God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World! Chapter 596: The Tournament

Before we begin, I want to sincerely apologize for naming more than two characters with the name Darius, but it’s easy to differentiate them, as I’ll make them clear. Apologies for this. It’s just that, at the time of writing, I was going through a lot in real life. Please forgive me.

....

"I’ve finally met you."

Gabriel stopped walking.

His senses instantly spread outward, covering dozens of meters around him. There was no killing intent. But this voice did not belong to any of the camp’s captains or officers, nor to any of the players he had stationed in the core area.

This area was a restricted zone reserved exclusively for New Dawn’s upper leadership. He knew every name that belonged here, and the person behind him was clearly not one of them.

Gabriel slowly turned around.

Under the torchlight stood a tall figure. He wore a neat black suit with exquisite golden trim along the collar, his posture straight and dignified, the kind of noble bearing that could only be cultivated by royalty.

He gave a slight bow. The gesture was not one of a subordinate’s obedience, but rather one of appraisal. He was evaluating whether the man before him deserved to be the person Sophie constantly spoke about.

"I am Darius," he said, straightening himself.

He was the royal envoy who had arrived at the camp a few weeks earlier to retrieve the princess. Sophie called him Uncle Darius. At the time, he had reached a compromise with the camp, choosing to remain behind and protect her in secret instead of forcibly taking her back to the royal capital. Gabriel had still been in Stellar City then, and tonight was the first time he had seen the man’s face.

The air instantly turned cold. There was an unseen pressure between the two men, each man subconsciously checking out the other.

It didn’t take long for Darius to come to the conclusion that the man before him was far stronger than him and surpassed even Sophie’s description.

"Why is a stranger inside the captains’ restricted zone?" Gabriel asked calmly.

Darius did not become angry. He answered calmly, "Since our agreement, I’ve been staying in the officers’ wing. During the time Sophie has refused to return to the royal capital, I have decided to wait for her until she does."

Even after hearing that, Gabriel’s attitude did not soften. His face remained as serious as ever.

The envoy clearly did not know that Cassie had already revealed every secret to Gabriel without reservation. In his mind, there was only the royal version of events: the collapse of the Royal Garden, the sealed basement, and the rumors that the court desperately denied while the Church repeatedly brought them up.

He also knew that Sophie’s veil was not worn out of modesty, but for suppression.

He did not say the words "World Tree" first. Instead, he stared directly into Gabriel’s eyes.

Gabriel was testing how much Darius knew, while Darius was testing how far Gabriel was willing to go to protect Sophie. Standing in the open space, neither of them spoke those three words aloud.

But both of them understood.

New Dawn was no longer an ordinary adventurers’ camp.

It had become a sanctuary, hiding a princess who carried within her something feared by the entire continent.

"I’m not here to seize command, nor will I take Sophie away," Darius stated plainly. "I was sent by the Queen. Sophie trusts me. When the royal capital questions this place again, there must be at least one honest person left here. I may be that person if you want."

"You can stay," Gabriel said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation, "but the royal orders will not. If you want to stay, then you will serve under New Dawn’s laws... at least for Sophie’s safety."

When Darius mentioned the royal capital, the atmosphere became even tenser.

"This reminds me, one of my associates mentioned that Stellar City is in turmoil right now," Darius said slowly, looking at him. "Another noble named Darius Aston, the son of General Wargrave, mysteriously disappeared after a birthday banquet. Rumors are spreading like wildfire, and every noble family is on edge."

Without changing his expression, Darius clarified, "That’s another Darius. I hope you don’t mix us together or think we are related."

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed slightly once he heard this, and the gaze he directed at the man changed.

He had indeed killed someone at that banquet, but it was not the man standing before him. That secret remained deeply buried behind his tranquil blue eyes, without revealing the slightest flaw.

But why bring it up? Could it be that this man suspected he had something to do with the death?

As if seeing through him, the envoy flashed him a wink.

"Since Sophie speaks highly of you, perhaps when we get to know each other better, I’ll let you know some things."

Gabriel simply looked at the man for some time before nodding.

When the conversation ended, the two men still did not trust one another. But that did not matter. What mattered was that their positions aligned.

Darius agreed to help prevent unauthorized royal messengers from appearing. In return, Gabriel gave him an official title that carried no real authority: Liaison Officer.

As repayment, Darius revealed a crucial piece of information.

"The Holy Church has already begun a secret investigation into Sophie. The report does not yet mention the Second Princess by name, but the word ’possession’ is already prominently listed. And one way or another, there were survivors from the Holy Church. Certainly, they will reveal what they saw, and the Church might finally step up. But this time, I feel the Pope himself might make a move as well."

Gabriel drew in a sharp breath.

The storm was already much closer than he had expected.

He immediately sent Anna to arrange a double guard for Sophie’s protection and secretly instructed Seraphina to keep Darius under surveillance.

After everything was done, Gabriel returned to his residence alone.

However, the moment he pushed open the doors of his manor, a thunderous system announcement suddenly echoed across the sky, sweeping through the entire world of Ascendancy:

[Ding! World Announcement! The first ever "Ascendancy Tournament" is about to begin!]