Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 667: Divine assignment

Chapter 667: Divine assignment

As the flames of conflict continued to rage across the eastern continent of Henos and the Jester slowly inched towards ascension, Cinerath, the City of Tomorrow, and the divine kingdom of the Goddess of Automation, Khanna, continued its sojourn in subspace, chased by the God of Slaughter aboard his divine kingdom, the Land of the Dead.

The Goddess remained in a deep slumber within her palace, still recuperating from the injuries suffered at the hands of the despicable God of Foolishness.

Currently, the highest authority within the city was the Fixer, perhaps the oldest Automaton within the Cinerath.

Each day, he carried out his self-appointed tasks diligently, religiously taking care of the machines within the city while looking forward to the day when the Goddess would once again awaken to take her place as the supreme deity of not just Henos but perhaps, the four continents.

Hopefully, her awakening would take place before the Swindler completed his ascension, else, it would be an uphill task to reclaim her throne.

Of course, the Fixer dared not to dwell on such grim thoughts, instead, focusing on the best possible outcome.

Today, just like any other day, he awoke intending to carry out his duties to the Goddess, only to be visited by an unexpected guest.

"O my goddess." He said in a shocked yet respectful tone as he went on both knees, paying supplication in the process.

"Arise." ’Khanna’ said with the Fixer doing as she’d requested.

"My Goddess, for your persona to once again be active, does this mean you shall soon awaken?" The Fixer asked in clear excitement.

Alas, Khanna shook her head in response, dashing his hopes. "No, the drop from the Fountain has helped me stifle the effect of the poison but I am far from recovery. At the earliest, I reckon I would need a year or two to be able to awaken again."

"But my goddess, the Jester... his ascension is almost complete. If you do not awaken now, he will take your place." the Fixer spoke with unmistakable dread as he felt that the Jester replacing Khanna would be equivalent to the apocalypse, after all, what would one expect from a world governed by foolishness?

"That is the reason I have come to you," ’Khanna’ said. "I need you to stop the Swindler. Take him down before it is too late."

"I am willing, Goddess, but how can I stop the ritual?"

"You must kill the Swindler."

The Fixer went wide-eyed with shock, not because the mission details were unexpected.

Instead, it was a more worrying matter.

"How?"

It was well known that only a divine being could kill another divine being.

That was a law that couldn’t be broken even by the First Class Otherworldly, who were known to be rule breakers.

"If not for my current state, I would have made you my Apostle or at the very least, forged a weapon that could end the Swindler permanently."

As she spoke, ’Khanna’ raised her right palm, and the Fixer watched as a dull golden glow rippled into being before coalescing into a strange-looking revolver.

It was built the same but in place of the bullet chamber was a glass chamber with several brass particles vibrating at a rapid rate.

The Fixer marveled at the contraption as he stared at it, only for ’Khanna’ to offer it to him.

"This..."

"Is the best I can offer you. But it won’t be able to kill Kiesan. The best it can do is cause Him significant damage."

"For someone like the Swindler, He could easily fool the extent of the damage."

"Indeed, He can." ’Khanna’ admitted. "But that gun is only to be a last resort. Your main goal is to find Alexander Regulus."

"My Goddess?"

"He possesses a GodKiller, one that I believe must have been forged by the Artisan. Either help him activate the blade or utilize it yourself. Can you do this?"

The Fixer’s gaze turned resolute as he replied. "Trust me, my Goddess, I swear on my core that I will not fail you."

"I believe in you." ’Khanna’ said. "You have been with me the longest, being part of the first to receive my touch."

"Yes, my Goddess."

"Fulfill my request and I shall grant you the privilege of becoming my Apostle."

Saying that, ’Khanna’ dissipated into brass particles, leaving The Fixer to look down at the gun he was carrying.

At that moment, he made a decision.

Meanwhile, in another place, outside Eventide, a hallway that seemingly connected the various dimensions, Elena was still recovering from nearly having her form destroyed due to the presence within the Abyss.

As it was, she was quite fragile, considering she hadn’t completely recovered from the incident with Riona.

Letting out a tired sigh, she lay on the porcelain white floor, her gaze focused on the dark, empty space above.

Several thoughts were running through her mind at that moment but perhaps the greatest one was related to the last thing she’d heard before leaving the Abyss.

Brother.

What was that entity and why did it refer to her as brother?

She couldn’t quite figure it out and though the urge taken from Princess Berenice to be inquisitive persisted within, Elena didn’t dare to hurry back into the Abyss, not in her current state.

There was a mission to focus on and that would be her primary concern.

Perhaps at another time, when the responsibilities she had were not so significant, she could consider delving into the Abyss in search of that entity.

Before then, she decided to err on the side of caution.

***

"How did he die?"Azazel asked as he stood at a balcony overlooking a street below that had experienced an odd accident involving a headless corpse recently.

Two individuals, doxxed in similar attire, replied. "We don’t know. No signs of being attacked, physically or spiritually."

"I see." Azazel muttered as he crossed his arms, tapping a finger on his bicep as he glanced towards a certain direction. "And Cybele?"

"She was in her room when it happened."

"He must have seen something he shouldn’t have. Do we report this to Harlequin?"

Azazel shook his head. "No need."

Then, as he turned to leave, he remarked. "Withdraw, we shall hold a passing over ceremony for our fallen comrade and a handing over to the new recruits."

"And Cybele?"

"When the time comes." Azazel coldly said. "She shall die to my blade."