Chapter 663: Flipping The Tale

In a quiet high-society villa that had remained silent for several months, light flashed before disappearing again, instantly silenced by Leo's shadow.

This luxury building was one of the few safe houses that Leo set his sights on after scouring the entirety of Enigma City in preparation for any emergency escape.

Naturally, in order to fit his criteria, the villa had to be practically abandoned, so things like electricity or water had long been cut off.

However, for someone like Leo who had been preparing for the possibility of an upcoming apocalypse, such limitations weren't really an issue.

Click!

Having taken out an electricity generator that had been filled to the brim with fuel, Leo plugged the screen up with a mini-receiver of his own, putting on the main news channel that covered the everyday happenings of Enigma City.

"No way! So you are saying that the Hero of Light has now become a criminal?!"

"Rather, I would say she has been a Villain from the very start. The so-called Aurora Dawnbringer was merely a front she put on to trick everyone."

Sitting on a slick table, the channel's number one news reporter faced the city's most popular expert in the affairs of Heroes and Villains.

When listening to the words of such a trustworthy source, most people would still believe some of the things he said even if they were all complete bullshit.

"Come on now, this has to be a joke, right? Everyone knows how much Aurora has contributed to the city. In fact, wasn't she just finishing up a long but successful Gate Clearing Campaign just for the sake of the people's safety?"

By setting one of the conversation holders on Aurora's side, the agenda behind this news report wasn't repulsively obvious.

Instead, it gave the viewer the impression they were fighting for their Hero's reputation.

"It's precisely this campaign that ended up uncovering this fake Hero's villainous intentions!"

"You could possibly be referring to the shaky accusation that Aurora attacked her own teammates? Thousands of people online are claiming it's a frame-up job until proper proof is established."

"Hm! That's merely one of the many insidious things we have uncovered, but it's beyond the point. There is a much bigger reason why Aurora could no longer be reconciled with, and it all lies in the very last Gate that she had cleared with her villainous companion."

Pat! Pat!

"Come, sit down. The questions you had are all about to be answered."

Removing the cover of one sofa and patting away the dust, Leo invited Aurora and Kara over.

Aside from the unexpected sped-up denouncement brought by the direct skip to the finale, everything had been rolling exactly as it did in the novel without fail.

Once the time to denounce Aurora came, this kind of news report was scheduled for airing immediately after, forcing the people into a state of confusion before enough time passed for the people to question the City Council's actions.

In a way, this was the start of the biggest reveal that the City of Villains had to offer.

"Mhm."

Walking to the sofa with lost eyes, Aurora sat down after barely letting out an audible confirmation.

So far, her heart had been roiling at the claims being thrown her way, but she kept together in hope of finally figuring everything out.

"You see. According to an exclusive report I received from the Hero Association, Aurora was given specific instructions before she went into that last Gate, and she did the exact opposite of what she was supposed to do!"

"Instructions? Since when do Gates require instructions for clearing? As far as everyone knows, clearing the Gates is all about defeating the challenge presented inside. That challenge is mostly just defeating monsters, though."

'Ridiculous!'

While she did her best to sit still, Aurora's eyes were bulging in retort.

What instructions?! Just as Leo said, it seemed like everything was just made-up bullshit!

While this whole situation stressed her out, the fact that this was bound to happen in any case made her relax a little.

It wasn't that she did something wrong! She was the victim all along!

"That's just what it's like on the surface, but Special Gates are truly different. While some of them just propose a more difficult challenge and bigger consequences, and some hold bizarre encounters, the really important ones can affect the fate of the entire planet, and that last Gate was precisely that kind of Gate."

"Affect the fate of the entire planet?!"

"Precisely! Those who enter that Gate are meant to be the representatives of our home world, which is why the number 1 Hero of Light was picked. Inside, they were presented with a choice and a respective challenge, and on that choice hinges the fate of the entire planet."

"Aren't they telling the truth for once?"

Having sat next to Aurora at some point, the silent Kara let out an innocent comment.

So far, the build-up had been full of lies, but the way they explained the Main Encroachment Gate was rather apt.

"If anything, their description is too accurate, as if they went in there with us."

"Just wait for it; the real shitshow is just about to start."

Although it was rather boring to hear the same news report that Leo already read in the novel, watching the reactions of the characters sitting next to him made it worthwhile.

In fact, Leo was barely holding himself back from spoiling everything.

While he wasn't the type of person to spoiler bomb others, all real readers felt a kind of thrill from revealing the 'future' with the permission of the listener, of course.

Impatient readers online were some of Leo's favorite people.

"This Gate was meant to act as some kind of post office, and Great visitors from beyond our world had sent us news of their arrival. Those who enter the Gate are given the choice to acknowledge that intent and send them a proper invitation. Unfortunately, the ungrateful Aurora had disregarded their goodwill and declared them invaders, all in an attempt to deprive us of their indispensable favor!"