Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 686: Imagine a world ruled by fools

Chapter 686: Imagine a world ruled by fools

"What do you mean you need Alex’s help to kill a god?" Elena asked, breaking the silence that persisted after The Fixer’s odd declaration.

The Fixer replied. "Exactly what I said. He holds the only weapon capable of doing that now."

"Wait, backtrack. What God do you wish to murder?" Ulysses inquired, stepping in as he struggled to understand what the Fixer was on about.

"The Jester, Kiesan. He is currently carrying out his ascension ritual. If we do not stop him, his ascension will cause the world to slowly fall into ruin."

Putting his palm over his mouth, Ulysses muttered. "That explains a lot."

"Wait, why would the Jester’s ascension cause ruin?"

The Fixer clicked his tongue. "I do not have the time to answer your questions. Tell me where Alexander Regulus is."

"He isn’t here," Elena replied.

"Then where is he?"

"Somewhere in Henos. I’d have to confirm if he is still where I left him."

"Then take me to him."

"Not before you fix this ship."

"I do not have the time!" The Fixer exclaimed in annoyance. "There is very little time before the Swindler completes his ascension and we can’t let that happen."

"But..." Elena wished to say more only for Ulysses to place a hand on her shoulder.

"How much longer do we have?" He asked with the Fixer responding.

"I cannot say. Kiesan is the only deity that has somehow found a way to accelerate his ascension. A process that should have taken at least a hundred years appears to be coming to a swift end. If we do not act now, then we won’t have a chance to kill him ever again!"

"I see." Ulysses nodded in understanding before glancing at Elena. "Take him."

"You are kidding. If he leaves, the ship won’t be fixed, which means, you are stuck here."

"Not forever. I just need to wait."

"What if we fail to defeat the Jester?... What if we don’t come back?"

"Then I will find my own way around that. But the Fixer is right, if the Jester completes his ascension, not just Henos, the world is doomed."

"It can’t be that serious."

"It is," Ulysses responded in a grave tone. "Imagine a world ruled by fools. A world where intelligence is seen as a disease... that is what the Jester would usher in."

Perhaps because her origin was a person who could be described as a rare genius, Elena was immediately repulsed by such a world.

Noting her expression, Ulysses continued. "Now you understand why you have to take him."

"Will you be alright?"

Ulysses hesitated but ultimately nodded in response. "I will."

Albeit unwilling, Elena turned to face The Fixer who was slowly growing impatient.

"Let’s go."

Breathing a sigh of relief, he walked over and reached out to take Elena’s outstretched hand.

The next moment, the duo was bathed in golden light before vanishing from the submarine, leaving Ulysses alone on the ship.

Taking a deep breath, Ulysses looked around before proceeding to make his way to the steering wheel.

Wrapping his hands around it, he decided to repeat what he’d attempted before the Fixer’s arrival.

He had the essence of a deity within him, one that held authority over the Domain of Travel.

So, feeling hopeful, he tapped into it while closing his eyes.

***

To become a Hunter in the past, one needed a variety of skills, each of which was deemed important if one wished to go after the Beast.

Over time, the requirements were lowered and the level of difficulty to become a Hunter reduced, but that didn’t mean that those in the current age who called themselves Hunters were incompetent.

Even though they had never come across the Beast, they had fought against several kinds of mutants, hunting them down and bringing them back to their headquarters for varying rewards.

This was why they immediately realized that something was wrong with not just Kallimedon, but with the headquarters as well.

Those that were closer to the aether, the Cryptids, could immediately tell that something was stirring.

Naturally, they wanted to believe that whatever it was meant no harm but Kallimedon’s final words left them with no choice but to realize that whatever was coming was dangerous to them.

The humans took out their weapons forged with Quillion while the Cryptids unleashed their Wills, causing several chaotic waves in the aether as several sought dominance over it.

But this chaos soon paused as one authority snuffed out the rest, reducing them to nothing but a passing mention.

One of them breathed out in disbelief. "A deity?"

The next instant, there was a grand explosion which caused the building to collapse.

At the same time, something surged from below, causing the earth to rumble and the aether to stir.

Those that survived the explosion immediately gathered with some attempting to flee only to realize that at some point, the entire area surrounding the headquarters had been shrouded by fog.

"What is this?" One asked only to be decapitated the next second by an invincible enemy.

"There are mutants!"

This served as a call to arms as the entire area descended into chaos.

The Hunters immediately took to dealing with the mutants hidden in the fog but not all of them, as the strongest of their ranks, had their attention elsewhere.

They knew that the true danger wasn’t the mutants but was instead the entity that now held authority over their surroundings.

With each tremor, the hearts of these men and women pounded, as they waited for the monster that they had to face.

Soon enough, it emerged from below with a roar that shook the hearts of men, cryptids, and mutants, leaving them frozen in terror, with the mutants quickly bowing in reverence.

It was a cylindrical entity with the faces of mutants of all kinds etched on its body.

Its main head was the face of a man that seemed to be in constant agony and it had several bony human-like hands, numbering into the hundreds, resembling a millipede when seen from above.

"What is that?" Arwen asked as she could barely breathe, same with Nadia who replied.

"... I don’t know."