Chapter 136 - Yes… But They Don’t Know We Know.

  Their footsteps echoed over the broken stone, scattering dust with each stride. The ruined streets of Velmoria extended ahead of them like a corpse half-eaten by time and fire. Debris was scattered along collapsed buildings, the sky above a dull gray that barely illuminated the shattered cityscape. The faint scent of ash still lingered in the air, as if the fires that consumed the vampire capital had never truly gone out.

  Adam ran beside Drake in silence for a few moments, trying to memorize the altered landscape, noting the deep craters along the roads and the crumbling towers leaning against one another like dying trees. He could barely recognize what had once been a proud stronghold of the vampire race. With every step, more questions began forming in his mind.

  “What exactly happened here? Was it the paladins' crusades that you mentioned?”

  Adam asked without slowing down, keeping his gaze forward. Drake’s expression didn’t change. He gave a single nod, his voice steady but grim.

  “Yeah. Velmoria was the first city hit after the Empire restructured itself. It was a full-scale purge.”

  Adam narrowed his eyes, digesting the information.

  “Did the enemy team lead the charge?”

  “No, only the Paladin’s forces.”

  Drake replied, leaping over a collapsed wall and landing smoothly on the other side without any problem, even while carrying Kazue.

  “None of the ‘Dragon Utopia’ members have shown up directly. At least not during the assault itself. Except for their leader, who raided our last base and attacked Sebastian. But aside from that, they’ve been pulling strings from the shadows.”

  Adam processed that carefully.

  “And you chose to hide in this same city?”

  Drake turned his head slightly, giving Adam a sideways glance.

  “Exactly. That’s why we’re here. After the Empire’s forces tore this place apart, and then our last hideout, nobody expected anyone to come back. We figured it was the safest location precisely because it was already considered a lost ruin. We even have some groups moving on other regions just to pretend the real base is far away from here.”

  Adam didn’t argue. The logic was sound, in a twisted way. Hide in the last place the enemy expects, while diverting attention. Still, there were too many moving parts, too many unknowns. The thought kept him silent for a few seconds, until a deeper curiosity surfaced.

  “What about the paladins? You said earlier that they lost contact with their goddess. But they’re still active?”

  Adam asked again, this time more carefully. Drake’s steps slowed just slightly, a signal of caution. His voice dropped a bit.

  “That’s the weird part. Everyone’s saying the same thing—that Arianka hasn’t responded to any divine messages, and her oracles have gone completely silent. But the paladins are still fighting exactly the same. Still using divine energy like always, some of them even had learned how to control their divine beast transformation. It’s like they haven’t lost a damn thing.”

  Adam’s frown deepened.

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “No, it doesn’t.”

  Drake muttered. Then he suddenly looked directly at Adam, his eyes sharp, his tone shifting.

  “And that’s why I need to ask… What the hell did you do?”

  Adam blinked.

  “What?”

  Drake didn’t look away, even as he kept running.

  “I’m serious. Everyone saw the system notification. It popped up for every one of us.”

  Upon seeing the confused look on Adam, the blond’s expression tightened. He repeated the words slowly and clearly.

  “The system message said: “The user Adam Scholar, from the team ‘No Name’, has received the title: ‘He Who Gave Birth to a God’. Any user acolyte or servant of a god from the Lower Pantheon who succeeds in killing him shall receive a reward equivalent to an S+ rank item.” ”

  Adam felt like he had stopped breathing for a moment. It took several seconds for him to respond, his mind digging back to the moment with Arianka, when he had felt the entire Lower Pantheon resisting him, trying to halt his interference. He recalled the warnings—those messages piling up one after another like a system in meltdown, the divine malediction, and the energy backlash… And then the unexpected success. He hadn’t truly considered what the aftermath of that event would look like on a global scale.

  “It’s a long story, I will tell you when we arrive, but… It really was made public, they turned it into a bounty…”

  The boy said quietly, exhaling a heavy breath. Drake didn’t answer right away, but Adam could tell he had more to say. Malzaphir, however, had no such restraint. The archdevil erupted into laughter within the boy’s mind, his voice layered with amusement and arrogance.

  “Did you really think they’d let that go, vile human?”

  Malzaphir said with something close to glee.

  “They’re angry, humiliated, and you gave them no outlet. Of course they turned it into a game.”

  Adam ignored him. For now. He had more pressing thoughts rising like blades in the back of his mind.

  The message had included the name of his team. “No Name”. That specific detail caught his attention. Angela had mentioned once that there were thousands of teams across the system. So why, out of all possibilities, had the system chosen to declare the name of his group so openly? Why had it called them by the one title that, supposedly, countless others could’ve taken as well?

  Was it possible… that no one else had ever kept that name? He found himself focusing not on the threat, but on the implication. Had they truly been the only team across the vast landscape of users to never name themselves? That couldn't be possible, it was statistically ridiculous.

  Drake didn’t notice his friend’s mental detour. He was focused on the run, occasionally checking the surroundings and adjusting their path through the broken remnants of Velmoria. But Adam remained quiet, mulling over that singular oddity. Something didn’t line up.

  Eventually, he shook the thought away. For now, there were more immediate problems ahead.

  Several minutes passed before they finally reached their destination. The route had taken them through the collapsed lower sectors of Velmoria, weaving past broken stone archways and shattered roadways barely recognizable from what they once had been. Drake led them through a collapsed plaza, one side entirely buried in debris, before they slipped through a crevice between two ruined buildings.

  The passage narrowed into a dark corridor, its entrance hidden behind a fallen statue of a vampire Lord. From there, they sprinted down an angled path that twisted sharply underground, the echoes of their footsteps bouncing off the damp stone walls. The light of day vanished behind them as the shadows deepened. Drake ran ahead with Kazue in his arms, glancing back from time to time, especially at Meera. His hesitation was clear, but he said nothing. Adam and the woman kept pace behind him without speaking.

  Eventually, the blond stopped in front of what appeared to be a thick metallic wall embedded into natural stone, covered in grime and scorched residue. It looked like it hadn’t been used in decades. He reached out, placed one hand flat on the center, and stared at Meera again. She didn’t flinch under his gaze.

  “Is this really necessary?”

  He asked, not to her, but to Adam. He answered calmly.

  “Trust me.”

  Drake closed his eyes briefly and sighed. Then, without saying another word, he activated the mechanism. A sharp hiss echoed, followed by the low grinding of gears as the hidden door began to slide open.

  What lay beyond was unlike anything Adam or Meera had expected.

  As they stepped through, the scale of the refuge revealed itself. A massive cavern stretched out beneath the ruins, far larger than the streets above. Crude walkways and bridges had been built across the stone floor, connecting sections of what had once been a sprawling underground complex now repurposed into a sanctuary. Makeshift towers rose from old foundations, and hundreds of torchlights lined the interior, casting weak, flickering illumination over the area. There were people everywhere—vampires, their pale skin dulled by exhaustion, and towering giants, most seated or kneeling to fit beneath the low-hanging rock ceilings. Large tents, supply depots, field hospitals, and water reservoirs filled the space. The air was thick with silence, but it wasn’t the peaceful kind. It was gloomy and depressing.

  Adam’s stomach tightened. The wounded lined the edges of the halls. Children with bruised limbs and a few elders with empty eyes. Meera didn’t speak either, her gaze scanning the surroundings.

  The deeper they walked, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. Conversations were whispered. The wounded were treated on floors made of cracked stone. Bodies—some breathing, others still—were draped in tarps. Adam didn’t ask questions. He didn’t need to. Drake kept his pace steady.

  “Follow me.”

  He said flatly. They moved past a barricade of rusted metal and stacked stone, crossing what must have been an old storage tunnel turned hallway. Eventually, the path opened into a wide chamber. Dozens of tall stone pillars supported the ceiling. In the center of the room was a series of hospital beds arranged in rows. On one of them lay Sebastian, his expression calm but clearly unconscious. Wires and tubes fed into a device beside him. Above him, perched silently, Falk kept watch. His mechanical feathers gleamed in the low light, and his eyes didn’t blink.

  Near the bed stood Chloe and Emir. Chloe’s expression was tired but alert, her posture tense as she spoke quietly to Emir, who stood with his arms crossed, his face still but eyes sharp. Beside them were two other figures—Dayana and André from WNATN—both standing there with sad and tired eyes. All of them turned as Drake approached.

  Their eyes first landed on Kazue, unconscious and cradled in Drake’s arms. Chloe gasped softly, stepping forward, her eyes wide with worry. Emir also moved, but halted when Meera came into view behind Adam.

  Dayana was the first to react. Her stance changed instantly, hand going to her weapon.

  “Who is that?!”

  She demanded. André tensed beside her. Emir took one step back. Chloe glanced at Adam, alarmed, who, in turn, raised his arms.

  “Wait. It’s fine. She’s with us.”

  Meera didn’t respond immediately. She didn’t need to. Her posture remained relaxed, her expression light despite the tension in the air. She gave a small shrug and raised both hands playfully.

  “I mean… If I wanted to cause trouble, I wouldn’t have walked in like this, I’m just here with my big bro.”

  She said, tilting her head toward Adam. Her tone was casual, almost teasing, but not mocking. It was the kind of remark meant to diffuse tension without directly confronting it. Drake, ignoring her, walked forward and gently laid Kazue down on a nearby empty bed. He adjusted her position with care, pulling a blanket over her legs and checking her pulse briefly. Satisfied, he turned to the others with sharp focus.

  “She needs rest, call the rest. Now.”

  He said flatly. Dayana hesitated for a second, her eyes flicking between Meera and Adam, but then gave a short nod. She turned and moved quickly, disappearing into another section of the underground space.

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  The room fell into a heavy silence once more, the unease still lingering despite the lack of immediate danger.

  Suddenly, Adam stepped forward without hesitation, making his way directly to Sebastian’s bedside. He leaned in, eyes narrowing as he noticed several of Chloe’s signature needles inserted into the old man’s forehead and upper body. The needles shimmered faintly, barely visible in the low light of the underground room.

  “Is he stable?”

  Adam asked quietly, though the tension in his voice was evident. Chloe looked up from her place beside the bed. She had been sitting on a small stool, watching over Sebastian closely, her posture unusually subdued.

  “He suffered a very deep stab wound. It didn’t hit any vital organs, thank god, so I was able to patch him up as best I could. But even with Drake’s regeneration pills, something like that will take at least another day or two to heal fully. The needles are to block the pain signals. We don’t have any real anesthetics here.”

  Adam let out a soft sigh, some of the pressure in his chest easing. He gave Chloe a brief nod of appreciation, then turned to look at Emir, who had been standing slightly behind her. The boy looked unharmed, but his posture was tense. He was holding his hands tightly together, fingers twitching with residual anxiety.

  “Are you okay? Both of you?”

  Adam asked, and Emir blinked. His mouth opened, then closed. For a moment, he didn’t seem to find the words, but finally he nodded.

  “We’re okay… because of him.”

  He muttered, his voice small.

  “Grandpa Sebastian… He was the one who came for us when that terrifying woman showed up. If it wasn’t for him…”

  Adam took a step forward and gently placed a hand on the top of Emir’s head.

  “You did well, you’re still here. That’s all that matters.”

  But Emir shook his head. His small hands clenched into fists.

  “No. I didn’t do anything. I had a chance. I’ve been training. I was starting to get better with my abilities. But when she appeared… I froze. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I just stood there. He’s like this because I couldn’t help.”

  Adam didn’t respond immediately. He crouched slightly to bring himself to Emir’s level.

  “You don’t have to carry that. You’re thirteen. It’s not your job to fight monsters like her.”

  Before he could continue, Meera chimed in from behind.

  “Actually, no, it’s not normal. Not at all. If that woman acted like she usually does, I’m honestly surprised the kid is even conscious today.”

  She said plainly. Adam looked over his shoulder at her, raising an eyebrow. Meera walked closer, her expression a mix of curiosity and amusement. While she spoke, Adam turned back to Sebastian and activated his ‘Cursed Vision’. His irises shifted slightly, dulling the light in his eyes as corrupted energy spread through his vision, analyzing the old man’s current state. What he saw surprised him.

  “…His Aberration skill is still intact.”

  Adam muttered, almost to himself, but enough for the rest of them to hear.

  “They didn’t take it. Even with the attack… they didn’t get what they came for.”

  That caught Meera’s attention. She leaned forward, blinking once.

  “Really? That’s… unexpected.”

  She crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly.

  “Then I guess the kid and the old man are the real deal. If it was Solène, then they both experienced her signature skill. It’s called [Dragon Fear]. It's mental damage combined with an overwhelming terror effect. Usually, it’s enough to break someone’s mind. That’s the window for the Skillrend to trigger—mental collapse and fear of death. But if they resisted that… damn, I’m impressed.”

  She stepped closer to Adam, wrapping an arm around his neck from behind in a teasing, half-embrace. She leaned slightly against him with a wide grin.

  “Well, I guess that’s what I should expect from members of my big bro’s team.”

  Adam sighed through his nose but didn’t move her off. His gaze lingered on Sebastian’s pale face, unmoving but peaceful. There was no doubt—the man had paid a high price to protect the others. And if what Meera said was true, then both he and Emir had withstood a power that should have left them broken. A little pressure tightened in the boy’s chest again, not from fear, but from the realization of how close they had come to losing another friend. He didn’t say anything more, but his hand moved to gently squeeze Emir’s shoulder, silently acknowledging everything the boy had been through.

  Several long minutes passed before the others began to return, one by one. The air in the underground chamber remained heavy with unease, and each arrival only added to the tension. The first to appear was Li. He entered silently, his cybernetic red eye scanning the room in a quick sweep. As soon as his gaze landed on Meera standing near Adam, his body shifted in an instant. He raised his arm, preparing to summon his spellbook without hesitation, however, Adam stepped forward and extended a hand, stopping him firmly but without aggression.

  “She’s with us!”

  Adam said.

  “I’ll explain everything soon. Just wait.”

  Li didn’t reply, but lowered his arm after a few seconds. The woman merely gave him a polite nod, unbothered.

  Next came Gregor. The former soldier entered the room with slow, heavy steps, still showing signs of his previous injuries. As soon as he saw Meera, his eyes narrowed, and his fist clenched tightly. He was about to say something, but Adam raised his voice again, more assertive this time.

  “Gregor. Stand down.”

  The man paused, then let out a short exhale through his nose. He gave a stiff nod and stepped aside, still watching Meera cautiously. Again, she didn’t react beyond a slight tilt of her head, quietly studying the faces of everyone.

  Takeshi arrived next, humming lightly with his usual carefree demeanor. That expression vanished the moment he noticed Meera. His hand dropped instinctively to the handle of a kunai hidden in his belt. He didn’t move further when he saw Adam already standing between them.

  “Relax, please, no one’s fighting anyone right now.”

  He said quickly. Takeshi looked from Adam to Meera, then back again.

  “Okay, okay, just making sure.”

  He muttered, still unsure. Then came Thabo Mthembu. The tall, ancient-built man entered calmly, observing the situation in silence. The moment he spotted Meera, he immediately tensed and muttered something under his breath, and the situation repeated itself once more.

  Then Angela Rose arrived…

  She moved with purpose, her coat still swaying from her pace. Unlike the others, she didn’t hesitate or even ask questions. The moment she saw Meera, her fingers drew a wide arc in the air, and a luminous brush appeared in her hand, already charged with a radiant skill. The tip glowed with aggressive light, aimed directly at Meera’s chest. Angela’s voice rang clear.

  “Get away from them!”

  Drake reacted first, stepping into her line of fire.

  “Angela! Wait!”

  Adam followed right after.

  “She’s not the threat. Stop!”

  Angela’s eyes darted between the two of them. Her grip on the brush remained firm for a moment longer before she clicked her tongue and flicked it aside. The energy dissipated, and she folded her arms tightly across her chest.

  “You better explain this fast, because I don’t like this.”

  She said sharply.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Adam muttered… And finally, Katya entered the room.

  She didn’t spare a glance at Meera. The moment she stepped inside, her eyes locked on the bed where Kazue lay, and her composure shattered. She ran forward in a panic, shouting louder than anyone else had spoken.

  “Kazue?!”

  She shoved past Drake, dropping to her knees beside the bed and frantically checking Kazue’s condition. Her hand hovered inches above Kazue’s face.

  “What happened? Why is she like this? What did they do to her?”

  “She’s just unconscious, she’s not hurt anymore.”

  Adam said quickly, but Katya didn’t respond. She continued staring at Kazue in silence, breathing fast, shoulders trembling.

  When things finally began to settle again and everyone had returned, Adam stood up. He looked around the room at each of them. All faces were tense. No one looked relaxed. He took a deep breath.

  “Alright. Everyone… please gather around. I know this isn’t easy, and I know none of you trust Meera. But we don’t have time to keep doubting each other. Just listen to what I have to say.”

  They moved slowly, forming a loose circle around Adam and Drake. Meera stood behind them, quiet. Angela remained near the wall, arms crossed. Katya never left Kazue’s side.

  The boy began recounting everything.

  He told them about his and Kazue’s sudden transportation into ‘Pantheon Eternal’. The strange and seemingly peaceful garden where they first appeared. He described the fairies they met, the curious sense of calm before the chaos, and their decision to move forward toward the heart of the divine realm. Then he explained their path to the palace, and their encounter with Meera.

  “She didn’t attack us at first.”

  Adam said, glancing briefly at Angela and Thabo.

  “We thought she might. The truth is… we were both cautious, but the place where we met didn’t allow any kind of violence. It was a sacred part of the divine realm. Fighting wasn’t an option there, not unless we wanted the be expelled.”

  He paused briefly, then continued, shifting into the next part of the story. He described how he and Kazue were guided further into the divine realm, eventually reaching a massive city of light that existed at the heart of Arianka’s domain. He told them about the divine structures, the strange silence of the streets, and the first appearance of Euphemia—one of the goddess’s chosen beings, who helped them proceed deeper into the palace of the gods.

  “It was inside the main palace that things changed. That’s where we fought.”

  Adam said. Meera lifted her hand and interrupted with a light smirk.

  “A clash between a divine contractor and a devil’s contractor, can’t say it wasn’t intense. Felt like a proper siblings' reunion.”

  There was a flicker of confusion on some faces. André let out a short laugh.

  “What kind of reunion is that?”

  Adam rolled his eyes and chose not to elaborate. He continued the explanation, carefully avoiding any mention of the [Soulcrusher Virus] since he didn’t know how Meera herself could react, and especially because he didn’t want to create mistrust with the WNATN members, after all, such an evil brainwashing skill was not something easily understood. Instead, he simply told them they had discovered they were siblings, something Meera confirmed with a small but proud nod.

  There were raised eyebrows and narrowed eyes, but no one interrupted. Still, no one looked convinced either, especially when Meera was so adamant in calling Adam her ‘big brother’ despite the clear age gap.

  Adam then spoke of the appearance of Arianka. Of the goddess’s enraged descent upon them. Of the desperate flight through the palace as divine attacks rained down. He described how Euphemia helped them escape, and how, in the end, he was forced to use [God’s Plague] to make sure Arianka wouldn’t pursue them again.

  When he finished, there was a long silence. Angela stepped forward slowly, rubbing her temple.

  “You have no idea what you just did… Do you even understand the scale of this? Adam… you just made yourself a target for probably a third of all system users. This is your first collab. How are you already being hunted by divine factions? What kind of team are you people?”

  After a nervous laugh, it was Meera’s turn.

  She stepped forward and repeated what she had already told Adam, explaining her team’s position as a member of the ‘Hunt3rs Alliance’. She explained her team's whereabouts upon arriving in the scenario and told them how Sebastian had been stabbed not as a random act of violence, but because the enemy wanted to steal one of his rare skills.

  The atmosphere turned tense the moment Meera finished speaking. Unease rippled through the group. Several members shifted in place, others exchanged glances. Then the protests began.

  “So what do we do now?”

  Li asked, voice sharp and frustrated.

  “This is insane, they control everything. The entire scenario is already lost.”

  “We’re completely outmatched.”

  André and Takeshi didn’t bother lowering their voices.

  “Stop. We don’t have time to panic. Listen—yes, we’re outnumbered. But we’re not completely helpless.”

  Adam raised a hand, trying to make them behave. Immediately after, Drake asked calmly.

  “You say we’re not completely helpless? Adam, they control the strongest military faction in the entire scenario. You think we can fight that? Even now, the paladins are more than most of us can handle; some of them have already perfected their divine beast transformation with ‘Dragon Utopia’s’ help.”

  The pressure built with every second. Some already looked ready to leave or shout louder. Angela narrowed her eyes and rubbed her temple slowly, as if holding herself back from lashing out.

  Adam raised a hand once more—not forceful, but firm. However, seeing that no one was calming down, he emitted a big wave of dark energy from his body. Everyone quieted immediately.

  “I know how it sounds, but now more than ever is when we need to think. They’ve made their move. They’ve taken control. We can’t stop that… not directly. But that doesn’t mean we’ve lost.”

  He turned his eyes toward Drake.

  “You asked why I said we’re not completely helpless. It’s because we have something they don’t.”

  He pointed over his shoulder at Meera, who stood calmly, her arms loosely crossed.

  “She told me everything. Every single thing about her team. Their styles. Their strategies. Their strengths. And more importantly—their weaknesses. We’re not walking blind anymore, they are... They don’t know that we know. That’s our edge.”

  The reaction was immediate. Everyone’s eyes turned toward Meera. She met their gazes one by one, completely unfazed, and casually lifted her hand, flashing a V with her fingers.

  “Full enemy intel, straight from the source.”

  She said with a smirk. Angela narrowed her eyes.

  “Is she being serious?”

  Drake spoke up.

  “Seems so...”

  Adam didn’t wait for anyone else to respond.

  “We’ll make a plan. From the ground up. A proper one. We’ll let them think they’ve already won. Let them believe we’re scattered, desperate, and out of options.”

  He paused and scanned each face again. No one interrupted.

  “But there’s one condition.”

  Everyone leaned in slightly, focused.

  “We’re going to defeat them. All of them. But we’re not going to kill them. That’s not the goal. They’re still Meera’s teammates. And according to her, their leader—Solène Beaumont—respects power more than anything else. If we handle this correctly, we might be able to reach them. Not as allies, but maybe, talk things out a bit.”

  The silence was heavier now. No one spoke. But they were no longer restless or panicking. They were listening.

  Adam let out a long breath. Then, without hesitation, he slapped both cheeks lightly with his hands, sharp and clear.

  “This time, we’ll be the ones holding every card. The battlefield will be ours. And the fight… will happen on our terms.”

  He said with a renewed fire in his eyes… All the previous scenarios were always on someone else's scheme, guided by others, but not now, after all that happened, everyone was looking at Adam for an answer, and he was determined to make sure that, this time, everything went according to plan.