353 Queen Of Webs
I stood there in surprised silence for a few seconds before finally coming to my senses and nodding quickly.
“Yes,” I said, frowning. “I’m indeed Lucas Morningstar. How do you know me?”
A bright smile bloomed on the beautiful silver-haired woman’s face but the touch of arrogance never left her eyes.
She put her hands inside the sleeves of her red and black robe and walked toward me with slow steps.
Under her watchful gaze and enthralling beauty, I stood motionless, scared to even take a breath.
I had met plenty of beautiful people after coming to this world, in fact, I was in the body of one myself!
However, never in my two lives had I ever seen someone so… flawless… so perfect… so… so bewitching.
It was almost hard to imagine that someone like her was actually the worst criminal in the history of this world.
Yeah, it was her…
Selena Zenith didn’t appear much in the novel. It was always known that she was one of the strongest individuals on the planet.
However, neither was she active in the military nor did she have much of a presence in the media.
The world knew her name, but she wasn’t as famous as other strongest warriors of her generation.
It was actually her other persona that became more famous by the second half of the novel. Yes, she had a secret identity.
Selena Zenith was also known to the world as the Queen Of Webs.
She was in command of an extremely large network of worker cells and spies, all part of a covert elite society.
The people even believed that she had ears and eyes in every corner of the world since the sleeper cells of her organization were said to be everywhere.
It could be anyone working under her – the guy you sat beside on the train, the guy you passed by a few seconds ago, or even your weapon arts instructor.
That description sounded familiar? Well, of course, it did. It was because she was the leader of Spider and the perpetrator behind the start of the War Of Union.
“I’m a close friend of your master. Leo Kurogami told me about you,” Selena said as she came to stand before me.
She oozed off a faint, intoxicating scent of blooming plum blossoms as if she was carrying the spring with her everywhere she went even in this cold winter mountain.
“Really?” I asked as my eyebrows shot up, feigning surprise. “Master never talked about you, though.”
I could almost swear I saw Selena’s brow twitch when I made that statement but in the end, she maintained her graceful and slightly arrogant expression.
“Well, people make mistakes,” she said and then added in an almost inaudible whisper, “And your master is especially clumsy, is he not?”
Before I could even affirm or refute that statement – most probably affirm – Selena spoke up again.
“Well, the point is, I’ve heard many things about you,” she said. “I must say, he wasn’t exaggerating when he said you’re talented. And you are such a pretty package too.”
…Huh?! Sorry, I’m what now? Is this what people call harassment?!
Deciding to ignore that last part, I asked a question instead, “You can already tell I’m talented? I thought this was the first time we met.”
Selena scoffed. “If you weren’t, that old geezer would never have agreed to train you even if the request had come from Leo himself. And no matter how much I dislike that guy, he’s a good teacher. You’ll do very well under him.”
I put my hands in my pockets, but then abruptly took them out. By this point, the old man had literally bashed into me the need to stay alert and ready for a fight at any given moment.
“You don’t like the old man? Isn’t he your father?” I asked, genuinely curious.
Selena visibly suppressed an urge to roll her eyes. “It’s not that I don’t like him, but he’s way too much of a romantic.”
“What’s wrong with being a romantic,” I asked, frowning.
Selena sighed lightly before offering a smile. “Walk with me.”
She turned around and started walking away. I had to return to the old man’s class, but I couldn’t just deny the sect leader now, could I?
Shrugging, I took a few quick steps and caught up to her before walking beside her.𝞸𝓋𝓵xt.𝚌𝑜𝑀
We strolled in silence for a few minutes before Selena struck up the conversation, resuming from where she had left off.
“Do you know why the soldiers who complete service time go on to stay in the military or join a sect to pursue the path of strength?”
I cocked my head slightly, confused where this was going. “Most of those who stay in the military have no viable career option available to them, right? All they’ve known in their life is fighting.”
“Yes, but I’m talking about those who do have a way out but still decide to stay in that hell.”
I squinted my eyes in thought but even after a few minutes, I couldn’t come up with a proper answer, prompting me to shrug. “I don’t know.”
Selena’s smile grew a little at my clueless expression. “Power, Lucas. It’s because they all desire power. The founders of the four ruling families rose to their positions because they yearned for power. They stayed in the military, became the pillars of the world, and achieved power.”
Selena took a brief pause as if to add to the dramatics then continued:
“Those who stay in the military do that to climb through the ranks and gain power. Those who join the martial sects do that because they want to grow stronger, and what does strength give you? Power. In this world, everything is about power, whether it be personal, influential, political, sexual, monetary, or any other kind. It’s all one big game and only one can win.”
I let out a sigh and nodded. Of course, what else was I expecting from the leader of a secret organization if not a long and edgy monologue?
After a short moment of silence, Selena posed a question, “Do you know why your master lost to your father during the Battle For The West?”
I furrowed my brow, stumped for a split second before instantly presenting an answer.
“I suppose because my father used the most destructive polearm weapon art, Dawnbreaker.”
Selena gave me a sidelong look and loudly snickered as if she had heard a funny joke in place of my honest answer.
“Do you really think that the God Of War lost a head-on battle because your father deployed Dawnbreaker? No, Lucas, there is not a weapon art in existence that could have stopped Leo fucking Kurogami in the peak of his prime!”
The frown on my face turned deeper as I inquired, “Then why did he lose?”
“Why else?” Selena shrugged. “Because he was in love. He held back because he felt guilty. Your father knew that and used it against him to win.”
Selena heaved a deep breath as she carried on, “And to be honest, I can’t blame him. I would have done the same if I was facing Leo. No one in this world, not even the Vampire Kings, can hope to fight Leo head-on and emerge victorious. He only had one weakness, and it was love.”
Right as she said that Selena stepped in front of me, blocking my way. I stopped and looked back at her.
“Leo lost because he wasn’t focused and his mind was clouded,” Selena said as she put a finger on my chest. “Achieve clarity and protect your heart. Always be ready to make the necessary choices because those are the hardest ones to make. Do that and you’ll always win.”