Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 435: Trying times for Zion

Chapter 435: Trying times for Zion

Silence reigned for a moment as the presumed Dark Lord and the Battle God of the Warrior Wheel stood in place with several meters between them, a subtle tension masking the atmosphere.

Aiden regarded Alex, studying him with keen eyes before he finally spoke, breaking the ice. "Do I take it that this is your second question?"

Alex raised a brow in response, quickly realizing what Aiden was playing at.

Chuckling softly, he replied. "Fine then, that is my second question."

Aiden let out a sigh. "The information was gotten by my ancestors during their escape from their devilish overlords in Emet."

"The Devil Wheel?"

"Indeed." Aiden nodded. "Their Daemons played a major role during the War of Desolation."

"I see." Alex nodded in understanding before inquiring. "Did it never occur to you that the Intel might be false?"

"It did," Aiden replied. "The Devil Wheel is known to be one capable of such, however... do you really think that the Dominator of Space/Time would intentionally seal his daughter away for no reason?"

"And so you assume that she could be dangerous."

"I fear that she might possess some sort of failsafe the Dominator set in place before his death. I may be paranoid but I am only acting on the orders left behind by my ancestors."

"Still, isn’t it a bit much to assume the worst despite everything she has done?"

"Is that your third question?" Aiden inquired, causing Alex to pause, clearly amused by the Family Head’s astuteness.

"Unfortunately not."

Aiden nodded. "Then it is my turn to pose a question."

"I’m listening."

"What do you hope to achieve by gathering the Branches?"

Alex froze at that moment, not expecting the question at all.

Sensing his reaction, Aiden remarked. "You didn’t really think that I wouldn’t notice, did you?"

"I am not so unaware, Lord Aiden." Alex calmly replied as he regained his composure. "However, I didn’t expect you to ask about it."

"Life is full of surprises, isn’t it?"

"Indeed it is."

"Pray tell."

Taking a deep breath, Alex intoned. "I believe gathering them would provide me an opportunity to return to where I truly belong."

"And where is that?"

"I could tell you but I have a feeling you might end up dying from the knowledge," Alex replied truthfully causing Aiden’s expression to distort drastically.

"I see. So it’s like that."

"Indeed, it is." Alex nodded.

Though curious to know if Aiden understood that he was not a denizen of Eventide, he understood that it was hardly the way to spend his final question.

And so, taking a moment to study Aiden’s expression, Alex remarked. "Will you stop me?"

"..." Aiden pursed his lips, his expression unreadable as he met Alex’s gaze.

Seconds passed before he ultimately shook his head. "There is a reason those things are referred to as Aspects of the Absolute. Mystics have tried and failed in their attempt to assimilate the Branches, so what makes you different?"

Aiden’s words caused Alex to call back to his last encounter with Emperor Enoch, memories of the Emperor screaming in anguish as his Pneuma was brutally ripped out of his Soma still fresh in his mind.

A sense of dread gripped his heart but he chose to ignore it as he consoled himself with the fact that it would be Nyx attempting to contain the Branches.

"In any case." Aiden suddenly remarked. "Your actions only serve to add one more variable to the already tiresome equation. I’d like to believe it may end up working to our benefit instead of against it."

Alex raised a brow, unsure of what to make of Aiden’s words.

Spurred by curiosity, he inquired. "What do you mean?"

"Is that your third question?" Aiden inquired back causing Alex to click his tongue in disappointment.

Amused by this, Aiden raised his blade. "This is my second stroke."

Then without waiting for a response, he swung.

***

Lionel’s expression remained stoic as he found himself pondering the last conversation he had with his brothers, especially the last portion.

The words spoken still rang true in his head, causing him to wonder if it was truly a viable solution.

What if Conrad was right and the way to stop the unnecessary bloodshed was by seeking the help of the root cause of it?

Lionel wasn’t naive enough to blame the war on the Dark Lord as he understood that the Night Kindred only used that as a reason to spur on those who may have been skeptical at first.

With the Dark Lord’s presence, it ensured the Night Kindred did its best to bring down the Empire, leading to the current situation.

He let out a tired sigh as he massaged his temples.

These truly were trying times for Zion and he could only hope that they would be able to survive as he understood that the Empire wasn’t just a reason to own a lot of land or to lord over people.

No, for the Great Families, the owners of the Warrior Wheel, the Empire was a haven, a haven to defend from...

Lionel was jolted out of his thoughts by a frantic soldier rushing into his tent causing him to frown.

"What is the meaning of this soldier?" He scolded in annoyance.

"Forgive my insolence, Lord Lionel, but I had no choice. We just received dire news."

"What is it?" Lionel inquired, a faint trace of apprehension emerging on his visage.

"The rate at which the undead are rising has reached unprecedented levels, even surpassing the rate of the past five years."

"What!?" Lionel jumped to his feet at this point, causing the soldier to back away in fright. "Are you certain of this?"

"Yes, my Lord. But that’s not all."

"What else?"

"The undead... reports reaching us is that they are no longer staying dead, even after being struck down."

"..." Lionel trembled, realizing the implications of the news.

"And..."

Lionel could hardly believe his ears as he inquired. "There’s more?"

"... The Blight has experienced a resurgence in the past three days with three times the number of patients reporting being infected with it compared to the past five years."

Each report spoke of doom and even more doom, causing Lionel’s expression to fall completely.

Barely keeping his composure, he ordered the soldier. "Get the radio ready... Now!"

"Yes, my Lord!" The soldier immediately exited the tent, leaving Lionel to fall back into his chair.

He knew he had overreacted in the presence of his subordinate but now was hardly the time to save face as one question ran through his mind.

Was this really the end for the Empire?

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.