Chapter 736 A Devil's Game [Pt 1]
Ater felt pleased.
Seeing the look of confusion, uncertainty, and a tinge of fear, on the faces of the two Dragons amused him, to the point where he couldn't stop smiling at them.
Moments like these were what he lived for.
'Ahh… the bliss…' He beamed with slight arousal, enjoying the havoc he had wreaked.
But, this was not enough. He had hardly plunged them to the very depths of despondency. This was simply the surface—a husk incomparable to the main dish.
He already knew what would make this moment perfect.
'Truth… that always makes everything blend the best.' And so, as he stood before he stupefied Dragons, unveiling the curtain that had blinded them all this time, he was able to get another glimpse of satisfaction. Surely, their limited minds were already beginning to grasp the current reality.
The fact that they had been fooled into thinking they left the Capital.
But no.
Merely doing this could leave the answer open-ended.
It was possible that they would believe he teleported them to this place, or that this was indeed the illusion, and reality was what they previously perceived. 'No, that won't do.' He thought to himself, resolute in fully immersing them in the bitter vat of truth that he had prepared.
'What better way to do that than to tell them myself?' "You killed humans in the Capital. You broke the rules of your Emperor as a result, ruining your benefactor and their grand plan." Ater declared to them, refusing to delve into the full details, which made the girls exhibit even more shock.
"N-no… no way…"
"Y-you're lying! We were definitely at the borders of—"
"You were under my illusion, fools." He gloated, chuckling at their stupidity. "For the most superior Race in this world, you lot are quite stupid."
Even now, after being confronted by evidence—which included the panicked words of their Master—they still clung to the false reality they previously perceived.
'It's a waste of time to relate with them much further…' He sighed to himself. It seemed he would have to be satisfied with this measure of despair from the Dragons and savor the rest of his meal from the Deserters.
'Those are even bigger fools. Still, the results of their actions, in conjunction with the strings I pulled with this duo, ended up making for quite an interesting narrative.'
The humans that were sacrificed in this entire endeavor were corrupt Nobles and Criminals that were procured by his Shadow Slaves, hence no innocents were harmed.
'Master would give me an earful if I went too far, so I had to compensate…' Still, the results were pretty satisfactory.
Even with his limited resources, he achieved his goals.
"Since you broke the rules of your Emperor, your fates have already been sealed. Still… I suppose the ones who will suffer most for your actions are the Lords who conspired to ruin this City." Ater's words caused the two Dragons to tremble.
Their eyes widened as they recalled the words of their Master, Lady Frey'ja, and immediately realized just why she had sounded so intense.
The actions of a subordinate—whether good or bad—would reflect on the Master.
That meant—
"I can only imagine how much they will suffer for your error…" Ater grinned devilishly, both hands in his pockets as he inhaled deeply.
All of this was merely child's play for him. It was petty… but fun.
"Y-you… you caused this, didn't you? M-Master… Master is…!"
"We need to go! Now!" Kat'erin quickly grabbed the mumbling Shai'ya, her own tears also slowly rolling down her cheeks.
They now realized just how much they had sinned, and the consequences of their actions. Still, more than anything… they wanted to help their Master.
Even if it was at the cost of their lives, they wanted to save her—just as she saved them.
'If we hurry, we can confess to all of this and say we performed all of this without her knowledge. We must absolve her at all cost!' That was Kat'erin's rationale.
The moment she grabbed Shai'ya, she swiftly turned around to get the last person on her list but didn't find anyone of the sort. Suddenly, she broke into a cold sweat.
A gnawing feeling began to swell within her, and her vision blurred while her heart raced the moment she considered what exactly could have happened. Before her imagination took over, or her suspicions were fully realized, she heard a voice that completely caused her heart to shatter.
"Looking for someone?" The voice belonged to Reta—the same person that Kat'erin had been searching for.
Slowly turning her head to the direction where Ater previously stood, she found Reta standing there, hands in her pocket as she smiled at the two despairing girls.
"Y-you were… n-no way…"
Kat'erin now understood why she felt some sort of affinity when she met Ater despite having zero attraction towards men.
This man… he was Reta all along?!
"Now do you understand? You were playing my game right from the start." As soon as Reta said this, she morphed back into Ater—very seamlessly too.
The man before them oozed such sheer malice, but the amusement he displayed made the immensely tense situation feel like nothing but a pastime activity.
He wasn't even being serious.
"Y-you… YOU….!!!" Shai'ya yelled out, hot tears streaming down her eyes as Kat'erin took the route of silence.
The rage and sorrow that filled the voice of the roaring Dragon shook the entire area.
The air began to tremble violently, and hot energy slowly rose from everywhere around her. It seemed she had finally pushed past her despair and was driven purely by instinctive rage.
"You did this! You caused this! I… I… I WILL KILL YOU!"
These words only made Ater's grin widen even more as he waited patiently for her assault.
"[Absolute Blood Control]..."
Before Kat'erin could say a word, or join her in the fight, Shai'ya unleashed her two S-Tier Skills, completely resolved to destroying the man before her.
"... [Absolute Overdrive]."