Chapter 2814: Culprits

Published Mar 11, 2026, 03:34 PM

Chapter 2814: Culprits Emery stood at the center of the arena, his breathing steady. The Excalibur on his arm trembled faintly as its radiance faded, as though reluctant to be dismissed. There was still resistance within the blade—an echo of its will—, but it was nothing he could not suppress. With a quiet thought, he returned the sword to the sealed vault within his domain, its brilliance folding into silence. Across from him, Eeshoo hovered in the air for a moment longer before descending to the stone floor. He stood tall, composed as ever, yet no amount of pride or restraint could fully conceal the truth in his eyes. Defeat. "I will keep my promise," Eeshoo said at last, his voice calm but heavy. "Tell me what you need." Emery did not answer. He simply turned, his gaze shifting toward the figures approaching. Jinkan arrived first, her gaze darting between the two men, disbelief and agitation clear on her face. Atlas followed behind her. "What is this sudden duel all about?!" Jinkan demanded, her voice sharp. She did not wait for an answer before turning to Eeshoo, concern overriding her irritation. "You haven’t lost yet. You didn’t even summon your Aeons!" Eeshoo closed his eyes briefly, then allowed himself a faint, almost amused smile. "And he... he was also holding back." Eeshoo said calmly, opening his eyes and fixing them on Emery, "Your growth... is abnormal... Even by Nephilim standards." Emery did not respond. He did not explain. He did not deny it. Instead, he turned to Jinkan, his expression firm, all warmth gone. "Have you heard from the Grand Overseer yet?" The bluntness of the question caught her off guard. Annoyance flickered across Jinkan’s face. She clearly disliked his tone—but after a brief pause, she restrained herself. "No," she said curtly. "Not yet. He is our Grand Elder... I can’t summon him whenever I please." Emery gave a small nod, acknowledging the answer without accepting it. At the same time, a mental message slipped directly to Eeshoo. Eeshoo’s expression did not change. To anyone watching, he appeared perfectly composed. But his reply came instantly. Satisfied, Emery turned away from both Nephilim royals. He stepped toward Atlas and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "You and me," Emery said quietly. "Let’s catch up for a bit." Atlas met his gaze for a brief moment, then nodded. Without another word, the two of them departed the arena together. Jinkan watched them go, irritation bubbling to the surface once more—Ignored again. But before she could speak, Eeshoo interrupted her. "It’s been a while since I returned home," The words landed harder than she expected. She turned fully toward him, concern flooding her expression. "Are you alright?! You didn’t push yourself too far, did you? Don’t take the duel too hard—Emery is just... an anomaly. Yes... let’s return... You spent too much time in here... Rest for a few weeks. You’ll be fine." #### Emery and Atlas did not leave the Sanctum. Instead, they made their way toward one of the temporary guest residences—quiet, heavily warded structures designed for visitors who required discretion. Unlike the other two, Emery placed complete trust in the half-machine magus whom he had once helped free from Nephilim servitude. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞 "Did you find something amiss?" Atlas asked directly, wasting no time on pleasantries. "Yes," Emery replied. "She was taken." Atlas’s mechanical eye dimmed for a fraction of a second. The revelation startled him—but did not truly surprise him. "Did you have the data?" Emery asked. "Yes." During the two weeks Emery was trapped inside the Ancient Domain, Atlas had been working relentlessly. Even with Jinkan’s authority, access to Sanctum records was restricted—but Atlas’s hybrid nature gave him advantages no ordinary magus possessed. "I cross-referenced every individual who entered the Frozen Throne Trial over the last three years," Atlas said, projecting a data construct into the air. "Eighty-six groups. One hundred and fifty-two individuals. Twenty-four never returned." Faces appeared one by one. Names followed, along with incomplete profiles: faction affiliations, cultivation realms. Unfortunatly, the vision granted by the Ice Goddess was distorted, but with VIA’s reconstruction assistance, Emery managed to narrow the matches down to five. One name stood out immediately. Caelthar He did not recognize the man personally, but he recognized the family. "The Astiel family," Emery murmured. It took only a few seconds for the connection to surface. The two-Cosmos Grand Magus traced directly to a name Emery knew all too well. Ishtar. The moment her profile appeared, something dark surged within Emery’s chest. His breath stalled for half a heartbeat before he forced it steady again. He listened in silence as Atlas continued. Ishtar was indeed a registered member of the Sanctum. More than that—records showed that Klea had crossed paths with her multiple times over the past few years. None of the encounters were marked as friendly. Several were flagged internally for conflict, and though the details were sparse, the implication was unmistakable. Klea’s time in the Sanctum had not been peaceful. "That bitch..." Emery muttered under his breath. He said nothing further. Instead, he forced himself to remain still, methodically reviewing the remaining four candidates. One by one, they were eliminated—no suspicious movements, no unexplained disappearances, no connections that held weight. When the list was finally cleared, all of Emery’s restrained fury focused on a single name. Caelthar Astiel. As expected, the man had left the Sanctum two years ago. And he had not returned since. There was nothing more to uncover here. Emery straightened and turned to leave. Atlas reacted instantly, stepping into his path. "You’re not planning to barge into the Astiel homeworld, are you?" "Yes," Emery replied without hesitation. "I’ll do what needs to be done." Atlas stared at him for a long moment, then exhaled sharply. "Then I’m coming with you." x

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