Chapter 2972: Viltronian Hope
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City
"Letâs go. Weâre heading to Tripoint City," I said, diving down toward the metropolis sprawling beneath the heavy blood-storm clouds.
"Wyatt, arenât you going to switch reality back to normal first?" Petra called out after me, believing the sub-reality I had created was so flawless that even I, its creator, had forgotten we were still inside it.
"I already did. Itâs just that none of you noticed," I replied smoothly, not even bothering to look back.
"Why the hell didnât you tell me?!" Petra groaned in exasperation. If she had known the boundaries of the sub-reality had already dissolved, she would have bolted back to Bloodetteâs side ages ago. Instead, she had sat there tightly holding her tongue, completely tricking herself into babysitting Seraphina.
"How am I supposed to know you would fail to notice something so basic? Especially with that innate skill of yours," I rebuked her.
Without breaking stride, I picked up the pace as I headed toward the teleportation hub, Veerott matching my speed right beside me.
Suddenly, Aqualas sprinted ahead, using every ounce of her strength to cut me off. "Can we join you guys?" she asked breathlessly. "Iâm sure you could use a few extra hands."
"Ask your boss," I replied, not even bothering to slow down.
Aqualas spun around to face Petra, but before she could even utter a word, Petra simply sighed and nodded. "Yes. Go ahead. You can go."
Hearing Petra generously give in before Aqualas could even ask made me instantly pause. I had fully expected her to weaponize this exact momentâto assert her newfound dominance, make Aqualas beg a little, or play some petty mind games. But she didnât do a single thing.
Looking back at the expression on her face, the realization hit me.
She looked like a woman who couldnât wait another second to get back to Bloodetteâs side. The moment Aqualas asked if she and Seraphina could tag along, Petra realized she had been handed the perfect excuse to ditch her babysitting duties. Because I had just made her the ultimate judge of the situation, she did exactly what any lazy bureaucrat would do: she chose the path of maximum convenience.
Ultimately, this outcome worked entirely in my favor. Despite the terms we had agreed upon, I couldnât afford to treat Veerott and Aqualas like mindless slavesâespecially not Aqualas. Taking that approach would be entirely counterproductive to my long-term goals. They might keep their word out of obligation or fear, but those negative emotions would only continue to fester beneath the surface until the inevitable occurred.
"Wyatt, can we really join you now?" Aqualas double-checked cautiously, clearly not having expected Petra to be so incredibly reasonable.
"Since Boss Petra has spoken, sure you can," I remarked, my eyes tracking Petraâs rapidly diminishing figure.
The moment she had given Aqualas permission, she hadnât stuck around for even a fraction of a second. Instead, she had fled the scene entirely, sprinting toward the TSR tower basement at absolute full speed as if fearing that I would change my mind and saddle her with new orders.
Sensing the sharp undercurrent of discontent cutting through my casual tone, Seraphina interjected smoothly, "Wyatt, there is no need for us to tag along if we are going to be a bother to you."
"Nah, letâs go!"
With that, the four of us headed straight toward the cityâs teleportation hub. To my surprise, the very reason I was rushing to Tripoint City in the first place had just materialized right inside the hubâs arrival gate. This saved me an immense amount of timeâa massive relief, considering I could no longer afford to delay my high-stakes appointment with the Frosling clan.
"Boss, you really didnât have to personally come down just to receive us," Aurelia said cheekily.
She offered a playful grin as she spotted me waiting at the teleportation hub. Stepping out of the arrival gate from Tripoint City alongside Jaya, the Saintess, and Redfall, she escorted a massive, heavily secured cargo shipment of solid, frozen ice.
"How could I possibly stay away when my star employees are returning from yet another highly successful mission?" I played along, offering a smooth smile.
But as the pleasantries faded, my gaze drifted past her toward the massive payload. My eyes narrowed slightly as I finally took in the grotesque details: encased deep within the colossal, shimmering blocks of ice were the unmistakable, frozen forms of several demigods. It seemed someone had taken my rule of killing as few people as possible entirely to heart.
Even though the demigods were securely frozen, they werenât actually dead. Instead, they appeared to be suspended in a deep state of forced hibernationâcryosleep, to be exact. Examining the frosted, shimmering layer coating the prisoners, I could easily tell that this was the intricate work of one of my Frosling Corpse Puppet card spirits.
"Wyatt, I defeated these demigods with a single punch!" Jaya excitedly reported, practically vibrating with the desire to be praised by me.
But before I could say a word, a massive shadow completely eclipsed her. Unable to contain the absolute emotional turmoil raging inside him, Veerottâs giant figure rushed forward, skidding to a halt right in front of her. He stared down at her, his eyes wide, completely unhinged by what he was witnessing: a purebred female Viltronian standing right before his eyes.
Even though Jaya was still weak by his standards, she was young and a purebred nonetheless. To Veerott, who had been ready to settle for a Gigamite to help rebuild his lineage, finding a true Viltronian girl out here wasnât just a stroke of luckâit was like winning the cosmic lottery.
Tears welled up in Veerottâs eyes. In that moment, he felt that every ounce of embarrassment and shame he had been forced to endure earlier in the fight against me was entirely worth it. If he hadnât walked this exact path, if he hadnât bent the knee, he might have died without ever learning she existed. The future of his entire raceâhis ultimate hopeâwas standing right here in front of him.