[Vol. 8] Chapter 62: A Trap Within a Trap
“All the possibilities that didn’t happen in the real world and failed to become part of history turn into drifting leftovers in this empty space. If the Underworld is the graveyard for souls and the living, then this place is the graveyard of Time.”
Hearing the calm female voice suddenly speak beside her, the priestess was briefly surprised. Then she quickly understood and turned to look.
At some point, a figure had quietly appeared there.
The familiar voice, the calm tone that didn’t show emotion, the long silver hair like a river of stars, and the stunning, flawless face she had already seen again in the Ancient Spirit Realm. All of it made the girl smile from the heart.
“Hen… I knew it was you~”
To be honest, Violet never expected that [Wild]’s sudden appearance was actually a carefully planned trap set by the Twilight Council for her and Xiao Guang.
Before heading out to fight, the priestess had already reviewed and analyzed everything that led up to the current situation many times. She even asked Sethlin about this so-called [God of Wilderness and Savagery] and discussed the details carefully.
Violet knew that Lorga couldn’t be just a normal undead, but she didn’t think Lorga had approached her with any specific plan either. After all, even Violet herself couldn’t predict whether Xiao Guang would wipe out all the undead mages or leave some of them alive, and even if someone survived, it might not have been Lorga Blanca.
Unless every undead in that group had some kind of hidden spell placed on them, allowing a Council member outside the battlefield to control them remotely with divine awareness. But that was extremely unlikely, carrying a god’s consciousness isn’t something just anyone can do.
The only reasonable explanation was that Lorga had been chosen in advance as a vessel. Someone must have used a power similar to predicting the future to carefully set things up and send her to Violet’s side, maybe to confirm her identity or situation and prepare for the next steps.
Still, there were strange parts in this plan. The Council member behind Lorga might not have made contact from the beginning. They might not have even known the full purpose until this very morning, when Violet and Xiao Guang left the group to go find [Wild], that might have been the key moment that triggered the whole plan to finally start working.
Otherwise, when Xiao Guang used the [Primordial Flame] power to cleanse Lorga’s slavery contract and build a connection, she would have noticed something wrong back then.
So when [Wild] revealed her true identity and “Lorga” summoned that giant undead serpent, Violet was very surprised. She wasn’t some all-knowing being who could predict everything in advance, especially since the enemy’s actions were so unusual. Naturally, she hadn’t been fully prepared.
That’s why Violet chose to test her opponent’s strength directly through battle. It was then that she realized the Twilight Council had prepared a massive “surprise” for them, one god-level Twilight Council member after another showed up like they were free, surrounding them from all sides.
This ambush truly caught Violet off guard and caused her a lot of pressure at first. But as the battle went on, she had actually started to quietly regain control of the situation and was already guiding things behind the scenes.
The turning point was the silver light that suddenly teleported the dragon girl away. It instantly turned Violet’s passive situation into an active one.
Divine-level space teleportation is a power that only comes from the Law of Space, a unique and supreme divine concept. As far as Violet knew, only Xiao Kong and Hen possessed this kind of power. Since Xiao Kong was still in the Ancient Spirit Realm, there was no way he would work with the Twilight Council to attack her.
So the only answer left… was very clear.
Even [Wild] and the Twilight Council member behind Lorga probably didn’t expect it. That flash of silver light that appeared behind Xiao Guang was just for show. It didn’t actually have real teleportation power.
In truth, the priestess had sensed that special energy and decided to act. She used her contract to bring the dragon girl back on her own, creating the illusion that Xiao Guang had been teleported away.
That’s what true teamwork looks like.
Violet guessed that the person who acted at that moment was probably Hen, based on everything that had happened. She also figured out Hen’s purpose. But in reality, she had no solid proof.
Clearly, Hen couldn’t communicate with Violet directly at the time. But Hen trusted that Violet would understand her intention right away. That’s why Hen held back a little during the action.
If Violet hadn’t cooperated instantly, the other Council members would’ve noticed something was wrong right away.
And the same was true for Violet. They trusted and understood each other so well that they were able to pull off such a plan together, even in such a dangerous situation.
They each took a big risk for the other. Just like how Violet let herself be swallowed by the giant serpent, even though she knew it was dangerous, because she believed Hen wouldn’t hurt her. She chose to pretend to be defeated.
Now, looking back, it was all just as she expected. Hen had guided her here on purpose.
Violet could feel that the Hen standing here now was only a shadow, or maybe a past image that Hen had placed here earlier using some special method. And the trigger that made this image appear… was probably Violet herself coming here in person.
The real Hen was clearly still somewhere outside this world. And based on how she had to act together with the Council members earlier…
“Hen… did you also join the Twilight Council?”
The girl asked softly, without thinking, to the familiar figure in front of her. She knew very well that a recorded image wouldn’t be able to answer… but...
“Maybe I should say… long time no see, Violet. You’ve probably noticed it by now. Yes, I joined the Twilight Council. In fact, I’m now its second seat. In other words, I hold the second-highest position, just below the leader.”
“This happened… one thousand years ago.”
As if she had already known what Violet would ask, the shadow stood still in the chaotic space known as the [Time-Space Rift].
Her ribbons fluttered, a divine ring surrounded her, and her long silver hair shimmered like a river of stars as it passed through falling meteors.
In her bright eyes, reflections danced like the embodiment of rules and laws. Compared to how Hen looked in the game world of Illusory Realm, or even as one half of the original Konghen, her current appearance and presence were completely different.
This was the real Hen. A complete and powerful Goddess, filled with divine power and completely detached from the human world.
This was probably her truest form.
To Violet, it felt a little unfamiliar. But more than that, she was filled with curiosity and interest in her dear friend’s new image.
She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of amazing and dramatic story Hen had lived through during the thousand years they’d been apart.
It must have been… a truly epic tale.