The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 1800: You’re Fragile

The discovery proved to be a real surprise.

Linthia had uncovered spies placed there to monitor Haxel's movements.

Each of them was an experienced operative.

According to her account, one disguised himself as an elderly trader along the primary avenue, whereas the other posed as a habitual inebriate. Nothing hinted at their true purpose of watching Haxel. They concealed their auras so effectively that Linthia failed to detect them, and their performances remained impeccable.

What ultimately exposed them was the precise nature of their looks.

Spotting those glances became feasible only because they remained oblivious to Linthia's presence.

Linthia now exists as a Dark Drifting Spirit.

She operates free from the constraints of this domain or the Mortal Realm alike. Her essence—both soul and form—binds to the Well of the Untold. At present, the essence she emits would certainly draw suspicion. It carries a strange, alien quality.

Those with lesser abilities might miss her aura entirely, while the skilled would experience unease in her proximity, as if impending doom loomed. Rex himself continued adapting to the feel of her power.

A force that ought not to exist. Or more accurately, a force no living entity should command.

Thanks to her abilities, she glides beneath the earth like a fleeting shadow, tracking targets without detection.

That's precisely how she surveilled the pair from below ground.

"I rendered them unconscious and sustained that state using my abilities," Linthia lifted her palm. Dark tendrils of energy surged from the spies' forms, revealing their subjugation to her control. "Still, I found no marks identifying their origins. I can't pinpoint their sender, but the empire seems the likely culprit."

Linthia suspected involvement from the empire.

Yet if they truly hailed from the empire, they would have targeted Haxel directly.

They might have sprung an ambush or summoned backup to eliminate him, but instead, they merely observed.

After all, Haxel now carried the status of a wanted criminal, deserving of capture and punishment.

This passive approach left her doubts lingering.

"The empire's preoccupied with the vanished empress and my whereabouts," Rex crouched to examine the spies closely. "I doubt they'd divert resources to someone insignificant like Haxel. It's Princess Davina behind this. She's undoubtedly the one dispatching these watchers."

Reaching that deduction required little effort.

Princess Davina hunted for him relentlessly. Desperately, as Mira had described, and she possessed keen intelligence and acuity.

She undoubtedly realized locating him amid the wilderness posed a challenge.

Rather than banking solely on chance, she orchestrated events to draw him toward her. Though she hadn't glimpsed Haxel during his earlier disguise, she recognized the Immortal Slug episode as deliberate.

No mere coincidence.

A deliberate actor lay behind it.

And Haxel stood as the prime suspect.

Knowing Rex intended to eliminate Haxel, she deployed spies to locate and shadow him.

The scheme would have succeeded without Linthia's intervention.

"Wise choice sparing their lives," Rex approved with a nod, noting the System had identified certain accessories on the spies that would transmit alerts upon their demise. "Maintain their unconsciousness for another hour. Then handle them however you see fit."

"As you command, Your Majesty," Linthia inclined her head in deference.

Rex extended his limbs in a stretch before descending the stairs.

Additional tasks awaited completion.

With a casual farewell gesture, he added, "Handle the cleanup before departing."

Shortly after, Linthia emerged from the protective sphere and located Rex nearby, perched upon a stone reaching waist height.

Faint strains of melody reached her ears. Dampened by the howling of the dark gales, yet unmistakable. A soothing female voice crooned a cradle song. Drawing nearer, she spotted a severed doll head next to Rex—one she immediately identified.

"Could that be the Voidal Knight's head?" She positioned herself several steps from Rex, gazing at the detached head.

"Indeed," Rex eyed the Head of Sonanta and offered a faint smile. "I've grown accustomed to her melodies during my time in the Forsaken Tower. They help soothe my thoughts and ease the emptiness." He retrieved the humming head and settled it softly on his thigh. "Various tunes exist, but the melancholic one serves me best."

Linthia observed Rex intently, gauging his expressions.

’The tower's warped by Time Echo effects. How much time did he endure inside?’ Her gaze sharpened, sensing untold events unfolded beyond what Rex revealed. ’Separation from his homeland weighs heavily on him.’

In contrast, Linthia possessed few ties remaining in Dargena City.

Most perished within the Humming Damned Forest, and her surrogate elder sister, Dindora, had vanished. Navigating this alien realm felt disorienting. Beyond the evident differences, the ignorance of its secrets bred unease.

Yet homesickness barely afflicted her.

Rex's experience diverged sharply.

"April realized I frequently turned to this tune in solitude, yet she feigned ignorance," Rex continued, shaking his head while recalling the Forsaken Tower. "That young woman shows remarkable thoughtfulness. Hmm. She's overly... gentle."

Linthia creased her brow.

Moments earlier, Rex addressed her directly, but now his words seemed directed inward.

Confusion arose from the sorrow tinting his tone upon uttering April's name—as though reunion lay forever out of reach. Amanir had been dispatched to retrieve April and Ethan, so they ought to have returned to the stronghold.

This manner of speech struck her as peculiar.

Still, she withheld her observations.

"What brings us to this spot, Your Majesty?" She inquired, surveying the surroundings with bewilderment.

Haxel had already departed.

By rights, they should head back to base, yet Rex lingered here seated.

"We're waiting," Rex replied, stowing the Head of Sonanta into his inventory and shifting his gaze to the far left. He fixed on some distant point, though Linthia discerned nothing. "I have unfinished business. Ah, and there he appears."

A hulking form materialized from the void.

Its outline resembled a spectral wraith, marked by a pair of luminous orbs.

Linthia ascended, summoning her energies in preparation for combat should the entity strike.

Rex signaled with a wave, urging her to descend.

"He's an ally," Rex stated casually. "One of the Shade Crawlers."

United now with the Well of the Untold, her vision pierced the Black Rift more acutely than ever. She detected presences within a two-mile span with clarity, and faintly perceived those extending to five miles.

Nevertheless, this Shade Crawler evaded her awareness entirely.

The oversight startled her.

Having acclimated longer to this domain, Linthia composed herself swiftly.

"Did you locate it?" Rex questioned, positioning himself before the shadowy being.

"Affirmative," the Shade Crawler responded, its speech slightly garbled. Evidently, vocalization in this manner had grown rusty compared to its usual snarls and cries. "Varya awaits at the site. She dispatched me to guide you there."

"Understood," Rex acknowledged with a nod and peered back at Linthia. "Return and safeguard Ethan and April. I'll rejoin shortly."

"Your Majesty..." Linthia advanced, voicing objection.

Shade Crawlers essentially embodied void-born horrors, and she recoiled at abandoning Rex amid such unpredictable beasts that might betray and assault him. Despite Rex's confidence in them, Linthia harbored no such faith. She demanded proven allegiance before extending trust.

"You must stay behind," Rex instructed while advancing into the shadow.

"But—"

"Calm yourself," He interrupted Linthia mid-sentence. "And carry out my orders."

He proceeded onward, trailing the Shade Crawler.

At that instant, a prompt materialized in his sight.

<Does the user wish to acquire Crown Embryo for 500 million gold?>

...

Amanir lounged at the cliff's brink, idly tossing stones, accompanied by far-off snarls serving as ambient tune. His duties concluded, he now awaited Rex's return, ’A short wait, he claims...’

He tsked in irritation over Rex's parting words.

Idling proved simple enough, but not with a pair of sullen companions nearby.

"I'm stepping out for a stroll," Ethan rose, brushed off his palms, and headed toward the cavern's opposite end.

His pace remained steady and leisurely. A subtle droop affected his posture.

Likely still reeling from Rex's abrupt shift.

"Stay within sight, unless you fancy becoming dinner!" Amanir bellowed a caution, reminding him of the lurking perils despite Rex's safeguards. Noticing perspiration on Ethan's neck, he scoffed, "If fear grips him so, he ought to just agree to Rex's proposal."

His attention drifted to April, positioned not far off.

She huddled against the wall, knees drawn up and face pressed into them—a classic stance of despair. For one who arrived full of cheer, this conclusion soured the mood.

A turn that grated on Amanir beyond his willingness to confess.

He vented a heavy breath, "If your aim is swaying him to reconsider and include you, quit the woebegone act. Such displays gain nothing. They only solidify his decision."

April raised her gaze, "I'm not aiming to seem pitiful."

"Is that so?" Amanir snapped a pebble with his ear, propelling it deep into the gloom. "You appear that way regardless."

Though irked, she found no rebuttal.

April rested her cheek on her knees and regarded Amanir, "Tell me—what do you believe prompted his reversal?"

"Likely your status as a sheltered child, pampered from the start and shielded within your influential clan's cocoon," Amanir replied without glancing up. His focus stayed on the subsequent stone, tongue tucked against his upper lip as he lined up for a mightier launch.

A pulse throbbed on April’s temple at Amanir's words.

Sorrow gripped her, and now this taunting followed.

"You're ridiculing me," She hid her face once more. "Chatting with you was a poor choice."

Swoosh—!

"Ah? That shot's the longest yet," Amanir squinted an eye, tracking the stone's path. He then prepared another toss, "No ridicule intended. I'm convinced that's the factor behind his change.

"You lack even a trace of inner darkness. He assumes survival in his domain demands fierce motivation. A profound negativity fueling persistence," He pivoted to face April with gravity. "To him, you're delicate."

Amanir grasped this fully.

Through Rex’s perspective, April resembled a crystal prism, capturing and reflecting untainted hues. In his view, such purity—bending solely radiance—would shatter under the brutal, unrelenting force of his existence.

Whether accurate or not, that conviction held firm.

"I'm not delicate," April countered fiercely. "I possess greater strength than appearances suggest. And optimism can drive just as powerfully. Love, as an instance."

"Yet your love remains unproven," Amanir chuckled scornfully. "You've never endured true agony, unlike him. Don't misconstrue this as disparagement. For Rex, embracing you equates to risking your swift demise."

"So, what's your point?" April gripped her hands tightly, locking eyes with Amanir. "How do I alter that view?"

"Typically, you'd need to embrace temporary separation and focus on self-improvement," Amanir mused, stroking his chin with his ear in sage-like fashion—a mannerism that would amuse Devo to derision if present. "But fortune favors you; the ideal chance lies immediately ahead."

"Right here?" April cocked her head. "You? Planning to assist me?"

"Hardly, you naive pampered one," Amanir grumbled. He lacked the sway to sway Rex, regardless of efforts. Only the Silverstars held that sway. "The prime chance stems from his grudge against the empire. Forsaking your origins for his sake...

"Now," He flashed a sly grin. "Doesn't that qualify as love put to the test?"