“Correct your mistakes by doing what? What sort of genius plan do you have now?
“I bet it’s something extremely dangerous again.”
Neo was about to reveal his deal with the Sphinx when screens appeared before him.
[No one should know you work for me.]
He wanted to question if the principal knew about it, why was not Amelia allowed.
But he knew Sphinx wouldn’t answer him.
“Why are you silent? Did I hit the nail on the head?” Amelia scoffed.
“You are right. It is something dangerous.”
“Neo, then you should know that I won’t—”
“But it’s our only choice. Elizabeth’s soul has been corrupted by Void, and if we don’t do anything, she would die a True Death.”
“And you don’t want that?” Amelia replied. “You, the heir of Death, a person with high mastery of Death, is worried about someone dying?
“That’s the same as saying a high-mastery Water element user is afraid of water,” Amelia said.
“Yes, I don’t want that.
“I don’t think Death’s a bad thing. Not if the person had lived a happy life and died a peaceful death.
“But both of us know Elizabeth’s life was far from ‘happy,’ and her death isn’t something we can call peaceful,” Neo replied. “I want to make her happy. It’s the only way I can correct my mistakes.”
Amelia’s expression twisted.
Her fists clenched tightly, and the knuckles turned white.
She had a lot to say, but she held back.
Although the principal had kept the truth of Elizabeth’s actual condition from Amelia, she had an inkling about it.
Neo’s words confirmed the horrible truth.
‘I hate this.’
Amelia’s nails dug into her palms, leaving small crescent-shaped marks.
All she could do was depend on others to save her family.
The thought filled her with helplessness and rage.
“Amelia—”
“Do whatever you want.”
Amelia stood up and left the cafeteria.
Her steps were hurried yet heavy.
The slight tremble in her shoulders revealed her inner emotions.
Neo remained seated for a few seconds before he stood up.
There was no time to waste.
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Elizabeth didn’t have long to live. He could think about Amelia’s words after he had saved Elizabeth.
He placed Elizabeth carefully in his Shadow Space.
The shadowy tendrils enveloped her, and pulled her into the safe confines of his hidden domain.
Meeting with Sphinx was his next step.
“You took an awful lot of time. Time we – you – don’t have,” the Sphinx said as Neo entered its chamber.
The chamber was vast and dark.
Like always, a table sat in the center with two chairs.
Sphinx, in the faceless body, occupied the first chair.
“What do you mean by that?” Neo asked, although he knew what the Sphinx was talking about.
“Elizabeth will die in 20 days.”
“How do I save her?”
It was his way of saying he had accepted the Sphinx’s request.
“Let’s talk about your task first.”
The Sphinx snapped its fingers.
The sound echoed through the chamber, and a giant 3D hologram appeared in the air.
The hologram depicted a scene of the future: the Apocalypse, where Blood Beasts, monstrous creatures from the Blood Sea, attacked the Luminera continent.
“I told you these monsters come from another place, not from the Blood Sea. Do you remember that?”
“I do.”
“These monsters come from another World that exists on the Blood Sea,” the Sphinx explained.
“The Blood Sea exists in multiple Worlds and dimensions, is what everyone thinks.
“But it’s the opposite.
“Multiple Worlds and dimensions float on the Blood Sea. Our World is one of those Worlds, so is the Underworld,” the Sphinx said.
“Get to the point. What’s the task? I doubt you want me to go and fight those monsters.”
“You can do that if you want,” the Sphinx shrugged. “After all, if you don’t defeat those monsters, the Blood Sea War will happen in a few years, and the continent would be pushed to the brink of destruction.”
Neo frowned.
The Sphinx’s way of talking said plenty.
The destruction of the continent didn’t matter to it.
‘Thousands of Blood Beasts will invade.’
‘Luminera would fall if the Blood Sea War happens as it did in the original timeline.’
Luminera had barely 100 Exalted Demigods.
Among the invading Blood Beasts, the weakest were Paragons, and they were cannon fodder.
The main force consisted of Exalted rank monsters.
“Your task is to subdue the World Core, and bring its World Core to me.”
Neo blinked, confused.
He wondered if he had misheard the Sphinx.
“Can you repeat what you just said?”
“You need to go to the World from where the monsters would come, subdue that World’s World Core, and bring it to me.”
Neo looked at the monsters in the hologram and then back at the Sphinx.
“Are you fucking crazy?
“If it’s a world that has so many powerful entities, then it has to be Stage-2, or maybe even Stage-3 and—”
“A Stage-3 world will have Fabled rank beings,” Sphinx completed his words. “That’s why I’m sending you.
“You have the highest chance of completing the task.
“But don’t worry.
“You will have help, and there is no guarantee that place has Fabled rank beings,” Sphinx said.
“Yeah, of course,” Neo rolled his eyes.
One of the things that Shadow World taught him was if something bad could happen, then it would happen.
Fabled rank beings could be on that world?
Yep, they were definitely there.
And they would do everything to protect their World Core.
Sphinx ignored Neo’s jab.
It knew Neo had accepted the task and had no choice but to complete it.
“Everwitch Violet flower is what you need to save Elizabeth,” Sphinx revealed.
“A flower?”
Neo’s eyebrows furrowed.
The idea of something so delicate holding the key to Elizabeth’s life seemed almost absurd.
“Yes, Everwitch Violet is said to be capable of making anyone Immortal. Even now, a lot of Exalted Demigods are searching for it.
“The flower will purify the Void corruption Elizabeth has and heal her,” Sphinx said.
“I’m guessing the flower is on that world?”
“No, I have it with me.”
The Sphinx extended its hand, and took out a flower from its Spatial Pocket.
Its tightly closed indigo bud seemed to pulse with a faint, ethereal glow.
Despite its beauty, something about it felt incomplete.
“You can have it. Saves you the time you would waste on searching for it.”
The Sphinx threw the flower.
It floated through the air, landing gently in Neo’s hand.
He studied it.
“That flower hasn’t bloomed.
“It needs an environment full of Death, Darkness, Time, Life, Holy, and Void Elementals in high concentration to bloom.
“You won’t find them on our continent, World, or Underworld.”
Sphinx continued.
“One of my Executioners has been on that World for ages. It was thanks to him that Akashic Record could predict the Blood Sea War.
“He has an ability that allows him to manipulate Elementals. He is your only way to bloom that flower and save Elizabeth.”
Neo remained quiet.
Inwardly, he was wondering if he could use his Trait to bloom Everwitch Violet.
‘The Sphinx must know about my Trait.’
‘If it’s not saying anything, then it means it’s unlikely for me to reach that level in twenty days.’