Ascension of the Dark Seraph-Chapter 337: A Traitor
Chapter 337: A Traitor
Lucivar settled in the cathedral.
He and the others went back there after overseeing the sacrifices made in the targeted city.
Considering that the city was burned to the ground, there was no place for them to settle, so there was no other choice but to go back to the previous city that Morriva had already claimed. It was a hassle, but Lucivar isn’t going to sleep with the smell of burning in the air.
He already paid his share of discomfort in the Bastion of Blades.
Now that he had achieved more, he wanted nothing less than what he deserved.
Of course, that was an excuse he tells himself for justifying going back, in the middle of the night, instead of finding a house that was completely fine and isolated, away from the destruction and smoke, which were plenty.
In truth, that city reminded him too much of home.
And he didn’t like that.
On the second floor of the cathedral, there was a bedroom.
Upon entering the room, he closed the door behind him quietly until it made a subtle click, and then sat down on the edge of the bed. He leaned forward, elbows on his thighs—and clasped his hands together in contemplation.
Even though he acted alright in front of Morriva and Nerissa, he was actually troubled.
He was still troubled by what had happened earlier.
"It’s too much of a coincidence... Something is going on behind me."
Lucivar found the timing of Horus’ avatar’s attack too convenient to call it a coincidence.
He was attacked the moment he stepped out of Sunhold City.
And he couldn’t take that as a coincidence.
At this moment, he knew the other avatars were not in Sunhold City, presumably a distance away since none of them appeared, even though he had spent a month staying in the dormitory to look after Nerissa, fearing that she would turn into a monster and cause a ruckus.
If any of the three avatars were nearby, they would’ve made an appearance then.
Since there was no sign of them, Lucivar assumed that they were far away.
But that begged the question: How did Horus’ avatar know when he stepped out of Sunhold City?
"I refused to believe—that it is a coincidence," Lucivar’s eyes narrowed, looking at the wall in front of him as if the answer would appear if he looked hard enough. "Do they have a spy near me? Or are there any abilities they could use to track me down? No, that can’t be right."
Even his own abilities granted by the Gods inside him weren’t that strong.
Being able to track someone whom the caster had never met and was located for miles and miles away, even half a world away, was too powerful. Horus might have that kind of ability, but it was unlikely that his avatar would have it too.
Heck, even if the avatar has that ability, using it was another thing entirely.
Lucivar had endured the spear earlier.
Granted, given the distance it must’ve travelled, its power likely lost along the way, Lucivar could safely assume that Horus’ avatar was at least at the four-star Chrysalis-rank and at most, at the first-star of the Savant rank.
Not even a Savant-rank Hybrid could maintain a long-range tracking ability.
It would’ve been too ether-consuming and also focus-consuming.
However, since the spear reached him, there must be a way for them to locate Lucivar.
"I am sure the eye wasn’t what tracked me down. It felt more like a targeting ability, something to guide the spear to me, and slow down time so nobody could help me. Which means Horus’ avatar, somehow, already knew my location from the start," Lucivar pressed a hand to his forehead, deep in thought. "But how? I didn’t sense any fluctuations in the air... and even the divine beasts didn’t pick up on anything."
Lucivar was at a disadvantage.
Since his enemies knew where he was, he would always be one step behind.
Until he found out how Horus’ avatar knew where he was, he would never be able to win.
He would never be able to get the upper hand.
"How...? It doesn’t make any sense. How...? How?!"
Brak!
Lucivar grabbed the side table near him and threw it to the wall, shattering it into pieces.
His chest heaved up and down, a sign of unbridled anger.
But he was still smiling.
His eyes are bulging and his body is tensing, but he is still smiling.
Almost as if he was glad and also angry that someone dared to mess with him like this.
"How?!!"
Lucivar’s voice turned hoarse as he flexed his entire body, roaring at the room.
It was then—he suddenly stopped.
He raised a finger, pieces clicking inside his mind as he came to a realization.
"Wait... Wait a minute," He sat back down again, eyes flickering with clarity. "Nothing happened in the month I stayed to look after Nerissa. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. So—if Horus’ avatar or even the other avatars had an ability to locate me at all times, why didn’t they attack me then?"
"What even is the purpose of that spear? To scare me? To test me?" He questioned further.
Knowing how overbearing the Gods were, this shouldn’t be the case.
Horus’ avatar would’ve had no problem throwing the spear when Lucivar was still in Sunhold City.
After all, if they were truly watching him at all times, they would’ve known that Sunhold City’s barrier was down because of the purple dungeon incident—pending to be fixed. So, nothing would stand in the way of the attack. freewēbnoveℓ.com
In fact, striking him then would’ve made far more sense.
His focus was on Nerissa.
Lucivar wouldn’t be able to catch off guard if the spear struck then.
But instead, Horus’ avatar decided to attack now when he was on guard.
So that could only mean one thing.
"A rat..."
Lucivar’s expression turned grim.
It became apparent that Horus’ avatar only knew his location recently.
Once he knew where Lucivar was or where he was roughly, he immediately struck to test the water.
It was the only explanation Lucivar could come up with for why Horus’ avatar struck so late.
Someone close to him must’ve alerted the avatar the moment he left.
His time of departure and destination were revealed.
Clearly, the attack happened outside of Sunhold City because the rat feared Lucivar would know if he or she tried to contact Horus’ avatar while he was still within the city. So instead, the rat waited until he left... then passed the message along.
An ability that could help make contact with those close to him is more plausible than a long-range tracking ability. Horus’ avatar or the other avatars could send something, or even their Vestals, to make contact with the people around Lucivar.
One that could bypass his senses and gave the rat a way to communicate.
It was really possible.
Lucivar himself could do that if he wanted to, so the other avatars could certainly do it too.
"Bakar or Mirel...? Both of them acted weirdly since knowing I have the blood of a God."
"Mirel, in particular, is worrying since he was the one opposing me the most. Not to mention, they were the ones who knew exactly when I left and where I was heading. Both of them are the obvious suspects, and the most likely."
Lucivar shook his head.
He couldn’t immediately blame them.
He needs to think bigger.
"Thalia and Elira are within the academy, so they could know of my departure. I don’t see them hating me, but what I did to their mother is still a possible reason for them to bring me down."
"Angel...? She’s resourceful. She could find out about my departure and where I’m heading. But I don’t see how she would want to do this. She’s practically head over heels for me, exactly as I conditioned her to be, so she’s unlikely."
"In fact, the factions that bore resentment towards me could be the rat. Technology is insane there."
"But my hunch is telling me..." Lucivar’s frown deepened. "Is telling me that it’s someone closer."
Lucivar exhaled roughly from his nose.
Since his hunch said so, he ought to incline to believe it.
"Ravenna and Leandra..." He ushered those two names. "Either one of them—or both of them betrayed me. If it’s only Ravenna, then I’d be surprised. She got me good if that was the case. And if it’s Leandra, that reckless, silly girl... Then I’m done giving you a chance to change your mind. You die..."
Luicivar’s face hardened.
He had already made a promise to himself that anyone who stood in his way would die.
And he intended to keep it.
Not even the family would be exempt from this.
"Talking to Delilah about this is going to be difficult," Lucivar said—as he lay back on the bed, resting both hands behind his head. "Telling her about Darwin’s death is already hard enough. I promised her that I’d keep the family away from my darkness, but it wouldn’t be my fault if they choose to step into it themselves, thinking they can bring light to it."
Lucivar shook his head.
He was planning on going on the offensive against the three avatars, but the situation was reversed.
Somehow, the opposing avatars had already made a move against him.
"Whatever, it won’t change anything. I won’t lose, no matter what. I have karma on my side."
Just then, his pocket buzzed with a tacky ringtone.
Lucivar reached into his pocket and pulled out a burner phone, the one Samael delivered to him through a dark angel before his departure to ensure secure and easy communication. He flipped it open with a flick as the screen lit up.
One message waited for him.
He opened the message and read its content.
It was then that his lips curled into a devious, brutal smile.
"That was fast..."
...
A day passed.
It was already nighttime again.
After Lucivar’s departure, the day slipped by uneventfully, with nothing of note occurring.
Students went to their classes, and academy hunters reported for their missions or trained in the Bastion of Blades. During the break, it was lively. Despite what happened to the city, life has to continue.
People were quick to return to their normal activities.
It was peaceful.
But even so, there was no rest for the family with everything that had happened to them recently.
Leandra watched people doing normal activities during the day, and now, she’s in a room.
One that was extremely tidy and clean, as if nobody had even used it before.
She looked out the window, taking in the fresh night air to brush against her face like a gentle massage.
It wasn’t she who opened the window.
It was already open before she got here.
Despite the breeze, her face bore signs of trouble—there were a lot of things on her mind.
"I’m sorry, Lucivar..."
She mumbled softly, apologizing as if Lucivar could hear her voice.
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