Chapter 2206: Echoes of the Ocean Legends (Part 1)
......
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Leviathan, who was leading his team toward the location of the portal that they had discovered, could not help but frown deeply after seeing Alucard retreat.
He was not foolish enough to believe that Alucard would just leave like that, given the relationship that their respective organizations had.
Empyrean Talons wouldn’t leave them be, especially when they were clear that Leviathan and the others were planning to establish another Demonic Portal that would lead to the Nether Realm.
"Don’t tell me that they have also realized our plan for the Oath City itself?" he mumbled while looking in the direction where Alucard had disappeared to, which was the direction leading to the Oath City.
The plan they had prepared for the Oath City was another scheme he was plotting to attract the attention of others, particularly the NPC Organizations, specifically the Righteous Churches.
This would distract them until he was finished with everything that he needed to do on his side.
However, Leviathan could not help but feel something ominous after seeing Alucard’s reaction. Dropping the pursuit after doing all his best to chase after them up until now was truly something he could not overlook.
There was something extremely dark and ominous looming underneath them, despite them being demonic players.
It was as if something or someone more evil than them was waiting for their appearance.
"There is a chance that Alucard puts his trust in those two, Felix and Felicia," he mumbled before shaking his head. "But I highly doubt that it will only be this simple. There must be something more to it."
He was quite familiar with the methods of the Empyrean Talons, or more precisely, their strength.
However, the one who truly bothered him was one of their Vice Commanders, the Battle God Sickarius, who was also known as the Devil Strategist.
He could not even shake off the uncomfortable feeling whenever he thought about Shin, especially after their organization clashed against him multiple times.
When he thought about how Shin schemed in battles, Leviathan also had to acknowledge the latter’s ability. He even shivered intensely after thinking about this.
"Don’t tell me that monster has also arrived here?" he mumbled, thinking about such a possibility.
This was most likely the case, given that Alucard had just given up the intense chase just now.
Whoosh!
When he thought about this, Leviathan was forced to halt his advance, making the others also stop their tracks.
The vice commanders that came with him could not help but frown deeply, confused at their leader’s actions.
Before they could even ask him anything, Leviathan immediately asked. "How are our scouts doing on that side?"
The two were still quite confused by the sudden question, but still reported, regardless. "Everything is still without issue. They have never seen anyone enter the cave until now."
"They have also set up a sensing array at the entrance and the key channels of the cave, so no one will be able to enter without notice," answered the left commander.
The right commander, on the other hand, reported their findings within the cave itself. "We have also scaled through the interior of the map and set up a net formation, but we are still unable to find anyone or anything suspicious within."
Listening to their reports, Leviathan was still unable to shake off his ominous feeling, despite their reassurance.
After thinking for a while, he started giving out a series of instructions. "Send out my word. Tell all the units to gather at the cave and solidify our defenses there. We have to prepare to receive some guests."
The two were still quite skeptical of Leviathan’s orders. They felt that he was just being a bit paranoid about something.
"If it is about those two who are still chasing after us, then there is no need to worry about them, right? We have been marking them quite well all this time," said the left commander.
"It is not them," refuted Levithan before adding. "Do you truly think that they are chasing after us? Ridiculous! They are just keeping an eye on us until while supporting Alucard out of convenience earlier."
"Do you think that they will stay that slow when they also knew the location of the portal? They are the ones who have triggered that quest, so they should have the means to head to that place ahead of us if they wanted to."
"They are just here because they want to see whether they could take care of us with a borrowed knife. But since Alucard was not enough to deal with our forces, they have no choice but to lend him a hand to keep us in check."
"Now that Alucard has left to assist his comrades at the Oath City, they will most likely change their plans as well," he added with a serious tone.
They were discussing when one of the sweepers that they had brought suddenly came rushing to them and immediately reported. "Sir! We have lost track of the twin!"
"They have killed the scouts that are marking them before disappearing completely!" he added, while also keeping his head as low as possible.
Everyone was aware of the temperaments of all the members of the Sweepers, especially those who worked directly under them.
Leviathan still kept his calm, seemingly expecting something like this to happen.
Moreover, his main concern right now was something even more terrifying. Those two might be highly skilled and extremely powerful, but they were still not at the level where their forces could not handle.
The two commander-level sweepers that he had brought in this mission were more than enough to keep the twins busy, along with the others.
The main problem was still the possibility of the Battle God being present.
"Continue with what I have just said," he instructed before quickly adding. "Make sure to report to me if something strange has happened. Don’t overlook anything, regardless of how small and insignificant it seems."
"Do you understand?" he said with an extremely solemn expression, making the two commanders put a lot of importance on the orders given to them.
...
In the meantime, on another route leading to the Glacial Cave, Felix and Felicia were rushing toward the location of the sealed portal.
"Why are we rushing there when we both know that those guys will most likely station their forces to guard the place?" asked Felicia.
In her opinion, it was much better to directly target Leviathan since he was the main problem to begin with.
Based on their current understanding, Leviathan was the only one who could carry that thing that could corrupt the portal.
So long as they prevent Leviathan from closing the portal, then everything should be fine.
It was even better if they could capture Leviathan as well, which would not only solve their current problem altogether, but would also earn them a lot of merit from the Righteous Churches.
"I know what you are thinking, but we still have to be extra careful when dealing with such people," said Felix before quickly adding. "You should know what kind of existence is standing behind them within that organization."
"We have been warned by the elders not to make any contact with them in the real world. But if we have encountered them, we are instructed to eliminate them as much as possible."
"It is the same within the game. We are asked to keep a low profile as much as possible, but we are also instructed to disturb their operations once we have come in contact with them."
Hearing this words, Felicia fell in silence when she heard these words, understanding what Felix was trying to imply.
"The elders have instructed all of us to play this game to find clues about any legacies that may be related to our sect, but you have never taken the initiative to do anything," said Felicia while looking at her brother.
"The seniors are already looking for those clues actively. There is no point for us to join them when they are already proceeding with such good progress," answered Felix before continuing. "This game is not your regular virtual game. It is filled with mysteries that every organization from the real world highly covets."
"People who are related to certain legacies seemed to be being guided to a certain direction by the Supreme AI."
"Even though we are given certain choices that can lead to another result, a few instances that will continuously lead us to the same decision."
"It was as if the Supreme AI was acting as fate itself, guiding us to our destined direction," he added before looking at Felicia. "Which is also why we have stumbled upon that quest that leads us to our current situation."
"No one knows if it is done on purpose. Or if it is some sort of scheme to lure everyone. Or if it’s some sort of training to prepare the younger generation to face something bigger."
He then paused for a moment, wearing a serious expression, before continuing. "The elders from different organizations in the real world seemed to be aware of something as well, which is why they are constantly pushing us to do something great within the game."
"I originally did not want us to be involved in this, which is why I chose to stay low in this remote place while also trying to nurture a decent force in the process, which can also help us in the future."
"But who would have thought that we would still end up in such a situation. Not only are we pushed toward this direction, but we have also lost the guild altogether."
"I am afraid that we will be swept by this terrifying tide, but it seems like we do not have any other choice," he said while continuing to wear such a grim expression. "Since we are being pushed this mysteriousness veiling the game, I guess all we can do is ride the waves and enjoy the process."
Felicia seemed to have sensed something from his current move and asked. "Are you planning to gather the others from the sect and lead them?"
Felix thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah! I prefer being like this – moving with freedom."
"Let us see what is waiting for us up ahead before thinking about that matter," he added before increasing his speed.
Felicia stared at her brother’s back for quite a while before looking at the name of the quest that had dragged them into this situation. "The Echoes of the Ocean Legends."
...
