Chapter 368: The Empire’s Response [4]

[Thank you, Ethea! Thanks to your help, we managed to find out who the traitor is...]

Soren read the reply from the princess and fell into deep thought. ’So it was really a family connected to the Starlight family...’

Actually, he had been racking his mind for a way to lend a helping hand, something he could do from a distance while the Empire handled the situation in Kita City. During yesterday’s dinner with Ethea and Zura, they had discussed the Outcasts and the possibility of someone powerful backing them. That conversation had stuck with him throughout the night.

So during his occasional breaks, he had looked into everything related to the Outcasts, especially Lucent, and any families that might connect to them. That was when he found it. A fallen noble family called the Starlight family, which matched Lucent’s family name.

Soren knew it could easily be a coincidence, since several noble and ordinary families across the world shared the Starlight name. Even so, he decided to pass the clue along to the princess anyway. If it proved wrong, no harm was done, but if it turned out to be true, it would give the imperial court the missing piece they needed to pull the traitor out of the dark. And now, looking at the princess’s reply, it seemed his hunch had paid off.

’Now, we only have to wait and see...’

However, he didn’t have to wait too long. Within an hour, social media exploded with news regarding the liberation of Kita City and the fierce clash between the Outcasts and the Empire’s elite Shadow Unit, led directly by the Shadow Emperor.

Soren scrolled through the endless flood of headlines and live updates, a subtle smile curling at his lips. Although casualties were reported on both sides, the worst-case scenario, a total massacre of the city’s populace or a prolonged siege, had been successfully avoided. Half of the Outcast forces were eliminated in the strike, while the rest were taken into custody.

However, he soon furrowed his brows as he read through the list of wanted escapees. Three key figures had managed to slip through during the chaos. A young girl with a lollipop in her mouth, a bald man with a creepy smile, and a beautiful woman whose eyes were completely white, as if she were blind.

’...No, she is blind.’ Soren thought as he recalled what he learned about the outcasts. ’If I’m not mistaken, she was an assassin too.’

...A blind assassin. It really sounded strange, but the Outcasts weren’t exactly a normal group either.

’There must be a story behind it.’ Soren guessed. ’And the bald man...’

He was a spatial mage and a scientist. The reports called him a madman who had caused a massacre in one of the Empire’s research facilities years ago. He had opened a portal during an experiment, and it had connected to a gate instead of the intended destination. The monsters poured through, and everyone in the facility died. Everyone except him. He had escaped through his own portal before the authorities arrived and had been on the run ever since.

’He must have been the one who helped them teleport during the Bagdad incident.’ Soren narrowed his eyes, and his gaze shifted to the girl with a lollipop. ’...Is she a new member?’

There was no information about her online, and Ethea had never mentioned her before. So, either his guess was correct, or she had never appeared in public or taken part in any known operations until now. Either way, she was a variable they couldn’t afford to ignore.

’I hope they will be caught soon...’ He closed his phone and set it aside. He knew that although the Empire had won this battle, it wasn’t over yet. Outcasts would surely retaliate, and there was still their leader, a Sovereign, to take care of. ’...It is going to be a brutal battle.’

He sighed deeply, his hands clenching into tight fists in his lap. A bitter weight settled in his chest. As much as he wanted to step onto the battlefield and make a real difference, he knew the harsh truth: in his current state, he was still too weak to intervene in a clash among Sovereigns, outcasts, and imperial elites.

Suppressing his frustration, he closed his eyes and resumed cultivating. Soon after, Malakor’s voice echoed in his mind.

’Master, we have guests.’

’...’ Soren paused his cultivation and opened his eyes. ’How many?’

’...Five.’ Malakor replied. ’There is one Emperor as well.’

’I see.’ Soren’s eyes narrowed. ’Do they know our location?’

’...I think so. They must have someone with tracking abilities.’

’...They must know about your existence if they sent an Emperor,’ Soren theorized, and, recalling something, added, ’Can you describe their appearances?’

’From what I can sense,’ Malakor began, ’there are three men and two women. The Emperor is an older man with silver hair and a scar across his left cheek. The others are—’

A strange sensation washed over Soren, cutting Malakor’s voice off mid-sentence. The room around him dissolved into pitch black.

’...’

He felt the connection to Malakor and the outside world vanish completely. Yet, thanks to Eternal Bond, he could still faintly feel Ethea’s presence at the edge of his awareness, though the sensation felt muted, warped, and unnaturally distant.

’Am I... trapped in a domain or another dimension?’

Soren thought to himself and calmly activated Eyes of Truth.

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[Void Arena]

Classification: Pocket Dimension

Origin: ’Void Arena’ Ability

Description: A sealed battlefield created by the ability user. The target is trapped within an isolated dimension with no connection to the outside world. The environment is shaped by the caster’s will.

Atmospheric Mana: Suppressive

Effects:

- Sensory Dampening: Sound and light are muted, making it difficult to track enemies.

- Mana Drain: The trapped target’s mana is slowly drained over time.

- Caster’s Domain: The ability user can sense everything within the arena and manipulate the terrain to an unlimited extent.

- ...

- ...

Exit Condition: Only the ability user can release the target from this space. Killing the ability user will also cause the dimension to collapse.

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’So I was righ-!’