Chapter 177: Is... is there a way to bring back the corrupted ones?
"What have you done to me?"
Leo’s horrified voice echoed through the chamber, bouncing off the glowing runes etched into the walls.
Jing tilted her head slightly, her blank eyes narrowing with a trace of amusement. "I didn’t do anything. It’s just a contract between us, formed the moment you agreed."
"Huh?" Leo blinked rapidly, confusion spreading across his face.
"There is no need to worry," she continued smoothly, "as long as you fulfil your part of the deal. After all, I couldn’t simply trust your words, could I?"
For the first time since their meeting, her lips curled—not into warmth, but into a sly expression that unsettled him far more than her usual indifference.
Leo swallowed hard, his throat tightening.
Did he just make his life far worse than before?
"What if... I didn’t fulfil it?" he asked hesitantly as though he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer.
Jing shrugged lightly, as if the matter held no weight at all. "Nothing much. It will rot you... inside out." Her tone was flat, delivered as if she were reciting the colour of the sky.
"..."
Leo gulped again, this time louder, his heart hammering, but at last he sighed, shaking his head. "Whatever..." he muttered, dismissing his spiralling thoughts. Then, with forced calm, he raised his gaze. "So?"
Jing stared at him for a moment, her expression shifting ever so slightly into confusion. He just accepted it.
No hesitation?
’Looks like he intends to honour his words,’ she thought, surprised. She had expected him to bluff, to crawl back from the deal, but his calm acceptance showed otherwise.
He hadn’t lied.
There was a difference—an immense one—between a man being forced into a deal and a man who offered it with his own resolve.
Jing let out a soft hum, her fingers tapping faintly against the desk. At last, she muttered,
"The Arcanum Eidolon will appear in... eight days."
Leo’s brows shot upward... Eight days?
Twice the gap from its first appearance.
’Eight days... that’s plenty of time to prepare.’ His mind spun rapidly, connecting threads, calculating, until it froze. ’Wait... today’s the 12th. That means the 20th...’
That exact day was not only the School Festival... but his birthday as well.
Talk about a coincidence!
Leo leaned forward, "Where will it appear?"
Jing shook her head slowly. "I don’t know. I can only sense the day. The place... is chosen by the relic itself. It shifts, it hides, it decides. The battlefield is its will, not mine." Her voice remained indifferent, final.
Leo clicked his tongue in irritation. That made things far more complicated. If the location kept changing, it would be like chasing shadows in the dark.
"Is there a way to find it?" he pressed.
Jing tilted her head, her brows knitting faintly. She seemed thoughtful for the first time, her gaze drifting briefly to the glowing runes before her. Finally, she uttered, "The relic only reveals itself to the Champions... and those who are bound to them. Without that connection, it is impossible to track."
Leo’s face darkened with thought, "I see..." he muttered under his breath.
Jing watched him silently, her blank face betraying no hint of what she thought of his reaction.
Now he knew when it would appear—but the where remained a wall he couldn’t climb.
He needed another way... Another piece.
Then a thought struck him like lightning.
’Wait! Essa is a Champion. That means she could find it... right?’
Relief sparked in his chest, followed by a surge of hope that almost made him smile. Yes, that could solve it.
If he talked to her, if she agreed... the problem of finding the relic could be answered.
But then his shoulders slumped, the weight of reality returning.
Would she even listen to him now?
Well, if he wanted, he had to beg for the answer.
And his next question came, his voice careful,
"If I took the Relic... would I still be considered a winner?"
For that, Jing shook her head, her face still indifferent.
"The moment you lost your Champion, you were automatically eliminated from the war. Even if you took the Relic, you cannot be granted access to the Wish."
Leo’s lips parted, but no voice came out.
Then his brows furrowed deeply, "Then... how are the Fallens going to take the Relic?"
At that, Jing’s brows lifted ever so slightly. A flicker of surprise flashed across her face before vanishing beneath her calm mask. "Fallens?" she murmured, her voice carrying a weight of thought. "Hmmm..." Her expression grew faintly pensive, something dangerous lurking behind her eyes.
"You know something?" Leo leaned forward.
Jing turned her gaze to him, her eyes flat, indifferent, "If they corrupt the Relic... then it might be possible for them to gain access."
Leo’s eyes widened in alarm. "They can corrupt that thing too?"
Jing’s lips curled faintly at the corners, her first true smile... though it was cruel and unsettling.
"Oh... you really don’t know a single thing about the Darkness, do you?
It corrupts everything. No matter what—living or dead, divine or mortal, magic or steel... everything in its eyes is the same.
Everything is equal."
A bead of sweat slid down Leo’s forehead. He wiped it away immediately.
"Anyway..." He forced a deep breath into his lungs. His fist clenched, his heartbeat thundered, and he finally asked the question that had been gnawing at him since the start.
The most important one... His words came out soft, trembling, almost desperate.
"Is... is there a way to bring back the corrupted ones?"
"..."
Jing fell silent. Her eyes lingered on his face, seeing the fragile hope trembling behind his question. For a long moment, she said nothing, as if weighing whether to answer at all. But at last, her lips parted,
"If it could be done, the gods themselves would have done it long ago. They would not have sealed it away."
Her words shattered his hope like glass.
Leo’s body stiffened, his lips trembling. He felt his teeth grinding on his lower lip and lowered his eyes. His fists clenched tight, "B-But... what if she was still there? Alive... inside?" His voice cracked, pleading with the impossible.
Jing’s frown deepened, "Once the corruption touches you, you are dead inside. That is the truth, no matter how much you drown yourself in delusion."
Leo’s face paled. His eyes shook, the fragile hope splintering, his clenched fists finally loosening as though his strength had left him.
His head bowed low. "Thank you..." he whispered hoarsely.
Jing studied him for a moment longer. He looked so pitiful—like a man clutching at ashes, powerless to change the storm around him.
She sighed inwardly, though her face never softened. Reaching into the desk drawer, she retrieved a small box wrapped tightly in thread... she extended it to him.
"I believe this will be enough to capture what you want," she said plainly. "But that is all."
Leo blinked first before accepting the box, his fingers brushing the rough thread. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not question it.
Whatever it was, it could still prove useful to him.
He drew another breath, steadying himself. Then he lifted his gaze, his voice heavier, sharper,
"So... what do you want me to do?"
Jing didn’t answer immediately. She just stared at him, her blank eyes narrowing faintly as though she was processing something in the silence of her mind. Finally, she uttered,
"Not now... I will tell you when."
Leo’s lips twitched. That only made things harder for him. He wasn’t sure what she wanted, and having to put it aside for later only made him restless.
But what else could he do? This was the path he had chosen.
He nodded. "Thank you," he said quietly, rising to his feet to leave.
Just then, Jing’s voice stopped him. "Don’t die."
A soft toss of her hand, and something flew toward him.
Leo caught it instinctively. A small pouch. He opened it and froze. Inside were five small green stones, glowing faintly, and... one white stone that flickered with an otherworldly light.
His eyes widened in shock as he looked back at her.
Jing’s lips moved, her voice calm. "With this... we have traded equally," she said, waving her hand dismissively, as if the matter was already finished.
Leo blinked, stunned.
Whatever she was planning for him... it had to be something monumental if she was willing to give all this.
Information, a sealed box, five green stones, and... a single white stone?
Shit!!!
Now, worry began to gnaw at his chest.
He shook his head quickly, forcing himself to push it aside. Whatever the case, he had gained something far more valuable than he had even hoped for.
The rest... well, that would be for the future Leo to suffer over.
For now, he needed to focus on surviving the next eight days.
He stepped out of the room, his boots scraping against the floor, passing the scattered chairs and tables. His gaze flickered briefly as he moved past the hovering circular stone, still rotating silently in the air.
Suddenly—
Flick~
The corner of his eye caught something... a flicker of green light.
Leo froze. Slowly, he turned his head.
"Hmmm..." He narrowed his eyes, staring harder.
The entire circular stone... flickered with green numbers!
Green numbers?
He rubbed his eyes quickly, looking again. But now, it was just the same silent stone, rotating in the air.
He frowned. "What was that?"
He shook his head with a sigh. Maybe he was imagining things. Or maybe... it was simply magic.
Shrugging, he continued his walk.