Seducing the Guideverse With My System — Raising an Anomaly [BL]

Chapter 279: _Let This Be A Lesson

In A Secluded Hotel Room In Aurelia

The room was dimly lit by a lamp with a golden light. The interior design was nothing too extravagant—large purple curtains were set over the windows, shutting anyone within it off completely from the outside world.

Kali sat at the centre of the room, cross-legged with her eyes shut. She was in deep meditation, a faint shroud of violet energy surrounding her.

All around the city there were invisible projections of her moving around. Searching for the Void Entity. She reached out to every faint trace of its energy that she could grasp.

She’s been at this for hours. The most frustrating part is that she knew she was close to finding it. She could feel it in her soul. But each time she got near tracking it—the energy traces would fade as though they never existed.

"Come on," she mumbled. "Where are you hiding? Why did you capture that boy?"

Her forehead creased.

Wait.

There was finally something!

One of her projections miles away outside the city, flew over a seemingly normal-looking piece of land. It was covered in nothing but grass as far as the eyes could see, only a few trees dotting it.

Crickets chittered into the night.

But there was something off.

The air was too still.

She couldn’t detect any trace of life. Not even rodents or tiny insects. Almost as though someone had exterminated every last one of them with deliberate precision.

Or more accurately: something.

Her vision scoured the land like a bird of prey, searching keenly for any anomalies.

There has to be a reason why this particular projection of herself was suddenly drawn to this place. After some thought, she descended to the ground.

That’s when it happened.

Her instincts exploded as the sky suddenly got swallowed in a darkness thicker than even the night itself. It was so unexpected that a gasp escaped the real Kali back in her hotel room.

The projection tried to escape, flying off the ground and shifting backwards fast. Only for the darkness to close in from every angle, blocking off any exit.

"No!" Her projection snarled. "Show yourself. I know you’re out there some—"

"You’re nothing but a temporary inconvenience, human." A voice—androgynous, familiar and absolutely spine-chilling—wrapped around her projection. "There’s nothing to see here."

Kali hissed. "If there were nothing you wouldn’t be blocking my vision with your darkness." She searched desperately around herself for an opening. Anything at all she could use as a clue.

"I’ve tolerated your prying long enough," the voice added coldly. "Let this be a lesson to you and the others."

With that—the darkness consumed Kali’s projection completely. She screamed, her body in the hotel room spasming until her eyes bolted open.

A strained breath left her.

She doubled over, clutching her chest as every other projection of herself around the city and beyond slammed into her within seconds.

Silence.

As she caught her breath, swallowing hard like it was stone, images of the open field flashed through her head again. She could remember the exact coordinates.

Something was definitely happening down there.

The question is... what? Where could the Void Entity possibly be hiding there?

★★★★★

"So," Valentine clasped his palms together. "While we ignore the fact that Ambrose has added yet another Esper to the harem—"

"It’s not a harem." Ambrose rubbed a hand down his face from where he sat in the living room. "Just—"

"Not to mention it’s an SSS-Rank," Viktor chimed in. "Who next? A dungeon beast? An actual god?"

"You guys, please," Devon sighed. "Can we not do this right now?"

"Hence why I said we should ignore it," Valentine spoke again. "For now at least." His eyes swept past every last one of them—Viktor, Gabriel and Devon.

Before locking on to Ambrose. "So what’s the plan and where exactly are Orion and Dorothy now? According to your... system."

Ambrose sucked a breath before he began. "It’s kinda hard to explain the location," he took a look at the blinking system map in front of him. "It’s somewhere north of Aurelia. An open field with no buildings or civilization for several acres."

Gabriel frowned. "An open field?" He leaned closer, eyes narrowing on Ambrose. "No buildings? No roads? Nothing?"

"Nothing that stands out." Ambrose pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just grassland stretching for acres with a couple of trees scattered around. The signal refuses to move from that exact location."

Viktor folded his arms. "That doesn’t sound like somewhere people hide."

"It also doesn’t sound like somewhere you’d keep a kidnapped child," Valentine added. "Unless the hideout isn’t above ground."

"That..." Ambrose nodded slowly. "That was my first thought too."

Devon exchanged a glance with Gabriel.

"So we’re wasting time sitting here." Gabriel pushed himself off the couch. "I’ll open a portal."

Viktor was already summoning icy mist around his fingertips.

"The sooner we move," he muttered, "the sooner we get Orion back."

"Agreed." Valentine adjusted his sunglasses. "We’ve let Dorothy dictate the pace long enough."

Just as Gabriel stretched out his hand—

"Wait." Devon’s voice cut cleanly through the room.

Everyone stopped.

The S-Rank turned toward Ambrose instead of Gabriel.

"Before everyone starts rushing off..." he spoke calmly, "what exactly was your plan?"

Ambrose blinked. "My plan?"

"Yes." Devon nodded once. "When you first woke up, before you told any of us where Orion was. What were you planning to do?"

Silence.

Gabriel slowly lowered his hand.

Valentine’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Viktor seemed to realise where Devon was going with this.

All while Ambrose sighed.

"I..." He rubbed the back of his neck before giving up entirely. "I was going to head there by myself."

The room froze.

Gabriel stared. "You’re joking."

"No. I’m not."

Viktor looked genuinely horrified. "Rory... that’s not bravery."

"That’s insanity." Valentine didn’t even bother hiding his disbelief. "You intended to walk into wherever the Void Entity is hiding. Alone."

Ambrose met his gaze. "Yes."

Devon closed his eyes for a brief second before exhaling through his nose. "I figured."

"You figured?" Gabriel shot him a look.

"I know him." Devon’s attention never left Ambrose. "He already made up his mind before telling us."

Ambrose couldn’t even deny it. "I have to."

"No, you don’t," Viktor fired back immediately. "You have two S-Rank Espers and two SS-Rank Espers willing to risk their lives for Orion too."

Despite himself, Ambrose almost smiled.

Almost.

Then Orion’s terrified screams echoed through his memories again. His expression hardened. "That’s exactly why I have to go alone."

The others fell quiet.

He continued. "Think about the warehouse." His voice remained steady despite the ache in his chest. "The second Dorothy realised she was cornered... what happened?"

"She ran," Valentine answered.

"She ran with Orion." Ambrose nodded. "She didn’t even try fighting."

"And if we repeat that?" His silver eyes swept across everyone gathered there.

"What if she escapes again? What if next time she doesn’t stop inside Aurelia? What if she disappears to another country? Or another continent?"

Every possibility made his stomach twist tighter.

"By the time we find them again..." his jaw clenched, "who knows what she’ll do to Orion."

Nobody interrupted him.

"The Void Entity wants me. So I guess I’ll give it exactly what it wants."

Gabriel frowned deeply. "And what happens after you get there?"

Ambrose opened his mouth but nothing came out. Several seconds passed before he admitted quietly. "I don’t know."

The honesty in that answer somehow frightened them more than false confidence ever could.

"But I’ll figure it out. I always do." He looked toward Devon first. "I’m not asking any of you to abandon me. Just don’t make yourselves obvious. Stay nearby. If anything goes wrong... then come."

Another silence settled over the living room.

Finally, Valentine sighed. "I hate this plan."

"So do I," Viktor admitted.

Gabriel scratched the back of his neck. "It feels like we’re deliberately letting you walk into a trap."

Devon stepped forward until he stood directly before Ambrose. "You’ll come back. Okay?" It wasn’t a request.

Ambrose smiled faintly. "I intend to."

★★★★★

Moonlight painted the endless field silver by the time Ambrose arrived.

The portal behind him sealed shut without a sound, leaving only the rustling of grass dancing beneath the evening breeze.

He stood perfectly still.

There was nothing.

No voices. No movement. No obvious signs of human activity.

Only the blinking system marker indicated Orion’s life signature remained somewhere nearby.

Ambrose started walking. Each step became slower than the last as his gaze swept across every inch of the landscape.

From grass. Then more grass.

A cluster of rocks.

Three scattered trees.

Nothing else.

His fingers tightened around the shaft of the Grave Keeper’s Scythe. "There has to be something..."

Minutes passed.

The system marker never shifted.

His breathing gradually slowed.

Then... His eyes caught something strange.

One of the trees several yards ahead leaned at an unnatural angle.

Unlike every other tree rooted firmly into the earth, this one looked disturbed. Its roots weren’t fully buried anymore.

Almost like someone had uprooted it... Then hurriedly shoved it back into place.

Ambrose approached cautiously.

The closer he got, the more wrong it looked. He reached forward, gripping the rough bark with both hands.

Aether flowed through his arms.

With one sharp pull—

CRACK!

The entire tree tore free from the ground.

Soil exploded outward. And beneath where it once stood, a massive hole descended into complete darkness.

Ambrose’s eyes narrowed.

Because at the bottom, just barely visible beneath the moonlight, was what appeared to be the entrance to an underground cave.