CHAPTER 139: | THE BORDER OF INSANITY

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  ~ ? ~ Western Continent — Under the Lake of Dreadnought — In the Imperial Palace of the Athen Empire ~ ? ~

  In the center of the Imperial Capital of the Athen Empire, a nation brought to its knees by the invasions of the 'Twin Devils,' the stubborn citizens refused to fully surrender. Even after the most elite Thallasians incited chaos within the allied Empire, they clung to resistance.

  But they were brutally reminded of their powerlessness. The one possessing the Eyes of Hera simply watched, letting them stab one another in futile confusion, while the Devil in the guise of a Lizardman wiped out their leaders with a single, imperceptible thrust of his spear.

  The rebels knew they were fucked the moment their leaders, Early Stage 3 Sovereigns, were hacked into wet ribbons of flesh by Theodore.

  Those smart enough dropped their weapons instantly, kneeling in abject acceptance. The others, agitated and foolish, thought it pointless to surrender. But before they could act, the Seraphim, the elite of the Devil’s elites, encircled them. They unleashed their collective aura, a crushing gravity that pressed the rebels into the dirt until consciousness failed them. They were dragged off in droves, transported to the Crab Expanse, where only god knows what hell awaits them in the Devil's lair.

  News of the defeat spread like a plague, yet neither the Athens nor the Thallasians lost hope. Their fate was sealed tightly in a deadlock, yet the Athens were the first to break free from despair. They remembered their Emperor was still resisting within the grasp of the Eyes of Hera. Their belief didn't waver; it became ferocious. Hearing rumors that their Emperor suffered humiliation day after day, the Athens refused to accept it. Their glorious bloodline shall remain untainted for eternity.

  Meanwhile, the Thallasians regained their footing after a week of mourning the loss of their loved ones to the rebellion. However, the families who had lost someone important grew hostile, not just to the enemy, but to the world. Their belief that only strength lorded over the world became obvious. They realized that without strength, their dignity, their pride, and their honor were useless dirt.

  The Thallasians became restless. Their will to power was stoked into a fire, and they did the unthinkable, they enlisted to become soldiers for their enemies.

  The Athens followed suit after a few months of hesitation. Their pride wouldn't allow them, the most impressive race there is, to succumb, but they decided this was the only path to strength. Plus, the offers from the Devils were too tempting. They promised that talented individuals would be sent to the Empire to be 'nurtured.'

  The two empires schemed to memorize the layout of the Devil's territory so a future rebellion could succeed. But unbeknownst to them, this was all a grand illusion that Celeste masterfully laid out. To be 'sent to the Crab Expanse' that meant nothing but hell.

  They were mutilated, chopped, and fed into the Broodmother to produce biological copies, individuals similar to the ones mutilated, to hide the truth. The talented were not nurtured, they were harvested. A sneaky move fitting for her title, the Eyes of Helena, the one who fools the world with a smile.

  The soldiers sent to the borders had no knowledge that the loved ones they sent to spy were harvested like crops in a field. They foolishly believed they were safe.

  Lucille III, the Emperor of the Athens, showed his deep displeasure. He outright denied her methods, calling them far too cruel for his former subjects. Celeste, hearing his complaint, merely closed her eyes and asked a soft question.

  "Then, Seer who reads the lines of fate... a being that can foretell the future... tell me, is there any method better than this?"

  Lucille III opened his mouth, but no words came out. He knew there was nothing better. And even if there was, would she listen to him? The answer was a direct no. His beloved wife, Celeste, wouldn't listen to a man with no influence.

  Lucille accepted his fate, the cruel truth that no matter how much he flailed to escape, true freedom was impossible without the strength to back it up. He smiled with dread, wiping the cold sweat beading on his forehead, and gazed straight into Celeste’s eyes. His voice was hollow.

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  "I see... so I am nothing but a fool... a mere spectator to the sufferings of my subjects... Though I-I possess the myth... t-the myth to live knowing the certain future... I-I... I...."

  He collapsed onto the bed, his complexion deathly pale. Lucille lifted a trembling hand to block the harsh light of the ceiling, tears flowing from red, vein-filled eyes. He sobbed in despair. He regretted it all. He didn't want this life filled with pain. He was being driven insane by duty, by morality, and by love, the twisted love he held for Celeste.

  He smiled, insanity visible in the arch of his brows. Celeste glanced at him with pity as she watched him break apart. She heard him cry, then laugh, pure, maniacal laughter, as he shouted, pain lacing his every words.

  "I-I! I didn't want to be like this! I only wanted to be happy, is that so wrong?! Why must I bear this responsibility! Why must I suffer in this dreadful repeat?! I didn't want this omnipotent ability! I didn't desire power in all my life! I've! I've lived the life of a saint! I-I... I committed no sins against the world! So why must I... why must I.... suffer this hell?"

  Lucille broke from the inside. He was tired. Extremely tired of his life. He wanted nothing but the sweet relief of death, but his sense of duty to her and his subjects anchored him to his sanity. Which was worse? If he lost his reason, would he finally stop suffering?

  He questioned the world, but deep down, something told him to wait. To wait for the being that would give him a purpose to live, or perhaps relieve him of this pain.

  He smiled, letting out a disturbing giggle as Celeste embraced him, hushing into his ear.

  "I see, so you've received an oracle..." She purred. "Honestly, I thought you were going insane right there. So tell me, what vision did you see this time, Lucille? Tell me what it entails? Talk to me... tell me that it's good news from above, my dear~"

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  ~ ? ~ Western Continent — Under the Lake of Dreadnought — In the outskirts of the Athen Empire ~ ? ~

  In the outskirts of the empire, where desolation scarred the land in every direction, a thick, unnatural fog brewed on the horizon. A massive shadow loomed over the mist, and an ominous sound reverberated through the world in an apocalyptic hum.

  The Thallasians guarding the borders gulped in trepidation. They collectively turned their heads and gasped. There, they saw the Devil who had single-handedly destroyed the Ten Thousand Grand Formation of their Imperial Capital. Theodore.

  Their fear of the unknown turned into dread of the monster standing before them. He stood tall, posture upright, not even moving as he glanced at the incoming enemies with a bored, relaxed face. The Thallasians were terrified, they could sense the nasty aura hiding in the fog, but this man, this Lizardman, merely yawned at the forefront of the battlefield. He held a single spear loosely in his grip. He sighed in impatience at how those bastards were taking their time. He sneered, then gripped his spear tightly.

  BOOM.

  A shockwave exploded outward from the sheer force of his grip. He lifted his spear knee-high, and in the next instant, it vanished as he struck the ground.

  The impact was violent. The earth quaked, sending the border walls crumbling like dust. The Thallasians caught in the radius didn't even have time to scream; they died instantly, their insides ruptured by the kinetic force. The fog in front of him dispersed in all directions, blown away by his might.

  He clenched his spear harder, yet it didn't bend, a treasured weapon of unknown quality he had merely picked up somewhere. He sighed at these distracting thoughts and slowly raised the tip of the weapon toward the massive whale in the distance, threateningly pointing it at the man standing at the prow. It was Kira. Theodore let out a shout that shook the air.

  "I command you! Kira, the Western Duke who has conspired against me time and time again! Tell your men to surrender right this instant, and I, Theodore, shall be merciful enough to grant you a chance to live."

  Hera, hearing the words of this mere beast, couldn't help but laugh in amusement. She pointed her finger at him to shout, but before she could proceed, Kira’s broad figure stepped forward, silencing her. Kira lowered his gaze. It turned frosty at the sight of the Lizardman. He muttered coldly.

  "Leah. Bring me that fool's head."

  Leah nodded. As per the order of her Lord, she vanished like a traceless shadow, traveling from darkness to darkness. Her confidence soared when she saw Theodore vanish from his spot and appear hundreds of meters up in the currents, making her work easy.

  She appeared in his shadow in the next moment, her legs locking around his torso, her dagger placed against his neck. Leah smiled, stabbing her dagger into Theodore's throat as she shouted.

  "Blame your own foolishness for babbling nonsense in front of His Lordship, you damned lizard! Die!"

  Theodore snorted. Then he swung his spear.

  Fwoosh!

  It moved so fast that no one saw it. Not even Leah, whose specialty lays in speed. She didn't know that before her dagger could even graze Theodore's scales, his spear had already claimed her life.

  In a single, imperceptible slash then thrust, her neck was severed. Her skull was pierced. Leah didn't know she was dead. In her last firing synapse, all she could see was the face of her Lordship, Kira, covered in blood, his expression twisted in pure horror. 'But that shouldn't be possible, right? Since when did my Lordship show fear...?'