Chapter 138: Proxy War (6)
Nastion felt like rubbing his temples, though technically, his limbs and even his head were more symbolic than functional. While he usually took on a human form, his true essence was that of a shadow—an amorphous entity unconstrained by any physical shape.
He had transcended the conventional human form of two arms, two legs, and a single head long ago.
And yet, he now felt a headache pounding in his nonexistent brain.
“…….”
He understood well how the Ten Towers’ conduct had steadily degenerated since the Ten Traitors committed their unspeakable sins in the ancient times.
But how could things have come to this?
Every tactic he’d employed, sacrificing various allies in the process, had been aimed at ensnaring the entire Hydra Corporation. Yet how did Hydra alone manage to repeatedly slip away?
‘Even if Hydra bribed Panoptes extensively, there’s been far too much evidence for them to simply ignore.’
Orthes was undoubtedly associated with the Divine Cult. Otherwise, why would Cult hunters have been dispatched to Algoth City so soon after Orthes clashed with the Mental Parasite?
It was impossible to conduct dealings with a faction as influential as the Divine Cult without leaving some kind of trace. Surely, there had to be remnants of the Cult’s presence within Hydra or even on Orthes himself.
According to Argyrion’s leadership, Orthes was known for his deviousness, a man skilled in manipulating others with his words, using them to do his dirty work while avoiding it himself. Such cunning individuals usually kept their deepest secrets closely guarded. If Orthes were detained and investigated, they were bound to find something.
Yet despite the flood of incriminating reports, Orthes had emerged unscathed from Panoptes’ clutches.
Instead, the Panoptes agents in Algoth City began to hunt for the “subversives” who were “tainting the Tower Lord Selection with false accusations.”
The ones pursuing the Parasite had merely shifted from the Divine Cult to Panoptes; the fact that they were being hunted hadn’t changed.
Though it was easier to evade Panoptes than the Divine Cult’s hunters, there were still many times when they came dangerously close to his hiding spots.
When coincidences become frequent, they become patterns. Nastion began to suspect that Orthes had been discovering his whereabouts and feeding information to Panoptes.
But one question puzzled him.
‘When the Divine Cult was tracking the Parasite, they were unaware of my presence. How did they suddenly detect me?’
***
“Hey, senior, could you explain what exactly we’re chasing right now?”
Niobe, currently in the midst of anti-flame preparations near Algoth City, was having trouble understanding why she’d been summoned here in the first place.
“Ah, I believe I once mentioned that I’m currently borrowing the face of a friend from Hydra, Orthes.”
Niobe nodded. It wasn’t exactly a lie; after all, this face wasn’t quite the same as my real one in the physical world.
“Actually, it’s a bit complicated. While working on a mission, I killed the original owner of this identity. Since it was useful, I decided to assume it myself.”
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“So… you’re saying you’re using Orthes’s identity for cover?”
More precisely, I was Orthes’s cover, but in the grand scheme, it was close enough. I nodded.
Niobe was technically more senior than Kine, but from my perspective, they were cut from the same cloth. Though Niobe was more seasoned in public service, she didn’t have the vast, chaotic experience I did—being hunted by Blasphemia, revered as a prophet by the Divine Cult, and seen as a nemesis by Argyrion.
So crafting a convincing excuse for this rookie was easy.
“Even if a superstitious artifact has some utility, people will use it discreetly if it’s helpful. Likewise, I’ve been using similar unorthodox methods to track Argyrion.”
“Wait, so Argyrion caught on to those unorthodox methods and retaliated by trying to ruin the company under your fake identity?”
Niobe tilted her head, looking skeptical. She seemed to think, *If Argyrion had any sense, they wouldn’t report a Blasphemia agent to Blasphemia….*
“Well, isn’t Argyrion full of traitors from Blasphemia? They probably assumed the betrayal would prompt a deeper investigation from Blasphemia.”
Niobe tilted her head again. Damn it. A few months ago, she was still naive, but she’d toughened up working under the Chief Auditor, accumulating more worldly wisdom than I expected.
“Oh, well, I suppose there’s no choice. I’ll confide in you alone, Niobe.”
“Hm?”
***
“Niobe, do you really think Argyrion would join forces with superstitious believers?”
Niobe pondered the question. Given that Argyrion was widely perceived as synonymous with superstition, she would ordinarily answer, “Yes, of course.”
But she doubted her senior would ask such an obvious question just for an obvious answer. Niobe deliberated further.
Orthes spoke up to help her piece together the answer.
“There might be some among Argyrion who dabble in such ‘superstitions,’ those who carry on the ancient traditions of priestly magic. However, it doesn’t mean all superstitious believers have formed alliances with Argyrion.”
“So… there are superstitious believers who oppose Argyrion?”
“To be precise, it’s uncertain if any actively oppose Argyrion.”
The puzzle started coming together. Why was a model agent like L13 using such unorthodox methods to track Argyrion?
It could simply be because those methods were effective. But an experienced agent knows how to layer multiple purposes into one plan.
“It doesn’t matter whether hostile superstitious believers exist! All that matters is that Argyrion believes they do!”
Realization struck Niobe, who clapped her hands in excitement. Orthes nodded slowly.
“I’ve laid various schemes to make Argyrion think of me as a hostile superstitious believer. Argyrion will now hesitate to merge with other superstitious factions, and this will likely weaken any such factions within Argyrion, perhaps even causing internal fractures.”
It was indeed a brilliant plan. If Argyrion saw L13 as a superstitious believer and Hydra Corporation as a front for them, they might try to exploit Blasphemia against him.
“But… you expected all this, right? Isn’t that why you’ve been operating in Algoth City?”
“Oh, please. How could I have foreseen Argyrion would file a public report?”
Orthes gave a mild smile, which Niobe took as a sign of modesty.
***
In truth, contrary to Nastion’s suspicions, Orthes hadn’t detected his arrival.
Nastion’s unintended pursuit was due to an idea from Carisia.
“They call it a ‘hunting incantation,’ right?”
This incantation had an impressive range, capable of tracking even spiritual entities like the Parasite if a proper catalyst was available. Naturally, Carisia thought to use it to track Argyrion.
However, there was a crucial difference between Argyrion and the Parasite.
After Orthes’s battle with the Parasite, a piece of the Parasite’s host body had been retrieved. Though the Parasite could occupy multiple bodies, it was still a single entity, so even a small sample was enough to track it.
But Argyrion wasn’t a singular entity like the Parasite. Even with a trace of one individual, the incantation could only target that person, not the entire Argyrion faction.
Moreover, Carisia hadn’t yet found any traces of Argyrion in Algoth City. Having learned how the incantation worked from Orthes, she reluctantly took out an item she hoped could serve as a catalyst.
A Silver Thread sample.
Based on the experience that wherever there was a Silver Thread host, there would likely be Argyrion members capable of using them. It was an indirect method of finding Argyrion by searching for Silver Thread hosts.
Unfortunately for Nastion, he carried a synthesized mana core containing Silver Threads meant to house the Parasite.
And so, a peculiar situation unfolded in Algoth City.
The Divine Cult handled intelligence gathering on both the Parasite and Argyrion’s positions—Orthes had preemptively explained to Niobe that any traces of divine power within Hydra buildings were due to “unorthodox means”—while Blasphemia carried out the actual tracking.
The two groups, despite being at odds, now followed Orthes’s lead in closing in on Argyrion.
Orthes himself remained comfortably behind the scenes, letting others handle the work.
Yet Nastion, feeling the Divine Cult’s shadow in Blasphemia’s pursuit, was close to panic.
This pursuit speed went beyond “leaking information.” It was as if they were actively working off intelligence straight from the Divine Cult.
It felt as if Panoptes was tracking him on behalf of the Divine Cult, which couldn’t openly act.
Just who was Orthes? Or what was he?
To wield both the Divine Cult and Panoptes at his command, bending them to his will?
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