Chapter 1672: I truly hope we do not end up killing each other
Soon, another vehicle arrived at the accident site.
Its dark frame rolled to a stop beside the wreckage, and several pink-striped black mech-suits quickly jumped out. Without wasting a second, they secured the goods and loaded everything into the vehicle. Not once did they spare a glance toward the corpses lying across the empty road.
The bodies remained where they had fallen, illuminated only by the pale glow of distant evening as the vehicle disappeared into the darkness.
"Hmffff!"
Lackey let out a muffled noise from deep within his throat.
His mouth was tightly gagged, and a rough sack covered his entire head, trapping him in suffocating darkness. His hands were cuffed behind his back, cutting off any hope of comfortable movement.
More importantly, he still couldn’t understand why the hell that female mech-suit had done this to him.
Yup, she was the one responsible.
Before he could even react, she had forced him down, restrained him, and tossed him into the back of this van like a worthless piece of garbage. To make matters worse, his legs had been cuffed as well, leaving him completely helpless.
’*Fuck... fuck!*’
Lackey cursed inwardly as he strained against the restraints.
Muscles tightened beneath his skin. Veins bulged along his arms as he tried to force the cuffs apart through sheer strength alone.
Nothing happened!
These fucking cuffs were tougher than the cage he had been trapped in a few days ago.
Ever since arriving in this world, he had deliberately chosen silence. He knew nothing about this place. The smartest choice had been to observe, gather information, and figure out how to survive with the help of... Epsilon.
But now?
Everything was completely fucked.
And from what he had seen, this particular mech-suit powerful than the others.
That raised another question.
Why didn’t they send people like her to conquer his world?
Just looking at that mech-suit, Lackey knew that without his powers, he would have stood absolutely no chance. The speed alone had been terrifying.
Sure, his perception could follow her movements.
But seeing something and reacting to it were two completely different things.
She was just similar to the Arcane King he encountered before.
And what the fuck was this nonsense about "dissecting him"?
The word alone sent an unpleasant chill through his thoughts.
For a brief moment, he remembered Xara.
The memory surfaced without warning before he immediately crushed it.
’*Now isn’t the time for that... I need to escape.*’
Lackey focused and reached toward the one person who might still be able to help him.
The one person residing within his Umbra Sanctum.
A faint ripple appeared inside the moving van.
The air twisted.
A swirling portal formed like a miniature whirlpool suspended in space, layers of gold and light rotating around each other. From within that distortion stepped a completely white-clothed figure.
Its back was bent forward at a ninety-degree angle.
A staff in its hand steadied its steps like a third leg.
A moment later, the portal slowly collapsed behind it.
Crack!
The instant the figure fully emerged, a crackling sound echoed inside the chamber and in the next instant, the air pathways vibrated as air rushed inward from every direction.
No.
Not merely air but energy!
The energies within the surroundings were pulled toward the figure like water rushing into a drain. Its white robes fluttered violently as invisible currents poured through the folds of fabric.
Crack... Crack... Crack....
Lackey froze.
His ears twitched beneath the sack.
In front of him, the unnaturally bent figure slowly began to straighten.
Ninety degrees.
Eighty-eight.
Eighty-seven.
Eighty-five.
Each movement was accompanied by the disturbing sounds of bones shifting and muscles spasming back into place. The noise echoed throughout the van.
’*What the hell is that sound?*’
Lackey frowned.
His senses caught every crack, every pop, every strange shift in the air.
Was it because of the portal?
Or was Prophetess doing something?
"Hmmfff! Hmffff!"
Unable to speak, Lackey desperately wriggled across the floor, attempting to attract her attention.
The Prophetess remained still.
For several seconds, she appeared completely absorbed in something invisible, her golden aura gently flowing around her body like drifting sunlight.
Only then did she lower her gaze toward him.
A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
She tilted her head slightly before continuing.
*Is this... another one of your wives’ hobbies?*
When he heard that, veins bulged across Lackey’s forehead beneath the sack.
"HLMMM!!"
The muffled shout exploded from his throat as he twisted across the van floor, trying his absolute best to communicate through the gag.
The Prophetess, who was still basking in the invisible stream of energy flowing around her, lowered her gaze toward the wriggling figure. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before a thoughtful expression appeared on her face.
*You look a little... cute?*
For several seconds, silence filled the van.
Or at least, silence from her side.
Lackey nearly had a stroke.
’*What the fuck?! I need help, you insane woman!*’
His entire body convulsed with frustration as he continued struggling against the restraints.
The Prophetess tilted her head slightly, watching him roll around the floor like a trapped animal.
Then her expression softened.
*Sorry, child. But I cannot help you.*
Lackey immediately froze.
Even his wriggling stopped.
Beneath the sack, his brows knitted together in confusion.
What the hell did she mean she couldn’t help him?
The Prophetess calmly continued.
*This is something you must see through yourself.*
Her voice remained gentle, yet strangely firm.
*You chose this path. You chose to believe it was the correct one. Because of that... I shall respect your choice.*
Lackey’s confusion only deepened.
What did any of that have to do with helping him escape right now?
Crack...
Crackk...
The disturbing sounds continued to echo throughout the van.
Muscles beneath the Prophetess’s white robes spasmed and shifted. Bones slowly adjusted themselves as her posture continued to straighten little by little.
She stared quietly at the silent Lackey before speaking again.
*Need not worry.*
A faint smile appeared on her face.
*You will be fine... I think.*
Lackey’s eye twitched beneath the sack.
’*You think?!*’
His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
’*Fucker, I brought you here, and this is what I get in return? Fuck you!*’
Fury surged through him.
He immediately resumed his desperate attempts to break free, throwing his body against the restraints.
Watching him struggle, the Prophetess let out a small sigh.
*So impatient. Just like always...*
The words escaped her lips as a quiet murmur.
Her gaze then drifted away from him and settled upon the metallic wall of the van.
Yet her eyes seemed to be focused far beyond it.
Far beyond the vehicle.
Far beyond the city itself.
’*It’s about time to release the final lock.*’
The thought crossed her mind.
Slowly, her crouched posture continued to rise.
The unnatural bend in her spine gradually lessened.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Then—
BUFF!
A sudden burst of air erupted from within her robes.
The confined interior of the van shook slightly as pressure rippled outward.
For a brief moment, a white ribbon slipped from beneath the hood of her hoodie, dancing through the air before gently falling back inside.
The golden aura around her body brightened.
Her once ninety-degree bent frame had now straightened considerably.
Forty-five degrees.
"Hmmm~"
She hummed softly before giving a satisfied nod.
’*Now this feels... much better.*’
A long breath escaped her lips.
Something that had apparently been absent for a very long time.
Then she glanced toward Lackey once more.
*Good luck.*
Lackey frowned beneath the sack.
’*Good luck?*’
The words immediately filled him with unease.
’*What does she mean, good luck? Is she leaving? Damn it, woman! At least help me before you leave!*’
His thoughts erupted into frantic panic.
Then he felt it.
A subtle shift beneath him.
The van was slowing down.
The vibrations beneath the floor weakened.
Moments later, the vehicle came to a complete stop.
The Prophetess seemed to notice it as well.
Her expression became unusually calm.
Almost melancholic.
*When the time arrives...* she said softly.
Her eyes lingered on him for a brief moment.
*I truly hope we do not end up killing each other.*
Lackey’s thoughts came to a complete halt.
’*What—?*’
THUD!
Before he could process the meaning behind those words, the rear doors of the van swung open.
Cold light spilt into the dark interior.
Standing outside was Genome Beta.
Her gaze swept across the compartment.
Two unconscious products.
One violently wriggling product.
"Take the other two to the detention cells. Move him to the laboratory immediately~"
