Free Web NovelChapter 242: _Can’t Afford Making Me Your Enemy
"I should... start talking?" Ambrose repeated Kali’s words like that was supposed to buy him any time.
Her expression remained stoic. "I know what you’re trying to do, Guide Ambrose... if that’s even your real name," she took two steps forward until her shadow draped over him like a cloak. "So I’ll say this one more time—start talking. Who are you really? How did you come to this world?"
Ambrose swallowed hard when he saw the sparks in those violet eyes.
He had to keep reminding himself that these people were triple S ranks. Existences so powerful and ominous that most in the world see them as myths.
So powerful that even the system wasn’t able to accurately scan one of them.
If he pissed off any of them, not even Valentine or Gabriel could save his ass. Heck not even the United States Federation.
Weighing all these odds, he pulled in a deep breath.
Here goes everything.
"My actual name is Benji Foster," he said flatly, his eyes sweeping past every face in the room. "And yes—my soul doesn’t belong in this world. I died in my original world and the next thing I know I found myself in this body. Acquiring all the memories of its previous owner."
[I hope you know what you’re doing.]
’I’m not dumb.’ His eyes hardened. ’Future Ambrose said I have to convince them I’m not an enemy.’
[Yes, but revealing your secrets?]
’Oh, Aura. You should know the best lies are those with just enough truth sprinkled in them...’
"How did you get here then?" Yemoja was the one to ask that. "An accident? Rift anomaly—"
"In my world all this—the Hunters, dungeon Rifts, monsters and the like," he paused. "They’re nothing but fiction. So you can imagine my absolute shock when I first arrived here."
"So you don’t know how your soul got here?"
"Nope." He lied through his teeth, expression plain as a board.
Kali’s brows furrowed. "And you don’t miss your original world? You’ve not tried finding a way to go back?"
Ambrose gave a look that spelt ’you’re joking, right?’
Seeing her lack of response, he sighed. "If I don’t know how I got here, how exactly do you expect me to find a way to go back?"
The five SSS-Ranks exchanged looks at that. Ambrose was no mood reader but he had a feeling they were buying his story so far.
Because it indeed had truth in it.
He just had to avoid talking about his Infinite Esper bond linking skill. Or Orion. Or the fact that he has Esper abilities and could get stronger.
And most of all... the system.
"What about the Void Entity?" Kali didn’t waste much time moving to her next question.
"... What about the Void Entity?"
"What’s your connection to it?"
Ambrose blinked once.
Then twice—selling his confusion.
"I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about."
[Looks like you’ve hit a wall there.]
’Not yet...’
His eyes flitted to Loki.
The Esper’s lips were curled with amusement, a hand on his waist and the other poised over his chin.
He had the asshole to blame for being here.
Tch. That’s what he gets for being friendly with a random.
"When we were first informed of the Void Entity’s threat level," Kali backed away by a couple of feet, "I used my abilities to attempt tracking it. During those attempts I discovered it was actively hiding from us... while searching for something."
"Someone." Loki added. "Thanks to Kali’s projections we were able to deduce that that someone was you. That and the fact that the United States Federation gave us a heads-up on all the weird circumstances you’ve survived made us realise—"
"Loki." Apollo rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That’s too much info."
"What?" Loki shrugged. "I mean he’s been truthful so far. It’s only fair we return the favour, especially since it involves him."
Ambrose squinted.
First ’Kali’ now ’Loki’?
Huh... so they really were named after gods.
"What we’re trying to figure out now," Apollo moved toward him, "is if indeed you’re the only reason the Void Entity is going about deleting cities and Hunters alike."
The implication behind those words wasn’t lost on Ambrose.
"And what if I am?" He found himself asking. "What if the Void Entity truly is after me? Then what?"
Apollo’s gaze lingered on him for several seconds.
Long enough for Ambrose to wonder if he’d finally said something stupid.
"I’m not sure what that would mean for you," the leader of the Pantheon admitted at last. "If the Void Entity truly is hunting you specifically, then you’re either the key to understanding it... or the catalyst behind everything we’ve witnessed."
The words made Ambrose’s stomach twist.
Before anyone else could speak, Wukong scratched the back of his head.
"Well," he shrugged. "There’s always the option of handing him over."
Silence.
Ambrose felt his blood run cold.
"Excuse me?" Yemoja snapped.
"What?" Wukong spread his arms. "The thing wants him. We give him up. Problem solved."
"Oh, brilliant." Loki clapped sarcastically. "Why stop there? Let’s also throw ourselves into the nearest volcano whenever life becomes mildly inconvenient."
"I’m being serious."
"And I’m trying very hard not to question how you’ve survived this long."
The two glared at each other.
Meanwhile Ambrose’s pulse hammered against his ribs.
Because for all the jokes... Wukong wasn’t entirely wrong. They could absolutely decide sacrificing him was the safest option.
"No."
Every head turned toward Ambrose as he slowly rose to his feet.
"Even if you hand me over, kill me, or lock me up somewhere underground forever, there’s no guarantee it’ll stop what’s coming."
The room went still.
"You don’t know what the Void Entity actually wants," he continued. "You don’t know what happens if it gets me. You don’t know if giving me up solves the problem or makes everything infinitely worse."
Apollo’s eyes narrowed.
Ambrose pushed forward anyway. "And if you kill me?" A bitter laugh escaped him. "Then congratulations. You’ve destroyed the one thing it’s been chasing."
No one interrupted.
"Nobody here knows why it’s after me. Nobody knows what happens if I disappear. For all we know, the second I’m gone it simply shifts its attention elsewhere."
His gaze swept across every member of the Pantheon.
"Maybe the next targets become all of you."
Even Loki looked stunned.
Where did this Guide get the gall to talk to them this way?
"So no," Ambrose said quietly. "You don’t have enough information to afford making me your enemy."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Apollo opened his mouth after several seconds—
—and suddenly every light in the chamber turned crimson.
A shrill alarm erupted throughout the underground base.
WARNING!
WARNING!
AETHER WARDS BREACHED.
The entire room froze.
Then another mechanical voice echoed through the facility.
"Unauthorised entities detected inside the base."
