Chapter 68: Traitor (1)
Time passed swiftly, and before anyone realized it, several hours had gone by. By now, the entire corruption field and the High Order members had been dealt with.
Many triumphed, many mourned, and many vowed revenge. Today, Nova City lost thousands of people and evolvers.
It was a huge loss for Nova City, but they had successfully repelled the attack from the High Order. They had won.
This moment would forever be etched into history.
At the same time, the battle-worn evolvers finally had the chance to return to their homes and rest.
Richard rushed toward Alissa and tightly hugged his daughter with a look of relief. "My sweet daughter, you’re fine."
He spoke in a trembling tone. He had been worried sick. He tried contacting both Alissa and Grey, yet none of them answered, except Alissa, who only gave him vague details about the situation.
But thinking of Grey made him even more anxious.
"That’s right... did Grey call you?" Richard asked with a worried expression. "He hasn’t picked up my calls or seen my messages since this morning."
"No," Alissa softly shook her head.
She herself didn’t know where he had disappeared to for the past two days. He said that he was at a friend’s house. But... even when she fought across the corruption fields, she never once sensed him. Sector Six was big, but with her acute True Dragon Mind perception, it wasn’t big enough to hide someone from her.
She wasn’t the type to assume the worst... but considering the fact that he still hadn’t replied, could it be that something had happened?
However, just as Alissa was thinking that, a young man suddenly appeared from the corner of her vision.
He wore a slightly torn t-shirt with a hole near the stomach area, his hands in his pockets as he casually walked toward them with a relaxed smile.
"Hey guys. I’m back," Grey spoke slowly.
Immediately, Richard turned around, and a relieved expression washed over his face.
He quickly walked up to Grey and checked him for injuries. Confirming that there were none, he let out a long sigh. "Where were you? Do you know how worried I was?"
Hearing that, Grey smiled helplessly. "I really couldn’t take any calls or messages. I wasn’t in a situation where I could."
Richard shook his head. "You just became an evolver. You’re still only at the first level. You should’ve found a safe shelter and stayed hidden. I don’t want you taking risks this early, Grey."
Richard cared for both his children, and now that his older son had become an evolver too, he was even more anxious. Alissa had matured as an evolver and seeing her display her full strength in the incident broadcast, he felt relief — relief that his daughter now possessed the power to protect herself.
She was no longer the little girl who used to drag him out for ice cream on his free days.
However, the same couldn’t be said for Grey. Even though he was older, he had only just awakened. In a world filled with powerful evolvers, Grey’s strength seemed insignificant. It was only natural that Richard was this worried.
"Level one, huh..." Grey smiled inwardly.
Indeed, to anyone else, he would look like a level one evolver. After all, he had only awakened a week ago. How could he possibly reach second rank in such a short time?
It was statistically impossible.
But what Richard didn’t know was that Grey’s strength had already surpassed the ninth level of the first rank. He had already stepped into the fifth life level of the first rank.
"It’s good that you’re back," Richard said with a relieved smile. "Come, let’s go home. Your clothes are torn to pieces. Get a shower and change into something proper."
With that, the family of three headed home.
Nova City, Sector One, Inner District — Duskwood Mansion.
Bang!
The office table split clean in half as Alaric’s fist slammed down, shattering the expensive wood. Documents flew through the air as the room trembled with killing intent.
"Why! Why!" he roared, veins bulging on his forehead. "This plan was foolproof! How could it fail?!"
His hoarse yet thunderous voice sent chills down the servants’ spines outside the door.
"Not only that, my grandson Cedric... he’s dead!" Alaric’s eyes burned scarlet, his entire body trembling with barely contained rage. "Dead! And for what?! For nothing!"
His bloodshot gaze locked onto the holographic screen, replaying the same moment again and again, Cedric’s body turning to mist.
And the murderer’s face kept repeating, showing Grey directly.
A dark shadow flickered across Alaric’s face. His expression distorted. "And it’s all his fault..." his voice dropped into a cold abyss. "That brat... I’ll make him wish he was never born."
The heavy doors slid open with a hiss.
A tall man in his forties walked in, calm and composed, but his eyes carried venom.
"We already have his information," the man said. "I dug through the Blue Star Local Database. It’s old, but accurate enough."
Malric Duskwood, current patriarch of the Duskwood Family, spoke with chilling steadiness — the kind that made his fury terrifying.
He flicked a small data chip toward Alaric. The old man caught it and plugged it into his device. Grey’s evolver license, ID photo, and address were all projected onto the screen.
A deadly silence followed.
Malric’s lips curled into a thin, cruel smile. "Father. Just say the word," he said, voice low and sharp.
"I’ll tear down his entire block if I have to. I’ll make his family beg for death before they get it."
Malric stared at the screen, at Grey’s calm face, and his fingers twitched violently.
"He killed our blood," Malric whispered. "So we’ll answer with blood. His. And everyone tied to him."
The holographic light reflected against his twisted expression, making him look almost monstrous.
"Grey Lockhart..." Alaric muttered, every word shaking with wrath. "You’ve started something you can’t end."
Just then, Alaric’s phone rang. The name displayed — Lord Varyn
.Both Malric and Alaric’s expression shifted.
Alaric immediately answered and connected the call to the side screen.
A robed figure appeared — Lord Varyn, the powerhouse the Duskwood Family pledged allegiance to.
"Our plan has failed," Varyn said calmly. "Young Master Zeryth is dead. I believe you both know who killed him."
"Grey Lockhart," Alaric said with a grim look. "If not for him, we would’ve succeeded, Lord Varyn. He is the sole reason we lost!"
"Just give the command, Lord Varyn. We’ll uproot him and his family entirely," Malric said coldly.
"I’m afraid it won’t be that easy," Varyn replied. "That girl, Alissa Lockhart, has direct protection from the Evolver Association. And according to High Order intel, she has met the Federation Master before. We cannot openly act against her or Richard."
"However..." Varyn snapped his fingers.
The screen shifted and a video began to play.
"N-N-No! You monster, stay away!" A desperate voice screamed as the recording played.
Grey appeared in the video, a sinister grin on his face as he walked forward. "For the High Order," he said.
Then he swung his sword and beheaded Cedric. The footage cut abruptly.
At first glance, it looked exactly like a soul lamp recording. That was also how they got the footage of Grey killing Zeryth. Both had soul lamps that recorded their last moments before death.
"This is..." Alaric’s expression flickered.
"It’s a fake video created by two High Order specialists who excel in illusion arts," Varyn said. "Even Eterna wouldn’t be able to tell the difference."
"Use it," Lord Varyn commanded. "With this video, you’ll have justification to eliminate him. That brat likely knows that the Duskwood Family is part of the High Order. Eliminate him before he speaks. With this, Alissa won’t be able to intervene, and it won’t raise suspicion. And for now, lay low. We already failed once. Acting rashly will bring trouble."
"Yes, Lord Varyn!" Both Alaric and Malric replied, madness gleaming in their eyes.
They now had a reason, a perfect excuse, to go after Grey Lockhart.
And once they captured him...
They would make sure he begged for death by the end.