[Vol. 8] Chapter 143: Revealed Fangs
Before Violet even asked, the scholar girl took the initiative to explain.
“Look here, by collecting small traces of energy left in the wounds of Miss Sybil and Miss Dark Spirit, then analyzing them with this device… cough, I won’t say the dumb name that idiot gave it. Anyway, by using this tool, I can try to trace their movements. That was the original idea. But now, it looks like things aren’t nearly that simple.”
After a short pause, Ayla continued with her guess.
“Let’s say Miss Sybil’s team was attacked, and that it wasn’t the same person who ambushed Mr. Ferryman’s group by pretending to be me. Based on their descriptions, the attacker in each case seemed to be acting alone. So, I fed the machine two samples, it should’ve shown just two targets. But look at this… it’s unbelievable.”
Just as Ayla said, on the display screen in the center of the "radar-like" device, over ten bright red dots were flashing rhythmically, and the brightest one of all was sitting right in the center of the screen.
The meaning behind this was chilling to anyone who understood it, and it was no wonder that Ayla looked so serious.
But the priestess girl couldn’t hold back her urge to comment.
“This thing… how exactly does it work? It really doesn’t match the vibe of this world at all...”
She seemed to be reminded of someone she hadn’t seen in a long time. Her expression turned strange, and she cleared her throat before pointing again at the screen with its scattering of blinking red dots.
“So, these dots represent targets that match the samples, right? Let’s not even talk about why two samples resulted in over ten matches. What’s even more important is that just because we found these… doesn’t mean these are the only ones. So the key question is, how wide is this device’s tracking range?”
Hearing the priestess cut straight to the heart of the matter, Ayla couldn't help but look impressed. She nodded slightly.
“You really are sharp. You’re right, this thing is pretty clever in theory, but it has a big flaw. It can only scan a 1-kilometer radius around the person holding it. Even with external boosters, the max range is just around 3 kilometers.”
“With so many results in such a small area… I don’t even want to think about what’s outside the scan zone.”
“But only about a hundred people entered this [Gate of Underworld] space as trial challengers. How many infiltrators from outside forces are actually mixed in here? The goddess’s selection process was supposed to be strict, how could it be this badly compromised? It just doesn’t make sense!”
Clearly disturbed by the implications, Ayla mumbled to herself, then glanced at the black-haired girl beside her, who remained quiet and thoughtful, and carefully tested the waters.
“Miss Dawn… since Miss Sybil and the others aren’t nearby right now, can you give me a little hint? To be honest, I’ve long suspected that you’re not just a normal participant in this divine trial. Your strength doesn’t really seem like someone who needs this divine blessing. And I didn’t even notice you among the trial participants in the earlier stages…”
“I don’t mean anything bad by it. I just want to know whether these people disguised as trial-takers and going around killing others… are part of the goddess’s planned tests. If not, if they’ve really replaced others or used some unknown method to sneak in, then this whole situation is something completely different.”
She pointed at the red dot at the center of the screen, the brightest and most unmoving one of all. Her face turned slightly grave.
“Look, this place is wide open. You can see everything around clearly. Right now, other than the few of us here, there are no other trial participants nearby at all. That dot’s position on the radar… is pretty thought-provoking, don’t you think?”
“……”
Meeting the sapphire-blue eyes of the lightborn girl, eyes that still shone faintly with intelligence despite the heavy dark circles, Violet gave a helpless shake of her head.
“I’ve already told you, don’t call me that name when I’m not wearing the mask. I am the real me, there’s no need to test me like that. You really do have sharp observation skills, so I’ll give you a little extra useful info.”
“Ayla, do you remember when we ran into each other in the Angel City before, and you said you felt like you were being watched, but couldn’t tell where it was coming from?”
The scholar girl paused, startled.
“You mean…”
“What I mean is, that strange feeling is very closely connected to the weird events happening here today. In fact, you’re not the only one in this city being watched in that way.”
“These past few days, I had a certain friend, someone who can detect that kind of presence, sneak around the entire Angel City without raising any alarms. They secretly investigated and recorded everyone who had the same signs as you, then compiled it into a list for analysis.”
As she spoke, the priestess gave a faint, mysterious smile.
“Take a guess. How many were there in total? And what did they all have in common?”
Bringing up something like this at a time like this, Violet clearly had a reason. Realizing this instantly, the lightborn girl’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if she’d caught on to something.
“Could it be… they all joined the Chosen Hero Trial?”
She said it without thinking, but then quickly corrected herself.
“No, that’s not quite right. Before I met you, I had no intention of joining this competition, and I never signed up. But they still targeted me. So the real answer must be… people with the potential to become chosen heroes?”
The black-haired girl snapped her fingers, clearly pleased.
“Smart. Exactly.”
“Over this period, it hasn’t just been the church selecting candidates for the chosen hero role. Certain secretive forces hiding in the shadows have been doing something similar, but with stricter standards and sharper targeting. Just like you guessed, they’re watching everyone in the Angel City who might one day become a chosen hero, or anyone with enough strength or talent to pose a threat to them. There are at least a thousand such people.”
“They cast a wide net and would rather be too cautious than miss someone. They used some unknown method to ‘mark’ all these high-potential individuals, silently watching their every move and gathering information. It's like they’ve planted invisible bombs inside their bodies, just waiting for the right moment to go off.”
With her sharp mind and observant nature, Miss Ayla had already begun to grasp the situation.
“And that ‘moment’… is now. That’s why a ‘version of me’ appeared in front of Mr. Ferryman’s group before the real me ever did, attacking them, trying to kill trial participants who are strong or talented enough to become chosen heroes. Even if the fake failed, the goal was to trigger conflict between them and the real me. Get us to fight to the death… right?”
Violet nodded slightly in response.