CHAPTER 1608: INVITING A MONSTER

Haxel paused.

He couldn’t even guess what could possibly be written inside the scroll for Rick to say that.

But from Rick’s face alone, he seemed certain that the content would make Haxel understand.

Lowering his gaze, he finally opened the scroll.

Inside, there was no writing, only a single symbol written in enchanted ink.

Haxel knew what this symbol was as he used it sometimes too—a magical communication symbol that was used to record something. After a brief pause, he reached his index finger and tapped the symbol’s center, activating it.

Almost immediately, streams of energy that contained the recorded information seeped into his mind.

For a second there, Haxel’s eyes sparkled with energy.

Inside, he saw the interrogation of a man who wore the clothes of a traditional guard.

He talked about the incident regarding the Forsaken Tower, and how the Singing Lady, a special Voidal Knight that was a Favored, was taken down by the forces from the House of Aurelius. Other people in the ruin believed that the monster’s defeat stemmed from teamwork, but this man knew the truth.

Unlike the other guards who were tasked to protect the ruin’s bubble, he got the worst task.

One that has a high mortality risk.

He was a scout who was regularly sent to check a few threatening spots near the ruin.

Just to see if the ruin has an incoming emergency or not.

Because of his deadly assignment, he was away.

But when he returned to the ruin, he stumbled upon the fierce battle between Rex and the Singing Lady, which was destructive. Since the Black Rift limited his vision, he came across the battle, and was stuck there as leaving became impossible.

Just the shockwaves from their clash alone made it nearly impossible for him to stand up.

It’s too dangerous, so he took refuge and waited until the battle was over.

And due to that, he knew the truth—that Rex single-handedly beat the Singing Lady.

Nobody aided him in that battle.

A duel against a special Voidal Knight at the Master Immortal Spirit rank, and he won.

Once the information ended, Haxel blinked his eyes and focused on Rick again.

"He confronted the special Voidal Knight alone, in the Black Rift, and also under the pour of the Black Rain? A Voidal Knight of that caliber would require several Master Immortal Spirits to beat, and you’re telling me he won alone? Not even Princess Davina could do something like that." Haxel raised a brow, skeptical. "I say it’s an exaggeration."

"Maybe..." Rick nodded, also finding it unbelievable. "But what if it isn’t?"

Haxel’s brows dipped further.

If what that man said was really the truth, then that would put Rex above even the senior knights.

Some are stronger than he in rank, sure, but none of them could achieve the feat he achieved.

Rex would need a high-grade Soul Artifact and also an incredible Echo.

Something that someone likely born outside of nobility could never possess.

Rick walked to the side and stood before the window, hands clasped behind him, watching over the city street that was bustling with people and soldiers preparing for battle. "As you might know, this Voidal Monarch is a new one, and handling a new Voidal Monarch always comes with a significant risk. Most of the time, the casualties would be very high because we simply don’t know how capable it was."

"And the Empress couldn’t afford many losses." His voice grew more profound.

Just like the other knights, he too was curious as to why Empress Morgana invited Rex.

So, he had put some thoughts into it.

"In order for the Empress to get what she wanted out of this, she needed absolute victory," Rick added, still looking out the window. "She can’t have too many casualties—or that’d do little to nothing for her situation."

"Even so, that still didn’t explain why pick this new knight." Haxel pressed.

Regardless of Empress Morgana’s situation, she can do it with the other, more seasoned knights.

She can still achieve the outcome she wanted without inviting Rex.

Rick smiled lightly, but Haxel couldn’t see it.

"Tell me, Sir Haxel, what do you think would be the most problematic factor—that could crumble the soldiers under us?"

Haxel rubbed his chin and contemplated for a second.

And he found the answer to that question easily.

"Since all we know about the new Voidal Monarch was its ability to summon a horde of monsters at a whim, I’d say morale is the most problematic factor for our soldiers. Fighting a possible endless horde of monsters would wear them down quickly."

"That’s correct."

"But still," Haxel frowned. "We’re more effective in keeping their morale high since they know us."

Upon hearing this, Rick chuckled mildly.

He wasn’t suggesting that the knights aren’t capable of keeping the soldiers’ morale high, or if Rex was more effective in that regard. Haxel got it all wrong. "Of course, I didn’t question our abilities. We will be the unbreakable rock to maintain the soldiers’ morale, but there’s more we can do to keep our morale high."

"Hmm?" Haxel’s frown eased as he came to a realization. "You mean..."

"Yes." Rick glanced over his shoulder, looking at Haxel meaningfully. "It’s one thing to keep the morale of our soldiers high, and it’s another thing to lower the enemy’s morale. Why do only one if you can do both?"

Naturally, this came as a shock.

Voidal Monsters are creatures of the dark, with almost no emotions, and are incredibly wicked.

None of them cared about things the way ordinary people did.

But even then, they weren’t completely mindless or emotionless whatsoever.

’It’s possible,’ Haxel thought, recalling what the interrogated guard said earlier. ’He said Rex used the Voidal Pawns directly under the Singing Lady, those dear to her as bait to lure her away from the ruin, and then tortured her psyche by killing those pawns one by one, ’in an unspeakableway, ’

the guard said, so it must be plausible.’

Just from that guard alone, it was clear that Rex also attacked the Singing Lady’s mind.

He overwhelmed her in every way possible, which led to his impossible triumph.

"The lower a Voidal Monster ranks, the further it is from its Voidal Monarch," Rick explained, taking his sword and putting it back into its sheath. "Pawns or even Knights would have little to no connection to the Voidal Monarch. Scaring the Voidal Prince, which was only one rank below, would be impossible, but Pawns and Knights? That’s different—and Rex has already proven he can do it.

Rick headed for the door, but stopped beside Haxel.

"The Empress must’ve picked him knowing that." He whispered lightly, eyes still gazing ahead. "After all, we need our own monster to fight monsters. "But then again, that’s only my theory. For what—she really had in mind, I don’t know."

Once he said that, Rick walked out of the room, leaving Haxel alone.

Silence enveloped the room when the door was closed shut with a subtle click.

Haxel exhaled through his nose and walked over to the window.

"He’s a madman, then... Someone bloodlusted," He muttered, his gaze drifting toward the man striding down the street, who draws every eye like a flame in the dark—Rex. A faint smile tugged at his lips as Haxel watched him. "I wonder... between the two of us, who’ll end up more blood-drunk."

...

Meanwhile, Rex walked through the streets of Inkira City alone.

He had only arrived a few minutes ago and was now searching for where the soldiers gathered.

Not too long ago, Princess Davina and he departed using Esmeravon.

Duke Lorcan wasn’t around; he was handling matters with the Sky City.

Due to that, they departed as soon as they were ready.

Rex arrived quite late.

By the time he reached the city, the knights had already gathered.

It was far from an ideal situation, especially knowing that the other knights—most likely, wouldn’t like him being with them. Rex was someone who had only been a knight for a few days, so naturally, the other knights would look down on him.

Perhaps, they would be hostile towards him.

Rex already told Princess Davina that he needed to earn their respect, but she took too long to get ready.

As always, she wanted to look perfect, flawless, like a literal Goddess.

Not a surprise there considering her narcissistic and perfectionist self.

Other than that, she also insisted on him—coming with her to bid their goodbye to Princess Liliana, which took a good half an hour. "I tried talking to her about it, but that annoying sister of hers always shut me down. Now I’m late, giving a bad impression to all of them."

Rex massaged his forehead.

He had hoped to come alone and make a good impression—to show he was not some arrogant man just because he belonged to the House of Castillon, the Duke’s household. He wanted to seem relatable. But arriving late had ruined all of that.

People were looking at him, and some weren’t even hiding their hostility.

And he could only curse Princess Davina inside.

...

Chain Sudden Quest!

Description: Assist Empress Morgana in securing the successful settlement of the Voidal Monarch within its prepared domain. Associated with ensuring the mission’s success, uncover and eliminate the hidden threat in the form of a hostile entity that would sabotage the campaign from within. Failure to complete this task will result in a significant setback to the user’s progress in the Race Evolution Quest and the Sudden Quest to cure Nivellen!

Traitor found: 0 / 1

Voidal Pawns killed: 0 / 30,000

Voidal Knights killed: 0 / 100

Special Voidal Knights killed: 0 / 3

Reward: 20 million gold, 5x Quad Absorption Ticket, and 3 Red Nightfall Stars.

Penalty: 10 level decrease and paralyzed for one day.

...

Rex read through the chain sudden quest that were triggered the moment he stepped inside the city.

Knowing how many nobles were opposing Empress Morgana, he wasn’t surprised that the chain sudden quest required him to find a traitor. Frankly, he was surprised that there was only one traitor, as he was expecting a lot more.

I’m sure there’s more, but this one traitor is the most significant.

Going down the notification panel, Rex frowned.

10 level decrease and one day paralysis? Why not kill me instantly instead?

Even though the penalty wasn’t as harsh as usual, it was still basically a death sentence for him.

Losing one precious day when time is pressing against him wasn’t something he could afford, and if he really failed the chain sudden quest and got hit by the penalty, he’d practically die as a setback would be devastating in his current situation.

Not that I’m planning to fail, of course. I was hoping for this kind of thing.

As soon as he learned of Empress Morgana’s need for a coronation achievement, Rex was expecting to be in this situation. He wanted the Empress to recruit him into some sort of battle, where he would be able to kill as much as possible.

In order to finish his Blood Moon Echo, he needs a lot of blood.

Any blood will do.

Being stuck in the Deuk’s household was a toll on his progress.

Not only in his raw power, but also in his Blood Moon Echo’s progress.

Rex couldn’t go out freely without informing Duke Lorcan, and even if he could go out, Princess Davina would need to be with him, or else Duke Lorcan wouldn’t give him permission to leave. So, he couldn’t be efficient.

Only now, with Duke Lorcan asking for help, that he have a glimpse of freedom.

And to top it off, Empress Morgana invited him to this right after, so this is his perfect opportunity.

Before the battle is over, I need to finish at least the first layer. And with so many Voidal Monsters ahead, I should be able to complete it fine. Rex looked around, beaming with excitement. I still need to meet with the Spirit Emperor. I can’t wait any longer.

Just then, a voice called out to him from behind.

"Sir Rex...?"