“Now, what should I do with you?”
Normally, she would’ve killed him. However, the name he muttered made her dwell on her actions.
“Let’s decide it by a coin toss. I will take heads.”
She took out a golden coin from her pocket. The coin shone dimly, having seen her twisted ‘fair coin tosses’ in the past.
She flicked it in the air and caught it.
A slight surprise appeared in her gaze when she saw the result.
“You are quite lucky. First, you call me to save you, and then you win this too.”
The coin itself was surprised. The toss was no gamble. Only those who met the strictest of conditions could win.
They had to be people with the ability to join the resistance. Or someone who would help Julie in the future, or in the past, directly or perhaps indirectly. They would lose the coin toss if they failed to meet the conditions.
A green sheen covered her hand.
She gave a twist, and the time of Percival’s body started to flow backward.
The fallen blood returned to his veins, the broken Core repaired, and his pale face regained its color.
After healing him, Julie decided to wait for him to wake up.
However, her ringing wristwatch made a mess of her plan.
She stood up with an unpleasant expression and sighed.
“How do they always find me so fast?”
She took a look at Percival and shook her head.
“I guess I won’t have time to meet you.”
She disappeared just as suddenly as she had appeared, leaving behind not a single trace of her existence. Even the memories of her appearance were erased from the mind of Sunshine and Percival.
…
Percival’s POV
His eyes snapped open. The sudden movement caused pain to flare through his limbs, and an involuntary cry left his lips.
The pain brought a realization.
He was alive.
His Divine Energy reserves were at rock bottom.
His repaired Core was the only saving grace. He was not dying, at least.
He pushed himself up with a groan. The pain made him feel like thousands of ants were biting into his limbs.
“Ow, it hurts. How long was I asleep for?”
Percival looked around.
He was on a small island, and at the center of it was a giant tree.
The tree was large and thick. Percival suspected its height was three times the diameter of a Stage-1 Planet.
Its width was not as gargantuan. Only as wide as a country like Auburn.
The tree took most of the space on the island, leaving only a few hundred meters worth of land before the Blood Sea began.
“Where is this place? Am I even in Tartarus?”
Wings of light formed behind his back. He took to the skies as he flew over the Blood Sea.
He did not go much farther as he knew the dangers of the Blood Sea.
However, he never felt a pull from the island.
Tartarus was supposed to stop anyone from leaving. Since this island did nothing similar, it was not Tartarus.
“Sunshine, what happened here, and how was I healed?”
The emotions and the voice of the Sun appeared in his head.
A frown appeared on Percival’s visage upon hearing its answer.
“You don’t know how I was healed?
“Strange. I don’t remember it either.”
The last thing he could recall was the Fate of Fortune thread teleporting him somewhere to preserve his life.
“Do you know where I am, at least?”
He waited for its answer.
“Yeah, I guess I should use Goddess Artemis’ blessing to check that.”
Silver motes of light appeared around him when he thought of Tartarus’ location.
The path of light led to the giant tree.
A frown appeared on Percival’s face.
“Is something interfering with the Goddess Artemis’ Blessing? Let’s try something else.
“I want to locate Olivia von Villiers.”
The path of light still led towards the tree. Percival tried to find the Senator, then Neo, and finally Elizabeth.
Every time, the path of light was pointing towards the tree.
“Is the blessing not working?”
He scratched his head in confusion.
An idea suddenly came to him, and he spoke,
“Tell me the location of the ship we used to travel through the Blood Sea and come to Tartarus.”
The path of lights changed. It went around the tree and to the other side of the island.
Percival’s heart hammered against his chest.
Initially, he believed this place had something that interfered with the blessing.
But if the ship’s location was correct, the Blessing must be working correctly.
That meant the tree was where everyone was present.
‘They are inside that tree? Did it swallow them—’
A sudden thought came to Percival. After coming to the borders of Tartarus on the ship, they had ‘torn’ open a barrier and entered it.
Was that barrier the tree? Did they unknowingly enter it?
“What the hell is this place?”
This world was one of a kind. Percival had never seen a world like this.
No, was it even a world? The land was small, and it had a single tree. Percival was starting to question everything that had happened until now.
“I should check the ship’s location first. If the ship isn’t here, then that means my assumptions are wrong.”
He moved through the island at quick speed.
Although he was feeling weak, something told him he did not have much time left.
He used Divine Transformation (Spirit Form) and merged with Sunshine temporarily.
The boost allowed him to cover the distance within a few seconds.
The ship was resting against the shore.
Percival canceled the Divine Transformation. His body was drenched in sweat, and heavy exhaustion pressed over him.
Nonetheless, his focus was on the ship.
It was there.
“So this is the actual Tartarus, and we were inside that tree until now?”
[I suspect so.]
“G-Goddess Artemis!?”
Percival was shocked when the status screen spoke to him.
[There is no need to be shocked. I’m not the true Artemis, but a mere projection of her.]
“I see.”
Percival nodded, knowing the blessing of Goddess Artemis within him was speaking.
“Are you sure the others are inside the tree?”
[That is what my abilities tell me. However, I cannot guarantee, for I am unable to connect to my sister projections that are with your fellow Executioners.]
Percival had a grave expression. His worries only increased when he saw the next words of Artemis.
[You need to hurry. There is not much time left.]