Chapter 262
The Assassination Team consisted of Yan, Diana, and Juda Caballan.
The Sabotage Team was divided into Vivian, Baekrang, Merriott, Argon, Kasa, and Diana.
The reason for this division was Vivian’s ability to locate the magic circle for soul transference.
They assigned the formidable Baekrang, Merriott, and Argon to her, along with the strategically brilliant Kasa.
The Assassination Team had only Yan and Juda Caballan. But that was enough.
“We have a secret weapon, so we’ll be fine.”
As long as they kept that hidden from everyone else, they could overcome most obstacles swiftly.
And the absence of a guide didn’t bother them at all. They couldn’t forget this place, having explored it thoroughly in their past lives.
Yan scrutinized the faces of the Sabotage Team with a steely gaze.
“Please succeed,” he said, determination evident in his eyes.
Was it his resolve that they felt?
The members of the Sabotage Team exchanged determined glances.
Vivian asked, concern in her eyes, “Are you sure it’s better for you than us? Can the two of you handle it?”
“Don’t worry about us,” Juda Caballan replied firmly.
With a wry smile, Vivian whispered, “Once everything is over, I’ll reward you, big brother.”
Juda Caballan’s face flushed, more so than usual. His soft voice was barely audible, but Yan heard it clearly.
He shook his head vigorously. “Now let’s tear through this. Diana, we’ll rely on your guidance.”
“Understood.”
With those words, Yan and Juda Caballan soared toward the Emperor’s residence and stronghold.
* * *
The Sabotage Team sprinted underground alongside Diana.
Their reason for heading there stemmed from Vivian’s insight.
“If it’s a magic circle significant enough for soul transference, the mana flow would be immense. If it were on the surface, its location would have been exposed by now.”
“But deep underground is a different story.”
“Even if the mana flow is massive, it’s harder to detect down there.”
Hence, the most plausible location was underground.
Diana, with her position in the Surveillance Bureau—one of the few institutions that could scrutinize the palace’s blueprints—already had a place in mind, potentially connected to the underground.
As they raced forward, incapacitating royal guards and soldiers they encountered along the way, they arrived at their destination.
“Where are we…?”
“The Imperial Library?”
It was the least frequented section of the palace—the Imperial Library.
Vivian stepped forward, scanning her surroundings. After a thorough examination, she sensed something peculiar.
An eerie, malevolent presence.
More than mere yin energy, it clung to the air, thick and foreboding.
Yet, if it was related to a magic circle using human souls as ingredients, the aura made perfect sense.
Vivian’s lips curved upward.
“I’ve found it.”
Her hand pushed aside a book on a nearby shelf.
Simultaneously…
Krrrrk!
The bookshelves split open, revealing a new passage.
* * *
As Yan sprinted alongside Juda Caballan toward the area where the Emperor might be, he abruptly halted.
“What’s wrong?” Juda Caballan asked.
“It’s not… nothing,” Yan replied, though Juda Caballan seemed oblivious to the unease. Yan sensed a looming problem within the Sabotage Team.
He couldn’t pinpoint the exact issue, but he trusted his instincts. Should he rush to assist?
Time was pressing, and if he went and found nothing, if his intuition had failed him…
“All our plans could crumble because of me.”
Juda Caballan frowned as he observed Yan. Unlike other courtiers, Juda Caballan had navigated intricate political landscapes for years, and he could vaguely discern Yan’s thoughts.
“Have faith,” Juda Caballan said.
Yan turned, surprised by the repetition.
“Have faith.”
His eyes tightened with determination. Juda Caballan was right. Now was the time to trust.
“It’s not just Kasa. Vivian, his chief knight, and Merriott are with him.”
With that conviction, Yan headed resolutely toward his path.
And then it happened.
“Yan?”
A familiar voice pierced their ears.
As Yan turned, he faced a Royal Knight clad in golden armor. His handsome features remained unwavering, devoid of any disturbance.
Yan’s heart fluttered as he whispered the name.
“Kyle Kyung.”
A connection from the past.
* * *
Emerging from the passageway connected to the library, the Sabotage Team surveyed their surroundings, their expressions hardening.
“Could such a place truly exist?” Vivian muttered.
This underground space wasn’t an ordinary tunnel. It bore the marks of meticulous construction, as if crafted over centuries.
“An experiment room? More like a laboratory,” Diana remarked.
Rows of glass containers lined the area—nearly a hundred of them. Inside, chimeras blended human and other creatures: animals, insects, even monsters.
Their appearances defied any notion of normalcy.
Kasa, unable to look away, felt nausea rise within him.
“Disgusting!”
“Truly grim. We knew the Emperor was ominous, but to stoop this low…”
“Even for a fallen hero, this is…”
Baekrang, one of Vivian’s subordinates, stepped toward a glass container.
“Wait!”
Argon, who had been observing from behind, urgently grabbed his arm.
But it was too late.
Beeep! Beeep!
The blaring alarm echoed, and the liquid within the glass containers drained away.
And then…
Clang! Clang!
Clang! Clang!
The glass doors swung open, revealing the awakening chimeras.
Their eyes fluttered open.
Grrrr.
Hehehe, hehehe.
Ugh.
As the chimeras regained their senses, Baekrang wiped cold sweat from his brow, turning to face the group.
“What do we do?”
“What can we do?”
Merriott and Argon drew their swords simultaneously.
Vivian wielded a fan-like object that seemed part of her staff.
Kasa stared blankly at the chimeras.
“Why do they feel… familiar?”
These creatures were far from human.
They should evoke revulsion, like they did for the others.
Yet, inexplicably…
“I know them.”
Kasa couldn’t shake the sense of familiarity.
In that moment, everyone except Kasa launched an attack on the chimeras.
Among the elite warriors, they swept through the chimeras like autumn leaves.
The chimeras, devoid of reason, charged back like moths toward the flame.
Amidst the blood-splattered battlefield…
“…Huh?”
Kasa’s eyes widened.
He recognized faces among the chimeras.
“Gilbert? Yumo?”
The chimeras were none other than…
“…Mother?”
His family, presumed lost in the mists of time, had vanished into these hybrid forms.
* * *
At that moment, Yan regarded Kyle with a mixture of awe and trepidation.
“Of all places, why did I have to encounter Kyle here?” he thought.
Kyle was no ordinary adversary. His power surged around him like a tempest, far beyond what Yan had witnessed on the train. Once a third-rate swordsman, Kyle now teetered on the brink of second-rate mastery.
“Is he the next Grand Knight?” Yan wondered, gripping his sword, Ascalon, at his waist.
A clash with Kyle would inevitably cause chaos. And yet…
“I don’t want to kill him.”
As someone who knew Kyle well, Yan couldn’t bear the thought of ending his life. But there was no room for leniency. If he hesitated, Kyle’s razor-sharp blade would sever his throat.
Then, unexpectedly, Juda Caballan spoke up.
“Shall we join forces?”
His words caught Yan off guard. He turned, questioning his own ears. But Juda Caballan’s expression held no mockery or jest—it was sincere.
“You, who can read people so well, seem puzzled,” Juda Caballan continued.
Yan furrowed his brow. “Kyle’s eyes are trembling.”
He glanced back at Kyle, and indeed, despite his composed exterior, Kyle’s eyes quivered.
Royal Knights were the Emperor’s blades—selfless warriors who sacrificed everything for their ruler, bringing boundless glory to the Empire and its people.
Kyle embodied that ideal.
“News arrived that the former Emperor was executed,” Kyle said, lifting his sword deliberately. Yan and Juda Caballan mirrored the motion, drawing their blades in unison.
“But no Royal Knight witnessed it. Especially not our Grand Knight,” Kyle added.
His body radiated a faint aura—zhuanguang, the light that dispels darkness. It was the dawn, a fitting symbol for Kyle’s inner turmoil.
Yan steadied his breath, channeling mana. Kyle’s words continued.
“Yet, it defies reason. If there were a battle between the Grand Knight and a courtier, the palace would have been obliterated. If it were a trap, it wouldn’t have failed. Still, the Grand Knight claims the courtier executed the Emperor.”
Yan tightened his grip on the sword. “Do you believe him?”
Kyle’s response was unexpected. The surrounding zhuanguang waned, and his sword fell, powerless.
“No, I can’t. That’s the problem. I feel like I’m deceiving myself. This isn’t the conduct of a knight.”
He muttered, “If the courtier posed a threat to our future, the Grand Knight would have dispatched him without hesitation. But…”
Kyle lied.
There had been no attack on the palace. Even if there were, no explanation existed. Such an assault was inconceivable.
Juda Caballan observed Kyle. “You’ve lost your way.”
As a devoted knight, Kyle’s internal struggle was evident. Juda Caballan discerned the truth—the identity of the malevolent force plaguing Kyle.
To others, it might seem trivial, but for Kyle, who had always relied on trust, faith, and loyalty, it posed a significant dilemma.
Yan recalled the brilliant Kyle he’d seen on the train, now reduced to a pitiable state within minutes.
Though he’d kept his inner turmoil hidden, Yan’s concern had driven him to confront Kyle.
Yan spoke. “Just wait a little longer.”
“What?” Kyle asked.
“We’ll handle it. We’ll restore Emperor Leon’s spirit. Rest here until then.”
With that, Yan lunged, seizing Kyle’s wrist. In his weakened state, Kyle offered no resistance.
Juda Caballan understood. Yan’s actions were a temporary solution, allowing them time to address the deeper issue.
As they stood there, the presence of the Emperor grew stronger, and they found themselves before the battlefield.