Chapter 585: The False Captain Revealed
The sudden voice made Celeste’s face tighten in alarm. Ethan immediately spread his Soul Sense, but found nothing—no figures, no suspicious presences.
"Director Vaughn... what brings you here?" Celeste quickly regained her composure, her tone respectful and deferential.
"Celeste, it’s been far too long. I’ve been searching for you endlessly, and never expected you to be hiding here. Clever, very clever. The most dangerous place is always the safest. Such a simple truth, and yet it never crossed my mind!"
The voice came again from every direction, carrying with it a strange fluctuation of Soul Power that stirred something faintly familiar in Ethan’s mind. From Celeste’s words, he understood that this unseen speaker was none other than the leader of the Ninth Division, the head of the Originalists himself.
"The Candle Abyss isn’t fully formed yet. This is where it’s still gestating," Celeste said evenly, her expression unchanged.
"Is that so? I was beginning to think you had defected," the voice cut in sharply.
At those words, Ethan felt a surge of indignation. Celeste had risked everything, enduring years of torment and deception to infiltrate the Dissenters for the sake of the Originalists, yet this old man still doubted her loyalty. His hands clenched, but he held his tongue.
"Director Vaughn, what exactly do you mean by that?" Celeste demanded, her voice tightening with anger.
"Exactly what I said. And why, pray tell, did you bring this boy here?"
Celeste’s face shifted slightly at that question, though she offered no reply. Ethan noticed the tension in her shoulders and suddenly felt the unease mounting inside him.
"Ethan, find a chance to escape!" she said urgently.
Before Ethan could react, the air shimmered and a dozen figures appeared out of thin air, surrounding them.
"Escape? Not a chance!" one of them roared.
Ethan’s heart jolted. Within the scope of his Soul Sense, he hadn’t sensed even the faintest trace of these men before.
A mocking chuckle rolled through the air. "Heh... young one, you may be a Soul-Wielder, but you’re still far too green."
Ethan turned toward Celeste, his brows knitting. She stood frozen, eyes locked on the figures, tears glistening as they gathered in her eyes.
"Captain..." she whispered, her voice trembling with a grief Ethan had never heard from her before.
He blinked in confusion, stunned. Captain? Could these people be her old squad? But hadn’t she told him that they’d all perished, that she alone had survived?
Celeste drew a shaky breath and steadied herself.
"He knows nothing. Let him leave," she said, her tone calm now, though her body braced for the inevitable fight.
Ethan stepped forward, his voice hard and cold. "What kind of Squad abandons a teammate and flees alone? Don’t insult me with that. Hmph... I’ve found you. Now show yourself!"
He glared at a point in the empty air. From between his brows a flash of white light shot forth.
Boom.
A low, heavy thud echoed.
The space wavered, rippling like disturbed water. A nearby civilian house blurred and shimmered before the illusion peeled away. Standing before it was an old man with a hunched back, his hair and beard white as snow, his body wrapped in a tattered gray cloak.
The cloak had been blasted open, revealing his startled eyes. Ethan could see the traces of force left by his own Soul Power.
"You are Director Vaughn?" Ethan demanded, his gaze sharp as lightning, locking onto the elder.
"To think you could break my Soul Illusion... then I cannot allow you to live. Kill him, and bring Celeste back for re-education!" The old man’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing as he gave the order to the dozen Energy Users surrounding them.
"Run!" Celeste shouted, shoving Ethan away with all her strength.
Boom.
To everyone’s surprise, there was a dull impact. Ethan hadn’t moved at all. Instead, Celeste staggered back a step, her own force turned against her. If she hadn’t held back, she might have injured herself.
Ethan caught her quickly, steadying her. He met her wide, disbelieving eyes and grinned. "Celeste, do you still think I’m that useless kid?"
"You..." Celeste was stunned beyond words.
"We’ll talk later," Ethan said lightly. His gaze swept over the gathered enemies, lingering on the hunched old man who called himself Director Vaughn. "These people... should they live, or should they die?"
Celeste froze. The old man, the so-called paragon of the Ninth Division, was nothing like the stories she’d once believed. She remembered praising him, even admiring him. But now, Ethan saw the truth in her expression. Vaughn wasn’t some revered leader — he was a manipulator, ready to erase her memories, to twist her mind again. If that was the case, had her past itself been the product of his re-education?
"Destroy what’s in their minds," Celeste said coldly, her eyes hardening as she leapt into battle. She knew Ethan wouldn’t leave, and that his strength already outstripped her own. Together, maybe they had a chance.
"Alright," Ethan muttered, his voice low. Then he roared, "Explode!"
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
Celeste froze mid-strike. In the space of a heartbeat, the dozen enemies before her convulsed. Their heads ruptured all at once, and from each skull something like a translucent jellyfish tore upward, only to burst apart in the air with a wet pop, dissolving into liquid that rained back down.
"...Sorry. I might have overdone it," Ethan said, scratching his head when he saw her stunned face.
Celeste turned toward him, frowning. For a moment she looked as though she didn’t recognize him.
"Never mind," she said finally, shaking her head. "They were already dead men. I just hoped to leave their bodies intact... what a waste." Her gaze flicked to the headless corpses, and she sighed.
But Ethan wasn’t done. "Where do you think you’re going?" he growled, hurling himself forward at Vaughn.
The old man, calm and composed until now, suddenly looked stricken with fear. He hadn’t expected Ethan’s strength to be so overwhelming. Regret flared in his eyes — regret for not killing this boy the moment he’d discovered him. His arrogance had led him here, to this very moment.
Ethan cut off his escape and swung his fist, the force so immense it rippled through the air.
Boom.
A massive earthen wall surged up between them, solid and thick. Ethan’s strike collided against it with a thunderous impact, shattering the barrier to rubble. The instant the wall broke, Ethan’s fist curved into a claw, his hand shooting forward to seize Vaughn by the throat. He yanked the old man out of hiding, lifting him effortlessly into the air, his elbow locked firm.
"You’re also an Earth-elemental wielder," Ethan said in surprise, gripping tightly. He hadn’t expected Vaughn to command both Soul Power and elemental energy. On Earth, such a combination made him a formidable opponent. Against anyone else, Vaughn might have been untouchable. But today, he had the misfortune of facing Ethan.
If Ethan hadn’t arrived, Celeste would have been taken tomorrow, as she herself had warned. She would have been at Vaughn’s mercy.
"Heh... you wouldn’t dare kill me," Vaughn rasped, though his voice was strained in Ethan’s iron grip. For a moment he looked defiant again, forcing composure back into his expression.