Chapter 451 Aftermath
As Ashahell glanced at the Mad Doctor, who was leaning against a wall with his eyes closed, he sneered secretly before putting on a face of sympathy.
All around them, the gory scenes that were visible in the pits looked like they had descended straight from hell.
An anti-degradation spell had been cast in the area, so that investigation wouldn't be hampered, which meant that all the people in the cave right now could see exactly what state the enemy had left these sect members in before leaving.
All around him, sect officials who were experienced in decoding a battle scene were pouring over the grisly contents of the shiny liquids, trying to ascertain how this deed had taken place.
Ashahell, on the other hand, was bored.
Ever since the incident in the Central Tower due to which suspicion had fallen on him, he had been under close watch by the head Hero-level figure of the High Council.
That damn old man wasn't even letting up his surveillance when he was in the bathroom!
It seemed that he wasn't prepared to take any chances, even though he had mostly shown a lackluster attitude until now regarding the threat from the Church.
If it weren't for the special high-level inheritance that Ashahell had been given by the Church, he wouldn't even have been able to tell that he was being spied upon.
This inheritance was stronger than any that existed in all the Big 4, and when he had asked, he had been told that it was just one step away from being as strong as the one left behind by the Empire of Angaria.
Either way, his actions were completely stalled for now, and it seemed that he would have to wait for an opportunity to strike.
This Mad Doctor had once been one of the fiercest deniers when he had pitched his plan of slowing down the mining of Ker Gems in the continent to save it in a general assembly that had been attended by all the Champions and Heroes of Angaria.
Frankly, if it weren't the case that it was his duty as the sect master to investigate happenings like these personally, he wouldn't have bothered coming here, and he might even have thought that Angaria itself was taking revenge on those who didn't care for it.
If the stories he had heard about the man were true, then the word "Mad" didn't even come close to accurately describing just what kind of mentality he had.
Walking up to him, Ashahell laid a hand on his shoulder before saying in a sad tone, "I'm sorry for your loss. I heard that this was the son whom you trusted to take forward your legacy. It is really a pity. To think that they were in so much pain that they even broke apart the restrictions of the legendary Ambrosial Fluid…I can't believe it. Even though it wasn't true Ambrosial Fluid as written in history, it's still shocking! You have my full cooperation!"
The Mad Doctor, himself, couldn't tell whether the sect leader was mocking his situation.
Honestly, he didn't even care.
He was too filled with rage in order to think about anything beyond catching the one who had dared to kill his son.
So, he just nodded.
The sect leader looked like he was about to leave, but in the last second before he did, he paused and looked at him with a serious gaze.
"Remember the rules. The High Council has an eye on the Central Continent now, after the events during those silly games. Anyone who threatens any of the key figures in the Central Continent will be dealt with by the harshest means. Don't throw away your life. Just wait for a chance."
Leaving these words, the sect leader teleported away, leaving a shaking father who had lost his son, but couldn't do anything to take revenge.
"AAARGHHH!"
After letting out another scream of frustration which startled the other sect officials still in the room, he considered whether he should just take the chance and go kill that King. If the culprit was the master behind him, then he would definitely show himself.
However, remembering the last time he had foolishly feuded with a Hero, he let go of this thought, knowing that it really would be futile to just throw away his life, like the sect leader said, thereby letting the culprit off scot-free.
No. He would lie in wait, and he would strike.
Before that, he had to take out his frustration on someone.
Was there someone else responsible for all this happening?
Of course. The kid who had thought that he could get away with hiding a locator trinket in the bathroom.
…..
Percy was walking along the large walkway that led to the Central Tower with his head bent.
He had heard the news: somehow, someone had infiltrated the sect, triggered an alarm in the Central Tower and then gone to the secret bunker of the Mad Doctor to slaughter all of those who had been training to become peak Warriors there.
Usually, if such a thing happened, sects would band together to curse the perpetrator, showing the unity that a sect should have.
However, in the Sect of Hedon, which was practically known for its unconventionality, many rejoiced in the misfortune of the Mad Doctor.
All of those who were killed were notorious for bullying those weaker than them and using their background to escape scrutiny from those stronger than them.
They had been a stain on the sect who regularly terrorized the inhabitants of the border village, who were looked upon favorably by the vast majority.
Hence, news that they had been killed was welcomed.
Even the reason for the news leaking out was someone among the sect officials who had been happy about the incident.
When he had first heard it, Percy had rejoiced, as it meant that whoever had infiltrated the sect hadn't been killed, be it his master or his eldest disciple brother.
However, he then started to wonder just how they could have pulled it off. Could they have known that he was acting as a double agent?
Even if that was the case, how had they managed to breach the Central Tower- the most secure location in the Sect of Hedon?
All these questions pointed to the possibility that his Master was much more powerful than he had let on.
Alas, he had blown the chance to stick with the man and obtain revenge.
He would be naïve if he thought that he could just go back to his Master, claiming that it was just a coincidence that his father had been on alert for the attack.
Whatever the case was, his relationship with his master was done.
Putting aside these matters, he started considering what all of this meant for him.
With this question, he realized that he was the one who would be blamed by his father for the death of his elder brother.
That would mean…another round of torture. A much longer one this time, mostly, as the man must be fuming.
Well, at least there was the consolation that he wouldn't be killed, as the number of sons still alive were quite low.
Gritting his teeth, Percy closed his eyes and flipped through the images of all those he had to take revenge for.
This had always been the one thing that kept him sane through the many rounds of torture inflicted on him by his father.
He hoped that it would be enough this time too, but he had to admit that he was scared.
Scared that his journey might end here, leaving behind many, many regrets.
Sighing, he felt a communication trinket vibrating in his pocket, which meant that his father was summoning him to begin.
With a bitter expression of hopelessness, Percy took out the trinket linked to the one to his father, but was surprised when he saw that there was no incoming message.
If it hadn't been his father, then who else had messaged him?
Quickly, he flipped through all the trinkets he had on him, before finding an unfamiliar one with a strange symbol on it.
Communication trinkets were mostly plain slips of parchment, so this one stood out.
It was the image of a man sitting on a throne, with his palm outstretched.
Above that palm was a strange shape, and as Percy looked closer, he realized that it was Angaria, from above.
Marveling at the exquisite artwork, he touched the trinket, wondering how it had gotten in his pocket.
"Hey, kid. Did you think you could get rid of me that easily?"
M-Master!
It was the voice of his Master!
As his jaw dropped in shock, Percy quickly made his way to the forest on the side of the walkway.
It was only after getting to an isolated area and checking that no one was around him did he touch the trinket again to let the message continue.
"If you did, then get ready to be sorely disappointed. When I accept a disciple, it's for life. Even if punks like that retarded Doctor come in the way, your Master will handle them for you. Although it is true that I can't kill that cretin right now, be rest assured that it will happen. Till then, just live. I promised you a reward, right? Well, here's one. I think it'll be useful to you. Don't risk death by trying to contact me. When the time is right, I'll find you. Till then, take care."
As Percy walked with shaking steps to a tree nearby for support, he replayed the message.
Using the tree as support, he sunk to the ground, holding the trinket close to his heart, as if it were his most prized possession.
Again and again, he listened to the message, because it was proof of something he had never even dreamed would happen.
Someone…cared for him.
Truly cared for him.
As tears started flowing down his cheeks, Percy heard the message for the 50th time.
However, at that moment, a communication trinket vibrated again, and this time, it was his father.
If this message had come before he had received word form his Master, he would definitely have been very afraid.
However, now, just the knowledge that someone was out there who was thinking about him was enough to reinvigorate his zeal to stay alive.
He didn't ask useless questions such as how his Master had found out everything. No, they were irrelevant.
All he needed to do was live.
Just as Percy was about to leave to the teleportation platform, he realized that he had forgotten something.
His Master had said that there was also a reward!
Checking the trinket, Percy saw that there was an additional, smaller trinket underneath it, which he touched to make a sentence appear in his mind.
"Pre-Cast Spell-Pain blocking self-hypnosis: Allows those who have pre-cast this spell to feel no pain for a pre-set time period."
More tears started to flow down his cheeks, but this time, they were due to happiness.
Now, he understood why his Master had said that it would be useful to him.
…
Meanwhile, after dropping that trinket in Percy's pocket and seeing his reaction, Daneel had returned to his dorm room and asked the system whether there was anything he had missed, as had become his custom since the last time when he had missed an important notification.
When he heard the system's reply, he couldn't help but go into a daze.
[Phenomena Analysis Module has analyzed Ambrosial Fluid through the floating moisture that came into contact with host's skin.
Ambrosial Fluid: A solution that allows a Warrior to reach the Peak Exalted Warrior level through forceful reconstruction of body and mageroot.
Drawbacks: Limits power to Peak Warrior Level.
Drawbacks can be eliminated by modifications to the fluid.]