Chapter 228: Common Ground Allies

In his quest for power for the sake of having the strength to protect himself and Baron, he would have to offend and clash with other powers that had the same ambition or had a mission that was fated to collide with his own.

And yet… Kladis was gone and there was no one he could vent this rekindled hatred for.

—no, wait…

—there was someone else he can use!

Brushing her hair, Siva lightly lifted her head and wiped her tears using his gloved finger.

“I’m going to get revenge for you. I will burn The Legion down to its last member and even when they stand and rise again, I will burn them over and over until they don’t rise up anymore from their ashes! I will burn them even in their dreams, and in their nightmares will be me burning them alive over and over… until they kill themselves and beg for the forgiveness they will never get.”

At first his voice was calm but in the middle of his sentences, the people around them felt that the air seem to have turned cold.

But there was no change on the temperature.

Only in the next moment that they realized where the cold air was coming from.

It was Siva’s cold and ruthless murderous intent!

SLAP!

And yet, contrary to the fear they felt towards the words that accompanied a genuine feeling of a foreboding massacre, Scion’s hand moved and a clear sound of a slap resounded from the cellars.

Siva’s face was turned sharply to the right while her hand that she used to slap him gently rose to touch his chest where she buried her face again.

She spoke with a voice full of hurt, “Rex… how can you speak of killing people this easily? This may just be a game but everything around us is real to our senses. Killing people here is no more different than killing people in real life. You don’t have to stain your hands for me this way. You… don’t have to turn yourself into something that might hurt Baron in the future.”

Everyone was surprised by these words. Thorn also felt that she had just spoken something that they’ve been trying to hide from these guys.

And… sure enough, when he turned to their stunned faces, Thorn couldn’t help but tense up.

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Yet, none of them spoke and only watched as Siva lowered his head and backed away, crying, his left hand on his face, Scion walking at him to embrace and comfort the man.

Siva just now… realized… Scion’s words makes a lot of sense.

“I… I’ve been cursed, Amanda… he cursed me.”

Siva said and it was his turn to sob.

Perhaps only Thorn understood who that person Siva was talking about.

The “he” that he spoke of; the man who had put all of this in motion; the very person who threw the innocent Rex Kingsley into the pits of hell of human greed and abyss of desires, and changed and morphed him from being a young man into the person he is today.

It was a name that, if they knew, could spell their and their family’s deaths.

A name… that even the criminal underworld fears greatly.

Although entangling with this name’ means profit, one wrong move also means their end.

It was a name that, even though Thorn had no idea of it, felt that knowing it was both a taboo and a blessing –if one knows how to handle ‘it’. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

That’s how Thorn felt regarding the person that held Siva, Rex Kingsley, in the neck.

“Cursed…” Scion felt hurt when she realized what Siva meant by that.

Whoever that person was, he cursed Rex Kingsley’s normal life and forever changed it.

She could only dig her face on his chest and feel his pain and anguish through his low sobs.

In fact, it felt like there were no people around them at this moment.

And yet, these people felt that, seeing this scene, something in his words doesn’t fit on an AI’s personality algorithm.

These two’s emotions felt… real!

Scion doesn’t care.

For some people, he might be a monster, but to her, Siva was but a young man who wasn’t even on his twenty… pushed in a corner and forced to burn his own soul to save the only important thing left in his life.

In this game, it is indeed true that everything felt real in one’s senses. The sense of taking one’s life was clouded in the logic of it, all, being merely just a game.

Scion’s words were like a bolt of lightning that hit the hearts of the people around them.

The way they looked at Scion became a bit different after hearing her words. But all the more, the way they looked at Siva had changed, just now, on a drastic level.

“Cursed?” and yet, Coralline, someone who was attentive and had a thicker layer of awareness than the rest, asked with a skeptical tone, “I’m really not getting this. So you’re NOT Donar? I am… all this time… been following a player and not an NPC?”

Her eyes narrowed and she was angry.

Following her words, Heller looked at Siva and as well as the assassin… and all of them now wore a look of wariness as they looked at Siva.

But then, as if to answer their questions, a flash of a message appeared on their screen.

[You are inside the Killing Zone. Your defenses are down by 70%]

This one notification message alone answered all their questions… and even more!

It introduced to them who this person was!

Although she wasn’t seeing it, even Scion felt that something was different as she raised her head to look at the people and took a step as if to protect Siva from them.

“Please… understand… Rex, no, Siva does not mean to trick all of you. He just did it all to protect his brother and… and… and rescue me! He’s not a bad person!”

Siva…?

Thorn had a palm on his face.

Rentaw and Deb sighed as their movements to stand behind Siva caught everyone else in there to be surprised.

“You guys knew?” Coralline felt angrier. “All this time, you’ve been pretending to collude on us into becoming his puppets?”

“You’re wrong!” Scion yelled but there was no hint of anger nor any kind of ill-intent on her face and her voice. In fact, looking at her right now is like looking at a fairy who has been wronged and was facing an unfair and unjust trial.

She explained with a voice so sweet that when Coralline’s side heard it, they all felt that they’ve really wronged her for some odd reason.

“Rex… Siva… he… he is in a very complicated and difficult situation right now. We can’t tell you the specifics not because we don’t want to but because it would be better for you. This world, his reason for being here… is not to play a game, but to save a life. I only request that you trust my words. You may not be able to trust him or perhaps you might think of taking revenge on him for many different reasons because of his fame and what he’d done, but if you think that I am also lying to you… then I request that if you will punish him for that and decides to attack him, then attack me as well but I will not fight back!”

“…”

Everyone felt differently with her words.

The way she spoke what devoid of lies and any kind of trickery that you will have no other choice but not only to believe her but also to feel that you were wronging her greatly.

And it was summoning a great deal of awkward emotion on everyone’s chests!

It was a deadly weapon!

Thorn heaved a secret sigh, “I’m glad she’s not an enemy.”

She was crying for Siva’s sake. While she was explaining, her tears and her voice shook that the real emotions she hid on those words were like a healing hand that placated their emotions.

Heller, who never spoke since earlier, took a step forward and asked, “I can hardly imagine anything that you’re saying. But… considering the words you’ve spoken, are you implying that if we were to know why you did all of this, then our own lives will be at stake?”

Heller was talking to Siva. Red Metal, the slightly cowardly one amongst the group, asked Heller shakily, “Hey… when you said something about lives, did you mean that ‘our’ real world lives… will be at stake?”

Thorn’s brows twitched and Scion bit her lower lip as if to stop herself from asking this very question itself to Siva.

Back in the Archangel, it could be said that she’d picked up on some clues with tis people. It’s not that she was told things; it’s just that she wasn’t stupid.

Given the information that Hawkeye, Volt’s (Matt) sister, had spoken to them about the men in suits that always visits and sometimes treat and bring items to Rex’s house, everyone in the Archangel knew that these guys are the people that hold Rex as if a hostage.

Adding to that the information that Kathleen Brew had sniffed and patched out from her own news sniffing network of contacts, adding the warning they received form her father, Scion had at least learned that Rex wasn’t in a good position to talk about his own problems to her.

Again, it’s not only that he can’t, but it’s because he also won’t… for their sake.

If only he could ignore the threat, then he would have long spoken of his problems to the people he trusted… and Scion believed that she was someone that Rex would have confided with.

She knew he doesn’t have anyone else to rely on.

And even this, is something wasn’t to be proud of but something to pity Rex for.

The fact that he can’t and he won’t means that those people in black suits probably held Baron Hostage… as the source of insurance to whatever plan they have with Rex.

Heller didn’t answer this mohawk guy but instead drew his gaze at Siva who now was just standing there with Scion in front of him.

Their eyes met and after a moment, he said, “I will not ask much and I won’t back down even if I put my real life on the line, but… if I were to continue this alliance with you, can you make sure that I can fight strong people in the future?”

Siva raised a brow but with his black skin curse, no one noticed it. He said flatly, “With my identity and how I pretended to be Donar and tricked the whole world… you can bet that you will first get a Game Over before you run out of enemies.”

Heller laughed like a villain and then said, “Well, I haven’t found a satisfying meal ever since I got out of prison so I suppose hanging out with you will not be boring.”

Prison?

You mean you’re a…

Everyone’s gaze became different when looking at Heller. He had such a handsome face that you will not think of him as someone with such a background.

In fact, when Heller is compared with Red Metal, one look and you’d probably immediately thought that the latter was up to no good.

Piercings, tattoo, hairstyle, manner of speech, tone of voice, fashion sense… Red Metal gave away all the signs of being a 1970’s gangster.

What more, his eyes were always slanted as if to give the notion that he’s indeed always up to no good. He’s a complete contrast to his kind and thoughtful personality, and a whole galaxy away from Heller’s demeanor… so who would’ve thought?

Heller walked beside Rentaw and this sight was followed by Diyers (assassin) and Otus (ranger).

Diyers: “I’ve been looking for an adventure as well in The North. I’ve no interest on sneaking inside fortresses and killing targets that doesn’t get my blood boiling. But with the world as my enemy, now that’s what I’d call a worthy game.”

Otus, “Maybe I can prove my archery skills with the world as my enemy.”

“Y-Y-You guys…” Coralline felt her hairs rising in irritation. She wasn’t used being left out but more than that, it was already so much for her to even swallow her pride when compared to the monster such as Dilim… but even Donar?

Of course, if they were to learn later on that Dilim is also Donar, then perhaps Coralline would have to vomit some blood out of anger and disbelief.

And then, Red Metal sneaked a run behind Rentaw, speaking no words and avoiding Coralline’s eyesight.

Seeing this, Coralline greeted her teeth. She was just about to turn her head towards Pitou and Niobe when she saw the latter twirling her way at Scion… and smiling coquettishly at her.

“You have such a nice face. Is this your true face?”

Scion was caught off guard and shakily nodded as she retreated towards Siva’s side.

“Niobe?!” Coralline couldn’t help but feel dejected.

She’s also a girl with a beauty, aside from a tiny fact that she was also using her real face with 80% accuracy to how she looked.

And yet… she was immediately overshadowed by Scion’s charming innocence and beauty.

She then turned to Pitou who asked, “How much are you going to pay me?”

Coralline stopped her jaw from falling.