The Villain Rising: Chapter 247: A Sister’s Relief

Chapter 247: A Sister’s Relief.

Within a peaceful garden, a boy and a girl sharing similar features walked, a transparent old man floating behind them.

The boy and the girl were none other than Lyra and Rael, who had just stepped out of the Demon Castle to have a chat.

Lyra’s eyes drifted across the garden, noting how similar it looked to the one back at her home. Then her gaze paused on her little brother, the little troublemaker of the house.

But as she looked at him now, she couldn’t help but wonder... was this still the same little brother from before his awakening?

The last time she had seen him was the night before he departed for the Demon Realm. Back then, she hadn’t noticed much. But now... now that she truly looked at him, she couldn’t ignore the faint change in his eyes, as if he knew everything.

And seeing him like this, she didn’t know what to say anymore.

She still remembered her outburst a few days ago, when she returned from her academy mission, the one she had taken immediately after Rael came to the Demon Realm in hopes that she would hear good news by the time she completed her mission.

The mission had been to conquer a strange A-Rank dungeon and it took her nearly two months, far longer than she had expected, to conquer it and escape, but the rewards had been generous.

But when she actually came out instead of some good news, all that met her were the troubles Rael had caused and the dangers he encountered.

She heard everything about how he was accepted as a disciple of the Demon King, how he got engaged to the Demon Princess, how he challenged a Demon Prince and how he somehow ended up stuck in some divine treasury.

She had so many questions, and yet when she met him after such a long time, he dared to greet her with that same goofy smile as before...

How could she possibly stop herself from punching him... after seeing that?

Wasn’t it her responsibility, as an elder sister, to teach him just how worried people could get when he acted so recklessly?

Even as she punished him, a quiet sense of relief spread through her chest.

That fool... was safe.

But then, something strange happened...

He somehow reacted to the spirit of the ancestor, someone who shouldn’t have been visible to anyone but herself, someone even her father or even the Emperor, who was a demigod, had failed to sense.

Right on cue, an ancient, mature voice echoed in her head.

"I am telling you, young lady, this monkey saw me."

"Although he looks like a barbaric monkey, he is, after all, from the same bloodline as me. Perhaps he awakened the legacy as well... and gained the ability to see me."

"But didn’t you say only one person from a generation can awaken it...?" She asked within her mind.

The old man floating behind them stroked his beard as he gazed at the sky.

"Well, the legacy I left was within our blood. Although I made it so only one could awaken it... fate has always loved its strange games. Perhaps, somehow over generations, my arrangements weakened... and the legacy was split in two."

The old man nodded to himself.

But Lyra frowned.

"That doesn’t make any sense, ancestor."

She narrowed her eyes at Rael’s back as he walked ahead of her, leading them toward a place where they could talk without prying eyes or so he claimed.

"If that were the case, he would have seen you the first time we met him after his awakening. But back then... he didn’t even seem to sense you."

The old man chuckled. "Maybe he is a good actor... or maybe something happened within the treasury."

Lyra didn’t stop walking, but her mind began to race.

What could have happened...?

She didn’t mind if it was simply him gaining some skills or powers. But from everything the old man had shared with her, she knew the world was far from simple and gaining power came at a cost worse than life itself.

The old man, Romen Von Ashborn, or as the world knew him, the founder of the Ashborn family, the one who had once painted the sky crimson, was undoubtedly one of the most knowledgeable beings in the world.

Especially in an era where knowledge itself was controlled... by organizations and empires, all ruled by Gods lurking behind the scenes.

Ever since she first began seeing him after awakening her Nexus, he had always warned her never to trust the Gods.

One of them had been the reason for his death as well.

He had shared stories of a time when Gods were not bound by restrictions like they were today and of how he, a mere mortal, had challenged and killed a particular God.

But it had cost him his own life as well.

He had also told her how these countless Gods controlled the world, how they tempted people with power, only to use them as tools meant to be discarded.

She didn’t want Rael to be a tool of some Gods as well.

"In any case, young lady... we need to find out if this little monkey from our family is truly being used by some evil God. Because if he is..."

His voice turned sharp and heavy.

"...you need to kill him."

Lyra’s steps came to a halt.

She turned to look at the old man, the one who had saved her from countless dangers, the one who had taught her how to fight, how to deceive, how to win against those far stronger than herself.

"Why...?"

Her voice came out weak, even as she already knew the answer.

"You know as well as I do, if he is truly being used, then death would be the best outcome for him. At least that way, he would die as himself... instead of a mere puppet, stripped of emotion and controlled by some God."

"But didn’t you say not all Gods are bad...? Aren’t there some good ones as well...?" She asked, grasping for another path.

The old man’s crimson eyes sharpened.

"Yes, there are Gods who are good to humans. But you are mistaken if you compare their morals to those of humans. Once someone ascends to Godhood... they do not remain the same."

He looked toward the sky, his gaze piercing through something far beyond Lyra’s comprehension.

"Tell me, Lyra... would you feel bad for crushing ants or bugs? To them, humans are the same."

His voice was calm and detached.

"I have felt what a God might feel, because I myself once touched that step... before rejecting it and choosing death."

His gaze met Lyra’s.

"So, if you truly love your little brother... set him free, instead of letting him suffer further."

Right on cue, Rael’s voice echoed.

"Hey, Lyra, why are you stopping already...?" He waved at her, completely oblivious to her silent conversation with the old man. "Walk faster, we’re almost there."

Lyra’s heart ached as she looked at him but she steadied herself.

Not yet...

"We still don’t know if he’s truly being controlled by a God. Do you have a way to confirm it, ancestor...?"

She asked, her voice laced with hope.

"I can confirm it. But since I am nowhere near my prime strength, I would need to enter the domain of his soul to do so and for that... you must knock him out because only when his consciousness is asleep can I proceed."

Lyra nodded.

"Alright."

Her gaze sharpened as she walked toward Rael, calm and composed. She didn’t make a move just yet, she wanted to reach the place he had in mind before knocking him unconscious.

She still had no intention of killing Rael even after everything the old man had said.

Even if he was being controlled by some evil God... She would rather kill that God than her precious little brother.

With those thoughts, she followed Rael until they arrived at a small resting spot in the middle of the garden.

A few chairs surrounded a circular table, shaded beneath a massive leaf.

Rael turned to her. "I found this place during—"

Before he could finish, she was already behind him.

Her speed, at peak B-Rank, was far beyond what he could perceive. Even so, she caught the slight widening of his eyes but his body didn’t react in time as he hand struck his neck.

His body went limp instantly.

She caught him before he could fall, lowering him gently onto one of the chairs.

"Leave the rest to me, young lady." The old man said before reaching toward Rael’s body and vanishing into it.

Lyra didn’t say a word.

She took a seat beside him, her gaze fixed on his unconscious form.

Hoping...

That she was wrong and maybe just maybe Rael gained some artifact or some skill which made him sense the old man.