The moment Levi crossed over, his expression turned stern all of a sudden... although he knew that Gamemasters knew more details than the public, which made it easier for them to spot the similarities, still... he could tell that Envy was on to him.
Worse, he wouldn’t be the sole Gamemaster to do so.
’Tsk, let them second-guess and investigate all they want,’ Ash’Kral said lazily. ’They are harmless since they can’t share the news even if it was confirmed unless you give them your consent... Nocturn’s rules are stricter for them.’
’I know... but it is still not an assuring situation,’ Levi sighed.
He understood that the Gamemasters would be severely punished if they leaked any Rifters’ secrets without their consent... even if they didn’t have them protected under Nocturn’s approval.
As long as they showed these secrets in the platforms on their own, then it was a fair game... Otherwise, it was the same as leaking the Rifters’ hidden trump cards, which negatively affected their future games.
’The Bishop has sent his elites after me inside a game, uncaring about the resources it took,’ Levi frowned. ’I didn’t know before if he truly guessed my connection to the Celestial or not, but now... I am fairly positive he should have connected the dots.’
Considering that the Bishop was the only entity to have seen Levi switch his weapon from a staff to a sniper rifle was already a giant giveaway... he also knew about Levi being a Half-Radain.
Now, he had even exposed the Soulleech Maw, Immunity to Aether Flames, and his immense affinity to the Aether Aspect, which he was bound to use in the Nocturnal Ring sooner or later.
’Whether he knows or not, it doesn’t change anything...’ The Titan shared calmly. ’Beings like the Bishop will rather keep such a secret to themselves until they can’t find value in keeping it... At the moment, he should still see immense value in such a ground-breaking secret, considering that if he managed to find proof or a confirmation, he would be the sole person to know the Celestial’s Identity and could act on it.’
’We all know just how badly the Radians’ and Oblivars’ loyal servants are hunting for your head.’
Hearing this, Levi didn’t know if he should feel relieved or bothered... he felt like his secret was coming out too soon, and he wasn’t yet prepared for the consequences.
He was even forced to expose the Soulleech Maw, which he wanted to keep as a trump card, a little bit more.
’After your victory, you have guaranteed a slot in the Great Campaign’s tournament, which will be hosted after a year and a half, give or take. Since you have no access to a Dominion yet, you will be gone from the Nocturnal Ring for a while...’ Ash’Kral suggested. ’I believe you should lie low until the Great Campaign... not everyone will forget you, but you will fade off the radars for a bit.’
When it came to the Chained Universe, life moved pretty fast with all of the insane and entertaining news in everyone’s faces each day. Sure, the Celestial was considered a rising star within their Dimensional Sector, but he wasn’t the sole Rifter.
If Levi lay low for a year or more with both personas, his popularity would die off by a decent amount, killing off any rumors that might connect them.
Levi knew that the universe had many conspiracy theorists, who were already digging through the entire network for clues about the Celestial’s identity.
After Levi exposed the Soulleech Maw, his real identity was bound to go viral as well, putting him on their radars.
’How troublesome... I don’t think I can ever return to Earth before I reach Solarbound rank.’
Levi smiled wryly while walking in the direction of his friends, who were waiting for him in front of the Nest’s entrance.
The portal took them to the Basilisk Order Squad’s nest. It was tucked at the depths of the Great Himalayan Mountain Chain... Thankfully, the divine pillar that descended on the territory warmed it nicely after it burned all the nightcrawlers to a crisp.
’How is that an issue?’ Ash’Kral uttered calmly. ’Even without safety concerns, you were bound to leave Earth around this time... All the required resources for your next evolutions are extremely rare and will require you to actually put effort into finding them... whether in auctions or through exploration, both require you to spread your wings.’
’I know, I know... still, leaving home is never an easy decision.’
Although Levi always knew that he was bound to settle in the Boundless Expanse sooner or later, to build his business, network, and such, still... he didn’t think it would be under these conditions, where he would be running away with his brother and friends.
However, when he saw his little brother’s and the girls’ hard steel expressions, like the idea of shifting their lives to the Boundless Expanse wasn’t an issue, he knew that he was overthinking it.
’As long as we are together, we will be just fine...’
He smiled as he gave some excuse to his brother, who asked him what took him so long... then, he sent them to start looting the treasury while he remained behind with Jojo to help her recover.
After they left, Levi brought out some D-graded Potions with decent Lifeforce recovery properties... they were part of Alzhukar’s wallet loot, and he kept them for such emergencies.
***
The Shadow Dimension... Inverse Sanctum.
While most Daywalkers on Earth were celebrating all over the place at their Raiders winning the event, deathly silence hung in the Bishop’s Castle.
Bishop Na’thir sat on his throne, unflinching, unresponsive... meanwhile, the Hound, Rain, and Fang stood in front of him.
The Hound leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed and a deadpan expression... he was the only one in here who relished in this epic failure.
After these two shit the bed like this, he was bound to reclaim his position as number one subordinate... especially when he was the sole Tier 6 ranker amidst them.
Meanwhile, Fang and Rain stood silently with their heads slightly lowered, not daring to meet the Bishop’s eyes.
Although Levi and Jasmine had proved to be out of this world with their fearsome powers, their defeat still didn’t sting less.
Ever since the game ended and sealed their fate, Bishop Na’thir summoned them here and kept them sizzling in uncomfortable silence.
Yet, none of them dared to breathe out loud... they knew that Bishop Na’thir was short-fused ever since he lost the promotion and was humiliated under the Black Veil’s presence.
Each second of silence implied that he was cooling down... if not, they would have already gotten smacked against the cold wall behind them.
After a minute or two, Bishop Na’thir finally let out a long, black, misty exhale. Then, he lifted his head to face them and uttered emotionlessly, "Not only did you lose, but you also failed to kill a single Daywalker he actually cared about..."
"..."
"..."
Rain and Fang remained quiet, understanding that he wasn’t giving them a chance to defend themselves.
"Worse... the boy is intelligent enough to realize that I had a hand in this. Now, he is going to shelter himself in the Boundless Expanse, and we can do nothing about it unless he makes a mistake." Bishop Na’thir narrowed his eyes coldly, "I doubt that’s highly likely."
"Speak."
Given the order, Fang was the first to utter solemnly, "Master... I admit we screwed up big time, but we aren’t without options."
Rain nodded in support. "He can hide with his friends all he wants in the Boundless Expanse, but he can’t take everyone with him... he should still have many others he cares about in his region. We can use them as ba..."
Before he could finish his suggestion, Bishop Na’thir’s shadowy gaze turned bone-chilling, forcing Rain to close his mouth shut.
"It’s not like my reputation within the Organization is already down the shitters... now, you want me to start kidnapping off-targets to lure him in?" Bishop Na’thir gritted his teeth, "The boy is orphaned, and all he cares about is his brother and vengeance against me... You think he is stupid enough to sacrifice himself for an acquaintance?"
Rain and Fang glanced at each other in confusion, knowing that their master never had problems with kidnapping before... although he made sense that Levi kept his circle close to him and probably wouldn’t throw himself in a trap for an acquaintance, but still... it was worth a try.
Unbeknownst to them, Bishop Na’thir knew that if Levi was the man behind the three-star mask, it meant that he possessed Oblivar’s bloodline coursing through him, albeit it was impossible in his eyes.
But if it was true, there was no way in hell someone with an Oblivar’s bloodline was going to put his life in danger for the sake of acquaintances.
Half-Oblivars were so cold emotionally, they wouldn’t even care if their parents or children died in front of them... their hearts were nothing but an empty void.
’If my assumptions are correct, I cannot afford such a foolish move; it would only expose my hand further without a guarantee of success,’ Bishop Na’thir thought deeply. ’Va’ren likely watched the game and deduced the identities of Fang and Rain. While he might be unaware of my strained history with the boy, what interests me will surely pique his interest as well. I must not give him any more leverage, lest he recruits the boy to his side...’
Bishop Na’thir recognized that vengeance would make anyone do things they would not have entertained even as a thought.
While he was extremely attentive, he had no clue that Bishop Va’ren and Levi already had a meeting set up after the event ended!
Right now... Bishop Va’ren was preparing for it eagerly, as he refused to allow the sole known Soulleech Maw’s summoner in the universe to escape his grasp.
He must have him... he must!