Rise of the Rejected Deity from Chaos-Chapter 180 - 179: The Real vs The Fake [1]
The commander's assistant was surprised by this, as was Seiya who remained silent, thinking up a response. To him, he preferred to remain in the background, avoiding the crowd. Besides, he doubted the association had much to offer him.
"But commander, he isn't an awakener, so how can he become an HS? Only Awakeners are qualified to be Humanity Saviors," the assistant said, a hint of spite in his voice.
"While that is true, there's no law against a non-awakener becoming a Humanity Savior, is there?" The commander asked, expression soft. "There will be nothing stopping him if he's willing to train, get strong, and serve his country."
The assistant would've liked to protest more, but he didn't have tangible points to oppose the commander's suggestion, as all his oppositions were based on his personal feelings toward Seiya.
"So? What do you think?" The commander asked, turning to Seiya.
"I do not wish to become a Humanity Savior," Seiya replied calmly. "There are things for me to do, and adding more will only make things complicated."
The commander could only wonder what a young boy like him had to do, that he refused such an opportunity, saying it'll only complicate things. He thought back to Kaeliyus talking about the boy having been through a lot…it now appears to be so indeed.
Without probing further, the commander accepted Seiya's answer. "Ok then, we should go eat dinner," he said, rising from the bed.
Although Seiya was a bit surprised that his food wasn't brought to him, but instead, he was having it with the commander, he didn't react at all, and followed the commander.
At the dining hall, a long table stretched from end to end, with chairs neatly arranged along its sides. The commander sat at its head, and just beside him, in the first seat, sat Seiya—placed there at the commander's own request.
The assistant served them food, and they started eating in silence. The commander occasionally stole glances at Seiya, wanting to strike up a conversation but too hesitant that he couldn't even speak.
After a while, when they were almost done with the food, the commander finally spoke, asking. "Your eyes, is there an artifact that enables you to see through the blindfold?"
Seiya paused, turning to the commander out of mere courtesy. "No," he replied, puzzling both the commander and the assistant.
"Then, how do you see?" The commander pressed. "Is it by spatial awareness or something?"
"He cannot use spatial awareness if he's a mere human," the assistant chimed in from where he stood behind the commander.
"Oh, true," the commander nodded.
"Just how do you see if not with an artifact?" The assistant asked, his tone a bit aggressive.
"I see with my eyes as is," Seiya replied.
"??! What do you mean by that?" The assistant sneered. "Are you taking us for fools? If you don't want to say it, then don't. No need to lie."
The commander turned to his assistant, gesturing to him with a hand to step back, and stop being so rough.
Turning back to Seiya, the commander's expression softened. "How is that? Don't your eyes hurt? They were bleeding a while ago, so I assumed they were injured? Moreover, it isn't possible for normal eyes to see with such thick blindfold on, so how?" He asked softly.
"Just…" Seiya paused…watching the commander and his assistant's ears perk up. "I'm just able to see like that," he blurted flatly.
The commander remained staring, feeling Seiya didn't want to speak about this, and he didn't want to push any further. The assistant on the other hand, just sighed in irritation, still spiteful toward Seiya.
"Hahaha, I see," the commander chuckled awkwardly, facing his food. They continued the rest of the meal in silence, and when they finished, Seiya went back to the chambers, retiring for the night.
The commander stayed back with his assistant, having something to do before joining Seiya.
As Seiya lay face up on the bed, his thoughts drifted to Kaeliyus—the clone he had sent on a mission.
Kael, he called softly. How's the mission?
There was a slight delay before Kaeliyus' clone's response came through. My Lord, greetings, he said.
The mission is progressing quite well, I'd say. I've set up a barrier around the house. The man is still skeptical whether I'll do a good job but he says if I'm able to keep him safe through the night since the organization will attack tonight….he'll hire me.
Ok. Make sure to do a good job.
Yes, my Lord. Have a good night.
Seiya emptied every thought from his mind, relaxed his muscles and drifted into a deep slumber.
****
In the restricted zone where Kaeliyus and the demon had clashed, moonlight draped the land in a pale, silvery glow—the sole illumination in the darkness.
What had once been a barren stretch of land, dotted only with sparse bushes, had now become a wasteland of shattered earth and scattered debris. The metal net gate that once sealed off the area lay mangled and torn, a casualty of the storm unleashed within. All around them was ruin—a stark testament to the violence of their encounter.
On one end stood Kaeliyus, and on the other, the demon—both bloodied, both broken. They were soaked in crimson, their bodies bearing the toll of a brutal duel.
From Kaeliyus's side, his arm had been torn clean from the shoulder, blood dripping in a slow, relentless rhythm onto the ground. And yet, he laughed—a deep, echoing sound that rang through the night, fierce and unyielding.
The other demon mirrored Kaeliyus, matching his energy with the same unruly laugh as even he bore a deep gashing wound across his chest. His once neat attire had now turned tattered and soaked in blood beyond recognition.
Both their chests rose and fell as they breathed, the fatigue accumulated from the fight taking its toll on them—but neither was ready to yield. They had a goal, and were hell bent on reaching it.
"All this would've easily been avoided if you had thought things through, and chose the right way," the demon huffed, his grin never faltering.
Kaeliyus chuckled, his severed arm regrowing as he responded. "I'm afraid the fun can only be found in the hard way, don't hold it against me now."
"You are the one who shouldn't hold it against me when I rip off your head, and crush your hearts one after the other," the demon taunted, grinning.
"Enough chatter now, because I wouldn't want this fight stretching into morning," Kaeliyus said, and in an instant, he lunged forward, heading straight at the demon—resuming the fight.
*****
The next morning, Seiya and the commander could be seen in the dining, having breakfast together—the assistant standing behind the commander as usual.
When Seiya awoke a while ago, the commander had invited him to join him for breakfast, which Seiya didn't protest, and joined after having a bath.
They ate their meal in silence, and after finishing, Seiya rose to leave—heading back inside the chambers.
"Seiya," the commander called just as Seiya got to the door, halting him mid-step.
"Would you like to come to my office?" He asked. The assistant's brows wrinkled, features twisting in disbelief at the commander's suggestion.
The commander gazed at Seiya from his seat, and when Seiya didn't reply and only kept staring, he got nervous, thinking he had said something he shouldn't have.
"I mean, since you refuse to mingle with the others, and spend the whole time cooped in the chambers, I thought you'd want to change things up a bit," he explained, cold, nervous sweat beading his face.
Without turning, Seiya focused briefly on the assistant's face filled with disdain and irritation, before turning to the commander.
"I will like that," Seiya replied, unbothered by the assistant's annoyed expression toward him.
The assistant's face turned more rigid, angrier that Seiya saw his disapproval, yet ignored it and accepted the commander's offer.
"That's great. I'll get ready right away, please wait a moment," the commander said, rising from his seat and hurrying to his chambers to change.
Left in the dining hall with the assistant, Seiya turned to leave but was halted once again by the assistant.
"Wait," he said, stepping forward to block Seiya's path. "Listen carefully. You might take the commander for a fool because of how openly he treats you—but don't even think of doing anything reckless. I don't know what scheme you and that demon are hiding, but understand this: if you try anything, you won't leave here alive."
His eyes burned into Seiya's, cold and lethal, lingering a moment longer before he turned and walked away.
"I'll kill him after getting my ID," Seiya muttered as he watched him go.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
{You should,} Ibyu chimed. {Looking at you with such eyes, how dare he?}
"Right," Seiya said and left, going to put on his mask over the blindfold. He met the commander when he was done, and they walked together to his office.
The commander offered Seiya a seat in the offcie, while he sat on his regular chair across his desk. He wanted to start up a conversation with Seiya when his assistant came in with a message.
"The Korean Humanity Savior, Im Seun, is here with his assistant," he relayed, eyes shifting toward Seiya and back.
"Bring them in," the commander ordered.
