlands and the risk of Incursions that we never thought of such a thing happening. This is disgraceful."

He seemed to be berating himself, clearly upset that such a matter had escaped the combined notice of all Family heads for so long.

"Are we all going to believe this man’s words to be true?... I don’t believe anyone would be foolish enough to attempt assimilating with a branch of God." Marcus remarked, attempting to ease the tense atmosphere.

"And we have already deduced that the one attempting to do so is not human." Ana quickly replied, her words slightly laced with annoyance as she added. "I hope you understand that apart from the Defense Headquarters, the Church also has a hand in this unbelievable oversight."

"Tch."

Letting out a sigh, Ana walked up to Lionel and took a seat beside him before she began. "I know..."

"No need for that, Ana. I’m fine, just a bit peeved that we were nearly blindsided by the arrival of a god."

"Oh great." Ana let out a relieved sigh while touching her chest. "I was so worried my toes would curl if I started."

The man regarded her for a moment before letting out a chuckle.

Shaking his head, he rose to his feet. "Seeing as things have progressed to such an extent, there’s little that can be done. We will proceed with our initial plans and I will inform the other Heads of the newborn god so they can make arrangements."

Pausing briefly, he glanced at Marcus. "I expect more sincerity from Angelica. I see no reason why you, a mere bishop, would be the one standing before me whilst your leaders continue to live on our land."

"Th...that." Marcus grew flustered, interpreting the Family head’s words as a threat.

Seeing an opportunity, albeit terrified, Anderson spoke up. "We will do well to rectify the mistake, Family head. For now, I will make sure to inform my superiors about the situation."

"Good." Lionel nodded and was about to say something when Ambrose spoke up, veritably cutting him off.

"And the destruction of BoneHaven?... Are we to do nothing about it?"

"It is over, no one was hurt and even if they were, what would you have me do?" Lionel inquired, his gaze trained on Ambrose.

Despite the intense pressure, Ambrose remained resolute, his gaze unflinching.

The family head noted this and after a few seconds passed, resolved to retract his gaze. "Prepare all that is needed. I would like to complete this expedition before the end of today."

"Aye, sir."

With that, he walked away, leaving Ambrose unresolved and slightly incensed.

Just behind him, Natasha stood, unsure of how to feel about their discovery.

***

The memory of Popolis’ destruction soon came to an end and with that, the sight of a night sky filled with twinkling lights came into view yet again.

Alex retained a calm expression, his head bowed as he delved into his thoughts, pondering what he’d seen.

Meanwhile, Gerald had fallen to his knees, tears dripping from his eyes as his body grew more distorted, revealing what he truly was... a shadow of his former self.

Thomas seemed to be reverting to his original state but save for that, the confusion he held at the start of the revelation persisted.

"A Shadow..." Alex muttered, the implications of what happened to Popolis playing out in his mind.

At the same time, he recalled a certain statement Lord Albion had made during their meeting.

’He became a shadow of his former self.’

Didn’t that point to something more than he had considered before?

Judging what he knew and what he’d discovered, one thing was irrefutable.

Everything Abraham had done and planned to do was for the sole purpose of becoming a god.

But why?... And why use such a method that involved a Branch, something he’d learned from reading the book Ana provided him with that it was impossible for a human, even a powerful Mystic, to contain.

As he considered this discrepancy, he came up with a certain conjecture.

That Abraham was not Abraham.

What if, just like Gerald, he was a shadow of his former self in a literal sense, with a greater being using his likeness, no, the basis of his existence to carry out his plot?

A lot of things made a lot of sense if he moved with this thought process.

Most important of all was why Vessina and Xistora had so readily helped him.

Fear... the presence of that emotion in both BoneHaven and Krobridge seemed to be more than just mere interference.

It would seem...

"No!" A sudden shout drew Alex away from the answer he had just about reached.

Glancing toward the origin, he found Thomas staring at him with hatred-filled eyes.

Immediately, he tried to use Eternal Night to calm the fellow but all he got was a powerful resistance.

"... It would seem it is not all-encompassing," Alex noted with a grim tone.

Potent killing intent flowed out from Thomas as he muttered. "You should never have come here."

"Hmm?"

"There was no reason for you to be here!... We could have continued living our lives like this."

"As shadows?"

"It is better than nothing!"

"You are struggling to accept your reality, understandable but pathetic regardless. You would choose to live such a life, one devoid of anything truly living?"

"Shut up!" Thomas aimed his revolver at Alex, his breathing heavy as he corked the gun.

Just as his finger moved to the trigger, Gerald intoned loudly. "Enough!"

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