Chapter 77: Manipulating The Manipulator
Vespara didn’t notice, or maybe she did and simply didn’t care.
Vespara smirked. "I’m sure you know the secret about Overlords."
She raised a finger.
"When someone truly reaches Overlord rank, their body undergoes a complete reconstruction. They return to their prime and they look young once again."
Vespara pointed directly at Leora.
"But you, Vice Principal Eleanor, still appear as an old woman publicly."
Leora said nothing.
"That’s strange, isn’t it?" Vespara continued, pacing slowly in front of her. "You sometimes appear young in hidden meeting. Publicly you take on an old appearance. Which is the real you? Why the change?"
Leora remained silent, her gaze steady.
Vespara kept talking, like she was proud of her theory.
"Normally, your enemies would think you’re baiting them to attack you by acting old. You were trying to make it look like you were not an Overlord... then when they attack, you will crush them with your Overlord rank strength."
She grinned widely.
"But what if you were actually old, and it was not a farce? Some people attacked you to find the answers, and you crushed them, didn’t you? Anyone who tried died. Every time. No survivors. No witnesses. No evidence.
"It made everyone think that you were an Overlord, and you were purposely acting like you were not one, so that you could bait your enemies to attack you.
"When your enemies realized that, they didn’t take the bait anymore."
Vespara leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"It cemented your reputation as an Overlord rank awakener."
Leora’s fingers flexed slightly against the sword hilt.
Vespara leaned back, laughing again. "But this Mirror Dimension? It’s only capable of trapping those up to Champion rank."
She spread her arms.
"And look! You’re here."
The smile on her face widened, victorious.
"That means you’re not an Overlord at all."
Vespara’s eyes gleamed. "Your entire city’s safety was a lie. A clever illusion you built. You made everyone think an Overlord protected Fortified City 89 when in truth, the city had none."
She clasped her hands together mockingly.
"Bravo! What a beautiful deception. You must’ve struggled to maintain the farce."
Leora said nothing.
Inside, she was analyzing.
The only reason she remained silent was to know about Vespara’s goal, and why they were interfering in Akaza Ruin.
Vespara kept grinning. "So, what do you think of my deduction? Impressive, right?"
She looked at Leora expectantly.
Instead of answering, Leora moved.
Her sword slid free from its scabbard with a low, dangerous hiss.
The air around her trembled faintly.
Leora pointed her blade directly at Vespara.
"I am not old," Leora said in a calm but cold voice.
...
Isaac POV
"I was wondering why the assassins hadn’t used a good plan to kill me yet," Isaac said in a relaxed voice. "But I guess this answers it. You guys were just plain stupid."
Godric’s smile faltered for the first time.
Isaac was too calm, and composed.
Godric frowned. "Our plan was stupid, how?"
Isaac didn’t really have to answer.
But he did anyway, because he was using this time to keep Godric occupied.
While he talked, he had already activated his Mana Resonance, spreading his senses through the entire area, searching for any hidden mana signatures.
He was trying to locate Selene.
"Of course we knew you leaked the information," Isaac said casually. "Sanctum of Masters couldn’t find your bases for months. And then suddenly, several pop up at once? Including your so-called main base?"
Isaac shrugged.
"Even a child could tell this was bait."
Godric didn’t like how relaxed Isaac was.
In battle, shaking the enemy’s mentality was key. Fear, hesitation, panic — they all led to mistakes.
And mistakes led to death.
Godric could defeat Isaac through brute force, sure.
But if Isaac had a trump card, if he had some life-saving treasure gifted by Sanctum of Masters, things could get messy.
Godric knew that even Initiate rank awakeners sometimes hid terrifying cards up their sleeves.
And it wasn’t impossible for Isaac to be one of those monsters capable of jumping ranks to fight awakeners who were higher ranked than him.
He needed Isaac to lose composure. He needed him to get scared.
So Godric smiled and said, "If you knew it was bait, why did you come? You came with Vice Principal Eleanor herself, and now both of you will die."
Isaac shook his head.
"Wrong. We came because we knew your strongest forces would be waiting here to ambush us."
He stretched slightly, as if this conversation was tiring him.
"Since no one knew your organization existed until now, it’s clear you’re funded by an outside race."
Godric narrowed his eyes.
Isaac continued, voice steady. "You guys aren’t the problem. The real threat was the controller sent by the other race. He would be your bodyguard and monitor you at the same time. That person is someone far stronger than all of you."
Isaac smiled faintly.
"That’s why Leora came herself. Her goal was to eliminate that threat."
Godric clenched his jaw. "The Mirror Dimension only traps up to Champion rank. No Champion rank awakener can defeat Vespara."
Isaac shrugged again, completely unconcerned.
"You can think that."
Inwardly, Isaac thought, ’Alice’s potential rating after awakening would be 96. She is an Apex rank species and have Talent. But Leora?’
’Her rating is 97. Whatever she’s hiding, she’s damn strong. She is not losing to anyone.’
Confidence was one thing. But Isaac’s belief in Leora wasn’t just blind trust. It was calculated.
Godric didn’t like it.
He could feel it now that Isaac’s mentality was solid, and unshakable.
And the more calm Isaac appeared, the more Godric’s own confidence started to crack. Godric didn’t realize he was falling into his own trap due to Isaac’s silver tongue.
Godric decided to change the approach.
He chuckled. "To be honest, I’m surprised you came. I thought you hated Selene Calloway."
Isaac’s lips curled into a smirk.
"Oh, I do hate her."
Godric blinked.
"I’m not here for her," Isaac said easily. "If she dies, she dies."
Of course, it was a lie.
But Isaac knew if Godric thought Selene was important to him, he’d use her as a hostage. So he needed Godric to believe otherwise.
Godric paused for a moment, watching him carefully. Then he smiled slowly.
"Still," Godric said, "you came anyway. Because if she dies, your image would suffer, right?"
Isaac snorted. "No."
He crossed his arms, looking casual.
"I came here to fight assassins. I’ll return with grievous wounds. Everyone will think I risked my life to save her. That’ll wipe away any suspicion that I had a hand in her kidnapping."
Isaac tilted his head slightly.
"And that," he said, "would only boost my reputation."
Godric’s smile stiffened.
Finally, he realized.
Isaac wasn’t some naïve fool thrown into the battlefield. He wasn’t even a righteous hero.
He was a devil wearing the mask of a good man.
Isaac had come here not out of duty or kindness, but because it served his own plans.
Godric gritted his teeth.
"You really think you can leave alive?" he said.
Isaac smiled faintly. "Of course."
And then, Isaac disappeared.
Godric’s eyes widened.
A sharp gust of wind brushed past Godric. He barely sensed the shift in mana.
He turned quickly, scanning the surroundings.
’Where did he go?’
Before Godric could react, a sharp pain bloomed in his side.