Chapter 140: Elio’s Origin

Apollo’s expression had become grim.

"Only two?"

"Two children who managed to inherit the Serpent God’s power without dying in the process."

Elio raised his right hand and examined it as though he were looking at something that didn’t belong to him.

"But even then, Elysia’s experiment wasn’t a complete success. The power didn’t transfer as a single, unified inheritance. Instead, it divided between us. We each inherited a different set of abilities, and neither of us possessed the complete power of the Serpent God."

Levi frowned.

"You’re saying the two of you inherited separate portions of the same Archduke’s power?"

"Precisely."

"And you believe Crimson-Crow intends to reunite them?"

"I don’t merely believe it."

For the first time, Elio’s voice carried unmistakable conviction.

"I’m certain of it."

He lowered his hand.

"The other survivor and I escaped Crimson-Crow years ago. We didn’t leave together. We couldn’t. The circumstances surrounding our escape forced us to separate, and neither of us knew whether the other had survived until much later."

Elio fell silent for a moment.

"When we escaped, we were children. We had no resources, no allies we could trust, and no way to fight an organization that had already proven it could kill without hesitation. We survived because we ran."

His eyes hardened.

"But running doesn’t erase the past."

He looked around the room.

"Elysia lost two of her most valuable experiments. Two living remnants of the Serpent God, carrying powers she had spent years trying to create. Do you honestly believe he’d simply accept that loss?"

Nobody answered.

"He’s been searching for us ever since. And now, after everything that happened at the tournament, I believe she has decided to stop waiting."

Apollo’s brow furrowed.

"Why now?"

"Because the tournament gave Crimson-Crow an opportunity to act without drawing immediate suspicion toward its true objectives. The attack may have been intended to accomplish several things, but I doubt it was the ultimate goal."

Elio paused.

"Whatever Elysia’s plans are, I suspect they’re already moving forward. She may have located one of us. She may even know where we both are."

"And what happens if she finds you?" Levi asked.

Elio looked at him as though the answer should have been obvious.

"She’ll try to make us kill each other."

The room fell silent again.

"If one of us kills the other, the surviving half may be able to absorb the missing portion of the Serpent God’s power. Whether that would actually work is another matter. We were never meant to survive the fusion in the first place, and nobody knows what would happen if the two inheritances were reunited."

His expression turned cold.

"But Elysia has never been particularly concerned with the risks."

Apollo slowly leaned back in his chair.

For the first time since the meeting began, he seemed to have run out of immediate questions.

"The Crimson-Crow Guild..."

He stared at the desk, his expression growing darker with every passing second.

"They’ve effectively created two halves of a human Archduke."

The words sounded almost absurd when spoken aloud.

Yet the evidence was sitting directly in front of them.

"And now," Apollo continued, "they intend to combine those halves into a single existence."

"A being that might rival an Archduke in power," Levi added.

"Or something even worse," Choi muttered.

Nobody contradicted him.

The Archdukes were among the most dangerous entities in the Abyss. Their power was so immense that even the strongest Awakened understood that a fight with an Archduke would effectively be a suicide.

An individual capable of approaching that level of power, while also possessing the potential to break through the System’s limitations, would represent a threat unlike anything humanity had ever faced.

And Crimson-Crow wanted to create one.

Neville had gone completely still.

Until now, he had listened with the same detached expression he often wore during meetings. But as Apollo spoke, something had changed in his eyes.

His expression had darkened more than anyone else’s.

He looked thoughtful.

Almost as though Elio’s words had confirmed a suspicion he had carried for a long time.

Levi noticed.

"Neville?"

The blonde-haired Awakened didn’t respond immediately.

He continued staring at Elio, his green eyes unreadable.

Then he blinked.

"What?"

"You’ve been awfully quiet."

"Have I?"

Levi studied him for another moment, but Neville had already turned his attention toward the window again.

"Just thinking," he replied.

It wasn’t an explanation.

Everyone in the room knew it.

Nevertheless, nobody pressed him further.

Choi was the first to break the silence.

"Regardless of what Crimson-Crow intends to do, we cannot allow them to succeed."

His voice was unusually firm.

"An organization already filled with rogue Awakened, led by a woman willing to murder children for the sake of an experiment, cannot be permitted to possess an individual who might rival an Archduke."

He turned toward Elio.

"Which brings me to the reason I invited you here."

Elio raised an eyebrow.

"Let me guess. You want me to join the Association?"

"That would be the most sensible course of action."

Choi folded his hands on the desk.

"With the Association’s resources, we can provide you with protection, investigate Crimson-Crow’s movements, and prevent Elysia from getting her hands on the power you possess. You would also be in a position to cooperate with us in locating the other survivor."

"Protection," Elio repeated.

He glanced around the room.

"That’s a rather generous offer, considering your organization couldn’t prevent the incident at its own tournament."

Choi’s expression twitched.

"You’re free to criticize our security failures. However, I would remind you mosr of the civilians present only survived the tournament because our people were fighting to protect everyone involved."

Elio sighed.

"Still, you must understand my position. I’ve spent years avoiding Crimson-Crow. I’ve survived by trusting very few people, and now you’re asking me to place my safety in the hands of an organization that has only just begun investigating the people hunting me."

"We’re not asking you to trust us blindly," Apollo interjected.

His voice was calm, but there was a weight behind it that silenced the room.

"We’re offering you an alternative. You can continue running from Crimson-Crow, hoping they don’t find you before you become strong enough to defend yourself. Or you can work with us and help ensure that what happened to you doesn’t happen to anyone else."

Elio studied the chairman.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Elio let out a quiet breath.

"You’re a convincing man, Chairman."

Apollo leaned forward.

"You don’t need to give me an answer today. Think about it. If you decide to accept, we’ll discuss the details. If you refuse, that won’t change our responsibility to prevent Crimson-Crow from carrying out its plans."

"I’ll think about it."

Choi nodded, though the tension in his shoulders didn’t disappear.

"That’s all we can ask for at the moment."

Apollo closed the folder in front of him.

"There’s one more thing I need to know. You said there were two survivors."

Elio’s expression changed.

He looked down for a moment before raising his eyes again.

"Her name is Seraphina."

Levi’s brow furrowed.

"Seraphina..."

Apollo repeated the name quietly, committing it to memory.

"Do you know where she is?"

"No."

The answer was immediate.

"Not with certainty."

Elio stood from his chair and adjusted his coat.

"But if Elysia is moving now, then I doubt she’ll remain hidden forever."

He turned toward the door.

"And when Crimson-Crow finally finds her, I suspect the entire world will learn what happens when someone tries to turn the remains of an Archduke into a weapon."

With that, Elio left the room.

The door clicked shut behind him.

For several seconds, none of the men spoke.

Then Choi exhaled and sank back into his chair.

"...Well. That explains why Crimson-Crow has been moving so strangely."

Levi folded his arms.

"It also means our problems are considerably worse than we thought."

Apollo stared at the closed door.

"Contact the Gatewalkers. I want every record we have on Elysia, the Serpent God’s remains, and any incidents involving unusual inheritance abilities. Quietly. If Crimson-Crow really is pursuing this, we cannot afford to alert them that we know."

"Understood," Choi replied.

Apollo’s gaze shifted toward Neville.

"And you?"

Neville had already risen from his chair.

"I’ll look into a few things myself."

"Anything specific?"

Neville paused at the door.

For an instant, his expression seemed almost troubled.

"No. Not yet."

He opened the door and stepped into the corridor.

Behind him, Apollo and the others resumed their discussion, unaware of the thoughts turning over in Neville’s mind.